One good thing...

about this week has been a gift from my girls.  They agreed to share a bedroom so that I could have a craft room again.  I have missed it terribly since we moved and it wasn't the same having all my things in the bonus room.  Here's a little peek:

Day 2 of 4...

And two more to go until Doug comes home.  As a "gift" to me, the girls decided they would be willing to share a room so I could have a craft room again.  So the past two days, the kids and I have been moving bedroom furniture down to the basement for Arianna and all my scrapbooking things into my new room!  I can't wait for it to all come together and to have my own space!

Eleven Years Ago...

This little boy joined our little family of two.  Entering this world at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, he has changed our lives forever.  

 

A ray of sunshine and smiles at 8 months old.

A year old already!

Growing up so fast...

And now...

Like any other parent, I've asked myself, "where have all those years gone?"  It still seems like such a short time ago that I held his soft pudgy body close to me and breathed in his *baby* smell.  He was a good baby.  His mild mannerisms still are a big part of who he is today and I know that trait will hold him in good standing as he continues to grow up.  

Joshua loves to be outside, wear shorts, eat pizza and ice cream, ride his bike (even to the mail box only three houses down), hang out with his sisters and friends, and eat breakfast.  He doesn't sleep in and finds little use for school work.  I keep hoping that will change someday.  He loves to read The Hardy Boys, watch Little House on the Prairie, and be with his family.  

I look forward to what this year has in store for him and can't wait to see God work in his life!

Comparing...

I find myself frequently comparing my children to each other or to other children.  Because Joshua and Andrea are only 16 months apart, I must keep myself in check and not expect as much of Andrea as I do of Joshua.  Especially when it comes to their schooling.  Joshua is naturally smart and things come easy to him where with Andrea, it takes a bit more effort. 

One other area I am very guilty of comparing is with Sarah.  She's little.  I mean REALLY little.  At her 21 month doctor's visit, she just touched 18 pounds on the scale.  I notice how well other kids her age speak and although she does talk, it doesn't match up to the other kids around her.  Also, her hair.  Or should I say the lack of it.  Just a few wisps on the top and back but nothing to speak of.  *sigh*  I know that she is perfect and that she will come out on her own but it is tough at times. 

God, help me remember that she is truly Yours and that she has no faults in Your eyes.  Help me feel and think the same way... all the time. 

Happy Birthday Arianna!

On May 4, 2004, we welcomed Arianna Joy into our lives.  She was 7 lbs, 10 ounces and 19 inches tall.  I can't believe how the years have gone by and how *grown up* she's getting to be.  She has an easy going personality that is full of life and love.  Here are some of the things that make up who she is:

• She is as girly girl as they get.
• She loves pink and purple.
• She loves to wear dresses... the frillier the better.
• She loves to change her clothes during the day (many times)
• She loves Barbies.
• She is able to start and take a shower without any help from me.
• She is my Tim Horton's buddy.
• She knows how to read and write.
• She can swim like a fish.
• She can ride a two wheeler with ease.
• She adores her siblings, each in their own way.
• She is an early riser like her mom.
• She is ours.  Unique, special, loved.

 Happy 6th Birthday Arianna!  

I hope this year is a great one for you.  I look forward to sharing and celebrating this day with you!

Mommy Mentor Giveaway!

How super cool is this!!

Win a @JuJuBe_inc Behave from @MommyMentor!

http://www.mommy-mentor.com/2010/04/may-giveaway-are-you-ready-for-this.html 

Ends 5/28

In a mood...

and it's not a good one.  I have tolerated Doug's working on the road and even accepted it.  It is part of the job.  Perhaps though because this is the first week of the next four when I can anticipate long weeks alone.  Tonight Arianna was sick to her stomach and Sarah was crying at the same time and then Doug called.  Said he was sorry, that he couldn't do much from where he was at (12 hours away) and that he loved me.  I had a hard time feeling the *love* as I cleaned puke from my bed, the floor, the little girl and began laundry at 10:00 at night.  I know he loves me... long distance love is just tough.

Perogy Shells

Doug's cousin posted a great sounding recipe on her blog and I thought I'd give it a try.  Simply take mashed potatoes, add in loads of cheddar cheese and butter and fill jumbo sized pasta shells.  Then bake and voila!  Took a bit of time (boiling pasta and potatoes) but was a really easy meal.

Sleeping Through the Night

... is something my children do not do well at.  Plain and simple.  It seems that as of late, I have been hearing a lot about how Sarah does not sleep through the night yet.  I would love it if I could put her down at 7:00 knowing that I wouldn't hear her again until the morning but that's not the case.  I can pretty much guarantee she will be up by 10:00 or the second Doug turns off his lamp.  If I put her in the crib, she will cry for me by about 2:00 in the morning.  On the other hand, if I snuggle with her in our bed, she will sleep straight until 7:00.  

Tonight I read something that made me feel less guilty about her inability to sleep without waking up.  It was in the blog Peaceful Parenting (Tuesday, December 1, 2009).  Rather than make you go there and read what I did, I'm going to highlight some of the points that I really appreciated reading:

1. Every baby is different, and some sleep through the night earlier than others.
2. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone - like walking or toilet training - that your baby will reach when she is ready to.
3. One of the main reasons that night-waking babies are such a big issue is that parents don't have realistic expectations of the sleep patterns of babies.
4. Remember that night waking in babies and young children is normal and temporary
5. Your goal is to maximize sleep for everyone in the family, while respecting the needs of your child.  

I'll be honest, I would love Sarah to sleep a blissful 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  It sounds divine.  But, maybe that's just not who she is... yet.  I am sure that ONE DAY she will sleep through the night.   But until then, I will continue to love her back to sleep.  Crying it out doesn't work for me (I tried) and so I will do what I know works.  She won't be in our bed forever and waking up during the night will one day come to an end. 

It's almost May...

which means Doug's trade show season is upon us.  I think I figured that in the next 20 work days (Monday to Friday), he will be gone for 14 of them.  *sigh*  I hate parenting solo.  I don't like having all the responsibilities of running a home fall on my shoulders... they don't seem big enough to handle it all.  It's going to be a long week.

Toothless Grins

I think 5 year olds who are missing their front teeth are just so cute looking.  To me it's such a "big kid" look.  I had Arianna's cousin, Oliver over today and the two of them both have toothless grins.  I totally lucked out on capturing these two precious smiles!

Making The Most Out Of A Visit

So ever since my sister had her kids, we've been getting together about once a week and sometimes even more.  Our visits consist of walking the mall, going to parks, having coffee at Tim Hortons, or just hanging out.  A few weeks ago, she got this idea that for the first two Tuesdays of each month, the hostess would have the opportunity to clean her bathrooms while the visiting sister would watch the kids.  Now it may not seem like a big deal, BUT to be able to scrub down an entire bathroom without little ones hanging around your ankles is somewhat of a luxury.  It was my turn to clean yesterday and I must say to have completed one of the least desirable household chores by 10:00 in the morning was a very satisfying feeling and we are now actually being productive during our weekly coffee chats!

Poor Baby

Just can't seem to catch a healthy break.  As of Friday, Sarah had been fighting a cold and runny nose for two weeks.  I kept her home from church, I stayed home from Easter dinners, we layed really low.  We finally made it to church on Saturday night and Sarah was great.  She was playing well, chatting lots and appeared to be feeling well.  I put her to bed and everything seemed good, even up to her midnight waking.  It was at that time I noticed something was up because she didn't settle once I picked her up.  But I took her to bed, snuggled her close to me and we fell asleep.  She slept great until 8:00 which is actually late for her.  By 9:00, she was miserable so I put her back to bed and she slept for an additional two hours!  When she woke up, I noticed she was quite warm so I took her temperature... 103.4*.  Poor poor baby!  She was shakey, crying and just unhappy.  I gave her a dose of Motrin which brought it down to 100.5* in an hour.  Better but she wasn't feeling great yet.  I gave her some Tylenol just before her nap and she slept for 3 hours!  Her afternoon was spent watching a movie and snuggling on my lap.  Supper was a lost cause and bathtime was uneventful.  She was done by 6:30 and sleeping soundly shortly after.  Hopefully her night is full of rest and she wakes up feeling better tomorrow.

First Park Day of the Year

The weather has finally improved enough to venture outside with the kids.  Specifically Sarah who has been sick for over two weeks.  I was suffering from cabin fever and needed to get out.  It was a little chilly yet but the walk was refreshing and the kids had a great time running around.  Here's a few pictures that documented our morning!

She sort of enjoyed the swing...

But not really

I love the missing teeth!

A little happier

Leap of faith!

Taking Sarah down the slide

Such a great big sister!

Must feel like she's flying!

My three bigs and one little!

Easter

A little different this year.  We were not able to go to my aunt's for our traditional Saturday night dinner due to a death in their family.  So we had lasagna for supper with Doug's parents.  At 9:00 on Sunday morning, we decided that we would go to church even though the kids were all under the weather.  We had cinnamon sticky buns for lunch with scrambled eggs, oranges and hashbrowns.  YUM!  I love breakfast foods!!  When Sarah woke up from her nap, I made the decision that her and I would stay home from the family dinner with Doug's family.  She was still feeling sick and was cranky and I would rather just deal with her at home.  Doug took the older three for turkey dinner and my baby and I just hung out together.  All in all, it wasn't a bad Easter, just not the usual... and that's ok too.

Isaiah 53:5

He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

Burritos

My sister and I decided to mass produce burritos.  We figured we'd have enough meat and fixings for 48 burritos each... a total of 96!  We used three large packages of ground beef from Costco, 6 large peppers, 3 cups of brown rice and unmeasured amounts of seasonings and spices.

Just a few of the peppers

The head chef, my sister and best friend

The first batch of filling

The first few burritos wrapped up

This project took up most of the day.  My older kids helped with the little ones and at one point or another one of the babies was sleeping.  What a great day of talking, laughing and now we have four dozen burritos in our freezers!

Another tooth!

She is SO cute!!

Mornings

My favorite time with you is first thing in the morning.
It's a good thing I'm a morning person 

and don't mind getting up early.

I genuinely enjoy our quite moments together.  No one else is awake and it's just the two of us.  After your morning nursing and snuggle in my bed we mosey downstairs since you are ready for something to eat.  You "help" me make my coffee and then we prepare your hot cereal.  

I think this is the time that I hear the most new words from you.  

There's no one to interrupt you or speak louder than you.  

You have me all to yourself and you truly appreciate having my full attention. 

Rather than wish you'd sleep in late and wake up in the rush of the day, I will enjoy each of these mornings with you.
You are my baby and I will hold on to these moments forever.

Bread Making

Last week, Joshua and Andrea took a school field trip to the Ukrainian Cultural Village, east of Edmonton.  One of the activities was to make Paska bread.  Unfortunately, some kids didn't have the opportunity to try the bread and so being quite experienced in the kitchen, I told my kids that we would have our own bread making lesson at home.  I dug up my Oma's original recipe (which happened to be in my Mom's handwriting) and tried to figure out how I was going to bake bread without the luxury of my bread machine!

And so we began with the basics... how they did it in the "olden days" as my kids say.  Heated the milk on the stove, used traditional yeast, and waited the full 1.5 hours for the first rise.

{we were so excited to see the water and yeast chemistry "work", since that meant I did something right}

We moved on to the next steps of mixing the flour and letting it rise.  Delighted faces were around after the first rise.

SUCCESS!!

I kept half the dough for traditional buns and let the kids created their own.  

When I was growing up, my Oma always ensured that there were fresh buns ready to eat every time we came to visit.  Now being as Dutch as we are, there was (is) only one way to eat fresh, hot buns and that is with butter and sugar... lots of each.  As I baked today, the memories came flooding back as the sweet smell of bread filled my house.  I took a bite and was brought back to my childhood days of visiting my grandparent's house in Neerlandia.  I hope I can provide some of those same memories for my children and grandchildren in the years to come.