A Day In The Life...

I've posted before about how much I love walking my children to school, so for today's entry I thought I'd share my day with you.

Here we are outside my mom's, heading to school.



My mom is getting into her car to head to McDonald's to pick up coffees and muffins. We have this for breakfast every morning. Yum.

Along our way Sam made a friend... I didn't particularly want him touching this cat because it could have been infested with cooties, and well... if you know me then you know I have an issue with cooties.



We were running a few minutes behind and heard the bell ring just as we were entering the catwalk so the children had to get running...



Sam never waits for Julie if he can help it.





Julie started running out of steam as she hurried through the schoolyard...



Once the children headed into the school, Jordan and I headed off for our walk. She was so cozy and warm in her stroller and fell asleep pretty soon after we left the schoolyard.



I love this street. It's so quiet and everyone keeps their property looking so nice. I love walking along here. There is one particular garden that I love looking at because it's filled with irises but they have gone all brown now.





This house kills me. How many satellite dishes does one need?? Doesn't one do the trick?



Mom and I spend the entire day talking and never run out of topics. She wouldn't let me take a picture of her laying on the couch but I did snap one of her with Jordan.



Here come the kids home from school!



I make them hold hands while they walk so they stay together. I think it's cute. I bet they don't.

Looking right....



Looking left....



And crossing!



The children played on my mom's lawn for a short bit to blow off some excess energy.





This is my mom with my children.



And Sam and Jules in front of my mom's.



That's it!

Scary Night

Our little Jordan gave us a huge scare last night. HUGE.

It was just after midnight and I was heading up to bed for the night, but stopped to change Jordan's diaper and hand her over to Ian to be fed. She was very hungry and went at that bottle like she was starving. A couple of minutes later she started coughing and choking. Her little face went red and her eyes started watering. Ian immediately sat her up and started to pat her little back, but she still kept making choking noises and started gasping for air.

I asked him what was happening and he said he thought something might have been wrong with her bottle. After what felt like forever she still seemed to be struggling for air. He was patting her back harder but still nothing. Her little face looked so panicked. Finally I called 911.

I tried to stay as calm as possible on the phone with the 911 operator so I could accurately relay what was happening. My voice was shaking and I was trying not to cry. I did pretty well until he conferenced me with the fire department. He told me to keep silent until he came back on the line. I started to lose it when he relayed the wrong street and then said that he had a "2 1/2 year old female child". I had to speak up to correct him.

Several times he assured me that the paramedics had been dispatched and were on their way. It felt like forever for them to arrive. I cannot find the words to express what I was feeling at that moment. Believe me when I say it was the scariest night of my life.

While I was on the phone with 911 Jordan started breathing again. She was still coughing, but she was breathing. Ian told me she was coming around. Finally the paramedics arrived and Ian gave Jordan to me so he could let them in. I held her so tightly and the tears started to fall.

I was so glad to see them that I didn't even care that they wore their wet and muddy shoes on my freshly cleaned carpet!

Jordan greeted them with the biggest, most joyful smile you'd ever seen.

Brat.

The fire department and police arrived shortly after.

The entire episode lasted about 4 minutes, and she was without air for about 20 seconds. It felt so much longer than that. The paramedic attached a lead to her tiny toes to check the oxygen in her bloodstream and found she was at 98%. A quick listen to her heart followed. He said she appeared to be breathing fine and her colour was good, but he would take her to the hospital if we wanted. We declined and said we would take her to our family doctor in the morning.

We stayed up with her until almost 2am. I was still shaking but she was breathing fine and all appeared to be perfect once again.

She woke just after 4am and we both got up with her. She coughed and gagged a bit while Ian fed her, but nothing like a few hours before. She barely ate and settled back to sleep.

I started calling my doctor's office at 9am and finally got through at 9:20. I was told that my regular doctor would be out of the office until September due to a medical issue but they could fit her in at 3:10 with a different doctor.

I kept her as quiet as possible throughout the day and Ian took us to her appointment. I described the events from the night before and the doctor told me that in a nutshell, all that happened was that her formula "went down the wrong way".

Honestly. That's all??

He explained what happens when an adult swallows something that goes down the wrong way and how they will cough and choke and will not be able to breathe for a few seconds until the airway was cleared. Babies don't know enough to clear their throats or to signal for help. As a precaution he sent us downstairs for an xray just in case any liquid make it to her lungs.

The xray showed some shading on her lungs which was consistant with pneumonia. She said that pneumonia was a term for fluid on the lungs, and she had "inhaled pneumonia".

Back upstairs we go to see the doctor again. He gave her a prescription for the pneumonia and a new requisition for another xray to be done on Monday. I made a follow up appointment for her for the 26th. Hopefully all will be fine by then.

She has been sleeping fitfully all day and hasn't had a solid stretch of sleep. She is resting now and appears to be ok.

Please pray alongside us that her body will heal quickly. I can't tell you how much I would appreciate that.

~ Kate

What is it with these parents???

Honestly... what is with these celebrity parents not cutting their sons' hair?? Don't they see how awful they look?







UGH!

Father's Day

This morning the children and I brought Ian breakfast in bed, then we all climbed into bed with him while he opened his gifts. It was my intent to run a hot bath for Ian to soak in before church but then I used all the hot water for my shower. Oops.

I don't think there is any way for me to adequately express just how great a father Ian is to our children. He is so patient and loving, always looking for opportunities to teach and encourage them. He is so affectionate and playful. He encourages them to be confident and tells them constantly that he loves them. He makes time for each of them, to listen or to play, whatever they need. They are very secure within themselves because of the father that he is. I love the way he is with our children. It makes me love him all the more.

We made it to church early, which is a miracle. We are always arriving JUST in time or a few minutes late. I thought I'd have 20 minutes to feed Jordan and get her settled and find a good seat before the service began. WRONG. She started howling as soon as we pulled out of the driveway and didn't stop. So much for me getting a good seat in church. ;-) We found a quiet spot and I cuddled her until she fell asleep then we headed in.

She slept for the first part of the service then woke up and found great entertainment in my friend Jennifer who sat just behind us. She was on the verge of laughing she was having such a good time. At one point she kept hiccuping... I didn't know if I should take her out or not. Our services are relatively kid-free and very quiet. When our pastor says "let us pray" you can practically feel a breeze as everyone bows their heads.

Today we had a guest speaker who talked about relationships. He said he had lived in the same apartment building for two years yet didn't know any of his neighbours. So he and his wife decided to do something about that and planned an Easter egg hunt for the children in the building. It cost them $50 to do. He said about 20 people showed up, six of them stood staring at him and his wife like they were crazy. Someone asked him why he would do something like this. He told them that he couldn't live in isolation like this, that he liked people and felt it was important to know the people you live with. After that he decided to plan a bbq. Six people volunteered to help him. For the next few weeks they met to plan this bbq. Soon the meetings weren't just about planning for the bbq, it turned into a time of sharing about who they were and where they came from. One week someone brought cookies. Someone was heading out to Tim Hortons for a coffee and called to ask him if he wanted anything. 35 people came to the bbq and again he got the question "Why would you do this?" When he'd give his reason people would agree and say that they had lived in that building for 5, 10 or 20 years and never knew their neighbours. When the bbq was over people asked "what's next?" So... they planned a Fall Festival and he had 18 volunteers. They were no longer a group of people standing in the elevator watching the numbers change. They had become friends.

He said something that really resounded in me. He said that wherever we are or whomever we encounter, we should leave some sort of impact. He said that in order to be the salt and light of the earth we need to use every opportunity to reach out to others, that we are designed by God for relationships and that our society is saturated with lonliness. We need to be God's hands and feet so that He can reach people through us. Our neighbours are lonely and hurting, hungry and broken.

He was right.

I have lived in my community for almost 10 years and I only speak to two of my neighbours, one of which is moving away in two weeks. What have I done with my time here? How have I used my time to make a difference to someone else? Have I allowed myself to become God's hands and feet so He could work through me to reach someone? No I haven't.

At that moment a crazy idea popped into my mind. One that was absolutely unlike me and not from me. What if Ian and I were to hold off selling our home and for the next year commit ourselves to building relationships within our community? What could God do through us if only we let Him? Who could we reach through Him and for Him?

Have I ever just said "Whatever Lord" and truly, truly meant it?

The idea stayed with me throughout the remainder of the service. I actually started thinking of how we would have to move everything from our storage unit back into our house, where we would put it, how we could rearrange our space so that we could last another year in these cramped quarters. Maybe put the girls in our room, Sam into Julie's and we move into Sam's? Could we convert Ian's office into a bedroom for Sam, and would he then be too far away from us...? What would people say? We're already knee deep into this process.

I mentioned it to Ian after the service and he suggested that we pray about it. It sounded crazy to even say it out loud. But what if it wasn't my idea? What if it was His idea? Lots to pray about for sure.

After church we headed to the mall. Ian and Sam headed off to their favourite store - EB Games - while the girls and I went looking for a new dress for Julie. This morning she put on the one we bought her for her birthday this past March and it was too short! She has shot up again! We checked out Please Mum and she found a dress she really liked. Turned out they had the same print in Jordan's size so I bought that one too :-) Yep.. I'm going to be "That Mom" who dresses their daughters the same. LOL.



It was a lot of fun shopping with her. She has definite ideas about what styles and colours she likes and isn't afraid to let me know when they differ from mine. :-)

We met up with the guys for lunch then on our way out stopped at another store and I ended up buying another dress for Jules.



I am SO happy that she is getting back into skirts and dresses again.

On our way home we stopped for the slushies Ian refused to stop for last night at 10pm. Ian went in to get them and came out with this gigantic cup that made my jaw drop open. I have NO idea what he is ever going to put in this cup or use it for ever again, but it sure gave us all a laugh.



He can't even fit his hands around that thing.

I love the shirt he's wearing. We bought it on our last trip to Disney. I wanted him to wear it when our pastor-friend was preaching. I told him to wear a sweater all buttoned up with this shirt on underneath and as soon as he began his sermon, just unbutton the sweater to reveal this huge eye. Come on... that would throw anyone, don't you think? LOL. Ian is a terrific jokester but he thought this would likely be a bit inappropriate. Boo. He wore it this morning as he was teaching Sunday school. The church kids love him.

Tomorrow I start stripping wallpaper from the hallway. I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how much I absolutely hate stripping wallpaper. Now that I know that I am supposed to WET the paper BEFORE I strip it, it should go easier.

That's all for today!

Sweet Saturday

Today was a very busy but great day.

After a slow morning I took the children over to Wal-Mart so they could pick out their Father's Day gifts for Ian. Good grief...I was there with The King and Queen Of Indecision! They could not decide what they wanted to get him! Over an hour later we made it to the cashier and then headed over to McD's for lunch.

Ian took Sam to see The Incredible Hulk while Julie, Jordan and I stayed home and watched Racing Stripes. Afterwards she and I wrapped Ian's Father's Day gifts. Don't they look pretty?



I can't tell you what they are because Ian reads my blog and can be VERY nosy.

Once Ian and Sam came home I headed over to Fortinos to pick up a few things for our picnic at Chinguacousy park. Julie helped me make sandwiches and then she packed the basket for us. She did a great job, don't you think?



The park was packed with people but we found a lovely spot near the water and set out our blanket and had our dinner.













Afterwards, Ian played a bit of soccer with the children and they ran and ran to let out some pent up energy...





Run Sam... Run.....!



Of course wherever Sam goes.... Julie follows!



Ian took a few pics once the kids sat down to rest...







Eventually we got around to feeding the ducks even though it isn't really allowed. We Batterburys are RULE BREAKERS!







Once all the bread was gone we headed over to the playground. There were TONS of kids there! There is a merry-go-round type thing there that the children sit on and someone can spin it so they whip around like crazy. Ian got spinning it pretty fast and every so often a kid would fly off. Julie eventually came to sit by me and Jordan complaining of dizziness and a "barfy tummy". I guess so!

Jordan doesn't do much but I'll slip a pic of her in here anyway!



After following the children around and taking all sorts of pictures of them, I thought I would sit down. The only available bench was then covered by this person's bags... apparently they must have been much more tired than I was and therefore needed the seat more.



After the kids were all played out and I had a turn on the swings, we packed up and headed for home...



In case you haven't guessed... I am learning how to use Ian's new camera. In the last couple of weeks he's shown me how to upload pics and then resize them. My next lesson will be how to "clean them up" using Photoshop. Can't wait.

Here are a few pics on our way home....

This is the hospital that Jordan was born in. It's brand new :-) My friend Jen will be delivering her baby there around Christmas.





And this is Ian trying to explain why my idea of stopping for slushies at 7-11 at almost 10pm was a bad idea. Party pooper. ;-)



So there you have it... our day in pictures. Everyone is sleeping and I'm on my way.

God Bless.

~Kate

Goodbye Precious...

Today I had to say goodbye to an old friend. Her name is Precious. Yes... Precious is a tv. We inherited her from Ian's dad awhile ago. He said that the picture tube was shot and if Ian could fix it he could have her. So Ian fixed her and she made her way into our bedroom. She is a very large tv with a 32" screen and I loved her. I could get all tucked in bed and watch whatever I wanted. We became extremely close during my pregnancy as we spent many hours together.

Here is my friend Precious.





Apparently many of the regular tv stations are switching to digital come February and analog tvs won't work without a converter box. Unfortunately Precious is an analog tv, weighs a ton and is very obtrusive, Ian tells me. She blocks the smallest window in our bedroom but I don't care. I don't want the neighbours peeping at me anyhow. He's been wanting to get rid of her for awhile now but I kept hanging on.

Enter the real estate agent. She told us that we'd have to get rid of Precious in order to display the window and let in even more light. That was all Ian needed to hear.

He's been working on me since Tuesday. I actually felt teary at the thought of parting with her luciously large, clear screen and easy to use buttons.

Yesterday he was shopping around and found a new tv... an LCD flat screen with a built in DVD player. Apparently it was the last one in stock and he got an incredible deal on it. He called me to ask me what I wanted to do... I hestitated and he reminded me that she just had to go. So... WELCOME SLIM!





I have yet to bond with Slim. I am not interested in learning how to work him. I resent his 19" screen and fancy shmancy built in dvd player. I fear that I will not see facial expressions etc on such a small screen....

I am spoiled. I admit it.

Farewell Precious.... it was nice while it lasted....

My Week In Review

I can't believe it's the middle of June already. It amazes me how quickly time passes.

Monday night I posted about Sam's hamster passing away. We went out pretty much right away and bought him a guinea pig. They are getting along famously.

Tuesday I kept the children home because my poor little Julie was still feeling sick. I kept Sam home too. Tuesday night the realtor came. She was really nice and I liked her right away. She has a lot of years of experience behind her and I felt really good about our meeting. She went through the house and told us what we needed to do and as soon as that's done she'll come back to give us a formal appraisal and a sign in the lawn. I really liked her a lot.

Wednesday I went over to my mom's to visit and after walking the children to school I took Jordan for our stroll. Lots of drama to be seen as this was Garbage Day. I saw one woman yelling loudly at the garbage man for not taking a bag of hers. He slapped a sticker on it and drove away, ignoring her. She shouted at him all the way down the street until he turned the corner. The next street over had even more drama. A man was shouting at the garbage man, wanting him to take an extra bag for free (we are only allowed 2 bags for free, anything over an above has to be tagged) and he was trying to throw the bag up and over the guy into the truck. The garbage guy closed up the back of the truck and gave him a sheet with a number to call if he wanted to complain and the entire time the other guy was trying to fire his bag over the enclosure. Jordan and I slowed our pace considerably lest we miss something. After school the children helped my mom trim the bushes around the porch.

Thursday I stayed home and hung out with Jordan.

Today I was back at my mom's for the morning then Jordan and I headed out to the mall to shop. She was very alert and I kept her informed of everything I saw and how much they were. I think she is coming down with Julie's cold. She's been restless and warm and a little fussy. She hardly ate yesterday or today.

That's it for today. My mind is all over the place. I think the thunder and lightening going on outside is distracting me...

The Dash

Larger Version

Thanks Ian
XO

Laundry, Laundry and MORE Laundry!

This past weekend was allll about laundry. Ian would wash and dry it and I was to fold it. But as you can see, I fell behind in my folding....



Oops.

I tried valiantly to catch up, but he just kept bringing more...




Finally.... progress!!



Whew! All done!

Does Anybody Hear Her?

Anyway

This version was found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta...

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

Monday Drama

Aside from the loss of Sam's hamster Sunny, and welcoming his new guinea pig Shadow, there was other drama today.

Yes, I know. More drama.

Ian and I were in the midst of working on the house when the school called. Honestly, I feel as though I get a call from the school at least once a week. Julie forgot her lunch, Julie has a headache, Sam fell in the mud and needs new pants, etc. Today's call was that Julie was feeling sick and coughing and complaining of a sore throat, would I pick her up?

Sure. Off I went.

According to my friend Jen it was 5,623,109 degrees today, so I figured that rather than going out in the heat to pick up Sam an hour later, I brought him home at the same time. I thought that it would be fun to stop for ice cream on the way home. (Because I'm cool like that... I let my children ditch school for ice cream)

So there we were, the children eating their ice cream while I had a chicken sandwich for my lunch and then we saw him.

Drunk and/or High Guy.

He was dressed in grey sweat pants and a long sleeved black shirt, carrying a spring jacket. In 5,623,109 degree weather that's pretty unusual. But that wasn't what made our mouths drop open.

He began to wave his arms and gesticulate wildly at the cars driving past. Then he stepped onto the road causing cars to swerve to avoid hitting him or slam on their brakes to stop. He started walking down the lane waving for cars to go around him and as they did - slowly - he would pound on their windows and yell at them. I guess he got bored with that because he then started jumping into the other lane. Again with the swerving and screeching of brakes. A girl appeared who seemed to be with him and she tried to pull him off the road unsuccessfully. After shouting at each other for about 10 seconds she went stomping off, leaving him behind.

What to do, what to do. I figured I should probably call the police. I've only called them once before in my life and even though at one point I had the number memorized, I couldn't recall it just then. I was going to have to call 911. I once called 911 by accident and the scolding I got from the operator when she called back was enough to scar me for life.

"911... do you require Police, Fire or Ambulance?" the dispatcher asked.

"Ohh this is definitely going to be a police issue..." I replied. I told her that I was sitting at McDonald's and saw this guy walking into traffic and jumping in front of cars and I'm sorry that it wasn't an emergency NOW, however give it a few minutes and it could be.

I felt like I was in an episode of COPS. She had me describe him and drive through the parking lot to see what he was doing next. I told her that I would try to see, but I had children in the car with me and I didn't want him banging on my windows or worse, for them to see him get struck by a car. She said that they were then getting several calls from other people who had seen him.

Just as an aside, I have always been facinated with the response time for emergency vehicles. Sometimes in my dreams I will have to call 911 and they either put me on hold or the line is busy or tell me my emergency isn't an emergency. So in real life, whenever someone tells me about an accident or a situation, while my first thought should be is the person ok, my real thought is "I wonder how long it took for the police to arrive??" In this instance, they arrived in under three minutes. I found that to be most acceptable.

At one point I told the operator that sadly this was the most excitement I've had in awhile and that I felt like I was on COPS. She laughed and asked me to remain on the line to keep her informed as to what was happening next. (The operators in my dreams are very mean)

We saw a group of cyclists coming and I told her that it should be interesting what Buddy does with them, then I realized they were Bicycle Police. Yes... we have police that patrol on bikes... I always laughed and wondered what they could possibly do. Now I know... they arrest Drunk and/or High Guys.

Once I confirmed with the operator that they were OPP she thanked me for my assistance and I hung up. The children and I watched the remaining drama from the grocery store parking lot right across the street. In addition to the four bike police, three cruisers arrived. One officer patted him down and then cuffed him. The children's mouths were hanging open, ice cream forgotten. Suddenly, the girlfriend showed up! She was very dramatic, waving her arms and gesturing towards Drunk and/or High Guy. The officer was holding his jacket and the girl started tugging on it but he wouldn't let it go. More drama as Buddy called something to her and she called back, looking heartbroken... it was like a lame romance movie. Buddy got put in the back of the cruiser and we headed home.

The children felt so good having done something for society and possibly saved this guy from being run over. We had a great conversation about why people drink and get high.

All this and it's only Monday.

Welcome Shadow

Well that didn't take long. We felt so bad about Sunny dying that we took Sam right to the pet store to buy a new pet. His name is Shadow.



Ian had planned to dispose of Sunny but Sam wants to bury him. Not in our current backyard.... in our NEW backyard. You know... the one we don't have yet.

Ian agreed.

WHAT!?!? How are we going to "store" a hamster body?

Well, he has wrapped him in paper towel and has been laid to rest in a gold box, which has been wrapped in packing tape multiple times and then put a green gift bag. He will be transported and stored in our storage unit until such time that we have a new backyard and Ian can bury him.

Honestly. The things we do for our children.

And to think that Ian laughed and rolled his eyes at me when I told him that we could store a dead body in our storage unit and no one would have any clue. And here we are... about to store a dead body in our storage unit and no one will have any clue.

R.I.P. Sunny....

Sam went to check on his hamster Sunny today and found that she had passed away.



We reassured him that he gave her a great life and that she was a happy and well cared for hamster.

Lots of hugs going on over here today.

:-(

Sunday

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13



Todd Smtih "I Surrender All" from Matthew Singleton on Vimeo.

Yay! Yay! YAY!

My carpets were cleaned today!!! The entire main floor, the upstairs hallway and two sets of stairs!!! YAY!

I can't believe it. It feels as though we jumped into the final stretch in getting this house ready to sell. Monday night the realtor comes! WOW!

Can you tell I am beyond excited??

Ian and I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda this afternoon and I think Jordan enjoyed it the most. Her eyes never left the screen! Two months old and she's already been to her first movie. Too cute. I loved hearing the children laughing. I got to sit next to Sam and after awhile he held my hand which is one of my most favourite things EVER. The movie was ok but it won't be on my list of all-time favourites. I do love Jack Black though and the character of Po was SO him.

Before the movie started we went into Home Depot to pick up a few things for the house to do some minor repairs and checked out the paint section, dreaming about what colours we'd use in our new home. I had originally planned to do Jordan's nursery in purple and white but Julie has decided that she wants her room to be purple. Figures! Ahh well, she is the big sister after all, so she can have the first pick. She changes her mind quite often so who knows what colour she'll want next week. ;-) I checked out some of the appliances and took note of what they cost and Ian showed me the jacuzzi tub he's been drooling over. I will feel bad for him when he goes to take a bath at the new house and will have to use a regular tub. Poor Ian! Aww.. I make him sound spoiled. He doesn't drink, smoke or gamble but he does enjoy a hot soak to start his day. Can't fault him for that.

When we got home I had a visit with my neighbour from across the street. He and his wife are so nice and they have an adorable 2 1/2 year old daughter. She and I wave at each other from our windows and sometimes she'll come over to check out what I'm doing if I'm outside. My neighbour shared with me that he has been recently diagnosed with Stage 2 colon cancer. I was so surprised because he is so young and he said it was by the grace of God that they found it at all. I told him that I would pray for him and he was very grateful. He just had his first round of chemotherapy and will have eight more sessions done every three weeks. Even though I know the Lord will take good care of him, my heart is still heavy. He has such a long and difficult road ahead of him. I don't remember his name because he has a very long indian name, so I just call him Buddy Across The Street. That's what I call my neighbours if I don't know their names. Buddy Down The Street, Buddy Around The Corner, Buddy Behind Us.

Maybe you could say a prayer for Buddy Across The Street too.

Lovely Day

I know I've said it before but I really, really love being a stay at home mom. Today I did one of my most favourite things.... I walked the children to school instead of driving them there.

As soon as I stepped out of the house I knew it was going to be a great day. It had rained earlier in the morning and between that and the heat that was already gearing up, I could smell all the flowers and all felt right with the world.

I got Jordan situated in her stroller and off we went. We had a wonderful walk together as we laughed together, pointed out the flowers in people's gardens and solved the world's problems.

Once we were about to reach school property Sam gave me a kiss and a hug on the down low. It had to be done in private in case his friends saw. How embarrassing would THAT be?? Julie on the other hand, loves for me to walk her right to her door and wait until she goes inside. Along the way she pointed out some kids in the yard and told me something about each of them. As usual she had endless kisses and hugs for me. Soon she forgot all about me as she went about laughing and playing with them. I felt such love for her as she walked into the school with her classmates.

Then it was just Jordan and me. We took the long way to my mother's so that I could get some much needed exercise and Jordan could get some fresh air. The scent of flowers was so strong. She was awake for the entire walk, looking up at me with huge smiles. I talked to her about the flowers I saw and commented on homes that looked nice. I prayed that God would lead us to a home on a street like that one.

I felt so content as I walked along with my baby daughter. All was well in my soul. At one point I stopped and closed my eyes, my face lifted towards the sky and I thanked the Lord for blessing me with her, with Sam and Julie, and for Ian who works so hard to ensure that my dream of staying at home with my children stays a reality.

I spent the rest of the day at my mom's and we talked and talked and talked. Most days we completely lose track of time. I love spending time with her.

Our Friday Family Night was postponed tonight because the children went to a birthday party at McDonald's. Ian, Jordan and I had a quick dinner at A & W and Ian bought the craziest mug from them. It's HUGE. He was so excited about it.

OK, I have to digress a little here to tell you why this mug has Ian so excited. He has this thing for mocha flavoured milk. I guess it's super charged with caffeine or something because he suffers SERIOUS withdrawal without it. Every morning he starts off with the biggest glass he can find and mixes up this gross flavoured milk. (OK I say gross because I don't like mocha) He then takes his drink upstairs and sits in the jacuzzi for roughly 10-15 minutes, drinking it and planning his day. The fact that he now has a keg-sized glass should just make him euphoric tomorrow morning.

Where was I... ahh yes. The birthday party and A & W. From there we looked at a couple of stores and ended up at The Brick. We never buy anything from them because they are horrifically overpriced and the salespeople rival those at Bad Boy. We get inside the door and what does Ian spot right away? A shiatsu chair.

OK, I have to digress again to tell you about Ian and shiatsu. The guy is addicted to shiatsu. We have two of these things that you can either put on a chair or on your car seat and it will massage your body. He also has a shiatsu thing that rubs your neck. When we go to the CNE he becomes the biggest shiatsu whore that ever lived. Every single exhibit that offers shiatsu has a visitor in Ian. He is not picky, he does not discriminate, he goes to them all. He is so relaxed buy the time we leave it's absolutely amazing. If we go to the mall and there are shiatsu chairs there I am set. I could shop for hours and he wouldn't care or even notice as long as he didn't run out of loonies for the chair. I, on the other hand, do not have even the slightest appreciation for shiatsu. It hurts!

OK, back to the shiatsu chair at The Brick. He finally drags himself away from it to meet up with me elsewhere in the store, but then it was time to leave. What does he do before we leave? You got it... he visited The Chair again. I couldn't take listening to him go on and on about this chair anymore and said I would try it.

It should be branded as a torture machine. That thing squeezed my calves until I cried out in pain. It vibrated and rubbed the back of my head and now I have a headache. I felt worse once I got out of the chair. Honestly. I wasn't sensing the love that Ian felt for it. He can add it to his lists of dream items.... a pool table, a hot tub, and now the shiatsu chair.

Tomorrow is going to be so busy. We are having our carpets cleaned sometime between 1and 3 pm and we have tons of furniture to move. I also need to mow the lawn and weed the garden, finish packing up the playroom and laundry room and fold more laundry... ugh. I am tired just thinking of all that needs to be done. The realtor is coming on Monday night to look around and let us know what more we need to do to the house to get it ready to list. I hope it's not a lot. I'm getting tired.

I hope we get enough done tomorrow that we can treat ourselves and go to see Kung Fu Panda!

Charlie Bit Me!

I found this video yesterday and it makes me laugh every time I watch it.

The Hole

...oh how I love this video.

J Squared & The Bumbo

Julie loves spending time with Jordan and is always wanting to teach her something. Today's lesson was all about the bumbo and how head control is important.



And success!




I love these girls so much!

Child Labour

In the process of preparing our home to sell I have been going through cupboards and tossing things we don't need, packing what we'll use and cleaning the shelves.

Today I found four boxes of Ritz crackers.

Julie was very willing to help me clean out a low cupboard.



Here is Sam helping to clean out a high cupboard.



And here it is all put back together again!



It amazes me how excited the kids are about getting the house ready. Whatever I need help with, they are right there willing to help.

Child labour... apparently it works for me.

House Hunting

What a funny day today turned out to be.

We allowed ourselves a slow start to our day; the kids played video games, I took a long, hot shower and fussed with my hair the way I like it, Ian had a long soak in his much loved jacuzzi tub. I even had a short catnap on my bed and snuggled up with Jordan.

We've been eyeing a home in a nearby neighbourhood that is at the high end of our budget. The exterior is a bit hard on the eyes considering that the garage, door, mailbox, window frames and shutters are all painted a hot pink. Still... it had possibilites. When I read the local paper yesterday I saw that they were holding an Open House today so off we went.

It was pretty nice. I liked the layout very much, it had the four bedrooms we're looking for, as well as a separate family room and living room. But the DECOR was enough to knock you over. Each room was painted a different colour, but three shades of that colour. The bottom half of the wall would be the darkest shade and the top would be the lightest and in the middle would run a strip of the shade in between. Every room was painted like this! The carpet would need complete replacing as well. I felt like we could live there but there would be so many repair jobs to do and so much painting that the costs would run too high. And the kicker for me was that it didn't have air conditioning.

NEXT!

The next place we went to was larger and only Ian went in this time. I'm so glad! He said there was a very strong odour as he entered the home that permeated the entire first floor that was only slightly better than the smell of weed throughout the second floor. The realtor followed him thoughout the house pointing out the obvious and said that the house was very clean. Ian guessed that the realtor failed to see the fungus growing on the baseboards in one of the bedrooms. To his complete shock, the entire family was at home during this open house. All 13 of them, he estimated. One of them was in the shower. Two little kids ran ahead of him and shouted out a play-by-play as to what he was looking at. "DAAAAD!! HE'S LOOKING IN THE BATHROOM NOW!!!" Get the idea?

NEXT!

The third place was much better, but very small. Ian went in alone again rather than bring the kids in as well. It backed onto a lovely park but was very small and very over priced. Apparently there was no backing on the staircase so you could see between each step. I have hated those types of stairs my entire life. They have those kinds of stairs at Square One and I always take the elevator instead because I know that I will fall through. (I know.. not likely)

NEXT!

The last house left Ian completely speechless. It was clean enough, he said. Again the realtor followed him around and it had the same odour as house #2. But what left him in total shock was the condition of the basement apartment. He said it looked like there were hundreds of CDs out of their cases and both strewn around the floor. Hundreds of magazines strewn around in the same manner. Mixed in was a bunch of take out containers. Apparently someone didn't get the memo that there would be an open house today.

So Ian is now stretching out on our bed trying to get over his experiences. Strangely enough, we're both a little more relaxed about preparing our own home for sale after seeing what's out there!

I can't wait until we're looking for real. Sam can't either. Yesterday Ian's mother wallpapered our main bathroom. Tomorrow I will work on cleaning the windows and packing up the last bits of things that can go to storage. Some time this week we want to get the carpets cleaned and I need to paint our bedroom, the hallway on the main level and the entrance way, and I need to do a couple of patch jobs on the kids' rooms where they've ripped off their wallpaper. Lots to be done this week because we're hoping to have the realtor come on Friday to check things out and tell us what else has to be done. Then, depending on what they say, then get that sign up on our lawn!

Still FLYing..!

On May 1st I wrote a post called "We're FLYing!" and I thought I'd give a little update on that since it's now the last day of the month.

I challenged my family to make our beds every day for the month of May and I am so proud to report that we have all completed this challenge! Every single day our beds have been made and no one complained even once! The children are feeling so proud of themselves for doing this and I have loved climbing into a neat bed every night.

The first thing The FLYLady challenges a new beginner to do is to keep a shiny sink. It sets the mood for the day, she says. Well she's right!

Here is my shiny sink!



It's amazing how good it feels to know that my sink is clean and empty and that everything is put away in its place. The rest of my house may be in CHAOS but at least I can find refuge in front of my sink!

It's Bumbo Time!

Thanks to my dear friend Dawn for lending Jordan her Bumbo!



She's holding one of Ian's controllers for the PS3. I think Ian is planning on raising another gamer.




...and then she starts to slump....LOL.

I think she's happy to have discovered that there's more to the view of life than just a ceiling.

Jordan's 2 Month Apointment

Today my little chubb-chubb had her 2 month appointment.

She now weighs 11 lbs and is 60 cm long. She's in the 78th percentile whatever that means.

She got her first round of vaccinations today and did really well. I am a huge wimp so my mom came to the appointment with me and she held Jordan while she got the two shots, and I stood out in the hallway.

Yes I know. A GOOD mother would have stayed. LOL.

I gave her some Tempra right after and then again about 4 hours later. So far she hasn't been crabby or run a fever, but slept a lot today. I'll give her one last dose before bedtime and that will be it.

I can't believe she is two months old already. I am loving every minute with her!

In Other News....

Yesterday I visited with my friend Dawn. She and I have known each other since we were pregnant with our sons ten years ago but really only became close when she was losing her father to cancer. How heartbreaking that time was for her.

Dawn's and my friendship is a really strange one. We talk daily and share just about everything going on in our lives, but we don't actually get to see each other face to face all that often.

Well, yesterday I visited with her and her adorable 13 month old son, Julian. He is SO CUTE! He even gave me a couple of hugs and kisses. My daughter, however, wouldn't settle with Dawn. (Ha!)

Dawn knew how badly I wanted a Bumbo for Jordan and she loaned me Julian's! She looks SO CUTE sitting in it! She doesn't really know what to do with herself while she's sitting there.

She also lent us a play mat that has little animals hanging over her and plays music. Very catchy tunes I must say. She lay underneath it for quite awhile this afternoon, smiling and cooing and kicking her little legs. I think it's a hit.

Thanks again for loaning them to us, Dawn!

I always feel sad after a visit with her because I never know when we'll get together again. Life gets in the way but at least we have our webcams!

Emotionally Spent

What a week. I feel like my emotions have been run through the ringer and I am tired.

This week I had a very angry encounter with my nephew. I have eluded to some trouble in my family and sadly he is a very large part of that. I just let loose on him, yelling and yelling. I said things to him about what he has done that I have been carrying in my heart for over two years. Things I have never expressed before. He just stood there and took it all.

When my sister caught wind that I did that she was not pleased. What followed was a series of emails back and forth that were angry and hurtful. For years I have let her pound on me like a punching bag (metaphorically speaking) and didn't retaliate and in the last number of years she has been pounding on Ian. The hate and anger that this woman can express is nothing short of heartbreaking. She really let me know what she thought of me. And in return, for the first time, I let her know what I thought of her.

And I didn't hold back.

So I went ahead and let her know what I thought of her, the choices she has made in her life, what I thought of the way she treated people and more. I just broke. The things that were said - on both sides - were pretty mean. Things that won't be forgotten for a long time, if ever.

Hours later, once I calmed down, I started to feel pretty ashamed of myself. This is not the person I want to be - angry, mean, hurtful. I have tried so hard to live a life of integrity, grace and maturity and I feel as though I've lost all credibility in those areas because of this. I proudly call myself a Christian yet I acted like anything but.

Later that night when the children were in bed and it was just Jordan and me, I put on some worship music and just spent time with the Lord, talking to Him about what I had done and how I felt. I have been spending almost every night scouring my bible for verses on forgiveness and I felt ashamed at my behaviour. After awhile I sat in silence not knowing what else to say to Him. Ian and I talked about it for awhile before I went up to bed. He is always so supportive and loving towards me. He understood that I had reached my breaking point.

I thought she was coming to a place where she could take ownership of some of the problems in our family situation. I wanted to bring my children to see her this weekend as she hasn't seen them for a year and a half. Because of the hateful things she said about my family, it will be a long time before she will be able to see them again. That makes me so sad.

Today was interesting. My nephew asked to speak to me privately and thanked me for yelling at him this week. He said that he hoped I was able to express what I was feeling and holding inside me and that it would help me to begin healing. I was shocked. I thanked him for standing there and taking it from me, that I had said to my mother that very day that I don't think I would have stood there while someone yelled at me that way, but he did.

He also expressed concern for the way his mother treated me and that he would make it stop. I told him he had enough on his plate to deal with without having to sort out my relationship with his mother. She puts him through too much for him to take on that burden.

My heart feels lighter tonight. I stood up to my sister this week. Not with the class and grace I wish I had, but I stood up to her nonetheless. My nephew showed concern for my healing. I had a chance to let him know that I still loved him and that we believe in a God of second chances and to take his second chance and use it to become the great man we all believe he can be. I hope he heard me.

Baby Smiles

4:30 am is Jordan's and my time together. It doesn't matter what time she goes to bed the night before, she will always wake at 4:30. I no longer struggle with getting up at this hour. Instead I now look forward to it. It's just us.

Early this morning I woke up at our usual time. I didn't wake up to the soft cries of my baby daughter. I woke up in anticipation of our time together. I lay there for almost 20 minutes until I could hear her stirring.

Once I changed and fed her, she lay all snug in my arms and beamed the biggest most beautiful smile at me. I smiled back, filled with love for this little creature that joined us exactly two months ago today.

She kept on smiling, each one bigger than the last until I was laughing out loud. I was afraid I would wake Ian with my laughter.

There we were, in the middle of the night, smiling at each other. What precious moments they were.

As her eyes slowly closed and she began to drift off to sleep she still had a smile on her face.

I am completely in love with this little girl.

The Art Of Forgiveness

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:21-22

Yesterday I had a conversation (a highly emotionally charged conversation!) with a close friend of mine who is struggling with people who have hurt her deeply in the past, as well as those who continue to hurt her to this day. She was struggling with the concept of forgiveness and doubted her ability and willingness to do it. I completely get where she is coming from.

That conversation really got me thinking. Forgiveness is something I struggle with. Sometimes I just don't want to do it. Flat out don't want to do it. Some things just don't deserve forgiveness, right? How can we forgive someone, let them off the hook and have them think what they did was ok? If I forgive someone, doesn't that lessen my pain?

No.

What I have come to learn is that forgiveness, more often than not, has nothing to do with the person who hurt you. It's about you. It's giving yourself permission to let go and begin to heal. It isn't saying that what that person did was ok. It's simply allowing yourself to move forward.

Ian and I had to learn the art of forgiveness under incredibly difficult circumstances but don't think for a second that it came easily. We have survived a season of heartbreak that few people (I pray) will ever know. We are left with broken pieces to pick up, and forgiveness continues to be a work in progress. I prayed for warm, fuzzy feelings of forgiveness to wash over me. But they never came. I prayed for a forgiving heart. It didn't come. Finally I asked God what He wanted me to do and He softly spoke to my heart and told me to make the choice to forgive, and to trust in Him to bring the healing. So I did it. Even though every fibre of my being was screaming at me not to do it, His voice in my heart was loudest.

Last night I was doing my nightly devotions and it was about forgiveness. The author said that “forgiveness is giving up the right to punish”. That really hit me. It SO isn’t about letting the other person off the hook for what they did, nor is it telling them that you are ok with what they did. It’s giving yourself permission to move forward. There is such relief in putting down the anger and forgiving. Its so exhausting being angry, resentful and bitter.

I have many broken areas of my life that need grace and forgiveness. I have been hurt very deeply, many times. But to be completely truthful, I have hurt others as well. Sometimes more than once by doing the same things.

Another thing I have learned is that people will reap what they sow. We may not be around to see their reaping, but I know it happens. It isn't up to us to exact punishment for what someone else has done to us.

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21.

I know my day will come when I am face to face with my Redeemer and I will have to account for what I have done - both good and bad. Knowing that he took the weight of my sin onto Himself and forgave me, it is impossible for me not to extend that same grace to those who have sinned against me.

My friend is beaten down by years of being hurt. She is done with it. She has tried to fight back with kindness and love but the hurt just keeps on comin'. "Why do I even bother?" she shouted at me yesterday as she cried as though her heart would break. I told her that she "bothers" because God created her to, and He put a beautiful and loving heart inside her to help her. God created her that way. Isn't that just so beautiful?

People are going to be mean. Love them anyway. People are going to hurt you. Make the choice to forgive them and trust in our Heavenly Father to heal and restore us. He will not leave us or fail us. We can count on that.

Girl Time

I'm feeling so much better today. I really needed to go to church this morning to worship the Lord with my church family. I need to get back on track and eliminate some of this background noise in my head. The sermon today was on love and I really enjoyed it. The songs we sang were some of my favourites and often humble me and I cry. Joyful tears. Grateful tears.

After church Julie and I had some girl time together. We originally thought we would go and get our nails done but then thought Downey's Farm might be a nice change since it was such a gorgeous day. We've been there many times and for many years bought our pumpkins there. They have a little petting zoo area that Julie wanted to see and I like the little store they have.

I was very surprised when they told me it would be $5 each to go in to see the animals (goats, sheep and 3 cows!). Downey's Farm is a nice place to take the kids, but it's a shame that they have started trying to make a buck off every single thing they have there. I went ahead and paid the fee anyway because it was our time together and if she wanted to pet dirty animals, then dirty animals she would pet!

We laughed so hard when we got into the goat pen. Those animals know when you have something in your hand and they assume its food! One of them tried to eat my cell phone! I got some of the feed out of the machine and tried to give it to Julie but she said she didn't want to give it to them and told me to feed them. Right as I was trying to explain to her that I didn't want some dirty goat licking my hand and leaving its cooties on me, one of them stood up and put their poop covered feet on my shirt! I screamed in surprise and yelled "here!" at them and threw all the feed on the ground and ran off, dragging Julie behind me. We collapsed against the fence laughing until tears ran down our faces. Jules had the best time re-enacting my dramatic exit. I love when I make her laugh ~ she laughs with her whole body. She has the best laugh.

There wasn't a heck of a lot there for her age group. A teeny mini golf area that would fit in my living room and some toddler areas to play. She did find a little track where children could ride tricycles around and she had a ball doing that. It was a great day to be together.

It's amazing how a couple of hours alone together restores our relationship to that special mother/daughter bond. I got the opportunity to spend quality alone time focussing on my daughter and she got to be #1 with Mom and didn't have to compete with her siblings for attention.

My favourite part of our entire time together was when we were strolling across the grass and I felt her tiny hand slip into mine. That has to be one of my most favourite feelings in the entire world and I close my eyes and thank God for my children every time I get to feel it. Soon enough the day will come when they won't want to hold my hand any more so I'm savouring it now.

We left there and went to McD's for ice cream. Julie thinks they make the best ice cream EVER! That makes me laugh... she is so sweet.

When we got home, Ian headed out with Sam to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I couldn't believe the size of the popcorn bucket Ian bought for Sam and he actually ate almost all of it!! And still had dinner when he got home! His appetite is certainly growing... On Friday night he ate TWO Happy Meals. Ian and I just looked at each other and asked what would it be like when he was a teenager.

I have been feeling exceptionally tired today even though Ian did Jordan's middle of the night feeding last night so I could sleep through. I felt so tired I actually started to drift off in church a couple of times which is very unlike me. I'm actually heading up to bed now... at the same time as my children! LOL.

@#&%!!

I have been such a major crabasaurus today you wouldn't believe it unless you saw me in action. I have been cross with everyone in this house plus a few people at Walmart. I don't remember being this crusty since I was pregnant!

I cried three times before lunch.

My inlaws came today to help us with the house. Ian, his dad and Sam painted our garage, front post pillars and front door. It looks so fresh and new out there now. Now I want the lawn and garden fixed up so they match!

Ian's mom, Julie and I worked in my bathroom peeling wallpaper. What an AWFUL job. I started complaining about three minutes into the job. My mother-in-law is so task oriented. She will start something and not stop until she is done. I am not that way. I started off saying "my this job is unpleasant". That escalated to "ugh.. this sucks..." then it was "do you ever want to swear when you are doing a job like this, Mum? Because I am feeling like I want to shout the F-word a few times" and then finally "oh my gosh I want to slit my wrists right about now!" She just kept working, patient as ever. As we were wrapping up for the day she said that she always felt so good having accomplished something like this. I replied that I felt like killing someone.

Sam helped peel too and between him and Julie they were absolutely tireless. They even continued to peel and scrape long after my inlaws left! Sam said he wanted "to knock this job off the list" followed by Julie's "absolutely!"

Those kids amazed me today. Between trips to the storage unit with Ian to unload boxes, to scraping wallpaper, painting, delivering laundry to the proper rooms, to helping tidy up wherever needed... they were unbelievable. If there was a task to be done, they were there to do it, no complaints. We are so proud of them.

At one point (ok, many points, but I'm being specific here) I was feeding Jordan and just feeling so overwhelmed with the huge mess everywhere in the house and I started to cry. Kind of hard. Julie came out of the bathroom and stroked my cheek and said "Aww Mom... what can I do for you? What do you need from me?"

This child is SEVEN! I had to just close my eyes and praise the Lord for this beautiful child, for the loving and compassionate heart He put inside her.

Ian ran one of his awesome candlelit bubble baths for me and I read my bible while I soaked. I feel so distant from Him lately and my mind is filled with so much noise that I haven't heard Him speaking to me. I prayed over and over that He would bring me back to Him.

I'm glad this day is over. I have been so hard on everyone and in return they have treated me with such love. I have an amazing family and today I didn't deserve them. All I can do is try to be better for them ~ and to them ~ tomorrow.

Yay It's Friday!

I love Fridays. Tonight's feature is Return to Oz and we're eating McD's. Good times.

Mom and I headed over to Ikea after taking the children to school this morning. After enjoying our $1.00 breakfast we took our time leisurely strolling through the various departments. I love this store and always find things I would love to buy. Although I showed great reserve at my last visit two weeks ago, I did buy a couple of things. Two packages of coloured napkins - tangerine and lime - and a lovely burgundy coloured throw for a chair in my livingroom. I needed something to drape over one of the arms because our cat had ripped the fabric with his claws and then it just got worse from there.

I love days like this when I can spend time with my mom. I know, I know... I see her just about every single day! Still.. it's nice to go out somewhere together. As usual we talked about everything and had lots of laughs.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. Ian's parents are coming to visit to help us with the house. Ian and his dad are going to work on the exterior and will paint the garage, porch pillars and front door (YAY! My front door looks so awful). His mom is going to re-wallpaper my main level bathroom because there are bits and pieces that have been ripped off by someone. ("someone" in this instance would be Sam and/or Julie!) I could probably patch up those spots but it would look really lame. I will continue packing and cleaning and watching my little ones. We're really hoping to knock off a lot of jobs tomorrow. Sunday... more packing, etc. I can't wait until we've removed as much as we can so that I can start painting inside.

In other news... apparently my sister is now moving back home. My nephew called her a couple of days ago and asked her to move back. Long story short, she has put in her notice to her landlord. She told my mother that she made her feel guilty and is now transferring that guilt onto my nephew. Unbelievable.

As I've mentioned before, my sister and I do not have any sort of relationship whatsoever. We never really have which is really sad. Due to some devastating events within our family we "officially" stopped talking a year and a half ago. However she has had many battles with Ian and said some terribly hurtful things to him, about him, about us and about our children. We have not permitted her to see our children because we couldn't trust her to keep her anger towards us in check when she was with them. And she wasn't told about my pregnancy until my 8th month. Needless to say, she has not seen Jordan yet either. This makes my heart hurt so much.

Where am I going with this... well, I'm feeling this pull to bring Jordan to my mother's the next time my sister is there. I was thinking of letting her visit with the baby for a short period while I wait on the porch. I don't want her to think that I am extending an olive branch because I'm not. I just want her to see my baby.
What's the point of that? I know, I know...I have often asked myself this question. The answer is that I don't know. I guess I will always want her to be proud of me yet I suspect that she isn't capable of that. Ian and my mom say she is jealous of me. I don't want her to be. I just want her to love me and to be happy for me and I want to be able to share my children with her. She isn't here until the 30th so I have lots of time to pray about it. We'll see what happens.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

~ A Heavenly Father who loves me and forgives me time and time again. For gently nudging me back on track when I start to drift, and for always meeting me where I am

~ A husband who loves me above everyone else on this earth, who puts me first in all things, who loves his children like the precious gifts they are (and he changes diapers willingly!! BONUS!)

~ My three children, for their health and the amazing qualities that make each of them so special. God has formed each one so perfectly and gifted them in wonderful ways

~ A wonderful mother who does everything she can, every time she can, to help me and support me with whatever I may need

~ A wealth of friends that fill my heart with such love, who are there for me not only when things are going well, but are also when I am broken

~ For the promise of new beginnings in a new home, even though we have a lot of work to do before we can list our current home

~ For my new keyboard! Our old one died this week

~ For the return of Steeped Tea from Tim Hortons!!!