Foresome

June always brings the annual golf tournament that my employer puts on. Even though I'm technically not 'at work' I still wanted to go. It's tradition! I do enjoy my once a year golf game. I didn't think I golfed too badly and even got a par 3 on the last hole. Thank you to Coach Roger who gave my all kinds of instruction!

The lunch afterwards was simple and quite tasty. Grilled burger with lots of fixings. Instead of heading to a banquet hall, this year we ate at the clubhouse. It made the afternoon a bit quicker which was good for us since we left my poor parents with three kiddies.

A great day out! Thanks Kori and Roger for yet another year of golfing with us.

Farewell Elementary School

Middle school is a fairly new concept to our province. Just a few short years ago elementary school went to grade seven. I'm not sure that this concept is any better but that being said Nathan is just about finished with grade five and is moving onto middle school in September. A very exciting change for him! For now we are sticking with the traditional school system and so he'll be at ATMS. Most of his friends are going there too so he'll be in fine company.

Here are a few shots from his graduation evening last week.

All dressed in his uniform and ready to go. Next year's uniform is quite similar so that's handy.

The gym was nicely decoarated for the event.

Each 'graduate' received a cookie with their photo....very cool!

Rotten Mother!

Well, not really rotten but maybe just a bit moldy on the edges. Seriously! I did two...actually make that three dumb things today concerning Liam.

First of all this morning I went to Rotary field to watch Nathan in his challenge track meet. The sun was shining brightly and it was going to be a warm day. As I sat down in the stands with Liam I discovered not only did I forget his sun hat, I also forgot his water and sunscreen.

After watching Nathan in the hurdles went decided to go home for his morning nap. That was a bit of a bust since he decided to sleep for only 30 minutes. After that I gave him lunch and we headed back to the track to watch Nate's final events. This time with the sunscreen, hat and water.

I stopped to talk to Nate's previous P.E. teacher for a moment and all of a sudden he said....'Your baby!' and I turned around to see my stroller rolling backwards away from me and making a sharp turn in a storm drain. Ha ha...I laughed it off but was mortified! Mr Tod said...is that how you drive too? Actually to be honest I've left my car in neurtral and have found it in places where I didn't originally park it! Blondie!

And to top it all off Liam finally fell asleep in the car on the way home. He was beyond exhausted and I was happy that once we got back home I could slip him into his crib for a nice long nap until it was time to pick up Chad from the bus. I was just laying him down when somehow I lost my grip and banged his face/head into the rails. Well of course he woke up and wailed like a banshee. There was no going back to sleep for him. So now he's awake...overtired and whinging at every little thing. There is no hope for another nap now since we having swimming right after school.

Can it be Monday on Thursday?

My consolation is that Nathan did awesome with 1st place in hurdles, 2nd place in high jump and 2nd place in the 100m dash!

***UPDATED 3:36 pm***

What happens to babies that don't nap when they should......they fall asleep in the stranges places! This is where I found the little man when I got home from the bus stop. I left Nate in charge. Now I have to pick him up to get to swimming...figures!

A Job Well Done

What perfect weather it's been to put up a new fence. This was a group project with three of our neighbors and with much cooperation the project is about 90% complete! We just need to put up our new gate and stain our side. The best part about this entire endeavor has been getting to know our neighbors better. They are all fine people and we are just so pleased to have formed some good friendships with them.

Just our side to be build and it's complete!

Our neighbor putting in the final screws. I'm afraid I didn't contribute much other than some

baking for coffee break and moral support!

The men made sure everything was straight and true.

The Business of Cooling Off

We had to do something. With indoor temps reaching highs of 29 degrees it was becoming clear we'd have to escape the indoors to cool off outdoors. I went and bought Liam a little pool from Canadian Tire and set it up on the deck. The boys were very keen to 'swim' in 3 inches of water. They are devoted brothers. Actually, Chad lasted only a few minutes. He got bored!

Liam enjoyed himself very much but quickly discovered he could easily escape to explore new and exciting places. So much for my idea of lounging on a chair with Liam plays nicely with some toys. He's an escape artist!

Flaked Out

Liam has a cold. Liam has been more than a little cranky. Liam is falling asleep at unusual times and unusual places!

PS. His legs aren't sunburned but chaffed from crawling!

Cooking

It's 27 degrees at 10:30 pm....indoors!

I'm just happy to not be pregnant in this heat.

Liam is doing what he can to sleep 'cool'.....

Summer Days are Here Again!

1980

Mighty Proud

I was worried for nothing. This happens all the time.

Nathan was absolutely amazing in his role of 'Nehemiah'! I think he got bit by the acting bug because after he was finished his third and final performance he told me he wanted to do that everyday! Keith and I had no idea he had this hidden talent and were just so pleased to see him up there on stage. I wanted to stand up afterwards and tell everyone in earshot...that's my boy!

Chad also did a great job in choir. You can definitely be entertained by watching him. Yawns, fidgeting, poking his neighbor and a bit of singing are what you get by our little wiggle worm. He has a love/hate relationship with choir.

Way to go boys.....we love you!

Baby Toes

Oh My!

My nerves. MY NERVES!
The kids are performing this weekend at church in a musical called 'Oh Me, Oh My, Oh Nehemiah!'.

I usually LOVE watching them sing and perform each Christmas and spring with the Kids Town Choir. This year I am rather jumpy about the whole situation because Nathan has the lead role of Nehemiah! I am very proud of course but my goodness I don't know if I can even bear to watch.

Each year he's been in choir, I've encouraged him to try out for a role and each year he hasn't been interested. A few times he was in a non-speaking role as a wise man and enjoyed that very much. This year I encouraged him to try out for a role again because it's his last year of being in the choir as once you are past grade 5 that's it. He really didn't want to so I left him alone about it. When the day came for try-outs he told me that Chris (one of the kids pastors) had also encouraged to try out for the same reasons as old mom did. So he did.

The next week he ran out of practice with a big grin on his face and told me he got the lead role of Nehemiah! And of course I blurt out....Are you sure?! I was stunned. My Nathan who does not seek the spotlight got the lead role?!

Anyhow, he's been practicing his lines diligently, attending all rehearsals and seems to be very comfortable in his role.

This weekend we get to see....if I can bring myself to open my eyes wide enough to watch!

34 Days and Counting!

PS. Any advice on surviving a 9+ hour international flight with a 9 month old?

8 Months!

Hey hey hey....Liam's monthly milestone is here again!

This boy is busy crawling everywhere and getting into everything! If you could only see his rough, red knees. He's putting on the miles.

He's also establishing an excellent appetite. I have yet to find a food that he won't eat. He knows his mealtimes and does not let anyone forget his breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Some of his current favorites are:

sweet potatoes

yogurt

pears

feta cheese

puffed wheat

$Slurp Slurp Yum Yum$

Houses are bottomless pits. Money-sucking bottomless pits! Next project I'm so excited about (insert sarcasm) is that we are getting a new fence on the east side of our yard. The whole fence is about to fall down so it was necessary to get it done. Tonight the boys are hard at work tearing it down. We hope to have the new fence up by mid-June or so. I'm quite sure there will be some 'after' pictures for you to see!

What All Babies Do

The Tupperware cupboard. All babies learn there is one cupboard in kitchens that is not off limits to them! What fun can be had with plastic!

Liam seemed a little bored with his baby toys the other day so I figured it was time to introduce 'the cupboard'. He knew what to do right away and was very happy for quite some time while I made supper. The happiness came to an end when he discovered my old cheese grater at the back and picked himself on the sharp metal. Ooops! Bad mummy.

Buns

Thank you so much 'Girl in the Village' for sharing your bread maker buns recipe with me. They have not failed me yet and my family just enjoys them so much! Seriously easy....email me if you want the recipe and I'll pass it along. I don't think she'll mind :)

Pretty

I love to look out of my kitchen window now that there is something pretty to look at. The lush spring growth is such a welcome change. My garden has been quite neglected due to my time being taken up with Liam but my mom has been faithful in coming over to at least do the minimal maintenance to keep up appearances. I really appreciate it!
My mom and I planted our own hanging baskets this year. They seem to be doing really well! Definitely not as full as the nurseries pre-made ones but we're learning.

Not sure why but pansies are one of my favorite annuals! They bloom all summer and are so pretty.

Dual Personality

If you are lucky enough to meet our sweet Liam in person you will probably not get a smile. Liam doesn't hand out smiles to just anyone. He's a fairly serious observer and really takes in his environment. Quiet and thinking. That is Liam....out of the house.

At home, Liam is a LOUD boy. He coos, talks, spits, blows raspberries, squeals and SCREAMS! Not the crying sort of screaming but the 'I am going to scream because God gave me lungs' kind of screaming. It's cute for a while but after entire afternoons of it we all want to run away. Today was a screaming day. I had to record some noise because no one really believes he has it in him!

Birds & the Bees

A conversation between Chad and I yesterday as he ran into the house:

Chad: Mom! Can I go into Matthew's backyard?

Me: Why? (I am not generally comfortable with him out of sight while playing outside)

Chad: His dog and the neighbor dog are BREEDING!

Me: Do you know that that is?

Chad: Yeah.....it's what mammals do.

Me: No.

Jumping and Moving

Today Nathan was involved in an interschool track meet. There were six other area elementary schools involved. The day started off with some big scary clouds and there were thundershowers in the forecast. Fortunately the weather co-operated although the wind was a bit chilly. I was really happy to be able to attend and watch Nate compete in two of his three events. He was in long jump, hurdles and high jump. I just knew those long legs would come to good use one day!

Here he is, pleased at punch with his ribbons. His best placing with 2nd in the hurdles. In a few weeks he'll advanced to the next track meet with the best of the best from all the district schools.

Liam reached yet another milestone. He's no longer in his infant car seat and I'm rejoicing! That thing was cumbersome and so heavy to lug around. I was really quite tired of it! He's now in his rear-facing convertible seat and he thinks it's pretty great. And on that note, I have an infant seat with base in perfect condition that needs a home. Does anyone know of a needy new mom or mom-to-be that would like to have it?

Little Chip

On Monday evening as we were doing the bedtime routine a most interesting thing happened.

Chad was flossing his teeth and the floss was a little hard to pull through his molar. So he gave it a good tug and out flew a piece of his tooth! It bled, he freaked, and well, Keith and I didn't know WHAT to do! We'd never heard of this before. I gathered up his little tooth fragment and we inspected his molar. It definitely was missing the corner but since it was a baby tooth we figured it should be okay.

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. Chad comes home from school to tell me that his mouth hurt when he ate his lunch. All my thoughts of leaving this issue alone were put aside and I promptly called the dentist. We were told to come over right away and so I dashed off leaving Nathan to babysit Liam for the first time!

We got to the office and were ushered into an exam room right away with our little 'chip' in a ziplock back. The dentist took a look and decided to quickly fill the little hole right there and then. Chad wasn't pleased to have to get a filling but he endured and was brave. His dentist told me that his tooth probably already had a chip ( from crunching hard candy I bet!) and the floss snagged it and when Chad tugged out the floss it broke the weak point of the tooth and out it came.

Next time your kids floss watch for flying teeth!

My First Mother's Day....

....as a Mom of three children.

It was good. Very good.

It all started with breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. This was in lieu of Sunday because Sunday morning are very rushed at our house trying to get everyone out the door to church on time. Keith made me an egg mcmuffin and a mocha. It was tasty! Nathan and Chad took care of Liam so we could enjoy it together.

That evening we went to the Third Day concert. I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would! They can really rock! It was extremely loud and I realize I sound like a senior for even mentioning it. Totally worth it and we were so glad we went! It's wonderful that Abbotsford now has a venue in which to hold concerts. Not having to drive into Vancouver will definitely make us want to attend them more often.

Sunday dawned clear and beautiful. We went to church and listened to a great, yet challenging sermon on what true beauty is for women.

The boys presented me with gifts they had made at school. Poems, flowers and a beautiful butterfly. All things to cherish.

Keith's parents dropped by in the afternoon for a visit. We had a lovely time sitting on the back deck in the sun. We also gave his mom her traditional hanging basket.

My parents came over for a BBQ dinner. We grilled up three types of skewers...chicken, steak and prawns. Grilled asparagus, roast veggies, pan bread, and salads (thanks Mom!) rounded out the rest of the meal. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself. Keith is turning into an expert BBQer. For dessert we had rhubarb platz made with the rhubarb from my garden. Yum.

Keith cleaned up the entire meal and my kitchen was spotless! Thanks so much babe! I was able to relax after dinner and visit with my family.

Moving On

Liam has moved out of his baby bathtub to the 'big' tub now. He really didn't seem to mind the change. As long as you give him some sort of bath toy to gnaw he's pretty happy.

He's been an imp lately with his sleeping habits. We were pleased to finally have him sleeping through the night but now his latest trick is to wake up around 5:00 am which sucks! We tuck him back in and give him his soother but he wants none of that. He wants to be UP! I'm trying really hard not to toss him from the window. Having babies is for the young...I'm too old to handle sleep deprivation. I think someone is going to get hurt!

Found It!

The most perfect cinnamon buns ever. I have had many dismal failures in trying to make them but I assure you.....these are easy and absolutely delicious.

I tell ya...those Mennonite Girls have never let me down!

Click here for the recipe!

Figuring Liam Out

We have learned the hard way that if we put Liam to bed early, he wakes up early!

This morning he was yelling for his morning bottle at 5:55 am.

So by 7:45 am he was wasted and sawing logs. I think his whole day is going to be a mess now. Routine babies need to stay ON ROUTINE!!!!

Stuff

Thursday we went for a delicious dinner at Greek Islands. It's never a disappointing experience there. Special thanks to Roger who sacrificed watching the hockey game to come celebrate Keith's birthday. There were very few men in the restaurant actually. At least he was getting constant updates on the score on his phone!

Last night we decided to have a family movie night. So we settled on the sofa with yummy banana splits (after a long walk to balace it out) and watched 'Marley & Me'. I was remiss in not researching this movie online first (http://www.pluggedinonline.com/). I am usually quite particular about what my kids watch and was quite distressed that I was duped into thinking that this was a family movie. It's not.

And lastly, Keith and I had to purchase an umbrella stroller for our trip. The stroller we use for walking is one of those three wheeled monsters and is not allowed on the plane. So now we have an airline friendly compact stroller. It will be handy at home too for the mall or to throw in the back of the car. Isn't my baby such a doll? As of today he's sitting up on his own for quite long stretches of time. He's growing up fast and we're loving it!

Suckers

Like all my babies, Liam has a soother addiction. I actually was the enabler of this addiction. I started him on it in the hospital contrary to the current popular advice. He wasn't keen to start but I did persist and now I have a full blown addict. This is good. A fussy baby is very often immediately pacified with a pacifier. I am a big fan of them.
Liam has know moved onto the next size of soother. It's definitely a bigger chuck of silicone for him to have in his mouth. When I popped a new one in yesterday he immediately spat it out and looked at me like I had just put something very wrong in his mouth! Fortunately it didn't last and after a few minutes he was happy as a clam with his new best friend.

The boys got a hold of the old soothers and had a few quiet moments of regression. Those were the good old days, hey kids?!