To Catch You Up...

Wow... I've really been ignoring my blog... between the flu, a root canal (that still hurts by the way), and trying to maintain a clean house so someone will buy it; I just haven't really felt like keeping up here. Here's a quick run down of the last few weeks:

Yes, we had the flu at our house. Sam had one day where he was flaked out on the couch except for every 10-20 minutes when he was sitting up, puking in a bucket. Our apple juice consumption went way up that week since that was all he could handle for the next several days. I have never been so thankful for that summer at camp when Norwalk visited us. I consider myself a pro when it comes to puke!


We made a quick trip to the Interior to see my siblings. The cousins sure had a blast playing together... bedtime was not an issue for us on that weekend.


While we were together we found a new definition for the word "impossible": Trying to get 7 kids, 6 years and younger, on a slide with everyone smiling for a picture. I'm sure there is at least one super-spiritual person out there thinking "With God, all things are possible", and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I wonder if even He would have had a hard time with this one!!


Since we have a "no mullet" policy in our home we had to employ the services of our friend, Joanne, to give Maarti her first haircut. She loved it! She sat perfectly still and no bribes were needed. Little girls sure are different from little boys!


And speaking of Maarti.... times, they are a changin'! On Saturday night, around 9:00, Maarti walked into the living room with the hugest smile and announced "Get out". We returned her to her crib quite amazed at the feat she had just accomplished. Last night she got out again, so this time we scooped her up, put her in her crib and told her to show us how she did that. She was laughing so hard that she barely managed, but she did eventually get out. We marveled at her flexibility. Can you believe this little sweetie could be such a monkey?

And just this morning Maarti reminded me of a Bible verse:
"Why worry about the speck in you friend's eye when you have a remote in your own?"
Matthew 7:3

The Do's and Don'ts of Enjoying a Spring Day

Do find a big open field to run around in.


Do find a great playground with lots of climbing things.


Do take note of spring flowers and appreciate how cheery they are.


Do let your preschooler take some pictures.... but....
Don't expect great results.


Don't wait until you are leaving the playground to try and get a family photo.


Do keep toddlers, who are approaching nap time, happy with snacks...
Don't let the snack be fruit leather if you are letting them eat in the car.


Don't hand said toddler a wipe and ask them to clean the fruit leather off the window... they are sure to misunderstand and proceed to clean the fruit leather instead!

So Sweet

Yesterday, Sam was especially "three"! We're having some temper issues in our home (his and mine, but I think if we could deal with his first, mine would just take care of itself!). It certainly doesn't help that we are all sick either! Sam spent a good chunk of yesterday on time out. Just before supper I went to talk to him before releasing him from time out. We talked about speaking with nice words and not having temper tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. He then started asking about about Heaven. He talks about it a lot since he knows his friend, Josiah, is there.

We talked for a bit and he ended up asking Jesus into his heart. After he prayed I told him that the angels were having a party in heaven for him. He told me it was a Diego and Thomas party!

I asked Sam who he wanted to tell and he said Maarti. "Maarti, I let Jesus into my heart! Do you want to too Maarti? Do you? Just say it Maarti!"

When He called Grampa he said "Grampa, I let Jesus into my heart so I can go to Heaven! Are you coming with us Grampa?"

It's so cute! I realize he doesn't fully understand it all, but he is responding to what he does know and that makes us very happy. We pray that he will continue to have a soft heart toward God.

I'd LikeYou To Meet My Friends.

Let me introduce you the friends that make up my blog list:

Beautiful Mess - Written by one of my dearest friends, Kate... we are just about as opposite as two people can be, but somehow it works. She's tall, loves jujitsu, video games and Star Trek; She also inserts sound effects when she's story telling. We ended up house sitting together one fall and have been close ever since. Both times she has called to tell me she is pregnant my response has been "Me too!"... it is fun having kids that are the same age... we often hash out our motherhood dilemmas together. Kate is wise and often makes me look at a situation from the other side. We'll be friends for always!

Calgary Crutches for Haiti - Dulaine was my RA when I was a shy, mouse-y 15 year old living in a dorm for the very first time. (I know lots of you are thinking I'm still a shy, mouse-y girl, but believe me... this is outgoing compared to back then!) Dulaine watched out for me and kept track of me through the years - talk about taking your ministry seriously! I'm not sure I would have made it through that first homesick year without her! She has blessed me far more than she will ever know.

Candyland and Beyond - I met Judy one summer when she spoke at Gardom Lake Bible Camp. She is now a missionary in Thailand. Her passion for God is contagious!

Carlaw Corkboard - Written by my beautiful cousin-in-law Christine. Joel and Christine packed up and left Canada to be missionaries in Ireland and boy do we miss them!! They are our friends and we love hanging out with them... just wish it could be more often.

Doris Douma Born's Blog -There is no one I'd rather sit down for coffee with than Doris! She is wise and fun and insightful. We worked at camp together for years and had many, many conversations and prayer times over coffee. Doris doesn't waste words and time spent with her is always rich.

I Wonder as I Wander and Many Waters - I'm sticking Dominique and Mandi together. I met them both at Camp. I love reading their blogs because they haven't changed a bit over the years... still want to serve the Lord and know Him well. Their blogs are honest and fun and I enjoy keeping up with their lives this way.

Josiah's Journey - Josiah's story is recorded by his dad, Andrew. Although Josiah passed away last summer his story continues. He was a very special friend to us and we still miss our regular Tuesday morning play dates we had with him and his mom. His short life has made a lasting impact on our family. Sam still tells me often that he wants to go to Jesus' house to see "Siah".

Mennonite Girls Can Cook and The LPM Blog - These blogs are by people who I haven't actually met. The MGCC blog has some fantastic recipes on it - it's always fun to see what's new on there and I haven't been disappointed yet with any of the recipes I have tried. The LPM Blog is by Beth More and her daughters; if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time you already know how I feel about Beth!

Ponderings of a Journey - Leanne is another camp friend. I have so much admiration for her! I have never met anyone more committed to being the very best wife and mom she can possibly be. Jesus shines in her. Read Leanne's blog... you'll be inspired!

Rollings in Haiti - The Rollings are the Directors of a mission called "Clean Water for Haiti". They oversee a small staff that builds and installs bio sand water filters. They are doing an amazing job in Haiti and their blog is fascinating.

Sandy's Sweets and The Wild Olive Tree - Sandy and Des are two friends from high school that I have just recently reconnected with over facebook. Both are talented! If you look at their blogs you'll be impressed by their creativity!

Stampinsars - Sarah and I share two things... our birthday and a love for stamping! I love creating with her cause she always has such great ideas. Sarah is easy to talk to and I'm thankful for her - she was one of my first friends when I moved here after getting married.

At The Rose Cottage is another favorite blog of mine, but it isn't on my bloglist because it's a private blog (Which is unfortunate for you because you are missing out!). Jennifer is another friend from high school that I have reconnected with recently. Reading her blog makes me wish I wasn't so mouse-y in high school and would've gotten to know her better back then - she is a kindred spirit and makes me want to be a better mom!

So there you have it. Hope you have enjoyed meeting some of my friends!

FYI

In case you have ever wondered what happens when you ask a three your old to put his arm around his sister for a picture...


They eventually got it figured out...


If only they could just master looking at the camera, life would be pretty much perfect!

Well... not entirely perfect... we are in the process of house hunting and life just cannot be perfect while house hunting! The oppressive price tag that comes with some absolute dives is shocking! This probably deserves its own separate post, but I will say that we have looked at several houses with lovely curb appeal, but are UG-LY on the inside... so... on the off chance that any pastors read this blog... there is a free sermon illustration for you!

Bellybutton Envy

So today was a hard day. We woke up to find that someone had thrown a rock through the back window of our vehicle. We were pretty bummed out, but thankfully the day ended with some laughter.

Early this morning a friend called and after hearing about what had happened decided that she needed to pack up her kids, grab some Starbucks and come for a visit. The boys, being the gender that they are, decided it would be way more fun to play without shirts on. Apparently it was more fun. They had a great time and then our friends went home.

Fast forward to this evening... Sam is getting in the tub before bed and he says "Mom, if I eat lots of food I will have a bellybutton like 'C'.? Cause his is not a squished one" (It's important to note that 'C', has an "outie"). I asked if he wanted a bellybutton like his buddy's. He definitely did! "I like 'C's' bellybutton, Mom... I love it! I want a not squished one too!".

What I love is that Sam's thoughts are now documented and waiting for the perfect future event to re-surface!

Effective Discipline 101 - What Not To Do

Me: "Sam! Who drew on your Face?!"

Sam: (looking sheepish) "Umm... I can't tell you."

And here is the lesson: If you are wanting to get a strong message across, this is not the time to laugh! I did - and it ruined everything.