An extra ordinary day

We decided to go to the wharf to pier jump.

So much fun!

Then on the way home we took a detour and decided to take a walk on the beach. The walk turned into a bike ride in the ocean. The boys had so much fun!  I could hear their giggles all the way to shore

What a morning

Oh what a beautiful morning

Oh what a beautiful day

I've got a wonderful feeling ,  everything's going my way

I wish it was easier to capture the amazing feeling we have at the campground each morning.  How awesome it is to wake up to sunshine fresh air and freedom

This morning the kid's wanted to see if they had grown since the beginning of the summer. We measured- Zachary 11/4 inches, Carys 11/4 inches and Jonah 1 inch. Wow!

Nothing can beat a summer in God's playground!

One of those days

Yesterday was one of those days.
Nothing went as planned
My feelings kept getting hurt
At one point I felt like stopping to check and see if I had a sign stuck on me somewhere that read- Having an  bad day?  Take it out on me!
I am always thankful for my faith. And days like yesterday I know would be impossible without it
It is my faith and trust in Jesus that anchors my soul
This morning it was hard to shake those feelings so I decided to read my verse for the day app. Truthfully at first it wasn't what I was hoping for.  It was a verse from revelation describing the end times. Not exactly the hug I felt I needed but God knows better what we need. And as I stayed in those verses they began to comfort me by reminding me again that no matter what our current life situation is, God is in control. And there is much more to this life than meets the eye.  There is a battle going on. Someday we won't feel victorious but if we remain faithful to Him, so will he be to us. In all our days.  No matter what we face  we can rest in the truth and find peace in the knowledge that God is in control

Happy birthday sunshine

6years ago today,  we were blessed with a beautiful daughter. Weighing in at only 5pounds 15ounces, despite appearances we somehow knew she would be a force to be reconed with
Carys Faith,  you are the most beautiful smart kind wonderful energetic enthusiastic giggly sweet courageous fiesty and precious girl
We love you more than we thought possible.
Thank you for being you
Happy birthday cutie xo

Blessed to compete

We have one swimmer and three hockey/soccer players in our family.
This means I spend a lot of time organizing gear, feeding hungry athletes and shuttling them to and from the rink ,field and pool
This means I  also spend alot of time in a competitive environment with other parents
Sometimes a good thing. Most times not
I thank God for gifting my children. I thank Him daily for their health, strength and enthusiasm.
And I have also started praying this prayer over them. I find it helps give my soul strength and peace; knowing I can trust Jesus with my children's success

Jesus we love you lord. You are our strength.  Arm Ben Zachary Jonah and Carys with strength. Make them sure footed as the deer. Give them courage and the shield of victory. Make them chase their enemies and conquer them until they lose their courage and fall trembling.  Give great victories to your children. Bless your anointed

Thank you Lord for gifting Ben, Zachary, Jonah and Carys the way you have. Please bless and anointed their efforts. May they shine for you. Always.

Swings

Nothing says childhood like swings. I have incredibly fond memories of countless freedom feeling,the sky is the limit hours spent swinging. I still enjoy it. The rush of air the tummy tickles the push and pump just to see how high you could go
My kids also enjoy swinging. Here they are last night just before bed

I went to sleep with the words just one more push please daddy still in my head

pei favourites

pei favourites, a set on Flickr.

Last week was spent on PEI. I honestly don't believe there is any place more beautfiul than the island in the summer!
Here are a few of my favourite pictures. I hope to use them in a collage this fall. When I have some free time. Maybe one Thursday morning!

Let the sunshine in

"do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may not happen. Instead let the sunshine in. B Franklin One of best ways I know to let the sunshine in ( apart from actually soaking it up) is to always be thankful first Thankful for Happy kids Beautiful days Piles of laundry Food to buy Beds to make bathrooms to clean Lessons to learn Life to enjoy Tomorrow's opportunities Quiet moments Chaos Good conversation Snuggles Hugs Tears and laughter And so much more...

Unseen Mountains

As a parent I can so easily fall into the trap of focusing on everything I am not doing right. I worry I do too much for them. Then I wonder if I don't do enough. Either way I am always concerned with the life lessons I am teaching them and ultimately the type of people they will turn out to be This week we are in the island at hockey camp. We arrived two days ago amidst sunshine and clear blue sky. I really love this camp because it teaches my kids about much more than hockey. It challenges them to dig down deep and realize who they really are At the orientation session the head coach described how he knew 7 year olds that could tue their skates and 8 year olds who paid their own way for the week. His message was clear- don't do for our kids what they can do for themselves. I walked around that evening feeling guilty if doing just that But then yesterday happened. A day that was painfully hard for my 11 year old son. A day that took him back to a place of fear and anxiety that he has worked so hard this year to overcome. Watching Zachary persevere through yesterday, I was so proud And reminded that not all mountains our children conquer are easily seen or measured. My 6 year old may not be able to tie her skates. My boys may not have paid their own way here this week. But that doesn't mean they haven't grown in their character or had to dig down deep to win their battles. God has great plans for our kids. My greatest responsibility s their mom is to let Him accomplish them And that requires that I let go of other peoples' expectations and thank God for the sometimes "unseen"mountains that he is climbing with them and growing them through

Pier Jumping

Pier Jumping on Canada Day

So much fun!

The water almost doesn't look real-it was so silvery blue

Apparently it was warm.  What?  Someone had to take pictures!

Happy Canada Day (aka Happy Gazebo Project Weekend!)

Happy Canada Day! What a weekend!
 We beached all Friday afternoon. Enjoyed the campground Friday night and then slaved away all day Saturday. Mark never stopped once and it was almost 40 degrees with the humidity!
 We were very pleased with the end results however
 Here is a before picture

And here is the finished product


As with all DYI projects in our home there were some important lessons learned:
Never count on the assembly instructions making sense
 Always give yourself at least an extra 3 hours to finish what you think will only take you two
 Laughter helps: "where are all the little people?"
Listen to your children when they tell you not to quit and the tell them how much you live them and are so proud of them when they work along side you for almost 5 hours to get the job done
Benjamin and Zachary - You are awesome!