Safer Parks!

Didn't the city just tear down the park around the corner from my house- to make it safer? I'm pretty sure they tore down parks all over the place in the last few years to- make them "safer." To prevent kids from falling off of high places, to prevent broken bones, and such like.

I don't believe this brand new park that we went to last weekend- met my safety requirements.

As a mom, of course...

Somehow, watching my children climb up a 20 foot pyramid- made of rope- doesn't seem "safe."

Not to mention the "rock-wall." I cringed while they stepped across the top. Easily too high for me to even reach their feet.

Scott on the other hand, was encouraging them to "do it again!" While he was busy burning relaxing in the sun. "They'll be fine! I climbed higher things than that!"

I'd like to see you do it now! :P

I stood there a typical Mom yelling, "Be careful! Hold on tight! Don't fall, honey!"

Even when Eve did fall off the rock wall and get a friction burn on her tummy.

So much for safe parks! May as well bring back the 10 feet slides- with no railings! Or the huge see-saws, with no handles. Or even the 20 feet battlestars where you walk across old chains to a little platform in the middle. (Remember those!?) How about tire swings! (I did see a kid or two get knocked out by one of those)

I'm just saying...instead of just going to the park around the corner. We now have to go to these "cool" parks. According to my kids, "the higher- the better!"

Like this one from last summer. Where I was afraid to go down the tube slides. And I'm not even afraid of heights!

I think I may have a heart attack if I have to endure the rope pyramid again...

Wordless Wednesday

Destructive, Daring, and Dainty

Destructive.

This girl loves to make a mess. Give her paper to tear, or in most cases, a book to shred, and she's happy.

She also enjoys ripping kleenex apart, and then tossing each little piece over her shoulder when she's finished with it. Atleast she doesn't eat it like the boys would have...

This face is a common occurrence with Ella.


She is also, extremely daring. She loves to get up on her knees in our bed, and then throw herself forwards, backwards, sideways, or just any which way. It's always nice waking up to her head hitting your nose...

Being so daring the other morning, she threw herself forward and her face landed on my camera lens. Oh no, my camera!!! Poor Ella. I thought she was going to have a black eye. Just a welt. It went away.



I wonder where she gets this from?....


Enough said.

But she can also be the most perfectly dainty little girl.

Home

There is nowhere with more opportunity than in a home. Everything in this earth is designed to revolve around the use of the home. People are formed by home. Homes make leaders, followers, servants, and tyrants. Homes are the source of our culture, our policy, our needs, and our hopes. In all things we face, in all things that challenge us, in life compounded, there is nowhere so powerful an influence as home.

Home has changed. Sadly, many people in our mangled society often never taste the fresh nature of an established, faithful, loving, well grounded home. Hopelessness has plagued us because we lack that stabling force in our lives which causes us to rest each day before the next. Home has become a self-managed hotel where people stay while they have to sleep. Home has become a place for partying, a place for leisure, and a place we just wish we could leave more often. But home is not the place as much as it is the people that fill (to the brim in our case) that place.

Society is a product of the homes which make it up, and as well, the homes are a product of the people from that society. Thus, our homes today shape the future, and our present has been shaped by the homes of yesterday. How important is our home? It’s about as important as our country, our lifestyle, and our very future. What we do with our home will shape tomorrow. This is why never a stay-at-home mom dies feeling useless, unmerited, or alone for that matter. Those who invest themselves in their homes will never lack a reward for their labours.

Thank God for good Moms!

As we remember our mothers in a couple of weeks, perhaps we would do well to remember the investment, the sleepless nights, the vomit buckets, the expense, the lack of freedom and unfulfilled dreams. Remember the tears, and the sighs, and the inner worry for love’s sake. Remember your Mom who made home… home. Remember your parents who fought selfishness to win harmony. Who fought diversity to win culture. Our home was not perfect, but may we take the time to thank God, we had and have our home.

So Long as There are Homes
Grace Noll Crowell (1877-1969)

So long as there are homes to which men turn at close of day;
So long as there are homes where children are, where women stay
If love and loyalty and faith be found across those sills
A stricken nation can recover from its gravest ills.

So long as there are homes where fires burn and there is bread;
So long as there are homes where lamps are lit and prayers are said;
Although people falter through the dark and nations grope
With God Himself back of these little homes
We have sure hope.

It's not our home... but it's our kids. :)

Flashback Friday: Teeth Anyone?

We have been loosing teeth here, left, right and centre. The girls have lost 5 teeth just this week! It's crazy. In the middle of church... in an apple... during dinner... Seems like everyday someone is losing a tooth.

I'm thinking it's a good thing we didn't tell them about the tooth fairy, or we'd be really broke right about now!

Here's our "toothless smile" picture.

Charity and her faces....

She's reminding me a bit of Ovechkin in this picture...

She's missing the most with 3 gone at once.

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Now for the flashback part...

One of my favourite pictures of my Dad and I.

(minus my front teeth!)

Wordless Wednesday: Last Photo of the Shoot

Today We Are....

...as he goes into surgery.

Check MckMama's blog for updates.

I Blame Scott...

One night last week, I was folding laundry and talking to Scott on the phone when I heard an odd sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like dripping water. I told Scott to hold on while I went upstairs to check it out.

As I got to the top step I looked around the corner and saw Elijah, standing in front of his sisters' closed bedroom door- peeing on it!

Naturally, the first thing I did was yell, "Elijah!" He turned towards me with a blank look on his face and pulled up his pants. He just stood there. I was now relaying what was going on to Scott over the phone. This would have completely shocked me... if he hadn't done the exact same thing a few months ago!

OK, so he's still just standing there. I'm saying, "Go to the bathroom! Elijah!! Into the bathroom! Now!" I tell Scott that I have to go, while he is laughing hysterically on the other end. I direct Elijah into the bathroom and ask him if he still has to go... no answer. "Go to bed then! Do you know where your bed is???" To which he shakes his head no and continues to stare at me blankly.

I decided to go grab the camera at this point. I took this picture of him in the bathroom...

went to clean up the mess, and came back to this....
(the bowl is there cause Jed was sick)
In the morning he had no recollection of it, whatsoever. He was completely asleep the entire time. I would find this strange too... if it wasn't for his father's habits...

We had been married for just a few months when I woke up one night during the playoff season, to Scott shaking me violently, screaming, "It was in the net!!! It was in the net!!!" Needless to say, I was a little startled. He let go, laid back down and acted as though nothing had happened. I tried to wake him up, to no avail. In the morning, he didn't remember a thing. There have been many such instances throughout the years, where he wakes up and tells me he was fired, or someone gave him a million dollars, or to "hit the snooze button!" when the baby is crying....

But there is one specific incident that stands out. One night, he woke me when he sprung up out of bed- telling me, "There's someone in the house." Not what you want to wake up to in the middle of the night. (By this point though, I was use to his sleepwalking/talking) I told him that no one was in the house, to lay down and go back to sleep.

Insisting that there was indeed, someone in the house, he unsheathed his sword and went towards our bedroom door. All the while I'm saying, "Scott get back in bed! There is no one in the house!"

All I got was a, "Shhhhhhhhhhhh" from him, while he tiptoed into the hallway.

All of a sudden he swung open the bathroom door and I heard a high-pitched, "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Poor Elijah, was just trying to go pee in the middle of the night. (At least he was in the bathroom this time!) It must have woken Scott up, cause he dropped the sword and I heard him apologizing to Elijah. He took Elijah to bed and didn't even remember thinking that there was someone in the house...

Thankfully, that's the only time he has had a weapon. The next morning Elijah was telling his sisters what happened, and he said, "I thought he was going to kill me!" Oh man... maybe that's why he has such disturbed dreams. (Which I will blog about. Eventually...)

So as far as the sleepwalking goes... I blame Scott.

Though all that drool on the pillow...Scott would tell you he gets that from me...

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Last week was my Mom's birthday. What she did for her birthday, was just like her... she came over and babysat the kids so Scott and I could go to a college event. We did make her a cake...

The kids had a great time making all the little "pearls."

The girls did anyways...

Great-grandpa, Karen, Polly, Sarah and I all pitched into get her some new front porch furniture. Hopefully, the weather gets nice again so she can sit outside and enjoy it!

I thought it would be fun to share what the kids think of their Grandma. So...here is Grandma, according to the kids!

Grandma always says, "Hi beautiful. I love you. Would you like a Mentos?"

She's really good at finding things we like. One day she'll be famous for her drawings! Grandma likes to come to our house, have snacks with us, look at the blog, and cuddle. She's white, with blond hair and glasses. She loves Grandpa because he's so serious. She even loves him when he leaves pens in his pockets and the ink gets all over!...because he's her husband. When we're not around, she likes to play with Robbie. She likes sports, and her favourite place to go... is our house!

A few notes from the grandkids...

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Dear Grandma,

Thanks for being nice to us all the time!

Love,

Keona

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You're a good Grandma. Happy 46 Birthday!

Love,

Charity

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Dear birthday grandma,

I couldn't think of anything to say.

I love you.

Happy birthday!

Why do you like Treehouse?

Love,

Prayer

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To my lovely Grandma,

Happy Birthday!

You're 46 now! I hope you're happy.

Love your dear,

Eve

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Yeah... we hope you're happy!

Love you Mom.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Saturday Morning- In Our Bed

I think we may need a bigger bed...

I love this next photo...

It depicts our life.

So much chaos.

Yet in the midst of it all- Scott is just trying to sleep.

After kicking everyone but Ella out of our bed....
Scott is still squeezing in every last moment of shut-eye...

I love this man.

Belated Flashback Friday (Who's Who?)

I hardly have any pictures of all three of them from this age. It was impossible to keep them sitting still...together. Celery and Veggie Tales worked for this one. It was one of my faves.

New Family Picture!

We finally have a picture of our entire family!!! We finally did it!

All of us are looking straight ahead...

Everyone is smiling....

Everyone's eyes are open.....

No weird neck veins going on......

And we all look pretty good, if I do say so myself.......

Courtesy of Keona. ;)

Wordless Wednesday

Mondays Are Always Fun

I woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise- Jeddy had thrown up all over his bed at some point during the night, but apparently slept through it...? I will never understand how they do that. He was so cranky this morning (not that I blame him) but usually when he's sick, he atleast slows down a bit. Not today! He was still in to everything. Just extra cranky. He did crash around lunch time though. I had sat him on the green chair after pulling him out of the kitchen for the 4,000th time, and when I looked back, he was fast asleep.

I think the "He's so sweet....when he's sleeping!" saying applies here.. ;)


This weekend, we decided to have a quiet Easter dinner at home. Considering Scott had 2 papers, a speech, a sermon, a reading log, a book report, a speech file (and I know I'm forgetting things) due this week.... we needed that quiet time.

I made a big turkey dinner, and baked ALOT. Too much... I'm afraid that baking has become a hobby. One that I'm going to have to give up. I ate way too much this weekend. The kids and I made these Easter egg style "cake-pops" from Bakerella's site. SO much fun! The kids had a blast decorating the eggs.



And they didn't just sit there and rot! We actually got to eat them!

We will definitely do this again soon next Easter.

And then, since I took my Grandma's advice and tried making a cake from scratch, I had all this leftover batter from the cake pops... so I had to make a little cake too...and some icing...and some fondant...then I dyed it green for Jed...and decorated it for fun... :/



Did I mention the raspberry cheesecake I made for Scott's birthday yet? Cause I made that this weekend too... the last piece is in the fridge right now, calling my name... I will resist and eat the kids' chocolate instead save it for Scott.

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Oooh, and I saw Babylegs for the first time last week and became obsessed with them. Ella had to have a pair. :) I couldn't buy any though, because Scott would be just a tiny bit upset if I spent $15+ shipping on an accessory...for a baby... So instead, I found a tutorial online showing how to make them out of tube socks.

Well, I didn't have any tube socks so I thought I'd use some of the girls' old tights...


Before (rather funky indeed)





And after...




I think they're so cute! Actually, it's mostly the chunky little legs they're on that are cute! After sewing the cuffs on backwards once, taking the stitches out and starting again, they weren't too bad. I'm pulling out all the old tights now to make more "Babylegs." Like I said, it's an obsession...it will pass.

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This afternoon, Elijah knocked down a light fixture. On his head...well, more his nose than his head... He cut his chin, his elbow, bruised his nose, and shattered glass all over his bed, dressers, laundry basket, and floor. Five minutes later, one of our STUPID cats used the girls' top bunk as a litter box. I contemplated killing hurting throwing them outside never mind... Needless to say, I have about 20 loads of laundry waiting down stairs as I type. I'm very thankful for my commercial size appliances right now!

To finish Monday off on a good note, Jeddy and Ella got along for a few minutes while they were looking out the door today. Figured I better capture the moment...being so rare and all... ;)

Dawn

Dawn

Often drawn are we in great times of distress, disturbance, or discouragement, towards the hope muralled inside our hearts, and clear across the horizon.

Ships have ventured east upon harsh and cautioned waters, against all odds of survival, with the hope that after toil through the night storms the dawn will prove faithful, yet again, to clear darkness from sight and bring the morning.

Battles have raged on through the night, as in the blindness of defence against innumerable odds and cries of terror ring through the distant set. Yet in a moment, after long resolve, the dawn has smitten the sky to reveal the enemy and cure the blindness of night.

The night brings fuel to the fright of wickedness. Every sound glare the slight of enemy’s plot. Yet at dawn there is view. At dawn there is hope. Dawn reveals the purpose of time lost in the dark. Awaken to find that the night was a chance for victory in thine anguish. Arise to take note that the hope has been fulfilled! Life is revived, and again sets out to flourish as the dawn breaks. Hold for the dawn, oh quitter! Wait for the time when thy hope shall be reality and thy time shall be fulfilled!

Dawn is near.

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

-Matthew 28:1-2

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

-II Peter 1:19

Nearly 2,000 years ago, at dawn, on that resurrection Sunday, Christ rose from the grave to prove victory over death and purity of His offered salvation. Receive His victory for your life, and await the dawn of His coming day.