the utilikiltarian

Last week when we were in Seattle we stopped in at the Utilikilt store to pick up Wade's winnings from the video contest he won.



We had a great time visiting with all the guys at the store and they treated us like rock stars. The editor newsletter, CJ, rolled out the red carpet for us and we discovered today that he had written about our visit in his newsletter.

Click on this link here to view what he wrote about us - it's pretty sweet (scroll all the way to the bottom) and make sure you click on all the underlined bits to view the full experience!

so, just to spell it out...

Just in case you missed it, in my last post when i said,

"Even though I say I think we've tried everything, I'd still love any encouragement or advice anyone has to offer....."

that was me, asking for some encouragement and advice.

(If you're praying for us, thanks, the last 24 hrs have been much better.)

another post already....

This morning Sophia and I were having a contest to see who was grumpier and no one was winning. Jennifer called right at the moment when I was losing it and invited us out for coffee. Time with her and Rebecca at a family-friendly cafe, time in the park, collecting gorgeous fall leaves were all therapy much needed for us both. We made art later.

It finally dawned on me, after saying to multiple friends, "I don't know what to do. Sophia keeps hurting Eleanor and nothing we are trying is working", that I could pray about this. I feel like an idiot to not have thought of it before. What a concept, huh? So, if you think of it, and you are reading this, could you please pray Sophia will stop hurting Ella? I think it is all about power, attention and drama, which are no strangers to my own personality - but I guess the fruits of the Holy Spirit will do the trick. I could use some of those too as I feel farther and farther from them every time I get SO mad Sophia has hurt Eleanor again. It makes me feel like a terrible Mum and just need some help... and we've tried it all, I think.


On the good side, they do (miraculously) adore each other and Eleanor looks at Soph like she hung the moon. (Thank God.) Sophia has taken to greeting Eleanor by saying "Hey Ella Bella, the cat and the fella, the cow jumped over the moon."

Photos taken by Nunuboo at a soap event we recently attended.

Even though I say I think we've tried everything, I'd still love any encouragement or advice anyone has to offer.....

William Tell Overture for Moms

This is funny.

moments of joy

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I posted last. I've had lots of good ideas for posts, but the time seems to never be enough for a deep outpouring of thoughts - so I think I will give an update of recent events.



Eleanor now has 2 teeth, is also very close to crawling, and today she made me laugh, really, laugh by laughing at me. She is sitting in the eating chair now (the mini high chair) and pounds down the food. She is super close to crawling, like to eat paper, and when she can, rips huge hand fulls of Sophia's hair out...payback.

Eleanor eats - and decorates with avocado.

We went to Seattle last week to see our friends and pay a pastoral visit of sorts to the YWAM crew there. It was a really rich time with lots of good connections. I felt like God was really in the timing of our visit and we all enjoyed ourselves. Sophia loves to play with our friend's kids, and we love hem all too, so it's win- win.


We spent Sunday cooking with our friend Zach, actually, he and Wade cooked, I ate. My favourite pic from the day is this one above of Zach and Eleanor. Eleanor's shirt is one that wade made for Soph when she was a baby. It has "Rage Against The Machine " lyrics on it, the front says "I was born to raise a fist against the system" and the back says "Yes, I know my enemy."

Phil and I eat the amazing pasta Wade made for us.

I'm well. I tend to be still trying to find a balance within my self most days of not stressing out over goals I set myself (and then feel I HAVE to keep, forgetting I can let myself off the hook), and just enjoying my kids. I wish I could remember every little thing they do and feel tempted to beat myself up about the fact that I can't seem to put any time into baby books or journals to catch every precious minute. Instead I have been trying to enjoy my moments with them more, so that when I look back I'll know the moments I can't remember were well spent - but I still yell at Sophia more than I would like. I still probably have a least one moment a day where I feel like a genius for handling a problem well, but those are interspersed with me acting like a 3 year old every now and then. Today I went for walk, something I have been meaning to do for literally months. It was pretty great, actually.

In grasping moments of joy a big, big one lately was being invited to a "animal pancake party" in Seattle. It was amazing! Our friend Heather's dad has a technique using turkey basters and squeeze bottles where he can create any animal you name and he was put to the test! I had a deer, Wade ordered a water buffalo, and others ordered manatees, lemurs, pterodactyls holding turtles - I think i loved the peacock the best - sorry no pic.)


Sophia had a zebra:

here's some others:


I think I'm gonna try it too....

big day!

Today was Sophia's first full day of preschool! She left this morning with her friend Rebecca.
She was stoked, I was a little emotional.


Sophia turned three and has just decided to be big. It is mildly disconcerting, but immediately, actually ON the day of her birthday, went on the big kid playground instead of the little kid playground. She was swinging on the bars she likes and said "Where are the big monkey bars?" I said, "Those are the big monkey bars." "No, the big ones." "Yes, those are them. They are not smaller, Soph. You grew!" And she laughs... She has, in fact, according to the doctor, grown 6 cm since April.

And then...has conquered the doctor, the dentist, learning to use the computer, ride a bike with training wheels, memorizing how to spell her own name, learn her numbers and letters, rearrange the things in her room and say things like, "Speaking of cheese..." and "I get the point."

I really like this big kid, but can someone tell me, didn't I just have a baby around here? Where did she go?

just thinking...

A thought has occurred to me as I attempt to encapsulate my day for this blog. I think motherhood of young children is partly so exhausting because I experience so many emotions in one day.

Just today I have experienced :annoyance, joy, pride, anger, awe, nervousness, relief, surprise, gratefulness, an uplift, a near breakdown, pettiness, stress and peace and I am sure I'm missing a few.

All that was before 8pm.

Oh, and Wade got me a new phone, it has a camera, an MP3 player and all sorts of things...but I was just aware that there was a time I would have dived right in to play with it all it does, and really I was just thinking..."When am I going to have time to figure that out?"
but, I also thought that I could take really cute pictures of the kids at the park...

Still looking for the joy.
Today I stopped and tried to think of 10 Beautiful Things while I did my ankle exercises and one of the things I attempted to find beauty in was how filthy my ceiling fan is because of all the dust, sun, fun and cooking of summer. It actually did make me feel better about it. It is atrocious.

playdate

Guess who's having a playdate at our house? Right now I am listening to Sophia and Rebecca talk. It is hysterical.

It's really fun that they are old enough to play together now. They're going to start going to Ms. Pam's preschool on Wednesdays together. As my sister and the BNF would say, good times, noodle salad.

our 10th anniversary party

What a day we had. On Saturday we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows and then partying it up with about 50 of our closest friends.



It was an absolutely lovely day. It was, as my friend Jennifer said afterwards, like a wedding with none of the stress. What surprised me, though (I know this may sound silly seeing as I helped PLAN the thing) was that it was just like a wedding. I knew we were having a party, but I hadn't really processed how much it would be another wedding and it was utterly overwhelming in a fabulous way. I never imagined it could be so great.

I loved wearing my original wedding dress, and was awed at the emotions it stirred in me to be a bride again. As I put my dress on, I was nervous, but couldn't figure why (I mean, I married the guy ONCE already), and then it dawned on me everyone was going to look at me say mushy deep things to Wade (which again, I know I do all the time when I teach, but...you know.) It is also strange when you are the bride you don't get to see everyone arrive one by one, you just walk in and suddenly people from every season of your life are in the same place at the same time, like a dream. This was really a good dream come true. While there were a lot of people who I would have loved to have had there, so many came that were such a surprise.



God totally blessed me and helped me find just what I wanted to say to Wade just when I needed to say it. He was so handsome, he was and still is better than I ever dreamed a man could be. He also looked really hot! (My dad loaned Wade his Cub Scout cuff links, which made me cry when I saw them. I also had flowers from my favourite flower shop, The Flower Box, which...yes, made me cry when I saw them.) My brother sang, and I really missed my sisters. I wore earrings from Caroline and carried my Pooh bear necklace from Liz ( you can see it in the photo above) with my bouquet to have a piece of them with me.



None of our original wedding party could be with us (but they ALL wanted to be - love you guys...) but our dearest friends nearby all stood up for us. (Jennifer is missing from this shot below - she was moving her car! - but when I get one with her I will post it too.) The guys all wore Utilikilts that Wade won with his Utilikilt prize winnings and we were all lookin' pretty fine.



My bridesmaids were INCREDIBLE. They were just what I always hoped bridesmaids could be, baking scones for breaky, painting my toes, buying jewellery, looking after my baby, driving and flower-wrangling and photo-taking and getting their own kids there all in one piece. And, when Sandra heard I had never had a fancy-schmancy wedding cake, she organized Angela and her friend Julie to help and they MADE THIS CAKE:



I KNOW! And this is me seeing the cake for the first time:



And then, to top it all off, Angela and Leigh managed to surprise us by arranging for all our friends to chip in to buy us a new laptop...and not just any one, but the best you can get. They gave us an empty box to open, and when all the $$$ arrives we will be getting the new model of the Mac Book Pro that will be released in October. I know! I know!



Wade was wearing Eleanor asleep in the sling when they gave it to us...needless to say, she woke up.



So I have spent the last 2 days processing all the bliss. God has been really speaking to me over the last year or so about waking up to my emotions, being awake for my own life and that if I numb myself to pain then I will also be numb when the joy comes around too.


I am so glad I was not numb to joy this day. It was so, so much goodness I have had to work to take it in. It is too much. It is the extravagance of God in all His goodness. There is no logic as to why I am so blessed , but I am grateful to God and all those I love and who worked so hard for making Saturday such an amazing celebration.



all photos copyright 2007 Sandra Vander Schaaf Photography

party!

What a great day we had today. It was Sophia's 3rd birthday party, and it was a fabulous time. I was reflecting out loud to Wade how much our friends just come along and help us pull off these huge crazy parties we throw ourselves into and it just works.

Maria who saved the day by grabbing the last minute things from the store, Hillary who stayed for an hour after doing all the dishes, Jennifer who bought sidewalk chalk and fabulous fruit skewers (both of which i really wanted), so many others who brought and helped...Angela who made the BEST CAKE EVER (TWICE!!!!) and of course, Sandra - who arrived early, picked up my Dad from the bus, made all the sandwiches, did all the party dishes beforehand and then took incredible photos that are not only beautiful, but with an eye for capturing the moments. This is the eye and the heart that loves and breaks so easily and I'm so glad she is devoted to me and mine and capturing our lives like no other...






Yes, this is a turtle. Another amazing, gentle, lovely, talented friend, Areli made this gorgeous little turtle who comes out of his shell. Sophia has named him Kookamunga Head. Kookamunga Head is currently tucked into bed with Sophia, and Areli is so good at knitting she has her own knitting blog, which you can check out here.




And...not only did Angela make this incredible cake, but she and Leigh found Sophia a bike and tricked it out with basket, tassels, stickers, princess gel seat and more so it is absolutely the coolest bike ever. And of course she had to have Dora helmet and knee pads and elbow pads too. Those of you who know them will recognize that it is not Wade and I behind Sophia in the photo as she gets on her first big girl bike, but very clearly Angie and Leigh behind her in the "ready to catch her" pose. That pretty much says everything you need to know about them. It's no wonder we love them.




While there were many people I wish could have joined us from around the world, I especially missed Ralph today. He has so much been a part of Soph's life that it was very wrong not to see him here, back and forth from Soph to Ari, joining in with the Jonathan Davies-instigated water fight...you may be pulling a latte for a London businessman today Ralph, but your spirit was here, just behind the blue swing...can't wait 'til April, when I will bring you a THREE year old flower girl and another one year old to charm.

P.S. The 'cheeky uncle of the day' award goes to the man who fed Eleanor a blue Twizzler. You know who you are.

lovey love love

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my last post, it's nice to have been missed...I missed you too!

Last week the girls and I went to go see my Auntie Gill and Uncle Paul. We had such a good time with them. They are my godparents and with all of our parents out of town, have become surrogate grandparents to my girls. Now all of us love each other and have a great time. Here is my Auntie Gill with Eleanor:



But all of our affection for each other pales in comparison to what Sophia and my Uncle Paul have going on. They love each other so much that when they are together you can almost see little cartoon bluebirds of love twitterpating around their heads. I asked Sophia what she like best about our visit and she said, "Paul."

Here they are playing camping. The look on Sophia's face says it all:




We also went to the Aquarium with our friends. Adam was teaching Sophia how to throw coins in the fountain:



The great thing is that if she didn't like her throw Adam would reach in the fountain and her coin back so she could throw again!



Eleanor started eating solids. Here she is after an encounter with a banana in one of those suck-on-mushy-sacs:




And...Wade's sister got these matching sweaters for the girls. Sophia put hers on today and specially requested Eleanor be dressed in hers too and have their picture taken together.




Now I have thought a little bit about the matchy thing and I think I am a fan. (Come on, look at them!) I don't remember having anything matching with my sisters but I think I would have liked it. But I feel this may lead to some potential angst for some people...So, here's my question of the day. Matching clothes on siblings- yes or no? Let me know!

the last month...

Well, I'm back.
I don't know if anyone is still checking this blog, but i think my blog break is done and I've got some stories to tell.

Some highlights of the past month have included:
A trip to Whistler. Here's Soph & The Davies girls there:



I love how Hillary and Jon are smiling at Soph smiling at Tessa who is smiling for the camera...and I think Rebecca is thinking about the time she danced with the fairies.

Audrey came to visit and (of course) got Soph the cutest dress. Soph also happened to name her new toy puppy "Ralph", So here is Soph and Ralph and Audrey's dress after bathtime:



Nice smile, eh? Apparently not so much, as we took her to the dentist and the dentist asked if she sucked her thumb. No. Never. Yeah, so that wicked overbite that you can't really see yet? You know it's bad when on your kids first dental visit the dentist says "Make friends with an orthodontist." Yikes.

Also, last month, Steener, Audge, Jamie, Ange and Leigh were all at my house at the same time. See?:


I wish you were there too.

We went to Alberta and while we were there Wade cooked a meal for his brother's 40th birthday. This is the prep sheet he made of all the things he was cooking and all the ingredients.


It is only due to breast feeding and genetics I don't weigh 400 lbs.

I also found this bandaid in a random old bandaid collection we inherited. What ARE THESE THINGS ON THE BANDAID CALLED? MY sister Liz had one, I'm sure. Are they Popples? Who knows?



And Eleanor is six months old now. Here she is on her half-birthday.



She really is this happy almost all the time. Except when she is not and then she SCREAMS. In a weirdly connected moment between the last two thoughts, my crazy mom sentence last month was "Don't stick bandaids on Eleanor's face."

We also taught at Mission Adventures twice and when we finished people affirmed us by telling us we were all the things that we have been aiming to be for years. It was such a satisfying moment that it made me realize the days when I am a raving lunatic screaming at my kids are service unto the Lord.

I officially still have a great life.

Later skater.

a season

hey friends,
just wanted to let you know that I am taking a break from blogland for a while, both reading them and writing them...

just a season, i think.

I do want to know what is going on with my bloglanders lives though, so if you have any big news, please email when you can - and i'll try to write too...

see you when i see you

jhp

toes found

Eleanor found her toes yesterday. It's great.

Sophia is going to start ballet in a couple of weeks. She has leotard and she puts on shows for us. She is big on one-legged jumps and spins.

Wade worked a roadie gig today. In the last month he has had face-to-face encounters with both Pattie La Belle and Stewart Copeland of The Police. He loves being a roadie for Jesus.

I had a life coaching session the other night with Kim McMechan. It was encouraging and satisfying. We swapped 'weird sentences you say to your kids' stories. Her best of the day was, "Where are you going with that zucchini?"

We are well. Really well. last summer I was so sick with being pregnant and the summer before Wade was so depressed it is actually really nice to see us again. We taught at Mission Adventures week before last and will do another session in a couple weeks time. It was amazing. It was really nice to have that much fun at MA again too.

As for those who queried for deeper advice on the king sized bed issues of the last blog post, I give you the wisdom of the Europeans (both my Norwegian friends and Swiss friends do this) - King sized bed, two single duvets, side-by-side:




See you later, alligator.

7 tips

Here are some tips I would like to pass on to anyone who would benefit from them.

Tip #1) If you are married and for 9 years your partner (oh let's say, your husband) says you steal the covers every night and you can not convince him it is not a big deal, it is just the way you roll, use your birthday money to buy a king sized quilt for your queen sized bed. In the 10th year of marriage a new era of peace will reign. (Or perhaps, do not wait 9.5 years to embrace the obvious.)

Tip #2) Find a deli that sells really great meat and cheese. Ask them to sell you their cheese & meat ends. You get amazing imported cheese and meat for a low price.

Tip #3) If your 2 year old is having her hair cut and the hairdresser tells you that she has swimmer's hair, pause immediately and think, "Do I care if my two year old has swimmer's hair?" Do not wait to have this thought after you have spent $18.00 on shampoo to prevent swimmer's hair and are in the middle of eating a burrito.

Tip #4) If you add a few drops of red food colouring to whipping cream it turns pink and it makes you feel like you are eating princess food and it just makes you think it tastes better.

Tip #5) Playing hide and go seek with a 2 year old is super easy and satisfying.

Tip #6) If you buy a fresh pineapple and then you cut it up and put crushed fresh mint on it (you can even add a touch of lime juice or brown sugar, but just mint works too) you will be amazed at how great it tastes.

Tip #7) Set a time limit and stick to it when you do stuff. It makes you feel really disciplined, even when you're not. Like I said I would only blog until 11:00 and now it is 11:02 so I will sign off and not re-read this 8 times like I usually do. Only once. I think.

Peace out, cub scout.