New Jammies!

Patience got several pair of the cutest jammies ever! She's in a lovely lavendar and brown pair tonight, but she wasn't too cooperative when it came to modeling them. So you'll kind of have to use your imagination.

Gotta love her...

Happy 17th Birthday, Nathan!

Here he is in all his glory!

Nate got home around 4:00 from his fundraiser and went over to the berry farm to get his favorite pie: custard berry. Then Waneta made him his favorite cake: Black Forest! To add insult to injury, she also brought home Chinese food for dinner. Needless to say, no one was even a little hungry by the end!

Nathan is now downstairs watching his birthday gift from us...that new hockey movie The Rocket.

Patience and Babadee

Patience loves Babadee.

When we headed south this morning, she realized we were going to Val's when we hit the border crossing. From that point on she said, "Babadee, Babadee's house," for a long time.

When we got about five miles from Val's, she switched to, "Thank you, Mom," until we got there. It was very cute (okay, it did get annoying after awhile).

New Duds!

A bonus of our visit with Val was that we retrieved two boxes full of clothes that my mom sent up for Patience! She is now the proud owner of an adorable Old Navy winter wardrobe in size 3. Pictured here is her new corduroy jacket and cowboy boots!

Also in the box were a couple of duplicates that my mom had purchased for her in the past! Imagine that! So Auntie Babadee is going to take them to her Old Navy and turn them into some other fun things.

Thank you Mom & Lee!

Visiting Valarie...

This morning I woke up with a brilliant idea! While Nathan worked at the horse show (cadet fundraiser) and Don and the other boys worked on the trees, I would take the girlies to visit Babadee!

Normally I would just stay home and do laundry and housework, but today I threw caution to the wind!

I read on her blog that she was going to be doing yardwork all day long, so I knew she would be home, so I drove down and surprised her! Of course, our visit really cut into her productivity, but we had a lovely little visit and Patience got her "Babadee" fix! I got to see Lindsay and Kelsey, but Miss Hailey was at a friend's house.

Jordyn Noelle

She just gets cuter each day...with the exception of her hair, which needs something! She is now in the annoying habit of running her hands through her hair while she's eating, getting food all over it.

She's growing up quickly: pulling up on everything, eating finger foods, working hard at getting what she wants, and getting more independent. We're having fun with this last baby : )

Only a Lab...

...would tolerate being "walked" by a toddler.

Patience now refers to Storm as "my dog," and because she moves her s's from the front of words to the back, it sounds like she calls him "dumbs," which we all get a kick out of (except Nathan).

It looks like we have a future 4-H dog handler in our midst! Val, you'll have to put aside a puppy for Patience : )

Patience is Climbing the Walls....

Literally!

Here is a perfect example of why Patience needs 24x7 attention. If she can get into any trouble, get hurt, or make a mess, she will!

I've already been told (1000 times) that I should get her into gymnastics. I'm looking into it...

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little off-the-wall, especially when it comes to doing things the old fashioned way and to saving money (usually those two go hand-in-hand).

My latest frugal homemaking endeavor is making my own laundry detergent. It's easy, and the stuff works just as well as the commercial stuff! Now, if you don't have five children and a farmer husband, you might not do as much laundry as me, so you might not need an inexpensive althernative to Tide or Cheer. But if you're interested, here is the link:

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

One of the things I like best about it is that there's no scent. I find the commercial detergents too smelly!

Now, if you're a fabric-softener type of person, here's a recipe for that, too!
6 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner
Mix together (don't shake...it'll foam) and use 1/2 cup per load. If you get the hair conditioner at the dollar store, this is dirt-cheap. The conditioner helps with static cling AND gives the clothes a mild scent...so chose a conditioner that has a smell you like!

One more thing! If you have an automatic dishwasher, you don't need to buy that expensive detergent! Just use 1 part washing soda, and 1 part borax (both are ingredients for the laundry detergent, too).

That's it for right now! I'll post later with exciting news and adorable pictures : )

Okay...

I just realized all of my titles either end in ! or ...
What's up with that?!?

Not QUITE Clear on the Concept...

Okay, here's the funniest thing that happened yesterday. Don took Patience out to "work," which basically means that she comes back muddy and needs a bath right away, and that the clothes she's wearing will be in need of some masterful laundering.

After her bath, Patience insisted on dressing herself. This is how she came out of her room... with her panties outside of her jammies! She never fails to entertain us!

She didn't have a nap yesterday (not that I didn't try!) so after her long afternoon of "work," she fell asleep at the dinner table. Literally. Right in the middle of chewing her Ceasar salad. Don carried her in and put her to bed, and she slept until 7:00 this morning. She woke up starving.

On a bright, bright note, my good friend Heather started her own blog! If you want to see her husband, her son, her daughter, and even her dog (but not her), you can click on "Heather's Front Porch" in my links to the right.

Okay, I'm off to put the house together! Wish me luck!

Uh Oh, Cheerio!

Jordyn has pretty much perfected the art of eating Cheerios... with a few minor exceptions. She had no idea this cheerio was stuck to her face... she thought we were all laughing at her just for fun!

By the way, Mom, did you notice what she's wearing?

Sharks Shut-Out!

Don and Nathan had a great time last night. Nathan had a better time than Don because the Sharks won 2-0!

It's a beautiful morning here. Hopefully today I can get outside and do a little cleaning up. I'm kinda getting tired of the place looking like a construction zone!

More later...

Go SHARKS!

Don and Nathan are at the Canucks vs. Sharks game right now! Don picked Nathan up from school and they went in early to avoid traffic and to have some dinner. I hope they have an awesome time.

This game was our gift to Nathan for his 17th birthday. I can't believe that's not a typo! I have a 17-year-old! It really doesn't seem that long ago that I had my first little baby. He's turned out exceptionally...

Dylan had a volleyball game today. They won the first game but lost the set : (

Sean came home for lunch today! I can't believe we didn't think of that before! He also came home yesterday. It's a lot of fun. Patience can't believe her good fortune to have Sean at lunchtime!

There's really not much else to report. I'll try to be more imaginative tomorrow!

Yummy....Zebra!

Happy Monday!

Not much to report here. Nathan and Dylan are still at school for play rehearsal and volleyball practice. Sean is at a friend's house, and Patience is downstairs in our new little t.v. room watching The Incredibles. Don is commuting home from Vancouver, and Jordyn, as you can see, is occupied with Noah's ark and the little farm. A ham and baked potatoes are in the oven, and life is generally in order.

Mom and Lee, I hope you're having the time of your lives! Val, thanks for updating your blog! I'm looking forward to a new picture of the puppies, who must have changed a lot in a week...

Cheers!

Why We Don't Use Our Fireplace!

Jordyn has been standing more and more. I'm pretty sure she'll be walking in the next two months. Darn.

On a brighter note, Don has the yellow family room nearly done! He's working on trimming the doors right now, but we need to make a trip to Home Depot to get some more trim before he can finish. We were going to go tonight but we just decided to stay home and enjoy a nice bottle of merlot with our barbequed steaks instead! That will leave just the "mud room" portion of the basement to do. But there's no big rush for that.

Nathan worked all day at Krause's. Sean spent most of the day at his friend's house, and Don and I have been home with the girlies. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, hence the barbeque tonight.

And on a much brighter note, my parents are flying over the Pacific even as I type, headed for Hawaii. It's their fourth anniversary : ) So, Mom and Lee, when you read this post, know that I was thinking of you, and I was jealous! Please have a Mai Tai for me : ) No one deserves to spend their anniversary in Hawaii more than you two.

More later, to be sure...

Another generation....

...of carbohydrate addicts is born!

Tonight's supper: three pizzas, a loaf of french bread (what's left of it!), and a bottle of merlot!

Have a great weekend!

The Bookends!

Well, it's taken 7 1/2 months, but Nathan finally decided that Jordyn is getting fun and cute and all of the attributes that make Patience wonderful. He's just not a small-baby type of guy.

Last night Nathan and Dylan and three other members from their 4-H club went to be servers at a dinner, put on by the Langley Agricultural Advisory Committee, for about 100 guests including members of parliament, mayors, councillors, and other people who are in the position to make decisions about agriculture in Langley. I went to pick the kids up at about 7:00; imagine my surprise to find my 5 members, between 14-16 years old, walking around with bottles of wine, making sure everyone was "topped up!" No, this would not be legal. And they were serving lawmakers! Hello?! Oh, not to mention it's against 4-H rules!

D.W. Poppy has a 1/2 day today. Dylan is off at noon today for a weekend retreat for Senior Chamber Choir. Nathan is home at noon to do who-knows-what. Sean, poor little guy, has a full day of school!

And that's our Friday so far. I'll update you with anything newsworthy or any adorable pictures...

"I Wanna Go Downstairs!"

Here's Jordyn trying to get downstairs after her daddy closed the gate and then went down there! The nerve!

Meet the Teacher Night!

I just returned from meeting Sean's grade 6 teacher, Mr. Thompson, or "Mr. T." Basically, I'm super-duper impressed. He's going to be perfect for Sean. He is a woodworker and the kids make log cabins, bird houses, and other fun stuff. He plays highly competitive volleyball and track and field, so he has high expectations for them in P.E. He is the school IT guy, and he hopes that all the kids know as much as he does by the end of the year. Oh, and he's very dramatic. He wears costumes and gets into character to teach certain things. He's way outside the box, but it sounds like he's going to make it a really fun year for the kids. He has really intersting ways of dealing with discipline. For example, for minor infractions, he has the kids write a "Once Upon a Time" short story where the main character does what they did. Yes, Sean has written one already! His main character sharpened all of the librarian's pencils when he was supposed to be researching rivers...

Volleyball...

He's in! Yippee! Two practices and a game each week! Right in the middle of dinner! Wooohooo!

I'm off to update my chauffeuring schedule...

It's Conclusive...

....Jordyn looks like her grandma! This picture was taken this past Saturday when a group of families went from the fair at Agassiz over to Harrison to kill some time, see the sandcastles, and have dinner. The girls were making wreaths out of these tree branches and they put one on Jordyn. She was surprisingly good-natured about it until she realized that she had the power to pull the leaves out one by one. Then she was on a mission!

Right now Don is painting our basement family room. It's YELLOW. Very yellow. Kinda like our kitchen when we were growing up. I figure it'll bolt the boys awake when they walk through it in the morning. It's so surprising to see a colored wall in a house of ours...we've always been the white/off-white type of people.

Both girls are napping, and the boys should be home within the 1/2 hour. As of yesterday, Dylan still didn't know if he had made the volleyball team or not. Evidently the teacher who is also the coach was absent yesterday so the roster never got posted. So yesterday the entire squad of 21 boys stayed after yet another day to practice because they didn't know who got cut. It wouldn't be so bad if the practice wasn't from 4-6. And of course Nathan's play practice is over at 4:30, so we get the pleasure of driving twice to Poppy after school. But I'm not complaining too loudly because we now have a zippy little care that gets great mileage!

I have Danica W/TH/F this week. Not much going on in the evenings (outside of chauffeuring the boys) and then this weekend we have the Langley Flippers award ceremony. I think that's all the news there is at this moment...but I will log in and let you know Dylan's status on the v-ball team as soon as I learn it!

Happy Monday!

I must apologize for not updating all weekend! I even refused to answer my mom's and sister's questions of "how was the fair?" I said, "You can read all about it in my blog." Okay, here's the skinny:

Sean, Jordyn, and I packed up the wee car at 7:30 on Saturday a.m. and headed out to Agassiz, about an hour's drive. We did have to stop to feed the car.

Sean showed Frodo in showmanship, and received a blue ribbon. And then again in Project, and received another blue ribbon. Blue ribbons are very important at this fair, because they pay the kids real cash at the end of the day based on their blue, red, and white ribbons. Sean walked away Saturday night with $24...$14 for his two first-place ribbons, and $10 for his educational display. He told me that he does, in fact, want to keep Frodo and continue showing him. Which is fine with me, but I wish he'd just make up his mind! He's been talking about finding a new home for Frodo this entire year.

Friday evening and all day Saturday, Dylan was at the volleyball tournament. Friday evening when he came home he felt fairly confident that he would make the team. But after Saturday's games he is now fairly confident that he will get cut! So, now we can only wait for the press release to be posted at school this morning.

Nathan works for food! Yesterday evening, right before the berry farm closed, Nathan went over to pick up his last paycheck. His boss told him that if he would help them close up for the last 20 minutes or so he could take home everything that was left over in their concession stand! Bonus! So he brought home 1/2 an apple pie and 1/2 a corn pizza to go with dinner. The farm is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays now, so it sounds like Sunday night is a great time to wander over there...

Yesterday I spent the day finishing The Life of Pi inbetween loads of laundry and other household chores. It is good! Yann Martel is an excellent writer, and the plot is interesting and exciting. I'm going to return the book today (Sean did want to read it, but I think some of the parts would upset him) and pick up my next read: Being Dead Is No Excuse.

More good news! I have another blast from the past to report: Jeni Marr, our friend and neighbor from our Bellingham stint in life emailed me and told me an update on her and her family, and told me she's been reading our blog. She and her husband are similar to us in that they had two sets of kids with a big gap in between!

Friday already?

Are you sure? It can't be Friday, I don't have the makings for pizza!

Let's see, what might be newsworthy from our neck of the woods? Dylan is still unsure of whether or not he made the volleyball team, but he is playing in a tournament this weekend. Apparently all of the boys get to play in this tournament, and then the coach will decide by Monday who will make up the team. Dylan really wants to play volleyball...not that he has time for it! So I guess I will be happy either way.

I'm getting up bright and early tomorrow and taking Sean to the last fair of the season out in Agassiz. We're taking Jordyn, but leaving Patience home with her daddy : ). So it should be a nice little relaxing day.

I'll post more as important, exciting things happen!

News From School...

Nathan DID get a part in the school play Comedy of Errors. And it's a small part! Actually, he has many lines but they are all clustered in 2 out of 13 scenes, which means that there will be some practices he doesn't have to attend! So that's phenomenal news!

Precarious Push-up!

Here's a photo of Jordyn defying gravity while trying to get up onto the hearth. If her little arms give way, she's in for an owie!

This picture also shows her very bizarre hairstyle : ) It's a good thing she's such a cutie, because she sure doesn't have great hair!

See her little shoes? I'm impressed with how well they stay on her feet. Patience's feet were too square to ever wear shoes, but apparently Jordyn didn't inherit the "square foot" gene.

They HUG!

Those of you who aren't familiar with the Patience/Danica saga probably won't appreciate this picture!

When I started taking care of wee Danica, she was, let's say, deathly afraid of my big girl. Not without reason, either. Let's face it, Patience is HUGE in comparison, is dominating, is loud, is rambunctious...basically everything that Danica is not. So it's taken 2.5 months for the two of them to get to the point where they can hug.

I'm so relieved...I was looking forward to these two building a strong friendship and it looks like that's definitely possible!

P.S. Does Patience look a wee bit tired? She woke up at 5:45 this a.m.

Pics of the Girlies!

Here are pics from today, in case you forgot what they looked like since yesterday! : )

As you can see, they get cuter everyday! : )

Hump Day...

Boy, this week is just flying by! There's constant activity here, but I'm not sure anything is newsworthy. I'll give it a try anyway.

I worked out this a.m. I'm trying to keep to a M-W-F or S schedule. This weekend we're going to the Agassiz fair so I'll try to get there on Friday. The wonderful thing about Curves is that you drop in whenever you have time...you don't need to follow their schedul of classes, and it truly is a 30-minute workout. That includes stretching. So if Don has an hour to spare that he can watch the girlies during the day, I can run out and do a workout, and be home within the hour. It's amazing.

Nathan will find out Thursday if he got a part in the school play. Please pray with me that it's a small part. Really small. 4 or 5 lines would be great. He has so much on his plate this term that something's going to have to give...and I'm afraid that memorizing a gazillion lines would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Of course ever-optimistic Nathan isn't concerned!
Dylan continues volleyball try-outs. He'll find out Thursday or Friday a.m. whether or not he made it.

Sean is finally in his permanent class for Grade 6. His teacher is Mr. Thompson, who, unfortunately is not who we hoped he would get. Sean likes him, and is excited with some of the things Mr. T will be teaching them this year (like woodworking) but there is apparently little structure or discipline in the classroom so it's a little too chaotic for Sean to focus. So, he'll have fun, but may not learn as much as if he was in a different environment.

Patience just asked for a nap : ) so of course I put her down! Yesterday she skipped her nap and boy was she unbearable by dinner time!

And Jordyn has a new trick. Not a good one. She loves to try to get up on our fireplace hearth. We try to barricade it with toys but that hardly slows her down! So she gets her hands up there, but her feet are still on the floor. It looks like she's doing a push-up with quite good form...back straight, bum down. The only problem is that if her arms give way, she'll come crashing down, face first, on the bricks. So she kinda starts babbling for help, because she's stuck. So we run over and rescue her, and 2 minutes later, we hear her calling for help again!!!

Sister Valarie is midwifing today for her Corgi, Kady, who is bringing puppies into the world! The last count was 3 males and 1 female, but we're pretty sure she'll be having a couple more (hopefully females!).

Well, so much for Patience's nap! Here she comes down the hallway with all of her blankets over her head...like a little pink ghost. She must think I won't see her if she's hidden. I guess she's officially growing out of naps. Darn. But I'd say she's completely potty-trained! She hasn't had an accident in at least a week. Hooray! Now she can go visit grandma and grandpa!

Well, there are a dozen things I should be doing instead of blogging : ) Maybe I should go be a responsible adult....

I'll come back soon, and post adorable pictures of my amazing children!

Our Tuesday...

The highlights from today would be: I got a really cute picture of Jordyn and Sean; I talked to my sister and set up a date to get together TOMORROW (yeah!); I braved a trip to the grocery store with both girls by myself; I received an email from my manager at Tandem/HP/Compaq. I hadn't talked to Jane in ages, but dear Sally told her about this blog, and, viola! A blast from the past!

Today Dylan is staying after school for volleyball tryouts. Nathan is stayin after for play auditions (call backs). Sean came home on time. Don is working in Vancouver. Tonight Nathan and Dylan both have Sea Cadets. They'll be tired boyos; they were up early for school this morning.

Golly, could that be all of the news I can muster? Oh, here's a news flash! I actually borrowed a book from the library! I haven't done that in years. I mean, I haven't read a book since Patience was born (that I can remember). It's called The Life of Pi. I've heard rave reviews about it. If I actually get a chance to read it, I'll let you know my 2 cents.

Cheers!

Riding double...

This picture is so darn cute...I just wish I would have washed Jordyn's little face before taking it!

Val, I hope this brightens your day! : )

Bath Night!

Here's a snuggly Jordy after a nice bath from daddy. That's a rarity now that she's mobile!

The boys had a great time at the show. Apparently it's a good movie, but not as good as the first. It's scarier (monster-wise) and it's crying for a trilogy.

So, we're looking forward to pretty laid-back week. Only poor Dylan has something everyday! Dylan and Nathan have school pictures on Wednesday, and Danica comes to play on Thursday and Friday.

I'll be a little busy this week with finding a swim coach for winter maintenace and with getting awards for the 4-H club. Oh, coffee's ready! I'll come back soon with more adorable pictures...

Cheers!

So Pleased with Herself!

Getting into a standing position and staying there for long periods is getting to be "old hat" for this girlie. Here she is "smacking" the chair in the living room.

Shame on me: she's still in her jammies at noon! : )

Sissies!

Jordyn, 7 months
Patience, 28 months

Early Morning Girlies!

Here's a picture of Don and Jordy kickin' back on Saturday a.m. Patience is at the end of Don's arm but I cropped her out of the picture becuase of the face she was making!

On both days this weekend Jordyn woke up at 6:00 a.m. I got the pleasure of her company on Saturday and Don took her this morning. She had a cold which made her quite congested. I'm hoping that the cold hasn't given her an ear infection, because she's been quite fussy and clingy lately. Nor has she slept well : (

Don and Waneta are taking the boys to see Pirates of the Carribean this afternoon. And then Waneta is bringing home Chinese food for dinner! Yay! No cooking!

Nathan is working on his record book. I gave him an ultimatum: no record book=no play auditions. Play auditions are Monday. So, he has been working dilligently on it when he's not working (at Krause's) or going to the movies!

I heard from my poor sister, Valarie, who just described, in detail, her very busy life. Unfortunately, they won't be able to make it for a barby this weekend after all, due to a gazillion other activities which have a deadline. We have promised each other to make a date when she gets her school calendar.

Until later...

Nate's New Tool

This is Nathan's new Sharks planner. Nathan, as you might know, is an anti-planner type of guy. He prefers to keep every name, date, and meeting in his head (or for Mom to tell him what's coming up!), but with his workload this year (Physics 11, Math 11, and Socials 11 in the first term), he needs a tool. He conceded to use a planner if it was "cool," so we set out to find him a Sharks planner. Of course we couldn't find one. So we made him one out of internet-provided graphics and then Waneta put them together on a page for the cover. Inside are pages from Mom's Calendar Creator...so his meetings and important dates are already in there. Good luck, Nathan! May you never forget a test or a term paper this year!

New Shoes All Around!

Thanks to very generous grandparents, all of the boys (and Mom!) got new shoes tonight. And not just any shoes...not shoes from Wal-Mart or Payless Shoe Source, but "cool" shoes.

We were looking for a good shoe store at the mall and came across on that had a "buy 1/get 1 50% off" sale. That's why I got a pair as well...I couldn't pass up a chance to get a pair of shoes half off! So now I'm the proud owner of white leather Fubus. Sean also got white leather...with camoflage accents. Nathan and Dylan both got red, black, and white skater shoes to show their school spirit! Everyone's excited to have new shoes...especially new "cool" shoes. Thanks, Mom! You're the best : )

Princess Jo-Jo Bedhead...

...tries out the princess tent! Patience is in the background...she couldn't stand for Jordyn to be in the tent without her!

Pretty In Pink (and Yellow)!

Here is Patience and Danica in the "Princess Tent" that that was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa. Don't you just love Patience's "camera smile?"

I officially retired the exersaucer because now Jordyn has a fit when you put her in it! She wants to be out and about, and she's not shy about letting you know it. So now there's room for the tent.

Off to play with the girlies!

Thursday! (It Feels Like Wednesday...)

I woke up this morning to the sound of...NOTHING. Very unusual in my house. Usually that means something is wrong.
But I was pleasantly surprised to wake up and find that Nathan and Dylan had, as planned, left the house silently at 6:20 to ride their bikes to school for Dylan's 6:45 Senior Chamber Choir practice. Nathan rode along to provide protection and support for the bikeride...and to have an hour of uninterrupted hoop shooting in the gym.
Jordyn had a good night last night. She woke up once at about 4 (after going to bed at 8!) for a mid-night snack and cuddle, and then I put her back in her crib. She's still sleeping : )
Miss Danica will be here any moment, and then it's showtime! She and Patience are making steady progress toward being good friends, but Patience is just so used to having big brothers who roar and tackle...she doesn't understand why those same tactics don't provide Danica with fun playtime.
Don got home at 1:00 a.m. last night after attending a Microsoft conference with his employer, Paul. Now he has a dream job...working for Microsoft in Seattle. I told him he'd have to commute with our friend, Chris, who lives a mile from us and works in Seattle 4 days/week. He's home for a three-day weekend. Sounds like an optimal situation to me!
I got to speak to my effervescent sister yesterday, who is still walking on clouds after visiting Cody for 4 days! It turns out that a calendar miracle has occurred, and both of our families have a free weekend coming up, so we are going to get together for a barby. We might not see each other again until Christmas considering how busy both of our families are. So Mom, Lee...why don't you fly yourselves up here this weekend! We promise to make it worth your while!
Tonight's dinner...spaghetti & meatballs! My goal in the next 6 weeks or so is to empty our chest freezer, and we're starting with the meatballs...
Ciao bella...

I Have 2 Little Girls...

Not a little girl and a baby girl. Here they are watching "Babe" together. Jordyn is so much more content now that she's able to get around and get what she wants! The downside is now she has no appreciation for the exersaucer or the jolly jumper anymore...too confining, I guess!

It's so nice to see Jordyn and Patience playing together : )

That Day's Over!

Poor Jordy. She got her shots yesterday. Three of them. And boy was she incensed. She just couldn't believe that mean nurse was doing that to her again and again, or that I was holding her down, helping the mean people! She did fine afterwards, though. While her legs are a little sore, she didn't have any fever, and she slept pretty well.

On a positive note, Dylan went to Cadets last night with Nathan. He had a great time, and was actually able to play the trombone in the band. The band has grown since last year and there is a new divisional officer for the band division. She's a woman and apparently is nice. Dylan has his first "on-board" (weekend away) on the 16-17. It's for NEs (new entries) and he'll probably be promoted to OC (ordinary cadet) after the weekend. Nathan might be onsite to do the sports for the weekend.

Life is Over...

...as we know it. Jordyn is PULLING HERSELF UP into a standing position. She's two days shy of 7 months. She hasn't even mastered crawling yet but now she knows how to get to things that were previously out of her reach. The crib mattress will have to be lowered. I can't believe how quickly she's growing up : (

Day 1, Grade 11 and 9 (eek!)...

You can see Dylan's summer growth spurt in this photo!

The boys had only 1 1/2 hours at school today, so they were home by 10 a.m. Nathan didn't even come into the house, just took advantage of the sunny day by shooting hoops! And of course his little sidekick is out there with him.

Dylan told me that the Choral Class that he signed up for is not being offered to Grade 9 students, so they put him in Planning 10. I figure he should just try to get a spare...he can take that planning course next year.

I hear Patience yelling, "Hi, Sean! Hi, Sean! Hi, Sean!" so he must be home now, too! Boy, they don't want to overdo it on the first day of school, eh?

Grade 6...Day 1!

Here's Sean before his first day of Grade 6. Sorry, I missed the older boys...they were gone before I got out of bed! Maybe I'll take a picture of them when they get home. It will, technically, still be the first day of school.

Don made crepes this a.m. so the kids could get a good start on school!

Am I My Grandma's Granddaughter?

Okay, here's a shot of Jordyn, fresh from the crib! Who DOES she look like? Some people say she looks like her maternal grandmother. Others say her daddy. I just can't figure it out!

By the way, did you notice the "big girl" jammies? She's moved up to the 6-12 month clothes, which means she must be much smaller than her sister, who wore the same clothes at about 5 months old.

Horsie Ride? Or Plush Breeding Program?

This is how Patience left her horsies last night. Those of us with minds in the gutter will be pretty amused.

Buzz Lightyear...To Infinity and Beyond!

Patience loves Buzz. You can't see it in this picture, but she's wearing Buzz jammies. And her daddy has a very old Buzz Lightyear t-shirt that my mom got him when that movie first came out a dozen years ago or so. She likes him to wear it when she's wearing her Buzz jammies so they can "match."

Here's Patience, fresh from a full-night's sleep (on the couch).

Happy Labor Day! (Um...Labour Day for the Canadians)

The funny thing about me living in Canada is that so many people must think I'm a lousy speller! And that's just not the case. I spell most words correctly. If you live in the US, which I did for 34 years or so. So I write check, and bank, and labor, and of course Canadians write cheque, banque, and labour. Seems like a waste of letters if you ask me.

So, today is the last day before school starts. Today I'm going to make a batch of pizza pockets for school lunches, and maybe some goodies. I'm also going to make sure the laundry is caught up and clothes are put away, and then maybe I'll help the boys start the school year with clean rooms. Those are my goals!

Tonight's supper: Easy Cheesy Frittata. I got the recipe off the internet. We have very generous friends who give us dozens of eggs each month (like 10!). So I always have plenty for baking, breakfasts, and what-not. So I thought I'd use up a bunch with dinner tonight.

Hmmm...this isn't a very interesting blog entry, but like I said in my description...the details of my life would be in this blog, interesting or mundane! I'll update immediately if something interesting happens! In the meantime, it looks like the weather will be nice today : )

The Benefits of Working for a Berry Farm...

Nathan just came home after working 9 hours at the berry farm with a huge custard pie topped with a variety of fresh berries AND a baked blackberry pie! Yummy!

Of course this does nothing for my attempt to lose the remainder of my pregnancy weight. By the way, how long can I actually use that term? Until Jordyn is 5 or so?

Nathan also brought home a paycheck! It's amazing how quickly that boy can earn money...in no time he'll have enough for either a car or that trip to Hawaii...

That's MY Sister!

Jordyn loves Patience. Whenever Patience sits near her, Jordyn automatically reaches over and touches her. It's so cute. Sometimes she grabs her hair. And pulls. Hard. That's not so cute.

This picture was taken Saturday, Sept. 02, after the James' annual pig roast. We thought the girlies would be exhausted and go to bed early, but, alas, here they are full of vim and vinegar at 9 o'clock!

My Baby Nephew...

I remember it like it was yesterday. My mom called me at my college apartment to tell me my sister, Val, had her baby during the night. It was a boy (I was somewhat disappointed in the gender, but Val made it up to me by having three girls later). His name was Cody, and was he ever cute! I was there when he took his first steps. I personally fed him his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I dodged his little tiny two-wheeler that he rode around when he was three (withOUT training wheels!) like a miniature madman. I played catch with him until he started throwing too hard.

And now, here he is 21 years later. Property of the USAF in Arizona, slated to serve a tour of duty sometime in the near future. The baby is gone; a man is in its place. I love you, Cody-O.

This Week at a Glance...

The major event for the week is school starting on Tuesday! Dylan's day starts at 6:45 for Senior Chamber Choir practice. How crazy is that? They practice the first day of school!

Nathan and Dylan only have to go to their AG (advisory group) classes the first day, where they'll received their timetables, etc.

Sean rides his bike to school, about a mile away! This entire week will be half-days for Sean, with classes really starting on the 11th.

Poor Miss Jordyn gets her 6-month shots on Tuesday afternoon. She was supposed to get them two weeks ago, but had a fever the day of her appointment. The poor girlie...I just hate shots.

Sea Cadets starts Tuesday night. Dylan has agreed to try it out for the month of September, mostly just so he can have another chance to play the trombone (in the marching band).

And, of course, all of the other bands and choirs that Dylan is in start this week. He's bitten off a huge chunk this year, but if anyone can pull it all off, it's Dylan.

The little girl I daycare part-time, will be here three days. Three-day weeks alternate with two-day weeks.

Does this sound crazy? Just wait...this is nothing.

Cheers!

The Girlies and Their Bears

Patience and Jordyn received two Build-a-Bear Workshop bears from their cousins in Westlock, AB. Thank you Joleen, Jesse, and Jenna for the wonderful bears! As you can see, the girls love them...

Jordyn, Jordy, Jo-Jo

Our grand finale...Miss Jordyn Noelle!

(please excuse the drool...she's one drooly girlie!)

Patience

Our two-year-old cowgirl, who is her Baba-Dee's niece through and through!

Sean

Sean has mercifully outgrown his love for sweats and t-shirts!

Can you see the athletic build under those clothes? : )

Dylan and the Horn!

Dylan, our budding musician, who wants to be a band teacher! Here he is with the latest instrument in his reportoir...

Nate the Great!

Nathan, with his head shaved before he went off to Sea Cadet summer training on Vancouver Island this summer. Nathan learned Shipwright skills there.