No Pictures Tonight....Just Words

We have had a very busy few days.....many of them filled with wonderful highlights and also some very sad moments.  

Wonderful Highlights

We were off to Southridge Camp this weekend for Camp Work Weekend.  It is the weekend where we clean, fix, organize and anything else that needs to be done.  Nikki, our sister-in-law, decided to come up and help out as well.  I have enjoyed the time that I have been able to spend with Nikki (she lived with us for a week prior to Morgan getting back from India), and she also works at the Kitscoty Elementary School in the mornings.  I have been blessed to have a brother that picked an amazing wife!  I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. We also made the decision to take Buddy and Diamond up with us for the weekend.  It was a fantastic weekend and the weather was beautiful!  Steve worked on replacing the floor joints in the chapel all day Saturday (it was not a pleasant task at all)...Nikki and I cleaned the cabins, organized recreation equipment, cleaned bathrooms and many other mundane tasks (but we had a fantastic time together!).  We came home tonight and are exhausted...but I am excited to see a bit of a tan on my snow-white legs :)  Perhaps at school tomorrow, my student will comment that my legs aren't snow-white like he did the last time I wore capri pants :)

Working at the Kitscoty Elementary School has been a fantastic change for me.  I am really enjoying what I do.  I work with an ODD boy in the mornings and in the afternoons I head to an Autistic boy.  I go from one extreme to the other each day.  But I love it!!!  This week, my highlight for me was that my Grade 1 autistic boy wrote in his agenda all by himself.  It isn't the easiest to read by any means...but it showed that his brain can tell his finger how to hold the pencil and how to write letters (we have great difficulty with b, d, and p - but we are gaining ground, step by step).  Each day, I thank God for the little steps that we make in Grade 1.  

Working with two "challenged" children, has increased my awareness of how there is the possibility that our child could be challenged.  Each moment that I feel our baby kick or move, I pray that God is molding our baby into whatever He has in store for us (Yes - there is a very, VERY large part that wants our baby to be completely healthy!).  I also acknowledge though that God may have different things in store for us and that each child is a complete gift from Heaven and that God has designed each child.  We will love our baby unconditionally no matter what.  So far with all medical technology - our baby is 100% healthy and growing at a rapid pace - that I did know - the growing :).  

Sad Moments

I grew up with an amazing girl whom I called one of my bestfriends - Darcy Lymburner (nee Dillen).  We went through a lot together and I always knew that I could count on her for anything.  Six months ago, Darcy's husband Dave found out that he had cancer.  I have never been so proud to call Darcy my friend as I watched the love that these two people had for each other as they vowed to fit the cancer with everything in them.  Unfortunately, the cancer could not be beaten and in the past few weeks, Darcy began to have to say goodbye to her soulmate, her bestfriend, her lover, her sons father, her husband.  Not only was she having to say goodbye to Dave, she was faced with the realization that at the young age of 30 she was becoming a single parent of her two young boys - 3 year and 1 year old.  No person should have to go through this.  Darcy's dad has also been struggling for the past three years and Mr Dillen was like a second father to me growing up.  On Friday morning, I was informed that Mr Dillen had passed away on Wednesday.  His funeral is on Tuesday.  On Friday afternoon at 4:30, I received a phone call that Dave had passed away.  My heart hurts for Darcy.  No person should have to loose two family members in two days.    When Steve came home that evening, I held on to him longer and harder than I normally do.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to have my father and my husband pass away in a matter of days with each other.  Darcy will be okay....I know that because of this song that she posted on her blog:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

When Head Meets Door

What started out to be a nice Monday May Long.......

Steve and I were goofing off....he was chasing me with a glass of cold water and I headed for the bathroom.  Apparently, I've forgotten how to keep my head out of the way of the door.  Probably the largest goose egg and headache I've had for a long time.

My clumsiness continued in the morning and I fell climbing the wood stairs (don't worry I didn't fall down!), but I skinned up my shin and arm fairly good).  

Week 27

As one of the boys in my classroom at work said, "Mrs Parkinson, don't take this wrong, but you have gotten a lot bigger since you started".  My reply, "I know, and just think I still have a few more months to go".  To which he replied, "WOW, you are going to be huge!".  

Wonderful feeling :)

SJ Meets Baby P

For the Mother's Day weekend, Steve sent me out to Abbotsford to spend the weekend with my bestfriend Sarah Jane.  We also were spoiled by being able to spend a morning at a spa.  It was sooo good to catch up with SJ (this was basically our final hurrah, as her and Matthew leave for Africa at the end of August for 8 months).  I will miss my friend a lot next year!

Sarah Jane and Baby P also had the chance to finally meet (at least kinda!).  We are hoping that the baby arrives before they leave at the end of August so that they are able to see each other before next May.

Here is week 26 pictures as well...

Week 25

Not to sure what more I can say.....just getting bigger :)

A Few Things

The house is coming along at a rapid pace.  Framing is done in the basement and we met with the electrical company this week to go over where outlets and everything will be.  From what we can tell - we are right on schedule....LOTS to be done before the end of June, but we will be moving into it in June.  

This bathroom will be shared by bedroom one and bedroom two. 

It's a good thing that I'm a woman and pregnant - because our contractors have had WONDERFUL patience with me!  I decided that we should have a second washroom in our basement after the basement floor was poured.  Soooooo out came the jack hammers and voila - a SECOND WASHROOM!  Our hunters will be very grateful! :)  This bathroom is located in bedroom three.

Our stairs.....again our contractors are amazing - I think I changed these stairs every couple of days.  I love contour (curved) stairs but I had to have carpet on them (I HATE vacuuming carpeted stairs!).  So finally I went with normal stairs and they will have hardwood on them.

Bedroom one and Bedroom Two

We even have construction happening in the shop.  Bob wanted to build the bathroom in the shop - so here we are....