One of Those Days

It's been one of those days....where you feel like crawling in a corner, going to sleep and not waking up till it's all over. I just had a very difficult and trying day. Both Brendan and Kiara are going through "growing pain" stages. I think Kiara misses her mom. She loves her brother but she also feels like she's missing out on all the attention he gets. Brendan seems to be having a hard time choosing whether or not to be the "cute adorable baby of the house", or the "grown-up little man" who can do everything by himself. So the both of them have been driving me crazy today with the temper tantrums, emotional outbursts, wilful disobedience, and more. I'm so tired I'm not going to try to do laundry or clean my room tonight. I'm just going to drink a glass of wine, relax, and go to bed. Good night people!

I'm An Auntie!

CONGRATULATIONS JOY!

My sister Joy is pregnant! I'm so happy for her. She's about 4 1/2 months now so the little one is starting to show. This is the most recent picture I have. I just got the news this evening that it's a girl. Ever since hearing the news I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I'm just so excited, what can I say? Originally I had been wishing for a boy, but now that it's a girl it really doesn't matter....sigh. I'm an auntie--and it feels wonderful!

A Day Off With My Sister

Gina waiting in front of the car. Poor thing is sooo cold she's bundled up like an eskimo!

Gina and myself playing arcade games.

Gina and Steve waiting for our order.

On our day off Steve and I took Gina out for her birthday. First we had to do some shopping so Gina could get a few articles of warm clothing. On sudden impulse we went to buy candy! (Disclaimer: I don't usually eat candy. This was one of those "once in a lifetime" moments.) Steve bought me Jelly Tots. Thanks babe! Then we took Gina to play some arcade games. It was so fun! Of course Steve won most of the time, boys seem to be better at computer related games. For lunch we ordered a pizza for the 3 of us. But since Gina's vegetarian she ended up picking off half the toppings!--don't worry they didn't go to waste. Later we got fries and milkshakes to make sure Gina wasn't left hungry. Anyway, we had lots of fun together celebrating Gina's birthday. Oh and everyone says that Gina looks like a mix of Joy and myself. Funny huh?

I'm so Happy!

Gina's here I'm so happy! She arrived yesterday and will stay with me for a few days till the FDTP. My smile's from ear to ear, it's so big it would scare you if you saw me. So I won't put up any pictures till a bit later.--ok?

Please Pray for our Protection!

Last night Liz got a missed call at 3am. We found out later that our neighbors(on the plot next to ours) had called Josanne(our friend across the road) asking her to warn us of approaching danger. A band of armed men were on their property and were now heading over the hill in our direction. Liz got a call and was told not to go outside if you hear your car alarm, as these men were armed!
The men apparently passed through our property, cutting the fencing separating us from our neighbors. They stole Noah's motorcycle! We don't know if they took anything else but thankfully no one was hurt. However they went to a Community Centre not far away--they tied up the guard, took the children hostage, and proceeded to steal possessions including a vehicle.
We found out about all this in the morning, and as you can imagine it's a bit scary to know that these men passed under our very noses. Please pray that Noah can get his motorcycle back. It's been very needed over the past months and to have it stolen is very difficult especially for him. Pray also for the children at the Community Centre as they are quite traumatized by the
events of last night. Pray that the Lord can supply whatever was stolen from the Centre. Please also pray for our safety and protection(for our neighbors and friends too)--as this band of men are still loose and roaming around the area. We're trying our best to be proactive and on guard with our security but we know the best protection is the Lord's!

Pictures of the Poochies

Kiara and Brendan watching Your Baby Can Read. It's mainly for Brendan as it's much too easy for Kiara now.

Brendan and Arthur(of Andy and Amber) having some baby talk-time.

Brendan loves the swing. He makes little humming noises to himself when I swing him.

The Lord supplied a trampoline for the kids! It's such a blessing and they all have loads of fun bouncing on it. Kiara wanted to take these pictures for Joy. She hasn't forgotten you Joy!

Smoke and Fire

Thank you to all of you who keep me(and my home) in your prayers. We had a big scare today...A fire scare. Two men were burning a fire-break on the property adjacent to our reserve, when the fire got out of hand and spread. It came onto our reserve and for a while they had things under control. But you know how tricky the wind can be, it kept whipping up the fire blowing it to the right and then to the left. Fire loves dry grass, which is something we have (or had) plenty of, and it kept on burning. A few of our guys went down to help as we could see from our vantage point on the hill that things weren't "under control". But there's not much you can do about a raging fire and we also didn't have any equipment to beat out the flames. A few people came back up and brought down bucket of water and rags. The wind started blowing the fire closer and closer till it was coming up the hill to our house. Then we got really worried! ( I have to admit I was worried the moment I first saw the fire.) The rest of us at the house jumped into action and started hosing down our fire-break. The kids were so helpful they got buckets and kept filling them up and throwing it on the dry shrubs. Our house has a thatch roof so it's very easily ignited. I had the two kids so I wasn't able to help much. For the most part Kiara and I held vigil by the kitchen window and prayed while everyone was rushing back and forth. Half the home was down fighting the flames while the other half was up working on our fire-break. We prayed so hard and thankfully the wind changed directions and stopped blowing the fire up to out house. The fire eventually went through our nature reserve onto the neighboring property. In about 10 minutes in was on the next property. It kept on going....By mid-afternoon it had passed through 8 or more properties!

View from the kitchen window

The fire's burning through the 3rd property.

Most of the "fire-fighters" having a little laugh now that the danger has passed.

Angels in Disguise

This morning an angel brought me coffee in bed and made me feel like a queen.
I spent most of the day with two little angels who did their best to keep me busy. They made me smile and laugh, and gave me hugs and kisses anyone would be jealous of.
At lunch an angel saved a plate for me and served me the best of everything.
Tonight two angels came to help me out on dishes, when my dishes partner left. I was about to do it alone but they came along and dishes was done so quickly--like magic.

Yes, I believe in angels.--I live with quite a few.

Saturday Night Fun

I don't know why the pictures are like this...but I'm very tired!

What Does It Mean to Be a Lover?

I found this article in my morning reading, and I wanted to post it up here for all you lovers out there.

What Does It Mean to Be a Lover?
By Barbara De Angelis
What does it mean to be a lover? It is more than just being married to or making love to someone. Millions of people are married, millions of people have sex-but few are real lovers. To be a real lover, you must commit to and participate in a perpetual dance of intimacy with your partner.
You are a lover when you appreciate the gift that your partner is, and celebrate that gift every day.
You are a lover when you remember that your partner does not belong to you-he or she is on loan from Heaven.
You are a lover when you realize that nothing that happens between you will be insignificant, that everything you say in the relationship has the potential to cause your beloved joy or sorrow, and everything you do will either strengthen your connection or weaken it.
You are a lover when you understand all this, and thus wake up each morning filled with gratitude that you have another day in which to love and enjoy your partner.
When you have a lover in your life, you are richly blessed. You have been given the gift of another person who has chosen to walk beside you. He or she will share your days and your nights, your bed and your burdens. Your lover will see secret parts of you that no one else sees. Your lover will seek you out where you have been hiding, and create a haven for you within safe, loving arms.
Your lover offers you an abundance of miracles every day. He has the power to delight you with his smile, his voice, the scent of his neck, the way he moves. She has the power to banish your loneliness. He has the power to turn the ordinary into the sublime. She is your doorway to heaven here on earth.

Quote Of The Day

"If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they do not, they never were."

A Time to Celebrate

I just thought that everyone should know, today is a special someones birthday. HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY GINA! She is such a wonderful sister. Gina is...very dedicated, loving, compassionate, smart, funny/silly, beautiful, honest, friendly...and much more. I wish I could be there to celebrate this special day with you, but I'm just thankful that I can see you soon.