A little time off

Quick note for Kelly.

We are blogging on our other site for the time being:

http://ourkenilworthhome.blogspot.com/

see you there!

Cat…girls???

 

 

The girls had tons of fun this week….. 

 

Here they are posing in a very..uh.. intimidating.. stance.

 

Beware, Greater Lebanon Area!

Sweet 16

Luke turned 16 on Tuesday, the 31st of January!  We had a fabulous day. 

As the kids ate breakfast, I told them about the morning Luke was born – about feeling my very first contraction and thinking, “Hmmm…. I’ve never felt anything like that before!”  About driving myself to the doctor’s office a couple of hours later – speeding a little and kind of hoping a policeman might want pull me over to ask me why I was..    Glenn had wanted to come home from work to take me – I think maybe he had the same thought I did.

Luke was our biggest baby at 8lbs. 4oz! How surprised we were to find out he had red hair!!  People have always asked him where he got it.

He has been our precious little guinea pig.  We are very proud of the godly young man God is growing him into.  He is a devoted big brother, loves and honors Glenn and me, and loves God. 

He’s been driving with a Learner’s Permit for several months now, and he’s so conscientious about following the driving laws that it’s made me more careful myself.   But, it will still be hard to watch him drive off by himself for the first time! 

Luke loves music – and is especially fond of Christian Rock/Metal groups.  Words are important to him – he thinks the groups’ lyrics should respect God, and I think he knows all the words to most of the songs he listens to.   He also reads up about the groups to make sure they are professing Christians.  When I’m skeptical about the sound a particular group is making, he’s quick to show me what they’ve said about their faith and why they make music.  I have to admit, sometimes I find myself humming some of the songs..they do tend to stick in your head.

                                                                     I read something once by Pastor Doug Wilson in which he stated he thinks young men like metal and rock music because the sounds they make are like heavy equipment and big machines.  Luke grinned when I told him that – he agreed. 

This past Tuesday, he and I went to 5 Guys for lunch (his choice), and then to Sam Ash to look around.  We looked all around the store, and then he tried out all 9 drum sets on the floor, in fact a couple of them he had to play twice.  He loved startling me when he tapped a cow bell with the drum stick.  It was a lot louder than I expected!  Then he put some earphones on and hooked up to some kind of machine and played a couple of nice-looking electric guitars.  I sat and watched him for a while. 

He’s asked me at least 3 times since Tuesday when we can go back again.

One of the sweetest memories for me from his birthday this year happened right after breakfast.  Isabella came up to me and asked quietly, “Is Luke of marrying age yet?”.  When I told her he still had a few years yet, she gave a big sigh of relief and said, “Oh good!”  Amen to that!

 

  Happy 16th Birthday, Lukey!  We love you!!

Happy Birthday!

Our two beautiful, tiny little girls were born 8 years ago today!!  They came 2 months early – weighing only 3lbs 10oz and 3lbs 13 oz. 

Although tiny, they were strong.  Thank you, Lord!!

Happy Birthday to our Isabella Faith and Sophia Grace- born at 1:01 & 1:02 pm respectively!

  here we are – just a few weeks beforehand..unaware of how soon we would see them.  No, I am not making this picture any bigger than it already is.

 

Sophia’s first picture!

                                                   

Here’s Isabella!

Although all those tubes look frightening, the girls were actually doing great – they just had to have CPAP for a bit initially.

 

 

                              

The day before they came home at 3 weeks old – 4lbs 1oz each!

 

  one of my favorites pictures of them when they were newborns…

 

  and here are they are now!  Playing with Sophia’s homemade laptops with attached headphones. 

Happy Birthday, Girls!!  We love you!!

Of the Father’s Love Begotten..

We’ve been busy here with birthdays and Christmas excitement, Advent gifts and sewing projects, Christmas Teas and weddings.  Yes!  All that in just the last month!

But one of my favorite things we’ve done lately is to sing Christmas carols to a sweet friend.  She lives alone now since her husband died a few years ago – although one of her daughters is close by – as are many of us in her church family.  After a recent surgery for cataracts and a rotator cuff issue, she accidentally stepped on her cat, fell – and broke her hip!  She is home now and recovering, but she has had weeks of pain and perseverance. 

So a group of us – 18 kids and 8 adults trooped on over to her house after church and sang Christmas carols to her in her living room, while she alternated between huge smiles of joy and tears of happiness.  A simple thing for us – singing songs we love about the Savior we love.  But for her – His love in action.  God reminding her through us, that He has not forgotten her, nor forsaken her.  He loves her – and so do we!

After we left her home, and piled noisily into the van, I thanked the kids.  I asked them if they could see how much their gift meant to Mrs. G.  Of course they could tell – she had been absolutely delighted!  And I reminded them how important it is not to forget people when they are sick, or hurt, or old…  That although what seems a simple thing – singing Christmas carols- seems small to us, it is evidence of love – the Father’s love! – to someone else.  Often, we need to be reminded of our Father’s love for us, and then show our gratitude by sharing His love with others – maybe just when they need to be reminded, too!

A Bevy of Beauties

After church today, several girls came to spend the afternoon with us.  It was very impromptu and very fun!  Our 3 littlest girls went to visit cousins and friends, and we had cousins and friends here with us. 

Let’s see – we had girls ages 17, 15, 14, 14, 13, 13, 12, 11, 11, 11 – plus Luke and Noah.  They played a favorite game called, “Family”, watched a couple of home-made video productions (mysteries), drew pictures, made their own video production, played the piano, and one of them even helped me make homemade applesauce.  I popped them some popcorn and laid out the brownies left over from the fellowship meal today at church. 

What a delightful day it was – I love each of those girls and am so thankful for their friendships with our girls.  Lovely young ladies, every one.

We’ve always hoped our kids would invite friends here often as they enter their teen years.  We want them to come and enjoy each other’s company, have plenty to eat, and feel welcome to relax and have fun.  Lord willing, we will enjoy many more days like today with our kids and their friends!

(grateful thanks to the parents for “lending” them to us!)

Paper flowers

 

No pictures of our little people this time – but a crafting idea for the crafty people. 

                           

Alix had an idea that inspired me to make flowers out of craft/wrapping paper.  The gift was for the bride-to-be, Crystal.  The paper wrapped around the gift is the same paper we used to make the flowers.

I saved several cans, cleaned them out, and Glenn kindly punched 2 holes on opposite sides around the rims.  We threaded some jute string through them and then hung them from some trees at Crystal’s outdoor bridal shower. 

They were so simple, but I loved how pretty and delicate they look.

 

We’ve made tissue paper flowers before, but this was a first.  It gave us all kinds of ideas about what could possibly be used to make flowers!