The life of...?

I am attending a book club in two weeks in which we are required to come prepared to share our book. (a biography of our choice to be exact) I had selected a biography on Pablo Picasso, and it just wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. It didn't capture much about his "life" it just discussed his work. His work was often dark and abstract. I don't know if I'd have much to share about him, other than to just show some of his art. The good part about reading this book was that by the end of it, I felt totally inspired to take a minute and draw a bit myself. This picture above is my version of Picassos 1922. Mother and Child. (Yes I spend my time copying other peoples art. I have no imagination), the only difference is that mine I did with lead and charcoal and his was done with oil. It felt good to pull out the pencils for an hour. It must be the -30 degree weather. He was an amazing artist!


The problem now is that I really feel the need to find a new biography to share at this book club meeting. But who? I have a couple ideas, but no person has really stood out yet. What about you? If you had the chance to sit down and read about someone's life, who would you chose to read about?

Good News/Bad News

Hip HIp Horray it is snow day today!! John's boss phoned this morning and told him to just sleep till noon if he could. I LOVE it when there is no school. It means an extra set of hands to help for one more day. Abby is going to be dissappointed that there is no pre-school however but since John is around...I'll get him to break it to her:)

On a different note, I was very sad to learn about the passing of President Gordon B Hinckley last night. He has been the prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since 1995. He was truly an amazing man and leader, and I will miss hearing him speak. I thought this was a good summary I found in the church news:


"SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - He was in his late 90s. He arrived at the
office early and often left late. He traveled the world at a
breathtaking
pace and kept up a speaking schedule that would drain the energy of men
decades younger. "I would enjoy sitting in a rocker listening to soft
music
and contemplating the things of the universe," President Hinckley once
told
the Associated Press. "But such activity offers no challenge and makes
no
contribution."


It is amazing and inspiring to think of what some people in this world manage to accomplish in their own lifetime. It makes
me want to strive to be a little bit more productive than I am perhaps being.

Jessica actually took her first steps back before Christmas time. We figured it was about time to show off her skills a bit. Hmmm, this is going to make church that much more interesting:) I love how proud of herself she looks.



Other notable news of this week:

John spent all of Saturday registering and training with Scouts Canada. He now has his "woodbadge?" He came home with some cool survival tips, like how to start a fire with a battery and steel wool. He's officially finished teaching his first semester at the High School, and begins a new series of courses this week.


I made two trips to the local Bargain Barn this week and scored on some cool used toys for the kids. Have they been a bit spoiled? Perhaps. But at $1 a toy...I don't care!! It makes Sam happy...he plays well all day, and then goes to bed SO EASY at night. Sam is in Toy Story Heaven. Best couple of bucks I spent all week!





It's the end of a busy week.

I could use some survival tips of my own.

Yesturday when I went to pick up John from the school, Abby and I decided to race to the entrance doors. Midway through our sprint Abby called out, "First one there WINS the Rotten Egg." I couldn't help but slow down...a lot and just let her win. I love it when she says something that is almost right, yet just a little off. She is so unaware of how much she makes me laugh sometimes.

Abby and I often play a little game in which we compete to see how much we love eachother. It usually results in one of us getting to say "I love you more than the whole Universe" or something outrageous like that.

So, last night as I was putting the kids to bed, Abby looked over at me and asked, "Mommy...how much do you love me?" I quickly said, "Abby I love you more than ...THE OCEAN!" After a second she said, "Yeah, well I love you more than this house!"
...huh. I couldn't help but clarify if she was talking about our little house or perhaps she meant that really big house at the end of the street. "Nope. Just our house." she sweetly said.
Ah well...maybe next time:)

k We have had some SNOW in the last few days. We are trying our best to enjoy it here:)

If you are tired of the cold, check this out. lol! YouTube - Rick Mercer's Rant - Dec 1, 2007 - The Weather

John's brother got married a couple of weeks ago. Just wanted to post some pics for family of that event as well as the open house this past weekend.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Progress Report

*The print that I ordered awhile back finally arrived. It is bigger than I thought it would be, so I'll have to wait until I have a good frame before I can display it.

*We dropped off the kids' passport applications this week, and are now breathing a sigh of relief. That's out of the way, and the process was a lot simpler this time around. Bonus!


*Jessica has croupe for the second time this winter. I'm thinking that maybe I'm not doing something right with her. Today though, despite the fact that she fell asleep standing up, she is doing much better:) Again...progress.


*Attended an open house last night for my Brother-in Law and his new wife. They are such a stunning couple together, and it was a great time. I even ran into some old friends which is always fun. I love having a reason to get in to the City. Welcome to the family Katherine!


*I tried a new dish this week. Bruschetta Chicken. So delicious. I'm thinkin I should post the recipe for this one. The best part about it is it is so EASY!


*Sam's vocabulary has changed in just the last few days, and I'm really excited. He will try to repeat anything now, and though we still here mostly grunts...more and more those grunts are resembling actual words. He has even started saying prayers and insists on being asked each meal to be the one to bless the food. It's a "I'm thankful for my head...nose...dada" kind of a prayer but it works.

Time is flying by and life is good.
And that is our report!

One Week in

It is hard to believe that we are already one week into the New Year. New years eve was a blast. My family all came down and we spent the evening at Jewel's house, eating...playing games... eating some more and just enjoying their company.

We had a feast of food and the kids all loved getting to actually "choose" for once what they put on their plate. Bacon wrapped sausages, sushi, chicken wings, fruit, veggies....we ate a tonne! My neice Ava introduced us to a game called TILES, that is a favorite with her family. It was such a great game and the perfect way to practice spelling with kids. Not that Ava needed the practice-she can hold her own when it comes to spelling!



Jessica has been climbing stairs for awhile so we decided to show her the art of climbing down the stairs...safely. She caught on fast and spent most of her time going up and down!


The next morning we all went to the local Junior High School to play in the gym. All the kids needed was a little bit of open space to have a good time.


I enjoyed running around a bit and brushing up on some very rusty basketball skills. I think I did pretty good...against some two year olds atleast:)




Since the New Years bash with my family, we have kept busy, still lucky to have John home with us all week long.



There have been a couple of messy faces this past week! Still though...they are both so darn cute!




One of the large trees lining our property cracked causing one part of our tree to hang dangerously. Sadly we had to remove that one large limb taking off half the tree. This wind down here can really do some damage at times!!



With the school break being two weeks long I took advantage of the fact that John was here to watch the kids. I borrowed the books Twilight and New Moon from my sister in-law. Who thought vampires and werewolves could make for such an interesting read? I think I neglected and ignored most things around the house this past week. It has been so long since I just sat to read...it was fantastic. The only problem is I haven't gotten to read the third book in this series and when I went to the library it was out. I'm number 29 on the waitlist. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Does Bella marry the vampire, or go back to the werewolf? Wait...on second thought, don't tell me:)


John had several of his Brothers visit over the holidays and that was all he seemed to need. They played with their remote control airplane things...often, and tried several different daredevil stunts in the process. (but I won't go into that) One night though, they decided to attach some LED lights to the planes and fly them at dusk. John came back thrilled that it actually looked like a real plane in the sky! I hate to admit it-but it did look pretty cool.




Anyways that was our first week of the new year summed up! Oh wait, we also enjoyed visiting with John's grandparents in Stirling and also seeing some of our good friends from Sparwood. There now you have it. Fun week.

On Monday, John will head back to the school, Abby returns to pre-school, and normal life will resume. It was a great start to the NEW YEAR. We wish you all the best as well!!!!

Nikki's New Year Challenge

I have spent the week contemplating a challenge that Nikki threw out to everybody. The thought of choosing a personal theme instead of a bunch of New Years resolutions seemed both refreshing and exciting. What would my focus be? What did I need to improve on more than anything else? What do I want out of life? What am I willing to give up in order to achieve it? What would I be required to do?

All of these questions ran through my mind as I thought of the WORD that would become a part of my life this year. Many words came to mind. Real... Improve... Chill. All things that I need to do (and be) a little bit better, yet none of those words carried enough excitement or motivation to really cause me to want to focus on it for twelve whole months.

So here it is Nikki, and anyone else who choses to do this. My word for 2008 is SAVOR. Synonyms of this word include: appreciate, delight in, experience, feel, gloat, know, like, luxuriate in, partake, relish, revel in, sample.

As soon as I thought of this word it seemed to speak volumes for how I want to be. I want to be happier, play with my kids more, laugh, relish life and all the good things about my life. I want to like myself a little more. I want to be grateful. I want to slow down, and at times even stop...breathe...relax. Worry a little (or a lot) less about what others think about me. I want to sample new things, make new friends and take time to enjoy. But not just enjoy, that didn't seem like enough. I want to savor it all. My faith, my marriage, my kids, every memory I have, I plan to appreciate it all this year. Revel in it...SAVOR!

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, than a good marriage

Today John and I celebrated our six year anniversary. John's Dad, two of his brothers, their wives and two kids came over to babysit for us this evening. Now that may seem like overkill as far as babysitting goes, but they obviously know Sam. The more hands...the better eh;) We loved our semi-annual trip out without the kids. Thanks everyone who watched our little ones.

John and I have often reflected on this past year and we honestly don't know if we will ever have another year where we have experienced so much change. It has at times, been a wee bit stressful. A new baby, a move, a new career, (a VERY busy new career), as well as the purchase of our first home and all the work that entails. On top of that, we each experienced the death of one of our parents and the pain that comes along with that. This year has flown by, and at times we have felt like we were barely hanging on.
However I cannot think of another person on this earth that I would have wanted to go through this year (or eternity for that matter) with more than John.

I ordered a peice of art awhile back and it has not yet arrived, though I was hoping it would come in time for me to give it to John today. It is a simple print titled Bridge over Troubled Water (by Steven Mitchel) and I just love it. Isn't it just so soothing to look at. Perhaps that is why I felt so inclined to get it for John this year. That is what John has been to me. Strong, dependable, and he always manages to ensure that we are headed in the right direction in life. Thanks for being the "bridge" in our family; the one that keeps us warm and safe from whatever is going on around us ...oh yeah, and thank you for sometimes letting me walk all over you. I love you.

Happy Anniversary John. I can't WAIT for 6 more (X 8 or so)!!!!!!!!

For Christmas

santa brought us a new camera! How nice of him eh:) We've been snapping pics of everything since, trying to figure it out. Here is one of my favorite pics of sam so far.


Christmas was nice. We enjoyed seeing family, John's brother got married, and the best part of all...John has two weeks off. He is so fun to have around when he isn't worried about tests, and lessons to prepare, and marking. I sometimes find myself thinking about how much I love "Holiday John".

We sure are looking forward to a new year!!!

Abby's funnies for the day

It is a well known fact that Abby can say some pretty funny things. John and I are always crackin up at things she says. The best part is that she has no idea she has even said something funny, they are just normal thoughts and questions from her cute little brain. Two of these Abby moments from today:



Example 1: John was goofing around and was pretending that their was a guest at our front door. As soon as he closed the door, Abby asked:

ABBY: "who was it Dad?"
JOHN (pretending it was Santa): "Oh, just a little weird guy in a red coat."
Abby (after thinking for a bit): "well...why is Sam wearing a red coat?"

Example 2: After Abby's bath tonight she came out of her room (having gotten her jammies on) and I noticed her sock was bulging with things stuffed inside of it.
"Look mom! I filled my sock with these very special things...for good luck!" She took a couple of steps and then said, "But when I walk, it kinda hurts, ...so maybe I'll carry them in my hand for EXTRA good luck."

I love her head.

Not our finest hour...

as far as Christmas Crafts go!




No worries though. Despite the awful mess this turned out to be, the kids enjoyed every sloppy second of it.

Here is a pic of some of the other baking we've done.
We decided to call these cupcakes "Holiday Lights" cupcakes!

Speaking of holiday lights we better start driving around to enjoy some of them in this town. Christmas is coming up FAST!!

Visit from the North Pole...

So Santa stopped in for a visit yesturday. Abigail was thrilled to go and see him, but the whole experience left me a little bewildered.

What is it about kids that makes them change their minds on you. Abby has had two things she has said she wants. 1) A horse with a feather on it. (sounds abstract...but I found one!) 2) A princess snow globe. (Abby LOVEs snowglobes). Not only has she wanted them but she has at times prayed for them, ... written to Santa asking for them, AND she's promised she'd be good forever if she got them... (you know how it is, you were like that once to:)

So here I am, having gotten her the two things she has consistently wanted more than anything else, and thinking I'm pretty darn amazing for doing so. I had high hopes of her being able to express her wish to Santa and then seeing on Christmas Day how "Santa" made that happen for her. That would have been fun. But she climbs up on Santa's knee and what does she ask for? ...A Rainbow Light. WHAT IS A RAINBOW LIGHT? Officially pulling my hair out here!! It's not looking like I'll make her wish come true this year. I'll have to wait until her ability to make decisions is a little more concrete, and she really knows what she wants:)


What was I thinking? A horse and a snowglobe! That was SOOO last week.