Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Today I am most thankful for my family near and far. You are all loved and thought of today! I'm also very thankful for my nice, warm house because there's been snow on the ground since Thursday morning!

Last night we had our big dinner with Joshua's parents and sister. The food was more than plentiful and very, very yummy! I baked the ham all afternoon at our house, complete with a brown sugar glaze. When it was ready we wrapped it up and drove through the gently falling snow to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I also brought along two of my other favourite traditions - sparkling juice and pumpkin bread! Mom had spent the day baking apple pie and pumpkin pie as well as all the other fixins' to go with the ham. We had a fun evening of eating, playing and laughing. After dinner, Grandpa had a good chance to work off some of the calories he took in! The entertainment included:

Horsey rides...

Double Piggy Back rides (this equals about 105 lbs.!)

And an attempt at the tallest shoulder stack ever!
Success! Well, maybe more of disaster waiting to happen, but they were sure having fun!

The big boys (Daddy and Grandpa) also indulged in a little leg wrestling and arm wrestling, much to the amusement of all of us! I will spare them the embarrassment of pictures. I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful, thankful day, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving Day today or not!

It Feels Like Spring Today!

In one week, the calendar says that we will be having the first official day of Spring. We just survived the coldest week of the season yet. On Tuesday morning, the official recorded temperature in Edmonton, was -42.7 degrees Celsius! My thermometer doesn't even go that low! Yikes! Today was a different story. It is well above freezing and the snow is melting like crazy! I stood outside this afternoon and could hear the sound of running water all around me! It was a beautiful sound! There is a lot of snow on the ground right now. Over a foot, and even deeper where the drifts are. It will be awhile before it all melts away, but hopefully today is the beginning of a very good thing called Spring! So, even though it doesn't really look like Spring yet, I'm going to pretend! Hence the new blog look! What do you think?! I love it!

Every Tuesday, Sky has his music/piano class from 1-2 p.m. Since you can't have other siblings present during the lesson, I have to find someone to watch Sara during that time. Grandma (Joshua's mom) is usually the one who comes to fill that need for me. When she comes, she brings lunch, we eat together, and then Sky and I leave for his class. It's become a fun little tradition every week! (If Grandma can't come for some reason, I take Sara to Patricia's house and she has tons of fun there! Patricia is a homeschooled teenager and we've become good friends with the whole family.) This Tuesday Grandma came to be with Sara. After lunch was devoured, the kids got a hold of the camera and started taking pictures of everyone! Joshua was home for lunch too, so he got in on the action! Here are some of the shots they got.

Ha! Bet you didn't expect that last picture! (And Joshua didn't expect me to post this last picture, either!) Oh, what Daddy's will do to make their children laugh!

I will be back with more consistency after this weekend. Sara and Sky have 2 final ski races - one tomorrow morning and one on Sunday morning. And then, ski racing is finally and officially over for the season! You can't even imagine my relief!

Names In The Sand

I wanted to share something very special with all of you. First a story, and then a gift that I received this weekend.

In addition to our two beautiful children, Sara and Sky, some of you may not know that we have two babies in heaven with Jesus. After Joshua and I had been married for only 2 months, we were overjoyed to find out that I was pregnant with our first child! Our joy turned to great sadness and heartache, when our little one was miscarried during my 10th week of pregnancy. (March 2000) We were never able to see or hold this tiny baby, but we named "him," Jeremiah. Just a few months later, I was pregnant with Sara and obviously, she was born safely and happily in our arms 9 months later! When Sara was almost a year, I became pregnant again. At the time, we were packing to move to Canada, and Sara was learning to walk! I hardly had time to think about this next baby inside of me. We moved and were just trying to get settled when I began spotting and cramping. I was in my 11th week. Our second little angel went to be with Jesus a few days later, right around Easter of 2002. Because of the life upheaval we were already experiencing at the time, I found that I never had the time to grieve this child. We named "him" Michael and went on with life. It wasn't until many months later, that God walked me through a true grieving process for this second child we had lost. It has now been 9 and 7 years since God took our babies to be with Him. I am now able to share and talk about my miscarriages without a flood of tears. The Lord has allowed me to minister to many friends through the years when they've gone through similar heartache and pain. I am grateful for that. Someday, I will meet my babies in heaven, along with three siblings who were also born too soon. For now, I rejoice in the gift of the daughter and son that I have the privilege of holding in my arms!

A few months ago, I found a blog that has really touched my heart. It's called "To Write Their Names In The Sand... A Moment Captured, A Life Honoured" This beautiful woman, Carly, lives halfway around the world in Australia. She is so full of love and compassion, and her blog is an amazing ministry to those who have lost babies and children. Below, is the gift she gave to me.

It was incredibly emotional for me to see my babies names written in the sand in such a beautiful way. I really can't even find the words... I will treasure these pictures forever.

I want you to see the post on Carly's blog, so please click here to go there. It is a beautiful, peaceful place. It brings tears to my eyes every time, but they are tears of healing. If you have ever lost a child, Carly will also write your child's/children's names in the sand. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog, you will find her e-mail address and instructions. Thank you, Carly, for what you did for me and what you have done for so many families. You are a wonderful, beautiful person!

Happy New Year + Christmas Eve Pics

It's already 3 days into the new year and I need to officially say, "Happy New Year!" I've been doing a lot of reminiscing and contemplating about life and "stuff." I don't necessarily make resolutions or goals, but there are always things that I'd like to do differently or make sure that they stay the same or get rid of altogether! I'm still thinking and writing things down. I'll share them in a few days. For now, here are some pictures from Christmas Eve. Joshua's Uncle Peter and Aunt Derry always host a party/dinner at their house. A few families weren't able to be there there this year, but we still had a fun and memorable time!

Sara and Sky had so much fun with Julia, their second cousin!

Me and Opa (100 years old!) He was entertaining himself and everyone else by balancing his cane by itself!
Sky and Grandpa (Joshua's dad)

Sara and Julia taking a break

Julia, and her mom, Meghan.

Aunt Derry put the guys to work helping with the food preparations. Joshua did a great job with the cheese platter.
Joshua's dad working on the meat platter.

One of the two festive tables

Here are the kids opening a few presents after dinner. The girls were so excited because they got the same things!

This concludes any Christmas pictures I have. I actually managed to forget the camera at Uncle Peter and Aunt Derry's house that night! I have had the worst time keeping track of that camera this Christmas season! I'm just a mess! We were able to get the camera back on Christmas afternoon, but I totally missed out on Christmas morning gift opening. Ah well, I now hold the memories in my heart! Probably everyone appreciated the fact that I didn't have the camera constantly in their face anyway!

This is the only picture I took Christmas day. 4 generations of men in the family! Opa is 100, Dad is 60, Joshua is 30 and Sky is 5!

May your 2009 be filled with many blessings!

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 December!

It's officially the Christmas month! Today is cold, WINDY and grey - could that possibly mean snow?!

We put up our Christmas tree last week. We had a bit of a tragedy. The kids and I unpacked the tree on Tuesday morning, set it up, and I spent the afternoon putting on lights and beads. We saved the ornaments so we could decorate with Daddy in the evening. Well, as we started hanging the ornaments, the tree started to tip over! Earlier, when I moved the tree back into the corner, a piece on the bottom of the stand (cheap plastic) got caught in a groove in the hardwood floor. I lifted it over the spot, but I guess not before the stand had already cracked in one spot. I didn't realize it at the time, but when we started decorating it, it was quite unstable. We tried a couple of things and continued until we had about 2/3 of the ornaments on the tree. We finally realized things were NOT going to work out. It was not one of our best family nights, to put it mildly! Joshua ended up going out to buy a new tree, while the kids and I were left at home to undecorate the tree. Joshua was not a happy camper at all, so I put the kids to bed, not knowing what to expect. He finally came home with a tree and was upset that the kids were in bed already. So....we got them back out of bed and they helped put the tree together! The next day, we started all over again and we finally met with success! I actually like the new tree better. It's a foot and a half taller, more realistic looking, and comes down lower to the floor. It took longer to fluff and decorate, but next year it won't seem so bad because it won't be my second tree! That bow on top is one of the bows we used in our wedding 9 years ago. The gold beads are from the wedding too! (Our anniversary is December 10th.)

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas tree decorating - take two! I thought the ones of Sara and Sky individually turned out so sweet.

A big Christmas hug before going off to bed! All that hard work finally paid off.

I hope you're enjoying your Christmas season this year. It's such a busy time. Here are a few things already on our calendar for the month of December.

Dec. 3rd - Visit in the morning from homeschool facilitator, Monica.

Dec. 5th - Red Riding Hood play at the Fringe Theatre (it has nothing to do with Christmas, but it was a good deal open to homeschoolers - now I wish I could give my tickets away!)

Dec. 6th - Chronicles of Narnia musical presentation at 7 p.m. after supper at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Dec. 7th - Winter piano recital, at 5:30 p.m., starring Sara and Sky!

Dec. 10th - Our 9th wedding anniversary. Dinner out has yet to be scheduled...

Dec. 14th - Kid's Christmas Party for all children of bank employees.

Dec 15th - Sleigh ride, tobogganing and bonfire at Pegasus Stables with homeschool group.

Dec. 19th - Big people Christmas party for employees of the bank. :-)

Dec. 20th - Evening performance of Handel's Messiah, by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This will include children, grandparents, sister-in-law, and friend. We will be so cultured!

This doesn't include the weekly music lessons and ski racing that I mentioned in the previous post! Whew! If I go missing at any point during this month, you will know why!

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.

Aloha Friday

I'm trying something new today! I'm going to ask you a simple question, and you answer it! It's called Aloha Fridays, and the original idea came from the blog "An Island Life". My good friend, Jennifer, from Florida started participating in Aloha Fridays and I've enjoyed reading all the answers to the questions she has asked. If you want to participate, just click on the link to "An Island Life" and read the instructions!

My question for this Friday is:

Do you have a Saturday (or Sunday) morning breakfast tradition with your family? If so, what is it?

My husband used to make Baked Oatmeal one of the weekend mornings, but lately we've taken to drinking protein shakes for breakfast, so that's kind of on hold for now!

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."

Hurry Up - We're Late!!

A few days ago, my friend, Mindy, blogged about her thoughts on being late. To read what she had to say, click here. I responded with a very long comment. Here were some of my own thoughts.

"Interesting you would post this! I was just late yesterday to a birthday party, and it caused me great stress along the way. (Be sure to scroll down to the next post to see pictures of a very fun and unique party!) I do agree with your statement. I was raised in a family that was also right on time or a little bit early. It's definitely easier to hold to that conviction when you have only yourself to worry about. After I got married, things got slightly more complicated, but we were still on time. Then, we had kids! As a mom, being on time is definitely a challenge! It seems that no matter how organized and efficient I am, something always comes up. You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten everyone in the car, and then have to come back in because the baby just pooped in their diaper or spit up all over the car seat and themselves. Or when you're potty training and suddenly, they have to go potty "right now," but they don't quite make it and we have to go change... Anyway, you get the idea. Yesterday for the party, we were on schedule and all was well. We had rushed to get to that point, but we were O.K. On the way, I was going to stop at Wendy's and grab burgers for everyone to eat in the car. Well, wouldn't you know, the drive-thru was closed and the line inside was incredibly long! We got back in the car, having wasted 5 minutes. Down the road a bit, I stopped at Dairy Queen. Would you believe, there was a truck sitting in front of the ordering console, with all their doors open and the hood up! What?! Now, if this had been just me, I would have simply gone to the party. But, my young children were very hungry by now. So, I raced to the other side of the parking lot to Starbucks. I picked up banana bread slices for everyone and smoothies. Finally, we were headed to the party. (There is a reason for this story - stay with me!) As we were driving, poor Sky picked up his smoothie, by the lid, spilling it all over his Peter Pan costume and his car seat. I freaked and started yelling. Sky was crying, Sara then started screaming. We got to the house and I roughly cleaned up my child, scolding him the whole time. Once I finally calmed down, I noticed he wasn't having any fun at the party. His little face was so crest-fallen. All because Mommy got extremely stressed out about being 10 minutes late and took it out on him. I apologized, with hugs and kisses and the rest of the party went great. I've done that so many times with my kids. Being on time shows definitely shows respect for other people, but being angry with my family because something out of my control made me late, is not acceptable. So, I learned a few lessons yesterday... And your post was a good reminder to keep trying each time to be as organized and on time as possible."

What about you? How do you feel about being late? What lessons have you learned in this area of your life?

Picture Update!

I'm back! And very much alive! Life has happened for our family at an incredible rate this month! In the last two and a half weeks, I have experienced Mother's Day, tons of planting and yard work, a visit from my family, and a plane trip to Michigan for a girls' reunion and visit with more family! Wow! All of these things were a huge blessing in my life! Here are a few pictures to give you a small peek into all the wonderful happenings. I would never have the time to adequately share in words everything that has taken place. I think these pictures will help. I'll put the explanations below each one.

I had a wonderful, happy Mother's Day with my two precious children! It ended with a delicious meal at a local Greek restaurant! Opa!

We are so excited to finally have a tree in our front yard! It's so nice to look out the window and see green leaves! Thanks to my sweetheart for all the hard work! Joshua also planted two more trees in the backyard and numerous perennials. I had fun putting in a rainbow of colourful annuals in different containers throughout the yard. It was picture perfect by the time my family arrived!

This is my dad enjoying a carousel ride with Sara and Sky at Heritage Park. Those happy smiles say it all!

And here are Sara and Sky with their 4 aunties! In order from left to right, Hannah (7), Sky (4), Heather (15), Sara (7), Holly (10), and Heidi (13). This was on the train ride at Heritage Park. I finally got to treat my family to my favourite place in Calgary! It was a long, but fun day of exploration!

My family, being from Texas, had never been to an IKEA before! Half of the things in my house are from IKEA, so I HAD to take them there! It was another fun day, in spite of wind and rain! They especially enjoyed the Swedish meatballs and $1 frozen yogurt cones!

Last Friday, I flew (by myself!), to Michigan for a very special reunion. For those of you who are just getting to know me, I travelled with Life Action Ministries (based in Niles, MI), from 1995-2000. This was a girlfriend's reunion for those of us who travelled together in this ministry. A very special bond of the heart was formed between those of us who shared so much together. It was absolutely wonderful to hug on all these "girls" again, and catch up on each other, and see pictures of husbands and kids, and laugh and cry over memories we will always share. This picture and the next are the girlfriends who were in my bridal party 8 1/2 years ago! It was really neat that we were all able to make it to the reunion! From left to right, you see Jan, Jennifer, Meghan, Karen and Pegs. (That's my former nickname!) Oh, and I also got to hug and spend time with another blogging buddy, Judith. But...I never got a picture with her. :-(

It was so good to laugh together again!

After the reunion, I was able to spend a day a half with my brother, Scott, his beautiful wife, Andrea, and my two cute nephews, Luke (2) and Caleb (7 months)! They are with Life Action Ministries and Scott heads up the computer department at the headquarters in Niles, MI. Last year, they majorly renovated an old, fixer-upper home in Niles. They did an amazing job and the house is beautiful! The guest room was just like a bed and breakfast - Andrea thought of everything! I felt very pampered and loved!

I found the boys like this after breakfast on Monday morning. Luke got ahold of the blood pressure monitor and was taking Caleb's blood pressure! It was so cute! But, then Daddy found out and we had to put the machine away! :-)

These are my two buddies, all snug and ready for bed! It was very special to spend this time with them and get to know them better. And I was able to take 2 BIG suitcases full of Sky's outgrown clothes for them to use. It was like Christmas for Scott and Andrea!

I want to say a HUGE thank you to Joshua for watching the kids for me while I was away. He was pretty much Super Dad and I couldn't have asked him to do a better job! He took the kids to piano/music lessons, washed all the sheets and towels that my family left behind, gave baths when needed, kept the house clean, fed them decent food, and even took them swimming! All with no prompting! My parents and sisters helped watch Sara and Sky on Friday, while Joshua was at work and I was flying to Michigan. My family left on Saturday morning, and Joshua and the kids were on their own for the weekend. Then Joshua's parents drove down on Sunday evening so they could do the childcare while Joshua worked on Monday and Tuesday. It takes a village.... Thanks to everyone who helped out!

My heart is full. I am so thankful for these special moments that God gave to me this month. "Thank you Lord, for my beautiful family near and far, for my girlfriends and all their love and support, for springtime and new life! You have given me so much and I just want to praise You!"

Fresh Colour and New Life!

Well, I can stop being bitter now....the weather has been absolutely beautiful for the last two days! The sky is totally clear and blue, the sun is shining, and the snow has almost completely melted. It was actually really great moisture for the newly awakening trees and shrubs. The grass is really starting to green up too! Our bean plants are growing like crazy as you can see. They are still hiding inside for the time being.... Maybe next week we can plant them outside?? Today, after Joshua came home from work (he works one Saturday a month), we made a trip to the greenhouse/tree nursery that's close by. It was so fun to see all the trees blossoming and budding! Joshua gave me some money for Mother's Day to spend there, so I bought a wooden antique bucket to plant something in and a few baskets of flowers. Aren't they pretty? We'll be bringing these things into the front porch every night for a week or two yet, but I'm so excited to have some colour on the front porch to greet my visitors! We're also planting a few new trees in the backyard to replace those spruce trees Joshua chopped down a few weeks ago. We liked too many different kinds at the nursery, so now we have to decide which ones to buy! Tomorrow afternoon we'll be going back with our truck to pick them up. As I'm writing this, Joshua and the kids are out digging the holes for planting! They're having so much fun, I think we'll have a bit of a late bedtime.Today is my parents anniversary and I wanted to say "Happy Anniversary" to them! It's been 34 years! They are in Niles, MI right now visiting my brother, Scott and his wife Andrea, and my two sweet nephews, Luke and Caleb. This will be their first time to meet little Caleb, who is 7 months old! After their visit with them, they and my sisters, will be driving all the way over here to Airdrie, AB! They're arriving on the 19th. This will be the first time we have seen them for 2 1/2 years, so we are super excited! I washed my guest bed sheets last night, so the preparations have begun. This week will be busy with extra cleaning and schoolwork so we can be ready to take the next week off and enjoy our company! Here is a recent picture of my family, for those of you who know them. Heather is now 15, Heidi will be 13 next month, Holly is 10 and Hannah is 7 (8 in July).
If I don't have a chance to post tomorrow, "Happy Mother's Day" to all of you mommies out there! I'll look forward to reading all your blogs to see what kinds of fun and sweet things happened for each of you!

Peanut Butter Love Notes

Yesterday morning I opened a new jar of creamy peanut butter. As I was about to dip into the smooth, unmarked surface, I had a flood of childhood memories. My mom LOVES peanut butter and she had toast with peanut butter almost every morning while I was growing up. She would even dip into it during the day and just eat a spoonful of the stuff! We went through quite a few jars of peanut butter! The opening of a new jar was always a source of great excitement and anticipation. You see, at some point in my parent's marriage, my dad started a sweet little tradition. Before a new jar of peanut butter was actually ready to be used, my dad would open it up, tear off the seal, and carefully write a little love note to my mom on the smooth surface! Then he would screw the lid back on and put it on the shelf, just waiting to be discovered! I always thought it was the cutest thing! As my brother, Scott, and I got older, we probably took the fun out of things a little bit. We started trying to intercept the peanut butter and write our own notes of affection to my mom! A sweet thought on our part, but not nearly as romantic! I have no idea if this tradition is still being carried out - I haven't thought to ask lately! Mom, have you had any peanut butter love notes recently?