I Surrender All

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

I surrender all, I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
At Thy feet I humbly bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now

I surrender all, I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me

I surrender all, I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior I surrender all

10 months ago...

... I was in the hospital with my loving husband and wonderful doula ready to birth our fourth baby. Eight hours later...


and now, 10 months later...

My Latest Hobby...

...digital scrapbooking. Here's some of my favorites!

Spring!

Spring is a season when I can truly see and feel God's greatness. Watching the snow melt into little rivers flowing down the curb into the drains, noticing the fresh new green on my front hedge, and seeing my children's flushed cheeks as they insist on playing outside without coats on. Waking up at 6:00 with my sweet baby girl isn't quite as hard when the sun is up to greet me either. My tulips alongside of the house are one more reminder that maybe the cold, harsh winter is over for another season. Ah, spring. It makes me happy.

Las Vegas!

For Christmas last year, Doug told me we were going on a trip to Las Vegas in the new year. An additional surprise was that we'd be going with our friends Scott and Lelia from Alabama.

Our weekend began with a thrilling helicopter tour of the strip. WOW is all I can say. We spent Saturday touring the hotels and checking the boulevard out. That evening we took in the show Stomp Out Loud. It is definately one of those "must see" shows. Those performers had incredible talent. Sunday we drove to the other end of the strip to check out the MGM, New York, New York and the M&M's store. When we arrived back at the hotel, we decided to play some slots. I lost a quick $60 but Lelia took home $300! Lucky lady!! On Monday, Doug, Lelia, and I went to the outlets while Scott was nursing a sinus cold. I don't think he minded THAT much.

We stayed in Caesar's Palace in the Augustus Towers room. There was a large jacuzzi tub complete with a TV and remote. Not that I had time to watch TV while in the tub, but it was luxurious anyhow. Our room was wonderful. Definately a nice treat since we won't be doing many overnighters after June. I had no idea of the size of the hotel until we walked to a restaurant at the other end and it took us almost 30 minutes to walk there. I don't think I've walked that much in my life! I wish I had a pedometer to have at least an idea of how many steps I took.

Las Vegas had a certain appeal to it. I'd love to go back for slightly longer and take in more things and do some more touring at a more relaxed pace. It was wonderful to see Scott and Lelia again!

One more tidbit...

I'm going to have to change the name of my Blog. We will be the Fidelak Six in June. We are expecting our fourth baby sometime this spring.

Other Things We've Been Up To

Needless to say, this winter has been a busy one. Not too crazy, just busy enough to keep us going. We bought the kids skates and helmets and took them onto the ice for the first time. They sure caught on fast!

We were joined by a new member of the family in the New Year. Sadie an 8 week old, 3/4 Havanese,1/4 Poodle puppy, was welcomed by us. Her coat is all black and despite Doug's attempt and desire to call her "Kitty", the name Sadie stuck. The kids love her and we occasionally need to put Sadie in her pen to keep her away from little hands.

And just a few miscellaneous pictures...

Three kids in the snow

Never too big for a hug
Ready for church

Soooo tired
Our house in the winter

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas was another busy one despite my hopes to have a quiet one. Maybe next year right?

Ballerinas

This is Andrea's 4th year in ballet and Arianna's first. Andrea continues to love dancing and performing at every chance she can. Arianna has thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the year and looks forward to ballet each week.

Back to School

This fall, Joshua and Andrea headed to a school program that is in coordination with home education. They go twice a week for all classes except Math and Language Arts which I do at home. So far, it has been a huge success. Both kids are doing very well in their classes and are making new friends and relationships.

Ohio

Kelly, Stephanie, Mandy

This was the the second meet up of our trip. We spent the day

hanging out with Kelly, Eric and their boys Parker and Garret and the

wonderful hosts, Mandy, Jarod, and their girls Alexis and Abby.

The kids played in the pool, on the slip and slide and in the mud

all afternoon. We had a delightful barbeque for lunch

and had a fabulous time chatting and laughing

as if we'd been friends forever.

Alabama

In July, we took a family trip to Birmingham, Alabama.
Stephanie has known Lelia from an on line message board
for almost 2 years. They’ve gotten to know each other
through emails, pictures, and of course the board.
Talk about going to visit was usually just
a hope and dream and finally Doug and Stephanie
made it a reality.

Lelia (pronounced Lil-ya) and her husband Scott
as well as their 3.5 year old daughter Emma opened their
home to us and we temporarily moved out of the confines of the motor home.
Stephanie and Lelia instantly connected and it was
as if they’d been friends for longer than the actual two.

We took the opportunity to introduce our American friends to
Molsen’s Canadian beer, potato cannons, and radio controlled trucks.
In turn, we saw the sights of Birmingham,
ate at Dreamland Barbeque,
and experienced southern hospitality at it’s best.

Friendships and memories were created that will last a lifetime and we are hoping to one day return the favor
when they come to Canada!

Introducing...

These are the children who God has blessed me with... for now.

JOSHUA

ANDREA



ARIANNA

Oh Baby!

Today my 3 year old told me how to have a baby.


Me: So what happens?
A:First, you get a fat tummy. Then you go to the doctor and "pop" the baby comes out.
Me: Does it hurt?
A: Of course not.
Me: It is hard to get the baby out?
A: Nope. Easy as pie. That's all there is to it.

Oh sweet girl, if only you knew...

What Am I Getting Into?

Is it not enough that I already scrapbook, homeschool, and hang out on other websites? Why do I think I need "one more thing" to work on? It seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm hoping this is a way to keep up with the things the kids do and say while allowing the creative part of me to come out.