Adding Another Teen to the Mix

I now have two teenagers as this morning Chad officially turned 13 and entered a new and exciting time of his life.  Chad is my cuddly, sensitive soul.  He craves praise and attention and strives to please.  A classic middle-born!  He's also proving to be quite academic and an athletic to boot.  His musicianship and acting skills are becoming sharpened as well.  Is there anything he can't do?!  Yes...eat bananas!

 

 Chad loves Oroville but does not love water.  He's always been very cautious and took a long time to learn to swim.

 I can guarantee this gift contains Lego.  He's a lifetime fan.

 Chad grew a ton between grade 6 & 7.  He's almost six feet tall now and wears a size 11 shoe.  His voice has changed and well....he's definitely a young man!

 Chad's brown eyes melt our hearts.  First person in our little family to have brown eyes so it was such a treat.  We call them chocolate eyes!

 A great thing about Chad is that he is always up to try new foods.  This makes life very fun and flavorful.

 Chad enjoys school and I never have to remind him to do his homework.  He's quite responsible!  He also loves turtles and really wants one for a pet.  I'm not in agreement with this request!

 Chad and Nate get along quite fine but Liam and Chad are a different mix altogether.  It's absolutely love-hate.  They can get along beautifully but mostly they do rub each other the wrong way! 

As the big show approaches we are very excited to see Chad play the lead as Aladdin.  Wow....only his second show with A.C.T. and he's a headliner.  Way to go!!!

And this little face will live in my memory forever.  A sweet and quiet little soul with a need to be picked up often. 

You're on your way to great things and we are SO happy to be your parents.

xo

A Full Life

Funerals can be really hard but some are rather easy.  Grandma Dyck-Big Mama-Tina-Katrina passed away at the end of March and we celebrated her life today.  She had a long life of 96 years!  Sadly the last 8 were not so pleasant as she developed Alzheimer's disease.  To know she is free of it is a good feeling.
Keith was absolutely blessed to be able to hold her in his arms as she passed from this world into the next.  It was peaceful and an answer to Keith's prayer as he simply could not bear the thought of her dying alone.  We were called on the Friday to let us know that she had gone down hill rather rapidly.  We went to see her that evening and within 45 minutes of us getting there she passed.
She was a very big part of Keith life.  He loved her to bits and when I first started dating him he often spoke of her with such love and respect.  It was a sign that I had caught a 'good one' in Keith!!
She was instrumental in Keith's faith development and took him often to Olivet Mennonite church.  Keith and I could have actually passed each other in the hallways as I went there as a child as well!  Funny how life works.
Today was a beautiful, warm spring day.  The cemetary was alive with spring blossoms and Pastor Frank (who actually did our pre-marital counselling...again, what a neat coincidence!) did a wonderful job explaining God`s promises to us.

After the internment we went back to the funeral home for the memorial and then had a tea.  It was a good time of seeing family and sharing memories.  I`ll never forget her kindness to me back when Keith introduced me to her for the first time.  I think she was quite pleased that Keith had found himself a `nice Mennonite girl` and I felt very comfortable with her in turn.  I look forward to seeing her again in heaven!

 I found my Great Oma`s grave while we were there.  Fond memories of visiting her in her apartment in Vancouver and always leaving with a Coffee Crisp!

Wee College Grad #8

I do believe we may have just attended our final Wee College graduation.  Even though this is only Liam's second year he won't be able to finish up the three year program as the church has shut it down.  It's too bad but he definitely learned a lot of solid Christian doctrine in those two years!

 Liam made plenty of amusing faces during the program.  The kids were all cute and very enthusiastic.

 He was very proud of himself and certainly should be.  He has a lot of Bible knowledge in his head!

And dear teacher Shirley who is done after 38 years of faithful service.  Talk about a committed lady!  What a fantastic example to us all.  We appreciate all the love and time she put into our kids lives.

Fun in White Rock

In search of a dry spot we discovered on Saturday night that Sunday's forecast for White Rock was sun.  And 'they' were right!  We had a great day showing the sights to Daisy and Kori's girls, Ant & Mew.  Such a fun bunch of ladies!

Spectacular!

The offer has always stood.  In our house, straight As means a reward of $100.  Until this day, the offer had never been redeemed.  Chad is officially the first in the house to achieve a perfect report card!  He worked hard for it and he got his reward.  Happy parents and a satisfied Chad!

 

No Room at the Inn

It's rather hard for me to believe but we have another international guest staying at our house.   Every bedroom has a resident now!
Daisy arrived from Thailand last Thursday and will be with us until April 27th.  She is the teacher for a group of 16 students who are at MEI for a cultural visit. 
So far so good!
She is a delightful lady who is interested in getting to know us, further her English (which is already quite good) and be a part of our lives. 
Last night she cooked up a Thai dinner for us.  Sadly, I was all stuffed up with a cold so my taste buds weren't very sharp but it was very well received by all.
She loves Liam and he's enjoying all the attention!
I know we'll miss her when she goes but until then we will enjoy showing her around our beautiful area and learning about her Thai culture.

 Note that Daisy is cooking in her coat.  She is finding it quite cold here as it is 35 degrees in her city right now!

Soup, Thai omelette and pork & veggie stir fry on rice.

Dr. Google

Perhaps you already knew this but I just discovered something for myself that makes this curious girl very happy.
One can get ALL the juicy details of all BioMed lab test results online.  This means that after they take your blood, pee or whatever sort of bodily fluid you can get your results YOURSELF before you do or (usually) do not hear back from your doctor.
I recently went to my doctor for a check up (this took great courage!).  It had been about 6 years so I knew it was time.  She's a new doctor for me and very thorough.  This is good and somewhat disturbing as I don't like medical exams of any sort.
Anyhow she sent me for routine blood work and I was able to see all my results and subsequently diagnose myself (ha ha ha!) before too long.
Actually the doctor's office just called me the other day to have my blood drawn again to do a more specific test and I was able to see those results in less than 24 hours!  I love this.
Anyhow, the good news is that I am quite healthy....minus the fact I seem to have a solid case of anemia. 
I have a follow up appointment next week and I can guess that I'll have to go on iron pills.  Double blech!
This is also a bit sad because I really wanted to start donating blood with the Red Cross but with my numbers this is not likely to ever happen.

Celebrations

Celebrating '16' came bright and early as Nathan was super keen to get his learner's lisence straight away!  He did brilliantly on the test and we were out of there before a blink of an eye.  

 In the evening we had the family over for a gourmet meal (by request) of ribs, scalloped potatoes, salad and garlic bread.  The meal ended with a most decadently delicious Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake!

 Liam does his very hardest to remain the centre of attention...always!

Our growing family.  Next month it's Chad and Keith's turn to get a little older!

 Keith and Murray attempted the birthday bumps.  It's a big awkward with a heavy teen that's over six feet tall!

 The next night we took one of Nate's buddies (actually the only friend left in town that was NOT away on vacation!) and him out to Richmond to satisfy some need for speed at an indoor go kart track.

 I didn't race....someone had to take pictures!

 They had a great time...huge smiles when they were finished!

 Keith did win out for the final results.  I guess having some 'real' driving experience is an asset!

16 Years in a Blink of an Eye

My first born.

The baby that expanded my heart.  

The son that realigned every goal, dream and aspiration.

The child that has made me so very proud!

He is 16 years old today.

My heart hurts...in a good way!  

Private Education - A Personal Perspective

I guarantee you that if you would have asked me five short years ago if I was even remotely interested in sending my children to private school the answer would have been 'no'.

We were happy with our decision to have our kids go through the traditional school model in the public system.  We had no complaints...it was working out very well.

The shift in thinking all got started with a surprise blessing named Liam.

During my maternity leave I grew very restless at the thought of returning to the Credit Union after my one year leave.  In this case absence was NOT making the heart grow fonder and I was increasingly becoming agitated about returning to a job I did not enjoy anymore.  I by chance saw a posting online for a one day a week position at MEI middle school as a secretary and thought it was worth a shot.  I would lose nothing by applying.  I figured this was a way to get my foot in the door to being a secretary in a school (long time dream) by working one day a week there and the other hours at the credit union.  It was positively providential that I was called for an interview and then called back and offered the job....four days a week!  This was a sign it was for me.  Although I didn't want to work so much with a little boy at home I was NOT going to let this opportunity slip by.  I happily took the position and well, let's just say I've never looked back.  It has been a massive blessing in my life.  I love my job, my co-workers, the students and the parents.  It's truly a dream come true.  After working two years at MEI,  I grew to find that my desire to have my children be a part of the MEI community quite strong and we moved Nathan over for grade 8.  Best decision ever!  He absolutely thrived and my momma's heart was about bursting to see him so happy.  Chad followed the next year starting grade six and well, it was a no-brainer to have Liam here for Kindergarten.  I am beyond pleased with their experience.  The holistic approach to education...mind, body and spirit fulfills their every need.  They are sincerely loved, cared about, prayed for and educated in a way that makes every financial sacrifice worth it.  

I'm so glad we gave MEI a chance....it has been so good for us all!

Famoso Pizza

Keith and I have been trying to get out for lunch dates about every 6 weeks or so.  It's nice to meet up in the middle of the day....no babysitting required with Liam at school!  Last week we tried out one of the new eateries at High Street.  It was pretty good.

 I had the soup and small pizza for $10.  The tomato bisque was lovely and fresh tasting.  The Margherita pizza was also quite nice but was lacking in basil.  More please!

 Keith had a personal sized Thai pizza that he really enjoyed.  It was very different he said.  I didn't taste it but it looked good!

It's likely we'll be back to try it again.  It's conveniently located next to the new movie theatre so I'm sure they will get plenty of business.  Truth be told nothing quite beats a Chef's Special pizza from Rendezvous...there is just nothing like it, IMHO of course!