Merry Christmas and to a Great New Year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here is what has been going on since Thanksgiving. Here are the boys in front of the house, we were able to decorate this year, and that was a highlight.

We have been visiting the Syracuse Science Museum, which has been very fun, and here Daniel is in a heart :-). It is really fun watching them get all into the exhibits.
My cousin delivered her second little girl, Annabella. She is so peaceful, and looks a lot like her sister.
Here we are getting our tree and wreath. Notice the lack of snow?
Here are the kids Christmas morning. We went to a Candlelight service on Saturday and gave the kids PJ's. We don't do Santa Clause, but give the kids each three toys to represent what the wise men gave Jesus. I don't have anything against Santa, but that was on of my family traditions. Kevin filled up the stockings, one of his family traditions, and it was great videoing it all for future reference.
I hosted Christmas for the first time, and this was the first time we had it at our house. The Turkey came out perfect!
Rachel was at the hip helping out and trying to cook with me. I also enjoyed using my mom's cookies recipes and making all of the cookies I remember making with her.
So this season is still bittersweet. My Dad and sister left today for Iowa, for a year, and even though we will see them a few times this year, I felt like I was just getting used to all of us being together. I do know the change is good, and know God can use the time apart, as much as He can use the time we have together. 2011 was definitely a time of adjustment and change. I am looking forward to getting back into shape, running a few races this year, watching the kids learn and grow, going camping and enjoying even more of upstate NY. God willing, I am ready for 2012 and all that it will bring.

Thanksgiving 2011

After having a horrible sickness on our anniversary and spending it in bed with fever, I thankfully (by the grace of God) was well enough the next day for us to travel to north Philadelphia to spend Thanksgiving at Kevin's brother's new home. It was a quick 4 1/4 hour trip, and we had a great time. Well, better for me because it is so easy to travel without diapers, pack-in-plays, and strollers. Here are the kids with their cousins Lila and Juliette.

We were about an hour away from the Crayola factory, so we made the trip and the kids really enjoyed it! It was very interactive, and Daniel got a picture with the world's biggest crayon.
It was in the same building as the Canal Museum, and the boys almost enjoyed that just as much. They loved navigating their boats through the locks.
Daniel and Pepere playing one of his Christmas games. He is in love with Legos now.
Here is another picture of the cousins in the front yard.
And now we are now getting ready for the Christmas season. We plan on getting a real tree (a first for us), decorating with lights, another first, and spending Christmas home...for the first time. In a few days we will mark the anniversary of us moving out here. What a difference a year makes!

You Can Prepare the Horse for Battle

But the Lord brings the victory ~ Proverbs 21:31

We are almost ready now for winter. We have the truck, the wood, the extra food, and a little more wisdom than last year. But in all that preparation, God is the one who is helping us get settled, putting the right people in our life, and directing our steps.

Evening wrestling time with Kevin.

Here Rachel is talking on the phone with Aunty Nay. All the kids are doing better sitting for webcams, or talking on the phone.
Buddy and Noah carving pumpkins...notice the same hooded technique.
Michael is now 6! It was last year for his birthday that we came out for the job interview, and it is amazing to reflect on the last year.
We just finished up our 8 weeks of co-op for the fall, and tomorrow night they have the kid's showcase. It has been a very quick 8 weeks, and I have really gotten to know a great bunch of ladies in the LEAH (loving education at home) group. They are from all over the county, and a wealth of information and encouragement. With that being said I am looking forward to getting into a groove with the kids over the next winter months.

We are heading out to Philly for Thanksgiving and will soon be celebrating our 9th anniversary. I am saying that now because it seems like I can only pull together a once a month post. Here are the highlights until I write again.

1,2,3,4

One soccer player, well at least the first time we got successfully through an organized sport. He also is doing very well on piano lessons and played his first song today.

One pile of wood, we cut and split, and put into our basement. Not enough however to fill up our basement but for our first year it is a good start.
Two dancing princesses. Rachel had Hadessa over for a tea party, and it was so cute to watch them play together.

Three, third times a charm. We ran out of diapers and started potty training, Noah is lots easier than Daniel was. He still has his accidents, but it has been a little over a week, and we are doing well.

Four. Here is our newest four year old. She loves our evening chats, and often has so much to say she stumbles over her words because she can't get them out fast enough.

We got a truck last week and sold our car, so we are getting set for the winter time. Talking about change of seasons, there is change in the air with my dad needing to take a job farther away for a year, and then retire. It is a tough change, but if there is something that brings you to your knees and closer to God(right Sandra?), then it is alright, and you know you can persevere.

Once Upon a Time

We went to a fall festival for my birthday. I love enjoying the fall. We have been to lots of orchards, eaten lots of apples, and played in lots of leaves. The kids at a corn maze...Daniel got us out!

My favorite picture of the kids right now...yes they are all naked...
Kevin and I doing our first 5K together. We finished in under 30 min, not bad for us out of practice runners.
I wanted to get this post in before October. I am finally feeling a little older, but learning to grow out of perfectionism. The more I know, the more I know I don't know. Looking forward to posting next family highlight...Rachel's 4th birthday!

I have no pictures but lots of thoughts. Last weekend I had a great get away weekend with one of my best friends in DC. It was truly relaxing and fun to reconnect with her, without the distractions of life. Well, my life. It is a beautiful city, I enjoyed the buildings, museums, and food. I drove past Chantilly, and thought sooner than later, there would be some more good reasons to visit. I guess it also made me realize I am not as much of a city girl as I thought. Or maybe God gives you the grace to live where He puts you to live. I did enjoy all that cities have to offer, and do plan on visiting again, was just as happy to have some one else do the driving, and parallel parking :-)

On the flight coming home I had the most interesting conversations on the plane. I wasn't looking for a God talk, I wanted to work on the new stitch Jenny had shown me with my knitting, but the young lady had some very pretty sparkly shoes, so I opened up the conversation. She got talking about her family, her religion, and how nobody should home school their kids. It turns out she is a part of the Pentecostal religion that is pretty strict, and she was working through the things she was brought to believe, like wearing pants is a sin, and her love of God and what the Bible says. I tried to encourage her with comparing what she was taught with the nature and character of God, and go back to the basics of prayer and the Word. We had a good talk, and as often I think about her, I pray for her.

That leads us to this past week, my first week of Kindergarten. It was good, although we all seemed to get a bad cold halfway through the week. That is life. Daniel still has soccer, and he is starting music lessons this week. I found a closer dance class for Rachel to be a part of, and Noah is entering the terrible 2 stage. Maybe he is not so terrible, but he is very questioning, and I am not used to a boy this age talking to much and interested in everything. I need to stop complaining about it, these stages don't last long, and these are good issues to have. I am glad to have this blog to put my thoughts, one day I want to print it out for me to look back and remember God's faithfulness, in the big and little things.

Make all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can - John Wesley

The trip to VA was such a blessing. The wedding was truly blessed, the kids did great, we had lots of help, I got to have quality time with the bride, and it all came together. As only God can make it, if you know what I mean.

We were refreshed by connecting with some folks we knew from college and were still in the area. Ron, who married us back in the day, and his family were still in the area, and it was a God thing to connect with him, pray with him, and have the encouragement we needed.

The weather was perfect on the wedding day, here is the whole family up to date. Not the best candid shot, but you get the idea:
Thankful to have the family picture too...without too much stress! Daniel still sleeps with the pillow he used as the ring bearer.
Some bubbly fun in the grandparent's cool tub...
And of course we come back hitting the ground running. Daniel had his first soccer game this past Monday, and scored! I got it on video below, it is hard to see, but it was him.

And now I am excited about a girl time in DC with my best friend from college...Kevin will be on parent duty for just two nights. I am looking for some time to recharge, and then it is onto school. Ready or not here we go!

Turning the Corner

A strange thing happened to me this past weekend. I took the kids to the beach, and I enjoyed myself. Kevin was at work, it was just the three and me, and we had fun. Then we went to the zoo as a family, and I didn't need my stroller. The kids all walked, and stayed close. I didn't really know what to do with my hands, well I was able to pet an elephant, which was cool, but it hit me. My kids are growing up. Noah is asking to use the potty, Daniel is a huge helper, Rachel is a great encourager, and they are growing up. As we turn the corner on summertime, and sprint to the finish, I think the end of this summer will be bringing some new and exciting times. Not all easy, but good.

Here Daniel is looking out from one of our newer rope swings.

Rachel loves frogs, and catching them, and here she is showing one off.
She loves to paint, and has such a joy with her arts and crafts.
Here are the cousins at the zoo last week. We were celebrating Hadessa's birthday, and it is a joy to be around for these occasions.
I love the quote at the top of this one: Social Animals
Noah is chatting up a storm, and I need to remember to video him, because that raspy little voice will continue to change.

No photos on my camera

As I have been meaning to update my blog, lots of things have been happening, I just didn't take any pictures on my camera to document them. For example, we went out to MA, had a great visit with old friends, celebrated Kevin's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary (the only event I do have photos of thanks to Rene), and met my new niece, Juliette.

Rachel being very careful holding her new cousin.

Memere and Pepere Gagnier, with all their great grand kids!
Me and Claire :-), Kevin's other Memere
Saturday night is Spaghetti night at the Gagnier Household, and it has been that way for 60 years.

Other events that I do not have documented, Daniel had his first dentist appointment here, with two wiggly teeth, Noah talking up a storm, Rachel's room coming together, Daniel biking like a champ, Rachel and Noah swimming in the pool, all the zucchini and beans growing in the garden,and a weekend at Sackets Harbor with just some grown up time :-). Makes me want to get a boat...someday... I am enjoying every moment, just didn't have my camera on hand.

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah!!

Look at that little face! After surviving a week without Kevin last week, we welcomed him back, along with Rene and Di. We were able to celebrate the 4th of July with Kevin's parents and celebrate Noah's birthday with them. We went to Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake at the beach there, put together a workbench, fixed up a lot of projects around the house, and had a great time! I enjoyed making a strawberry rhubarb pie, and showing off my other rhubarb recipes.
Memere reading to the kids.
I made an alligator cake for Noah's birthday...and it came out pretty nice! Rachel and Hadessa are putting the final pieces of the cake together.
All the kids seemed to enjoy it, and we had a nice barbecue in the backyard.
I haven't had too much to post lately, or at least haven't had my camera out. The summer has been fun so far, trying new places with the kids, enjoying icee's in the backyard, gardening, jogging, and just laying low. I have been trying to read more, and Di taught me some of the basics of cross stitching, so here is another thing to enjoy. We painted Rachel's room and are working getting it set up for her, and I am excited about starting potty training for Noah. Well, excited to be out of diapers sooner than later!

Lessons from the Garden

We have been enjoying the outdoors for the last few weeks, learning that with the severe winters you enjoy the nice weather when you can! We are all slightly bronzed with the sun, and have our fair share of bug bites to prove it. We enjoyed the town's Memorial Parade, the lake's sandy beaches, the strawberries in the side yard, and gardening and outdoor fun as much as possible.

Safety first Noah!

We attended a birthday party at the Ft Rickey Game farm in Rome, NY and the kids enjoyed the hands on feeding and petting the animals.
Here is our garden in the back of the house. I have been noticing that pretty much everything I planted has been growing, and I am amazed!

As I was trying the weed in the heat today I found myself wondering why I was so surprised that things were actually growing. We worked hard to get the land cleared, pick out the seeds, plant them, and maintain. The only thing I couldn't control was the most important part, the growing of the seed. God in His wisdom used this illustration to point out a weakness that I have. I try very hard to keep control of the things around me, which I am sure has it's place, but overall God is still in control of everything. I have to admit, as much as I am ready for homeschooling, the thought of it scares me. I can prepare the material, the space, and set the goals, but only God can see inside the children's heart and grow and teach the most important parts. And there is where I need to let go, and let grow :-)

An Ode to a Hall of Famer

Rachel has been doing dance lessons for the last few months, and in two weeks she has her first recital. She is a pro! Here is a preview to a future post and more on that later.

Two weekends ago we were able to make a very quick trip to VA for Kevin's sister Renee. She was inducted into her college's hall of fame for her career as a basketball player. We were able to fit in some wedding stuff, I met her awesome fiance, and it was a break with just one kid. I was so proud of her! She has accomplished so much, and humbly thanked God and family for all that she has been able to do.

Here's Daniel with some one on one time with the Gagnier's

In the mean time I have started to really plant the garden and we have been enjoying a lot of outdoor time, and just take it one fast day at a time. Here we are enjoying some time at the lake. Not quite the ocean, but there are some good beaches we will check out this summer.