Father's Day 2014

I've decided to make it tradition to take a photo of the kids every Father's Day, so Scott has something current on his desk at the office. We had beautiful weather and the most lush grass for our backyard photo shoot!

Cal was not thrilled about posing in the grass. 

 Ian suggested this "soccer pose" at the end, and was, honest to goodness, surprised when Scott opened the frame on Father's Day and Ian saw that this was not the photo I had chosen to print. He is such an oldest child!

On Father's Day we prepared cinnamon rolls, orange juice, fruit and a meat of some kind... But Scott is very hard to catch still in bed! He was already showered and dressed for church by the time it was ready to eat. So we enjoyed breakfast at the table together. After church he opened the kids special gifts from school, and then Scott grilled his own dinner. I feel incredibly blessed to be raising children with Scott as my partner, and I still melt every time I see Scott holding one of our children in his arms. We love you Dad!

Weekly Top 10 - Sunday, April 27, 2014

1. The boys are just completing a two week Spring Break (the kids at church keep telling me it is called Easter Break around here). We all eagerly anticipated this time away from the school routines and it has been really nice. I especially like how late in the school year it was this time -- we just finished the break and it's essentially May, with less than 7 weeks of school left. Hooray!

2. During the first week off, the kids and I made a list of activities to complete during the break. The kids came up with some fun and unexpected ways to enjoy themselves. ("Buy macaroni and cheese" was contributed by Helen, who calls it "wackawoni and cheese". Joseph suggested "dig ditches" and learn to bake, and both boys were really excited to get out their bikes. (Especially since the remaining 5 feet of snow suddenly melted three days into the break.)

3. I introduced a Book Challenge for the boys over Spring Break, and the idea was very well received. Ian was to reread the Magic Tree House series, books 1-45 (the ones we own) and he was to do it in order. At first I thought he was skimming or skipping pages, because he was completing the shorter books in less than 15 minutes. But after quizzing him after each page, I realized he is a real speed reader. It took Ian about 10 days to finish. Joseph was assigned to read the next level of Reading for All Learners books: set 4, books 1-22. Joseph was really enthusiastic about this challenge and instead of reading 3 each day, he read all the books in 3 days! I expected these books to be a bit of a challenge for him, but his reading and sounding-out has really taken off and he read this level with no problem. He even was able to read them without me -- I just did the test sentences with him at the end to make sure he learned the new words and concepts. Joseph finishing so quickly was very motivating to Ian. Once they were both done we went to Menchie's, a frozen yogurt place in town. They were so excited to celebrate their accomplishments! I was happy to see that Menchie's had a dairy-free variety, but I shouldn't have bothered -- Scott and I agreed that it had the most terrible after taste!

4. During the first week of the break we made it a priority to spend time with friends. We met up with The Honore family (Myles and Jordan are in Joseph's preschool class) and the Coopers at the church building on Wednesday, and the kids ran wild, danced to Ian's Tarzan CD, and then ran around some more at the McDonald's playplace after lunch. It was a really fun day with friends!

5. Saturday was the Branch Easter Brunch and Egg hunt, and the primary was in charge of it. We were off to a slow start because the multiple griddles kept tripping the breaker (Scott did warn me...) but eventually we had a nice breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit salad. It was well attended, and the weather even cooperated for an egg hunt outside on the property adjacent to the church building. (It snowed that afternoon though!) Joseph was thrilled to see his buddy Benjamin from school at the party.

 Joseph hates to have his picture taken, so he was running toward me....

...until he noticed I had the camera. Then he changed course!

6. On Saturday we made a bunny cake. It was a tradition we began a few years back, after Doris taught the recipe to Carrie and me. Joseph helped me bake it (in order to cross an item off the Spring Break bucket list) and the whole family helped decorate it with coconut "fur". I hard boiled a dozen eggs, but we never did get around to dying them!

7. We woke up to freezing rain on Easter Sunday, but fortunately the two minute drive to church was tame. The ice covering the trees was so gorgeous and I attempted to capture the sparkling beauty with Scott's phone camera. It was fun to run into Taralee in the church parking lot, doing the very same thing. By the time we got home we could hear the ice cracking and falling from the trees as it was sunny and becoming warm enough for it to melt.

8. Per tradition, the kids came home from church to find Easter baskets waiting on the stairs! The baskets contained a larger Kinder Egg, a small soccer ball, a binkie-like lollipop, and some chocolate. The boys also received matching ties (Calder included!) This year I didn't stress about finding Helen a new Easter dress. Since her dress arrived the day after Easter last year, and it still fit, it seemed the ideal solution. We even managed to get a family picture!

9. The Weir family was visiting our branch from Marystown and we got to have Easter dinner together. The ham turned out well, but the kids were so stuffed with candy that they hardly touched dinner or the bunny cake. The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing together (Helen loved wandering the house with Chloe, hand-in-hand, and the boys found Zia to be a very worthy wrestling opponent!)

10. We felt so lucky to have Scott home for the ENTIRE second week of Spring Break! It was hard for him to be away from the office during such a busy time, but it was wonderful to have him around. Scott got the bikes ready for the summer and took the boys for a ride to the church building. There they found a bunch of eggs that had remained hidden after the egg hunt on Saturday. They played Legos for hours, ate at Costco (always a highlight for the kids because of the soda that comes with a hot dog!) went to Menchie's, explored a new exhibit at the Geo Center with the Coopers, attended birthday parties, deep-cleaned the kids bedrooms, a few closets and the playroom, finally arranged for a replacement for my phone (if only we'd remembered that we had Apple Care a month ago...) and watched a couple movies. The week was over too quickly, but now we get to look forward to a family trip to Halifax in less than three weeks!

Weekly Top Ten - March 2, 2014

1. Ian began tennis lessons after school. There are 20 kids in his group (17 boys, 3 girls!) and they meet in the school gym for an hour each week. We signed up a month ago, and as the start date drew near, Ian fretted that he hadn't had a chance to practice before the first lesson. He's competitive, and learning a new skill isn't yet as satisfying to him as already being the most fabulous at something. Fortunately, all the kids in his group are true beginners. Now I am in search of a tiny 21" racket, and a place to practice that isn't covered in 3 feet of snow.

2. On Monday afternoon Scott heard he needed to go to England on business. On Tuesday the tickets were booked, and he left Wednesday morning. I actually prefer his trips to come on suddenly -- then I only have to get through the days he is actually gone, not 2 weeks of anxiety about the upcoming trip PLUS the days he is actually gone.

3. Since Scott's didn't have to be at the airport until 10:30, we spent Wednesday morning taking a drive to our favorite beach, Middle Cove. I had never seen it covered in snow before, plus we wanted to see if the giant sheets of ice were still hanging from the cliffs (they weren't). It was a beautiful sunny day, though just below freezing. We had some time to spare so we made a quick stop at Target for some baby wipes. Then I dropped Scott at the airport. Generally Scott takes a taxi or drives himself, so it was fun to see him off at the airport for a change.

From lookout near Outercove Rd.

4. Joseph is learning to tell time and add 4 digit numbers at school this week. He is also doing something called "story alphabet", which is essentially writing a few sentences about something that interests him and then drawing a picture to go with it. (It's nice when the Montessori terms actually describe what's going on. For example I still don't know what "pink tower" has to do with math.)

5. This week I began bringing Calder in with me when I would tuck Joseph in at night. Those two boys already have a really special relationship, and Calder just melts into Joseph when they are snuggled up in Joseph's bed. Joseph will usually sing a few songs to Calder, and then list off all the words that Calder has "said" that day. (Calder's grunts and coo's really do sound like words sometimes!)

6. Friday was Ian's last day of afterschool basketball. It was co-ed, kindergarten through grade 3, and Ian has been attending once a week since October. The kids and I love watching from the stage while munching on snacks, and I've really enjoyed chatting with the other parents. It was always the perfect way to kick off the weekend. Plus, Ian loves basketball (it's his second favorite behind football) We'll miss it!

7. Helen was waaaaaaay overdue for immunizations (her last ones were done in Texas when she was 6 months old!) I use the excuse that it's all a bit different here in Newfoundland, but really, it never should have taken me this long to figure out how to get Helen in). Fortunately Calder is already in the system because he was born here, so Helen was invited to tag along for some "needles" too. The night before the appointment the Public Health Nurse called to say that Ian and Joseph were actually due for a few each (because this province has different timelines and requirements than Texas) and she asked me to bring them along too. 

To start with, the weather was atrocious that morning. The roads had not been plowed yet, they were really slushy, and it was still dumping snow. (Ultimately we got a foot of snow that morning). We slipped and slid our way to the clinic, armed with a bag of toys the boys had packed, along with a purse full of lollipops. I was so afraid this wasn't going to go well! 

Ian repeatedly offered Joseph the "privilege" of going first, but ultimately he put on a brave face and hardly flinched for his single shot. Joseph kept nervously leaping from my lap when it was his turn, but pulled himself together and got through his three shots (barely). Helen completely lost her mind. Oh how I miss the swift hands of our nurses in Texas! They'd line up the bandaids and needles, and stick, stick, stick, then apply all three bandaids in one fluid motion. Done in 15 seconds or less. Sure the baby would cry, but it was as if they hardly knew what they were even protesting, it was all over so fast. But this! I had to resist the urge to take the next dang needle and just get on with it myself! 

Then Calder had his 2 month Well-Check. She commented that she could hear Calder breathing even over the racket the other kids were making. It's true! He still sounds terrible most days. She also noted that the creases in Calders thighs don't match up between his right and left legs. Apparently they are supposed to be symmetrical, and can indicate hip displaysia when they don't match up. Fortunately Calder has an appointment with a pediatrician next week (an "urgent" appointment for his breathing which was scheduled back in late December.) 

I loved that the Public Health Nurse sent us home with a diaper bag, a sensory blanket, and two boarbooks for Cal. Apparently these type of gifts are presented at each Well-check for the first year. 

Afterwards, we slipped and slid all the way to the boy's schools, where we were stuck behind a plow for 20 minutes, a half-block from Ian's school. I never should have sent the boys to class because by the time I picked them up they were sore, really grouchy, and long overdue for some Tylenol. All three big kids cried and carried on for 2 straight hours when we got home from picking them up. It's hard when there aren't enough arms, hands and laps to provide the comfort that's needed. Especially since poor Calder awoke during all this, and he was obviously in the worst pain of all. He hadn't had any Tylenol that day, and he cried out in pain off and on and whimpered in his sleep for the 30 minutes it took for his tiny dose of Tylenol to kick in. It was a pretty lousy afternoon, and ended with the kids eating chicken nuggets at 7:30 pm before being tossed into bed way past bedtime. Fortunately most of the days Scott was gone went far better than that one.  

8. The Primary hosted a sledding party on Saturday, which the primary kids had earned over the previous months through reverence, etc. I was dreading taking Calder out to the sledding hill in Bowering Park, especially since Scott wasn't going to be there to help. I was relieved when my counselor Krista called to tell me Saturday morning that it was then -22 windchill and that we ought to postpone the activity. I would have preferred not to be the one to make the call, but in the end felt good about the decision to play indoor games at the church and then go ahead with the pizza and root beer floats we had planned. The kids were all disappointed that we didn't go sledding, but I think they still had a good time. 

9. The kids were so happy to wake up to their Daddy on Sunday! Scott brought the kids each a bag of gummy candies, most of which Helen would later steal and eat while the boys were at school...! Scott brought me a watch that I've worn every day since! Business trips aren't alllll bad.