Kitchen Demo Begins!!!

There is nothing like a Monday morning, and when you add the  benefit of ripping out the kitchen cabinets and counter tops, it gets even better.

And how do kids entertain themselves help with the demo?

And now for proof that something got done. I mean other than an empty kitchen.

And here is what you do with hungry kids when you realize your kitchen has been ripped apart and it is lunch time.

SPRING IS HERE

We have been waiting and waiting for spring to arrive and now that it is here the girls are full of ideas. Planting flowers and veggies, painting rocks to put into the garden, nature walks, growing butterflies. I of course had to remind them we are moving and some of these ideas will have to be modified. The excitement however that winter is over is just more than any of us can stand. So needless to say, when the snow started to fall this morning the mood in the house shifted to complete disgust and heart wrenching sorrow. I had to go online and listen to the weather report and was further disappointed with a report of a possible four inches of snow being predicted. Maybe somebody forgot to tell mother nature that winter is over.

I know we still live in New England, but we are soooo ready for spring. Just as a note Kiah took all of these pictures. Pretty good, huh?

One whole hand!

Holy cow, my baby is 5!!! When did this happen. I am pretty sure I haven't been sleeping in some hollow some where. I remember bringing home a very tiny little baby and having to go get preemie sized clothes for the first couple of weeks. Her personality of course came larger than life and it has only grown larger still. She is quite the comical character. She is very much into wedding planning and loves the show "Say yes to the dress". We are often graced with her fashion show of dresses and her own commentary about what will and won't work for each dress and why. "I love this, but that needs to be different. No, this isn't the one." She is very inventive with the veil as well. She took a piece of mesh fabric that was left over from another project and put it on her head and used a head band to keep it on. TA DA, wedding veil. Little does she know that in my closet there is a whole wedding ensemble. White dress, white gloves, veil, bouquet, white shoes everything she needs to marry her prince charming. I always figured we would someday have this time of wedding preparation. I didn't figure it would be at five. It feels somewhat like a gypsy betrothing their daughter at birth and parading her at five so the future in laws can check out the goods. Kind of creepy. But what is a mom to do when you are told over and over that what she really wants for her  birthday is a wedding dress like Anna Kellers'. Anna Keller married Josh Duggar, Toran's other favorite TV show is 18 kids and counting. I think we can all recite the wedding show from memory. I know that this to shall pass very quickly and so I have decided to embrace the joy that is five and Toran. I am actually very grateful that she finds marriage to be so much fun and that it is even in her mind as something important for someday. I am also grateful that she recognizes the importance of modest dress and is pointing out how that dress needs to be fixed in order to be appropriate. I love that her favorite songs to sing are about Jesus and scripture power. I love that she loves to go to church and loves to go to her primary class. I love that she misses her brother but understands he is working for Jesus. I love that she has two kids, Sophie and Eloise. They even have a car seat in the car and they come everywhere. I also love the fact that Sophie and Eloise have a dad.  I love that she understands the importance of dad. You will have to ask her to share that story, it is funny. I feel bad for Logan. I love that she lives her life in her own little world with her own little story and we had better follow along. "My name is Sister O." Sorry Mandy. She has taught me much and I believe that trend will continue. She brings a light and excitement to our family that no one can match. That is our Toran Grace.

A few more pics from Paraguay

Thought I would add a few more pictures of Micah and friends from Paraguay. I don't know who the people are or the areas that he is in, I just thought they were good shots of the landscape of Paraguay and some of the people. There are also some pictures of the people he has had a hand in baptizing and some of his companions.

I would have turned this picture but I don't know how.

No, I don't know what kind of an animal it was or where the rest of it is.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures. Maybe someday soon I will figure out how to add video to this blog. Don't hold your breath.

The sound of silence

Have you ever had the privilege of coming home to an empty house? Because we choose to homeschool, that is a luxury I don't often experience. When it does happen, I truly enjoy the silence that I know will be very short lived. So what do I do when I find I have some quite time to myself? Read, sew, catch up on emails, vegetate. No, I load and start the dishwasher, sweep the kitchen floor and run a wet mop over it, clear and wash the dining room table, put away the folded clothes, vacuum the living room and hall, correct school papers and hope that I get two minutes to post about it. Looks like the troops are back. Good bye silence. It was sweet while it lasted.

Great mail day!!!

What does every mom of a missionary want? PICTURES! And that is what I received today in the mail. Pictures. Gone are the days of film and hard copies. Now we wait for the SD cards and put it into the computer and start looking. Did I mention the videos he took? Yes, it is true, now the mom of a missionary can see the squallier that her son lives in, in 3D with audio. Now that I am thinking about it, maybe snail mail was better. At least then I could live in denial. I find it amazing that wherever Micah goes you will find kids and most of them will be little girls in princess dresses. Somethings never change. It is good to hear his voice and to know that he is still the same Micah. Of course part of me was hoping for a changed Micah. Again, maybe snail mail is better. No, not really. It is fun to see and hear and be where he is even in 60 second clips of video. And I can tell he has made some remarkable change. I love technology. Well, except when I have to use it without supervision or help.



Is it a gaggle or a rafter of missionaries?



Let's start here shall we?

This picture was taken two years ago after Tessa's baptism. Hard to believe it has been that long. I suppose it is as good a place as any to start. It was about this time that Dan and I really started thinking that we should rethink our place of residence. Of course it would be years before we would be able to actually make arrangements to leave. Alas, I am getting ahead of myself. We had moved into a small split level three bedroom, one bath home in Townsend, MA. Our first house. With us we brought Micah, Anique and Kiah. It only took three weeks for Tessa to make her appearance on to the set. After which we added Kali and Toran. Our family was complete and we commenced with living life and making memories. As time went by we began to think that there must be a cheaper place in this country to live and raise a family. A place where we could have more land and less money taken out of our pockets under the guise of taxes. So we started looking. We looked north and south, east and west. Although not to far east because that would have put us in the ocean. In the mean time we were making friends and having some fun. And fun with friends is what we have had. We have seen where our nation began. We have learned how to make syrup, rode on swan boats, walked through the public garden, hiked the rolling green hills of Vermont, picked apples and pumpkins, and gone on many more adventures.



Anique with friends in Boston.



And that brings me to the new adventure that is before us. The adventure of a lifetime. At least for some members of our family. The time has come to move on and find new places to explore. We are as I type (ok not really, cuz I'm the one doing the work) preparing the house to go on the market and be sold. But where are we going you ask? We will be making our way to the great state of Missouri. When you ask, are we moving? Just as soon as we can fix and sell a house. The sooner the better for us. Things I won't miss about New England, the snow and ice, the arctic cold, neighbors (in general, no one specific), Massachussets drivers and taxes for the taxes. Things I will miss about New England, friends who are more like family than friends, fall leaves, sugaring season (that is maple syrup season for you left coasters), halloween decorations, churches in town centers. I am sure I could come up with more in both lists, but it is enough to say we have enjoyed our life here and we are looking forward to a new adventure.