putting on my running shoes

if you think of it, keep my friend, Sandy in your prayers. she has been mourning the loss of her only sister this week. it was sudden and tragic. tomorrow they say their final good-byes and attempt to move on in their lives without her. she was only a year older than myself. 

on a less solemn note....


we finished the winter session of gymnastics yesterday.



i can vividly recall sitting at our kitchen table with the yellow pages back in January 2007. Kiara was only a few months old and Aidan had more energy than he could handle. it was also cold! no playground days and we both needed something. his library group and kids morning out groups were not enough for him! and me. i jotted notes while i called pretty much every gymnastics club in the city. in the end we all ended up going to a 'parent and tot' program.



wee little Kiara would watch from her infant car seat most days. the program required parents to assist their own children, and the instructor would help with the more "dangerous" manoeuvres (as when they were doing a somersault or the rings). i also recall having to stop and feed Kiara a few of the times. even though i planned her feedings around the classes, it just seemed like she got hungry just watching the kids. it was oh, so blissful when she did sleep for the class. often i would wear my Baby Bjorn and carry her on the course. it was a little tricky at times. i still remember how exhausted i was at the end of the class! funny how tired a mother becomes trying to tire out her toddler.



the next year, Aidan was still too young to be on his own and Kiara was too little to be worth paying to participate. as it happened we got a time slot that was late afternoon and the gym was crazy busy. at the same time Kristian had changed jobs and was working all days of the week. halfway through the session, Kiara was getting to tough to watch and allow me to properly help Aidan. i left her with a sitter when it was possible. one day i managed to get a sitter to come with me and play with her. i think that experience nearly made the new babysitter retire entirely! a little extra cash made her forget the trouble.

 i finished that year with both of them in the 6 week spring session. why? because i felt i needed to give Kiara a full opportunity to participate. ironically, she was a good listener and follower in those days. i also felt a little guilty for not paying for her session for the days when she was there following the kids around. this was not easy. it meant her playing (ie. running up and down stairs and hallways) for the hour Aidan was in class. it also meant him sitting on a bench watching Kiara for the second hour. he always had a snack and bag of activities to help prevent boredom. 

i was singing hallelujahs the next year when Aidan could be in his own class, unassisted and Kiara could be in a class at her level. at the same time. half the work. half the time. 

it must be a grand improvement, because i now drive nearly 20 minutes for their lessons. we have also been enrolled steady since September. usually we don't do gymnastics in the fall. it's a winter thing for us. i also made a mental note to NOT enrol in the spring session. May is fine, but by June we are sick of it!

and i was proud of myself for remembering this important tidbit of information.



then Aidan was invited to join the "Super-Tot" program because he had some talent. for the spring session. he now has a 90 minute session while Kiara is at 60 minutes. this sounds so familiar! the day i made my final decision to not follow my own advice and stop in April, he did a super manoeuvre that made me realize that i made the right choice. on his own he did a "pull-over". which the coaches informed me was very rare for a child his age. Aidan has been on cloud9 because he is "super" and Kristian and i are saving for the olympic program. ha! just kidding. as it happens, the good gymnastic gene is genetic from his Daddy. i was trained to be fearful of heights, cartwheels and any other physical movement on land, water or sky. Kristian has had his work cut out to "un-train"me. laugh.



Kiara has some days where she can walk across this beam with confidence. only to be stricken with intense fear the next. perhaps there is some of my genetics in them after all. in all irony, what does this height-fearing mother do? tell her that there is no danger and to go do it anyway. after all, she had no issues with this when she was 9 months or 2 years old.

my plan is to prepare Kiara for the wait much as i made Aidan wait when he was this age. a snack, special drink and an activity bag. i will bring a book or magazine. and if all else fails, she can watch Dora on my iPod. nothing will prevent me from sitting, with minimal interruption from my most deserved 30 minute break. unless it is watching Aidan practice. which i have missed for the past 18 months. i have had to stop thinking about next September. when BOTH will be in un-parented classes. the only stress i will have remaining is to be forced to watch both of them perform tricky stunts and hope that they listen to the instructions.

has it only been 3 years of gymnastics? because it has felt MUCH longer than that. apparently toddlers with inconsistent listening skills will do that to you. in the past year we often have at least one parent who has 2 young kids in the class - like i did. i recognize the look of "what did i just do to myself?!" in their eyes. then i remind them that it does get better. true.

lately Kiara has been inserting her gymnastics routines with dance. she is not in dance class. yet. (fortunately that should provide me with another hour of sitting and watching.)

i should add that it is not the physical activity that is exhausting...it is the intense 60 minutes of encouraging a willful toddler to stay focused....and perform the routine as asked, and as you know she is capable of achieving.

i also realize that i may look at the moms with young kids and wish (for a moment) that i was back in that time of my life again. these days they often have accomplishments that happen while they are at school or when i am away from them. it was a wonderful gift to be able to spend these early years with them and be a part of their big developmental milestones.

i would do it all over again. they are both more confident. it is amazing to watch them do things that i never imagined possible. in my training for my B.Ed. degree we never went into this much detail in the gymnastics component. i am not aware of any school that has the money to put towards this equipment either. i got well educated as well. it was worth all the sweat and tears and dollars!!

i don't know what next year will hold. Aidan will be away at school all day. Kiara will still be free to do afternoon and some morning activities. i am looking forward to much that this next phase will offer. but it will present new challenges like choosing which activity to participate in. soon enough they will have their favourites and we'll need to decide which will work best for the family. secretly, Kristian and i can't wait to re-enter the triathlon world. this time with kids in tow. (don't worry, Carol, we'll teach them to be fast in the transition and not treat it like locker time! wink!!)

but for today, we will take on the challenges they give us and enjoy the moment.

round the corner

we have a lovely woodland trail near our home. a favourite of ours. it is usually quiet. there are a few spots where you go around a corner and the trail disappears behind you. we have Aidan trained now to ride only as far as he can see us, then to wait until he spots us or ride back to where we are. the first few times we took the path and he disappeared were a little frightening. it is quite the dilemma to be thrilled on one hand that he has reached this level of independence. but it is also scary to realize that we have a little less control!

the little trail has us fooled into thinking that we are so removed from streets and roads. there are logs and thick bushes to explore. wild strawberries and the largest wild raspberry patch i've ever seen.

Aidan loves to ride the trail as fast as he can. Kiara loves to take in every detail. and i am caught in the middle trying to accommodate both of their desires.




this is the point where we all know the winding trail is over. this is also the only point of the trip where we must take it together. unity. once we cross the road the trail changes. no more gravel. it is an easy and quick trip. the destination is visible. they know that the playground and bike track are soon to be reached.






winter is so dismal. this year we weren't even allowed to enjoy the yellows, golds and reds of the changing seasons. the past few years were rich in the autumn colours and we were blessed.

i love to see the spring buds. even the weeds make me smile at this point!

i am thankful that there is more than one kind of tree. spring would be so boring if we only had spruce or cedar or elm trees.




the park is much more fun without snow suits and heavy winter boots.

i was looking at old photos a few weeks ago and saw baby photos of the kids when we played at the park. they have grown so much. they love to hear stories of what they were like when they were "little". they are great kids. so different from one another. but yet so very similar. it is interesting how they are a mix of us, as well as having some aspects completely different from us.


here is a recipe for Baked Alaska desert:

allrecipes.com

you can also watch Gordon Ramsey make one here.





i did not follow either recipe exactly.

for the cake i used the cupcake tops. then i added one scoop of the ice cream on top of them.

i did follow the meringue recipe for egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.

i don't own a cooking torch. besides i am sure i would never be allowed to own one! have you seen me with fire? ha! besides it was much more fun to put the desert into the oven and really make a show out of it all.

i was thrilled to learn that you can make them ahead and freeze them for a few days. just be sure to encase the entire desert in the meringue. it is actually a fun science lesson too.

summer days

in the middle of spring.




we have been enjoying some amazing spring weather. i think the season fairies are dizzy. {if you have ever watched Tinkerbell 50 million times you will understand what that meant!}

these photos were taken on the weekend. we had some quiet evenings and early suppers. which translates to lots of time for a walk down to the duck pond. if you are an adult.

for the half-pints in our family that means a bike ride. young miss Kiara is really picking up strength and speed again. i've been hanging on to our chariot stroller/bike trailer in case she decides that it is too much. {or we decide.} last year we biked the 2.5 km to our local McD's and she did amazing. the only hurdle we had was on the return trip. in an effort to prevent the traffic from being held up, we walked her bike across the merge lane. much to all of our demise. it was a temper tantrum the entire trip home.  who knew 2.5 km could feel like 30km in a head wind. had we only known.




being it is spring, it also meant a check on the newly arrived feather friends. this is one of my favourite parts of our new community. a noisy Canada Goose awoke me early one morning this week. that was a first for me. we have a little birdhouse in our backyard and we're hoping that some nice little songbirds will come and frequent it this year.



this is one of my favourite close up photos of a goose. they really are a beautiful bird. i would have loved some of the Mallards, but they were just too far away for that. i've heard that Canada Geese mate for life. isn't that cool? they also fly in a "v" formation and take turns being the lead bird. that is the limit of my knowledge about them. however i think they are pretty cool to be such team players.




baked alaska.

the kids were pretty amazed that we could "cook" ice cream. it was a treat for all of us that night.

last night the kids had their final AWANA session. each week they can earn AWANA dollars by attending and doing their homework/memory work. Kiara spends all her money when she can, whereas Aidan had decided to save his. as of yesterday he had $60. Kiara spent most of hers on candy, and Aidan spent his on toys and one tiny candy.

since Aidan finished his entire book of memory verses, he earned an opportunity to throw a pie in the face of one of the leaders. i love that they have so many fun and creative ideas to do with the kids. they have games every week.

it was also a big day for Aidan at school because they finished their final page in their printing books. as each of the kids finished their book, his teacher would get the class attention and say, "hip hip hooray! Aidan finished his printing book today!" then the class would clap. i happened to be volunteering yesterday and got to join in. it was amazing how something so simple had each of the kids beaming like they were royalty.

i am looking forward to the freedom of summer. however i am already tearful that Aidan will be done kindergarten in a few months. his teacher is a friend of mine and i have many great memories of subbing for her before Aidan joined our family. i taught for many talented teachers, but as Aidan grew i knew that her style would be perfect for him. it was completely divine intervention that he ended up in her classroom.

learning academic stuff comes so easily to him. i love that mrs. k encourages the kids to excel at the level they are capable of and keeps her classroom flexible for that. he read his first "library book" on his own this week. ironically the title was "All By Myself". he also loves, loves, loves to ride his bike. more than any other kid we know right now. just like his daddy. {these days he refers to himself as a little engineer. of course i remind him that teachers are the smartest because they are the ones who teach the engineers. i have to defend my profession!}

i am excited to teach my year in review students again tonight. this is a fun and artsy layout. i'm still working on the next layout. it will be elegant and clean. it has been fun to put these pages together. i love that this job really energizes and inspires me. i'm looking forward to what the students think of the new techniques tonight. i always enjoy hearing how they use their favourite new techniques too. i am also working this weeks' late night crop. can't wait for that. we have been very fortunate to have some awesome ladies the past few months. some nights they keep us challenged finding all sorts of products or sharing ideas. it is always a blast.

well, off to go shopping! Kiara loves to check out stores with me. i will take advantage of that as long as i can.

a sign of spring

we went out for a bike ride after supper yesterday. we were thrilled to view the fountain that had been missed over the winter!


everything is so brown and yucky. dust is everywhere. thankfully the snow is pretty much gone. that is important! as we went around our duck pond, i spotted a little rainbow. very cool.


my wish is for the wind to stop completely and instead have warm rain for a few days. we would gladly exchange the dust for some sprouts of green. even a walk in calm and soaking rain would be welcome. just leave out the wind. and the cold!

looking for spring

we had a couple of beautiful days last week. on Thursday it all went downhill! the kids and i literally enjoyed the spring weather right up until "the big wind" blew. we knew it was coming, but it was still hard to believe the snow that blew in too. the wind was ferocious. it slowed down on Saturday, but it finally stopped today. Aidan asked me where the sun was today. and it was Kiara who responded, "it is in the clouds!" a correct answer. however i think Aidan was wondering when the sun would shine again. preschool grammar.

the gist of the whole frustration is that we are simply ready for spring.

on Book-Face i commented that i "thought i had said good-bye to winter". one of our cousins suggested that perhaps i didn't say it loud enough, and another suggested Danish would be the language to use. so i am now shouting - along with my children who are anxious to leave their coats and shoes inside and trade them for swimsuits - am shouting at the tops of our lungs....farvel vinter!!!!!



on another note. i have decided to plant numerous spring bulbs this fall. there is no colour anywhere on this property. ugh! i would have done it last fall, but i knew i would just be digging them up again when we move some trees and flowerbeds around this summer. after a decade of watching the little tips of the tulips appear i realize that i really miss that part of the spring ritual.



even when the bulbs are as old as the earth and don't last for more than a few days or get their petals blown off in a gust of wind! these old things were once dug up and replanted. i had bought a package of new bulbs and only ever had a few of them appear the following spring. whatever i decide to plant this fall i must be patient, follow the instructions implicitly and buy good bulbs! most certainly a few will be red. but i think some yellows or pinks would be excellent too.




my neighbour had a flowerbed filled with these beautiful forget-me-nots. i also discovered that they grow very easily from seed. to my relief, they also are very unobtrusive. {unlike the lily of the valley. they look so innocent and cute....kind of like 2 year olds.} love those pretty little flowers. so did the kids.



we will have blooms from the 2 fruit trees in our yard. that will be nice. i do miss the huge, old apple tree. it really looked spectacular in the spring with it's full coat of white blooms.

we were discussing the future of our new yard one day. Aidan informed Kristian that i wanted lots of roses. hmmm.... i'm not sure if i commented on roses specifically. it was not until last year that i realized my need for summer colour outside my windows. when we discussed our yard with the landscape designer we also requested trees that have some kind of colour in the winter. like evergreens or junipers. or the lovely red or yellow bark of leafy shrubs.


my trial version of CS4 expires in a few days. has it really been that long? there are still a ton of things to figure out and learn!


oh, and if you see "Spring"....could you send it over here to help us wait for summer? thanks so much!

Easter

yes, i realize Easter Sunday was 2 days ago. i can't believe i forgot to download and post these photos then.

i had found the cutest dress and shoes for Kiara. of course they will be awesome when we have nicer weather. i also like how her hair looks with the hair ends curled up. not that any of that can be seen from these photos. it was chilly and we had a wind. we are just thankful there was no snow!

apparently we inadvertently began the tradition of putting their "baskets" outside their bedroom doors and also hiding eggs outside. it was expected that it continue just so this year.





i had bought a Spiderman chocolate for Aidan and a Tinker-bell for Kiara. {if they had a Star Wars form, then no doubt that is what he would have gotten!} and then there were also smaller treats. including their own toothpaste and toothbrushes. i also had some lego that i thought would be fun to add...from their reward prize bag.

one evening when we thought Kiara was asleep, she had actually found the chocolate and devoured 98% of Tink by the time we discovered her. we caught her just before she was about to start on Aidans' spiderman. it was explained to her that she would not be getting this treat from the Easter Bunny, and to only eat the candy given to her.



so, Easter Sunday they both woke up at 7am. just as they had all weekend. they were told to go back to their rooms and sleep, read, play, be quiet....whatever! just let us sleep. incredibly, Kiara ignored the basket of goodies outside her door for the next hour and a half. she didn't cry. in fact she informed Aidan why she didn't get a big chocolate treat. we were quite concerned about the 'tear potential'. phew!

as they ate their breakfast, Aidan tried to figure out how the Easter Bunny did his job. i heard comments like, "it is amazing how he knew to go into the prize bag" and "he sure hid the treats well outside, we can't see any". hmmm. he did not know that there were no treats hidden outside yet... thus began the plotting to distract them from the many windows looking over the backyard while we hid them! as far as we know we were successful.




Kiara does have a history of being able to find candy in any kind of place. on this Easter she did not follow her instinct...she followed her big brother. in fact, she stuck very close to him. i think his purpose was to do the "dirty" work for her. perhaps that was her instinct?



they were still cute to watch!!

as well, they did not find all the eggs we hid before church. later that afternoon they played outside and discovered more. which brought great joy to them both. i love that 39 cent treats bring such happiness.



it is interesting how their personalities are coming out in church. Aidan has never enjoyed singing, but he has started to become more interested in it. Kiara loves music and tries to sing along to every song. Aidan loves to learn something new and is excited to share with us. Kiara is still pretty quiet about that kind of stuff. i suspect she is more like her dad that way. they both have a thoughtful personality. it is a good thing for Kiara to have that trait as well. although she can chat happily for hours about many subjects if she has the right audience!

the latest AWANA task was for Aidan to memorize the titles of the 27 books of the New Testament. a few weeks ago i got the "smart" idea to have Kiara try to learn them with Aidan. their motivation were some Cadbury chocolate candy eggs. can you say "sugar high"? Kiara could say the first 7. Aidan could say the first 20. at that point they both crashed. hard. at which point i wasn't even sure if they could behave themselves in AWANA, let alone have Aidan even recite them. i fed them a supper filled with as many carbs and vegetables as i could and hoped no one was too unbearable. the irony is that they were given this adorable little package that contained 2 little chocolate bunnies by Aidan's leader that evening.



this is one of them.

they were just so cute! and we are keeping that cage...just need to figure out what how to decorate it. i may be on the hunt for a stuffed bunny. ha! if you see any good ideas out there in internet land, please send them my way.

in case you may be wondering....even after all that chocolate....the kids can still remember those same book titles. go figure.


in other exciting world news....
today i discovered that Kiara's bike riding pace matches my running pace. hooray for that!

reflecting

Easter weekend.

a time to reflect and be thankful.

to truly be grateful for the mercy and grace of Christ. it is the story of true love.

for myself, i think of the suffering myself and those close to me have had to endure. i used to think that it was something chosen by God for us to endure, know that He was with us and would allow it to make us better. i've changed that philosophy. i think there are many other ways to grow without having to endure hardship. now, when myself or those i love suffer, i can picture Christ shedding great tears of anguish.

as our kids live and embrace life, they have their own hardships. it is hard to see them physically or emotionally hurt. really hard. fortunately their hardships have been very mild. i pray that we continue to be blessed.

there are still many questions i have. some may never have answers. but i keep faith.

for now, i need to be comforted by the needed mercy and grace. i don't fully understand or comprehend it all. but in know i need it.





this is from last year. i took lots of photos that afternoon of egg hunting. it was the only year we had nice enough weather to have an outdoor egg hunt. i'm thankful for those memories. they had so much fun. we have beautiful weather again this year. i'm hoping to do another egg hunt. we just don't have as many good hiding spots yet! i miss those big trees in some ways. but i don't miss the work that comes with the big yard and trees! Kris and i agree.



i also realize that we have not done egg colouring yet this year.

i suppose that activity can still be done today! given the warm temperatures i think we can even do it outside. that will be fun!


wishing you the most blessed Easter.

joke is on me!

would you believe i had to bribe our children to come INDOORS a few days ago?

i'm a little cautious when they are in the backyard alone. i don't have to sit outside with them and watch them every second anymore. however i am not comfortable working in a part of the house where i can't see or hear them.

it was quite windy this week and neither of them actually wanted to ride their bikes for long. although they are thrilled that the snow has pretty much melted. just a few piles that they can shovel and move to another area. the sandbox is also a big thrill again.

basically all the toys that they haven't seen since October are new again!




we have had this little car since Aidan was 20 months old. it was second hand. that first winter we actually brought it into the basement so that he could play during the winter. i have a few photos from 2 year old Aidan and 4 month old Kiara sitting together on the seat. Aidan has the wheel and Kiara was content to sit beside him and let him decide where to go. not much has changed. i can picture them in 13 years {gasp!} doing the same thing with a real car.



this car was used for a lot of their imaginary games this week. i don't usually play a part in those games. but i hear a lot of interesting material! if they can write out these stories as well as they can act, then we will have many years of entertainment on our hands.

this has been a fabulous neighbourhood for spring. we have yet to make it to the park. however the back path is kept clear of snow, so it is ready for bikes quite early. the yard even has a slope so that the water drains properly and in good time! maybe tomorrow will find us spending some time at the park. this will be the first year that i should be able to sit off to the side for most of the playtime with a book or magazine. it could possibly be my new addiction! i can't see much complaining about that from anyone either. yahoo!!



given it was April Fool's Day today, my joke started early. it was not my brightest moment when i decided to put the kids' easter treats in my closet. nor to leave them there after Kiara discovered them and tried to open a package already. you know what's coming. you may recall this event.

last night had me working downstairs and Kristian upstairs. Kiara managed to sneak past him with a bag of their easter treats. at 10:00pm Kristian discovered Kiara nearly finished an entire chocolate treat. a hollow tinkerbell that was nearly her size. at 10pm. that is 3 hours past the time we tucked her under her covers for sleep. this added more sugar into her system than she has ever had before. not to mention the lack of sleep.

again, i was very excited with the products and ideas i had for the next layout class at Urban. i was anxious to also put the assignment away and spend some family time this weekend. with glee, i worked hard on the page last night. then i crawled into bed at 3am.

Aidan was up at 7:30am and in a totally happy mood. and he was humming the Star Wars theme song while he ate his cereal.

happy Fool's Day to me!



knowing Kiara and i needed sleep...i begged him to be quiet. turned on the laptop so that the could play games. i also turned on the iMac so that he could pick an iTune show to watch if he got tired of games.

it could have been a terrible joke. thankfully he was very respectful of our moods and sleep needs. most likely he was thrilled to play computer games uninterrupted for a few hours!


supper is about to be eaten and the tears have been very minimal with all things considered!


phew!


**added: no photos of the unfortunate chocolate incident this time! shucks!!