mr. crafty-pants

last Friday Aidan had the day off school. Kiara did not. they both thought it was funny that Kiara would have to be in school while Aidan stayed home.

he had a great morning. we made a few little attempts to organize a play date. in the end we just stayed home. which was good because i had some projects to work on and get closer to completing! he did a few things that are considered a treat in our house. like play some lego games on my laptop.

i guess my scrapbooking looked like fun, because he joined me later on.

he has wanted to make a craft video for some time. he got to use one of my 12x12 sheets that i've been hoarding. as well as some extra photos that were not used on last months' layout. he was thrilled.




he chose all his supplies. got some glue. then set up his camera.




see it sitting on the stacks of magazines?
he tried a few different locations. this was his final choice. he did all of this on his own.


i had to take photos of him as he was crafting away.  i love his cute smile in this photo.

although after his page was done we had to quickly leave the house to go pick up Kiara at school. it was then that he realized that his camera did not record his well-planned project. to say he was devastated is putting it mildly.

after lunch i took Kiara upstairs so that she would not disturb his second 'real' recording.

then we watched the video. as it turned out, he recorded EVERYTHING but the initial run-through of his page. thankfully he was able to laugh by that time. he was also extremely relieved that his second video taping session was recorded successfully. he makes me laugh!

i'll share his layout later this week.

if you are familiar with scrapbooking, you will know that there is a label on the bottom of the page that needs to be trimmed off. his is not.

so, last week his theme was scrapbooking. this week it was science experiments. what will next week hold?

boogabooga!

last weekend we took the family out for some noodles. after we were done i realized that at some point i either lost part of my tooth or a filling. no pain. just not nice and smooth like the rest of my teeth.

a few days later i celebrated my birthday. with my tooth still not intact. apparently my teeth are not getting any younger.

today was the earliest i could get the damaged tooth repaired. i was NOT excited. i do have a great dentist. i taught two of his four children, so we know each other rather well. i would say that i got along rather well with their family too. unfortunately for all involved, i have had some not-so-great experiences with other dentists when it came to repairing my teeth. we'll just leave the rest of the details out and say that it was a bad memory that i have tried to forget. fortunately i have not needed dental work that required me to have freezing or require 10 fingers to be inside my mouth.

i was prepared for today. i bought an i-book. i practiced positive thoughts. i smiled. crossed my fingers. and toes. prayed for Christ to return. either way i was also betting that i may no longer hold any positive opinion in this dentists' eyes!

i was WRONG! didn't need the i-book. it was over so fast! i did not cry or bite any part of a finger. i rocked. turns out i have an awesome dentist!!!

now, let me jump ahead....(because my dental experiences is not the point of this post!)


after lunch i told the kids i had a special movie to watch with them. they love that. then i added that i had gotten it from my dentist. to which Aidan responded, "i guess you were a good for him then." i think the kids may be disappointed with their next visit when they only get dollar store type prize!

i would highly recommend buying this dvd for any kids you know. (it was easily understood by our 3 year old critic and enjoyed by this 'much older' viewer)

we laughed so hard!

my dentists' brother, Rich Milner is the author of the stories. i think it was 2003 when Rich disappeared on a hiking trip. after his presumed death, David and his family decided to publish these cute children's stories that Rich had written for his nephews and nieces. "The Adventures of Marty the Monkey and Gerard the Giraffe." now they are putting the stories onto DVD.

they have also developed a website: www.boogaboogaland.com

here is a review i found about the first dvd in the series.

each video/chapter is based on a parable from the Bible. a new character is introduced in each successive video too. if you go to their website, you can read the titles and summaries of each of them. not all of the stories have been produced yet. i believe a new dvd is set to be released next month. or you can read some more details here.

Amazon.com is selling them as well as some local retailers. it will be a series that we will be adding to our collection without doubt.


a side note for us Canadians....pay attention to the bus driver in the first story. he uses the word, "eh?" and he has a maple leaf on his sleeve. i got too caught up in the other stories to watch for little details like that!

replay

after my disappointment with the olympic torch relay in Edmonton i went back to my friend, the internet. it informed me of the relays of the nearby little towns.

so i picked the one closest to me. it had nothing to do with it taking place at a decent time of day. no nothing.

i will admit that i did spend a few minutes pondering waking the kids up at 6am to drive for 45 minutes to wait for 15 minutes to see the 2 minute viewing of the relay. the math just didn't make sense!
after they were both happy in their warm and enjoyable classrooms, i went off on an adventure of my own.

yes i did feel guilty that i did not include them. but that only lasted until after the torch passed.



thank goodness for my zoom lens.

too bad i did not trust my own instincts. initially i stood with a small crowd of people, but left when i saw that the rest of the crowd was across the street and further down. i also spotted a tv camera and figured that was also a good sign. i was sadly mistaken! that will teach me for running with the crowd. ha!!




if you have not seen the torch, you will not know that there is quite the entourage of police encircling the runners. even in these sleepy vibrant little towns.




i have to comment on those mittens. i want a pair. for me. for each member of my family. they would look good on us.

this is something i hoped the kids would see.

as it turns out, both of the kids were more thrilled with the flags they were given! that erases any remaining flecks of guilt i may still have.

now the internet world is aware of my obsessive compulsive tendencies. especially where it concerns once in a lifetime events.

perhaps i should share the story where i waited in an hour line up for a unique coca-cola pin? i literally had nothing better to do and it was when the world games came to the city. i had to wait for something else - which has completely vacated my memory. i do remember coming across this line and learning that there is a group of people who are serious about their pin collecting. while in that line i got completely caught up in their excitement. i learned a lot about pins from the lady i waited with. there, you learned something else about me. i sometimes meet and chat with the most interesting people, have great conversations. then never see them again. she was very educated and also happened to have connections with some pretty well-known Edmontonians. yes, i believed every word she said. why wouldn't i?

time to change the topic.




i've been going through photos from a year ago. which makes complete sense why i share a photo from a month ago. it is just one of those photos that i like better each time i see it. right now i am going through the winter photos. lots of skating, sledding and outdoor stuff. winter is the longest season here. my fingers get cold when i take photos outdoors. not to mention the challenge with all the "white". at least those are my challenges.

life has been busy these past few weeks. lots of good busyness. those are stories for another day.

i also have a birthday coming up. i told Aidan how old i will be. then suddenly he started to talk about how he would behave if he were 100. i'll admit i'm getting closer to 100, but i still have over 10 years before i'm even halfway there....i should have let him think i was going to be 28. he thought that was old. of course, he thinks 10 is old. i'm on a losing course!

and the flame passes on

the olympic flame just passed through Edmonton today. i knew i wanted to see it. figured i'd go online and let the internet tell me what was happening.

not enough.

i thought it was just me, but then i learned that Kristian thought the same way. apparently we thought that literally the torches held the same flame from Athens. we also thought that the run route was continuous. romantic? gullible?

the interent told me that the route would be at Hawrelak Park at 5. knowing that park very well i thought it would be safe to assume that they would be running through and around the park. of all my formal options i thought this would be the best place for the best view. as we drove up it appeared that parking in the park would not be possible....so i parked at the nearby park and walked my tough little kids nearly a kilometre.








we stood with everyone at the front gate.

with some elderly people. they are wise. another assumption.

we watched the olympic caravan drive past. which was quite spectacular. and we waited for the runner to pass the torch. not a runner could be spotted from our vantage point. which should have been my first clue that we should have moved.





thinking we would avoid the crowd to our right and be the first to spot "the torch". then suddenly a lit torch appeared. not to the left of us, that we were expecting. in the centre of the crowd to the right of us. the flame just appeared suddenly. suddenly. the group of wise elders and my little family stood frozen in disbelief.

my dreams of what the torch relay was like have been crushed. we were so close! there was no torch to torch delivery of the Athens' flame. just a lighter.




thank goodness for optical zoom. this was our view.

we were there. we saw. just not what we thought we would.



confused.



Aidan told me, "don't worry. we'll see it next year." um. no. maybe never. this is one of those once in a lifetime experiences. only a handful of people get to experience this more than once.

had i been more aware and used some thought....i would have done what others did. find a spot along the route. wait. watch. know that each town has it's own route that does not necessarily mean a connected route. ugh.

think the Olympics will return to Calgary in my lifetime?

just asking.

joy

the weather around the globe has not been so wonderful lately. crazy temperatures happening all over the place! somehow the cold arctic air is moving around this part of the globe and leaving some really pleasant temperatures. aside from the amount of snow on the ground, the air felt much more like it does in March. that added some joy to our day!


we headed out of town to celebrate some birthdays. Kristians' niece and nephew were born in two separate years...but just 2 days apart! his niece had her birthday on Saturday and his nephew had his today. i'm sure their parents know exactly what the weather is like typically on their birthdays....but i think it was the most pleasant weather that i can recall having.


it meant an afternoon of sledding. without the risk of frostbite! yay!!!





Kristian took Kiara down for a run. i'm not sure why, but she is held that cord up high for every run down the hill. that's my girl.


Aidan just loves to go fast.


our niece. taking one of the jumps. i wished i had the vantage point to capture the look on her face. no matter. this gives it's own set of detail. look at the air she got!



i would say that this is the first year Kiara has enjoyed the snow. i suppose part of it is realizing that it comes and goes every year. it wouldn't surprise me if she chose to live somewhere more temperate as an adult. she is a smart one. this is also the first year that she really got into the sledding. maybe there is hope for her.



i think we had a few adults who had gone for too long without skiing. especially this one. he tried out most of the sleds like this. only once did he try 2 saucers...i'm sure you can guess why. time to plan a ski day. or weekend.




this is my favourite shot of the day! only because of their expressions. i got a few really good ones of this ride down the hill. i think they will make a fantastic scrapbook layout. {grinning} seriously. how can you NOT smile after looking at those faces?



both of the kids still managed to fit into last years' winter gear. except for their boots. these coats will definitely see their fair share of wear. i just love how the colour in this coat and her hat works so well with the snow and the lighting. they are growing like weeds, so this will definitely be the last year for this coat. if she slows down her growth or spring comes early. i guess i better keep my eye out for a good hat for next year...if only for the photo opportunities. ha! actually that hat will match the next coat perfectly. pink and brown.


so i've been thinking of my goals for the next year. my word for the next year.

i've decided on 'strength'. i don't want to lose the growth i've gained. i definitely love the blooming that has happened. i need those blooms to lift my spirits! now is the time to stay strong and become stronger.

more on that later.


for now...if you live in Canada....enjoy your day. if you live elsewhere...stay warm!

happy new year

i'm still in disbelief that 2010 has begun.

some highlights from 2009 were....

*our new home and meeting more new friends

*finding out that TWO of my scrapbook pages were going to be published in a magazine

*having a reunion with friends we knew so well a decade ago....and had lost touch with. being reminded that time truly does travel quickly since all of us have kids of varying ages...those who had babies now have pre-teens!

*camping trip and holiday in Banff

*Aidan and Kiara making loads of cards for their fundraiser for the Stollery Children's Hospital

*an opportunity to be a guest designer for my long-time favourite scrapbooking company TWICE

*learning that a third scrapbook page was going to be published

*being approached to teach some scrapbook classes....ladies groups, work team, and scrapbook store

*asked to be a part of a local design team at Urban Scrapbook

*asked to work some shifts for the same store...excited to start in a few weeks and hang out with fun people

*finding a new church home that is nearby


i don't think we have had as eventful of a year since our babies were born.

Kris and i don't look back at 2008 with the fondest of memories....he had a brutal job for a few months that required him to resign. we learned how tough we were and held on more tightly to each other. we also learned to be more respectful of the needs of our family and decidedly moved forward to keep our family as our number one priority. although the year had its fair share of highs and lows, it didn't end much better than it began. like that little spruce tree that manages to grow among the rocks....we too managed to stay alive. my word for that year was GROW. it was slow, but there is much growth when you are simply working each day to live!

it took awhile for 2009 to improve. the first few months were months of decisions. life stabilized long enough for us to decide that a move was a priority. which meant shining the rough spots on our old {1949} little {850 sq. ft.} bungalow. shine it did! and sold within hours of it being on the market. less than a week later we found a house that seemed to fit us. enough for Kristian and i to know immediately and hold back tears because it seemed too good to be true. i think i had the most challenging time trying to move my heart from the old home and community. i'll never miss the noise and crime issues we faced....but it was home for nearly 11 years for us. the home we brought both our babies to. as 2009 ended, our new home felt like HOME. we can look forward to more memories here with our family. all the sad and troubling memories of 2008 and early 2009 don't have a place on a shelf here. amazing the last half of the year has been tremendous. most of our blessings and my favourites have happened during the last few months. we are so grateful to our friends who remain close to us despite the move. we are thankful for new friends who have welcomed us into their circle. my word for the year was BLOOM. we definitely did.




the real shift in me occured just before Christmas. once the tree was decorated and the "halls were decked" it felt like home. due to the busyness of the season, things didn't quiet down until later in the holiday. however we hung our first round of pictures on our walls! yes, it felt more like our home with every nail we pounded. we as in Kristian pounded the nails. he is very handy that way!

we also added our first real "mark" to the house too.. we were playing a game of Settlers of Catan with our neighbors and Kristian bumped his glass of red wine with his elbow. it splashed all over one wall and our baseboards. even with being wiped up immediately, it still left a hint of a stain. maybe i can try a wash of Tide...{wink}



we also transformed what was originally the kids' playroom into my studio area. as time passed, we found it just wasn't being utilized by the kids as much as it once had. we also found that i did less creating in the massive basement space, choosing instead to carry my supplies up the stairs to the kitchen table and bar counter. the kids were a little miffed at being moved out, but were appeased when they had the toys moved closer to their rooms. so far i use this little room daily. the kids will also have a table of their own when they choose to create at the same time as me. it is much more inspiring than the grey of the concrete floors.


this is how we begin 2010.

mostly unpacked. mostly settled. definitely happy.

i'm still thinking on my word for the year. i had thought of "propegate" or "mulitply" that sounded too much like adding on to the family. we won't go there! maybe "peace". "time." "discover."

it will be decided. i need to give it more thought.


i hope that 2010 will be a year filled with fond and wonderful memories for you as well.

blessings!