Blessings I never thought possible

I don't know who I have all told over the years, but as I get older I seem to be able to tell people in a more casual fashion that I have a giant (wanted to use a different word but I can't even get close to spelling it so my computer can't help me) learning disability. It has been a struggle for me since grade 1. I remember being tested and seeing a lot of dr as a young child and not really knowing why. And then over the years I figured out that I was different when taken out of class or even out of school and even out of the province at one point to get the help that I needed. From all of this I was set aside at school and it developed some anxieties in my life. I knew I was different and thought everyone else saw that too. Anyway that was the long way of telling you that school was rough for me and I didn't like being there, so when I had kids and thought about them in school...... I had worry.... I had anxiety... I was scared for them to go through the same things I went through. For the first 2 1/2 years of Benard going to school I thought that all my worst fears would be true and that tears would be the ruler of our house for the next 13 years. Benard, as you might know, is a December baby and we thought he would do well going to school the year he turned 5 and not to wait until the next year. When I look back I would not change this, but it did make things challenging for him and his teachers for the first year and 1/2 maybe even two years. Benard is full of energy and spunk and also has the biggest heart (if I didn't know Mike and Eric I would say Ben's is the biggest, but it's a three way the).   This all added up to a lot of long chats with teachers, a misinformed Dr visit, and a lot of tears from me and a little from Ben.

And then Benard started to read, HE LOVE TO READ. Never could you catch me saying that I love to read. Benard LOVES TO LEARN. I like to know new things, but learning brings me to tears and break downs overtime. My child and his love of learning is such a blessing from God that I broke down in a different kind of tears the other day. Benard has had so many wonderful teachers over the last four years and this year she is amazing. Ben's teacher did a voice recording of a science project about tornado's he did recently and sent it to us. He was so clear and knew what he needed to say. What a blessing from God that my son loves to learn and loves to read. To me this means that he can develop a closer and more intimate relationship with God at a younger age then me, because he can read God's word (the bible) and know and understand what it is saying. If feel so blessed by God for this child who loves to learn.

Just an aside, Quinlan is doing great in school so far too and loves to be there with his friends and loves to learn and do just as the teacher asks him to. He is our little follower. I am looking forward to see who God has for him to be.

Blessings,

Reneé

Getting out of Bed

I know it has been years since I've written in this blog, but I need to do things more that are not sitting on my bed and watching shows on my iPad. So I have been thinking a lot about life and where God has taken us over that past few years and I want to tell people all about it, but don't do much on face book anymore. And maybe this will stop me from telling the same story over and over again??? Anyway, here is to me using my brain again.

Love,
Reneé

A New Business!!!! Cleaning is the name of the game

Over the last year or so Mike's work has been changing often and so have his hours, so working shift work myself wasn't working for our family anymore. I tried to figure out what to do next and I looking for jobs that would fit our families lifestyles, but there wasn't much out there that allowed me to be home with the boys enough. So I started my own cleaning company a few months ago now. It has had a slow start, but I have had a few comments for my clients lately to make me believe that it is going well. I could use a twice as many clients as I have now to make it a full time gig for me, but for now I still work at Reitmans part time.

This has been a great experience so far as it gives me great independence. I can say, 'yes' or 'no' to a job weather or not it works for my family. Also while cleaning I have a lot of time to think to myself and have started to listen to sermon podcasts and a daily audio bible podcast, this has been very meaningful for me. I appreciate that God has given me the opportunity to be home more with my children, but now I just need to learn how to be home with them at the stages that they are at. I'm looking forward to this summer and not missing out on all the fun that I can do with my family, because this new job has given me freedom to be with them more.

Buddy Walk with family and Friends.

This weekend we joined Molly and her family and many others for the Buddy walk.

I've never seen Molly and Quin get along so well before, it was really cute.

Ben, Molly, my mom, Mike and Quin getting ready for the walk.

Having hotdogs after the walk.

Four generation all meeting together to raise awareness for people with downs syndrome.

Mike and I at the walk.

Father's Day Fun

The boys had a great time with their dad for fathers day!!!

A little breakfast

A little wake dad up in bed with a little present.

Quinlan having a good time with making faces with daddy.

Quinlan working on his water gun skills.

Ben getting ready for the water gun fight.

We couldn't wait to give Mike his water gun. So we had a water gun fights 

on Saturday.

Mike and Quin having a water gun fight.

Our little home

 I know I haven't blogged in over a year, but Mike is going away and I want to take more time to make sure I keep family up with what is going on with us. Also I had some family members ask about what our place looks like, we've only lived here for a year and now I'll put some pictures out there.

 This is the kitchen

 Here is the hallway to our room.

 The boys chilling out in the den watching a show as we have no tv at all.

 Our dinning room

 The boys room

 a little more of the boys room

 The living room with a few of our nephews.

 More of the boys room

 The living room at Christmas.

                 The boys in the laundry room just
                 off the kitchen.

Tough Mudder, Check!!!!!

Just incase you didn't know me and three others I know tried to not kill ourselves this weekend at the Tough Mudder Vancouver (Whistler)

Please look at these from the bottom up.

I haven't used this blog in a long while and I put them all backwards:(

 Here we are all done and don't know what to do with ourselves.

 Ian and Chris so happy to be threw the electric shock!!

 Thinking we were getting close to the end, but we weren't really.

 These were the smaller of the two sets of walls we had to climb. Thank goodness for other people along the way that helped us and we were able to help them!!! That's what tough mudder is all about!!!

 Chris

 Ian

 Rachel

 Rachel and Ian after our first of three ver cold swims. It was cold water filled with ice.

 Me getting out of the ice bath.

 Chris and I waiting to jump into the ice bath.

 Still smiling, and not knowing what was next.

 Our first obstacle done!

 Our whole team.

 Running, there was a lot of running and hiking.

 getting started at a good pace.

 All clean and shiny at the start.

Not a spec of mud on my yet. This is in the registration line. We were almost late for our heat because my line was so long after I stopped for a bathroom break.