Our Family

Our Family
Justin (16), Keturah (13), Benaiah (19), Abishai (6), Melinda, and Jared

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Year 2, Day 152: What's In A Title?

I could title this blog many things:

I'm sick!

Emotions running wild!

Our mantra!

Need more help!

Rain, rain go away!

Closing out this chapter.

And all of those titles are true!  I know, I know, I know, this is NOT about me.  This is about our family.  And I need to do better at focusing on them, and not me.  But, I really do need you to read this for a few moments.  I need your prayers.  I've got a full blown head cold with aches, chills, fever, scratchy throat, no voice, runny nose.  I've got extra pain from trying a new exercise.  And now that we finally have a full plan for the weekend, I just know it won't all go according to plan. (Thus our mantra).  There's a good chance it's going to rain from Friday afternoon to Monday.  I have some young men coming for sure on Friday morning, plus a box truck, but no one else has said they will actually show up.  And now, the emotions have started tumbling out of mouth and eyes.  Long story short on that one, leaving Canada still has a major affect on me, and our current situation.  This move is the "last peg in the coffin" sort of speak.  I haven't seen the house or pictures since we saw it that one time, and that alone makes me nervous because I'm picturing things in my head and I don't know if they are right.  I want to go slow and notice everything tomorrow, but I don't really have that much time.

But, we plan to pray, or at least I will, in every room, for what the room's Kingdom purpose is.  The people that will spend time in that room.  The ministry that will go on in that room, even if that ministry is just vacuuming up crumbs the toddler left.  There's a book called the "Circle Maker" I think and it talks about praying circles (sometimes by walking) around your home and family.  I know a mentor of mine did that for one of her grown sons and their family as they were deciding on purchasing their current home.  I plan to do something like that tomorrow.   This doesn't make me more godly than anyone else.  I'm just trying to explain why I want to not rush around to get it all done in a heartbeat.  Purposeful planning.  We sort of rushed into Canada and putting down roots there.  I worked hard at making friendships and seeing the sights.  We didn't know what all ministry entails.  But now I know, and now I can prayerfully prepare for this next chapter.  Part of this is how I'm trying to protect myself from being hurt again.  Some of it is simply maturing and a softening heart.  Live and learn.

So, pray, show up, and we'll get 'er done.  Friday morning is when we will do the big push.  Reach out to me via Facebook if you want times and locations.  Thanks.

Very appropriate photo for today.  And we are off to the races!
P.S. I think I said this a week or two ago, but our new funny, inside joke/mantra is a quote from Captain Cold on the Flash TV show:

Step 1: Make the plan
Step 2: Execute the plan
Step 3: Expect the plan to run off the rails
Step 4: Throw away the plan.

With 4 adults and 3 kids who think they are adults, always having an opinion in our family, this mantra fits.  Communication doesn't always go well and then someone doesn't know a part of the plan and then things change.  I had to tell Keturah to please NOT ask me what the plan is because it's going to change a million times between now and when we unpack.  My throat is hoarse and I can't be updating her and Justin all the time.  Just go where we tell you to go and do what we tell you to do and trust us.  That being said, I always TRY to let the kids in on the plans so that they have a heads up and can prepare, even if they don't need a lot of time to prepare their minds, bags, etc.  But this weekend, I just can't.  I am very grateful, too, for Leah to take Abishai and Keturah because it will cut down on the stress a ton.  Keturah and Justin are fighting constantly right now, so it will be so helpful to have them separated through this process.  They have been very helpful moving boxes and keeping Abishai occupied, I'll give them that.  I've let them have more TV time and haven't been strict about 1 chore equaling 15 minutes of TV time because I mentally can't keep track and I know they are bored and I just need the quiet to nap or pack or think!  Soon, soon, we will get back into a routine, and we are all excited about that.  Even the chores for the kids.  And once we do, it will be time for school to start up.  Yikes!

Pray. Pray. Pray.  I will probably NOT update the blog until Monday.  We won't have internet at the new house until the 12th, and I need to spend most of my time at the new house, and not at Gary and Leah's.  Watch Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates, and remember, Benaiah has Instagram (he posted about strawberries yesterday!  which was huge for me because I remember when he was in the phase where "why do I have to do this stuff?") and Jared has Twitter.  I'm going to guess they will be updating as well.  Private message us on social media for phone numbers and addressess.  I will see you on the "other side," lol.  Other side of this move, I mean.  And hopefully the final move to heaven someday, but that's a whole separate post.  Good night!

Year 2, Day 151: Strawberries!

It was an incredibly beautiful day for picking strawberries!  Even the biggest child who said he didn't want to go, enjoyed it and appreciated having freshly picked strawberries in the fridge!  Not only that,  but we played on the playground there and at the brand new one near our new neighborhood!  Meanwhile, someone wanted to see the condo, so we had to switch gears and ended up spending the rest of the day at the grandparents' house.  Daddy put Abishai down for a nap, while I quickly went back to the condo to clean it up.  I had a feeling that if I leave it in a mess, someone's going to want to show it.  So, we watched "Maleficent" this afternoon and the kids spent the rest of the time at the neighbors' houses.

Meanwhile, 36 more hours until we hopefully get into our new home....nervous, excited, fearful, anxious,...those are the feelings I have right now.  I'm sure I'll have many more feelings in the next few days as well.  This move does have a deeper meaning to me than others have, which I'm sure I've shared on the blog, on Facebook and in person.  It will be like going through burying a loved one: you have to focus on all the decisions that need to be made and people you need to see, and then there might be a few minutes here and there to actually grieve.  But when it's all over, and the flowers are starting to wilt, the waves of different feelings do hit.  I anticipate and welcome these waves.  We'll push through and do, do, do, and then when we fall into our bed exhausted in our new bedroom, I'll look back and wonder, what just happened and what does this mean to mean emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually?  I know some might think this is silly talk, but I'm a deep thinker.  I need to process these types of things.  Then I can and will and do move on.  And I wonder, if any of our kids are like that.  I know Justin is.  But I'm not sure if Keturah is.  Abishai is just loud, but adjust fairly easily.  Benaiah will be ok.  We'll have to see.  Here's to the last big push and day of preparations!

Little man is ready to work...or is he?  He didn't like the mud very well, but he did understand the concept of putting the berries in the box.

Everyone got to work right away, but some were done about 1/3 of the way through a box.

I see one!

Oh, I put it in here?  Why can't I eat it? Because we need to pay the nice ladies first.  $2 per lb.  Each bucket can weight up to 6 lbs!

Finding just the right ones.  There was plenty left but you had to move the leaves to find them.

Goofball face but he had the most fun of them all!  Big contrast to the last time we went strawberry picking at this very farm 6 or 7 years ago!

Justin was afraid his bright green sneaker would get muddy.  Well, they did, and that's ok, because you'll outgrow them soon enough.  He did pick some berries though and had wanted to come.

I love having independent kids.

Ripe berries under bright green leaves!

I saw a few of these fun shaped berries!

Waterman's had built this playground to replace their hay mound during pumpkin patch season, but we were able to play on it for free today, and any day we come to pick any other veggies.  I'm grateful we had a pretty loose schedule so we could just go with the flow.

He might be as big as a man, but he's still got a child's heart.

Keturah found this umbrella in the car and carried it around with her all day.  She also gained more clothing from a friend in the neighborhood, so she wore this new swimsuit cover up over her clothes like a jacket.

Boys will be boys.  And what a contrast - Justin's skinny legs, and Benaiah's not so skinny legs.  Cracks me up every time you put these two side by side.

Weeee!!!!  But Benaiah almost gets stuck on slides like this now.

Brave guy went down the curly slide and loved it!


Cracks me up, love it!

This one, too!

"Red trac-tor."  Driving the tractors like it's just a thing we do every day.

Pretty quiet at Waterman's Farm on Raymond St., right near 465.  We were on the other side of 465 soon after this as we stopped at McDonald's on Post Rd for a quick lunch and then headed to a new playground only 5 minutes from our new home.

Again, with the umbrella, she made it down the slide off of the tractor.

My kids don't like farming, but they like sitting on tractors.  Oh, and I did get them registered to go to the Touch a Truck event coming up the end of June!  I took the kids when they were really young, but now it's Abishai's turn. You get to go in all kinds of vehicles, not just fire trucks, vehicles like delivery vehicles, military vehicles and the like.

"Red vroom, vroom."  "Red bus." "Red trac-tor."

Wolf Run park is massive with tons of new equipment I've never seen before.  This one, however, was practically in our backyard in Charlottetown.

Newest type of swing is a version of the tire swing without the heat of the hot rubber or the hole where you could fall off into.

Again, big kid, right in the middle of things.

Always up to try new play equipment.

Abishai is a climbing machine!  I hope Jared is able to build another playground from scratch for the kids that includes a climbing wall!

Peek a boo!

This apparatus spins around and around and you do fall off easily.

Big brother helping little brother.

Again, this seat spins.

Coolest parent/child swing ever!  The swings are fixed to where when you swing, the child swings without you pushing them.  Abishai loved it!

Stiff cables, not a chain link chain attached to the seat.

Abishai likes the new tire swing, too.

Grandma has way too many good hiding spots.  Sorry, Grandma!  You're going to be finding cars and Legos in multiple locatiosn for the rest of your life!


"Abishai sit." "Bubee's game." Yup, he's got the gamer chair all ready!

Doesn't everybody have a toddler Thomas bed on their Dad's truck in the garage?

Again, with the big boy, getting in there and playing like a little kid.  It's so sweet how Benaiah will engage the younger ways in their play.

Perfection!

I think we picked for maybe 30 minutes and got 1 1/2 baskets this size full, mostly from Benaiah and I picking.

I love the smaller, freshly picked berries (strawberries, blueberries, any other berry).  The huge California ones are tasteless and need some sweetener.  These berries we picked are perfect as is.

Not sure if we'll have time to go for berries or other pick your own produce, but I'll try to keep the box anyway for storage.

Yum-O!

Abishai brought his dolly with him today and was repeating all of it's sounds as we were driving.  He loves people, even pretend one!

Justin and I were getting out of the car after we went to clean the condo and didn't have a clue that these two were up there until they said something.   Very funny, guys!

Justin with is tag along brother, Abishai, making friends in the neighborhood.

Keturah with some of the girls that live on the street, too.

Swing! Daddy! Swing!  Proud moment of swinging in a big swing all my himself.  I told him I was taking a video, so he started talking to Daddy during the video.