AND SHE TAKES FLIGHT.......

MORE SNOW FUN

DANIEL HARD AT WORK ON THE ROBOT!

AND MORE....

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Some more of the funky exit!

The funky dance out....

We did it!!!!!!

Sally and John

It's Over.......

Well, it came and went just like it always does. It seems though that this year it was an even bigger blur. We dealt with sick and cranky kids, too many gifts, too many people still to visit and so on. The weather was not at all festive until Monday when we got hit with yet another huge storm and again lost power. This time though, it was only for about 5 hours and the house had a chance to warm up during the day before we lost it at 2:30. We cooked turkey stew on the front porch on the coleman stove, and I must say it was really good. Food always tastes better when it's cooked outside.
My maid of honours wedding was on Tuesday and we were late 'cos I thought it started at 1 but it really started at noon. I thought of the time while in the shower at noon!!!!!!! we made it to the church by 12:27 by which point they were all done the ceremony and were just having their witnesses sign the certificates. They had us all bused out to a farm for the reception... an absolute blast..... and then we were all bused back to the church. Good times really.
The girl next door was in Newfoundland with her family for the holiday and managed to totally bust up her ankle. She had to have pins and 2 plates put in and will be on bed rest for 6 wks and can't work for three months. As it turns out, she babysits the kids from across the street.... so I now have the job and after doing my math, providing the time I will have them is the three months, I will make enough to have our windows replaced. We were going to have them done anyway, but now we can do our doors too. And maybe even some other "extra" things that aren't essentil but would be nice like a bathroom put in the basement.......
Anyway, I hope you all had a fabulous time on your various excursions over the past week, and are ready and refreshed for the coming new year and all that it will bring.
Might I also add that my dear mother , last night, managed to back right out of our driveway into the neighbors parked car?!? I made Hud go tell them after he told me he didn't know whose car it was even though it sits out there or in their driveway EVERYDAY!!!!!!! Anyway , thankfully there was no damage but I'm nervous now about letting her take my kids anywhere......
Nothing here happens without it being an event!

And one last look...

and more of the Trenholms...

The Trenholm village...

Olivia and Garrett's creations...

Olivia's masterpiece...

Let me in here...

The beginnings of construction...

Trying for a family photo...

She's A Funny One.....

I'm not sure it's polite to comment on how funny you think your children are but I can't help it. I think all of my kids are funny but I especially have been enjoying Claire and her little comments as of late. The other day she got a christmas card in the mail that had stickers in it. When she had finished decorating the card she brought it to me saying " look at this mama, isn't it HOLY COW? " Today she came upstairs and I was still a floor above her and I called down asking her what she was up to . She replied that she had to pee and I responded with aaaaahhhh and she retorted back," what, it's not likes it's fun or anything "

A couple of weeks ago Daniel was trying to make himself some toast and Hud asked if he wanted any help. Daniel said that he would so Hud proceeded to intervene. Somewhere along the way he ended up making himself some first and Daniels response was simply..."oh yeah, I forgot, ladies first. "

Anyway, he is a spouting fountain of retort but this stuff with Claire is fairly new.

Samuel hasn't gotten too funny in what he says yet but he does do some funny things. He still like to put his hand down my shirt when he sucks his thumb and if he has his hands full, he will either tuck the item under his chin or in my bra. The first time he did it, I didn't realize until a good while later. I finally had to take a look to see what was making me feel so funny and in my bra I discovered a bouncy ball. Hud isn't quite sure why I don't mind Sam in my shirt in the night but if he tries to get close I flail my arms and moan " let me sleep "

The Spirit Of The Season...

Yesturday I had the privelege of being involved with a party hosted by our church for women and children who have been abused by spouse and father. There is an organization called Alice Housing which provides homes for these women throughout the city. Our church has been involved for the last 12 years in a variety of ways. Building playgrounds for the houses, providing clothing, and each christmas hosting a party at which each mom and child gets a "want and need" gift. They are served a meal the likes of which I have never seen and all of the youth group kids entertain the children which gives the moms a much needed break.
To say I was moved would be a huge understatement. Even putting the gifts under the tree while they were all at bowling gave me a lump in my throat. The anticipation was killing me. When it came time for the gifts I was a little anxious about how my kids would react to not getting called up by Santa but they did just fine and I think they actually understood that these kids don't even have the simple life that we have. Especially Daniel who we were able to explain things a little more graphically for, seemed to really revel in the joy on the faces of these children as they opened things like "pink sneakers", things that we would buy just because we wanted them.
Anyway, I think our whole family has been reminded of the true spirit of christmas, the spirit of hope and giving of ourselves. I only hope that it is a spirit which we will be able to exemplify all year.

and one more

the gang

she made it

Must get her on...

reach wayyyyyy up

fabulous festivities

Oh Yes,

the results are in and they are negative.

butterfly curtains from ikea...lost one of the tie backs in the move.

and the other side of the room

I Love You Pink

Since we are showing off PINK....

We ourselves have a much milder version in our own house.(Than the Goodyear clan) Claire wanted brighter but I was afraid that in her tiny room it would do us in.

Santa's helpers...

Inspired by Andrea's blog I decided to check out our Santa's helper names... We are starting with Hudson and working down: Lucky poodle-stockings
Lucky poodle-baubles
Frosty poodle-gnome
Cutie poodle-helper
Frosty poodle-elf
And for those that are curious, nothing yet in regards to the monthly thing. A blood test taken today will reveal all tomorrow!

Who Knew?

...that popcorn isn't so good for dishwashers? My dishwasher was fine until I did a load that had bowls with popcorn kernals and pieces still in them. Since then,(yesturday)the dishwasher has refused to drain. Hud took it apart this morning and we thought he had made some headway but the next load didn't drain either. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Still Waiting....

And so I wait.... pregnancy test says no but body still not sure! Did any of you know that pepto bismol can make the pill less effective. Or that if you don't take it within four hours of the same time everyday you can release an egg? Or if you puke or have diarrea it may not be absorbed? So many ways to go amuck! So , as I've said...here I sit and wait.....

I'M LATE !!!!!!!

I repeat, I'M LATE !!!!!!!!!!!

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly?

I am already dreading my favorite holiday. It's my year to have Mom come which in itself brings long standing issues, but we have also moved to the city where my birth mom lives. Mom is still struggling three years later with the fact that I have discovered my people, and it makes life most uncomfortable. The last time she was with us, we lived an hour away from Wendy so it wasn't so bad and we didn't all get together for christmas. This year however, being in the same city I think it would be obnoxious not to get together with the others. Wendy doesn't want to hurt Mom but says that she has suffered long enough. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not a possession, I'm thirty three and can love whomever I choose. However, Mom can be very sharp with her words and everything becomes a fight. I would really like to enjoy our first christmas in our new house but I already get naseous just thinking about the dynamics. There is a TON of history that I don't have time, space, or energy to get into but the thought of making sure that everyone is happy is killing me and it's not even dec.
Andreas blog regarding the "snaps" comes to mind.......

It Never Ends!

It's a super blustery day here today, I'm sure it's ranking right up there with Winnie The Pooh's, pelting rain , super winds etc. I'm sitting in the family room with Samuel and all of a sudden I hear drip drip drip.... What on earth?
I go in search of the source and discover to my horror that we do indeed have water entering the house near the air exchange vent! We have dealt with enough water issues in this house thank you. When we moved in and tore up the laundry room floor because it was wet , we discovered a leak in the foundation coming from a crack that ran top to bottom. We had that dealt with and now this. I called Hud and he said he would try to leave in an hour. So for now, I have a huge bowl under where I think it's coming in and we'll just wait and see what happens.

The artists in colour...should I even post this? It may give them fresh inspiration.

Vancouver sunset as seen from the ferry

Buschart Garden Splendor

Beach Dudes...Daniel is on the left

The kid below

It would seem that all of our kids like to dress up once in awhile. Claire is constantly in fairy princess mode and Samuel is of course the handsome prince. "Come with me handsome prince, we need to capture the dragon " And you should also be aware that we live in a sea of lava..." Oh daddy, I can't get to the door... there is just too much lava. Please make more land!"

Our Fairy Princess

And It's Over.....

Well girls, I'm back and in one piece. I do in fact have a fissure but it's small so we can leave it alone. It begs the question though, why would ANYONE want anything up their butt? It's simply not natural!
I thought I could lighten the mood by sharing with her some of your comments regarding the idea of dying my regions and she howled and then said..."well you could have gone with green and then shaved in the shape of a christmas tree." I guess she thought that would get us all in the spirit.

Can I shock the new doctor?

It would seem that I bruise easlily. Both of my legs have bruises on them in places that I don't remember banging myself. One in particular is on the inside of my right thigh and it's UGLY! These bruises wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to go to my brand new doctor who doesn't know anything about me other than the fact that I need a pap and that I bleed when I poop so she needs to do a rectal. So I thought that if I did something shocking like dye my pubes green, she would be so shocked she wouldn't even notice the bruises and worry that I'm an abused woman. I have until Tues night to decide......

first snowman of the season

Imitation is the highest form of flattery!

We received yesturday a wonderful parcel from my sister! Amongst all of the fabulous gifts were some pictures of her family and their kids. Claire thought her cousin Samantha had the prettiest hair and decided that she wanted hers just like it. We have been trying for awhile to get her to get it trimmed even a little as it is so fine, but she would never go for it.Since the boys happened to be going for haircuts, I sent her along too. She took Sam's picture and told the hairdresser that she wanted to look like her cousin. The hairdresser did as asked and Claire looks sooooo much better. The only challenge now will be growing her bangs out. Thank you Sam for being the most beautiful niece in the world!

So is it because it was Monday?

Yesturday started out like any other monday except that due to the storm there was no school. Daniel was thrilled and happily went over to his friends house to snowboard etc. On his return , things began to go downhill.... first he was mad that he had used up his computer time first thing in the morning and somehow that was my fault. Then he was mad 'cos I split the one remaining banana in three pieces. The day before, the other two had each had their own and he hadn't realized that there was one left. Again, my fault. Ended up in his room for being obnoxious, and of course that was a fight. To top off the day, we had company for supper and because he wasn't able to sit where he wanted he went balistic and caused a major scene. And you guessed it, again I'm to blame. He was again sent to his room and we ate our dinner to the glorious sound of a slamming door. Not quite the dinner music I had planned. By the time we were done eating, he managed to come down and behave in a civilized fashion, eat dinner, and enjoy some dessert. But out of all this I have been told that I'm stupid and it's my own fault that my own son doesn't like me. Do you suppose that because it's now Tuesday that my day might go better?

And then all was white...

So , as you may recall from my last post, I was in the mood for snow. Well snow we now have! It all started on sat and wasn't supposed to amount to much. Well it ended up being a huge storm, many people lost power until Sun night at suppertime. Our friends in the Valley are still without. We woke up to no power and managed a day without it. I was just about to fry some chicken on the coleman stove when the power came back on. I made it half way through using my regular stove when it kicked out again. Hud just got his hands on the coleman and the power was back. It ended up being on again off again all evening letting you have just enough to get a load of dishes done etc. It went on like that all night and today we have been fine. School was cancelled but I assume all will be back to normal tomorrow. For some reason, they think it will be later this week when the valley is restored. It's only November and we all figure that this is a sign of things to come. Wood stove shopping we must go.

Blast from the past...

I had a phone call today from a friend and it absolutely made my day. Nothing like someone you haven't talked to in ages checking in to see if you survived the storm. Nothing but a happy heart today!!!!

So call me crazy...

But I have started decorating for Christmas. Not all out mind you, but I have put the garland and lights in the windows. I've been wanting to do it for a while, and I noticed that the people down the road put their candles in the windows so I thought that it wouldn't do to have our side of the road unlit. Karen was here today with her kids and we started our christmas baking. It's a fabulous feeling! Now if only we could get some snow......

Let's just paint a whole fricken rainbow shall we.....

So once again my morning has been filled with artistic expression! Samuel came downstairs to inform me that he had colored on Claire's walls once again. When I got upatirs, I noticed that not only had he colored on her walls, he had also done his walls, the railing on the staircase, and the carpet. Needless to say I wasn't happy. And to think I complained about how hard yellow was to get off... blue and grey are even worse. Perhaps someday his talent will make me proud but for now, it's just one of those childhood annoyances.

Friends...

Having just not long ago moved, I find the time I have with my friends from "home" so very precious. Our dear friends were here for supper and it felt as though we had not been apart. Even the dog was excited to see them. The kids just burst in the door as they always used to and ran to find the corresponding kid of mine. They were as crazy as ever and it was great to see them all together. It almost seemed as though for a couple of hours all was right with the world. Of course, the time came for them to go and I will add this evening to my memory of good things.

More pictures

So that's why they were so quiet...

I was mopping my floors today, talking at the same time to my dear friend in the valley, unaware of the silence surrounding me. It wasn't until I hung up that I realized that I had actually had a FULL adult conversation with NO interruptions. I went to investigate the activities of my dear sweet children and discovered to my great dismay, that the two charmers had gone on a coloring spree. The catch was however the surfaces of choice. Claire's being her newly painted desk, now decorated with red marker flowers. " I thought it would be pretty mom" And Samuel's being Claire's newly painted walls. Now a "beautiful" impressionist piece spanning all walls in a vibrant yellow. I'm not sure why Crayola feels that their products are washable, but anyway... With a great deal of scrubbing,the walls are back to being pink and the purple desk now only a little beautiful with faint red flowers. I've learned from this that I need to be aware of the silence and that it CAN'T be good

Picture This...

Like the new look?

Thanks to Pernell for setting me up with a "real" blog. Now if only we could find out how he did it... and how one posts pictures we'd be all set.

Why is it so hard?????????

So Claire was having a tough time outside with the neighborhood kids. I guess they were bugging her but she wasn't dealing with it well. Hud told her that if she couldn't manage she would need to come inside. Of course it wasn't five mins and Hud had to go and bring her in. It broke my heart 'cos she was so very wounded that her Daddy would actually take her away from her friends. She was crying and throwing things etc and yet all I could do was get all choked up watching her. She looked so little and sad. Why is it that when you need to guide your kids it can be so painful?

LAUNDRY...........

Why is it that it never ends?
No matter how many loads I do in a day, I'm still not finished. I'm seriously considering committing my family to a nudist colony.

And then it was gone!!!!!!!

So as posted earlier, I got my free sink. Well , it was short lived as SOMEONE left the laundry room door open giving Samuel access and well you guessed it...the sink smashed on the floor and is no more.....
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so mad. I haven't yelled like that in ages. The response was... well you did get it for free and I tearfully replied, yeah 'cos we can't afford a new one.

Love the freecycling...

I GOT MY SINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more thing I've learned from my sister....

So thanks to Margie , I have entered the world of free-cycling. Who knew how much stuff people have to get rid of. I'm even able to unload stuff that for some reason I thought I needed to keep until now. What a riot... Cheers to free stuff...I think I'm getting a pedastel sink!!!!!!!!!!

Total Humiliation.....

So...we have just moved to the city from the country and we are all finding a bit of an adjustment. None of us however as much as our Lab/Border Collie. Since being here, he has packed on a few pounds which we need to get rid of, become more wound up etc. Because of this I have been walking for extended periods of time with him at night. Last night was no exception. His behaviour however was a completely different story. No way was he going to walk in a civilized manner like all of the other dogs and owners that we meet each night... No, he decided to land me flat on my side in the middle of the road! I'm not quite sure how he managed it , but nonetheless, there I was in the middle of Eisner Dr with who knows how many witnesses outside and looking through living room windows. Needless to say, that was the end of our walk. As I picked myself up, quite sure I was seriously busted , I was fighting the urge to burst into tears. I managed to get myself home( and the dog although he's lucky to be in one piece) and carry on with my life. At least til tonight when we will try again but this time not til well after dark.