Spring Has Sprung . . .

It had been trying to spring throughout our cold, snowy April but May really pulled things together.  Maybe a little too well...the 90 degree Memorial Day weekend was a bit much but what can we say about it really when it was snowing just over a month ago?  On we go . . . 

 My youngest brother thought it'd be a great idea to drop preserves by the house.

We Agreed!

Thanks D!

 Our youngest athlete decided to try long jump this year in six grade track.

So now...we have to be up and at 'em early this Saturday to see him compete at States.

That boy! (-:

 I have been for three years and will always continue to sing from the mountaintops how God worked an absolute miracle in our lives to place us back in our home fourteen years after living here the first time. Could this not be a better miracle picture, or what??? This is standing in the middle of our front yard looking east. Just beyond the ornamental pears and before that big pine tree behind it is our eastern border.  The little, scraggly tree (which was here when we moved in in 1999 the first time) in front of the right flowering pear tree lost half it's body this winter (well...end of March) with the heavy snow.  I think I blogged that.

 The chickens have come for a visit or two.

I love having the neighbor's chickens over. They've never really wrecked anything and it's just so down homey to suddenly have them strutting around.

 I managed to throw some pea seeds in the ground again in early May or end of April. Love when I remember to do that! They're likely about a foot tall now and I've GOT to get out there and give them some better string or something to cling to and grow UP.  In front of them is garlic I planted last year that I have no idea when to pick.  I picked one when I planted these seeds and it was just small, unusable cloves. Behind are giant rhubarb stalks...the very ones from my childhood home that I've been carting around to all my houses.  I've made one rhubarb pie so far this year.  Maybe a crumble this Sunday...we'll see...

 Grandpa had the camera set to "pano."

This is one of my all time FAVORITE shots ever!!!

Mother's Day 2018, Belle Isle

Me with three of mine and mom with four of hers at the fountain.

We do have pics with the heads, but seriously...isn't this AWESOME??!!

(-:

 Oh my goodness, this boy!

I'd lend him some of my recently obtained girth any time he wants. hahaha!

Going to states for Long Jump, 1600, 800 and 4X100.

Whoo-Hoo!

 Concert Time

Liv had her concert debut this night...on recorder..she was SO ready.

William played his sweet sax.

Nice night.

 And then, look who dropped in for a couple weeks between spring and summer semesters! She even got to come to the concert with us and out to the Coney Island afterwards for a 15 minute dinner because they were closing. When your pilot to be daughter comes home from school you get to hear stories about the school's planes engine failures while a classmate was flying and her solo flight that took her over Lake MI and forests...SOLO...that means ALONE...i.e....NO ONE ELSE IN THE PLANE BUT HER! Oy vey!

 Mother's Day peony from Kate and Mom...second year in a row that it bloomed, added another flower this year. They gave it to me around six years ago or so, it never bloomed before last year.

💜

 Memorial Day weekend morning I went to Eastern Market for the first time in my entire life with my soprano friend from choir.  Um...say what...my first time ever at age 47??!!  What in the world have I been doing?  Oh yeah...

 Our little utopia opened last weekend.

This guy was the first one in this year.

No, not the fish...the kid...up to his calves at least.

First catch of the year, not a bad opener.

Off we go to summer!

Having a hard time with the birthday title . . .

Today would have been Ben's 17th birthday.

I'm not sure what else to write. There are many, many words to write about his last two years and when it all began, and how he thanked the Lord for an answered prayer and then saw that answer turned on it's head and life as he knew it never the same again. And then it ended.

Some day those words may come out or some day they won't.

But, until that's decided, I do continue to find the healing blood of Christ soothing my broken heart, allowing me to find joy when joy can be found, to work hard, grow my family and friendships and continue to quench my thirst for His Word and Truths.

Praise be to God!

So...I can do this.

Yes, actually, that's the 10 fingers verse I love:

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.

Philippians 4:13

Count them, 10 words that you can click off on each finger whenever you need.

💜

Over Easter 2015 I took the family to the Crystal Lake area, where we go annually in February, to hunt for this: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/03/sunken_schooner_fragment_surfa.html

This series of pictures is one of my favorites.

Three brothers just having the time of their lives being boys.

On the shore.

In the cold.

With each other.

Looking for a shipwreck with their mom.

We never found it.

It didn't matter.

I miss the three brothers.

And the two brothers do too.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

This Pic

 When we first met our first dog ever, Alli

June 2015

Within days of SP choosing to leave the family, I was instantly lead to "Go get a dog for these children to love on." I was not planning on getting a dog, thinking about getting a dog, wondering about getting a dog, dreaming about getting a dog...but, without effort or thought while our reality was crumbling, was simply lead to "Go get a dog." And there she was waiting for us at the Humane Society, first and only trip one week into the beginning of our new world.

Praise Be To God!

Did I mention, "Go get a dog for these children to LOVE on?"

She filled and still fills our hearts.

Thanks be to God!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Today.

May 3, 2018

We had cupcakes with crosses on them last year.

So I decided to do that again.

William immediately asked, "Is there anything inside the cupcakes?" To which I replied, "I don't think so." And he quickly walked over to the counter, got a knife, sliced through the middle of the cupcake and before I could even ask, "What are you...??" He grabbed the bottom half, put it on the top and...now he had something in the middle.

In all these years, 19 so far with my own kids and having been one of five kids myself for 47 years...I have NEVER seen this done!  How can that be so??!!  That is the coolest and best idea for a cupcake!

I can tell you right now, Ben would have LOVED that!

While eating our cupcakes I asked William and Livia for a favorite memory with Ben.

Livia, "When he would be at the dinner table and talk with us."

William: "When I went on his hockey tournament."

Me: "When he and I took an overnight trip to Chicago when he was thirteen and we saw one of my favorite players of Survivor walking down the street and he agreed to chase him down with me." . . . Very little known fact.

😊...😢

We miss Ben and look forward to meeting 

together again in eternal glory.

♱

Link to Ben's Birthday Posts