Autumn Winds of Remembrance (how's that for a fancy title?)

Rachel asked Daddy today if he was drippy. What? Drippy? What could she mean? Of course, I should get used to this by now. Rachel is our random one.

"Sweaty?" Daddy replies.

"Yeah! Sweaty!"

It's been a hot summer, and even though the nights are cool here, the sun is still hot during the day. Hot for here anyway. Hot enough to make you sweat if you're working hard battling concrete and construction all day. And hot enough to make my ankles sweat in the kitchen.

It's been a great summer. My (Renee's) parents moved here. We are incredibly blessed to have them here for fellowship, for their servant hearts, and their love for the kids.

Renee and Nina 

Our garden exploded soon after my Dad moved here. (He's an avid gardener, can you tell??)

Our summer has been filled with days of chaos and noise::

Times of exploring and discovering God's awesome creation::

The kids like to catch worms and grasshoppers.

Joel took this photo. Beautiful isn't it?

Lots of rainbows lately. (Thank you God for the rain) Can you see the double?

And a time for hair dying::

Our random sunbeam, full of love and fun

Camping! What's summer without camping??::

Just Daddy and Joshua this time.

Breakfast at the river

Joshua helps set up (or take down, I think he's shaking the dirt out)

And the grand finale of summer, Fisherman's Picnic::

Hudson's first time on the kiddie ride. He loved it. He beamed almost the entire five minutes (same ride) and he still wanted more.

We've had some milestones this last month. Hudson is officially walking now. Ok, he's been walking for over four weeks, I just forgot to tell you. He is the fifth kid and all...! 

We've had teeth stories. Teeth coming in. Teeth coming out. Teeth staying in. Teeth in a box. Teeth being pulled out with pliers. Would you like green eggs and ham?

How about some updates on the kids?

Joshua is an avid reader. He loves to read! That should make all you grandparents happy!! :) He started school this week. Science is his favorite right now. Joshua likes to think and observe. He is helpful around the house, likes to find snacks in the garden, and enjoys playing with friends.

Rachel is blooming like a rosebush. Just two months ago we were having difficulties, she and I, specifically with school. But this year, those difficulties have vanished with the start up of Kindergarten. She lets me teach her, she is happy and excited, she is even agreeable. 

Rachel is the artist of the family. Coloring and drawing are her favorites. Pink is still her favorite but she is opening her heart up to others. Clothes are also a favorite, she can be quite particular some days. Today she is wearing blue tennis shoes, black with colorful polka dotted tights, a white with pastel polka dotted skirt, a pink t shirt with a sparkly butterfly in the middle and a pink headband with a large flower on it.

Madelynn is our sweety sweetheart. Our mini Nina. Our bouncy, swingy, galloping, tip toe, upside down, fun, full of love and smiles little girl. She loves the swing and could swing for over 30 minutes if I could push her that long. She says "Mommy, I love you." many times through out the day. She loves hugs and stories. Madelynn likes to help, learn and sing. She is excited about school and is learning how to hold a pencil. She counts to 20 and knows ABC's, colors, and shapes.

Hudson. Stoic Hudson. Serious Hudson, except when he's smiling of course. Walking and babbling, sometimes he tries to keep up with the others, but mostly he just wants to be included. Even if it means just being in the same area as the other three. If they are outside, he should be too. If they are on the swings, he'll play on his little slide. If they are in the garden he'll sit on the hill and watch them. Hudson enjoys books and "reading" from them. He says and signs 'please', so how can I resist such a cute chubby "bubble" (as Rachel calls him)? He weighs 26lbs now. Same as Madelynn.  'Up', 'please', 'Daddy' are his main words so far. Today I heard him say 'cup' in the right context. And sometimes he says 'books' but not regularly. He chimes in with his own 'Amen' after praying. And a few times he says something along the lines of 'thank you' after someone gives him something.

As I type up this post, Rachel's painting, Joshua's doing his indie work (school work he does by himself), Madelynn and Hudson are napping. I have bread to make and supper to prepare. Two baths need to happen yet today, Joel comes home from work (the highlight of the day!) and tonight a gathering of friends to pray for our community.

Hope your End of Summer is cooling off nicely. But, most of all, may your hearts be full of love for God and His Son Jesus.

Immortality

I have a confession to make.

The Bible says to confess your sins to one another so this is an attempt at that. The Bible also says Do not covet. That means, don't want what other people have, be content with what God has given me, be thankful.

So, here's my confession:

I covet other people's healthy, living children.

There. I said it. It's out there. And as I say this, I have two fully healthy children. Though I am incredibly grateful for them I brace myself for the day that Madelynn will come down with some awful, life threatening disease- like her 3 older siblings. I dread the day that Hudson will end up in the emergency room like his brother. 

I see other people's children. Healthy. Happy. Living. They can eat what they want. And it does not affect them. They can go out for ice cream without a second thought. Restaurants and festivals are not intimidating.

Children laughing and yelling, not silent and dead in the ground.

A friend posted this quote awhile back. And it has changed my view of people, of life and of eternity...

you don't have a soul.

 you ARE a soul.

you have a body.

-c.s.lewis

My children are SOULS. Living souls who yearn for heaven just like I do. We are souls made in the Image of the Eternal God Himself. These bodies we walk around in may be full of disease and death. But that does not change the fact that we are souls full of life. 
Joshua is not a diabetic. He is an immortal, treasured soul whose body has the disease called diabetes.
Rachel is not celiac. She is a precious soul made in the likeness of her Maker but her body cannot handle gluten at this time.
Emily is not dead and silent in the ground. Her body is dead and silent. SHE is alive, because she is a soul, an eternal soul like her Creator.

So though this life is not "fair", I am grateful for my God. The God of hope and restoration. Of life and heaven. For Him, I am grateful. And for Him, I will not covet. For Him, I will not compare my children with others. For Him, my heart will be grateful. 

And to Him, I pray that all my children will someday have a heaven day like our Emily.

Sunshower

August 15. Another little heart. Another little girl. A precious little girl. Full of smiles and joy. Full of life. Eva. Though we've never met you, sweet child, we miss you.

Say hello to our sweet Emily, give her a hug for us. Let her know we yearn to be where you both are- in beautiful, joyful paradise. With Jesus. Our Jesus.

One of our Sunflowers for Eva

What is truth?

'Thank you God for reminding me that there are so many people out there that are lost. Spiritually lost. And yet some of them believe that they are not lost. These people seem to be the hardest to reach. And yet all I can do is to love them. Like You love me. Unconditionally and always.'

This past weekend Joel met a young couple with a 5 month old baby. They were camping on a beach while he was out Saskatoon/Juneberry picking. They got to talking and it wasn't long until Joel discovered they were Christians. They described themselves as Anabaptists. Joel offered hospitality for the next night should they need it.

The next day they called us. I was excited. I really enjoy having guests spend the night and share meals with us. And, of course, meeting new people. Especially people with similar beliefs. They arrived later that night. After talking with them for several minutes it was soon clear that something was amiss. It turns out they were not married. They claimed to be strong believers in Christ, they spoke of living in a community with other believers of Jesus, they also spoke of being guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. And yet they were not married.

Needless to say, I was disappointed.

Later, after saying good night and going to our bedrooms for the night, Joel and I didn't know what to do. After much angst, we decided what we must do. There was no way around it. Joel asked the man to sleep in the living room while his partner and the baby slept in the guest room downstairs. The man was understanding and polite, though he did not agree with our conviction.

Looking back over this situation, I am reminded of the strong moral relativism in our culture and society. What we ran into this weekend, though, had a Christian mask. But it was still the same beast: "My truth is different than your truth." "Seek your own way of spirituality." "Morals are dependent upon if they hurt someone else or not."

This man's opinion was that his adulterous choices were hardly comparable to the sin of usury, organized religion, and anything to do with government.

'So Lord, I thank you for your amazing grace in our lives and in the lives of others. Continue to make us shining stars in this dark world. May your people not be swayed by fine sounding arguments and please, open the eyes of the deceived. May they know the Truth that will set them free. Amen.'

Raw Vegan...Ice Cream?

Oh you betcha! And yum, is it delicious!

Here's the Link.


And here's the recipe:

Strawberry Mint Raw Vegan Ice Cream 
5 minutes to make // Yields: 6-8 servings
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Ingredients

Water (1/4 cup)

Raw Cashews (one cup, soaked in water at least 4 hours)

Banana (one, frozen*)

Strawberries (3 cups, frozen)

Mint (10-12 big leaves)

Strawberries (1/2 cup, fresh, for garnish, optional)

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Instructions

1- Place water, drained cashews, banana, strawberries and mint in a Vitamix or high speed blender.

2- Process on high for about a minute.

3- Spoon ice cream into serving bowls.
4- Garnish with fresh strawberries.

5- Serve and enjoy.

Photo (Home) Booth