Hello Summer!

Fun in the stream

Here we are once again at the end of the month.  We were blessed with some delicious fresh-from-the-field strawberries tonight.  Yum!

Cooling off

School is over - yay!  It ended well and the boys' teachers did a fantastic job but it will be nice for all of us to have a break from that routine.  Isaac's teachers dropped off a package for him with a nice certificate and Kohen was part of a Google-meet and slideshow to celebrate the end of kindergarten.

Graham gave them each a Daddy-date on Saturday

It is a tradition in our home (thankfully Isaac told us this last year) that Graham walks the boys home on the last day of school (stopping at a store to buy slushies).  So, this year we all drove to the abandoned school on the last day, took photos, and then I drove home with Lily-Anna while Graham walked with the boys.  Part of the tradition is also that the boys want to buy something for Lily-Anna so she ended up with a chocolate bar (most of which she has forgotten in the fridge).

Last day of school

One of my favourite parts of being together more (due to Covid-19), is the read-aloud books.  We started with Pollyanna, then Helen Keller, The Secret Garden, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I also read aloud Ember's End to Isaac as it is the final book in a four-book series we have read together.  Wonderful, heroic, rabbits with swords.  I cried.  So good.  We need a new book to start.  Thankfully we are now able to take out books from the library.

Our bubble expanded to include both sets of grandparents as soon as the Premier gave the go-ahead.  It is certainly nice to be able to have hugs again and also have two additional homes to visit.

Now that summer is here, we have started a new chore schedule from Monday to Saturday.  One of the chores is to help prepare dinner.  Each child has two days when it is their turn to help with dinner.  In general, I find the kids much more content to do the jobs as they are listed on their charts.  Of course, we started the new schedule yesterday so this may be the honeymoon period.  Hopefully they will become interested in picking out the meals but that will also involve some organization on my part as we try to shop once a week.

It's been fun exploring nature.  We have a stream with large and small rocks to walk on at the bottom of our street where the kids like to play and there is a pond and forest within biking distance.  We saw two snapping turtles yesterday.  It's been nice to go there after dinner all together, though it leads to increased drama at bedtime for an overtired Lily-Anna.  Today Kohen wanted to fly a kite so we were able to do that this afternoon and after dinner while Graham and Isaac kicked the soccer ball. 

Kohen flying a kite

Both Isaac and Kohen were part of their first online piano recitals.  Isaac's piece was prerecorded and Kohen played live.  Isaac will have four lessons in the summer and he has also asked to be Kohen's teacher over the summer.

I can hear fireworks outside.  It's Canada Day tomorrow and also my cousin's birthday.  Happy Birthday Natasha!

Other enjoyments: Reading The Sensible Shoes series by Sharon Garlough Brown (I made snickerdoodles for the first time because of these books), listening to JJ Heller's podcast Instrumental, braiding Lily-Anna's hair, puzzles, new games.

Oh yes, I am still following the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP).  The inflammation and stiffness in my joints is manageable without medication.  I am going to try to further reduce my sugar intake to see if that helps (after we eat the strawberries I didn't freeze).  In addition to snickerdoodles, I also made chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese.  I didn't try either but I was told they were great.

Tea party

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.

P.S. I almost forgot - I was chatting with Lily-Anna and we were remembering camping on Vancouver Island last summer (so great!).  I said we were in a tent and then I asked her what we slept in.  She confidently said, "Suitcases." 

Great big brother

Happy Birthdays!

Enjoying the sunshine

My May post is always shorter as it is Graham's birthday today.  Happy Birthday Graham!  Yesterday, my baby and my princess turned four years old.  Impossible but true.  Lily-Anna and the boys are growing too fast.  There was no birthday dinner with the extended family but Lily-Anna still had fun.  She received a lovely card in the mail with a beautiful cupcake on the front, at which point she decided that she no longer wanted a cake (it would be for Daddy) but instead wanted cupcakes just like the one in the picture.  I think they turned out well.

I have now followed the auto-immune protocol for a month.  I can't say that it is helping with the inflammation in my body but I am going to keep going a little longer at least.  For most of this month I have also been doing the intermittent fasting by only eating between 10:00am and 6:00pm, roughly.  Again, this could supposedly help my immune system but my knees are still big with fluid.  I have not-so-great days and much better days for which I am thankful.

Fun on the Orange Berg

More fun on the Berg

First bike with pedals

For the first time this week we ordered our groceries online and picked them up at the store.  This is to limit the amount of time that I need to be on my feet and it also means that I don't need to leave all the kids with Graham while he is working (which means they are doing something on a screen).  It worked out better than I expected.

Playing catch

New technique for blood pressure

During the spring after my first year of university, I was paid to help in an elementary school for a few weeks.  I believe I worked with the special ed teacher.  It was then at the age of 19 that I learned that the word 'our' is a homophone of 'hour'.  Previously, I had thought it was a homophone of 'are' and that is how I pronounced the word.  I was quite shocked that I could have mispronounced the word that long.  Well, now at the ripe old age of 42, I was amazed to discover another thing I have never learned.  The back story is that about a week ago I saw a workbook for cursive writing so I picked it up for Isaac.  He does a letter a day.  When he came to the letter 'f', I found out that I have never written the letter f correctly.  I now know that when you get to the bottom of the f you should go to the right but I loop to the left.  Yes, this is not earth-shattering news but very interesting to me.  Isaac said he likes my 'f' better so I am tempted to tell him to do it my way as I am certainly not changing now.

Graham and I just finished watching some shows so it's time to say goodnight.  No time for photos tonight or talk about Covid-19.  Thankful for health.

This game lasted a few days

Isaac helping make dinner

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Walking on the ceiling

Snow on May 11!!!

Surprise birthday treat from a dear friend

Happy Pentecost Sunday!
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Bonus: The Princess in Style

Please let me wear pants and shorts!

She loves her Irish soccer jersey!

Thankful for His faithfulness

I'm not quite sure what to write as I am not in a great frame of mind.  I am wondering what I am going to eat for breakfast in the morning.  I would like to try to follow an anti-inflammatory protocol for my food intake for the next while to see if it could help decrease the inflammation in my body due to an arthritis flare-up.  I thought it would be good to try this last-ditch effort before reconciling myself to the necessary weekly injections of medication that decrease my immune system.  I am also always open to God's healing touch. 

Apart from this, we are healthy and I am thankful for that.  I am reading my Bible more and talking to God more and needing His help more than ever.  I'm thankful for warmer days.  I just started reading "Sensible Shoes" and I'm enjoying it.  I have parenting books on the go, searching for ideas that will help. 

At bedtime with Lily-Anna one night:

LA - Are we going to have clothes in Heaven?  Lots of clothes?
Me - Well, Jesus had clothes after he was resurrected.  Of course, Adam and Eve did not have clothes in the Garden.  I think the Bible talks about clothes; we'll look it up.  Do you like clothes?
LA - Yes, I hope we have clothes in Heaven.  We shouldn't be naked.

Lily-Anna in the washroom one day:

LA - I'm married.  We are going to have two children, a boy and a girl.
Me - What about 4 children?
LA - Three
Me - Oh, have more.  Mommy wants lots of grandchildren.
LA - I can't.  We've already been baptized and we prayed and got married.
(On a subsequent day she let me know that her children were adopted from a faraway place.)

Somehow, April disappeared with puzzles, games, kicking the soccer ball, walks outside, haircuts at home, reading, school at home, movies, baking (my first time making hot cross buns and cinnamon buns), Zoom calls, church on the couch in front of a screen, many trips for the boys in and out of their window, treats from family and friends, wearing masks, and lots of cuddles.  We celebrated Easter and Josiah's birthday.  For a number of days, Lily-Anna was processing Josiah's death, asking why he died, and wanting to see some of his things.  She liked hearing about the dream that Josiah's nurse had the morning he passed away. 

We saw a duck with her six ducklings earlier this week.  We watched a robin building her nest these last couple of days.  I'm thankful for God's gift of nature. 

I need to get some sleep.  Hopefully I'll have a clearer head and a new perspective in the morning.  "His mercies are new every morning."  I'll try to go to the grocery store in the morning with my mask on.  It was an emotional experience the first time I did that but I think I'm used to it now. 

Blessings to you and your family,

Elizabeth

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