The J6 Journey

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Year 2, Day 4: New year, new goals

A lot of folks have taken the time to reflect on 2016 and look ahead to 2017, including myself. With Jared starting his new job and realizing that we will be here in Indiana for awhile, I need to set some new goals. But first, I had to grieve once more, what I lost last year. It was time to leave the Facebook group that was all about the homeschoolers on PEI. Doing that brought on a deluge of tears. I have a lot more to process from the events of 2016. I didn't focus on relationships beyond my family's relationships these past 6 months, and it's obvious that I need to expand my circle of friends once again because the last week or so I have felt incredibly lonely. I didn't set up any playdates and I didn't realize that having my best friend not here would create this void of people time. So, I'm picking myself up and we are going to make more of an effort to reconnect with old friends and connect with new people. We do have a field trip coming up on Jan. 13th, so that will help. I asked in the Indiana homeschool page if there were groups around me that just like to sit around and talk (i.e. not a co op), and I got a response, yeah! Point is, I needed to grieve yesterday and then today I was able to logically figure out what my next steps are. I say I, but you know this will ultimately benefit the kids, too. The kids have done well making new friends, rekindling old friendships and loving being back with Grandma and Grandpa.

In fact, we were at the house today while Benaiah was at school, and Abishai was extremely upset when it was time to leave. He balled, he pointed to Grandma's car and said "go, go, go, go" for 10 minutes after we left the house. He wasn't mad, like violent mad, but very upset. He needs routine and he loves his Grandma and Grandpa and seeing them often. I asked Keturah today if she likes Grandma's house or our house better, and she said Grandma's because of the big screen TV. What?! But I know Grandma's house is a special place, just like my Gramma's house was, so I understand. We visited my mom's mom, Aili Koski, every Saturday from like 10-3 or so. It took an hr and 15 minutes to get there, so we would pack up a backpack of play things for the car and for the day. We would eat lunch with her, ate chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies, and played store with some of her cupboards. There was a crib when we were younger, and a bed for older kids to nap with. Gramma Koski and my Mom would walk and sip coffee. My grandfather died before my parents got married. My aunt, and sometimes my older cousins, would come to visit, too. Oh, and we would play in the huge piles of leaves outside, or on the swingset, or on the screened in porch. So, I get it. Grandma's house is special.

Most of Abishai's playing does revolve around cars. Lining them up, transporting them from the kitchen to the living room, putting them in this bucket or that bucket. I've got a little organizer on my hands! Gotta love Micro Machines!

Miss K got her math on yesterday and today blazing through several lessons. I told her that she could "catch up" if she doubled up on the work. Really, as long as she's progressing, I'm happy. I think the kids missed the routine of school, well, Ketruah did. Justin is dragging his feet and I have procrastinated as well.

Whoops! I poured boiling hot water down the sink and crack! the sink cracked! The only way I knew it was a problem was that the trash bags were wet underneath the sink. The property manager will replace the sink tomorrow night. 15 plus years of being the home maker and pouring hot liquids down the sink and this is the first time I've cracked a sink!

Abishai wants Justin to read this particular book to him several times before naptime/bedtime. Justin's very good at reading the words in an interesting way and saying all the sounds.

Wampa Snow Cones! Actually, this basically fresh blueberry juice (we did the squeezing!) and a bit of sugar. We had to check it several times to keep breaking it up though.

I want to cook, not draw or read, Mom!

I thought I had these trucks hidden well enough but I guess I didn't. They hold the matchbox sized cars and since we have the bigger suitcase holder, we don't need these right now cluttering up the living room. Well, Justin thought otherwise. Vroom!

How many bowls of food does one kid need for dinner? 5 bowls, two spoons, and a banana on the side. Some bowls were from breakfast, but then he wanted other snacks as well.

Keturah got into her stuffed animal boxes today looking for Clifford the Red dog for Abishai and pulled out some of her animals. Then she grouped them according to color. Fry girl and the stuffie next to her are in the yellow category. Then Keturah has a white category.

Brown/tan animals.

Pink animals!

Master climber!

Clifford the Red Go-Go (dog). Abishai recoginzed that it was the animal in his current favorite book. And he's in his favorite reading chair. Win!

"I want to go in Grandma's car! Go, go, go!"

Man and man child being bachelor's this week....I promise this will be cleaned up before they get home. I had to wash the dog prints off the floor today and sweep the kitchen. Some guys just don't see the mess in front of them.

"Ting ting!" on the big screen (or pew pew!)

Every single utensil needing to be washed but no room to rinse them and stack them in the strainer because there were other dishes drying. Oh boy.

I was so happy to make a cup of coffee with Jared in his special butter coffee way. Great mug, too, that says, "Biked It, Liked It. Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island. We went there when Keturah was 15 months old. You get to it by boat and there are no cars (except a fire truck and ambulance) on the island. Even the UPS guy use horse and wagon. So quiet with cars. We biked all the way around it, which took about an hr.

Bwahahaha, look who FB suggested I become friends with! I think I know that guy!

Keturah watched a live stage performance of Frozen on Grandma's old Nook. It was a very wonderful performance and they had some very unique ways to get Olaf, Sven, and the trolls into the story.

Abishai with his guys from my desk like Ironman, Green Arrow, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. He enjoyed showing Daddy each one and talking about them on FaceTime tonight.

The boys had Bible Bowl tonight. We are supposed to get some snow tomorrow, so we are watching the weather closer to see if Benaiah's school will close. He's supposed to go to a birthday party tomorrow night as well. It was great to get out of the house and see something different today. I finished the last few pictures of a book and read my Bible. I didn't bring my computer, so that was a good way to stay off of it. But tomorrow, I'll have to catch up on things at home.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Year 2, Day 2: Spring?!

It was really warm today, and tonight, we are having a full on thunderstorm! I'm sorry, but rain depresses me and I would rather see 3 feet of snow fall in 24-48 hrs than just get wet with bucketloads of rain. It doesn't feel right to me, and never has, and probably never will, not to have snow in the winter months. Today, it was just as warm as it is in May on PEI, in the 50's F. The kids were out playing with no jackets on. I really like the fact that the snow reflected the sun and was so bright. It was just so pretty. Sigh. It's going to take me at least this "winter," if not the next few "winters," to get used to not having the snow again. You can take a girl out of New Hampshire/New England, but you just can't take the NH/NE out of the girl I'm afraid. Oh yeah, don't forget, I am half Finnish, Jared is half Swedish, so it's in our blood to like the cold and snow.

Meanwhile, yes, it was nice to be outside and to get a large load of groceries without having to bundle up or be rained on. Yes, there is no mess of boots and snowpants at the front door, or sand/salt dripping through the hallway. But that was part of the fun, right?

Ok, ok, I'm trying to find the positive here. It's just not coming to me. Who knew that snow and the cold would be one of the top things I would miss about PEI? I'm sure it's a weird thought for a lot of you. Most people here hate the snow and cold. They belong here. I'm just the import.

Moving on....

Groceries went well with the 3 younger kids helping out a lot. We got a bunch of stuff that Justin will use with the Star Wars cookbook he borrowed from the library again. I got more papers sorted that I wanted to get done before school started up again. I had intended for the kids to do some reading and math today so I can count it as a school day to make the 180 days "requirement" here by the end of May. Oh well, we'll push harder tomorrow for that. I still have a stack of my own little things to do and I have to prepare again for co op come Monday. I'm sort of ready to go back. I'd like the kids to be busy again, but I also don't like getting up that early, especially since our routine has been off by a couple of hours every day. I finally adjusted Abishai's carseat so the straps are at his shoulders (or slightly above) instead of halfway down his back. It always requires that the the seat be taken out fully so I can get at the right strap holder, but it's really a simple process once I get down in there. Technically he could be front facing because he's over 20 lbs now, but he can also stay rear racing until 40lbs, so we're going to hold off.

That's about it. Things will start picking up again once Benaiah goes back to school on Wednesday, Gary and Leah come home, youth group starts up, and then co op next Monday. Back to the routine.

Toddler pulled out the stool and wanted me to set it up so he could pick out his own breakfast.

Abishai is obsessed with playing with Justin in Justin's room lately. He was saying "uh-oh" when Justin made the bed bounce and the cars went flying.

Suspend Jr., the game he got for Christmas. Much more fun with friends, but he enjoyed putting it together himself, too.

Someone sent Gary and Leah 3 plants, so we got one. We have to be careful not to overwater it, but look, it's already starting to grow!

The kleenex box is a great place to hide his cars. He's obsessed with rearranging his cars anywhere and everywhere.

Line 'em up!

I think the chair is a little too far from the countertop, but check out that stretch!

He looked up from the bath and saw the "foo-foo" towel and asked for it! It's already a favorite! There's a sound mechanism in it that is washable and makes a train sound. He loves it!

Gave the kid jelly on bread, turned around, and he had it folded into a sandwhich all by himself.

I bought flowers for us, just because I could.

It's so warm out that Justin is in short sleeves and Keturah is in long sleeves and no jacket! In the upper 50's F today!

A real "vroom vroom" with lots of buttons!

Benaiah said he misses riding it. But, look at him! He's way to big for it! His feet don't even fit on it!

It was dark and Abishai wanted to read, so he found a place that already had a light on...the bathroom, go figure! Delay fish tactic of wanting to read before bed.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Year 2, Day 1: Newness

Hi! It's a new year! I haven't put much thought into what the blog will look like this year, so I think for now, I'll just continue on with it daily. And if I missed a day, then I won't go back and try to fill in the gaps. I enjoy writing, I enjoy loading up pictures, and Abishai is still doing brand new things weekly, if not daily. So, until this gets to be a chore, I'll continue.

These pictures are of the last few days, so bear with me.

Saturday, New Year's Eve: The oldest 3 kids stayed awake with us to ring in the new year! That's a first for us! Abishai had a late and long nap so he was awake until 10:30pm! It was crazy fun to be altogether and purposefully staying awake! Jared and I got to show the kids some PDA, too. Hehehe, there will be no doubt in their minds that we are madly in love. *smile*

3 babies in their pj's because we don't go out often, just hanging out together in 1 bed. Sibling love!

This kiddo knows his stuff! He picked out the police cars, "wee oo wee oo," out of a stack of cars and does recognize them on the road, especially with their sirens on. Then he has Justin's two race cars, and then a bunch of micro machines. All organized.

Justin didn't ask for help when making fish sticks. He said, "I'm going to make fish sticks." Well, I thought he had it handled, but instead, he had no clue. He put the fish sticks in the mircowave for 4 minutes! Yeah, no one could eat them. Poor guy, lesson learned! Ask for help, or try to think logically.

Abishai wanted Benaiah to enjoy some snuggle time with him and fry girl "Goldie" (yes from Steak and Shake) and pink Popple.

"I'm going to beat you Teensy, in like 5 minutes!" Try 20 minutes with interruptions.

I had saved some leftover Christmas "poppers" from Canada, that you see over in Britain as well, which are these tubes that have a paper hat, a joke, and a little gift. Does anyone know where you can find them in the states? I thought it was pretty neat because we would see them on our British TV shows when they had Christmas episodes.

New American tradition: peppermint chocolate peeps! Peeps aren't just for Easter anymore!

My peeps with their peeps!

Abishai helping Baba beat Dad at chess. He just wanted all the pieces to himself.

Benaiah was pretending to eat them as Abishai was feeding them to him. Goofballs.

Little Miss started zoning out about 10:30, but she hung in there and stayed awake until 12:15am! We watched a live stream of NYC, but it was mostly this repetitive beatbox thing and not the real music that was being preformed.

Hanging out together.

1 minute after midnight, after drinking our special drinks, and giving hugs and kisses, Justin jumps up and says, "Yeah! It's Sunday! I can now open my AT-ST walker!" He was told he had to spread out the making of his new Legos so the enjoyment would last longer. He hadn't talked about the walker all day, but apparently it was on his mind. And no, he wasn't allowed to open the bags inside, just the box and he could make it later in the day after some sleep.

I beat both boys at Monopoly! Lord of the Rings monopoly! I ended up getting the dark blues and then landing on free parking (where all the fees go like taxes and property taxes and what not, at least that's how we play), building up those properties and bam, they both landed on them once and they were bankrupt. Score!

Sunday, New Year's Day

Justin gave his bed a makeover and set his bunnies here in the drawer that is actually holding his boombox. He wanted the boombox within reach, but not actually in his bed. He said he put the bunnies there so his bed/room would be "more welcoming."

And the final Lego set of the year has been made and added to the collection,. I present to you, the AT-ST Walker! It's really cool!

Extremely intelligent child was playing with his cars, when he looks over to his left and saw the kleenex box. He then pulls the box over so he can use it like a ruler to arrange his cars perfectly. Genius!

Starting the year off right, at church! And we got to sit up high (something Jared prefers not to do). AND we got to hear Mark Miller preach. Oh how I miss Mark's adult Sunday School class! He's been around the Creek just as long as Gary has, but preaches and teaches with a different, yet still passionate style.

Keturah and I had an impromptu girls' date while Abishai and Justin got some guy time with Jared, Benaiah and Socks. We had to get some lunch first, and Steak and Shake was too long of a wait, so we went next door to McD's. She got a happy meal again, so now we have 3 annoying characters from "Sing."

Our next highly anticipated movie date: The Lego Batman Movie. And boy does it look great! Can't wait!

Mother/daughter date! (And selfie!)

These are now the "normal" seats at our local theater. And they jacked up the price because of it. A 2:15pm Sunday afternoon showing of a brand new movie, NOT 3D, NOT Imax still cost $22!! Are we still in Canada when it comes to movie ticket prices? These seats recline very far and are comfortable, but still, I would prefer the normal seats and cheaper prices. The movie itself was excellent. Great funny moments, intact families, momma pig went back to her home as a stay at home mom, papa pig recognizes that it's hard work, lots of great snippets of all kinds of genres of songs, etc. etc. It's one that you should see at one point. One reference to "butts" by some bunnies auditioning, but that was in the trailer for it, so Keturah had already used her discernment and said she would ignore that. "Sing" is what the movie was called.

Day 365/366: Weathering the Storms

2016. The year we won't forget. The year we don't want to cling to either. It's been an extremely tough year. Some of you have walked the road with us, step by step. Some of you have prayed for us, not knowing all the details. And we are grateful. How does one get through a year like we've had? Faith, of course, I think that's obvious in with our circle of friends. Commitment to God, through it all, even when you are so mad at Him, clinging to the fact that He IS God, He IS with us, even when it doesn't feel like it, even when you don't have hope. We don't deny the truth of God, even when it's hard.

And with that foundation, we have built our family. And at the head of our family, is the one who gave me the most strength, Jared. I could not have gotten through this year somewhat intact without Jared being the physical hands and feet of Jesus to me. I've always said that I can feel God's love through the ways Jared shows his commitment and love to me. Do I rely only what and who Jared is? Absolutely not. He's a human, with faults. But most of the time, I SEE God in him. And that hasn't been more evident than this year.

When Jared's job fell apart in the spring, he was hurt deeply. He grieved in his own way. But in just a few short months, he forgave the ones who hurt him the most. He humbled himself and recognized that he did all that he could do. He has been an incredible example to the rest of our family. Then, instead of wallowing in despair, he immediately sought out any job he could so that he could provide for us, including swinging a hammer once again. He sat at the feet of Jesus and prayed for guidance. And as we start a new year, he has a full time job working with a new set of leaders, who will continue to invest in him, and where is known, valued and loved, just like others have done so in the past, here or on Prince Edward Island, and everywhere in between. Jared is humble and listens to correction and seeks out the Truth.

But to me, Jared has been my rock and strength. God is the source of that strength. And when/where Jared isn't strong, I'm usually in a good place and can lift him up. Jared tweeted earlier about how marriage makes us more holy, and it's true. As iron sharpens iron. If you know Jared, you know he doesn't pretend to know it all or want to make everyone happy. Same goes for our marriage. He wants God to bring joy to my life and for me not to rely on him to bring me happiness. But boy do I feel deeply loved by my husband this year. Whenever I've questioned God, Jared was there to bring the Truth. Whenever I've been too proud, Jared was also there. Through 4 pregnancies and 4 kids with different, sometimes very difficult, issues, Jared's been right there as I wept. And of course he was there in previous years when my parents passed and as we moved to Canada and moved back.

Whenever we are apart for a week or more, it is obvious how much deeper our love for each other is. It's not puppy love, it's a seasoned kind of love, one that has weathered storm after storm after storm of doing life together, as one, as God intended it should be. It's faithfulness and commitment to God and to each other to make marriage work no matter what. You can use all the typical Scriptures about love like 1 Corinthians 13, or a in Proverbs, "A cord of three strands is not easily broken," but don't forget about the one that says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) Jared IS the leader of our home, someone must make the final decisions and lead us, right? But we also submit to one another in the day to day life happenings. We give and take. We encourage and challenge. We grow deeper in our walks with God and with each other.

Jared and I have been together since September 1998, when we started dating. I was 17, he was 19. We've been together more than half of our lives. And it shows. We are seasoned lovers and Christ followers, who have, by God's grace, many more years and seasons to go.

So, tonight, as we leave 2016 and walk into 2017, there is no one else that I would rather walk through life with than God and my husband, Jared. I love you!

Do You Dream of Me? by Michael W. Smith

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith