The Wright's Stuff

The Day Before Christmas

2011-12-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

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!!

2011-10-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-07-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2011-03-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

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Ice Show

2011-03-27T08:02:00.001-07:00

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Happy Spring!

2011-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-02-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-01T14:55:00.001-08:00

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Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T20:18:00.001-08:00

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Chloe's Christmas concert

2010-12-24T19:59:00.001-08:00

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Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be here. The children are nestled all snug in their beds, wondering what tomorrow morning will bring!
We spent most of today at home. Although Glynn and the girls spent a little time this afternoon dropping off Christmas cards and making a few visits. We had quite a few visitors at our door dropping off gifts. The girls were so excited.
We also spent the day tracking Santa by NORAD on Google Maps. Rebekah was absolutely fascinated that we could watch his progress across the map. We started watching at about 10:00 in the morning. Currently, he's in Chile!
We spent the afternoon playing games, watching Christmas shows and sipping cider.
This evening, we had a wonderful ham dinner. I think the favourite, for both girls is always the variety of cheese we have! And breaking Christmas crackers. For dessert, we had homemade pumpkin pie.
Instead of going to church, like we usually do Christmas eve, we skipped it, and went skating as a family. Rebekah is becoming a pretty good skater, and Chloe, who just started a few weeks ago, is able to stand and skate on her own, although slower. So we spent the evening skating, and then we went and looked at the Christmas lights around town.
When we came home, the girls put on their new Christmas pajamas. We watched the Grinch, and read The Night Before Christmas. Then Rebekah and Chloe set on their milk and cookies. I think Chloe may have gone over and sampled them.
We send our best wishes to you now and in the new year! Merry Christmas from the Wrights!

Rebekah's Christmas Performance

2010-12-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

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Decking the Halls

2010-12-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

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Wow, It's December!

2010-12-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm shocked that it's been almost a month and a half since I've posted anything. It's been a really busy month. I finished my Master's class two days ago, and I'm ready for holidays! Although we still have almost two weeks until Christmas break.

So what have we been up to? Rebekah was part of the Briercrest Christmas Musical last weekend. She sang 5 times in 4 days, and loved every minute of it. She's a little performer. They practiced for weeks and weeks, and when it was performance time, she knew the words and actions. Glynn loved watching her everytime she performed. Chloe and I went to see her Saturday afternoon. At night she didn't perform until 8:00, which is long after Chloe's bedtime.

This year we put up our tree really early. We bought a new tree this year, and retired our other one, after 16 years of use. For the past couple of years, Glynn had been duct taping some of the branches in, so we figured it was time. And, we finally found one we really liked. It's 9 feet. Consequently, our angel sits on an end table, and not on top of the tree.

My grade 10 students, and I, have been involved in fund-raising for an organization called Invisible Children, we're involved in the Schools for Schools campaign. So far we've raised almost 10,000 to help rebuild secondary schools that have been destroyed in the war in Uganda. They've worked really hard, and we have one week left.

Last weekend, our House Church went to Moose Jaw together, and bought $800.00 worth of socks and underwear that we donated to the Moose Jaw Multicultural Centre. Moose Jaw, as odd as it may seem, is one of the destinations that many refugees are sent to, to be resettled in Canada. Most are very poor, and lack even necessities like underwear and socks, which is why we bought so many! There were six adults, and 5 kids on this adventure!

Now we're busy preparing for Rebekah's birthday on Saturday. Her party is Saturday afternoon, and we're expecting 8 little girls. Her party theme is Winter Carnival!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last night we went Trick-or-Treating in Caronport. One of the great things about living in a small community, is knowing the people whose home your at, even though your blocks away from your own. There's a real community atmosphere. We also had great weather; it was +7 yesterday.
Of course, the girls think Halloween is one of the greatest holidays there is. Who wouldn't? I go to your door, say trick or treat, and get candy. How can it get better than that!

This year we went as Dr. Seuss characters. Rebekah & Chloe were Thing 1 & Thing 2, Glynn, The Grinch, and I was the Cat in the Hat. It was great! Rebekah & Chloe's costumes were relatively easy. They wore red feet pajamas & blue wigs.

We have a tradition of having pizza for supper on Halloween. We were out the door by about 5:15. Most of the time the girls remembered to say Trick-or-Treat. However, there were times they were so enamoured with the candy bowl, they simply started to dig in. Fortunately, you can get away with that when your 5 & 3!

Both girls were real troopers. We walked most of the way, which, when you haven't had a nap, can be a long trek. Chloe was the first to be cold and tired. At about 7:30, we drove across the highway to Caron, to take the girls to see good friends of the family. By the time we got there, Chloe was asleep! Consequently, only Thing 2 made an appearance.

We finished Trick-or-Treating about 8:00. After a warm bath, and a good dose of candy, both girls went to bed.

Pumpkins & Snow

2010-10-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today is the first snowfall of the season! Of course, the kids are excited. Rebekah & Chloe were able to don their new snowsuits today. Rebekah even has pink Roughrider boots. It's been a bit more than any of us expected, I think. When snow was predicted, I expected a few fluffy flakes, not a full snowstorm with white-out conditions. I think they've even shut-down the airport in Regina. Thankfully, Glynn was in town, and finished work early, so that he could drive us both home.

Today we also carved the first of our pumpkins. Glynn has decided that he's going to carve one every evening. This year, he's going to try making a racoon. Tonight, we'll make pumpkin seeds, which is one of Chloe's favourites.

On Saturday, we went to Christmas in October. We had a beautiful day for it. We spent a little over two hours browsing our favourite shops in Moose Jaw, previewing many of their Christmas offerings. We weren't able to find Christmas ornaments for the girls, but with two months until Christmas, we still have plenty of time.

This week, on Friday, the girl's begin skating. Chloe will be skating this year as well. If she can learn to balance, and not fall down, she will have accomplished something. Friday night, we're also going to be attending my school's performance of Willy Wonka. Rebekah has been to musical's with us the past two years. This year will be Chloe's first. The really nice thing is that we have a four day weekend coming up!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-10-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous day today! The weather was perfect; 22 degrees, no wind, cloudless sky. Amazing. We spent the morning in Regina shopping, which was fun. We were able to find some clothes for the girls, and part of Chloe's Halloween costume. And we also picked up some new carpet for Chloe's bedroom, as well as hardware for our Kitchen cabinets, which we're currently in the process of re-doing.

We spent this afternoon at Pumpkin Hollow, just outside of Regina. It was such an amazing, relaxing time! First we had a picnic lunch outside, and then the girls explored amongst the pumpkins. Afterwards, we hitched a tractor ride to the corn maze. We had such a fun time in the maze, and we actually made it out of the exit of this one!

The girls also got to ride on the cow train several times, play in a corn box, ride cow swings, pet sheep, and jump off hay bales. Who could ask for more? Then we had slush puppies, ice cream and popcorn balls. It was a wonderful afternoon!

Tonight we're baking. Glynn is making cinnamon buns to take for breakfast at church tomorrow, and I am making a four-layer pumpkin cake for house church in the afternoon. Tomorrow we're going to be having Thanksgiving dinner at our house church. Then on Monday, we're having friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. The menu is Cajun turkey and pumpkin cheesecake, which has become kind of a tradition at our house for Thanksgiving. And we're supposed to have beautiful weather all weekend!!

Birthday Girl!!!

2010-10-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Chloe turned three!! We had a family celebration for her Tuesday evening, complete with cake and presents. This year Chloe had a Dora cake. Dora's her favourite. It had both candles and sparklers; the look of excitement on her face was priceless.

For gifts she received her very own Barbie's. She loves dolls and Barbies, and occasionally, her older sister would be kind enough to let Chloe pilfer one that she wasn't using. But now, Chloe has two of her own. She also received books & a block puzzle. One of her favourite gifts is the princess pajamas she received from Grandpa & Grandma.

Saturday we spent lost in a corn maize! It was a beautiful fall day. The sky was bright blue with a few streaks of white cloud, which looked amazing juxtaposed next to the faded yellow corn stalks. Basically, we wandered around lost for an hour, after which the girl's excitement for this adventure began to wain. At one point, Glynn was carrying both of them. Then we could hardly believe our luck! The exit seemed near; however, it turned out that it was the entrance again.

This weekend we're sticking close to home. Rebekah & Chloe had swimming lessons this morning, and we spent the afternoon watching the Rider game. Woo Hoo Riders!! Fortunately, this is a long weekend for us, as it is next. So we're planning to spend the next few days relaxing.

Chloe turns 3!!

2010-10-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

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Another rainy day...

2010-09-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

We have had the worst weather this fall. It has rained so much that it feels like April; unfortunately, the other night it dipped below freezing and killed all the delicate perennials. So next weekend I'll have to dig up the bulbs and pack them away. This past weekend we spent taking all the vegetables out of the garden. Consequently, we have big baskets of tomatoes, squash and pumpkins all over the place. But at least the garden is empty and ready for next year.

Today there was no school, so we scheduled a dentist appointment for Rebekah, who loves going to the dentist. Last night when I told her we were going to the dentist this morning, she exclaimed, "Woo Hoo!!" Since she has her first set of permanent molars, they like to seal them to prevent cavities. It took about 20 minutes, and Rebekah was the perfect patient.

Afterwards, we went shopping for new clothes. Rebekah and Chloe have both grown recently, and moved into the next size. So I spent this afternoon, packing away summer clothes and those that fit no longer, and pulling out bigger and fall/winter clothes. Tonight I'll have to get Glynn to bring in the mitts and winter wear so I can sort through it and figure out what we need.

We will be celebrating Chloe's birthday a day early this year. I am taking a group of students to a Student Leadership retreat at Dallas Valley from the 22nd-24th. Consequently, I will not be here for most of Chloe's birthday. So we've decided that we will have Chloe's big Birthday celebration, complete with decorations, cake and presents tomorrow. Glynn and the girls will also have cake and one present on Chloe's real birthday.

Preschool

2010-09-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Chloe started preschool. Her new Dora backpack has been ready for weeks. And Chloe, was pretty much born ready. Last year, when Rebekah started Kindergarten, Chloe desperately wanted to go to school too. This year, she has her chance. Her preschool is located in one of the elementary classrooms, so Chloe is two rooms down from Rebekah. Since she's still only two, she's one of the youngest, with some of the kids being almost five. But Chloe's used to keeping up with Rebekah, so she'll be fine.

At the end of the day, when I picked Chloe up, I could see she was tired. But very happy. Until it was time to leave. For some reason, she got it in her head that preschool was over, and she was never coming back. The result? A complete, and epic, meltdown. Eventually I had to carry her screaming from the school. She finally settled down about 45 minutes later. Poor girl.

Tomorrow we have a pancake breakfast at the school. It's an annual tradition at the start of the school year. The girls also start swimming tomorrow. This will be Chloe's first time for swimming lessons; Rebekah will start level three.
In the afternoon, depending on the weather, we're hoping to take them to the annual threshing bee at Sukanen ship.

August 2010

2010-09-06T08:40:00.001-07:00

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A new school year begins

2010-09-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, Rebekah began grade one. She has a new teacher, and is already learning math. She's pretty happy with being able to go to school all day. The most exciting thing, thus far, is that she has science class! And she's also happy that she has her own desk, and no longer has to sit with a table of boys anymore. Chloe begins preschool this Thursday.

I, too, have begun school again. This year I'm teaching Biology, English, Christian Ethics, and Communication Prodcution Techonology, which really is a fancy way to say computer stuff. I also start my next class for my master's degree next week. I'm also auditing an Old Testament class at Briercrest, which begins tonight. I'm really looking forward to learning, but not having to do the work!

The weekend before school started we went to Saskatoon for the weekend. It was the first time for the kids to stay in a hotel, and they were so excited, especially since it had a waterslide. We spent Saturday at the zoo. The girls were pretty impressed with the lions and monkeys. Saturday night we spent swimming and watersliding.

Sunday morning we spent walking around downtown Saskatoon and meandering through the park by the river. We took the girls to Kinsmen park, which has a water park, a carousel, and a miniature train that we were able to ride on. In the afternoon, we went to a berry farm just outside of Saskatoon.

August already...

2010-08-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been over two weeks since I last posted. We've stuck close to home the past couple weeks. One weekend we went to Moose Jaw to see the owls at the Burrowing Owl Center, and then we spent the rest of the morning playing at one of the parks.

This past Sunday we went to Regina to see Cirque du Soleil. It was absolutely breathtaking! Rebekah was so amazed that she couldn't even reply when you asked her questions. Rebekah's favourite part was the trapeze act. We were fortunate enough to be in the fifth row from the stage, so it was a truly amazing experience.

We have had beautiful weather this summer, with very little rain. Most of the dramatic weather that has plagued the prairies this summer has not hit our area.

Most weeks we visit the library in Moose Jaw to pick up new books and videos. When it's hot in the afternoon, the girl's enjoy staying inside to read or watch a video.They are especially fond of the Berenstain bears.

We tend to spend most of our time outside, either playing at the park, in the kid's pool, or they love their swing set. And I get to garden. It's almost a full-time job keeping everything watered and the pests off my plants!

We also try to hit the splash park in Moose Jaw at least once a week. We've had great weather, and the girls love playing in the mermaid pool and making new friends. Last week we remembered to take bread to feed the ducks. When Bek's was little, she and Glynn, would go feed the ducks several times a week.

Our Summer...so far!

2010-07-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

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Lazy days of Summer...

2010-07-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's 8:30 in the morning, and we're anticipating another beautiful sunny day in Saskatchewan. This week Rebekah has VBS each morning.

One of the things we are trying to teach our kids is our responsibility to others. Consequently, we've decided this summer that we are collecting shoes to give to those who have very little. The funny thing is that often when I'm talking to Rebekah about the importance of helping others her response is, "Why?" But then later, out of the blue, she'll start talking about why we are helping others, how it's so important, and how little others in the world really have. It can be truly humbling at times.

Yesterday, Rebekah and I went for a walk without shoes, just to experience what it is like for so many everyday. So we've started collecting shoes from those in our community. And we'll add our shoes that we no longer fit or use.

Birthday Boy!

2010-07-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday to you!!", Chloe repeatedly shrieked. She loves birthdays, in fact, anyone's birthday, and will run around in circles singing, at the top of her lungs, Happy Birthday to you!

Yesterday was Glynn's birthday. In the past, we've had parties, even a Star Wars themed party, barbeques, or fires to commemorate the occassion, but this year we celebrate quietly at home. The girls were still as excited as ever.

Since Glynn's favourite is cheesecake that was the birthday cake I made. This year it was chocolate covered pineapple cheesecake. I've never made a cheesecake with pineapple before. It's simply amazing. The lightness of the cake is complimentary to the decadence of the chocolate.

Then the presents. We narrowly averted disaster; Glynn accidently stepped on one of his gifts. Chloe and Rebekah bought him a new pair of sunglasses, since his last pair broke months ago. And, fortunately, they are well-crafted. From the sound it made, both Glynn and I thought he had broken them; however, when he unwrapped them, they were unscathed. I also gave him a soccer book called: A Beautiful Game. It tells the stories of the most gifted soccer players, and how growing up playing the game changed their lives.

Adventures in Regina

2010-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as I was putting Chloe to bed, she looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said, "I want to talk with you." And so began our conversation reminiscing the day's events. Today was an abenture day. Not a typo. That's the way we pronounce it in our house. I'm sure someday it will be pronounced adventures, but, today, it's abentures.

As we talked, Chloe's face lit up as she remembered the huge slide at Evraz Park. Our location today was Regina. And this was our first stop. Chloe, Rebekah and Glynn loved racing in potato sacks down the huge slide that is several story's tall. I took pictures. That's my job. Anyway, they must've made a dozen trips down the slide.

Rebekah and Chloe also got to ride the train. Evraz park has a little steam engine that only children under 12 can ride. This was an exciting moment for both of them. Rebekah and Chloe rode in a car together. If at any point it crossed Chloe's mind to try to bolt, it certainly didn't show on her face. Wind blowing through her blonde hair and a big smile on her face. Of course, Rebekah waved every time she went by us.

Our next stop was the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. We went last summer, but the girls are young enough that they didn't remember it, Chloe especially. There's a special dinosaur section that Chloe loved. They also have an automated life like dinosaur called Megamunch that Chloe didn't love. When you push the button it moves and roars. Chloe cowered. Then Glynn and Chloe left. Rebekah, however, found megamunch fascinating.

Both girls loved looking at the displays of fossils and rocks. They both collect rocks. I have no idea why, except that my Grandma Christopherson collected rocks too. She loved it; maybe it's in the genes. They also enjoyed finding the little animals hidden in the displays. At one point, Chloe knelt down next to the display, pressed her nose against the glass and said, "hello 'coon." Her short form for Racoon.

After the museum, we headed to Candy Cane park, which derives its name from the tree-like structures painted with red and white stripes. The play equipment was completely re-done from when we were there last year. Not only was it beautiful, but the girls had such a great time. Chloe loves to climb, so she loved tackling the rock climbing wall. Rebekah loves to swing. There were a number of toys that swung in different ways, including the good old tire swing.

We finished off the day with McDonald's and donuts from Tim Horton's. It was a great day.

Another hot one

2010-07-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

It's 9 AM, and it's 22 degrees already. You know it's going to be a hot one today! Unfortunately, Glynn has to work all day in this weather. The past two days, he's put in almost 13 hours each day. Hopefully today won't be as long.

The girls are outside playing. We try to spend as much time outside as possible, and for how hot it's going to be today, it definitely has to be in the morning. Rebekah and Chloe easily meet the recommended guideline of 30-60 minutes of exercise a day.

Yesterday we went for groceries. It's an adventure taking these two with me. We narrowly averted several crises, and ended up buying two battery operated toothbrushes that were not on my list. But as I said to Glynn, "how many children beg for toothbrushes?" Usually it's candy or toys. So I'm good with toothbrushes.

We also spent an hour at the waterpark in MJ before lunch. Chloe, I think, is pretty fearless. This can be good and bad. She loves to climb stuff, and seems to have no fear when doing so. When we arrived at the park, her first statement was, "What can I climb?" So climb she did. I prefer she climbs play structures than my furniture. I have a feeling, in a few years, Glynn will need to rescue her because she's stuck in a tree somewhere.

As for me, I've been painting. Painting our wicker furniture that sits in the gazebo. Painting our kitchen cupboards. At this point, I'm not sure why I decided that was a good idea. And today I need to paint the trim around the front door. Over the next week I'm hoping to get the bathroom painted, and by the end of the summer the deck. But we'll see.

The Beach

2010-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

This may be a short post; I'm wiped. On Canada Day, we took the girls to Moose Jaw for the day. This year the festivities were held at the Western Development Museum. The girl's played on 8 different types of bouncers, fed animals at the petting zoo, and chowed down on some Cotton Candy.

Chloe loved feeding the baby sheep. But she didn't want to give them her cone. She wanted to eat it. Of course after livestock have been eating grain out of it, we wouldn't let her. If we lived on a farm, we probably wouldn't think twice about it, but since she's not that fortunate, no cone for her. Cotton Candy was the lure to give up the cone to the donkey. Even then she was still fairly irrate about the whole deal.

After spending several hours jumping, Rebekah decided a change in locale would be good, something cooler, preferably. So we headed to Crescent Park so the girl's could enjoy the paddling pool and water park. They didn't bother so much with the spray park, as with the pool. They both love to swim; in fact, we call them our water babies.

True to Rebekah, she immediately made friends with several little girls, and then spent the afternoon swimming around and playing games with them. Chloe, followed them around, and eventually made a little friend of her own. Rebekah is one of the most social children I've ever met.

Today we headed to Buffalo Pound Provincial Park for the day. It's a wonderful park about 1/2 an hour from here. There's a lake, beach, pool and beautiful park with bbq/picnic facilities and playground. So we spent most of the day swimming. Glynn attempted to build a sandcastle, but couldn't get his sand the right consistency for it to stay together. Rebekah scoured the shore for shells. Last year we were able to get many; unfortunately this year, we left with only three.

The weather was beautiful. I think it reached about 25 C, with a clear blue sky. Now, we're all tired and ready for bed.

Happy Canada Day!!

2010-07-01T20:19:00.001-07:00

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Star Wars in Concert!!

2010-07-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

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Last night Glynn and I attended Star Wars in Concert. For two huge Star Wars fans this was an A-MAZ-ING experience! In the lobby, encased in glass, were all kinds of memorabilia from the Skywalker Ranch, C3P0, Ewoks, blaster pistols, you name it. The most popular displays were Chewbacca and Darth Vadar.

We had amazing seats, sixth row from the stage. For Glynn, it really was like a dream come true. The shocking thing is, it even began like a movie, with the THX sounds, and the 20th Century Fox music, all played by the Star Wars symphony. The opening was narrated by James Earl Jones, as Darth Vadar, and to our shock, the rest of the show was narrated by Anthony Daniels, in person, who is the voice of C3P0.

Basically, the show tells the story of all six stories of Star Wars, but it's broken into different genres. The music was sensational. My favourite was the scene from the Cantina. There was also a laser light show throughout different parts. During the finale, part of the brass section was wearing Rider hats, a big deal in Rider Nation!

Kindergarten Graduation

2010-06-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

It is now summer!!! It's great to be done teaching and studying. For the next 8 weeks I'm looking forward to reading whatever I feel like. Definitely a change. I finished my Master's class on the weekend. My final took 4 hours to write. Yikes! I was exhausted when I was finished. But, at least I'm done classes until the Fall.

The humidity here is terrible. Usually we don't have this problem in June, but we've had really odd weather this year. Currently, Southern Saskatchewan is under a tornado watch.

Yesterday was Rebekah's Kindergarten graduation! It's hard to believe she's finished Kindergarten already. To celebrate there was a picnic at the school. The kids performed a number of songs that they've been practicing, and then Rebekah received her certificate. After that we had a picnic, and the kids were able to run around and play.

Happy first day of Summer!!

2010-06-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

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The First Adventures of Summer...

2010-06-20T12:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day! This morning the girls ran around singing Happy Father's Day to you, as you can imagine, to the tune of Happy Birthday. Very unique. They love to sing, and seem to think there should be a song for every occassion, even if they have to create their own. Rebekah made her dad a candy holder out of popsicle sticks, and even filled it with candy, although I think she's eaten most of it. They also gave papa a Roughrider jacket and a World Cup book.

This week we had rain, rain, and more rain. Part of the number one highway is shut down because it's impassable. And some of my plants are starting to die because they've had so much water. However, this weekend, it's been sunny and warm!

This week was a busy one. Rebekah had two separate birthday parties to attend. She was supposed to have a penny carnival at her school on Friday, but it was rained out. We had soccer Thursday night. And the highlight of this week was Rebekah losing her second tooth!

Yesterday we drove to Swift Current to take part in the Windscape Kite Festival. The girls had a great time! They had their faces painted. Rebekah was a fairy princess, and Chloe had her face painted like a butterfly. They were able to make their own kites, dig for treasure in the mystery sand pile, played with bubbles, and many other things. No excursion in Saskatchewan would be complete without a hay bale maze, which, I think, was Chloe's favourite.

We were able to watch many celebrity kite flyers. People come from all over North America to fly their kites. There were also a number of novelty kites. One was an enormous scuba diver and fish. There was also a gecko. It was really incredible to see.

We've basically planned our adventures for the summer. We're going to do the same as last year, and have little "mini vacations" each weekend. Although we do plan to go away for a couple weekends, once in July to Kenosee, and once in August, to Saskatoon.

This next week is the last week of school. I have final exams this week, and next Monday, which is the last day of school for students. Our last day, as teachers, is Tuesday the 29th. So there are a million little details that need to be attended to before then. This is also the last week of my Master's class. I'll also be writing my final this week. And our grad ceremony is this week on Thursday. But the end is in sight!!

Green is the colour...football is the game!

2010-06-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today was the opening game of football season in Saskatchewan! We were fortunate enough to be able to get free tickets, sitting on the 35 yard line, only 20 rows from the field. It was an excellent view. The sun was hot and beat down on us for three hours, since we were on the East side. The high was 29 degrees! But it was worth it. You could definitely tell it was a preseason game, and they were trying out players to see how well they fit with the team. Unfortunately, we lost 19-17. While Glynn & I were at the game, Rebekah & Chloe were able to visit with Grandpa & Grandma.

This week we had rain almost everyday. We've had so much rain the grass is soggy, and it will likely take another day or two before it dries out enough to be mowed again. The only thing that has not come up in our garden is our cucumbers. I'm guessing because of the excessive amount of rain. Only two more weeks until summer holidays begin!

Ahhh Summer...

2010-06-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

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All over Caronport you can hear the sounds of summer. Kids screaming and laughing. Mowers mowing. Birds chirping. Today has been beautiful. This weekend has been the first time in almost two weeks that we've had beautiful weather. The last couple of weeks we've received more rain than Saskatchewan ever gets. Our lawn is greener than it probably will be for the next ten years. But it's been good for our garden and the new shrubs that we've planted.

Today we spent nearly all day outside in the sun. The girls played in their pool, and we pulled out the slip & slide. We barbecued hot dogs for lunch. This weekend we planted some of our annuals, and Glynn was finally able to mow the lawn. After two weeks of rain, it was starting to get a little out of control. All of the garden is in, and the squash and corn are starting to peek through.

On Thursday we discovered that Rebekah has fifths disease, which really isn't a big deal. It's like a very mild form of chicken pox. It's not itchy, and instead of spots, she has red splotches all over her arms and legs. Her cheeks are bright red. Sometimes she's a bit warm, but Tylenol helps with that. When Glynn came home from work Thursday night she exclaimed, "Papa, I have sixths!" And she's also been concerned because, according to her, she's hot-cold blooded. We should probably get that checked!

The next three weeks, for me, will be pretty busy. I only have three weeks left in my grad class, so it's been a lot of work in a very short amount of time. This week will be a lot of reading. I have a elementary carnival that our SRC is going to run on Thursday, if the weather allows us. We also have a high school gym blast to plan as well. Plus there are finals, and grad, the last week of June. Our last day of school is the 28th, and we have a day on the 29th to finish everything up.

Rebekah has two exciting events this week. On Tuesday, she is going on field trip with her class to the art gallery in Moose Jaw. She's very excited to go on the big yellow bus! On Friday, friends of hers, that are twins, are having their birthday party on Thursday. And, of course, there is soccer for both girls Tuesday and Thursday evening. We've had quite a few soccer nights cancelled this year because of rain, and Rebekah is always so disappointed.

May long weekend

2010-05-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

For the most part, it's been a cold, cloudy weekend, which has been conducive for some activities, but not others. Mostly this weekend has been spent catching up on chores and relaxing.

Saturday we spent in Regina. The girls spent the day with Grandpa & Grandma. Glynn & I spent the day shopping. We bought new furniture for our living room and an armoire to hold the TV in the family room. We also bought some art for the walls and some summer clothes for the girls. One of our favourite stops was browsing in Chapters; we didn't actually buy anything except grande mochas to shop with! It's nice to walk up and down the aisles looking at different books, especially when you don't have kids with you. Most of the day it rained. Actually it changed back and forth from light rain to pouring rain.

Yesterday it didn't rain, however, the wind was so strong we didnt' go outside. Instead, we spent the day inside watching movies and baking. By the end we had cookies, puffed wheat cake, and apple crisp. We also had roast chicken for dinner. The girls enjoyed having popcorn and watching Tinkerbell. By days end, the wind died down.

Today we've spent doing chores, although Glynn took the girls to the farm this morning to go visit. I spent the morning prepping a new chemistry unit; then I painted the back entrance. Or at least part of it. Hopefully, I can finish it next weekend.

The most exciting thing is that Rebekah has learned to ride her bike!! And just in time, tomorrow is the bike rodeo at her school. Now that she can ride on her own, she'll be able to taker her bike and participate. This week we have soccer Tuesday and Thursday evening. Hopefully, there won't be any rain. Last Thursday soccer was rained out. It was supposed to be their team picture evening. It's hard to believe it's the last week in May already. One more month and I'll have summer holidays!!!

Another night of soccer

2010-05-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

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Today was another beautiful, hot day. Fortunately, I spent most of it inside. However, Glynn was not so lucky. It was about 30 C here, and he had to put in a grade beam. If you're not sure what that is, the only thing that's important to know is that it weighs a lot, and it's a heck of a lot of work. So it was a bit much for today's heat. Then he had to coach soccer this evening.

It seems like there are clouds moving in, but I doubt we'll get any rain from them. Rebekah had a blast at soccer tonight. Chloe not so much. She'd much rather run free, than stand around waiting for a ball to come to her. Consequently, her and I left early.

This morning was muffin morning at Rebekah's school, courtesy of Tim Horton's. Since Glynn was working just across the highway, he was able to take a break at 8:30 and join Rebekah and Chloe at school for muffins, juice and coffee from Tim Horton's. He was able to see her in action in her classroom. What a great idea!! Unfortunately, I had to be at work.

An eventful week!

2010-05-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's been an eventful week. Today Rebekah lost her first tooth. The funny thing is she didn't even notice she lost it! We were at house church having lunch, and I noticed it was missing when she came to ask me a question. I'm guessing it came out while she was eating lunch and she swallowed it! So instead of placing her tooth under her pillow tonight, she drew a picture of her tooth and left that for the tooth fairy instead.

Rebekah also got a new princess bike this week. She loves it. It has sparkly purple and pink streamers in the handlebars, and it has rainbows painted on it. We also set up the new scooter that she got for Christmas from Grandpa & Grandma, and she's been scootering around up and down the street.

The girls also started soccer this week. We've had beautiful weather all week. Glynn coaches Rebekah's team. At Rebekah's age, positions don't exist. Instead, they tend to play herd ball, where they travel in a pack running wherever the ball goes. Chloe is a timbit. They dont' really play soccer at that age. They don't really do drills either. They tend to randomly take off for the unknown or hang out in the net. But she loves it just the same.

This week I started my new class. In the fall I was accepted for a Master's of Education in Educational Communication and Technology at the U of S. My first class is the historical and theoretical foundations of educational technology. Pretty interesting. It's a six week class, so it will be intense, but finished by summer break. I appreciate that.

Yesterday was beautiful. We spent the day cleaning up the yard, and I was able to get most of the garden planted. I didn't have any zuchini seeds left, so I'll have to pick some up tomorrow and then plant them. I am also going to stop by the green house and buy asparagus and artichokes. We were able to bbq for supper, and eat on the patio for the first time this year.

Happy Mother's Day weekend!!

2010-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

We finally have sunshine this weekend!!! At least for today; tomorrow it's supposed to rain again. Hopefully I can get our small garden planted before that happens. Rebekah & Chloe's soccer was supposed to start this weekend. However, it was rained and snowed out both days. Rebekah was pretty disgruntled; Chloe didn't know the difference. However, we're supposed to have sunshine and temperatures in the high teens all next week, which will be perfect to begin soccer. Glynn is going to be coaching Rebekah's 6U team. Chloe is going to be a Tim Bit.

The girls spent the morning outside with Glynn doing errands, yard work and checking out a few garage sales. I spent the morning painting the front entrance and hall. What a huge difference! It's a beautiful toffee colour. I still need to put on the second coat, maybe tomorrow. Glynn was able to til the garden this afternoon. We have two. One is a smaller one that has the cooler crops, and our larger garden tends to get full sun, so that's where all the tomatos, corn and squash will go.

Chloe had an interesting week. We had to take her to the hospital last weekend. Rebekah had been up all Saturday night with an earache. Consequently, we didn't hear Chloe when she was up at 6:00. She managed to get into the vitamins and ate approximately 40 of them. Good thing is they were only omega 3's. Apparently eating 40 omega-3 vitamin's isn't toxic; although they did tell us not to give her anymore for another month. I also had to take Chloe to the doctor the next day because she had pink eye, or as she calls it goopy eye. So she has strawberry medicine that she takes and loves.

Tonight we were able to go for a family bike ride. We were out for about an hour. It was great to be out in the sun, especially since there was no wind.

It's raining...it's snowing???

2010-05-01T15:46:00.001-07:00

Well, actually, it isn't really doing either. It's closer to slushing. And it's supposed to be all weekend. So, instead of playing outside, or planting my garden, as I had hoped, we'll be spending some time inside, cuddling on the couch watching movies, playing wii & other warm things. I might actually get some scrapbook pages done :) Although we're still having a bbq tonight.

Glynn & the girls spent the afternoon playing hide & seek and chasing each other around. They play a game where Glynn is Joker, Rebekah is Batgirl, and Chloe is Bat baby. The two girls capture and pummel Glynn. While all of this was going on, I was making ginger cookies. Currently, the girls are sitting at the table playing with sticker books that were bought with a day like this in mind.

Rebekah finished her school swimming lessons last week. She completed the level she was working on. It worked out really well. Originally, we had planned to put Rebekah in swimming lessons for the Spring. However, the class was full. Good thing. We were going to put her in Sunfish, but the level she completed was three above that.

Marshmallows & Bike Rides

2010-04-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

This evening we had our first fire. The girls had strawberry shakes & roast marshmallows, and we sat around planning some of our summer excursions. Chloe LOVES marshmallows. Last year she didn't like them roasted, but this year, she seems to have acquired the taste. Tonight, while Rebekah and I were wandering through the trees looking for the perfect marshmallow stick, I was thinking how much I deeply appreciate the slow pace of life we have here. Sometimes it can be chaotic and hectic, but usually, especially in the summer, it allows us to spend a lot of time together, doing the things we love. I like that.

We spent most of this weekend outside. We had another beautiful weekend, the temperature about 20C. Perfect for yard work and gardening. Today we transplanted rhubarb crowns. We're not really sure if this will work, but we're giving it a try. We actually spent this weekend putting the yard back together. After the gale force winds we had last weekend, we had a few things to fix. The winds were so fierce last Friday, I had to run out and take the gazebo apart so that it wasn't destroyed. Glynn managed to work in that weather. They spent the day nailing down shingles and roofs that were blowing off. Ours, thankfully, did not.

Rebekah has begun to master a two-wheeler. At the beginning of spring, Glynn took off the training wheels. She's getting pretty good at riding, but is not quite able to do it all by herself. I imagine in a couple of weeks she'll be a solo rider, and will be able to ride her own bike with Glynn & I, although, I think she will soon need a new one.

Yesterday, we bought tickets to see Star Wars in concert!! We're pretty excited. It's a multi-media concert, with a symphony orchestra playing John William's Star Wars compositions from all six movies. It also includes video clips from the movies combined with a laser light show. It also has displays of original costumes and props, some of which have never left the Lucas ranch before. It's here for one show on June 30th. Woo Hoo!!

This next week, Rebekah's Kindergarten class has swimming lessons. She's very excited. It's one of her favourite things to do. Last year she finished Salamander, and this year she'll begin Star Fish.

It's definitely Spring...

2010-04-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Although it was officially Spring awhile ago, today was the epitome of the season. It was plus 12 and no wind. Most of our day was spent outside. Behind our house is the "tot lot". A playground the perfect size for 7 and under. Consequently, our family spends a great deal of time there. One of the great things about our set up is that I can garden and watch the kids at the same time.

Today the lawn was finally raked, and I was able to dig up the flower bed beside the house. I was so surprised to discover that we have new strawberry leaves growing already and lady bugs galore. I'm hoping to start planting the garden in the next couple of weeks, which is very early for Saskatchewan. Glynn put the canopy on the gazebo in our court yard and started hauling out the flower pots and gardening accoutrements.

Glynn works this week, so it's just the girls and I at home. Most of our time was spent playing. The greatest sound is Chloe's squeals of delight as she swings higher and higher in the toddler swings. Rebekah is old enough to be able to swing by herself, although she does like the occasional under duck.

Tonight we went for the first bike ride of the season. One of our favourite things to do. Rebekah is learning to ride her two-wheeler. However, when we go for a family bike ride, both girls hop into the bike trailer and away we go. We saw plenty of geese in the sky, heading back home for the summer. One of the sure signs spring has arrived. Their honk is always a welcome sound. The wind was a bit cold on the hands, but it was still wonderful to be out.

Easter Highlights

2010-04-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

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Happy Easter everyone

2010-04-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

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Easter Break

2010-04-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...the week I've been waiting for. Easter Break. This morning we woke up and didn't need to rush to get ready. Instead, we're still in our pajamas watching a few morning cartoons, before we start the day. Later, we'll go for a slow, meandering walk to the post office to collect the weeks mail. But for now, I can sit here and enjoy my coffee.

Last weekend Rebekah had her year-end skating ice show. It was truly enjoyable. The theme was, "Around the World." And Rebekah's class had a Hawaiian themed routine complete with hula skirt and flower Lei. Most 5-year-olds do not skate very well, and this group really wasn't any different! But they had a great time. And Rebekah was able to do the whole routine without falling.

Glynn started back to work last week. He's not really used to the long hours, but I think after four months off, he's enjoying using his skills again.

Rebekah & I have school off until the 12th. I'm looking forward to using some of this time for Spring cleaning. The girls are looking forward to spending time outside riding their bikes. Rebekah also has a new scooter she got for Christmas from Grandpa & Grandma that hasn't been taken out of the box yet. That might be Glynn's weekend project.

Today I need to boil our eggs, so that they can be coloured tomorrow. It's tradition for us to colour them the afternoon of Good Friday. Tonight we will be having a special dinner to celebrate the last supper. Rebekah's looking forward to the "special" cheese, which usually seems to be her favourite part. Tomorrow we'll be going to the Good Friday service at our church.

On Sunday, we'll be going to Regina to spend Easter with my family. The girls are counting sleeps. Sunday morning we've decided to forego Easter service, and stay home to have brunch instead. We think this will be a more peaceful and enjoyable way to spend the morning, rather than trying to get the girls to sit in church.

Next week, Glynn & I are going to be attending a World Vision breakfast in Regina to learn about the ways we can get our community involved with helping the developing world. We're both really looking forward to it. The girls will get to spend the day with their grandparents, and afterwards we'll continue the hunt for furniture.

The first day of Spring

2010-03-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of Spring. Our snow is not completely gone yet; however, with the temperatures we've been having, it should all be melted by the end of this week!! Consequently, Rebekah and Chloe have been spending more and more time outside, much to their great joy.

Last weekend we went to Regina. Saturday morning we took all of the girls to It's a Blast, and they were able to play for several hours. Even Melissa enjoyed running and crawling around. In the afternoon the girls were able to visit with my parents, as Glynn and I went furniture shopping. We're looking for a new couch & love seat. There's one set that we really like, so far, but we haven't finished looking yet.

Yesterday Glynn took Rebekah & two of her friends to the farm to visit the cows & chickens. The girls were a bit chagrined that no other animals could be found. Apparently, cows are not that exciting. Afterwards, Rebekah had to go to her skating lesson. Next weekend is her year end ice show.

Glynn spent most of today installing carpet in Rebekah's room. Rebekah is thrilled with her "new room", and is now diligently cleaning her Barbie house, so that it too is all clean. It's funny how renovating one room somehow makes a disaster out of the rest. So I think we'll probably spend the rest of the weekend cleaning up the mess.

In like a lamb...

2010-03-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

We have had the most beautiful weather for the past two weeks, although we still have a lot of snow that needs to melt. The Olympics is over and lent has begun. Last week we went through a bit of Olympics withdrawl. We, along with the girls, watched a lot of Olympics, including the fabulous Canada/US hockey game. Chloe would run around chanting, "Go Canada!!"

We are trying to teach our girls the purpose and meaning of Lent and Easter. Because it's a more sombre season, there are not as many resources. This year we're going to celebrate a Passover Seder. As well, with Rebekah, we are creating a lenten cross out of pictures. Each day has a reading that draws us into the story of Lent and the resurrection. There is a picture that goes with each day that Rebekah colours; Once all the pictures are finished it will form a cross. Glynn has given up mindless tv for Lent. Instead of giving up something this year, I've decided to learn all I can about modern slavery and human trafficking. and then begin to make changes to how we spend our money.

Rebekah is finishing up her skating lessons. At the end of March is the year end ice show, so they are busy preparing their routines and parents are busy preparing costumes. The theme this year is based on the Olympics.

Glynn has been off work for the past two weeks, and is at home today, as well. Since today I was home by lunch, we spent the afternoon puddle jumping with the girls. By the time we got home, we were all soaked. On the weekend, Glynn took down our outside Christmas lights and decorations, and we've begun to do some Spring cleaning.

Sweet Sixteen

2010-02-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost the end of February, and we're waiting for the snow to melt. We've had a pretty mild winter, but I'm ready to start planting my garden :0) Although, after that last snow we had, it will be awhile.

Last week, our school division had February break, so Rebekah, and I, had the entire week off. It was great to be home with Bek's & Chloe. We didn't do much, since I'm still trying to get over a cold that I've had for the past 6 weeks. Last week was also Glynn's last week of school. He is now a third year apprentice! I think he finished with about an 80. He won't receive his official marks for a bit, but he's glad to be done. This year was much harder than last year.

Now he'll be staying home with the girls for the next couple weeks, until construction starts up again. This morning he got to get Rebekah ready and take her to school. With my schedule this semester, I have to be on the road by 8:00. Then he and Chloe spent the morning steam cleaning the carpet.

This weekend was a big one for our family. Melissa turned 16! She got to celebrate by spending the weekend at YQ, which is a big youth retreat weekend at the school that happens every February. Basically, it involves several thousand teenagers, bands, games, speakers and very little sleep for two days. Sunday we went to Boston Pizza to celebrate her birthday. We gave her a new bedding set for her room, and Harajuku perfume, which unless your're a teenager, probably doesn't mean much to you. And for dessert, we had oreo cookie cake, complete with candles and singing.

February...

2010-02-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

It's been over ten days since we've posted last. We spent several days digging out of the snow storm, but everything was back to normal by about Thursday.

Last weekend we went to Regina on Saturday. In the morning we took the girls to It's a Blast! It's a fabulous play place we just discovered, perfect for the dead of winter when little girls want to run and play! We arrived about 10:30, and for two hours we crawled through hundreds of feet of plastic tubing, slid down slides, and played in ball pits. There were brief moments when Glynn & I could sit and have coffee, while watching the girls play. It had every toy imaginable. Then we headed to Grandpa & Grandma's. The girls spent the afternoon playing, while we went shopping. We found new carpet for Chloe & Rebekah's room that Glynn will install, once he's finished school.

This past week was the first week of our new semester. It was a little crazy. Two days before semester began, due to a scheduling conflict, I found out that I am now teaching ELA 8. I haven't taught grade 8's, since I was in University. So it's been a bit of an adjustment. However, I am enjoying being finished at noon Monday, Wednesday, Friday this semester. February break begins this Wednesday, and I'll be off until the 22nd.

This week we will spend preparing for Valentine's Day. We need to get Rebekah's cards ready for her class, and I think we'll make cupcakes for her to take on Friday. We're also creating Valentine packages of homemade cookies & candies to deliver to friends next Saturday.

Glynn's soccer season ends tonight. The championship game is being held in Caronport, since both teams are from here. Therefore, the girls & I will finally be able to go and watch. Rebekah & Chloe are incredibly excited to go see papa play!

Let it snow...

2010-01-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing here for two days...for the past 24hrs it's been considered a blizzard. We're snowed in! The highways have been closed all day and likely will be tomorrow as well. Consequently, Glynn & I will be staying home from work/school. Glynn will be able to take Rebekah to Kindergarten tomorrow, and maybe we'll relax and do some baking. We have a drift beside our house that has reached the 10 ft. mark. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a storm like this.

For the past week, most of us have been feeling under the weather. Rebekah and Chloe have both been battling a cold, as have Glynn & I. So for a few days, we've been in survival mode just trying to keep on top of the basics, like laundry and dishes. Glynn is only allowed to miss two days during his apprenticeship schooling, and since it's the end of the semester for me, it's hard to take time off, although, with this storm, we may be forced to!

A Historic weekend

2010-01-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

We've had a beautiful weekend. Yesterday was -8 and today was -3. This morning Glynn & Chloe spent almost two hours outside. She's really an outdoors girl. This afternoon we took the girls to see the Olympic torch as it came through Caronport. I'm not sure if it's been through Caronport before. But it was great. Because we're not a huge place, it was really easy to get a good spot and see everything really well. We kept telling the girls what a big deal it was; I don't think they bought it!

After the torch, we were able to go skating outside, which, for me, is the most enjoyable. It was so beautiful out, it was hard to believe it's January. This time, Chloe didn't actually skate. Instead, we put her in the sled and pulled her around the ice. She's pretty happy being pulled in the sled, until Glynn took a corner to fast and dumped her on the ice. Then she was done and wanted to go find some cows instead. Everytime Rebekah skates, she seems to be a bit better.

Tonight, Glynn has two soccer games to play. He had two last night as well. Last night he was playing net for half of each game, and they won both games.

Back to normal...sorta

2010-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day back at school, although, Rebekah didn't go. She had a fever all night, and, instead, stayed home. She wasn't feeling well yesterday either, so the girls had a pajama day, and we read books, watched a few cartoons, and built a volcano (one of Rebekah's Christmas presents from Santa). She was in bed by 6:30 tonight, so hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Glynn actually started school on Monday. He will be attending SIAST for the next 7 weeks. Afterwards, he will be a third year apprentice. Saskatchewan has a shortage of carpenters, so the government has a number of incentives for tradespeople going through the program. Every night he sits at the kitchen table and does his homework. Last year he learned about concrete and basements, which he's pretty familiar with, since that's mostly what he works with. However, this year is all about framing. He's done a little bit of framing, but not enough to be really familiar with it. Consequently, he's learning a lot of new stuff.

Today, I started teaching again. We had a paid prep day on Monday, which was really nice. But I have to admit, it was really hard to get motivated again! Part of it could be that I'm trying to fight off a cold, and so, I don't feel well. Today was the first day students were back. We have three more weeks in the semester, and then I'll have a different schedule. Next semester I'll have Monday, Wednesday, Friday afternoons off. I actually finish at 11:00. Once spring comes, that will be incredibly nice!

Happy New Year!!

2009-12-31T21:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! We wish you all the best in 2010! We were trying to explain to Rebekah tonight how it will be a new year tomorrow, a concept a 5 year-old just can't grasp.

We had a great day! We took the girls to Noon Year's Eve at the Science Center in Regina. In Saskatchewan, we don't tend to have New Year's Eve celebrations outside. It was -26 here today. Consequently, we find warmer alternatives!

We arrived at about 1:30, and, of course, there were many people. We watched a juggler. We explored different types of germs, which is the special exhibit at the moment. There was a Paramecium replica larger than the girls. We headed upstairs and indulged in Cotton Candy, which was Chloe's favourite part, of course. We were able to see it made, and they explained the Chemistry behind it.

Rebekah's favourite part was the Chemistry shows. We watched one on Cryogenics, using liquid nitrogen. I love watching her face when she sees things that are so new to her understanding. Her eyes light up, and she has this huge look of wonder on her face. Liquid nitrogen, when poured into a beaker boils at room temperature, and when dumped out, turns to a gas before it hits the floor. Rebekah was amazed.

We also watched the Big Bang finale. We saw a gummie bear dropped into Potassium Chlorate. Definitely worth a watch on youtube. This is an experiment we performed in my Chemistry 20 class a couple of weeks ago. Finally, the big finale came. We had to plug our ears as they ignited a balloon filled with hydrogen & oxygen. Again, if you don't know what happens, youtube can help you out. A huge bang, upon which hundreds of balloons & streamers dropped from the ceiling. Rebekah's response, "I've wanted to do this my entire life!" Who knew? Driving to my parents for dinner afterward, Rebekah stated that today was the best day of her life. So it was definitely a success.

Tonight, when we arrived home, Chloe went straight to bed. It was well past her bedtime, and she fell asleep on the ride home. With Rebekah we were able to light sparklers & sing Happy New Year to you! It was a great day. Then, we spent a quiet evening at home.

I finished the last lab for my Chemistry class that I've been taking through Athabasca. All I have left is to write the final in January. And Glynn watched a James Bond movie. He received the entire DVD set for Christmas, so we've been working our way through them.

Now, it's time to hang a new calendar and make some resolutions!! Best wishes from our family for 2010.

Slowly...

2009-12-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

Slowly time moves forward to the end of the year. This week between Christmas and New Year's always seems a bit odd. Christmas is done, but the new year, the next big celebration is a week away. I'm the type of person who can't wait to get on with it. The new planner. The new calendar. New resolutions. A new year full of opportunity. And so for a week, I wait.

Slowly we work our way through all of the newly acquired gifts. Today we tested out the new toboggan the girls received from their grandparents. A great gift. It was -8, so we donned all of our winter gear, coats, snowpants, toques, mitts, boots, and headed out to the small hill by the soccer field. When you're 2 and 5, it's a huge hill. And so our girl's bounded down it with glee. Every time Chloe reached the bottom, she'd simply say, "do it again!" And we did. Over and over again. It was a great afternoon for exercise and fresh air. The girls also received a puppet theatre for Christmas, so tomorrow, we'll likely set it up and watch a performance or two.

Christmas morning we were able to sleep in, which is rare in our house. I was actually the first one up. Rebekah finally came in about 8:30. We opened stockings and gifts. The girls are at the age that every present is a great one. They just love opening them to see what is inside & can hardly contain themselves. One of Rebekah's favourite was the Littlest Pet Shop that she's been wanting for a very long time. Chloe received a stringing bead set that she loves. After opening gifts, we had brunch and then got ready to head to my parents for the day. We were able to spend Christmas with my family. Bek's and Chloe loved playing with their cousin Ariel, who is 3. Of course, we had the standard turkey dinner.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be as nice as today, so we're planning on taking the girls tobogganing again tomorrow. We may also take them skating again. For New Year's Eve, we're planning on taking the girls to the Science Center in Regina. They're having a big New Year's party for families with cotton candy demos & treats, special exhibits & science shows, jugglers etc. Bek's & Chloe love the Science Centre. Bek's in particular loves anything scientific, which I try to encourage, since I teach Chemistry. She received a Volcano making kit from Santa that we'll probably put together this week as well.

Slowly, we begin to look back on the year, and all we have to be thankful for. Thank-you to our friends and family who gave Christmas gifts to our family. They are much appreciated. Also, thank-you to those of you who bought World Vision gifts as a gift to us. We love to hear about what has been bought, and we love telling our kids how others are being helped because of your generosity. For those of you who sent money to pool to donate to charity, this year we're going to spend it to buy socks, mitts & underwear to donate to the families at the Multicultural Center in Moose Jaw. Some of you may not know that MJ is one of the locations across Canada where new immigrants are sent to begin to learn English & job skills, and begin their integration into Canadian society. Some are refugees fleeing terrible situations. They survive on very little, and often do not have many things you and I consider necessities. Consequently, to buy these things can cause financial difficulty. One of the things they often need are socks, mitts & underwear. So we will join our money with yours, and buy as many as we can! Thank you for your kindness.

Three days before Christmas...

2009-12-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Three days before Christmas...I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. Yesterday I had a Chemistry mid-term to write. I'm glad to have that out of the way, so that I can enjoy Christmas. Yesterday afternoon, we took the girls to see Santa. Rebekah was so excited. Chloe I don't think understood, until she saw him. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head! Rebekah, has always loved Santa and never been afraid to go see him. However, Chloe, last year, just admired from afar. This year was different. As soon as she saw him, she jumped down from papa's arms, walked through a group of girls, straight towards him. She stopped about 5 feet away from him, and simply gazed at him. Mostly in wonder, I think. She had no problem going to see him and sitting on his knee. I think she may have even smiled for her picture, although she didn't tell him what she wanted for Christmas. At this point when you ask her, she says candy. I'm not sure she knows there are other options. Rebekah, on the otherhand, requested Littlest Pet shop.

We have a few full days ahead of us. I wouldn't say busy, but there are things to be done, as I think there always is at Christmas.

This morning Glynn took the girls to town with him to finish Christmas shopping. I stayed home and started our Christmas baking and wrapping presents. It was nice to have the house to myself. The quiet stillness and Christmas carols in the background. I made butter tarts, a family favourite, and ginger cookies. Tomorrow morning we're going to make Almond Roca, which tastes exactly like Skor bar, some sugar cookies and short bread. I also have to make our dessert for Christmas Eve; this year it's Toblerone Caramel Cheesecake. Yum!

Tonight we made a gingerbread house. This is an annual tradition we have. Last year Glynn tried to put it together and it all fell apart. So this year, I constructed the house. You have to be patient when making gingerbread houses. Icing is not like nails. Then, the kids decorated it. I have to admit, I long for an orderly, beautiful gingerbread house, like the one in the picture on the box. Alas, it will be many years, until we have one like that. Instead, Chloe mostly ate the candy and became the usual sticky mess that happens when any type of sugar is present. Rebekah randomly adhered various types of candy all over the place. Glynn, however, was slightly more sequential. I say slightly only to mean he made his side all one colour.

Tomorrow Glynn & I are going to head into town and leave the girls with a sitter. She's a good family friend, and Rebekah is incredibly excited. We have a few odds & ends to pick up, and the perishable Christmas Eve dinner groceries to buy. But before that, we're going to go serve at Riverside, a soup kitchen that opened in MJ earlier this year. It's the only soup kitchen the city has and it serves the homeless, and very poor of the city. I've served dinner there before, but this will be Glynn's first time. For me, it was a life altering experience. Tomorrow we'll be serving a Christmas dinner and handing out Christmas gifts that some of us have put together.

After Riverside, we're going to drop off Christmas dinner & presents to the family we adopted for Christmas. And we have a few more gifts to ring and run. I know that tomorrow will probably be the most meaningful of the season, and I am really looking forward to it.

Christmas Eve day we'll likely go for a walk and deliver the last of our Christmas cards, do some puzzles, and maybe play the wii. We'll spend the afternoon cooking Christmas Eve dinner, which this year, consists of glazed ham, hashbrown casserole, creamy green beans, brussel sprouts, a couple of appetizers & a salad. This meal is always one of the highlights of the year. Christmas Eve, we'll be heading to the service being held at our church, here in town. I'm really looking forward to that too.

These next couple of days are probably my favourite of the year. The anticipation. The preparation. And finally, the actuality of what has been waited for, deeply rich with God embued meaning. It doesn't get much better than that.

Twas the week before Christmas...

2009-12-20T06:29:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy week. For a season that is supposed to be marked with solace and reflection, this week has not been that. Of course we had the wrap-up of school, and Glynn is finished work. He will be off until the beginning of January, when he'll return to school. So for both of us it was a bit hectic. Glynn's company Christmas party was also Friday evening.

Rebekah had her first elementary Christmas concert. She'd been practicing for weeks. We'd hear the odd stray bar or three of Christmas carols floating from her room. So it was little surprise as to what she was singing. But we still savored every note she sang, every bell she rung and every leap & smile. Her class sang the Christmas hokey-pokey. Rebekah's part included ringing the bells. And she did a great job. Of course, my parental bias is probably tainting my opinion.

Yesterday, we took our kids shopping to purchase Christmas dinner and gifts for our adopt-a-family, a program run by the Salvation Army, to provide Christmas for families who may otherwise not be able to afford it. Great program. This is the second time we've been part of it. We went to Moose Jaw early, hoping to avoid frenzied Christmas shoppers, and for the most part we did.

We knew the trip would be exhausting, and it was. However, the truths we are trying to teach them are that important. I think it will get easier as they get older. We had the girls help us choose gifts for each of the children. This was somewhat difficult for Rebekah because the kids that we are helping are about twice as old as her. Consequently, her suggestions weren't always relevant. Most 11 year-olds wouldn't appreciate Pet Shop Mall Madness quite to the extent Rebekah does. But it's the thought that counts. Not all of it was joyful either, there were numerous inquiries into "how many more things do we need to buy", but we endured.

After buying all of the gifts and food, including our own groceries at the same time, which created the need for two carts, we were glad to be done. Originally we were planning to go see Santa as well, however by this point we were too tired and the kids were whiney. So we came home to wrap the gifts that we bought. We had the girls help with that as well. Glynn wrapped and Rebekah and Chloe stuck on bows and tags. I think tomorrow we will deliver the Christmas bounty.

This afternoon we are planning on going skating. Rebekah has been taking lessons for the past couple months, so she does fine by herself. However, this will be Chloe's first adventure on the ice. I've been told if she can walk, she can learn how to skate. I guess we'll see!

Party Time

2009-12-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it's all over for another year, but it was a great party. After 10 hours of drawing, painting, and baking, and 3 hours of set-up, Candyland was ready to go. We rented a building here in Caronport to have Bek's party because we created a life-size version of the Candyland boardgame, which was more than our house could hold. Glynn spent the morning setting up with the two girls, while I created Bek's cake, which was a Candyland boardgame made of candy.

At 2:00, five giggling girls arrived, ready to see what the afternoon would hold. We began with a number of rounds of twister, which is interesting when playing with people who do not yet know their left from their right. We then, moved onto life-sized Candyland,which was a huge hit. The girl's played three separate games, before we moved on to cake and presents, which to Rebekah was the most exciting part of all.

She loved her cake. She declared it to be, "the best ever." In fact, she was so excited about it, Glynn had to stop her from blowing out the candles before the cake even arrived. Once it did, she blew out the candles with great gusto, and cake and pop was served to all. It was the size of a sheet cake, so one half was vanill and the other chocolate. Then we moved on to presents.

Her first gift was a bag of craft supplies, which really, is the best gift in the world for Bek's. Then she opened up a Cinderella playset, which is a lot like Polly Pockets. It has different clothes to dress Cinderella in. She then received a Magic School Bus storybook. The Magic School Bus is one of Rebekah's favourite shows. She doesn't watch a lot of TV, but we try to catch the MSB every morning, since she loves science. She also received a playdoh set and large 3 foot high princess colouring book. After all of this, who needs Christmas presents.

We finished off the day making miniature gingerbread houses. I had constructed the houses ahead of time, and the girls spent almost 45 minutes decorating them. Some of them ate more candy than was put on the house, but that's what birthdays are for. Finally, we played one more game of Candyland before they went home.

It was a great day. One that Rebekah will not soon forget, even if it was -45. Nobody noticed :)

Birthday Celebration -- Part I

2009-12-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today Rebekah is 5. A milestone for her. As one of the youngest in her class, she has been waiting a long time for this moment to arrive. At some point in the night, she crawled in to bed with us and went back to sleep.

At about 5:00 in the morning she said, "Mommy, am I 5?" I replied,"Yes, you are." She then said, "Okay, I'm having a great sleep." And went back to sleep. Apparently, once she'd established the occassion had arrived, all was well.

This morning we took her ornament cupcakes to Kindergarten, to celebrate with her classmates. It took 2 1/2 hours to decorate 18 of them. I'm glad I don't have to do that again anytime soon! But I remember my mom always making really great cakes for my birthday, and I want my kids to have that too, which is why tonight I'll be making a Candyland cake.

Rebekah could hardly wait for cake and presents at home. From school she got to pick a present from the birthday box, and, of course, she picked craft stuff. She loves making crafts more than anything else. She loved the puzzles from granny. We sometimes do puzzles in the evening, now that the girls are getting old enough. Although Chloe mostly destroys them. She also received some books, which we also read in the evening, a Barbie, and some Polly Pockets from my parents, which she's been wanting for about 2 years! Family friends also sent over a gift bag of Disney Princess stuff.

After presents, we had cake. Rebekah blew out all of the candles. Tonight we had a store bought cake with Blackberries and lots of whipcream. Chloe's favourite food group is sugar, so she's pretty excited whenever cake is present, regardless of the occassion.

All-in-all Rebekah had a great day. She's excited to be 5, and she's looking forward to her first party tomorrow.

Preparation Central

2009-12-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas is only 2 1/2 weeks away. Rebekah's birthday 3 days, so for us, it's a busy time. The Christmas presents are bought, so are Rebekah's. It's great to be done that part! Now, we're preparing for the party. This weekend will be Rebekah's first birthday party with 5 giggling little girls, so we want it to be memorable.

We are having a Candyland birthday, all based around the Candyland board game. We are creating a life-size version of the game for the girls to play. Currently, Glynn is drawing the characters and signs. We created Candyland invitations that went out last week. The girls will also be decorating their own miniature gingerbread houses to take home with them in their treat bags.

Tomorrow night we will be baking cupcakes for Rebekah to take to school on Friday. Thursday night we will be decorating them. Using coloured decorating sugar, licorice, and red and green m&m's we're going to make cupcakes that look like Christmas ornaments. Rebekah loves the idea! Friday night we will have to bake the cakes. Her cake is going to be a replica of the candyland board game, built out of various candy pieces. The path tiles will be made out of startburst candies. Then Saturday morning, I will decorate it.

So, as you can see, our week will be pretty busy, but well worth it for the memories that Rebekah will have. After this week, we will solely focus on slowing down for Christmas, helping others, and spending lots of time as a family.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day! Glynn & I spent the day shopping in Regina, while Rebekah & Chloe visited with Grandpa & Grandma. We began our adventures at Toys'r'us, which, to be honest, I have never seen so busy in my life. Apparently, there was a big sale. Who knew? But we braved the crowds, and were able to complete most of our Christmas shopping. The lines at the tills were shockingly long. There were 20-30 people in each line, but everyone was in good spirits, and we managed to make it through. We are three gifts away from being finished, and I can order those on-line. Woo hoo!!!

The other great stop we had was at 10,000 Villages, a fair trade store that has stores all across Canada. This year is the first year we haven't had Starbucks Christmas blend for our coffee. Every year, for the past 7 years, we've had the tradition of brewing the Christmas blend starting December 1st. However, during the past year we've learned much about the coffee business and the unsavoury practices of Starbucks. Consequently, we decided to forego buying our usual holiday treat. But today, at 10,000 villages, we found a fair trade Holiday Blend coffee, and chocolate covered mints, much like after eights. It is incredibly exciting to know that we can now continue this treasured tradition.

On Tuesday, we had our first real snowfall. Snow that will stay the season. So much snow, actually, that I stayed home from work on Wednesday, and Glynn got off work early. Rebekah was at Sparks, and so, the three of us spent an hour outside playing and shovelling. Chloe loved the snow. I think her favourite thing was eating it off the pine tree branches.

This week we started our Advent traditions. Every night we read the Christmas story and add a piece to our manger scene. We light our Advent wreath at supper, and after supper we read a bible passage and the girls create pictures for their Jesse Tree. Of course, we have the usual chocolate Advent calendar, which I've learned never to buy at the dollar store again! The girls also each have a Christmas countdown garland that has little baby stockings on it. Actually, most of them are their baby socks. Each morning there is a little gift waiting, and the stocking is then removed.

Tis the Season!

2009-11-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend might be called the official kick-off to our Christmas. It's the first Sunday of Advent, and so we light the first candle in our advent wreath. This morning, at church our family did the first Advent reading and lit the first purple candle. This Advent, feels much more reflective and peaceful than years past.

Last night, we took the girls into Moose Jaw to see the Santa Claus parade. We arrived about 30 minutes early. This year, we had really great weather for it, hovering around -2. In years past, we've almost frozen watching the parade. The girls had a hard time waiting for the parade to start, which is pretty normal for how young they are. But once the lights started flashing, they were fine. Chloe is quite aware who Santa is, so they were both very excited to see him.

Afterwards, we headed to the Alliance church, which, for the past couple of years, has put on Bethlehem live. It's basically a live version of the nativity. It starts in the church sanctuary. As visitors arrive, you are put into one of the 12 families of Israel. Then you wait for your family to be called by the Roman guards to journey to Bethlehem. There are a few twists and turns throughout the dark halls of the church; then you head outside, into the cold, dark night. I'm not sure Chloe quite knew what was happening. But Rebekah was excited to be on our search to find the newborn baby Jesus.

We wound our way through campfires hosted by weary travellers, Roman guards. We were accosted by bandits and saved by soldiers on horse back. We journeyed through the marketplace where we were offered chickens and goats, and finally we arrived to pay our taxes to Caesar. After all of this, we arrived at the inn, but, of course, there was no room. And so we headed to the lowly stable, where we found Jesus, lying in a manger. Afterwards, we headed inside and had chocolate, goodies, and were able to catch up with friends that we haven't seen in several years.

This afternoon, after Chloe's nap, we cooked up appetizers and other goodies, and began our annual tradition of trimming the tree. Chloe absolutely loved hanging ornaments. Last year, I don't think she really put that many on, but this year she discovered the joy of tree decorating. Papa sat and handed the ornaments out, and I put the ones on the top of the tree. Glynn had the joyful task of putting on the lights last night.

Most of the ornaments ended up on the same three branches, which afterwards needed to be adjusted. We added our new ornaments that were bought at Christmas in October. Chloe and Rebekah both decorated their little trees that go in their room. There are a few decorations that still need to be put up, which we'll get to over the coming week. But for the most part, we're done!

A time to prepare

2009-11-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas will be in full swing for our family in two weeks. However, until then, it is a time to evaluate and ponder. What matters to us most this Christmas season? How do we want to spend the days of Advent. There will likely be several parties and get togethers with friends. We'll be planning several and have several others to attend. Rebekah's birthday and our anniversary are in there as well, which makes for a busy season.

And yet, we don't want to miss what matters most. The birth of Christ, time with our family, and helping others. So now is the time for us to ponder, what should the next four weeks look like? What can we give up to help alleviate the suffering of others? How best do we help our children learn about what truly matters and their responsibility to others on this planet? None of these are simple questions.

One of the ways we seek to do this is through the Advent Conspiracy. We will buy less and give more. Our church leadership announced this morning that we will be participating in this venture throughout Advent. The money raised will go towards a project through Compassion Canada. Personally, we're World Vision people, so I'm helping to head up a campaign at our school, in which every classroom will choose, and fundraise, towards something in the WV catalogue. We will also seek to help those in our community. Glynn & I are also hoping to serve Christmas dinner at Riverside Mission in Moose Jaw.

So this season we may make gifts, instead of buying all of them, and forego buying others, all in the pursuit of a saner, more sustainable Christmas.

Catching up...whew!

2009-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone. It's hard to believe the next holiday is Christmas! For Halloween, we participated in a number of activities. In the afternoon, we went to the mall in Moose Jaw. Each store was giving out candy. The girls loved it, and the sales people loved our costumes.

We have a tradition of dressing up as a family. Each year we have a different theme, and each of us dress as a member. This year was the Wizard of Oz. Rebekah, of course, was Dorothy, Chloe the cowardly lion, Glynn the tin man, and I was the scarecrow. We hope this will become a memory that our kids will cherish. After the mall, we picked up pizza, which is another yearly tradition. It's actually about the only time of year we order pizza.

After supper, we headed out to do some trick or treating. Rebekah seemed to be wearing down quickly, and after about a street and a half she had had enough. Rebekah had a fever.

Rebekah was sick all of last week with the flu. We're not sure if it was H1N1. Chloe received her immunization for it last week. Rebekah couldn't because she was sick. However, she'll be getting her immunization this week. Chloe was also sick lastweek, as was I. I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday, which is difficult when you teach chemistry. This week is midterm week, and next week report cards.

We're finally back on top of the housework. On the weekend Glynn made a beautiful window seat storage center for our family room. There are benefits to being married to a carpenter! So he could work, I took the girls to Regina for the day. They got to enjoy a day at grandma's house, and I spent the day Christmas shopping.

All Hallow's Eve Eve

2009-10-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

Twas the night before Halloween and all through the house, the Wright's were making last minute preparations, and thank goodness there was no mouse. The pumpkins were carved with the greatest of care, in hopes they would bring delight, or maybe a scare!

Tonight we carved our pumpkins. Actually the master carver is still working away, burning himself occasionally. We have four pumpkins this year. One that is the largest we've ever had. Three are from our garden. Chloe was not very impressed with the pumpkin carving, especially the insides! Rebekah and I made pumpkin seeds. We also made ruby slippers tonight for Bek's. She's incredibly excited; she's going as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. My mom made her dress. Chloe's going to be the cowardly lion. Her costume we just bought. I'm not convinced she's going to keep the suit on. She's tentative with the idea at best. Hopefully once she realizes that she receives candy because of the get up, she'll fully embrace the part.

Tonight Rebekah had her first skating lesson. She loves watching the figure skaters, and has decided she would like to be one when she grows up. This is a change from wanting to be a musketeer :) Chloe also wanted to go skating. She tried desperately to get out onto the ice. She hates it when she can't do what her older sister is doing. So we're going to see if we can find her a pair of skates. The coach says if she can walk, she's old enough to skate! Personally, I think Chloe is independent and stubborn enough to pull it off! Happy Halloween!!!!

Christmas in October

2009-10-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today, was the kick-off for Christmas in our house. Now don't get me wrong, we're not like the crazy Christmas people who start decorating in October. But we do start planning and buying. We partook in the annual Moose Jaw tradition, Christmas in October. For us, it's an annual tradition as well. We've been attending the past five or six years. All of the boutique type stores, located in downtown Moose Jaw, are decked out in their Christmas finery. The pinnacle of these being Yvette Moore's gallery. It also provides the first chance for the girls to find their special Christmas ornament. Rebekah was able to find hers, a beautiful crystal butterfly.

At this point in our lives, taking the girls to this event is hectic and even frustrating at times. It's hard for them to go places with so many beautiful things and not touch. However, Rebekah, for the most part, did really well. Chloe was hauled out of a few stores by her father. It's hard when you don't have a nap. I feel that way sometimes too :) Even though it's difficult at this stage, we know that the time is worth it. Eventually, this will be a tradition that our girls come to love and will look forward to every year.

Yesterday, we spent the day at home. We, originally, were planning on heading to the pumpkin farm; however, it was rainy and cold. Glynn took Rebekah to the doctor in the afternoon. She has an ear infection and needed medication. I got to spend the afternoon scrapbooking. Last night, even though she didn't feel great, Rebekah still wanted to see Cornerstone's production of Little Women. She's been waiting for weeks. She went to her first musical last year, when we saw Annie and absolutely loved it. However, she declared this years, "the best ever".

Changes

2009-10-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Changes are all around us. The seasons. The leaves. This week has been an eventful one at our house. Last weekend, we had a couple of centimetres of snow. The ice it created was enough for us to spend our first Thanksgiving at home, without going to Regina. We had a great time though. We enjoyed baking cookies, a Santa Claus movie marathon, and playing the wii and guitar hero.

Chloe became Houdini. She managed the great escape from her crib, which is something Rebekah never did. So, at 8:30 at night, Glynn took apart the crib, and Chloe was moved into her toddler bed. She was so excited, she climbed into it and went to sleep! She loves being a big girl like Rebekah.

Rebekah got her first pair of glasses. Actually two! So every morning, she's able choose which pair she wants to wear for the day.

Today, we were able to spend outdoors at the pumpkin festival, in Lumsden. More than anything, we deeply enjoy being outside as a family. The girls were able to play & have pictures taken among the pumpkins, as well as have their faces painted. We picked out our family pumpkin, which weighs in at a whopping 22lbs. This afternoon, we were able to stop in Regina, and have a late Thanksgiving. Rebekah & Chloe loved playing with their cousin Ariel.

Fall has arrived

2009-09-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, two important things happened this weekend. The first, was the true arrival of fall. After more than three weeks of balmy 30 degree weather, the temperature has finally dropped to the seasonal average. With this, of course, the leaves have begun to fall. Rebekah & Chloe were able to indulge in their first leaf jumping of the season. Rebekah & Papa took great care in raking up the leaves. Chloe, however, just dove headlong into them!

Overnight, on Saturday, we experienced winds up to 65 km/h, which continued most of Sunday. This, however, did not hamper celebrating Chloe's birthday. My mom and dad were able to join us for the day. I think the highlight of Chloe's day was having cake, again! This time a Winnie the Pooh cupcake cake, which consists of 24 cupcakes, iced over like a regular cake. However, that wasn't the important thing for Chloe. The only essential thing was the presence of sugar!

Birthday Bash

2009-09-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today is Chloe's 2nd Birthday! This morning when Chloe woke up, she didn't know what a birthday was. Now, if you ask her whose birthday it is, she replies, "Chloe's Birthday." So cute. Birthdays are a chance to reminisce about the past year. It's incredible to see how much she has grown. During this past year she's learned to walk and talk, no small feat. She's discovered she has a nose and ten toes, has learned to give hugs and kisses. And loves her cat, named Cheeto.

Chloe's cake was a white chocolate truffle cake. She especially enjoyed putting her fingers into the icing. I wasn't sure how she would react to the sparklers and candles. But she seemed to deeply enjoy the pyrotechnic spectacle in front of her. With a little prompting from papa, she figured out how to blow out her candles. Then, after a bath, it was on to the presents.

It turns out that Chloe is pretty adept at opening gifts, which was a vast improvement over last Christmas. Furthermore, she finally cared about the contents! She received some playdoh, baby dress-up stuff, and a Dora bathtime mermaid. All personal favourites. The biggest hit, of course, was Dora. With her second birthday wrapped up, I can say that today was full of deep satisfaction. The celebration of the year that has passed, as well as looking forward to the year to come.