Happy New Year!

We have made it to the end of the year!  We enjoyed a lovely Christmas with Graham's parents and we'll celebrate with my side of the family this Friday.  My parents have now been married for 50 years.  Congratulations!!! 

While this seems like an appropriate opportunity to review the year, or at least the month of December, I'd much rather spend the last couple of hours of 2018 with Graham.  He's picking out a movie now.

We stopped by Josiah's gravesite on the way home from visiting with friends tonight.  We actually saw one or two coyotes running in the cemetery.  We sang our 'Josiah song' and asked God to give him our hugs and kisses.  Lily-Anna has told me a couple of times recently that she would like a hug from Josiah.  Me too.

We are so thankful to God for His bountiful provisions in our lives.  May our whole family grow closer to Jesus and look more like him throughout 2019.

Thank you for any prayers!  Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

December, here we come!

Yes, it is officially the busiest time of the year in my home and I am nursing a cold so this may not be long.  We have Isaac's extended-family birthday dinner this Sunday after his piano recital and then his birthday party with friends next Saturday followed by his real birthday the next Tuesday.  So, there's a party to plan and gifts to buy and a wonderful Christmas to anticipate.  We now always put up the Christmas tree after Isaac's party as we don't have room for a tree and ten boys running around - in this case, doing some science experiments.   

Lily-Anna is now on antibiotics for a respiratory infection but she's kept in good form with lots of smiles and laughter.

Graham and I enjoyed a lovely night away this week.  I had a late-afternoon appointment with my rheumatologist in Toronto.  Graham's parents stayed with the kids which meant that we were able to go to a hotel without them!  I had forgotten what it's like to just enter and leave a hotel once rather than multiple trips with lots of bags.  We enjoyed delicious Thai food for dinner and were able to go for a swim at the hotel.  We were missing the kids at breakfast; I noted the foods that they would have chosen.       

My weekly injections are going well.  I was able to stop taking my other medication after about eight weeks of injections and I'm not having morning stiffness.  My bloodwork has confirmed that the inflammation in my body has decreased.  I told my doctor this week that he was right and I was wrong as I've been putting off changing to this drug.  I'm very thankful I'm not having side effects.  It's never going to be my favourite thing to do but it seems to be working.  I also don't need to go back to the doctor for six months and I only need bloodwork every three months.  Thank You Lord!    

Last week I was able to see my cousin who is visiting from England as well as my aunt and uncle who live an hour away.  It is always lovely to see them and catch up.

On the PD Day this month, the kids and I went sledding with some friends.  Lily-Anna loved it!  We were on a very small hill so it was the perfect size for her little legs to walk up.  The boys ended up playing soccer on the pavement while we kept sledding. 

I enjoyed this brief conversation with Lily-Anna after she asked me to write a note for her:

Lily-Anna: Kohen and Isaac.
Me: To Kohen and Isaac?
Lily-Anna: Yes.
Me: What do you want to say?
Lily-Anna: I love you.
Me: To Kohen and Isaac - I love you.
Lily-Anna: And Moses.
Me: To Kohen, Isaac, and Moses?
Lily-Anna: Yes.

The only Moses we know is from the Bible.

I am reading Bob Goff's book, Love Does, which Graham bought for me in D.C. in October.  It's a fun and inspirational read.  I hope to read his second book, Everybody Always.

I need to either sleep or get to something else on my list.  Isaac wants me to make crepes in the morning so I think I'll mix up the batter tonight.  I made flat breads this month to go with our shawarma chicken.  Yummy.

A friend of the family surprised and blessed us by sending an electronics kit that the boys will work on with Graham.  They were excited.  Another friend has blessed the kids with a Christmas puzzle and videos.   

Thanks for any prayers.  We are praying for Graham's cousin's child who recently had surgery and is waiting on next steps.  We're praying for great news.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Hebrews 13:20-21

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  

Lily-Anna's quiet time

Thankfully it broke down in our driveway!  It's fixed.

October is over

October was a lovely jam-packed month.  It was wonderful to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of my family and the addition of two of my aunts and uncles on my mom's side.  It was so nice to all be together.

That same weekend, we celebrated my nieces' birthday and had family photos taken.  Thankfully, the weather turned out great for the photos.  I accidentally let Lily-Anna fall asleep in the van on the way to the photo session but the cookies my sister-in-law packed helped keep her going.

Both Kohen and Isaac had pneumonia this month.  Both sets of lungs sound clear again.  Isaac just

has a lingering cough.  Kohen's lungs sounded either "terrible" or "horrible" according to our doctor and his cough wasn't good but it didn't keep him down and he was happy enough.  It was harder to hear the fluid in Isaac's lungs but he experienced more of the symptoms.  I am very thankful for antibiotics.  They seemed to start working right away for both boys.

Graham and his dad went to Washington D.C. for an extra-long weekend.  Graham has wanted to go there for ages.  They were able to visit the Museum of the Bible along with a number of the typical tourist sites along with the National Air and Space Museum.  The Saturday before they left, Graham took each of the children out for a 'Daddy date'.

Isaac joined the Running Club at school and participated in a running meet at another school.  I took Kohen and Lily-Anna to see him run.  I was surprised that I became quite emotional.  I can't remember but I think I was probably able to hold back tears. 

I was thinking a lot about Josiah.  This is the first time that I've ever gone to watch Isaac do something like this.  I think perhaps it hit me that I would never get the chance to go anywhere to see Josiah compete.  I have zero interest in running so I'm happy Isaac enjoys that.  He also signed up to participate in math contests but unfortunately he was off school with pneumonia the two days of the first contests.

After being off school for a week and a half due to the pneumonia, Kohen said he didn't want to go to school for the whole day.  For a couple of weeks I picked him up early but now he's back to full time.

I have been enjoying trying new recipes from Recipetineats.com.  I felt pretty cool buying saffron for my biryani.  I was even brave enough to buy chicken thighs with skin and bones.  I'm usually a boneless, skinless girl.  I also liked making chicken pot pie.  All the kids liked the pot pie and another honey garlic chicken recipe and the baked penne.  Is it obvious that I no longer have a baby at home and that two boys are at school all day?  We enjoyed the biryani with my in-laws on Thanksgiving Day but we ended the meal with pumpkin pie.

It's time to head to bed.  Thanks for any prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

My ninja, tiger, and chicken

I'm 2!

September

We began this month with a fun time at Toronto Island.  We were able to meet up with friends there again this year, which is a lovely addition to our annual celebration.  There are always amazing planes to watch overhead while we have our picnic lunch.  The airshow happens on this date each year.  They are loud and fast.  It was the latest we'd ever been on the island as we waited for the ferry in the dark and arrived home after 11:00.

All three kids on cars

We followed up that adventure with a trip to Raybeth (Graham's parents' property) and the joy of sleeping in a trailer, seeing extended family, going on the pond raft, and enjoying s'mores by the bonfire.

Isaac's first day of Grade Three

Next, school started.  Isaac's class has just five boys.  Kohen walked in bravely on his first day.  We found out the day before that a friend of Isaac had a younger sister who was an SK in Kohen's class and she agreed to stand beside him in line on the first day so that was a lovely gift from God and really helped.  The first week was great but I think the school honeymoon has worn off a little for Kohen so we're working on that challenge right now.

Kohen's first day of JK

Kohen's cubby at school

Lily-Anna with her backpack ready to go

Lily-Anna sometimes asks where Kohen is and I remind her that he's at school.  She's pretty easy going and has seemed to take this change in stride.  She does like being with her brothers.  She's doing well in her bed and only asked for her crib a few times early on.  We let her know that a different baby needed the crib as we were able to pass it along.  We pray and sing with her before bed after the lights are out.  A couple of times she asked Graham and I to sing the 'Siah song' (Josiah song) to her.  That's a song that we often sing when we go past his cemetery or we're at his gravestone.  This summer we went past a cemetery somewhere else and she started singing the Josiah song.  Josiah's death greatly affects Kohen and Lily-Anna.

I am sad that a strong and gentle and joy-filled man from our church passed away last week.  We attended his lovely funeral on Saturday.  He will be greatly missed.  The beautiful fruit of his well-lived life was so evident.  Graham and I both remember seeing him on Sunday, the day before his death.  His death and life make me want to serve Jesus more.

Our small group started again this past week.  It was nice to be back together in our home, seeing both old and new faces.  We even have a young mom joining us by phone as she gave birth in August.  We are doing a Bible study on the twelve disciples. 

My brother's family blessed us with a bike seat for Lily-Anna that we attached to Graham's bike.  We've gone out a couple of times as a family with Kohen on his scooter.  Last night Graham could hear him praying near the end of our trip, asking the Lord to give him strength to catch up to Graham.  He works hard on that scooter.

I now give myself a weekly needle as my doctor changed my medication for arthritis.  He would have changed it years ago except that I was pregnant or nursing for so many years.  I've been on the new drugs for just over three weeks and I'm thanking God that I haven't had bad side effects.  The doctor said I won't notice a difference for 6-8 weeks so I need to wait another month to see if I'll feel any different.  I've only been brave enough to give myself the needle in my stomach and not my thigh so I need to find out if that's an issue.  It's a small needle but the first time I kept counting to five over and over, telling myself to put it in.  When I finally did, I realized that it doesn't hurt. 

Helping Mommy in an apron

Graham and I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Graham's aunt and uncle's 40th wedding anniversary with extended family.  They are amazingly generous, hospitable, loving, and thoughtful.  It was wonderful to hear their daughter say that to this day she has no idea what bugs her mom about her dad or her dad about her mom because she has never heard them speak badly about each other.  That's awesome.  I also loved hearing Graham's uncle say that it really doesn't matter where you are in life currently but it's what direction you are heading in as that is where you'll end up in the future.  Our children also enjoyed hanging out with their cousin while we were gone.  She was a great babysitter.  We returned to see the kids perform a play she had made up.  

Kohen climbing at Go Bananas

Isaac climbing at Go Bananas

I've started helping monthly in Kohen's Sunday School class at church.  Our only challenge is getting Kohen to want to be there.  He's a boy who likes his freedom.  I was in the class last Sunday and was so thankful for his amazing teacher.  She was so wonderful with all the children and was excited about the lesson and looked up an interesting craft and acted out the story with the kids.  It's such a lovely age - the children just wanted to tell her random things.  I also enjoyed singing the old Sunday School songs I remember as a kid.

My sweet husband shining my shoes!

I somehow discovered the site "RecipeTin Eats" and I've loved a number of the dishes I've made like chicken shawarma with yogurt sauce, chicken satay noodle salad, and mejadra (a rice and lentil dish that I would happily devour all by myself).  The kids have even liked a lot of the food. 

I had never seen an elderbox bug before this summer.  Sadly, we are now well acquainted.  They love the tree in our backyard as well as our siding and patio stones and now that the weather is turning colder, they also love my basement.  I am keeping a tally of the ones I send to their demise each day (inside).  I now have a pump sprayer that I use outside to limit the number that can come inside.  We had someone come out and spray them on Friday and it has made a huge difference.  I am so thankful.  I have been told that I'll be dealing with this for three years as they'll come out in force again in the spring.  I'll be ready for them.

Someone just pointed out to me today that I gave birth to my kids on even years - 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016.  Good to know!  Why haven't I noticed that before?!  This mom was so sweet - she referred to me as a mom of four kids and even said our daughters should start a "one girl and three brothers club."  I'm not close to this person and she doesn't live locally but her sweet thoughtfulness is much appreciated.  It wasn't that she was trying to include Josiah on purpose - she just seemed to do it naturally without thinking.  I'll have to thank her when I see her next.       

The morning will be here before we know it so I will say goodnight.  Thanks for any prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Jeremiah 17:8

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Summer Countdown

Four more days until school starts!  That still gives us time to get to Toronto Island and spend a night at a trailer.  The morning routine may be a little challenging next week.  I need to prepare for tomorrow so this may be shorter than usual.

Kohen starts JK!  He has a short interview on Tuesday and then he'll start full days on Thursday.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this transition goes.  We're going to miss him at home.  I'm going to miss my Kohen cuddles. 

Graham has had this past week off.  We had a nice visit with my brother's family near Ottawa.

As of tonight, we are officially cribless.  We set up Lily-Anna's bed last week and she has slept really well.  Tonight was actually the first night that she told me that she wanted to sleep in her crib and not her bed.  I told her that a baby needed her crib.  I'm not sure she was convinced that the baby needed it more than her.  We've also said goodbye to the changing pad and our awesome whale baby bath that all of our kids enjoyed over the years.

I'm a little sad to admit that it has taken us until Isaac is seven-and-a-half years old but today Isaac signed up for a bank account.  The kind lady at the bank didn't even make us roll his many coins.

Lily-Anna may be tempted to be a little bit of a bossy-bear.  She doesn't hold back in telling her brothers (and her parents) what she wants.  On the way to Ottawa she was telling Kohen to be quiet at one point.  We heard her say, "Quiet Kohen!  Upstairs neighbours!"  We live in what's called a 'stacked condo' so we have upstairs neighbours.  We clearly often tell the kids early in the morning to be quiet and remind them about our upstairs neighbours.  I guess we need to explain to Lily-Anna what this phrase means.   

Enjoying the rain in pajamas!

Kohen and Graham were having a chat.  Kohen was asking Graham how different animals attack their prey.  Graham said that a lion might look for the slowest hippo - perhaps one with a broken leg.  Kohen asked what a shark would do to get food.  Graham responded that he would tell him after his pajamas were on.  Kohen replied, "I know what I would do if I were a shark.  I would look for the slowest person.  Well, not Grandma because she's Grandma and I love her but if it was someone else's Grandma ..."

It was so special to spend some time with my cousin and his family from Northern Ireland.  We remember visiting with them in Northern Ireland when Isaac was about ten months old.  

All of the kids have been talking more about Josiah and missing him at various times.  Seeing TIFF advertised always reminds me of being in the hospital with Josiah.  We had a picnic at the cemetery tonight and watered Josiah's grave.  

Speaking of picnics, it's time that I pack one for tomorrow.

Thank you for any prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

July

At Josiah's grave - five years since Josiah's death

Here we are at the end of July.  It's nice to have Graham off on holidays this week.  We went to a fun park in Guelph yesterday.  My favourite part of the playground was a tall "slide" just made up of two steel tubes but no place to actually sit down.  Kids put their legs around the tubes and slid down while keeping their balance.  Kohen was a little small so he just grabbed one tube with his hands and was able to move down it a little until he fell or let go - thankfully not hurting himself.  I was watching Lily-Anna on a swing at the time and Graham had left to find cash for the promised ice cream cones or I may have intervened in Kohen's adventure and ruined his fun (I probably would have told him to wait for Graham to spot him).  I did notice that he didn't repeat his daring trick.

Unfortunately Isaac felt ill all day today but he felt better before he went to sleep so I'm hoping he is back to his normal self tomorrow so that he can try out his "new" bike from Kijiji that actually fits him. 

We have had a good month filled with Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons, riding the Orange Berg, and fun with friends at various parks (and plenty of ice cream).  The "Uncles and Aunts" as we affectionately referred to them (two of my aunts and uncles visiting from Northern Ireland) left on July 2.  Actually, they learned that their flight was cancelled on the way to the airport so they left the following day.  When I told Isaac that their flight had been cancelled, he had a look of sheer delight on his face, assuming they were staying.  I let him know that they still needed to leave and he said, "Well, at least they are not in Northern Ireland yet." I was very sad to say good-bye. 

Lots of fun on the Orange Berg

I can now say that I have swam lane swims.  I have never done this before so I was a little anxious about how it worked but it turned out that between 9:00 and 10:00 at night, not many people are swimming lanes so everyone had their own lane to themselves.  Perfect.  The following night I took a free Aquafit class.  It was called a high intensity class but it wasn't difficult so I hope I was doing the moves correctly.  I do enjoy being in the pool.

The other Sunday Lily-Anna looked at my top and said, "Cute!"  Then she looked at her top and said, "Cute!"  Then she told Graham, "We cute."

**

I was in another room when I heard Lily-Anna who was sitting at the kitchen table.
Lily-Anna - Here are my hairbands Mommy.
Me - Did you find them?  [I had bought some the previous night and left them on the table.]
Lily-Anna - Yes.  They are purple and orange and yellow ...
Me - Yes, I bought them for you.  Do you like them?
Lily-Anna - Yes.  They are so precious.

I found Lily-Anna in her doll crib - which is from my childhood

**

We are sitting at the kitchen table looking at the photos on the wall.  Lily-Anna says, "I love you Josiah."

**

I returned to the kitchen table after dinner and saw an empty butter dish by Lily-Anna who was sitting on her seat.  I asked Lily-Anna if she had eaten the butter and she answered, "No."  I then came around to her side of the table and saw that she was massaging butter up and down her leg and then on her face.  Later in the evening I took a drink from my water bottle and thought it tasted buttery.  I looked closer and saw small buttery fingerprint smudges inside.

Kohen's first day of VBS

**

On our way to swimming lessons:
Me - Isaac, maybe if you really like swimming, you'll want to be a lifeguard one day.
Isaac - No.  I told Daddy I want to be a part-time writer and part-time book reviewer.
Me - Well, maybe as a job in high school.
Isaac - Oh, yes.
Me - Do you want to write fiction or non-fiction books?
Isaac - I think fiction because they can write about whatever they want.

**

Last day of VBS

Lily-Anna kept waking up during the recent thunder storm.  I went in to switch with Graham and I heard the following:
Lily-Anna - Stop it.
Graham - Stop what?
Lily-Anna - Stop the rain.
She later asked me the same thing so I let her know that only God could stop the rain and explained why we needed rain.

**

Our church is reading through the book of Ecclesiastes this summer with sermons each Sunday and a devotional throughout the week.  I am enjoying the process and the Word, comparing a life without meaning to a missional life full of purpose.  The godly woman whose funeral I attended this month lived a missional life to the glory of God - she had a full life and she did not regret the way she lived it, though she died far too young from our point of view.  

Out for a walk

On our way back from Guelph yesterday I was surprised to see "Ecclesiastes 3:14" written in large graffiti on a railway trestle.  I looked it up and was surprised at the verse chosen: "I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it.  God has done it, so that people fear before him."

The kids and I are enjoying our days.  None of us are ready for school to start yet.  Thank You Lord for summer.  I'm not ready to miss Kohen all day.  I think he'll enjoy school though.  Lily-Anna will miss him.  The kids are playing better together this summer and we also have a better grasp on our basement clutter now that we have gotten rid of a lot of the infant toys.

On this July 31st, the day of Lily-Anna's dedication to God and the day I rushed Josiah to the hospital while he struggled to breath, I choose to thank God for His many blessings and humbly ask that He help me to live in such a way that when I die it can be with no regrets.

Thanks for any prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Corinthians 15:51-57
⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

P.S. Lessons learned this month:

1. Do not play soccer with your children while wearing sandals - unless your toenails are very short.

2.  Do not tell children funny stories about other children who phoned 911.  Both the story teller and the guilty party inspired by the story will remain nameless.  May God bless the dear woman on the other end of the phone who agreed to cancel the call. 

Isaac inspired by the World Cup and K'Nex

Isaac put flowers in Lily-Anna's hair