Yes, I do believe in even small miracles. . .
Joshua noticed a trail of small ants outside our patio door yesterday evening, so he went and found the bug spray.
He decided to make sure that no ants had found their way inside by doing a sweep of the basement windows with the bug spray.
While doing the sweep of the basement he noticed a small puddle by the water bladders (where the well water is pumped into the house). It appeared to be a slow drip but rather safe than sorry decided to call our plumber even though it was a Saturday night.
He managed to reach the plumber on the cell phone and he promised to head right over, but to make sure that we turned off the water to the house and drain the pipes.
In the 20-30 minutes it took for the plumber to make it to the house the slow drip had turned into a small spray. When the plumber touched the pipes to look at the leak the whole pipe completely fractured.
Now this may not seem like a miracle to most, but just imagine if we hadn't discovered the leak for several more hours or even the next day (as it was in the utility closet in the basement which we rarely enter). With as quickly as it seemed to be progressing what kind of damage would we have had. Then add to that that God has given us the best plumber ever who doesn't mind a Saturday evening call, didn't charge us any extra for it. And in fact our bill for the whole repair (parts, running to the store to get the right fitting, time at the house on a Saturday night) was only $75. Yes, $75 still hurts right now, but it could have been so much worse. So here's to the miracle of God sending the ants. . .
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Garage Sales
Yesterday and today were our annual neighborhood garage sales. Now I have to admit I've never been much of a garage sale person-either in hosting them or in shopping them. But the kids dragged me out to visit the neighbor's sales yesterday. Really I should have been trying to sell our stuff, but I just couldn't get organized enough this week to do it.
Walking through numerous garage sales with the kids yesterday and today I was reminded of the importance of perspective. While the "treasures" my kids were begging me to buy for them appeared to be just junk to me (and probably to the people selling them), they really were great treasures to my children. They were so thrilled that their couple of quarters could actually buy them something "wonderful." So we did end up coming home $3.25 poorer, but the kids had their treasures-for Jaden it was a Pokemon book, Colten a C3PO Pez dispenser and cap gun, and Ashtyn had a Barbie and a Polly Pocket Candy Shop. They couldn't be more thrilled!
Walking through numerous garage sales with the kids yesterday and today I was reminded of the importance of perspective. While the "treasures" my kids were begging me to buy for them appeared to be just junk to me (and probably to the people selling them), they really were great treasures to my children. They were so thrilled that their couple of quarters could actually buy them something "wonderful." So we did end up coming home $3.25 poorer, but the kids had their treasures-for Jaden it was a Pokemon book, Colten a C3PO Pez dispenser and cap gun, and Ashtyn had a Barbie and a Polly Pocket Candy Shop. They couldn't be more thrilled!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pictures at the Park
We took the kids to our favorite local park to try to get pictures of the 3 of them together. . . thought I'd share what we were able to get. Enjoy!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Summer
Summer has started here. We had a wonderful weekend with Joshua's parents, and now are starting to settle into some summer routines. The kids sat down with me to decide on their summer "chores" and talk schedule. It is always so much fun to sit and have these meetings with them, it reminds me of how much they are growing up.
I don't want them to forget all their "school" stuff over the summer months so we talked about when would be the best time to do a little "school" work. So our summer days look a little bit like: get up and ready, swimming lessons, home to play, lunch, nap for Ashtyn while the boys do some school work and then quiet reading/activities while Mom catches her breath, then when it gets warm enough swimming in the afternoon. They are happy enough doing school work as long as I keep it short review stuff, and nothing too long and drawn out.
We have been having issues with sibling fighting lately, but we are working on being considerate with each other, patient, and using our words to express what we need/want instead of just yelling, pushing, etc. They really do play great together most of the time, but since they are home and together all day we are seeing and having to deal with it more than during the school year. I think it's mainly just the close proximity to each other all day long.
Jaden started tennis lessons this week and is really enjoying it! He only has one more week of those. Both boys start swimming lessons on Monday and those will be every weekday for a month so they should hopefully really be great swimmers by the end of the summer between lessons and swimming in our pool in the afternoon.
The kids wanted to make sure that we'll plan several day trips to the beach this summer so I need to figure out some good days for that inbetween everything else going on. I have a feeling summer is going to fly by quickly and we'll wonder where it went come school time in the fall.
I don't want them to forget all their "school" stuff over the summer months so we talked about when would be the best time to do a little "school" work. So our summer days look a little bit like: get up and ready, swimming lessons, home to play, lunch, nap for Ashtyn while the boys do some school work and then quiet reading/activities while Mom catches her breath, then when it gets warm enough swimming in the afternoon. They are happy enough doing school work as long as I keep it short review stuff, and nothing too long and drawn out.
We have been having issues with sibling fighting lately, but we are working on being considerate with each other, patient, and using our words to express what we need/want instead of just yelling, pushing, etc. They really do play great together most of the time, but since they are home and together all day we are seeing and having to deal with it more than during the school year. I think it's mainly just the close proximity to each other all day long.
Jaden started tennis lessons this week and is really enjoying it! He only has one more week of those. Both boys start swimming lessons on Monday and those will be every weekday for a month so they should hopefully really be great swimmers by the end of the summer between lessons and swimming in our pool in the afternoon.
The kids wanted to make sure that we'll plan several day trips to the beach this summer so I need to figure out some good days for that inbetween everything else going on. I have a feeling summer is going to fly by quickly and we'll wonder where it went come school time in the fall.
Serving. . .
OK, I haven't been great on keeping up on the blog lately, and to be perfectly honest I haven't really wanted to. I've been feeling stressed and self-absorbed lately and just wasn't ready to share or elaborate. To be perfectly honest, I'm still not sure I want to enter into all of that on the blog, but I have been feeling the pull to snap out of it and help others.
So that raises the question of how to help and encourage those around us, especially when we feel in need of that ourselves. I've had a hard time seeing the silver lining in the clouds lately, but I know that it is still there. I know that God is guiding us through these times, we don't face them alone. I'd like to let others know that they aren't alone, but just not sure how to do this. . . any suggestions?
I find myself being cynical and not hopeful, and I don't like it. So I'm going to do my best to find that hope for a better tomorrow, and pray that I feel God's encouragement in a way that I can then turn around and share that with others. I live a blessed life, I have more than I deserve, and I don't want to cling so hard to that that I miss the real living that I should be doing. And really I would love simple ideas on how to touch another's life with encouragement.
So that raises the question of how to help and encourage those around us, especially when we feel in need of that ourselves. I've had a hard time seeing the silver lining in the clouds lately, but I know that it is still there. I know that God is guiding us through these times, we don't face them alone. I'd like to let others know that they aren't alone, but just not sure how to do this. . . any suggestions?
I find myself being cynical and not hopeful, and I don't like it. So I'm going to do my best to find that hope for a better tomorrow, and pray that I feel God's encouragement in a way that I can then turn around and share that with others. I live a blessed life, I have more than I deserve, and I don't want to cling so hard to that that I miss the real living that I should be doing. And really I would love simple ideas on how to touch another's life with encouragement.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Just had to share
Ok, I've been given permission to share Troy and Vanessa's exciting news. . . they are expecting another child, well I should say another 2 children! They found out this week that they are expecting twins! Although they aren't due until mid-December, I'm expecting to have 2 new nieces/nephews just after Thanksgiving. We're all very excited for them! Please keep them in your prayers. . .
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Times, they are a changing
Colten had his preschool graduation on Friday night. . . he was so proud as you can see in his picture in the header. He can't wait to go to kindergarten, and is only upset that it's half day so that he can't eat lunch at school next year. I hope we can keep this excitement over school up as I know it tends to fade quickly.
Jaden is in his last week of 2nd grade, and really it's just a fluff week. I get to go help out for field day tomorrow morning-that should be fun! He's excited to start summer vacation.
Speaking of summer vacation I am trying to figure out a nice comfortable schedule for summer. While I want to be relaxed, it'd be nice to have some structure to our summer days. Not to mention a plan for how to deal with the multitudes of friends who constantly want to play. I'm thinking of setting a fairly regular lunch time, followed by Ashtyn's nap, during which the boys need to read a book, or work on school review kinds of things for just a short while. That should at least keep the house quiet enough for Ashtyn to get a nap, and some "down" time for the boys. On warm days I expect that to be followed by swimming time. . . I do have the boys signed up for 4 weeks of swim classes, and Jaden for a week and a half of tennis lessons, so that will fill the time a bit too. Then we can just relax and enjoy our time together the rest of the day-and maybe clean the house at some point in there as well. 80)
Things are changing at the office as well. We are in the middle of training on a new computer system that will make it a paperless office. I've been going through the training as well so that I can help with data entry when we go live as all our patients have to be entered into the new system. . . It's a big project, but it'll be great once we are actually up and running.
The other change in our lives. . . Joshua's Grandma Martens passed away on Monday. She's been having health issues for awhile so it wasn't totally unexpected, but sad none-the-less. We had been planning on driving up to North Dakota in just 3 weeks for her 90th birthday party to see her again, and sadly we didn't get that chance to see her one more time. Jaden cried and cried when we told him, and his comment was "But Grandma and Grandpa Martens are a team, you can't have one without the other, it just doesn't work." We are driving up for the funeral tomorrow so it'll be a long weekend of driving and emotions, we appreciate your prayers as we tackle it all. Grandma Martens was a wonderful and sweet woman, and I can't wait to see her dancing with the angels.
Jaden is in his last week of 2nd grade, and really it's just a fluff week. I get to go help out for field day tomorrow morning-that should be fun! He's excited to start summer vacation.
Speaking of summer vacation I am trying to figure out a nice comfortable schedule for summer. While I want to be relaxed, it'd be nice to have some structure to our summer days. Not to mention a plan for how to deal with the multitudes of friends who constantly want to play. I'm thinking of setting a fairly regular lunch time, followed by Ashtyn's nap, during which the boys need to read a book, or work on school review kinds of things for just a short while. That should at least keep the house quiet enough for Ashtyn to get a nap, and some "down" time for the boys. On warm days I expect that to be followed by swimming time. . . I do have the boys signed up for 4 weeks of swim classes, and Jaden for a week and a half of tennis lessons, so that will fill the time a bit too. Then we can just relax and enjoy our time together the rest of the day-and maybe clean the house at some point in there as well. 80)
Things are changing at the office as well. We are in the middle of training on a new computer system that will make it a paperless office. I've been going through the training as well so that I can help with data entry when we go live as all our patients have to be entered into the new system. . . It's a big project, but it'll be great once we are actually up and running.
The other change in our lives. . . Joshua's Grandma Martens passed away on Monday. She's been having health issues for awhile so it wasn't totally unexpected, but sad none-the-less. We had been planning on driving up to North Dakota in just 3 weeks for her 90th birthday party to see her again, and sadly we didn't get that chance to see her one more time. Jaden cried and cried when we told him, and his comment was "But Grandma and Grandpa Martens are a team, you can't have one without the other, it just doesn't work." We are driving up for the funeral tomorrow so it'll be a long weekend of driving and emotions, we appreciate your prayers as we tackle it all. Grandma Martens was a wonderful and sweet woman, and I can't wait to see her dancing with the angels.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Rain Gutter Regatta
Last night was the end of the year awards ceremony for Cub Scouts as well as an informal rain gutter regatta. Jaden made a batman boat for the race (notice a theme, it could just be that black spray paint was all that we have). Thought I'd share a few pictures from the evening. . .
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