Gingras Family Update Spring 2011

David and I used to write quarterly newsletters and mail them out. It was quite costly in time and money and with our family growing, we haven't done one in quite some time. Since I know some of our friends are keeping touch through this little blog-o-mine, I thought that it might be time for a proper family update. So, without further ado:

Our little man has been such a great addition to our family. He is adored by each member of our little family. During one of my maternity ultrasounds we discovered that Malachi's right kidney was enlarged and thus began a bunch of tests and doctors appointments. In his first 5 months since he was born, Malachi has had an ultrasound, a VCUG test and a MAG3 scan. All these tests and a urologist to tell us that Malachi's kidney is still functioning, but has a slow drain time. The time it takes his kidney to drain is in okay parameters and so there is no talk of surgery at this time. He will be sent for another ultrasound in August and possibly another MAG3 scan in eight months, but the urologist is happy for now. Malachi isn't in any pain and for that we are very grateful.

I could fill this little blog with Malachi's accolades and accomplishments, but it would be through a mother's eye and therefore a little biased. He is a typical newborn baby boy and a delight! His smiles are ready to light up the room and bring me out of my tired grumpies in a wink. He adores his big sister and she, in turn, adores him. I cannot imagine our little family without my little man.

Our creative gem. Abby continues to delight us and challenge us. Abby loves her little brother almost to the point of injury and he is one of her favourite playmates. Abigail recently moved from her playpen into a tent (we wanted to train her to sleep in another form of portable bed so she would sleep at friend's houses) and even more recently into her 'big girl' bed - a great toddler bed! Abigail has a great imagination and even better, a great faith in God. Malachi was having a fussy cranky day and at one point Abby came over, put her little hand on his head, closed her eyes, bowed her head and prayed 

"Dear Lord. Help, Jesus. Malachi crying. Amen." 

Abigail has such a tender and compassionate heart and notices if someone is sad and tries to help.

Abigail's, two year old, hormones have brought challenges as she attempts to communicate with us. One minute she is happy and playful and the next angry or frustrated to the point of screaming. With God's guidance we are trying to train her how to control her temper, but we don't always handle it very well. I am so grateful that Abigail is almost as quick to change back to her happy, playful self once her 'issue' is resolved. The funny thing is that often, we're not sure how it was resolved.

Abigail loves to go 'out'. Her favourite outing is to the park and would quite happily spend every day, all day there. She also, almost daily, asks to go to church. Once, when I took her to the mall, she cried when we got there because she thought we were going to church. 

There are many cute stories I could tell you, but I'll leave you with her latest insistence, that we call her by both of her special nicknames when we kiss her goodnight. If we forget, she'll remind us by saying "goodnight, Pookie" or "goodnight, Dolly". Melt my heart!

The man I respect and admire so much, has been so challenged in his walk of faith this year that I've seen his faith rise above his experiences. He has led our family with such strength and endurance and I am so proud of him. This past year has been full of challenges for us as David's department in Best Buy was laid off last May. David, who is incredibly gifted and extremely hire-able, hasn't found a replacement position since then. We've joined the school of hard knocks, as we learn how to fully trust Jehovah Jirah (the Lord, Provider). We have good days and we have hard days, but it's been an extremely valuable year for us as we've seen time and again, how faithful God has been. This past April, we started to journal how God has been providing for us and we're constantly amazed at His generosity. David has been faced with the challenge of being "wired up" to work and provide for his family and yet blocked at every turn. He has been faithful to follow what the Lord's been directing him to do, even in the face of criticism. I am so proud of him. 

David has been invaluable to me at home during this past year. Last summer in the crazy heat and emotional swings of pregnancy, he took such great care of me and Abigail. Since Malachi's birth, David has faithfully woken up with Abigail in the mornings so that I can sneak in a little bit of extra sleep after the long nights with Malachi. David has taken it upon himself to prepare our meals for us (a chore, I don't enjoy at all) and he is gracious to drive me and the children wherever we need to go, including our weekly mom's group. I will really miss having him home, when he is blessed with employment.

Did you enjoy David's blog about our Winnipeg adventure? Well, he is full of great ideas and we get to join him as he finds new places to explore. We'll be sharing more reviews from our home city.

David brought my mud mask along on our weekend getaway. We "invited" Malachi to join in on the fun. I love that David thought of this, what fun memories!

I've had my own faith walk and growth this year that has been a challenge. I am learning more and more each day about my role as a wife and a mother. I've been learning to lay down my desires and selfishness to serve my family better. I don't always get this right and find myself frustrated when I can't get to what I want to and get it done. I am trying to take a breath and remember that it's my privilege to serve my family and I am so blessed to be at home with them.

Many people have asked me when/if I will be selling my sewn goods. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and aside from a few small commissions here and there, I feel that this little dream of mine will wait until my children are school aged and not so dependent on me. I don't ever want to feel the pull to choose between paying attention to my family and filling orders. Perhaps when the children are in school, I will take the time and effort to give it a go. In the meantime, I'm always flattered when approached to take on a custom job and if you're willing to be patient for the finished product, I'll probably be able to accommodate.