I know that it has been a very long time since I taken the time to write in my blog, so much has happened in our family!
First of all we did NOT have a baby girl on June 4th! We welcomed Samuel Quinn! It was a surprise, but one that we are very happy with! He is a beautiful baby, very happy and loves to sleep! It was great that my mom was able to be there and help. It was the first time that she has been able to be around for one of our children's births, so that was very special.
Shortly after that big event, devastation hit the family, and the phone call came that Jordan (my sister Heather's 9 year old daughter) was sick and they had found a tumour at the base of her brain stem. It would be later confirmed that it was an aggressive cancer, and she would have to undergo radiation and chemo. Six weeks of radiation have already passed, and she is home for 6 weeks of rest, before starting 6 months of chemo. Jordan has been very brave and strong through the whole thing. She is still in pain, but has started eating and that is making everyone happy!
We have also moved from BC and are now back in Ontario!! We are in Petawawa, and so far it has been a time of change and adjustments. I know have 5 kids in full time school, making me longer a homeschooler! I have two little boys at home with me! My days seems to still be super busy, with preparing food, laundry, and cleaning the house!
Mike is busy getting ready to leave us for 4 months, we did just find out that he will be home for 2 weeks at Christmas, so that will give us all something to look forward to!
Today I am going to make bread with the RS sisters in my branch, so the kids are very excited that they get to stay for lunch at school!
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Taking my stand!
In the past few weeks I have come arcoss several situations that have caused me to reflect on where I stand on political, and social issues. I think I have gone through every emotion from outrage, to empathy. There are so many causes out there, so many opinions, where does mine fit in? and when is my opinion okay? How can it be that your view is right and mine is wrong? How do I hold on to what I have believed my whole life, and still fit in with this every changing world? How do I judge when the line between right and wrong is no longer black and white, but is now gray. How do I stay true to myself without appearing judgemental, or hypocritical?
I don't know that I have the answer, but what I do know is that things are only going to get worse before they get better! And while I need to be kind to everyone, I do not have to accept your views, I do not have to accept your lifestyle choices, or agree with them. I do have to accept you as a Child of God, and a silbing in His great family, but I will not be guilted in to saying that your choices are right when I know that they are wrong. I will continue to teach my children to be loving and kind to everyone, but we will continue to teach them that we believe in an unchaging God, and that his laws are just and true.
If you happen to read this and take offence to this that is your choice, just as it is my choice to start taking a stand and speaking more vocally about what is important to me and the well being of my family. It is my responsiblity as a Mother in Zion, to fight and protect my family from the evils of this world, and from those that would call good evil, and evil good!
I don't know that I have the answer, but what I do know is that things are only going to get worse before they get better! And while I need to be kind to everyone, I do not have to accept your views, I do not have to accept your lifestyle choices, or agree with them. I do have to accept you as a Child of God, and a silbing in His great family, but I will not be guilted in to saying that your choices are right when I know that they are wrong. I will continue to teach my children to be loving and kind to everyone, but we will continue to teach them that we believe in an unchaging God, and that his laws are just and true.
If you happen to read this and take offence to this that is your choice, just as it is my choice to start taking a stand and speaking more vocally about what is important to me and the well being of my family. It is my responsiblity as a Mother in Zion, to fight and protect my family from the evils of this world, and from those that would call good evil, and evil good!
Sunday, 20 May 2012
two major events!!
Well as you can see it doesn't take long for a month to pass me by! I have been so excited about our two major upcoming events that there has been no time to write about what has been going on!
In two weeks we will be welcoming a new baby to our family, it is strange to think of myself as a mother of 7 children. Honestly, the only time that I really notice it, is when we are driving in the van, and someone (right now it is Luella) is bugging the person beside them. But everyday I am thankful for these wonderful teachers that I have surrounding me. The more I watch them the more I realize that they are helping me on this journey, maybe even more then I think I am helping them.
The other major event is moving back to Ontario in 10 weeks!!! I am excited to be closer to our family and friends. I hear that we are moving into an active Branch, which I am excited about, I am sure that they will be very happy when they find out that we are coming!! There is a lot to do to get ready for our move and I think that we have been making great progress. Each weekend we have taken one room and removed everything that we are not taking with us. I am sure that the people at Value Village and at the dump (sorry the waste management centre) know who we are! We are there every week. It is such a freeing feeling to remove the clutter, and to really see how little we really need to live and make us happy. So the plan is to keep the dejunking going for the next two weeks, and then when Grandma arrives in two weeks, she will take over, and help with the final push!
In two weeks we will be welcoming a new baby to our family, it is strange to think of myself as a mother of 7 children. Honestly, the only time that I really notice it, is when we are driving in the van, and someone (right now it is Luella) is bugging the person beside them. But everyday I am thankful for these wonderful teachers that I have surrounding me. The more I watch them the more I realize that they are helping me on this journey, maybe even more then I think I am helping them.
The other major event is moving back to Ontario in 10 weeks!!! I am excited to be closer to our family and friends. I hear that we are moving into an active Branch, which I am excited about, I am sure that they will be very happy when they find out that we are coming!! There is a lot to do to get ready for our move and I think that we have been making great progress. Each weekend we have taken one room and removed everything that we are not taking with us. I am sure that the people at Value Village and at the dump (sorry the waste management centre) know who we are! We are there every week. It is such a freeing feeling to remove the clutter, and to really see how little we really need to live and make us happy. So the plan is to keep the dejunking going for the next two weeks, and then when Grandma arrives in two weeks, she will take over, and help with the final push!
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Waiting NO LONGER!!!
It funny how I can be at the point of giving up on something that I feel is important to me, and then the next moment all hope is restored and things are going the way I need them to go! That is how I was feeling last Tuesday as I was driving home from taking the kids to their class, I said to myself, it is not going to happen we are going to be here for another year, and how am I going to deal with this?!
I went in the house and started my day, when Mike got home at lunch he told me to look in his backpack, I knew something was up, I pulled out a pile of papers, at the same time he sent me a text message saying Happy Anniversary! I was still confused, as anyone would be looking at a document from the military, I finally said what am I looking at?!! We are posted!! We are going to Petawawa Ontario!! We are so excited!! We wil be moving in July, and arriving in Ontario for our 16th Anniversary!!
Our children are so excited to be going to where their cousins live and their grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Of course they are sad to be leaving behind thier friends here in Comox BC, they are trilled at the adventures that await them in Ontario! And so am I!!!
I went in the house and started my day, when Mike got home at lunch he told me to look in his backpack, I knew something was up, I pulled out a pile of papers, at the same time he sent me a text message saying Happy Anniversary! I was still confused, as anyone would be looking at a document from the military, I finally said what am I looking at?!! We are posted!! We are going to Petawawa Ontario!! We are so excited!! We wil be moving in July, and arriving in Ontario for our 16th Anniversary!!
Our children are so excited to be going to where their cousins live and their grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Of course they are sad to be leaving behind thier friends here in Comox BC, they are trilled at the adventures that await them in Ontario! And so am I!!!
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Waiting!!
This summer it will be 6 years since we moved her to Comox BC, and I am really itching to get out of here! But with each day that passes with no posting message I feel more and more hopeless about a possible move this summer.
There are lots of reasons to want to stay, the weather is great and will not be found in Ontario that is for sure! We have a great theatre group that we are involved with, and we really love our ward. Still for me something is missing, I really miss my family, and our children are not building the relationships with their extended family, and this is hurting them in more ways then one.
As we have moved around the country I have always felt that we have been placed where the Lord has needed us to be, and have known when it was time for us to move on, this time I am feeling its time to move on, but I am not sure that is what the Lord has planned, and I am trying to be patient enough to wait on Him. Much easier said then done.
There are lots of reasons to want to stay, the weather is great and will not be found in Ontario that is for sure! We have a great theatre group that we are involved with, and we really love our ward. Still for me something is missing, I really miss my family, and our children are not building the relationships with their extended family, and this is hurting them in more ways then one.
As we have moved around the country I have always felt that we have been placed where the Lord has needed us to be, and have known when it was time for us to move on, this time I am feeling its time to move on, but I am not sure that is what the Lord has planned, and I am trying to be patient enough to wait on Him. Much easier said then done.
Friday, 13 April 2012
Wheat Free!!
Our family has been mostly wheat free for the past 3 months, I say mostly because I am a sucker for wheat products, and let me tell you it was not easy coming off it working at a bakery! What started it all? Mike and I started reading a book called Wheat Belly, and as we read we found more and more reasons why we needed to cut it out of our diet.
In December I noticed that our 8 year old son Kaleb had gone through another growth spert, but one I was not happy with, he had gained another 20lbs, bringing his weight up to over 120lbs, this was ver concrning for us, because we couldn't put our finger on the "why". After blood work was done we found that he was producing to much inslin and was pre diabetic. I was a little upset with my doctor because we had talk to her before about his weight and she didn't really offer a lot of help at the time, this time was different. We were going to see a dietition but we were going to have to wait 2 months for that appointment. We had to act right away and made some really big changes, and just from cutting out products that were made from wheat we had huge results! Mike and I and our 3 oldest children all lost 10 or more pounds in the first few weeks! We also noticed that there was less snacking going on and it was easier for all of us to make healthy choices. Most importantly Kaleb was feeling really great, his emotions were more in check and he was over all happier.
When we finally got to meet with the dietitian the first thing she showed us was the signs of a wheat allergy, and Kaleb had the top three signs of the allergy, we knew right then and there that this was going to be a long term life choice.
So what do we eat, just about everything! We thought that we would be really limited with what we could eat, but really there are so many options out there, and we are trying new things all the time. We have to think a little more outside the box, and we can't hit the drive thru anymore, but with creative thinking and planning we are finding that the sky is the limit!! So if you have any wheat free favorites, I would love for you to share them with us!
In December I noticed that our 8 year old son Kaleb had gone through another growth spert, but one I was not happy with, he had gained another 20lbs, bringing his weight up to over 120lbs, this was ver concrning for us, because we couldn't put our finger on the "why". After blood work was done we found that he was producing to much inslin and was pre diabetic. I was a little upset with my doctor because we had talk to her before about his weight and she didn't really offer a lot of help at the time, this time was different. We were going to see a dietition but we were going to have to wait 2 months for that appointment. We had to act right away and made some really big changes, and just from cutting out products that were made from wheat we had huge results! Mike and I and our 3 oldest children all lost 10 or more pounds in the first few weeks! We also noticed that there was less snacking going on and it was easier for all of us to make healthy choices. Most importantly Kaleb was feeling really great, his emotions were more in check and he was over all happier.
When we finally got to meet with the dietitian the first thing she showed us was the signs of a wheat allergy, and Kaleb had the top three signs of the allergy, we knew right then and there that this was going to be a long term life choice.
So what do we eat, just about everything! We thought that we would be really limited with what we could eat, but really there are so many options out there, and we are trying new things all the time. We have to think a little more outside the box, and we can't hit the drive thru anymore, but with creative thinking and planning we are finding that the sky is the limit!! So if you have any wheat free favorites, I would love for you to share them with us!
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Where has the time gone!!
Well it has been over a year since I last wrote here, and there has been a lot that has happened in our lives. I will not attempt to catch you up. I will say that we are still living in Comox BC, our family is growing up, and we are looking forward welcoming baby #7 in 6 weeks! We do believe that it is a girl, and her name will be Amelia (Millie) Grace, and if the baby turns out to be a boy, well we have no name picked as yet! We are still homeschooling and for the most part enjoy it.
I have a friend that writes in her blog almost daily, and I know for her it helps her get through her day, which means it really helps her get through life! I hope that I can use this resource better for myself and for others.
This morning I have been reflecting a lot, and asking the question "Why me?" But it's not what you think. Why am I so blessed? Why am I blessed to have this very active baby moving around inside of me,while a dear friend is in the hospital delivering her silent baby? Why am I blessed with the health that I have, while a freind younger then me (only by a month, but still younger) recovers from a stroke? I think often we ask "why me?" when we are going through something very difficult, but we don't ask it when we aren't. This morning has been a time to count my blessing, and to pray for those who are asking "why me?"
I have a friend that writes in her blog almost daily, and I know for her it helps her get through her day, which means it really helps her get through life! I hope that I can use this resource better for myself and for others.
This morning I have been reflecting a lot, and asking the question "Why me?" But it's not what you think. Why am I so blessed? Why am I blessed to have this very active baby moving around inside of me,while a dear friend is in the hospital delivering her silent baby? Why am I blessed with the health that I have, while a freind younger then me (only by a month, but still younger) recovers from a stroke? I think often we ask "why me?" when we are going through something very difficult, but we don't ask it when we aren't. This morning has been a time to count my blessing, and to pray for those who are asking "why me?"
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