PRAYER REQUEST

Just as we thought things were getting better with Caleb, we have found out they are not so good. After he wasn't able to eat anything without severe pain and then throwing up bile a couple of hours later, they took xrays this morning and told us that he has an obstruction in his bowel. So they put a tube in his nose to drain his stomach and relieve the pressure so that the bowel has a chance to get right. So please pray that this works or else we are looking at another surgery. We will probably know tomorrow what is up. God is faithful, He is in control and we trust Him. Thanks again for your prayers.

THE CAMPING TRIP WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Hi, It's been a long time since I last posted and there is a reason for that. We decided to go to Brandon and camp this last weekend. Kind of a quick camping trip before harvest. Well it went a little different than planned. When we left Caleb had a stomach ache and we thought 'The flue, it will pass' By Friday afternoon he was throwing up and by then we were thinking I hope no one else gets this. Well Friday night was rough as Caleb was sick the whole night throwing up every 1/2 hour or so and by then we are thinking 'This is a really bad flu. I really hope nobody gets this!" He slept a little in the early morning and we were hoping that the worst was over. But not so, when I looked at him he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, "Mommy, it really hurts." By then we were thinking appendicitis and knew it was time to take him to emergency. So off we went, they admitted him and we waited. They put him on IV and we waited, they checked him and we waited, he had xrays and we waited.....Getting the picture. Blood tests, urine samples, ultra sound ect. The doctors were a little stumped because his white blood count was quite normal, and he was throwing a little too often for appendicitis, and he wasn't screaming in pain. We told them he was a tough kid, and when they would check his tummy he would curl his toes but not say anything. (We finally told him it was alright, he could tell them that he was hurting and after that when they would ask him how he was doing he would say in a little weak voice, 'Not good') But the ultra sound showed some fluid so they decided to do surgery, still not sure if it was appendicitis. We went to emergency around 8:30 am and the surgery was around 3:00 pm. So we kissed him good bye and off he went into surgery. Not easy for a very tired mom and dad to do! I think about an hour later the surgery was finished and the doctor came in and told us he was a very tough boy because his appendix had actually ruptured and there was a lot of infection. We were glad this part was over but wondered how his recovery would be. Well he is doing pretty well today. But he has had a tough go of it. He was in a lot of pain and was really out of it for the first couple of days. Today he has actually been smiling without being majorly prompted. His stomach is still quite upset and we are thinking it is the meds, so we are working on figuring that out. He really hasn't eaten anything since Friday, he's been on IV all this time. So when he can eat again I think things will improve rapidly.The doc said if all goes well he should be out by Friday. My thoughts: I came to a point (and Mark too) where I knew I had to surrender Caleb to God and say 'Your will be done'. This was very hard to do but I knew to keep my sanity I had to. We always say we have surrendered our kids to God, but when it came down to it I had to wonder if my heart matched my mouth. The kids and I talked about how worrying wouldn't do any good, and we needed to trust God and be there for each other. This was a trying time for our family. We are used to being all together. It was very hard to send the rest of our kids home to fend for themselves. I wanted to be with everybody. The kids are taking it different ways. Some are being very strong, some are very weepy, Zachary really misses his big brother and Brooke misses his cuddles. They will all be very glad when he is home. But God has been faithful and we really have felt everyone's prayers. Thank you so much. Thank you also for the phone calls, and suppers. We hope to post from home soon! Oh and by the way, on a different note: For those of you who are wondering when we are getting a bigger van.......We hope to (Lord Willing) have one by March 25th! Ta, Ta for now

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh!

So here we have it. Real life in the Pauls' residence! We have here pictured 4 little boys, three of which are quite muddy. Why you ask? Three words: slough, jumping and mischief. Nathan of course was a little angel as usual (well almost) and never followed the crowd. I always said when these 4 boys are growing up they will have a lot of "fun"! A few years ago if this would have happened I probably would have been beside myself with annoyance, but today I have learned that sometimes you just have to laugh. So the word for today, "Don't be annoyed at today what will most likely be a laugh tommorrow!"

More Holiday Photos

On July 1st admission was free at the Mennonite Heritage Museum so we hung out there and in the evening we were able to watch the fireworks right from our campsite. They were pretty impressive!

More Water Please Mark and the boys spent lots of time making sandcastles, rivers, streams and more.

Row Row Row Your Boat We had lots of fun boating on this man made lake. 

Follow the Leader We went for a walk almost every night. This place was called Cherry Hill Resort.

Baby Brooke's First Birthday

As is our tradition with first birthdays we let our birthday girl stick her hands in the birthday cake. She seemed to enjoy herself!

Nate in his "MUSCLES"

When Nathan asks for his muscles, its this swim suit he wants on!

Steinbach Mennonite Heritage Museum July 1, 2006 

It's Camping Time!

We've been able to get away and do some camping the last couple of weeks. First we went to spruce woods. Here are some photos of the fun we had. Above is a family snapshot of us at Spirit Sands. The biggest sandbox you ever did see!

 

It's Payback time! 

What stole our hamburger buns? (a raccoon!)

Baby in a Bucket 

Future Olympian

Sand Dudes

Yeah, It's Almost Summer Holidays

Well seeding is done and we just have to spray pot holes and then we hope to take some holidays! We are looking forward to lots of family time. The last few days we have been hunting for a camper. We feel our hotel days are over as there are too many of us for 1 room, and it gets too costly. So we are going camping, yeah! We are hoping to get a camper early next week. Ta, ta for now.

The Owl Episode Continues

So here's whats up with the owls. Last week when we thought our owl adventure had come to an end, the owlette's kept popping up all over the yard. We weren't sure what was happening with them. At the end of the week 2 of them had found each other and were cuddled under the boys treehouse. Every day they seem to move a little higher in the tree and get a little braver. And just when we were wondering if the mother was actually taking care of them, we saw she had left a dead rat for them. So we were happy to know she was actually feeding them, but not to happy where she left the food. On the platform of the boy's treehouse! In the words of Jennifer EEEEWWWWW!!! The next morning when we went out there, the rat was gone. So either the little owlette's ate it or some cat got a free meal. I have also noticed the mother hanging around on top of a really tall tree close by, but not too close, just keeping an eye on them. What's really interesting is we have friends who had a robin build a nest on their childrens tree house. She said they can't even play in it anymore because the robins swoop at them and pester them. And here we have a huge owl who doesn't bother us at all. So that proves that size doesn't always mean everything. Just a note of encouragement for all us vertically challenged people!!

THE BIG PICTURE

This is to all you homemakers out there. I have been thinking a lot lately about my calling as a wife and mother. I think society and even the church is missing the biblical patten for motherhood. Sometimes I find myself adopting the world's views of a homemaker instead of my Creator's view. So I ask myself What is the big picture? I want to be a submissive wife, I want to teach my children to love God with all their heart, soul and mind, I want our families actions and beliefs to follow God's Word and be honoring to Him, and when I stand before God on judgement day, I want Him to say 'Well done thou good and faithful servant'. So every day's duties, wether it be washing dishes, changing a diaper, making a meal, getting a part from town, looking at a spider, dealing with disobedient children, giving a hug, reading a story, getting up in the middle of the night with a sick child, grocery shopping ect., every act is part of the big picture. "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." So the question I need to be asking myself is, am I building my house, or pulling it down? Am I building my house by godly words and attitutes. Or am I tearing it down by grumbing and complaining about what God has put on my agenda for today. Am I building my house by being a submissive and loving wife, or am I tearing it down by belittling my husband in front of others and grudgingly doing what he desires. Being a homemaker is hard work, it's 24/7, but it is also very rewarding. The other day I saw a wall hanging that I wanted to throw in the garbage. It said "Housework makes me ugly" and it had a picture of a woman looking very 'unkept'. As I thought about it I realized this quite often the impression that society gives to homemakers. If you don't have a prestigious job, if you aren't busy with ministry in your church, you are somehow not quite 'beautiful'. Well I strongly disagree. What a job we have! Think about the responsibility and ministry that we have. We have the opportunity every day to encourage our husband in their calling, and raise little humans into godly adults. WOW, WOW, WOW. If that's not a job, I don't know what is! As homemakers we need to get to the place where we love our job and we are not ashamed to say so. I love being a homemaker. Does it mean sacrifice? You bet! Does it mean denying myself? You bet! Is it hard work? You bet! But think about the big picture. What an amazing opportunity! We may not be able to do everything that a single woman, or a woman with a job may be able to do. We don't leave our job at the office. But the rewards are eternal. Look at the big picture. Children and even husbands today are often viewed as a hinderance, an intrusion, or a burden when in fact they are our ministry. When we see how valuable our contribution can be, we should be overwhelmed with gratitude to God for being 'blessed' with such an opportunity. Making a home, serving a husband and raising children is an amazing privelage. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE!

This Week's Advice by Brooke

Take time to smell the flowers...

Or EAT the flowers?