Lasagna, Popcorn chains, and other ramblings…

Tonight, Jeddy and I made lasagna for dinner. With my mom’s special, homemade sauce. Jeddy doesn’t usually like lasagna. So this time, I decided to let him make his own. Like my mom did for me, when I was a kid and didn’t like lasagna. He declared his lasagna, “The BEST lasagna EVER.” And cleaned his plate. Not sure if the timbits and hot chocolate from Tim Horton’s that Grandma brought for dessert had anything to do with it… :)

 

This, is why we haven’t made popcorn chains in a few years…

 

December 2007

 

While I was looking at old pictures, I realized that I have my dad’s smile…

Maybe that’s why my grandma just sits and stares at my sister and I when we go visit her.

 

Please pray for this family.

When Elijah was about 4 years old, he pulled my dresser over. Thankfully, my bed was in the way and caught it. He was able to duck underneath and was only hit by a drawer. (The one time I was thankful for small bedrooms.) Hearing the scream and crash, was horrifying. Yet, we still have furniture that isn’t anchored. Reading this story has reminded me to take care of that this weekend.

 

What a solemn post.

 

On a brighter note- we are officially on Christmas break! I decided to finish off tomorrow’s school work, today. That way we can just relax and hang out with Scott tomorrow. We have lots of baking, and arts and crafts planned for next week. No popcorn chains though…

 

Speaking of school, Jeddy flew through his 3 letter words today! We’ll be right on track to start short sentences in the new year. For a while there, I debated waiting until next year to continue kindergarten with him. But once he caught on… it has been smooth sailing since.

Seems like just the other day, he was learning to walk. Now, he’s learning to read!

 

FYI- I really miss that skirt. It was my favourite. You can tell by the giant fray holes that I wore right through it. I guess my boys aren’t the only ones who wear through their jeans…

Ella can recite all of the blends as well. She sits there and says, “Ma, me, mi, mo, mu. Da, de, di, do, du.” She has no clue what she is saying- but perhaps it will make it easier to teach her? I can hope, anyways. :)

 

She, Arabella that is, is super polite. If she doesn’t hear me the first time, she responds with, “Pardon?” Every single time.

Jeddy on the other hand… looks confused and says, “What chu say?”

I know that I should really correct him, and teach him, “Excuse me” or “Pardon me” – but I just can’t help but laugh. Every single time.

 

And just cause I’m going through them- a few old photos…

Summer 2007

  

I miss having a tan…

Not so sure I miss the full beard…

Flashback Friday: Spontaneous Identical Triplets

It's a girl!

And a girl!...

And another girl!

"A" is Eve, cause she was the lowest and was supposed to be born first. She used my bladder as a punching bag. Even though she wasn't- she has the attitude of an "oldest."

"B" is Charity, who kicked the most, and stuck a limb in the way to be firstborn by 1 minute. Yet, she has the personality of a middle child.

"C" is Prayer, who was lodged under my ribs, and caused a Dr. to have to put an entire arm into my abdomen to get her out. Thank you Prayer. And yes, she fits the "youngest" title.

To this day, they are all still within half a pound, and half an inch of each other...

Flashback Friday: Nova Scotia

This was by far, the best road trip I've ever been on. Mostly, because I got to watch my kids see, and enjoy, all sorts of new things. Kids make everything more fun!

Using airmiles to pay for all of our hotels, and then having our rooms upgraded for free because they saw how many kids we had, wasn't bad either... :)

Because this is how they slept in the first hotel...

It didn't really seem to bother them too much. Thankfully, at the next place, the sweet lady at the front desk gave up a suite. It had 2 separate rooms, each with a tv, 2 bathrooms, 2 double beds, a pull out couch, a fold out chair, and our own private patio. And we were worried about them seeing how many kids we had! It was that same hotel, where a sweet older man paid for our breakfast the following morning. We didn't know until after he left, and we never got the chance to thank him...

We all have so many memories from that trip... Including a giant butterfly getting in the van while we were driving, and Keona having a meltdown because of it.

Attempting to eat lunch on a deserted beach surrounded by forest, until Scott mentioned for me to watch for bears... ha! I was slightly paranoid after that, and we didn't stay very long.

Then Eve threw up her lunch after driving along a very bumpy dirt road.

Me, running past a guy closing and locking the Walmart doors, so that I could buy her a new sweater, cause she threw up all over hers and we had a 3 hour ferry ride ahead of us.

All the kids falling asleep on the ferry, and us trying to get them all down the stairs and back into the van.

The kids waking up the next morning in the hotel, and thinking we were still on the ferry. Walking out too far on the beach, not realizing the tide was coming IN, and then being stranded on a sand bar with 6 kids. I was sure that one of us was going to be stung by a jellyfish or bitten by a crab...

Not knowing that PEI dirt is so red that it dyed all of our shoes (and some of our clothes) a dirty orange colour.

Missing our ferry that we rushed to get to, and having the best day of our vacation driving around Digby, Nova Scotia while waiting for the next one.

We found out that Quebec, has the coolest parks and craziest highways.

We now know it doesn't take much wind to blow Old Navy flip flops off of a ferry.

Jeddy was afraid of the van for the first few weeks we were home. I think he thought he'd be stuck in his seat for days again!

Scott and I tried RedBull for the first, and last time while taking turns driving. We did however, stop at Tim Hortons several times an hour a day.

It was grand.

Ahhh... we're saving up our airmiles so we can do it all again!

Flashback Friday: Thwee Sissers

She was so proud of her little sisters. She told everyone about them, and I mean everyone!

She would literally turn to someone in the aisle of a grocery store and let them know that she had "thwee sissers at home." She would then proceed to tell them, their names and ages, and her favourite colour, and what she wanted for dinner, and if they were really lucky... she'd offer to sing the national anthem for them, which she learned watching playoff hockey with her Daddy.

She has always been quite the chatterbox, and she has taught her sisters well. The four of them can talk up a storm. There are times, when it turns into yelling, because they're trying to speak over eachother.

My friend's son, who is Elijah's age, was over a few weeks ago, and during lunch he said, "Why can't you all just talk normal!? Like me!" (As he yelled it over them!) They were being a tad bit noisy...

Inside voices! Inside voices!

Poor Scott.... I can only imagine when they're teenagers... :)

Flashback Friday: Four Kids- Under Two!

I remember this day very well. We had just brought the triplets home, after spending 2 weeks in the NICU. When we walked into the apartment building, the manager looked at us with a worried face, and went on to tell us that BOTH elevators were out of order... We were so excited to have our babies home, that we didn't even flinch at the fact that we'd have to carry 3 car seats, and a 1 year old, up to the ninth floor.

It's so hard to remember them all being so tiny! Probably because there were 4 of them, under the age of two... But God is good, and by His grace, we made it through. I've heard so many people say that parents of multiples have a much higher divorce rate. I can honestly say, that our marriage only got stronger through the baby stage. Not to say that we didn't have fights disagreements. It's just that we needed each other. I'm so thankful that God used these (I don't want to say "difficult") trying? times to draw us closer together.

About a week after the triplets came home from the hospital, Scott went out to a hockey game, and I had to do the whole bedtime routine by myself for the first time. When he walked out the door, all three babies started crying, and I just sat there and cried with them. I could only nurse two at a time! (and I hated having to nurse two at once...) Keona, was a trooper though. She rocked Eve's car seat and stroked her bald little head, while I fed the other two. She was such a huge help, even back then! Needless to say, I've gotten used to doing the whole bedtime routine by myself now. :P

We've come so far... and still have so much farther to go.

I'm seeing God's grace in so many places that I didn't even think about before Stef's session at the Ladies' Retreat.

God is good ALL the time!

Flashback Friday: Megan

I planned on posting a flashback of my cousin Megan this past Friday, as she was expecting her baby any day.... I would have made this post on Friday, had I not spent the day running back and forth from the hospital to the ladies' retreat. I don't remember the last time that I went an entire night and day without sleep. Probably when I was in labour with Elijah...
__________________________________________________

When I think of Meg as a child, this is how I remember her...

Sarah and I would tell her to run across the living room as fast as she could, just so that we could trip her as she ran by. We were horrible! Though, she was quite a brat at times... I remember the time she had broken my earphones or something on purpose and laughed about it. We decided to lock her in the closet while my grandparents were out... Or how about when she bit Sarah's leg... or we told her the "duppies" were coming. We did some hilarious extremely mean things to her as a child.

The little Megan I remember, isn't so little anymore. Yesterday, at 6:24am she gave birth to Carson James- a 7lb 10oz. baby boy.

She was still smiling.

We had fun passing the time during the night. Sarah, Polly and I had fun joking around and talking about nonsense. ("He's spicy!" Right Sarah!??) We talked politics ...for about 10 secs. We cuddled up on one end of the cot, to avoid the "hazardous waste" bin... and Ryan ate a bacon and egg sandwich... from a vending machine. I'm feeling nauseous just thinking about it. :P

I think because Megan is such a big mouth outspoken person we expected her to be even more so during labour. She wasn't. After having her epidural, she was almost pleasant. Except for a few times.... like when she yelled at us all for calling her "Izzy." It seemed like she had short-term memory loss cause she would say her throat is so dry and she needs a drink, then she would puke. Five minutes later her throat would be so dry that she'd need a drink. Then she would puke. This went on for about 2 hours. Felt so bad for her! But it was kinda funny...

Not smiling anymore...

This was before she yelled "Don't you dare!!!" about pictures...

We probably shouldn't have been making fun of the lady in labour, who was puking, and about to push out a baby...

Her boyfriend Ryan, in spite of feeling like he was going to pass out, was able to stay in the room for the birth. Polly started crying as soon as she saw the head. I started crying as soon as Polly started crying. Sarah started crying when she saw me crying. And Meg started crying as they placed Carson on her chest. We were all a crying mess.

Ryan was there holding Carson's hand while he got all cleaned up.

I wonder if he's wearing the little Nikes yet?

Polly, was too enamoured with Carson to notice me taking her picture.

You did an amazing job Meg. Carson is gorgeous!

Flashback Friday: My Grandparents

I love this picture of my grandparents. We used it during a slideshow for their anniversary last year.

Can't you just feel the young love and happiness!?

Aalmost 40 years later, you can still see the love and happiness between them.

Well most of the time...

The last time that I spent a night at my grandparents house before I got married, my grandpa was sleeping on the couch. (Note: He is always sleeping on the couch, or his chair. Always dozing. :) My Grandma was telling him to get up and go to bed, while he ignored her. She told him that he was taking up the whole couch, and maybe other people would like to sit down. My sister and I were sitting on the floor watching this whole thing transpire.

Well finally, I guess he had heard enough and he left to go to bed.

Not five minutes later, my Grandma was laying on the couch....

You guessed it- fast asleep.

Love you guys!

Flashback Friday: Ella's First!

This is going to be Arabella's first flashback Friday!

Today, my baby turned one.

First birthdays are so bitter-sweet. It's exciting to see my baby growing up, and yet it's sad... to see my baby growing up!

One year ago right now, I was snuggling in a hospital bed, with my tiny little 6lb Arabella Joy.

Now, at almost 20lbs, she is all over the place! Though, she still enjoys a snuggle. She is definitely the "spiciest" girl we've had. She isn't afraid to make herself heard! She won't be pushed around by her big brothers either. ;) She's learning to hold her own.

She loves eating just about anything. And yet, she is my first baby to still be nursing on their first birthday. Scott thinks I'm spoiling her. I disagree... sorta...

Regardless, we adore her.

The girls love playing with their baby sister. The boys are so careful and gentle with her... most of the time... Ok...well, some of the time...

We all cherish our little Arabella.

She is a joy.

Happy 1st birthday hun!

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.

__________________________________________________

Now for the flashback part...

One of my favourite pictures of my Dad and I.

(minus my front teeth!)

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.

Flashback Friday (200th post!)

From our vacation to the east coast in 2007.

Scott, Jeddy and I in front of the St. Lawrence River. It was breath-takingly gorgeous...

Scott and the kids on the south end of PEI.

Flashback Friday: My Not-So-Little Girls

This week, my girls, these little girls...

...decided they wanted to bake cookies.

Eve found a kid's cookbook my friend gave me in grade 3 or 4, and asked if they could make something. I have never let them try baking before. Making sandwiches...yes. Baking...no. But hey, I was in a good mood I figured it would be a fun experience for them. They collectively agreed on "Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies." Before I even got a chance to look over the recipe, they had ransacked the cupboards and pulled out all the ingredients.

I let them use my mixer and everything!

Other than a few arguments, over who was going to measure what... they did a great job. I had to stay completely out of the kitchen. (Other than for the odd picture) It is extremely difficult for me to just watch. I wanted to let them try on their own, so I just stayed right out of it.

Elijah was given the spatula to polish.

The first batch was a little burnt crispy.

I made a few suggestions, and... voila!

Perfectly chewy, oatmeal-applesauce cookies! They were actually really good, and surprisingly healthy. Ask Ella. Our teething grump ate one for dinner! :O

Their first attempt at baking, was a success.

Oh, I forgot about the part where Prayer tried to take the cookie sheet out of the oven wih her bare hands... Well, lesson learned. Hopefully... you never know with Prayer!

Flashback Friday: Twins?

I don't know how I am supposed to write- following Scott's post that is. We all know that he's the writer in the family. It's just more convenient for me to 'journal' about daily happenings. Though, I would never keep up with a journal... but because I like pictures so much, blogging is perfect!

I told Keona to find an old picture of herself that I could scan and use for today's post. She came to me with an album and said, "I can't believe how much I look like Ella!" We all keep saying how much Ella resembles Keona, but I don't think I even realized how much until I was looking at these pictures today... Keona is a few months older in this picture than Ella is now. Therefore, having a bit more hair. (Why have all my girls been so bald!?!?)

Well, you be the judge...

She brought that doll "Amen" everywhere! Along with baby Anya, who disappeared a few years ago never to be seen again... and Caillou, who is lost in the bottomless pit also known as- our basement.

Flashback Friday: Grace

As an assignment for speech class, Scott had to pick someone who is alive, to write a eulogy for... a tribute to. He picked his Grandma.

A picture that Keona took of "Oma" a few Sundays ago between church services.



“Danny.. Danny.”

“What Mom?”

“Danny, I'm going to Heaven next Sunday night, and I want you to come and see.”

“Huh?”

“I'm in a play at church next Sunday. I'm going to heaven. Will you come and watch me?”


Grace. I owe SO much to Grace.


On August 19th, 1931 my sweet little Grandma Grace was born in London Ontario. Eventually settling on a farm in Campbellford Ontario; where she raised 6 very loved children. Today after much strife as a single mother, fighting poverty and just about everything else the world could hurl, 17 great grandchildren look to her for leadership. She is our patriarch. Grace is our lovely queen.


Most could never imagine the incredible burdens my Grandma held in check each day. Yet she always shone with a cheer and delight. She has never had much, and yet she has always found a way to give far more than asked.


She has an interesting way of looking at things. I can recall, as an 8 year old child, an object lesson. My sister and I were fighting, loudly, as usual. Then, in comes Grandma Grace with a broom and begins to swing it around batting the empty air yelling "Get out! Get out!" She would beat this invisible beast towards the exit, and then, as she opened the door, would make one final swing to hit him outside. "Get OUT!" She yelled, as she slammed the door shut and turned to look at us. My sister and I sat silent....


"Grandma are you okay?"
"I'm just getting that old devil outta here." She replied.

At the end of the 1970's, Grandma Grace and her two youngest sons moved to Victoria British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. Having trusted Christ several years before at an old church in Campbellford, she sought far and wide to find a church to attend in Victoria BC. As a testimony to her sincerity, she found Capitol City Baptist church, a small Independent Baptist work Pastored by an old Texan. That church began praying for my family, just as I was about to enter into this world. In 1980, my parents followed Grandma Grace to Victoria.

It was an answer to prayer.


She tried again and again to win my father to Christ. He was a hard man. Most would have considered him beyond saving. But not his loving mother. In spite of the curses, hard looks, threats and tears, she pressed him to trust Christ. After months of prayer she tried once again to get Danny to church.


“Danny, will you come watch me go to heaven in a play next Sunday?”
“We'll see,” was the response.

But something miraculous happened that next Sunday in my father's heart. He got my mother up, bundled his 8 month old son, and surprised Grandma Grace by showing up for church that cold December morning. That morning my mother and father walked the aisle and trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour.


I owe so much to Grace.

Oma with 5 of our kids, just after Jeddy was born in October 2006.

Flashback....Sunday?

I missed Friday. We were busy baking and hanging out at Grandma's house! :D

Then...

(waiting for your guess, Nana!)

Now....

(same couch- many, many stains later! Did I mention that we bought an off-white couch just weeks before finding out we were having triplets?...)

Daddy still likes to nap....

and they've gotten just a little bit bigger.

Flashback Friday

It had been a long day out for them...

It still amazes me, how much they do "the same." At the same time, in the same way, without even realizing it...and yet, they are becoming so different at the same time. They look up to different people and are picking up many different personality traits from those people. It's amazing, and I feel a privilege, to watch them grow. Eve has always been the "mother hen" she's very appropriately named, Eve. Prayer, is our light-hearted, wacky one. She loves to laugh and make us laugh. She has the highest average in school, and yet she'll act like she doesn't know or understand something just to see us laugh. Charity also lives up to her name. She is sensitive to others needs, always looking to help, and yet easily hurt. She "wears her heart on her sleeve" and is the biggest Daddy's girl of them all.

I loved this stage. (I say that alot...probably because I've loved all the stages! Well....almost all of them. ) I hate that it's so hard to remember them like this already. People think I'm crazy when I tell them that I "prayed" for triplets. Maybe I am crazy, but I'm so thankful that God blessed us with them. And.... I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Though apparently, my kids think it would be "cool" for me to have octuplets now... I guess three at once isn't such a big deal anymore! :P

Flashback Friday: Little House On The Prairie Style...

Old Fashion Sunday (not sure of the year?)

We were just about to watch Little House on the Prairie, when the kids and I picked this picture for flashback Friday. They had the following conversation:

"Dad looks like Albert!"

"Aunty Nadine looks like Mary all grown up!"

"Nana has Mrs. Olsen's hat... but she's not mean like Mrs. Olsen."

"...and Papa has Mr. Olsen's suit!"

Oh, and all the girls want a bonnet like Aunty Nadine...

Flashback Friday

I don't do "flashbacks" to Jed very often because...well... there isn't all that much to flashback to! :)

This is from our trip to Quebec for the Carruthers' wedding 2 years ago.

I know I may be just a tiny bit biased .... but I have the cutest boys ever!!
Elijah with the flower that I thought he had picked for me. Turns out it was for another woman... the bride. :)
I happen to think that my hubby is pretty cute too! ;)


This was my favourite age for Jeddy. He was so good while we did all the road-tripping that summer. He was such a doll at that wedding. Other than the 20 times I had to "excuse us" so that I could go and nurse him!

I love my "mamma's boys!"

Flashback Friday: We were so young...

Seeing this picture brought back so many memories of our dungeon first little basement apartment. We were so young, and things were so simple! For instance- the only chair we had was a big plastic lawn chair... we put a pillow on the seat and threw a comforter over top of it, and it became our nice, cozy, "recliner!" We had to climb over our bed to get into our bedroom. We watched mice come in under the door to steal our cats' food! I was absolutely terrified of bugs at this point (now they don't even phase me...which is why we're going to the "Bugzibit" tomorrow!) and there were always centipedes. One day, there was a huge centipede in the living room while Scott was at work. I was so scared that I packed up Keona and took a bus over to my Mom's house and spent the day there! There were other times that I was trapped in the bathroom by a centipede on the door that I was convinced would jump on me or something if I went near it!...

But you know what...we couldn't have been happier. We were proud of our lawn chair recliner! So quickly we forget where we came from. Now we have a house, several couches and chairs, 2 vehicles...it's amazing to think about how the Lord has blessed us. We have a 3 bedroom townhouse and people often make comments like, "How do you all fit in there!?" Honestly, the kids have never noticed that it may be a bit of a tight fit in here. (Well, except when there is a line up outside of the bathroom door! ;) Recently with the economy, and Scott's hours being cut back, we've had to really start watching what we spend. It has made me realize how we have never had any real "needs" that weren't taken care of. Sure, there may be days when we think a 2nd bathroom would be nice... or to be able to spend a bit extra here or there would be nice. Then I think about all the things we DO have and I can't help but be thankful and humbled.

I have an amazing husband, 7 beautiful and healthy children, a warm home with food on the table, great friends and family, and an awesome God who cares about me! What more could a girl ask for?! :)

But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. -1 Timothy 6:6-8

Flashback Friday: My Poor... Poor... Boys...

It brought back memories seeing Jed dressed up like Snow White. Two years ago, the girls did the same thing to Elijah... though he only let them do it once. Now when he sees the pictures, he says, " I wish I didn't let them dress me up like that!"

Notice the girls laughing in the background? In one of the pictures of Jed, you can see Elijah laughing in the background. Haha.

He makes one scary looking girl!