Monster Mash

So this is what we wore for the treat trail downtown today. Just the three of us went, and had a great time.

And these are more details of the boys costumes, of what they wore to school. Riley got his picture taken and put in the school paper, and was also stopped twice downtown today to get his picture taken by the local newspaper.




Liam was done being a pirate after school, and spent the rest of halloween as a giraffe.
After dinner tonight, the whole 5 of us went up and down our street. Shea was a puppy, and when he ran, his little tail wagged behind him (I'll post those pics soon). He caught on right away and was downright adorable. "MOM! I got lots!"

101 things to do...

This is the book that Riley brought home from the library this week!

Oh my goodness...it's hilarious! I read off a few of the ideas to my sister last night (happy birthday Anna!)

1. Teach your grandparents something new..ie. cell phones, the internet, DvD players, modern music...etc.
2. Save your allowance for a month and spend it all at once.
3. Fart or burp in public places.
4. Learn to say useful phrases in other languages.
5. Sing in front of an audience.
6. Learn to do a party trick.
7. Stay up all night.
8. Touch these creatures...mouse, frog, fish, snake, spider etc.
9. Meet someone famous.
10. Make a difference, be a vegetarian for a week.

The funniest part is that after explaining each idea, there is a form on the following page where they ask you questions about how it went. For example, where it asks you to fart or burp in public places, it shows a little picture of a movie theatre and then you check whether you burped or farted there, and then it coaches you..."Learn to make it look like somebody else did it. A good way is to look in their direction and raise your eyebrows at them."

Anyway, some are kinda rude like that one, but others are a good idea, like the Bucket List!
A good party gift!!

Project sneak peek!

This week I've been knee deep in creativity! It has been lots of fun...here's a little hint into what I'm up to...



Today I was allowed to watch Liam doing gymnastics. They typically keep the door shut to the parents to avoid distraction, so until today, I didn't know what on earth he was up to in there! It was SO fun! Ah, to be a kid again.
(sorry, the pictures are nasty as I was way far back with crappy lighting!)




I also was the parent helper in Liam's kindergarten class today. I haven't been in there before to watch the teacher in action, so it was a learning experience for sure! This teacher means business! In the short time they have there, we went to the gym for stations, watched four kids do their reading and show and tell (with a mic on!), went to the library, went outside to play, had snacks, sang songs, wrote a journal entry complete with words and pictures and played at a math station! Incredible. Though the teacher was quite serious and not overly cheerful to say the least, she is teaching them SO much! They are getting such a good start and have made such a leap from PLAYschool to real school! My favorite part was where they did roll call. Instead of the usual, "Is Liam here?", they had the special helper (a fellow student) read off the list and say "Good afternoon, Liam" to which they were to each reply, "Good afternoon, Ryley". It was darling. Like a formal tea party.

Man, the weeks fly by. It is the end of October, for crying out loud!
Thankfully Shea is doing fine with just a remaining runny nose. He is a talking, busy little gaffer in serious need of some video time for sure...have to get on that!

Sick, bruised, and partied out.

We still haven't determined yet what really is wrong with our little Shea. He presented flu-like symptoms for the first two days, and then seemed fine during the day and only getting sick at night. Now he went two full days and nights just fine and got sick late last night again!? I don't know what is wrong with the poor guy. I must say that I'm quite reluctant to go to the doctor and get blood work and urine samples done. We've been there, done that and it was AWFUL! I've talked to the public health nurse by phone, I've read up on all the H1N1 symptoms and have ruled that out. So I think it's just a thing of him getting gagged during the night in combination with an over-sensitive stomach (as he just had the flu). I'm sticking by that idea until further symptoms take over!
Gross.
Needless to say, we aren't getting much sleep and the worry that the rest of us will come down with something is enough to keep me up!
Greg's parents took the big boys last night for a sleepover. Poor Liam had a biking accident while with them and has a big black eye/face and his arm/elbow is one big scrape and bruise! I said it will fit in perfectly with his pirate costume he'll be wearing at the end of the week...poor guy. I'm glad I wasn't there to witness his fall, as his poor grandparents have to replay that one in their heads and feel just awful.
We hosted another party here on Friday for my sister in law's birthday. It was a pro D day for the kids, so I had to stick to a rigid schedule in order to get the cakes baked, the present bought, the food and house ready, without losing my sanity over the kids. Not an easy juggling act, but always worth it in the end.

Flu season

So cold and flu season is upon us, and Shea has been hit. He has had a runny nose for a week, runs for 4 days and now has been upchucking since Monday night (about every 3 hours). Poor little guy. I am hoping the rest of us stay healthy and avoid the bug as it is hard enough to keep up with the laundry on no sleep as it is! Wish us luck, and here's hoping the rest of you don't catch it!

girl time

Here's the little munchkin who spent most of the week with us. She is such a good little baby with free smiles for everyone!
It was so fun to have her and Michelle here, and though the boys were fighting for my attention and keeping me from being "the hostess with the mostess"...she got a pretty realistic vision of how it is with three boys around! (Busy. Loud. Competitive.) Greg gave us a few hours to ourselves yesterday so we could shop around town and eat in peace.
Thanks for coming and hanging out with us!! I'm looking forward to many more reunions.

Thanksgiving!

I spent many hours in the kitchen this weekend. I'm sure many of you did! It also has been almost too chilly to hang out outside other than the brisk walk to school, and it somehow has inspired me to bake and make warm hot meals! Summer is definitely over. The house is actually somewhat tidy, my grocery/meal list is working out nicely, I am starting to remember which days are library days, what times I need to be walking to the school, when all the extra curricular activities start and end etc. So the schedule is finally getting simpler and more natural. It only took a good month!!
Tomorrow, one of my very best friends (I met her at age 14) is coming to my house with her baby girl! There will be three females in this house for over four days! I am SO THRILLED! It has become a tradition that a few months after we have a baby, we spend close to a week at eachothers house. First she came with her firstborn to Calgary, then I came with baby Shea to hers, and now she's coming back (but to Salmon Arm this time) with baby Ashley! I'm not having any more babies, so next time I'll go up there with a book ;)
So I will be busy chattin' it up, drinking tea, going out for lunch and walks, giggling and enjoying girl time for the next few days! Lucky me!

Come on in!

Thought I'd invite you inside for a little tour of our place...


Our playroom in the very basement. It is rarely used unless we have company. They typically play in the family room which is just off of the kitchen.




Our bedroom. All the 3 bedrooms have a deck. We also have an ensuite and a walk in little closet.



Riley and Liam's room. Soon to be changed as we will move Liam over with Shea. The room is tiny, but it works.



Shea's room. One of my favorites. Always has lots of sun. It is handy to have a deck right here so I can store his dirty diapers outside!



Looking into our living room from the kitchen. You can still see a bit of the bar counter where my computer is sitting (and usually is). What you don't see is the vaulted ceiling in there, which makes it another of my favorite rooms.



And the kitchen, where I spend a lot of time. It is still not completed but is very functional with great views to the outdoors and two adjoining rooms.

Not shown...the two bathrooms, the laundry room, office, "studio" and family room. They are typically dirty and need a lot of work!

Thanks for stopping by!

Same spot, but a year later...

Remember this??

Online photo stores

So these are the two prints I ordered...40 wallets for their buddies and 2 5x7's for us, at Kodak gallery online, for a total of $21.32 which includes shipping to my door. You should really see all their cool photo books, cards and other gifts. Love that stuff! I have seen many other photo places online, but most are American and the shipping costs aren't worth it. What online photo stores have you tried?

Strength in weakness

I think there is something to be said for admitting defeat and just crying out, "I quit!" or maybe even, "I suck!" (Need I turn your attention to this post.) Not in the sense that it is so nice to have people affirm you that no, indeed you don't suck. But in just admitting and getting it off my chest that I can't do this on my own. In fact it is necessary to understand that I wasn't meant to do this on my own.
They say (whoever they is), that it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes I feel like I'm always ending up in the wrong village. And maybe the people that I thought would be the biggest help to me, are indeed not. And that's ok. Times have changed and people are BUSY. It is hard to see past ourselves, our tasks and all our busyness, to take a minute to look at anyone else. I'm guilty of that. Most of us are. It has become apparent that I need to grow stronger on my own. And also commit more time to God and finding out what He wants. We're learning in our women's Bible study, how to be Spirit-filled. I don't know if you're anything like me, but even though I was raised in the church and have known Christ as long as I can remember, there hasn't been a time that I feel like I have this power of the Spirit inside of me. Helping me to do things I can't do of my own strength. Well He has always been there, but I haven't learned how to make use of Him! to own that right. It makes me sad, really. I've been getting so sick of feeling like I've done all the "right things" and have really been such a good person and followed all the rules, and still feel like I haven't gotten it right. I guess I got caught up in the legalism of religion and haven't figured out how to apply it. This has become more and more of an issue for me, as I don't want my kids to grow up that way. Told all the rules and knowing all the stories and the promises but yet feeling empty and cheated. It makes you rethink all the things that you have done and what part of it really counts. When it's all been said and done. So basically I'm back to the basics, looking for answers.
Thanks to all of you who have written me and given me some feedback and wonderful references to good parenting material and also just to those pastors who are giving us some "meat" instead of fluff. I will post some links for you soon.

School photos

(ha ha)


I got Riley and Liam's school photos back, and I must say that I wasn't too impressed. I don't blame the photographer, as I know it takes a good deal of time and patience from a child to get a "natural" smile rather than just a "cheese" smile. So I thought I'd see if I could do any better today on my own. Here's what I got. Do you think they would be worthy of replacing a school photo? I am going to order a few of pose 3 of the real school pic of Liam, but none of Riley's as I like the ones below better.

Happy 10th Birthday, Amy!

Our oldest niece turns 10 today. When we got married, her mom was a bridesmaid in our wedding, and she was a bump under the dress! We were wed, moved away to Calgary, and after a few short months, Amy arrived on the scene. We were so excited to be first-time auntie and uncle! We had to wait a week, and then drove out for thanksgiving and to meet our new little baby niece. I still remember it all like it happened yesterday! We went over to my parents old house, where my brother lived in the basement suite. They brought her up the stairs and passed her over and Greg and I were in love at once!! It was such a bizarre feeling to meet a little person who was part of our family. It was like we knew her already though we had just met.
And now here she is today... ten and beautiful. A sweet thing who is very easy going and lovable. Full of giggles and patience for her younger cousins.
Happy Birthday!!!

Congratulations!!

Just wanted to spread some happy cheer of a new baby in the "blog world"...born to my friend Elizabeth!! This is the family we happened to be camping right next to this summer! So happy for the safe arrival!