Finishing Up the School Year

I needed to get those winter pictures down and some newer, warmer pictures up. I am actually procrastinating because we are almost finished with the school year, and now come the quarterly reports, End of Year Narrative, Intent to Homeschool, and the looming instruction plan for next year.  It has been a good school year, and we have had a few breakthroughs.  Mostly the kids love learning, music, and are realizing why they need math.  I am alright doing this another year.  

All three kids performed in the showcase our homeschool group holds, and they did a great job.  We had to have some ice cream as a celebration. 

 Once the snow did melt, and the sun came out, we tried to do as much as we could outside.  With or without the turkey.

 The kids favorite place is a fish fry place next to the lake.  They love filling the lake with rocks.

 Kevin and Rachel had their daddy daughter dance, Rachel looks forward to it all year!  They had a blast, and we are already planning the outfit for next year.

 Noah is the first one of the kids to try baseball, and he is doing well.  The games are a little longer than I would like, but I am impressed at how quickly he is picking this stuff up.  It is great to watch his develop his own talents, grow in reading, and in strength.  He and Rachel are the same size, and soon he is going to be taller than her.  But Rachel still knows how to put the boys in their place.

 Kevin has enjoyed doing Cub Scouts with the boys, and that finished up.  They were able to do camping and the group of boys are really good.  Rachel and I enjoyed our girl time while the boys were away.

We still have one more dance recital to do, and a big end of year picnic with our home school group.  And then Kevin and I are getting away for a few days....just us...no kids...to California.  Kevin has a work thing and I am going with him.  I am excited, a little nervous, but my dad/family is going to watch the kids and I think it will be good for all of us.  Kevin and I haven't gone away like this in like 10 years.  What am I going to do with myself....I am going to enjoy the ocean, get refreshed, and go exploring, and then take on whatever the summer may bring!

Learning

Our Homeschool Co-op starts tomorrow, and I feel like it is the calm before the storm.  The weather has really stopped us from going out too much over the last few weeks, and that is not a bad thing.  We are pushing through with school, so when the weather is nice, we can be right out there enjoying every minute of it.

In the mean time there has been quite the test in health, and the weeks have really jumbled together.  I am amazed that Daniel turns 9 this month, and that we are heading over into spring.  I have learned that my oldest son could be labeled as a highly sensitive child.  That is not a bad thing, it is just causing us to sit back and evaluate how we treat him.  He can be very hard on himself, and we are learning how to teach him about grace.  Kevin and I have really gotten into the grace message over the last year, seeing how it is Jesus's finished work on the cross that makes the difference in life.  That is not us, but Jesus in us, that God sees.  I am reading books by Joseph Prince, Curry Blake, and E.W. Kenyon, really learning about the kingdom of God, and how we are to have authority in Christ here.  I am learning God's love story for me, seeing Him in my everyday mundane life, found an encouraging mentor that will pray with me and challenge me to go deeper with God.  I am wanting to change from a human "doing" to a human "being".  Not there yet, but everyday I am seeing a change.

So thankful for this journey!

To End a Year

Thanksgiving was a family filled trip to Disney World.  We didn't need a stroller, the kids did the roller coasters they wanted to, and we didn't need naps. My world is changing, and lately I am amazed at how the kids change as we grow together.
We had the ability to do the photo pass, so any nice photographer could take a professional picture and we could be in the moment a little better.  All those years of teaching to smile on demand is paying off.

 Rachel's favorite princess  is still Aurora, she says it is because she wears a pink dress.  A good enough reason as any.

Here is a picture of the whole family.  We still work at navigating the holidays together, and I am glad that even a few years after mom's passing we can still be so close.  Literally, like when we went on vacation we were farther away than where we live.  Thankful for them!

We could all fit on a log on Splash Mountain together.  You know what they say, a family that rides a log flume together stays together. 

And I finally, after decades of dreaming and holding on, got a chance to scuba dive in the Living Seas.  It was wonderful.  We swam with sharks, tropical fish, and sea turtles.  My favorite part was having Kevin and the kids right there and seeing me do this.  I think aquarium diving is the way to go! My Dad warns me to beware what promises I make to my kids, where it may lead us in the future.  This is a promise he made to me, and he fulfilled it!

We did get a chance to buy the video from the experience, and my brother posted it on youtube.  I am the one with the mask, and the tank, and it is kinda hard to tell is me but click on the link below and check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYVVr0Uw768

We had a chance to see Kevin's parents a little before Christmas, and Christmas was good and low key.  I am looking forward to 2015, and reflect on all the blessings and grown that happened this year.  

Scuba Diving

Ok, I still should be working on these quarterly reports, but I wanted to share something else.  Ever since I can remember I have loved the ocean.  And yes, I still wanted to be a marine biologist, not a mortician :-)  In college my sophomore year I found time to fit in my open water certification for scuba diving, but 14 years later had never used it again until now!

This past summer my brother, dad and I, with the crew support from Kevin and my sister, got our open water certification together.  For Thanksgiving we are heading to Florida and Disney World.  While we are there we are doing this thing called Dive Quest.  We are going to scuba dive in the huge aquarium that they have at EPCOT, and I am super excited. This is something I have wanted to do since I was like 8 seriously.

Not the best picture but....

So I will hopefully be posting some pictures within the next 6 months detailing this experience, but needless to say I am happy not to have let go of this dream, and hope to do some more scuba diving this upcoming year!  

Rachel is Seven!

I should be writing quarterly reports right now, but why not update the blog first right?  Rachel has been seven now for about a month, and each birthday amazes me.  They just don't stop growing!  She was still interested in Princess Aurora, and I got my act together this year to decorate her cake.  I tell you I need to be inspired to do things like this lately. 

 She still has her unique style!  I love to see what outfits she puts together, and I enjoy painting, dancing, reading, coloring, and singing with her.

 We did get our ears pierced together a few weeks ago, I was just as nervous as she was.  She is also losing a lot of teeth!  I have almost forgotten what she looks like with a full smile, but she makes me smile when she shows all the gaps.  She can whistle very well with those gaps too!

Noah's 5th!

I have fallen off the blog band wagon, but I figure maybe I can do it for the birthdays?  I would love to do it more, but it seems like life is just picking up steam, and it is hard to summarize what has been going on over the past few months.  We have a new nephew and a new niece, school moved seamlessly into summer time, we travelled to Philly, Kevin's parents came for a visit, swimming lessons, baptism, and birthdays.  I was very humbled as we watched Daniel share his testimony at church, and then we saw his baptism.  Jesus is truly in the testimony! We are excited for all our kid's and how they will grow in God!

And onto Noah, my baby is 5!  For some reason his birthday brings a tear to my eye, but I am also proud of him.  We kept telling him that this is his year, he can ride a bike, swim on his own, and he is ready for Kindergarten next year, he keeps asking when can he start.  

 He still loves those dino's!

So this evening begins VBS at our local church, the summer will include more swim lessons, trips to the beach, reading, library time, dance camp, and we are ending off our summer with a Gagnier family trip to Cape Cod.  Lord thank you for the time, and that we can enjoy every minute of it!

Daniel's 8th Birthday

There are certain numbers that seem quite mature and 8 is one of them.  I am sure I will experience that sense of awe and wonder with the first kid how fast the time is going, and how proud I am of where they are in life.  Daniel got an extra special gift, a cousin was born this year on his birthday.  Renee had her first baby on Tuesday, and I can't help but remember those first days with your kid, realizing life would never be the same for you.  

 Although my kids look cute in their winter clothes, it really can be spring now, please.

 I love seeing Daniel in his basketball shirt playing piano.

For the first year, however, I am embarrassed about the birthday cake I decorated.  Those decorating classes I took oh so long ago are starting to fade, the cake was delicious, however, and it was eaten, so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

Hibernating

I haven't posted in a while, but I am ready to get back in the saddle again.  Here is a little recap:  We spent Thanksgiving in Virginia, celebrated 11 years of marriage, Christmas at home, Christmas Recital,   basketball practice, Pinewood derby, School stuff, playing in the snow, and keeping warm.  That is pretty much it.

 Daniel and I hiked up a mountain that was a quick walk away from Kevin's home in VA.

 Rachel always amazes me as she performs, and loves it.

 Lots of snow, making forts, playing backyard hockey, throwing snowballs, trying to enjoy this white stuff.

 Noah is wanting to do school, has such a focus and such a fun kid!

Don't look behind you!

Now that we are well into the new year, there is a  lot to look forward to!  We will be getting a new nephew in March and a nephew or niece in May.  We have trips planned to Cape Cod, and Disney World later in the year.  The kids are physically growing, we have had lots of leg aches and going through clothes like crazy, but I think Kevin and I have grown in a deeper way in the last few months.  We have been doing a Bible Study at church about seeing the Bible in the Light of our Redemption.  We are continuing learning about the Kingdom of God and how it is to walk in that Kingdom now.  It is such a blessing to teach the Bible, because we learn so much.  I have been learning from this book Destined to Reign by Joseph Prince, about grace.  How much God loves us and what lengths He took to make us sons and daughters, to be not just forgiven, but to have the power and authority to walk on this earth in a victorious life.  The more we study and know about God, the deeper our love for Him grows.  I am very thankful in this journey, and look forward to coming to a greater realization who God is in my everyday life.

Rachel is 6!

September came and went with us finishing up soccer with the kids, Rachel loved it, Daniel was fast, and Noah could have cared less!  My birthday came with more excitement from the kids than me, but we had fun.  We also got a chance to visit with Kevin's sister as she was east coast, and met her down in Hershey PA for a very quick, but fun, visit.  She is expecting her first child in the spring, and we are super excited for her!

In the mean time, winter is coming, and we have been in the process of getting about 15 truck loads of wood in our basement, we are almost there!

 Ah yes, we now have a 6 year old little girl, and she still loves Aurora, so I found this fun way to decorate, and the boys helped!

 No birthday week would be complete without celebrating for a few days, and then taking a trip out to MA in October for Kayleen's wedding. We were able to also celebrate Kevin's grandmother's birthday as she and Rachel share the day, and visit the Libby's, Picariello's and got a chance to go to a Mount Hope service!

 Happy birthday to these lovely ladies!

Philadelphia city of Brotherly Love

To finish off the summer we were able to go to Philadelphia and visit with Kevin's brother Ryan and family.  It was a fun filled trip, into the city running the steps like Rocky, visiting the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, going to Sesame Place, and topping it off with a trip to the beach.  

It was fun watching Noah with his little cousin

 It was great going on the rides with all the kids.

 Kevin was able to dig a hole at the beach.  A family favorite of his.

 Did I mention we were excited to relive some of the Rocky movie?

We started school this week, with a 2nd, 1st and Pre-K student.  It got off to a great start!  Now the fall activities are upon us, with soccer, dance, piano, and school.  And it is my favorite month of the year :-)