Old MacDonald and the Bible

What do these two have in common you ask? Well, let's Kaley instead. She was singing to herself the other day and this is what she sang:

"E-I-E-I-O
Yes that's the book for me,
I stand alone on the Word of God,
E-I-E-I-O"

Yep, that's our girl!

The Orange Experiment

Kaley is always thinking, watching, observing and taking everything in around her. Tonight was no exception! We always know that something is happening when it is quiet for a few moments. I walked into the kitchen and this is what I saw. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

And the inspiration of all of this:

Like I said, always thinking, watching, observing and taking everything in around her!

Our Almost New Backyard

When we first purchased our house almost four years ago, there was a "creek" running through the back of the property which we thought would be fun to have and we'd build a bridge across it and plant a garden on the other side. Well, we quickly found that that wasn't going to be the case because of some limitations that the city put on the land. Along with that, we found out that our "creek" was quite unsafe during a rain storm and it was a popular place for kids to play in when it was dry. To make a long story short, the city and the developer decided to make some changes to the creek and we would be able to fence in our yard and be done with it!

The work started mid June and went quite quickly. It was great entertainment for us and Kaley would sit out on the deck and chat with the workers as they walked by. What we didn't count on was gaining and much bigger backyard than what we had. They were a couple of days away from being done and were going to sod our new backyards when we had a HUGE rain storm that dumped a TON of water all at once. The force of the water moving through the creek shifted the cement tiles they had used to line the creek and thus creating a BIG problem.

So, right now everything is at a stand still until they can figure out how to move forward and we are left with a vision of what our yard will be, but have to wait a little more to see it finished. We keep telling ourselves that we have already waited three years for this to be done- so what is a couple more weeks of waiting?

Here are a few photos of the progress!

Our old back yard with the creek

Kaley keeping a watchful eye on everything!

Our "new" back yard:

The Ministry of Motherhood"

For Mother's Day this year, I received a book titled "The Ministry of Motherhood" and it has quickly become one of my favorite books to read. Here is an excerpt from today that really hits close to home:

"As mothers, we have the hearts and the trust of our children from the earliest moments of their lives, and they need us for so many reasons. They naturally look to us for physical sustenance, protection, affection. Deep in their hearts, however, they also long for a special place to belong, a place to feel their worth, and they need us to help them find it. These precious children were designed to fulfill a purpose for God by bringing his glory to bear through their lives. They were designed to be his hands, his voice, his heart and mind through the various kinds of work they undertake in his world."

LOVE IT! I can't think of a better reason for being parents. Even though this book is primarily focused on moms, this particular quote is equally important for dads as well.

For my mom friends out there, if you are looking for a good read this summer, I encourage you to try this book!

The Ministry of MOtherhood

Strawberry Picking!

One of my most favorite summer time activities is picking strawberries and blueberries. I have fond memories of picking fresh berries in Minnesota and Wisconsin with my family and wanted to do those same things with our girls. This week seemed the perfect opportunity. The strawberries have been delicious this year and we had a great day yesterday to go and do this.

Auntie Sharlene and I packed up the girls and headed out to the local farm. Kaley in her usual fashion of experiencing something new, was wide eyed and wonderful. She took in every detail and was almost buzzing with excitement. She came ready with her little bucket that she was going to fill and did a great job! Chloe was bundled up safe and sound in the baby carrier with Auntie Sharlene, and even though we lost her soother along the way, she did good and really enjoyed tasting the berries.

It was a fun afternoon together and a learning experience for Kaley. She now knows that food does not come from a supermarket, but is grown in the ground- and even better is that we are eating food that is grown right here in Barrie. I love this place!