Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy 13th Birthday Bruce

aka... Happy Leap Year!!  I only know once person whose birthday is today, so nice he'll finally be 13.  It would be kind of cool to have a BIG birthday celebration every 4 years, then what would you do the other years?

Monday, February 27, 2012

I went back to work at the hospital on the weekend.  They put me in charge so I could mostly be at the desk.  That didn't really happen much Saturday, but Sunday it sure did.  I have such great co-workers who wouldn't let me help with anything too physical and it was a really slow day.  When does that ever happen around there?

We've had some owls move into the neighborhood.  Last week when we were out in the hot tub ~ yes we've been getting very good use of it so far ~ come on over anytime ~ a huge horned owl landed on the very top of our very big tree behind us.  We watched it for a long time and then it swooped down across the yard.  Yesterday morning, before dawn, I came outside to hear the "whooooo" and there he was again, atop the neighbor's front tree calling out to his little wifey who came flying across to the tree beside where they sat and stared at me.  Cool!  I'm hoping for owlets

We're gearing up for a few tournaments the next 2 weekends, one at home - YIPPEE!  and then off to Washington.  Too bad there isn't a Trader Joe's in Yakima!  I love that place!   I love food what can I say?  FYI.. doesn't look like we'll be going to Calgary over Easter for volleyball :(  Erin has some extra training at UBCO over spring break.  She has really had favor with the coaches there.  Had a 2 hour session last week where the other girls didn't show, so she had 2 coaches to herself the whole time.

Jacob is having a really hard time with his classes at school.  Can't wait for spring break.  His teacher doesn't have very good classroom management skills and there are some real stinkers in there.  It's getting super frustrating!  Don't really know what to do.  I'm a fixer you see... but I also don't believe in making everything perfect for my kids either, they need to be with difficult people and situations to learn how to deal with them, because there are a lot of them in the big world out there.  If they live in a Christian bubble all the time, they can't learn how relate to different people.  They need enough protection, skills and knowledge and our values to help them to be able to deal with it out there, but it's hard to know where to draw the line sometimes.  I think me and my boy need to plan a trip, a little spring getaway somewhere.  Fresh life and breath!


I totally copied this right from my friends' blog!!  It's so perfect for today!  Let's "Leap" soon into March!
 
"I caught a pretty serious case of the Februaries recently. Do you have it? Is it going around? Is it contagious? Should I stay home till it passes?
The symptoms are this:
  1. Do you suddenly dislike most everything?
  2. Do you think that you are the worst, at everything, of all the people, in the entire world?
  3. Do you sort of want to stay in bed most mornings?
  4. Did you just feed your children french fries and hot dogs and call it supper (and then loathe yourself some more?)
  5. Is at least one entire room of your house covered in something that should not be there (master closet = 7 inches of clean laundry)" 
At least her floor is covered with clean laundry :)
Encourage someone today, we're all just hanging onto something.  Hopefully it's the ONE thing that matters.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Enjoying Home

Just spending Monday recovering from a weekend of driving and sitting; here I am doing some more sitting and reading, smelling bread bake.  I've been contemplating what God has for me during this time.  More time to get into His Word, to be impressed upon by what He has to show me for right now.  I feel that I'm being led to read and study Ezekiel.  Definitely think I might need some commentary after chapter 1.  I have been feeling like a new season is upon me, even before I was send to a screeching halt with my knee injury, so it's all in THE plan.  I want MORE of Him, MORE fullness and courage in this journey, to be every day MORE full of His glory.  But often times don't know how to get it, or get there.  I thought by this age I would have it figured out, would have "arrived", but still I struggle to be consistent in study and to join what I say in my head I want to practice with each moment lived.  And so sometimes it feels easier to give up. To let the idea or dream fade away,  the idealism die.  And I'm an idealist!  
But I do know God is always faithful to complete what He started.  His Word is rich every time I open it with fresh eyes, or not so fresh morning eyes.

Now for you are are asking for volleyball :)  Who would have thought I'd have such athletic kids?  The girls came in 5th this weekend (of 18).  There are some tough teams out there!  It was a good first tournament and I'm pretty sure the coach will have lots of things he wants to work on, starting again tonight.  No rest for the weary!  Erin's #7 usually front middle, red jerseys the first day, black the 2nd.  Nice they don't have to wear a stinky one over again :0



Here's my girl back to serve and then make some nice digs in the back row.  She only plays back row when she has served the ball.  #3 and #8 on our team have both been picked up to play CIS university v-ball next year.
A nice block and hit at the end for the point!

This team from Fraser Valley will be the ones to beat.  They are amazing!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Good news...

I got my MRI booking.  It's in 2 weeks on a Friday night at 10 pm, it'll make a romantic date night, just no metal, jewelry or body piercings.  I had phoned them to see if they got my referral and in the process told them I was staff, so they said that they sometimes as a courtesy they try to slip us in at the end of the day as an extra, so.. Yippee!  That's about 3 months earlier than I was originally told.

In other Drew news...
 - it snowed 2 inches today, just in time for having to drive the Coquihalla tomorrow, it's been clear and snowless for weeks! Erin has her 1st club tournament in Langley this weekend - can't wait to see her team play after 6 weeks of practising 3 times a week!  They are going to totally ROCK.  Their starting power hitter got an Athlete of the Year award this past week.  Our team has #3 and #13 on this list of top BC athletes.
-  Jacob is going to ROCK at RUSH this weekend. A fun way to lock 1000 teenagers in a high school for 2 days. Ok, they don't lock them up, they get to ski and tube and skate and totally have fun.  I'm sad to miss it, I was 1st Aid last year and it was so fun.  I hate to have to miss Phil Wickham and  Starfield, they are both so awesome!  The other more head banging bands I definitely needed my ears plugs for.  Our youth team are so awesome.. and patient :)
- because a post is always better with a photo, we celebrated Ditto's birthday a bit ago:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A New Project....

























Since I'm a bit slow still in getting back to normal life...no working yet, but no crutches, and going up and down stairs is no longer a half day event. I'm still taking it easy.  I started knitting this up in a deep eggplant color.  I really like the texture and hope it turns out like the photo.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

 I have 1 super special Valentine who kept texting me all day long, "Let's strike a match Valentine" and silly quotes like that.  And I have my 2 my little Valentines.  We had a special breakfast this morning to celebrate.

Hope your day is filled with LOVE!

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” — A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)

“There are three things that are too amazing for me,
   four that I do not understand:
 the way of an eagle in the sky,
   the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
   and the way of a man with a young woman.    Proverbs 30:18-19

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."    Romans 8:37-39 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Pandora's Box

I have the messiest boy ever!  For those of you who know Jacob a little bit, you know he throws himself wholeheartedly into things, and usually those things are messy.  It's been his whole life long that we've been trying to teach him things like washing his hands properly, using cutlery at appropriate times (he still occasionally will get caught eating RICE with his fingers), taking a shower,  not leaving sticky hands prints on every wall and railing he's been near, basic hygiene.  You get the idea.  In other ways he is so meticulous and organized, he's just a real enigma.  I get that boys like to explore and be free in their environment, but it's not an excuse for lack of cleanliness- no it is not next to Godliness, but at times I wish it were.

 2006

This week, he was at the kitchen table doing homework and coloring a poster and I had a look into his pencil box, which has been a bone of contention at times, but I don't usually see it.  Dare I see his locker at school :)  One if his habits is sharpening his pencils and just leaving all the shavings right in the box.  Needless to say, everything in it has turned black and is covered with charcoal pencil dirt, which is one reason he often hops in the van at the end of the day with black hands and charcoal marks on his face.  I could just kiss him :)   I asked him if his teacher ever said anything, well apparently this week she took a glance his way and said, "Oh my what have we here?"  Then I learned that his best friend calls it Pandora's box, and that quite a few neighboring classmates borrow his pencils and also sharpen their pencils in there.  It's always a mystery what will fall out of Pandora's box (I forgot to take a photo).  It was replaced this week with new felts and pencil crayons. The pencil sharpener has been confiscated.

It's part of his charm, it just so makes Jacob who he is.  This week, a surprising morning event occurred, Jacob got up, went on the treadmill, jumped in the shower and combed his hair!  Wonders never cease!

Oh I love that boy!  Just keepin' it real.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Jacob loves Jose

OK, so who can resist a swarm of puppies?  Oh my goodness!  We were called over to visit, oh ya, and give one of them a baby enema so he could poop :) 
I'm always up for giving an enema.

 Could you just kiss that face?!!
 Jacob fell in love with Jose and put on his best puppy dog begging eyes
 Then tried to sneak him home under his jacket
 And Erin, the dog whisperer, had one sleeping like a baby.  I don't know who made up that term, because really who wants to be woken up every 2 hours for 3 months?

Oh Mama, I feel your pain!  "Her milkers are like hanging to the ground".  There's been a lot of talk about breasts today, as I was trying to describe a TRAM flap to the kids at the dinner table because a friend was having one today.
Poor Jacob, it's hard enough being a grade 8 boy.  
The enema was a success by the way :)

Monday, February 6, 2012

Diagnosis

So looks like I most probably have an ACL tear.  I saw the Sports medicine doc today and am waiting for an MRI to confirm.  So just dealing with feeling stupid, wishing I had quit sooner, people's comments about what happened, and generally feeling bummed.  You can call me Robo-Mom with my new brace that I get to wear for a bit.  I'll have to decide if I want surgery if that is the diagnosis.  I guess you can opt not to have it, but it does limit you somewhat.  I think I'm too young to be limited somewhat, even though I will be quitting some of the things I love to do.  Most people seem to have good results with surgery, but I'll be asking around, so if you have some opinions or stories let me know.

In the meantime, I've come across some super cute photos to brighten your day, or maybe just mine :)

Cute wedding attendants a few year ago.  Time goes... is spent...
 Look at those little twins with Jacob!

I like this blog post today, and thought of someone dear who has just lost someone very dear. Talking about the passing of time... loss... I don't write like she can, so enjoy her:

"My father said that the day Aimee was killed, he looked across the fields and a neighbor kept plowing his dirt. Kept going about his work, breaking open the earth and turning it over.
When we’d have to cut open the earth and lay down a child, a daughter, a sister.
My father said he was madly wild to go over there and rip the keys right out of that tractor."
How could anyone go about ordinary time when nothing was now ordinary time?

The washing machine, it just keeps spinning, spinning on and on.
I haven’t enjoyed all the moments – some of them have just about killed me. 
But to wake to the moments and embrace the moments, all of them, the exhaustingly hard and the wildly good and the ugly beautiful, because God only comes to us through the moments. And He isn’t only in some moments, abandoning us in others."
  
"God seizes the days: God seizes time and uses it as an instrument to transform. God seizes every moment to sculpt souls and shape lives and transform ashes into glory. What if isn’t so much about seizing kairos moments and surviving chronos moments — but seeing all as Christ-filled moments? That God seizes the moment to make me more like Christ and what if I seized more of the moments, because there is something of my Savior in them?
Be present – because the present is just that – a present. A gift. No one has to carpe diem, seize the day, of everyday chronos time — we can all grind our teeth through as many of the difficult moments we want – and miss who knows how much of our life? How do you know which moments are the kairos moments to seize — and the chronos ones to merely survive"


So I think what is the diagnosis of my heart?  What is it God wants to do with me during this?  Not to just endure the time til the next thing, but to embrace the moments. Only to be more transformed to His glory.

Friday, February 3, 2012

5!!! I can't Believe I've put up with your Antics for 5 Years!

 
Ahhh... look how cute that little muffin was!
 So the big, black, furry beast is turning 5.  He's given us much joy, laughter and MANY photo opps.  He's also made me more angry than I've ever been at anyone.  Gone are the days of chasing him around the neighborhood, trying to find his latest escape route out of the yard, looking for your shoes, and finding the latest thing he's chewed to bits.  He's become a regular, slightly more contributing member of society. Ditto is heading into middle age with slightly more maturity.


Look at how cute they are- especially little Jakey!

Ditto on one of his first swimming adventures


Party plans are in the works for the weekend :)

We love him, he's one of a kind!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Movies I've Watched this Week

Shutter Island - a little too strange, watched the first half and the last 5 minutes.  I do love Leo DiC. in most everything he's played and he's fantastic in this also.
Return to Me - so cute, romantic love story, a tear jerker, but in a good way.  I told Erin she can watch it; that and the Notebook, which I've seen but we'll watch together maybe this weekend
Date Night - 7/10, loved Tina Fey, a few raunchy scenes
Picture Perfect- totally the character Jennifer Aniston always plays, but moderately entertaining
A Perfect Getaway- actually thought several times through it, why am I still watching this, but couldn't get up, so finished watching it.  Don't bother.
127 Hours- not for the faint of heart.  I really enjoyed, it's the backpacker, camping fanatic in me.

The selection on the Canadian version of Netflix isn't great, but we just finished our free month and forgot to cancel it.

What's your favorite movie of all time?