summer time is almost over

Sorry that I do not have any pictures to post. I hopefully will after this weekend. We are heading off to the trailer! yay! for about 5 days. Paul worked some overtime this past weekend (on his weekend off) in order to get this weekend off. We are all excited and happy. Although Paul will have to study for some of the time, we should still get in some swimming, boating and family time. My family will be there as well which makes for extra fun .... game nights and fun snack foods, celebrating Paul & Dad's birthdays. Can you tell we are excited! We have only been at the trailer for 1 weekend so far this summer.

Also, it is hard to believe that in 1 week Seth will be starting Junior Kindergarten. He will be going every Tuesday & Thursday. He is growing up so fast. I think about 4 1/2 years ago when he was a baby and now he will be off to school. I know that I will have some tears when we drop him off on the first day. But he will enjoy it and we know that it will be so good for him. Plus, Mrs. Baker is a wonderful teacher and I am sure he will learn so much from her.

Here is a conversation that I had with Seth the other day:

Mommy: "Seth, are you going to miss me when you are school?"

Seth: "No"

Mommy: "Why not?"

Seth: "Because you will be picking me up at the end of the day"

(I thought this was cute and wanted to share it with you all)

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday this weekend! And hopefully I will post some pictures next week. :0)

In Christ Alone

This song has become one of my favourite songs. We would sing it at Westminister Presbysterian Church in Texas. It's words are so powerful and brings tears to my eyes. The song is the first one on my playlist that I have just added. So enjoy listening to it and read the lyrics. They are awesome!

"In Christ Alone"

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fulness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

bike ride & around the house

Seth enjoys riding his bike! He will choose to ride while we go for walks together. He just has a hard time making it up and over our bridge! Here, he and daddy enjoyed a bike ride together.

Seth enjoys playing with Paul's transformers that were saved from when he was a young boy. Seth has hours of fun with them!

And last, but not least, our little man Ethan. Absolutely enjoying a homemade popsicle. I think his smile lets you know how much. :0)

weekend at the trailer

We were able to enjoy a weekend away at the trailer. We had nice weather, although not hot enough for me to swim, but this kids enjoyed it! We also took up Auntie Sue with us. What a big help she was! Thanks for coming Sue! For building sand castles, going on adventures, changing dirty diapers, and playing games. It was a fun time. We were thankful to have this time to spend together as a family.

building sand castles

Ethan wasn't too sure of the water at first, but absolutely loved the sand, and even ended up eating quite a few mouthfuls of it!


the boys enjoying a Rebecca St. James concert


Ethan & Auntie Sue

On another note, we heard of some sad news late on Saturday night. There was a tragic accident and a young man (Matthew Janssen) drowned. This accident did not take place at the camp ground, but in town (Bracebridge). He was staying with some friends and one of his friends parents own the trailer next to us. We do not know the exact details but know that he and some friends were swimming in the Muskoka River in Bracebridge, near the damn/gorge. It happened so suddenly and tragically. We do not know this young man, but pray for his family and friends as they are mourning and grieving their loss. May they find their comfort in the Lord. We did hear some happy news that a family who was camping there had a new grandson born that same day. We know that the Lord gives and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. I really find when I hear of news that is so tragic or if a family is going through a trial, it makes me look at the blessings that I have and remember not to take anything for granted. We never know when our time will come to meet our Maker. So we need to be ready!

the living room

the before pics from 2004

then we bought a couch and loveseat from kijiji last year

painting the trim and the walls are painted below

the after pics, which we love! it was nice to have the walls painted a lighter colour. bye bye burgundy!

thanks to my dear hubby for all the hard work of painting the walls and trim on his days off!

pictures from Auntie Dani (thanks!) :0)

our sweet Ethan

our big boy Seth (although he tells us he is not a boy, but a man!)

love this one!

We had a party at Auntie Dani's for her birthday and she had it as a welcome home party for us as well. Very sweet! :0)

Seth & Jenna having a chip party

Grandma with Ethan, Josiah and Micah (in the back ground)

the engaged couple!! yay! we are so happy for them. looking forward to a wedding sometime next year. Congrats Jay & Kate!!

and we met Shiloh for the first time when we got back home. What a sweet puppy.

We have been home for over 2 weeks now and it seems like so long since we have been in Texas. We are sure glad to be home again and into a routine again. As well as seeing family and friends. It did not take long to get back into the familiarity of our home and our routine! And that is a good thing. One thing that I have learned, is not to be so rushed. I usued to always be rushing out the door to run errands or to get supper on the table. Since being in Texas and being more relaxed with less to do sure helped me to be a little more laid back. I hope that will continue! Because by rushing, I add more stress to my life (and my family's). Paul has not applied anywhere as of yet. He is writing another test next month (in London, not Texas!) and if he passes that he can apply to certain departments. We are really hoping for a job in the area or within reasonable distance from our place. We enjoy our town, church and family and would really like to stay where we are. But we know that the Lord will provide and all things will work out for His honour and glory. He made all things possible for Paul to get on with the volunteer fire department & for allowing all things to go smoothly with Texas (our move, Paul's studies and our trip home). God is good, all the time!

home sweet home!

the road that took us home! just leaving Texas

We are home now! We arrived here on Sunday, late afternoon. We are so happy to be home again, and be able to sleep in our own beds and actually sit on a couch! God blessed us with safety on the roads and we are so thankful. Our trip on Friday was delayed by 2 hours since Ethan had a high fever. We wanted to be sure what was wrong especially when you are on the road for 2 1/2 days. We took him to a doctor who was able to see him right away. Turns out that he had a sinus infection and we had to pick up some medication. Since he wasn't feeling well, he was not too happy while we were travelling. Seth was very good though. I think that he was just so excited about being home again and playing with all his toys. Also, just wanted to share that Paul graduated in the top 12 of his class with an overall average of 95. We are so proud of him and all the hard work of studying!

Here are some pics of the trip:

our sick, tired little guy

most of the drive was just plain farmland

flooding from the Mississippi River

the Mississippi River

We thought this was neat!

last post from Texas

Some facts about Texas:

• know as the Lone Star Sate
• bluebonnets are the official state flower
• the armadillo is the official state mammal
• more land is farmed in Texas than any other state
• know for their wildflowers
• it gets VERY hot here!!

Just some other stuff:

• people drive big vehicles (trucks or SUVs) & do not have any rust on them
• people are friendly
• most people wear their shoes in their homes. One man from church told us he only takes his shoes off to go to bed
• houses here do not have basements since the ground is like clay
• you do see a few cowboys, but since we live in the city, we do not see as many as we had thought. There are ranches in the country
• it gets really hot here and very humid. We are at about 93 degrees or more each day and by the time July & August are here it is well over 100 degrees. We are thankful we will not be here then, and are very thankful for A/C!!
• they do not have a recycling program here, so I feel so guilty when throwing out paper or plastic
  

We have definitely enjoyed this experience of living here in Texas. It has been neat to be able to see another part of God's beautiful creation. It really opens your eyes to how people do things here and the differences of cultures. It really makes us appreciate what we have at home. All our family, friends and belongings. We realize how much God has blessed us with. We have health and strength and were granted safety throughout this time of being here. We have been blessed with so much family time, even though Paul was very busy with his studies.

We are travelling home on Friday and we would appreciate your prayers for our safety. We look forward to seeing y'all real soon!

he's almost done!

Paul is almost done is training here at TEEX. He has 4 days of exams. He has been studying so hard and doing so well on his tests. Please keep him in your prayers as he writes his exams. He is so ready to be done with school and looking forward to going home and getting back into a normal routine again! Good job, Paul on all your hard work!

the "jungle" of Texas

They are building a walk path to a new park across the street from our place. We took a stroll there to check it out. It was pretty amazing with all the vines hanging down. What a beautiful part of God's creation. We wanted to take pictures since it was so neat.