In Christ Alone our Hope is Found

I was on facebook yesterday and one of my memories was that I blogged  this post called "One Year Later and Still Safe"  in 2011. It marked one year since Micah's lung surgery. (This is my favorite picture from that post. It was taken the night before Micah's surgery. They were so relaxed. It was a blessing for us in the face of the unknown. Just look at that little Micah and sweet Josiah. So melty  It's fun to compare this picture with the Micah and Josiah in the side bar. They have grown so much! (:  ) Post Edit: I just re-read my post. Often I find mistakes when I look with fresh eyes after I post something. (: As I was looking at this picture again, I was thinking about how old these boys were here. Micah had just turned 8 and Josiah was just turning 4 in the next month. That means that Natalie was Grace's age and was just going to turn 6 and Josh was almost 12, which is how old Natalie is now.  It sure gives me perspective and makes me think. Josh had...

IT"S MARCH 1!!!! That means a lot of things.. 1. It's Super Tuesday. Vote wisely Americans. Please. 2. The Blue Jays are playing their first spring training game. 3. The Lord willing, it's BABY month. 4. As of today I have health benefits here in the US that covers me and baby for the next few months. 5. SPRING is coming. 6. Josh is going to Guat. on Friday. I am 37 weeks tomorrow. This little sweetie is so close to joining our family and I am less at the stage of needing this baby out, but more of a place where I am just longing to meet this person. I have visions of changing little newborn diapers and feeling that little bum in my hands as it stretches when it wakes up. You know what yummy stretch I am talking about! (:  When Grace feels the babes moving around in my belly her eyes light up in amazement. But I keep thinking about how much bigger her eyes will be as she holds and watches this little one when it's outside my belly. I can't wait until Natal...

It's been 6 years since Micah relapsed. That day and the months following were days that we clung to the Lord in a way that I am not sure how to describe. It was also a time that the Lord drew near to us in a way that I sometimes long for.  When I think of Dec 7, 2009- March 2010 (and even into that next year), I think of it as a time that is set apart. In a way it was a time that our world stopped. I remembered that this day was coming this past Saturday and have been thinking about writing this post. Over the past days I have gone through my binder and read the emails I had sent out at that time to all of our pray-ers and it brought it back to me. It was not a time of sadness for me. Just a time of remembering. This morning when I was on facebook, my 'facebook memories' came up and a post that I had shared one year past Micah's relapse came up. I am going to share that one today. We are definitely through the storm and the sadness and darkness are far behind us....

The leaves are falling and the change of season is so refreshing. My little baby is now 21 weeks and I am just starting to feel some kicks and twirls and I just love that. I haven't been pregnant for quite some time and when I would see expecting ladies in the last years, it made me long to feel a baby kick just one more time. My longing has been fulfilled. I think as a woman, I may long for that feeling even when I am old. It just is. (: I had an ultrasound in Canada last Monday and we took 4 of the kids. Natalie was counting down the weeks for 10 weeks. Grace counted down the last 5 days. Last Friday morning she came to me in a high pitched, fevered voice. "3 MORE DAYS until we see the baby and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!" My ultrasound was beautiful. The kids were just amazed and were tickled that we could find out what we are having. (It's a family secret. (wink). The older I get, the more of a miracle life is. The ultrasound date was Nov 9. That morning it dawned o...

The kids have done 2 weeks of school at home and started the Homeschool Building this past Friday. It's good to be in the swing of things again. Ken and Josh are into their last years. Josh as a senior and Ken is finishing up his M-Div. It's crazy to think about. In the last months, there have been things that have unfolded in regards to the path that the Lord has put Ken on. At first it was really hard to process. It tested our trust and reliance on the Lord. It has also been an opportunity for people to show us love and we sure have been loved! We have been reminded that when things don't go as we plan, that there is such a beauty in trusting the Lord with a quiet and simple trust. Knowing that the Lord always knows best and that He is on His throne is such a comfort. Knowing that to Him nothing is a surprise and that He has something beautiful planned for us and that we will see it in His time is so reassuring.  I am so thankful that knowing WHO God is can change persp...

We have been in BC for more than a month as a family. We have 10 more days left. Even though it's stunning here and the people are so very kind, we are starting to wind down and be ready for home and routine again. I am starting to really miss my people in GR and our church family. There truly is no place like home, even if the ocean and mountains are not there. (: Grace has been asking when we are going home to our 'orange house'. She says that her train set is better than the dog (Buddy) that we are babysitting! She makes me smile! Josh has been seriously blessed to work full time here with the ability to take days off if we want to go somewhere as a family. My mom flew out to spend a week with us last week.  When we are in St Thomas, my parents are still living their lives. In Grand Rapids when my mom comes, we still have to fulfill our responsibilities. Here neither of us have responsibilities. It was a great time.  (: With the exception of one, Ken has taken Mo...

 I found this post from last summer in my drafts. I thought I would slip it in here because it still made me smile! (: 1. We went to Michigan Adventures this (last)summer as a family. For my Canada people, it's similar to Canada's Wonderland. We had an amazing time. We left Grace at a friend's house. She had fun playing with her friend Esther!! (:. She was too little to enjoy and having a big kid day was great. Ken told the kids that there was no way he was going on the big coasters and then surprised them by going on all of them. I loved the big rides too, but one thing that the kids and I loved were the bumper cars. I think I liked them so much because that is really how I would love to drive. For real. It's appealing to me. Sometimes the kids and I start laughing as I am driving when we talk about how fun it would be if we could really just slam into every thing! (: 2. Grace is growing and learning.  She can rarely remember the word grandpa. So she calls her gran...