7 weeks . . .

Later in the afternoon, Norm and I agreed that it was the first Saturday that we did not "watch the clock" and remembering all that happened when Matthew died 7 weeks ago today. It was also our first extended time out alone, without the children, which was nice. We stay in close contact with the children, and none of them said anything about this Saturday bothering them. So, we've gotten up a little higher in this valley.

Norm picked up some parts for the car we are trying to fix that was Matthew's that has been at Stephen's automotive class for over a month now. We were thankful it did not cost too much, and are hoping & praying this will resolve the problems.

We went out for lunch too, and then went to Menards, and got a shower, bathroom cabinet and sink/counter for the boy's bathroom. This was a major thing to get done. We are thankful for God's provisions to be able to get this from the many gifts and then to find things on sale that helped save too!

We are still trying to make a decision regarding the boys' bedroom and ours. The boys now have their bedroom downstairs in our walkout basement. Their bedroom is quite large, with two large closets. It has enough room for two bunk beds (now one bunk bed and a single bed), a desk, their weight machine, several bookshelves, dressers, etc. The two boys that found Matthew and have all the visuals are really struggling with moving back downstairs. They will go down briefly to get clothes, put wood in the furnace, but it's very quick. Later we may hear how something bothered them being down there. We have considered exchanging bedrooms with the boys, so they have our bedroom, which is not nearly as large, but workable for three boys. Norm had been adding on a bathroom and laundry room, so they would eventually have their own bathroom, but until springtime, they'd have to continue using the main bathroom upstairs, which is what we are all using now. We have concerns, mainly with privacy in having the boys and the girls all in the same area, and then us downstairs. The advantage is Norm & I generally go to sleep several hours after all the kids are in bed, so we'd still be upstairs until we went down. The boys would not be "hiding away" as easily downstairs, and we'd probably be able to keep track more with them all up. Our oldest son is not thrilled about losing a lot of bedroom space, concerned about the little ones barging in their room, and privacy. We just discussed it with Jayson and Benjamin, and they liked the idea, though they know there will be adjustments with this too and don't want Stephen unhappy about it. It is also a lot of extra expense - changing our "dark green & rose floral" bedroom (mauve carpet too) to make it look more boyish, and making the boy's room more inviting for us - though this would not necessarily be too expensive. But it's some sacrifices either way, and a big decision to make, so we'd appreciate your prayers that we'd be guided in the right way, and that God would give us ALL a piece about it. It might be that all of a sudden the boy's have more of a change of heart and peace to be able to go back downstairs. Norm is mainly going to finish the bathroom downstairs, and then we will have to make a decision. Either way, we need two functional bathrooms for 11 of us!

Well, I better get to bed. It will be a busy day on Sunday, with church and we are having a couple over for dinner. Thanks again for the many e-mails and comments. :)

~~Loni