The Day Before Christmas

Merry Christmas!  It's busy today at our house.  We spent the morning baking butter tarts & cherry tarts and homemade buns for our Christmas Eve dinner. 

The girls are excited, of course.  Unfortunately, Chloe woke up at 4:00 am, throwing up, and was sick most of the morning.  It's early afternoon now, and she seems to be much better. Hopefully she'll feel well enough for Christmas Eve dinner; she's been looking forward to the cheese platter!

For Rebekah's birthday we went to Regina.  We spent the morning play games at Chuck E Cheese.  The girls had at great time.  It was Chloe's first time there, and Rebekah hadn't been there since she was about 2.

Then we stopped at Burger King for a quick lunch and headed to Dino Bouncers for the afternoon.  The girls spent the afternoon jumping on inflatable bouncers, playing in the ball pit and sliding down the huge inflatable slides.

For supper, we headed to Grandma & Grandpa's house for pizza and cake.  Rebekah had a "Tangled" cake.

After supper, we headed for the last surprise.  We arrived at the Brandt Centre at about 6:15 for the Disney "Three Classic Fairytales" show.  It had Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy & Goofy narrating the stories of Beauty and the Beast, Snow White & Cinderella.  It had dancing and singing; the girls absolutely loved it!

The girls both had Christmas parties at school.  Chloe had her preschool party on the 15th, and Rebekah had hers the last day of school on the 21st.  In the afternoon, the entire school went skating. Glynn & Chloe went too.  We've been able to go skating as a family the past two days.  The rink is just down the block from us.  It's an NHL size rink, so there's plenty of room to skate. This year, Chloe & Rebekah can both skate on their own, which makes it much more enjoyable.  

Glynn finished work on the 19th. He'll be done until the end of March, depending on the weather. He has his last year of apprenticeship in January & February, then he becomes a journeyman.
 
This evening we're going to spend at home.  We always have a big dinner to celebrate Christmas Eve. This year we're having baked ham; one of Chloe's favourites!  The girls will also receive their new Christmas pajamas, and we'll probably watch the Muppet's Christmas Carol.

Tomorrow, we're going to head to Regina to celebrate Christmas with my family.  We have beautiful weather this year.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be 6C, pretty unusual for Christmas here!  I think that will probably melt whatever remaining snow we have.

December happenings!

It's hard to believe it's been a month and a half since we've blogged! 

This weekend Rebekah has been singing in the Briercrest Christmas musical.  Her fourth, and final, performance is today.  She's loved being part of it. One of her favourite things is singing!

The past couple months have been quite busy for our family.  Rebekah & Chloe are both taking skating lessons. Chloe is much more sure on her feet this year.  I think she spent most of last season on her bottom!  Rebekah has picked up a great deal of speed this year. We're looking forward to being able to do some family skating during the holidays.

Chloe is attending preschool two afternoons a week.  The other three afternoons she naps to recover from it! However, she loves being there to learn and play with the other kids. Her favourite thing about school is craft time.

For us, this is slow down  time. This weekend, I'm finishing two grad classes, and then I have the next month off.  Next semester is my final grad class, and I'll be ready to graduate.

Glynn is still pumping basements, even this late in the season.  He'll be finishing up the week of the 20th.  And will then take several months off to take his 4th year apprenticeship and then write his journeyman exam.

We've had incredibly mild weather, so far.  We received a skiff of snow this weekend, but you can still see a fair amount of the grass. 

Next weekend, we'll be heading to Regina to celebrate Rebekah's birthday.  She's chosen to spend the day with her family, doing special surprises, rather than having a party.  We'll be stopping by Grandpa & Grandma's for cake. 

Thanksgiving!!

Last weekend was Thanksgiving!  We actually had two of them in our house. On Saturday we spent the day looking at houses.  We're considering moving into Moose Jaw.  Our house here in Caronport is or sale, so we spent the afternoon looking at character houses.  Most were built about 1910.  The girls really enjoyed the afternoon.  Afterwards, we picked up some pizza and headed home to watch a movie in front of the fire. 

Sunday morning we headed to Regina.  We spent the morning shopping.  In the afternoon, we headed out to Pumpkin Hollow.  We spent time lost in the corn maze.  Chloe loved the cow train.  But the favourite was a huge pillow that even adults could bounce on!  We stayed until about 4:00 and then headed to my parent's house for turkey dinner. 

We spent the next couple of hours eating and talking.  The girl's loved playing with their cousin Ariel. It's funny to listen to them because they're all old enough to actually have a conversation with one another. 

After visiting, we headed to chapters for several hours, which is one of the things our family loves to do.  We spent a little over 2 hours drinking coffee and looking at books.  Rebekah loves to read, so she selected a couple of new books to take home.  I was also able to find a few Christmas presents.

On Monday, we began preparing our Thanksgiving feast at about noon.  Our turkey was 17.5 lbs! We're incredibly fortunate to buy turkeys and chickens from the hutterites.  Around 5:00 friends came over to join us for our meal and we spent the evening playing Dutch blitz. 

Beautiful Days

We've had such a beautiful summer! We've tried to spend as much time outside as we can.  This past week went to the splash park and playground twice.  Last time the girls enjoyed feeding the ducks. 

However, we're also slowly getting ready for a new school year. I start back at school on August 25th & Rebekah returns on Monday, August 29th.  This year she'll be in grade two.  In September, Chloe will begin her second year of preschool.

Yesterday, I started a new job.  I'm working part-time for the college here in Caronport. I'll be designing their distance learning classes to become on-line digital classes, which is part of the Masters degree that I'm currently working on.  I'll begin classes again at the beginning of September.

For the next two weeks, we have dentist and eye appointments, as well as hair cuts, so that everyone is ready for school.

August Already!

This year we've had beautiful summer weather.  A couple of weeks ago, we spent the day at Buffalo Pound.  It was 30 C!

But we had a great day playing in the pool, having a picnic, and enjoying the park. 

Because of the heat we've had this summer, we've also had some extreme weather.  Last week, we had a storm move through with winds reaching over 100 km/h.  Thankfully our garden and home remained intact!

Each weekend we've also enjoyed taking the kids to the Farmer's Market in MJ.  They love seeing and eating the fresh produce!  This past weekend we stopped at the Farmer's Market while we were in Regina.  It was amazing! We were able to pick up sauerkraut, jams, purple beans, carrots in a variety of colours and rainbow chard. 

While in Regina we also did some shopping, stopped at the Science Centre, and visited with Grandpa & Grandma.  Our last stop was Chapters, which is one of our favourite places to visit as a family.  Now that Rebekah can read, we bought her books of her own. 

This Thursday I will be flying to Toronto to attend Unplug'd.  If the weather is this beautiful, Glynn may take the girls camping at Besant Park.

Summer: week two!

Saturday we had beautiful weather to attend the Moose Jaw farmer's market and the Sukanen Ship Museum.  We bought strawberries, green onions, radishes, and Saskatchewan honey and jam.  Our family loves fresh strawberries.

Rebekah loved the museum.  She enjoyed seeing all the "old" things, especially those that are like the Little House on the Prairie books.  The museum is set up like a town and has an original church, school, general store, which actually reminds me of my grandma's back room, barber shop, post office, and rail station, to name a few.  Rebekah has decided she'd like a bonnet and calico dress for Christmas, and of course a Nintendo DS.

Friday was a really eventful day for me.  One of my professional blog post's was run by the Washington Post, and later the same day I was asked to teach an ecourse that is offered for grad credit through the University of Wisconsin.  So that will keep me busy Tuesday evenings.  I have the summer off from my own degree, but will continue again in the fall.

Today we are busy baking an apple pie and Glynn's birthday cake.  The girls, at present, are busy making cards for their dad.  Rebekah's at the age where she can keep a secret, but Chloe, not so much!

Tomorrow, we'll head to town to spend some time at the water park, and Saturday we plan to spend the day at Buffalo Pound provincial park. 

Summer already...

Wow, time flies!  The last couple of months I just haven't made time for our blog, but now that summer's here, there's much less to do!

We finished school last Tuesday, although it seems longer than that.  Rebekah successfully completed grade 1, and is an incredibly good reader.  At the school's year end assembly, she received the reading award.  Currently, Rebekah and I are reading through the Little House on the Prairie series. 

Chloe finished her first year of preschool, which she really loved.  She'll be attending for a second year starting in the fall. 

Both girls also played soccer this year.  Glynn coached Rebekah's team, and Chloe actually played this year, so overall, it was a huge success!

Last Friday, we headed to Regina to celebrate Canada day!  The girls saw their first fireworks.  Rebekah absolutely loved them; Chloe covered her ears because they were too loud.  It was really crowded at the main Canada day events, so we let the girls go on the jumpers, and then we spent time at the museum, the Science centre and Candy Cane Park. 

This week we'll head to the splash park in Moose Jaw a couple of times. On Saturday morning, we're going to head to the farmer's market, first thing, hopefully to buy local fruit,  vegetables, and honey.  Then we're going to head to Sukanen Museum.  It's a museum, just outside the city, that has looks like an old prairie town. We figure since Rebekah loves Little House so much, she'll love to see what they old stores, churches, school, etc.  looked like. 

Easter Break!

We have a break from school this week!  It's been great to stay home and spend time with the girls.  Furthermore, Spring seems to have finally arrived, and all of our snow is gone.  We've actually had a couple of days this week when the temperature was up to 18! 

For Easter, we went to Regina on Saturday to visit with my family.  The girls love to visit with Grandpa & Grandma, and of course they were spoiled.

We celebrated Easter with our house church on Monday evening.  Sunday morning we stayed home, and the girls ate some of the treats the Easter bunny brought, and in the afternoon we coloured eggs.  We also spent the afternoon in the sunshine playing and cleaning up the yard.

We've spent the last couple of weeks painting and fixing up little details on our house because it's now up for sale!   If you'd like to see it, we have a blog for it too:
http://oasisontheprairie.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/beautiful-modular-home-for-sale/

Chloe & I have spent most of this week with a cold.  Consequently, we've spent a lot of time cuddling on the couch and watching Barbie movies and reading the odd book.  Rebekah has as much energy as ever, so she's spent most of the week outside playing with her friends.  And she's lost another tooth!

Glynn went back to work two weeks ago.  Even though his hands really hurt the first week, I think he is glad to be back.  Now he's a fourth year apprentice and is learning how to lead the basement crew.  There are definitely many benefits to having a carpenter for a husband!

I finished my winter class through the U of S last week.  I have a couple of weeks off, until I start my next one mid-May.  My next one is an independent study, so I can choose my topic of research.  I'm really looking forward to it.  In May, I'm also going to be presenting at the IT Summit in Saskatoon, which I'm really looking forward to.

Soccer Champions!!!

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Ice Show

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Happy Spring!

Well the calendar says spring, the weather outside does not.  Currently, we're under a winter snow storm watch.  Although we have started to melt some, the majority of our snow remains.

For the past month Glynn has been at home with the girls.  Each week he takes Chloe to preschool in the afternoon, and then stays to help in Rebekah's classroom.  Rebekah, of course, is thrilled because he's the only dad who comes to help.  He's also almost finished spring cleaning the house.  Having a husband stay home for a month from work certainly has its advantages. And he's been able to spend a lot of time with Chloe; although cabin fever has set in.

Glynn's soccer tournament wrapped up this week.  His team, after three years finally won the league and the championship!  Tuesday evening he, and several friends, play in a pool league in Moose Jaw. That, too, will be wrapping up in two weeks.

I'm currently teaching two classes this semester. English and Technology.  It's hard to tell which is my favourite.  In approximately three weeks I'll be finished the third class for my master's degree.  I'll be taking another class in the May/June and then taking the summer off. 

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to blog for a large American educational blog.  It's read internationally, and I get paid. Of course I accepted!  There's myself and nine other bloggers. I'm the only one from Canada, so it's quite an honour to be chosen.  You can find it at Voices from the Learning Revolution.  I even have an editor, which is my favourite part of the process!

Both girls are restless for spring to do its magic.  Rebekah has a new pair of rubber boots that she wears, regardless of the cold.  And the both long to be able to hop the fence and spend hours at the tot lot.  Rebekah has her year end ice show.  It's based on the seasons.  We'll have to take plenty of pictures.

Chloe still deeply enjoys preschool.  She's grown so much over the past 7 months that she's been there.  She has become a lot more independent. One of her favourite things is helping papa with chores.  She loves to help clean the bathrooms and fold towels.  And if you make a game of it, she'll even pick up her toys.

We've spent the past couple of weeks painting our kitchen.  It's almost complete and is a rich shade of burgundy. Next will be Chloe's room; she's insisting on purple.  So that's what it will be. Hopefully, by the time that's complete, the snow will be melted and we can start to clean the yard! 

February Break

This week our family has February break.  No school.  No work.  A week to relax, rest and have fun.  And boy, have we been looking forward to it!

Glynn finished his 3rd year of apprenticeship on Friday.  His last two days were his exams.  He'll be heading back to work, when it warms up, likely mid-March.  His regular soccer season also ended Sunday night, and he starts play-offs next weekend. 

Rebekah has been sick since Wednesday.  She actually missed the last three days of school before the break, but is starting to feel better.  Friday morning she cried from 6-9 AM because her ears hurt.  Fortunately, we were able to get her a doctor's appt. Friday morning and medication in the afternoon.  Thankfully, I was able to take time off work to stay home with her and Chloe.

Chloe was actually sick last weekend, but is still a bit tired from it.  She was able to attend preschool Thursday afternoon.  Preschool is one of her favourite things to do. 

For Valentine's day, both Chloe and Rebekah had school parties.  For Chloe's we made, and iced, Valentine sugar cookies, and for Rebekah's we made cupcakes with sprinkles. 

Since the start on my new semester, I'm home everyday in the afternoon, which I'm really enjoying.  It allows me time to work on the grad class that I'm taking through the U of S, and I'm starting to write a Global Studies curriculum to teach next year.  Plus it allows me to spend a fair amount of time with Chloe, who is only in preschool two afternoons a week.

We had three really beautiful weeks of weather.  However, the Saskatchewan cold has returned.  The average temperature this weekend has been about -25.  It's supposed to begin to warm up tomorrow.  We may venture into Regina this week, to take the girls to the Science Centre. 

Cold & Snowy

The two best words to describe the past month are snowy and cold.  We had a few really nice days last week, before plunging back to -25.  Consequently, we've spent most of our time indoors.  Currently, Rebekah and I are reading through Little House in the Big Woods.  She absolutely loves hearing about the "olden days".  Yesterday she looked at me and said, "I wish I lived when they made butter."  I told her we could make butter at home.  She was amazed.  So this weekend, I think we'll make some butter from whipping cream.Glynn has been back at school for the past couple of weeks.  He's finishing up his 3rd year of apprenticeship.  He will finish at the end of February.  This year he's been learning how to do trim-work, doors, stairs, and soon he'll start cabinetry.  Today was the first day of my new semester.  I only teach two subjects this term, Media Producation Technology and English.  I teach during 2nd & 3rd each morning.  Consequently, I'm done by noon each day, and I'll be able to take Chloe to preschool Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. 

Christmas Morning

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Happy New Year!

Another year gone already, Wow! Last night, we hosted a bunch of friends for a New Year's Eve party. We had a variety of appetizers for food, and we played board games all evening. The girl's had a ton of fun!
They were told in advance that they could stay up until midnight, if they could make it. Chloe ended up going to bed at about 8:30, but hey, she's only 3! During dinner, she was the entertainer, telling jokes and keeping everyone laughing. If she doesn't know you, she's shy as can be, but once she does, she's incredibly cute and entertaining.
Rebekah, on the otherhand, was quite proud to make it to midnight! It was her first time ever, and she was asleep in my arms at about 12:04, then after sparklers, Glynn carried her to bed.
On the 30th, we took the girls to the IMAX and science center in Regina. It was their first theatre movie. We saw Hubble 3D. It was amazing! Rebekah loves space and science, so this was an amazing time for her.
We've basically spent the last week, and a bit, relaxing at home. For the first time this year, we spent Christmas Day at home, and had turkey dinner here. It was a nice change.
We've taken Rebekah & Chloe skating almost everyday at the rink. Last Sunday was so beautiful, we took them to the outdoor rink for most of the afternoon, played with friends, and had a firepit. Chloe doesn't like the outdoor rink nearly as much as the indoor one.
We have 4 days of holidays left. This week, Glynn begins his next level of apprenticeship at SIAST, so he'll be going to school for the next 2 months. I start back teaching on Wednesday, as does Rebekah return to school, as well. Chloe will begin preschool again next week.
After a week of festivities and celebrating, it's nice to be getting back to normal. We're actually starting to take done some of the decorations today, which is unusual for us. Usually our Christmas stuff stays up until Epiphany is over. However, our decorations went up two weeks earlier this year, which might be why.