home sweet home

The kids finally got to see the house today.

I was pretty excited to see their excitement.  I was kind of anticipating it all day.

What a disappointment.  Completely unenthusiastic.  You would have thought that they didn't even like it or that we were moving into a shack.  Oh well.

The good news is that I felt a little bit better about it after I saw it again.   I'm getting there.

101 days, 13 hours, and 53 minutes until it is ours.

pick up and walk

Way back at the beginning of May, we joined with our small group and Glenda and the kids (well, some of the kids) to participate in Steinbach's annual "Pick up and walk".  The church we go to started this shindig several years ago and has grown to what was something like 1200 people this year.  Everyone gets a lovely yellow t-shirt, blue latex gloves and garbage bags.  Then various groups are assigned different sections of town to clean up.  It is quite fabulous. 

Our group was assigned the east side of the main highway - in the ditch.  It was, first of all, stinking cold.  That made for some crabby kids.  But most of them are pretty tough so they worked well - in-between comments like "I can't feel my legs - I'm frozen from the waist down" and "My eyelids are frozen open".

I really should have taken a picture in a different area.  We had some ditch with so much water that I got a booter with my boots that literally come up to my knees.  Other than very cold, grossly dirty and smelly water getting in my boot, I had a lovely time.  It is quite an enjoyable thing to my way of thinking.  Slopping through the gross water and fishing out rubbish.  You probably think that I am being sarcastic, which under normal circumstances I would be, but I am really very serious.  I love doing this kind of stuff.  Therapeutic, in my way of thinking.

The kids may or may not have been so enthralled with the activity.  Eric was pretty much just focussed on getting the thing done (big shocker there).  There may or may not have been some tense moments when certain individuals were crying an awful lot and could not be reasoned with.  But regardless, it was a great experience, great to serve with family and friends, great to serve and clean up this here one-horse town, and great to get out in the fresh air.

I am, truly, already looking forward to next year.

Plus there was a free lunch… can't get any better than that.

catch a monarch

The latest creative outlet at the job.

Get it?  Catch a monarch?  They look like butterflies (sort of - come on…  I have very limited resources, okay!) but they are all books about kings and queens and stuff.  So get it now?  Monarchs?  The little play on words?

I'm about as clever as they come.

(I can hear you laughing at me from here)

away with the girls (or two of them)

Originally our family - extended - planned a getaway weekend with mom to Fargo the last weekend in April.  After much hunting around for the perfect time, it ended up not being the perfect time.  But I decided to go anyway.  And there were some girls who wanted to go with me.  There were some other kids who wanted to go too, but we decided that it would be best not making this a too-big trip, for various reason.

Well, shopping was a bit of a dud.  Except for these on clearance:

Don't worry, we didn't buy all of those - although it was tempting!  Maddy found several treasures at TJMaxx, but other than that, the shopping was lousy.  And really, the attitudes in general weren't that much better.  At least on day one.  You see, mom went cheap again - and went to a homely hotel.  Homely hotels need love too, don't they?  And the very loud, obnoxious people in the room next door do too, right?  Well, they could get love elsewhere - we switched rooms!  

You see, for me, I don't need a fancy hotel room.  Give me a room clean, with no bed-bugs and I'm good.  Well, that doesn't run in the family.  Don't believe me?  My angels were fine with it?  Well, just look at their eyes - the eyes tell it all!

Okay, now seriously, they weren't thrilled but were okay with it.  We watch some movies, at some Ben and Jerry's and all was good.

Beautiful, lovely girls.

It was a bit of a downer trip but the second day was better.  We all had a bit of an attitude change (perhaps the hormones moved on through) and off we went for a lovely second day.  And hey, who can complain about eating at Five Guys and Panera Bread?  Good food makes any trip good.

And I love me some time with my girls.

citizens of another country

A very important envelope arrived in our mail box the other day.  One that we had been waiting for for 16 months.  And there was much rejoicing!!

Due to the importance of these documents contained within said envelope, Eric decided to have an impromptu ceremony.  He called the kids from the far reaches of the house (in this house the reaches aren't that horribly far).  And with great delight (as you will be able to witness on their faces captured below), he distributed to them their:

CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP CERTIFICATES!!!

Look at how thrilled they look!!

First Eric had them close their eyes (Maddy is extremely disobedient).

Then he handed out each certificate (while it may look like Cade's face is saying "why is my dad such a moron and why does he make me do such lame things when all I want to do is play Mindcraft", it is really saying "oh the overwhelming emotion of it all…. so many long and seek and wait and struggle to attain citizenship of so fine a country and now I finally possess this treasured, precious document in my own hands").

(Cade's joy is still very apparent)

Ah, finally the first glance of the precious paper….

They hold it close to their hearts…..

Cade says what the heck is this piece of garbage for wow!  I finally am really a Canadian citizen.

Mia is overwhelmed to tears (or completely annoyed).

Lucy knows the importance and significance of this so-very-much-more-than-just-a-piece-of-paper, piece of paper and will obviously treasure it always.  Immediately she searches for the perfect frame with which to preserve and display her new identity.

Well, Eric and I are delighted….

Sheesh.

easter hoppenings (see what I did there?)

Okay - long time ago.  But I'll still do a quick post.  It is Easter after all - a very important celebration!!

The traditional making of the Easter bunny buns had to happen of course….. sadly without our usual visitor Zach - or with Payton - but happily as a family.  And we were able to share them with everyone at the gathering

Cade decided to go with creativity, buck tradition, and make an upright bunny.  Unfortunately they decided that they needed to take a nap once they were in the oven, and we all know that bunnies don't sleep sitting up.  Oh well, the idea was fabulous.

The girls playing spoons seems to be a new tradition for family gathers when at Brent and Glenda's.  It is quite a lovely thing.

Preparing for the dying of the eggs….

And the traditional hiding of the easter eggs.  Unfortunately Glenda and I didn't sync our brains in terms of eggs.  She colour coordinated so that each kid had to find one of each colour.  I was random (shocking, I know).  So the men hid the colour-alotted ones in the front yard and Glenda and I hid the random in the back.

Let the search commence!

Please notice the overly enthusiastic face of our fine Alex.  She looks absolutely delighted to be made to go out in the half-snow-melt backyard in her pretty outfit and boots to hunt and gather.

Lauren came out a little late so she was given a great deal of assistance (necessary or not!).

After the backyard gathering, it was off to the front.

Lauren didn't let a little thing like discomfort or dirt get in her way.  Nuh-uh!  She got down and got dirty getting her treasure under the camper.  This girl is hard core!

There appear to be some similarities to Halloween at this point.  Going back in from the cold, opening up your finds and sorting all of the goodies.  Okay, considering the background of each holiday, that would be where the similarities end….

The next event was to-dye-for.  HA!!  See what I did again?  I crack myself up!  HA - get it?  Crack?  like an egg?  I am egg-cellent at this!!!  Ha!  Hahahahaha.  What a funny yolk!  Get it?  Yolk sounds like the word joke!   HAHAHAHAHA.  I kill me!

That, and a whole lot of food, made up Easter celebrations.  Okay, and a whole lot of great family.