Family Photo - 2013

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
Mark 10:14

So, this is our family picture for 2013. Hal was born almost exactly one month after it was taken. That was also about when the pictures were ready to pick up, but I didn't get around to that until we took Hal back for his one month picture a month after that.

Anyway, once we finally got everyone looking AND smiling, we tried for a 'kids' shot. It turned out ok, but Ricka was done, so we really only got one try before everyone started to unravel. And that's that.

Pray ____*Updated*

UPDATE: (Friday 7:15pm)
I called Tina at 6 this evening to get an update. They reassessed her this morning after they transferred her to the university hospital and decided not to do a c-section. Her bloodwork came back positive for hypertensive pre-eclampsia so once they got her blood pressure low enough, she was induced for a natural delivery. She was in the early stages of labour when I called.

So, while we can keep praying for a safe delivery and a healthy baby (the ultrasound put the baby at about 4lbs), we can be thankful that she won't be delivering at the hospital she was afraid of and that she'll probably deliver naturally instead of by cesarean.

Other than that... Boots is with Tina at the hospital, and they have a friend of theirs watching the boys at home. Maybe pray for the lady watching the boys too. She's also an army wife (whose husband is currently overseas) and she has four of her own children ranging from 6years to 9weeks old. If I think my own 5 kids can be a handful at times, I'm sure eight children (that are not all yours) under 8½ could get overwhelming all by yourself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pray for Tina today.

She just called me (7:30 her time) to say she was in hospital about to be transferred to a university hospital for a cesarean. Her baby isn't due until December 30th.

Last night she called me and said she was concerned about pre-eclampsia again. She has been terrified of delivering her baby at the local army hospital (for a list of reasons), so although its good news to her that they're taking her somewhere else, she is still afraid of the unknowns of cesarean.

She had to cut our phone call short because the ambulance crew had arrived, so I don't know how far away she's being taken or when they'll actually perform the surgery.

I'll post an update later, but for now, just pray. For safety for both her and the baby and for the comfort and assurance of her mind.

4 weeks and 200 pictures later....

This is the only proof that my mom was ever here.

And it was taken about one hour before she went home.

I guess the other proof of her visit would be the fact that I still have some of my sanity.

Ricka was due June 19th. Toward the end of May, my mom called me and said she was thinking of coming up to help us around when the baby was born, but everything depended on schedules and doctor's appointments down in California and she'd get back to me around the 1st of June. I was ecstatic - it really sounded like she might actually make it up here, but knowing from past experience, nothing is set in stone.

Of course, I heard nothing on the 1st, and started talking myself into the idea that something could always come up and it was possible that my mom might not make it up here after all. I didn't want to get my hopes up too high.

On June 2nd, my mom called back and it was planned. She was going to come up here and stay at least THREE weeks starting around the 13th! It was like an impossible dream and I was so excited....

(and that is as far as I got on this two weeks ago.)

Anyway, On June 3rd, Sir's mom, Grandma C. got hit by a car while riding home on her bike. She spent the next few weeks in the hospital getting surgeries and scans and all sorts of stuff to start fixing all the things that were broken. She's still recovering, but at home now and we're very thankful for that because the accident was pretty serious.

Previously, each time one of our children has joined the family, Grandma and Grandpa C. have taken the older children while we were in the hospital and then Grandma C. would come nearly every day during the first week or so to help me get adjusted to all the changes one more little one brings. So, when Grandma C. was going to be recovering for months after our baby was due, it was even more of a relief that my mom was planning on being here to be a help.

3 days old.

My mom came up as soon as we told her Ricka was born and she stayed four whole weeks. I don't think I'll ever be able to describe how much of a help she was. Dolly was still in school for 14 days after Ricka was born, and when I'd trip out of my room in a panic because I'd missed the alarm and was already 20 minutes behind schedule, I'd find that my mom had already gotten Dolly up, served her breakfast and was making her lunch. Then she'd shoo me back to bed while she'd get the rest of the kids going and Sir took Dolly to school.

She did the big things like mowed our huge backyard and the front yard in a single morning (this job usually takes me about two days due to my allergies) and stacking piles of wood that I'd given up on toward the end of my pregnancy. She did the little things like making sure the table got cleared and wiped off after each meal, the floors swept and the kids dressed. When I woke up from a terribly needed nap one afternoon in a complete panic because I'd forgotten to make any plans for dinner, I staggered into the kitchen to find she'd warmed up every last leftover in the fridge and dinner was just about ready - at dinner time.

11 days old.

Every morning she got the kids to make their beds and by the time she left, they could do it themselves on their own. In spite of Butler saying "NAOooo" to just about everything she asked him to do, I discovered after she'd gone home that he not only would say 'pease' when he wanted something but 'prih-ee pease' (pretty please) - and that just about made me melt because it's as close to a signature phrase belonging to my mom as you can get.

7 days old

As my mom was loading her suitcases into her van, Emma said to me, "Mommy, is Grandma going back to California?" "Yes," I told her watching Emma carefully. Emma had developed a very special relationship with my mom and I was a bit worried how she'd adjust when my mom left. "She has a booster seat in her van, and the back seat can go down, and you can put car seats on it. You know that, Mommy?" Emma said. "I know," I answered, "that's pretty neat isn't it?" "Yeah, can I go with her to her house and have a sleepover?" "No Emma, Grandma's house is a long ways away. If you went with her you'd be gone too long." with a little shrug of acceptance, Emma said, "That's ok. Can I go with her then?" It was hard to watch her little face fall when she finally understood she couldn't go home with Grandma.

In the four weeks my mom was here, Sir and I got to go out on a 'date' 3 (THREE!) times and we spent one Saturday morning running errands together - something we NEVER do anymore since someone usually stays home with the kids. It was really special and the best part was, we never asked her if she'd mind watching the kids so we could go out... she was the one sending us out. "Why don't you guys go out for dinner and I'll feed the kids?" or "If he's going to go do errands, why don't you run with him? I'll stay here and the kids can help me with..." If she'd had her way, we would have probably gone out a few more times too, but we figured we ought to be a bit responsible every now and then.

4 days old.

By the last week, I realized I was letting my mom take care of things for me that I was perfectly able to do. I just knew she'd do it for me if I didn't get to it before she did. But there were still times that she filled in for me when I couldn't get to it, and those times made me afraid of when she'd finally go home. But we've been adjusting, the kid in the bathroom sometimes has to wait for me to finish nursing the baby before I get to them, the baby has to put up with another kid trying to get the soother into her mouth because I can't stop what I'm doing to burp her again, the house goes in waves of being relatively tidy to disastrous mayhem, but we're slowly getting that under control now too.

Since all the things my mom did for us would take forever to list, I came up with everything I could think of that she might have gotten from her time here with us instead. It's really not that much.
While my mom was here..
- she got to go to a couple of Dolly's school events.
- she got to see Dolly graduate from kindergarten.
- she was there when Dolly lost her first tooth.
- she was here for PC's 5th birthday party.
- she was here for Butler's first stitches.
- she got to go to Ricka's baby shower.
- and she got to have Emma as a constant shadow helper.

I guess to sum it all up... I'll never be able to express how much my moms mean to me. Both of them. Maybe someday I'll be a little bit like them.

11 days old.

The Loyal, the Contrary and the Whimsical

Well, one thing is certain - my children are growing up properly Canadianized. At least when it comes to the national a very popular sport around here. (Apparently, it is La Cross and not Hockey that takes the title of Canada's 'national' sport).

You see, Sir watches some of the NHL games, that the local team plays, on his laptop, and occasionally our little people get to join him on the couch. Usually that's if the evening has progressed in a timely fashion, and there's some time to watch a game after dinner and before bed. The kids rarely get to stay up for a whole game, but they love every minute of what they do get to stay up for. I think it's a combination of special time with Daddy and a genuine love of the game.

Anyway, last night they watched part of the latest game that the Canucks played. By the time all the kids were settled in bed, we'd come to the conclusion that we had three types of hockey fans:
- There's Dolly, who fits squarely into the 'loyal fan' category. She cheers the home team on, and hopes fervently for them to win. Should they happen to lose, she is disappointed, but is sure they'll do better the next time.
- Next there's PC, who falls into the 'contrary fan' category. He cheers for the team playing against the home team. I think he loves the feel of living dangerously (as in sitting amongst loyal fans who vehemently decree that the home team should win). Should the opposing team win, PC parades around like a little peacock with the most contageous grin on his face more so because his sister is unhappy with the result than anything else.
- Finally there's Emma. She falls into the 'whimsical fan' category which means that she cheers for whichever team catches her fancy by the mere sound of their name. Kings vs. Canucks? That's easy - it sounds much better to be a 'king', so she'll be cheering against the local team. Canucks vs. Senators? Since she has no idea what a senator is, she chooses the Canucks.

Last night, Vancouver played the Detroit Red Wings. Dolly rooted for the home team while PC and Emma cheered on the opposition. When PC and Dolly came to say good night to me, Dolly excitedly announced, "Mommy, we got to watch two periods!" "Really?!" I said as I gave her a goodnight hug, "who was winning?" PC, who was standing at my elbow waiting his turn to say goodnight answered, "Nobody!" at the same time that Dolly declared the Canucks to be in the lead. Of course, that had to be clarified, and so we double checked the score just to be sure.

What Sisters are For

Sisters are for going to when you need help,
They're for talking to when you get overwhelmed.
You cry with them, laugh with them, and what is more..
You pray with them - that is what sisters are for.

They stand up for you, with you, and give you their ear
They tell you their secrets and and each hidden fear.
But a sister can need things herself, so you see
She'll need you to be there, and there you must be.

You'll talk with her, cry with her, laugh with her too
Give her the ear she needs when she's blue
But the most you can do for your sister, I say
Is kneel down, and with your heart for her - pray!

My sister Tina is in the hospital on antibiotics right now - they admitted her yesterday afternoon. She's 5 months pregnant with her fourth baby and has had some kidney problems recently. Right now she's battling a couple of infections, and while she's getting 48hrs of IV antibiotics, they're keeping her so they can monitor her baby too. The stress from the pain was causing them to be concerned about pre-term labour. She should be able to go home tomorrow, but I know life with little people normally can be exhausting.

My littlest sister should be able to make the 4 hour flight to Texas tomorrow and will stay with Tina, Boots and the boys to help out for a couple of weeks. As for the rest of us, we can pray for a quick recovery, a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.

I just have to remember it's not the only thing left that I can do, but the most that can be done for her - to pray!

And Then There Were Four

A picture says a thousand words, but I'll just add a few more. After all, I'm starting to feel half alive again finally. Some of you may have noticed my lengtly blogging slumps over the past four or five months. Beside cold after cold after cold that our family battled in the first few months of 09, there was our confernce (we had 10 guests stay with us for the weekend), more colds after conference, then spring hit with a vengence - being a lot warmer than usual and bringing the alergy plagues with it. On top of all that, there's been the general spring/summer busyness that seems to just whirl us into non-stopness for weeks on end. And through it all I was exhausted with no time to be tired. Definitely not a feeling I'd wish on anyone else!

Today we're celebrating PC's 3rd birthday, and the kids all got new t-shirts to wear for the day. I expect they'll cause quite the stir - but we thought we'd do something different this time. Anyway, I'll let the pictures do most of the rest of the talking since I have a few phone calls to make before the party.

Dolly's shirt


PC's Shirt


Excited Kids


Here's the reason why


Emma's shirt - the give-away.


A little better look

So, July 9th is officially the first day of our sixth month, and now that the news is out... I can dig out some more comfortable clothes! And wait until November 8th-ish. 'Cause we're gonna have another baby!

The Plaster Man

Anticipation

Our house is literally abuzz with excitement. See, months ago, we decided to take our little ones to the capital city of BC. We told them about this possible outing and told them it wouldn't be until almost summer - when the leaves on the walnut tree were big and thick. Well, sure enough, the leaves started to bud and our little people checked out the window every single day to see if it was yet time to go to "Big-toria". Then earlier this week we told our little people that if the weather was good - if it was sunshiny, we'd go this weekend. I've never seen then pray so earnestly about something before. And so far, it looks like it will be beautiful tomorrow!

Anyway, the place we wanted to take them in Victoria, closed about 5 years ago, just months after we'd been there. This means we can't visit the Crystal Gardens this time, but the kids are looking forward to the ferry ride, and riding the bus. They would love to ride on a double-decker bus like the one we told them we'd gone on when we last visited the city, but they'll be happy with any kind of bus since they've never been on one.

So, the plan is to get up, get dressed and head for the ferry grabbing some breakfast on the way to eat on the ship. Once we get to the island, we'll take the bus to the city and then we'll play it by ear. There's a Harbor Ferry that the kids might like, possibly a bug zoo if it doesn't look too boring, and maybe, perhaps, it might be possible that a horse-drawn carriage ride might be in our price range. I know the kids would love that, but all I could find online was either outrageous prices or tours that were longer than my kids' attention spans. We'll grab some lunch at a stand somewhere, splash in the Parliament building water fountain a little and just see what looks like the kids would find interesting.

Now to go pack up the backpack and diaperbag.

Family Pictures

Maybe I should start with the exciting news that we got a new printer/scanner? I was going to write all about it the night Sir set it all up and I got to scan my own pile of stuff that I've wanted to get scanned for - well, I can't remember how long it's been now. But I got so wrapped up figuring out and playing with my new freedom (a networked machine!) that I never got to the writing part.

A couple months ago, I posted our 2009 family picture... but I had to 'doctor' it because our scanner was broken and left a big black line skewering our heads. Anyway, below is the un-doctored, properly scanned copy as well as the extra pose we got with that picture package.

2009 Family Picture


Extra 2009 pose

Then just for fun, and because they're all scanned now, I thought I'd toss in the rest of our professionally taken family pictures. It's neat to look back occasionally.

Family Picture - 2008
Dolly (almost 3) with a broken arm, Emma (2 months old) and PC (almost 18months)- his shirt turned out a darker green than I'd hoped.


Family Picture - 2007


Family Picture - 2006
Dolly was almost 1 year.

"We interrupt your program to bring you..."

...Our Family Photo for 2009.

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
Psalm 25:14
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psalm 12:7

So, I finally got our family picture scheduled (a month and a half late), and now we've gotten the pictures back from the lab. This means that all I have to do, is sort out which picture goes to which recipient, and I'll have finished one more project. It might take a while this time and it won't be due to my distractedness. Our scanner is broken - in fact, I had to 'fix' this picture so I could post it without a bold, black line skewering our heads.

When Sir gets the other scanner hooked up and working, we'll be able to scan a good copy. Then we can print out and send decent sized pictures to the long line of family members and friends who would have been stuck with a teeny tiny miniature size picture. And a mini with five people in it is absolutely ridiculous! Yeah, this package had 16 - SIXTEEN minis and only 8 wallets. Once upon a time you'd get 21 wallets and 4 token miniatures, but I shouldn't complain, the package deal this time was only $5.00 - who knows, they change the package size and price around every month, so maybe next time will be better when it comes to quantity.

Nomads* in the Desert

Ok, I've been gone long enough. I started this post three weeks ago, and it's been finished except for grammatical editing for the last week and a half. So, I'm going to buckle down and get something finished. And hopefully the battle of the fevers around here won't interrupt me more than is manageable.

As I said in a earlier post, we left Roxford Cottage Tuesday morning(Dec 30^th) after breakfast we headed for our next destination - Desert Hot Springs. We stopped once on the way to get maps and sat in half an hour of walking speed traffic (due to an accident ahead of us), but we made it to Great Grandpa & Grandma's abode in the desert by 1pm.

They had waited lunch for us, and it was all ready for us to eat as soon as we got there. We had slices of roast beef, deviled eggs, potato salad, coleslaw, yam salad, fresh sliced tomatoes and raw baby carrots. And to top it off, Grandma and Grandpa even set up little tables which was just perfect in our little people's opinion. There were even cookies for desert and a hummingbird feeder that got lots of visitors for us to watch while we ate!

Grandpa observed PC gobble down his lunchmeat and then wisely used additional slices of meat as gifts to win PC's affection. Not surprisingly, it worked and PC went from being the kid that had to be dragged out of the car when we got there, to being the kid suggesting we just go on without him since he'd be more than happy to have us leave him there to stay with Grandpa & Grandma!

After lunch Grandma brought out a surprise to send along with us. She made each of us a knitted hat to take home to the snow. I must admit, standing there in 70+° temperatures as she handed them out, it was a little hard to appreciate them fully, but were we ever glad to have them when we got back to Canada! After the kids delightedly modeled their hats for a few minutes, I took the hats and it wasn't long before my munchkins found the dirt at the end of the patio. They spent a good deal of time enjoying the feel and smell of cool, dry dirt while I took some pictures.

Hats


Emma & PC



Little People and Dirt


Dolly



More Dirt

Part of the novelty of visiting Great Grandpa and Grandma, was their house which was a motor home RV. The kids quickly tagged it a 'car-house' and PC was in love at first sight. He and Emma took every opportunity they could, to get inside the 'car-house' and they were none too pleased when we finally shut the door with them on the outside so that we could visit with Grandpa and Grandma without wondering what they might be dismantling inside! I did get some fun pictures of the kid enjoying the 'car-house'.

Then before we left, we took some pictures of the kids with Grandpa and Grandma, and around 4pm, we headed on our way to the San Jacinto Valley.

Grandpa with Emma and Grandma with Dolly.


Group shots with kids are definitely challenging!


Our Nomads

*Dictionary: nomad (nō'măd)
"People who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place."