School.

Going back to school was always one of my favourite things.  I always looked forward to buying school supplies, getting a new outfit (some of which my mom made herself) and meeting a new teacher. So, my enthusiasm transfers over to my kids.  I want them to be excited, so I made a big deal about starting school for Khai and starting a new school for Brett.
The first week seems to have gone well.  Khai now goes every day (mornings only) and he LOVES it. Brett seems to be enjoying this school better, and that makes me happy.
We walk to and from school every day, and it's been great to get out and get some fresh air. 
Declan is completely lost without Khai around.  He doesn't know what to do, and has been very clingy these first few mornings.  He gets very excited when I tell him that we are going to pick up Khai...and then all is right with the world once he sees him standing inside those school doors waiting to come out.

As for me, I love being in a routine. I love having to wake up early; making a cup of tea before anyone else wakes up; having a shower without kids running in to ask me questions; and having time to wake up properly before starting my day. I love having supper prepped and ready to go by lunch time. I love having the kids home at lunch (partially because I don't like packing lunches).

Like I said. One of my favourite things.

I'm organizing.

now. to men (namely my husband) organizing is the same thing as cleaning. i am here to tell you...it is NOT.  my basement (my main space for creativitiy) has looked like a disaster area for the last couple months.  I don't even know what happened...it just got messy and stayed that way.  my scrap stuff, my sewing stuff, my crochet stuff and my embroidery stuff have all ended up upstairs (in rather organized piles...even if I do say so myself) but the time has come for all of my crafting paraphenalia to end up in it's rightful home.
so. as i sit here taking a break from the organizing, and look around...it doesn't look a lot cleaner than it did and hour ago, but it sure is a lot more organized. and that feels good.
my hope for this evening, is that cleanliness and organization will come together as one and I will have my scrap space back.
i just wish i could find those stinking pictures. (insert rolling eyes emoticon here)

I've tried...

so many times this week, and last, to update my blog. But nothing seems to be the right post to follow my last one. But, I don't think anything will be "right" after that, so I will just continue to write, though these things seem so trivial.

Last night, we had a family barbeque at my Uncle Ron's house. We don't often see that side of the family, and so it's often a lot of catch up and small talk. But last night, I had a really good talk with my cousin. She said she had been thinking about calling me, because she has been dating a man who has a child with an ex, and she is finding that the relationship becomes more difficult everyday, and really needed to hear that it's worth it in the end.

So, I started thinking about whether I find this marriage, to a man that I love more than I ever thought was possible, "worth it". How much would I "put up with" before it was no longer worth it...

I have to admit that I don't have answers to these questions. I am committed to God, and I am committed to my husband, which means that there is no "end" so it's not a question of whether I'm going anywhere or not. It's a question of how much can my emotions (and ultimately my heart) handle before I start to shut down (or go crazy).

I don't know.

But I do know that as each day goes by, (some of them hard, some of them easy, ) that I love being HIS wife more and more, that I love being THEIR stepmother more and more, and that THIS is where I'm supposed to be.

I need to trust the Lord that He will provide the strength I need for each day...

and I'm trying.

I don't even know where to start.

I went to visit Noah in the PICU yesterday afternoon. When I buzzed in, I was told that they were performing a procedure on him and that I couldn't go in.
Less than half an hour later I received an email letting me know that he had died.

Noah was such a precious little boy. He brought God's light to everyone who knew him, his family, and his story.

His parents are not only warriors who fought for everything that was best for him, but his mother also has a sweet, sensitive spirit that allowed her to be everything he needed.

My heart is consumed.

Noah,
You are loved. We praise the Lord for the time we got to spend with you; to be blessed by you.

To read more of Noah's story, please go here.

www.noahgrantjohn.blogspot.com

pray.

please pray.

www.noahgrantjohn.blogspot.com

so...

the summer journals have fallen to the wayside...well at least for the kids. I'm still working on mine. Looks like I'll just be doing the cool art projects with them, and that's about it!

But that's okay. Mine is turning into my own book of me for this summer, and that's just perfect!

I'm hoping to keep up with Declan's and Khai's...seeing as I'm doing most of theirs myself anyway...but we'll see.

So, I broke down and bought a bind-it-all. I'm hoping to get it on Monday, and then I can start all the cool projects that I've envisioned myself doing in my head. I can't wait.

PLUS...I think I'm adding a summer craft idea...I'll have the kids make a book, and then I'll bind it! I'm also hoping to figure out how to bind books with the whole needle and waxed thread thing too...but for now...I think the bind-it-all will be perfect!

Tomorrow marks the end of a VERY busy week. Other than breakfast with the in-laws at about 9 am, we have NOTHING else on the agenda. We're thinking we might go and look at furniture, if the lady ever calls us back about our credit that should be sitting there, but if we don't feel like it we won't!

Oh!!! and I bought socks to make sock monkeys this weekend too! My friend gave me the idea here: http://somethingworthsharing-thiessen.blogspot.com/

and finally....some pictures from our camping weekend at Hecla!

Thanks for stopping by!

Yesterday...

I went for allergy testing. THAT is what they did to me.

96 times they poked my arms!

Count them. 90. 6. times.

It was not the most fun experience of my life...and after all that, I'm only allergic to 2 kinds of mites, trees (yup. trees) and cats (how this one works I'm not quite sure seeing as I've had a cat for at least half of my life!) Anyway. That was fun.

These two....

started pirate camp yesterday. They had a ton of fun! (see previous post for cute parrot story)

This one is getting to be quite the monkey. Khai called me to tell me he was on the ladder of the bunk bed (though not before he was already almost at the top!) I grabbed my camera and made Khai stand behind him while I got this picture.

I had my grandma, two cousins, my sister and her hubby, my other sister and my parents over for supper tonight.

My mother feeding dekkie tea...well she started it...now he's feeding himself.

It was great seeing everyone, though I must admit I was a bit preoccupied as Justin is currently sitting in an emerg waiting room, waiting to find out for sure if he has a collapsed lung. (Our doc suspects, and wants him to go for an immediate x-ray, but he has to wait in emerg to get it)

Today's challenge : pray for someone you love.

Tomorrow's goal: clean basement before camp.

Thanks for stopping by...

me