{wordless wednesday}
~kinda~

{giddy...as a school-girl}

(pun intended)

well, my stuff has arrived, so my "post-in-the-making" can now be made.

get a load of this win-fall:

{pan left}

{pan right}

i have had a lot of time to ponder my composition of this post...but nothing too witty of enlightening has bloomed in this brain of mine.

in January our family made the executive decision that we will start homeschooling in the Fall. this is something that jim and i have considered, even before having kids...but obviously had no need to commit to a decision until now, with Kindergarten on the horizon.

this is a decision we did not take lightly. and it is something we feel very strongly about. we know this is what we should do...we know this is something we are being called to do...we know this isn't a "cop-out" or a selfish excuse to hold onto our kids for longer (although it is an added bonus for sure)...we know this isn't a popular decision that will be openly accepted by all people we share this with, as it's already been questioned by about 50% of the people we tell! we know this adventure will have its ups and downs, but this is something we feel called to do...a way of raising our children that will help us carry out our calling to raise caring, responsible, Godly girls...

we are so excited about this opportunity and all the "newness" and "discovery" it brings with it.

the most recent being choosing all the "stuff" in the pictures above...board games, story books, card games, figurines, and some books for me, at the latest homeschooling conference in Surrey. it was so fun to get together with local Mum's and head into the city.

so...with all these fun things waiting, still unopened, in our new "school room," we eagerly anticipate September...the beginning of a new chapter in our life...

...oh, the places we'll go!

[stay tuned for a close-up look at the incredible things i got @ the conference that make up K's curriculum for the Fall]

{most recent procrastination}

i had some material left over from an apron i made...and because i like it, and was surely avoiding something that day...i decided to make this:

side a


side b


close-up A

close-up B

i'm off to plot my next creation...during my current attempts at mastering procrastination!

{happy half birthday...to you and you}

last week we had the pleasure of celebrating the girls' half birthdays. this is something i've decided we will do as a family to try and blur the fact that their birthdays are in December...five days apart! (note the feeling of guilt i bear)

As is tradition on their whole birthdays...we began the morning with pancakes and a song to the half birthday girls...

{bean...playing shy}

{it last but a moment...and then, the cheese face}

{then it was the big girl's turn}

{proud to be four AND A HALF!}

we spent the day with some new friends the girls lovingly refer to as "the boys"...as opposed to all the girl friends they have:) and we obviously had to bring the celebration with us...by means of krispie squares with chipits and sprinkles...mmmM!

overall, a great day was had by all...and I can't believe they're growing so fast!

here's a small sampling of the artwork done by the resident four and A HALF year old of our home...

{it's a butterfly, a flower, a tree, wind, some rain, birds, a cloud...and my name}

{and here's some of her printing}

we're excited to see what the rest of their "2" and "4" years hold...

{unshakable faith}

here again is an excerpt from today's devotion...something that pulls at my heart...i have hope...and faith...but it remains a tad shaky.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

~James 1:2

God is in control of all circumstances that surround the believer. The devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God. But why would God give that permission? Because Satan's attacks will show what you are made of.

A faith that cannot be shaken is a faith that has been shaken. And if your faith is real, it will even endure through the worst of circumstances, because character is not made in crisis; it is revealed. Trials, temptations, and crises separate the wheat from the chaff, the true from the false, and the real from the unreal.

Suffering takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality, and suffering brings glory to God. Anyone can be happy when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. But when a storm is hitting, it is a different matter.

~ Greg Laurie

{her debut}

karys had her first ballet recital this afternoon...and we were all quite excited about it! she did a great job...not shy, nervous, or distracted at all!

she's looking forward to doing the 2 remaining shows tomorrow, after skipping the one that was one tonight...yup, four shows for this little four year old!

ready to go...

looking so pretty


daddo trying to create calm amidst the chaos

silly mummy didn't remove her silly shades...argh!

let the show begin...

here they come!!!!

there she is! *tear*

proud of herself...and so she should be!

i'm looking forward to seeing how she feels about her performance tomorrow...and what she chooses to be a part of (or not) next year! she already has quite the list in her head...we'll see how that plays out.

note: there's a post in the making...i'm just missing some photos that are very pertinent to the text...stay tuned;)

{my baby}

is about to have her 4 1/2 year birthday! and i know every parent says "it feels like yesterday..." but seriously, this kid never fails to amaze me...daily. sometimes it's in ways i would rather not be amazed, like how she can already roll her eyes like a 14 year old!!

but other days i am just so happy to watch her bloom...right in front of me!

here are some pictures of what she's been up to lately:

{one of her first "at home" projects}
note: this picture doesn't really look like her, but she's proud!

{close-up view of her caterpillar}
she had to colour 4 big circle, 2 little circles, and 2 antennas and then cut them out and paste them on a piece of paper

{our newest gift...from a family at church!}

{she has a great time plunking away}

{total concentration}

{further concentration...notice anything about the puzzle she's doing??}

{yup...it's blank! she decided to do it upside down!!}

{and now... "I'm Jim!"}

{oh my beautiful baby...please stop growing up so fast!}