Winter Come and Gone

Last week the snow came. Boy, did it come! I didn't even ride my bike to work all week; it was too cold. But, then the arctic outflow or whatever it was ended, and we are back to our four degree rainy weather. The snowman is melting, the grass is starting to show in spots...

It's been a little stir crazy around here with the kids cooped up inside. It didn't help that Malachi has been getting some molars and they are taking a month to finally cut through. It all started to get to me today--just needed a break--but then we visited some friends for the day and I felt like someone hit the 'reset' button and am back to normal. I suspect part of the problem was eating too much sugar yesterday. I think if I eat too much sugar I feel a bit angry. I read somewhere that this can happen with diabetes, as well.

Now that winter is over, bring on Spring!

We Gave Jesus some Pears

Life's been full lately. Not full as in "my tummy hurts", but a pleasant after-dinner burp full. We've settled into our new work/stay home routine a bit, despite the change that Christmas Holidays brought for a week. Malachi keeps growing and changing, so that keeps us on our toes (though mostly it keeps Kate on her toes!).

For Christmas, we had Christmas at my parents' place, then the second one later that night/next day at Michelle's aunt and uncle's house in Edmonton. Then we stayed with her parents for the remainder of the week. It was a good break from our life at home, although with two munchkins zooming around the house, it was restful in a relative manner. We also saw some friends in Red Deer and the lights of Airdrie--gotta love the outdoor skating pond in the park, it's so romantically Canadian!

Malachi seemed to get rid of his fear of strange people over the holidays. He doesn't mind being held by other people now. However, we're still having trouble getting away and leaving him with babysitters--somehow he senses we're gone and screams until we come back. It could also be that he's teething a bunch of molars right now...poor little fellow!

I enjoyed leading worship at church today. The band was full--great musicians and worshippers. There was lots of positive feedback. It's nice to be able to serve my church with my gifts--and lots of fun too!

On our way to Care Group today we did a quick shopping stop. As we returned to our car in the parking lot, a lady asked us for some change to buy soup. She said she was pregnant. We had no change, but parted with some pears. While it felt good to help out, it also felt like we didn't do nearly enough. We continued on our merry way to Care Group to study the Bible. :-|

A @ Home

On December 1 we did our annual switch up at home: Michelle went back to work 2 days a week, and I cut back to 3 days a week. Now I am home on Thursdays and Fridays again with the munchkins--er, kids. This is my third week of the madness and it's going pretty well. Although it feels pretty busy, I've been managing! My main task is to take Kate to dance class on Thursday mornings. So I cut Malachi's nap short and me and him play for an hour in an adjoining room while Kate hops around in her pink ballet outfit (she's really good at 'sa-shay'ing). Getting Kate to dance also requires the car (or 3 hours and the city bus) so we've all been getting up a bit early to drive Michelle to work. I cut Malachi's sleep short. Today I am going to cut his second nap short to take him to get his shots. So, the poor guy just can't sleep! But he will be okay. He turned One yesterday!!!

Fridays are a bit easier since we don't need the car for anything. We all sleep in (a little), and stay home and play all day! I like staying home from work a few extra days--although it makes going into work a bit harder on Monday, too! (I think when you work full time, 5 days a week anyway, you get into a groove and you get used to working so much)

Stay at home Dads unite! Sugar Mommas rule! ;)

N is for Normal

Andrew and team leading worship at church. (Photo by Custom Concepts Photography)

For a few months I have been wondering if I am officially 'normal' (healthwise) or not. It's hard to decide when to declare Normal to be. Both my MD and my Naturopath say my blood tests and other tests show good, solid levels. But, to be able to function each day with a decent level of energy is a tremendous blessing that just a few years ago I had little hope of reaching. So, thank you God, and doctors, and everybody and everything that helped me get back to enjoying life again. While I still have tired days and the odd 'off' moment, I feel like I am interacting with life in a way that is true (not always thinking about just myself and how I'm doing). I'm able to focus on others, on tasks, to ponder ideas. I hope to be able to give back to those who need my help; that my experience will not be forgotten but will spur me on to good deeds. Not to mention good eating habits. ;)

Anniversary Photoshoot

On our 8th Anniversary (October 18) Michelle and I took a picture of ourselves, as is our yearly custom. Michelle snapped a few shots of me while she adjusted the tripod, set the lighting, etc. I like very much!

Happy Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

The theme at church today was Thanksgiving. A lot of kids thanked God for things like family and Lego. I stepped in to help by teaching the grade 3-4-5 class and I was thankful...when it was over! :) We managed to read the first eight verses of Psalm 107. It provides context to Thanksgiving by chronicling the life of some people who were at their wits end (within an inch of their lives!) and then were delivered from their troubles when they cried to the LORD. I asked the kids if they could think of any examples from their own lives when they were in trouble and needed rescuing. One guy said he had to wait a whole month to play a new video game; another was grounded for two weeks and couldn't play any video games. Tough stuff!

I'm thankful for lots of stuff.
A day off
healing
healthy happy kids
work
wife
carob chips

Gibsons

Michelle's parents treated us to a waterfront cabin in Gibsons for a few nights. It was very nice! The photo above was taken from the deck. That is the ocean and a wharf in the background...I hiked up the local knoll, went kayaking with Michelle (my first time in a kayak!), and read a book that I found in the house. As well I looked after the kids a bit, although not as much since we had grandparents and Uncle Michael around! We did a bit of touristy stuff like go to the beach and go out for lunch at Molly's Reach as well.

With the vacation-y mindset and lots of snacks around, I cheated on my diet a bit more than usual but seemed to handle it fine. I seem to be able to tolerate more foods again. It's a nice feeling!

We now have a 9 month old and a 36 month old. I'm really enjoying playing with Malachi now since he can respond more. He's been crawling for about 2 weeks so he keeps us on our toes. He still detests going to bed at a reasonable hour. When Kate decides not to go to sleep it can be a rough evening. It got so bad at one point that it drove us to a prayer of desperation--ever since it has been better, though not perfect--thanks God for looking after our needs when we ask!