Happy Canada Day (almost)!

Happy Canada Day and Happy Birthday Natasha!  For the first time, we have been able to celebrate my cousin's birthday with her (albeit two days early).  She happened to be in Canada and was kind enough to make the trek to Waterloo.  It's always nice to see her and my aunt and uncle.

Actually, my oldest nephew turns 15 today - Happy Birthday Kieran!  His age is easy to remember as he was born shortly after our wedding.  We were able to enjoy a lovely dinner out for our anniversary while the kids were looked after by one of their awesome cousins.

For Graham's birthday we went to the Keg as someone blessed us with a gift certificate (I had never been there before and Graham can't remember going).  We loved it (both of us really enjoy steak).  We were surprised when our waitress brought us a delicious dessert because of Graham's birthday.  We thoroughly enjoyed the dessert but it did make us late for the Marriage Night event at our church (and we skipped the gourmet desserts there).  We were heading to a B&B that night so we left the event before the final session (which was definitely the wisdom of God as the road to the B&B turned out to be closed and I didn't have an address but Shopper's was still open and a lovely woman drove us to the road we needed).  After we left the marriage event, Graham's name was drawn to win the big door prize of ... a gift certificate to the Keg!  Everyone at the event was so kind and wanted us to still get the prize even though we had left!  Thus, we were able to go to the Keg for our anniversary as well!  Thank You Lord!

I'm typing this on the big table by our window, listening to fireworks and seeing glimpses in the sky.  I saw some really beautiful ones on my ride home tonight.  Fireworks are a nice tradition. 

I knew Graham was taking this Tuesday off work but he surprised me and also took last Friday off, the boys first day home from school.  That evening we took the bus downtown to ride the Ion, Grand River Transit's new LRT (light rail transit).  It's free until July 2.  We all had fun.

Friday morning the kids and I went to the cemetery to plant some flowers and do some bike riding.  We need to teach Kohen to ride a regular bike and thankfully he seems ready to learn now.

We took the kids to the circus this month.  We enjoyed our outing.  It was fun to see Lily-Anna's eyes light up in wonder.  The boys really liked the BMX bikes and the motorbikes riding in a sphere.  I was a fan of the couple who changed their outfits super fast!    

Isaac graduated from his piano program, Music for Young Children and he also did his level one piano exam.  We don't have the results yet but before the exam he said, "I'm excited!"  and after the exam he said, "That was fun!" when he came out from his time with the examiner!  That reminds me, he wrote on a school paper that one of his favourite things about Grade 3 was the EQAO - that's the grade three testing!  (I think he actually really enjoyed the worksheets the teacher gave them after they were finished doing the test sections each day.)

As a musical treat for Isaac for all his hard work in piano, I took him to see the musical Annie.  It was his first time attending live theatre and he really enjoyed it.  My mom also went with us.

We enjoyed watching the Raptors make history!  Isaac stayed up until after the first quarter, at which point Graham went to our church to help and see it on the big screen.  With two minutes left in the game (well, apart from three time outs), I picked up Kohen from his bed and took him downstairs (Isaac had told me not to wake him up).  Thankfully, Kohen didn't mind being woken up and we enjoyed celebrating and seeing the trophies presented.

Kohen also had a Kindergarten celebration that Graham and I were able to attend.  It was nice to spend some time just with him.  He will head into SK in September.  

The boys are happy to be home from school and I am happy not to make lunches at night or early in the morning.  They'll have this week off, followed by a week of VBS and then two weeks with swimming lessons.  Lily-Anna passed her swimming lessons this month so she will now do all her lessons solo. 

I was telling Kohen that we would be getting a new neighbour.
Kohen: Will Angela still be our neighbour?
Me: No, she is moving.
Kohen: Well, I'll still be her neighbour.

***

There are a number of songs that Lily-Anna calls "our song," such as "Jesus Loves Me," "Our Father," and my personalized version of "Jesus Loves The Little Children."  Last week I walked to the kitchen where music was playing.  She said, "Mommy, that's our song!  Let's dance!"  The song was "Great is Thy Faithfulness."  We danced!

***

It's time to head to bed.  Thanks for any prayers, including for my mother who heads in for another hip surgery next week on her other hip.  

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Birthday smiles

I'm three!

Lily-Anna, my baby, is three years old today!  She wouldn't like that sentence - she's not the happiest when one of her brothers says she is the smallest in the family.

I'm a little distracted - I'm beside Graham on the couch, watching the Raptors.  I think this series is the first time we've ever watched basketball.  Our kids must be getting older.  We're all getting older - our family celebrates four birthdays and two anniversaries each May.  Both Graham's eldest brother and my eldest brother were married on the same day 19 years ago and our other brothers were married in the same month almost 21 years ago.

Speaking of marriage, we're going to a Marriage Night at our church tomorrow night (almost tonight).  Then, Graham and I are going to a B&B while his parents watch the kids (minus Isaac who will be at the Kids' Retreat with our church).

How could I forget (I'm looking at our calendar to remember what happened this past month)?  We have new furniture and carpet in our living room.  I was originally really hoping for laminate flooring with an area rug but then I realized we had too many different wood colours in our living room.  I am thankful.  I LOVE the feel of the carpet under my feet and I like that we can easily wrestle on the floor with the kids, etc.

We have banished most of the toys to the basement although you might not believe me if you were in my living room right now as Lily-Anna's birthday gifts are still all over the floor (think lots of little Playmobil pieces).  It feels very nice to be able to come into a calm room without a lot of toys.  I've even been able to organize their art supplies with our new shelves and that system is working great. 

Lily-Anna now has a Playmobil camping set to help her practice for the real thing in August.  We get to go camping on Vancouver Island - yay!!!  I'm excited! 

The boys are excited to be back on the soccer field on Saturday mornings.  This is Kohen's first time being on a team.  They were also able to go to a Toronto FC game with Graham and his dad on a trip with our church.

It was wonderful to spend time with my brother and his family from the Ottawa area.  Most of them were down visiting for the long weekend.

It's time to try to quickly add some photos and get some sleep.  Thankfully tomorrow is a PD Day so the kids can help clean the house for Grandma and Grandpa's arrival.

Thanks for any prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

First day of soccer

Graham and Lily-Anna watching the game

Last night being 2 years old

Photographer at work

April (Snow and) Showers

I have new goggles!

This may be short as I need to continue to prep for our small group tomorrow night that I am facilitating.  It's so nice to have four of us who divide up the facilitating.  We're reading through the book of Amos right now with a study guide.

As usual, this month has flown by.   I feel like this is the first time I have realized that the beautiful picture of springtime in my head does not compare to its reality in southwestern Ontario.  Lily-Anna and Kohen wore their winter jackets again today.  I barbecued yesterday and saw some snow.  This is the season of having every type of jacket and footwear in the front hallway.  Yes, the weather does give us something to talk about.  It is lovely to see shoots coming up through the soil, promising flowers to come.

The snuggle chair

One great thing about cooler weather is that I can still enjoy the hot water bottles that keep my feet warm at night.  I used to only use one but now I've discovered the joy of having a water bottle for each foot.  The kids are all pretty good at sleeping through the night but it's also not a rare occurrence that at least one calls me for something or other at 2:00 AM.  Returning to bed, I am ever so pleased to find warmth greeting my feet. 

Watching the ducks

It was great to celebrate Easter and Jesus' death and resurrection with family.  Last Thanksgiving I made biryani, so for Easter Sunday we decided on Middle Eastern food - chicken shwarma and grilled veggies on the BBQ as well as flatbreads and majadra.  Last summer we bought a bigger barbecue as our old one was long past its prime.  It is lovely to have room for both meat and veggies on the grill.

We went out for breakfast on what would have been Josiah's 7th birthday.  We also took flowers to the grave and tried to fly a kite and enjoyed some cake.

 

Last week, Isaac played in the Kiwanis Festival for the first time.  He placed second with a gold standing.  Graham was able to watch him while I stayed with Kohen and Lily-Anna. 

Graham generously gave Kohen breakfast in bed

We will soon have new flooring and furniture in our living room.  Thus, we made our final fort with the old furniture on Sunday and Kohen slept in the fort last night.  Isaac enjoys sleeping in his own bed.

Searching for Easter eggs

A few weeks ago, Lily-Anna was happy to inform me that she's going to buy me light-up boots for my birthday.

This morning she called excitedly from the bathroom:

Lily-Anna - I can put the light on!
Me - Wow!  You're growing!  Let me see.  [I went and watched her do it.]  Don't grow too fast.
Lily-Anna - I won't.  I'll grow slow.

Fun at the park

Isaac likes to eat the pbss - peanut butter and salsa sandwich.  I haven't tried it.  Both boys are enjoying their swimming lessons and Lily-Anna and I will start in the pool next week.  This is the class in which she will transition from being with me in the pool to just being with her teacher.  I am hoping that this will mean in the summer, all three can go in with just their teacher.

Visiting the museum

It's time to work on small group and say goodnight.  Thanks for any prayers!

Friends

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Learning about life in space

Amos 5:24
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

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.

 

Paw Patrol cake - Rubble on the double!

Tapping a maple tree

Out tapping maple trees

Fun with friends

Ms. Serious during her haircut

Learning to snowshoe - success on the first attempt!

Frigid February

The  clock is ticking - so I'll try to make this fast.  I have a birthday party to plan and bring to fruition - a party with eight four and five year old boys.  Kohen turns five next Tuesday but he'll celebrate with the JK boys from his class this Saturday and with extended family on Sunday.  It will be a Paw Patrol party.  Thankfully there are lots of ideas on the web and products at the dollar store.  I think it will be fun.  This is Kohen's first party with friends.  It will be interesting to see how he reacts as he often doesn't like to be the centre of attention in a group of people.

I'm going to make Kohen's cake but I remember being tempted to buy Isaac's cake when he turned 5 and had his Paw Patrol birthday.  At the time, I looked through the binder at the store but they didn't have Paw Patrol and they didn't know what I was talking about when I tried to explain it.  I'm guessing that wouldn't be the case today.   

For four weeks in a row we have cancelled our small group due to icy and snowy weather.  Graham and the boys had two ice/snow days when the university and schools were closed.  Snow days are a beautiful thrill of childhood - waking up thinking you'll be getting ready for school, only to find out that freedom (and snow shoveling) await.  All the kids want to help Graham with the snow - and they are very happy for some hot cocoa afterwards.   

I'm looking at my calendar to remember what happened this month.  That reminded me that I had pneumonia.  The doctor thought it was walking pneumonia as I seemed quite fine except for my cough.  When he listened to me he said my lungs sounded terrible.  I think I'm almost back to normal.  I still have a productive cough from time to time.  For that reason, I haven't given myself my weekly needle the last four weeks.  I think I'll probably take it this weekend.  I have noticed some aches and pains returning this last week.

Our church sanctuary is being renovated so we've met at a hotel the last two weeks.  The pews at church have left the building.  Comfy chairs, here we come.

I used my mom's 50-year-old sewing machine and sewed a cover for a bench cushion.  I had checked out what it would cost to buy a replacement cover and thus decided that I could watch a youtube video, buy a new thicker cushion and figure out how to sew it for much less.  Thankfully, my mom remembered how to thread the machine.  I only broke one needle.

My mom is still recovering from her hip surgery but her physiotherapist told her she had improved quite a lot in the week between her visits there.  It's slow and steady.

Lily-Anna is blessed with two doting brothers (most of the time).  One night before supper, Kohen helped Lily-Anna put her bib on:

Lily-Anna: Kohen is helping put my bib on.
Me: That's so nice of him.
Lily-Anna: [to Kohen] You're a good brother.
Kohen: No, you're a good sister.
Lily-Anna: No, you're a good brother.
Kohen: No, you're a good sister.
Lily-Anna: You're the best.
Kohen: No, you're the best. ...

I love my Valentine's dates with my children.  They all enjoyed their cake pops!  

I thank the Lord for great sales I found on snowsuits and gloves for the boys!

I read more of The Read Aloud Family and I'm inspired to read more myself and to my children.

There is a funeral tomorrow for a lovely man from our church.  Graham sat beside him at church his last Sunday.  He commented to Graham about the great sermon after the service.  He was a godly man.  I will miss seeing him and his smile in the foyer.

Thank you for any prayers,

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.