Because kids live here.

Last week one of my blog chums Lynnette had a really funny post about the irritating things kids do and how we react to them. It was hilarious and it sounded just like my house! She challenged us to post our own pictures of things that prove that kids live here.

That very afternoon I snapped three photographs.
A common sight in my washing machine. Rocks and even a Swiss army knife. Maybe I should start checking his pockets....although that sounds a little scary.

That same little boy, about the same time I was doing laundry was busy "digging a trench" . Some good physical work outside is wonderful for an energetic little boy. However, the location was less than ideal. Every lawn needs a trench filled with water don't you think? He had the pleasure of using his dump trucks to fill the holes back in afterwards.

Any guesses?
I have no idea what the story is behind this. I found this on a blanket that had been on the couch for quite some time without me knowing it was there. Possibly days or weeks. After further investigation I discovered it was not chocolate.
Whoop whoop for potty training!....*insert eye roll here*
I think Silas had used the potty without telling me and then went and sat himself back down to watch tv.
A little love gift...its even on a heart. :)

Just a glimpse in one afternoon of the irritating, innocent things kids do that make us crazy.
The sticky finger prints or whole face prints on windows.
The bits and pieces of paper cut up on bedroom floors
The toilet paper roll, unrolled
amateur plumbers trying to figure out if toy cars sink or float
water left on
toilets unflushed
juice spilled
play-doh stuck in carpet
marker on the table.
pee on the carpet
sandy shoes dumped out in the entry way
pickle juice spilled in fridge
Lego's neatly arranged in my pantry

.......ok I'll stop there although I could go on and on.

So many things each day that I have to consciously choose to respond to rather than react to.
In fact I am taking deep breaths just writing that list :)

So many things they do are done in innocence and they just need to be reminded or have explained to them why "we don't carve messages for invading aliens in our door posts".

Some of the things make me laugh. I am consciously trying to see the beauty of childhood in the little inconveniences. (well maybe not the poo)

Occasionally something is done not so much out of innocent childishness as in disobedience and it is dealt with accordingly.

We are in the de-barbarianizing stage with Silas right now.
Its a lot of work but I know that eventually he'll figure out what is expected of him as a "big boy" in civilized society.
It seems multiple times a day he is being disciplined for poor choices or inappropriate reactions.
I remember that stage with the older two...it seemed like it would never end...but it did.
After that its more maintenance, refining....and reminding.

Someday I may even miss rocks in my washing machine, holes to China dug in my lawn, and kleenex box faerie houses strewn about my home....can't say I'll ever miss finding poop on a blanket though.

What did you find today that prove kids live in your house?

Meet my Dad

I wanted to do another Father's Day post honoring my own father. This is my Dad. What a handsome guy.
He is a quiet man of strength , faith and perseverance.
He is an avid adventure racer, marathon runner and canoer or is that canoeist...someone who paddles in a canoe. He is always looking for the next big challenge. He has in recent years done the Yukon quest canoe race twice and has also canoed the Churchill river in Northern Saskatchewan.

He has farmed his whole life as his father and grandfather did before him. He works hard, loves the land and watches the clouds. His job is not only a job but a part of who he is. It is not the only thing that he is though.

He is the father of five grown children. Here he is at his birthday party with 4 of his 8 grandkids.
From my Dad I learned
to work hard
to not be afraid of challenges that seem to big for us
to persevere when things get tough
.... and to operate large machinery. :)

This is my second Dad. I have been blessed with two Dads one for 31 years and the other for 13. This is my husbands father.
We don't see them very often because they live 1000 miles away but
he has been a very thoughtful and caring Dad to me. He has always welcomed me and loved me like a daughter.

He's always up for a donut and a cup of coffee....he and Roman have that in common.

From him I have learned the value of
loyalty
acts of kindness
overcoming difficult circumstances
....and ice cubes in water. :)

Happy Fathers Day!!

What a guy!

I don't often brag about my husband on my blog but since it is Father's day and he is the father of my children its only fitting that he has the honor. :)
He has not only been an involved loving dad to his own 4 children, he has opened his home and his heart to other children as well.
That's a tall order for any man...and my husband has met the challenge and continues to amaze me.

Only a Dad could build a tree house like this! Or at least one this outrageously high (mom's still reeling and asking that he put up more railing ). Now that's a cool Dad.

Always up for some family time...especially if it involves hotdogs, fire and a lake.

Yes, that is my two year old on a homemade zipline. Now that's something a mom would just never think of. One more reason why Dad's are so important. (Before you report us for child endangerment...let me say that my husband is a former resident of WA state where he was a rock climber and part of a search and rescue team...he knows his ropes and knots. He even had an extra safety line).

My kids would live very dull, albeit safe lives if it weren't for their Dad being there to shake things up a bit. He's the first to encourage and cheer them on in what ever they are doing.

He tells them each day how much they are loved and then proves it to them with his actions and priorities. My kids are lucky to have a Dad like him and I'm lucky to have a teammate like him in raising these monkey's.

Happy Father's Day Nathanael.

I have mentioned in past posts how dry it is here right now. My family farms, my husband farms with them and we live in an area where agriculture runs the economy...so without rain...no crops...you can fill in the blanks. This morning it started to pour and pour. We had a great deluge of rain like I haven't seen here in ages maybe years. We have a total of an inch and a half so far (40 mm)! There were a lot of smiling Dad's in church today!
Thank you God for the perfect Father's Day gift! :)

All wound up!

We are officially done with kids sports for the summer. Does any one else hear the angels singing? No more rushed dinners, driving to town for practices and then rushing to get everyone to bed past bedtime. The kids enjoyed their sports but mom and dad are just glad they are over now. We had both a baseball "wind up" (including a hotdog supper) and a soccer "wind up" this week.

I haven't posted any pictures of Roman playing soccer so here is a glimpse of small town recreation soccer.
Roman is taking his self appointed position of defense seriously here.

The last day they invited the parents to play against the kids. That's me being a good sport and wishing I had shin pads :)
I even let Silas (orange shirt) join in. All season he has been forced to sit on the sidelines. He ran around with the bigger kids and had a blast...even got mowed over a few times. The parents were vastly out numbered in this round of clump ball...I mean soccer...but we held our own. :)

Romans team.

Me looking like a "soccer mom" in my shorts and running shoes. All I need now is a fanny pack to complete this cool look.

Summer is here!

Just a short post....no really it is. At least that's what I'm intending it to be :)

For 7 months out of the year we are frozen white tundra..for another couple of those we are brown and barren. So for the next few months I am basking in colour , warmth and life.

Lilacs are my favorite flower!
My bushes finally produced a whole whack of lilacs this year. I'm sad they are about done their blooming. I love that smell.
I would fill my house with them but my husband whines that they make his eyes burn and his nose run. What a baby...dumb allergies.

My garden is growing great this year despite the cool dry spring. My wonderful, non whiny, husband hauled me in a big load of composted cattle manure (about 10 years old). One of the perks of having a farmer for a husband. Free cow poop! My plants are loving it.

These are some chives getting soaked with the soaker hose.

Keep in mind I don't claim to be a photographer. I have a simple point and shoot camera....I'm easy that way. I was out one evening sitting by my garden watching it grow when I had the sudden urge to take pictures of my little baby plants. That's not weird at all is it?

Bean plants that survived many frosty nights last month. A few suffered but I was amazed at how tough they are.

Some Swiss chard and spinach getting friendly. I planted them in separate rows but somehow they found their way to each other...either that or my helper spilled the seeds.

New Cub in the den

Yesterday I spent the morning outside with my boys enjoying the sunshine (before the heat got any more intense). That's right, we went from wearing our winter coats last week to sweltering hot this week. Something in between would be nice...but I'm not complaining. :)



We came in from our bike ride and play time at around 11 to get cleaned up, cooled off and lunch started. I had a feeling that placement might call so I went to check my answering machine and sure enough they had called with two more little boys that needed to leave the hospital. So within an hour I was showered, had a diaper bag packed, my boys dropped off with Grandma (Thanks mom!) and was on the road to the city (a 2 hour drive).



When I told Silas that I was going to get a new baby he was over the top excited. I soon realized he thought I was going to get Peanut (our last foster baby). I explained that this would be a different baby.

He crossed his arms , stuck out his lips and in his best grumpy voice shouted

"I want baby ---------" (Peanut). No want another one baby...want baby ---------".

I have to admit I had the same toddler voice inside me shouting the same thing.

I want the baby that I already fell in love with, I don't know if I have it in me to love another one. How about you take the baby I feel nothing for and give me back the one that feels like my own?

I know in my head I will probably feel the same way about this new little guy in a couple weeks.

Now that the new baby is in our home Silas is all over him and anxious to love him up too. He's even started calling him by his proper name...which is better than I can manage so far. I think every mom calls her kids by the wrong names once in a while....try foster parenting. As soon as I get used to a new name....it changes.


Each child is so unique, each child's situation is different and I'm realizing that even each picking up process is different. I went to the NICU assuming that the new baby was at the same place that the last one was but the head nurse pointed me to the maternity nursery. He's not experiencing withdrawal symptoms and is not on medication like I had originally thought. He was 6 lb 11 oz at birth and he was 4 days old (bigger than Peanut was at 3 weeks old). He's already quite a bit more alert and healthier looking.

When I arrived at the nursery I was rushed off to a waiting lounge because once again the bio- mom showed up. Unlike my peaceful and sentimental exchange with Peanuts mom. This mama wasn't leaving without a fight. Long story short...I hid....she was "escorted" out by 3 security guards...and then I was escorted to my car carrying the precious cargo. I felt like a baby snatcher. I feel bad for the mother who was forced to leave without her baby. It would have taken a few security guards to convince me to leave one of my babies at a hospital and let them go home with someone else. ....There is so much to the story that I can't share and that I don't even know. What this little guys future holds...God only knows.

I didn't make it home from the city until well past the kids bedtime. Unfortunately it was also the same evening as a board meeting at the church (which Nathanael is an elder). So I was going solo.

Pick up the three kids.
Unload a SUV full of groceries.
put the groceries away.
pass the baby to big sister to feed (one benefit of this new experience of bottle babies)
get the boys in bed. (way too late)
clean up, change baby, boil bottles, pack school lunch....

It was a late bedtime but I did it. Everyone tucked into bed and the house somewhat tidy.

"Cub" (for lack of a better alias) slept great, went down for the night great and only woke up once to feed at 2.30. (Unfortunately Silas woke up at 1.30...and I had trouble falling asleep until 3.30...I hate that!). I'm hoping for an earlier bedtime tonight and hopefully his good sleep pattern will keep up. At least for a little while.
I'm babysitting for a friend today (one of the down sides of emergency fostering never having time to actually clear a schedule and prepare for a baby). Its a bit of a crazy day with a total of 8 kids. My house looks like a hurricane hit it...but they'll all help tidy up by the end of the day. I think the five baskets of laundry that need to be folded will be hanging around for another day. At least its clean. Right now the new baby, Silas and the other two year old I'm babysitting are all sleeping and the older ones are watching a movie. SANITY BREAK!! Put on the coffee and turn on the computer!

Cub is a sweet little guy. Big jowly cheeks, rosy complexion, and a thick mop of jet black hair (that stands straight up...reminds me of Kade's hair).

I am still getting used to him, establishing a bond. Sometimes even with our own babies we look at their funny little newborn faces and wonder who this stranger is. Its even more likely with a baby that is in fact a stranger I suppose. I've learned that with my foster children the actions come first (cuddling, feeding, interacting with)....the feelings develop gradually.
As the feelings come I am constantly amazed by them. A child or a baby that initially felt like a complete stranger , I will suddenly notice I feel completely protective of. A little face that "only a mother could love" becomes a beautiful face that I can't get enough of. It always surprises me when the natural feelings I have toward my own kids start to show up with a new one.

Give me a day or two and I'll be falling hard for this little guy too. I am still trying to figure out the balance of loving with out limits...while remembering that they are not mine. Its a tough one. I may never figure that one out.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear..." 1 John 4:18

God is perfect love.

I can't fear what lies ahead for Cub or me.

In Him I can love Cub the way he needs to be loved even though my heart still feels bruised and tired. I will leave the ramifications of such recklessness to the one who commands me to love in the first place. Not only commands but shows us perfect sacrificial love. By receiving and basking in that love I am able to overflow that same love to others.

" This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10

God doesn't love us in a theoretical , out of touch ,unreachable sort of way. God the son , God in flesh and blood, set aside his glory to love us down in the dirty, dusty , messy world we live in. He loves without limits. He loved us without reservations or an escape clause. He allowed not only his heart to be bruised and broken but his flesh as well.

" We love because he first loved us. If anyone says "I love God" , yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4: 19-21

Kade, Peanut and Cub are not only "my" children but my brothers, my neighbors, my fellow human beings. They come from different ethnic backgrounds than I do, they come from troubled families....but they are my brothers. How can I not love them?

Something that has surprised me lately is how my interest and love toward the various ethnic groups in my province has been expanded. I have loved a Cree baby, a Dene (pronounced Denay) baby, and a Metis (pronounced MaitEE)baby. Its hard not to also love the moms, the dads, the grandmas and grandpas in those people groups too. Its hard not to be challenged to see them the way God sees them. He looks past the hurt, the sin ,the dysfunction of an individual person. He sees the way they were created to be...what they can be restored to through Christ. The rest is just the chains , something foreign and unnatural to that person. Something that they can be free of. Can we see people through those eyes too? Can we see the beauty of diversity?

Well my sanity break is over....the little ones are getting restless. Congratulations on making it to the end of a very long and scattered post.

Here I am back on the horse....getting back on this roller coaster. Ready or not.

Meet the Graduate

This handsome fellow just graduated from Kindergarten. Yep, they celebrate "kindergarten graduation" now. I thought that was kind of weird when we first started back into the school scene but turns out its a lot of fun. Moving from kindergarten into grade one is a big deal after all. :)
In kindergarten they are still "little" in a cute , innocent sort of way. I realized with Aili how fast they start to change and grow up once elementary school really begins. They turn into "big kids" SO fast. I kind of feel like this is the official end to his little boy years. Next come disproportionately large permanent teeth and an expanded knowledge of the world. I enjoy the big kid stage, but something of that adorable innocence is lost with the baby teeth.

Clowning his way through the award service. Shocking, I know.

Graduating Kindergarten class of '09! With nine kids this is considered a really big grade in our school. I told you it was a small school.

Each of the students received a "most likely too" award from their teacher at the ceremony. There was a teacher, paleontologist, politician, computer tech, and scientist. Roman was awarded "most likely to be a song writer". His teacher announced that Roman regularly writes her pages and pages of "music" and performs them in front of the class. I think his "music" is a squiggly lines (the words) and notes (dots with stems) written on pages of paper.
He has had an amazing teacher this year! We are so pleased that he had someone who saw the best in him and taught him in such a fun and creative way.
You never know.....maybe we do have a little composer on our hands.
Guess I'd better look into music lessons.

We wrapped up the evening with a special Roman favorite supper:

BBQ Hamburgers :
homemade whole -wheat buns, farm beef, lettuce (from our garden..yippee its ready!) and tomato

Mexican bean salad :
mixed beans (black, pinto, navy, kidney and garbanzo)
red and orange peppers
cilantro (also from the garden)
tomato
green onion (from the garden)
fresh squeezed lime (definately NOT from my garden )
pinch of salt.
a pinch of cumin.

Can you tell I'm excited that my garden is actually producing a little bit now? :)

Thats as close to a recipe as I get. I'm not a very good recipe follower or measurer (exept if I'm baking...then I at least use a recipe as a guide). This is a really yummy, colorful and very nutritious salad that goes along great with a Bar-b-q. I make variations of it all the time.

And for dessert:

Chocolate cake and icecream!!!
Now thats a real treat in this house. I wanted Roman to feel great about his acheivement and I knew having cake and icecream (normally reserved for birthdays) would do it. I was right! :)

I have a great egg free chocolate cake recipe and I bought Chapmans "made in a nut free facility" icecream for the occasion.
I don't do mixes .
If I can make it myself I won't buy it in a box.
I'm wierd that way.

Daddy even brought him home a little gift. I know we are over the top with this...but knowing what a struggle school has been for him we are ok with being over the top ! :)

A microscope!
($9 at the Bargain store)
I'm actually surprised it even works for that price!
The kids have been looking at dirty fingernails, boogers, and leftover oatmeal in the thing all morning.

Maybe I've got a budding scientist on my hands too :)