Archive for January, 2007

Get Set, Go!

Thursday, January 18th, 2007

Zeke’s birthday always sneaks up on us (it was Jan. 8th), and in the past his parties have been thrown together in a haphazard way, with almost no planning.  After Elijah’s big ”extravaganza” this past November, I was determined to do something really fun for Zeke too.  I figured it’d be a good idea to postpone his party a little bit, so it wouldn’t be overshadowed by Christmas, like it always seems to be.   It’s this Saturday.

So, preparing this party has been my preoccupation for the last couple days, and will continue to be today and tomorrow.   It’s a racecar theme – sort of based off of the movie “Cars”.  I need to paint boxes to transform them into racecars for the kids to wear (they’ll decorate licence plates at the party), and make a racetrack cake, among many other things!

So…no time for blogging!  I’m off to the races!  (Against the clock, I guess!)  See you on the other side…hopefully with some cute photo’s and video to share with you! 

 

Posted in general | 2 Comments »

All Bundled Up

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007

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Brrrrrr! It’s cold! And it feels even colder since we’ve had so few days below freezing this winter…our bodies aren’t used to it. It was -6 degrees Fahrenheit this morning when Elijah ran off to the bus stop. What a little trooper!

Posted in elijah | 5 Comments »

Sunlight, Music and Babies…

Monday, January 15th, 2007

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Elijah, Zeke and I have been enjoying E.B. White’s classic novels as of late.  Before Christmas we read Charlotte’s Web together, which they declared was a “girl’s book”, (yet reading a chapter before bed became absolutely mandatory, and “Awwwws!” were heard when I closed the book at the end of the chapter each night) and now we’re reading Stuart Little. 

For some reason they found the quote below very entertaining, and they laughed and talked about it for a while.  I liked it too.  It is in the chapter titled “The Schoolroom,” when Stuart agrees to teach school for a day.  He has a discussion with his students about the things in life that are really important.  Here is the answer that Henry Rackmeyer comes up with:

“A shaft of sunlight at the end of a dark afternoon, a note in music, and the way the back of a baby’s neck smells if its mother keeps it tidy.”

Posted in elijah, zeke | No Comments »

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Friday, January 12th, 2007

(I know there’s a movie out with this title right now, but don’t worry, I’m not going to do a movie review!  It was a cute movie though…we saw it, and a few others when my mother was visiting!)

I’ve just been thinking about this concept lately, sparked partly by seeing the movie, but mostly by things happening in my life recently.  So I’m wondering…can happiness be persued and…”caught?”  Personally, I don’t believe so.  I am most happy in my life when I am living honestly - with myself, my Lord, and others - and when I take time to enjoy simple moments.  When this becomes the focus of my life, happiness becomes…well, almost like a by-product.  Something that flows out of me, instead of being possesed by me. 

So, here’s the thing…I wanted to dispell the myth right now that I’m hoping for a girl (I’ve been asked this way to many times already!), and will be dissapointed with a boy.  I would love to have another boy!  And I don’t believe for a second that having a girl will make me happy. 

I did.  For a long time I did.  I believed that the “perfect” family was one boy, and one girl.  And this lie still tries to sneak it’s way into my head.  I can’t tell you how many people (christian people too!) with the “perfect” family, have said to me – with a look of pity – “We just got lucky, and had a boy and a girl right away.”  And I’m left wondering, “So, you think I’m terribly unlucky?”

No way!  I love my three boys immensely, and I am beyond lucky, I am blessed!  They’re amazing, and it’s exciting to imagine the men that they will become someday.  I love applauding their stregnths, guiding them through their weaknesses, and watching them learn about life.  There is happiness in this!   (And by the way, luck has nothing to do with the sex of our children – I know my children have been hand-picked by the Lord for our family!)

OK, I’m done.  I’m definately an introvert…an inward processor, and I rarely share such thoughts with people.  I hope I’ve made you think…and if I haven’t, then at least you’ll be one less person that will ask me, “You must be hoping for a girl?” 

Posted in head to heart | 6 Comments »

Tessellation

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

Zeke’s been having a lot of fun with the birthday present that he got from Grammie and Grampie Horsman. SuperMind comes with 32 plastic tiles of various shapes and sizes, and then 30 different puzzle frames for the tiles to fit into.

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Today, as he was working on one, I said – thinking that he would love the long, cool word I was about to share with him – “Zeke, do you know what it’s called when all the tiles fit together like that, with no spaces showing?”

He looked up at me with a frown and said, “Uh, yeah Mummy, it’s called tessellation. Of course I know that.”

“How?!” I exclaimed.

“I…uh,…I saw it on Cyberchase.”  he said with a shrug, and then went back to work.

Cyberchase is a kids math show that’s on the public TV station here. Wha’d'ya know… TV can be educational.

Posted in zeke | 7 Comments »

Five Fun Firsts (I like alliteration)

Tuesday, January 9th, 2007

During my brief hiatus from blogging, some exciting “firsts” happened…

#1: We finally got some snow on New Year’s Eve. It was a very welcome sight! After which, Elijah built his first, very own snowman! You might be thinking, “Big deal,” but this was an exciting event for me! Although I do enjoy an excursion outside with my kids to help them build a snowman, having a new baby in our house next winter will make this more difficult. To me, the snowman represents independance and initiative…as Martha Stuart would say, “That’s a good thing!” Here’s a photo of it…

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…half melted away. He was complete with a carrot nose, pebbles for eyes and mouth, and a scarf. Elijah even took a trek to the Sally Ann to get a straw hat. We forgot our camera at the New Year’s party that we went to, and just recovered it over the weekend, otherwise, I would have taken a photo of him in all his glory!

First #2: My two eldest sons managed to stay completely awake until midnight this New Year’s Eve. Of course, the fact that there were eight other crazy boys at the party had nothing to do with it! We’re really blessed to have so many friends with boys! On to the third “first”…

At the New Year’s Eve party, we made ice cream in a ball! We got a “Mega Ball” ice cream maker for Christmas this year (thanks Bethany and family!). The boys got a kick out of rolling the ball back and forth to make the ice cream!

First #4: Noah fell asleep in his high chair for the first time ever…

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The last “first” is somewhat connected to my New Year’s resolution to be more deliberate about things. I’m the queen of thinking, “I really need to do this…or that,” and then letting that thought go completely out of my head. It’s terrible, I know! This year I’m going to try to do what I think, so when I thought, “Elijah and Zeke really need to see a dentist,” the day after New Year’s, I picked up the phone and made dentists appointments for them…it was quite simple! (Ha!) So, Elijah and Zeke had their teeth checked out for the very first time last weekend, and I’m proud to say that they have perfectly healthy teeth!

Hmmm, I wonder what “firsts” the year 2007 will bring…

Posted in family | 3 Comments »

Good Morning, Five Year Old!

Monday, January 8th, 2007

Yes, Zeke turned five at 12:10 am last night! (He narrowly escaped being born on my sister’s birthday…Happy Birthday, Tanya, by the way!) It’s become a tradition at our house to have breakfast-in-bed on your birthday…

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P.S.  Oh… hey, Elvis, if you are still alive, Happy Birthday to you too!  Yep, Zeke shares his birthday with “The King.”

 

Posted in zeke | 5 Comments »