Upcoming ordination

I feel obligated to update here, but after the sad event a day ago or so I find it hard to write much. Sad for us, glorious for him, need to remind myself of this. This world is not our home, but our journey to our eternal home. We will miss Rev. Cartwright. I still have (although packed away, somewhere in Scotland or perhaps its on a boat now I'm not sure) a picture of him and his wife, and a short letter he wrote to our Amelia. I will have to read it to her again, and remind her of him. Life is so short. I have this time now in Chesley, and I need to be making use of it. My Oma is turning 90 this year (November) and we know that not many people even make it to 90. So, I need to be seeing her or having her come here more often! I grew up (20 yrs!) with my Oma living in the granny flat connected to the house.

Tomorrow (very early in the morning for us here in Canada/USA), Jett is to be ordained/inducted Lord willing. A solemn and joyous occasion. Much prayer is needed for the one who is to undertake the solemn duties of the ministry. Pray without ceasing.

All three children have colds. I don't think I have it yet, but I have had allergies for weeks now so who knows what is a cold and what isn't!

Here is Amelia stuck looking at another book.This was taken before Owen made a good mess of the containers...but thought he looked soo cute in this sleeper! I think its been awhile since my children have had a one suited sleeper!

This is a project I worked on using scraps of material from our wedding quilt. I've been promising Amelia a butterfly/flower pillow case especially since Aaron has a train pillowcase. Yes, it is not perfect, please don't look too closely... :)
I need to have visitors over, but I'm not sure who wants to be around children that are full of the cold (thankfully it isn't a bad cold - no fever).

Get-togethers, projects, and painting.

I'm waiting on coffee to finish before I eat a homemade cinnamon roll (I can't be making these too often...lol!) soo, I thought I would post a few pictures of the Kuiper get-together/Reunion thingy, and a few others of the kids, and projects.

And as always, blogger doesn't know a thing about order (maybe I should write them) here is my kids painting and the easel they are borrowing from Aunt Jackie (they love her...it is a good thing we are 3 hours away or else I think my kids would be forever spoiled).At Jackie's house, we enjoyed a lovely pulled-pork on buns and tons of salads, cookies, chips, fresh veggies & dip and of course a lovely Dutch cake that I didn't photograph (but it was good). On top of this all, was seeing loved ones again, Jett and I only made it because we were able to sleep overnight at Jackie's and we could leave around 3, Jett could study in the morning for awhile which helped for the Sabbath...but we both agreed that it is very hard to do "Saturday get-togethers" for us. A lot of people I know don't know what this is like because they aren't a pastor/minister or elder in a church, anyways....

This is a pic of Uncle Kees and Oma. Interestingly in the photo he was showing her a copy of an advertisement of the "Volendam" (sp). Oma sailed on this boat to Canada.

Uncle Kees again, with Jackie.

Rebecca's sweet daughter Angela. (Care you must come and see her! She is a doll!)

Jay & Roxanne's chihuahua and Owen.

Oma and her daughter Bertha (who was surprised and happy that Oma came all the way down).

Uncle Dave and Jay

I know, I did a pretty bad job of taking photo's...missing a lot of people and kids. Sorry! :(

Ooh, green fabric with polka dots...what could this be for?
Oh Mom, your machine is still wonderful...works so well. No, this is not an apron well...actually it is kind of an apron of sorts because it is used as a cover up/nursing cover. Mrs Stephanie taught me how to do this a couple of yers back and well, that one is sitting in Perth ready to be shipped to NZ...soo, here I am making another (can always use a spare right?). in 1 hour or less (I had some issues with a safety pin) you can have a lovely cover...easy, no measuring (well, just get a metre/yard of fabric), cut straight and sew straight (obviously) and buy some "D" rings.
And onwards...I need to see what I can send along with Jett for Tuesday. I doubt it will be much, that man just has too much stuff or er, likes to have his books with him, but love him just the same. :)

why I'm not blogging lately...

...is because, well, I don't feel like it. :) Can you blame me? I'm sitting here wondering what my three youngsters are doing in the other room (mess maybe...they are kind of quiet). My husband is upstairs probably preparing for the Sabbath and/or preparing for the ordination/induction that hopefully will be Sept 23rd (yes, soon!) This means, he is also leaving very soon and for a very long time, so if I don't feel like blogging I think you can see why.

That is the main news here, his departure and the upcoming ordination/induction. The next news is Amy has started kindergarten and it is way too easy for her, I'm hoping we can get through a whole lot (without forcing it much) before December. Aaron is being potty trained and that is going not too badly especially considering Amelia's training was awful (and we aren't through yet). Oh I'm 25 weeks pregnant and the weight is affecting things, like moving fast etc but other than that everything is going well. And Owen has a craze over cars/trucks.... how many can you fit under your chin? Well, so far I think he can fit about 6-7 little cars/trucks in his hands and under his chin...he has to sleep with them too, we are trying to limit that to 2 cars because falling asleep on them must be so uncomfy. I'm waking up just before 5 every morning and hardly falling back asleep....so the mornings are a bit er, groggy. :)

Can't remember if I posted this photo...but this is my two year old in mid air jumping from table to little loveseat... he is very active :)

:D

Holiday at Mom's

We went to my mom's for a few days & nights to spend time with our little family. Jett took me and the kids to Black Creek Pioneer Village which was neat (old stuff, old clothes etc) but I realize more than ever how I would not want to live in those days...it was tough! And to think that they had little to no understanding of germs...eek. :S One funny thing I noticed was a certain fire place in the "doctors house" I looked at it and said, "Uh, Jett doesn't that look like a fireplace you would still see in Harris?"

The next day we went to the Hamilton Harbour/Waterfront and enjoyed the water, geese/swans, boats, ice cream and of course the trolley ride (which was called train by Amy and Aaron...) In the afternoon Mom babysat the kids so Jett and I could get some needed shopping done.

:)

Our news regarding New Zealand

(Auckland, NZ)

I've been meaning to write about this much earlier but everything seems to be getting in the way. For example, my brother in law finds a cheaper flight for the end of this week, leaving us to scramble to get him a ride, thankfully we found a bus from Brantford to take him to Buffalo so hopefully things will turn out okay today for that! Another example is that I do not have my own laptop, but this we hope to change in the near future.

So. Finally I am telling you about our visa situation. Sitting at my mom's place is Jett's visa, and all three children as well, but not mine. I was not issued mine, and can't be issued until after I have the baby, this also means we need to apply for the new babies visa as well (can you see this being long and drawn out?) But I was so happy to hear that Jett has his visa (and even the kids for that matter) it just means we are bit closer to all being allowed to go!

We decided instead of waiting in North America (Jett can't stay up in Canada for longer than 6 months so in order for him to attend the birth he would need to be out of the country for some time anyway) that the appropriate thing to do would be to start the work in Auckland as soon as possible. It does mean we will be separated for 2-3 months during the latter part of my pregnancy, but I feel comforted knowing Jett will be working where we believe he is called to.

I can't say why all of this is happening to us, only that the Lord's ways are not our ways. It is a trial, but He has not left us without help. He has remembered mercy. Some of you might think how am I supposed to cope without Jett with three littles and an ever growing camel's hump! I've thought much about this too, and worried too, but I'm not left without help. Of all places to have to stay for the rest of the pregnancy Chesley is probably the best spot! I have already 4 people I can apply for help when needed, and my sister already has offered her services if I go into labour early (and even when I do she would like to come).

So, Jett's flight is booked for mid-September, and the ordination/induction to follow shortly thereafter. We should be so thankful we have the doors opened thus far!

Happy Birthday Amelia!

This Saturday we celebrated Amy's 5th birthday (her bday was actually on the Sabbath). I don't like doing too much for birthdays, simply because it tires out the mommy and I don't see the need to go all out for a child...that doesn't mean I don't have cake and a gift. Also...if I had to do this when or if we had 6 children I think I would be pulling out my hair...so, best not to start something I'll regret later. :)

Yes, she was taken with the balloons. It was hard getting her interested into the presents because of the balloons lol! But she managed to open them, and find, books, school supplies, a memory game and my dear sister purchased Amy's kindergarten books (due to come in sometime this week or next)! Ok...so maybe I'm more excited then Amelia...but she was thrilled to hear about them. I just hope she will be as thrilled half way through the books! :)

Sat evening it was easy to get her to shower and get ready for bed with the "new" books to read afterwards... :D Bribes I know.

Ooh the balloon again...

And I would've posted a video but for some reason it doesn't want to work. :(

In other news I'm half way through the pregnancy. News about our immigration to come in the next post.

its a zoo here (almost!)

Myself and the kids did visit one last week with my mom and sister (and her two children). Amelia liked feeding the goats.

And we were able to convince Aaron, after a while of watching us have fun! Jackie had the largest goat try to nibble at her skirt, and then the bag of food... :D

I could post photos of animals, but I think we all know what usually is in a zoo! This was a smaller one, so not so much walking for a pregnant mommy! :) And they had a little park area for wee ones to run around in.

Now, I must tell you something. I've been using yogurt as a face wash. Just plain organic yogurt. And it is actually really nice! I've tried the baking soda but to do that everyday is just a bit too rough on the skin for me. But yogurt...is so nice. :) Now, I have to admit I'm not diligent enough washing every night or morning with it...I do have three littles, a husband, a pregnancy, and brother in law to deal with, so time is harder to come by.

Speaking of yogurt, look what I found my son doing a day or so ago...

Yes....yogurt in his hair! *sigh*

And what of our visas? Well, last Friday or Thursday we found out that my standard of health is unacceptable and on the basis of that they could refuse our application (pregnancy is considered an unacceptable standard of health - I still think its so silly but nevermind). However our last and final option was to write a guarantee (oh I cant remember how its spelled!) that the birth etc would be covered (cost), and the church has graciously done this for us. We may still be refused, but we can only pray that they would let us through - please remember us! We will likely know the final outcome later next week. And yes, it has been a very stressful time, but I hope I am learning more and more that all things are in His control, and whatever happens it is in His providence. Our ways are not His ways neither His thoughts our thoughts. (I'm not quoting the text perfectly, just trying to remember the content).

Until next week then or the week thereafter!

strawberries again!

Yes, again! I enjoyed the little strawberry season down in Texas, but now get to enjoy it all over again here in Ontario! What is so nice, is that Sam brought home a nice sized basket of these yummies...soo ripe and too good. What I don't like is that the California strawberries (which taste terrible versus the fresh!) cost so little but the ones growing here cost so much...! Uhm, I thought importing would be expensive, but nevermind.

This boy here, does not like strawberries (I tried) but he does give cute smiles.

He likes messing with dirty laundry. Sometimes he will even load the washer for me...oh, and sometimes he'll close the door, or he'll decide to pull all of it out. :)

My little girl does not like strawberries! But wait what is that boy in the yellow doing?

Is he really trying one?

Oh yes, not only does he "try" them he has become quite the connoisseur about strawberries. You see he can tell if one is not completely ripe (not sweet enough lol) and therefore it is a sour one, a not good one. What a sweetie. Now how to convince the other two...!

Baby names...

Ah yes, I'm looking at baby names again...but we kind of already have the names pretty much picked out already, mind you things can always change!

I was just thinking of what I have named my children so far and what their names mean...

Amelia Jane - Industrious, striving (English); God is gracious (English)

Aaron Austin - Exalted, strong (Hebrew); Majestic or great (Latin/English it is also a form of Augustine)

Owen Ernest - One website says Desire born the other (more fitting to Owen lol) young warrior (Welsh I believe); Earnest (English) So he is my earnest young warrior then? Heehee!

And the next baby? Well...you'll just have to wait for...oh about 6 months :D Hey, I have to wait that long to find out whether it is a girl or boy! :)

a miscellaneous post

Or just misc. photos! :)


Here is my birthday boy eating yummy cake...Opening a present...he wasn't exactly thrilled that day.

Same boy, a couple of weeks later eating a chocolate chip banana muffin.

About-to-be-roasted potatoes...a very good alternative to french fries using olive oil.

and the other two mixing the batter for the above muffins...blogger likes to mix things up for me! :) excuse trouser-less boy...he usually doesn't walk around like that!

And I'm 13 weeks pregnant as of Tuesday. :) So 3 months for sure!

expecting :)

We are expecting our 4th baby! Due around the 14th of Dec.

I don't have any ultrasound pics to show as the printer did not work that day :( Maybe I'll be able to get them at a later date.

the return to normalcy!

The new suit set from Grandma Terry! Thank you Mom!

Or close to it :)

well overdue!

It is not because I don't like blogging but...being net-less, moving about the country, and immigrating (or trying to apply in the first place) kind of makes it difficult to update here.

So, where are we? Well...we've travelled up to Canada, and currently living in Chesley for the next couple of months.

The biggest news is we sent off the application!! And we did hear some news back from them. At first we thought "oh no!" Because they want to see more documents...well, I don't know how many more documents we can come up with before mailing ourselves over to Ottawa but nevermind. :D They wanted to see 1. More evidence of our stable relationship (ie rent agreements) 2. Uhm, this is sort of a secret... and 3. An FBI criminal record check?! So...Jett called them up the next day because I thought the last one was ridiculous according to the NZ requirements (I had to live in a country for at least 5 yrs before I had to supply them with that countries criminal record check) and I was right!! So scratch the FBI thingy, and just the above two had to be supplied. Another thing that will make the waiting for these visa's longer is the Medicals (Medical Examination). They have to be sent all the way to NZ to be assessed. This takes 4-6 weeks. So still waiting but we are more hopeful.

Another issue we are currently trying to remedy is acquiring more medication for Amy in Canada. It was easy to see the doctor and pay for the visit but not so easy to get her medication...they just don't have the liquid form here. Trying to measure the same in tablet form (not to mention on trying to get a 4/5 year old to take a tablet) probably will not be very easy. We still have a couple of options so we aren't completely left without hope!

Since we have the net now, maybe I'll be able to post some pictures soon (not that I've taken many recently).

Of painting, colds, and the like

I know, I know, I haven't updated in a long time. I'm sorry. We've been dealing with awful colds (I haven't really caught it yet) that includes fevers, coughing (meaning a lot of sleepless nights, because as you know each child seems to catch the cough part of the cold at different times) and other infections too. The colds are just leaving us, and sleep is finally returning to normal. I'm also dealing with what to feed this little man pictured below! Since he is allergic to any nut product or eggs (although if it has a teeny bit of egg it doesn't seem to bother him) and now I'm worried he doesn't like Banana's... he cant eat tuna fish, and he is already a picky eater when it comes to a meat potato veg meal...so yes, now I have three picky piggies! I am glad though that Amelia is much better, and Aaron will eat especially if its roast or chicken.


These were taken awhile back (several weeks!) and I don't know if we'll be doing this again...it is too hard to keep track of three kids painting or eating paint or painting each other! No we are not natives...though the kids will have some Indian blood in them which explains a lot. ;)

And although Amelia likes to draw people and such, when it comes to paints she would rather be abstract. Jett and I like realistic art...but maybe she'll change her mind :)

In the playroom, lies a mattress, and on the mattress lies two sillies.

And around the mattress lies a mess!

Owen's favourite parent...

And Owen's favourite hat.

And for those of you who don't know, that hat comes from my brother's business... JR Construction. Owen is also talking more which is very exciting. I get excited when my children start to communicate with a known tongue.

And no I do not let my kids (those who are in diapers) run around in diapers (nappys) all day. But, it is warm enough or it was warm enough to go around like that without getting cold!! In March of all things! We also went Strawberry picking this month which is just too strange for this Canadian.

In other news which really isn't news, we are still waiting for my police certificate. If it doesn't come in in the next two weeks we will have to apply in Canada because the end of April marks the date I MUST be out of the USA. So, we're just waiting.