A weekend away

I went to Phoenix with my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. More importantly, I went sans my babies. Eeek!
I was fine and they were fine and even Trevor was fine. However, it was such a huge step for me to get on a plane and fly away on them.

I hiked. I slept in. I read 3 books. I went out to eat. I hung out with 3 lovely ladies. I sat by the pool. I soaked in a hot tub. I went to grocery stores and other shops. I did all of the above mentioned activities at my own speed and not having to stop to pick someone up, go to the potty x 3, feed anyone, cook or clean or do laundry or hustle around to avoid tantrums. It really was quite heavenly.

Now that I'm back to my reality, I'm content. I've spent the past few days just with my little ones. It's been good to be a full-time Momma. Sadly, it'll be back to work on Monday.

I'm back to part-time teaching. That means mornings only. It's a pretty hectic 3 hours of teaching. I don't get much time to plan and prep while at school. That comes during the 45 minutes of Quiet Time at home when I'm not cleaning or making supper. I've added a small pre-school program to mine and Simon's world. Mostly just number and letter identification and a some phonics. We also do a lot of arts and crafts and experiments. Playing with a purpose more or less. The leisurely nap times of our past are on their way out. :)

The weather is still sad. Actually, anywhere with snow after a week-end in the red rocks and deserts of Arizona is sad. :) Fortunately, we have just over a month left until sweet, sweet spring!

Lazy

It's post-holiday bliss.
We sleep in late. We play hard with new toys. We venture out to have mini-adventures in our fair city.
We eat leftovers and too much baking.
We love being on Christmas holidays!

Holidays - building anticipation

Home made Advent Calendar created and hanging - check
Tree up and house decorated - check
Christmas lights up on our new house - check
Christmas picture/cards/gifts mailed - check
Family bake day - check
Claire and Simon's church Christmas concert - check
Gifts bought and wrapped in fun fabric bags - check
Extra baking (just because) - check
Staff Secret Santa organized and executed - check
Picture of the kids with Santa - check
My contributions to our families Christmas dinners - check

Now, bring on Christmas!!!!

I love Christmas and all the build up. I love the cooking and the traditions and the looks of glee on my kids' faces when they realize all the special things coming their way. I love planning and creating marvelous things. Other then my cinnamon bun dough and a few stocking stuffers to wrap, I think I'm done. Now, I can put my feet up and drink my cup of eggnog. Tonight, Trevor and I will sit by the fire and watch a movie. Now, I'm on holidays. :)

Claire is 2!!!

My sweet baby girl is TWO! She lights up our lives with her giggles, cuddles and kisses. She's our easy-going little Miss.

We had 25 people over last week for our traditional birthday brunch. We are so lucky that all of our family lives in town and are all so lovingly invested in our kids' lives.
Claire decided on a Peter Rabbit/blue ball (Zooble) themed party.

I still can't get over how invested I get in my kids' parties. I love fancy treat bags for guests, great cupcakes, a toy that matches the theme and a cool invite. That's on top of house-cleaning and cooking. I love doing these crazy things because it's such a tangible way for me to show love to my kids.

Man, my Claire is so lovely - I'm so excited to see what age 2 has in store for her.

Golden

We have the most beautiful view of our creek. The leaves are turning colours and I love seeing the changes every new morning brings.

The kids LOVE their baby-sitter and their delightful little buddies. Although there are a few tears in the mornings and waking up is hard to do, the kids are alright with their adjustment to full-time care.

I love my job. I love sorting through the mundane problems of how to engage students, how to connect kids with needs to the material and I realized how much I've missed preparing good lessons. I could do without the marking but, that's life. I love reconnecting with some beautiful colleagues who do inspiring things with students. I love the feeling standing in front of my class and making meaningful connections.

Coming home is always a chaotic blur of snuggles, catching up, making supper, playing and bedtime. I wish I had more time with my munchkins. I'm looking forward to part-time next semester for this very reason.

Life feels like it's flying fast.

Like being back in my comfy jeans

Have you ever had a pair of old, comfy jeans that somehow, for some reason, you haven't worn in a while? I love that feeling of putting them on again.

Today was kind of like that for me. I went back to high school today. Back to the place I was transferred (by surprise) from after my mat leave with Claire.

I didn't have to set up any bulletin boards (just my posters, like normal) and all of the jargon made sense. I was able to connect with good colleagues who know me and accept me as I am.

As difficult as it will be to leave my sweet kids to work full-time for the next 5 months, I think being back in a place I love is worth it. Part-time for semester 2 and hopefully some continuity for next year.

PS - Today affirmed again for me how much I LOVE teaching!!! This is exactly where God wants me to be.

DVRC

This morning, we went out to camp for the Sunday service.
Simon happily played in the bushes the entire service and Claire had one of her grand mal meltdowns for who knows why (did I mention she's a crazy toddler now?)

Trevor and I grew up as campers at Dallas Valley. We both played wide games with enthusiasm, rode horses and climbed high on the wall there. I have vague memories of a tall boy chasing me during Capture the Flag and giggling with him during a Drama skill. He remembers a very loud girl (who me?) who would tease him relentlessly. I have his phone number in one of my old journals.

Later, we worked on staff together. We have a collective memory of more wide games, drama skills and the chokecherry Olympics. (Later, we hung out in university, lost touch, got reacquainted and then fell in love).

Camp was the place I longed for every summer. It was the one place, growing up, that I felt totally free to be me: silly, ridiculous, clumsy and outdoorsy. I loved being a camper there but, even more so, I loved being a staff member.

Every Monday, new campers would roll in, spend the week challenging me and changing me and then, roll out on Sunday. Rinse, later and repeat for 8 weeks and camp life made me the person I am today. I loved the structure, the goofiness, the Christ-centeredness and the friendships that was my summer for 8 years.

It's weird going back now. I still know a lot of the staff. They're former students and campers and they've grown up so well. I still know the songs and the routines. However, my life has changed. I've grown up and moved on. I get sad about that. Sometimes I wish I could braid my hair, slip on some cut-offs and flip flops and go run around for a week or two.

In a few years, Claire and Simon will be ready to be staff kids and I'll braid my hair, stick on a bandana and head back to camp. I think I'll cook instead of counsel. I'll be in my late 30s by then and something tells me I won't be cool enough to be a counselor anymore.

Maybe, if I'm lucky, there will be a tall custodian who will chase me during Capture the Flag and give me his number. Maybe we can teach our kids the Chokecherry Olympics. (I'm always a sucker for a good camp romance.)

Toddler-hood

It's official. Claire is no longer a "baby". After having Shiya's sweet 5 month around the house for a while, I've realized that Claire is, at 20 months, a full-fledged toddler.

She has an ear infection. I took her to the doctor and then the pharmacist on Monday night. She was prescribed amoxycillian. This morning, she showed me her little chest and belly all covered in a rash. Just like me, she's allergic. Poor girl. She's been extra sad about life today.

I cleaned and put away our "baby" high chair today. Claire refuses to sit in it anymore. She wants to sit in just a booster like a big girl.

She wants me to unbuckle her from her car seat so that she can climb out like Simon. She freaks out when I "help". She wants to put her clothes on by herself and yells in frustration when her feet don't work in her shirt. She has to clean everything! She puts MegaBlocks away as Simon builds his towers. She's determined to drink without a lid. She wants to wear panties all the time and is pretty good at telling me when she needs to use the potty (yah!). She's become this fiercely independent little thing.

The thing is, I love it. However, it is soooooo frustrating. I love that she wants to do things herself and like a big girl. I love that she's so fiercely determined. I'm so proud of her. I know these qualities will serve her well. I need to remind myself to be patient with her as she learns and grows.

She's napping now. She needs a good snooze. Toddler-hood is rough.

Today

Today, I celebrate my beautiful grades 6/7 students. I am continually blown away by their sweetness, their energy, their giggles, their stories and their spunk. I am so hoping that they wind up in one of my high school classes in a few years. I would love to teach them again!

Today, I eagerly anticipate summer. One more (full) day and then, I am a full-time Momma for the summer. I am ready to snuggle more in the morning and have adventures with my babies. Play dates are welcome - if you want to hang out, I'm excited to do that! This is our first no morning-nap summer in a while and I am pumped!

Today marks our one-month anniversary of being "homeless". I am still very, very thankful to my in-laws for allowing us to "holiday" here. I am also crossing my fingers and toes for an accurate possession date.

Today, I will go to my staff party and awkwardly mingle with my co-workers. I suck at this! I work with fabulous, kind and caring people. It's not them - it's me. My introvert side takes over at staff parties and I spend most of the time feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.

A Compromise

Last month, I made a choice about working part-time. I felt like I was settling for a not-so-great job (pushing the Core French cart) in order to make a good choice for my family. I felt really good about the family part but, let's be honest, I was doing a lot of positive self-talk to motivate myself about next year. I'm a really positive person and I know that attitude is everything. However, having to constantly "look for the good" and "get excited for change" was starting to wear on me. (Besides, I kept having a recurring nightmare about Middle Years children, French verbs and me trying to sing in French with them).

Another opportunity to go back to my old high school arose. Subjects I know and love. This job, however was full-time for the first semester and part time for the second semester. After a lot of thought, I realized that this might be the compromise I need. It's full time but, not forever. I think I can manage that.

Today, I said yes to that compromise.

30-Something

I turned 33 this past week.
Trevor turned 32 this past week.
My lovely niece turned 3 this past week.
We celebrated it all last night.

I remember a show on TV called 30-Something when I was a kid. I have no idea what it was about except that I wasn't allowed to watch it.

Now, I'm imagining it was about getting excited about socks for your B-day, having a kid puke up all his sushi on your B-day (at the inlaws place - in the spare room), waking up every night with an hysterical 3 year old, losing an earring (diamond - sigh) in the grass while "wrestling" a one-year old and Zumba fitness. Yep - this decade is shaping up to be completely different from the decade of bliss that my 20s was!
:)

Actually, this is exactly where I want to be in life. This is a good thing because, I can see things carrying on this way for quite a while.

(15 work days left until summer - I can HARDLY wait!!!)

A Choice...

In the midst of packing up our entire house last week, I finally got the call about the transfer I'd been wanting back to high school. The gig I have now is fun but, not at all what I want to be doing. I was offered a one year job at my old school. No guarantees to stay the next year. It was for teaching subjects I'm familiar and that I miss. The only catch was that it was only being offered as full-time.

After a walk the park with my sweet babies, I decided to say "no" to a full-time job doing what I love to settle for a job that's okay. Don't get me wrong, my students are FABULOUS; I just miss the rigor of upper level thinking.

This is my season to be a Momma. I had a lovely season of surly teenagers, busy extra-curr and marking until the wee hours. Now, I get to snuggle my sweeties, play important little games and go about the business of looking after the practical needs of our home. I am one fortunate soul! Eventually, I'll find my way back to full-time life in the classroom. Until then, I'll be rocking my babies because babies don't keep!

My Momma

Dear Mom, Thanks for being such a great Mom. Growing up, I didn't know how good I had it. Homemade cookies, hand-packed lunches, fresh laundry, a gleaming house, lots of space for my friends to come and hang out and, best of all, someone who was always there to listen. Being a stay-at-home Mom in the middle of nowhere with an out-of-town husband was a huge challenge. I whine when I have to put the kids to bed once a week... not all the time. I'm sure we drove you bananas most days. I don't ever remember you taking that out on us. You always played and made sure that we felt important in your life. Now, you're one of my best friends. You're the only person (besides Shiya or Claire) that I actually like shopping with. You're the first person I want to call when one of the kids does or says something wonderful (or ridiculous). I miss you when you're away. Thanks so much for being an amazing mother and an amazing friend. I hope that I can be as good of a Mom to Simon and Claire as you were to Tim and I. I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Three

Happy Birthday to my sweet and precious little man. (Today, you wanted to be referred to as "Sore Throat". You also enjoy being called "Little Bat", "Ladybug", "Pancake", "Nemo", "Captain Canada", "Momma's Sunshine", "Zoom Zoom" and the list goes on as far and wide as your imagination.)

You are such an adventurous and intelligent little man. Yesterday, we discussed bats and echolocation. Today, we found Regina on your new globe. You love politics and trying out big words. You love dinosaurs, bats, bugs, Canada, stickers and cars. You're hysterical! You're already tell me the best jokes! I'm so fascinated by the breadth and depth of your interests. I have a feeling you're going to become one very interesting little boy!

We celebrated 3 by having seeing all your favorite people at the same time. We ate yummy BUG cupcakes and we opened loads of presents (you are a spoiled boy). You laughed and cried as you were overwhelmed by the excitement of it all.

Being 3 opens so many new doors to you. Some will be scary as you try new things. Some will be exciting and fun. I promise that Momma and Daddy will stand by you as you try your wings and test your limits. We'll hold you close when you need it and we'll also give you a little push when you need it. We are so proud of you. You are a delight! I'm so excited to hang out with my three-year-old!

Muddy fingers

The season has turned. My kids have been set free. Every day, when I get back from work, I scoop them up and I can smell the sunshine and outside air in their hair. They smell so fresh!

I love that our sidewalk is covered in toddler scribbles, the knees of their jeans are caked in mud, their fingernails are dirty and their cheeks are rosy. I love that their toy mess is now outside. I love that they fall into bed and sleep so hard.

Welcome spring!

An Open Door

3 days on the market.
3 offers.
We accepted one of the ones above asking price that had no conditions. We are so very thankful!
Looking forward to this summer in our new home!!!!

Sure a lot different then our last real estate experience. I guess that was God closing one door so that we could have a better opportunity. It makes more sense now on this end. It sure stung then.

It's official. We're moving at the end of May. Yippee for us!

Snippets of Joy

I took them back to our favorite summer park 2 days in a row. It was so good to be back in our old stomping grounds. It was pretty neat to explore the park now that it was covered in snow. Simon climbed up the play structure and slid down all the slides like it was old hat. Claire, now a wee walker, was delighted to start exploring on her own. Some older kids had built a snow fort. This was the best thing ever. Claire discovered that she LOVES the teetor-totter and cried when she had to leave it.
This is why I work part time. I don't want to miss moments like these with my babies who are growing up so fast.

Stranded on the Side of a Road

Yesterday, on the way home from work (in -41 weather), one of my tire's went flat. I called a tow truck. He changed my tire. I drove on a dummy tire to get the kids. I realized that my back tire was also flat. We took the car to the shop. We now have 2 new tires. Blech! It sucked to stranded on the side of the road. It sucked to pay the bill. I was a little stressed out and it really didn't add to my already crappy week. However, that is done. Tomorrow is Friday and then, I get to kiss this week goodbye.

Today, I need to focus more on the good. Although we all have colds, none of us is really sick. We have two wonderful little people to snuggle. We have a wonderful, warm little house filled with all of our favorite things. We have a "Someday House" that is about to be painted and have flooring put in. We have a cuddly, cabin-fevered cat. We have an amazing babysitter who plays so well with our babies. We have great families who support us through everything. We have good jobs that we both like going to everyday. We have amazing friends. We have each other (and my husband gives the best hugs).

Sometimes, life gets me down. I think this is normal for all of us. I think the most important thing is that we only get one trip around the sun so, wallowing in what gets us down doesn't get us anywhere. Therefore, I apologize for my whining. Life is not all "happy, happy" all the time however, my problems are pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

Wishing you all a fabulous Friday - I'm sure glad to see a weekend around the corner!

(Fun news - Claire used the potty; she's loves that thing! If she keeps it up, she'll be potty trained before her brother. Claire also spent all evening walking around unassisted and without going back and forth between furniture... just walking. More things to be grateful for!)

2011 - Goals Reflection

I set a pile of goals for myself in January of 2011. Now, I need to assess what I've done.

These were my 2011 goals:

1. Lose baby weight sensibly.
-Well, I'm not as heavy as I was last January. I have been able to go down a few pants sizes. However, there's more work to be done. Hopefully, when Claire is weaned, I will be back to my happy medium

2. Eat more vegetables.
-I think we did this. I tried hard to say "yes" to the side salad and "no" to the fries... didn't always work out.

3. Vacuum more.
-It helped that we bought a snazzy new vacuum last Boxing Day so, this was easy!

4. Cloth diapers both kiddies and potty-train the Schmoo.
-Both kids are in cloth diapers most days. They get disposables at the sitter's. Simon wears underwear 40% of his life. He'd be potty-trained if we operated on my will-power alone. Unfortunately, I have a head-strong toddler who'll figure it out eventually. (I have a feeling Claire will be trained soon after Simon so, this may be my last year of diapers... fingers crossed.)

5. Nap every so often - because I can.
-And I do! Yesterday, I had a good solid afternoon nap. This should be everyone's goal! :)

6. Find another cool concert to go to with my honey.
-Can't say we did this unless the free concert in the park on Canada Day counts. I need to try again on this one!

7. Recycle more... buy less.
-Still working on this. It's hard to back out of consumerism in a consumerist society but, we are trying.

8. Create practical items and gifts to reuse.
-Did this! My gift bags rocked! I loved making capes for the kids. The owls for Claire's B-day favours were a hit. I have a few plans for 2012... as long as I get some time to sew!

9. Have more family dance parties.
-This was pretty easy. Both kids have some pretty stellar baby moves. I don't want to talk about their parents.

10. Take the family on more travel adventures.
-Ottawa was awesome. It was a big risk and it paid off! Our Clear Lake/Winnipeg trip was pretty awesome too. I can't see us getting too far in 2012 but, we'll venture somewhere this coming summer.

My Austrian Connection

I went to Bible School in Austria when I was 19 and when I was 23. I was young, naive and in love with adventuring. My first time there was for Fall School... a semester of Bible teaching during the fall semester. I learned what love isn't (I had a disastrous long-distance relationship with... eek... a wrestler and I had a crush on the tall Albertan boy that sat next to me in the Lecture Hall), I redefined what my home and Canada meant to me, I deepened my relationship with Christ, I drank alcohol for the first time and my world opened up to new ideas, people and possibilities. Every fall, I think back to that time of blissful innocence when the I was standing on the cusp of adulthood.

I went back later, with Tim, for the Summer adventure program and I hiked my heart out. Once again, I learned what love is not (the cute Southerner on my team), how to rely on Christ in the midst of chaos and that I could really push myself above and beyond my what I thought. It was a perfect place to prepare me for my first year of teaching.

Every year, I order myself a pair of Austrian slippers, or "cottage shoes". Yesterday, I got them in the mail and slipped them on my feet. I remembered my adventures, the Alps and the friends I made and I smiled. (My feet also sighed with pleasure - Austrian slippers are AMAZING!)

(I bought Simon a pair when I was pregnant with him - because of his casts and then his feet, he never could wear them. Claire, however, wears them well. The above picture is of my ratty last year's slippers and her adorable baby ones.)

(If you ever want to wear the most amazing slippers ever, check out the Austrian Online Shop. Order me a Milka too!)