Sunday, May 17, 2009

Smitty was in town!


Last night Drew and I and my mom and dad saw Michael W Smith at Copps Coliseum. We had a great time together - we went down early and grabbed a bite to eat (meeting a few other concert goers) (their treat so even better!) and then on to the concert for 6pm. 4 different groups opened before Smitty - none of which I had heard before - but which I will definitely look into downloading some of their music. We really liked High Valley - a brother's band from northern Alberta that sing modern Christian country - is that what you call it??? Anyway, it was a great lead up to the man himself. Drew and I were trying to figure out when we last saw him - it was at Queensway Cathedral and it was before the kids. Smitty was very personable and talked well with the crowd, and sang a variety of songs - mostly from his latest album, some 'retro' to satisfy a large majority of the crowd and of course "Friends" which as he said, who would have thought he'd be singing that song for the rest of his life? He did "This is Your Time" which is one of my favourites - but then again, I could sing along with most of them so they were all good. I have to say there was something a little surreal about singing along with your parents beside you and hearing them thump the seats and catcall! We joked with dad on the way home about changing his worship roster for the morning to include some MWSmith but he had to see. Drew and I did feel that we liked the smaller more intimate venue of the Queensway - we were only a few rows back, it was just him playing the piano and one man on guitar I think. You could see the blue of his eyes... All in all a wonderful pause for reflection and worship last night. Thanks dad for the treat!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

From the simple woman...

For Today Monday, May 11, 2009
Outside my window - glorious sunshine!
I am thinking - that soon we need to leave for school - very soon!
I am thankful for - little squabbling this morning.
From the learning rooms - life goes better when I am organized
From the kitchen - lots of yummy leftovers from Mother's Day
I am wearing - my adidas Terry Fox run t-shirt, capris, jacket and new socks - ready to workout later today. I think I may put my pants on though as it is only 0 degrees.
I am creating - a thank you scrapbook album
I am going - to take the kids to school and then hopefully a bike ride for exercise
I am reading - (still) Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and I started The PRince by Francine Rivers when I "had" to stay in bed yesterday.
I am hoping - to get my to do list done today
I am hearing - squabblng starting as we progress towards the door
Around the house - intermittent noise amongst the peacful quiet. The turning off of the leapster
One of my favourite things - kisses from my kids
A few plans for the rest of the week - thank you album, preparing for meeting on Thursday, GDOP and CB
Here is a picture thought I am sharing ... will have to come later!

Have a great (and sunny?) day!

Al

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

I belive that everyone at our household outdid themselves this year. I awoke (lightly) just before 7 when the kids grabbed Drew to get out of bed. I tried to go back to sleep but was pretty much done (second day in a row I wasn't able to sleep in - not due to external circumstances!). So I began reading a new book (The Prince) until - surprise - not just 1 but 2 beautiful bouquets of roses (red and yellow) were given to me. A short while later, I was greeted with breakfast in bed (fruit salad, french toast, yogurt and juice). To day I actually stayed in bed to eat it. A while after that the gifts POURED in! The kids made lots of neat little cards and drawings - Marlee in particular so loves to draw. Matt made a cute photo frame with a picture of himself. I got a magazine, some additional running socks (yey - I needed some!), and a gift card to Chapters for 2 books they didn't have in stock that I wanted. WOW! I taught the Sunday School Lesson on Mother's Day, which I think went over well.

We focused on the 2 verses below:
"Honour your father and mother as the Lord your God has commanded you..." Deut 5:16
"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also and praises her." Prov 30:28 We had a lot of fun and stepped out of the norm by not following a regular lesson plan per se. It also gave me a lot of time to pause and reflect on my job as a mother. That will be a talk for another day though.

After church I ran to the park on the lake where I met up with the kids to play for a bit. The kids ran a little further, then we stopped at the store for a few more ingredients for dinner. We all had a light lunch - snacking really, and then Marlee had Dad and her time and Matt and I played the Wii together. Dinner time broght grandma and grandpa over - complete with food. Dad provided beef stroganoff, and 3 different types of salad. Drew made peas, garlic bread and dessert. I think the best part of the day? Drew did all the dishes and cleaning up - right from last night until bedtime - and he helped make lunches. So nice!

All in all - what a lovely day!

Torrential downpour and prom

Friday, May 8, 2009

So Cierra, L, C and I set off at 3:10 to get the kids from school. Cierra and I were walking, the other guys were in the double wide stroller. Cierra pulled the wagon for the kids stuff. Believe it or not but by the time we got to the top of the street it had gotten quite dark adn we heard thunder. Great - it's going to rain. I had packed everythign so we coudl go to the park. We didn't really have time to go back because it was an A day and the kids are always ready a little earlier then usual. Just as we reached the school and were waiting for Marlee - big drops of rain started coming down. They were actually BIG. I had my jacket but Cierra was wearing a white t-shirt so she got it. I found a broken umbrella in the bottom of the stroller and another mom shared hers while we waited. Marlee came out and immediately complained about how wet she was getting (in a sweater). We picked up C3 who thankfully was wearing a raincoat - but shoes. We ran to get the older boys and A and T. By this time it was really starting to pour - another dad kept me under his umbrella while I gathered the kids bags and arranged them in the wagon with the umbrella. They at least were comfortable. Matt came out with C2 and everyone was huddled under the overhang. I couldn't fit with the stroller and wagon and therefore got progressively wetter. Then it hailed. Peas. Of course there were 3 bikes so we got them ready and started toward the front of the school. Everyone seemed to stop here. We waited for the rain to slighten but it didn't appear to be going and the kids were getting cold so we decided to trudge on. It wasn't abad walk - off and on light and hard rain. By the time we got the the R corner B was out and took his guys, promising to bring them back once they changed. The rest of us moved on - but Cierra was getting progressively slower and slower. As a result I attached the wagon to the stroller and carried on. All fine and dandy until I went up onto a driveway and tipped them out. Woops! I couldn't help but laugh - and of course our neighbour rode by on his bike with the kids - commenting on our being a tad bit overloaded. That's for sure. But really, if it wasn't raining it would have been fine. Somewhere along the way, I had mentioned to the cold kids (my own) the usual "it's only rain" "We can get dry" "you can have a warm shower". Well, all the kkids wanted a shower when we got in. And as soon as I walked up to the driveway, Cierra's EA drove up to get her ready for the prom. The poor girl - what a chaotic mess she walked into.

TBContinued...

Cierra continued to get ready while the other kids all changed, showered and got settled with snacks. She got her nails done, her hair curled and wore a gorgeous dress and shoes. Her EA gave her a lovely clip for her hair and earrings to match. She was so excited and looked amazing. Oh - and her EA even drove her to the prom. Talk about above and beyond. Cierra - we - are so blessed to have these people in our lives. Don picked Cierra up and she was apparently dancing the night away. I can only imagine. If I had to list Cierra's passions in life it would be dancing, Hannah Montana and family. Dancing and Hannah Montana were well represented tonight. BTW - we didn't take her or pick her up as we had a reunion dinner for our Israel group in Toronto. With all the kids I had today anyway, there is no way I could have done a better job - and it was so nice to have someone to pay such nice attention - just to her. I know she was thrilled.

Friday, May 1, 2009

May LOAD 2009

I started the May 2009 LOAD challenge today - I was actually the first one to post a layout! May is going to be a busy month - 2 family birthday parties, 5 birthday invites, GDOP, marriage retreat, a wedding shower - wow-a-wee-woh! And it's only May 1st!

But, long overdue - a layout for Cierra! The prompt for today was to do something imperfect and [generally to accept that things don't always need to be perfect and to embrace our mistakes - especially when it comes to scrapbooking] - so can you notice the boo boo?



Oh and - I'm totally pumped - my 101 list starts tomorrow - I'm already planning on a number of things to get it rolling. I LOVE lists and goals!

April 2009 Recap

Another month has sped by, we are into the sunnier weather and lighter clothing. Not much rain so far but it sure is green. So nice.

Here is my recap of April.

Movies watched:
Knowing (at theatre)
The Ultimate Gift
Seven Pounds
Hannah Montana (at theatre)
Marley & Me

Celebrations/ Memorable Events:
Overnight at Carriage Hill Resort
Palm Sunday (dancing)
Easter
Drew saw Seinfeld with Melissa (17th)
Bridal Shower for Janice
Fashion Show/ Silent Auction
Sell Your Wares Sale