My Bossy Big Sister

All this summer, my friend Laurie struggled with cancer and chemo and the effects of the chemo on her body. Last night, she went to be with the Lord.
Since I was 19, Laurie has filled the role of "bossy big sister" in my life. We took ballroom dancing lessons and "cruised Albert" as single girls. I remember soaking in my parents' pool with her before my first "date" with Trevor. I remember giggling on the phone with her shortly after her first date with her husband. We LOVED that our boys were also friends before we found them. There were lots of Kaiser nights where we stayed up far too late. Laurie and her husband helped Trevor with his engagement prep and were lurking in the parking lot to congratulate us. Both of them stood up for us at our wedding. She was the one who connected us with our first house and now, our new house is a hop skip and a jump away from her house. We'd talked of endless summers on the deck watching our kids grow up. She was one of my regular phone calls when I was lonesome on mat leave and I knew I could always walk over to her place with Simon when he was a demanding infant.
I'm going to miss my friend so, so, so much.

A important link

I'm not sure how to write about the heartbreak my family is experiencing right now. We're preparing to lose a beautiful and amazing friend. I can barely process that this is really happening.

I keep reading and rereading a post she wrote in 2008. Here's the link. I'm taking some comfort from her words.

Oh yeah - photo proof

Not the greatest shot as I haven't actually done it since it's been cut. I kind of like the crazy waves I've got going on... makes it easy not to do. :)
Here are my 2 favorite shots of the kids this week as well!

(Dr's appt today. Simon screamed bloody murder. Claire smiled and performed amiably. Claire is 18 lbs and off the the chart for height. Simon is a whopping 29 lbs 8 oz and almost a meter tall. Simon's got a cold and losing his voice - his little raspy talking is pretty cute. Claire's trying to walk when we hold her standing. Yeesh - time is flying by for me with my kiddos!)

Vanity

A good friend of mine is in the midst of chemo. She cut her hair short to prepare her kiddos for the potential hair loss that comes with chemo. A group of us girls decided to chop our hair short to support her.
This week I learned that I am terribly vain about my hair.
I love having long hair. I love the feel of it swishing from side to side in a ponytail, I love how Simon snuggles into it and how Claire wraps her chubby baby fingers around it while nursing. The last time I had short hair (the shortest it's ever been is just above shoulder length) was when I was 15.
I have basically had the same hair cut for 17 years. My hair style had grown into an eleventh grader. Yeesh. My biggest style changes were growing out bangs and long layers.
Last night, Lindsey P. from Sheers (awesome hairdresser if you're looking - there's my plug) chopped off my locks.
I still don't recognize myself in the mirror. My head feels light. Washing and brushing my hair feels ridiculous and my neck gets chilly. I've also realized that I have really wavy hair.
It'll grow back. Until it does, I'm going to embrace this changed look.
I know that we made my friend smile and that was the point.
(I'll post pictures when my kids are in bed - neither want to sleep this afternoon... sigh - too much of a shock for them, I guess!)

27

It dawned on me that Shiya's been my bestest bestie for the past 27 years. Okay, maybe not Kindergarten or grade 1 but, when we realized that we both loved to do the same things at recess in grade 2, we've been inseparable.
We've survived my weird pre-20 something dating life, our own quirks, French immersion, high school, Basic Training (definitely her - I'd cry too much), a variety of post-secondary schooling, moving all over Canada (once again her - I'd cry too much), the Navy, 3 high schools for me, a wonderful Mexican holiday, 2 marriages, my two kiddos and too much geography between us. Still, whenever I pick up the phone to talk to her, she's the same person that spent all of grade 6 pouting with me by the ball diamonds. We've grown up, have gone through so many different and life-changing experiences and still, she's my best friend.
We try to see each other as much as our finances will allow. Fortunately, for me, her hubby has family here so, they both want to come back regularly. I wish it could be more. Simon knows who his "Auntie" Shiya and "Uncle" Marshall are and identifies them in pictures. I wish he could grow up knowing them better.
I miss her lots today. It's her B-day and she's 32. I wish I could turn back time and buy slushies and decapitate gummy bears with her all afternoon. Instead, I'll make a long distance call and long for a hug.

Happy B-day, beautiful! I love you!

Boy-Mania

We just got back from lunch with some friends. We all took our little boys to DQ. It dawned on me just how many baby boys around Simon's age that we know. It's like 2009 was the year of the boy. I think our 2-3 year old Sunday School teacher may retire when she sees the crew she has coming in the next year and a bit. Yikes! I wouldn't blame her one bit! It's a good thing that Simon will have a pile of little guy friends. I pity this group in Jr. High when there are maybe one or two girls to flirt with between the lot of them.

On the same subject but, a completely different note, I just finished reading A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. It took me over a week to read because it was such a hard story. I'm still upset when I think of these lonesome little orphan boys who wound up fighting in the "army" in Sierra Leone. They were pumped with drugs, given guns and forced to go and shoot the enemy. The brainwashing and abuse the author went through was atrocious. As a Mommy, I held my little son a lot closer this week and continued to thank God that we live in such a safe place. Unfortunately, Ismael was one of many, many children to whom war and atrocities happen to. I don't know what I can do to help other then to hear their stories and to pass them on.

Bestie

We met 26 years ago (yeesh). She was the nameless My Little Pony and I was the clumsy My Little Pony (odd how 5 year olds define themselves). We became best friends in grade 4 when our original best friends left us for each other. Turns out to be the greatest break-ups of our lives.
It's fabulous to have someone who knows me so well. We're very different and those differences compliment each other in ways that are good for us.
It was great to spend the week holidaying with her and her sweet man. One of the best things about our friendship is that it feels like we just saw each other yesterday. There's no "catching up" or awkward re-acquainting. Instead, it's just sitting down with my best friend.
I loved spending the week in Canmore with her. It was good to have her see a little more of Simon.
It's crazy to think that the next time I actually see her, Simon will be walking (cross fingers) and I will have another baby in my arms.

Just a Memory

We spent most of our holiday with Simon strapped to Trevor's back. We tried walking up and around mountains every day. We had a fabulous time with Shiya and Marshall. We relaxed by the condo's pool in the afternoon when Simon slept. Simon was a super traveler. We played him out and he slept hard. Here are some of our more favorite pictures of the week.

Mountain High

We've been in the Rockies since Sunday. Simon was a delightful little traveller. He even tolerated his Mommy's foray into IKEA. :) He's sleeping hard and napping well. This makes everyone happy.
We're staying at a condo with my best friend, Shiya and her husband, Marshall. They've been great adventure buddies and it's been great catching up.
Highlights of our week so far have included:
-shopping at IKEA
-supper (and dessert) at Cheescake Cafe
-rainy welcome hike to a simple little lake not far from where we "live"
-Shiya and Marshall
-swimming everyday in our pool
-free pancake breakfast and a hike around town
-Banff - we skipped all the downtown shopping and hung out at the waterfall for a bit then, we took Simon on his first gondola ride (he was in love with the gondolas... we had to spend quite a bit of time watching them come up and go down the mountain)
-being bitten by a squirrel - it was just my toe and it was more funny then anything
-walking the ridge with our squirming son to get to the actual peak of Sulfur Mountain
-hiking Grassi Lakes trail with Auntie Andrea and Uncle Kyle - this also involved some intense splashing in the lakes

We've only just begun. We're currently relaxing by the pool as Schmoo Bear catches up on some much needed sleep. He plays hard, eats like an adult and sleeps hard. Life can't get much better then this! I'm excited to see what other adventures our little family can get up to.

Mid-Winter Blahs

I had a brief case of the mid-winter blahs today.
My family is all in Maui... snorkeling (I love peeking at the fishes). My in-laws are sunning it up in Mexico. My brother-in-law is in the desert. His lady friend is heading to Cuba. It's only -7 here but, there aren't any cute fishes to chase.
Trevor took me on a little adventure that cheered me up considerably. We did some dreaming together. I love doing a little dreaming with my main man.
Simon worked hard to cheer me up too. He's got such a personality and when he gets the giggles... :) He's doing a lot more of that lately. He also says "Mom" at just the right times. He knows how to melt my heart.
My sister-in-law came and had the best play date ever. Tonight, we're having some friends in for a games night and tomorrow, we're heading to a kid-friendly Super Bowl party. It's good to be with people.
A good soak in the sun would be the best cure for this "blah" feeling but, I know it's mostly a case of February. 6 more weeks of winter... according to the wee beastie and this winter will be a thing of the past.

Play date

In order to beat the cabin fever that happens with major snowfall
and then frigid, Arctic lows, I have had a week of play dates.
It's been AWESOME!
First, Uncle Tim came for a visit.
Then, we hung out with Trevor's super-cool cousin and her baby girl.
Yesterday, a good friend and her baby boy came over to play.
Today, we had lunch with another friend and her baby boy.

2-3 hours of social interaction a day... that's PERFECT for this introvert.
Simon and I... we're play date people.
I plan on more of these dates in weeks to come.
It sure beats wandering WalMart.

New friends

My friend, Nancy, and I are both on mat. leave. Our babies are 6 weeks apart. While still pregnant, we'd talked about wanting use our time to do something we couldn't normally do while working. We came up with the idea of starting a Mom's group for immigrant women. With the help of the Open Door Society, we have finally met our ladies.
They are a group who are Nepalese living in Bhutan. About 20 years ago, the Bhutanese government did an "ethnic cleanse" of all people of Nepalese origin and sent these people back to Nepal. The Nepalese government did not want them. Therefore, all of these refugees have been placed in camps along the Nepal/Bhutan border (the above picture is of a Bhutanese refugee camp). Finally, after living close to 20 years in these refugee camps, our new friends were able to immigrate to Canada. Now, they are here and trying to make sense of our Canadian culture.
Nancy and I want to meet with these ladies (and their very curious and enthusiastic husbands) once a week to talk about shopping in Canada, cooking, women's health issues, child-rearing customs, etc. More then that, we are looking to make new friends and help these very brave ladies feel at home in their new country.
Today, was our first meeting. They LOVED Simon and Nancy's girls. Our host made us fabulous (real) chai tea. They politely ate our brownies. We were told stories about being forced to leave home late at night with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
I know that we are going to be their "teachers" but, I have so much to learn.
Needless to say, I'm VERY excited about my new friends! :)

Mennonites Invade LutherLand

We went to a Family Gathering this past weekend. The location: LutherLand... seriously! Nothing like a pile of Mennos hanging out at LutherLand. :)
It was a swell weekend. It was our first time taking Simon anywhere overnight. Despite the crazy heat and having to adapt to a playpen, Simon did just dandy. He was a little trooper who got all his naps in and he played hard with all the adults who were smitten by him. Trevor and I were pretty impressed.
A few hours after getting back from LutherLand, Shiya and Marshall came to stay. They're leaving for their Family Gathering this afternoon. The poor souls were subjected to a teething baby but, they managed to find time to read and relax. It was nice to have extra hands around the house.
Last night, we hosted Shiya and Marshall as well as two other couples and their kids for supper. We had 6 boys under 4 in our teeny-tiny living room. We made the Dads take the bigger boys to the park while we ladies stayed back with the babies. That helped. Now, I know we need a play room before Simon gets to the excited, screaming play stage. Yikes! Little boys are loud!
I plan on a long nap today. I hope Simon will let me...

a downpour...

Approximately 3 years ago, I had my church bridal shower and I was overwhelmed and inundated with amazing gifts. I'm still rolling in tea towels and serving dishes.

For the past 2 Sundays, Simon has been showered in onesies, cute outfits, blankets, toys and other baby paraphernalia. My sister-in-law hosted a really fun Eco-shower last weekend where guests were encouraged to think "green" while shopping for Simon. Yesterday, we had our church shower and, once again, I was blown away.

It's pretty awesome to be part of a community that really wants to tangibly support big changes in my life. The girls from my Care Group worked so hard to prepare food and plan games. It was so nice to have a room full of ladies showing up as a way of telling me that they support me and that they are interested in Simon's life. I'm very grateful.

Now... I have a pile of laundry to do. :)

a welcome distraction

Just 4 more days until Thumper's due date.
Only 5 days since the water broke.
I feel like a watched pot.

Fortunately, Shiya and Marshall came to town.

We got to see them for a little bit yesterday.
We spent all day with them today...
playing games, walking the park and
eating Milky Way.
Shiya'll be my hospital appt. buddy tomorrow.
She'll get to hear Baby's heartbeat and
experience all the fun of our daily non-stress tests.
It's nice to have something else to think about.
They'll be jetting back to Victoria tomorrow. :(
We get to see them again in July. :)

32 weeks

Here are some photos of Thumper and I at 32 weeks.

The top 2 pics are of the seven pregnant ladies of Parliament. We definitely have a good sized Sunday School class waiting to happen! Once Trisha has her's, we'll be having a baby or two a month at our church until the fall. :)

The second 2 pics are of Karri and I showing off the close cousins. Auntie Leone felt left out and decided to make an "announcement" of her own.

Some wedding pics

Shiya's dance troupe took her for a pedicure and then made her walk around downtown Victoria in this delightful hat.
The beautiful bride. Look for her cute little side curls!
Lacing her in. Love the black accents.
Shiya and her family (Nathan, Cindy and Dick).
The newlyweds.
Making our own breeze. We loved our twirly dresses and fab scarves.
Pucker up Marshall!
Mel made these fabulous cakes and and cookies.Happy honeymooning guys!

one hot wedding

YEAH! Shiya and Marshall are married and off somewhere romantic for their honeymoon.
I spent ~ 5 days in Victoria cooking for the couple and helping with some prep there. Then (after my second ever ferry ride - prairie girls get excited about ships), we headed for Abbotsford to do last minute stuff to prepare for the big day.
I bet no one could have predicted the incredibly INSANE heat.
The couple was beautiful, the bridesmatrons (yeesh, that sounds old) were delightful, the groomsmen were hot (poor guys in the suits) and the MC was amazing (yeah Trevor). I sadly have very few pics from the actual wedding day but, hopefully I will be sent a few. I'll try to post some a bit later this week.

Jill's Bakery

3 saskatoon berry pies
2 rhubarb custard pies
6 dozen whole wheat muffins
2 dozen bran/saskatoon berry muffins
(3 dozen cookies - maybe...)
Whew... it's been a busy day. I'm so glad that my house stayed cool (I didn't even switch on the AC).

36 hours until I take off to Victoria (and then Abbottsford) to be Shiya's matron (it sounds so old) of honour.

Sweet Summer Breeze

Today, we ripped out a half dead bush and replaced it with a rose bush.
I weeded and watered and Trevor mowed the grass. We chased Fergus up and down our big maple tree.
I trimmed and deadheaded my flowers.
I love being outside. I love that it is Saturday and I have NO school related obligations. I have nothing to mark and I have no more uni assignments stealing my time.
Nothing but the sun and the sweet summer breeze.

Last night, we had the teacher I share a classroom and his wife over for supper. Nice veggie kabobs, feta and herb potatoes and a yummy roast (no school = Jill cooking). He's a great first year teacher who's temporary contract wasn't renewed. I don't understand why. He does a great job with the kids and makes math fun (who knew that could happen?). I feel bad that his contract wasn't prolonged. I know exactly how he feels. It sucks that sometime administrators let good people walk out the building. I don't think I'll ever get it. I really hope he hears something so he can stop worrying.