Puppet takeover

My mom bought all her grandkids puppets for Christmas. We brought them to our Christmas Day party and they put on quite the performance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0wkbKdouc

The Eve before Christmas Eve!

Man, time just ticks along! I have been busy trying to plan ahead and bake for the crazy days before us. Tomorrow our company arrives, which includes my aunt and uncle and their two (adult) children. Two more will come later. The beds are made, our bedroom door is finally fixed (thanks Luke!), our bathroom fans are working again! (anyone who has been in our house since we bought it knows that the main bath fan sounded like a small plane!) It took Greg two trips to Vernon to find the special replacement parts and get them installed, twice as it didn't work the first time! All the presents are wrapped and ready, except mine of course...Greg likes to do those things at the last possible moment. We've also spent lots of time with the kids playing games and lego, and keeping them from fighting! To make things even busier, Shea has decided on his own that he wants to use the potty. He will go pee as soon as you stick him on in the morning or after his nap etc. He even poops, so I haven't changed a pooper in 3 days! We've spent a few sessions sitting in the bathroom reading! I was not ready to go cold turkey with him yet, so we're letting him do what he wants for now and I'll pull out the undies in the New Year. Maybe it's a good thing that I haven't steam cleaned the carpets yet as I had intended to?! The crib will also have to go, and he'll be into the car bed. I really can't believe that he's at this point already! Wasn't he just born?
The weather is unfortunately not too great as it is cold with just a tad of crusty ol' snow. I'm hoping for more snow in time for sledding on boxing day.
So we've been busy and really are excited for everything to start. Tomorrow night we'll have the whole gang over at our house for appetizers and jammin'. The "whole gang" involves us (5), mom and dad (2), Luke's gang (6), Anna's gang (4), Nanny, Jane & Valancy (3), Lisa, Paul, Shawna, Landon (4), Manley, Brenda and Rachel (3). That makes 27. We're adding a few more to that list and will spend our Christmas dinner at a church so we can all fit at tables!
If I don't write again for awhile, you know that I'm busy with the family...
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Getting creative

I love getting to be creative, though these days it happens in short bursts here and there...nothing too large and crazy.
I had knit dishcloths before (like over 10 years ago), so with friends, we have taken up knitting again and gather for fun to gab and knit. I started with another dishcloth!


And now I've moved onto a scarf!


I really want to learn how to do mitts and toques next!

And right now I'm making Skor Bars for the teachers...here is the "wrap"...

Going back to the 50's...

These were taken on the night of their school "Elfis" concert!!

Ella-bean

(click on the image to see it larger...and you'll want to, she's so cute!)
Here she is...the little lady of the Engel clan...looking so good, isn't she?? Hard to believe she was just in surgery a short time ago!

Well into December

We are at the height of the Christmas craziness...cookie decorating party over here, Christmas concert over there, present buying and making, costume preparing, rehearsals, skating, shoveling, baking, etc.
Tonight all three of my boys are in the church Christmas concert. It isn't a huge production as each class just takes their turn doing a song or poem. I was busy making a last minute crown for my wiseman. The silver spray paint from the robot costume came in handy! The sight of Shea in a floor length robe is priceless! I'm hoping he'll actually sing and do the actions, as we've been practicing!
On Friday night, Greg's parents took all three kids so we could run to Vernon and get some Christmas shopping done. We are pretty much done shopping for the kids, and I even got them wrapped before they got home the next morning! Just a few loose ends to finish up with. I haven't even started getting ready with baking and preparing the house for our extra guests. Oh well, we'll get there eventually.
What is your favorite part of the Christmas "work"?...I definitely love decorating (both the house and the cookies!)

Later....

Looking like Christmas!

I included this last photo because Shea is hugging or cradling the little baby Jesus!!



And this last picture was all fuzzy cuz he leaned forward to say, "It's singing to the beebee!" in his highest voice.



Sleep in Heavenly Peace!

Christmas Cheer!

I sure love having little photobooth shots of Shea and I over the last two years. How fun it is to look back on these silly little moments.





Today we took a big leap into the Christmas season. I let the kids open up their new Nativity play stable. Especially Shea finds it fascinating, and he talks about the baby Jesus with his sweet little falsetto voice! Greg and Liam went and found us a tree, and it is about 8 ft. high and super FAT! It seems to be growing behind me as the branches lower down even more! It is so pretty, and the smell. Mmmm. I will take some pictures for you.
I found out this week that I will be hosting my aunt, uncle and two cousins for a week over the holidays. I wasn't expecting it, so I have some baking and big meal planning to do. Thankfully they are really easy-going and fun, so we should have some good times. I'm just hoping my kids can deal ok with the over-stimulation! We did move Riley and all his lego into his own room, which will come in handy over the next few weeks for sure.
Last night I went out with some girlfriends and enjoyed a good giggle til I cried, so that was a wonderful break from the usual ho hum of housework!!

Cheers friends!

toys...good and not so good ones.

I was busy asking my Facebook peeps today what their kids favorite toys are. At this stage in the game, we have quite an inventory of toys and books. I've been trying to eliminate the junk and have kept the good stuff that should last their childhood. However, Christmas is upon us, and you can't just give them socks and undies. You also can't give them only books and clothes. They have to get at least one good toy....so I'll tell you what theirs are so far, as long as you tell me what yours are.
Deal.
Ok.


The must-haves, in our home.

1. LEGO
Hands down, the best toy ever invented. Period. It is timeless. It is good for boys and girls. Worth every penny and then some. If treated kindly, will last forever. We have saved up quite a bit over time. It was our priority last year, and we even had the Lego advent calendar to boot. DUPLO as well, is loved around here. I am not a big supporter of Mega Blocks, though their duplo-sized stuff has been great and comes in Diego and CARS theme sets.

2. Craft supplies
Liam will vouch for this one. He is one crafty guy. It isn't so much the coloring books that he makes use of, but plain paper, bits of fancy paper or foils, felts, glue, tape (his favorite), pipe cleaners, stickers, feathers, stamps, etc. I have a roll cart with 5 drawers full of stuff to create with. Big time useful investment.
Playdoh also falls into this category. We have a drawer dedicated to all the rollers, cutters and playdoh gadgets.
For toddlers, Color Wonder books with pens have been awesome, as it doesn't write on anything but the special papers (ie. no ink in nostrils). Paint with water books are awesome for toddlers as well, as the real paint can make an awful mess on everything.

3. GAMES
We are just really entering this realm, as usually I pull my hair out while game pieces and paper money is flying around the room. I am sure that we will eventually have a family-games night, so we are starting the classics of Monopoly, Clue, and Battleship. Shea is starting to put together 24 piece puzzles and loves them.

4. CARS & TRAINS
This is a boy thing for sure. They never tire from new Hot Wheels or tracks. We never did invest in the whole Thomas train track set, though our boys are magnets to them at our friends houses. Shea has borrowed a few trains from his cousin that he plays with daily.

5. SNOW TOYS
We intend to buy each boy a new snow toy this year as we are hoping to do a pile of sledding over the holidays. If you don't have the classic saucer, crazy carpet and inflatable tube...those are some good things to have around (as long as you have the snow to go with it of course!).

6. Wii
All three of our boys have played on the Wii and love it. They have played games with their friends, older cousins and grandparents and with us. It is fun fun fun. Somehow it seems more interactive and social than the old-school video games. You seriously need to watch Shea run a race with Riley on Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games!

7. Sport Toys
If you have the space, a net, a few mini sticks and balls will keep the kids busy in the basement when they need to burn some steam. Bikes, skateboards and scooters are not so great at Christmas time, but get used all summer long.

8. Gift Cards
Riley got a $5 gift card for Tim Hortons from his SS teachers, and he was SO thrilled. He bought us all a box of timbits and had gift money left to spare. I may just have to sneak a few into his stocking...maybe McD's, iTunes, Zellers?

9. INSTRUMENTS and music
I found some super cheap toy electric guitars (like $5 each at Superstore) and though they don't play their crazy tune anymore, they use them and dance around like rock stars with them all the time. We also have an electric piano, wooden drum, real baby guitar, shakers etc. Kids love music. They do not grow tired of noise, hence they love their instruments. Books that come with a CD have been fun for Shea.

10. DRESS UP clothes
I keep a box of old halloween costumes or funky vests, capes, masks, hats etc. in the bottom of Rileys' closet. Without fail, if we have company over, you will see a few Darth Vadars or ninja's in the house, playing spies. They use these outfits over and over. I suggest you stock up on these items after Halloween when they are 70%off, or at the thrift store.

Things I thought would be great...but aren't so much...(in our house, anyway)

Tinkertoys. We had these as a kid, and got a large set last year, but the pieces do not stay together well and just frustrate them.

Fisher Price Little People. This was my favorite as a child, and we have a whole tub of Fisher Price including a house and barn, but it requires so much imagination on their part and just doesn't thrill them. I did buy the Fisher Price nativity set in hopes that since they already know the story, they will act it out with the little people.

Transformers. Maybe my boys are a little too young or something, but they don't really play with them at all, and are pretty frustrated as they try to move the parts that will pop off if twisted wrong. I will keep them around in hopes that they will grow into them.

Rescue Heroes. Again, like the Little People, I think it requires too much imagination for them to act out stories with them. They are almost like the boy version of Barbies or something, but "playing house" is not a natural thing for my boys and unless I'm initiating some sort of story for them to go along with, they don't play with these for more than 2 minutes. The playmobile people are more flexible and come with more things that come on and off, so they much prefer those.


The kids are sometimes bombarded with crazy commercials, which make them think they want something they haven't even tried or seen. For example, our boys saw Battle Strikers on T.V. and desperately want them. We're trying to avoid it, but if any of you have them, please give me your opinion.

Anyway...happy shopping! but most of all, good luck with finding special things that will LAST and making memories that will count. I want to make sure that my older two are involved in buying a present for their brothers so they can experience the gift of GIVING as well.

Countdown!

Older

...and still no gray hair. For real! I'm lucky I guess. Though one friend said to me, "It's not fair, you don't really have any wrinkles!" to which I replied, "No, I'm just saggy in other areas." Win some. Lose some.
Yes, so I'm 33. How did I "get" 33?? I have no idea. I don't feel any older really. I'm sure I say that every year.
Feeling thankful for many things, especially over the fact that Ella is at home and she looks great. Thanks for thinking of her and praying for her health. She avoided the second surgery which I will continue to believe was a God thing, as it continues to baffle the doctors.
So onward, Christmas!! I can't wait!

two and a half

You don't even have to tell me that he looks older, because I SO know. He is growing so fast lately. He has grown over four inches in the past year! and is just acting more like a three year old all the time. Yesterday for the first time, he refused a nap. I can't believe that he is growing up so quick. He talks a lot more and seems to know what is going on and adds to the conversation all the time.
He is such a big boy in his Sunday school class, bringing home things he's made and telling me about things. He is still our little baby though, a complete honey and funny too.
Love this kid.

To my friends who pray

There really aren't a whole lot of people who visit this blog. But I wanted to let you know and would covet your prayers for baby Ella yet again.
I'll leave it simple. Ella. Monday. Brain surgery.
Thanks to all of you!

UPDATE: She didn't get squeezed in for surgery until 1pm on Tuesday. Thanks for praying.

UPDATE 2: from Luke's facebook..."Ella is through surgery. She did well (and so did the doctors). They were able to give her another ETV (so no shunt - that's good!). She could be clear to leave the hospital tomorrow if all goes well with recovery. She didn't actually get into the surgery until 2:30, so Pam is just going to see her now. Will update later."

:)

UPDATE 3: from Luke's facebook..." OK bad news. Ella is getting worse and the ultrasounds show that her ventricles are swollen even bigger than before. She is being prepped now for emergency surgery to install a shunt."

:(
Luke is now on his way down to Vancouver to join Pam.

(for those who don't know these people...this is my big brother Luke, his wife Pam, and their four kids, Amy, Claire, Evan and Ella)

UPDATE 4: Before they got her in to do the shunt, her vitals improved and she stopped vomiting. They postponed the surgery. My brother says: "Ella is up and happy. No surgery so far. Sounds like they want to wait and see if her swelling goes down today. Waiting, waiting, waiting some more. We would really like to avoid the shunt if we can, so we're trying to be patient."

Artistic

My grandma spent much of her life as a painter and seamstress, my mother is a pianist...we have some creative and artistic genes in our blood somewhere. I'm neither a painter or a pianist, but have always been inspired by art and would love to be in art class daily if there was such a thing. I try to make cards when I can, sit down with my kids to make crafts, and enjoy the work of many photographers (and take the odd picture myself) etc. I love to try to make things, but mostly I just dream about making things.
My sister has lately done more than just think about doing artsy things, she sat down one day and decided that she would learn to sew. And "sew" she does!

She just launched her new website made by anna where you can look at her newest creations. They are so hot off the press that I haven't been able to see them in person yet! but look forward to seeing them at Christmas. My dad went up to visit with her and was quite impressed with the quality of her work. Good job, Anna!!
Be sure to check it out!

Life is good....just a reminder.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in the things that "aren't happening" and the things that "didn't happen" and forget about all the things that ARE.
I have so many things in my life right now to be happy about.

This weekend a little boy in our Awana club, who was attending the Christian school at our church, was killed in a car accident (along with his great-grandma). His mom is left alone. She was single with him as her only child. I can't imagine the pain. Please pray for her...Shauna, while we also count our blessings.

The sun has come out

When they are sweet, they are really really sweet.

Latches

This is something that I thought my kids would all love. Especially around age 2. This one is by Melissa and Doug. I saw it in the store the other day and thought maybe I could go to the hardware store and make myself one of these for Shea. Not sure quite how, but I might try to come up with something.

For the budding artist...

One gift Riley got last year was a Bug Drawing book. It is really a great book for step-by-step instructions on how to draw. Liam tried doing the lady bug last night, and did quite well at just 5 years old.
Check it out...

(Trying to give you ideas, people...Christmas is coming!!)

See you on the Moon!

This is a really good kids CD that doesn't sound like those annoying kids CD's that you get to hear over and over again.
Check it out...

1. Alan Sparhawk - Be Nice to People With Lice
2. Great Lake Swimmers - See You On The Moon!
3. Sufjan Stevens - The Friendly Beasts
4. Montag - Kiddo 1
5. Apostle of Hustle feat. The Husky's - 24 Robbers
6. Junior Boys - Max
7. Broken Social Scene - Puff The Magic Dragon
8. FemBots - Under The Bed
9. Montag - Kiddo 3
10. Glissandro 70 - Voices are Your Best Friend
11. Mark Kozelek - Leo and Luna
12. Detective Kalita - Baby Brother
13. Montag - Kiddo 2
14. Hot Chip - I Can't Wake Up
15. Kid Koala feat. Lederhosen Lucil - Fruit Belt
16. Montag - Bonne Nuit Etienne
17. Rosie Thomas - Faith's Silver Elephant

Borrrrrrrrinnnnnnngg

I know. This blog is really lacking content in a big way. It has just been a pretty miserable and long week I guess. I have been fighting a pesky head cold that just won't leave and that keeps me up at night coughing and leaving me wasted during the day. The days are dull and gray, and yet the boys are busy busy busy.
Greg is leaving for work again tomorrow for a couple of days which will make for even longer days, so I have been trying to rest up and nip this cold in the BUTT!

I haven't even taken a picture since Halloween and will be getting on that soon, I promise. Shea and Riley just got their hair cut today and are looking especially more like eachother and handsome. Liam is still covered in tattoos since his day as a pirate.

Are you getting excited about Christmas?! I am! Today we were at the mall shopping for my niece and happened to notice that the Fisher Price Nativity scene is right at Zellers. I could not find it in Canada last year at all! Also, the Lego Christmas advent Calendar was there too, which you can usually only get online! They are sort of "extra" items that are a bit of a splurge, so I'll see if we can swing it. I still haven't really decided what we are going to get the boys for Christmas. I was making a mental note the other day of things that I bought them last year, and which of them they still make use of. One thing I will definitely change this year is not spending money on stocking items. I am going to go to the thrift store over the next couple of weeks and stock up on all those discarded McD's toys and Hot Wheels...wash them off and stuff them in the stockings. They will be thrilled with that and a few chocolates. I know, I sound super cheap, but it's more a matter of not wanting to be wasteful. My boys are not suffering in the toy department, and they are all dressed much better than G or I will ever be! They will get one small gift from a cousin this year, and the rest of their gifts will be from us, so we have to save money somewhere! I'm trying to come up with something super creative to make for friends and family this year, any suggestions would be welcome!
Things we have done in the past...made chocolates, made cards (packs of 10 with envelopes), made rubs (to put on meat), made caramel popcorn, made ornaments....umm?? I need some new ideas. Anyone?!

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.