Happy Birthday Canada!

We began the month by celebrating Canada's 150th birthday.  We enjoyed food and fun with some extended family and then returned home later.  The boys were sleeping in the van so we thought it would be fun to stop and watch the amazing fireworks on display.  An even better idea would be to wake the boys up so that they could experience the thrill as well for the first time.  A special treat.  Apparently we are still newbie parents because it turns out that when you wake up children who are sound asleep at 10:00 PM, things don't go as planned regardless of the incredibly beautiful and artistic fire in the sky.  Suffice to say that next time we'll let them sleep!  They were not impressed.

We remembered the anniversary of Josiah's death by taking flowers to his grave with family.  The lovely yellow mini roses we had planted earlier that week had turned pink!  It's hard to believe it's been four years. 

It was lovely to spend time with Graham's brother's family from B.C.  We enjoyed visiting African Lion's Safari together.  Isaac was especially sad to see them leave.  Isaac slept in a tent for the first time while they were here.  Our last meal together was some delicious Bee Bim Bop!

Isaac enjoyed going to VBS at his friend's church.  He was very happy to be able to sing for us one evening and show us around.  Isaac is also loving riding his bike.  He asks every day if he can go biking. 

I've been helping Isaac organize his Lego the last few days when we get a chance.  I was thoroughly enjoying it tonight and didn't want to stop.  Isaac asked me what I liked best about Lego.  I said, "I like the order and following the directions and finding the pieces and accomplishing something.  What do you like best?"  Isaac: "I like that it's from Italy."  The next day I commented on this and asked if the box said it was from Italy.  He told me that he had read in a book that they make Lego in Italy.

I don't think I mentioned fidget spinners in my last post.  We bought one for Isaac the last week of school.  Apparently he was the last person in his entire class who had one.  Graham was fine with that.  Isaac was excited to show it to his friends.

Isaac has been reading lots of books this summer.  Most are fiction but the other day I heard him call excitedly,
Isaac: "Mommy!"
Me: Yes?
Isaac: The person who discovered the law of gravity has the same name as me!  Sir Isaac Newton.

Graham told me that he was reading the Bible to the boys.  The story was about King Josiah.
Graham: It's surprising that Josiah is just eight years old but he loves God so much.
Isaac: It's not that surprising.  Kohen is three and he loves God.

About a month ago I was at my parents' home with Kohen and Lily-Anna.  I had taken away Kohen's screen time for the day but Grandma didn't know this and she presented Kohen with an exciting DVD.  I decided that I would explain grace to Kohen - about how God showed us grace by saving us through Jesus' death and resurrection even though we didn't deserve it.  I then showed him grace and let him watch an episode on the DVD.  Just last week we were again at my parents' home and Kohen had lost screen time.  He starts whispering in my ear, "Show me grace," over and over until I understood what he was saying and started to laugh.  I asked him what it would look like if I showed him grace and he said I would let him watch a video.  I asked him who showed us grace and he knew the answer.  He received a big hug from Mommy and then I told him he was getting justice that day.

Kohen is never excited to go to his Sunday School class.  Last week he started crying.  I told him that I needed to check on Lily-Anna and that I would come back and look through the window to see if he was okay.  When I came back and looked, I saw that he had stopped crying and was doing something with a leader.  Later when I picked him up he told me that he was crying.  I told him that I had looked through the window.  He told me that he was crying in his head.

Kohen gives me many grey hairs but he is such a sweetheart.  He loves cuddles and randomly telling me that he loves me.  I had told him about someone who couldn't walk.  He whispered in my ear, "Mommy, if you can't walk, I would help you and hold your hand."

Isaac loves making PBJs which Kohen now calls "Bluejays"

Today is July 31st.  I will probably always remember that this is the day (five years ago) I rushed Josiah to the hospital and we ended up heading to Sick Kids for three and a half months.  I was talking to the boys about this today but I also mentioned that I thought it was a nice gift from God that we were able to dedicate Lily-Anna to the Lord on the same day last year.  Kohen said to me, "If I could be big I could say, I love you Josiah."  After chatting a little I think he meant that if he had been bigger than Josiah, he would have been alive to tell him that he loved him.  I told him that he could tell Josiah he loves him as much as he wants because he is alive in a different way and we'll all be together one day.

Kohen has been waking up a lot tonight.  The last time I took him back to bed and was praying for him.  He interrupted and said, "I want to say something.  And thank You for Daddy, the best buyer ever!"
Me - The best buyer?
Kohen - Yes.
Me - Buyer of what?
Kohen - Of toys and things like Lightyear (big smile).  [He was cuddling Buzz Lightyear that Graham bought for him when was away at a conference in May.]  Earlier in the day when Kohen was in the washroom he yelled out, "Mommy, thank you for buying me new underwear."  I bought him some dinosaur underwear about a month ago.  He's a thankful boy!

I'm sure I'll have lots more Lily-Anna stories when she is three years old.  She loves the Happy Birthday song, the Hallelujah song (think 1980s Pentecostal church slow version), pretending things are telephones, saying 'Dada' with so much excitement (oh, how she loves her Daddy), exploring and pulling things out of bins, saying "I-yuh' for Isaac, having a bath, and walking while holding onto someone's hands.  She now has a "whale spout" on the top of her head to keep the hair out of her eyes.  She refuses to drink cow's milk so far.  She did enjoy her first ice cream though. 

Time for bed.  I'll post and then look for some photos quickly.  Thanks for any prayers!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Peter 4:8-9
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.