Its a New Day

On Friday, Tristan celebrated his 5th birthday with a few cousins over for a visit. As soon as he came home he asked "Who is going to sing Happy Birthday to me?" and wanted us to practice singing before the cake came. :) How is this the only picture I got of the 5 year old? Eli The kids played a few games: place the soccer player on the ball (pin the tale on the donkey), Bingo, and their favourite - find the candy that Aunt Rachel just threw around the back yard. Julia and Analia checking out some candy that fell in the grass - but when you're 1 what's a little dirt? There was lots of playing in the sandbox too Hannah - the lonely girl with lots of boy cousins (until JAM came into the picture) Julia - the stinker - always trying to get people to laugh The little girls (aka JAM) just ran around and played as 1 year olds are known to do. It was funny to see them all interacting together. Amazing how different the group of kids looks from last year! This picture make...

Sunday is Rachel's 30th Birthday! Growing up we were never really close. With 6 years and 2 sisters between us, we really didn't spend much time together. I always thought that we were worlds apart in our thinking of things in general, but it turns out that we are very similar! Scarily so! I'm so glad for the years that I could spend with and her family and for how she makes me feel so welcome! Rachel is a fantastic mom and her kids love her dearly! Well... he loves smooches now! I didn't realize till doing this that I had the same picture with 2 different kids! We'll have to get one with Julia too! Hannah still doesn't really like smooches, and will often give on your hand or leg. Happy birthday dear sister!

This Sunday is Tristan's 5th birthday!!! Loving the camera Aren't I cute? Please!!! NO MORE PICTURES!!! What do you do with a boy? Well, this boy loves tractors and farms and gettin' stuck in the mud. He loves books and would pour over the tractor magazines looking for Grandpa's, Uncle Barry's, and Raymie's tractors and dad's truck. He taught me everything I know about farming, tractors and when the 'nanure' needs to be spread. Very early on he learned to be a sweet brother to Hannah and now Julia. He is so gentle and tender with little ones and all the cousins just love him. His is one of the first names that they learn! Because I was living with them, he quickly learned to call my name AAAAAunt Jen would be bellowed out. Then for a while it was Jen. On really occasions when he is feeling super sappy, it is Jenny Rose (not really sure how he came up with that except that we called Hannah Hanny Rose and maybe he made that connection). For a lo...

It is a bit late, but Happy Birthday to Mike! Mike is my only older brother! He was 'known' to our family - or at least to me - many years before he started dating Karen. When I was 16 I went to the youth group across the street from my high school. One night we were playing Russians and Christians (that tells you how long ago it was!). The point of the game was that you had a slip of paper that said you were a Russian, a Christian or on the fence. If you were a christian you wanted to get at least 3 other christians together to sing a song, recite a memory verse and pray. If you were a Russian you wanted to catch the Christians and bring them to jail (it was an area in the gym). Doug (the youth leader) was the judge and would sentence you to jail or let you go free. If you were on the fence you had to decided then and there if you were a Christian or a Russian. Sometimes Russians would 'pretend' to be christians so that they could catch them. Well, I was a Russian and ...

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is affected by music. In fact, I know it. Music can bring such a flood of emotion and waves of memories. In April I think of the song: April's here again and here's the IRS, They always visit me this time of year I'm gonna leave my body to the scientist I won't care because I won't be here Oh my heart belongs to Jesus And that's one thing the world can't take away Oh my heart belongs to Jesus And he's gonna come collecting anyday" This one always makes me smile and think of wallpapering the tiny kitchen with Cher (and all the scraps of paper that we used to finish the corner by the kitchen). On Monday, since I was sewing and like to do that with music in the background, I put in some old tapes and CD's to listen to and a flood of memories came back to the front of my mind! Camping with the girls and listening to "The Great Adventure" and thinking it looked like a movie looking through the ...

Over the years, many many many different people have come up to me and said "I just read somewhere that ______________ may help with headaches". I've always smiled and taken the article, read it and discover that it is something that I have tried, and if not, I will try. I'm often asked if I get bothered by this, but I really don't because you just never know when something might work. So a few weeks ago, dear Grace, referred my to her physiotherapist. Grace also suffers from migraine and we have often talked about different things that work or don't for either of us. Now, this is something that I did do many moons ago when my headaches first started - and had no relief. So I go in holding my breath that it will help. This afternoon I had my first session. I was a bit nervous because I already have a 'lovely' headache today and usually chiro or massage make it worse (before it feels better). I was prepared for the worst. After filling out all the neces...

Happy Mother's Day Mom! It feels like just yesterday we would be sitting in the basement or bedrooms putting together 'fancy' menus for you to choose your breakfast in bed from. You suffered graciously through not cooked eggs, burnt toast and watery coffee - never complaining. When you had your accident it was very tough to see you not able to do anything - to not be there to take care of us - but you worked hard at being able to get back up again. Now that the grandchildren are around you are even more vibrant than before! What a great gift you are to us as you continue to serve and bless us as our mom. mom with some new babies Ashley, mom, Mandie, Heather and I at Oma & Opa's anniversary

Happy Birthday to Kimberly! Kimberly has always been very quiet. In fact she didn't really walk or talk until she was almost 3 years old (it probably didn't help that she couldn't see or hear well). Kimberly has a gentle, kind and servant heart. If asked to do something she'll do it right then, without complaining, no matter what she was doing. When mom had her accident Kimberly even took on the hard (and often yucky) jobs that no one else was even willing to do. Now she is married to Derek and they have a beautiful daughter together. Happy birthday, dear sister! (this is such an old photo - their engagement!! I really need to take out my camera more often)

This is from the Girl Talk web site. A dear friend pointed it out to me and I wanted to share it with those who are not mothers. www.girltalkhome.com/blog/tale-of-three-single-women

Last night I had dinner at Rachel and Ryan's. Tristan asked to pray after dinner and my heart swelled with love and thanksgiving for this little boy and his prayer. "Dear Father, thank you that I could go to school and daddy could go to work safely. Thank you that Hannah is healthy and we could play outside. Thank you that Jen loves us." Hannah wanted to pray too "Dear Father, thank you that Tistan could go to school and be invited to a birthday party. Thank you that daddy could be safe. " How could you NOT love these nutbars :)

I have just finished reading a blog from another site that was written about being a single woman and the struggles that come with that. The author was very candid in her writing and got me to thinking about my life. There seems to be a stigma in the church that if a person (past a 'certain' age) is single there must be something wrong. Or that it is some sort of a curse. Everything is focused on the family (which I am not disagreeing is very important) and those not 'in a family' (whether married and childless or single or widowed) are often left out. After many many many years of struggling with being single, the Lord in his gracious kindness has helped me to learn to be content in being single. I know that there are many things that I can do as a single woman that I wouldn't be able to do if I was married. (I also realize that there would be things that I could do as a married woman that I can't do as a single.) I know that the grass is not 'greener' ...

I've been thinking about my family a lot lately. Growing up I always wished for 2 things 1. to be an only child 2. that if there had to be other kids that there would be some brothers Now I wouldn't trade one of these girls for the world! I am overwhelmed with thankfulness when I think of all my sisters (even if I don't have up to date photos of them) and the beautiful, gracious, lovely women they have become. So (in no particular order... this is blogger after all).... Amanda Mandie is the youngest - the one that we actually DID want to be a girl :) Mandie is a very independent, strong woman who works at a law firm (Big and Smarter... seriously that is the name) in downtown Toronto. She is planning a wedding to Chad (Ryan's brother) in September and though she has spent just about every weekend over the last year at Rachel & Ryan's it will be nice to have her living closer still (where ever they decide to move it will be closer than Toronto). Kimberly Kimberly ...

This week we had a 'snow day' and since I was feeling pretty good I decided to make a quilt to hang on my living room wall. I was waiting to finish that before I posted pictures (Cher... here they finally are!!!) This Christmas gift from Hettie greets you at the front door. Climb up the stairs and this shelf is there with all sorts of nic nacs - from chickens to wooden shoes to Indonesian Wedding masks that my Opa gave me from when he served in Indonesia. This is the piano/book shelf/quilting material section. I've been good at trying to use the materials that I have to make quilts. (There are larger pieces in the closet as well as backings and middles). Hard to believe that even with all those blues I still didn't have the right ones for Chad & Amanda's quilt! The sewing area. A few weeks ago I picked up and built the desk and Jon came one evening and hung the shelf (and the mirror in the front hall). It is so nice to have a dedicated area to sew and have...

My dad grew up in a family with 4 brothers. They were a bit 'rough around the edges'. We hear stories of when they were growing up and how the police just 'stayed away' from those Hovestadt boys. They were rough and tumble kind of guys. No real shows of love or emotion were ever given when they were growing up. When people said to my dear oma "You poor thing, all those boys and no girls" she would always say, "the girls will come". Well, the strangest thing happened... the girls did come. In fact there are 13 granddaughters and 1 grandson! But even stranger was what happened when that first girl (that would be me) came to the house. These rough and tumble guys became the biggest balls of mush you could ever find. I don't remember a time when coming together as a family (to this very day) that we don't go around and give a hug and kiss to everyone when we arrive or leave. When we were growing up people would ALWAYS say to my dad 'You poor ...

The last of the "JAM" (Julia, Analia, Meaghan - as dad pointed out) is 1 today! She is a sweet little girl with a quick smile. She loves music and like the other girls bops to the beats. She had a bit of a rough start but is quickly making up for any lost time. Happy birthday Sweetheart!

Two more birthdays for the month of February First Karen was on the 21st. Karen and her hubby & children now live much closer which is so nice. Karen is very creative and a very good photographer. Chad's birthday is today! My soon to be brother in law is wild, funny and actually likes to hug (this is not true of all the boys)!!! Happy birthday to these dear loved ones.

Happy birthday Ryan! Growing up in a house full of girls was great. I did at one point want a brother (when Rach was born and had a temper tantram when dad said it was another girl) but it was really nice to have sisters. Now I have brothers. Brothers who welcome me with open arms into their homes, make sure that I'm taken care of and loved. Brothers who, those most are younger than me, look out for my like I always imagined a big brother would. I am so thankful for Ryan and how he opened his home to me and let me live with them for 4 years (well beyond the at first expected 1 year). May the Lord give you many more years to love and serve him and give you the wisdom and grace to be a godly husband and father.

On Saturday afternoon the Everts & Hovestadt clans invaded Mike & Karen's home for an engagment party for Chad & Amanda. We're all looking very forward to the wedding on September 30th! Opa Hovestadt with baby Chas (from Shane & Anita) 3 of the 4 grandmothers There were lots of presents to open Hannah had a front row seat for viewing on Opa's lap