Take A Minute.....

.... to take an important test. It just might change your life.

Grumpy Gus

The other day after Asher's nap, I had had enough of his grumpiness & I said, "I think someone should have had a longer nap, what do you think?" to Asher.

He thought about it briefly & said, "Yes, I think you SHOULD have had a longer nap, Mummy!"

It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but he made me laugh!

Sunday Pictures: week 45

Asher: "It's too hot to do pictures today, Mummy."

Chancery: "Are you sure? Mummy left all KINDS of things on the couch to play with today!"

Asher: "Wait a minute, Chancery, do you have my hat?"

Chancery: "Do you mean THIS hat?"

A Tribute To Michael

This video was taped on the Tube last year to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Thriller" album

Grandpa? GRANDPA??

Grandpa V & Grandma V have come to stay, but that Grandpa, just doesn't listen!

Katt's In The Cradle - Review

A few months back, The Preacher's Wife gave away the book Katt's In The Cradle. It took me awhile to get to it, b/c I was reading a book that I wasn't really into, but I finally finished the other one!

This is the third book in a series which follows 4 pastors' wives through the ups & downs of their lives. There's a little bit in each of them that I could relate to & appreciated that they weren't all perfect & all struggled with real everyday issues that we all deal with.

I was a little worried when I started reading it that since it was the third book in the series & I hadn't read the previous two, that I'd be missing parts to the story, & I was, but it was still an enjoyable book. I think this is probably the first time that I've started a series in the middle like that, so I was surprised that I could follow the story so well, even though I was missing some of the background information & previous circumstances that had led these women to where they were now.

One thing I had trouble with, was the author's use of contrived names. I can understand if one of the pastors' previous wife's name was Kitty Katt, but to then have him marry a woman named Allison who goes by Ally..... It was a bit much in my opinion. As I started the book I was a bit turned off by that flight of fancy because I was worried that was setting the tone for the rest of the book as well. It took me a bit, but I finally got past that & enjoyed the rest of the book.

Look Up There!

We were taking a walk the other day & Asher suddenly said, "Mummy, Mummy, look up there! I see the moon & it's BROKEN!"

Indeed, it was a "broken" moon. It's so fun to hear them working out how the world works in their little heads!

We've Left The Plains

We're back home, tired & lots of work to do before my family gets here this week! My dad sent me the link for this video awhile ago, so I thought I'd share it. A little music to get to work to:

Sunday Pictures: week 44

We had a bit of a rough morning with naps & spit-ups ruining any attempt at Sunday Pictures, so instead we'll show you some family shots from PChad's parents' 40th anniversary dinner last night.

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The guests of honour: Grandma & Grandpa

Auntie Amber & Shane,

K****** & K******

Uncle Troy & Auntie Tara,
S******, P**** & O***

Mummy, Asher & Chancery

Congratulations Grandma & Grandpa!

We love you!

A Meal Worthy Of The Journey

A few nights ago we went for supper. Since we are in Lethbridge, there is an abundance of restaurant choices just outside our front door, but we chose to drive aways. And by "aways" I mean 115 kilometres.





Every time I come back to Alberta there is a place I HAVE to go. I don't know if the restaurant even has a proper name, but it is in the hotel in Stavely, & they have the BEST Chinese food I've tasted, this side of the Atlantic.





Our family has been going to this restaurant for the past 8 or 9 years & we have seen the owner's children grow up. In fact, when we were there I noticed a sign on the door stating that they'd be closed one day next week to celebrate their daughter's graduation. How time flies! I remember when she would sit in the corner & colour, then shyly come & clear off the dishes as we finished them.





If you live in the area & haven't been there, you are really missing out. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Chinese food. It's got to be a testament to how good the food is if I'm willing to drive 1.5 hours for it, even though there are at least 3 Chinese restaurants in Lethbridge.

Doe A Deer

A few days ago at lunchtime, two deer wandered into Grandpa & Grandma's backyeard. We pointed them out to Asher & then told him that one was a male deer & one was a female. He said, "No, Grandma, those are DEER!"

Yesterday at breakfast, we were talking about something & asked Asher if he was a male. He thought for awhile, then said, "No, I'M not a deer!"

Think First, THEN Talk

Asher often gets halfway through his sentence, forgets what the other half of it is, & repeats the last phrase until he remembers the end. A classic example:

"Mummy, can I have some juice and a..... and a....... and a...... and a cookie for my snack?"

Well yesterday we were driving out in the country & there were lots of new sights for him to see.

"Mummy, I just saw a..... I saw a...... I saw a...... Mummy, I just saw a, I don't know what that green thing was!"

I was tagged by Natalie at My Life As Neil's Wife to post six unimportant things that make me happy. In no particular order, here they are:

1. Putting books in order by height, type, & author. I frequently go through the kids' books & re-organize them even though I KNOW it's aloosing battle.

2. Bedtime for the kids. I really enjoy knowing that I have the next 2.5 hours to myself w/o inturruptions.

3. Calling my friend Kami. Even though we are 5 time zones apart right now, I still consider her my best friend & we could talk for HOURS (if the kids would let us).

4. Finding some Little People at a charity shop or garage sale. My heart starts racing & I get super excited if I spot one.

5. Doing Taxes. Nothing can explain the love I have for putting all the info into the little boxes on Turbo Tax. It's so easy & I love watching the little counter at the top telling me how much I'll get back.

6. Finding old & new friends who blog. I love all my "virtual" friends & the fact that we have things in common & can share those experiences even though we've never met face-to-face.

Some people I'd like to know more about:

Brenda

Amanda

Vintage Dutch Girl

Jana

Midwest Mommy

Julie

Pancake Fiasco

Saturday, as per tradition, we went out for pancakes for breakfast. Usually our family goes to McDonalds, but since Grandpa & Grandma were joining us & their taste buds are a little more refined than our, we went to a sit-down restaurant.

It started out well enough, we were seated, given menus, Chancery started screaming for her breakfast, the usual. When the waitress came to take our order Asher immediately started in with, "I want pancakes! Lady, I want to have some pancakes!"

The 3 adults ordered & I asked Grandma if she would be sharing her pancakes with Asher. She informed me that Asher gets free pancakes b/c he's underage, but that if he wanted more she would share.

The waitress, butted in that if we wanted "Baby Pancakes" we had to inform her of that, otherwise he'd just get regular panckaes. Well, since I hadn't actually ORDERED any pancakes for him yet, & she had just taken it upon herself to take the order from a 2-year-old, I don't see how that would be MY fault, but I just informed her that we'd take the "Baby Pancakes" for him.

When our order came, there were 2 dollar-sized pancakes for Asher. Grandma said, "They normally get FOUR pancakes! Why are there only two?" The waitress countered that there was a new policy that they only got two now. However, Grandma & Grandpa had just taken one of the cousins to that very restaurant only a week ago & he had gotten four then.

The waitress seemed to be a bit smug about the whole affair, trying to put us in our place for trying to get free stuff. I suppose we should have also ordered some "Baby Pancakes" for Chancery too, so that Asher could have a reasonable sized breakfast. She also decided that the guy sitting in the corner was a bit of a looker & spent a large percentage of her time chatting with him rather than checking to see if things were ok for us. When she finally did come to see how things were, we all had our mouths full & had moved on before we could comment on the meal.

We had to ask another server to refill our drinks, & he was quite attentive to our needs, asking if we needed anything else & if he could clear our plates. When our watiress showed up again, she just started taking plates away without so much as a how-do-you-do.

The kicker was when she came with the bill. She commented, "Wow! That's really cheap for four people to eat!" But really, is it "cheap" for 3 adults & one child (who qualifies for a free meal) to eat for $30, or is it reasonable?

Sunday Pictures: week 43

Asher - 2.5 years
Chancery - 10 months
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Chancery was not feeling well today, so she slept in & enjoyed a morning with Grandma

Asher was all geared up to see his cousins at "their" church this morning!
He agreed to sit for a picture, but "only one, Mummy!"

Praying For The Birds

Grandma has been having some troubles with her bird feeders lately. We had attributed it to raccoons, but couldn't figure out how they were managing to get to them, since they are not near trees or the edge of the roof.

Last night at bedtime, Asher's prayer shed a little light on the situation.

Me: "Dear Lord...."

Asher: "Please bless the owls that come to our bird feeders in the nighttime. Amen."

Of COURSE it was the owls! I don't know why we didn't think of them in the first place!

A Tactical Error

Dear Stewardess-On-Flight-With-Broken-TVs,

I realize that it wasn't your fault that the televisions weren't working on our flight the other day. It was also unfortunate that the woman sitting across the aisle from myself had encountered this problem on the last 4 flights with your company.

I thought your approach of offering alcoholic drinks to those without working televisions was perhaps a good plan, though the woman-seated-across-the-aisle did not agree. In fact, when she said it was a "poor choice of compensation" I though she was just being a bit grumpy, & perhaps she should have taken you up on the offer. But when you then turned to me a short time later & noticed that my television wasn't working, I think it would have been a wise choice on your part, to also notice that I was travelling alone with a nearly 3 year old & a 10 month old, so perhaps your judgement was clouded when you offered me a choice of alcoholic beverage. I think, perhaps, that you could have offered a food item & maybe that would have smoothed things over with the woman-across-the-aisle.

When you sent the other stewardess (who was clearly in the late stages of her pregnancy) to chat with the woman-across-the-aisle, that might have seemed like a smart move at the time, & perhaps it worked for you, since you passed the grumpy customer off to your co-worker, but the pregnant stewardess' relational skills were a bit lacking.

As I overheard the stewardess tell the woman-across-the-aisle, "we have already re-booted the system 3 times & if we do it again, it's a safely issue," I thought it sounded good, but apparently the stewardess didn't know who she was up against b/c I heard the woman-across-the-aisle say, "I am aware of how many times it can be re-booted."

That was where your co-worker (the pregnant stewardess) faltered. When you follow up a statement like that with, "Well, you are very knowledgeable for a customer!" You are doomed to failure & it's really no wonder that the woman-across-the-aisle decided to swear off your company & fly with the competitor from now on.

A Compelling Argument?

Dear Sir Sitting Ahead Of Us On The Plane Yesterday,

I, firstly, would like to apologize for my son kicking the back of your seat for the duration of the 4.5 hour flight. I was, however, doing my best to keep him from doing so, whilst also attending to the needs of my 10 month old daughter who was seated on my lap.

I found your approach to be a little counterproductive. If you would like the action to stop, perhaps you should not reward the infraction by grabbing & shaking the child's foot playfully each time he violates the "non-seat-kicking code of conduct".

Also, when you finally turned around to speak to the culprit, perhaps you should have first assessed his approximate age before you began your argument. Your plea that he should stop kicking your seat "because it bothers me when you kick my seat," while compelling, does not hold water with a nearly 3 year old boy.

Thank you for your understanding,
Dominee Huisvrouw

p.s. once you turned around to speak to us, it was your own fault that he saw fit to keep asking, "What is your name, Man?" and "What is your name, Man-Sitting-Up-There?" And, no, telling him your name once, really wasn't enough. Welcome to a day in my life.

I Wonder.......

..... how much Victoria Beckham Jeans cost in the real world, of they are priced at $34.99 at Value Village.



..... why someone would open a door for a lone child of 3, to run out of a store into the parking lot, without a parent.



...... if it's true that if you can see clouds moving from the ground that the wind up there is blowing at least 60 mph.



..... at what point Asher will stop using, "I have to wee & poo really badly!" as an excuse to get out of bed.

Sunday Pictures: week 42

Asher - 2.5 years

Chancery - 9.5 months
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Chancery: "I know I left a book around here somewhere...."

Chancery: "Maybe I put it up here...."

Chancery: "HERE it is!"

Chancery: "Would you like to read it to me, Asher?"

Asher: "I can't read the words though, Chancery."

Chancery: "Maybe if you took your hat off you'd be able to see better."

Asher: "Hmm, I'll have to think about that first."

Asher: "Ok, I'll DO it!"

Chancery: "Yay! Asher's going to read me the ABC book!"

Chancery: "We're going to choose another book now!"

God Is Great........

Asher's rendition of the "God is great, God is good" prayer.....

The Goats

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to a greenhouse not far from where we live, since we had been told there were some goats there. Our children are severely lacking in the farm animal social skills set, so we decided it would be a good educational experience for them.


Asher kept asking if he could go in & see the goats so he could pet them, & since there was no lock on the gate, PChad & Asher were warmly welcomed into the goats' humble abode.


Once in the pen, Asher lost what little confidence he had & kept saying, "Pet them, Daddy!", but refused to touch them himself.


He lived vicariously through PChad & he pet those goats 'til he could pet no more!


Chancery was happy to critique the flavour of the grass from the outside. She claimed it had a bit of a "rangy" quality to it, but all in all, it wasn't much different from most other grass she has sampled.

Beep, Beep! Beep, Beep, Yeah!

The Boy Who Cried "Poo"

I know you are all DYING to discover how the potty training is going, so I thought I'd give an update.....

Asher is now fully potty trained for the daytime. We had 2 accidents of the stinky kind & one wee in the bed episode where someone forgot to put a pull-up on said child *ahem*

Now, of course, he has learned that he can tell us he has to use the facilities & be allowed to get out of bed. We make him wee before putting him down, but he has discovered the wild card that is pooing.

Since we have no idea what time of day the little stinker will show up, Asher will get out of bed repeatedly saying, "I have to poo!"

We've had to start giving him time-outs if he says it & doesn't perform.

I think we need to find a copy of "The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'", because at 6:00, 6:15, 6:25, 6:45, & 6:55am, there's nothing worse than being dragged out of bed for no reason at all.

He has also started declaring quite loudly, "My body is telling me, 'GO TO THE WASHROOM OR YOU WILL WEE IN YOUR PANTS!'" at the most convenient times, such as standing in the queue at the grocery store, walking the aisles of Walmart, & eating breakfast at McDonalds.

WHAT Kind Of Burgers?

Saturday we took the family on a bit of a road trip.

We drove, we explored, we shopped, and then it was time to eat.

I looked down the road & reported what restaurants I could see so PChad could weigh-in on what kid of cuisine he preferred.

"I see, BK, Subway, MD's, Wendy's & T-I-M-S, & DQ," I reported.

PChad narrowed it down & asked Asher if he'd like a burger, or a meat sandwich.

"No! I want CHINESE food!" Asher declared.

A: That wasn't an option
B: Sure, it sounded good, but there were no Chinese restaurants to be seen

PChad: "There's no Chinese food, Buddy, do you want a burger, or a meat sandwich?"

Asher: "There's Chinese food RIGHT THERE!"


I'm sure that's exactly what you envision when you see this sign too.


He did eventually settle on having a burger, but he would not budge on which restaurant he wanted to go to. I'm just glad it shared a building with Tim's!