365 Project | Weeks 45–46

The truth of James 4:14 was made very real to us these last few weeks:

 

You do not know what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

 

Saturday morning after they got home, my parents received a call from the nursing home that my Grandma (my Dad's mom) had taken an unexpected, serious turn for the worse. After a rather discouraging visit for my parents on Saturday, we were all encouraged when the nursing home called on Sunday saying that she was doing much better; in fact, she seemed back to her normal self. So late Monday night we were very surprised to receive a call that she had passed away. We are so thankful that she had a clear testimony of trusting Christ as her Savior. She is rejoicing in Heaven now, and for that we rejoice. And even though she no longer knew my Grandpa in this life, she followed him just seven months later in death. We rejoice that they are together once again--they know each other and are both healthy and whole. So thankful.

 

As you can imagine, my Grandma's Homegoing changed our week quite dramatically ...

 

Day 309. Both boys were home with colds on Sunday--Daddy captured this picture of Mommy enjoying some snuggle time with them. :) As a side note, I'm so thankful for the Lord's timing even in something as simple as drippy noses. Both boys were better before we began traveling, and my own bout with the bug was very brief, allowing me to also be feeling well for traveling.

Day 310. The coaster instructions have been put away, but the Knex creativity continues. :) The kids completed about 80% of the design for this ferris wheel, and Daddy tweaked it the necessary 20% to allow it to work. :)

Day 311. My Grandma and Hannah in 2005. We love you, Grandma!

Day 312. Let the travels begin ... a certain young man was quite excited to be sleeping in a hotel this night. :)

Day 313. Our crew making our way from long-term parking to the shuttle ...

 Riding the shuttle ...

Another certain young man was very excited to be riding a plane. Things weren't quite as smooth on the way home, but the trip up to NY could not have gone better.

And here's Hannah on the plane--she was about 18-months old for her last plane ride, so she was quite excited to be able to have a ride that she could remember. :)

Day 314. Riding the plane allowed our travel time to be cut about in half, which gave us a day to be able to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa! What a wonderful visit we enjoyed! I'm so thankful that my kiddos are enjoying the privilege of knowing them like I do. :)

 Me and my Grandma! ♥

One of my sister's and my favorite memories from visits with Grandma and Grandpa were Grandpa's milkshakes ... another generation has now been hooked! :) Thanks, Grandpa!

Lunch time ... pretty rough to enjoy dessert right along with the carrots ... ;)

Yep, milkshakes are a sure winner ...

And they make just as much mess for this generation as they did for the previous one when the drinking thereof gets a bit too enthusiastic ... ;)

And guess who we discovered looks quite a lot like her Great Grandma did at that age?!? So special! :)

Of course, the cousins all enjoyed getting together--the adults were thankful that Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? held the interest of all!

 Day 315. My family ♥

Day 316. I love being able to sing at the piano with my mom when we go to their home for visits!

Chris and I and my parents have a tradition of playing Euchre after the kids are tucked into bed ... the ladies were quite excited to finally win ... it's been too. long. :D

Day 317. It's a Grandpa Tackle! :)

We enjoyed a three-hour delay in Rochester, complete with The House on Pooh Corner, multiple rounds of Uno, most of a box of Girl Scouts' Thin Mint cookies, and front row vistas of arriving and departing planes. In Matthew's opinion, life could hardly be better! ;)

Day 318. Katy and the Big Snow is currently one of Matthew's favorite books. He definitely surprised me, however, when he proudly announced, "I match letters, Mommy!" I glanced at the fridge and thought he was matching them by color, something he does pretty regularly. I certainly wasn't expecting to see what I saw! :)

 

And you have to love self-taught Geography lessons! After putting together the puzzle, the big kids spent about 15-minutes "traveling" around the map together, naming the various places they wanted to visit and determining how they would travel there--whether by plane, train, boat, car, or camel caravan!

Day 319. Geography extends to the back yard these days. Our crew has an amazingly intricate system of pathways extending from one corner of the yard to the other--all swept neat and clean by their energetic brooms. :)

Day 320. This young man is definitely at home in a Carhartt coat. :)

Had to laugh when I saw this one ... yet one more benefit of homeschooling ...

Day 321. Thoroughly enjoyed a great afternoon of fellowship with our friends ... and you really can't beat leftovers from a school's Thanksgiving lunch as payment for the easiest. babysitting. job. ever. (The little guy was asleep when he arrived and sleeping still when his mom arrived with his big brothers for some playtime!)

Day 322. So thankful for my hubby's mechanical skills!

Day 323. Heaven has become so very precious to me this last year. This Sunday, one year ago, we first realized the Lord was taking our fourth little one Home. Even with the heartache, I am so thankful for the gift of their precious life. It's hard to imagine that one so tiny could change your life so profoundly, but I will never be the same, and I am so thankful. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to the day when I can hold him or her in my arms! I must say I'm a wee bit envious that my Grandma got first dibs! ♥

Overwhelmingly thankful for the truths of Psalm 23:

 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Thankful that He is with me. Always. And forever.

 

365 Project | Week 43-44

Pschew! It's been a busy, fun couple of weeks. :) Hold on to your seatbelts ...

 

Day 295. Snail watching is a nice, quiet activity for that lull of time between "I'm in my pajamas" and "Popcorn's ready!" :)

Day 296. Yes, they were laughing and having just as much fun as it looks like they were! :)

However, when did my little girl start turning into a young lady? Sigh. Love you, Doodle-bug! So thankful for you!

Day 297. Our crew can manage a set of shovels pretty well. :)

Day 298. And here's our energetic, busy young man. He has been delighting in the yard work that fall brings to our household. :)

Day 299. Nothing's much better than waking up to a bag of new books from the library. :) We try to make it a family trip, but some weeks Mommy catches the library during an evening grocery run.

Day 300. Ahhh! What a wonderful evening of fellowship with good friends! (The mommies hung out in the kitchen with dinner preparations while the daddies watched the kiddos outside. Somehow dinner prep seemed to take a wee bit longer than was originally anticipated.) ;)

Day 301. Yay for new plants!!! :) While the big kids enjoyed a party with one of their children's church classes, Mommy, Daddy, and Matthew went to the nursery to buy plants. We came back with a loaded truck and a full afternoon and evening of work. But what fun to see the finished results! :)

 

Day 302. And here be the results of the previous day's labor. :) (Somehow pictures don't work out so well when you're finishing the job with flashlights ...)

 

Day 303. Woo-hoo! Grandma and Grandpa arrived! What a fun week! :) School continued as usual in the mornings, but the afternoons were filled with lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Hannah and Grandma played lots of rounds of Uno. :) Grandma also read lots of Curious George with Matthew, introduced us all to the wonderfully delicious, delightfully simple "candy corn fudge," and helped Mommy keep up with Matthew's very runny nose. :)

Day 304. Grandpa and Peter did lots of coaster building with the K'Nex set. Grandpa also repaired my washing machine, helped repair the radiator leak on the van, and handled the minor flood in our basement when the main drain from the kitchen decided to call it quits. So thankful for the Lord's timing in all of those things! :)

Day 305. And we remembered to take a picture of the grandparents and grandkids! :) Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and Grandpa!!! :)

We also enjoyed a fun hour or so outside. :) We had planned a bit of an outing, but decided the backyard was a good destination considering the runny state of noses.

Concentrating hard to hold on through Grandpa's BIG pushes! :)

Day 306. We enjoyed a fun last evening with Grandma and Grandpa with some rousing games of Dominos. :)

Of course, Dominos can be used in multiple ways ...

Day 307. Hannah was happy to oblige Matthew's request to cuddle on the couch. :)

Day 308. Our garden plot is (nearly) tilled! :) 600 sq. feet of planting coming up ... hmmm. Guess we better start figuring out what to plant ... Suggestions?

And such be our last few weeks.

Rejoicing in the blessings.
Thankful for His grace through the challenges.





Landscaping!

 

It's in!

It's little and cute and has huge potential!
(Something akin to 5' tall and 5' wide potential!)

And Mommy dug lots of holes.

And used a pick axe.

And dug more holes.

And raked leaves to make leaf mulch.

And tripped on a rake when it was getting too dark to see.

Then raked some more leaves.

And carried those leaves to the beds on tarps.

 

This afternoon, my pillow looked lonely.

So I kept it company.

 

365 Project to be continued.

Another time.

 

:)

365 Project | Week 42

May I make an observation? (I suppose since it's my blog, the answer would be, "Yes," but anyway ...) We have just completed the 42nd week of 2012. We, therefore, have only 10 weeks remaining. Somehow, that really doesn't seem quite possible. Just sayin'.

 

We are thankful for the blessing of a "normal" week with the only unexpected adventures being of the fun variety. ;)

 

Day 288. Our friend Tony took our family's photo for the church directory, and all of our crew was looking at the camera with a pleasant expression the. first. time. Miracles do happen. :)

 

Day 289. We have now completed 28% of our school year ... 51 days to be precise. We're loving homeschooling. The kids ... Mommy ... Daddy ... the whole family. So thankful the Lord's enabled us to do this. One of the myriad of fun benefits--the kids pull out the art supplies of their own volition and build on previous art lessons.

Day 290.  Mommy had been waiting for this day! After our Day Out with Thomas, I spent about a week creating a photo book "narrated" by Matthew. It arrived in the mail this week. Matthew was so. excited. He was excited just to see Thomas the Train on the cover, but when he opened the first page and saw his own picture, then heard Mommy reading, "Hi! My name is Matthew ..." his whole face just absolutely LIT UP. :) He still gets the biggest grin every time I read that first sentence. :D

Pure delight! :D No asking for smiles for this picture!

As much fun as it was reading it together, though, Mommy was very thankful that Hannah could take over the multiple readings of Thomas and Me while I prepared dinner.

Day 291. Fall colors are just starting to peak through in our yard. :)

Day 292. We enjoyed a somewhat spontaneous field trip at the zoo with our friends this week! The littlest crew members didn't make it on top of the tube for a photo op, but we all had a great time. :)

And while Mommy enjoyed an evening at Ladies' Bible Study, Daddy held things down on the home front. Matthew took care of keeping things neat and orderly. ;)

Day 293. And yet another very spontaneous event ... and a huge blessing. I had tried to get tickets for a free children's play based on The Little Engine that Could, but called a couple hours too late. About two hours before the play, however, a friend who had been able to get tickets for her family offered to trade one of our "big kids" for her 17-month old! We decided that Peter would particularly enjoy the play since it was about trains, and Hannah had the fun of "babysitting" Matthew and Mark. No pictures of Peter, but he declared that it was "the best evening ever!"

Day 294. When Matthew heard that the big kids had been blessed with mugs of hot chocolate after some energetic leaf raking, he put in his own request. "Kuh [insert garble here] oh." When repeated attempts to communicate verbally proved fruitless, he decided to get more practical and simply retrieved his desired item. The can of cappuccino. :D Ahhh! Now that [garble] makes sense! And from Matthew's perspective, if Mommy drinks it every. single. morning. before school, it must be good! :D

 

And *hopefully* within the next couple weeks we'll be able to share some pictures of brand new plantings around the foundation of our home. We borrowed some books from the library this summer to get some landscaping ideas appropriate for our region and the abundance of shade around our home. I came up with an initial plan, but the heat of summer is not the best time for planting. However, fall most definitely is, so this weekend while Daddy and the kids did some general yard work, I went to a local nursery. I was blessed with a very knowledgable representative who was not only familiar with every. single. plant. in my plan, but was able to take me to each one across the couple acre lot and also show me other options suitable for our situation. With some more revision based on what I learned, we now have our "final" plan and itemized shopping list. Hoping to do some ground prep this week and buy some plants this upcoming weekend ...



365 Project | Weeks 40-41

It's a double-header, folks! :) I started working on my post last week, but time ran out before my post went up, and I never got back to it. It's just been that sort of week ... or rather, couple of weeks. :) The pictures continued to be taken, however, and very much reflect the every-dayness of our lives. :) Enjoy ...

 

Day 274. Daddy caught this picture of a vulture which decided to find lunch in our yard.

Day 275. Matthew is learning to use scissors ... thus every coloring page is now fringed. :)

Day 276. Meet Tiny, adopted by Hannah. Sadly, it seems that our snail habitat is not suitable for baby snails, and he was only with us a few days.

Day 277. The cooler weather has brought out our soccer player again. :)

Day 278. Miss Hannah-bug peeled her first potato! :)

Day 279. Story-time with Mommy :)

Day 280. I don't believe a little girl could possibly be more excited about a birthday party than Hannah was for her friend's. :)

All of the girls had fun "rock" climbing--Hannah's about 18-20' up in this picture!

Day 281. Nobody's disappointed with French Toast on the Sunday evening dinner menu!

Day 282. Mommy's latest experiment: homemade laundry soap. I enlisted my eager helper to grate my soap, a task I was not sorry to delegate. :) I followed this recipe, and thus far, it seems to be working really well. :) I'm actually still a bit amazed by that, to be perfectly honest.

Day 283. Would you care to visit the Island of Sodor? :) It's lots of fun ... and will keep you occupied for hours. Particularly if you're under the age of 8. :)

Day 284. My littlest guy with his cheesy grin ... squinched up eyes ... Thomas jammies ... and monkey grass berries from church. Yep. That's him. Isn't he kissable???? :D

Day 285. Who wants to eat breakfast alone? I had to laugh when I saw that my early riser found an effective means to remedy the problem. (Now to work on remembering to put our dish in the sink when we're done ...) ;)

Day 286. A rousing game of dominoes ... it's fun to be able enjoy such games with the majority of our crew these days. :)

Day 287. Here's our crew at the apple orchard ... hopefully, more pictures to come of a thoroughly enjoyable family outing. :)

 

And that be that. :)

We're thankful for God's blessings.

Each and every day.