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