A Piano Recital

Forgive me for being a little nostalgic here.  I know many parents have gone to piano recitals with their kids but this was my first and I was so proud of my little girl and so impressed again with her teacher. 

 

Lindsay did really well at her piano recital--and she's only had 3 months of lessons! Her teacher is the youngest of 3 sisters who all give lessons at their own home (12 minutes away from our house!!).  Their father has built them a music studio that is separate from the house where each of the girls take a day of the week and teach music lessons.  Each of these 3 girls have or are working on graduating from the Music Conservatory.  It was a special treat to hear all 3 girls place pieces of their own that they have written--and not only on piano either.  No, we were treated to an amazing piece written by one of the girls for the piano and then later heard a piece that included the harp and flute as well.  Lindsay's teacher is very high in both her flute and piano. Well, those girls made an amazing trio--flute, piano and harp.

 

Anyways, I was able to talk to Lindsay's teacher after the recital. Lindsay has a natural 'knack' for piano and you can tell her heart is in it.  The teacher, who is also soon becoming a member within our church, says we can teach her some hymns to play at future recitals if we want. I asked if we could teach her the old Genevan Psalms. Also, no problem! Lindsay may also pick what she wants to learn to play. It is such a blessing to have a godly music teacher. She is so encouraging for Lindsay and Lindsay absolutely adores her.  The best thing is, since her teacher has extremely high credentials, I never need to find another teacher for Lindsay if she wants to pursue this piano gift in depth.

 

 I got a picture of the two of them doing a duet last night.

 

 

 





 Group shot of all the kids who played last night.

 

Lindsay and her teacher.



Snip-Its

--I love how Seth insists on holding my hand every time I go to bring Courtney downstairs for her nap or at bedtime.  He always wants to pray with her at night.

--Lindsay's been baking up a storm.  She made muffins by herself and was tickled pink that she didn't even drop any eggshells in the batter.  Later she also made Kraft Dinner for lunch and then a pot of coffee for me.  After all this frenzied kitchen activity, she settled down and did 2 days worth of LA and Math.  Way to go Lindsay!!

--After 10 years, i finally have a puzzling table set up again where I can happily sit and do my big puzzles.  We have enough space and children who know NOT to touch it.

--Pastor was back at the pulpit this morning after being away for 2 weeks due to church meetings and the like.  We used his absence to train Courtney in church which involved a lot of wiggling, squirming, babbling etc.  Needless to say, I'm a little starved to hear a sermon now.

--Courtney said her first sentence: "NO! NO!  My book!"  Yes, flattering isn't it.  But she is such a little cutie.

--When Eric and Lindsay are memorizing their catechism, they are usually lying on the ground and doing some weird acrobatics involving legs in the air and that sort of thing.  But the apple does not fall from the tree because I remember doing the exact same thing when I was younger.  It really does help to memorize the tougher parts.

--This past week Isaiah really encouraged me--not just Monday, but continually throughout the week.

--I was VERY excited this past Saturday to finally discover a laundry detergent that cleans WELL, smells nice and is priced properly.  It took me 10+ years to find this!!!  So I bought a second jug to celebrate.

--Courtney sat through a whole worship service this morning!!!!!  She didn't get taken out at all like the last 3 services.

--The moose are no longer visiting us.  Instead we are seeing deer and elk with increasing regularity.  I hope the thrill of seeing wildlife here never gets old.

There's so much I'd love to talk about and mention but a public forum such as this blog is not the place.  So signing off until I have another block of time to do some writing.

"Fear Not...I Will..."

I journal.  Not everyday, but when I read the Word of God in the morning and something really profound hits me I like to try to write about it.  I had a special time like that on Monday morning.  I kept wanting to share my thoughts on my blog but Monday went by, then Tuesday and now it's Wednesday night.  I wanted to write a nice polished, crystal clear piece on my experience, but time has elapsed.  Proof that God gives grace for the day.  That same grace is still carrying me, but the initial impact is gone.  Instead I am going to share what I wrote in my journal.  Let the piece speak for itself 'in the moment'.  It's in a raw form.  Recognize that it's early and I haven't even finished the first coffee of the day before I finished writing it.  But that's just it...no glory for me hidden in grandoise wording.  Just an exposed heart in its raw, unedited form.  Let the Word speak for itself.  It does not need my input.

November 19, 2012

My hands are in poor shape.  I woke up many times again last night from the aching pain in them.  There's been little sleep and little school work completed due to barn work these last 2 weeks.  We are grossly behind in school.  There's a Reformed Christian School 20 minutes down the road that will happily take my kids and most likely do a better job with the kids than I can.  We've had pulpit supply the last 2 weeks.  I am badly discouraged.  I am ready to throw in the towel.

My Bible reading plan told me to read Isaiah 40, 41, 42 and 43.

The over arching theme is 'Fear not!'  'Fear not!'  'Fear not!'  Over and over we hear it.

'Fear not, for I am with you' --Is. 41:10
'Fear not, I will help you' --Is 41:13
'Fear not, for I have redeemed you' --Is 43:1
'Fear not, for I am with you' --Is 43:5

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young." --Is. 40:11

Then it continues to speak of how great God is--we can't weigh mountains or count dust or place the hills in the balance...lifting up the isles would be a huge deal to us--it isn't to God.  He knows every creature he has created...he calls them by name...not one of them is missing (Is 40:26)

"Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God' " --Is 40:27

No, the Lord keeps talking in the next verses.  He says he is unsearchable.  He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength. 

Chapter 41 continues with big things God has done and yet he takes notice of us --vs. 8 says, "But you Israel are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend (Romans 4;11-25 says that I too am a child of Abraham, through faith).

Then verse 9: You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.'  Lord, that's a really precious truth.

"Fear not, for I am with you.  Be not dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you.  Yes, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  --Is. 41:14

And then I realized all the 'I will's' in chapter 41...

'I will strengthen you...' vs 10
'I will help you...'  vs 10
'I will uphold you...'  vs 10
'I will hold your right hand...'  vs 13
'I will help you...'  vs 13
'I will help you...'  vs 14
'I will hear...' vs 17
'I will not forsake...' vs 17
'I will open rivers in desolate heights...' vs 18
'I will make the wilderness a pool of water...' vs 18
'I will plant...' vs 19
'I will make...' vs 19

Chapter 42:3: 'A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.'

And then chapter 43.
vs 1: "....I have called you by name; you are Mine."

vs 4: "Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honoured, and I have loved you....."

vs 20b, 21: 'Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen.  This people I have formed for Myself.  They shall declare My praise."

Thank you Lord!  You have truly given me water in this wilderness.  I will praise you!

My Chickens are Here!

Seth is absolutely in LOVE with the chickens on this farm.  Everyday he goes in the barns with his dad and helps him pick dead birds, or looks for weak ones, etc.  2 weeks ago we shipped another flock of chickens and Seth suddenly found himself with little to do for 14 days.  There were no birds to take care of, no regular morning schedule. 

 

As him and I were sitting in Tim Hortons last week he told me, "Mom, I miss the chickens.  Can we go to the grocery store to see them?"  Oh, that boy always makes me smile!

 

Well, he had been waiting all week for Friday to come--knowing that Friday was the day the chickens would arrive.  As the Maple Leaf trucks entered the yard Seth was ecstatic!  "My chickens are here!  My chickens are here!"  He dashed out the door and was in the barn in a shot.  "I will help dad in the blue loader!" he called back to me.

 

So I followed him out and snapped a few pictures.  This boy is truly a farmer at heart--already at the age of 3.

 

 

 

Seth in the 'bwue woader"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Seth surveying 'his' new flock.

Growing Up

My little girl has had a lot of new things going on on her life these last 2 days.  I wish she could tell us for herself.  It would be so much fun to hear her take on things rather than hearing it from a 'mature' practical, adult mind.

 

First of all, I put Courtney's hair in 2 pigtails on Sunday. Oh...she is soooo cute with them!!!!!  Look and see!!!

 

 

Next, we decided to take her into church with us on Sunday evening.  I think she did alright.  She's not known for sitting still or being quiet--EVER.  So we took her in.  She sat with her daddy.  She flung her hands in the air.  She mangled his tie.  She pointed at her brother and said, "PAUL!"  She touched the boy's head who sat in front of us.  She wiggled.  She said "UH OH!!" when she dropped her Cheerios.  At 35 minutes in she arched her back and hollered to show she had enough and her daddy took her out.  It was hard to miss the little smile he had on his face.  He adores his little girl--even when she feels exasperated with present circumstances.  10 minutes later the two of them returned.  Courtney had a candy in her mouth, Daddy had a smile on his face and they settled down together again.  And she wiggled.  And squirmed.  She leaned over to look at grandpa and grandma.  She said, "PAUL!" again.  then 15 minutes later she had enough.  Daddy left the sanctuary with his unhappy little girl again and they didn't come back as the service had ended by the time Courtney had calmed down. 

We are so very proud of our little girl.  She will join us in church again this coming Sunday.  As parents we are excited about having all of our kids upstairs sitting with us in the pew.  And with our youngest now in 'training' I must say, it feels good to be in a new stage.

The next 'new' thing Courtney experienced was new sleeping arrangements.  by this I mean I took apart her crib and gave her a big girl bed.  She highly approves!  We always start by placing a mattress on the floor so the kid does not fall far or hard should they roll off the mattress.  It has worked 4 times now and here we go training the 5th one to sleep in a new bed.  There's a hook on the door so she doesn't escape her room in the middle of the night.  But really, at nap time she was super pleased and had no trouble falling asleep in the bed at all.

All these milestones...and I'm not sad that they're happening.  No, actually I'm thrilled.  I don't feel nostalgic.  I know I've soaked in every moment with this little girl and have enjoyed all those firsts and lasts.  I am thoroughly excited to move onto these next years.  Years without diaper bags or nursery schedules.  Years without nap times.  I'm excited to start the 'growing' years.

Tragedy

 

Barbie had a horrible, tragic accident--orchestrated by Paul.  There were no other witnesses.

 

 

Dear Courtney

Dear Courtney,

It was my most sincere wish that I would not have to write such a letter to you.  Only once have I had to write such a letter and it was to your older brother Paul.  But dear girl, however harsh these words may sound, you deserve it.  The story of your reign of terror will no longer be kept in the shadows.  I am including the above picture as a testament that what I write is true.  If this is not proof enough, I also have pictures of every incident I intend to write about.

The minute you were born and I realized that I had a red haired little girl, I wanted to disprove that awful stigma that people believe about red heads--you know...that red heads are rather hot tempered.  But little girl, you were born with this in your heart and regardless of how your mother loved and coddled you, you wanted to have your own way.  And the way you ensured you would always get your own way was by perfecting the most awful screechy wail.  And you use it all....the...time....

Lets just look at how much you screamed today for instance.  Your dad wouldn't let you eat his entire breakfast (after you had already finished yours), and to ensure that he would have something to fill his growling stomach, he gently took you off the table where you had strategically placed your little behind RIGHT beside his plate.  You were quite literally breathing on his breakfast.  Was this the morning that you sneezed all over his toast and egg too--leaving a wad of snot behind?  No, I think that might have been the day before...or maybe 2-3 days ago...but I digress.....

Oh right...the screaming....oh how you howled when he put you down.  Then you climbed back up and once again were taken down.  You tried a third and fourth time.  Each time to no avail.  By now your dad had finished and I'm pretty sure you used that opportunity to utter your dislike for the present situation.  Soon your momma started school.  Anytime attention is diverted from the 19 month old, we are succumbed to a lovely fit that can last anywhere from between, oh, 1-3 hours.  In fact, we have become so accustomed to the background noise that the work gets done regardless.  Little girl, you screamed during breakfast.  You screamed during school.  You especially screamed when I wouldn't let you eat the tips of my white board markers.  You screamed while we waited for Lindsay to finish her piano lessons.  You screamed when your brother wouldn't let you eat, swallow and digest his little prized rubber cars.  You screamed when I was cooking supper and wouldn't let you dip your foot in my pot of boiling potatoes.  You screamed when I wouldn't even let you walk on my counter tops and on my stove.  You screamed at supper when the cheese had been eaten off your sandwich (by YOU) and ALAS, it wasn't replaced!  Needless to say, is it any wonder your mother marched you off to bed for a nap by 10:00 in the morning--2 1/2 hours earlier than usual?  Really, you wonder why you end up in bed at 6:30 in the evening?

Now to be fair, this was only an overview of one day.  You do not scream incessantly all day everyday.  No, that would make you predictable and I have not found any predictability in your character at all.  For instance, immersing Sunday shoes in dog water 10 minutes before leaving for church is not at all related to standing on my printer and calmly looking outside.  Nor is eating pop can tabs in any way similar to scribbling on the children's half completed school assignments. 

However, in many things we are seeing a little correlation.  For example, when I complete the daily pantry rescue, where I find the 19 month old dangling precariously from the snack shelf (located second shelf from the top) I find it perfectly normal to saturate my socks while wading through the several litres of water that, not 6 seconds earlier, you have released from the water cooler to the pantry floor.

Also, I have discovered the direct correlation between extreme confusion and delay and a 'Courtney bathroom visit.'  Oh, the activities that go on here I hardly dare utter, but when I started this letter I determined not to leave anything in the shadows.  Large wet gobs of toilet paper resolutely sitting on the floor are generally an indication that you were thirsty.  I have also discovered that if the gobs are 'fresh' I can often catch you in another room of the house with one in your hand yet--busily sucking the moisture out of the wet, soggy toilet paper ball.  But once again, you are not always predictable.  Sometimes when I enter the bathroom the toilet paper is undisturbed.  Then, as I look into the toilet, I discover an entire pack of feminine hygiene products, unwrapped, and submersed.  Even then it's not always predictable, for I've also fished  Q-tips, a cup, and even Seth's pants out of there.  Lovely.  Just remember, what you do DOES come back to you one day.  When the toilet paper and the toilet are left alone, I discover instead that you've fed our toothbrushes to the dog outside.  Or...you've sucked on your father's razor and cut your lip.  Or...you've fallen asleep in the bathroom sink.  And remember, I have photographic evidence for ALL of this.

Courtney, you inhale all my school erasers.  You've pushed my fax machine off the desk where it crashed to the floor.  You smacked my windows with a meter stick.  You run my dishwasher when it's empty.  You smeared pilfered chocolate spread all over my carpet.  You take the phone off the hook, leaving a busy signal to any callers for hours.  You harass the dog.  You erase my whiteboard while I'm trying to teach.  You throw dog food down the stairs.  You destroy your brother's LEGO creations.  You climb on my counters.  You pick holes into the oranges.  You shove toys into my central vac system.  You touch my books.

Courtney, I love you like crazy, but you are a real stinker.  I end this letter on the same note that I ended my letter to Paul so long ago.  It seems to have worked for him. 

I have 16 years to cure you of this behavior. I can only reiterate what I have said in the past; it’s a good thing 2 year olds are so cute, otherwise there would be abandoned toddlers running rampant through the streets causing a lot of chaos, destruction and mayhem. Welcome to boot camp girl, population: 2…you and me!

Love MOM