Three Sisters (spoiler warning)

I have 2 very sweet, long time girlfriends.. well actually I have a few more that are also very sweet.. but these 2 girls and I have been friends for 22 years.  We met in our first year of university and endured health assessment labs, poking each other with needles, poop, and all the joys of nursing school together.  About 2 years ago, we started a book, sort of like the "Traveling Pants", but much more meaningful and we definitely don't have to all fit the same size, unless by some sort of magic (I only wish I could fit Tara's size 6).  We write a few pages and send it off the next person.  It is so amazing to get the book and read back, share a little more of our lives together, prayers and be able to hold the memories together.  I've had our book this time for much too long, but finally got it sent off to Calgary during our last trip.  I sent some garden joy....

My thoughtful husband bought me this gift once.A gift he knew I'd like, a flower press. 

 

You put the flowers in, microwave for 45 seconds and voila, pressed flowers.  No heavy textbooks needed. I love it, though it doesn't get used very often.  Figured all the spring flowers needed to be remembered too.  Got my crafty fix for the month!

Blocker

 You may ask, what does a middle blocker do?
Well here's a few highlights from last weekend.

I Love Cute Faces

 Calgary fun

(all of the above courtesy of KD)

So we missed the face on this last shot...  

I'm sure I would dislocate something if I tried this.

Where to Begin...

I can't title this post because there are too many things in one.  We're back from AB and a wonderful visit with family and squeezed in a few friends too.  Erin had volleyball Nationals for 3 days.  The girls played awesome the first 2 days winning all their matches.  Then they headed into playoffs Monday morning and were beaten in instant knock out by a team they have some history with and that we beat at BC provincials.  It was a devastating loss leaving them 5th place when they were favored to win gold in their tier.  All good learning experiences though.  I'm so glad Auntie Tara made it to see the last set after some C-train catastrophes.  You totally rock!  A great group of girls and parents made for a fun weekend.  Erin had a serious cheering section all weekend, except that one 7:30am game :) 

Some serious shopping happened, mostly in part by Erin.  She's not going to be able to decide what to wear for the last 2 weeks of school!  Jacob got to hang out with cousins, instead of at the gym all weekend and had a trip to Calaway Park too.  He was totally stoked about that.

We celebrated both kids' birthdays, Jacob 13 already and Erin 16 coming up next week.  It's not very often the whole family has been there together to celebrate them.  I think only once before!

 Lots of hugs for the newest cousin!

There was also some serious celebrity viewing this weekend!  First we saw Stephen Harper watching his son play on the U15 Ottawa team,

and then.........

 Can you tell Erin is totally freaking out and embarrassed??

For all you Heartland fans, this is Erin and Ty (Graham Wardle)

If you don't watch it, you should!  CBC drama at it's best!

Tim, Janice and Peter (and his Mom?), Ty in the foreground.  My shots of Amy and Mallory were too dark.

But we did get Amy's (Amber Marshall) autograph!

I took Erin to see Cavalia by Cirque Du Soleil for her 16th birthday gift!  We found out that opening night was the day before we were heading home!  What a magical night!  Totally amazing! She has always been a serious Cirque fan, but with horses, what good be better??  And even more special that Ty gave her a birthday hug and they were sitting 3 rows in front of us!!

I Get to See my Nephews Soon!

We're heading out to AB for volleyball nationals, and we get to see family!  I haven't seen my some of my nephews and niece since last September.  My newest nephew is getting so big, we can't wait to hold him before he takes off running.  I bought some fabric at least 2 months ago thinking I'd make a blanket for him, thinking I had ages before we'd be out there in May!  Well still this morning it was sitting on my sewing pile.  Erin had the afternoon off (skipping Family Life.. aka Sex Ed.), so we decided to blitz.  I cut, she sewed, I sewed, she trimmed, we had both machines going for a few hours and are nearly done.  It's so great to have another wonderful seamstress in the house!!

May Days

I've been enjoying this view from my kitchen window for a week or so now.  The past few days, the petals have been blowing off in the wind making this beautiful bed of petals all over the finally, green grass.  It's so pretty, I don't even want to mow it all away.

13 Things I Love About Jacob

So my boy turned 13 and we celebrated yesterday, and last night, and this morning.  It was a casual party with just a few friends.  They are becoming such young men, especially the ones whose voices are going down in pitch.  It's so amazing to hear these boys, who I've known for years, changing and becoming deep, and slightly more mature (at times :).

The boys spent quite some time designing their PVC tube marshmallows guns.  Then took off into the orchards with bags of minis for all out marshmallow warfare.  Ditto is still loving the remnants of party fun!!  Also a little airsoft gun action/target practice happened with only one shot at a person before it was hidden by the Dad.

So 13 things I love about my boy:
1. He has always had a soft heart for people, caring and kind and compassionate.  Even though sometimes one has to hide it by a tough guy exterior, it's still in there being nurtured and will always be a big part of who he is and how he treats people.
2. That he always likes a bedtime story and to be tucked in at night, usually we read the Old Testament together and just hang out together.
3. The way he laughs when something is funny, it's all in!
4. His kindness and ability with younger kids, I still think he'll be a teacher or something one day, if he can get over hating English and Social to teach it one day.
5. His love language has always been "physical touch" and though it's changing to more of a wrestling kind of "love" than Mommy hugs, I love the way he'll just fall into a couch, hug the dog, hang on the side of me, make himself present in a room, or a hug with all of himself
6. His mathematical, Lego building mind.  It amazes me what comes out of that head
7. The way he looks up to his sister and his Dad, wanting to be like them, the good parts of them, yet still so much his own man.
8. The way he can spend hours creating, in his own world, so self entertaining and independent, with a train of thought and creations that come out from the bedroom.
9. His determination to improve at something he sets his mind to
10. Dirt, dirt, dirt... enough said.  It's so cute that he's always dirty because it means he's wholeheartedly been into something, but also so annoying all at the same time. He's so secure in who he is and has never cared what people think of him.  So much confidence in a wonderfully, dirty package.
11. His love for sports and athletic ability that he has pursued.
12. His deep love for God and desire to do what is right
13. All the things he is all in one make him a complicated, unique, God fearing son, turning young man that I love so much!

Happy Birthday to my teenager!  It was nice the boys dressed color coordinated with the theme colors for me.

Painful Slogging Through

This marriage thing ... it's sometimes hard, as a few of us friends have found out when our girlfriend up and left her husband a few weeks ago.  A huge surprise to us all, a knocking down of structure and depth we thought we were creating together.  And it's not the only thing in life that's hard.  It's got me thinking how we keep so much inside, how we don't share what's actually going on inside of us, behind our closed doors, how our hearts may be pounding with the fear of loss or rejection, hurt, pain, and we don't allow ourselves a place to be, a place to be heard, or cared for.  We try at community, at making deep friendships, and sometimes they fail us, most often we fail them too.  Sometimes it's too hard to be open even in the closest of trusting relationships.  Because we've been hurt before, we don't want to trust and open our hearts again, be judged, or made afraid of what someone might do with our information, our emotions, our hearts.  We are so human in our fears, in trying to be what we think we should be.

What is this life if we can't be there for each other?  If when your heart and life around you is crumbling and no one seems to pay attention. How many lonely people are out there without a soft place to land?  How many hurts just need a listening ear?  And how can we open ourselves up to being that person for someone else?  To be the hands of Jesus?

This rubbing of lives together in the box of 4 walls, a home, brings out the rough edges most often in need of some sanding down.  But sometimes we see a gouging take place instead of a gentle, even sanding.  And sometimes we don't see at all.

"Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest"  Jesus

I have 2 teenagers!!!

And the whirl wind continues as several things wind up around here, and boy are we ready!  We were away last weekend for Jacob's volleyball provinicials to the lovely town of Aldergrove, BC (read... another trip to Vancouver), no snow this time.  I had the lovely company of the other coaches wife, and have made I'm sure a new friend.  We have so many common friends and connections it's uncanny, and the guys get along fantastic.  We had the lovely company of my Mom on the way home, she flew into Abbotsford to watch and come back home with us.  What a totally fun team and group of boys and parents!  We came in 2nd last, but had fun doing it!

We were away again this weekend to Abbotsford (read.. the Coquihalla is becoming like a friend to us) for U16 girls provincials.  Erin was feeling totally sick this weekend, so rode the bench a fair bit. They ended up 7th in the province, which is nothing to sneeze at, although that's what Kevin has been doing all night.  A road trip first happened on the way home, they both fell asleep!!

And in other, MOST BIG and EXCITING news!  I have another teenager!!!!  Both my kids are now in the teens, leaving behind the days of children in the house! I'm still a little happy to be tripping over Lego when I think about this. It really is such a weird feeling that I haven't fully processed yet!  We had some small celebrations over the weekend, and when Gramma was here, but the real party will happen this coming weekend.  Jacob you're the BEST boy,  I love you to pieces, I know I sometimes even squash you to pieces, but you're so loveable!  He's pretty excited about opening "shoes" while driving!  I can't wait to get to party planning and really celebrate!