Welcome spring!

I confess I am hoping for a warm May.  The winter has seemed to hold on longer than usual but we had a beautiful last day of April--it felt like minus 4 degrees when Graham left for work this morning but it was 17 degrees this afternoon and it's supposed to feel like 28 degrees tomorrow afternoon.  This is southern Ontario.  Kohen and Lily-Anna ate their lunch outside today.

We celebrated what would have been Josiah's 6th birthday on April 13th.  Graham had booked the day off work and Isaac had a PD Day.  We spent some time at the cemetery and placed flowers on Josiah's grave.  I made a cake and we sang Happy Birthday.  We also looked at some old photos and

videos.  Sweet Lily-Anna was a little upset looking at images of her parents with another baby.

One day I showed Kohen the photos of Josiah's burial.  Later he asked me, "Can we put my name on the thing Josiah's body is in?"  (The extended family and close friends used markers to cover Josiah's white casket with handprints, names, and messages right before the casket was put into the ground.)  I just this moment realized that it was a missed opportunity - we already knew a baby was on the way so we could have written a message - I think Kohen would have liked that.  I remember being quite exhausted by the time of the burial.

Conversation with Kohen (keep in mind as you read this that Kohen wants to see Josiah but he doesn't like needles):

Kohen:  I wish I were Josiah.  Wait.  Did Josiah have needles?
Mommy: Yes.  He actually had needles every day.
Kohen:  I wish I were Samson then.  [From the Bible]  He's dead so he can see Josiah.
Mommy: I'm so glad you are here and so thankful you're alive. ...
Kohen: I wish I were Isaac.
Mommy: So you could have seen Josiah?
Kohen: Yes.  Did Isaac have needles?
Mommy: Yes.
Kohen: Did you and Daddy have needles?
Mommy: Yes. ...

****

Kohen: Can you show me a picture of Josiah and Jesus?
Mommy: We don't have a picture because we can't see them.
Kohen: We could make one.

****

Kohen: I'm going to make a picture for Josiah.

****

Kohen often uses the word killing so I felt that I should start the following conversation:

Mommy: You know that no one killed Josiah, right?  Josiah just died. ...
Kohen: How does someone die without someone killing him?

****

I asked Isaac a question and he answered me.  I  then googled the question and received the same answer.  Isaac told me, "I can be your Google from now on ... if I know it."

Lily-Anna will be two years old at the end of May!  She loves to sing and be with her brothers and look at books.  She sometimes plays with her dolls, small dollhouse, or kitchen.  She is very good at repeating what we say.  We often hear her say, "No Kohen!" or "Lily-Anna try."

I am loving my swimming lessons!  There are four people in the class and our teacher is really good.  We're starting each class with two lengths of the pool (50 m in total).  I was able to make it but just barely and my form on the way back was sad to say the least.  I'm looking forward to improving.  I am now able to swim the front crawl, back crawl, and breast stroke successfully (at least with goggles and a nose plug and a swimming cap - I look ridiculous but it's lots of fun).  It would help if I had some other cardio workouts during the week to work up my stamina.

I enjoy taking Kohen and Lily-Anna to their library programmes.  Next week Kohen and I will start attending a farm programme one morning a week for a number of weeks.  I did the same one with Isaac the fall before his third birthday.  I hope Kohen loves it and I'm looking forward to spending this one-on-one time with him. 

Our small group Bible study is going well.  We have nine people for this study on worship.  Due to a conversation the previous week in our group, we sampled raw turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, and kohlrabi this past week.  I enjoyed them all and then enjoyed them even more roasted for dinner the next night.

For one study we looked at the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai.  In perusing the surrounding chapters in preparation for the study, I read this from Exodus 28:2, "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty."  That line has never struck me before but I love that God wanted these special garments created "for glory and for beauty."  All the beauty in this world is a gift.  I actually have a vase of sad tulips in front of me but they were magnificent a few days ago.  I think we are surrounded by beauty for which I should give God praise and I think I need to remember that God values beauty.

In addition to his work, Graham is busy with the church board, our condo board, and he participates in a men's Bible study bright and early on Thursday mornings.  The boys always love his stories before bed.

It was a blessing to attend a lovely wedding at the beginning of the month.  God must have helped them choose their date because a week later we had an ice storm.  Church was cancelled on the Sunday and Isaac was home from school on the Monday.  Even Graham had Monday morning off.  Actually Graham and the boys treated me to breakfast in bed that Sunday.

We now have a couple of new drawer units for our kitchen from Ikea.  We picked out a new countertop last week so now we just need to find a sink and faucet and get these all put in and we'll be finished our changes.

Thanks for any prayers!  Have a wonderful May!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.