Sunday School Christmas Concert

It appears we have a little actor on our hands. Watch this video and enjoy Jack's passionate performance.

One Year In Morden

I am a terrible blogger.  I can never keep up, and therefore anyone who was vaguely interested in by blog stops reading it because I don't post anything.  Soooo.....  if your still out there, this is for you.

I realized today that Friday is the one year anniversary of our Move to Morden. Time to look back and see what has happened over those 12 months.

Brook started kindergarten and turned 5.  in the last 12 months she has learned sooo much.  She has started writing her name, recognizing letters and numbers, even sounding out some short words. She LOVES kindergarten and all of the little friends she has met there.  She grew over 1.5 inches, and has become a very independent little girl.  No longer a pre-schooler that's for sure.  I can't believe how confidently she walks into the school and doesn't look back.  She doesn't miss me at all.  I wish I could say the same about her.  She loves riding her bike and reading books.  Her favorite color is pinkandpurple (one word) and she is a girl through and through.

Jack and his "spicy" hair

Jack is 2 3/4 years old and has grown over 2 inches in the last year. No more baby boy, accept for the diapers.  We just can't seem to get rid of those!!!  He talks so clearly for a guy his age and is never afraid to say hello to a stranger.  (unless they have a beard)  He has fallen madly in love with Grandpa Pauls and his tractors.  He can't get enough combines, balers or tractors.  He has changed from a toddler into a pre-schooler.  He misses Brook when she's gone to school and every day when we pick her up at lunch time there is a grand reunion.  The two of them get along very well.  (most of the time) He's got a big heart, and always manages to make me feel special.

Our dog Sam turned 10 this summer and is starting to show her age.  She's starting to get stiff, but she's still crazy about tennis balls, frisbees, and anything else she can chase.  She has no interest in being careful with her body when it comes to chasing down a squirrel or racing after a ball.  How do I explain to a dog that she's gonna regret it in the morning?  I am learning to care for a senior dog, which is a lot more work than I expected.  She's part of the family and we love her.  I'm sure she would die for anyone of us.

Trevor has fully adjusted to his job and has started planning his 2014 missions trip.  It looks like the group will be going to Moore, Oklahoma for spring break to help rebuild homes that we destroyed by tornados.  Although he will never be done learning, he is feeling a bit more comfortable with his position. The church has been encouraging and supportive, which makes him feel appreciated.  He has been really enjoying the extra opportunities to preach, and he's getting pretty good at it.  I never would have thought that it would be a passion of his, but I love seeing what God does through him.

Trevor is the main reason for a majority the upgrades done to our home in this last year.   He has been working like crazy all year to make our basement a livable space, and last week we finally got to move in!  We have had more guests over in the last week than we have in 2 months.  That extra bit of space has made all the difference.   These are some of the things that we've done this year:

- Put flowerbeds in front of the house
- We took a wall out of the kitchen (more work than you'd think)
- Removed a giant rock garden and about 20 stumps/shrubs out of the backyard
- Cut back the jungle of trees and planted a lot of grass
- 90% finished renovating the basement, (also more work than you'd think)


My year has been one of transition, and it has taken me this long to feel like I am at home in Morden.   It is a nice town, but it was hard to leave Boissevain the way that we did.  In a hurry, with some hurts and baggage.  I've spent the year grieving some of those hurts and trying to unpack the baggage.  It's getting better all the time.

Glencross church has become a safe place and I am thankful for the friends that we have made there. We had a great summer of camping.  I LOVE camping.  We did 3 different trips and they were all wonderful.  Highlights of my year.  Brook started kindergarten and it was a bit difficult for me to let go, but it has become the new normal and I am enjoying my mornings with Jack.  It helps that Brook loves kindergarten so much.  We are not morning people, but I am amazed at what I can accomplish in a day when I get up at 7am.

My life consists of trying to make everyone else' life run smoothly.  Meals, laundry, cleaning, organizing, budgeting.  That's me.  I love my job.  I like to make lists and have a tidy home.  I like to color and play with playdough, drive trucks on the floor and braid barbie hair.  I am FAR from a perfect mother, but I really enjoy the work God has given me to do.  Other than the location, my job hasn't changed much this year.   But we've all grown, and that's what makes us so much different than we were 12 months ago.

Jamie

June 17, 2013

I know it's not officially summer, but it sure feels like it. (finally)  The kids got their faces painted at the church picnic.  Jack thought it was the funniest thing ever.  They had a great time playing with their little friends and participating in the races.  Brook won the sprint and the sack race.  I'm extremely proud, and maybe a little too competitive.  We play to win.

 We are hoping to have our basement mud and taped this week.  Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of a semi finished basement in the next few weeks.  We ordered our flooring and ceiling tiles.  It is kind of a blessing that it wasn't all in stock, because we didn't have room to store it anyway.  I am so excited to have that space finished!

Yup, these are the cutest underpants I have ever seen.  Normally I would keep things like this confidential, but they are so cute!  Jack is not potty trained, but we are working on it.  He is receptive to the idea, and that is half the battle.

I wish this was a photo from my living room window, but alas, I have no hummingbirds coming to my feeder.  This one was taken from Mom and Dad's place.  

Sorry I know this post wasn't really informative, but we are doing fine.  Nothing really life altering to announce.  These are just some pictures I wanted to share.

Us Lately

We've been living in Morden for 7 months now.  During supper this evening we watched our neighbour cut her grass, and realized that in the entire time we have lived here this was the first time we've seen that.  Life in manitoba is like that I guess.  7 months of winterish weather.

There has been a lot of things to do on our house, and perhaps we have taken on more than we should, but we are starting to see the fruits of our labour.  We've cleaned up the shrubs in front of the house and put in some new flower beds.  It has taken us a long time, but we are getting some of the stumps out of the back yard.  We spent 2 summers cleaning up all the stumps out of our yard in Boissevain, and I am pretty sure that without heavy machinery we will spend 3 or 4 summers on this back yard.  Argh.  I hate stumps!  If you need to take out some frustration, give me a call and i'll point you towards a tree you can chop down.

The basement is coming along.  I am really excited to get that project done.  Hopefully by september we'll be able to have a usable space.  The drywall is almost done and Trev has been taking his time and doing a great job!  It may not look like much yet, but it's gonna be great to have that extra living space.  We have had a tiny trickle of water coming into the basement, so we'll have to deal with that before putting in flooring, but overall the basement is sound.

Us Lately part 2 - Reptile Gardens

We took a trip to Brandon over may long weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Fleming.  It rained. It rained a lot, and because there was nothing we could do outside, we went for a trip to Reptile Gardens.  I am not a fan of creepy crawlies or slimy things. This was an entire building FULL of them.  (Full body shiver)  Anyway, they were all behind glass and the kids had a great time.  Brook loved the iguana that came up to the glass to see her.  

I learned that crocodiles can hold their breath for 1/2 hour, and can live 80-100 years.  We did not buy any pets on our way out.  We took a short glance at the bulletin board on a way out and there was a picture of a boa constrictor that had eaten a man, as well as the results of a few snake bites.  At that point I was ready to leave.

Us Lately part 3 - Random Happenings

We took a trip to Stienbach because Trev was taking a course at SBC, which gave the kids and I a chance to visit with Beth and Nora.  We stayed at the Days Inn so we got lots of swimming and visiting done.  Not much sleeping, but we had a good time.  Trev learned a lot too, which was the whole point. There were 3 big pieces of machinery parked by the highway, so the kids and I took some pictures.  Yes, they are in this picture, you just have to look hard.

We had a great impromptu family gathering at the farm about 4 weeks ago. Now that I think about it this was not the best picture to post, because it was a really fun time.  The kids got really dirty playing in the mud and generally exploring the yard.  Brook collided with a cousin on the trampoline and this was the result.  4 weeks later and she still has a little bit of a bruise.

 We were outside doing some yard work and I heard a bird, but I couldn't place it.  It raised the hairs on my neck and brought back memories of feathers in the ice cubes and being harassed about my pet choices.  Sure enough I turned around and there was a budgie perched on the back gate of the red trailer.  We tried to lure him closer, but he was unsure about us and eventually took off.  I didn't want a budgie for a pet, but it was pretty cold out and I was concerned for his life.

As a family we took a trip to the farm for a breath of fresh air.  I have to admit that living in Morden has been a bit of a challenge.  I feel a bit crowded, and although I am determined to love my neighbours, I don't always want to hear and see them.  I am looking forward to our tree's getting some leaves.  It is always great to go to the farm and take a deep breath.  Sometimes just driving up the hill on my way west out of town is refreshing.  I spent some time cleaning up the horses and enjoying Mom's cooking.  Trev sat on the deck and read a book.  Brook and Jack jumped on the trampoline until they were exhausted.  We celebrated mothers day on Sunday, but I think monday was really the day I enjoyed the most.

We made smores over the BBQ.  There was marshmallow EVERYWHERE. It was worth it.

Brandon Winter Fair

Brandon winter fair 2013.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Jack's Panties

Happy Spring

Today is the first day of spring.  I didn't have to shovel any snow today!    I am ready for bare sidewalks and light jackets.  Im ready for the odd sunburn and the sun being up until 9pm.  I am not even worried about sitting on the beach or putting in flowers,  I would just like to be outside longer than 1/2hr at a time.  I am really looking forward to working on our yard this spring.  There is much to be done, but it will be fun to see what we can do with it.

Below are some random pictures from the last month or so.

 Dino Jack.

 Trev was gone for a youth retreat a few weeks ago, so I made a tent and Brook and I stayed up late to watch a movie and sleep in it.  We made it until midnight.  I was sick of being kicked, so I went back to my bed.  It was a good time.

Joel, Laura and their family came for a visit on saturday.  Brook and Olivia had a great time together, and Jack loved having Judah to play with because he was so enthusiastic about hockey.

 Jack is now in a "big boy" bed.  We took the side rail off his crib and moved Brook into his room too.  So far so good.  He's been staying in bed and respecting the rules.  (Mommy is not much fun to hang out with in the middle of the night anyway)  Now he seems to think he is a big boy.  Everything is "I do it".  He even tried to put on Brook's panties today, which I am hoping is a sign that he wants to start potty training, but I am likely dreaming.

 The other morning the kids went fishing.  The upside down coffee table was the boat, the carpet was the water, and I made fishing rods out of wooden spoons, tape, string and magnets.  I spread a bunch of cutlery all over the carpet and they "caught fish" all morning.  Good times.  They generally play really well together.

So I just realized that I have no pictures of Trevor and I from this last month.  I'll work on that for the next post.  I have a few videos I'd like to post, but my Mac and blogger don't seem to agree, so hopefully I can get that figured out soon.  Until then, enjoy the pictures.

Around Here

I know, I havent posted anything in a long time.  

Im not too busy.

Im not feeling ill.

I just didn't have much to say.

Christmas was a mixture of illness and fun.  We really enjoyed all of our gatherings, but missed out on christmas day due to some high fevers and digestive pyrotechnics.  Once again we were very blessed by all the gifts and good times with family and friends.  I love christmas.

January ... was cold, and dark, and generally boring.  I don't like January.  Thankfully it went by quite quickly, but I have to admit that I didn't have motivation to accomplish much.   We had a church leadership retreat at the beginning of the month that was really great.  We got to know the members of our church so much better, and it gave us a new connection to the leaders we are working with.  Trevor and Dad did a little more work on the wiring in the basement, so it is one step closer to completion.  I can't wait to be able to use our basement!

February has started out quite busy.  Trevor has had a lot of meetings, and has a lot of things planned for the next few weeks.  It likely won't slow down until the beginning of March after his youth retreat.  I have been a little more motivated to get out, have people over for dinner, and organize some play dates.  It has been good for me to spend more time with people, and the kids love it.  Wether it is having a lady over for coffee, or going to the rec center to play with friends, the kids love people!  It is  a beautiful character that they are blessed with.

Brook is really excited about valentines day tomorrow.  She loves pink, making cards, and giving people hugs, therefore Valentines is right up her ally!  After christmas she started eating like a horse, and now all the sudden her clothes are all to small.   Her legs are covered in bruises from falling down and running into things.  Sometimes I wonder if she'll be 6ft tall.  We registered her for kindergarten a few weeks ago.  I'm still processing that.  I'm not ready for her to go.  She is ecstatic about school.

Jack has started talking!  Right after christmas he started and he hasn't stopped.  All of the sudden he points out colors and names.  I guess he knew it all but was waiting for the right time to let it all out. Yesterday he said "more apple cheerios".  I almost fell off my chair.  3 words together!  Of course I had to decifer his mumbled dialect, but he said it.

Trevor built the kids a snow hill in the back yard.  I am trying to upload a video of it, but that is what we have spent most of our afternoons this week doing.  Lots of fun sliding and digging.  Finally they have something to do back there.  The yard is really boring.  No fence, no swings, no sandbox, no nothin.  Now there is a snow hill.

 So that's what has been up with us.  We are "settled", unpacked, and getting into the groove here. I only have one box upstairs that is not unpacked.  I just don't know where to put it, and it has sat in the living room so long that I don't even notice anymore.  We are getting to know people and making friends.  Trev is working hard and the youth are really starting to enjoy the youth program.  He has made some really good connections with a few of the guys already and has a great group of youth leaders that are really dedicated.

Hopefully I don't wait another 3 months to post something.  I got a new camera for my birthday so I should just start sharing all the crazyness around here.  Jamie