April Fun (so far!)

It is time for a mostly picture post of the happenings going on in our home (well, some of them anyway.) I hope you enjoy!

Every weekend, Nathan likes to get some organ practice in, to be prepared for our worship services on Sunday. Knowing it can be difficult to play with four limbs, he sometimes is able to enjoy some help.

Over the Christmas holidays, we received something like 30 chocolate letters. That means we've been sharing as a family a chocolate letter for dessert once or twice a week. This has resulted in Lincoln thinking that all letters are chocolate. Wherever he sees letters, he hollers, "Chocolate letters, mom!". Here he is, pointing out all the 'chocolate' letters in the Bible :o)

Now that all the snow drifts have melted, Lincoln can go outside without getting stuck. And how they are enjoying their park, spending a couple hours outside, playing together.

Oh, someone sees the pay loader!!

Under all that snow, a sandbox has been re-discovered! I just love, love, love how these two play together. Yes, they can fight, but for the most part, they are best of playmates. I am so thankful.

The other day, Lincoln decided to take a bite of the kitchen floor. Needless to say, it took a bite out of him, chipping his tooth! On his way to look like a hockey player.

Having fun with a few items from the dress-up box:

Apparently we aren't the only ones that love my homemade Toblerone Fudge. Any guesses as to who else has been helping themselves?!

Someone stopped napping daily at 4.5 years of age, but will still need one every once in awhile.

Here Lincoln is telling daddy off for hugging his mom. "MY mom!!". He is quite territorial when it comes to his mother.

Lincoln has learned to "tell a secret", well, the actions needed anyway :o)

And here we thought she'd be a piano player! But nope, drumming is her thing.

I have a love/hate relationship with our Lego. Can you guess what this picture makes me feel -- love or hate?

The other day, I hear from the family room, "Help me, mom!!". And this is how I found him. He was stuck. He couldn't get back up and was a little worried he was going to fall. Again, any guesses as to what the next picture would have looked like? :o)

Now that the new season has started for the business, that means a lot more activity going on outside. We usually can't see too much, but that pay loader is just tall enough to be seen over the hedges. And so, in order to get through the Bible Story without "Pay loader, Mom!!!!!" being yelled out, the curtains now need to be closed :o)

Have you ever tried to get 500 Q-tips back into the box so that they fit?! It's like trying to roll that tent back to fit into its sleeve: not too successful. Seeing as this isn't the first time he's dumped them, my dear boy should be an expert by now in getting all of them to fit.

"Hey kids! Is the steak ready yet?"

(yes, some ground rules (no pun intended :o) were set after I had fun taking pictures of them through the window. And no, the BBQ was not on.)

 

I had the privilege of teaching one day, enjoying a class of JK and SK students. That meant Nathan stayed with the kids for the day. No wonder the kids want me to teach again tomorrow so that daddy can stay with them......he took them to McDonald's!!

 



As you can tell by the above pictures, there is never a dull moment in our home, thanks to this mischievous monkey.....

 

....and his best friend, 'Zah', our favourite brown-eyed girl.

 

We are thankful for the memories we are making as a family. We praise our God in heaven for the many blessings He continues to shower on us each and everyday. 





And It's Done!

When we moved into our home, the first thing to go was the carpet in the master and en suite. Actually, I do believe it was out even before I stepped foot into this house. Why people put carpet in a bathroom is beyond me. Apparently it was an 80s thing to do. And while I stated on a few posts ago it takes me a while to like the fashion of the day, usually liking it as it goes out, we are 25-30 years past the 80s and I have *yet* to like that fashion trend. I don't think I am alone with this one.

And so, with great excitement, we started our bedroom and bathroom renos in the middle of February (when I say 'we', I mean, Ridgeline Renovations. But more about them later....).

 It took a little longer than we anticipated, thanks to the While We Are At It disease. Have you heard of it? If not, it's probably because you haven't gone through a renovation. Go through one and you'll know exactly what I am talking about. (We heard about this disease from someone and boy, he sure had it pegged right!!)

So here are some before and after pictures.

Our en suite had a very large soaker/whirlpool tub in it. Sounds so nice, eh? Yeah, except we never used it (especially as we have a hot tub outside) and knew a shower would be a much better use of space:

Our bedroom:

That green was the colour of our walls. It is no more.

As stated above, we hired out most of the work to Ridgeline. We did however take on the painting of both rooms:

 Our supervisor :o)

As of last week, we were able to finally move back into our room as it was all done. It sure was worth the wait! We love it!

And the biggest change, our bathroom. Oh, how we absolutely are enjoying this space!! We kept the vanity and toilet in the same place, and where the tub was, is now our shower.

(picture above is taken from standing on the bench - with a heated seat I might add  :o)

 

 

 

We are just absolutely thrilled with how it all turned out, and we have Ridgeline Renovations to thank. We were very impressed with the fine detail in their work, which is especially important when dealing with water. You cannot be too careful with water. So if you are looking for an excellent company to do your renos, we highly recommend Rob from Ridgeline.

 

And if you are ever looking for me, you will either find me fast asleep on my new plush carpet in the bedroom, or snoring with a smile on my face, on the my heated floors in the bathroom.

Birthday Pictures

While my birthday was almost a week ago, my last post did not include a single picture of the actual celebrations.

This year I kept it fairly low key, no party, not even having all my friends over for "coffee". All the birthday work is being saved for 2 months from now when a certain handsome man is turning 40. 40?! How is it that the man I am married to is going to be that old?? There must be something wrong with the math, 'cause there is just no way I could possibly be married to someone so close to the age of what my dad was when we started dating. Eek.

But I digress. Back to last week, when I had the privilege of celebrating my 36th birthday. The day started out with lots of kisses, card-opening and present giving:

While the day was somewhat quiet, 2 dear friends did come over for a few hours to enjoy some 'festivities' (much to Keziah's surprise, I had not even baked a cake for myself. Oops.). Not only was I happy to see them, but so was Keziah and Lincoln, as my friends brought some friends for them!

For supper, we went to a restaurant where if it is your birthday, you are free! So even though it was a buffet (see last post :o), it was so nice to enjoy this as a family, especially with little ones who can't wait long for their food.

So all in all, it was a great day, surrounded by so many blessings. And thank you to the many who also wished me a wonderful birthday!!



But wait.......not a single picture of presents? No worries, I was spoiled!! I was given 3 things and let me tell you, I cannot decide which one is my favourite. Maybe you can help  me decide?!

Present Number 1, given to me by my favourite 4.5 year old:

No, it wasn't a box of Olivia books. It was so much better than that!! That whole week, I had noticed she was collecting all kinds of things. This isn't really unusual for her, as she loves to find the smallest things and then treasure them. But what was so special this time around is that she spent days collecting - and all of it was for me. Here is her collection:

 While it may mean nothing to you, it meant a whole lot to me! She is so thoughtful and I treasured that box filled with her little gifts all day!!

Present #2:
I did not receive this present until a few days later, as it was being made:

My very own family necklace. This present brings me to tears. Not much else to say about it or else I'll start tearing up again, but I love this so much!!

And lastly, Present #3:
I also had to wait for this present - a whole 7 years!! And it finally arrived, on my birthday. What could it be, you ask?

CARPET!!!!! for in my bedroom!!!!

Believe me, when you've been walking on plywood since the day you moved in 7 years ago, receiving carpet for your bedroom is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

So, can you see why I can't choose which present is my favourite? They all are special in their own way. Present #1 and #2 leave me looking like a blubbering mess, and Present #3 makes me lay on the carpet and snuggle with it. I know, strange, eh? It is just so nice to not have to worry about splinters! :o)

And with that, my 37th year has started. I pray for health another year, that I may continue to be given what is needed to first and foremost follow my Lord and Saviour, and second, to continue in my tasks as wife and mother, doing it for His glory.