Day 4

So far, I'm not doing such a great job at posting.  Jared's been gone and that means I have to keep an eye on Abishai more often.  We've had to find all kinds of ways to block him from getting into cupboards, bookshelves, the dog's water dish, the nasty, wet winter boots, and even the stairs! That doesn't leave much time for writing and keeping up with email.  Or even school sometimes.  We did manage to get most of our work in today, despite lots of these little interruptions.  We also got more snow.  The skies opened up a couple of weeks ago and now it's flurried almost every day since.  In the words of my husband, "Just stop it, Sky!"

For the reccord, I've always had a cupboard that they are allowed to get into.

Day 3

Another girls night (plus Abishai) at home! The boys have now gone out 3 times in one week, just the 3 of them.  They went to a movie, played video games, and today they went to a hockey game to see our local jr. team play, the Islanders.  Jrs, are kids from age 16-20, and sometimes the kids move on to the NHL from there.  One of the recent games was sold out because on of the favorite players was "traded" back.  So they knew a few people there, one of Jared's co workers, and one of my friends' 1st grader's team was playing hockey in between the periods.  We love having a local team to cheer on and follow.  It's nothing like the Colts or the Pacers, but that's ok because the smaller, younger team is more accessible.  Go Islanders!

The Noisiest Noise maker there is only for hockey games!

Day 2

Justin said, "Look, Mother, Abishai's white thing is like the black fuzzies on my hood.  That means he's baby Captain Cold!" For those not in the know, Captain Cold is a DC Comics character that they have used in the TV show The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.  We've become big DC and Marvel comic fans over the last few years.  It's fun discussing it among ourselves.  My favorite characters are the Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) and Felicity from the show Arrow.  Justin loves The Flash because Barry Allan is super fast (like Justin). It's something we look forward to watching every week.

On a side note: Justin calls me Mother and Jared Father because he wants to sound bigger and more mature.  He's definitely one of a kind and "odd" as he calls himself.

Day 1

Today, New Year's Day, we got up late, had breakfast together, and then started in with some school (yes, school! so we don't fall behind) while Jared worked on some of his own work and reading.  We had some playtime as well, especially Abishai's antics (which I'm sure I will share more of later).  But in the normal chaos, I was able to capture this sweet moment between Justin and Socks (our dog). He doesn't always get the attention he deserves, but he is very loving and sweet.

It's A New Year!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the new and improved J6 Journey!  That's right, I haven't posted since we've added to our family, so let me introduce you to Abishai Nathan born February 13th, 2015!  He's been our giggly, joy filled "bonus" baby since the start.  So, the Journey has now changed from the J5 to the J6!

Abishai, age 9 months

I have decided to resurrect the blog because I would like to share with all my family and friends a peek into our every day "normal" lives through a daily picture for the next year.  A couple of my friends did this in 2015 and I found it very interesting.  So, my hope is that I will be able to post a picture and journal about it every day.  Are you ready to come along on our journey this year?  Just subscribe to the blog and posts will come to your email inbox.  I can't wait to see what 2016 will bring!  So, here we go!

Tourists, Swimmer's Ear, and Personal Journeys

Gorgeous day here on PEI for our 7,000 tourists from the Emerald Princess and Veendam!!  I wish it was this nice all the time.  Too tired to do much with it, but at least the kids are outside.  I had to take Benaiah to the doctor for his ear b/c he says the sound is muffled.  There's nothing wrong with it though.  The doctor mentioned that even the slightest bit of too much loudness from earphones and earbuds can cause hearing loss, so we are going to stay away from those for awhile and see if it heals itself.  we have a place to go for a hearing test as well.  Benaiah had a lot of ear infections as an infant/toddler, but no tubes.  And now he gets water stuck in his ear when he swims.  But this muffling has gone on for 2 months.  I feel bad that it's been 2 months, but we were hoping it was just swimmer's ear.  anyway, we did a little bit of school, but it's on days like this that history and science don't get done, and that's ok.  we only do them 3 or 4 days a week, so we can have errand running days.  I'm feeling less angry and frustrated today though, so I hope that continues.  Gary comes to visit in a few days, so that always brings it's own up and down emotions and reactions, good and bad.  I'm only human and I'm discovering that God doesn't expect me to be perfect in my emotions and reactions.  I expect that I will fail, as I learn to express myself better and relate to others.  And that's where forgiveness and grace, and communication come in.  Silent treatments do not work.  Although, at times, I wish my parents could have used the silent treatment.  we always knew some of the things they were thinking.  but that's how it was, and as Scripture says, the consequences of a person's sins can be felt by the children and the children's children.  it's up to us to break the cycle, as best that we can, by recognizing those patterns and finding ways to improve them.  that's why counseling is so vital to me.  hopefully I won't need it forever, but, it's such a great way to discuss where I'm at and who I am, and where I'm going, etc., especially when Jared doesn't want to talk about it.  the right questions and the right perspective can make all the difference when you are on the journey and discovering yourself.  My life is good.  And by good, I mean fairly stable, joyfilled, moving at a steady pace.  No immediate crisis.  I don't know how long this break will last, but I hope it will for awhile still as I heal.  Losing both parents, having family members with difficulties, hurts alot in ways that it's hard to understand.  I wish my parents could see where Jared and I are at now.  The college, homeschooling, our marriage.  So much to be thankful for and I know they would be proud and enjoy it as well.  I can't be sure they know, the Bible doesn't say either way, but it's nice to think that they know.  Thanks for reading my ramblings, and maybe someday I will really get this blog going....

Where have we been?

Where did I go?  Well, I won't tell the whole story, because most of you know it.  And if you don't, FB feeds are great for that.  Feel free to scroll my FB page at your own pace.  But this week, FB kicked me out because of an error with my email address and it has yet to be resolved.  A friend commented that maybe it's a sign from God that I need a break from FB.  I do post a lot, and repost, and comment, and well, yes, I probably do need the break.  But I miss writing about our life, so here I am.

I also recently got back on Twitter, but 140 characters isn't enough for me.  Thankfully, what I post there is getting to my FB wall, so my friends know I'm still alive and kicking.  I think my new plan is simply to start writing.  Not today, perhaps, but in the next few days when little ones aren't underfoot or over my shoulder. 

PEI is a great place to be, and I am grateful.  We are approaching our 10th month here.  And I am content.  Routines are established, adjustments are being made, and we feel like we can breathe and slow down some.  I can't wait to share some details and ongoing stories in upcoming posts.

But for now, we have the rest of our Saturday to check things off the to do list before heading out for some fun activities tonight with friends.  So, how 'bout, eh?