Happy Leap Year!

I can now travel the world as I've renewed my passport that expired in 2013.  The boys can come too as they now have passports.  Graham renewed his in the fall due to some training in the States for work.  I doubt there will be any major travelling any time soon, but it's good to be prepared.  I took the boys with me to the passport service centre one morning.  We obviously don't go to downtown Kitchener very often as Isaac said that it was like Toronto due to all the cars.  There is a special place in Isaac's heart for downtown Toronto.  It reminds me of his Grandpa Lucas.

Isaac told us one day how all of his best friends became his best friends (note: Isaac refers to most of his friends as best friends):  #1 Be friendly.  #2 Follow them around.  #3 Do what they do.  #4 Do more of those things.

In the car today Isaac was pondering what Baby Girl Faulkner will look like and he wonders what her name will be (he's partial to "Salt and Pepper").  Actually, a couple of times he has kissed my big covered tummy and called Baby, "My sweet little pumpkin."  This month we have received a beautiful dress and jumper, a blanket, and a knit sweater for the baby.  After we received the dress Isaac had the following conversation with me:

Isaac: What is she going to wear with the dress Mommy?
Me: I don't know.
Isaac Will she have any of those things that Iris wears?  They are not pants but they are girly things.
Me: Tights?
Isaac: Yes.  

Yes, there will be a few things I need to buy that are not in the boys' clothing bins.

On the way to and from Isaac's piano class we pass the cemetery with Josiah's grave.  Isaac and I always say hi to Josiah or sing our song to him or blow him kisses.  A couple of weeks ago Isaac told me shortly after we passed the cemetery that Josiah sang a song back to both of us and then to him.  The song to Isaac was about what a good big brother he was.  I told him I thought that was a nice gift from God.

We have discovered that there are dangers to not monitoring what Isaac is reading.  One morning at breakfast he told me that the children's book he was reading said, "We need to use nature, be nature, and follow nature."  Okay, let's talk.  God created nature and we need to follow Him!

Bye Bye Soother!

Kohen has been busy growing up this month, through no choice of his own.  I have a list of things that I'd like to see happen before the baby arrives and number one was to say goodbye to the soother.  I gave him two days of warning and then he said good-bye to it in the morning and put it in a bag and chose a stuffed animal that he wanted to sleep with.  Our timing was a little off because that afternoon he ended up throwing up in the car for some reason (unrelated to the soother) so we gave it back to him that night.  We started the good-bye process again later that week (I value closure) and he refused to nap for three days in a row.  Only the first night was a little hard and since then things have been fine.

Now, we are on to potty training.  He's surprised me by doing really well.  We haven't had too many accidents and I haven't had to set any timers like I did with Isaac.  His last diaper rash hasn't completely healed so he is still wearing a diaper during his nap and at bedtime so that I can put cream on his bottom.  I think I'll try to get rid of those too as soon as his bottom is all better.

After toilet training comes being in a big boy bed and then sharing a room with Isaac, both of which will hopefully happen in March.  The boys are looking forward to sharing a room.

One of Graham's colleague's retired today.  The boys and I went and said good-bye.  We wish him every blessing in his retirement.

In January I had an extra ultrasound as the imagining from a previous ultrasound did not show everything.  The ultrasound in January showed a little extra fluid in the baby.  My ObGyn said she had one other patient with this and it had disappeared after a couple of weeks so I went for a third ultrasound earlier this month and it still showed a small amount of extra fluid.  So, I went for an echocardiogram at McMaster with the amazing cardiologist who cared for Josiah when he went to the clinic at McMaster.  The cardiologist said the baby looked fine and he wouldn't even note the extra fluid.  So, we praise God for this news and answer to prayer.  I had two good cries over this and peace in between.   It was a blessing to have a day away with Graham and to be able to thank the cardiologist again for the blessing he has been to our family.

Speaking of crying, Isaac was blessed to be invited to go to the Aquarium in Toronto on his PD Day last week.  He has a wonderful time and I think it's great for him to do things without his parents around.  He went with this same friend to the Science Centre over the Christmas holidays.  For some reason I kept thinking about what if something bad happened to Isaac.  The boys were eating breakfast while I went to my room and bawled after giving him permission to go.  I am very glad we didn't allow my fears to stop him from having his adventure and I hope I won't entertain these thoughts again.  I don't want the boys to be limited because I am scared of losing them.

Sadly, my new record this month is sending Christmas cards in February (sigh!).  I never sent any overseas so now I need to cut off the Christmas message part and just send out the family photo in a regular card.  I am thankful for and always in need of grace.

It is time to say good-night and to thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Happy New Year!

Making Ebelskivers

We began the new year by enjoying some ebelskivers for breakfast together.  The next day Isaac became sick and ended up missing the first three days of school.  We established a new record this month - three times to the emergency room.  Praise God for OHIP.  Isaac went twice with Graham and I took Kohen once.  We were able to get help each time, though sweet Kohen had to go into the Pigg-O-Stat for a chest x-ray as I couldn't hold him because I'm pregnant.  He was less than impressed.  We are still unsure why Isaac's stomach hurts him regularly but both boys are in good form and we're trying to get Isaac more help.

Sledding with Daddy

We always say goodbye to Graham when he leaves for work and we often sing a "Good-bye Daddy" song as we watch him through the front window as he walks down the road.  One day after singing our song, Isaac turned to me and asked, "Do all families have songs like this?"  He is beginning to realize that we are a little different.

My pregnancy care has now switched from my GP to my OBGYN.  It's nice to see her again and she is a wonderful doctor, as is my GP.  Each week Isaac and I watch a short video that shows what the baby should look like inside me.  I'll be 23 weeks tomorrow.  Around week 10, Isaac informed me that the baby no longer looked like a dinosaur.

Painting

Isaac told me the other day that "ice cream is 1000% sugar grams."  He enjoys playing with numbers. On Saturday he asked me for paper so that he could do his "math homework" and then he proceeded to add and subtract some numbers with joy.  He asked if he could take it to school.

Kohen is a fun boy.  He gets great delight from running away from Graham or I in order to hide on the couch with great anticipation.  He wants to do everything himself and always wants to help in the kitchen.  He now loves to have books read to him.  He also gets joy from moving all the kitchen chairs down the hall to make a train or a spaceship.  The other day I told him that Isaac had gone to the hospital and was sick.  We started reading a book and a minute or so later he turned to me and said, "Mommy, pray Isaac?" and put his hands together.  We prayed for Isaac.  They love each other.

Fun times!

We are enjoying studying 1 Corinthians on Wednesday evenings with our small group.

I need to post some photos and head to bed.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Fun with chopsticks

We're having a baby ...

Outside the Royal Botanical Gardens

... GIRL - at least that's what the ultrasound technician thinks and she sounded very sure of herself.  I suspect a little girl is going to change the dynamics of the Faulkner household.  I guess we'd better figure out how to take care of a girl.  It's both exciting and scary.  It was reassuring to hear the technician say that the baby's heart and everything else looked good to her, though of course the photos need to be seen by a radiologist.  I still feel fine and I don't feel the baby so it was nice to hear that she was moving all over the place and is the right size for our due date. 

December has flown by faster than all the other months.  Early in the month we visited the Royal Botanical Gardens and enjoyed a train ride and a walk in the woods.  We then went to the annual memorial service at the Coping Centre during which we hung an ornament with Josiah's name on an outdoor Christmas tree.  Isaac always gets to pick the tree.

After Isaac's birthday party I crashed but I think it was a success.  The boys all seemed to have fun.  I think it was the morning of his party that he told me it would be fun to have a knight-themed party.  I let him know that he would enjoy his Paw Patrol party - and he agreed that he would.  :)  He still loves Paw Patrol.  We also had a family celebration for Isaac as well as a birthday celebration for my uncle.  It was wonderful that my cousin could be here from Switzerland for the celebration.

On the train at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Isaac has recently switched his attention to knights.  We were able to find a castle and some catapults on Kijiji for Christmas presents so he was excited to open them.  He's also been busy creating with his Magformers and Lego.  Kohen often wants to do whatever Isaac is doing but he also happily discovered an airplane and a bus under the Christmas tree along with other fun gifts, so the boys are certainly not wanting for toys.

We had a lovely Christmas, celebrating with my side of the family during the day of Christmas Eve and then we spent a few days with Graham's parents.  For the third year in a row we visited

Hanging Josiah's ornament on the tree

a Christian Reformed church on Christmas Day.  I enjoy being in church on Christmas as we always had a service when I was growing up but since Josiah passed away, it's a tradition that also helps me think about him.  Thankfully Christian Reformed churches also like to open on Christmas.

I think my desire to be in church also relates to something said in an online interview with J.C. Sproul Jr..  He was asked why he wanted to be in a church worship service hours after his wife's death.  In the following answer, he gave three reasons saying, "I wanted to be where the gospel was preached.  We have a tendency to treat the

Early morning reading

gospel likes it's a separate thing from our lives but when our lives touch death, now you need it ... and I wanted to be with God's people.  The third reason is a little odd.  It is my conviction, when we come together for worship, that when the Saints gather on the Lord's Day, the church militant is lifted up by the power of the Holy Spirit to join with the church triumphant.  So, I wanted to be with my wife."  I haven't tried to think about this belief Biblically or theologically but I like the picture of me singing and worshiping God from earth while Josiah is worshiping Him in Heaven.

Tonight we will ring in the new year, though I'm not sure if we'll be awake or asleep when the clock strikes midnight.  The boys will be asleep.

Merry Christmas!

Both Graham and I visited the cemetery today.  It was nice to be there once more in 2015.

I am thankful for 2015 and looking forward to 2016 and all that is to come.  We need His wisdom every day.  We are thankful to know that Josiah is with Jesus and we will see him again one day.

By the way, I of course ordered Christmas photo cards too late so they will be arriving late.  Thanks for your prayers.

Happy 2016 to you and yours!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

 

Mommy and her boys

Daddy and his boys

November Good News

Greetings!

In case you haven't heard the good news or seen me recently (I'm huge), I want to let you know that Baby Faulkner is on the way, due May 30.  We are excited to be blessed with another wonderful boy or a girl.  We expect to find out the gender at the end of this month or early next year when I have my first ultrasound, so we'll keep you posted.  I feel fine (nothing), like usual.  Isaac is excited that he'll get to share a room with Kohen (we'll probably make that transition in March) and both boys like to hug and kiss "Baby", with Isaac saying, "Good morning," and "Good night Baby."

Brothers

Three people have actually asked me if this means we have grown out of our home.  Wow.  No.  We have however grown out of our Tercel as three carseats will not fit in the back (Isaac needs to gain five pounds before he'll be in a booster seat).  So, we'll probably transition to a minivan in the spring.   I love our Tercel ... but extra space will be nice. 

I did find out last week that I can catch Fifth's Disease if I am exposed to it and then there's a chance that the baby could catch it.  Three percent of babies who catch this disease could develop severe complications.  So, the doctor has suggested that I stay away from groups of toddlers.  We asked a nursing friend about this and she advised that I not put Kohen in the toddler room at church in order to limit the risk, so that's what we're doing.  I take Kohen into the service for as long as he'll last until he's too noisy and then we head to a room where he can make some noise and move around but I can still hear the sermon.  The funny thing is, I had the same risk for the other pregnancies, I just didn't realize it as I don't think I was tested for it. 

Recital Day

I had a knee drained and two cortisone shots at the beginning of this month.  I am thankful to feel better than I did.  My doctors says that often during pregnancy, arthritis is not an issue.  I was hoping that would be the case after this last shot but I can tell there is still some arthritic activity in my body.  Thankfully it's mainly affecting my hand right now and only mildly.

Isaac had his first piano recital this past Saturday.  He played a short version of Jingle Bells.  He gave strict instructions that only Graham, Kohen, and I could attend.  He has agreed that his grandparents can come to his spring recital.  When he first heard of the recital he said he wouldn't be part of it but he's glad he did (particularly because he was given some chocolate from his teacher after he played).  It was fun to watch him.     

Celebrating a great recital

Graham and I have decided to be brave and give Isaac a birthday party with friends instead of only family.  This counts as bravery for us as it seems a little overwhelming.  What can go wrong in two hours on a Saturday afternoon?  Our first born will soon be five years old (he's told us for a while now that he's eleven.) 

I was able to go with my Dad to Joy: An Irish Christmas at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto last week.  It was a fun evening and parking was only $5, not far away.

Isaac had a fun Daddy date going to the local Santa Claus parade with Graham.  They took the bus downtown.  Isaac was disappointed that the escalators weren't working (they are always a highlight whenever we find them.)  They finished off with a treat at Williams and a hot chocolate for the bus ride home.  Good times!  I remember being part of many Santa Claus Parades when I was younger, either with a float from our church or with the high school band, playing Christmas music.  Their bus was late so they missed some of the parade but Graham didn't recall any Christian message in the parade. Hopefully he just missed it.

Isaac on a Daddy date to the parade

Kohen is busy learning lots of words.  He tries so hard to communicate but often I don't know what he's saying.  Graham is better at figuring him out.  He recently fell off a rocking horse (over the front) and into a Christmas tree where he sustained a couple of minor face scratches.  After a brief cry his first instinct was to get back on the horse (though Mommy wouldn't let him).  He's a funny boy.  He loves to clap when he hears other people clapping (like at the piano recital).  He keeps asking me if it's time to clap and I need to tell him to wait.

My Dad helped us transform our front closet so that there's a place for a bench with cubbies for the boys.  It is such a nice change to be able to sit somewhere and to know that the boys can find and put away their own things. 

Hot chocolate on the bus with Daddy

A friend just brought by a fun activity for Isaac and I to do this December.  It's called "Countdown to Christmas Activity Kit."  There are 25 envelopes and then lots of cards to pick one for each envelope.  Examples include: "Let's buy some groceries and deliver them to our local food bank."  "Let's make and decorate our gingerbread house today."  "Make, decorate and hang up a family gratitude list."  This will be fun!  I also need to get out our Christmas candle set and devotional book.  Each night we light the candle and move Mary and the donkey one peg closer to the middle.

Isaac wants us to put up Christmas lights outside.  Hopefully we can accomplish that.  I think we're going to save putting up the tree until after Isaac's party so that there's a little more room for his friends to run around.  I have been listening to an old Christmas cd of Amy Grant for a while now.  I find it relaxing, especially when I'm preparing dinner and the boys are hungry.  I actually listened to the same music when I had my MRI when I was pregnant with Josiah.  Tight, enclosed spaces are not my thing so I was very thankful to be able to close my eyes (I don't think I opened them once inside) and listen to Christmas music ... in March.  God provided for me again on that day.  I hadn't thought about the battery life on my old iPod but one of the many people watching the procedure had just what was needed to recharge it and allow me to keep listening.

Okay, it's time to add some photos and do some laundry.  Thanks for your prayers.  May you and yours have a very blessed Christmas season.  Jesus is the reason!  We are thankful.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

October Outings

The boys before our climb up
The Big Apple, and before Kohen
fell face-first in a mud puddle

Another month has flown by.  We've had lots of coughing, sneezing, sore throats, and lack of sleep this month but we've also celebrated five family birthdays, enjoyed Thanksgiving with family in Stittsville, had a fun weekend in Listowel with Uncle Craig from B.C., watched Isaac's first solo piano piece in front of his four other classmates (Hot Cross Buns), and listened to a string quartet performance for kids (thankfully we had some Cheerios for Kohen to keep him quieter and in one spot, though he did like clapping for the performers).  

Isaac wants to dress up as a tiger again this year for Hallowe'en.  We'll see whether or not Kohen wants to dress up in the chicken costume to visit Grandma and Grandpa's home tonight.

We made it to the top of The Big Apple

We had a fun Thanksgiving with my brother and his family.  We ate a delicious traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday night and then on the Sunday night we enjoyed sausage and bean stew inside individual pumpkins along with homemade "leaf" pastries filled with a roasted vegetable mixture.  That was a later dinner so Isaac and Kohen were already asleep.

It was so nice watching Isaac playing with his cousins, especially his one cousin that was born within a month of Josiah.  It helped me to realize anew the loss that Isaac has experienced.  If Josiah were here and had been able to develop more, Isaac would have a playmate who would be able to do a lot of the same things as Isaac.  Of course, Isaac does have a loving imitator.  Whatever Isaac does, Kohen does.

Isaac playing in the leaves Daddy raked

We are studying Hebrews with the small group who meets in our home.  Hebrews 2:18 says, "Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."  The discussion about this verse helped me to realize that I think most of my comfort comes from or is mentally attributed to God the Father as I think of and remind myself that He is always in control, He loves me, and He brings good out of bad.  Secondly, I probably think about the comfort that the Holy Spirit gives.  I rarely think about or try to obtain comfort by thinking about what God the Son (Jesus) went through and how He can thus comfort me.  I think I should try to do this more.

Kohen in one of his many happy moments

Graham and I just watched the movie Noah.  I was hoping it would give me a a fresh understanding of the reality of sin and evil and its result.  Unfortunately I was so focussed on the extra-Biblical additions to the storyline that I was a little distracted.

The boys clowning around

Kohen is sleeping and Graham and Isaac are raking leaves on this lovely fall day.  Kohen is in dire need of a haircut and the boys need winter boots so we'll head out later this afternoon to do some errands.  Oh, Isaac just came in and declared his need for hot chocolate.  With that, I'll say good-bye.

Thanks for any prayers for us!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Hebrews 4:16
"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

Back to School

Fun at Centre Island

We managed to make the most of our last weekend before school started.  I took the boys to a beach, we went to Toronto Island (Isaac told me that his favourite country is Toronto), Isaac and Graham enjoyed the carnival at our church, and we went to a park and pool with friends to celebrate Labour Day.  Graham needed to go to a conference the rest of that week and miss Isaac's first day back at school so we all went out to lunch together the day before (and we did FaceTime of course).  In typical Elizabeth fashion, I was searching for indoor shoes that would fit Isaac just before the stores closed at 9:00 PM the night before school started. (I had bought shoes earlier but forgot to try them on Isaac.)  

Isaac started group music lessons that he and I attend together.  He looks forward to his Thursday lesson and thankfully he loves the Paw Patrol stickers he receives for his practices. 

Attentive and looking for adventure

I don't hear well when there is background noise (I have a loud one-and-a-half year old so there is always background noise).  I had my ears checked yesterday and they told me I have great hearing.  I don't understand how the test works because they didn't test my hearing with any background noise.  Also, I was supposed to press a button even if the sound I heard was very very faint.  The test couldn't tell how loud or soft the sound was in my ears.  Lastly, the woman told me the list of words that she was going to speak in my ear, before she spoke them (I had to repeat the words back to her).  She used the same list for both ears.  I am dubious.  I also had a cold while taking the test.  For now, I let Graham know that he usually needs to be in the same room as me and looking at me when he speaks.    

Daddy time!

I am trying to allow myself to be stretched.  I gathered the courage to attend the school council meeting at Isaac's school and I went to a home to help prep food for the Spaghetti supper.  Thankfully (and surprisingly to me), there are actually people who willingly volunteer for the fundraising committee.  I invited someone from school over for coffee and I'm getting to know another mom at the library program who has just moved to Kitchener. 

Sadly, Graham and I went to our last session with our awesome counsellor who started helping us with our grief process.  We heard a month ago that he is no longer seeing people for sessions as of October so we booked a session.  He seems to read a lot, he has a ton of experience, he remembers so much, he explains how the brain works, and he is insightful (and prays with us at the start of sessions).  We're thankful for the blessing he has been to us.    

Graham just went to a sleep study last weekend.  We are hoping they can discover why he doesn't sleep well and help solve the problem.

The boys are in good form.  Kohen loves to copy anything and everything Isaac does.  He loves his big brother. 

The cold season has started again in our home.  I actually used my hot water bottle for the first time this year.  My feet love a hot water bottle.

Fall is here!

The boys picked out pumpkins on our annual trip to the pumpkin farm this past weekend.  It included a wagon ride and supper of hot dogs roasted at a campfire, so the kids were in their element. 

Graham has an early morning Bible Study so we need to get to bed.  We are looking forward to our home Bible Study starting next week.  We're going to study Hebrews. 

Well, Kohen should be officially weaned as of tonight.  He's only nursed before bed at night for a while now but tonight I told him that it was the last night of Mommy's Milk and we were saying good-bye to Mommy's Milk and Daddy would put him to bed tomorrow night.  He totally seemed to understand and his lip turned down and he looked so sad.  I sort of made it funny and then he nursed a little and stopped and waved and said Bye-bye.  I will hold on to the memories of him trying to climb on me while nursing.  He's a funny guy.    

Thanks for your prayers!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

August Outings

At the park

We have had a wonderful August and I love that we have this extra week before school starts for Isaac.  We began the month by spending time with my side of the family for the long weekend.  All of the cousins (except Kohen) slept over at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a night.  It's always nice to be together.

Later in the month Isaac was able to sleep in the big trailer at his other grandparents' property.  He loves his little nook in the back and Kohen slept well in the playpen. 

Graham and I actually went on two dates this month!  For the first time, we went mini-golfing together.  We then went to Chapters, followed by some Thai food to celebrate Graham's amazing skill with the golf clubs.  On our second date we actually made it to a movie theatre for a movie we wanted to see (Inside Out).

A breakfast date with Daddy

One of Graham's wonderful uncles passed away.  It was a blessing to be able to attend his funeral.  We will miss him.  He was a great example and a godly man who loved and followed Jesus.  

Isaac enjoyed two weeks of swimming lessons.  It's great to see him enjoying the water. 

Isaac and I went for a walk on trails in a nearby natural area with a forest and a pond.  I mentioned that I wished I had brought a camera.  He quickly told me to let him know if I wanted him to take a picture and he would put it in his picture maker.  I immediately said he should take our picture and told Isaac to smile with my head by his but then Isaac told me that his camera "doesn't do selfies."  I didn't even know that he knew that word. 

Kohen loves to "drive" and beep the horn

I was happy to learn that Graham's bedtime stories are educational for Isaac.  Isaac made a spaceship with his magformers one morning.  I asked him where it was going and he said the Spacestation.  He told me the spaceship was taking a sucker for the bathroom in space.  I asked him why they need a sucker in the bathroom.  He told me it was very important so that the pee doesn't go everywhere.  I asked him where he learned about this and he told me that it was from his Super Skippy and Chippyman stories.  On a side note, Graham just told me that Isaac retired Super Skippy and Chippyman from catching robbers tonight, though they will continue to help people.  Don't let the robbers know!

Yesterday our church said goodbye to our Pastor and his wife who have served the church for 28 years.  I was in Isaac's Sunday School class so I haven't seen the video of the service yet so it hasn't really hit me.  I haven't known our church without them and they have blessed our family in so many ways.  We will miss them to say the least.  We are excited to see what God has in store for them next. 

Sometimes it is hard to live in the present.  I want to think about the memories of Josiah in the past.  

I loved reading The Spark this month.  It tells the story of an incredible woman and mother, Kristine Barnett.  It was certainly an inspirational read, encouraging me to see what my children are interested in and encouraging them to explore those more.  It was also a good reminder to have fun and play.  It did make me wish that we had figured out how to have a little more fun with Josiah.  I wish I had figured out how to get him into a pool.

   

Brothers!

I'm trying to experiment with going to bed earlier so I'll end this here.  Thanks for your prayers!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Chronicles 16:8

8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.