So the routine...

...of this crazy household has finally begun.

Kianna's in kindergarten every morning
I'm finding time to do administration work for a missions organization
Small group is starting tonight
I STILL babysit 2 little boys (in addition to my own 2 children) Monday-Friday
Youth group is still on Fridays and I love it
Hubby is doing the junior high youth group on Tuesdays...

It looks as if things are going full speed now that September is nearly over.

And I ALREADY NEED A HOLIDAY!!!!

Ok, maybe I just need a holiday from the kids

A person's allowed to dream, right? ;)

I've also been spending more time in my bible. As I've been reading, I've been realizing that God isn't only the kind, concerned, loving God that we seem to hear about in church every Sunday. In the Old Testament it appeared to me that He was more blood-thirsty and craving revenge on those who didn't follow his will. At least that's how I imagine a non-believer to view things.

I've been processing this new realization for myself at how things were before The Ultimate Sacrifice happened with Jesus' death and resurrection. People were always sacrificing animals and sometimes even their own children in order to appease the gods. Our God, the one and only God, wanted blood sacrifice and accepted it in the form of animals on countless occasions which are recorded in the Bible.

I can see why God ultimately sent His son to cover our sins. There was then no more need for these animal offerings because Jesus was the final Sacrifice.

I'm still processing this so bear with me as I try to convey my thoughts...

(after all, isn't that what a blog is for??? )

:)

First day of Kindergarten..

Kianna started kindergarten today.

I brought her to her classroom. We found her locker, changed out of her coat and outdoor shoes and into her indoor shoes. We placed all of her labeled school supplies in the designated area.

"Mom, when are you leaving?"

"Mom, are you going to go yet?"

The teacher read the kids a story about a raccoon who was scared on his first day of school and how it's mother gave him a kiss on the palm of his hand.

The teacher gave the kids a little heart to put in the palm of our hands (parents) and then they said good-bye and we left our children there in her capable hands.

My daughter had no worries about me leaving. She couldn't wait for me to go!

I guess she's ready for this new world called school.

More Tragedy.....

and I hurt for them.

A mother was driving her children and a few other children to or from a birthday party at the local outdoor pool. They don't know yet why the vehicle went into the water-filled ditch. The mother and 2 of the children in the van were killed. One of those children was her own. Another 2 were taken to hospital.

I still don't understand why God allows for these tragedies to happen. I probably never will.

Yet another story of people in an unfortunate circumstance. There are several families who have been personally touched by this. I couldn't imagine if that was me or anyone I knew. My heart already breaks for these people and I don't even know them....

You can read the news story here

Summer Holidays......

Summer has been good this year so far.

We went on holidays a few weeks ago and had a blast! We took the kids to the Calgary Zoo and to Calaway Park. For those of you who don't know what Calaway park is, it's an amusement park located just outside of Calgary. The kids both loved it, although Spencer was feeling a little jipped in the end because he was too small to do alot of the rides. Kianna could do quite a bit though. The zoo was cool too. The kids (and us) got to see the camels being walked to their new home, a baby elephant nursing and then bottle-feeding, and alot of cool other animals that we don't have here at our own zoo.

We then proceeded on to visit some friends for a few days. We went to Waterton National Park with them. We did a little bit of trail walking and saw some animals in their natural habitat...kinda... (The animals come right into the townsite like it's nothing different than being in the woods) It was the first time we've taken the kids to the mountains, so that was pretty cool. Spencer kept saying "mountains! mountains!" at every little hill after that.

I've officially started my new job as Administrative co-ordinator for Christian Volunteer Movement. There's alot to learn, and I still feel quite lost but I know that with time and experience I'll soon be running things smoothly.

We head to Manitoba in a couple of weeks to visit some other friends for a few days. Then our holidays will officially be over for the summer.

After we get back from Manitoba, I'll be taking on another little boy Monday-Friday. I'll have two little boys M-F until Thanksgiving. My first one will be done then because his mom is going on maternity leave. After he's done, I'll then start another little boy 2-3 days a week.

It'll be a little busy....LOL


So that's life around here lately....

IT'S A.....

....NEW JOB!!!!

I had written a couple days ago about a possible job with a missions organization.

I got a phone call today asking me if I'd still be interested. Steve (the boss) said that he would be totally flexible with me wanting to do alot of my work from home. I can log as many hours as I want a week. The last person to do the job only used about 4 hours a week, but mentioned that it was never enough time. I can make this job into more if I wanted. I could do it full time if I really had the ambition!

I'm thrilled!

PTL!!!!

A New Opportunity

Things have been changing quite alot lately with circumstances in my life. There have been many household changes happening lately that have been quite noticeable and very positive. That's been a good thing.

Another possible change has to do with my work. Right now I'm working Mon-Fri in my home babysitting a one year old boy. I also care for my own children. Saturdays I work as a receptionist at a local tire shop. The job's been alright and it's given me some reception experience that I can put on my resume.

I've recently decided to change up my workload though. I'll be babysitting more kids starting in the fall and I've decided to hand in my resignation for my Saturday job in the fall as well. I've just found that I need my Saturdays off for family time. Working 6 days a week has been just too much.

However, I have a new job opportunity.

My brother Matt has been hired be a local missions organization here to be their media person. He told me that their part-time administration person has recently resigned. I had expressed interest in that position to him. He then told his boss, Steve. At first Steve said that they had someone in mind but then yesterday I got a phone call from my brother saying that Steve was interested in talking to me and maybe even possibly hiring me. This job though, would be Saturdays just like my current reception job. I'll be asking if I can do some of the work at home while it's just me and the kids, and log my hours. If that's not even an option, then I might just be saying no to this opportunity.

I'm wanting this to be the right decision. Do I take the job or not? Does the need for quality family time on Saturdays outweigh my desire to have this position?

Having this type of job would contribute greatly to my sense of worth and purpose in this world. I'm longing for a place where I can use my God-given gifts and abilities and this a place where I could certainly use them. I want to be in a place where I'm more than "just a mom." I want something to be proud of when I say what I do for a living. Now don't get me wrong, I love my kids...but I want more to this life. I want to be more than "just a mom."

Keep me in your prayers as I make my decision. I'll keep you posted.

Thank you so much.

Daytime Excitement...

Kianna decided she'd put on a concert for the rest of us in the house. Here's a stillshot of her as she sings her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She's hilarious and always having to put on some sort of show. She's starting to be alot like her auntie Tammy.

Spencer had decided that he hadn't done enough brushing when given the opportunity to brush his teeth. So, 5 minutes later I found him sitting in the sink and ready to brush again. I just had to get a shot!

Preschool Is Done

Kianna's preschool wind-up party was held yesterday at Kinsmen Park. She got her little certificate and a picture with her teachers. I'd have to say that the kids had a blast. Kianna and Spencer are definitely siblings. Just look at the photo of the 2 of them together.

I can't believe she's heading into kindergarten next year. Does time ever fly!

I think....

that I can offially be classified as "Cool" now.....

That's me with Jason Dunn. He's the lead singer from the band Hawk Nelson.
I'm not used to this feeling......

Long Weekend Fun

We thought we'd check out Kinsmen Park today with their rides. Both Kianna and Spencer seemed to have a good time. This was the first time where Spencer was old enough to really take part in the rides. He certainly enjoyed the merry-go-round but he wasn't quite as sure of himself when it came to the train ride. He mostly just sat there and soaked in the experience. Kianna had a blast as usual with all of these things. The best part is that we get to come back in a week for her preschool windup party. Now they're both seasoned Kinsmen Park participants.

Changes.....

are a constant in this life. I have been learning lately that change can only happen if I allow it.

The thesaurus has these alternative words for 'change': alter, alternate, amend, barter, convert, correct, denature, diversify, edit,exchange, fluctuate, interchange, metamorphose, moderate, modify, mutate, permute, rearrange, rearrange, reform, remodel, swap, switch, take liberties, with, trade, transfigure, transform, transmute, transpose, turn, turn around, turn upside down, vacillate, vary, veer.

As I look over these words, there many I could use to describe myself and what I was afraid of. Why would I choose to modify myself if I was already okay with who I was? Why would I choose to be transformed for the same reason?

I have been resisting change for a very long time in some areas of my life. There have been several reasons as to why I've been this way, whether it was for fear, pride, or uncertainty of the unknown.

I've been also been learning just how much I like to be right. I don't want to be corrected. I've believed for a long time that I'm not the problem. The other person is the problem. That's been changing though. I've been realizing that maybe I was the one with the problem. I could hardly admit that to myself. I'd do my best to hide it and deny it. I didn't want anyone else to know that I'm not perfect and that I have my own battles and issues to deal with in this life.

Here are 3 words I would use to describe myself.

Stubborn

Prideful

Fearful

It is these things that have been hindering my ability to accept change in my life. I haven't wanted to change my attitudes, my thoughts, my actions. I've been terrified of the unknown. I've been too full of pride to admit my weakness. I've been too stubborn to budge.

Recently I have been pushed by some very caring and well-meaning people in my life to make some serious changes. They have put up with excuses, anger, and other not-so-desirable things from me. I know they've wanted the best for me for a very long time. Even with my reluctance they have continued to love me and pray for me and push me even beyond my limits.

I've been in survival mode for quite awhile. I've been living day to day and sometimes hour by hour. I'm learning that I don't have to live like that anymore. I can be free to dream and to have the life that I truly want to have. My fear, pride and stubbornness have all been barriers to that life.


I'm being transformed on the inside. I've given in to their requests (sometimes not so willingly) to work on myself and my attitudes. I'm finding a freedom and a peace that I didn't know was there. I didn't believe that it even existed anymore because it has been so long since I've experienced it.

God's been slowly chipping away at the walls around my heart and showing me that there really is more to this life than raising a couple of kids and just trying to make it on a daily basis.

There is hope inside of me once again. Hope for all things that I once thought was lost. I was dead inside. There were parts of me that were hardened and were beyond reach as far as I was concerned.

Change can be a good thing, that much I'm learning. It's not an easy task to undertake and certainly not pain free, but it's not as excruciatingly painful as living as I had in the past.

Miracles do happen. My heart is living proof of that.

"Our bear is dead....

...Auntie Candace," said my daughter's best friend Jacob. I responded with a feigned and saddened response of "ohhh, okay, that's sad."

Then I watched as both Jacob and Kianna, both of whom are 4 years old, brought their attention towards 2 year old Spencer while they were holding this apparently dead teddy bear.

"Will you make him better Spencer-Jesus?," they asked.

I could hardly contain myself as they pretended that "Spencer-Jesus" could really make this pretend dead bear all better.

I just had to laugh. All I got in response to my laughter were a couple of confused looks of "why are you laughing? our bear's dead."

The innocence of children. You gotta love it.

Who would have thought that my darling 2 year old son could double up as Jesus and heal dead teddy bears?

Monkey's

Life around here lately has been rather busy as usual. Kianna's back to preschool as of this week. I'm still babysitting on a regular basis between 3 different children as well. That certainly keeps me on my toes. Although, it seems to be my own children that cause me the most grief.

Spencer is most definitely hitting the 'terrible 2' stage. He's getting more attitude and getting into so much more trouble. For example, he decided one day during his nap time that he'd get into the garbage can full of dirty diapers. I'll just say that after naptime, he promptly got a bath and the sheets were put in the washing machine. Then only 2 days later during naptime, he found the bottle of baby lotion. He also got put in the tub and the sheets were put in the wash after that as well. Then this week, while I was busy doing some laundry, this little boy of mine decides he wants a banana. He pushed a chair up to the counter, found himself a steak knife, and was trying to cut a banana off of the bunch I had hanging on the hook on the counter. EEEEEEEEEEEK!!! Luckily I caught him before any serious damage was done. His sister was not like this at all!!!!

I wonder if I would have been done having children at one if he had been born first???

Blood Stained

With Easter here I was thinking that I need to remember what Easter is really all about. It is so easy to get caught up in the chocolate mini eggs, fuzzy bunnies, and commercialism. This is a poem that I wrote in high school and that I want to share with you. When you are finished reading this, maybe sit back and take a minute to reflect on what Jesus has done for you.

Blood Stained

Trampled, he rose
Spat upon, he did not speak
Whipped, he did not cry
The jeering crowd pushed him on
The minutes turning into millenniums
He, an innocent man, was sent to die for doing miracles on the Sabbath
For healing people, for giving hope to the hopeless
He carried the cross, the shame, the humiliation upon his back
Sharp splinters tore through his skin like a knife
A crown of thorns caused blood
To trickle down his pain stricken face
Guards cast lots for his blood stained clothing-rags
A double-edged sword, shoved through his side
Blood and water freely flowed
Nails driven through his hands and feet
His cries of anguish made the strongest man shudder
Put up on a cross for all to see and mock
The power to cease the terror, the pain, only a faint whisper away
"It is finished"
The terror ended
The pain gone
He had fulfilled his purpose here on earth
The only sound left to be heard was the weeping of his mother

On Hiatus

I will be taking a break from blogging. Thanks for taking the time to read my words everyone.

Being a wise guy.....

or wise woman for that matter.

Webster's dictionary has this definition for wisdom

1.the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

Taking a look in James, just see how similar Webster's dictionary definition and what James has to say.

James 3:17-18
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

This is the best description of wisdom that I have found.

Peace loving:Wisdom incurs peace. It settles disputes between neighbours, siblings and friends. It encourages people to love and care for others.

Gentle:Being wise includes knowing how to be tactful. When positively criticizing a person, one shouldn't say things to demean them. For example: "You did a terrible job of cleaning your room." Instead, one should rather say something like "I see that you tried to clean your room, but it does require some more work."

Think of how you would react in either situation. How would you feel? Would you prefer the tactful comment instead?

Willing to yield to others:Being wise also means that you know when to say something but you also know when not to say something. There is a balance of compromise involved as well. And, with the ability to compromise, it saves much grief in the end. There is much less or no arguing involved and both parties leave feeling OK about what's just happened.

When's the last time you said something that you immediately regretted saying wishing you could take it back? Being wise with your choice of words, or choice to speak greatly affects how others view you and how you view yourself.

Full of Mercy and Good Deeds:Peace is also about having a heart for others. You are showing others how much you care, even when they've wronged you. It may be hard, but it leads to much greater things (or so I've been told). The good deeds show how you are able to go after this wisdom. It allows you to connect with others in a way that develops relationships in a positive way.

Shows no partiality:Wisdom doesn't take sides. It finds justice. There is no favoritism because with that comes jealousy and discord. No one likes being in that kind of situation.

Is always sincere:There is no faking it when it comes to true wisdom. It seeks after the truth in whatever circumstance it may be. With that comes peace and with peace comes many things. Good friends, good choices and whatever else that may be relevant in your own life.

For myself, I like to believe that I possess at least some wisdom. I know that I have a long way to go and that I'm not perfect, but I'm trying. I do have moments that I wish I could take back. Either I've said the wrong thing, made the wrong assumption, or just didn't catch on to what the other person was saying or needing.

I often kick myself because of these things. That's when I get the "if onlys" running through my head. "If only I hadn't said that...." or "If only I had done this for that person."

In the end though, I believe that I learn from those irretrievable moments. I'll be less likely to do or say those things again even though it was a hard lesson learned.

I believe it's important to display this kind of wisdom when dealing with any other person here on this earth. Without it, there is unhappiness, discord, and strife. It's not always easy for me to do on my own as I am human and have a tendency to sin just like every other person in existence.


I am convinced that wisdom is a precious gem to be guarded. Not everyone possesses the wisdom required to live a full God-filled life BUT I also believe that everyone has the potential to acquire that wisdom.

Where are you at? Are you wise?

I'm no where near that point...but I'm learning one lost moment at a time.

What's in a name?

I just found it very interesting how close this was to describing me. Very strange indeed......

What Candace Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Sticks and Stones.....

can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

That is one of the biggest lies that people try to convince themselves of.

Correction: Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will always scar me.

James 3 speaks about the tongue and the immeasurable damage and the powerful good it is capable of.

I remember in elementary school when there were some girls making fun of me in gym class. I still remember exactly how I felt and the inferiority and self-contempt that came with the deliverance of the words from those girls. I'm sure I'll never forget it. I truly believe that their comments affected me for a lifetime.

The tongue will either cause us to build others up and give them great hope and assurance or, it will cause massive destruction in the wake of what was said.

Jame 3:3-6
We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the whole course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.


It doesn't take much to accomplish some damage in either your life or the lives of others.

One false accusation, and the career of a pastor or teacher is over regardless of the truthful outcome of innocence.

Verbal abuse from parent to child allowing that child to believe she is unloved and worthless for a lifetime is a reality in this world because of the tongue.


Words leave scars for a lifetime when used by the tongue to damage and destroy.

What is it you say when no one is looking? Do you build others up or do you bring them down in contempt?

What we say when no one is around, reveals the nature of our tongue.

What's your nature?

And Heaven adds.....

...one more to it's waiting list.

Kianna asked Jesus into her heart after supper tonight.

We were talking about my grandma who had passed away about 10 years ago now. Kianna asked me where she was. "In heaven" was my response.

"Can we go visit her?" she asks.

I then started to explain that heaven was where people who believed in Jesus went when they died.

"Just like daddy's grandma?" she says.
Lyndon's grandma passed away Jan. 24 of this year.

"Yes, just like daddy's grandma."

"She died on a cross." That was her conclusion. I think she was a little mixed up with her theology. I told her that Jesus died on a cross to take away our sins.

"Then where did she die?"
I responded with..."in her bed."

Then Kianna lets out a long oooooooooooooh and got just a tiny bit sad.

So from there we talked about going to heaven and who would be there and how to get there. I also had to explain that heaven was a place that we couldn't see. I don't know how much she understood, but she seemed to be ok with my answer.

Then I asked her if she wanted to go to heaven. And of course she did.

We prayed together to ask Jesus into her heart.

So one more on the waiting list into Heaven.

PTL

The Last Saskatchewan Pirate by Captain Tractor

I got a kick out of watching this. I thought you might too. Enjoy!

Shelter

Psalm 36:5-12

"Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see. Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts. Don't let the proud trample me; don't let the wicked push me around. Look! They have fallen! They have been thrown down, never to rise again."

Me and many other people I know have trouble really believing this at times. It's a struggle to find that shelter. We get so caught up in the disappointments involved with our daily lives, that there seems to be little time and thought put into searching out what God has to offer.

As humans, we naturally want to be in control of our lives and be able to dictate how we should feel about what happens to us. It's a struggle to give up that control. It's this desire for control that hinders us from truly seeking out "shelter in the shadow of His wings." We think we can do it on our own.

We know in our heads as Christians that God only wants the best for us and He can see the big picture of our lives. It's transferring that head knowledge to our hearts that's the problem.

Knowing and believing are two completely different things. I know many things from having been around this world for a long time. Do I believe everything I know when it really comes down to it?

Do I believe that God can offer true peace of mind?
Do I believe that it's okay to give up the control of my life to the God who made me?
Do I believe that God has my best interests at heart?
Do I believe that God really has a plan for me?
Do I believe that God loves me?
Do I believe that God can take away the hurt, disappointment and pain in my life?
Do I believe that there is safety in that shelter?
Do I believe that things will truly get better if I gave up control of my life?


When those disappointments in life come, how do you respond? Do you find the shelter that's talked about in Psalm 36, or do you continue to try to make it on your own while fighting and possibly losing battle after battle?

I need a holiday....

January has been a super long month. I was sick for 28 out of 31 days. My kids and husband have all been sick and are now starting a 3rd round of sickness. Lyndon has strep throat....again, and the kids colds seem to be getting worse again. I've been wiping Spencer's nose on a regular basis for the last 3 days. You wouldn't believe how much cold medication and antibiotics we have gone through in the last month. It's been unreal.

What I need is a weekend where I don't have to take care of anyone but myself. I've been focusing so much energy onto taking care of everyone else that it's getting to be a little overwhelming. Okay, maybe alot.

A weekend or something along those lines would be awesome. Then I'd be refreshed and ready to take care of everyone else again. That's not going to be happening anytime in the the near future.

In the meantime, it seems that my stress levels continue to rise and my energy levels continue to fall. I know that this isn't a good combination but there's really nothing I can do about it.

I've been on the go since before Christmas. There just hasn't been a break.

Maybe people and circumstances will change for the better soon. At least I'd like to think it would. But, at this point, I'm not holding out much hope.

I was hoping that February might be a little better than January, but right now we're starting off on the wrong foot with every one being sick.

Everything's just a little much right now.

Anyway, that's my rant.

Talk to you all soon.

I need a new T-shirt that says....

"I went on a youth retreat with 60 teenagers and I survived!"

This past weekend as you have probably already guessed, I was away on a retreat with the youth group from my church.

It was awesome!

There are several reasons why.

1. On Friday night before we left the church, the entire youth group sang Happy Birthday to me, presented me with a large signed card, and had me blow out the candles on a beautifully decorated birthday cake. Many thanks to the special young ladies who put the effort into making that happen.

2. The weather was great for a weekend of outdoor activities.

3. The food was amazing! There was even cheesecake for dessert after supper on Saturday. That was even more awesome because the cook made it because it was my birthday.

4. I was made to feel soooo special and appreciated by the entire youth group. There were many "happy birthdays" said, many hugs given, and tonnes of words of appreciation. It really touched me! I love being a part of the lives of these young women. I love them sooo much.

5. This is by far the most important reason.

GOD WAS THERE

We went through a few studies together as small groups. The discussion in my group was always thought provoking and eye opening to everyone involved. We could have used more time for every single one of the three sessions. We spoke about self-image, authentic friendships, and purity. All of these issues being huge in the lives of teenage girls. I believe that there is much life change in the works for each and every one of these young ladies.

Now I get to look forward to hanging out with them again at YC 2008 in Edmonton!

Household Update

My posts have been lacking lately.

Here's why.

All 4 of us have been battling colds as of late. The day after we discovered Spencer's pinkeye, both kids woke up with nasty colds. Spencer's had a fever here and there the last few days. Kianna's also been a little bit feverish but not quite as much as her brother.

It's hard on the kids. Kianna coughed so hard this morning she threw up. Spencer's just been feeling yucky in general. I feel terrible for them but there's only so much I can do to comfort them.

I took both kids and myself to the doctor on Sunday and we just have viral colds. That just means we have to wait it out.

It's been a looooong 3 weeks of sickness around here.

Maybe February will be better.

Sick.....

So just as I thought we were starting to get things under control in regards to the sickness that has been flooding our household, we have officially started to face round 2 of this monster.

1. I'm still not better and have a nasty cough that keeps me up during the night.
2. Kianna's starting to get a cold.
3. Lyndon's still not feeling better.
4. Spencer now has pink-eye.

I'm just sooo tired of dealing with all of this. It's certainly frustrating. I've been losing sleep, becoming more cranky, and just flat out sick and tired of being sick and tired. It's been an extremely long January.

When will it end?

I'm still....

here.

Things have just been so out of wack lately as the 3 of us have been trying to get better from the strep throat episode and getting back into routine.

I think life will be a little more tolerable once routine is established again.

When all is said and done.....

Tammy and Drew have officially begun the journey called marriage.

Their wedding day was a good one. You couldn't have asked for better January weather for a winter wedding day. The sun was out, it was hovering around the 0 degree mark, and there wasn't much wind.


I don't believe that there was anything that went wrong in terms of the wedding day.

But....and there's always a BUT....

I got strep throat this week and only realized it on Friday just hours before the wedding rehearsal. My throat was sooooo sore. It hurt to drink water! I cringed every time I had to swallow and I had lost my voice. It wouldn't have been much of a problem execpt that I was supposed to read some passages at the ceremony the next day. I wasn't sure until just before the ceremony began if I would do it or not. I'm sure there were people praying that I'd feel better for this. I went from not even being able to drink water at the rehearsal dinner the night before and wanting to head into emergency for painkillers (which I didn't do) to having enough voice and almost no throat pain overnight. I was sooo glad I was able to do my part in Tammy's wedding. Both of us were really disappointed with the idea of me not being able to do that.

Then, to top everything off, as all of the girls...bridesmaids, Tammy, myself and Kianna, were getting dressed and prepared for the ceremony, Kianna's eye was bothering her and had some goop in it. I realized it was pink-eye! What rotten timing. An hour before the ceremony she has to get this. So, I called a friend who had eye-drops, sent Lyndon over there and had him bring the drops to us, and Kianna's been getting the drops ever since.

My poor girl had to deal with her hurting eye, being over-tired, and being in the wedding party all at the same time. It was rough but she did okay despite everything. The wedding pictures will show her with her one droopy eye though. Oh well, there's nothing you can do.

But, when all is said and done, Tammy and Drew are husband and wife now. That's what matters.

No Screaming and Writhing.....

Spencer had his second haircut in order to get all spiffed up for his auntie's wedding.

Here's the before, during and after shots of him.

The last time we had his hair cut I had to hold a screaming, writhing and crying little boy as the stylist did her best to cut his hair in the midst of it.

I was so impressed with him this time. He sat there like an angel the entire time.

My little boy is growing up so fast!

The Fire Department Visited Me Today......

I had a visit from 3 wonderful firefighters this morning.

He's the story behind that visit.

I had gone upstairs to change Spencer's diaper and smelled something funny (and no, it wasn't his diaper). At first I thought it could be natural gas but quickly ruled it out because what I was smelling didn't have the lovely aroma of rotten eggs. Then I ruled out carbon monoxide because that has no scent.

So, the next thing I did was call my dad. He wasn't able to come over at the time but he was going to get someone to come to my place and help find the problem.

In the meantime, there were several things going through my mind.

What if it's a gas leak?
What if there's something smoldering in the walls undetected?
What am I going to do with myself and the 3 kids in the meantime?

My heart was pounding so hard you probably could have heard it across the room.

I was really scared.

Then I called a friend to see if she maybe had any other ideas as to what it could be. She suggested to check all the appliances and then it hit me! I ran the dishwasher this morning. So I checked inside the dishwasher.

There it was!

A plastic mixing spoon had fallen off the top rack of the dishwasher and was stuck to the element.

The smell I was smelling.....burning plastic.

I called my dad back to say that I had most likely found the problem. That's when he told me he had called my uncle who's a firefighter. My uncle told him to call the fire department to come and check things out. So that's what my dad did.

I discovered the melted piece of plastic just before the fire truck showed up.

It was nice to have them come in and confirm that the spoon was the only problem.

So that was the excitement at our house today.

I was so relieved.