Our tires were slashed during the night along with the tires of a number of our neighbors, one back tire of each vehicle. Today a policewoman came by to take down our vehicle information and to get a written statement.
The kids bombarded her with questions about policework, her gun "Have you ever used it?," her club "Is that for whacking people with?" and whether she was good at running after the bad guys (She said she wasn't really much of a runner.) Liam told her about the plastic police set he'd bought once from the dollar store.
Are we in a safe neighborhood?
Who knows what tomorrow holds? I don't, but I know Someone Who does.

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

So they ate bread baked in the shape of a dragon and some soup made of all different kinds of vegetables brought in by all the different families, but my favorite part of the kids' school's harvest/Michelmas festival was the grade four's recitation of Jabberwocky.
Beware the Jabberwock, my friend.

Sweet gifts of more zucchini from the neighbor (I took some stir-fried w/ corn meal to church last night), great playtime w/ Leth in the backyard and piling on the couch reading library books w/ the whole crew as we all enjoy the fall. It's been nice enough to wear shorts and t-shirts in the afternoons this week, though the mornings are cool.

When you doubt, the blessing of knowing that others have walked this path, tested these beliefs and found Him faithful, that you join their ranks, is more than comfort. It's as pleasant as leaves crunching underfoot and as feeling wind blow through your hair and as being embraced by a child. He's God of all seasons and all time, God of me.

Mom, Dad, and kids all love to jump on the trampoline. We play games like Dead Man Come Alive and try to jump high enough to touch the tree. Looking forward to flying. Just trying to get in a little practice.

What a beautiful, surprisingly warm fall day for Ernie's birthday! This weekend our neighbor a couple doors down gave us a bag of apples from her neighbor's tree and a zucchini from her garden. Today I made apple pie, apple cobbler, and apple muffins. We tried to wish Ernie as many warm birthday wishes as possible and then we wore him out with jumping on the trampoline, which the boys covered with leaves, and with a crazy bike ride through the ravine as Lici is learning to ride her bike without training wheels and Lethei just to pedal fast enough to keep her little bike going with training wheels while Lukas gets impatient and rides all over the place and Liam tries to wreck his bike.

Fall Ramble

What a bunch of characters they are! How much fun to explore with them, to hide, to see or not to see a beaver and a beaver dam, to be a little crazy, to just be, even barefooted, taking turns holding hands.
 And the leaves are orange. Next time Felicity plans to wear that color so she blends in better with them.
We walked about 4 km, pretty good, especially for the three-year-old. I hope we do it again sometime soon.

So my sweetheart went out for lunch with a friend but ordered food he knew I would like and brought some home for me. What a guy. Yes, this picture of us is ten years' old, but I love him more now than I did then. Really. He's actually amazingly easy to love. And you should hear his fake Irish accent.

Thinking about leaps of faith. Trusting someone else with something important to you. Hoping for the future. I do not definitively know what tomorrow holds. I am like a blade of grass.
But this brief reality is really the dream that I will wake up from.
I'm thankful that I'll see faces I love in both worlds.
I believe this. It seems less of a leap of faith than a great deal seemingly smaller concerns. What undergirds me is the last of the verses, that reminder that there is that which is unperishable, the word of the Lord, (I Peter 1:24-25), and the Word, faith with flesh.

 Thanks for sharing obscure information about sea life with me. Oh, and thanks for helping me figure out all things electronic. Computers hate me. You, on the other hand, must take after your dad. He, by the way, switched lanes like crazy trying to get back in time to pick you and your siblings up from school today. It was all I could do to follow him in that red truck he's promised to sell for his dad who's actually selling it for his grandpa. But when he signs "I love you" at the stoplight I tell myself there's no way he's leaving me in his dust. I will stay with him. He tells me I'm beautiful every morning. I think he's delusional but I'm grateful for his delusion and hope he never gets over it.

You're the cutest little bee I ever did see.

Little kids scare the adults; adults scare the little kids and each other. S'mores, a campfire, lots of singing.
A church family fellowship--time to herald the season and the fact that wherever we go, whatever the many activities filling our busy days, whatever the time of year, our Christian family offers us a closeness of belonging as we center around the same goal of bringing God glory.
In sadness, in distress, we petition Him, and in overwhelming joy, we sing praise to Him (Jms 3). He is the one we continually turn to and He unites us.

You of the many expressions. I'm glad to have you in my life, little one.

What a riot to hear you "read" to me the four books I'd just read you! You remembered a lot more than I thought you would! You're enthusiastic (or definitely NOT, depending on the moment), opinionated, and loads of fun. How much quieter my day would be without you and what a joy it is to hear you sing "I love Mommy."

And that man you love so much and pretend to talk to on the phone while he's gone, he's a comfort to me in so many ways. I really don't know where I'd be without him in my life.

Zonked.

Can't believe I helped take a class of 24 kids on a hike to a ravine and a muddy creek with an appealing ledge on the other side of a shallower stretch irresistible to all too many waders.

Can't believe I accompanied twice that number on a bus to a farm to see a sheep shorn and make homemade apple cider and eat fresh, grilled, corn on the cob.

Can't believe I played tag with kids club kids around the church and on the sidewalks we'd freshly decorated w/ sidewalk chalk.

Can't believe what a crazy and fun two days it's been.

Together

I'm thankful for the words of another, passionate words from a blessed heart, a heart where God has been and is.
Through your words, I'm reminded of the fellowship we have in faith, in joy of life, in hope for what dreams may come,  in which there is no unconquerable fear.
For God is with US. It is not merely me.

It's so quiet with three at school and Ern in the chaplain class orientation.
This weekend's adventures in reading (the kids all got their own library cards this past week) and cake-baking and cleaning and swimming and lots of pretend sure went by quickly. Sunday the kids sang and said verses in the morning service for a special number with their Sunday school classes.
Today, in the afternoon after school, Lukas starts piano lessons. Tomorrow I'm taking Lukas and Lici's class for a walk in the ravine and Wednesday I'm going on a field trip with them. Friday Lethei and I start her yoga class; yes, we registered for it after all. So today I think I'd better enjoy the quiet.
With the changes in our lives, I've been worrying a lot, worrying about negative influences, worrying about whether the kids' school is academic enough, worrying about making good decisions, being a light. But God says not to worry but to pray. And I've been praying too. Still . . . I struggle with worry.
May I trust and may I give with Him as my Guide.

New Closet

Ernie has been working on our closet today. It's not completely finished yet. I think we'll put some drawers in the middle section, along with the shelves. And I've not put everything in it yet or organized it all like I'd like too. And I need to vacuum the floor and clean that mirror. But doesn't it look nice? Thanks Ernie! You're the best. By the way, I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about having so many shirts, though I do think we're going to have to get you some more hangers, and it seems it was a mistake to make my section bigger than yours as I fear you'll soon be taking mine over :) or maybe I'll just have to go shopping.

Our kids' school strongly encourages limiting or eliminating screen time. Since they started school (Tuesday), the kids have only played on the computers a little at the library. I may let them spend about an hour Saturday watching a video or playing a computer game. I'm trying to cut back myself too!
Hopefully this change means we'll read more, create more, spend more time having fun together. Hopefully this change will help us declutter our lives and minds some just like I'm always trying to declutter our house.
I hope that we can focus more on what's more worth focusing on.

The kids started school yesterday and seem to really like it, especially all the recesses and gym and indoor play times and lunch and snack and art and story time. Of course, I can't help hoping they'll actually learn something too. I miss them and so does Lethei.  I pray for them and for myself that God will be glorified in all our lives in the big things and the small things.

Reviewing Tough Guys and Drama Queens made me really nervous about having teenagers someday! The author indicates that parenting is practically a piece of cake until you hit the teenage years. Sigh. I just keep hoping it will get better. It's sure not been a piece of cake so far for me! I really think his suggestion to keep giving teens more responsibility as opposed to more rules so that they can develop independence is great. I also appreciate his emphasis on spending time with your teens, asking them questions, scheduling one on one time with them. Sometimes I felt a little like he was trying too hard to have his cake and eat it too (to stick with the cake comparison) with indicating that you're not to be your teen's buddy but that you are to have a great relationship with them, that you're to demand their respect but not be authoritarian, though he does say that respect comes from the relationship. I would have liked to have seen in the book more Scripture, more of a biblical, Christian-home emphasis.
At the end of the book, I just felt the need to fall on my knees and pray for grace.

Here's a picture from our church's foyer. Today we took a group to a historic park for a church activity and we made homemade candy and played a few games and talked about how God and salvation haven't changed throughout history.
Tonight Ernie talked to the kids in before bed devos about how God reveals Himself to us.
I'm so thankful that He's been a shelter for generations. I'm so thankful that He has chosen to  reveal Himself to us.