Not Just Any Hike....

....but a hike with Papa!


Beamer Falls

The morning started out relatively normal...
a early morning invitation to go for a hike,
a drive up the mountain,
a walk down the path,
balancing on fallen trees....

UNTIL....

we came upon some steep stairs, and the sound of running water....I believe it was the kid's idea to take the journey down the trechourous stairs...Papa and I just looked at eachother and pretty much thought the same thing....If we go down...we must come up!

Who can resist the pleading eyes of 4 kids looking for adventure and excitement!

And so the journey began....

down, down, down

Well we managed the stairs, why not go down the steep bank and check out the stream, throw some rocks....




hang out...

.......oh, and what is a hike if you don't explore! Oh, a small path...kinda looks like a short cut...let's try that out, it would too boring to go up the same way we came down....so we began to go

UP, UP, UP

Wait a second...the path is dissapearing...the poison ivy is encrouching in...

but let's persist...we are this far now...we can do it...why not....

Oh wow...we found a fort....hidden deep, deep in the woods, nestled up against the base of a

CLIFF!

Ok...papa needs to investigate....yup, even the best rock climbers would have difficulty with this one....so that can mean only one thing....

back down the steep decline....and back up the forever ending incline!


What a bunch of troopers! We made it back up to the top and even had energy to run all the way back to the car!

Nope...not just any hike....

But one with lots of memories!

"God saw all the he made, and it was very good" Genesis 1:31

Well, can you believe that it is the middle of May already?

What's up with Kaelyn

Well, Kaelyn has only 4 more days of kindergarten left and in a month she will celebrate her sixth birthday! How that happened so quickly I am not really sure.

The highlight of this month of course was mother's day! I was invited to mother's day tea where the kid's did a little program for the mom's of all the different things they have learned. We were then presented with our gifts and treated to some wonderful dessert and tea.

Mrs. Poort did an excellent job of teaching the kids what mother's day was all about!

She came down that morning to find me on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor (well, something like that anyway!)

"You shouldn't be doing that mom, it is mother's day"

"Well, who is going to do it for me then?" I replied.

"Oh, you can do it tommorrow" she said, not missing a beat.

Kaelyn continues to love her cats, Cookie and Teddy. Lately they have the joy of being dressed up in doll clothes and walked around with a scarf tied around their neck for a leash.

The only time I am allowed to get near to Kaelyn with my camera is usually when she wants a picture with Cookie or Teddy...

And what is more precious than a hug...

....and a kiss

between friends.....

We have run into one complication though....Teddy sits at the door waiting for us to come home so that when we open the door he tries to escape. Well, it looks like he went out shopping for some perfume and came home with the newest version of SKUNK! Yes, I mean the one that comes in a black and white bottle that walks around with it's tail up!

What's up with Jacob

Well, Jacob was introduced to his kindergarten class at Heritage Christian School this month! He was able to meet his teacher and all the kids in his class and even had a bus ride! It was pointed out that for many of the moms this was their last child going to school....it wasn't till I was driving home that I realized that I was one of them. I didn't know if I should cry or smile!

Jacob had his very own special pet for a couple of days.

Introducing.....Mr. Tickles

He is of the tick species...the ones that burrow into your skin and suck the blood. Daddy (thankfully) was the one to find Mr. Tickles burrowing into Jacob's head. He was carefully extracted but still got a good chunk of Jacob's skin!

Speaking of bugs Jacob went to work with daddy this week and was able to see what fleas look like. While putting him to bed he confided in me...

"Mom, you know those little tiny bugs at daddy's work...well, I think they blew on me and that is why my penis and back are always itchy. That's why I have to hold my penis even when I don't have to go pee! I think I have fleas!"

All I could say was... "I guess bugs like you, hey!"

When Kaelyn is at school, Jacob takes full advantage of the peace and quiet. He usually finds something to do quietly. The other day he was so quiet I went to look for him and found a path of rocks. They led up to two little feet...It reminded me of Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

A Moment to Reflect

We are blessed in God's special revelation, through scripture and Jesus Christ. But especially at this time I am reminded of His general revelation in the whole universe. It is the manuscript in which the Creator has written his character and signed his name! It is so amazing that we can take comfort not only in words on a page but also from a different message -

The images written in the sky and

in the sun that brightens and warms us.


In the blossoms and flowers that show divine beauty and color.

In the birds and the buzzing bees singing His divine music.

And finally in the little parts that make up His children

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Psalm 8:9

The Fun Never Stops!

It is hard to believe that it is almost May...with each passing day we can be thankful for the hand of God in our lives. With the warmer weather we have been able to be outside more....one of the first days we played in the backyard Kaelyn found this beautiful rock in the shape of a heart. What a joy and a blessing to see God's awesome works right in our own backyard!




Ivan has been working hard out back and has transformed the "hill of mud" into a nice spot for the kids to hang out and play. What more could you ask for....a playhouse, slide, sandbox, and trampoline!

Kaelyn and Jacob were right back into their trampoline tricks....jumping, twirling, bucking and flipping!

Unfortunately, the fun has to be postponed a little for Kaelyn. This week she was able to get her lovely pink cast off, however, she is now in a splint. The object is to try get some range of motion going but this means she must be very very careful not to fall on it....that means no trampoline, biking, climbing etc. The prognosis..."it looks a little crooked, but let's see if nature will heal itself"...ie. we are this far, lets see what the bone growth will do in the next three weeks and if it still is crooked we will have to take care of it...
And so we will have to leave it in God's hands (not nature's) and in the mean time God is giving Kaelyn the opportunity to learn the virtue of patience, Jacob the opportunity to learn kindness and goodness (in not doing things Kaelyn can't participate in....like jumping of the trampoline)and mommy and daddy the opportunity to practice trust in His healing hand!



We continue to live in "the middle of a big mud puddle" but in the evening when all the big machines and trucks are done for the day we have a nice dirty and dusty road to bike on! Hmmmm...it looks like it is going to be a close race!



And finally, there was great rejoicing in our house when the UPS man rang our doorbell....the camera, that I had worked so hard to get had arrived! Yes, begging, pleading, groaning and moaning is very very hard work! Kaelyn and Jacob told me the other day that it sounded like I had a "bad case of the gimmies". And last night I was informed that I had to share my camera with daddy. Can you tell we just went to the library and stocked up on Berenstien Bears books? Good thing we also got the "Count Your Blessings" edition....so that is what I will do!

Now, having a camera has lots of benefits...one of them being that you operate it and therefore are not in the pictures....most of the time! Here is the challenge....how many "melissa holding the camera"'s can you find in this picture!



And I guess it wouldn't be right to finish without one picture from my new camera...so here it is folks....my very first picture with my new dSLR Canon Rebel XT....

I think the picture is self-explanatory!

A Little Bit of This.....

......and a little bit of that!

Ok...so spring has sprung, as Jacob reminds us every time he sees a robin! And well, around here so has the mud! We've resigned ourselves to the fact that we will be doing a lot of muddy laundry around here! You can't very well send the kids outside and say don't go in the mud!

Kaelyn is in the full swing of things at school. She has been doing lots of exciting things; class trips, dress up days and apparantly she is learning how to read. One evening she came over to us and showed us this tag...."look mommy and daddy, I can read! This dog's name is FRANK!" Hmmmm.....I think we have to have a little chat with Mrs. Poort!

Jacob is our little sweetheart...(if Kaelyn isn't around!). And he especially loves to have cousins and friends come to visit. It had been a long time since we had seen Adrianna and Zach! Notice: Kaelyn is NOT in the picture...she likes to conserve her sweetness! LOL

Both Kaelyn and Jacob are mischevious! If I hear the two of them giggling I can be sure that they have something cooking. The other day they were painting downstairs, the giggling began and my concern grew....when they came upstairs I just had to laugh too....and then I got my face painted! Ohhhh, it was so much fun....not so easy to get off though!

The countdown was on....How many more sleeps until the "BIG DAY"? Kaelyn had her class come to her (or is it daddy's?) clinic for a class trip! Ivan did a fantastic job with the kids...and next on the list is the 24 hyper-active busy beavers.....Ha Ha!

This is one of the x-rays the class got to see. It is Kaelyn's broken arm!!! It seems to healing well except for the fact that it is still in this position....so the doctors are hoping that the bone will remodel itself and we can be done....but if not, we are off to surgery.

And finally, what greater way to spend a Saturday morning than at the sugar bush! It was chilly....but very educating and filling (you had to eat pancakes once the tour was done)! I had the privilege of using one of Tobi's camera's so that was excitement enough for me!