wanna see something kind of freaky?

Eleanor's passport picture.

Wade as a baby.

Sophia's passport picture. (The man told her she had to have her mouth closed.)

Me. (I don't know why I look like I am about 11 in this pic, but I like it.)

DNA baby. It's a wacky thing.

remembering renee

My friend Renee died. She had cancer and we never thought she would die, only get better. It was a total shock, and then, shocking again, Wade and I were asked to travel to Winnipeg the week before last to officiate at her funerals there. It was three of the hardest days of our lives. We were thrown in to duties we had never done before, but felt really carried and covered by prayer. We were also aware we were representing so, so many people who wanted to be there but could not. So we tried our best to speak on their behalf, on your behalf, and we greived on many people's behalf as well.

My friend Sandra, who is such a gifted writer, wrot a short note to me & Ange & Leigh the day after Renee died. She said:

I was praying for Renee through the day yesterday. The phrase that kept coming to me was “sweet life, sweet life, sweet life.” Cancer brought, without a doubt, a tragic end to a sweet life, altogether too short, but the sweetness of her testimony, her vision, her friendships, her life is not diminished. I pray for balm for your grieving soul. And I pray that you’ll be moved in some Spirit-inspired celebration of life’s sweetness to help you commemorate Renee’s life, where you are, in the full knowledge that your grief is shared, Renee’s memory is shared, God’s mercy is shared, and distance matters little in these things.

So when we finally laid Renee's body in the cold, cold ground in her home town, were we could see the yard where she grew up from the graveside, and I had to try and think of what to write on the side of her coffin, I just wrote; "Sweet life, sweet life, sweet life. Love you, Joanna... for so many." (Wade wrote "East Van - We miss you.")

And at the funerals, it was my job to share about Renee's time in YWAM and her faith. I wrote out my speech because I wanted be able to tell you just what I said, because the heart of speech came from so many of you. So here is (morphed together) the speech I gave at the two funeral services in Manitoba. I hope I did you all proud. I was my honour.

It is my tremendous privilege to speak to you today as someone who served with Renee at Youth With A Mission Vancouver.
Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, as we call it, is an international, interdenominational Christian missions organization, but for those of us who call ourselves “YWAM-ers”, it is much, much more than an organization. For many, it becomes our family, our tribe. Renee was family to us, and to many others.

I often say the very best and the very worst thing about YWAM is that you come together and build the some of the most amazing, deep friendships you have ever know, and then, because we’re missionaries, you say goodbye again and again as your friends go all over the world, being missionaries. The hope that we hang on to is that we always seem to see each other again in the most unexpected places, in fact, today is a unexpected, sad, and yet joyous reunion for the YWAM family that is here. We are all too used to goodbyes, but none of us was prepared to say goodbye to Renee in this life yet.

What is difficult is that many of those who love Renee, who served with her in YWAM, are indeed all over the world, grieving without a gathering like this to help them through, and I bear the privilege of speaking for them today a great honour, in the hope that they would know they don't grieve alone. Some of you may have seen the front page of the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday with Renee's picture on the cover. The headline read "Family's Grief Shared By World". I'm afraid they don't know the half of it.

Renee joined Youth With A Mission straight after high school, coming to Vancouver to participate in Discipleship Training School, a five month course the exposes and educates people about Christian missions. One of her leaders during that school, Rhonda Navoy Hunter, has reflected how we saw Renee grow form a girl to a woman in the time she was with us. Rhonda loved her quiet strength , and how selfless and thoughtful Renee was. She remarked on how fearless and willing she was to step out in obedience to God remembering how Renee shared the duty of preaching a sermon on outreach in asia, and how the pastor of the church was amazed at the confidence of this young girl to preach.

Our YWAM Vancouver Director, Mike Davies, and his wife Jennifer sent a message for you today:

“On behalf of Youth With A Mission Vancouver we would like to express our heartfelt sadness to the Dueck family and all that knew Renee, at the loss of this vibrant young woman.

We were honoured to have Renee with us in Vancouver as a co-worker, friend and for Jennifer and I, a house mate. She was an amazing help to us when our third child Rebecca came into the world.

Renee had a way of making all of our staff, old and new feel welcomed and of great worth, no matter what their experience or age. She was a very gifted young lady who touched the lives of many here in Vancouver, as I know she did wherever she travelled. She wrote and directed an amazing Easter production, "My Beloved" which was presented by our Staff which was designed to reach out to our local community. Her heart for the lost was evident and an inspiration to all of us.

She will be sorely missed by us all.

MIke and Jennifer Davies”

The play that Mike mentioned, “My Beloved”, has a special meaning to me personally, for I was asked to play the lead in the play, and role of Mary Magdalene. Renée's writing in that play changed my life. As I played the role that Renee had written, I felt like the bible story she interpreted was happening to me, in all it’s rawness, and vulnerability and joy. I have never seen Easter morning the same way since. I knew what Renee believed, because it was in her writing, in her work. She believed with all her heart that life was hard, and that at times it was excruciating. And she believed that Jesus was real, worth living for and worth dying for. And she believed, as she wrote in the play, that He was no ordinary man, but her King. I know her presence with Him now is her joy and her reward, and that the comfort that is available to each of us, through her precious Jesus, is real too. Renee would never have offered this hope as a platitude, or a band aid to anyone, but as a very real accessible help that she had experienced personally.

Renee’s friend Audrey from Texas wrote to say that Renee was probably one of the coolest people she had ever met. She said: “Renee knew who she was and followed through. She was creative and not afraid to try new things...i remember when she started to wear ties as belts...soon everyone was doing it.”

Several friends, Audrey, Lisa & Ben included, remember her great cooking - how much she loved to eat. Hannah wrote to say tat Renee was the first person who ever taught her how to stir fry anything without having it stick to the bottom of the pan! Audrey remembered she asked Renee once how she learned to cook an Renee just looked t her like “Duh! I just made it up! how she loved to take photos and how she loved, loved Vancouver and eating all the food you could get on Commercial Drive, our neighbourhood.

Renee was someone who brought joy to our YWAM family, she laughed a lot and was pretty funny herself. Ben is sure she is telling jokes to Jesus right about now. Her laugh was contagious. I loved it when she come and put her arm around me whenever she spoke to me, and she would always smile and laugh. She helped us make some really funny videos too, that we used as teaching tools for the youth in our programs, I’ve learned from her siblings that this is something Renee was doing long before she ever came to YWAM, her first one was when she was 11, that she and Justin wrote, starring Alayna and Kara too - so apparently lighting leprechauns on fire and ninjas leaping out of trees was not such a stretch for her.

Renee longed to motivate people to discover and follow their passions - to do something - anything, but especially if it had meaning, proclaimed truth and justice. Emily wrote from California and spoke for many when she said Renee was a very passionate person. She said: ”When I think of Renee the first thing that comes to my mind is picturing her during prayer times. She was a very passionate intercessor. When she prayed she prayed with faith and hope that what she was asking for would come about. Renee never left anyone out, she was kind to everyone and all were welcome when she was around. Renee was a fighter, when obstacles came up, she met them head on. She fought her way to go on outreach to Jordan, writing the play for Easter, and getting people together for creative projects on the Wave. She was constant, and loved the Lord, and will be greatly missed. I know she really made a difference in every life she knew, and I have a hard time thinking she's gone.”

It was on the Wave USA tour, a tour to challenge people to rise up to their passions and the call of God on their lives, that Renee was diagnosed with cancer the first time. On that tour was her friend Jacqui. Jacqui has been on a YWAM outreach in Asai, and returned to discver rnee had passed away. Her shock was immense, but she wrote to say: “. but when i think about it, being in the middle of my life with YWAM half way across the world is exactly what renee would be expecting me to do. it seems a little cheesy, but really ren loved the kingdom of God in all it's forms - especially expressed through nations, culture and people. that's what her faith was all about, and it inspires me to keep on going as a missionary because of her tenacious passion for these things. many of my greatest moments in missions have included renee. i remember being with her when she had the cambodian word for hope tatooed on her ankle - when i think about her and my future as i try to live out my faith i would aim to carry on the hope she had in every language to every person i meet.”

It was on the Wave USA tour that Renee was diagnosed with cancer. Her official work with YWAM ended after that, but when she returned to Vancouver to attend college, we were so blessed to have her with us again. We were a part of the same church as well, and it has been my joy to have Renee celebrate the births of both our girls with Wade and I. I remeber the care she took to choose a little blue lamb for our daughter Sophia, n we have a picture of Sophia after her baby shower, asleep on her dad's chest, wearing the little shawl Lindsey made, with the blanket that Leanne made, and the little blue lamb perched right on top.

I want to close this time with a video that was sent to us by Leigh and Angela Oliver, who now live in Australia. Leigh was on the same YWAM training school as Renee, and they were dear friends. It was to Angela and Leigh’s apartment that Renee and Monique first went in Vancouver. Angela was Renee’s leader when she was on staff, and was key in drawing out Renee’s gifts and passions. The Dueck family told us yesterday that Renee was very quiet about her gift of writing and they had guessed, but never knew how gifted she was in this area. Angela commissioned and coaxed writing from Renee that are treasures to us now, constantly encouraging her, even when times were really rough for her in YWAM. Angela is the one I wish were here today to tell you in person about Renee, to lead you in worship, but she was obedient to do what she understood God told her to do, and she is not, so I stand on her shoulders (which is funny to those of you who know exactly how tall Angela is) and present this on Angela and Leigh’s behalf. In this video, it is Angela who introduces Renee, so I suppose technology provides across the miles.

Angela described this video as as a reminder of how Renee “SOoo wanted people to LIVE”. LIVE of course, is a capital, L-I-V-E. Leigh edited this video together for us to see. It is of Angela, Leigh, Audrey, Hannah, Deb and of course Renee, at her dear friend Jacqui’s church in Salt Lake City. In the video you will hear Renee introduce herself and explain the passion of her heart. She then will share a short testimony but what her YWAM training school meant to her, and then the group presents a piece that Renee wrote which she called a “readers’ theatre.” This piece was originally written by Renee for the North American leader’s conference in 2003, and was then performed by several YWAM teams. Over the last few days, several of Renee’s friends from around the world have written to say it is the piece that stayed with them over the years.

I would like to present to you, with the blessing and joy and deep ache of her Youth With A Mission family, now appearing only in heaven for the glory of her Heavenly Father, the lovely Renee Dueck.

Then we played the video of Renee's "Reader's Theatre" piece, which you can see here.

Hope I did okay for you all. Hope I never have to do that again.
The Vancouver service was last night, and now we are exhausted. How must her family feel? I can't even imagine. Thanks for being family to us.

the fridge fairy

So much has happened in the last few weeks, it seems a bit much to try and catch up today, so I will leave you with this.

In amongst a myriad of really intense life experiences, we launched a new business this past weekend. You can read all about it at www.fridgefairy.ca
It's another attempt for us to do business-as-missions in the city, and also an attempt to earn some dough. So far, no responses, so your thoughts and prayers are welcome.


My dear friend Leanne designed the heck out of it, and I was incredulous that on Saturday, our launch date, I was SICK. Like for the first time I can remember, can't get out of bed can't talk have a fever and vomit sick.

Sophia had been talking about how we were going to dress up as fridge Fairies together, but she had to go ahead without me. Today my dear friend Sandra sent me photos of what the table looked like and also what my best friend, the mini Fridge Fairy looked like too.

Now, how can you resist this face?

birthdays

Weird. I have tried to start this post several times over the last two weeks and even just now it disappeared... but here I am! We've had a really great two weeks, so busy and fun with my 35th b-day and Eleanor's 1st! It's amazing to think that just a very short year ago we didn't know who she was, and now she is a crawling, yelling, climbing, daredevil who laughs at everything and keeps us hopping and smiling every day.

I had the best birthday I've had in years (since my 30th, I think) - I had the best day.
Wade and the girls brought me a latte and the cards and pressies that had come in mail in bed in the a.m., then my friends Jana and Reba came to my house and did a spa for me, complete with another coffee (this one from Continental), fresh fruit, champagne and OJ, and a manicure and pedicure. I did actually cry at one point, when Jana showed me the fruit plate, because no one I know would be more passionate about eating huge hunks of fresh fruit and doing a spa in her pjs than Angee Angee (my dear friend, who is doing so well in Australia, by the way) - and noone would have wanted to do it more for me than her - so I had a little cry and Reba said "group hug!" and much joy was shared. Yes, this is all before noon.


Wade and I have been talking about re-painting our bathroom so he painted a huge sign on the bathroom wall that said "Happy Birthday Joanna - I love you!" and then he bought me the cutest bathroom set and wrapped the pieces and hid them all over the house and THEN he encouraged me to go shopping for new towels - by myself, with no kids! And THEN Zellers had 50% off all their towels for one day only - my birthday! So I bought brand new towels for the first time in my life to match my cute new bathroom and I found 3 cute tops that fit me (rare these days and such a gift!) and THEN Wade took me out to dinner (on a gift card we had - whoo hoo!) to an amazing restaurant and THEN we went to pub were our friend Lukas works and THEN my friends Shannon and Cindy unexpectedly walked in and we got to hang with them, and Lukas wouldn't let us pay for anything and Jana babysat (yeah, she's pretty much a rock star) and the kids slept and were awesome!
I know! Shut up. I know.

Me wearing my new shirt with my unbelievable birthday dessert. Yes, that is chocolate cheese cake AND espresso gelle and a really fancy doughnut. And yes, that does say "Happy Birthday Joanna" in chocolate calligraphy. And I am more than a little giddy. As you can tell.

Eleanor's b-day was also really great. On her actual birthday, the 12th, I had a banana bread in the freezer that Angee had baked before they left for Australia, so Angela actually managed to bake Sophia's cake AND Eleanor's cake this year - from across he world. Yes, she is that good.


We had big party for Eleanor on the 14th and we did the little tradition we did with Sophia when she turned one, of having everyone write wishes and blessings on blocks and present them to her. (My friend Mel suggested this tradition - the trick is to give the baby a stainless steel bowl, so she thinks the sound of the blocks going in is super satisfying!)


It was so special, and she was the perfect party host, totally calm and happy. Her cake that day was an Australian Chocolate Ripple Cake which Eleanor's godfather Ben introduced us to the Christmas of 2004. The choc ripple cookies were provided by Ange and Leigh and Uncle Stuart - good thing this girl has so many Aussie honorary relatives - the cake took three packs of cookies and was shaped like a rugby ball by the time we were done! It had matcha green tea truffles from Dutch Girl on the top which we hid from the children and savoured later!

By the way, when people tell me that Sophia and I look alike, I honestly don't really see it, because she doesn't really look like I did when I was little. But in this picture above, I get it, I really get it!

What a great life we lead... thanks everyone who called and came and facebooked and mailed. Love you!

1 2 3 4

The last two days Sophia and I have been watching this video by Feist over and over again. I saw it on Jessi's facebook and I knew Sophia would love it. She goes to creative dance (core-ative dance, she says) and talks through the video. "Whooo now they are all skipping. Oh, now she's flying!"

Hope you enjoy the "rainbow dancers" too.

buddies

These two are getting to be friends. They make each other laugh. In two weeks time Eleanor will be one, and I can't imagine life without her. Sophia alone seems out of place now. Such a funny pair.

We re-organized Sophia's toys and books and all our toy shelves in the LR today. It s quite something what a thrill I get out of a re-organized shelf. I do actually get a little adrenaline rush out of it. Am I alone on that? It looks so great... but the best part was that the girls and I spent a lot of time together while we were doing it. So often I feel like I have to pick spending time with them or doing housework, but today was a great day of both.

Eleanor gives Kisses

So turn your computer 90 degrees clockwise.
And prepare to be wowed by the cuteness.

what we did today

Well, it was a momentous day. After living in our house since July 1, 2006 (the day we started painting) we finally painted the end of the hallway. The end of my hallway holds my laundry area and there is a shelf that is all the linen/household storage I have.

I wanted to take before and after pictures like Heather did with her table, but I had already cleared the shelf by the time I took the picture. So for those of you who had never seen the pit, imagine this shelf complimented with piles of laundry, zip loc bags stuffed every where and jumbled linens all thrown on top. It was nasty!


And now....


I'm so happy!!!! Shout out to the brown boxes Angela gave me..

And speaking of Heather, she made me the most amazing altered canvases for the girls with their full names and meanings on them and we finally hung them today. (Because the tool box was at the office, and then we had no nails and then it was Christmas.)

So here they are...


But then we had to take another picture because Sophia forgot to wear her crown in the first one.


BTW, Eleanor's necklace is one that she puts on herself. She puts on necklaces and scarves and things her own every day, and then climbs onto chairs and sits the right way round and likes to rock. It is pretty great, but the other day her "scarf" was a particularly festive pair of panties...


That's my girl!

Epiphany

Some of My Favourite Photos* of 2007

If 2007 had a theme for me, it was joy. Our 2nd baby girl, our Joie-baby, came to us, as well as the increasing revelation that in order to really experience joy, I need to be brave enough to be awake to all the tough stuff that life brings too. I am so glad that this was the year we seemed to be ourselves again, to find much joy (at times amid sorrow) and be in a place now to dream bigger dreams.

It is also from this place that I was able to bid farewell to my dearest Angela, going across the water with her man for a rest. What a hole to have inside me; what deep, deep joy I have for you, Ange. I can't wait to see your new home and life in Oz. Happy Birthday today, dear Angie Angie. It is no coincidence that you feature greatly in the following group of my fave snaps of last year.

When Sandra took this picture, our beautiful Eleanor was only a few minutes old. We had her at home and called excited godparents Ange and Leigh to come right over. When they got there, we said, "It's a girl, and if it's alright with you, we'd like to call her Angela Eleanor Joie."


My Dad, Bob at Sophia's 3rd birthday. One of the only photos in existence of him really smiling.


My auntie Gill, my godmother, my friend.


At our 10th wedding anniversary, Kits Beach. We're praying. Or taking a quick nap.


Me and my sister Angela. Sometimes people get us mixed up.


The last time we did this and people banged their glasses for us to kiss, it seemed our hands were more free...


Sophia and my brother (although she insists he is HER brother) Matt.


Out for sushi at the eatery on Leigh's birthday.



Sophia sleeping at "Joie", my cousin Michael's farm and winery.



I know this one was on a recent blog, but it is really a fave....



Christmas Eve. Our girls. (How did we get two - 2! - kids - who are so big and great and funny?) Amazing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!


*Photos 1 - 7 & 11 are copyright 2007 Sandra Vander Schaaf Photography . If you wish to copy, share, print or use these photos in any way, contact Sandra first for permission. Cheers.

ho ho ho

Christmas was lovely. This was the first year of my life I can say I genuinely enjoyed watching my kids open all their stuff more than I worried about my own gifts (well, mostly ;).

We went back and forth and back and forth about whether or not to tell Sophia the truth about Santa. There are some people in life I really respect who think it is wrong to lie to your kids about Santa, and I am really, really black and white about lying in every other area of my life. But I LOVED believing in Santa as a kid. I love movies about Santa. I love love love Christmas and I as a kid always knew it was about Jesus and got all the magic and wonder of both believing in Santa and understanding about Jesus too.

But in a moment of feeling like Santa was taking over the Jesus focus, we finally told Sophia that Santa is a game we play, and he is pretend and Jesus is real, and you know what? She didn't care - it was as if we had never told her anything. She wanted to put out cookies and milk and a carrot for the reindeer, she wrote a note and was so excited to see it gone in the morning She embraced Santa wholeheartedly and just did all the Santa stuff anyway and we all had a ball- and she lit the advent wreath and sang a beautiful song to Jesus too.

I took a video of her and she explained Christmas to me, just like Emma did. This is how she sorts it : the Grinch is not real, he is on tv. Santa is different, he is a real pretend guy, and Jesus is real. And I realized that's how I feel about Santa too. He's always been a very real pretend guy in my life as well and on Christmas morning when my daughter said "Oh wow! Santa got me just what I wanted!" I felt only joy, joy, joy.

piglet

So guess who got a piglet costume AND learned to smile at cameras too?

Yay Eleanor!

whoa!

Well, exciting is right. The writer did an amazing job of the story, which you can read here and we are really hopeful good things will come of it.

The only thing is... when this picture was taken, I was wearing a bathing suit top. Apparently the magic of photo shop was employed to make my left breast appear to the world - yikes!.... I thought of calling the editor - Wade thinks I'm overreacting, but I still feel pretty naked.

My kids are sure cute, aren't they?

heroeseducatorlemonelizabethnog

We're pretty excited... our family is going to be on the cover of the Vancouver Courier newspaper tomorrow, with an article recommending our soap as "One of 10 gifts you can feel good about buying this Christmas." The paper is free and goes to 265,000 people!

Today was a good day. Tomorrow is a goodbye party for Ange and Leigh. God has helped me a lot in not grieving them before they're gone. The dark part of my soul says "well, everyone leaves". The bright part says "we're planted here for a reason" and "we are permanently connected to Ange and Leigh". Hmmm.

Jan tagged me in the same game...

Here are the rules: You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.) When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post and then choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Joanna Helen (Helen is my Mum's name.)

H- Heroes. I love the show "Heroes". I don't usually follow shows. I haven't followed one week to week since X Files. It's awesome... Sylar is back!

E- Educator. It is a very bold title I don't think I'm entirely worthy of, but I am a good teacher. I love to teach at YWAM, when I get to give the sermon at church, or explain something new to Sophia. Teaching gives me life and joy.

L- Lemon. Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Soda. San Pellegrino Limonatta. A perfect lemon tart.

E - Elizabeth is my sister's name and if there is anyone I could have coffee, shop with and have an extended walk on the beach with today, it would be her. I have seen her for exactly 48 hrs in the last 3 years. The same 48 hrs is the only time I have spent with her son Kawai and she with Soph. She has never met Eleanor. She lives in Hawaii and she is a kick butt single Mum & ER nurse who saved a guy's life a couple of weeks ago by breaking his ribs doing CPR on the floor of Chili's. I have been apart from her so long something in me is missing a little bit.

N- Nog. of the Egg kind. I recently ended a sugar fast when God brought in the $75,000 we needed to make the down payment on our YWAM building. (It was exhilarating - the last 23,000 came in in ONE DAY!) Every morning since I have making myself decaf half milk half eggnog lattes every morning. 'Tis a happy thing indeed.

I tag Hannah and Ryan.

butterflies

"Mum, Mum, put my old butterfly wings on Eleanor for her to be a butterfly too!"

"She likes it!"

coolness

Yay! I'm so proud of my hubby. Not only did he enter and win a huge prize in the Utilikilt contest with his sweet video, but he got his special limited edition prize winner's kilt yesterday, and they done stuck his picture right on the front of the kilt.


That's him second from the top (amidst scenes from the other prizewinners), triumphantly toasting our beloved city. I told him last night that when he first described the concept of the video to me, I was able to picture this exact shot, and there it was, on the prizewinning kilt. Yeah, pretty much everything he does is art.

10 fabulous things

1) My new boots that allow me to dry and stylish while wheeling the babes about the 'hood.

2) The 40th birthday party I went to on Tuesday for my cousin Michael, with the unlimited supply of gourmet nibblies, champegne and good conversation.

3) Eleanor has learned to clap. Joy personified.

4) Playing princesses with Sophia. It is a delightfully-non-Disney-affected game, where she is Princess Melanie and I am sometimes Princess Glory and sometimes Queen Joanna. Eleanor is Princess Joie or Princess Ta-ta-ta-ta. We live in the sun castle or the rain castle, depending on the weather.

5) The great time I had last weekend with my parents, brother and youngest sister in Victoria with my sisters 5 kids. We ate tons of junk food, ran around like crazy, swam in a wave pool and took home movies of it all to send to our other sister who we missed desperatley.

6) The fact that I get to teach twice this week, once today with Wade at the DTS, and once at church on Sunday. Gives me life.

7) The video shoot last night that wade and did that the BWC types are turning into cooking show podcasts...stay tuned.

8) Wade.

9) Doing 'Angels and Mortals' this week with Sophia & the DTS. It's hilarious. The guys in this school have done some hilarious things this week, so funny!

10) Christmas is coming! Starbucks had red cups! I bought Christmas crackers! and Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...what a good gift.

good times on all hallow's eve

We had a great time going out with my Auntie Gill and Uncle Paul (aka the moon and the sun).
Though when Sophia told someone else about their costumes she said, "Uncle Paul was the sun and Auntie Gill was a goat!" I guess I can see that now... sorry Auntie Gill!

We're not sure who had more fun, the butterfly or the sun.

into the mouths of babes

This is Ben. He is my friend and (after a misunderstanding during a Christmas shopping trip years ago) my little brother. He flies planes in Australia and I miss him so much I just don't think about it most days.

When we were trying to get pregnant with Eleanor, he left Canada and before we even knew she would exist, we asked Ben to be one of her godfathers. He has still never seen her in the flesh, but she is learning about him.

We have been paying the "airplane" game when we feed the girls since Sophia was a baby, zooming spoonfuls of food into their mouths under the guise of it being Uncle Ben flying in his airplane. I guess you never know what your kids pick up, because today I asked Sophia to try and feed Eleanor a little avocado. She was doing great with her and in the brief moment of peace I went to check my email and instead wound up composing one to Ben. I had to tell him that over my shoulder I heard Sophia in a sing-song voice say to Ella, word-for-word:

"Here comes Uncle Ben, flying in his airplane, over the koala bears, over Australia, over the Wiggles, into Eleanor's mouth! Good job, Eleanor!"

Love you, Ben.

these days

Sophia and Rebecca being kitties, with their faces painted with cocoa paste,
just like my Mum used to do with me.

Well, today is the 30th, but as you can see from the date above, I started this post 2 weeks ago - sorry for the silence - if only you could access all the mental blogs I've composed! Seems computer time is a rare thing these days. For real. I have been sorting through the ups and downs of a whole new phase of motherhood. Having a 3 year old and an 8 month old is hard work - have you heard about that? So how do I say that without feeling it's a total negative? Without explaining that in the same day I can feel incredible joy and extreme anger? That just saying, "It's hard" is not betraying me, my kids, my Mum, God? I guess you just say it.

Today is an up. I feel like I am making progress. that is my mantra these days thanks to Fly Lady - "Progress, not perfection."


Eleanor is seriously mobile and so that means a whole new level of baby watching. She has four teeth and is fearless, she tosses herself headlong everywhere - Wade may get his dream retirement plan of child professional skateboarders yet, though Sophia is not sure she wants to learn to juggle fire yet. Today Sophia decided to empty her own potty- full of poo - in the bathroom sink. She was so good about it "Oh Mum, I am so sorry, I will never ever do that again", it was easy to be gracious - just smelly.

We were tagged weeks ago (I can't believe it, wasn't it just the other day?) by Ari & Noah
and it's our first tag! so here goes:

Here are the rules: You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.) When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post and then choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Sophia Joanna Jubilee

J - Joyous - Sophia wakes up happy every day. I can never ever remember her waking grumpy.

U - Ubiquitous - I learned this word from Don Neufeld. It means it seems you are everywhere at the same time. From the music to fun to the mess, Soph fills up the house when she is here.

B- Ballet- she was meant to take ballet in July but the 4 month, city wide strike cancelled the class, yet she still loves all things balletic, dances a lot and believes she is an excellent ballerina already, though no professional has ever told her so. I hope that confidence never goes away.

I- Ice Cream - There can never be enough. The only child I know who at the age of 2 turned down plain vanilla ice cream with smarties because she heard us talking about gelato later on.

L- Lyrical - (OK, I used a thesaurus for this one) - Sophia sings all the time and makes up songs. Wade and I often comment that her life is a musical.

E- Eat - She loves to eat all kinds of things I had never even tasted until I was in my 20's. her education started early and she still loves to find treats in her Malaysian seafood soup and yell "Squid!"

E- Exultant - It has been so interesting to see our girls become what we named them. (or rather, see how what God put on our hearts for their names, come to pass) We named Sophia with the middle name Jubilee and she is a kid who loves to celebrate. She LOVES it when it is any one's birthday and she has pretend birthday parties all the time. her Auntie Heidi gave her some money the other day, and despite my explanations that we had lots at home she chose to buy her own package of birthday candles to play birthday with. Jubilee indeed.

Angela Eleanor Joie

J - Joie - joy in French. She is what she is called. The Joie-baby is SO happy so much of the time and laughs and makes others laugh too.

O - Outgoing - she;'s already diving in to any kind of movement, pulling herself up, and when we do "ladies ride" bounces on our knee - she has been known to flip her own legs over her head!

I - Ir·re·press·i·ble - incapable of being repressed or restrained; uncontrollable: irrepressible laughter.

E - EEEEEEEEEEE! the sound she makes most often to communicate. She's a screamer!

Thanks Heather - this was fun!

So, since you can tag one person for every letter in your name (I will be merciful and choose Joie), I tag Jan, Leanne, Jessi and Ange and Jamie
and since I have a bizarre habit of memorizing people's middle names, I look forward to see what Leah, Beth, Mae, Amy and Lee have to tell us about themselves.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...we celebrated yesterday and our friend Hannah took a few pics of the fam.

And now Sophia wants to type.

ryn4ybt5j9uy7nnjiyh hgnbyhghuj uttgdfru85tyb7tu8by7b77b6bytyy6t6tg6by5tybgu5805tbyt5by5b5bu5bt6b6bt689bu5tun5nn8u76tutut gi5t5nugt5nnbgbssds jfunng g5ntr5bqer7h7u56yuyyuthghmnby
h
lu

yumr8tfyhng44nfyftnnt

(This says: Happy Thanksgiving at church and we also has another Thanksgiving at our house. When are you coming to see us soon? from Sophia Pallister.)





One of the best, best things about yesterday was the fact that our dear Ralph was with us. He's in town for a couple of weeks and the way he and Soph are looking at each other kind of sums up the reunion. She was pretending to be a dentist and she was taking care of him. Hooray for reunions.

That is the turkey under the foil and the most amazing buns ever, the homemade Pumpkin Focaccia buns! Hooray for a husband that cooks! (yes, we have an industrial stove - God loves Wade very, very much.)