Congratulations!

Time for a little braggin' from the Reimer home...the three cars that we created for the Awana Grand Prix all came home with the goods...the hardware...the trophies to go along with the three fastest times of the evening!!! Last night our Awana Grand Prix racing took place and our kids were pretty pumped leading up to the event. This was Olivia's first time entering a car and she felt confident going in. The boys were pretty hopeful as well but we reminded them all that there was no way to predict if their cars would do well and we wanted them to be prepared to handle defeat graciously.


As it turns out, they didn't have to worry about the defeat part as nearly every race they entered during the heats they came in first place. Olivia's car held the track record for most of the night but Andrew's car kept improving and in the finals, his car set the track record for the evening and Olivia's came in second and Caleb's car came in third for overall speed.
Andrew was in a different category then the other two and he won his category handily. When Olivia and Caleb were in the finals together, they ran four races in a row and it went back and forth between their two cars winning each race. In the end, however, Olivia's had a little faster time...she came in first and Caleb in second.

They were super excited and we enjoyed watching them all. We were also very proud of how they handled the victories modestly and cheered for their friend's cars all evening as well.
We went over to my folks for night and of course they had a blast re-telling all the stories of the evening.

This morning Sandy and I went to Winnipeg to the home school conference. It was excellent! The seminars and sessions were truly inspiring...challenging us as parents to strive for excellence in parenting our kids, training them, and preparing them for a life of victorious Christian living and serving in God's Kingdom.
Sandy ordered all our curriculum for the coming year and we purchased some other resources that we think will really help our kids be equipped to impact their world. We truly feel that the time and financial sacrifices we are making to prepare our kids to be bold believers is totally worth it. We are convinced that these choices are head and shoulders better than most of what the world is trying to "teach" this generation. We believe that during these few short years we have with our kids, our lives are about them...our focus is on equipping them, and our personal lives need to be put on hold for their sake...something about leaving a legacy, right?
And now we are home, tired but thankful that our lives are in the hands of the Creator of the Universe!
Have an awesome Sunday!
- Gerald

Homework Time

Gerald and I are going to a marriage seminar tonight! We both feel that we have a healthy marriage but also look forward to being encouraged and seeing areas where we need some improvement. I am looking forward to dinner out with Gerald before the seminar.

The kids all turned in their cars yesterday at Awana. They can hardly contain their excitement for tomorrow to come. The design contest will be judged beforehand and the racing starts at 7:00pm.

I received notification in the mail today that my citizenship papers have been received and that the wait is 12 to 15 months for the date of the letter. I also received the booklet of information that I need to know for the test. So now the homework begins.

Well, we are off to the city!
Sandy

The Princess and her Guards!

(Olivia being guarded on her throne)

We have a princess living in our house! Olivia has been occupied the last several days with dressing up and having the boys be her guards (when they agree to play along). Yesterday she actually got Caleb and Andrew to take turns decorating a throne for her and then she would pick who made the best one. Then comes the hard part because she doesn't want either one of them to feel bad. They sometimes struggle to play "girl" things with Olivia, but the last few days she has definitely ruled the roost!

(The Princess)

(Olivia showing off her Easter Eggs)

Tonight the activities have been completing the Grand Prix cars. They have to be turned in tomorrow and the big race is Friday evening. Of course all three think that they are going to win. We will keep you posted on how it all goes, and, if we do, in fact, have the winning car!

Remembering Good Friday!

This morning we decided to go to a different church for the Good Friday service (normally our home church, Steinbach EFC, joins with another church in the area, Ridgewood EMC, for the Good Friday service). We decided to attend a church within walking distance, Steinbach EMC, and really appreciated our time there. The pastor and other lay leaders took turns talking about the last seven words/sentences of Jesus. We also participated in the in the Lord's Supper.
This evening at bed time the boys both spent time thanking Jesus for dying on the cross for their sins and for being able to take communion and participating in the morning worship service...it was a blessing to hear them verbalize their faith and share their hearts with God.
We enjoyed a good afternoon doing family activities, which included a nice long one hour walk around town and a shorter bike ride that just us boys did. Wrestling/tickling in the living room is a constant request from my kids so that happened again today as well...that is, until someone gets hurt and tears are shed...for some reason it most often seems to be Caleb on the receiving end of someones knee or elbow or whatever...could be because he is an aggressive wrestler and doesn't stop for much.
Tomorrow we are heading to Rosenort to spend the day with my folks and family...we are looking forward to that.
Last night I had the privilege of speaking to the Blumenort Youth Group at their youth event. They are heading out to Manhatten next week for a spring break mission trip and so I was able to hear about their excitement and see their passion as they prepare to leave. I was truly blessed by this group of high school students...committed, focused and passionate about their faith and about sharing Christ in the heart of New York city. I came home pretty excited to see that there are many in this generation that are truly sold out for Christ and committed to doing what the Lord is calling them to do! May this be an encouragement to us all!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Gerald

Lots of fun!

Gerald and I just finished beating the boys in a best out of seven game of Sequence. The suspense ran high as one and then the other team pulled ahead. Finally we were tied at three all. Gerald and I took it in the end (although it was prolonged as we both had cards that could have ended the game earlier.) What a fun way to end the weekend. We went for a nice walk today. The boys rode their bikes while Olivia, Gerald and I, along with Lobo, walked. It was good to get some exercise.

Friday evening we went to church to have our pictures taken for the pictorial - they actually turned out well. A few hours later we went to the farm of one of our home school families and had a great time playing floor hockey in the barn and swinging on the rope swing. Olivia petted the cow and her calf.

Saturday night Gerald and the kids went to swim night at the pool that our church hosted. I stayed home and had some quiet time.

Our last week was very busy. While Gerald does have a few evening meetings this week it looks like it is a little slower than last week. The kids and I are helping with the child care at our Morning Out for Moms at our church this week. The boys are excited about being able to help - Olivia is the same age as the group we are helping with so she thinks that she can just play. This is one of the many ways that they are growing up and learning to serve others.

My plants have all sprouted except the peppers. Caleb has taken a special interest in them - especially the watering part. We have made an agreement that he can help but only when I am there to supervise. :)

Looking forward to another week,
Sandy

A fun ministry outing...

After a couple of months of non-family ministry, tonight we once again had the chance to do something together like we did in Mexico...we did a short 45 minute program at the Rest Haven Nursing Home here in Steinbach. We were invited by another family from our church to do this and so off we went after supper.

We sang a number of hymns, did a short devotional, sang some more and then went around the room and prayed for people and greeted them. Andrew read the Scripture for me as part of my devotional and he did a great job. The kids all did great singing the songs as well.

It was good to be able to minister to these dear folks in our community who seem so lonely and sad.

Just wanted to brag one more time and that is that Caleb and Olivia finished their Awana books last night and Andrew will be done next week. Just to put this in perspective...we arrived back from Mexico in January, four months after the rest of the kids had begun the program, and in just nine weeks they have gone through their entire books, which includes about 28 Scripture verses (about three verses per week) plus learning the books of the Bible and other odds and ends. We are very proud of them for putting so much of God's Word into their hearts and now as they review their books over the next six weeks they will have a chance to remember everything even better.
God is good...all the time!

Gerald

Home Alone

I am sitting at home by myself -I can't remember the last time that happened. The kids are at Awana and Gerald is at a meeting. It feels kind of weird. I have lots of things that I could do, the most important is probably cleaning the bathroom. Earlier today I cleaned Olivia's room and moved her furniture around. She wanted to try another arrangement. The kids spent most of the afternoon outside again today. The snow is melting and the kids are enjoying being outside.

Tomorrow we have another skating day with our home school group - not sure what condition the ice will be after several warmer days. It will probably be our last outside skating day. Since Gerald has been working several evenings again this week he is going to take the afternoon off and come skating with us. The boys LOVE it when he comes with us and plays hockey with them.

Tomorrow evening our family is participating in a service at Rest Haven for the seniors. Gerald asked Andrew if he would like to give the devotional. Andrew thought about it for a few days and then decided he would like to read scripture but he wasn't quite ready to give the devotional.

Well, the bathroom is calling my name so I best go and clean it up!
Sandy

A Beautiful Sunny Day

What a gorgeous day! The kids are outside riding their bikes on the almost snow free driveway. I am not sure how much fun it is to go around and around the driveway, but apparently they are thrilled to be on their bikes again. Olivia has abandoned the bike to use the sidewalk chalk. They are glad to be outside again.

We went to Winnipeg yesterday for Olivia's appointment with the pediatric dentist. Olivia fell when she was around two years old and knocked her front tooth loose. It tightened up but has never grown since then. The good news is that while the tooth has not grown it is healthy and it seems that the adult tooth was not injured. The dentist thought that it would eventually fall out on its own on schedule. If not they will have to pull it but for now they will not do anything. He also told her that her teeth are really healthy and that she has no cavities. It was definitely a good visit.

Our week is very full - something that is a bit unusual for us. We have something up every night this week - seems almost similar to our last few weeks in Mexico.

Olivia is very much enjoying all the attention she has been getting for her pink hair - she LOVES it. She asks me to style it so that we get the maximum exposure to the pink. I don't think this will be the last time she colors her hair.

I have finished all the planting. This year I am starting many of the flower and garden plants in the house. The table in the living room is full. I can't say the kids were too excited to see that the broccoli was the first plant to sprout. Several times a day they check them out to see how far along they are coming. The sunflowers make the fastest progress and they enjoying guessing how much it has grown. We'll see how well they all fare and if they make it to the garden.

Hope your week is going well - enjoy the sunny day,
Sandy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALE!

Olivia's First Color Job

Today was a big day for Olivia. She went to the hair salon for a color job! Oh was she ever excited. As she as I were driving there she says "I didn't think this would ever happen!" There were many comments in the salon on how cute she was - mostly due to her excitement. I can only imagine how many times she will stare at herself in the mirror in the next few days. She looks very cute. Even Andrew commented that he thought she looked cute. Not bad for an older brother.

Lobo also went to the groomer today. He was looking pretty shaggy. Olivia and I went to pick him up after her hair appointment and neither of us were sure it was Lobo when he first came out. He looked very different. It took a little bit for us to get used to the new look. It is a little short for the cold weather, but we are betting that the warmer weather is just around the corner.

We are planning on enjoying a breakfast out tomorrow morning as a family - something we rarely do. The kids are looking forward to that - I am too - no dishes to clean up afterwards. After lunch we are heading out to Rosenort to spend the rest of the weekend with Gerald's parents.

Have a good weekend,

Sandy

Winter Fun...

Even though the weather is still cold we are not sitting inside. The kids have been outside almost everyday this week, climbing the big snow hill in the church parking lot or working on their snow fort in the backyard. Today we also did a fun family outing in the afternoon. I took off from work for a couple of hours and we went out to Blumenort to skate and play shinny hockey with other home school families on the outdoor rink. We had a blast. The boys have not hardly spent any time on the ice this winter and they are always pumped whenever we have an opportunity. Olivia is just learning and if we get out a few more times yet this winter I think she will be good to go.

Sandy has spent a lot of evenings at home with the kids by herself lately...and there doesn't seem to be much let up in the next while. I seem to be in this "meeting" stage right now and can't wait until it passes! For the sanity of our family life sitting on four boards and four committees is not really all that good. I think that when some of these terms end in the next year or so I will be stepping down from some of these commitments.

The house smells wonderful again tonight as Sandy is baking up a storm. She has been feeling quite tired since we came back from Mexico (wonder what that means) and yet she so faithfully and willingly keeps our home in such great shape. I am so blessed to have her as my wife and the kids are so blessed to have her for their mom...we all love her so deeply...even Lobo our little Schnauzer!

Time to get the kids ready for bed!

Gerald

Monday once again

The very cold weather of today doesn't give much indication that spring is round the corner. But I have noticed something that gives me hope it isn't too far away. The last few days while we have been in school I have heard the birds singing outside. Today as I sat on the couch under a blanket I again heard the birds singing in our bushes just outside the house. That is a sweet reminder to me that it will arrive. Olivia has been asking me every since we arrived back from Mexico when it will be summer. Even though we didn't endure through the whole winter - we are still waiting for spring and summer.

We enjoyed a bit of a family gathering yesterday with some of Gerald's family. It has been quite awhile since we have all been together.

Our week looks full once again. Gerald has several evening meetings this week. He did tell me he is thinking of taking a few afternoons off. If I write that in here then it is set in stone, right?
Gerald and the kids are dreaming and drawing plans as to what the long awaited fort they want to build will look like. It has taken some time but I think this summer it will finally happen. I don't think the kids will forgive us if it doesn't. Again, if it is stated here then it will have to happen for sure!

Well, Lobo is pretty stinky so he is headed to the bath. I think that might be a shock to him as he is lazily sleeping in the sun right now. Hope your Monday is going well.

Sandy