Fourteen

Fourteen.  Our Fraser is fourteen!

It only seems to my Mama heart to be such a short time ago

that the Lord loving placed him in our home and family.

How precious it was to welcome our third son.
Fraser, on that day, became little brother to
both Austin and Calvin ~ they were thrilled.
And, so were we!  

On birthdays in recent years, we have made an effort
to go on a family outing to celebrate.
For his birthday, Fraser chose to go on a bike ride ~ similar to last year.
The year prior, we went out whale watching for the day.
Summer seems to be the time for activities such as these.

We are so thankful that we have been able to make 
these precious memories together.
They truly are gifts from the Hand of our Great God.

This year was much simpler than the last two.  
We got close enough to see the water,
but, no boat or ferry were required.
We just needed two wheels each and the trailer to get us there.
A family bike ride...joy!

Howie, however, promptly got a flat tire and opted
to wait quietly while I cycled with the children.
On the return portion of our trip, Calvin got a flat.
Lesson learned ~ don't go cycling without a repair kit along.
Oh well, we still had fun.  :)

The birthday food Fraser requested turned out to be a real treat.
For breakfast, he asked for a cup of coffee (not something he's normally allowed),
hash browned potatoes, bacon, mangoes, and Sugar Crisp cereal.

It was decided that we would order in pizza for dinner
and have a home made coconut cream pie for dessert.
We are all about traditions around here ~ food is a big part of that.

Fraser, you have always been cheerful and easy-going.

We thank the Lord for you!

How wonderful it has been to watch you learn and grow.

You are growing up right before our eyes ~

both physically and spiritually.
Your tender heart and kind ways are a 
great blessing to each one of us ~ please don't stop!  :)

It's been so encouraging to see the Lord's hand upon you.

He is your Saviour, and, that is the most important thing of all.
As you look to Him and follow Him,

we want you to know that we are lifting you up to Him in prayer.
We look forward with you to see what it is He will call you to do.

Your love of languages and cultures is a gift from Him.
We take pleasure in watching the joy it brings you to learn 
about the various places, people and languages of the world.
We all enjoy listening to you create music on the piano ~
what a wonderful thing it is to have these abilities to bless others with.

What does the Lord have in store?

Whatever it may be, use it all for His glory.
He alone is worthy.
We love you so very, very much!
You will always be our precious Freighter Mater.

All our Love,
Daddy and Mummy
XOXO

Nothing to Fear

On the Eve of a New Year,
we pause to reflect.
We remember the Goodness of
our Great God.
We look back on *good* days
and *bad*.

And through it all...
we know the Hand of the
LORD is upon us.
Guiding our moments.
Guiding our days.
Leading us ever to Himself.

Where will HE take us
in 2012?

Nothing to fear.
Only hope.

We fix our eyes on HIM!

Whether this coming year
holds joys or sorrows,
we trust.
The LORD truly
does ALL things well!

May the LORD bless each
one of you in the coming year
with HIS peace and presence.
May you know HIS hand upon you.
And HIS joy within.

"The LORD bless thee,
and keep thee:
The LORD make his face
shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his
countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace."
~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

In HIS Love,
Camille

**Photo courtesy of Emma ~
Thank you my little love! xo

Entering In

Howie came up with a
great idea awhile back.
The idea?

To allow the children
each a twenty-minute block
of time to share with the rest of us
whatever they wanted to.

A family version of
"Show and Tell".

It went over well.
An understatement. :)

Fraser is our resident
atlas/languages/professor sort.

His pick?

Google Earth.

We visited places I had never
heard of and discovered new things.
What an adventurer!

Calvin is our budding photographer.
Some of you may have noticed
that I feature some of his work
here on this blog.
He's serious about it.

We enjoyed looking through
a photo album that he put together
last year after a family vacation.

Happy Memories!

Austin has been learning
a little about programming.
He has created little games
and question and answer sorts
of programs to tickle the funny bone.

He's even opened up a
you-tube channel as an avenue to
showcase his virtual rollercoasters.

Under that serious-looking
exterior there lurks a sense of humour.
Wonder where he got that from?

Emma has a serious love for
all things *Nancy Drew* ~
She shared an excerpt from
the book she was reading at the time.

The *original* series of novels are
being devoured at a rapid rate.
We have most of the earlier set
of books...what fun! :)

She then showed us her collection
of shells that were acquired
on our recent trip to visit with
Auntie Beverley.

God's Glorious Handiwork!

And the boys entered in.

It was an enjoyable time
spent learning just
a little bit more about
the unique individuals God
has entrusted us with.

What an honour it is to
seek to raise them for HIM
and for HIS glory!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Just 10 Minutes A Day!

Our Fraser LOVES languages.

He is interested in everything from

Arabic to Hebrew to Chinese.





These books

have helped to satisfy his thirst for

knowledge in this area.

And at only *ten minutes a day*

they are perfect!

Fun and interactive.

Engaging and interesting.



He has tried different programs

(some were strictly computer based) ~

but, he keeps coming back to this system.





This is not a school requirement.

He is doing this *just for fun*.

Not to say that it could not be for school,

just to let you know how enjoyable they can be.



These books are *introductory* in nature ~

The goal being to equip the child

with the ability to converse simply

in the chosen language.





This was his response when I asked what he would

like to try next, and I quote ~



"Anything to do with Bilingual Books...

it's always good!"



Imagine this being said with a great deal of

animation and enthusiasm.

As I previously mentioned,

he LOVES languages!





What does the LORD have in store?

My Mama heart wells up with tears

at the thought of where this might lead.

But then, I have to remind myself that

he is only twelve and we do have a few years left

to care for him in our home...up close! :)



The LORD is so gracious with us

and never gives us more than we can bear.

HE will lead and guide and give

the grace for whatever it is HE

calls our children to do.

What a blessing to rest in that!



In the meantime,

we are encouraging this love

for learning these languages by giving

him the tools to explore them all!

But, not all at once...

maybe just one or two at a time. :)



May the LORD bless you

all as you seek to raise up your

children for HIS glory.

And may HE give us each the grace to

allow them to flourish in HIS World!



Many blessings,

Camille

Laughter ~ The Good Medicine

Fraser and Emma have been
collaborating and creating some
*shows* together lately ~

Complete with tickets.

Waiting for the show to begin...

The *announcer*...

The show!

We have enjoyed some laughs
together over this.

May the LORD bless
each one of you with laughter
in your homes this day.

Many blessings,
Camille

Lightening Up

I don't *DO* art with our children
as often as I *should*.

But...they are always drawing
or sketching or creating.

A.L.W.A.Y.S.

Recently, my Mom gifted a paint/art
set to each child for his/her birthday.

J.O.Y.

It really is MUCH easier
to keep it all contained now that they are older.
Interpretation ~ I don't go crazy in the process.

Or...maybe I have learned (a little)
to lighten up?

I surely do hope so!

And now...to continue on with my list.
Which (mostly) has nothing
to do with painting ~
But everything to do with
L.I.F.E.

1336. Watching Austin patiently
teach Emma to roller blade

1337. Spring showers, turned hail, then the
sky breaking to reveal blue and sunshine...
all in one beach walk!

1338. Puffy white clouds lit by the sun
from behind ~ Glorious!

1339. Distant islands blue on the horizon

1340. Beginning the day with #'s 1337 to 1339 ~
W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L.

1341. Thankful that I survived my first 30
minutes of driving with Austin at the wheel ~ LOL!

1342. Finding new suppliers for new supplies

1343. Most of my short list for groceries was on sale ~
by *chance*...again, nothing is by chance! :)

1344. Lunch out...and Supper out ~
On the same day...what a treat!
Thank you so much T & S and L & S! :)

1345. The acceptance and good attitude
that the LORD has given
to our child with Crohn's ~
God's grace!

1346. New freezer containers to use

1347. A whole batch of
chicken stock frozen for future use ~
Yippee!

1348. Rain pelting down and
none of it coming inside ~
It used to!!

1349. Wonderful sermons

1350. God's Word expounded faithfully ~
A blessing!

1351. Richness of the Doctrines of Grace

1352. The Resurrection ~ HE IS ALIVE!!

1353. A quiet morning all by myself

1354. Thankful that it's not always that way

1355. Children to welcome home

1356. French Cream ~ Oh. Dear. Me!

1357. My yogurt maker ~
Practically working for me 'round the clock!

1358. Homemade yogurt ~ YUM!

1359. Colour returning to our
sick child's cheeks ~ JOY!

1360. Painting supplies for the children

It's easy to count.
It begins with noticing the *little* things.
Noticing the moments.
Entering into them and writing them down.
It's as simple as that.

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Skating on Plastic?

Now, this was something new for us!
The children went skating outdoors
on a balmy, sunny day...
on some sort of plastic stuff!

It made the boys' skates
V.E.R.Y. dull.

But, they did enjoy the experience.

I liked it because it was close by.
And, best of all...
it was F.R.E.E.

Is it obvious that they had a great time?

Many blessings,
Camille

Life...As it Happens

The rhythm of life as it happens ~
As it ebbs and flows.

Day in.
Day out.

We seek daily to turn
our attention to the
E.T.E.R.N.A.L.

What better way than
to fully attend to the
N.O.W.


We are called to this.
Called to live fully for HIM ~
in ALL we do!

Life in our home is never dull.
There are many things to occupy our time.
There are many people to minister to.
Never a lack of things to be done.

In the here.
In the now.

Might we all really live.
And live really well.
For HIS glory!

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
~ Colossians 3:17 ~

1241. Boy vacuum-er who smiles at me!

1242. Sugar in the cupboard

1243. Butter melting on the stove

1244. Emma creating at the table with a
"Make and Do" book

1245. Trees in the woods pointing to the Heavens ~
and us looking up in the middle of the trail

1246. Blue beyond

1247. Fresh air

1248. The children chattering and clattering on ahead

1249. Being *crowded out* by one on the walk
who comes along between us...so glad they *want* to!



1250. Boy-Man greeting me at the door

1251. Sun warming the car in winter

1252. Chocolate Mousse Royale

1253. Praline's and Cream


1254. Two hours alone in the morning...rare!

1255. Howie taking time off work to take the children
to the climbing gym

1256. Emma taking it upon herself to do dishes without being asked

1257. Finding the floor of the laundry room and sweeping it!

1258. Pushing buttons on the washing machine and it
working, working, working ~ WONDERFUL!

1259. The Doctrine of the Preservation of the saints ~
PRECIOUS Truth!

1260. Warm towels straight from the dryer

1261. People to pray for

1262. Wonderful God Who hears!

1263. Hunger pangs and the resources to satisfy them

1264. Morning quiet

1265. Steaming cup of tea

It's easy to count.
It begins with noticing the *little* things.
Noticing the moments.
Entering into them and writing them down.
It's as simple as that.

My journal sits on my counter.
I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

He Shoots...He Scores!

We have THREE boys.
They all play hockey.
It's a Canadian tradition.

We are so thankful that it is
a Christian League they play in.
There is so much less pressure
in this league than boys experience in the minors.

We are not raising the next
Gretzky, Crosby, or Ovechkin.
Not even close!

What a blessing that our boys are
able to play hockey for FUN ~
the way the game should be played. :)

Austin ~ number six...playing with the "big" guys now!

Calvin (far left) and Fraser (centre) flying up the ice.

Calvin (#11) and Fraser (#15) are on the same team this year.
We were supposed to have three teams going,
but that would not logistically work with one vehicle and
scheduling...the league gave special permission for Fraser to
move up a year early.

The following three photos are of Fraser...

Calvin is in the next three...

Austin was at a practice on the night I was
taking these photos...hence the near-empty ice.
Here he is working at his game.

Thankful this Monday for the opportunities our boys
have been given since joining this league.
Continuing to number and count and practice thanks.

878. A Christian League to be a part of

879. Kind coaching staff who encourage the boys to enjoy the game

880. Friendships that develop amongst the boys

881. Ice times that coincide (sometimes)

882. Offer of car-pool help on occasion when the ice times clash

883. Grandparents that have come out to cheer the boys on

884. Daddy could coach each of the boys at some point over
their time in this league

885. Opportunities to learn to referee ~ for Austin and Howie

886. Second-hand gear

887. Sports Replay ~ local second-hand store for sports equipment

888. Passing gear down from one boy to the next

889. Ability to trade in gear that is too small for all three

890. A room to air out the gear in!

891. And thankful that I can close the door! :)

892. SLR camera that can capture some action shots without too much blur

893. A Dad who teaches the boys to shower before they come home!

894. The special permission we received for Fraser to
join Calvin's team this year

895. Wonderful ice times...no 6 am!

896. No Sunday games/practices

897. Heaters in the bleachers

898. The thank yous from the boys when I take them without Dad

899. Thankful for the protection the gear offers
and that the boys must wear cages ~
a good thing when braces are involved

900. Thankful too that there have been no major injuries to date