Well, there has been a lull in the blogging for a reason. Christmas has come and gone: we enjoyed a wonderful visit with Steve's mom and my family, ate some great turkey, opened many gifts...oh and wait one more thing....we got the flu :( The whole family, all 6 of us!!!! It started Christmas Eve, and continued on and is still going on today. This was the first time that Steve and I have been sick at the same time, and I hope and pray that never happens again. I'm really ready for this bug to leave the house, and I hope we don't ring in the New Year with it. It has been a very long exhausting week! I hope to enjoy the second half of the kids break from school significantly more than this week.
I hope that your Christmas was filled with lots of great memories! All the best for 2008!!! God bless!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Bible History told by Children!!
In case you're a little foggy on your biblical history, let our junior
church students help you with this complete overview of the Bible, compiled
from their essays:
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God,
darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one,' but I
think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!'
and someone did. Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't
embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven
from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because
they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who
lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of
his kids was kind of a ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and
some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said
they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his
brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some
pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston.
Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh
after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included
frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day
with manicotti. Then He gave them His top ten Commandments. These include
don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's bottom (the Bible
uses a bad word for bottom that I'm not supposed to say. But my Dad uses it
sometimes when he talks about the President). Oh, yeah, I just thought of
one more: Humor they father and they mother. One of Moses' best helpers was
Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle
of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a
slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500
porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise
to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was
Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to
worry about them
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New
Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a
barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you
born in a barn' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.').
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees
and the Republicans. Jesus also had twelve opossums.The worst one was Judas
Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some
Germans on the Mount. But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on
trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just
washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up
to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is
foretold in the book of Revolution.
church students help you with this complete overview of the Bible, compiled
from their essays:
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God,
darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one,' but I
think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!'
and someone did. Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't
embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven
from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because
they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who
lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of
his kids was kind of a ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and
some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said
they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his
brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some
pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston.
Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh
after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included
frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day
with manicotti. Then He gave them His top ten Commandments. These include
don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's bottom (the Bible
uses a bad word for bottom that I'm not supposed to say. But my Dad uses it
sometimes when he talks about the President). Oh, yeah, I just thought of
one more: Humor they father and they mother. One of Moses' best helpers was
Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle
of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a
slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500
porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise
to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was
Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to
worry about them
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New
Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a
barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you
born in a barn' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.').
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees
and the Republicans. Jesus also had twelve opossums.The worst one was Judas
Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some
Germans on the Mount. But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on
trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just
washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up
to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is
foretold in the book of Revolution.
Friday, December 14, 2007
What a Week!
This week has been incredibly difficult for me as a mother. Logan was having some trouble on the bus, and this week it has exploded into a huge mess! I won't go into a lot of details, but let's just say I'm pretty disappointed with the bus company and in particular the bus driver. There have been some unacceptable things happening on the bus, and judgement calls made by the driver that have made that momma bear instinct come right to the playing field. Thankfully the school is 100% behind us and are working towards a solution to the problem. Hopefully by the end of this, we'll have some order back to our lives, and Logan can once again be happy on the bus.
It is so difficult to know how to react and advocate for Logan when he is non-verbal. He can't say all that's happened, but his behaviour is speaking volumes, and that is what is stressing me out. For those of you who know Logan well, you'll know that when he cries or is upset, the whole world will cry with him. He's just such a happy guy, so when something hurts him, it hurts everyone. This week has been very difficult not only for me, but for him too, and that is what concerns me the most.
I will admit that I don't handle stress well. I can step up to the plate and do what needs to be done, but it manifests itself in other ways. This week it has shown itself as insomnia which in turn has given me a migraine that's lasted 5 days now with no reprieve. I need relief from all of this. It's just been so hard to see him like this.
Funny how a good week can turn into a mess so quickly. Last week I was praying for an easy week because I was having trouble watching Justus and Emma develop and move on from the stages they were in, and now this week, I am longing to deal with that again. That is all so much easier than this. That was all good stress, this week is very bad stress and I've just had enough!
It is so difficult to know how to react and advocate for Logan when he is non-verbal. He can't say all that's happened, but his behaviour is speaking volumes, and that is what is stressing me out. For those of you who know Logan well, you'll know that when he cries or is upset, the whole world will cry with him. He's just such a happy guy, so when something hurts him, it hurts everyone. This week has been very difficult not only for me, but for him too, and that is what concerns me the most.
I will admit that I don't handle stress well. I can step up to the plate and do what needs to be done, but it manifests itself in other ways. This week it has shown itself as insomnia which in turn has given me a migraine that's lasted 5 days now with no reprieve. I need relief from all of this. It's just been so hard to see him like this.
Funny how a good week can turn into a mess so quickly. Last week I was praying for an easy week because I was having trouble watching Justus and Emma develop and move on from the stages they were in, and now this week, I am longing to deal with that again. That is all so much easier than this. That was all good stress, this week is very bad stress and I've just had enough!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
'Birds and the Bees' Talk
We got this little story in our inbox this morning, and I thought it was too funny not to post. Probably in bad taste, but I still thought it was worth sharing.
A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'
The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: 'You got Male!'
A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'
The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: 'You got Male!'
Friday, December 07, 2007
My Reflections
One of the things about having kids close together is a lot of milestones happen all at once. We found this with Logan and Abby, who are 17 months apart. We're now finding it's the same with Justus and Emma; they are only 13 months apart.
A few days ago I wrote about Justus' escaping to freedom and tonight I find myself sharing something I'm not sure I'm ready for. Emma has gone mobile. Earlier in the day Steve asked me if I had moved Emma; at the time I didn't think too much of it, I figured she just rolled over. Fast forward to our playtime after dinner. We are all in the family room (which at this point is just one big empty room) and what do I see but Emma DRAGGING herself over to a toy. I thought, WOW, that's pretty amazing. But then she continued to do it most of the evening and my amazement turned to a bit of uncertainty. Add to this momentous occasion the fact that she's starting to sit up on her own a lot more, and is catching herself from falling...that's a whole lot of new for one week!
I must admit that at this moment, (after the kids are in bed and I'm reflecting on a long and exhausting week), I'm feeling a bit emotional. With everything that happened during the first year of Abby's life (My recovering from the accident, and the process of Logan's diagnosis etc), I didn't remember how quickly these stages pass. I think it's even more pronounced because of both Logan and Abby's delays. But as I look back on the kids stages of life, I'm sad to see the end of Emma's life as we know it. Don't get me wrong, I'm SO excited to see her development on track, but there is a small part of me that kind of wishes that I'd be able to enjoy that cute cuddly baby stage a little longer, this is the LAST one after all (I promise!). From my experience with all of the others, once they went mobile, they weren't interested in staying with me very long.
So tonight I say goodbye to that infant stage, I'm letting go. I will embrace whatever life brings in the next stage, and take it by the horns as much as I have this stage. I feel so blessed to have the 4 kids that I do have. They have all taught me such different things, and I love what they offer this family. I love watching the friendships develop between the kids, and I'm excited to see what Emma will offer as she gets older. The one common bond between all of the kids is their love for life, they all approach it so enthusiastically, all from different angles but brimming with life.
This is the end of an emotional week, and I'm praying fervently that next week will be status quo. I'm needing a few weeks of 'calm' (hahahaha) during the holidays so that in 2008, we can start fresh! Boy I don't ask for much, calm in a house of 4 kids with a pastor for a husband around the busiest season of our life...I sure do aim for the stars, don't I?
Exciting Day!
I am so excited this morning! I woke up to find my story published on the Soul Supporter website. This is the first time I've been published, but I will also be published next month in an online literary journal. I don't often talk about myself, but for me, this is a huge accomplishment and one that I HAVE to share! I have always enjoyed writing, and am looking forward to my next course in the college program I'm taking. Hopefully this is the beginning of many things to come. :)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Updates from the House of Procrastination
Well, I survived my operation. I am two weeks post-op and everything went beautifully. I spent a week and a few days with my parents, with Emma joining me after the first couple of days. I was anxious to get home, and as always overdid it when I got home, but overall I'm doing well. No complaints coming from me because recovery was easier than the attacks. My only wish would be that Justus STOP using me as a ladder, it's just not comfortable to have little toes in places where a GALLBLADDER just came out of!
Yesterday morning I heard a bit of a thump downstairs (every mothers nightmare, since Justus was downstairs 'napping' at the time.) It was followed by a brief cry and as I was heading downstairs to find out what it was, I heard the dreaded pitter-patter of little toddler feet on the floor, hysterical laughter following. My heart sank that very moment! Justus was a free boy and he knew it, and I knew in that moment the days of his sleeping in a crib were over. You see, he's not a 'oh, how did I do that?' kind of boy, he's been WORKING at it!! So yesterday afternoon was spent Justus' proofing the boys room. Then comes the dreaded FIRST NIGHT in a bed, no crib rails-no nothing, freedom at any moment HE chooses. Thankfully last night, he chose to stay in his bed and sleep :) Our little man is growing up!
The last two days have been SNOW days in our house, no school. Well, the schools were open, but we chose NOT to send the kids. It looked VERY nasty, so we spent our days playing outside in the snow and watching movies. We had a Shrek marathon, all 3 movies back to back. The kids had fun, laughing, chasing each other and fighting over toys. Today I must admit though, I'm very glad to see school return. I am ready for a quiet house. We don't have much furniture upstairs right now (it was sent away to get repaired, our 5 month old furniture, but that's another story!) so the upstairs ECHO is quite loud, add Abby's squealing as well as Justus' imitation of it, and you don't have a very quiet house...so this morning will be quiet since Justus will be napping, as will Emma. A whole hour to myself...oh the joys and bliss those moments will bring, sipping on a hot chai tea (courtesy of my good friend Lindsay in Calgary!) and drinking in the silence of the few moments I do have. Well, that's the hope anyway, given the above paragraph speaks of my toddler in a BED, it's not a given like it would've been say yesterday or the day before! A mother can always pray!
Christmas is quickly approaching, and I have a confession to make; for some reason this year, I'm not overly keen to decorate or anything else for that matter. This is strange for me, considering I'm usually one of those people, you know, the ones that can't wait for Halloween to be over so I can put up my tree and decorations. This year though, I have no motivation. Part of it is probably the fact that I'm recovering from surgery, the other part is I know if I decorate too much or too early, it'll all get destroyed because my kids are notorious for wrecking things. But I just have no motivation, maybe sometime soon I'll find it. I'm kind of running out of time because Christmas is just 20 days away!! Steve doesn't complain, I'm sure he wouldn't care at all if we had decorations up. He's just not that kind of guy. Maybe this year we'll have an undecorated house, or we'll put up the tree on Christmas Eve and take it down on Boxing day. I'm joking of course, but there is part of me that is tempted!
Well, I think that's enough for now. I hope this blog finds you all well, and that YOU are embracing the Christmas Spirit.
Yesterday morning I heard a bit of a thump downstairs (every mothers nightmare, since Justus was downstairs 'napping' at the time.) It was followed by a brief cry and as I was heading downstairs to find out what it was, I heard the dreaded pitter-patter of little toddler feet on the floor, hysterical laughter following. My heart sank that very moment! Justus was a free boy and he knew it, and I knew in that moment the days of his sleeping in a crib were over. You see, he's not a 'oh, how did I do that?' kind of boy, he's been WORKING at it!! So yesterday afternoon was spent Justus' proofing the boys room. Then comes the dreaded FIRST NIGHT in a bed, no crib rails-no nothing, freedom at any moment HE chooses. Thankfully last night, he chose to stay in his bed and sleep :) Our little man is growing up!
The last two days have been SNOW days in our house, no school. Well, the schools were open, but we chose NOT to send the kids. It looked VERY nasty, so we spent our days playing outside in the snow and watching movies. We had a Shrek marathon, all 3 movies back to back. The kids had fun, laughing, chasing each other and fighting over toys. Today I must admit though, I'm very glad to see school return. I am ready for a quiet house. We don't have much furniture upstairs right now (it was sent away to get repaired, our 5 month old furniture, but that's another story!) so the upstairs ECHO is quite loud, add Abby's squealing as well as Justus' imitation of it, and you don't have a very quiet house...so this morning will be quiet since Justus will be napping, as will Emma. A whole hour to myself...oh the joys and bliss those moments will bring, sipping on a hot chai tea (courtesy of my good friend Lindsay in Calgary!) and drinking in the silence of the few moments I do have. Well, that's the hope anyway, given the above paragraph speaks of my toddler in a BED, it's not a given like it would've been say yesterday or the day before! A mother can always pray!
Christmas is quickly approaching, and I have a confession to make; for some reason this year, I'm not overly keen to decorate or anything else for that matter. This is strange for me, considering I'm usually one of those people, you know, the ones that can't wait for Halloween to be over so I can put up my tree and decorations. This year though, I have no motivation. Part of it is probably the fact that I'm recovering from surgery, the other part is I know if I decorate too much or too early, it'll all get destroyed because my kids are notorious for wrecking things. But I just have no motivation, maybe sometime soon I'll find it. I'm kind of running out of time because Christmas is just 20 days away!! Steve doesn't complain, I'm sure he wouldn't care at all if we had decorations up. He's just not that kind of guy. Maybe this year we'll have an undecorated house, or we'll put up the tree on Christmas Eve and take it down on Boxing day. I'm joking of course, but there is part of me that is tempted!
Well, I think that's enough for now. I hope this blog finds you all well, and that YOU are embracing the Christmas Spirit.
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