Funny stuff from kids

Well, only two funny things. One from each child.

Jellybean said something that struck my funny bone last week. As we drove past a vietnamese restaurant she asked me if vitaminese people eat french fries. Once I stopped laughing, I told her that I am sure they do.

Yesterday Bug's teacher told me his response to playing outside at recess during the warm weather...

I am so hot!

(she touches his forehead)You are hot.

I'm so hot even my armpits are hot!

With Age Comes Wisdom

Words of the aged came from Jellybean's mouth this morning as she spoke to her brother...

Let me recount this incredibly wise {and cute} conversation went.

Jellybean to Bug: (as she was vaccuming) Bug, let me tell you something that I learned when I was like 7 or younger. The vaccum is too small to suck you up. It can't eat you so don't worry; you are too big.

Isn't it great when siblings share knowledge like that?

I know it warmed my heart.

Gimme a Break (and no I am not referring to a Kit Kat bar)

Yesterday, at school Bug was pushed while playing - nothing mean or vindictive, just pushed. He hurt his arm. I wondered back and forth about taking him in and eventually decided it best to double check.

The doctor figured it was fractured or had a fracture called "green stick". We didn't make it to radiology in time for them to check it last night so off we went this morning.

And now, for the rest of the story...

I just got back from our appointments with Radiology, the doctor and the Cast Technician, Boris.



(yesterday after picking Bug up from my friend's house after work - pre doctor)

Bug has definitely broken his arm - his radius to be precise. Apparently the bone is at a 5 to 10 degree elevation from where it should be and we need to go to the Cast Clinic on Thursday to see the Orthopedic Surgeon to see if "manipulation" of the bone is required.



(Waiting at the walk-in clinic yesterday with his pink panther)

He will be casted then. For now, he has a brace on the arm and a sling to keep it stable.



(Trying to figure out the best way to support his arm during the night. This attempt was a fail.)



(Apparently, this way was the most comfortable for the little man.)



(The temporary "fix" until we see the surgeon to rule out the need for surgery on Thursday morning.)

Rest easy, my friends

Bug just now promised me, as I tucked him into bed, that we will NOT take over the world using science.


Do you feel safer?

I know I do.

I know it's not Feb 2

but, this little ground hog is popping her head out to say...

Wow! What a week this has been! I watched my brother marry a wonderful lady on Saturday. I laughed; I cried. It moved me, Bob!

No, really, it did. It was truly one of the most beautiful and moving weddings I have ever been to.

Sunday we had a good friend over for supper and later on in the evening a couple of very dear friends came over for coffee.

Monday was the kids' first music lessons and boy oh boy, did Bug ever make a good first impression. He walked in with his hair tosseled and held with gel, black dress pants and orange shirt and his "leather" biker jacket, flipping his fancy red drumsticks around. One of the people in the room stated that they figured he had to be the coolest kid they had ever seen. I think they may be right, at least as far as 6 year old boys go.

I've been training my replacement all week and now that time has come; tomorrow is my last day. We are all going for lunch tomorrow as a farewell to myself and another girl who left last Friday. Vietnamese food! Yummy!!!

On Saturday two of my dear friends are getting married and I have been doing the decorations. I have done my very best but I am simply hoping that it looks as nice as they deserve. I want nothing short of the best for them.

I am still missing my girl and think of her often.

The other day Bug had a hard time sleeping because Jewel kept jumping on his window sill in the middle of the night and he insisted that she was tring to run away from us just like Rush did. Needless to say, he and Jellybean have been finding this incredibly difficult.

BigB is gone for another week next week and he has been in school all this. We haven't seen much of him but plan to have a nice family time after church on Sunday. it may involve pizza...delish!

Oh! I just saw my shadow and so I must retreat back into my hole and hide for a bit more. See you after the wedding - perhaps with pictures...

Whole Lotta Shakin' Adjusting Goin' On

Wow, I have been quiet! I think this is probably the quietest I have been, well, ever.

Sorry about that.

There's just been a lot of adjusting going on in our home, in our lives.

Adjusting to BigB being gone for days at a time, in communities where we can't reach him.

Adjusting to Rush being gone.

Adjusting to the fragile emotional state of Jellybean and Bug right now, as they adjust.

Adjusting to the new school year (for the kids and for BigB).

Adjusting to adding music lessons, for both children, into our schedule.

Adjusting to my needing a new job. (I have a couple of places I would like to apply but I need to be able to find someone to "pawn" my kids off on for a bit - can't be applying for work with 2 kids in tow.)

Adjusting to the busyness of the last week and the upcoming week.

Adjusting to remembering to care for the two lizards we have inherited.

Did I mention adjusting to Rush being gone?
We may know where she is and we may know that she is being taken care of but, that only eases the worry and doesn't aid much at all in the "dealing" with the fact that she is gone.

It's has simply been a time of stretching and adjusting and trusting in God that He is in control and all will be as it is supposed to be.

So...? This is what it's like living with boys...

Jellybean & Bug came running out of the bathroom, toothbrushes in hand, laughing like hyenas. Through squeals of delight Jellybean finally managed to squeak out that Bug had just drank from the toilet.

As BigB tried to explain to him how disgusting and unsafe that is, he told Bug that some people have even died from the germs found in toilets.

Bugs response?

In 20 days? They die if they do it for 20 days?

After reassuring Bug that he didn't mean he would die. Bug sprinted back off to the bathroom, where we encouraged him to brush his teeth AND use listerine!

So, can anyone seriously tell me why burping, farting, and, now, drinking toilet water (oh and let's not forget licking toilets) are so incredibly funny?

Earlier tonight, one of the family members passed gas and Bug says "If there were a trophy for worst farts, you would get it! You have the worst farts in the universe!". He then proceded to laugh to the point where we thought he may actually pee his pants.

Boys! What a strange species...

I 'Twit'

Yes, I do and yes, I did. I 'twit'. I didn't twit as in 'twit'; I twit, as in the other day Bug asked me if I had "twit" my job yet since Daddy got his new job.

The answer is, yes, I did just "twit". I will need to make a bit of money but I will only work in the mornings - unless BigB & I decide that I will take in 2 or 3 children and babysit.

Regardless, I get to be home with Bug in the afternoons; I get to be home when the girls get home from school. Heck, I even get to pick them up! I can take care of my children the way I want to! This makes me uber happy! I can't even begin to describe how happy I am. I'm all this is too good to be true but then I'm all oh no it isn't! I have waited SO long to get to this point!

So there you have it; I twit! I am a twitter. And although I could mean this, what I actually mean is this

Rockin' the Pixie.

Jellybean has wanted her hair cut to "her ears" for quite a long time and we were never brave enough to let her do it. We thought that she would regret it the minute it was done so, we compromised and each time when a bit shorter and a bit shorter. She needed a haircut a week ago and so, when posed with the question of what she wanted I was again greeted by the "to my ears" comment.

This is what she looked like pre-haircut (with her most favorite doll, Watoto, a well loved doll Jellybean has lugged around since she was 3 years old).

Yes, we are in McDonalds. It was a bit before we could get in to her appointment so, we went for a drink and a rest; we had walked and Jellybean & Bug were quite vocal about their sore feet. (Good thing they weren't around when that was the only way Rush & I could get around, heh, Rush?)

At this point, I think I stopped breathing for a few minutes. It was a LOT to take in and a BIG change. The hair stylist and I thought that, perhaps, Jellybean's vocal button was released as more hair came off because the less hair there was the more talking ensued. I don't know how many times I had to ask her to please stop talking so the girl wouldn't make a mistake she couldn't fix (due to lack of hair). Perhaps I am a hair stylists' worst nightmare - the parent who doesn't like this much change...)


Voila! The finished look. It has taken a lot to get used to; I mean, I "lost" Bug after getting his hair cut because I didn't recognize him and it was no where near this dramatic.

She wanted to look like Rihanna...I say she is the spitting image, wouldn't you? Only 8... and fairer... and blond... with blue eyes...spittin' image. (The funny thing is, she doesn't even know who Rihanna is; she just saw her picture in a hair magazine and said 'I want it to look like that'.)

Sometimes

Sometimes it makes life a heck of a lot more interesting to try not to do things the easy way.

Sometimes getting a running start at things makes doing things the hard way just that much more effective...

Sometimes God opens a window when you were thinking it would be a door and you may need to know how to step into a situation through that window...

Why not get that experience young? It keeps you versatile, ready, on your toes and giggling from somewhere near your toes.

Keep life interesting. Don't follow the crowd. Take the opportunity to make use of all the "openings" life presents you with...And laugh while you do it.

Dear Blog

I have ignored you the past little while. It hasn't been you; it's been me. No, really. I mean it.

You see, I was able to enjoy my daughter's Sweet 16 spa day and birthday supper, went with her to buy a home for her two new friends (you will meet them), walked my kids to get their hair cut (Jellybean looks VERY different), went to "The City" with a friend a couple times to help with wedding planning, went to my almost-sister's wedding shower (yay), heard that my brother wore a dress for his party, needed therapy after that and needed my brain cleaned - mental images and all (just kidding) and have been enjoying some incredible, life changing services at our church (Canadian Revival Center).

There has been a lot to take in with those sermons...a lot. Did I mention 'a lot'? They have changed our thinking and our perspective and our lives! It has been amazing!

Rush has been working just out of town since last Wednesday as well so, there has been a lot of driving back and forth and a lot of texting her; I miss her! She's a great kid! You would miss her too! She will be there until Friday and so, this week, is a week of driving out to get Jellybean and Bug each night (as well as taking them out there each morning before work). I am in charge of her new friends (you WILL meet them) and, this morning, I was perfectly at ease opening the door to their new home and taking care of all their needs, and for that, I am kind of proud of myself...

Another Super Saturday

This past Saturday was a nice family day. We had no plan, despite our attempts at figuring out what we were going to do. No one could think of anything we would all like, our town is a little lacking in that area unless you can get out to one of the many gorgeous lakes, unfortunately that wasn't a choice for Saturday.

We left our house, flying by the seat of our proverbial pants. No plan. No clue. We were just leaving.

We drove to Extreme Pita to have a quick, healthy lunch. It was delish! The 2 youngest kids had a ham & cheese pita with their own version of the works; their meals came with drinks and a cookie. What more could a kid want? We don't need no stinkin' Happy Meal to make us happy. The food was delicious. Rush had a grilled chicken pita; BigB had a Mandarine Chicken pita and I had a, mmmmm, yummy Mediteranean pita. It was so yummy. Have I mentioned that the food there is very yummy? I did? Oh, sorry. To finish off our meals, as we were still jsut a tad hungry, we split a package of freshly made garlic pita chips with hummus. Well, I had hummus; everyone else had Ranch. How boring.





Just look at that face as Jellybean bites into that pita. Isn't she just screaming, "MMMMM this is delish!"

From Extreme Pita we walked over to the pet store which was a big mistake. HUGE! Here we held some bunnies & some hamsters, checked out some fish, and fell in love with an adorable Boston Terrier pup & an equally adorable soft, fluffy grey kitten with gorgeous blue eyes. This is when we left the store, empty-handed with long, sullen faces.



Rush with a cute little hamster she decided to call Hernado or Fredrico; she couldn't decide.


Tell me how you could resist this adorable face? Tell me! Seriously! TELL ME!


Or this one?! Look at that face! {sigh} What cuties! Now you can see why we left so forelorn with empty arms...

The boys played football while we sunned ourselves and made funny faces at mom whow was always holding the camera...

And then we hopped on the swings to swing the heat away, and to giggle uncontollably as dad gave pushes.



We finished off the day with a family movie and some snuggling. I love days like these...

And he said...

...Look at all those dandelions...


as he looked out across the vast


fields of



...canola

♫The Cat Kids Came Back the Very Next Day♫

♫She thought that they were gonners♫

♫But the kids came back; they just couldn't stay away...♫

Yes, they came back yesterday to their depressed and distraught kitty. I think she was under the assumption they would never return. Well, you know what happens when you assume. You don't? Well, it makes an a....ah, never mind.

Anyway, back to my story. The kids got home at 11:30 last night looking no worse for wear than when they left. It's always nice and mind-easing when your children come back with all their molecules in tact.

It seems as though they spent 90% of their time at the farm playing in the pool; it shows. (I am hoping to get some pictures of them tonight to show you - last night we were all too tired to do any posing.) Rush came home looking like she had just spent a good month on a tropical island; Bug looked like he is an exchange student from Australia, and Jellybean, poor, poor Jellybean... She has her Norwegian ancestory's pale skin (as do I) and she came home with a nice red triangle formed on her nose and 3/4 of her cheeks, like a danger sign or something. It just screams DANGE! DANGER! DANGER!

They did all come home with big smiles on their tired faces; I like that kind of tired, the tired that comes from 2 days worth of good, hard play, relaxing in the cool water under the hot sun, and, occassionally burying your face into the necks of good ol' dogs and horses.

How miserable does she look?

Jewel is not a happy kitty! In fact, she spent most of last night not being a happy kitty. Her kids are gone! Can you believe it?! We actually took her kids away from her!





Yessiree, these kids were gone last night, overnight, and poor Jewel was beside herself without them. She aimlessly wandered the halls of the house last night going from one empty bed to another - missing her kids. Poor, pitiful thing she is.

Of dinosaur fish and ferries

Last Sunday Jellybean, Bug & I took a drive in the country.

We had no plan; we just drove.

We enjoyed some of the beautiful scenary of country living, that I miss and they have yet to truly experience, but do appreciate.




We found ourselves driving up to the ferry and, upon realizing the kids had never seen one, due to all their questions, decided to hop out of the car and take a little walk to get a closer view of the ferry, and to, hopefully see it cross once or twice.


As we waited to see the ferry do its thing, we wandered along the beach area of the river, and watched a boy and his dad fishing. Moments later we watched as the young guy reeled in a fish, and my children watched with their mouths wide open as the fish was revealed.

The dad asked Jellybean and Bug if they wanted to come see a 'dinosaur fish' and they jumped at the chance with a slight backward glance to get the nod of approval from me. He told them how this fish was as old as the dinosaurs and, when he saw the look of shock on the kids' faces, he explained further that this fish was probably only 8 years old but that the type of fish went back to the dinosaurs. That made more sense tot hem and they carried on admiring the fish. Jellybean got brave enough to start asking him questions wherein she discovered that it was a Sturgeon.



We played with the water, sticks and sand for a few moments before heading back to town to get a nice cool treat.

My Little Man

turned 6 years old today. Six! Six! Count it...six! Seriously! SIX! Am I the only one who is panicking here!? Does no one else know what this means? Is no one else aware that 6 officially ends all things little, all things "baby", all things..well, does anyone else know that it simply changes the whole dynamics of our family because Bug is no longer little?

Sure, he is the shortest one, for now...but I am sure by the time I get home from work tomorrow he will be taller than me. Because that's how fast he is growing! Does no one else see that? His face is losing that "baby" look and he is looking more and more like a young man everyday and I am betting, by Friday, he will be asking me for the keys to my car. Because that's how fast he is growing! Have you not noticed it yourself? I am even thinking that by the end of August he will have graduated or something. Because (say it with me) that's. how. fast. he. is. growing!



Inspite of how fast he is growing, he still loves to snuggle with me and he still fits in my lap just as perfectly as he did the day he was born (with some modifications obviously because I should not be growing any more). When he lays down beside me, his body still fits perfectly next to mine so that we look like, well, me with a Bug shaped tumor or wart or something. He still asks for me to tuck him in at night and loves to have me read him a story or to sing him a song, or to tell him a 'mommy made-up story' or for the two of us to go on an imagination vacation.

I love the way he looks at me, as he can say 'I love you' with those big blue eyes framed with his 3-inch eyelashes and it absolutely melts me. Girls, watch out! Beware of the eyelashes paired with those big blue eyes; they will get you every. single. time.

I love hearing his giggle when he is being a typical mischievious boy and I love it more when I hear that belly laugh that comes from a deep down glee and happiness. I love to watch his face as he plays with toys or tries to figure something out as there is such a seriousness in his eyes.




I love how gentle he is with his cat mere moments after she has forgiven him for chasing her around the house, shooting at her with his nerf gun or how he gets me to cut off pieces of yard to play with her because he loves to see her playing like a kitten again. I love how music moves him to dance to the beat no matter where we are: home, church, the mall, the river bank...

I love how he feels misplaced and off balance when we aren't all together, as it shows me just how much his family means to him, or how upset he is when he realizes that a certain day isn't a day for us to go to church. I love how he wants to be like his daddy and his pastor, and I love how much dogs love him and love to kiss him; it doesn't matter the dog. I love how he will run towards Luca (my friend's German Shephard) and throw his arms around Luca's neck so he can bury his face deep in Luca's fur and love on him.




I love how he has to run to the stairs to give me a kiss and a hug 'goodbye' 4 times before I leave the house and how he yells my name and runs to the stairs any time I walk in the door, even if I have only gone to get the mail.

He is such a good boy and I love everything about him; God made him with the perfect mix of love, mischief, sensitivity, nurturing, fun and whatever other ingredients God threw in there to make this absolutely wonderfully fantastic boy.





Really? Six? This could take a bit to get used to.

(Pictures taken from his birthday party on Saturday at the Splash Pad and from today)

What he (Bug) said

"Did you know the sun is up and you're not?! Did you know the sun is up at 4:00 in the morning? Trust me; I know." (to his, almost, 16 year old sister when told to wake her up)

And, as Rush was eating a piece of birthday cake and licking the icing of the racing flag, Bug shouts, "Rush that's just a toy!"

Her calm reply, "I know, there was icing on it."

While playing his Quad Racing game on the Wii: "I fink a nice breakfast of cold sushi is in order." (hat was he talking about? I don't know either but he said it.)


This is all from this morning and there were other moments/words that I have all ready forgotten that brought my beverage almost out of my nose. I am sure there will be more and I am going to try to get them down on here just so we can see a day in the life of Bug on his last day of being 5.

Woke up: 6 A.M.
Breakfast: Shredded wheat with about 4 cups of milk (I know, he definitely got his dairy)
Clothes: first started with a pair of khaki shorts with a motocross t-shirt and a plaid shirt over top. Second, same shorts but a skateboard shirt (reading "Gimme my wheels" that is about 4 sizes too big for him.

Right now, at 11:37, he is tryig to figure out what a 5 year old eats for lunch on his last day of being 5. So far we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with orange (read tomato) soup.

But, it's my day off...

(Read the next few lines together really fast or simultaneously, if you can to feel the right mood to this story.)

Bug: Mo-om
Jellybean: I'm sorry....I'm sorry
Bug: Mo-om
Jellybean: I'm sorry; I'm sorry. I said I was sorry.
Bug: Mo-m
Jellybean: I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry (mo-om). Sorry. I said...
Bug: Mo-om, Jellybean kicked my de-esk.
Jellybean: I'm sor...no I didn't.
Bug: Well, it's part of it! Mo-om...
Jellybean: I. Am. Sorry!
Bug, at this point stuck his fingers in his ears; I kid you not and I was waiting with baited breath to hear "I'm not listening" singing from his voice.

I slowly got up and sent each one on their merry way to their rooms; it's supposed to be my day off and I don't want to hear stupid fighting at this time of morning. Legitimate fighting maybe. Stupid fighting, no. After all, it's my day off and I have all ready been up for 3 hours.

To Do Thursday through Sunday

Updated: Well, I guess that's not too bad for accomplishing my list of things to do. Today is the day for getting the kids ready for camp (Monday July 20)
• order cake for party
• make grocery list for party supper
• buy gift and groceries for Bug's party
• make template for wedding invitations
• photocopy template for invitations
• cut out invites
• glue and ribbon invites
• make list for each kid of what they need for camp
• make supper for friend who recently had surgery
• take supper to friend
• buy bug spray and sun screen for kids' camping trip
• pack each of the kids stuff up
• dig sleeping bags out of tent trailer (well remind BigB to do that)
• fill 300 water balloons for party Not 300 though
• music practice
• buy gift for friend's daughter
• attend friend's daughter's birthday party
• call family from northern Manitoba
• call the other family from northern Manitoba (tried but no one home)
• wiifit (each night)
• pick kids up from out of town on Friday before church (which I think means fast food supper)
• church Friday night. Yay!
• church Sunday morning. Yay! Yay!
• pick up cake
• pick up Rush and two of the boys from out of town for Bug's party
• take Rush and kids back to farm
• buy groceries for the kids to take with them to help out camping family.
• buy more ribbon

I am not entirely sure but that seems like all I have to do this weekend, aside from working. It won't be that bad...I can multitask right? {grin} The life of a working mom...I love this part of my life, the doing stuff for my family. It is such a joy; I just hope I don't forget any important events or steps this weekend...