A Prayer Request

I got a call late last night from my Mom that my Dad was being taken to hospital. He's been having some lightheadedness* for the past week & the doctors couldn't figure out why. He was scheduled for more testing, but they couldn't get him in 'til next week.

I guess last night he had 2 pretty severe spells, so he was taken in to the hospital. That was all I knew 'til this morning. Mom called again to say that Dad's doing better, but he was low on electrolytes or something of that nature.

If you could pray for him to be healed from whatever this is & for the doctors to be able to figure it out, we'd appreciate it!

*spell check wanted to change this to "fatheadedness", but I'm pretty sure that's not what he's suffering from, he's a pretty reasonable fellow.

He Was Really Confused.....

One of the things I do before I go to bed at night is clean out the litter box. I have a mat in front of the litter box so that litter doesn't get tracked all over the house. When I clean the litter box I set the lid on the mat & Thanet likes to hide in the lid. The other night was no different from any other night. I finished cleaning the litter box & lifted the lid to discover Thanet, but he didn't run off as he normally would. It took me a minute to clue in that he wasn't sitting on the mat, but he was hovering over the mat!

He finished weeing & I think that's when he realized he wasn't in the litter box. He looked around & then tried to cover up the wee spot. I think he felt kind of dumb b/c he kept trying to sweep w/ his paw, but he was doing it slower & slower like he knew it was futile. Luckily the mat has a rubber back, so the wee didn't go onto the floor at all. I gave PChad the honour of cleaning it up since I have to do the litter box every day I figured it was only fair that he take charge of the "special" situations. The funniest part was just seeing how confused Thanet was, he just couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong!

And now he's embarrassed too!

An Unlikely Conversation

A woman at coffee-break came up to me as I was refilling my coffee & said, "You know, Sherilyn, I am SO jealous of you!"

I wondered what on earth she could be jealous of me for. I was hoping she wasn't going to say something about how lucky I am to be home w/ 2 little ones (I seem to get this alot from the older crowd & am beginning to think they have rose-coloured glasses on). She's a friend of mine on Facebook & I've been uploading a bunch of pictures lately since I now have all my pictures on my computer.

She continued, "You have all that Fisher Price stuff & I am SO jealous!"

Now THAT is something I can understand!

He'd Fit Right In

When Asher speaks up & asks a question, I always wait a few beats before offering an answer. More often than not, he isn't actually asking a question, but quoting something.....

"Where are we going?'................. said Giraffe, 'are we going to Leo's house?'" (Let's Go by Tania Hurt-Newton)

"It's nighttime............ in the jungle & the moon is on the rise, all the animals are snoring in whisperings & sighs." (Snoozers by Sandra Boynton)

"The moon is up!.............. It's getting late, let's get ready to celebrate!" (Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton)

"I like you alot................. You're funny & kind, so let me explain what I have in mind." (Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton)

"Two fish, called Bob & Bob" (Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton)

"I have a thing to tell you & it won't take long." (Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton)

One of my favourite shows is the Gilmore Girls. I just love how they slip pop-culture references into almost every conversation they have. I have the seasons on DVD & one of the things that came w/ the set is a little book which explains some of the references. I knew the conversations were laden w/ references, but I missed over half of the ones that were there (the writer really are geniuses).

Living w/ Asher is a bit like living w/ the Gilmore Girls. His mind is constatly working through things he's heard before. If I mention Chapstick, he asks if it's Cherry Chapstick like the song. He'll randomly tell us things that he saw on TV, "The kitty got stuck in the tree & the tree fell over!" (a Bob the Builder episode). Half the time I don't even know what he's talking about & PChad will get it & clue me in.

Maybe it was all the episodes of Gilmore Girls that I watched on "Gilmore Nights" w/ Melody, when I was pregnant w/ him, but I think he could fit right in w/ Lorelai & Rory.

Lessons Learned At 1AM

1. It's important to check your smoke detector's batteries
2. A humidifier will set off the smoke detector
3. I am very calm when the smoke detector goes off, I merely roll over & say to PChad, "the smoke detector is going off," & remain in bed for him to turn it off.
4. A smoke detector will wake a sleeping infant, but not a 2 year old.

Sunday Pictures: week 23

Asher - 2.5 years

Chancery - 5 months
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Asher: "I don't want to do pictures this week, Mummy!"


Well, if you just smile nice, we can be done & you can go play again.

Asher: "Like this?"

Chancery: "Asher, you are SO funny, let me try!"

Chancery: "Look, I'm falling over!"

Asher: "No, you should fall like THIS!"

Asher: "Ahhhh, I'm falling!"

Chancery: "Umm, I actually did fall over,
could someone help me, please?"

Chancery: "Nevermind, I'll just get up on my own!"

Playing Favourites

We were just finished snack time yesterday when Asher informed me:

"That's my faaaavourite Frisian."

I thought, Hmmmm, I wasn't aware he knew any Frisians.

Then he finished the thought "Frisian Koek!"

Since he loves it so, I thought I'd share the recipe:


Frisian Koek

4 C Flour
2 C Sugar
1 C Honey
2 t Baking Soda
1 t Ginger
2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Allspice
2 C Lukewarm Water

Preheat oven to 375
Oil & Flour 2 loaf pans
Mix & pour into pans & bake 1 hour checking after 45 min w/ toothpick.

Short Naps

I'm trying to figure out why I have been "blessed" w/ babies who don't understand that sleep is necessary. Asher was a HORRIBLE sleeper as a baby! Thankfully when he was about 1 year old he got better, but it was a long, hard road to get there.

Chancery has taken to waking up every 45 minutes (much the same as Asher did, come to think of it). I don't know if there's some kind of break in her sleep cycles at that time, but I could set a watch to it being 45 minutes after I put her down that she will wake back up again. Usually this is just after the first time I put her down, but the other night it happened about 5 times before she slept for a longer period.

I know when Asher was about this age we tried going in every 5 minutes, but we did that for a week, spending the entire night going in before we decided he could just cry it out. I am a little more hesitant to try that w/ Chancery b/c she takes a plug & if she looses it, that could be disatrous, but something's gotta give.

I know this seems to be a recurring post, but it's something that takes up about 90% of my energy these days. Not to mention that htings are complicated a bit when you are trying to soothe a sleepy baby back to sleep & your 2 year old starts yelling for you at the top of his lungs!

Why Do I Always Miss Out?

This is Liverpool Street Station in London. I went through this station everyday on may way to work, yet nothing this exciting ever happend when I was there!

He Can Still Play

We were on our way home from Walmart yesterday when Asher piped up from the back seat:

"I can still play with my blocks!"

(Pause)

"Because I have a HEAD!"

I just didn't know how to respond to that.............

Bedtime Prayer

Last night I put Asher to bed, we read books, turned off the light, hugged, kissed & said prayers. After the rote prayer, I said, "Bless Mummy & Daddy....."

Asher: "Bless Mummy & Daddy mummble, mumble warmly."

Me: Okaaay "Bless Asher & Chancery......"

Asher: "Bless Asher & Chancery to work hard... with our shoes on."

I wish I could spend a day in that kids head!

Ralph

My friend Katie asked me the other day if I still had Ralph. Ralph is a stuffed dog that I got for my 5th birthday from a childhood friend. I was sick for my birthday, but this friend's mother dropped off a gift. Until a few years back I always thought of his name being "Ralf", maybe b/c I had spelling issues, but more probably b/c I had never encountered anyone actually named "Ralph" before.

There are some variances in the story of how he got his name, my mom thinks it was written on the tag, but I'm pretty sure I gave him the name myself b/c he looked like the dog on the Muppet Show. I only learned later that that dog's name was actually "Rowlf", which probably explains the spelling issue.

Sometimes Ralph decided he's like to play dress up, but since he was a boy he liked to do the minimum amount. He'd wear ribbons on his ears & tail (blue of course) & go by the name of "Lorene" (the name of an Aunt of mine that he apparently really liked).

Ralph was quite the inquisitive pup, he was always banging his nose on windows, counter tops, walls, floors, railings, you name it, he's sniffed it & has the marks on his nose to prove it!

My brother's always knew that if they really wanted to get to me all they had to do was mess w/ Ralph. Usually it was pretty tame, but once Brian got carried away & ripped one of Ralph's arms off. I think he was quite surprised, but Dr. Mom came to the rescue & sewed Ralph back up!

In Grade One, my friend Jason M happened to have the exact same dog, except that his had spots on it. I have never seen another dog quite like Ralph other than Jason's. In highschool Ralph became the Cross-Country team mascot.

He came to all the races & was in all the team photos.

He even went to Mexico for a Mission's trip!

Here he is on the plane w/ one of the teachers
on the way home from Mexico.

Oh yes, he's quite the traveller. He really enjoyed going camping, but as he got older he preferred to stay in the trailer most of the time as he was worried about getting dirty. In college, he took his duties as guard dog quite seriously & rarely left the dorm. Getting married was a hard thing for him to take. It was mandated that Ralph had to give up his bed, for a few years he sat on the dresser, but as we moved more & more he chose to shut us out. I think he figured that if he wasn't allowed to sightsee, he might as well stay at home, so he never made the trip to Europe, choosing instead to hibernate for a few years. He finally made a reappearance once we moved to PEI. He really likes it here, but upon meeting the children, has chosen a high place so as not to inflame his arthritis. He did agree to a quick photoshoot:

He was quite tired by the end of it all.

What's was your favourite childhood toy? Do you still have it?

Guess What My Little Girl Can Do!

But Sherilyn, you've already told us that she can kick, scream, & cry.......

Yes, yes, she can do all that, but now she can roll over too! From front to back, from back to front, back & forth, all night long! That's right ALL NIGHT LONG! They say when a baby is learning a new skill that they would rather practice than sleep, well, now that she is proficient at rolling both ways, she just wants to explore her whole crib. I go in to her room & she is usually laying totally backwards of how I laid her down, sometimes hugging the bumper pad, usually kicking away (sometimes happily, sometimes not so much).

Saturday morning she awoke & deided to show us what she could do. I put her down in the living room so PChad could watch her while I vacuumed & she proceeded to roll over to see what Asher & Daddy were doing b/c playing w/ the blocks looked so interesting.

Now when I change Asher's pants I have to be extra careful of where I put her. His bed is actually the top of a bunkbed, so it has rails all around, but the first time she got stuck mid-roll b/c of the footboard & she was not too happy about it! Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that she has gained this small freedom b/c it makes her happier, I'm just hoping that now she can stop practicing/exploring when she is supposed to be sleeping so that we can all get some rest.

I Got An Award!

I received the "Real Person" award from Brittany. Apparently she thinks I'm real, which is nice to know. I don't think I could make this stuff up if I tried.

I'd like to thank Brittany for this honour (and for changing the spokesperson from Marie Antionette to Pinocchio), & pass the award on to Natalie at I AM (not). She's another Pastor's Wife & her blog is one that I enjoy reading b/c she keeps it real.

Sunday Pictures: week 22

Asher - 2.5 years
Chancery - 5 months
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Ok, Kiddos, are you ready for your pictures?

Asher: "Chancery, look a cookie!"
Chancery: "Where?"


Chancery: "He told me there was a cookie up there."
Asher: "I was just singing 'This Little Light of Mine!'"

Asher, it's not nice to trick your sister!

Asher: "Ok, I'll go have a time-out."

No, you don't need a time-out, you just need to say you're sorry.

Asher: "Sorry, Chancery!"
Chancery: "That's ok..... I love your hat!"

Asher: "She likes my hat!"