Celebrations

     Life can be so full.  Sometimes in ways that I want to burst I have so much to blog about! I had to load some moments to reflect and appreciate in a blog book I create later!!!

 I am celebrating so much during this Christmas season. I am thankful for so many people and moments thankfully caught with the lens. Above, I celebrate a piano piece that takes my breath away when he plays...

I celebrate time away with my husband, turning forty is meaningful!

We took a special ride in a limo to celebrate Daddy turning forty!

We laughed so hard in the limo! Then we dropped the kiddies and went out for dinner!!

Creating a masterpiece, unique every year and thankful for how the kids are so excited to embrace Christmas and the real meaning, Jesus!

Katie watched and used her new word, "Wow!"

I am thankful to serve such a wonderful husband!

Love celebrating our kids singing!

Celebrations are treasures!

Hanging on...

There days that come along and you feel you are barely hanging on...

Sounds like a country song as I look back and read it! Now I am laughing to myself. But the sentiments remains true,

Days can be icy and cold, but as one of the last leaves from this Japanese Maple clings, we too can hold on because of Christ in us.


We are memorizing Psalm 23 (again!) How easily we can forget words from a Psalm that is well known!

                                        



So often we memorize scripture to music and this time Peter Furler (amazing christian artist) has a recent album called On Fire and our favourite song is Psalm 23.
We all love it and sing to it often. A great way to memorize scripture and enjoy time together.

Gathering

As with our kitten 'Brownie', gathering can mean so many different things! She prefers to gather her tiny frame into the most unique and creative spots to simply, rest!

When I think of gathering at times I think of gathering my brood into a cozy location to read, create some sort of art or listen to an audio drama or music.

Gathering for a purpose.

 If our kitten can find comfort in this, so can we.

Does this make any sense?

 Some days you need to just gather yourself and not follow the regular routine. How I know this? Well, I think back to the days of being in grade school when I would wake and wish I could just stay at home. To do what? I didn't know, just to 'gather' myself and simply be...

Today is one of those days for us. We are gathering.

The above pics are of a walk I took, with one of my kids  and another time on  my own with my camera!! There is always something to capture and gather for my archives.

I read this morning from Psalm 18

"The Lord is my rock and my fortess and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies."

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projects

Creative projects in our home are exciting! A beautiful calm and serene atmosphere often rules. At times the focus can be intense (depends on the project of course!). This particular day we dove into creating igloo art. Sugar cubes, icing sugar and glue combo, cardboard/foil for the bottom and off we went! We also used mini marshmallows and plastic containers for another type of igloo. It was my first year of teaching fifteen years ago that I had a grade two class create these very igloos! Wow time, where does it go? This day, the sugar cubes turned into forts mainly! The boys kept on going and decided the igloo really needed a fort look instead! I am sure all the reading we did on the Inuit is etched in their brains enough!!

This is a time we set aside for listening to an audio series. We just finished the Railway Children, Les Mis and before that Bonhoeffer and Anne of Green Gables. If the kids could do this all day, they would! I love it too. I make the projects happen, they in turn bring it to life! I love that part, the best really!

I am trying to document best the projects we do more often this year and include what we listened to. Sometimes it is music and other times I read out loud. Our favourite book so far this year is Isand of the Blue Dolphins By Scott O'Dell. I know that there will be a day I look back on these moments with much gratitude for time spent like this. I am thankful now, I just know that these are memories to hold on to...

...then the markers came out and people created! If sugar cubes were free we would have an entire village by now!

We continue to create, explore and enjoy our journey!

Welcome Baby Sky!

She has arrived! Welcome baby Sky! Christina, you are a beautiful mother of a baby girl! Can't wait to take more photos.....

Children are a blessing!

Can I?

I have never felt that "I can" more than ever. Let me explain....

Today, surrounded by seventeen children, eating dinner, watching my sister (due with her eighth) make fresh playdough, just because she deep down desires to bless children even if they do not belong to her!! She is taking care of five more children because her friend was in labour and gave birth to her sixth child  today, a girl!
It was so cool to wait for the call that another life was on the way. A miracle again.....

It was hilarious to watch all the kids running around outside building secret forts (I found out later from Jack!), playing board games, playing with silly toys, holding babies, constantly walking into the kitchen eagerly anticipating dinner (the aroma looming !!!) and toddlers being toddlers, and cousins being cousins! I was reminded that this IS what it is all about...raising a new generation of children that will see God and hopefully a true, inspiring joy in the journey in the lives of parents. With much prayer, this is my hope. I hope that my children will see joy in my journey. I want to embrace where I am today and choose to be thankful and joyful. Today was a reminder of how children are a gift and MY journey TODAY! I have five children that God has chosen for me (and my dear hubby) to raise. I can.....by His grace only.

This is one of those moments I am reminded of how our children look to us, even when I don't think they are, I have to ask myself how am I leading these little ones? I have to know that I CAN lead them because God has called me to! With Christ all things are possible.

I choose joy, I want to embrace joy today....

Carried

Plans, a funny word right now. I always have plans to photographically journal my life. I keep on taking the pictures, habit really, but am not taking it that step further that seems to sum up me - to write about the moments that match the photos. These are a collection of some of my favourites. Some from the summer, others from September. I have lots to document! We have had some great fieldtrips and adventures that I can't wait to share....

I have to say that the past five or more weeks has been immeresed in my home. Living and breathing, connecting and communicating, creating and fieldtripping (not sure if that is a great word!!) and the list really is endless. I look back and could say that I have missed out on social activities, people and things for me and yes a lot of that is true. However, for me the truth is that being here for the five children God has blessed me with is simply where I need to be. The choice to homeschool comes with obvious change from my days at John knox. As full as my days are, we are moving as one. That is how I feel I can best sum up the beginning of another school year, we are moving as one...

Know that this does not mean at all that days are perfect, smooth, happy and always full of fun, fun,

 fun! I have struggled through many up and down times that have cause a lot of friction and not-so-joyful moments. I have persevered through those times largely due to prayer and the most amazing husband ever. I have been so blessed by this man.

Thus brings me to the title of this post, carried.

I was driving home recently and all I could think of was the fact that for my entire almost forty years (not until next year, but coming!) I know that I have been carried by the One who created me. I truly have no idea just how much, but I know I have. I have always been blessed by the knowledge that God loves me, created me and has a plan for me. He is sovereign, that is hope, that is wonderful knowledge.

My folks have carried me through prayer, and I know that they have stood in the gap for me and wow, that is a gift given to me that I have a hard time getting my head around! Again, wonderful knowledge.

Pastor Tim Challies (see his blog http://www.challies.com/) from Grace Fellowship Church (http://www.gfct.com/) spoke about the fact that God is sovereign. He knows all. For me that is beautiful. My other blog wwwsovereignradiance.blogspot.com begins with that fact. He is sovereign and because of that I can radiate His love. This sovereign radiance blog is a meant to be a journey with my daughters as we navigate these years together! I am way behind on that blog!!! Work in progress...

These pictures are moments for me that give me great joy. That is what this blog is about. Recalling our life moments!

More to come....

Fieldtrips are next.....here are some of our fun!

                                                                        Chudleigh's Apple Farm
                                                          We love to visit mid week, not busy and cheaper too!!!

Our edible cell (jello and treats inside) from our Anatomy and Physiology studies from Exploring Creation by Jeannie Fulbright (such a great series of science books!)

                                                           more apple farm fun

Hay down the slide!

that is it for now.....more to come