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.

Morgan, Morgan, here we go again, how does your garden grow?

We are going to do a garden, and I have started the seeds. It has been amazing to watch the process, that what you put into the ground, with water and sunlight, will grow. We have planned out where we are going to have the garden now, and have some trees coming. Nothing like jumping right in!

I also have to admit, I can't take any credit for most of the landscaping at the house. Here are some beautiful tulips in the side yard.
This is the side yard inside the fence. I have some before pictures to compare to, and it is amazing how the flowers are coming in. It has been a beautiful illustration of not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord. I didn't do anything to create such beauty around me, but God is showing me how to rest in it and enjoy.
I have been enjoying the birds to that stop by. I have a hard time catching some of the bigger ones on camera, but I have seen blue jays, blue birds, cardinals, red winged black birds, and a variety of others.
The cousins are enjoying my brother's tractor.
We have been enjoying the yard and for Mother's Day went to Salmon River Falls. Growing up here I had never been before, and it was a great morning with Kevin and the kids. I love family time, I think quality time is my love language, and I have been getting that on the weekends with everyone.


Next weekend is a quick weekend to VA to see my awesome sis in law get inducted into her college's hall of fame, and I am excited to meet her fiance. The time is going fast, their wedding is only a few months away.

Catching up, and Ketchup

The last few weeks have been pretty quiet, it has been the weekends that are full of activity. Two weekends ago was my grandmother's memorial service that went very well, except for the very rainy weather. It was a little harder than I thought it would be revisiting the cemetery less than a year after my mom's death, but I feel a fresh start now and ready to move forward. That includes enjoying the kids and our family, taking care of my health, continuing to look to God daily for strength!

Last weekend we spent Easter weekend with Kevin's brother in Delaware. It was great to have some one on one time with them, and I look forward to meeting our new niece in the next few months. Traveling with the kids was great for the most part, and we'll really be good to go in another year or so with Noah. We spent an afternoon at the Children's Museum in Wilmington, and the kids loved it.

Noah and Rachel are the same weight, which I can feel every time Noah asks to be picked up.

Daniel got a tent that all the kids enjoyed as a birthday present.
Here Daniel is playing at the water table at the children's museum...he spent most of the time there. I love seeing the concentration on his face.

Noah and Lila are only a month apart. They seemed to have fun with each other, but also knew how to get at each other.
Rachel loved their pets, especial their dog Zoi....maybe a dog will be in our future?
Kristin took some great Easter pictures with her camera, and here is on of the kids from our camera.

The weather is finally turning around. Since moving here we have experienced one of the worst winters, and rainiest Aprils on record. I have some plants started in the back room and am making plans for a garden and doing some more things on the house.

Also, this past Tuesday was the last of the Co-op that we were apart of for the last 8 weeks, and it was great! They have a showcase this Friday night that Daniel is going sing in chorus in, and we look forward to participating in the co-op in the fall. I also look forward to meeting and getting to know some other mom's in the area.

Oh, and Ketchup is one of our favorite condiments (as in the title).

Rope Swing

We have been enjoying the weekends with family BBQ's, planning gardens, seeing what is growing around us, and letterboxing. If you haven't heard of the last thing then you really should check out this website (www.letterboxing.org). These are boxes placed all over the world (literally) and there are hints and clues to find the location of these boxes. You have a name and a stamp, you stamp and leave a note on the notepad you find, and put their stamp on your notepad. Here are some pictures from our adventure near the lake.

This is at a beach at the lake...not quite the ocean, but there is sand and will be worth checking out when it is a little warmer.
We have a wonderful fenced in yard with the playset...but we also found a rope swing in one of the trees behind the fenced in area. It has been fun swinging on that too, and Daniel wants to get a tire swing, maybe down the road.

The April shower are bringing in the May flowers now, but on the sunny days we spend most of the time outside!