365 Project | Weeks 12–13

It's been a full two weeks. Matthew and I traveled to NY and back again. We rejoiced with family that Great Grandpa is rejoicing now in Heaven. We caught up on laundry. We enjoyed a date night ... the kids enjoyed an evening with Miss Beth. We bought a new camera. (!!!) We fellowshipped with friends at the Australia Team Picnic. We took lots of pictures on our new camera. Umm, did I mention that we took lots of pictures on our new camera? 573 to be exact. In less than 24 hours. Anyway.

Traveling, reunions, and new cameras lend themselves to considerably more than just one picture per day. So, tonight I post the top 14 ... those that seem to best capture the essence of each day. More favorites will be forthcoming. ;)

Day 78. Yellow forsythia blossoms line our driveway as our welcome to spring.

Day 79. Green chips ... AKA, my adventures with kale. I loved them. Chris thought they were okay. The kids had a hard time with the color. :)Day 80. Great Grandpa is rejoicing in Heaven!Day 81. We enjoyed watching Soundforth's concert from the comfort of our dining room, although Hannah was the only one actually sitting at the computer as the rest of us were busy with bedtime preparations. I was more than a little surprised when she excitedly showed us the comment she had added to the comment stream ... all by herself.

Day 82. Ready for NY. I think this picture made it on this day by about 14 minutes. ;) The carseat-stroller combo brings back fun memories of our 12 hour layover in San Francisco on our way home from Uncle Bryan and Aunt Janie's wedding about six years ago!

Day 83. Mommy and crew ... ready for take-off!

Day 84. Matthew was absolutely the best travel buddy possible ... he was happy and cheerful the whole time and excellent company during our 4+ hour delay in Philadelphia. He was super-excited to see Grandma and Grandpa when we finally arrived at their house Friday evening. Unfortunately, he woke up on Saturday with a fever that just kept getting higher each time the Ibuprofen wore off, till it peaked at 104 Saturday evening. :( He spent most of the day cuddling with Mommy. Towards the evening, I decided to start treating him for an ear infection with garlic oil ...

Day 85. I was SO thankful to see his smile back again on Sunday! The Lord allowed his fever to break during the night and by Sunday evening he was hamming it up with my Aunt Emily's family who arrived from Pennsylvania. He also adopted Grandpa's lion. He loved Grandpa's lion.

Day 86. Even though it was not the preferred circumstances, it was a blessing to fellowship with family again. Here's my parents with my dad's sisters and each of their spouses.Day 87. Matthew finally warmed back up to Grandma after his set-back on Saturday. :) (Unfortunately, it was just in time to go home again!)

Day 88. Matthew enjoyed the dandelions at our lunch stop and once again proved himself to be a super-duper traveler as Grandpa drove us home in his truck. :)Day 89. Ah yes. The day to say good-bye to Grandpa's tractor finally arrived. Thanks for letting us adopt it for so long, Grandpa!Day 90. The dogwoods came into bloom while I was in NY! We have quite a few of them on our property, but this is our only pink one. It's my favorite though. :)Day 91. Thoroughly enjoyed fellowshipping at the Australia Team Picnic! Thanks Mum and Dr. Matzko!

And so went our two weeks. Full, but good. Blessed.
More pictures to follow ... ;)

P.S. - All but the very last picture was taken on my old camera ...

Rejoicing in Heaven!

After a long battle with Alzheimer's, my Grandpa Martens is rejoicing tonight in Heaven! He would have been 95 this July. From my childhood, I distinctly remember my Grandpa's passion for Christ. He shared the Gospel and talked of Christ with everyone he met. I can only imagine how very excited he is to meet his Savior face to face. It's been a long journey.

We love you, Grandpa! Give our little one a hug for us! :)

"Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God; believe also in Me.
In my Father's house are many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to Myself,
that where I am you may be also.
And you know the way to where I am going."

Thomas said to Him,
"Lord, we do not know where You are going.
How can we know the way?"

Jesus said to him,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:1-6

365 Project | Week 11

We enjoyed an "exciting" week around here. :o) Who would have guessed that a tiny piece of wood could cause such a ruckus!?!

Day 71. Our new seating arrangements ... Matthew is officially out of his high chair!Day 72. Mommy and Peter enjoyed a special lunch together to celebrate a goal achieved. :o)

Day 73. We all enjoyed watching our friend Anna play in the All-Star soccer game. Mommy was also very thankful for the graciousness of those seated around us as it was very obvious that this was our first soccer game. "Why are they kicking the ball, Mommy? Where do they want it to go? Why does that girl keep catching the ball? Why are they running? Are they hot? Are they sweating?" etc. ;)

Day 74. Unfortunately, however, our soccer game experience ended on a rather distressed note as Hannah managed to capture a 1/2-inch sliver in her finger. The next few days were filled with multiple attempts to remove the splinter and prevent infection. She's been a trooper!

Day 75. So what do you do when the desired item is stored under the bed?

Day 76. It's been a while since I've read with a highlighter in hand. Excited to learn more about our food and how God designed it to meet our bodies' nutritional needs.

Day 77. Spring has sprung. (At least we're hoping it's spring and not summer!) Thankful to have completed our seasonal clothing swap this weekend, and thankful once again for the Lord's provision! Our basement clothing bins lacked nothing but a couple pair of denim shorts and a pair of pajamas. Praise the Lord! (And many thanks to friends who have shared their pre-loved clothing with us.) :)

We're most definitely enjoying beautiful spring weather with flowers and trees blooming all around us! So thankful for sunshine and fresh air!

Keepin' Busy ...

If ever you're bored, try ...

hula-hooping ...

raking leaves ...
climbing on the tractor when your mommy's not looking ...

hanging upside down ...
riding a bike ...

pulling your buddy on leash ...

making cookies ...

reading the funnies ...

watching the traffic ...babysitting your little brother by buckling him into his favorite spot ... ;)

driving your toy tractors ...

making a fancy friendship bracelet ...

enjoying the spring breeze ...taking a nap ...

But then, when was the last time you were ever bored???

:)

365 Project | Week 10

The Lord allowed some unique challenges this week, but we are thankful for each one.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ...
Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2

The pruning process is rarely fun or easy, but it is a necessary part of growth, and we are thankful for it. Here's a glimpse of our week ...

Day 64. Hannah wanted to use an offering envelope for her church offering today. I wanted to remember her creative effort to communicate $3.05. :) I am thankful for her desire to give.

Day 65. After rest time, Peter came out to talk with me while I was folding laundry and to show me the cross he had made from Tinker Toys. My heart melted when he propped his chin on his hands to continue carrying on his conversation. I asked him to freeze so I could grab the camera and capture his sweetness. :)Day 66. Mmmmmm! Who wants a dry, pre-packaged, processed cookie in their lunch when you can have homemade??? To offset the time factor, Hannah and Mommy made a double batch of cookie dough and froze 2/3's of that into balls. Warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies in 11 minutes anyone? :)Day 67. Guess who's growing up?!?!?Day 68. Hannah-bug had some hard lessons to learn about trustworthiness this week. So thankful for the godly teachers who are partnering with us in raising our munchkins for God's glory. And so thankful for God's gracious answers to prayer.

Day 69. Matthew loves tractors. LOVES them. It's going to be a sad, sad day when Grandpa's tractor goes back home. (For the record, he can climb up onto the seat of Grandpa's tractor all by himself. Nope. I didn't see it happen. Just found him on the seat ... happy as a clam.) :}Day 70. Camera appreciation day! Hannah and Peter were invited to their friend's birthday party, and Mommy forgot her camera. It may be blurry, but my camera phone was at least able to capture their smiles to remember the fun they had playing air-hockey. :)

365 Project | Week 9

Another busy week flew by ... thankfully Mommy's schedule was "normal" this week (with the exception of a minor emergency), as Daddy's was most definitely not. The camera, however, is in it's final graces with the photographer of this household. You'll notice that this week has significantly more stationary objects than most. They photograph better without flash ... and my flash decided to give up the ghost. :} But, I'm thankful for the pictures I was able to capture. So, without further ado ...

Day 57. Aren't they pretty? Peter and I collected them on Friday and they graced our table for nearly a week. The baby's breath was preserved from my Valentine's bouquet. This Sunday also marked the first time our Doodlebug enjoyed visiting at a friend's house for Sunday afternoon. Peter's evaluation of that situation: "I miss Hannah. It's really quiet." Yep. That about sums it up. :o) She had lots of fun though, and I have many memories of afternoons similarly enjoyed in my childhood. Day 58. The HVAC equipment is ON-SITE!!!!! :D Daddy took Monday off so that he could finish up some wiring in the workshop in preparation for hanging drywall so that we can get the ductwork installed ... it's amazing how many "little" details are involved in all of these things. However, as of this weekend, the wiring is in, the drywall is hung, and it simply awaits some mud, sanding, and paint. :o)

Day 59. My heart is still full from having read this book. I cracked it at 9:50 p.m. with the intention of reading just a chapter or two before bed. I finished it at 11:37 p.m.--having cried and rejoiced and cried all over again. If you have not read it, you need to. Especially if you have a little one awaiting you in Heaven.

Day 60. Wednesday's are grocery days, and the Lord blesses us each week with a full refrigerator. I am thankful. And blessed.

Day 61. Porch steps, 1. Peter, 0. Thankfully, he did not need stitches, but wow. There was a. lot. of. blood. For the record, I am not fond of decorating my porch steps with my child's blood.

Day 62. And the next day, he was clownin' around! :o) Praise the Lord for His daily mercies ... new every morning! (And I think we're about done with dress-up days for a while!) :o)

Day 63. Monkey's having fun with his shape sorter these days. :o) He and Mommy enjoyed some special time together while Hannah and Peter enjoyed times with Daddy at Home Depot's kids' workshop.

Such are the pieces that make up our life. Thankful for each of them.