Can you...

fit a week's worth of activity into 2 days?  It sure feels like that's what happened.  There are a couple pics from the weekend, so I'll post pics, then write about all the extra activity, not captured.

Warning:Don't enlarge pic if you think mice are cute.  They are not welcome in our house and this is a warning for those outside mice thinking that our house might be a good place to live...

Grandad reading to 3 out of 4.  Kiersten was up a down a couple times too:).

Giving a good pouty face.  Still cute:).

So kissable...

Picture of the finished creation.

This is the way the kids "help" Daddy mow the lawn.

We have two hanging tomato plants now.

One of our grapfruit trees enjoying a bigger space to grow.

Part of devotions tonight was from Elyssia's history course.  Click on pic to enlarge directions for making Resurrection Cookies.  It's not Easter, but that's not the only time to teach the kids about what Jesus went through for us when He died on the cross.  This seems to make it even more realistic for them.

Elyssia's part.

Baby getting in on the taste testing.

The cookies before going in the oven.

Sealing the "tomb" for the night.  We will open it in the morning and see the finished cookies.

Kiersten wanted these on her head.  She was twirling and made herself dizzy before falling down:)

Before Haircut...

After.  Much better!  Now why would we pay someone $15 to cut his hair when I can do it in about 5-10 minutes for free?

So, backtracking a bit.  Yesterday was spent at home with the sick little ones.  Elyssia was allowed to accompany Scott to church because she hadn't been sick since the middle of the week and she can be trusted to behave when neither of us can sit with her:).  So, she enjoyed her "outing" and having Daddy all to herself.  Later in the day we learned that Jessie and 3 of the kids were in an accident on the Autobahn in Germany.  Thank the Lord they weren't seriously hurt. I'm sure that they're going to be sore, but the Lord was definitely protecting them.  They hit water on the road, which spun the vehicle and shot it across 3 lanes of opposing traffic.  The autobahn has a reputation for very fast driving.  They weren't hit by any of the cars and were stopped when they hit one of the medians(not sure what they call them over there).  Anyway, the police said that a one car accident is rare. It's usually a major pile up and I seriously doubt they would have been alive without the Lord's protection.  A man in our church also hit a deer with his truck on the way to church last night.  Damage to the vehicle, but not to him.  Another praise, although he's not too happy about the damaged truck:(.
  Today started off busy.  A pancake breakfast, which Caleb hardly touched. Kiersten ate her pancake and his too.  He went and laid on the couch and went back to sleep.  I headed into town to get groceries.  It's a lot easier to get it done when Scott has the day off. He had the kids help him with transplanting and yard work.  The mosquitoes were thick and swarming with the wet weather.  Heading down the road I saw a mother duck and her babies crossing the road.  She ran in front of the car to distract me.  She did this and then started flying, following me almost all the way to the highway!  I was thinking, "They have an amazing sense of duty, protecting their little ones, but don't they know that while they're distracting me, their babies could be attacked by something else.  You'd think that they learn that a vehicle heading away from the babies was okay, but it's still amazing to see how they're willing to give their lives to protect their little ones.  Groceries were picked up, without feeling super nausea.  I saw a man from our church, also taking advantage of sale day.  We chatted for awhile, then it was off to get the mail and deposit checks.  Canada Post is on a partial strike, so I don't know when the rotation will hit ours.  I'm thankful that the whole system isn't striking at the same time.  I got home before lunch and the kids were swarming the car:).  What did you get???  The fruit and yogurt seemed to satisfy:)  I'm loving fresh fruit season.  We're already on our 4th watermelon.  I did manage to get a nap with Caleb and 4 of us were sleeping, which gave Scott a chance to work with Elyssia.  Scott and Elyssia got another portion of the yard mowed while the sun was out.  It was beautiful for half the day and a bit overcast or drippy for the other half.  We enjoyed ALL of it. 
  When Caleb woke up, Scott took him to town.  He takes turns taking them one at a time and Kiersten gets to go next time.  Wonder where they'll go.  The other kids were giving suggestions:)  Kiersten just sat there smiling and listening to them talk.  I decided that I would fix a bunch of hard boiled eggs and when those were done I took them off and turned off the burner.  Unfortunately, Kiersten decided to use a chair and investigate while I was putting together some chicken enchiladas.  I'd already taken her down and asked Elyssia to take away the chair. Unfortunately, the chair was not removed and Kiersten climbed up and toughed the burner while I wasn't looking.  I spent the next half hour trying to console her and cool off her 3 little red fingers.  The burn doesn't seem to be too bad, but she definitely learned the meaning of "hot" today.  She kept saying it every time she looked at her fingers.  She's also started saying "diaper" and running to get one when she needs a new one:). One step closer to starting potty training. She still wakes up wet and things though, so we won't be starting til she has several dry mornings.  She loves to sit on the potty any time that Elyssia or I go in, so she's getting the idea.  Hopefully it will be quick.
  We all enjoyed supper when Scott came home.  The two older ones wanted to light a candle, so we put that in the middle of the table.  Caleb still didn't have much of an appetite, but at least he sat and visited with us at the table.  The candle was extinguished shortly after the meal.  Garrison didn't want it to melt too fast.  We told him that it was almost 8 years old and would probably last at least another two years.  It was one of the ones used at our wedding and we usually just light it on anniversaries, birthdays and special occasions.  I guess they figured today was a special occasion.
  After the dishes were done I gave Scott and much needed haircut.  It doesn't take very long these days. It may be the fact that he has less hair, but also the fact that I've been cutting it for almost 8 years now. He also bought me some new clippers, which make it even easier.  I think perhaps this is the best it's turned out in quite some time:) 
 Before bed, Scott made the Resurrection cookies with the kids, while I took pictures.  The evening passed really quickly and after folding a couple loads of laundry it was already time to put the kids to bed.  Someone once told me that when raising kids "the days are long, but the years are short".  I think that sometimes the days are short too.  I'll post pics of the finished cookies when we unseal the "tomb" in the morning.  Hopefully I'll remember.  The kids were sad that they didn't get to eat them tonight, but Scott reminded them that the disciples were sad when they put Jesus' body in the tomb and it was 3 days before they went back and discovered that He'd risen from the dead.  Like I said, it was a good idea for giving the kids a way to remember the events that happened so long ago.  If you enlarge the pic I took it explains how each of the ingredients relates to Jesus' experiences.  There is also a Scripture to read connecting each example.
  Overall, one of the best couple days in a long time.  Please don't forget to pray for Cameryn and Caleigh's surgery tomorrow.  Kiersten's little burn and the pain it brought her was so small in comparison to what these girls face with each broken bone and surgery.  We praise the Lord that He brought them into our lives, but pray that He gives them extra help to get through the pain in the days and weeks ahead as they heal.  For the parents too, as they will need extra strength to get through the days and nights. 
  Til next time...