♫ Hey Little Bird...Sitting in that Tree ♫

Seems we have some visitors...beautiful!  I love Spring!!!

When You Miss School...

Levi spent a couple days home with mom this week because of a nasty sore throat and cold.  Well, this is what happens when you miss school...At least he is still smiling. That's our Levi!  Grammar and Geometry...oh what fun! 

Birthday Time!

We have another teenager in the house!!! Yay! Taylor has reached the exciting age of 13...I still remember the day she was born...it was Good Friday in the year 1997. I told her I remember walking her through the halls of the maternity ward in the wee hours of the morning because she wouldn't sleep and all she did was fuss in the little bassinet. I was afraid she'd keep the other moms awake, so I walked the halls till I was too tired to walk. Eventually I discovered that all she needed to do is lay beside me in my bed and she'd sleep. What a girl. All she needed was to be close to her mom. Well, she still likes to snuggle and I hope she never outgrows that!

This year it was a Sunday birthday, so it started off at church. It was Mission Conference weekend, so we heard a lot about God's work in other countries. We also had the priviledge of hearing Glendon Thompson preach. I love listening to him preach. He is such a gifted man! I could sit and listen for hours. It was an amazing sermon on faith. He focused on Paul's verse in Galatians 2...Verse 20..."I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." He spoke about how faith is indispensable and biblical faith must have
1)Comprehension of the Truth, 2)Conviction, and 3)Commitment. He spoke about Christ being the Personal Object of our Faith and how the life of a Christian begins with faith and continues in faith. It was a beautiful reminder to focus all of our lives on Christ and to continue to trust in Him. Why is he worthy of our trust? Because... "He loved me and gave Himself for me."

After that feast of a message, we went home to find Grandpa and Grandma sitting in their CRV waiting for us to arrive home. Taylor opened some presents, we had a great visit with them, enjoyed the peasoup that was in the crockpot and a lovely piece of birthday cake. We played some games, relaxed, and enjoyed eachother's company. David showed Grandpa some of his "moves", complete with his dollar store sword, elephant mask, nerf vest, and a shield made from the lid of an old boot box. It might have been raining outside, but there was sun in our house!

Happy 13th Birthday Taylor!

We love you! xoxo

Love and Marriage

Happy Anniversary Grandpa and Grandma!!!
We pray you are blessed with many more years together! We thank God for your example of what Christian marriage is all about.

♥ We love you! ♥

Eyes

Well in the Schenk family, it is a big month and I'm starting to see a theme. Eyes.

1. Rick's mom, "Oma Schenk," is having Corneal transplant surgery very soon, so we have been praying about that. We trust God will give her the strength and grace to get through this big event. We're also praying for the doctors and nurses who will be giving her care. He never gives us more than we can handle, and I'm sure He'll be right there with her through it all.

2. Taylor has glasses. Rick took Taylor after school yesterday to pick them up. She is looking very smart. I think she can't believe how crisp and clear the world is. For anyone who has glasses, I'm sure you can understand that feeling of seeing the world in it's beauty and colour after putting your glasses on for the first time. I suppose it's not a surprise that someone else in this house would need them. She is at the age when Rick got his first pair as well. I'm glad she finally told us she was having trouble seeing things, like the board in school, or signs on the highway.

3. Ladies Bible Study has been such a blessing this past year. Such a wonderful thing to get together with women who are all at different seasons in their lives, to study God's Word and to pray for one another. The theme of eyes and lenses seems to have come up there as well. I think it's amazing how God gives us the eyes to see things at different stages of our lives. Let me just give a quick example...When you become a mom, it is then that you come to appreciate all that your own mother has done for you. As your children grow up and you start to learn how to "let go" of them, you can see how tough it was for your own parents to trust in the Lord to keep your children in the way they should go. I guess being a parent is all about letting go, but it's also about seeing things in new ways. As we grow as Christians, God gives us new lenses as we mature in Him. Just like our eyes seem to get worse and we need stronger lenses, God gives us new lenses to see Him and His world in new ways. I think our faith is a little bit like glasses. Without faith we would never see God. I pray all of our children will be given that faith from God to see Life. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36

Schenkie Pizzaria

It was pizza night at the Schenk house. I put on my Betty Crocker smile while Amber shot some pics (she was the photographer), and Taylor and I did our best to make the pizzas to order. David got in on the action too. I forgot it took 2 hours to make pizza dough in the bread-maker, so we ate rather late...oh well. We just served them chips and dip as an appetizer while we were busy in the kitchen. It is so much easier to buy pizza ready-made, but this was way more fun. We made a hawaiian pizza and a half pepperoni/half veggie & pepperoni pizza. They were both consumed rather quickly...no leftovers. I was rather pleased with the end product. I always think it's nice to know what you're eating, and when you make it yourself...you know. We had rave reviews from everyone in the family and were encouraged to make it again some time. Perhaps if we do it more often, we'll stream-line the process and it will go a little faster. Or, maybe we just need to enlist some more hands!

First Blooms and Organization

Today was another beautiful day in Burlington. I think the temperature was a balmy 15 degrees and the sun shone brightly all day. March break is flying along and we are keeping busy enjoying the outdoors. Today the crocus blooms started to show their colour, and I am also pleased to see some tulips coming up. That means the squirrels did not eat ALL my bulbs.

This weather puts me in the mood to purge and spring-clean...almost. We took a trip to IKEA today and bought some glass shelves to help organize our kitchen space. It might appear to some people that we really like our coffee...we do love our coffee, but we also love our tea and our hot-chocolate, complete with "mashmallows"...(that's what David wrote on my shopping list last week.) Soon the days of hot-chocolate and marshmallows will be gone and we'll be brewing iced-tea. We're looking forward to that!

Hockey Report

The Schenk black-top has been sizzling lately with all the exciting hockey action. David and Levi have been enjoying the bright, sunny warm weather and have even made some new friends in the neighbourhood. I am thankful that their hockey games have moved from inside the house to outdoors.

David has been the goalie lately, and Levi has been working on his moves. I'm not sure the garage is liking the beating it has been taking...it is covered with black tennis ball marks and even has a hole or two from some blazing shots. (I think Rick is responsible for at least one hole.)

I don't mind the marks...just evidence that lots of fun has been had. We are so thankful to God for the beautiful weather we have been enjoying. It is turning out to be one of the best March Breaks ever in terms of gorgeous weather!

Dollar Store & Creativity

We made a trip up to Orillia last Friday, and Oma the kids and I hit the new local Dollar Store. Opa gave the kids a little $ to spend, so the kids had fun purchasing some treasures.

Amber and Taylor bought paint, paint brushes, and popsicle sticks and spent hours and hours last weekend creating their own "Schenk Academy." When I used to home-school them, we called our school the Schenk Academy. Now they have their very own. Amazing what you can make with some Dollar Store stuff and a little creativity.

March Break

March Break is here and the women of this house have been busy working with their hands. Amber and Taylor spent a couple days this week with Grandpa and Grandma.

Grandma has patiently been teaching the girls how to quilt. They started their quilts last summer and were so close to being finished. This week they had to add the boarders to their quilts. Now the quilts just need to be hand quilted.

Grandma even had the patience to teach me to do a little quilting today. I am quite proud of the finished product. What is it you ask? A lovely little coaster for my glass. Not too bad for my first quilting project. Time to finish my drink...

Dutch much?

Ok, well here is some proof that if you're giving something away...my hubby will take full advantage of it. He was out with the girls before school this morning to get free coffee for himself and both of them. (I don't usually give my kids coffee!) I'd rather go to Tim's and buy their coffee, but I discovered this week, after Rick took me to try McD's coffee for the first time ever, that their coffee is not half bad. Is it that the coffee is good or that it just tastes better b/c it's free?

On another note, I have to say that I like the style of coffee cup better at the McD's than Tim's...it's nicer to drink out of. The lid stays open nicely and it's gentler on the lips. (Lest you think I'm a heretic, I still like Tim's coffee the best.)

Well, the free coffee is going to end in a few days, Rick will stop frequenting the McD's drive thru, the roll-up-the-rim will continue for a time...and I'll just be happy and content with my free donut...1 for 3 so far!

Schenk Sports Update

Ok, well, being the sportsfan that I am, I need to share the latest on the athletes in this house. First of all, let me just say that Rick and I are happy our children love to be involved in sports, and secondly, we are glad Amber is finished her team sports for the year. (We said "no more." One can only do so much driving...)



Amber was involved with the junior bball and vball teams this year at King's. They take sports very seriously at King's. There were multiple practices and games every week. The bball team was an energetic bunch of girls. They didn't win a single game, but they did have fun. They learned a lot, and coach Bulthuis is excited about next year. (Girls bball is very intense!) Vball was much of the same but less intense and not as exciting to watch. Not much winning was going on, but hopefully they'll be that much better next year.

Then there's Taylor. She has been on every sports team she could try out for this year, the exception being cross-country. This is the first year she didn't run cross-country, but she promises me she'll do it again next year...we shall see about that. Levi ran cross country this year and made it to the All-Ontario Christian meet. He did very well and enjoyed it very much.

Taylor has been on the school soccer team, vball team, hockey team (the only female on it), and most recently the bball team. I was a little concerned about the hockey thing this year, but she held her own...and had she not been playing, I never would have had the chance to meet Gary Roberts. She played in two tournaments and they did quite well. (yes that is her in the penalty box)



Bball just finished and the Trinity team won their first tournament and went to the final-four in their second tournament. It was great stuff to watch and cheer. I had several parents tell me that my little Taylor is very aggressive on the court. I'm no expert when it comes to bball, but I suppose that explains the many fouls. I was proud of her and I look forward to next year when she'll be the senior on the team. DV. Well, that's the latest from the world of Schenk sports. If you were privileged to watch some of that action I'm sure you'll agree with me that our children certainly get a lot of that, shall we say, "enthusiasm" from their father. (Ok, they can't help it b/c it's in their genes...Rick and I are both very competitive...sorry kids!)

Let's Get This Blog Started

My first post...and is has to do with one of my favourite things...spending quality time with my baby. Well, he's not a "baby" anymore, but he's still my baby. (If you're a mom, you know what I mean.) The important thing is...David knows what I mean.

Bath-time Bubbles, Sharks and Whales were the topics of tonight's quiet evening with David. Everyone went to church, but the two of us. My plan was to get him to bed on time so that he'd be well-rested for school tomorrow.

He had fun playing with the bubbles and wanted pictures taken to document the event so that Daddy could see later on. We talked about the variety of whales and sharks and how they have such interesting names. We also decided that we need to take a trip to Marineland this summer because he wants to get some more bath-time friends.

I never sit with him any more when he has a bath. He's old enough to be on his own, but tonight for some reason I stayed. I'm not sure why. While I was sitting there he said the words that were music to my ears..."Mom, it's nice that you're staying here today. I really like that." Sometimes we have to just sit and talk and enjoy the quiet moments. Tonight was one of those nights. He's growing up so fast and I know there won't be many more nights like this one where he'll still want his mom to sit at the tub-side.

After the bath we had a quick game of cards before it was time for bed. I also broke out the flute and played his 3 favourite night-time songs, the ones I usually sing to him. I thank God for quiet nights and music and for my little boy that loves me...God is good.