phew!

it is Thursday.

only!

Kris was out of town on business the past few days. makes for some long days! i was soooo glad that the kids have really been on their best behavior for the duration. if only the weather was as cooperative. nearly -30 degrees Celsius with the windchill. no fun to play outside or even take short walks.


here are some glimpses of a recent project i made. not my original idea. this was one of the projects i learned in my he(art) class. click here to see the rest of the album.

my goals for today is to finish the Thursday laundry. and wet mop the floor. big goals for today! lol! i really hope the kids and i can squeeze in some time for wii games and crafting. if we can handle a step out into the weather i will try and send a parcel out today too.

stay warm!

he shoots, he scores!

this boy amazes us.


skating. tobogganing. i think we were outdoors more when Kiara was a baby! with all the germies, we have not had a chance to get outside much and take advantage of winter. {as i write it is snowing. again.}


we were amazed at how well Aidan did being on skates this year. he took to it so quickly. even skating with the hockey stick. and successful in hitting the ball (our puck) very well.

this is at the beginning.

he's Candadian. eh?

driving, he will notice all the hockey rinks. hockey players. hockey games.

did i mention that we rarely watch hockey {unless it is the final playoffs for the Stanley Cup}. gasp! we LIKE hockey in this house. we don't LOVE it. we're too busy knitting....lol! hmmm. yeah. right. anyways....neither of us can see ourselves being hockey parents. and the $$$ for that! i guess we will have to see what sport Aidan ends up gravitating towards.

on the weekend we were at an outdoor event. horse drawn sleigh. hockey. bonfire. hot chocolate. snow sculpting (not good snow for that!). bannock cooking (definitely a must-try). and they also had snowshoes. which brings me to my point. as soon as he was strapped in he started his walk. took a few steps....and started to run! is there a sport that uses snowshoes? i think he may be gold medal worthy in that one....and i have no pictures of the boy wearing them.

finally!!

Roslyn tagged me a few weeks ago. it was my first tag. i was so unprepared! now i am ready....

i have to share 6 random things with you:

1. i grew up on a farm. not far from the creek where the Cree and the Blackfoot used to meet and hunt buffalo or battle...so the "legend" says! it is still called Meeting Creek.


{more photos here and here-scroll down a bit, great photo!}


2. my first "real" job was in a camera store called "The FotoShoppe". i. am. serious. i was sixteen and worked just Saturdays. it was a good job and i am thankful for my parents "encouragement" to apply. i regret that i did not work for a longer than the six months i did. i guess this job would be considered 'foreshadowing' in a novel?!



3. i have been told that i should be a travel agent or travel advisor. i am choosing to take that as a compliment! if it allowed me to see more places...i'm all for it!

4. i used to hate running. i tried to run when i lived in Canmore, inspired by mountain views and air. i tried to run with Kristian while we were dating and i wanted to impress the dude. then i gave up. until a former pro athlete told me that most runners take six months to like running. so...i bought a good pair of running shoes and gave myself 12 months! after six months i was already hooked. after a few years i found myself training for a half marathon. i sure won't boast that i am any good at it! but i enjoy the activity and i am anxious to start running again. hopefully soon.

5. i was an adult when i learned to swim. at that time i was surprised to discover that diving headfirst into deep water was fun. i am still working on my front crawl. must be my rhythm or something...{ahem!practice!!} one day...


6. i once took a watercolour course by Frances Alty-Arscott. it was amazing!

and now i will tag:

Carol

Heather

Sarah

Erica

then i'll leave you with a little photo of my baby girl....

she is such a goof! pretending to sleep. i love her sense of humour!

today at church she brightened the day of many people by hugging their legs!! i think we will need to sign her up as a greeter before the service. there are so many times that she makes me shrink in embarrassment...so it is a blessing to have her do something that others enjoy.

i love her!

painting

some days are scary at our house. especially if we are tired! that would make this week. and add in some sickness. again. thankfully it was just Kiara that needed meds, and she is already feeling much better. Aidan and i have both been bothered with a mild cold. but both of us are feeling more energetic today. we can only hope that this will be the end of it.

tonight i cooked a beef roast in our slowcooker. with home made barbeque sauce. so domestic of me! lol!! not really. when the supper hour rolled around, we decided to try slicing the meat and making tortillas. i added guacamole...but just me, because i'm the only one that likes it...{secret wahoo, means more for me!} we also added cheddar and lettuce. yup, the dark stuff!! wow. oh. wow. everyone loved it. no complaints. very nice to have everyone happy.

another day it was painting that got a few of us in happy and relaxed moods...

i LOVE the proud look Kiara has on her face!!

we all enjoyed listening to soft music...letting the brush move the paint over the paper...waiting to see how the colours would combine... such a 'creative family' moment!!

i was using watercolours. i think it may have been an inspiration to Aidan? this work of art was a little different than his previous ones...

AND

on advice from soulemama, i bought special drawing books for the kids and myself.

this weekend, i showed the kids these special books and explained what they were for.

it was fun to show Aidan how to change a circle into a ball. {yes it is possible. you need your imagination. and some shading with your pencil!} i will have to share some of his art. i was impressed to see him do some drawing of his own ideas. he also drew and coloured a rocket ship from his imagination. then he used one of his hot wheels cars to draw a race car. so amazing to see him at work....

Kiara was happy for a few minutes, but i think just wasn't able to focus while she wasn't feeling so well. she asked if she could paint instead. so she did. and she was happy. until Aidan joined her! apparently she just needed some creative time by herself...too bad we were around to ruin it for her!!

sooo....more pleasant weather happening tomorrow. praying that we will all be healthy to enjoy it....

what made you happy this week?

{i love hearing you share!!}

the story of...

a local thrift store and a little boy.

then add a little girl.



we were sourcing out some second hand treasures. other than finding a new method of being mischievous, my kids really haven't cared what else is on sale. until now.

Aidan spotted a vase filled with knitting needles. i do not knit. i'd love to. but i can't. he was captivated by these needles and started in with the "asking".

it did remind me of something i had read in the "creative family" book. she gave instructions and ideas for kids, yarn and knitting needles. and that little gear in my brain started moving....hey! this would be cool! too bad i hadn't thought of it myself!!

i wish i knew what story or tv show he got this idea from! he HAD to have a blanket covering his legs while he was "knitting". and little sister follows his lead. to the finest detail.


we have a bit of practice before he finishes the sweater he hopes to make.


how does he get these ideas?!


too funny.

(p.s. no clue what is happening with blogger....some days my spacing turns out they way i typed it...and other days it is like today. frustrating!!)

love this man

it just so happened that i was outside taking photos of the falling snow, when this hunk strolled up to the house....

what honest woman does not love a man in uniform?!

sorry, ladies. he's mine!!

this may have been the only time i will have had the opportunity to take a photo of him in his work overalls. makes him hunky! {says me!}

and just to add some interest....his usual uniform happens to be a white lab coat. i did hit him the day he mentioned that a pocket protector would actually be beneficial....nerd! the first job he had after his Masters' gave him the uniform which they dubbed the 'bunny suit'. no they did not have to wear hats with long ears. but it consisted of covering every part of their bodies. a jump suit measured to fit concisely. booties. hat/hair net thingy. it was a nano-technology thing. they were measuring "things" so tiny, that the smallest hair was like a mountain in contrast.

now you can understand why this - as Aidan calls it - 'worker mans' outfit is so non-nerdy and appealing!

maybe it isn't the outfit after all.

maybe it was just the excitement of seeing him home during the middle of a day with the snow falling so peacefully.

either way. he's still my hunk! my own nerd!! and i love him!!!

p.s. he was home in the middle of the day to pick up one of his power tools...not part of his usual uniform on the job, either!

love my coffee

it all started when i was only 18 years old....

i was working at our church camp and had early morning meetings. i never have been one of those cheerful morning people. i still wonder how people can talk to one another with such enthusiasm at that time of day.... anyways....i digress! at camp i had three choices: tea, coffee or hot chocolate. i started with hot chocolate at first. it was a little cool, and the warm drink was good to warm up and also helped make me more pleasant to be around!

how many people actually start their day with hot chocolate? hmmm.... someone at one of our meetings noticed my cup was running low, so started to add some coffee. before i bit them!! too lazy to get a new cup, i just drank the hot chocolate with the dash of coffee in it. mmmmm....MOCHA!

then i started to have the mocha every morning.

and one day i was somewhere -can't remember! - they only had a choice of tea or coffee. and i was tired. probably from one of my typical late nights!

me and my coffee got me through college and university and student teaching...and i drank it without sugar or cream or milk...

later on, when i met my husband, we would get together for coffee and a donut. wohoo!

we knew each other as friends for a few years before we started dating. his line was, "we should get together for coffee." one of his colleagues first questions' about me was, "does she drink coffee?" {yup! and he is still a good friend too!!}

we will drive out of our way in order to get a good cup of coffee while we are out. we will wait in line ups. whatever it takes to drink something that has lots of flavour...and strong!! our addiction and desire is so strong...that we would rather be late than drink something that doesn't meet those requirements. yup, we are nuts!

the night Kiara was born, we managed to fit in a coffee date during the labour. in fact we started to track my contractions on the napkin from the coffee shop! talk about dedication....

over the years, my preferences for coffee have changed. and i expect they will continue to do so. i do have some favourite beans that we've brewed or enjoyed with others. but if i am out and feeling the craving for a good cup...my first choice is: starbucks

and lately....for a coffee fanatic, this is crazy! if i want a drink without the caffeine....i get the "vanilla tea latte". YUM!!


you may have read that i love to scrapbook. sort of an understatement.
for the past two weeks i have hidden myself away at our basement office for long hours at night crafting away...at projects for a class i took online.


the first project was a little album made out of a starbucks coffee cup!

as i was working away on it....i quickly came to the decision that this album was going to be completely about Kristian and i. it was perfect for us!!

you can view the rest of it here.

you may recognize the photo of our wedding rings from this post.


what is your favourite hot drink?

winter amusements

all the extra clothing in our home is getting double the use...

one of my favourite stories when i was their age was 'Heidi'. we had a record and i could read along with the storyteller. Heidi lived in the mountains and had to leave her home. she wore all her clothes because she couldn't carry a suitcase. my own children have never heard the story of 'Heidi'. yet here they are, partially acting out the story. (without the leaving home, of course!!)

they only escaped to the basement with their backpacks.

funny moments with these two!

one day Aidan was actually in a bit of trouble for getting ready for bed. he decided to put on every single pajama bottom shorts he owned on his legs. he looked like a caterpillar! if he hadn't been such a little troublemaker earlier, i would have taken a photo of his crazy outfit. maybe he'll choose to do it again...on a day when he has also chosen NOT to be a naughty boy and i can get a picture!! given the situation, i didn't want to reinforce his behaviour...so no photo. but after he walked back to his room to adjust everything, it gave me some much needed comic relief as i laughed over his appearance! how does he get such a crazy imagination?!

finer things

i'm totally feeling like i am playing catch-up. this has been a long winter. i think i must be sounding very much like a broken record.


i am thankful that our big concern is simply colds, flus and germs. it could be so much worse. it is tough to make plans and then have to change when one of the kids strikes up a fever. or isn't feeling well. but i continue to remind myself of the blessing it is for us to JUST be burdened with a typical childhood illness.

STILL i cannot wait for the warm sun and breezes that will come when spring finally arrives!!

i made these buns with some help from the kids. they were yummy!

nice comfort food. and a fun activity. they love to watch the dough get mixed. and rise. and fall!

what are you doing to survive/enjoy the last of the winter months?

happy valentines day!

today is bittersweet.

we will be attending a funeral for a woman who was a great encouragement to us. she has been battling a lymphatic cancer for years. her twin sister passed away many years ago with the same condition. not an easy road, but she did so well. it was a shock because it seemed as if she was improving. heartbreaking.

later on, Kristian and I will enjoy a night out with dinner and a movie with friends. it has been a long time since we have done that together!

the kids will enjoy their day as well with grandparents and babysitters! yup. spoiled for sure!!

yesterday they had a part day too. check out Aidan's loot....



i have been working full-time this week, so the kids have been at a dayhome all week. thanks, Serena!! they love going there. but yesterday, she had a flu bug come and "visit" so we had to make some other arrangements. i am so thankful to work under a principal who totally understands the inconvenience of being parents! she allowed both of them to come to school and join the early education classes.

Kiara has been eager to go to school for over a year now. she is not happy when we take Aidan to school and then leave. she was THRILLED to join a playschool class! her behaviour was impressive. given that she is only two, we were all expecting that she would need more guidance and direction. everyone was surprised that she was eager and able to participate in all aspects of the classroom routines. and i am included! i could tell she was tired by lunchtime, but she managed to hold herself together and fell asleep just ten minutes into our drive home.


i hope that you enjoy your valentines day!

some fun

we have been having some beautiful weather this week. such an odd time of year when the temperature can be -30 degrees Celsius one week and then +5 degrees Celsius the next!





we took advantage of some mild weather and took the kids across the street to toboggan.



i love that this is so close and convenient! it is a tiny slope of a hill, but the kids love it. it isn't scary for them. or us!



this is Kiara's winter mode of transportation. she does like to walk. but if i want to get anywhere fast, then this is what we do. the bonus is that Aidan also likes to pull this sled. a mothers' dream....

i think we had as much fun as the kids!

there is a little bump that some older kids made. our kids already like to fly over it! i love this action shot of Aidan.

the expression on Kiara's face is priceless. some days the kids are like this. Aidan can be so laidback, while Kiara can get intense.

i am glad we got to get outdoors and enjoy family time like this.

everyone slept better last night. i am REALLY hoping that this means the end of the cold is coming very soon. i just found out that i have had an ear infection for the past couple of weeks. i had thought it was just part of the last virus we had in the house. right away the meds have started working. phew! but now i feel like i'm starting to fight the cold that the kids have.

it seems like we are always washing our hands. cleaning. bleaching. i'm ready to give up!


bring on spring! and good health!!

winter photos

some mild winter weather at last!!


a little bittersweet. we've also had rain. rather odd to watch in the middle of winter when we already have snow. this weekend we had wind. it was so windy Friday night that we could hear the gusting wind while we were in our basement, with the television turned on.


Saturday our front streets looked like skating rinks. polished. shiny. and very slippery!


with all the flus and colds and miscellaneous germies in our house arriving at the same time as the snow, our front walk got neglected. and we're still trying to keep it passable. it was helpful that it was snow covered when the rain came. at least something good came of it!

both of the kids were excited to help Daddy.

the plastic shovel and the "Dora" shovel were amazingly efficient. in the hands of children!

when we rebuilt our garage we opted for not putting in a sidewalk from our house to the building. so far, it is just a cleared snow path. we are confident that when this stuff melts we may be wishing for something that was higher up. this path where Aidan is standing is in our backyard.

some of my favourite photos are those that don't look posed. this was my lucky day! the lighting was perfect. no shadows!! i took a number of photos that turned out very well.

this is my favourite one.

my friend, Carmen, just informed me that there are special winter gloves for photographers. they have grippers on the palms! i need a pair of those. my gloves are slippery and not very warm.

the kids have been dealing with another cold. again. listening to coughing in the middle of the night when mommy just wants to sleep really is a form of torture. Kris and i are still trying to see the end of our cold. last Thursday night, i slipped on some ice. it was not an exciting slip, if anyone was watching they may have even missed it! i was happy that i didn't fall...especially with puddles around! but Friday morning....ouch! that was a long day. it was bad enough that i needed muscle relaxants that night. the next day the kids had swimming lessons, so i sat in the hot tub for most of that time. great timing! and my back is slowly improving.

i had marked February as the month when i was going to take some time to get my body into better physical shape. i miss my running and swimming. when we found out that we were expecting Aidan, i was training for a half marathon. ten days away from the race, i had to stop running. it was very disappointing. i can say that i completed the training and have run a half marathon distance...i just have no medal to prove it! i would love to compete in a sprint triathlon this summer. we'll see how quickly my body responds to exercise and how much time i'll have to invest. i'm not one of those people that is at the top....i'm just thrilled to complete the race and improve my time. for this girl who used to hate running, was terrified of water and totally despised sweating....i've come a long way!! lol.

{and, Carol, i can hear you snickering all they way over here!!

i promise you that i will not neglect my core training! }