Final Preparations!

As we draw down to the last day before the Christmas celebrations begin, I begin to over think and worry that I didn't get everything done that I wanted to.  Does anyone else have pictures in their mind what Christmas should look like? High expectations?  I sure do, and every year, after it's all over and done with, I wonder to myself, why did I pack it so full?  Why did we need this or that?  I also put a lot of pressure on myself for wanting to create perfect memories for my kids.  My heart knows that what is important is being with the ones you love, not with what the house looks like, how much food is prepared, what kind of cookies are made, but who I'm with and how our time TOGETHER is spent.  So today, I lay aside the clean floors, the organized kitchen, and I let the kids help bake and decorate cookies.  Memories made!

Unexpected Plans

The kids asked what we were going to do today, I told them we'd have a lazy day at home.  But that is not what happened at all!  We ended up having a day with the neighbourhood!  We met up with some at the arena and did almost 2 hours of skating!  Then we were invited back to a friend's house for lunch.  After that we headed back outdoors for a game of road hockey!  We left home at 9:50am and didn't come home until 4:30pm!!!  So much for the lazy day---it was the complete opposite, which was super!!

Christmas in our Community

Today was the Alma Parade.  We haven't been around previous years to see it, so this was our first experience.  We had family and friends over to share it with, and we had a great time.  It was a great little parade! Definitely added to that Christmas feeling!

A Yearly Tradition, on a Different Day

Year after year, my mom's family gathers together for Christmas on Christmas Eve.    This year, due to schedules, and availability, we moved it to today in hopes it will suit for most.  It was a great turn out and I love catching up with my cousins and their kids.  Everything was the same, the food, the games, the company, it was odd going home realizing that tomorrow is not Christmas.  But at the same time it stretches Christmas out for a little longer, which I think is great!

These would be all the great grandchildren of my Grandma and Papa.  (Missing a few, including Joel and Amberly who flat out refused to get in the picture)

Friday Night Wind Down

I love Friday nights!  A night where we can all unwind from our week and just relax and have fun!  I especially love seeing my husband kick back and have fun!  He's a big kid at heart!

Little Glimpses of Magic

A friend sent me a picture of Amberly and Joel meeting Santa at school.  She captured a precious expression on Amberly's face-which just brought a little of the magic into my heart!

Theme Days

This week, the school has had theme days leading up to Christmas holidays.  Monday was Red and Green day, Tuesday was Santa Hat day, today was Elf day, tomorrow is Christmas sweater day and Friday is a pajama day!  All the kids had matching elf hats to wear courtesy of my neighbour whose children I watch:)  They were all just so cute!  When I snapped this picture, they were all singing at the top of their lungs Christmas carols!

School Christmas Concerts

Our little school does an amazing job at pulling off a wonderful Christmas concert.  This was Joel's very first concert, and admittedly, I wasn't expecting much from him.  But to my complete surprise, he was quite the little performer.  He was loud, expressive and knew all the actions!  I was so proud of him!  He's the little one in red off to the right!  Pretty adorable!



Our other 2 did an awesome job as well.  We're so proud of them, and so grateful for all the work the teachers put into this to make it a very special show.

Normal Routines

After a busy weekend with late nights and excitement, returning to normal routines brings peace and happiness to our home!  Here we are winding down from our Monday, cozy with eachother passing the time until our heads hit the pillows.

Christmas Foiliage

Today I received an early Christmas gift from my mother-in-law.  It's a beautiful arrangement, given today so that I have time to enjoy it.  Love little surprises like this!

The Early Christmas Gift

On this day, 8 years ago, this little bundle of joy came into our lives, changing our lives forever.  I still can remember the experience very clear, and I find it hard to believe that it's been 8 years already.  But yes, he's become a handsome little gentleman.  He runs off to school without a hug goodbye anymore, he becomes shy if I volunteer in his class, but I do get my special moments I'll forever cherish at home, with snuggles on the couch, books being read to me, stories of his day told, kisses multiplied at bedtime.  Oh how I love him entirely.

Friends

Thankful for a couple of great friends who were eager to help us celebrate Caleb's 8th birthday party!  Also thankful to realize that a huge party is not always necessary to make it a special time!

Twinkling Little Lights

One of my favourite things about Christmas is being outside at night and seeing all the glitter and colour the twinkling lights bring.  But even better than this is the amazing sunset that happened.  I wish I had got it on my camera...

More Reminders of the True Meaning of Christmas.

Blessings

We have wonderful neighbours.  Yesterday they brought over a bag of clothes their daughter outgrew for Amberly.  And this was her most favourite thing, had to wear it today to school.  

Christmas Baking

One of my most favourite things about the Christmas season is home baked things!  I have many memories of my mom baking lots of cookies and squares.  Today I started my baking with one of my favourite cookies, whipped shortbread.  Hoping that my kids will one day look back and have the same sort of memories as I do.

Birthday Celebrations

Celebrating 2 most dearly loved children today.  Their birthdays aren't until next weekend, but due to the busyness of the season, and schedules, we celebrated them today.  We love them to bits!  And my adorable photo-bomb girl off to the side!

Christmas in Concert

This is the 3rd year we've attended Christmas in Concert at the church my friend Jay attends!  They do such an amazing job, and this year was just as wonderful as the last.  It's a huge production, with orchestra, band, choir and singers.  So much talent!  We had a great experience, bumping into new friends from our church and chatting with them in the lobby while waiting to be seated, to having front row seats.  Only downfall is I didn't get to see Jay :(  I did catch her hubby before the show.  They had so many neat songs this year, one of my favourites is posted below, take a listen, it's a really catchy tune!

Nights, when all is settled and tucked in

I've been walking with a couple of friends from the neighbourhood, we head out the door any time after 8:30pm and we go around Alma two times, which is about 5kms. By the time I get home, everyone, including Dave is in bed.  So I've been missing out on just relaxing in front of the tv or playing a round of ping pong with my hubby.  I'm very thankful for the exercise and connections made with these lovely ladies, but I'm also so thankful for a night where I can just snuggle up to Dave and watch a movie by the fireplace.  We're getting old, so we only got half way through the movie before heading to bed (The Million Dollar Arm-it's really good!) but just loved every moment!

The Feeling of Proud

This little guy for the first time, picked up his backpack and stood in his line at school and marched right in.  He did this 2 days in a row!  So proud.  A big change from me having to toss his bag into the school and shove him into the arms of the teachers and hurry away!

Snuggles

The time to break out the snuggly, fuzzy warm Christmas Jammie's!

Filling up our Home.

I love having our table full and listening to the stories, the jokes, the experiences and most of all the laughter that fills this house after school.

Love Came Down

December is here, and yes, I've failed to be a good "blogger" this year.  Only 2 entries since today.  Hoping to post daily in December.  Things I'm most thankful, the big and the small each day.  To remember what truly happened to have us all celebrate Christmas.  It's when Love Came Down to earth.

Life Got in the Way

Wow, I have not had a night where I could sit in front of a computer and just browse, since....well, according to my last post January!  Life is crazy!

So thankful for the warmer sunnier days to be here.  Love the long days, the large amounts of fresh air and outdoor activities, and deeper sleeps at night!  Since the weather is here, also means our schedule is really full!  Monday's baseball, Tuesday Track and Field and baseball, Wednesday t-balls, Thursday soccer and Friday brings the weekend which by looking at the calendar has something written on it every weekend!  Between tournaments, races, gatherings, functions and soon camping, we are on the go!

It's nights like this that I long for simpler days.  But I'm so content, and continually learning to be thankful and happy for the things we have and just living intentionally in the moments that come, fully engaged and present.

Just thankful!

New Year, New Beginnings

We are officially half way done the first month of 2014.  This has been the first week of real normal routine around our home.  Last week started out with buses cancelled, school closed, buses cancelled and power outages, Thursday was the kids first official day back to school.  Joel was lost with them gone.  So was I!  But when Monday rolled around, I started to feel that control came back, and routine began.  Although it's Thursday night, and the kids are excited because it's already the weekend here due to the pd day that is tomorrow.

Our Christmas was great, low key, and we really just had time to enjoy.  Sure we didn't decorate to the nines, cook huge meals, and spoil the kids, but I think we pulled off a happy time, a great family time.

When January rolls around, do you find yourself starting new things, starting over things you never seem to make a habit?  I do.  One thing I've started is a memory jar for the family.  We write things down that happen in a day that we want to remember.  I'm sure people do this daily, but I've been doing it with random things on random days, like the day Amberly lost her tooth, or when we had company, funny things that were said, things like that.  Then on Dec. 31, 2014, we open the jar and go through it all.

Other than that I have the typical things I want to work on.  Of course one is to get fit again.  Last year I let it all slide, I didn't care what I put in my mouth, and never opted for the healthy options, I just let it all go, and boy is my body showing the evidence of that!  So I've started to think about what I eat, and really listen to my body, most of the time I'm not hungry!  And I've been exercising 5 days a week.  I've been getting up at the dark time of 5:20am and I drag myself down to the basement where I ride the exercise bike for 30mins.  After that I spend time in God's word.  I've just started doing a new study with the girls from Alma called Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed.  It's so far great!  And lastly, I've been apart of an online group called Hello Mornings, where we're encouraged to rise early, spend time with God, plan for our day and exercise.  I've been doing 2 of those 3 things, but I've not been a planner.  So this week has been a simple challenge to just pinpoint 3 things you want to accomplish by the end of the day.  Easy!  I've been tired, trying to adjust to my new early start times, but I already find that I get the best sleep at night, and I just feel better.

2014 makes me nervous as it moves our family into a different stage in life, leaving behind a stage I'm not sure I want to leave quite yet.  This past week, I completed the form to register Joel into JK.  I'm not sure he's ready to go, and I know I'm definitely not ready!  It means that I don't have any babies at home, and that makes me sad.  But the thought of having another baby doesn't sit well with me either, there are times, yes, where I would love to do it all again, but I've come to appreciate the little bit of independence that has re-entered my life.  But with Joel's return to school also makes the question of returning to work come to mind.  Yes this was the original idea, I would return to work when Joel starts school.  As easy as that sounds, it's not.  We still have summers, school holidays, pd days to contend with, as well as the unexpected illness that requires a day off school.  And it's the rushing around, the schedules and the list goes on.  I've gotten used to this life of being home full-time, and I feel that I've been doing it well.  But I just don't know!

Lots of things to think about early in the mornings!  What's in store for your 2014?

November?

Whoa, where did October go?  I can't believe we have been shoved into November already.  The chill is in the air, and all the Christmas things are looming in the stores.  My 3 year old happen to see the box of Christmas lights in storage and has been begging me at random times to hang them.  Today would have been a perfect day to do that, but it didn't happen. 

The time change didn't go as smoothly as it has in the past.  Joel has been miserable all day!  And he refused to nap because Gramma and Grandpa and Benj was here.  So we've hit the 7pm mark and squeezing every ounce of patience left out of me to get him to bed for the night!

I have found that October was a month where my boys have tested me.  It seems at the same time, Caleb hit an attitude where nothing I do is good enough and the slightest thing frustrates him and makes him upset.  And I hear countless "I'm Bored" coming from his lips.  He has developed an attitude that when he's tired, he thinks that all disrespectful talk is fine.  It hit the fan this week when he spoke to me in an unacceptable way at school in front of many mothers.  I even got glares which make me so angry, why do women think it's fine to judge you, as if motherhood gives you an entitlement to pass judgement on other mothers.  I am not the type to raise my voice in front of an audience, nor do I want to discipline with a crowd of judgmental mothers.  I asked him to wait in the van.  And I still didn't have it in me to talk to him because I was done.  I emailed Dave and asked him to talk to Caleb about how to speak to his mother, because I was beyond on the point of reason, I don't think he would care about anything I would say to him.  So Dave spoke with him that night, just him and Caleb, and for the past few days, I've noticed he's been really trying to watch what he says.  All at the same time Joel has discovered temper tantrums. I honestly don't remember my other two going thru this, but surely they must have and I've just chosen to forget.  But patience is running thin in this mother at the moment.  Who would have thought that my spirited 5 year old daughter is truly an angel!!!!  It's usually her that I have issue with!

Amberly has been dealing with anxiety at school.  She apparently doesn't like change so much.  Finding this out had surprised me, out of my 3, she's been the most outgoing.  But this has now changed, and she's very shy and holds tight to me.  We have put her through a big change with church.  We are attending a church that has 4 times the amount of children she's used to!  Her class has about 10-15 (just 5 year olds, that's a lot!)  I don't know if this change has reflected the change in school, but she's become the teacher's shadow and stays close by her side.  Hoping with time, she'll get over this and return to her outgoing self.  She's loving being a spark, so up her alley the crafts and girls!

With the year quickly coming to an end, I'm really beginning to realize how really we are like vapors in the wind, shadow in time.  Trying to hold tight to the time I have and really make use of my day.  But some days I do just want to stay in bed all day, in the comfort of warm covers and silence.....

In Jesus Name

Sang this song yesterday, love it!

Autumn is Here

As I sat down at the computer, I looked at the calendar yet again, and really realized that summer is behind me, and winter is before me. I am sad summer is over. We had a great summer, filled with many happy times! The kids all got along well, and we were enjoying each other and our days will filled with non-routine things.
September arrived with schedules and routines that needed to be set back in motion. School started. This year Amberly attends school every day. The first week went well. Us parents then found out that lots of changes were going to happen because the numbers in the classes were exceeding the boards requirements. Our school is small, and my kids didn't have the anxieties of who would be in their class, or even who their teacher would be because it was a one class per grade situation. However since the change has happened, the classes look like this now, K, 1, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 6. I was worried about Caleb having to go to a new class with a new teacher, but he stayed where he is and is now in the 1/2 class, (they only moved 4 gr. 1's into his class). Then we found out last Thursday that Amberly's teacher was leaving and being placed somewhere else. Sigh. But all is good, they already replaced her with a teacher who they've seen before from last year who helped out here and there.

Alternating Mondays, Dave and I have groups at our church we attend, Tuesdays the kids all have swimming lessons at the same time which is great. Joel's lessons however require me to be in the pool with him, hoping that with time and confidence, he will be able to go in without me there. Wednesdays Caleb plays ball hockey and Amberly is a spark with the Brownies. Thursdays out are just relaxed home times. So life is busy here.

Joel is going to be 3 in one week! Again, time flies. We have now been attending the Wee Talk program for the past 3 weeks, it's a music program, he seems to enjoy it. His speech is coming, his vocabulary has definitely been expanded, but he still is dropping the initial consonants and isn't forming many sentences without using "ah ah ah...." But I'm confident he will get there. We have also sent him back to Christa on Mondays, to help socialize him. He is loving this which makes me feel good. (except all my kids love Christa naturally, so I'm not sure if going to her puts him out of his comfort zone, but he gets to interact with kids his age, which is more then he gets at home with me!) So between nursery on Sundays, to Christa's, to story time at the library, I'm hoping his entry to school next year won't be a major devastation for him.

I'm so excited about church. Dave and I have made the full commitment to attend a new church. It was a hard decision for Dave, leaving the church he attended all his life, but it has been the best decision we made. I love our new church, it's so exciting, and I'm just excited to go each Sunday. The worship time is like a concert, and I love seeing my kids enjoy the music. And the pastor is so loving, welcoming and genuinely kind. He's also funny and makes me laugh! It's a really big church which we're not used to. The kids are a little overwhelmed, as the Sunday school program is large and they don't have familiar faces to see, but with time that will change. Although I'm so happy with our decision, I also feel like I am mourning the loss of our other church, I see it in our kids when they ask to go and be with their friends, and I feel such a separation, and distance from our close Friends. I know that a disconnect is bound to happen, but I guess the "cut off" feeling is what I have. But I rest in the peace God has given me, and the knowledge that this is where He wants us to be. And that is such a wonderful experience.

Anyway, it's my free day and I already feel a little guilty spending this much time on the computer, I better go and do something productive!

July Highlights

Through the eyes of my kids....
Days filled with

Anticipation of fireworks

Birthday wishes coming true

Cooling off at splash pads

Enjoying the fun of beach life

Exploring while waiting for the sun to set

Discovering the pure joy of splashing in the puddles

Jumping into our pool

camping and the great outdoors

The trouble that comes from a pair of brothers

and the exhaustion of complete fun

Hanging out and finding new parks

Being surrounded by many many friends

waging wars with big guys!

The company we keep during backyard campfires

hot soccer nights

perfect ways to cool off in the evenings

finding new found pets at Gramma and Grandpa's

Pulling teeth out with blood and sweat!(losing 2 with in 2 days!)

The simple pleasures of a lawn sprinkler

Many evening bike rides around our community


Loving the summer of 2013, can't wait to see what else is in store for the other half of it :)

May is My Month

Yes, I've declared this my month to get myself on track, on top, in control of things.

I started this post in the beginning of May and am only now getting on here to finish it. With only 4 days left of the month.

It's been a busy month, and I think that here on out, it will be a busy few months. We kicked off the first of the month celebrating 9 years of marriage. I still very much love this guy, and continue to thank God for the blessings that He has given me. We also celebrated mother's day and to end out the month, we celebrate Dave's birthday. Lots of little parties and gatherings here and there has been a lot of fun.

This month I also joined a few challenges (yes, 3!) The first one, and the one I try to find most success is, Hello Mornings, where I've joined a network of fellow Christian women who several are friends or aquintances I have from around the area, and others I don't know from the US. We are encouraged to wake up early and greet our day by spending time in God's word, plan out our day and exercise. I've been truly enjoying this. We are all reading thru the book of John, and we share each morning what stood out to us. I've been waking up at 5:30am (yes, you read that right!) and I get dressed, take Andy for a walk, come home and spend time with God, and then prepare for the day. Although at 1;30 in the afternoon I'm ready for a nap, my days go so much smoother, and I've found a confidence in myself that I didn't always have. It's hard to explain.

The other two challenges are exercise based, I joined another group on facebook where we are given a task to complete in a day, mostly 2 different exercises, and we are in our last week and she's asking for 100 push-ups today! Yikes! The other one is just with in a small group of friends where we pick one exercise per week and see if we can out do eachother! I've so far been successful and beat them in 2 weeks! But who knows what will happen this week, it's squats :( And although I've accomplished these exercise goals, my weight has not changed on the scale. I still eat out of control, especially over the lunch hour. I've already signed up for another challenge which starts in June where the focus is on abs and better eating. So hopefully this will help inspire me in that.

I have returned to work this week for a few days, to help out with a project that has kept them so busy. It was a little uncomfortable walking in to the place I left behind not so long ago, but the love I felt from them all made me feel great. It was a great experience. I go again tomorrow and maybe Friday. Dave took those days off work to be with the kids, it's a great experience for both of us I think!

Soccer has begun, Caleb loves this so much. He plays in the Elmira league and we now have signed up both Amberly and Caleb for a family soccer night at a church up the road. It so far has been rained out, and we'll see if that's the case again tonight.


I would go into details over the trampoline drama that occured last week, but the short version is, we bought a new trampoline for the kids, after 4 days of it being used, Andy ruined the enclosure net, I called the manufacturer, told them the whole story, expecting to pay for a replacement, and the amazing lady on the other end of the phone is sending us a new one with out charge. I don't know why she did this, only that she had a super kind heart, and I will never forget her generousity! (otherwise we might have sold Andy in order to buy a new one!)

That's it for May....

Back to Normal

The week before Easter, Caleb was sick and it has been on going until now! Last weekend, Caleb had a terrible high fever. It was scarey, because it was very high. On Monday I took him into the doctor and turns out he was suffering with strep throat. So we got some medication and we were home and good to go. The next morning Amberly woke up with a fever, and it went high as well, so I called the doctor and couldn't get her in until Wednesday. On Wednesday Joel woke up with a fever and it was the first time I saw the termometre read 104.0. So once we got to the doctor, she confirmed that they as well have the strep throat. So all 3 were on antibiotics, the boys had the same kind, an easy once a day for 5 day dose, Amberly however is still working on hers until this Friday since she had the zithromax back in February for her pneumonia, so we have a different kind that is given twice daily for 10 days. But I'm glad to report that they are all fine now, and it didn't spread to us. I was worried about getting strep throat, because the last time I had it, I thought I was going to die! ha ha ha.

Today Joel had a speech assessment. I was discouraged, because as it turns out, we need to have therapy. No mother wants to hear that her child is delayed in any way. Joel maybe has somewhere between 20-30 words if not a few more, but he rarely ties two together, and most of his sentences are spoken in his own language. Most of the time I know what he's trying to convey, he has enough words to tell me what he wants, and if that doesn't work, he just shows me. He can totally comprehend everything, knows what is going on, and has no problem understanding what we say to him, he just doesn't know how to communicate with his words. So now we are on another waiting list and will probably do private therapy until we can go to the public health sessions. I feel like it may be a long road ahead of us, but as long as we take care of it now, and pray that he'll be up to "par" for school, I'll be o.k.

I'm so happy that the weather is finally coming around. We have been out biking and spending most of our free time outdoors. (what it's been like 4 days now!) The ice storm was exciting and beautiful and such and we didn't even lose our power when all around us were out for several hours and days even! I'm so glad we didn't lose power, because our sumpump continues to run constantly, and even though we have a battery back-up, I still don't know if I would trust it.

The time has drawn near now the kids are due to get to bed, better go and help tuck them in!

That was Quick

March is usually a month that seems to never end. But now that we are in April, I wonder where did that last month go? It's not like we had done anything special, but with a busy schedule, it's hard to make time slow down. March brought the end of the kids skating lessons. They were happy about it. They had a little carnival at the end in which my two skated to "Surfin the USA" dressed in Hawaiian style. It was quite cute!


We had a wonderful Easter despite a bug that went through our family. The Tuesday prior to Easter, Caleb threw up at school, it was so unexpected, I didn't see it coming. But it was only a 24 hour thing, and he was fine the next day. But then on Friday Joel threw up at my parents at the end of the day, and then Sunday it hit Amberly and Monday both Dave and I got it. It was horrible. Dave passed out and hit his head on the end table, and trying to look after him and the kids while vomiting myself wasn't a good thing. I called my parents out of desperation, they came to my rescue :) We are both on the mend today, slowly putting things into our tummies and drinking our fluids.
Good Friday we went to Orangeville, went to church with Stephen and Sally and then back to my parents where there was lots of food and good times. The cousins love being together, we did our annual egg hunt outside which they loved! Dave took Andy on an 9.5km adventure on the side roads of Amaranth. It was great. Sunday we had Fern and Mert over for a roast beef supper that turned out great. I love Easter!

A few milestones were made on the weekend also. Caleb can now ride his bike with no training wheels and Joel no longer has a soother. Although he's been asking for it during nap times in which the past two days have been non-existing. I'm thinking with this nicer weather, Amberly might even lose her training wheels too, you know, to keep up! Who knows, but we will see.

Easter is Coming

And this is such a beautiful song...Enjoy

Monday Motivation

When I used to work outside of the home I always disliked Mondays. It was always the beginning of what seemed like a long week. A day where routine took over, and early morning wake ups and rushing around would begin, and it never seemed to start off right. Now that I am home, I enjoy Mondays. Right now the way things work is it's my quiet day. I still have to get up earlier than I would on weekends, but for different reasons. Both Caleb and Amberly are in school on Mondays, so I just have Joel at home, which after a few days around his siblings, he too enjoys having me all to himself on Mondays. Many things get accomplished on Mondays. Yesterday I tackled the floors, I vacuumed and swept and mopped, and was happy to do it. (can you believe that?) I baked 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies. I sat with Joel and worked on the letter 'o' with him and read stories and even watched Baby Einstein together. I invested a little time in myself, I rode the bike for 1/2 an hour and then did 15 minutes of different exercises (my pants are too tight now it's horrible, need to work on this a lot!) I went outside and scraped away the ice that has accumulated on our driveway in preparation of this "monster storm" that is supposed to hit on Tuesday. I prepared supper and had it ready to throw in the oven after I picked up the kids from school allowing me to have time to spend on them instead of pushing them aside in order to get things done. Overall I had a really successful day! I went to bed with a good feeling.

Tuesday is usually where my motivation stops. I for some reason tell myself since I worked so hard on Monday, I can take a break today, which then turns into the whole week of things not being done! But I woke up today thinking that I wasn't going to do that. So I didn't. I got Caleb off to school, cleaned out the puddles in the garage and took my kids to the local church for the first time to join in a women's Bible study. I haven't been apart of one for such a long time, and sitting and listening felt so good. Definitely will continue this as I truly need it. Once we returned home, I made a quick lunch and got Joel to bed. Amberly wanted to watch a movie, which I encourage because it allows her quiet time and me quiet time! I again rode the bike today, it feels so good afterwards. I also went back outside to conquer more ice on the driveway. Now with supper in the oven, jello in the fridge, we are just waiting for Dave to come home. Tonight is skating night, so I take the kids while Dave stays home with Joel. It gives him some one on one time with his baby, which is really good for the two of them!

And then we await the storm!

Will this motivation end by tomorrow? Motivation might turn into obligation, but I will still get things done, it's just whether I have the right attitude or not!

The Love Month

February has arrived. We are well into our second month of 2013. I feel like I don't have much to show so far, outside of daily cleaning feats and accomplishments with the kids where I go to bed tired and still manage to wake tired. I was given the added task of nurse over these past 6 days, as Amberly got really sick with pneumonia. Today is actually the first day that seems somewhat normal, she is playing and fighting with her brothers, the only difference is she isn't really eating much. I was hoping that I could send her back to school tomorrow, but with the threat of snow, the buses will inevitably be cancelled and being it's Friday, I could easily let Caleb have a long weekend, but for Amberly, it would mean she would have missed 4 days of school (in JK that's a lot! ha ha ha).

Mystery

To me the greatest mystery is You in love with me....

And in the Midst of Fog...

I look out our front window and just see the fog settling lower to the ground, making things dull, grey and blanketed. It's days like today that I'm happy to be home. Sounds odd I know. But I like the comfort of my home on these days, where I can curl up on the couch with a blanket, because not only does this weather bring a sense of sleep to me, it also brings it to my baby. Baking cookies and their smell filling the air is another thing I enjoy on these days.

I fall in love with our home more and more each day, today it was the kindness of a stranger who stopped on his way out of the street to shove the boulders of wet snow the snowplow left behind out of our driveway. This past weekend Dave hung our family pictures above the fireplace mantel in our family room and this has now become my favourite room in the house. I can't help but think that even though 2012 was such a difficult year, and the move here was insane, God is walking me slowly up a hill. There are moments where I fall and slide down the hill a little, but He is quick to help me up.

The end of January is here and we are back into a regular routine. Caleb is enjoying school, and his gentle heart is so kind and loving, I'm proud of him every single day. Amberly is so creative, most of the things she brings home from school to me without explanation is just plain odd, but when she tells you what it is to her, well then, so be it! She is working hard at being a helpful and kind big sister to Joel who turns to her for attention and companionship. Joel misses Amberly when she is away. He gets so happy for return, and although after a day at school Amberly wants nothing to do with him, he still lovingly follows her everywhere. We are currently waiting upon an appointment date for Weetalk through the public health. My doctor suggested that we have him assessed by a speech therapist. He doesn't say many words, he does talk in his own language a lot, and most of the time I know what he wants or he shows me. And although the doctor isn't too concerned, she doesn't want to miss the ball if there is a problem and risk having a long term effect on him.

Almost time to get the kids from school. It was a no-bus day today, but I still sent mine to school. I feel bad, knowing that if I were them I would want to be home, but I know that they would have more fun there then here. There will be a lot more opportunities when they are older to stay home on no-bus days, and when they are older, it would mean more to them, getting a day off school!

Favourite Things

I've got a quiet afternoon. Most days that both Amberly and Caleb are in school are quiet at home, especially in the afternoon while Joel naps. Sometimes I nap with him, other times I watch television, and then others I am productive and get things done. One thing I should be doing is exercising while he's napping. I used to do that, but I don't have that motivation any more.

Update! After typing the above, I rushed downstairs and hopped on the bike and did 25 minutes burning 368 calories! Woohoo! I definitely need to do that more often as it makes me feel so much better afterwards! I'm so not a morning person, but maybe I should get up with my hubby and work out with him in the mornings, it would give us time with each other first thing....but I bet you tomorrow the alarm will go off and I will covet my warm blankets and just stay there :)

Today I've just been enjoying my time I have with the kids. Joel is just so much fun. His emotions are written all over his face, and most of the time he just looks so joyful. He doesn't have many words that one can understand (outside of his mommy) but hearing his squeals of delight when someone he loves walks through the door is one of my favourite things. I've been thinking today of all the things that I love and that I'm thankful for. I'm going to list some of my favourite things, may be a bit of a bore, but to me, absolute, pure joy!

-The way Joel talks in his own language. Sings in his own language
-The way Caleb talks passionately about a game, his eyes wide and intense
-Amberly and her constant chatter and make believe while she plays
-Their desire to snuggle, I pray that never ends
-When he tries not to smile at something so funny, I know deep down he is laughing
-My personal care giver in the bathroom, Joel is like an automatic toilet, he hands you the toilet paper and as soon as you stand up he flushes for you.
-Joel's concern over ouchies, his constant checking, looking, touching, again diagnosing in his own chatter, leads me to believe a future in medicine??? (ha ha)
-The way I feel after I have exercised, energized and good about myself
-having friends who are there for me when ever I need them
-ooooh my electric blanket
-The sunshine and clear blue sky
-Amberly and her gorgeous long hair, and her requests for design, turning me into a stylist
-how all three kids play well together even it's only for a few moments
-the sounds that fill the house with happy kids
-a clean house with that clean smell
-a small community to raise the kids in, where everyone seems to know who they are and where they belong
-listening to awesome music and having the coolest kids in town who can sing along to Mumford and Sons
-planning summer camping weekends in January
-seeing the excitement on my little girls face with anticipation of a sleepover coming up
-cooking supper in peace (means kids are happily entertaining each other and themselves)
-a pup that shows glimpses of goodness
-a reminder of no matter how I feel about myself, I'm loved in ways unexplainable by my heavenly Father

My list can go on and on, when you start to really look at your day and the moments in them, it's easy to be thankful to my creator, and the blessings He has bestowed on me.

Happy New Year

We are in 2013. Kids are back to school today. Joel is napping, and everything is quiet in the house. Too quiet. I took the Christmas tree down, packed everything away, cleaned and moved things back to their normal places and the holiday season is gone for another year.

Even though it's only the first week in, I feel like something is missing. Normally with a new calendar year comes things to anticipate. But so far we don't have anything. Maybe it's because I'm not working, there isn't an urgency to coordinate vacation days with Dave and our babysitter. I don't know what it is, but it feels different.

Goals/Resolutions for 2013. I know that I want to live intentionally. Not sure what everyday will look like, but I want there to be a purpose for everything, and I want to be physically/emotionally present in every moment. I want to be a better Mom. I want to have patience that never ends. I want to be a better wife, to generate a smile on his face each day. There is so many other things I want to do this year. With a little practise and determination, I'm sure it will be a wonderful year.

What are your goals for 2013?

Would One Word Sum it All Up?

Today I was thinking about New Years Eve pasts, and all the fun things I used to do on this evening. Back in the young days I would go to youth group all nighter parties (which now I totally admire our leaders who did this), then there was the stage of movies all night, and stopping for the countdown, and then love entered in, and it was romantic to finally have a boy to kiss on the stroke of midnight. But then children graced our lives, and midnight, even if it's just for one night, is not something I chase after. We tried it a couple of times, but really, I love sleep way too much to see a new year tick its way here. I would much rather prefer getting a perfect nights sleep (which perfect doesn't exist any more) and wake up refreshed and ready for a new day, where we can go to my parents and spend the day happy instead of miserable due to being so tired. This year we did have a couple of different options we were thinking about doing, but Caleb and I are both now sick, so our option now is to chill out at home and stick to routine. I did encourage Dave to take Amberly and still go out to one of the parties, but loving as he is, he stayed with us to be together. The kids don't know what a new year really means, Caleb knows that it's going to be 2013, but he doesn't care really. So right now they are having popcorn (which is for special occasions) and watching Tangled together. And yes, they probably will get to stay up a little later than usual, pending their behaviour!

Today I was also thinking about 2012 and wondering if there was one word I could use to describe this past year. Couldn't think of any. Different, Change, Whirlwind, Bumpy, Educational? Maybe just Crazy? I remember the beginning of the year was rough, the kids were all so sick, and Joel even had scarlet fever which was not fun. I had a couple of funerals to attend during this time also and I feel like the first 5 months were extremely tough. Then spring and summer rolled around, and a flurry of change happened. We unexpectedly decided to move, God had things fall into place, and with the move has brought so many wonderful blessings that have ended this year on top of a high peak. Even this morning, we were able to go out and toboggan as a family on a community hill, and I looked around and just felt so much peace and love for our new home. I love this community, this school and the new friends we are making. I left my job (which I still question myself the odd day about), we have a dog, lots of things that are different in our lives. So even though a huge chunk of 2012 was hard, it sure ended wonderfully and I'm so excited to see what 2013 has in store.

Happy New Year!