The Big Day

Wow!  Where do I even start?!  It has been so amazing to watch this all unfold.  Having our oldest son Christopher come to Roger and I and tell us that he was ready to ask Emily to marry him and then see him plan and orchestrate all of the details of this special day has been such a blessing.  Seeing his heart for the woman he loves and wanting this day to overwhelm her with happiness and joy has been a sweet gift to this mama's heart as well.

From seeing the notes he was making about the timeline of the day to hearing all of the minute by minute details as he planned and prepared, it was all so very thoughtful.  I loved that he involved family and friends in this very special day.  That was a gift to all of us!

I have lots of friends that have asked for details and I want to share some of that sweet day here.  First Christopher went to a lot of work to plan an "alibi" for himself and being out of town working on this week-end.  From posting on the work website to texts from the camp he was working on that day - all to prevent her from suspecting anything.  To keep her busy while he was gone, another sweet friend set up a friends photo shoot.  (This was a sweet way to have her dressed and looking cute for the day!)

The photo shoot was to be held at a local park.  Thankfully, the weather was sunny and beautiful!
 Not nearly as cold as I thought it would be either.  It was a gorgeous day!

Friends and family arrived at the park early to set up and figure out what we were doing.

We had a practice run for all of us and I especially wanted Eliana to know what she was doing.

We all had signs.  (The girls are missing in this picture as they are waiting to meet Emily).

When they arrived at the park, Emily was told that there wasn't going to be a photo shoot and that she was going for a walk instead.  She walked with 7 friends who spent the time sharing, encouraging her and praying with her.  :)  The last friend brought her to an amphitheater and told her to go read the journal in the middle of it.

The rest of us were eagerly waiting nearby - but not able to see anything.

Emily went to read a letter that Christopher had written to her.  When she finished, she looked up and Christopher came out of hiding to meet her.  He then got on one knee and asked her to marry him.

And posted by Christopher on facebook:

On Saturday I got down on one knee and asked my best friend to marry me! I'm so very blessed and thankful for all of the amazing friends and family that, helped, loved on and celebrated with Emily and I on this special day! It's been an exciting whirlwind of a weekend, filled with joy, love, laughter, tears, and the biggest, happiest smile I've ever seen on Emily's face! ‪#‎shesaidYES

There was a group of family and friends hiding (and out of view of all of this).  We waited for a cue from one of the photographers and then to music, we all came walking out in pairs holding signs.

 Each pair of signs was an event and a date - the timeline of some significant events in their relationship.  :)  We lined up around the amphitheater until the last sign was presented.

Eliana brought the last sign which said ... Engaged!

We waited a moment before going down to join them, hug and them and take lots of photos.

Is this not a precious picture of Emily with her Dad

Ficken and Nelsen families

Fun shot of Emily with her girlfriends

Leslie, Emily, Christopher and Roger

Emily and Christopher with the guys

Me and my girls!

Eliana and her buddy Jim who was a great help in keeping her doing her job!

Afterwards, we went back to Emily's family home for dinner.  The decorations were all so amazing!

Love the sign!

 And my camera ended up being full while we were here so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.  But just look at the fun we were having here!  This was obviously all a surprise to Emily too!

Nelsen Family

Ficken Family

Friends picture

Delicious dinner!

After eating and playing games, it was time to leave.  What Emily didn't know was that when they returned to Christopher's quiet and darkened house, was that another party was waiting to happen.  Surprise!  More friends and food and fellowship and fun!

The last surprise of the day was waiting for Emily when she returned to her apartment.  Her room was filled with balloons.  This was something that Christopher did for her birthday just before they started dating.  :)

This was an amazing day.  So many moments of God's goodness and grace.  Joy, laughter and love.  Celebration and excitement.

We could not be any more excited for Christopher and Emily!  Their relationship is a beautiful reflection of God at work in their lives.  I am praying for you both daily and love you both so very much!

With a full heart,
Leslie

March catch-up post

So far, I'm off to a good start on my catching up with my blog, right?  I've finished February and now its time for a whirlwind tour of March.  I'll post our Five in a Row co-ops in a separate posting.

As we spent time learning about pigeons in our last Five in a Row book, Daniel began to be very interested in the birds around us.  Our next FIAR book was also about birds which helped to encourage this new interest even more.

He enjoyed spending time watching and taking photos of the birds at our feeder.  Its been fun seeing him enjoying God's creation and wanting to learn more about them.

Our FIAR group went on a field trip to a skating rink.

Its harder than it looks or seems which I think was a surprise to some of them that had never been before.

Eliana didn't even try.  After we tried roller skating last month - which she hated, I figured this would not be on her top 10 list.  We hung out in the lobby with some other young friends that weren't skating.  Daniel loved it and is hoping to go back again during the summer.

Just liked this photo of these beautiful young ladies.  :)

As part of our Robin Hood co-op, we talked about fires and then proceeded to make one.  Each person worked to gather materials, build a fire and then strike flint to get it going.

I loved seeing the looks of satisfaction on each face when they succeeded.  And each one did!

This was a huge hit.

And of course, we had to cook food over the fire too.

Eliana liked having a hot dog too!

We celebrated Christopher's birthday at the beginning of his spring break before he headed off to the mountains with friends.  Happy 21st birthday!  I love you Christopher and am proud of you.  I love seeing how God is working in your life.  I pray for you daily that you would grow in your faith and love for God and that you would have the courage to follow where He leads.

He brought home one of his roommates for the night (Joe!) which we were all excited to spend time with too!

Joe and Christopher both were invited to to join in the game of Axis and Allies.  This is no small game and it takes no small time to play it either.

We also played some medieval games during one of our co-ops with Robin Hood.  (We also did some inside work but that doesn't always make for great photos, kwim?)  One of them is jingling where the person who is it is NOT blindfolded and everyone else is.  Nice twist, huh?  "It" has bells which he jingles and the others try to catch him.

Another game we played was How Many Miles to London.

 This game begins with “It” being blindfolded. The other players then stand in a line and ask “It” for directions. “It” tells them how many steps to take forward backward, left, or right they must go. Then “It” is led to the starting point and must follow his own directions. When “It” has reached the final destination, he must try to touch another player. The other players may duck or sway to avoid being touched, but they cannot move their feet. If a player is tagged, then he is the next “It” otherwise “It” must try again. 

We always end with a delightful spread and this time was no different.  Yum!  :)

For book club this month, we read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  This book had so many ideas to explore and discuss.  It is an interesting comparison to see how things were done and handled then versus now.  There are ways in which I see great improvement and some which I see great decline.

Dinner out with two of my dearest friends.  Thankful for both of these women and all that they have poured into the lives of my family.  Thankful that God has given me such wonderful friends to hang out with.

Nature journalling.  Its a very sporadic activity around here, but we do it when Mom things about it.

And some just hang out with their siblings.

At the end of the month, Rebecca and I drove to SC with a dear friend to attend the Great Homeschool Convention.  Afterwards, some of us from the FIAR website staff hung around for a couple of days with Steve and Jane Lambert.  It was a time of  refreshment and encouragement.

I'm thankful to see God's hand at work in building friendships that span many states.  We all met through the internet and it has been a blessing indeed.

March was filled with laughter, love and adventure.  What more could I ask for?

More (hopefully tomorrow) on our next FIAR co-op... Albert.

Love
Leslie

20 years ago ...

I was so excited.  And nervous.  And ready to meet our baby.  I had no idea how my world was going to change.  I had no idea that being a Mom would be the best job I could ever imagine.  I had no idea that this tiny little person would alter my life in such huge ways.

(Don't laugh.  Large, loose clothes were the style then.)

He made his appearance early the next morning.  Oh, it was love at first sight!  Our first baby.  A boy!

 Perfect in every way!

 This started a sweet journey of building our family.  I loved the days we spent together.  I still do.

Today is the last day of my oldest being a teenager.  20 years.  It seems so long ago in some ways and just yesterday in others.  Its true that the days are long and the years are short.

 Happy Birthday Christopher!   I am thankful for you and for the work I see God doing in your heart and your life.  I pray for you often and always will.  Looking forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!

I love you!
Mom