Bittersweet...

Today, Joshua and Andrea went back to school (of sorts). They attend a program that is for homeschoolers while allowing the kids to go to school twice a week. I settled the kids in for their first day and Andrea eagerly waved me off. Joshua was a little apprehensive as his grade moved into the room of junior high students. But he gave me a half hearted wave and I took my leave with two in tow.

The house was eerily quiet as Sarah went for a nap and Arianna did some crafting. The non stop jabbering of kids and make believe play wasn't there and I felt like I should be doing something more productive than *playing* with Arianna. I also know she was missing them as much as I was. I watched the clock until I knew I could leave to get them without being too early and with joy in my heart, I picked them up at 3:00. The van was full of news, updates and information as we made the short drive home.

An hour later and Arianna has her buddies back home and things resume.... the way I like it.

Vacation 2009

It's been a while since I blogged as we were on a one week family vacation. It was great to get away from the rush of day to day life, leave technology behind and live together (mostly in harmony) in the confines of a 30 foot long motorhome. Our first intended destination fell through as the bugs were so bad that the kids couldn't even be outside so we headed for Long Lake, Alberta. It was lovely there. Lots of trees, large campsites, a great beach and lake, and minimal bugs. We spent our first two nights there. On the third day, we headed to Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park. Again we were greeted by spacious sites, trees everywhere, a virtually private beach, and hot weather. We set up camp for the rest of the time there and relaxed! Some tidbits about the week are:

* The first morning out, Arianna fell off her bike and did quite a number on her leg, elbow, shoulder, face, and hand. Even her helmet was scuffed up. Thankfully she was ok but she did not get back on her bike until we got home.
* One night, my sister and I managed to get all six kids to sleep in the motorhome at the same time.
* Arianna is a very good swimmer and showed her skills in the lakes.
* My nephew Ben says the cutest things. My favorites are "fun-gunk" for kerplunk, "Aunty Fancy-Car" for Aunty Stephanie, and "mo-ho" for motorhome.
* Andrea went for a walk and was missing for a while. I will never forget the fear of not knowing where she was nor the peace and relief I felt when she was found.
* Camping with a crawling one year old is an adventure. Especially when she wants to crawl on the gravel and eat rocks.
* The kids got along great. Our family time was a blessing and we came home closer than before.
* Camping with my sister, brother in law, nephew and niece was SO much fun! I can't wait for next year!

It was a great time away. I can't post all the pictures here so I will direct you to my Facebook so you can view them there.

Kelly's RAK

I met Kelly a few years ago when her oldest son and my second daughter were about a year old. We have become good friends and two years ago I had the opportunity to meet her and her sweet family in Ohio when we took a two week trip through the US. Her three boys are simply darling and it was a wonderful day. We share a love of scrapbooking and that's the main idea of this blog.

Kelly is doing a RAK giveaway of some of her scrapbook stuff. She's got lots of great things to give away and I'm hoping I win! Check out her blog here and wish me luck!

Busy, Busy, Busy

So looking at my blog, it's been nearly a week since I posted last. My week was spent getting aquainted with my first nephew. His parents were looking for someone to watch him while they worked and I was asked to do the job. It turned out to be a wonderful time as I watched this 3 year old play with my kids as if he belonged with us. I had forgotten how busy preschool aged boys can be though and I was very thankful for my older children who jumped right in and helped take care of him. It was exciting to have an additional child with me and gave me a glimpse of what FIVE would have been like. Hmmm, I think four is good!

In Loving Memory

~Shirley Van Neck~

March 23, 1955 - July 13, 1999

I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...

I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!

I can only imagine. I can only imagine.

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine, when that day comes,

when I find myself standing in the Son!

I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You!

I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

Yeah! I can only imagine!! Only imagine!!!I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when all I do is forever, forever worship You!

I can only imagine.

I don't know what I'll do when I get to Heaven to meet Jesus but I am sure looking forward to being reunited with my Mom. It's tough to be the grown up when my kids ask "why couldn't Oma get a new heart?" I don't KNOW why. I wish I had a better answer for them. It's been 10 years and it's by the grace of God that I get through some days. I think about her daily and although the pain of missing her is duller than it used to be, I still feel sad when I think about her.

Monday Mentionables

~Sarah uses a soother to sleep. I need to make sure she has extras in the crib because when I put her down with one in her mouth, she takes it out and trades it with another one that's in there. Everytime.

~I feel SO incredibly blessed to be able to watch my nephew this week. I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know the little guy!

~Some days I wish coffee came in IV form.

~I'm fascinated that even at 10 & 8.5 years old, my children find playdoh fun!

~My five year old can ride a two wheeler and I've never seen a prouder munchkin.

~I can't believe my other nephew is nearly two!

~My nights are still interrupted once to breastfeed my baby.

~Both of my pre-teens are using deodorant.

~I am still madly in love with my husband.

~I can't wait to go camping with my family, my sister, her husband, and their kids.

Two Teeth In One Day

Today, Arianna joined the ranks of those who get visited by the tooth fairy... and doubly so as she lost two in one day! Her bottom two baby teeth came out (actually I pulled them) this afternoon. She has such a big kid grin now.

Ah, she's growing up so fast!

"Throw Out The Schedule"

My friend Sheri wrote a blog post about attachment parenting and nursing on cue. I hope you'll take a moment to read it. And after reading her experience today, I felt like sharing my nursing experiences.

When my first was born, I was told to buy the books BabyWise by Gary Ezzo. It was a disaster and a complete failure. Joshua simply did not comply to the "alone time" and he was far from impressed with my forcing him to wait the four hours between feedings. It was killing me inside and my heart was breaking for my crying baby boy. After only a few days of misery for myself and my baby, Doug insisted that the books were to leave the house. They had become an inhibitant on my mothering and my dreams of what being a momma was about were shattering moment by moment. Once the books were out of the house I immediately did what my heart and body felt were natural and held my baby. LOTS. I also became one of those who was to whip up my shirt after just a few cries and nuzzle him against my chest to nurse. I slept when he slept and he slept in my bed with me until he was 18 months old.

Sixteen months later and much wiser, my daughter was born. From day one she slept in the bed with me and I went out and bought my first sling. She was an attached baby who was fortunate enough to be nursed on cue. She's now a fiercely independant 8.5 year old.

When Arianna was born, I was more knowledgable about extended nursing and had planned to breastfeed her until at least 12 months. Well, a new sling and months later, she finally weaned herself at 18 months. Another independant child of mine growing up... 5 years old now.

Sarah is now a 12 month old nurser and loves being "wrapped" or slung in the hotsling. She nurses frequently and I offer it to her many times during the day even for just a 2 minute drink. She wakes up at least once, sometimes more during the night and although she prefers her crib to sleep, she spends much of the day in my arms or at least in the arms of a willing sibling. I have no end goal when I will stop breastfeeding her. I am thankful that she is intolerant to milk and I know that my milk is the best for her.

The 2008/09 School Year

For the second year, Joshua and Andrea attended a part time school program that works with the homeschooling. I can't believe how much they have grown up physically, in maturity, socially, and spiritually. They've come a long way in 10 months and although this was a fun, exciting and successful school year, I am really looking forward to the summer break. Next step, grade 4 & 5! Way to go kids, I'm proud of you both!!

September 2, 2008

June 25, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!

On Monday, June 22, Sarah turned one! I can't believe how the year has flown by. Here's some pictures of how we celebrated the day!


She loved being sung to!


Not too sure about this cake business...

My dad giving her a small taste of the cake.

Starting to get into it.

YUM! She ended up having a great time with it. She actually made very little mess other than some icing on her face.

A Year Ago...

My baby is one now. I chose just a few (ok lots) of my favorites and I'm happy to admit I actually narrowed them down. It's tough to pick just some to watch how the year went by. Lots of doctor appointments at the beginning as she was so slow to grow, all the testing to prove there was nothing wrong and she was just going to be little. Praise God! Enjoy Sarah's year in review!

Repent and be Baptised

That's exactly what Joshua and Andrea did last night at church. We are the classic "born and raised in a Christian home" family. Quite a few weeks ago, there was a baptism service at church and both kids came up to be at separate times telling me that they wanted to do that. We spoke to the children's pastor and arranged to attend a class. At home, we talked to Joshua and Andrea asking them if they understood what it was all about and it seemed very clear that they knew what they were doing. They each wrote out their testimonies (ok, they dictated, and I wrote) and the weeks went on. It was wonderful to see the immediate change in each child even before last night. Simply committing to following Jesus in obedience had affected their actions and behaviours. Initially, each child wanted Doug and I to be in the water with them but after some discussion and having them understand that this was THEIR deal, we all agreed that they would do it alone.

Romans 6:3-4: Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

I am so happy that my children took this step last night. It must mean I am doing something right. So often I wonder if I am parenting well and if my kids are able to make such a wonderful, life changing decision on their own, I must be doing a good job so far.

Photoshopping Sarah

So I am s-l-o-w-l-y figuring out some of the tricks and tips for PSE. Here's a few of my favorite edits of my most favorite picture of Sarah. She was about 10 months old at the time. Even the original just captured those baby blue eyes that I love so much.

Original photo

B&W/Color

Glitter Background added

B&W w/ adjusted opacity

Sepia tint/Adjusted levels

He's Growing Up So Fast

Joshua had waited all day for Doug to come home so he could help mow the lawn. Finally supper was done, the hedge was trimmed, the edging complete and he was ready to take on his job! He was more than happy to do a few rows of mowing to help his dad out. Such fun for a boy!

Getting started...

"Hi Mom!"


Now THAT was hard work!


CHEERS to a job well done!

Joshua and Photoshop

Thanks to Sheri and Jenifer T. for their quick helps in some of these editing pictures.

Such a learning curve!

Original Photo

Removed the dirty face and puffy eyes

Black & White + Color Enhance

Black & White + Enhanced Eyes

A lot of changes. My favorite! :)

1:00 In The Morning

And the house is quiet and still. I sit and rock in "our" chair nursing Sarah. Yes, at nearly a year old, she still wakes up to nurse. I hesitate to say "eat" since she only latches for a slight 5 minutes and that she is simply looking for the comfort that only I can provide. I know full well that I am just satisfying and perhaps encouraging her nightly waking habit and yet I hold no frustrations to being wakened by her cries. There is something about holding her close to me with no distractions, kids, phones, or computers. It is the only nursing session in our day that she falls asleep in my arms and I know that one day, my baby will no longer sleep with me as she does now.

Dance with all your heart!

Arianna-The CUTEST elephant ever!

Andrea-Stunning as a butterfly

Joshua-A monkey... charming as ever

We have the three oldest kids in dance at KaRAR Studios. Arianna is in ballet, Andrea in hip hop and ballet and Joshua is in hip hop. Every June, the studio puts on a show that is a spin off a Disney movie. This year was The Lion King and it was [again] a phenomenal show of dancing, acting, and choreography put on by countless performers ranging in age from three years all the way up to adult. I also must credit the studio manager Natalie D. for her countless hours of prep work, teaching and training. Volunteer parents who helped backstage, organized kids, and even sewed costumes all helped pull an amazing show together.

I love seeing my children's creativity come through in this "art" form. I have noticed a huge change in Joshua's coordination and rhythm after two seasons of hip hop. Andrea is a true performer and her abilities shine on the stage. Arianna is in it for fun yet as she is only five years old. They love what they do and I love how they glorify God in their actions. They are dancing for Jesus with all their heart!

Computers... a mixed blessing

On Monday night, my laptop shut down... just. like. that. A slight feeling of panic entered my heart as I thought of the hundreds of pictures, videos, digital scrapbook pages and the many 'papers' and 'embellishments' I downloaded. Doug brought the laptop to some good friends of ours who did something called "imaging the hard drive" (like taking a picture) and then returned the laptop to us. We will send the computer off to Sony and hope that they can fix it. With any luck and much prayer, our techie friends will put all our information back onto the computer and I'll be back in business.

A few things have happened this week as I have been computer-less. When I went to bed on Monday night, I felt somewhat convicted by God that perhaps I have been spending too much time in the cyber world and not enough time with my Father. I have taken such delight in watching Sarah become more confident in crawling, had a wonderful day with my mother in law and two little girls, played video games with my kids, and I have noticed a change in all of us. I can't believe I let a machine consume so much of me.

I am still praying my laptop can be restored with all the information and programs but I know I will keep myself in check and be much more aware of the amount of time I spend online. I am also trying to take the time that I normally would have spent on the computer and spending it with the kids.

Teething Necklace

http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/

My favorite is the 'Congac Round". I have a blogger friend who piqued my interest in these!