I Lost

With each of our children Patrick and I have had a competition of whose name they would say first. Joshua, Elisabeth, and Brenna all said "Da Da" first. With Silas I was determined to have him say "Ma Ma" first. I have been practicing and practicing with him and have even enlisted the help of some of the ladies at church. Two days ago, I lost and Silas said "Da Da. " Of course, Patrick is beaming....again.

It's fun to see Patrick play with Silas and make him laugh. Just like Joshua, Elisabeth, and Brenna, Silas adores Patrick. He's learning what his siblings have learned...they have a terrific Daddy! I'm so thankful for a husband that loves me and our children too. We are his priority above all else. In turn, me and the children adore and love Patrick. I'm so blessed! Thank you, Lord!

Happy 13th Birthday Joshua

Last Thursday night we celebrated Josh's birthday. He told us before hand that he really didn't want a party party, but just something informal...like inviting people over for burgers. So, that's what we did. Of course, the girls and I were in the party mood, so we decorated just a little, and had fun preparing for the party. The girls made this sign for Josh and we hung it and 13 blue balloons on the clothesline.

We invited Pastor Roy and his family, The Lalonds, Gabe (our neighbor), and our landlord and his wife were there for the beginning of the party.

We ate burgers and hot dogs and all the fixings. It was pretty delicious. Then, we had one of Josh's favorites, Pistachio Eclair Dessert. After we ate we played 21 in basketball. The first game Patrick won, then we played teams and the "boys won". (They beat the men and women teams) Then we played couples and Patrick and I won! Yipee! It was a great party.

Then, for Josh's birthday my parents bought him a blue masked lovebird, and Patrick and I bought him the cage and accessories. Josh was so excited to get a bird. He had been begging for a bird and has been reading lots of books on how to care for birds. It was fun to be able to get him what he wanted.

Happy Birthday, Josh! We sure do love you!

Lay aside every weight

There is one thing I think most Mothers have in common....we all Worry. Before I became a Mom I didn't realize how much of my thoughts and time would be devoted to my children. I'm always wondering "Should I put on a fan in their room? Did their covers come off of them at night? Was that sniffle a sign of a cold coming on? Are they getting enough fruits and vegetables? Are they reading their Bibles for me or for the Lord? Do they have enough play time? Am I teaching them proper work ethic?....I could go on and on and on! Lately I have been having a problem with worrying. I don't know if it's because my baby is growing up and starting to get mobile (I can never keep him on that blanket anymore!) Or if it's because my oldest baby has a couple more days before he'll be a teenager. (Last night tucking him in was a little emotional for me.) I want to be the best Mom in the world, yet at times I feel it's all I can do to have meals on the table and clean underwear. I get caught up in the day to day and forget about creating memorable times with my children. There's so much I want to teach them about! Things like...working hard, enjoy every second the Lord gives you, prefer one another, serve the Lord, you'll never regret it.....Am I teaching them these things? When I worry I don't seem to accomplish anything!
The Lord is so good to give me exactly what I need when I read His Word. This morning I was reading in Hebrews and I read Hebrews 12:1, "let us lay aside every weight". Worry (if I let it) can be a weight on my shoulders. A burden. Worry is a burden I shouldn't be carrying. I should lay it aside. When I worry I don't even accomplish the things I was worrying about it the first place!
Lord, please help me today to trust in you. Help me to know you're in control. I don't want worry to be my constant thought. I don't know why you would want them, but you want to take my burdens from me and carry them for me. You are such an amazing God! I want to trust you...you know what's best for me. I love you, Lord!

Brenna Donates to Locks Of Love

About a month ago Brenna told us she would like to donate to Locks of Love. For those who don't know, Locks of Love is an organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair from cancer treatments. They take donations of hair to make the wigs. The hair must be at least 10 inches long. We told her she needed to pray about it. She prayed, and she told us she really feels she should do this. Yesterday I told her to make a list of the reasons why it's a good idea, and why it's not a good idea and we'll talk about it some more. Here was her list:
Good Reasons:
I want to give my hair to help children with Cancer
I want to look like Kit (the American Girl)
It will take me less time to wash and blow-dry my hair.
Bad Reasons:
Some people may not like it.
We were very proud of her and told her we could do it the next day. We talked to 2 hairstylist here in Canada, but there was so much of a langauge barrier we weren't sure they understood us. So, we printed out the Locks of Love instructions and did it ourselves. I couldn't do the first cut, so Patrick did it. (While I cried)

We measured to make sure we had the right amount.

After Patrick did the first cut, we showed it to her and she said "Wow!" She wasn't disappointed at all, she was really excited.

I straightened up all the ends and she went and looked in the mirror and loved it. We think she looks so adorable! (And a little like Kit except with Brown hair.) We're so proud of our baby girl. It takes a lot for a girl to cut off that much hair! Way to go, Brenna! We love you!

A Tour JEB's Fort

The other day Brenna asked if I would like a tour of Hers, Josh's and Beth's Fort that they have made. They love having their own yard and place to play. They've converted one of the trees in our front yard into their fort. So, here we go on our tour of their fort.....Welcome!
Can you see Brenna in there?

This is what they built to roast their meat and cook their meals. (if they had too)

They built this to keep all of their food and vegetables.

They have all kinds of sitting spots and also lots of defense mechanisms too. They have "cannons" hanging from lots of the branches in case they're invaded.

Since there are two girls that helped make this fort, they have a little bit of a girly touch. They always bring fresh flowers into their fort.

My thoughtful, sweet Brenna. She still loves to make me laugh and help me whenever she can. She's our most outgoing child and likes to talk and giggle.

She's also doing very well with her French and memorizing lots of verbs. Everyone said the language will come very easy for our kids, but we're all starting to realize it will take plenty of work for them too.

Brenna is also very artistic and creative. She loves to paint and do crafts. I would like for our family to memorize Ecclesiastes 9:10 in French and English so I had her make a poster to hang in our dining room yesterday. She accidently copied Eccl. 1:9-10. OOPPS. She's planning on making new poster for me today.

Tonight we're having a family meeting planning our "Summer Goals". We did this last summer and did a lot of fun things. I wonder what my Brenna will set for her goals? God has given me a very talented, fun, lovable daughter. I love to hear her talk and her new ideas. Thank you, Lord, for my baby girl!

Silas Boone 5 months

My baby Silas is now 5 months. Wow! I can't imagine life without him. He gets a whole lot of attention from everyone in our family. I know you can't spoil a baby, but he thinks we're here to give him attention! He's so adorable, we just can't resist! He's rolling over both ways and can get off the blanket I lay him on so quickly. He babbles a lot now, and his favorite sound is "ba ba ba ba". Patrick and I are both training him everday, but to say 2 different words. Patrick wants him to say dada. I want him to say mama. We'll see which one comes first. (JEB all said dada first)

Silas is sleeping great at night. He usually goes to bed around 9 or 9:30 and wakes up at 6:30. He takes 3 naps. The first two are about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. The last one is always different. He loves to eat solid foods now. We are starting him on fruits tonight. Daddy surprised him with baby vanilla custard yesterday. He loved it, of course! I think he was on a little sugar high last night from it. He kicked and smiled and kicked and smiled for about an hour! He still is fighting his clogged tear duct in his eye. Some days are better than others, then some mornings he wakes up with it completely matted shut. Poor Guy. We found a doctor in Maine that we'll take him to for his 6 month checkup. We're looking forward to a day in the States!! (I used that phrase, Keela!)

I'm so thankful the Lord gave us a new addition to our family. We pray everyday that Silas will accept the Lord as his personal Saviour at a young age. Time is too precious to waste. Only what's done for Christ will last.

The Difference a Day Makes

I posted on Thursday about our beautiful Spring Day. On Friday it turned chilly again. We took our walk down to the river anyway. We are very blessed to live close to a river and walking park. Patrick loves to spot fish. We found two the other day that looked like Trout. It was chilly, so I really didn't want the kids to get wet....does up to your knees count?

Even though it was chilly, it was a gorgeous day here in Quebec City, Canada!

Our Spring Day

What a beautiful day we had today! Today was the first real day that we could go without jackets. (Although, I still put a sweater on Silas for our walk. ) We enjoyed some time outside enjoying the gorgeous fresh air. This is the outside view of my kitchen window. I love having plants on the ledge behind my sink. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my children playing outside. Patrick surprised me Tuesday and brought home some flowers for me. When we were still in Florida I told him I wanted a pretty hanging plant. He knows pink is my favorite color. He's so sweet.

He also brought home these. Aren't they pretty? I'm going to go buy a planter tomorrow and put it on our back porch.

Joshua invited Joseph to come over and play basketball today. It's nice that Josh has a friend here.

Bethy has become a little Mama. She's my right hand lady taking care of Silas. Actually, all three of my older kiddos do so well with Silas. They absolutely adore him!

Here's Patrick and his herb garden. Just about everywhere we've lived Patrick has tried to plant a garden. He has the bug again this year. He secretly wants to be a farmer. This year he settled for an herb garden and we have LOVED using the fresh herbs in our meals.

Me watering my flowers....I hope I remember. I don't have the green thumb that my Mom and Mam-maw have. I love flowers, but don't keep them living for some reason. We'll see how it goes this time.

Welcome Spring!!!..Almost Summer! We're going to enjoy the outdoors here while we can!

Wordless Wednesday

Silas's New Trick

All Smiles

My Camera is finally back! Hopefully I'll be posting more pictures soon. Language Classes definitely keep us busy. We are studying at every available moment. Every naptime is a definite study time. My four blessings are adjusting well to life in Canada. We really love it here! The weather is starting to turn a little warmer although we've still had some chilly spells. One thing I love about Canada is that everyone's lawns seem to be very manicured...pretty flowers, trim and neat, and great grass. (Just like the grass in Michigan! It makes me want to go run in it barefoot.)
Today was a day filled with lots of little things. Of course I took care of all the Mommy duties, but I've done lots of extra things too, like baking homemade bread, studying, (I feel like I'm never done!and putting towels out on the line. I love to hang things on our clothesline, it's very convenient. I had to run out and bring in the towels, though, before the rain started. Now, I'm off to finish baking the bread and make dinner. I sure do love my time at home with my family!

A Good Lunch

Today is a chilly windy day. We're expected to have showers this afternoon. It was a perfect day for Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwiches and Homemade Potato Soup. MMM. So that's exactly what we had!
At the end of the meal the Bureax de Post brought our mail and MY CAMERA IS BACK!!!! YIPEE! It's been horrible not having a camera....my kiddos are changing so much! So, hopefully pictures will be back on my blog very soon!

Sincerity and Thankfulness

Do you ever find that in your daily devotional time, there is a theme that sort of "sticks" out in your mind? It's been that way with me for the past week. I have been reading in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. And I seem to keep running across the words "Sincerity" and "Thankfulness".

Philippians 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

"Be sincere" "Love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" "Abounding therein with thanksgiving" "Be ye thankful" I want to be sincere in my everyday walk with Christ. I want to do this for many reasons. One of them is that my children are watching every step I take. Every victory, every struggle. They will know if I'm sincere or not. When you are sincerely thankful you remember who you are. I am just flesh, and I fail often. I'm sincerely thankful the Lord loves me like he does. He doesn't give up on me. He loved me so much, he was willing to let his own Son die for me. Me! We have a great God!
Redeeming the time,
Kami