One of the biggest changes this past year was our little family of five growing to be a family of six! I enjoyed an uneventful pregnancy. For the most part I saw a midwife, but since I was going to have a repeat c-section I had to see a consultant at the hospital in Elgin, only 10 minutes away.
The planned c-section was set for November 19, 2014. Due to some concerns the doctor decided it would be best to move it up two weeks. This did not go with the plans we had made! My mom was going to arrive on the 14th and be with us for two weeks. Now she would arrive 8 days after Lilly was born.
Who would watch the kids while Don went with me to the hospital? How would he handle three young children on his own for 3-4 days? Why was this happening?
"Neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord." Is 55:8b God's plans are more perfect than ours. There was a family we had become friends with that were able to watch the kids that day. Don did great with the kids. Everyone was ready to have mom back, but they were okay. Home could function without me for a few days. I think God was letting us know that even when things don't go as we plan, His will is perfect and even being many miles away from family and the familiar, we could depend on Him to care for us and provide for us.
And so, little Lillian Joy joined us on November 5, 2014. She weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and was 20 inches long! Delivery went well. My hospital experience was a good one. I was actually very impressed with the care I was given. I was expecting things to be a bit more backward (for whatever reason), but I think it was comparable to my deliveries in the US.
We hadn't found out what we were having, but I had a feeling all along it was a girl. Harry was a little disappointed, but I'd have to say, he is her favorite! She smiles at her sisters, but her face really lights up when Harry is near!
My mom arrived 8 days later and it was a good time for her to come. I was getting to where I wanted to do more. I love my husband, but he's a man and the house needed some extra care. :) I saw things that needed to be done, but I could only do so much. Then my mom arrived and did what moms do. She helped me do some deep cleaning that needed to be done and told me to sit and take it easy.
I loved having her here and showing her around this place we now call home. We really missed having my dad here with her.
Fast forward to today. Lilly turned seven months recently. She is such a big girl. Sleeps about 8-10 hours at night. She's a pretty good girl. Yes, she does have times when she doesn't want to nap and is very crabby. If nothing is bothering her she is content. We love having Lilly as part of our family!
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Thursday, June 11, 2015
It's been a looonnnggg time! :)
I'm back and going to make a huge attempt to blog at least once a week. Things are beginning to happen around here and life is getting busy. Well, it already has been busy, but I feel like now there are many things to blog about. So many things have happened in the last year! Here's a quick run down:
Lilly joined us two weeks early on November 5, 2014. She a little chunker, even now at 7 months. She loves her brother and sisters!! Harry, though a little disappointed at first, loves her completely. They both get along really well and he was the first one who made her laugh.
We stopped meeting at the town hall this March and are currently renovating a small storefront. The building is right around the corner from our house. We're looking forward to finishing the work and beginning services.
Don is involved in two one-on-one Bible studies. We are also meeting two other families in Inverness every other Sunday. Needless to say he is enjoying having these ministry opportunities!
We are about to finish our second year homeschooling. I will share more about what we're doing this next year. I am really excited about the curriculum we will be using! Kathy has really improved in the last 4 months. Her letters and numbers are not perfect, but they are finally recognisable! I am really proud of what she's done. Harry has done really well this year. He's ready to be finished though! :) Throughout the summer I will try keeping them busy. I would like to keep their math, reading and writing skills fresh. It also works much better and makes the day run smoother (less fighting) if they have some sort of structure.
Summer has slowly begun to arrive here in Scotland. We've had 60-65 degrees, and yes, that's pretty much summer for us! It will get up to 70-75, but not much warmer than that.
We've seen God bless so much and I may share some of His blessings in the next couple of weeks!
Lilly joined us two weeks early on November 5, 2014. She a little chunker, even now at 7 months. She loves her brother and sisters!! Harry, though a little disappointed at first, loves her completely. They both get along really well and he was the first one who made her laugh.
We stopped meeting at the town hall this March and are currently renovating a small storefront. The building is right around the corner from our house. We're looking forward to finishing the work and beginning services.
Don is involved in two one-on-one Bible studies. We are also meeting two other families in Inverness every other Sunday. Needless to say he is enjoying having these ministry opportunities!
We are about to finish our second year homeschooling. I will share more about what we're doing this next year. I am really excited about the curriculum we will be using! Kathy has really improved in the last 4 months. Her letters and numbers are not perfect, but they are finally recognisable! I am really proud of what she's done. Harry has done really well this year. He's ready to be finished though! :) Throughout the summer I will try keeping them busy. I would like to keep their math, reading and writing skills fresh. It also works much better and makes the day run smoother (less fighting) if they have some sort of structure.
Summer has slowly begun to arrive here in Scotland. We've had 60-65 degrees, and yes, that's pretty much summer for us! It will get up to 70-75, but not much warmer than that.
We've seen God bless so much and I may share some of His blessings in the next couple of weeks!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Spring and Summer
We really love living here in Lossiemouth! Our spring and summer has been very busy. In May I took a two week trip back to the States to attend my brother's wedding. Audrey went with me and was finally able to really get to know the grandparents. I loved being back with family and we had a great time! The wedding was beautiful! But I quickly came to realize that I didn't quite belong there anymore. I am perfectly happy where God has put me and Scotland has become my home. Audrey and I skyped with Don and the other two every day and often I would call him on the phone later in the day. We really missed being away from them.
Our summer has been full of visits to the beach (in a secluded area!) to let the kids splash in the water. We've had other families come visit us. Lossie is a tourist spot and such a beautiful place to visit, not to mention live! :) We've also had some visitors to our Sunday Bible studies at the town hall.
We are expecting a new addition to the family this November! The kids are very excited about a new sibling.
Because of this, instead of beginning school next week, we started this week. Our first week has gone very well. Harry is in year 2/grade 1. Kathy is in reception/preschool. Kathy has been asking for weeks to start. Audrey just turned two, is still very active and needs more attention than the others. So, we do school in the afternoon, during nap time. We don't take very long. I'm keeping lessons short and we try to have more hands on things to do, especially for science. We're usually done in 1 1/2-2 hours. I may write more about what we're doing and how it's working for us over the next few weeks.
We just had some bad weather the beginning of this week as a result of hurricane Bertha. The sun was out yesterday and today, so I hope our summer isn't over yet....
Our summer has been full of visits to the beach (in a secluded area!) to let the kids splash in the water. We've had other families come visit us. Lossie is a tourist spot and such a beautiful place to visit, not to mention live! :) We've also had some visitors to our Sunday Bible studies at the town hall.
We are expecting a new addition to the family this November! The kids are very excited about a new sibling.
Because of this, instead of beginning school next week, we started this week. Our first week has gone very well. Harry is in year 2/grade 1. Kathy is in reception/preschool. Kathy has been asking for weeks to start. Audrey just turned two, is still very active and needs more attention than the others. So, we do school in the afternoon, during nap time. We don't take very long. I'm keeping lessons short and we try to have more hands on things to do, especially for science. We're usually done in 1 1/2-2 hours. I may write more about what we're doing and how it's working for us over the next few weeks.
We just had some bad weather the beginning of this week as a result of hurricane Bertha. The sun was out yesterday and today, so I hope our summer isn't over yet....
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
We've moved!!
We have now been in Lossie for 3 months. I love this little town we've moved to!! The move went really well. We only ran into a little problem while trying to put the kids bunk bed together. Their room is on the third floor and the ceiling slants. Rob quickly solved the problem by sawing off an inch or so of the legs!
We've explored some of our town. The kids enjoy going to the library and just a few blocks away is the park. There are so many things within walking distance: the post office, the Co-op (a grocery store), the butchers, the fish and chip shop, and, my favorite, the beach!
It's such a wonderful place God has brought us to!! I believe wherever God puts someone, He can give them a love for that place. I'm glad He sent us to a town we had already come to love.
So, this is the beginning. In March we are holding Bible lectures and Lord-willing from there we can move forward to Bible studies or even services! As we begin with Lossie, our desire is to eventually reach the area of Moray county. Please, pray that we will come into contact with people who have a desire to learn about God and are open to hearing truth!
We've explored some of our town. The kids enjoy going to the library and just a few blocks away is the park. There are so many things within walking distance: the post office, the Co-op (a grocery store), the butchers, the fish and chip shop, and, my favorite, the beach!
It's such a wonderful place God has brought us to!! I believe wherever God puts someone, He can give them a love for that place. I'm glad He sent us to a town we had already come to love.
So, this is the beginning. In March we are holding Bible lectures and Lord-willing from there we can move forward to Bible studies or even services! As we begin with Lossie, our desire is to eventually reach the area of Moray county. Please, pray that we will come into contact with people who have a desire to learn about God and are open to hearing truth!
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| Lossiemouth beach from the hill |
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| hall we're renting for the Bible lectures |
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| letterboxing for the lectures |
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Time for School
Last year I worked with Harry on improving his penmanship, phonics and math. We had a very loose schedule and it was simply preparing him for beginning school. This year, just last week, we began school in earnest! In our desire to make Scotland as much of our home as possible, I have come to the conclusion that I want his school learning to be close to what kids in schools here would learn. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to incorporate some Scottish/ UK history. After thinking about it a little more, I thought it would be a good idea to use mainly UK textbooks.
My mom homeschooled us for a little bit before we had to attend the German schools (they do not allow home education). When we returned to the States she was able to teach us at home once again. I thought I would go this route and use a familiar curriculum. Although I would still like to use many textbooks that I am familiar with, I believe I will try to use more UK material.
For Harry this means he is not in Kindergarten, he is in Primary 1. This is similar to Kindergarten and a little of 1st grade. In history he'll be learning about Florence Nightingale, the London fire, Guy Fawkes and many other simple historical happenings/figures in the UK. He'll have a bit of science, geography, art and music. We'll use books and also some online resources. I found a website that shows what children might learn in each school year. This has been really helpful to me.
Kathy only joins us 2 days a week. We do a Bible time together every day. Right now I'm just focusing on her knowing her letters and numbers. She is also working on tracing and perfecting her shapes. Drawing is not one of her strengths!! :) She does love making up stories and singing.
It's been really interesting doing all this with a baby crawling around wanting your undivided attention! Much of the time Audrey plays pretty well on her own. Then the other part she is trying to see what they're doing and trying to grab their books or pencils. I'm trying to move her to one nap in the afternoon. So far I always lay her down at 11:30, but it makes her afternoon nap so late. This means she stays up later instead of going to bed with Harry and Kathy. I tried one nap today and it worked very well! She was a little crabby when lunch time arrived, but she ate quickly and was able to lay down right away.
Here are some of the UK sites that I use, as well as the curriculum plan for Scotland:
http://www.crickweb.co.uk
http://www.everyschool.co.uk/
https://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary
Until next time...
My mom homeschooled us for a little bit before we had to attend the German schools (they do not allow home education). When we returned to the States she was able to teach us at home once again. I thought I would go this route and use a familiar curriculum. Although I would still like to use many textbooks that I am familiar with, I believe I will try to use more UK material.
For Harry this means he is not in Kindergarten, he is in Primary 1. This is similar to Kindergarten and a little of 1st grade. In history he'll be learning about Florence Nightingale, the London fire, Guy Fawkes and many other simple historical happenings/figures in the UK. He'll have a bit of science, geography, art and music. We'll use books and also some online resources. I found a website that shows what children might learn in each school year. This has been really helpful to me.
Kathy only joins us 2 days a week. We do a Bible time together every day. Right now I'm just focusing on her knowing her letters and numbers. She is also working on tracing and perfecting her shapes. Drawing is not one of her strengths!! :) She does love making up stories and singing.
It's been really interesting doing all this with a baby crawling around wanting your undivided attention! Much of the time Audrey plays pretty well on her own. Then the other part she is trying to see what they're doing and trying to grab their books or pencils. I'm trying to move her to one nap in the afternoon. So far I always lay her down at 11:30, but it makes her afternoon nap so late. This means she stays up later instead of going to bed with Harry and Kathy. I tried one nap today and it worked very well! She was a little crabby when lunch time arrived, but she ate quickly and was able to lay down right away.
Here are some of the UK sites that I use, as well as the curriculum plan for Scotland:
http://www.crickweb.co.uk
http://www.everyschool.co.uk/
https://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary
Until next time...
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Audrey
One year ago on August 3rd we went to Regional Hospital in St. Paul for a scheduled c-section. I had hoped for an attempt at natural birth but this little lady, just like Kathy, was in a transverse position. She was also past her due date.
Three days later we were hoping to be released. A nurse came and informed me that she was having a doctor listen to her and they were going to do an ultrasound. Soon they returned to tell me that she would be transferred to St Mary's NICU in Rochester to be closer to us. Her condition: coarctation of the aorta, and she would need surgery. Two weeks after she was born we were able to take Audrey home.
At 6 weeks old she got to experience a 13 hour trip to Scotland. She did really well on the flight, even better than the older two :)
Audrey is getting better at standing and loves to follow her brother and sister around. She has 5 teeth. Out of everything that she is able to eat she loves peas! She will get very excited and start banging on the tray when she sees me get out the peas!!
Harry and Kathy love having Audrey around. They sometimes have the idea that she can do a lot more than she actually is able to!
I am so glad that we were able to have both grandparents watch her open presents and eat cake. On Saturday we skyped with them (it was 9 am their time!). It was great for them to share this special FIRST birthday with us!!
Three days later we were hoping to be released. A nurse came and informed me that she was having a doctor listen to her and they were going to do an ultrasound. Soon they returned to tell me that she would be transferred to St Mary's NICU in Rochester to be closer to us. Her condition: coarctation of the aorta, and she would need surgery. Two weeks after she was born we were able to take Audrey home.
At 6 weeks old she got to experience a 13 hour trip to Scotland. She did really well on the flight, even better than the older two :)
Audrey is getting better at standing and loves to follow her brother and sister around. She has 5 teeth. Out of everything that she is able to eat she loves peas! She will get very excited and start banging on the tray when she sees me get out the peas!!
Harry and Kathy love having Audrey around. They sometimes have the idea that she can do a lot more than she actually is able to!
I am so glad that we were able to have both grandparents watch her open presents and eat cake. On Saturday we skyped with them (it was 9 am their time!). It was great for them to share this special FIRST birthday with us!!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Our Spring in Pictures
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| Don's parents visited us in May. We enjoyed showing them the sights. This is Dunrobin Castle. |
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| I've been doing some sewing again. One of my projects was this onesie dress for Audrey. |
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| We've had some beautiful days. The kids love being outside. |
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| Don and Harry attended a men's camp out right before Father's Day. |
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| The girl's and I had our own fun! |
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| Audrey started crawling the beginning of June. Now she is pulling herself up and standing with support. |
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