Judah 0-1



 

He's so cute!!!







We weren't to concerned that he wasn't crawling early. He didn't care. Everything around him was just great. I hate thinking now of how gross and disgusting the carpet that he was crawling on was. I can't believe we didn't replace it until after he started to walk.

We enjoyed our first holiday and Calgary Stampede together!!

 

And we seem to have tired him out once in awhile.

I think in the first one he's wondering how his cousin Shayla knows how to sit up so well. And in the second he's obviously telling us he doesn't need any toys to play with. Toes work great.

Once he figured out crawling he cruised!! And he ate non-stop, he needed to keep up with Micah and Aslynn.

We went trick or treating with him and he liked hanging out in the stroller. I'm pretty sure Daddy ate all his candy.

His first Christmas to open gift and hang out with his buddy Owen. I'm surprised they look so close in size here. It must be the camera perspective because Owen is definitely a lot smaller than Judah now.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And finally we celebrated his first birthday. Grandma Nation flew out to Caronport to see us and we enjoyed our snowman cake.

Lunchtime

"Hey Mommy..."

"Yes Judah"

"Can I have more cucumbers?"

"Sure you can."

I thought they were being all healthy and stuff. But apparently he needed the cucumber because he only had one eye.

And then they needed more healthy peas ..... for eyebrows.

and mouths.

and then they decorated their plates.

I guess I should be happy that they ate all those yummy vegetables when they were done playing.

Who do THOSE kids belong to??

I have escaped out of the tin trailer on the prairie to enlighten you on a story that happened a couple of weeks ago when we were in Calgary. I couldn't blog about it at the time because I was decidedly NOT amused by what happened that day. Yet in hindsight it is definitely blog worthy and something to record for history.

It all started as quite an innocent day. I was in Calgary and wanted to do some REAL shopping. So Mom, the kids, and I headed down to IKEA. It was pretty obvious before we even got there though that the three children were not as thrilled with the idea of shopping as I was. I sacrificed for their sake, instead of a leisurely stroll through the whole store we would head right for the bed section to check out what bunk beds they had and how much they cost.

Through the toy section we headed picking up a stuffed puppy dog to make Judah happy on our way. Then on to the bunk beds we went. They have a couple there and the munchkins decided they needed to try them out. Next thing I new all three kids were shoes off, laying down on the beds. I decided they were being pretty good, and my mom was there watching to so I started to write down the name and cost of the beds so that I could talk with Mark about it later. Then it's as if some weird curse occurred in those IKEA beds, something magically turned my children from the little angels they usually are into Fire-breathing monkeys.

Don't get me wrong. I read my own blog. I'm VERY aware that angels are not being raised in my house. But this ...... this may have been beyond even my kids. I wish I could have ignored what happened next and let some other mother deal with them.

Aslynn climbed into the bunk bed with the pink blanket and the only way she was getting out was if we went back to play with the tea set she had seen. Judah somehow scaled up to the top of one of the bunk beds and then climbed across they gap to the even higher bed next to it. As I was up the ladder trying to reach that monkey I missed what the oldest angel was doing. Judah was across at the back of the bed taunting me with his little grin. I was reaching for him and he was starting to cry when a movement caught my eye.

Micah had decided the bunk beds were boring. Something apparently snapped in his six year old brain. As he stood in the IKEA show room he eyed the dozen or so beds lined up from one wall to the other. Then he proceeded to climb up on them and run and jump from one bed to the other all the way across the room. As his horrified mother saw him from across the room she yelled. He turned and smiled at her. And although she had very clearly said to get down and come back he started jumping from one bed to the other again on the return trip. It was only when the yelling increased and he probably noticed the red faced anger that he got off the beds and innocently walked back to her.

This shopping trip was bad enough. So what were we thinking when we took those same monkeys to SUPERSTORE later that day. It didn't occur to us at all that Aslynn and Micah would thing that a game of tag would sound like fun. Or that after being restricted to having to hold onto the shopping cart that they would let go and decide a game of hide-and-seek was a good idea. And then they wondered later why after disappearing from view, being called 4 times to return, and then popping out from BEHIND the groceries on the bottom shelf, that I was mad at them.

- Faith

Getting Ready for Christmas

Last weekend we went Christmas shopping with the kids. They let us know what they wanted:



We told them we would think about it. (Yeah Right!!! Maybe little jeeps the size of Judah's hand?)

We decorated the tree. It's fun to watch Judah copy Micah & Aslynn. He caught on to putting things on the tree quickly. He would bring Daddy an ornament and say, "UP!!". Daddy would pick him up and carry him over to the tree. Judah would hand Daddy his chosen ornament, point at the branch he wanted it on and say, "ON!!". Very often we also heard the word, "NO!!" This meant Daddy had put the decoration in the wrong place and it needed to be changed, NOW!!





















After decorating the tree we had an oil fondue and Christmas backing. MMMM Christmas season has begun!!

Sneaky

Aslynn has been getting tricky at bedtime lately. Last night when Mom & Dad went to bed there were toys all over the living room floor. She had been up playing with them and then gone back to bed. I can't believe we didn't hear her. This is the girl who can't keep quiet during the day!!
Tonight I went down every 10 min. or so just to check on her. One time I caught her in the act. As I was coming down the stairs the door to her little room opened, a toy came flying out, and then she tried to quickly close the door behind her. That door doesn't close quick though and the force of her pulling on the door also pulled the wall of her room down on her as she quickly tried to lay down in bed.
I righted the wall and looked in on her to hear, 'I wasn't playing with toys, no sp--k.'
Needless to say the punishment was quick. But at least I got to laugh about it later.

Day Out

A day out for Micah that is. Yesterday we had a lazy morning and ended up getting dressed just in time for lunch. After lunch though when the little kids went down for their nap Micah went on adventures with Grandpa & Grandma. First Grandpa picked him up in his little truck and the two of them went to the dump with a load of things that belong in a dump. They watched the big machines, and all the birds, and then on the way out of the dump they go to see the sea monster.





















After the dump Grandpa drove Micah up to Grandma's office. He 'helped' Grandma by putting a huge pile of paper through the shredder for her. Then he went to the big post office with her. Not one of the little post offices, the big huge one for the entire city. He went into the back and one of the ladies showed him how they sorted everything and the big bins that were wainting to be picked up by the trucks. He had a good time and now I just have to find something fun for Aslynn to do.

Today after 30+ weather we needed a cool down before bed, so we headed to our nearby park and swam for awhile. It is truly amazing how multicultural Calgary is. Aslynn quickly made friends with three oriental girls, Micah watched the Sudanese boys, and Judah amused a 17 month old African girl and her mother while Faith spoke with them.

Nice X-ray. Very Nice.

I arrived at home to find a little girl curled up on her mother's lap with a sad look on her face and ice on her foot. Apparently she had knocked over one of the wooden dining room chairs and it had landed on her right foot. Instantly a bruise appeared and swelling followed, along with screaming and crying and the like. My arrival less than ten minutes later was the opportunity to get her to a doctor who might examine the foot before too late.

So, I changed clothes and washed up efficiently enough that we got back out the door moments later and to the clinic with 5 minutes to spare before closing time. We were the only people in the waiting room, were in the actual office and seeing a doctor within another 5 minutes, and out the door in another 5 minutes. In this time, Aslynn managed to ask the doctor why he had no hair. The doctor responded with, "It's not there? Where did it go?!" and explained to her that it was shaved because it is so curly. "Like Micah's," she added. We had to translate a few times for the foreign doctor. It's not easy speaking Aslynnese; it's even harder to explain our family to people in under a minute.

Anyhow, we got forms for the x-ray clinic and got there as quickly as legally possible. The doctor didn't really rule anything out, but was doubtful that it was broken. One can never be too sure. We were at the x-ray clinic in moments and were ushered in shortly thereafter. People don't like to see children in pain I guess. Aslynn charmed the x-ray technician and behaved like a perfect angel. She did exactly what she was told and laid more still than I have ever seen her. It was a miracle. And after the "pictures" were taken, we got to see them and get a sticker. Little miss charm got three whole Disney Princess stickers and a lot of smiles.

Personally, I was looking at the damage in the office (being that I'm into construction and I was the last person in that office doing any sort of work to it). There was water damage up and down the halls from all the rain and a bunch of my hard work was down the tubes. Oh well. I really don't care that much. It was just weird to see. Oh dear. Rabbit-trail. Okay, I'm back now...

From the time we left the house to the time we returned was right around one hour. In that hour we saw a doctor, went elsewhere to get x-rays, and even had time to chit-chat! Who would've thought it was possible? I guess when you avoid the Emergency Room, good things can happen! Although, the last few times we've been to the ER, things have been rather speedy there too. Maybe that's because of the obvious blood seepage from the bandages and the overall cute-ness factor. Whatever. I'm satisfied.

And nothing was broken. Nice x-ray. Very nice. Just a huge purple bruise and a mild limp occasionally. She milked it a bit shortly after it happened, but Little Miss Drama Queen hasn't said too much about the foot. No medication even! (Though we've considered drugging her before to shut her up and get her to sleep - don't report us just yet, we haven't done that as far as I can remember... yet).

- Mark

A Water Day

We sent Mark off to Toys R Us this morning to purchace a Slip & Slide that had gone on sale for only $5.00. The kids were excited to try it out on this very warm day.






















Micah got all into the sliding action, but Aslynn could only be persuaded to walk down it. Maybe next time she will try the running and sliding thing, but I doubt it as she tends to be more cautious than Micah.























Judah enjoyed watching and trying to run away down the sidewalk.




Later on this afternoon after naptime we packed a picnic supper and headed to the park to play in the water. The spash park was closed but we all enjoyed using the wading pool.

May Long Weekend

I can't recall the last long weekend we spent at home instead of in a vehicle traveling to see friends or relatives. We love going out and spending time with you and miss being close by. However, gas is at a premium and -- I'm kidding! That's never stopped us before, though it would make sense. No, we just needed a break, and we were in Calgary last weekend.

It was gorgeous outside! It was too nice to be inside, so we all enjoyed the sunshine. Of course, Judah was continually escaping from our yard, so I consulted my neighbour and built a make-shift fence to keep him penned in. I built a stand and ladder from the scrap wood in our yard for the slide we found on its way to the dump for the other two kids. Then we raked the dead grass from our lawn and loosened the dirt in the multiple dead spots to prepare them for seeding. The yard was in slightly better shape than the trailer when we arrived, but we figured it was more important to take care of the interior first before even considering the exterior. Faith also dug up the old flowerbeds in the backyard and removed all the sod and rocks. There are 4 garbage bags full of pine needles and grass just waiting to be hauled away somewhere. I know how non-green that sounds, but at least wherever it goes, it's biodegradable. That's only half of the junk! Oh well.

I scolded Judah a few times for playing with my tools while I was building the fence. One of those times there was a nail sticking out of a board that Judah found with his thigh when he sat down from the shock of being reprimanded. He's fine. No tetanus...

I also went to take Micah on a bike ride on Friday night, but when he went outside he made an oopsie. I opened the door to find Micah standing there with a stunned look on his face and yellow paint all over his chest, legs, and shoes. I quickly assessed that the paint was Acrylic (phew!) and removed his shirt, getting yellow paint all over his face. I then rushed him to the back yard where I hosed him down. He was shocked multiple times. You know, at first you flinch because the water is so hot from the hose lying in the sun, and when you've adjusted to that temperature it turns ice cold and more flinching happens. We saved the shoes and pants, but his favorite shirt of the day was ruined.

On Sunday we went to Sunday School with plans for a picnic afterwards with some friends. Well, We hadn't planned on Sunday School being canceled. I guess that's what happens when you miss a week and it wasn't announced or in the bulletin the week before. So we ended up getting plants for the freshly tilled soil in the flowerbeds and a bit of play sand for the sandbox. Then we went to church where Faith was scheduled for nursery.

Then we went for lunch at the park in the middle of Moose Jaw. Faith made some awesome fried chicken which we enjoyed, and the kids all played in the playground. Aslynn let go of the swing at one point and went flying into the sand with a thud. I was afraid she was winded, but she got up with some help, spit the sand out of her mouth, and didn't even cry (which is a little unusual for her). Judah laughed most of the time. It sure helps to have friends around with kids close to the same age as yours also. Jon & Amy were there with their two kids, Elijah and Gracie.

It was all so relaxing. I didn't care that I got a sunburn even. Why should it matter? It happens every year anyway. The less hair I have, the brighter red I turn. Oh well - at least we are all reminded to put on sunscreen once I start changing colours. Even Micah...

- Mark

I didn't steal them!!!

A trip grocery shopping at Superstore is never complete without a cookie that they give out for free at the bakery. Not all Mommy's know about this great perk to shopping at Superstore, I remembered this again this week as I listened to the Mom behind me have a conversation with her son, who was probably around three. This is a quick rundown of her conversation with her son.

"Mommy, what does that little girl have?"
"A cookie."
"Why?"
"Well," says the Mommy, raising her voice a little so I could hear, "Because her Mommy opened the container and let her have one."
"Can I have one Mommy?"
"No you have to wait until we get to the van."
"Why?" (Definitly a three year old with all those why questions.)
"Because we can't open the container and eat a cookie before we pay for them because that would be STEALING." (The word stealing was said louder than the other words so that I would feel quilty.)

I decided to take the high road here and talk quietly to my children and put my groceries on the belt and ignore the woman behind me who was accusing me of stealing cookies for my children.

Three Sick Kids

I seem to remember Micah saying on Sunday that he'd rather stay in the church service with Mommy and Daddy rather than go to children's church. While this news was not earth-shatteringly surprising, the fact that he snuggled into Faith and remained still the entire time was near-miraculous. This is when we began to suspect he may be sick.

Let me clarify. Micah almost never gets sick. He has the immune system of a horse, so if he's sick, the rest of us had better watch out! Luke and Lindy came by for lunch and we had a great time, but Micah opted to go for a nap instead of hanging out with baby Benj. Again, choosing to nap by Micah is virtually unheard of. This choice was probably for the best anyway, since we didn't want Benj getting sick.

Monday rolls around. Micah stays home from school. He pukes on the floor after having Cheerios, though it was mostly because of his coughing. I'm not doing poorly, but I'm not doing well either. Aslynn and Judah begin to look somewhat pitiful as the day flows forward. We are all feeling like taking a nap like Micah. That night, Faith and I got maybe 3 hours of sleep - combined. Aslynn wet the bed, Micah has coughing fits, and Judah would not stop screaming. Judah and Aslynn both have fevers. I finally laid on the couch with him until he finished his over two hour long screaming fit (and yes, we did medicate him within reason). I try to sleep with Judah on my chest, but his snoring is intolerable. Sneaking out from under him was like playing Mission: IMPOSSIBLE, yet I managed not to set off his pressure sensors at 6 AM and laid down in our bed briefly.

At 7 AM I fed Judah. At 7:15 he puked all over me. Aslynn wakes up while I'm changing my clothes because Judah is screaming like a banshee. She comes and has breakfast with Micah who is now awake from all the commotion and staying home from school a second day because of his cantankerous cough (he only went to school two days this week). By 8:15 AM we are sitting on the couch watching TV and no-one is going anywhere. At 8:45 AM Aslynn barfs all over my second outfit of the day. I wake up Faith as I try to transport the sick little princess to the loo so she doesn't blast me, the couch, or any of her siblings. All of this makes me feel weak in the stomach.

I promised someone I'd meet them in the library to help me get an assignment in that my computer won't burn to disc, so I cleaned up, put on my third outfit of the day, and feel quite refreshed out in the cool morning air away from the sounds and smells of sickness. When I got home, I took this picture of the crew:


This is the best they have looked all week long. Micah is cranky because he still hasn't caught up on his sleep between his own coughing as well as Judah's snoring and screaming. Aslynn has wet the bed three consecutive nights in a row and I'm tempted to put a pull-up on her tonight. Faith and I were awakened by this phenomenon each night, and last night neither of us slept from 4 AM on. Aslynn was also regularly complaining about pain in her ear last night.

Meanwhile, the house needs to be cleaned because Faith and I only have enough energy for short spurts - enough for meals and maybe dishes. She's had a fever as well and Wednesday night she turned our bed into an oven, so I headed for the couch around 4 AM that night too. I also have pre-course homework to finish before Monday and post-course homework to complete by Friday-ish. I have a class Monday morning. Most of us are functioning at about 60% with Micah bringing the average up because he's closer to 80%. He went to a birthday party today to share our germs with his friends. I'm sure that's where we got them from in the first place, don't you think?

Pray for us, please....

- Mark

Happy Birthday Baby

Today was a bit of a strange one. We had been planning a birthday party for about a week together with one of our friends who was also turning 30 (like me). It was a lot of work for Faith because, if you've been to one of my birthday parties recently, you will know that Faith makes AMAZING Chinese food. The only downside is that it takes close to a week to prepare the food for it all. Then figure in how to get all that food into the oven at the last minute - it doesn't work, so we farmed out some of the dishes an hour before the meal for final preparation to some of our friends who came.

We also had to figure out how to get 9 adults and 9 children into our trailer and still be able to sit down and eat this meal. We cleaned the place fairly well because we knew that it would be cramped if we didn't allow the kids some freedom and access to other parts of the house. Amazingly enough, we actually fit our table fully extended with two leafs across our kitchen / dining area. There wasn't much room to spare, but we did it! And it got so warm from the cooking storm Faith had going, that we actually took the plastic off of the windows and opened them. One couple walking by told us later that they thought they had smelled Chinese food on their way past (and had been craving it for weeks) but couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

The company arrived, but the birthday girl I was sharing my party with, well, she looked a little sick. By the way, she goes to the same church we do, and we noticed she didn't look well this morning either. She just so happens to be pregnant. VERY pregnant. She had two weeks until her due date, but babies don't really follow the doctor's theories or timelines very well, right Judah? She didn't feel much like eating, which was a good thing. Her husband got their two boys some food, dished himself up a plate, ate a few bites, marveled at the exquisite flavour and made a comment about opening a restaurant, and then he and his wife were out the door.

They left for Moose Jaw at 5:30 PM and the baby was born at 7:45 PM. It was a girl (finally)! 9lbs 14oz. Anyway, this removed three friends from our party, one being a guest of honour at that. So, I spotted some folks on the street whom I knew walking by and invited them in for supper to replace the people we had lost. They quickly went home to get their appetites and returned for some food. We still had half of the food left over, but it was all fine and dandy. At least we have a meal to send to the once-again parents who had to leave in such a flurry.

The meal was Pineapple Chicken Balls, Fried Rice, Cantonese Chow Mein, Ginger Beef, Sweet & Sour Pork, Oriental Chicken Rolls, Lemon Chicken, and Beef with Broccoli. For dessert, we had Deep Fried Bananas with ice cream and caramel sauce (wow). People couldn't stop complimenting the cook. It was pretty amazing. We're always surprised at how well the meal turns out every time. Faith is pretty amazing. And for so many better reasons than her phenomenal cooking abilities.

We had a good time, but it sure was a lot of work. Even the kids liked most of the dishes. Judah wouldn't let go of his Chicken Roll. I had to wrestle him for it at dessert. The people we called in off the street (who had earlier smelled and craved the delightful meal) had the dessert anyway even though they had been invited by someone earlier that day for dessert just a few minutes after leaving at our place.

We had a lot of fun. Did I mention that the kids outnumbered the adults 9-6 at one point? Yeah, that was a little hairy. But this is our crazy life. You invite someone for lunch, and they go and have a baby in the middle of the meal. By the way, the husband had Chinese "take-out" to go in the van. That one made me chuckle. He just couldn't put the food down even though his wife was in labour and they were on their way to the hospital. I figure you gotta eat sometime, baby or no baby! Oh baby...

- Mark

(P.S.: The Briercrest Clippers Men's Volleyball Team lost in the bronze medal round at Nationals).

Micah's Hockey Tournament

Micah played two games today in Central Butte with his "little Cougars" from Caronport. They were stoked to be playing in a real tournament. I know you folks who have kids in 'organized' minor hockey may laugh at us, but we don't really care. We're all about the fun right now, and we're enjoying watching Micah and seeing him really grow and improve. Everyone is amazed to see the kid who didn't know how to skate at the beginning of the year making plays,lining up on the other team's side, and cheering from the bench and encouraging his team with high fives. He's a winner, whether he won any games this year or not.

The whole family came out for the event. It was an hour's drive at 7:15 AM, but who cares? We traveled with some other parents and had a decent trip. The sumptuous smell of sauteed onions and grill burgers greeted us as we walked into the arena an hour early. I couldn't believe I wanted a burger at 8:30 AM (I guess I just miss Peter's Drive-In). Micah was eager to get into his equipment and uniform. He had individual and team pictures before the game, and we visited with parents, some hockey parent rookies like ourselves, others seasoned veterans. At this age, you can still talk to parents from the opposing team also because they aren't telling their child to murder yours on the ice.

We got out into the stands with homemade snacks and blankets to watch a tight game between our guys and the host team. We lost 6-4 in a nail-biter. The home team was glad to play a team that was so evenly matched to them for once. We were grateful not to get slaughtered. That happened the second game when we stopped counting at 7 goals against. At least they broke the shut-out in the third period. I'm sure we lost by at least 20 goals. Whatever. Micah thought we won the first game anyway, and I didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise (is that lying?). It was cute. Before heading home, we got some onion rings, fries, and a burger for the big hockey player before everyone in the van (except Judah and I) fell asleep.


When we got home, Aslynn, Mommy, and Daddy all laid down to rest for a little bit. After recharging the batteries for a few moments, we opened the door, donned the coats, and took the kids down to The Point to watch a web cast of the Briercrest Clippers Men's Volleyball team at Nationals. We brought sandwiches, cookies, oranges, and pizza pretzels to share. Another fun time. Micah and Aslynn played with a few of their friends when they got bored of watching the game and the intermittent Internet reception. The guys lost their semifinal match against UBC Okanagan in the fifth set. After all of this, we gave the kids a quick bath and sent them to bed.


Quite an exciting day...

- Mark