Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Happy Birthday, Bear!!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Whole Lotta Cryin' Going On.....
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Random Ramblings...
So many things going on in the day to day living here. So many blog posts. So little time. Life is busy (See below...)
But, we are LOVING summer! School has wrapped up for the kids. Mom still has lots of work to do at school but that will happen over the course of the summer. Soccer continues in full swing for three of us, golf for the fourth.
Sara, however, is having quite the exciting trip. Her grandparents took her on a trip to BC to visit her aunt, uncle and cousins. Lucky girl! She'll be gone for 10 days. I know she'll have a great time, but we sure will miss her!
Connor is busy at soccer camp this week, sweating his little behind off! With 43 humidex, it's a little (OK, a lot) icky here this week. He's staying well hydrated, inside at times, and in the shade other times. Fun but tiring stuff!
Steve is busy back at work, sweating his little behind off! I feel so sorry for him an others working outside in this kind of heat! (in jeans and workboots, nonetheless! YUCK!!). His healing has gone really well. He is now able to work, swim an shower without a problem. He will not get the processor until September as the post takes 3 months to fuse with his skull. Otherwise, he feels great.
And let's just talk a minute about World Cup Soccer. Can you say, "AWESOME????" With four parents born in Holland, you know you we are rooting for! And the Dutch have not let us down! We have thoroughly enjoyed watching all the games and can't wait until the final on Sunday when HOLLAND WINS the World Cup!
Hup, Holland, Hup!!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
He's Pegged
Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. This was step one: the insertion of the titanium post (drilled into his skull... just thought I'd add that). So he has no reward of better hearing yet... that will come at the beginning of September. Now he needs to heal for 3 months and the post will become one with his skull. Isn't modern science and medicine amazing?
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Going Under the Knife... finally!
Pray with us that all may go well in the surgery and the healing process is quick and painless, hopefully!!
To read about why this is happening to Steve, read here.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
How Does This Happen?
People warned me when our children were small. It was one of those comments or pieces of advice that you think, "Sure, sure, but you're forgetting what it's like to get up at 6 a.m./dress/feed/clean/cook for/play with/clean up after/shop for/bathe/stimulate/take to the park/(and on and on ad nauseum...)for little children while I work part/full time. How can it possibly get busier?" But they all said, "Oh, you just wait, it only gets crazier!"
I am here today to say "they" were right. We are running in so many different directions, we're not sure who's going where on what day and how they're getting there. Soccer for Sara three times a week. Soccer for Connor three times a week. Golf for Steve once a week. Soccer for Mom once a week. 7 or 8 weekend soccer tournaments for the kids. Selling snowcones to raise money for said soccer tournaments. Dance recitals. Church meetings. Piano lessons. Play dates and parties (these kids have better social lives than we do!). Oh, and full time work, too. I can't imagine trying to factor in another person into that equation. How do parents of more children do it??
Busy we choose to be, but busy we love to be. It may sound like whining, but really we enjoy all of these things. Can't imagine giving any of it up! So, I'll hit the Timmy's drive through again, tank up and hit the road.
Will the older years only get busier? Speak up, "They", I will listen to you this time!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURTIS!!!
Eleven years ago, we met our wonderful Kurtis for the first time! Now I know I repeat myself with each birthday, but I just can't believe it's been eleven years!
Kurtis is a tender-hearted, generous and kind boy who has brightened our lives. We are proud of the person he is and love him dearly.
Kurtis' highlight of his birthday is that he is getting a new puppy! We can't wait to meet him! I'm sure he'll do a great job taking care of it.
Happy birthday, Kurtis!
(Kurtis loves hallowe'en and spends several months planning out what he is going to do. The picture above is one part of the display that he and his dad put together last hallowe'en. He sure does have a creative mind!)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
I Heart Spring!!!
I sure do love spring.
More than summer? Not sure, but boy, do I sure love spring. The smells, the green grass and buds, the warm air on your skin. The sun. The sandy gravel on the road that mixes in your bike tires, reminding me of youth. As soon as I feel the slightest warming, I run to my garden centre and get me some flowers. My friend stopped by and said, "Oh, you HAVE to be the first on the block to get flowers out."
Why, yes I do.
However, even I had to stop and reflect on my geekiness when Connor and I had this conversation the other day:
ME: Look at that nice dirt!
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: The dirt! At that house! Look! It's all nice and dark brown and lush and rich looking.
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: Doesn't it look beautiful? It's all mounded up all ready for planting. It's gorgeous!
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: The DIRT! Over there! It's gorgeous!
CONNOR: WHAT are you talking about?
At this point, realizing I was talking about soil like it was art or something. I really loved the sight of that dirt!
Now, I am NOT a master gardener or anything, but I do love planting and flowers and SPRING!
Please don't hate me for my geeky love for beautiful soil!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dear Monday Morning,
I must admit, you are my least favourite morning of the week. If I could, I would skip you and go straight to Tuesday. But I know you will continue to show up week after week.
While I dread your arrival, however, you're not so bad after an hour and a good cup of coffee. And I'm working really hard to not let you get the best of me when you creep into my Sunday Night.
Monday Morning, I will find a way to co-exist with you.
Love, Me.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
The Empty Tomb
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Happy World Down Syndrome Day
Friday, March 12, 2010
Happy Birthday to our Snowbirds!
Dad and Menny are so busy having fun somewhere warmer than here for a LONG time. so we can't share hugs and kisses in person. BUT we want to wish them both (yes, one day apart) an awesome birthday and blessings for many more happy and healthy years.
We love you!! Happy birthday!!
With love from all of us!!
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Phone Follies
My fingers flew over the keypad faster than my mind could think of the numbers. It was just an automatic physical reaction to key in those numbers without even thinking of them. I used 2 thumbs as once. (Maybe I will make a good texter some day...)
I sat down to call Tom the other day. My fingers began their thing without me thinking.
Then I stopped.
My fingers had forgotten.
My mind had forgotten.
I tried 3 times.
Couldn't get it.
Had to look up the number in my phone book.
*sigh*
Friday, February 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Ryan!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Ring
It came from my mom. I got it out of her jewelery box. I inherited it from her. I love it for sentimental reasons. I love it because it is so unique as it was crafted from a spoon, from Holland. Do you see it? They clip the spoon part off, and make a ring from the handle of the teaspoon. I remember my mom telling me this. Isn't it beautiful?? What clever Dutch people. Always finding a way to do things frugally.
So, a few weeks ago, I am wearing said ring and my dear sister-in-love, Kathy, comments on it's beauty. I presume to tell her the whole lovely story:
"It's my mom's so it's really special to me."
"It came from Mom's jewelery box"
"Well, actually, it's a spoon handle!"
"I know... very cool, eh?"
"Well, you see, they take one of those fancy tea spoons and cut the spoonie part off and bend it around to fit your finger. Very clever, isn't it??"
at this point I am taking said ring off to show her the creative spoon workmanship...
"...and look inside the ring here..."
Now, here is where I had an SLR camera to take a super duper close up of the inside of the ring...
(I know, you're getting goose-bumps here...)
There is something engraved there.... maybe this will help solve the mystery of when the ring was created... was it an heirloomed, passed down from generation to generation? Did Mom buy it on a trip to Holland? I can't remember, but wish I knew...
Exciting...
"Uh....."
"hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
"Welll................................................................................................"
thinking" Call me crazy... but...
I'm pretty sure they didn't have AVON in Holland that made spon rings"
Yeah, me too.
Never saw that one coming. I am so sure I remember that I heard that story of the ring coming from a spoon handle. Really. Heard it. Somewhere. But I guess it wasn't from my mom. Must have been in my other life. Or someone else's mom...
And as funny as this was to me, it was twinged with sadness as I can never ask Mom the true story behind the ring. I know Dad won't have a clue where it came from (sorry, Dad, the truth hurts sometimes...) So, it will always and forever now be the Antique Spoon Ring from AVON in Holland...!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Olympic Fever
Saturday, February 13, 2010
My New Obsession...
OK... obsession is a strong word. But I am in LOVE with the new scrapbooking digital software from Creative Memories. I've always been a novice scapper, using materials from here and there. I've been scrapping books for each of the kids since they were born. However, unfortunately, I'm about 3 or 4 years behind. You know... you just get a little behind, then a little more, then it's way too overwhelming to even begin. That's where I'm at... (however, I did do a whole book on our Disney trip 2 years ago...)
So when I heard about this digital scrapbooking, I knew it was the answer for me! I have all the pictures from 3 years ago on as digital images. Press, click, save-presto! So I'm planning on working backwards with the pages. Here's what I accomplished during the Superbowl:
You can upload these pages to Costco and slip them into a 12 x 12 album. Super excited!!