2009 is almost finished!

Patrick took the children to Walmart to get their photo taken sans hairbrushing and ditched the matching outfits I put out but they turned out nice anyway especially the sepia ones! I don't know how the photographer got them all to sit still and look so nice but I can't seem to do it with my camera! I sure like those children even though they are exhausting, noisy and rambunctious. Youth is surely wasted on the young.

Love Sparkles

Tell someone that you love them with this Valentine’s-themed card kit. The custom designed window gable box adds a beautiful touch to this card set.

Date: January 2nd and 9th 2010
Cost: $20 or free with $65 order which includes FREE stamp set choices vary
Location: New Westminster

Please email me to sign up for this class: (stampingbetty@hotmail.com)
Supplies provided

• Stamps: A Happy Heart
• Ink: Pretty in Pink Classic, Rose Red and Soft Suede
• Paper: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand, Whisper White,
medium Whisper White envelopes
• Accessories: Sticky Strip, Snail adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals,
mini glue dots, 2-way glue pen, 1” Rose Red Double Stitched Grosgrain
ribbon, Filigree brads, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, grid paper,
paper snips, mat pack, paper-piercing tool, bone folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig,
Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge punch, Crop-A-Dile, Heart to Heart punch,
Acetate Sheet, hobby blade, cutting mat, pencil, ruler

My Grandma David was in the newspaper...

Marking a century
The Royal City Record
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Melva Halliday celebrated a pivotal birthday at Queen's Park Care Centre on Wednesday.She turned 100 on Dec. 9, and, to mark the special occasion, family and friends held a party for the centenarian. "She's a very tenacious and very independent woman," daughter-in-law Doreen Anderson says about Melva. Melva had been living on her own at her home in Sapperton up until three weeks ago. She loved her garden in Sapperton, where she grew flowers, vegetables and fruit - once even growing a kiwi vine that produced 400 kiwis. She also enjoys canning fruit and is an avid knitter. Today, Melva is staying at the care centre until she can move to a long-term facility. Melva has lived in New Westminster for 80 years. She was born on the North Shore, moving with her family to the Royal City when she was 15 in 1924.
The family settled in Sapperton, where Melva lived until she married her first husband, Harry Anderson. They raised their three sons in Queensborough. Harry was a First and Second World War veteran, who passed away in 1959. Melva returned to Sapperton when she married her second husband, David Halliday, in the 1970s.
Anderson says her mother-in-law, who has seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, isn't surprised she's lived to 100. "I think she expected it," says Anderson. © The Record (New Westminster) 2009

It's almost done....

Shortly after the ground breaking my middle child and fiestiest daughter came home and said, "Mommy can we sing the secret duty song?" It took me a few minutes to figure out what she meant and it makes my heart almost leap out of my chest to hear her sing, "I love to see the temple." Now you can understand every word when she sings it since she's four now. Listen to the song here! We have visited the site every chance we get and have only been to Langley once without stopping by to see how the construction is going. Check out the street view on Google maps too! Love it! Vancouver Temple Public House will be Fri Apr 9 - 24, 2010 (Except Sundays) Cultural Celebration: Saturday May 1, 2010
Dedication: Sun May 2, 2010, three sessions (9am, 12 noon, 3pm)
You are invited!



{Thoughtfully}
I love to see the temple.
I’m going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit,
To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
A place of love and beauty.
I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty.
I love to see the temple.
I’ll go inside someday.
I’ll cov’nant with my Father;
I’ll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
A fam’ly is forever.

© 1980 by Janice Kapp Perry.
Doctrine and Covenants 124:39–41

Manghi Burger

I tried to capture the totem pole thing the children have been doing lately and giggling wildly. Marvin is the bottom bun and Asia is the meat. Avalina is supposed to be the cheese but she wouldn't cooperate for the photo of course. That is their version of a burger on the couch. It looks really cute when they are all horizontal one on top of the other. It makes me forget completely that a mere two minutes ago someone was screaming, someone was crying and someone was pushing and calling names and I remember to loosen my grip around their scrawny little necks that i sometimes want to snap like a twig, oops another inner though leaked out. My mother always said, "God makes them so cute so you won't kill them." I must have been very naughty.

Baja Breeze I miss you...

Here's part of a set I did at the Saturday Crop-A-Lot last weekend in Langley. I love these colours and was delighted to use up the rest of my Frosty Day papers even though I will miss them. Here is what you can do with one sheet of double sided patterned paper and a few hours. I cannot seem to turn these photos because my computer is acting strange but i will post them anyhow. Cock your head to the left hand side when looking at the first two images! Thanks to Lisa for teaching me about the Snow Writer. Thanks to Jessica for showing me how to use the Peel offs. This set was a big hit and so was Roland's carrot cake and pork tenderloin. I used the Snowflake Sizzix Die and Stampin'Up!'s famous Top Note die as well with my Big Shot! On top of the snowflake is white Shimmer Paint. I was delighted to finally find my ribbon box and a roll full almost of Baja Breeze striped thick grosgrain! I am officially out of Real Red grosgrain ribbon. Thanks Karina for using your own on your card! I love the look of the Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon and it's on the Clearance Rack right now! The new Stampin'Up! ornament punch makes quick cards a snap especially when combined with the Delightful Decorations set used in two cards here. The patterned paper I chose for this set has Baja Breeze and White swirly snowflakes on one side and Stripes as you can see on the other. Thanks for looking!

Calendar Countdown with Chris

Look what I made at Cherish the Thought with Chris! Don't you just love it! I do and it's on my refrigerator at this very moment. I plan to make a few more but not quite as fancy. I better do it quick like before time runs out. I can't believe it's only 26 more sleeps until December 25th! This project has a lot of sparkle and glitter but i couldn't get it to shop up in the photos. Too bad, it's what made me go, "WoW!" when i first saw it and signed up on the spot.

Dunja's Dasher Class

Quick, Easy and Elegant is the name of the game with this Dasher stamp for only $10.95! These cards use Old Olive, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Kraft and Stampin'Up! designer series paper called Merry Moments! Love them!

Easy 5 flower punch Christmas Card

I used my Priceless Stamp Set and some clear embossing powder plus my Stampin'Up! bone folder and some green Rhinestone brads to jazz up this paper pointsettia.

Alex Waterhouse-Hayward photo

You can see his blog here!

hmmmm Film Library

I started a new position with slightly better hours. I miss my coworkers and the job i was good at. I miss being the know it all and hearing familiar voices and dealing with familiar problems. I don't like the stale environment with the tedious work i am hoping to become better at with smaller margins for error and the people who smile and say yes even when they don't understand you. I am having some trouble keeping up. The children love having me come home and are eagerly waiting with stories in hand, teeth brushed, pajama clad under the covers at least until they hear my key in the lock. It is easier to get up in the morning not working so late in the evening. If one more person from ER x-ray hugs me i might cry AT WORK. They have weird snacks in the film library and lots of demands. No time for Facebook, boo hoo. Get used to it. At least i am not far away and I don't miss Jean! 90 days to change my mind if i need to.

November Eleventh

Pat turns 41
Phil turns 36
we all remember veterans
no work for me today
thank-you to those who kept us liberated and liberated others
Yhong is very pregnant
All You Can Eat at Kingsway Sushi
pretty good
Mom AND Dad came but wouldn't sit beside each other.
Avalina screamed as the good behavior window closed
Anastasia made chocolate cupcakes that didn't get icing on them before they were mostly eaten
Ama had to park really far away
Phil and Pat shopped C&L
Lots of books for presents plus movies too.
another rememberance day over and done with

Heebee Jeebees

How do you explain that word to a four year old?


Just wait until you see mine! Fabulous Paper Bag Album using Dream Street Products made at Cherish the Thought in Port Moody.

Why oh why do women need to go through this?
I am so pissed off. I am not sure why because I was expecting it to return sooner or later. I got my . after 27 months I forgot how crappy it makes you feel! I am really shocked {into reality} and so don't want to breastfeed anymore. What a big baby. I just want to bury myself in a hole in the ground and cover it with leaves because it would probably feel better than this.
Manong's teeth are really crowded and crooked. Pluse had a root canal and he is only EIGHT! No more juice and now I will be the flossing nazi. He was very brave and squeezed his dad's hand hard. He has a silver crown and thinks there's treasure in his teeth now.
Manang got a new bed today. Let's home she stays in it ALL NIGHT long!
I decorated it with Christmas lights because her brother took the lamp.
We put all the clothes in the drawers below and I realized she has way too many.
Then again she does change her clothes at least 3 times a day. She is obsessed with how things smell. I am going to be busy preparing lotsa foods tomorrow.
Ading is asleep finally and has taken to screaming like a banshee. I didn't know a 1.5 year old could be so demanding. She sounds possessed when she howls and screams "mommy" at me and chases me around.


Look what I made with Jessie at Cherish the Thought! recently
Alcohol inks are where it's at! Can you see the granite like background?
I think we like Queensborough! Imagine, next time my boss calls me Debbie from Queensborough I will tell him he's jealous. I am going 'in to town' now to borrow my mom's roasting pan assuming she is home from the police station otherwise we'll need a bail bondsman.


Monavie is working wonders. I don't crave a nap every waking minute and my husbands joints aren't hurting. It is pretty pricey but so worth it.
The Brazilian açai berry is the crown jewel of MonaVie's premier blends.
For countless centuries, the people of the Amazon have revered this unique fruit for its health-promoting properties and prized it as a source of health and vitality. The remarkable health benefits of açai are continually being documented by modern science. And because of its unparalleled antioxidant levels and extraordinary nutrient content, açai is now widely regarded as one of the world's top superfoods.
Açai is rich in the following beneficial nutrients:
* Antioxidants
* Phytonutrients
* Amino acids
* Vitamins
* Trace minerals
With a blend of 19 fruits,including açai, MonaVie is a unique and delicious nutritional beverage. The açai berry is the foundation of the MonaVie blend, but with literally thousands of phytonutrients and antioxidants found in nature's fresh fruits, MonaVie didn't want to focus on just one at the expense of others. This led to MonaVie's selection of 18 additional fruits, each selected for its unique, beneficial properties and ability to contribute a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants to MonaVie's premier nutritional beverage. Together, the synergistic effect of the fruits in the MonaVie blend reaches far beyond what any single fruit could accomplish. Ask me if you need some!

More soon...poor neglected blog...

Guardian Angels Daycare

Guardian Angels Daycare is located on the Burnaby/New Westminster border at 10th Avenue & 10th Street and run by my sister in law Gen.
They have a full above ground basement for our daycare with a completely fenced in play area and parks nearby too.
There is room for a few more children part time or full time depending on your needs.
As the owner she is ECE certified and aware of children with special needs and also educated in health issues which of course is on going.
Do you have an active child in need of some socialization, activity and fun while you are otherwise occupied or working?
This is a place where children can grow and learn with quality supervision.
Please call Genevieve 6045243280.

Queensborough

In September our family finally moved out of our little apartment. Now we are living in a house in Queensborough which I didn't see until we were moving in. I was hesitant to go across the bridge to a community I was less familiar with. It is separated from the rest of New Westminster by a bridge and nestled in between Richmond, Delta, Burnaby and the rest of New Westminster. It is on the Fraser River and until recently there was not a lot of shopping over there. In the last few years a Walmart was built and with it came a bunch of fast food and clothing stores as well as a Best Buy and There is a community centre with lovely weeping willows and plenty of playground space. The schools are centrally located as well but we don't have a grocery store there. I suspect we will be crossing the Queensborough Bridge frequently. My commute time to work has been cut by 10 minutes and I am sure Patrick is closer to his work destinations as well. We like to look out our back window and see the trains. We are right near the Derwent Way rail swing bridge going to Annacis Island. We have ditches with frogs in our front yard. I like the grassy lanes that divide many of the homes backyards. We are getting used to being a bit isolated from our family and all the places we used to frequent. We have met some nice people and are enjoying being in such a large space where the children can play outside!

We moved!

Finally!

Annual Cousin's Lunch

Eda's house
Sumas Mountain
Family
Food
Fun
and lots of kittens...

New Westminster's Finest

My mom was given this lovely framed item from the Police Department for her service in the past year. She also enjoyed a banquet and a night out with her cousin Donna Mae that was put on for the volunteers. She has been doing it for several years now and even though I know she enjoys it and finds it rewarding it can also be difficult and exhausting for her at times. She is fortunate in that they send her to a lot of educational classes for her to keep her skills updated and varied. She is always learning something new or additional that helps her help others. The officers just don't have the time to do it all so one of their resources is the Victim Services staff. I am so proud of my mom for her dedication and caring nature. It is amazing what they all deal with at that station and how they work together helping in our community.

New Car Smell

AntiJessie got a new car! Here's the girls checking it out!

AmmA is SixtySix

Stopping to smell the roses...

June 2009

Wow, I have been a bad blogger. I didn't realize it's been so long. My poor neglected blog. In March I returned to work from my maternity leave and am currently struggling to find some balance. I don't usually work full time but for the last few months it has been necessary. It would help if someone would buy our apartment. It's a two bedroom suite on the quiet side of the building with one bathroom, fireplace, great neighbors, a dishwasher and insuite laundry. We're still waiting...

Avalina's 1st Birthday

Look what I got for my birthday....

...from Patrick.

One Week to my Birthday!

15 March 1970
The moon's phase on the day you were
born was in its first quarter.

Your date of conception was on or about 22 June 1969 which was a Sunday.
You were born on a Sunday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 8.
Your fortune cookie reads:
Decide what you want and go for it.
Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9.
The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2440660.5.
The golden number for 1970 is 14.
The epact number for 1970 is 22.
The year 1970 was not a leap year.
Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/6/1970 and ending 1/26/1971.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Dog.
Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.
You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).
Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 7 AdarII 5730.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 8 AdarII 5730.
The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.16.10.16 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 16 tun 10 uinal 16 kin
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Sunday, 7 Muharram 1390 (1390-1-7).
The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 29 March 1970.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 26 April 1970.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 11 February 1970.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 May 1970.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 24 May 1970.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Thursday, 1 October 1970.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 21 April 1970.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 10 February 1970.
As of 3/9/2009 12:31:11 AM EDT
You are 38 years old.
You are 468 months old.
You are 2,034 weeks old.
You are 14,239 days old.
You are 341,736 hours old.
You are 20,504,191 minutes old.
You are 1,230,251,471 seconds old.
Top songs of 1970
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
I'll Be There by Jackson Five
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J. Thomas
Close to You by Carpenters
My Sweet Lord by George Harrison
I Think I Love You by Partridge Family
Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross
American Woman by Guess Who
War by Edwin Starr
Let It Be by Beatles
Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.57299412915851 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3 & 7.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Virgo.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.
Today is not one of your lucky days!
There are 6 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 39 candles.
Those 39 candles produce 39 BTUs,
or 9,828 calories of heat (that's only 9.8280 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.46 US ounces of water with that many candles.
In 1970 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1970 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1970 in the US there were approximately 2,158,802 marriages (10.6%) and 708,000 divorces (3.5%)
In 1970 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.
In 1970 the population of Australia was approximately 12,663,469.
In 1970 there were approximately 257,516 births in Australia.
In 1970 in Australia there were approximately 116,066 marriages and 12,198 divorces.
In 1970 in Australia there were approximately 113,048 deaths.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine
The Mystical properties of Aquamarine
Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone
Your birth tree is
Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.
There are 291 days till Christmas 2009!
There are 304 days till Orthodox Christmas!
Copyright © 2006 Paul R. Sadowski (http://www.paulsadowski.com)

funny

I laughed when i saw this.

Shingles

Unbelievable! I am about to return to work. I have shingles now. I am very itchy and it is pretty painful but I am hoping it will clear up soon. In the meantime Pat and I have been going to Duffin's donuts!

10 months!

3 COUSINS

Wow this picture is of (left to right) Chupee aka Yasmin (4 years old) and Fayth (3 years old) and one of my daughters Anastasia (also 3 years old) but the strange thing is they look like their dads in the photo. Seriously. We just need an Iris child in the photo and it would be complete. The looks on their faces are so telling. I think they are cute little cousins. Thanks for the photo Yvonne.

Phil, Mark, Pat

Let it snow..

Let it snow!
Let it snow! somewhere else please
I am excited and full of optimism at what 2009 has in store for us!

99

Happy Birthday Gran! Here are some photos from a visit to my grandmother who turned ninety nine a few weeks ago! She still knows how to laugh and certainly seemed to enjoy the company.

Ballet dance to the music

Everybody wins!
That's what the girls say when they race back to the bar in their ballet class with Miss Alana at the local community center. I had no idea there would be a little show for us at the end of the sessions. Lola, Amma, Uncle Mark, Lalaine and even Daddy was able to come and see. The girls looked so cute! My little girl consented to having her hair braided and wore one of my little friend Chanel's outfit that is too small for her now. She absolutely loved the class and it was a big one too. She enjoyed getting a little love note ready for her teacher. The other little girls were generally decked out and I think some girls just love pink and fluff and delicate things and some don't care if they're dressed up fancy or not. Mine is the former but hasn't quite figured it all out yet. She insists on wearing a skirt or dress almost everyday but doesn't like tights and isn't too big on having her hair brushed and put nicely. I certainly remember having my long hair brushed as a little girl and it was not a nice experience sitting for what seemed like forever in the bathroom on the top of the toilet to get my hair combed and put into braids or pony tails. My middle daughter calls them dog tails because she thinks her fine straight hair looks like puppy dog ears with one in an elastic on each side. Anyway she really enjoyed her first experience of dance and perhaps she will continue. We all enjoyed their twinkle twinkle little star dance. It did not occur to me at first that they would be using music in their classes. I guess I just remembered all the following, instructing, practicing and stretching and forgot about the performing and the just dance part. Although my lessons and participation is fondly remembered I suppose etched in my brain is the do it like this part and the anxious instructors trying desperately to help us perform properly. I do however remember the beautiful and varied costumes. I was once the head penguin but just because I was the tallest of the group not the most skilled. I was possible eleven and had not done the type of ballet where you perform in large amounts with costumes and schedules and practices. Also the ballet I had done was not for a few years and was mainly lessons only with an exciting performance for our parents at the end.

It's been a while...

I have been helping out the janitor and rereading Secret Life of Bees. We had a fabulous book club meeting with tea, fine china, Rosaleen's fritters, Black Madonna Honey, pretty yellow cupcakes with bees on them and last but not least peanuts and Coke in a bottle. My husband turned 40 years old and his body hurts. I voted and was partially informed. I remembered veterans and ate yummy Filipino foods and listened to good music at just near Remembrance Day celebrating birthdays. The baby is crawling and clapping up a storm with her two little bottom teeth at 8 months old. Asia is learning to verbally assault her brother which is better than fists and feets. She is still getting a handle on her emotions but now that the vocabulary is expanding she is more able to express herself. The boy has a little loose tooth at the front top sticking out to the side because he banged it on his Lord Kelvin cousin's head. It looks so funny with his larger ones up front. He is practicing with a little enthusiasm for the open house next weekend at the Arenex. We are all looking forward to Christmas and I have made some cards but of course not as many as I would like. I have been lucky enough to do some other little craft projects with photos and such. I just love the paper part of Christmas. Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas cards, Christmas letters, Christmas with coupons, Christmas lists, Christmas tags, little boxes, you name it. Part of the family saw the musical Suessical at the Waterfront theater today
In a few weeks my grandmother will be turning 99! Any suggestions?
Also this weekend we will attend the Festival of Nativities where the gym at our church will be transformed into a wonderful display of trees and nativity scenes. There will also be delightful music in the evenings.

Come enjoy the spirit of Christmas with breathtaking nativity displays from around the world. This event is open daily from 10am to 9pm starting November 27th to the 29th. Live musical performances every night from 7:30pm-8:30pm. Admission free for all ages.

Location: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5280 Kincaid Street, Burnaby BC. Phone: 604-515-1800 email: festivalofnativities@gmail.com
www.festivalofnativities.com

Lucky

I had HappyGoLucky the cat since the mid to late nineties. I got him from the SPCA in Vancouver. He used to be a good rat catcher, thankfully I live where he wasn't catching any rats. Like most cats he liked to crawl under cars, get underfoot, and go in and out and in and out. He has a loud meow and sharp teeth but rarely scratches. Recently he hasn't been feeling well so today at the veterinary he was euthanized. I really really miss him already but I am glad he isn't suffering anymore.

PumpkinPatch

Pumpkin Patch
This year we finally got to the pumpkin patch and what a lovely day it was weather wise. We all wore boots but lucky for us it wasn't even muddy! There was sing a long ing on the hayride and corn growing, animals, entertainment and lots of fresh air. Anastasia missed her nap so she wasn't very happy and fell asleep in daddy's arms. We got ourselves some pumpkins and they fed us apples too!

Lalaine

We love her!

1st

First Tooth!
It has been a long time coming!
Avalina finally has her first tooth!
Yipee!
She is almost 6 months old now!
Our family is so blessed!

Ist Tooth!

{Swamped

I just haven't had time to sit down at the computer lately but here's a quick run down of my life lately.
Avalina is almost 6 months and has started grabbing very quickly at the table especially so we gave her some brown rice mush a few days ago.
Maybe I am totally crazy but i find it so exciting even though i was determined to be moved out this little apartment with cream carpeting before I allowed her to eat. So much for that plan, I didn't account for her own ideas. A high chair and baby food and carpet will be challenging as if the whole introduction to food thing isn't time consuming and messy enough!

My mom Abby's leg is still broken but it seems to be healing up nicely. She is still in plenty of pain depending on her daytime activities. She is trying to retire but loves to keep herself busy so that gets in the way of total relaxation. I love and admire her very much.

Anastasia now 3 years old is still being her sweet self one minute and a tornado of anger the next depending on how full her tummy is and how rested her body is as well. Just like her daddy except he doesn't turn into a tornado. Pat is always happier when he is well rested and well fed. The rest part being scarce lately for both of us. Back to Anastasia...She started Ballet for the first time on Friday and the class was large but all the little girls looked so cute! I am enjoying this chance to relive the preschool years through the eyes of a girl this time and forgot what it was like.

Marvin has just started grade 2 and has a wonderful new teacher and plenty of grade 3 classmates in his classroom. He really missed his best friends from the last few years when everybody fit into one class so he is a bit bummed about that. He seems to think he is missing out on everything fun by going to school. He will be participating in gymnastics again and also trampoline. He is still loving to read and just can't keep his nose out of the books. We aren't complaining.

Pat is working so hard and is very tired! He is longing to spend more time feeling rested and pain free and listening to music instead of putting out fires.

I am happy to be walking quite a bit more, getting more fresh air as well as exercise and eating more healthy foods. We are thrilled to have Patrick's cousin Lalaine with us since labour day. She came from HK and loves our children. She is a particular about the foods she eats but willing to be adventurous with so many other things. She has been a Godsend to me as far as helping with the children, husband, organizing, meals, house keeping and my mom. This gives me more time not being stressed and enables me to find what I need quickly. It is difficult to be overwhelmed when you have an extra pair of hands. She has a sweet spirit and is full of faith. She has brought more laughter into our home.
I am working hard to be more punctual! A wise man once said, "If you can't be on time, then be early."
I started doing some yoga again and am still Stampin'Up! a storm when I have time.
Lucky's health is declining slowly.
Our children are growing and we will grow old! It's so exciting.

coming soon...

Holiday Mini 2008 valid October 1st - January 18th

Avalina! She's 4 months!

Three's company...

We are so out numbered by children now and tired but it's all {almost} good. These children are beautiful, healthy and intelligent teachers and very precious to us but they didn't come with instruction manuals so we are winging it. I had absolutely no idea how much of an adventure it is to have this size family. There are so many things I love about being an only child but now as a mother to more than one I get a chance to experience a family life where there is more love, more fighting, more fun, more frustration, and more laughs between mom and dad than ever. All my wildest dreams have come true because we have to buy 8 litres of milk when we shop! If I knew myself and I was myself as someone else I would think I was crazy and then go take a nap. Remember Mr. Roper saying, "Two girls, (with super wide eyes) You live with two girls?!",] as he smiles a big wide smile. Some days Pat walks around saying "Two girls, you have two girls!" eagerly attempting his often done Mr. Roper imitation. Remember everyone assumed Jack must be tired from trying to keep up with two women. Ok now this is sounding perverted but he doesn't mean it that way at all and it doesn't come off that way.

Sixty Five !

My mom turned 65! We had Root Beer Floats at Queen's Park with Dogs and Friends and balloons. She loved it! What a great day! We are SO glad we kept it simple! Thank-you Carol for taking these photos with my camera!

Memory

I remember as a child I liked to think I had a very good memory, like a trap. I was convinced I could remember everything. Well since I have started having children it seems my memory power has drastically decreased. I think maybe my brain became so filled up there wasn't room for much else and that I had a lot of clutter in there that got in the way to let in the new information. I wasn't sure how to clean it. I tried some yoga and stretching and meditation and prayer but I am not sure how helpful that was. I am still trying those things anyway. I don't mean to brag and say my head is full of so much knowledge that there isn't room for more. On the contrary I would love to fill it with only wise things and leave all the junk out of it but with the world the way it is and the exposure to so many types of things these days we do not always control what we see and what we hear. Perhaps I can work on what is significant and meaningful and sweep out the rest. It is funny to me how a memory can swirl around to the front and I suddenly remember some person or place or time I thought escaped me before having little recollection of previously remembering it. That may not make too much sense to the rest of you. I am really terrible at remembering things and my husband always teases me about it. I forget dates, appointments, names, where I put things, to lock the doors and have disappointed myself remembering things just a bit too late too often. A giant calendar of the whole month we made for the refrigerator is helping me as is a date book. We seem to have so many appointments and there are more than just ourselves to worry about these days that frequently I can't keep it all straight. Sometimes I show up on the wrong day at the wrong time for things but most often I am late because I just cannot get a grasp on the concept of time and I am spreading myself so thin. I came across a passage in a book I am reading that I found interesting. The book is called After Dark by Haruki Murakami and was given to me by my husband for an fourth wedding anniversary.
from page 205...
"...All of a sudden out of nowhere I can bring back things I haven't thought about for years. It's pretty interesting. Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile, all the really important things we just keep forgetting, one after the other."

quote

"Sometimes the bitter things in life render the sweetest tastes."
- Tracy Winger