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Monthly Archives: March 2007

Ten-And-A-Half Weeks And Counting!

29 Mar

Don’t worry…I don’t intend to inform you each time I get a week closer to my due date!  But after a commenter asked about seeing me in my “preggers radiance,” I thought I’d oblige…and I figured better sooner than later…I don’t feel very photogenic when I’m 38+ weeks pregnant. 

So, here’s (not so) l’il ol’ me at almost 30 weeks…

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By the way, thanks for letting this pregnant lady take some time off to “nest” - although, it’s not like you actually had a say in the matter!  He he.  I got a lot done…organized closets, purged a bunch of toys and clothes… but my crowning achievement is definitely the kitchen.  I scoured everything  – even the fronts of the drawers and cupboard doors.  I must say, it really looks quite stunning.  Well, as stunning as a seventies-style kitchen, with dinged-up and faded linoleum floors, and tacky, ugly-wood cupboards can look!

In other news…Elijah and Zeke unofficially started their spring-break today.  Officially, it starts on Monday, but they also have Thursday and Friday of this week off because of ”workshop days” (not sure exactly what those are).   They spent almost the whole day today outside with the Macleod boys.  The Macleods were recently missionaries in Kosovo, and are currently staying on campus with their four (6, 4, 2 and 4 months) boys.  It’s really wonderful to have such amiable playmates for my kids!  Here was the view from our patio doors this afternoon…  

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Remember just swinging and swinging…and then just swinging some more?  What a wonderful and simple time of life being a kid is!  Equally as wonderful (although maybe not so simple!), is having kids, and the smiles that they can bring to your face.  I’ve just put Elijah and Zeke to bed for the night, and I can hear Elijah reading The Monster at the End of This Book to Zeke.  So adorable.  I’ll have to remember this tomorrow when I’m scrubbing the mud out of the pants that they were wearing today!

 
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Posted by on March 29, 2007 in general

 

From Deep In The Hundred Acre Wood…

26 Mar

We had some very cute visitors at our house over the weekend… 

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P.S.  Between ”nesting” – you know, a pregnant woman’s insane desire to clean and organize everything,  (I’ve just completely organized our linen closet, and scoured out the refrigerator) and the amazing seventy degree (!) weather we’re having, I’m not sure how much blogging will get done in the next few days.  Have a good week everyone!

 
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Posted by on March 26, 2007 in elijah, noah, zeke

 

Car Talk With Zeke

23 Mar

After my post about Elijah yesterday, I was struck by the contrast between my two older sons, when Zeke and I had this conversation in the car yesterday…

Zeke:  Uh, Mummy?  How many days are in a year?

Me:  Ummm…365, I think. 

Zeke:  Then…have I been alive a whole year yet?

Me:  Oh… yes Zeke, you’re five-years-old, so that means you’ve been alive for five  whole years.

Zeke:  Well, in about 120 years, we’ll all be dead…

Me:  What?!  What do you mean?

Zeke:  Well, if a black hole comes to earth…then what do you think will happen?

Me:  Uh, I don’t know, but I don’t think you have to worry about that, Zeke.

Zeke:  And what about the equator?  If that gets to close to us, we’d all be killed!

Me:  No, Zeke.  The equator doesn’t move.  It’s a line that goes around the centre of the earth, that separates the top from the bottom.  If we had a globe at home, I could…

Zeke:  Well, what if I was walking, and I didn’t see the equator, and I fell into it?  Wouldn’t I be killed?

Me:  Well, first of all the equator is really far away from us, and it’s not something that you can fall into.  It’s not even an actual line…

After I’d explained some more about the equator, Zeke changed the subject, and wanted to talk about what was for lunch.  I’ve been wondering since, though, Goodness…what else is inside that head of yours, Zeke?

100_1842-custom.jpgWhile Elijah is our extreme extrovert (I believe his compliments are  one of the ways he feels like he’s connecting with others – something that he seems to have a real longing for), Zeke is such an introvert – a very thoughtful, and sometimes even worrisome little fellow.  I don’t want to paint an inaccurate picture – he plays and laughs and acts silly with his brothers – but he also thinks a lot, too much probably, for a five-year-old…as evidenced by our conversation in the car yesterday!  It worries me, and I have probably been thinking about it too much since yesterday! …Zeke doesn’t come by his personality by accident!

 
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Posted by on March 23, 2007 in zeke

 

Elijah on Maternity Clothes

22 Mar

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Elijah as our “little guy.”  Three years old.

Elijah’s always been good at giving a compliment…ever since he was a little guy.  It’s usually quite comical, especially when he compliments someone in his own peer group.  Most six and seven-year-olds haven’t had a whole lot of experiance recieving a compliment from someone thier own age, so Elijah usually gets a blank look in return!  Last week, at Elijah’s parent/teacher conferance, his teacher commented on how cute she thought it was that Elijah complimented his classmates on everthing from hairbands to the pictures they drew. 

I have a pair of maternity jeans that I absolutely despise.  They’ve served me well (I got them when I was pregnant with Elijah), but they’re quite hideous.   The stretchy-belly part of them spans way below my waist, to just under my chest.  I plan to burn them at the end of this pregnancy, however, they are comfortable, and they stay put, so I wear them often. 

Anyway, here’s a classic example of one of our dear Elijah’s compliments.  He said this with such earnest sincerity…

“You know, at first, I thought that darker, stretchy part on the front of your jeans was kinda wierd looking, but now…I think I’m really starting to like it.  I think they really look good on you!”

 
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Posted by on March 22, 2007 in elijah

 

Head to the Hills'!

21 Mar

Our neighbors, Gavin, Tara and Eden Hills (fellow Canadians!), just brought TWO absolutely gorgeous baby boys home from the hospital a couple of days ago.  Yes…TWINS!  Click here to read a little about them, and see a short video of Judah and Jethro Hills’ first few moments here on earth.  It’s so amazing…makes me very excited for the arrival of our own little one!

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Anyway – understandably – yesterday, the Hills had a sign on their door telling all would-be visitors that they were enjoying some “family time.”  One little visitor, though, was not deterred by the sign!  Noah, the little monkey that he is, has recently figured out how to open doors, so yesterday, out our door he went, and then he “headed to the Hills’.”  The door behind which he knew was an Elmo toy, and a little girl his age.

Gavin said he heard their doorknob turning, wondered “Who in the world would just open our door…can’t they read?” and then watched in curiousity as the door did indeed open and Noah poked his head in and said, “Hi-eee…hi-eee.”

Thankfully, our dear neighbors had a good laugh about it!  How funny!  I think I’ll have to get a gate to put across that door to keep our little man contained.  It does have a deadbolt a little higher up, but I’ve caught Noah on a stepstool unlocking it!  Little monkey!

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2007 in noah

 

Twenty-Eight Down, Twelve To Go

20 Mar

I’m sure all the moms out there need no explanation for this post’s title.  Anyone who’s welcomed a new baby into the world after forty long weeks of pregnancy knows the excitement and anticipation that builds as those weeks crawl by!  With the first twenty-eight weeks of my pregnancy behind me, I’m now beginning my last last trimester (yes, I really think this will be our last baby…however I believe I’ve said that during two out of three of my other pregnancies!)…only twelve weeks left!  Hooray! 

To celebrate, yesterday evening, our family went out to the Cold Stone Creamery for dessert.   Oh boy…this place lives up to it’s slogan – “The Ultimate Ice Cream Experiance” - soooo yummy.   They start with “homemade” (made in small batches, I guess) ice cream, and then add your choice of mix-ins.  It’s called the “Cold Stone” because the mixing takes place on a strawberryrendesvous_sm-custom-2.gifflat, frozen granite stone.  The fruit, cake, candy or whatever you’ve chosen (I was in the mood for fruity mix-ins, so I got a “creation” called the Strawberry Banana Rendezvous, pictured to the right) gets all smooshed and – mmmm – “yummified” into the ice cream by hand – well, they use cold utensils - on the stone.  It’s kind of like a DQ Blizzard, but so much better.   OK, I have to stop…I don’t know about you all, but I’m starting to drool.

 
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Posted by on March 20, 2007 in general

 

Thanks For Penciling Me In

18 Mar

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Noah:  Hi-eee…hi-eee Mumma.  Hi-eee. 

Me:  Hi Noah!  What are you supposed to be?  An astonaut?

Noah:  No.

Me:  Oh…well you’re very cute, whatever you are.

Noah:  No…   By-eee…by-eee Mumma.

 
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Posted by on March 18, 2007 in noah

 

You Can Take The Kid Out Of Canada…

15 Mar

…but you’ll never take Canada outta the kid!   (At least I hope not!)

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Zeke:  Hey Mummy, can we have Kraft Dinner for lunch today?”

Mummy:  Okay.

It’s funny how my heart swells with pride any time my boys say something markedly Canadian.*     Kraft Dinner  it is (Americans call it Mac’n'Cheese) and Kraft Dinner it always will be at our house, by golly!  

Shortly after we moved here, a little boy was over at our house for lunch, and I asked him if he was OK with eating Kraft Dinner.  

“What’s that?” he asked.

“You’ve never had Kraft Dinner?” I questioned him with astonishment. 

“No.”

Now that’s bizarre, I thought.  Sure, I’ve known those who wouldn’t touch any kind of dinner-in-a-box with a ten foot pole, but his family didn’t seem like “those.”  I can’t remember what I fed him, but it wasn’t Kraft Dinner, and I mentioned to Dave that evening that our little friend had never had it before!  Dave, of course, knew right away that he simply hadn’t recognized my Canadian terminology.  Ha! 

*Other examples are:  “Sorry” with the long O sound instead of the short.  (I actually correct them if they say it with the short O sound…I really don’t like how it sounds!)  Mummy instead of Mommy.  (Although Elijah now uses them interchangebly.)  Grade One (or two, or three) instead of First Grade.  (I’ve been asked before, “Grade One…now what exactly is that?”)  Bum instead of but (Our friends get a kick out of this one…especially if they’re at our house, and Zeke hollers out, “Come wipe my bum, I pooped!” Yes, I still wipe him…it’s a control issue.)

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2007 in zeke

 

Celebrating Our Terrific (Almost) Two-Year-Old!

14 Mar

Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you…I told you this was coming. As promised, here are some of the photos that will be on Noah’s “Terrific Two-Year-Old” poster. I’ve really tried to exersice restraint here, but I couldn’t help myself! Noah’s just so darn cute!

Hours old…

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All safely buckled in, and ready to go home from the hospital. A day and a half old…

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Six weeks old…

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He’s three months old here. Look at those rolls! I used to call him my “buddha-baby.”

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Six months old…awww, so much lovin’!

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Nine months old…

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Almost one. He’s crying because I wouldn’t let him have the camera.

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Sixteen months…at the “beach.” (a Minnesotan man-made pond)

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Twenty months…getting the much publicized haircut! (that thumb…it’s never very far away!)

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A little over a week ago. Wow, I can’t believe that was only a week ago! Almost all that snow has melted away now!

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Posted by on March 14, 2007 in noah

 

Oh, To Be A Seven-Year-Old Boy!

13 Mar

100_1849-custom-4.jpg“Hey Mommy…I was going really fast on my bike – like really, really fast – and I went to drive on some ice and slush, and when I was on it, I turned my front wheel a little bit, and I shifted too much, and then I kind of fell off my bike!  Oh man!… It was awesome!”

P.S. (And this is going to be a very long P.S.!) What a day we had yesterday! I suppose you’ve all been wondering about our doctors visits. Sorry to leave you all in suspense…our internet connection has been down for the past day and a half.

My appointment went well.  A word to the wise though – if you’re having the gestational diabetes test, (you know, the one when you have to down that icky, orange, glucose drink) don’t forget get to eat breakfast!  Elijah’s strep test came back positive (bummer), so he’s on antibiotics again. The doctor really couldn’t say for sure what was wrong with Zeke’s eye, (it’s back to normal today) so she gave him a prescription too…”just in case.” I hate it when antibiotics are used like that. I’m genuinely thankful for them in Elijah’s case though…did you know that strep throat can actually damage your heart?!

From the doctor’s appointments we rushed to a funeral that Dave was involved in, and from that to Zeke’s kindergarten assessment, (tests number and letter recognition, and reading ability) which Zeke declared was “soooo easy.” He’s a smart little cookie!

And finally, the day ended in tears (from yours truly) after two different visits to the hairdresser. At the first visit, a lady hacked off way too much of my hair in all of about ten minutes.  At the second, a much more conscientious lady tried to fix the mess, but it still looks terrible. I’ve learned my lesson. I think that was my sixth time at a hairdressers in my entire lifetime, and I was reminded of why I rarely go…I’m never happy with the results.

At any rate, it felt good to have a “good cry.” (Which was more about the long, stressful day than my hair… at least I hope I’m not that vain!) Did you know that the chemical composition of “emotional stress” tears differs greatly from that of reflux and basal tears? Check this out …fascinating stuff! Even our very tears serve an incredibly useful purpose! How can anyone question intelligent design?

 
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Posted by on March 13, 2007 in elijah, general

 
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