Aloha Friday #7

It's time for Aloha Friday! The day where I ask you a question and you answer! Thanks to An Island Life for the original idea. If you want to participate, head on over there and follow the directions. It's a great way to meet new bloggy friends!

My question this week:

What are you looking forward to most about 2009 (that you already have on the calendar!)? What was your favourite thing about 2008?


There are two things that I'm most looking forward to, so I'll say both!

#1. The first week in February, our wonderful friends, Bryan and Karen, are coming to visit! They're coming to celebrate their 30th birthdays with a ski trip, visit with us (of course, the BEST part!), and time away from 3 active, (but wonderful) boys!

#2. At the end of April, we will be flying to El Paso, TX to visit my family (Mom, Dad, and 4 younger sisters still at home)! My brother and his wife and two little boys will also be there! My kids are so excited. They've already been talking about it everyday for a month - I don't know how they will wait! Or if I can remain sane with them talking about it all the time! :-) I'll also get to see another friend, Jen, who happens to have a blog I follow! She may even have a newborn baby to cuddle, if I'm lucky!

And my favourite part about 2008, would have to be Joshua's 30th birthday party. I actually managed to truly surprise my husband, which is next to impossible!! Thanks to all of you who made that possible!

Happy Birthday, Sky!

My little boy turned 5 on Friday! It was such a busy day that I didn't have time to put together his birthday post. And now, such a busy week that I've been working on this for awhile! Here a few pictures of the last 5 years of Sky's life. I've had a hard time finding pictures of Sky by himself! It seems that all the really good ones are of Sky and Sara. I guess that's the life of the second child!

Sky was born at home, in our bathtub, and it was very much on purpose! He loves to hear me tell the story about how he was my "water baby!"

He got chicken pox when he was only 8 months old!

Already showing his goofy side at age 2! Almost 3 years old

4 years old and 2nd year of skiing!

And here he is, 5 years old already, enjoying some chocolate birthday cake!

I think the thing I love most about Sky is his sense of humour! He loves to tease and tell jokes and do silly things and generally make people laugh. He will do almost anything to get people to laugh at him. Last year, around Christmastime, I bought a bag of fresh cranberries. For a "fancy" dinner one night, I floated a few cranberries in each person's juice glass. Sky ate every single cranberry in his juice (about 5) just because we were all freaking out and laughing at him! If you've never tasted a fresh cranberry, just know that they are SOUR!! He's had such a good vocabulary from a very young age. Once he hears a word, he remembers it. He amazes me everyday with the words he knows. Just last week, he used the word "compost" in the correct context! And even when he's not even trying to be funny, he cracks me up. Just today, Sara was running around the house, screaming for no apparent reason. (She was especially challenging today...) I told her to leave me alone, so she went downstairs to bug Sky. He came up and informed me that Sara was screaming her head off. I replied, "I know." His eyes suddenly brightened up and he said, "I know! I'll take her for a walk around the house until she calms down. That will make her stop!" Too funny! He makes me laugh inspite of myself so many times.

Sky's favourite colours are orange and black, his favourite food is macaroni and cheese and favourite drink is Sprite. (He does eat his veggies - I promise!) He loves Batman, Spiderman, dinosaurs, dragons and anything "scary." He's very good at entertaining himself and is always dreaming up some new "game" or invention. He reminds me a lot of my brother, Scott. I know he's going to be very good at sports. He started walking at 9 months and then taught himself to go up and down stairs by 10 months! He was riding a real bike with training wheels at 2 years old, and before he turned 4, the training wheels were OFF! He started skiing when he was 3 and gets mad because he can't ski like Daddy. In the springtime, we're probably going to put him in baseball, because he can hit a baseball like nobody's business! He is a very smart, witty, and talented kid. I know that will come with it's challenges. Pride will rear it's ugly head. Frustration at less than perfection has already been a problem at times. I pray that Sky will always give God the glory for the accomplishments that he makes. I pray that I will have the wisdom to guide him.

I love you so much, little boy! You are a special joy in all of our lives. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for always knowing when I need a hug or a helping hand. God has given you a sensitive heart and I pray that it will stay that way forever.

Random Interesting Happenings

Well, hopefully they will be interesting to you, anyway! I realize I haven't been very "informational" in my latest posts, so some people may want to have a few more details.

1. Joshua is just finishing up a cleansing/fat burning program called Isagenix. There is a 30 day program and a 9 day. Joshua did the 30 day one. To date, he's lost 22 pounds and feels great! I'm very proud of him for sticking with it. I don't think I could have done it. Although, I'm entertaining the idea of the 9 day program (don't tell Joshua!) - I could use some more energy! I won't bore you with details - you can read about it on their website if you want more info! Mealtimes have been interesting around here. There are "cleanse days" where Joshua doesn't eat at all, so the kids I have to hurry up and eat supper before Joshua gets home so that the sight and smell of food doesn't drive him crazy! Breakfast and lunch have been really easy, though. I just have to mix up a protein shake for him and it's done!

2. We now have an alarm system in our house. There was already one installed from 15 years ago, but it was inactive. Since it was already there, we looked into getting it activated again. We also found out it would save money on our home insurance! So, we got some of the alarm components updated and added smoke alarms (monitored by the alarm company). So far, there have been no mishaps! If there ever are any, I'm sure it will be great blog material! I've already had a few minor panic attacks when the kids go barging into the house after we've been gone, forgetting that the alarm is set. Fortunately, I'm fast (I have 45 sec.) so I've been able to get it turned off in time!

3. On Tuesday morning (my birthday!), we woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland of snow! It was not forecasted, so we were a bit surprised! Finally, the first snow of the year!! I was so excited when I got up, and was out the door taking pictures within 5 minutes! It was the perfect birthday gift for me! It was one of those fluffy, sticky snowfalls that covered every little branch. After a late breakfast, we all went out to play in the snow. Joshua had the day off because it was Remembrance Day (same as Veteran's Day in the States) and it's a stat holiday. He always gets the day off for my birthday, and I quite like that! We built a little snowman (not enough snow for anything big) and had a snowball fight. The snow made great snowballs! Then we took a walk to admire the neighbourhood before lunch. I took lots of pictures, but you'll have to wait for them. Reason? That brings me to the next thing...

4. We are now the proud owners of a "real" computer! For all of our married lives (almost 9!), we've only had a laptop. It worked great for those years that Joshua needed to tote it back and forth between church and/or seminary classes. After he got the job with the bank, he didn't need to do that anymore. And I finally got to use the computer to my heart's content! That's when I joined Facebook and started my blog. I dare say I got more done before that! Anyway, last week, a new Future Shop opened in our city. Joshua works right by the new store, so he got in line the first morning they opened up. Our new computer was 1 of 25 available that day at an incredible price! Even my brother, the computer geek, said it was a really great deal and a decent computer. (We consulted him first!) So, we have this HUGE monitor now (O.K., it seems huge to me - it's a 20 in.), and I'm seeing lots of little details I've never noticed before! It's been fun, but not without it's hassles. I can't find the software that came with my camera, so I'm a little stuck right now with pictures...

5. Tonight Joshua and I get to go to an NHL hockey game to see our Edmonton Oilers play! Joshua's boss, Jeff, sometimes gets tickets from a lawyer that the bank refers clients to. It's is way of saying "thanks for the business." This time, Jeff offered the tickets to Joshua! So, we got a babysitter and will be heading out tonight! Hopefully they win! Poor Joshua - tonight is one of those nights where he has to drink a shake for supper (because he ate real food for lunch), so he'll have to watch everyone else eat at the game! He can snack on almonds...woohoo! Oh well, it's healthier and saves us money!

That's all I can think of right now that would actually be interesting to you! Hope you enjoyed the update. Now, to go figure out the photo/camera software situation around here....

Oh, I also wanted to make a disclaimer on my excitement about the snow... You WILL hear me complain about snow, winter, cold weather etc., as we go through the season. But, there is something very special about the first snow - even if we eventually get a lot of it! As my friend said the other day, it's the snowfalls between #2 and #100 that we complain about!

My Birthday Gift

My birthday isn't until next Tuesday (the 11th), but I already got my gift from Joshua and I wanted to show it off! New dishes! Do you like them? My favourite part is the colour. I also really like the simplicity. My old ones had a pretty busy pattern. They had also started to wear out in the middle, so that every time you scraped them with your utensils (which is every time you eat!), it would leave a permanent grey scratch. I've wanted new ones for a long time, so I got to pick these out over the weekend. Guess where we got them? IKEA!! Of course! Thanks, Sweetheart!

Happy 100th Birthday, Opa!

Meet Opa - Joshua's paternal grandfather. On Saturday he turned 100 years old and we were honoured to be guests at his birthday party! Opa immigrated from Germany when he was 45 years old with his wife and two young sons. His youngest son, Uve, is Joshua's father. Oma, his devoted wife of over 70 years, passed away about 3 years ago. Five of Opa's relatives travelled all the way from Germany to be at the birthday party! The party was at a local German restaurant where we enjoyed some very scrumptious, authentic German food! We definitely did not leave hungry! Opa with Sara and Sky, two out of his five (soon to be 6) great-grandchildren.
Hugs from Grandma, Joshua's mom.
Singing "Happy Birthday" - the 100th time he's heard that sung to him!!
It was really amazing to be part of such a momentous occasion! I've never known anyone else who lived to be 100! It was a fun-filled celebration! Opa was honoured in speeches from his two sons, Uve and Peter, and his two grandsons, Tyson and Joshua. Joshua ended his tribute with these words. "We respect you for what you have accomplished. We honour you for what you have taught us. We love you for who you are."

A Trip To Neverland

Yesterday we went to a joint birthday party for two little friends, Shana and Kenan. Kenan turned 4 a couple of months ago, and Shana will be 7 next month. The theme was Peter Pan and Neverland. My kids had never even heard of Peter Pan when we got the invitation! I rented the movie, and we watched it yesterday morning. Can you believe that I'd never seen it either?! For the party you were supposed to dress up as one of the characters. Sky chose Peter Pan and Sara chose Tinker Bell, of course! These are the costumes we came up with after the movie. Sky is wearing my green t-shirt and it's not even that big on him! I was proud of the hat and feather I came up with in about 5 minutes time! Here's my pretty little Tinker Bell. I bought her those wings years ago in an after Halloween sale at Old Navy. They've been used many times over!
Tinker Bell with the birthday girl, Shana, dressed as Tiger Lily.
And here we have Captain Hook, also known as Kenan!
The whole gang from Neverland, having a pow-wow at the Indian Camp.
I was truly amazed at my friend, Helen's creativity in pulling off this party! There was a fishing game at the Mermaid Lagoon, a pow-wow at the Indian Camp (complete with teepee), pin the feather on Peter Pan's cap, Smee's banquet table, and a treasure chest for each child to decorate. I stayed to help and I think I had as much fun as the kids! Thanks Nate and Helen for such a great party! You are a special family and we're going to miss you tons!

Happy 30th, Sweetheart!

Joshua is 30 now - finally! 2 years and 7 months ago, I turned 30 and he's been calling me an old woman ever since! Thursday was his actual birthday - today I actually have time to sit down and write this tribute! I married this man almost 9 years ago, never knowing all the adventures life would bring us. Joshua is a very passionate guy - there is no middle ground with him. Sometimes this can be a challenge, but one thing's for sure - it's always going to be exciting! Here are 30 things I can't help but love about him...

1. His smile (Just ask Karen, it's one of the first things I noticed about him!)

2. His confidence that always makes me feel secure.

3. The wise financial decisions he makes.

4. The way he plays with the kids.

5. Listening to him play the piano. (He's AMAZING, for those of you who don't know!)

6. The fact that he's not a picky eater and loves my cooking!

7. The way he mows the lawn with stripes!

8. His hugs and kisses.

9. The way he can explain pretty much anything to me, in a way I can understand.

10. Because he's very romantic!

11. His muscles that carry heavy things for me - including the kids when they're tired!

12. The way he wholeheartedly throws himself into whatever he's doing.

13. The fact that he helps around the house.

14. For making me love the sport of hockey!

15. Because he takes me on regular dates.

16. For making me try new things - like camping and sushi and downhill skiing!

17. His love for the outdoors.

18. Because he's spontaneous and fun!

19. The way he puts a positive spin on almost everything. (Sometimes irritating...)

20. Because he always dresses neatly and stylishly.

21. For helping me to understand the rules of football!

22. Because he never forgets my birthday or our anniversary.

23. For quitting coffee the day after Christmas and never turning back.

24. His humour.

25. Because he fixes things around the house.

26. The way he loves a challenge and is always trying new things.

27. For always being interested in my day and what the kids are doing.

28. Seeing him snuggle with the kids at bedtime.

29. Because I fit just right on his lap!

30. For always being himself.

I love you, Sweetie!