Wisdom from Caleb

Here’s a poem that Caleb wrote the other day:


Spring

In spring rivers running and grass is coming.
In spring lots of rain.
We get out our bikes,
But the best of all is the...mud!!!!


I was looking through a journal the other day and found this quote from Caleb about 2 years ago. (At the lunch table, out of the blue.) “Mommy, did you lay the egg I hatched from?”

Always Loved, Never Forgotten

Three years ago today, my Mom’s earthly body succumbed to MS. Her spirit, however, stayed strong to the end. I know that she’s with her Maker and Redeemer now and is strong and healthy. That’s a comfort to me, but I still do miss her! I’m so thankful that I had her as my Mom for 36 years. I always knew I was loved by her and had a special place in her heart. In many ways, she was my best friend, and we shared so much together. She taught me so much about life and living for Jesus. When I was young, she disciplined and taught me faithfully. And I remember how she gradually let me go to be my own person. As I got older, our relationship changed from mother/child to mother/friend. And then as she got physically and emotionally weaker, I became her strength in some ways.

Special Memories of my Mom:

*Staying up late (all night one time!) playing games and/or talking.
*Her teaching me how to sew.
*All the beautiful flowers she liked to grow. I remember the flowers we had at our house in Minnesota and how they made an impression on me when I was young.
*Taking “girl trips” together. For a few years, Rachel, Mom, and I went to visit Sheldon’s and go shopping on Thanksgiving weekend since Dad and the guys were hunting. Mom, Darla, Rachel and I had a fun trip to my cousin Rosie’s wedding. And, of course, there was the wedding shopping trip in Winnipeg with Mom, Rachel, and Carolyn. Oh, the things we learned on that trip!
*Her and Dad coming to visit me in Russia – and bringing a suitcase full of treats and presents.
*Special traditions such as at Christmas. These meant a lot to Mom and she did a lot to make them happen.
*Planning my wedding with her help. Our only disagreement was because I told her she couldn’t do everything she wanted to do – like make the cake and all the bridesmaid dresses!
*The way she just enjoyed people and always had time for a cup of coffee with someone.
*I always knew that her eyes would light up when I walked into the house.
She was one of the few people who could listen to all of my stories, woes, and blessings of parenting – and be truly interested.

Things I admire about my Mom:
*She was always full of life and energy.
*She loved to laugh.
*She could - and did – laugh at herself. And she let us laugh at her foibles too.
*She always cared about me and my family. She loved my boys so much.
*She was wise and helped me see my blindspots in my parenting.
*She loved the Lord and loved people!!
*She suffered well and stayed strong to the end.
*She loved to make beautiful things and be creative. She was always making something or getting into some new craft or sewing project. She made clothes and blankets and other things for her kids and grandkids and when she couldn’t do that anymore, she resorted to making cards on the computer. It’s special now to have some of the things she made!

Even after three years, I still miss her very much. It really is true that each and every person on this earth is unique and irreplacable. The huge hole that she left isn’t the big gaping wound that it was, but the scar is still there and the ache of missing her will never completely be gone. I thank God for giving her to me (us) even if it wasn't long enough.

A Little Rant

We're heading for a wedding in MT in 2 weeks - and I don't have anything to wear! Help! With having babies and such, I haven't really kept my wardrobe well-stocked. Well, it's well-stocked as in I have clothes in about 5 different sizes. But at this particular size (none of your business!) and this season, there's really not much there. I had found this sorta cute pink fabric for $1.99 at Wally World (not my first choice of colors, but it's okay for that price!) So, last week I whipped up a cute little dress - and it's, um, too little. Grrrr. I used to be a fairly decent and meticulous seamstress. Apparently not so much anymore! There's a slight chance that I'll lose enough weight in two weeks to wear it, but maybe not.

Now I'm looking into all my options... I looked all over our poor little town and came home disgusted with current colors and styles. The other night Keith (!) and I perused the Sears catalogues. We found a few possibilities, but I'm a bit skeptical. I ordered a few things - good thing it's easy to return stuff. I just have to say that I'm not impressed with the current colors! I'm not a brown, grass green, coral or turquoise person! Where's all the red, blue, and sage or olive green?? I know my tastes have changed over the years with whatever "they" are offering, but I must draw the line here. It's makes me frustrated that some un-known "fashion gurus" (who are they anyway???) get to decide what colors and styles I can and can't buy. The funny thing is, a Sears sale catalogue just came yesterday with a red (!) dress in it. Not sure that it will work for me, but I'm going to order it and see. And my friend Phyllis is going to Wpg this weekend and will look for fabric for me. Now that's desperate - letting someone else buy fabric for you!

Okay, I'm done now. Sorry to bore you with all that! Down with brown! Up with red and blue!!!

A Hint From Matilda the Mommy - and other stuff

Your 4-year-old has a cute little dress outfit to wear to church, complete with vest and tie, but his shirt never stays tucked in... What do you do? I recommend duct-taping his shirt to his underwear! It really works! The little cutie is in church right now with duct tape as a part of his ward-robe.

Oh, and I'm not in church with them because Josiah is sorta sick and very grumpy. He had a fever yesterday and during the night. Sigh. It feels like it would if my family were getting together for a meal and I couldn't go be with them. :-( Derek and Elise are coming over for lunch so that will be fun. I have hardly seen them since our adventures in Kenora. Scotty's probably already walking and talking and ready to start school. Well, maybe not.

We had a fun first at our house this week. Caleb lost a tooth. He's pretty proud of it. We didn't even know it was loose until two days or so before it came out. He didn't know why his tooth hurt sometimes and just never mentioned it. Now that he knows what's going on, he discovered two more loose ones! So, he's fixin' to have a real hole in his head. I think he feels like a really big boy!

My Favorite Pages - and boys!

I had a lot of fun with these pages for our family book. Lisa had a catalogue with lots of cool stickers and tags with sayings. That's where I got the idea for the words. I hope these pictures aren't too grainy for you all to see.

These pages are from the 7x7 book that I've been doing for Keith's Mom and Dad for a few years. I add some pages every year.

Some Pages for the Boys' Books

I did a bit of catch-up in Caleb and Logan's books: Caleb's 18-month picture and Logan's first birthday. And I started Josiah's book. You can see my ripped paper on Josiah's page. It's not that complicated or anything, but it was fun!

Oh, Sweet Bliss

Amazing how fast a weekend goes when you've been looking forward to it for months and months. But the scrap-booking weekend did indeed come - and go. We had so much fun!!! Lots of good food (just what we needed! not!), fun conversations, lots of creative juices flowing and idea-sharing. Brenda got Iris, Janet, and me ripping paper like old pros. Try it! It's fun and looks cool too! On Sat. I started working about 9:00. We stopped for lunch and supper and a walk in the afternoon. Other than that, it was power scrap-booking until 1:00 am! Is that crazy or what! I really should've stopped sooner! Needless to say, the next morning I got a pretty late start. Wendy was an absolute machine churning out the pages. She did well over 50 pages and got all of her kids books caught up to the present. She's amazing!

Apparently the fam all survived okay without me. Keith said he's not very good at feeding Josiah. :-) Now, Josiah's present to me this morning is that he threw up (of course, I was out for my walk, so Keith got to clean it up). So nice of him to be healthy throughout the weekend and get sick when I get home! :-) He just woke up so I need to go get him up and see how he's doing.

I'll try to post pictures of some of my favorite pages soon. This week is March break, and I think we'll take at least 3 days off. Starting today!! I don't feel like trying to accomplish lots today! :-)

Just Call Me Long-Winded!

I guess it’s time for an update! I hope this doesn’t get really long. My dear sister commented one time that it’s feast or famine with me. So, I hope I don’t bore you with a long “feast”. I’ll try to give you some highlights of the last few weeks – if I can remember them.

* I had a major attack of “dumb” and cut my finger quite badly with my big kitchen knife. “Remember kids, safety first! Always cut away from yourself and don’t use sharp knives unless an adult says you can!” There should be a sign like that in my kitchen! Anyway, I didn’t have stitches, but I ended up in the ER twice to get it bandaged. Then I had a huge bandage for a week, and no soaking it (i.e. dishes, showers) for a week and a half. It’s doing pretty well now.

* We’re the proud “possessers” (no money has changed hands yet) of a “new” van. It’s funny how “new” can be such a relative term! Anyway, it’s newer than our other one with less miles and rust. And it runs!! It’s really nice to have a vehicle. My in-laws, on the other hand, are the proud owners of a (for real) new Toyota FJ. Yeah, I hadn’t ever heard of them either until now. You can google it if you’re curious.

* We had a (mostly) fun adventure last weekend and went to Poplar Hill to visit our friends Arthur and Iris. We left Josiah with my Dad and Dru since we took the truck which only seats 4. That was the first time I left him overnight. :-( It was my first experience of driving on a “winter road”. What that means for the city folks is the community is fly-in only for most of the year. But in the coldest part of the winter, they make a road . You drive on land for a ways, and then drive across a lake, then land, then lake. On and on. The land-road is narrow and very, very rough. It’s wide enough to meet and pass other vehicles, but just barely. The lake roads are quite smooth and wide, but, well, they’re made of ICE. So, that was a little nerve- wracking for me because my dear hubby is of the opinion that nothing bad can happen when you’re driving fast (in my opinion) on a wide, clear ice road. Anyway, we made it safely, and had a fun visit.

We stayed up late like a bunch of teen-agers playing Empire Builder. Of course, our kids still had to wake up at 7:00. The guys made breakfast and then went ice fishing. They got enough with what Arthur had caught the day before to make a good lunch for all of us. Mmmmm! Fresh walleye!! And one jack-fish thrown in for good measure. Iris and I talked as much as we could around all the hustle and bustle. I baked and she decorated a birthday cake for a little guy in the village. It turned out really well!

The ride home was a bit more stressful than the way in. We got started a bit later than we intended and I was worried about meeting big trucks (semis- they travel the winter road more at night when it’s colder). Oh yeah, Jesus said not to worry. He and I are still working on that one! We met a group of three big trucks that were hauling modular jail cells. The beam under one of them had broken and the modular was tilted over to the side. As he was driving toward us, we could see the thing wobbling back and forth. Caleb and I were freaking out, I must say. The driver was wise and kind and stopped the truck while we went around him, hoping the thing wouldn’t let go and crush our little truck. That was scary!

The rest of the winter road went fine. We didn’t meet any other big trucks. Then we got on the Nungessor Road (all season road) and it felt like a wide smooth highway. The problem was, it was glare ice, and this time we did lose control. We slid across the road and “bounced” off the snowbank and then straightened out. Keith acknowledged it was only by the grace of God. We thought we were toast. The funny thing was, the boys were in the back talking and being silly and they never stopped the whole time we were skidding or after. They acted like they didn’t even notice. Needless to say, the drive was a “marriage enrichment” experience, if you know what I mean!

Monday morning bright and early Caleb started puking. This fun little activity continued every hour or two all day until bed-time. Logan didn’t want to be left out, so he joined in the fun soon after lunch. Since he got a late start, he had to wake up every few hours through the night to throw up. It was quite a day. The next day, and off and on for the two days after that, they just laid around and slept and had fevers periodically. It’s been quite a week! I hope they’re on the mend, but I hear that this flu that’s going around is a long one. Logan was well enough to go with Keith to cell group tonight. And I must say, this sickness sure makes bed-time a breeze. They’re too tired to put up any fuss or mess around. Unfortunately, Josiah has a fever this afternoon and evening. I hope he doesn’t get the whole stomach thing. It could be just teething, perhaps…

And now, here’s the most exciting thing of all… I’m leaving tomorrow for the weekend to go scrap-booking with a bunch of ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoo hoo!!! Stormer Lake here we come! There will be about 15 of us and I think we’re going to have a blast! I’ve talked to at least 3 other Moms of little kids who are just ecstatic about this weekend. :-) I made a chocolate truffle cheesecake for supper tomorrow night. Hehehehe. Josiah getting a fever has put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm, but Keith says he thinks I should still go. So, I guess I won’t argue and I’ll just pray for them all!!! Oh, and did I mention that I’m REALLY excited about this weekend???

Well, way to go if you’re still reading. I guess I’m pretty verbose here. Rachel, you’re right again. Okay, I’ll shut up now.

Waaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

I finally did it! I cut the little guy's hair. He was starting to look like he was wearing a worn-out mop on his head! So I took the plunge. He behaved very well and consumed many raisins in the process. I was just disgusted that I didn't get a really good "before" picture. :-( But now my baby is gone and I'm sad! Even though he's cute as a button as a big boy, it's an adjustment to see him this way. Sigh. Why does time march on so fast??? The other thing is, now I think he looks kinda silly with a bottle! But I don't have the gumption to wean him. :-)

“How to Cut a Tooth” by Josiah, age 13 months

Hi everyone. Mommy said I could write this post for her. Since it’s about me. Well, apparently she thinks I’m pretty slow in the tooth department, since I only had four teeth until yesterday. I don’t think it’s my fault though. Anyway, the other day I was toddling around which is one of the things I do best – usually. But this time I tripped over something and fell against the corner of the coffee table and hit my mouth. I cried and cried and when Mommy looked, all she saw was a little cut where a new tooth should be one day. And guess what? Two days later, my tooth is poking through. It's my fourth one on the top. Now Mommy thinks I should find some way to bump my bottom teeth through. I only have one (very crooked) bottom tooth. Am I silly or what! But I’m cute, so it’s okay. At least that’s what they tell me.

I know this is changing the subject, but I’m really excited because Mommy and Daddy decided I’m big enough to do the stairs now. I finally learned how to turn around and slide down on my tummy. It’s so fun and I love to go down to the basement!! And Mommy’s glad she can leave the gate open most of the time!

Okay, and now Mommy's disgusted because she up-=loaded that picture of me three times and it's still sideways and she doesn't know why. Sorry! That's all.

kid news

Rachel told me to post pictures of the boys, so in humble submission to her, here they are!

Caleb is really enjoying piano lessons and doing well. I just love it when he sits down at the piano and plays for fun! I find it amazing what he’s learned in less than a year! Legos continue to be one of his favorite toys. Especially when Daddy helps him build something. This is a marble roller that they built. Do your kids go on toy binges?? Mine do. A few weeks ago all they played with was Legos. Then they got out the wooden train set that they hadn’t touched in months. And that’s about all they played with for days. Now it looks like we’re back to Legos. They crack me up!!

My big 4.5 year old fell asleep at the supper table the other night! He still takes a nap once in awhile. We’re doing a bit of “school” with him now and I’m so pleased that he’s catching on to lots of letters and numbers. But not the colors. I used to wonder if he was color-blind, and then I thought no, it was just that he hadn’t learned his colors yet. But now he’s learned them, and he still gets mixed up often with blue/purple and green/brown. I guess I should get him tested. Here’s a question for a genetics expert. My Mom was a carrier of color-blindness (her Dad had it and one of my brothers has it). I never thought that I could be a carrier. Does anyone know if I could be??

Someone Really Should Get Pregnant!

Well, it’s this way. I’ve been getting the itch to crotchet something. Not a big afghan though, more like a baby afghan. I was holding myself back a little, but then… Yesterday I paid a final visit to our dear little Yarn Shop which is closing after many years in our little town. :-( The yarn was 40% off and she has such nice yarn… So, now I’m the proud owner of yarn for a baby boy and baby girl blanket. Any takers?

Valentine's Day

How did you celebrate? We went to the Sweetheart Banquet last Saturday, which was very nice. Then on Wednesday I made a special meal and we had a friend over. I got the menu idea from my friend, Iris, last year: heart-shaped meatloaf and pink mashed potatoes. That was fun!! Then, we all (except Josiah) went to the Symphony! Yup, you heard me right! The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra was in town and we took the boys. It was wonderful music, of course, and the boys did really well sitting quietly through it. It did get long for them, but they enjoyed it to. Of course, Logan's favorite instrument was the drums! The really neat thing was that we sat so close to the orchestra. We moved for the second half and we were only about 4 feet from the first row of musicians! It was at the Legion, for those of you who know it, and the place was packed.

My Emotional Health-O-Meter

The other day I uttered words to my hubby that he later told me struck fear to his heart: “I could get used to a messy house!” Now, three or four days later, I’m realizing that it’s not true. But why did I feel that way then? I was feeling somewhat depressed and therefore overwhelmed with the work-load around here. I just couldn’t get in gear to get much done. So, the mess built up and it was getting pretty bad. Yesterday, however, I was feeling stronger emotionally and the mess was making me crazy!!! So Caleb and I cleaned up toys and cleaned up messes and put away toys and cleaned up more clutter, and oh, what a difference! And Keith was relieved that I’m not getting used to a messy house. :-)

I was thinking about it all this morning and realized that I can also tell how I’m doing emotionally by how often the dishes get washed. If I’m doing well and full of energy, I/we usually do the dishes after lunch. If I’m overwhelmed emotionally or physically, they sit there all day until after supper (sorry, Honey!) This probably isn’t remotely interesting to any of you, but I found it sorta interesting/enlightening for myself. Oh, and wash the dishes after breakfast?? I should say not! Whatever my mood! :-)

Chocolate and Little Boys

Can one little chocolate cupcake with fudgy chocolate icing make a kid very very hyper??? The boys each had one for lunch and Caleb has been zipping around like a squirrel on a caffeine I.V. ever since. Help! Part of it is that he's like me: when he gets excited about a project or something, he goes at it full-bore and maybe even obsessively. :-) And he's been really excited about a few things this afternoon. Now he's finger-painting and has calmed down considerably. And Daddy's supervising them! :-)

The Why's and How's of My Life

Why does it cost $459 to get two fillings replaced?? (I had them done a little over a week ago.) And why, a week later, did it still hurt to chew?? The good news: yesterday morning my friend Debby and I were praying together as we do on Fridays and I felt the Lord prompt me to ask Him to heal my tooth. So I did. Since then it is getting gradually better! Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Why did our van escape mortal injury in Kenora two weeks ago, only to die a week later? Yup, I was driving last Sat. and the thing just died. My mechanic Father-in-law says it goes “clunk.” That’s not good. A lot different than “click” (like a dead battery). So, we’re not entirely sure yet, but the evidence seems to point to a seized up engine. It’s probably related to what happened in Kenora and the fact that we didn’t get the contaminated oil changed soon enough. We were going to replace it this spring anyway… Rest in peace, old blue van!

How can it be that my energetic and hard-working Mother-in-law was baby-sitting Josiah all day last Tuesday and the next morning, she ended up in the hospital with a heart condition?? It boggles the mind - and heart! She’s home now and doing better…

How do I cut the hair around Josiah’s ears and leave the rest long without it looking “half-cut”??

Why do I live in Northwestern Ontario where the temperature has ranged from –15 to –40 C (that’s -25 to -40 for you Yankees) for the last, oh, maybe two solid weeks - maybe more? I wanna move to Arizona! :-/

How am I supposed to have a day of rest on Sunday when my energetic boys are full of “Mommy watch this, do this, help me with this”, etc., etc.??

Why did I volunteer to make desserts for the sweetheart banquet when I’m trying to lose weight? Well, the banquet was last night, and the desserts turned out fine. And, I lost a couple pounds last week. I had to make a vow to God that I wouldn’t eat any sweets except 5 bites if I was doing a test-run on a dessert – until the banquet. I almost made it and it did help! Oh, and the final dessert list was: Chocolate Caramel Torte, Coconut Cake Supreme, Red Velvet Cake, Cherry Vanilla Parfait, Sugar-free Cheesecake with Strawberries, Bavarian Apple Torte, and Peanut Butter Pie.

And finally, why do I wait so long to blog and then have so much to write at once?

Life’s little mysteries…

Whaddaya Think?

Josiah is now 13 months old, and he's had his one-year pictures taken. So, what's to stop me from cutting his hair? I just can't make myself do it just yet. I know that when I cut it, my little baby will be gone forever and I'll have a little boy instead. Sigh! So, do you think I should cut it now? Obviously, it doesn't always look like these pictures. I try to keep it tucked behind his ears. :-)

And on a completely different topic... It's supposed to be -40 tonight or colder. I really need to go for a walk in the morning. Do you think I will? No, not likely. I'm thinking about digging out my old aerobics video for tomorrow and exercising with Stormie. Sometimes it's just too cold!!!