The Faulkners: Out like a lion ...

The kids enjoyed a visit from Cora

... well, not a very angry lion, thankfully. Once again, snow blankets the lawn and roofs and the trees looked very pretty on the way to church this morning. It's March 31st in southern Ontario. However, the spring jackets were out last week in 10 degree weather, which means that Isaac wants to wear shorts outside. He feels the heat.

Kohen's birthday party went quite well, according to me and Kohen. Graham may have used the word chaotic. I was a little surprised that the children were a little less attentive to the fun activities and games I had planned. We had put out Paw Patrol toys as decorations for the party so that's what they wanted to play with. I discovered that there's quite a big difference between a March birthday with lots of four-year-olds and a December birthday with a bunch of five-year-olds (for Isaac when he turned five). The kids had fun and Kohen enjoyed his day and the cake was easy but looked cool - thank you to Youtube and the people who post!

Paw Patrol - the rescue!

This Faulkner family is definitely in need of new furniture. Thankfully it's ordered and on the way. We were also able to pick out carpet on Saturday so things are progressing well. We are the third owners of this furniture which is part of the reason we let the kids thoroughly enjoy them - jumping, forts, airplane rides, etc. They know this will not be the case with the new furniture - no jumping anyway. I keep finding bits of stuffing on the ground. It's definitely dated but it was a huge blessing when we received it from my dad's cousins who moved back to Northern Ireland and it's been well-loved. It even hid lots of puzzles and toys so we need a new location for the crokinole board.

March Break was quite low key. Graham took the kids to visit with his parents and I stayed home to clear out junk (and good items to be passed along) from the laundry room/storage area. I was a little sad to miss the fun at first but it was definitely worth it. The boys were able to go to Grandpa's Sugar Shack and help insert spiles for the maple syrup we love. They also enjoyed snowshoeing and warming up at Tim Hortons. We were also sick for a couple of days of the break but it was good to be able to relax together.

First haircut!

Lily-Anna had her first haircut this past week. I think the boys had their first cuts when they were able a year old. She enjoyed the experience. She must be my fourth baby as I wasn't even going to take any photos - I didn't think of it until the hairdresser reminded me.

I need to head out tonight so I will end shortly. I did read a book for my bookclub this month but I didn't really enjoy it so I won't advertise it. It was a Christian historical fiction and I haven't read much of that genre and unfortunately this one didn't sell me on it. The next book to be suggested is about the theology of the resurrection so that will be both interesting and timely as Good Friday and Easter celebrations are on the way.

Our sanctuary at church has a new look - the pews are gone, replaced by comfortable chairs. The look, atmosphere, lighting, and sound have changed as well. The pastor who preached a great message for the dedication, reminded us that these changes were made to help those who are not already in the church to feel more comfortable there. May these changes be used for the glory of God.

Who am I?

Actually, I think it was this last month that the idea of watching the old show Supernanny "somehow" came to both Graham and me on the same day (Thanks Lord for any wisdom through whatever means you choose!) We have always struggled with how to discipline the kids so a few ideas from the show have helped us. We still struggle and keep praying but I think watching the show also helped us to realize that we do a number of things well with the kids - we are very affectionate, we've always read Bible stories to them, we read to them a lot, we pray a lot, we have had early bedtimes for the kids, and they don't have a ton of screentime or a ton of treats. There are certainly lots of other areas we can improve on but I'm thankful for this list nonetheless.

For those who know my mom - she's back in the pool and her physiotherapist is encouraged by her improvements. PTL!

Oh, how could I forget - I made Irish Soda Bread and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was the wheaten bread from my memories of Northern Ireland and it was easy to make. Who knew? Sadly, no photo worthy of sharing but I impressed myself as it looked rustic to me. I also made a Turkish dish called gozleme and my Turkish neighbours knew what it was - all the kids liked it. Thank you again to Nagi from Recipetineats.com for making our meals tastier!!!

Superheroes / performers

One quick story:

I was heading out with Lily-Anna and the boys were going to be with Graham. Graham said they were going to do manly things. I asked Kohen what manly things they would do. He replied, "Go for coffee." :)

Thanks for any prayers!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.