I'd Do it Again

This past Sunday was a blast. Benji, Caleb and I left home early and ventured into the metropolis of Toronto. We went as far as Yorkdale and took the subway to Union station. Caleb loved that he got to ride the rocket! Once we made it to the Rogers Centre, we had to wait in line to get to the field where all the trucks were. While waiting I asked Caleb which truck he wanted to see first, Gravedigger? This was my natural assumption because his main truck that gets most play is Gravedigger. When asked, he got a panicked look on his face and said "No Mom" right away. This was odd, but then he insisted on seeing Ironman first. So we saw Ironman, Gravedigger Legend (different truck) and Maximum Destruction. Again I asked about Gravedigger and he was again quick to say no. So we wandered around all the other trucks and then Caleb was ready to leave to his seat. I thought no way were we leaving without visiting Gravedigger and so reluctantly he made it over to the truck and that's when he got all googley-eyed! I think he just couldn't fathom that he was seeing the real Gravedigger in person.
We had great seats, we were right on the side where the trucks come and go from the stadium. Caleb was able to stand at the side and watch them up close, again he looked down in amazement really.

It was an exciting start to the show and Caleb was waving his arms and screaming like the rest of the crowds. It was so much fun to watch him (and the trucks!) He was a little nervous about Robosaurus, and I'm not surprised, we happened to be so close to it that we felt the heat and wind from his flames. And by the end of it (which was the most exciting part where the best trucks would come out and destroy themselves), Caleb was tired and just wanted to go home. But I must say, Monster Jam was such a great show full of entertainment, and I will definately take the kids again, I even believe that Amberly would love it. Now it's just trying to convince Dave of the same thing!!!

BELOVED

Another song I've found that is so moving. Honestly I find it hard to imagine Jesus' love for me, and this song puts it in a different perspective. It's a beautiful song.

Caleb & Amberly Dancing

They love "I Gotta a Feeling" Caleb has some break moves, Amberly's got the party jump down (despite hitting her funny bone at the end) Now if we hear this on a commercial, they always get up to dance.

Challenge 2011

I know the beginning says 2006, but lets challenge ourselves in 2011. Frances Chan is someone I've truly enjoyed listening to, someone who does amazing things for others living like Christ. Lets not live comfortably.

Happy January

Yes, this month is going slow. Or so it seems. Yet, lots of things happened this past week. Caleb started back to school and began a home reading program. Amberly had a few really good days with the potty and a few really bad ones! Joel is staying up much more during the day and is enjoying his exersaucer and fishy mat. While giving him some tummy time (which he doesn't like) he got angry enough to roll himself over onto his back! This is very exciting! Although it makes me realize that he won't stay my ity bity baby, he keeps developing and growing every day. Caleb and Joel are now sleeping in the same room as well. This makes for a more solid sleep for both Mommy and Joel I believe! Dave started his regular routine back at the gym and I bought a swim pass and so far have done one aqua fit session. Once things are really settled I hope to make it to the pool 2 times a week. On top of that I have small group to attend AND Dave and I hope to join a Bible study on Tuesday nights. Busy Busy.

Today I received our Monster Jam tickets in the mail. I'm so excited to be taking Caleb to this. I just know he's going to have a blast! To top it all off, I think I'm going to just go as far as Yorkdale and run the subway into Toronto, he'll love that too!

Not sure what else has gone by that I'm missing. But again, it's only been a week!

What does 2011 Have in Store?

That's right, a new year is here. It's the time of year where plans are made, ideas are set in motion, resolutions are made. Do you have any? I don't normally think of it. In fact I don't like New Years. I don't like staying up late, I love my sleep. I don't understand why it's any different then yesterday? But people love to celebrate. Dave says it's a good excuse to get together. I was exhausted from all the Christmas celebrations, I didn't need another one!
Today I started to think about what I want to see accomplished this year. The first thing I thought about was building a stronger-better relationship with God. Quite often I find myself thinking that something is missing, I need something to make me happy, and ultimately that something is truly and undoubtedly the Lord. The next thing I thought about is myself, physically. I have been feeling so old lately. So unfit. I need to get energized and start feeling better by not longing for more sleep, but by actually getting active again. I'm not sure how this will happen or when, but surely, in small windows of opportunity, I will get going on that. Another thing is I want to read more. I'm motivated most often by the television to find my escape, but I want to start finding that in books again.
Will I accomplish this? I don't know. I'm still a procrastinator at heart, I still have 3 children to look after. I still have a husband who I need to continually build a deeper relationship with. I still have so many things that are piled on top of ME every day that it's hard to find the time to actually work on a better me. But by starting with God, I think everything else will fall into place the way they should.
Happy New Year to all of you.

Oh My, My New Favourite Song!

Christmas Come and Gone

Wow, it always amazes me how quickly Christmas disappears. You spend weeks and weeks, preparing, orgnazing, shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, for one day to leave for the next day before you know it. I have a slight sadness thinking of how quickly the time went by.
(Joel's first Christmas!)

We had a great time while it lasted though. The kids had a blast. They still are discovering the joy of their new things. In my eye (the parent's eye) the kids did great, we didn't get a whole lot of new toys. They got needed clothes and some movies, books and games. Amberly mostly got dress up clothes which she loves and Caleb got a the Leapster 2 which although educational, is also a new obsession! ha ha ha. I was spoiled too. My hubby got me a heated blanket and new Mary Kay products, his parents got me some socks, a book and a gift card to the mall. Sally had my name this year and she got me new pink pj's which I love, broke them in last night. The new Casting Crowns cd and more socks.


Today I was looking forward to such a nice quiet day. Caleb and Amberly were supposed to go to Christa's but she called this morning saying her daughter was sick :( I'm afraid I'm in for a long day here. Dave is heading to Buffalo for a World Junior game and probably won't be home until after midnight. Oh well. We'll see how adventurous I feel. I was going to go to Toys R Us today to pick something up for Joel as his uncle gave him a gift card for there, but doing that alone with 3 kids may just be a little insane!

Fun in the Snow

While out at my parents, the kids, big and small, got bundled up to have fun in the blustery snow. Drifts are the best for tunnel making. The big boys were digging the tunnels while the little ones enjoyed crawling threw.
This picture has a little story. Benji was working hard at digging a long tunnel. He was at one end while Dave went to the other and the 2 of them worked at digging to reach in the middle. Caleb went running to get to his cousin and fell through the tunnel onto his uncle Benji's head. Caleb was a little shocked and almost in tears while Dave killed himself laughing and Benji was confused!

Goodbye for Now

Goodbye Disney Car pull-ups. Caleb turned 4 and decided he didn't need you anymore to aid in his sleep. So long for now. (Maybe you'll appeal to Amberly one day soon - I hope)

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is just around the corner now. I think we're pretty much ready. I still have a few things to make food wise, but other than that, bring it on. I love Christmas, the opportunity to see family, to give (I love giving) but most importantly, to celebrate the greatest gift God ever bestowed - His son. It's hard to teach our kids the real reason for Christmas and what is most important to celebrate, when our world we live in is hung up on the possessions that money can buy, and if you don't have the money, then the debt that it's o.k. to go in. I admit, when shopping I want to go overboard and spoil our kids because I can't help but love them so much and want everything for them. But this is the year it's going to count. Caleb is old enough to understand, and so it's time to set in place a standard when it comes to gifts. This year Dave and I got each babe 3 presents. After settling on this number, I heard a lady say that she always got her children 3 presents, just as Jesus received 3, and I loved that idea. This will be our standard. 3 is plenty.
The kids are excited for Christmas to come. They are counting down the sleeps. Below is a picture of my 2 little helpers baking some cookies.

Here are my 2 handsome young men!

Boy, is it ever hard to get a nice picture of 3 little ones all looking at the camera. It didn't happen, but this is sweet enough!

And here's my gorgeous girl. All dressed up in her Christmas dress.

Ooooh, it's just so soon! The anticipation and excitment is starting to fill my heart!

My Four Year Old

Four years have gone by so quickly. I can't believe I entered into the world of motherhood 4 years ago. It seems long ago but at the same time, looking at Caleb, it went so fast. He's my sweetheart. He's kind, and loving. Has the cute timid smile. He's all boy. Loves his monster trucks, Disney's Cars, is found constantly making boy noises. He teases and beats up on his sister. Wants to wrestle and asks to be tickled. Stalls at bedtime, and wants to sleep in. Asks me to carry his school bag, but once we turn the corner towards his class, he insists he carrys it. He excitedly shares what he ate from his lunch in a day. Repeats "I don't know" when asked about anything other than his lunch at school. Sings to himself his songs he learned at school. He eagerly asks to read the Cubbie bear stories (Awana) at night before bed. Puts on a shy smile when about to ask to play the xbox. All these and more are things I want to treasure in my heart always.

To celebrate Caleb's birthday, we split it up over 2 parties. We had one party with my side of the family in O'ville at Stephen and Sally's house. Then on his actual birthday day, we had Dave's side plus a few friends over. Caleb felt pretty special but was really tired when it was all over. He was given many wonderful things and enjoys all of them.
Happy Birthday my wonderful son, I love you so much!

Amberly's ABC's

This is so funny. Her face is the best, you can tell the concentration it takes to say the alphabet!

Caleb's Concert

I took a video of our performing boy. He's pretty darn cute. So is all the little ones! Don't worry this isn't one class, this is 3 classes of kids!

Busy Weekend Begins

Yes, I think this is our busiest weekend. Today we have my work Kids Christmas party, then we head out to O'ville for a combined birthday party celebrating Krista's and Caleb's. Tomorrow we have the normal church and in the afternoon we have a friend's Christmas party to attend. Monday we're having friends and family over to celebrate Caleb's birthday. I'm providing dinner, so I need to get the food all in order as well as clean up our house AND hopefully make enough time so I can go to my department Christmas lunch that day!

This past Thursday Caleb had his first Christmas concert. It was so cute. He got to wear a "blinkin' nose". We saw the pediatrician last thursday. Caleb had to get a chest x-ray done as well as blood tests. The poor little guy, he doesn't understand what's going on, but he's so brave. He didn't even cry when they took his blood. We go back on this coming Thursday to see what happens next, if anything. Some explainations were shared that left Dave and I worried for our little guy, so keep us in your prayers.

Joel is doing great, he's had 3 nights now where he slept 8 hours. I'm very excited about this, however, I have yet to sleep that. I kept getting up to check on him and then pretty much laid there waiting for him to make a noise or wake up! It will come, this is a good sign of long nights to come....right?!?!

Amberly keeps putting on her best show for Christa, doing the whole potty thing for her. But for us....not a chance! I'm still at the place where I don't care, I just don't have time or the patience (which is sleep related) to persist with her. I know she can do it, it's just a matter of her wanting to be a big girl for her mommy!

Anyway, I hear a little bit of chatter upstairs. I'm looking forward to our full weekend, I just hope I don't get stressed out about it all!

Depraved Indifference

If you have the time, I would encourage you to listen to this and ask yourself, what are you willing to do? Anything?



It brought tears to my eyes and broke my heart. We have to stand up. I have to stand up.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Yep, I love seeing the white stuff fall down and blanket the ground. It's a peaceful reminder that Christmas is coming. Caleb also reminds us that his birthday is coming. I guess it wasn't the greatest idea to tell him (back in July) that when the snow falls means his birthday is here. Now every time he sees it snow, he asks when can he have presents for his birthday?? ha ha ha. Soon it will be close enough to tell him how many sleeps it is!
To teach our kids the importance of giving, and helping those who are in great need, both Caleb and Amberly filled a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. Not only is it a wonderful organization, but it allows us the chance to teach our kids how lucky they really are, and how it's important to share and give to those little ones who have nothing.
We decked our halls last weekend, and we're so pleased with the outcome.

A good time was had by all, except the littlest one. This guy has the cutest sad face ever!


Our weeks seem to be flying by with activities and the comings and goings of everyone. Caleb has school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and every other Friday. Amberly goes to Christa's on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Caleb has swimming on Wednesday afternoons. I have small group Wednesday nights. Amberly has swimming Saturday mornings. The kids go to Awana on Thursday nights. It's probably just a glimpse of what scheduling will look like in a couple more years - Crazy!

Caleb and Amberly love going to Awana. I'm amazed at how well Caleb does memorizing scriptures. This week's verse is "Jesus said, Friend, your sins are forgiven." Caleb has it almost except instead of saying forgiven he says, "your sins are coming" it sounds pretty threatening coming from a 3 (soon to be 4) year old!

Our xbox died conveniently a couple of weeks ago. Dave figured the cost to have it fixed would almost be the cost of a new one. So we broke down and got a new one. With the new Kinect of course. Caleb loves it. We all are enjoying, I think my favourite part is watching Caleb play. I loved it so much, I had to tape it and share with you!

Love will Hold Us Together

Make us a Shelter to Weather the Storm


Matt Maher is a new favourite.....

News

Lots has been happening in our household and I feel like time is just slipping away. Almost every day there is something going on or has to get done and by the time I reach the evening hours I'm done! Here's a little update of how things are going.

Caleb is still loving school. Dave and I had a parent teacher interview last week and she is quite please with how well Caleb has adjusted, as if he's been doing it for a long time. I also went in for an observation this week and sat and watched their activity time. Caleb ignored me. I called him over and asked about the toy he was playing with and he approached me and then turned away! Oh dear, at least I know he's feeling comfortable there. When Joel was born Caleb developed a swollen gland on his left side. When we took Joel in for his 5 day check, the doctor examined Caleb and measured the size of the gland. She wanted to see him back again when we took Joel for his 1 month. We did that yesterday and because the gland hasn't gone back to normal we've been referred to a pediatrician and we have to have an ultrasound done on it. The doctor told me not to be too worried about it. I just worry, that's what I do best!

Amberly is my handful. The past two weeks I've been struggling with finding ways to discipline her effectively. So far everything I've tried doesn't work. I'm about ready to just tie her up to something and leave her there. I know that she's acting out because of Joel. But at the same time I think it's also a girl thing. She's not using the potty just BECAUSE!!! She will poop on it, or she'll just poop in her diaper just to get a reaction. This I've learned from and now I don't react!

Joel is doing lovely. I've successfully got him on a schedule with out any problems. He is a gassy guy, so he's fussy a lot of the time. But our nights are getting better he's sleeping solidly from his last feed at 10pm to 2am. At his 1 month check up he now weighs 11lbs 11oz and is 23.6 inches long. He's smiling at us and when awake he's so alert.

Dave and I are doing well, settling into a routine of parenting 3 kids. We seemed to have turned a corner where we can actually get some time for ourselves in the evenings again when the kids are in bed. We're busy with church things through the week, but have no other commitments outside of that so we do have more free time together. He went to Promise Keepers yesterday and stayed the night and will be home today sometime. I was nervous to be home alone at night with all 3 kids. But I did o.k. I may go to bed at 7pm tonight, but I did o.k.

I better run and check on the kids now.

Halloween Fun

This year Halloween seemed like a blur. We did manage to get to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumkins, but failed to carve them this year. I'm o.k. with that, and the kids didn't seem to have missed anything. Caleb was the elephant again this year and Amberly was a kitty cat. Joel was a skeleton. This wasn't my first choice, but only choice as I left it until last minute.



The neighbours down the street went all out and the kids enjoyed looking at all the stuff.


We only did 1 side of 2 streets. It was so cold out, by the time we made it to our finish, I was so glad! We ended at our friends place where a little party was planned. We each brought some appetizers and Christa organized a few games for the little ones. It was a blast, everyone had a great time! Overall I think there were 10 children under the age of 5 at the festivities!


The party was such a hit that it will be a definate thing for years to come. Above is the game the kids loved (even us big ones) where we had to eat donuts without the use of our hands!