Coastal Sling Mommy

January - In Review!

2012-02-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it turns out January wasn't much a blogging month for me either. I finally catch up on my December posts ---- just in time to realize I've missed the whole month of January. Oh dear!

So to prevent the same thing from happening again (that is, me taking all of February to do my January posts thus continuing the vicious cycle), I will give a you a "Month In Review" before we move on to February. (I've never been a huge fan of the month of January. February, I welcome you with open arms!)

January - The Highlights:

----> SNOW! We'd been waiting all Christmas vacation for a little snow to make a Christmas more... festive. And in January it finally arrived. I can't even tell you how excited Kaleb, especially, was. I'd bought three new plastic sleds way back in November and he was DESPERATE to use his! :) The big kids even have a little hill in the back of their school yard, so they took their sleds to school and were able to enjoy the white stuff during lunch and recess.

And a big highlight for me? First, the roads weren't too bad, so I wasn't trapped (unlike Grammy and Papa in Hope!). And second, it didn't last too long. It came, we enjoyed it, and then it melted and was gone. *big smile*

----> Andy's concert! Yes, MY Andy Frew was the opening act for Hillsong's Mia Fieldes at a church in Richmond. And he was AMAZING! Mom and Dad came down (escaped the mounds of snow!) and went to the concert with me. The whole night, worshiping together, was awesome!

He looks kinda... mad, doesn't he? But he really is having the time of his life, performing his own songs with a band of buddies, worshiping along with a room full of brothers and sisters. Good stuff!

----> Start of our new Crossridge Small Group! (Or as Jorja calls it "Little Group".) Our first meeting, a potluck dinner, was last night. And it was great! I'm looking forward this new step in the life of our young church, as we grow closer to God by learning and journeying together.

----> Selling a (cool but not..."me") Christmas gift to get one I really wanted.

Back Story: Andy had given me a Samsung tablet for Christmas, thinking I'd love it. (It was a rather spendy gift for us, but we'd gotten it for "free" for switching phone/internet companies.) Now it wasn't that I didn't love it, but after a few weeks I was realizing I wasn't using it enough to make it worth keeping. The kids enjoyed a few games on it (Angry Birds mostly), and I did enjoy playing "Words with Friends" with my hubby, but other than that I was mostly sticking to with my old but trusty laptop.

What I'd been lusting after for a long while was a top-of-the-line blender. This thing is ah-mazing, with its crazy horsepower engine that can turn carrots and spinach into smooooooooth smoooooothies! (Plus a whole lot more.) So when my sis found two at a liquidation-type for less than the normal (high!) price, it felt like it was meant to be! Andy gave me gift by selling my tablet on craigslist so I could make this baby possible. Thanks for understanding my blender love, Andy!

Vitamix - the gift that keeps on giving!

A photo of its inaugural run!

Loving their fruit and veggie icy treat!

The Lowlights:

----> Despite my feelings for the first month of the year, 2012's January was actually pretty decent. The only really negative this year was sickness. After a surprisingly healthy December, we went down pretty quick once January arrived. We had a short 24 hour period to spend with Grammy and Papa in Hope before school started, which unfortunately was marked by two pukers. Took my camera to document our fun, but spent the day with buckets and bowls instead. This then spread, a few days later, to Jorja and I (while Andy somehow escaped the madness). A week of health was then followed by a rotten cold. Nothing too serious really, but it kinda knocked me off my feet. The kids got over it pretty quickly, but I was fighting it for a long time. Still am keeping a kleenex box close, and having a Neo Citron nightcap.

So there you have it - January in a nutshell. Hopefully my next blog post won't be a "Feb in Review". Hahaha!

Note: In case you missed it, I've been "back-dating" blog posts (love that blogger lets me do that!) from the month of December. Be sure to scroll down to see photos from all our Frew family Christmas fun! (And leave a comment while you're there!)

Forgive Me...

2012-01-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, what happened?!?! Haven't blogged in over THREE weeks! In my 5 1/2 years of blogging, that has never happened before I don't think. Not sure what what my deal was, but forgive me as I back date (they will show up before this post) some quick picture blogs to document the weeks I've missed. I love having this blog to document my life, and know I regret the blank I just left by taking a blog holiday.

Off I go to record the past three weeks of the Christmas and New Years with my family. :)

Ringing in the New Year!

2012-01-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

Ringing in the New Year! Four hours early!

I love (love, LOVE!) that at this stage of life we can celebrate the New Year FOUR hours early (that is one hour EARLIER than last year!) so that we can give the kids a mini sleep-over and still have plenty of time to socialize (and keep eating!) as adults! It was a great (albeit noisy - thanks Jeff V. for the noise makers!!) night together at the Unruhs! A big shout-out to Jeff and Gina for being willing to host our motley crew. You guys are awesome.

I so love being able to celebrate the beginning of a new year with such great friends!

Lukas holding baby Ben

The big girls!

Kenna's turn! This girl loves babies!

Taking the noise OUTSIDE to celebrate (at 8 pm)!

If only this blog had sound! ;)

Jorja with best buddy Kady!

Naya!

The whole gang - all 10 of them!

Normally we ring in the New Year with the ball dropping in New York. But this year we had to watch a recorded version of the festivities in London, since we were an hour early. Andy's showing the kids the countdown on the ipad.

Welcome 2012! Looking forward to a great new year!

In Search of Snow!

2011-12-30T16:58:00.000-08:00

One day of our holiday together, the Frew clan decided that we needed to head out in search of some snow, since the weather forecast promised we wouldn't be getting any in the Fraser Valley. At least during Gramma and Grampa's time with us. And since they don't see much of the stuff in Atlanta, we didn't want them to miss out. ;)

So off we set, up Mt. Seymour, to get a seasonal photo in the white stuff. Here are some photos of the (cold) fun we had.

Snowball fight anyone?

This one makes me laugh. I was a little grumpy that day. (We'd misplaced TWO pairs of snow pants, and I HATE losing things and having to look for them.) So I think this is Andy giving his Eskimo wife a little lovin' pep talk about relaxing, letting go of things and enjoying the moment. (Note: It worked. The trip up the mountain was fast and fun. And freezing!)

Kaleb and Grampa

Happy Garett, before he got super cold and very sad.

Fun on the (decorative) chairlift!

Jorja and Hudson's turn

Now Kaleb and Garett

The big boys didn't want to miss out on the fun! I'll spare y'all the "crack" photos that came before this shot. (I refuse to delete them from my photo library though, as some days you just need a laugh, right?!?) Here is Grampa trying to help Andy get up on the chair.

You can do it boys!

Sweet success!

Kids against Grampa!

Jan, setting up the shot for the perfect family photo

Grampa and Gramma and their gang!

Working on a cooler of take home snowballs. Nice muscles, guys!

BC Frews!

Frew Christmas

2011-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Frews was celebrated a few days after Christmas, when Jan, Doug and kids had arrived back from Christmas on the Island. It was lovely and relaxed, and involved more delicious turkey. Yum! Unfortunately, it was so low key and relaxed that I didn't even remember to bring my camera along. :S (Maybe this is why I've been a little uninspired to blog?) So I'm stealing a few pics from Sharon's camera, so our Frew festivities can at least be kinda (badly!) documented on my blog.

Present time for the gang!

Our cute little (hello) kitty!

Great Grandma Frew gave each of the great grandchildren one of her amazing paintings. Hard to see the from photo, but all are portraits of children in Africa. These photos will be treasured, for sure.

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

After a mandatory Christmas nap (me included!), we headed over to the Oldhams to celebrate with the rest of the family. They have the perfect house for dinner with 19, with all of us able to sit at a big long table together!

The kiddie end!

Mikah with his Christmas cracker

Lukie

Kenna's cracker prize

Kaleb, wearing his new (Lego!) shirt

Jorja showing off her puzzle

Sassy Naya

Big smile from Papa

Hex bugs were a hit!

Loud but entertaining

Kenna was in charge of decorating the cake for Jesus

Mansfroldham girls!

Our babies

Getting ready to sing to Jesus birthday

This year's matching outfits from Gramma

Papa gets some snuggles!

Kenna sandwich!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

The rule was no pictures of the grown ups pre shower. Hence no photos of Andy and I, or Gramma and Grampa. Better no pictures that bad ones, right?! Hmmmm...maybe we'll rethink that policy next year, since there is NO record of us from Christmas day at our house!

Anyways, on with the photos. Keeping the chat to a minimum, since I'm working to get caught up on my blogging! Enjoy the photos of our Christmas day!

Stocking time!

Hello Kitty Christmas, for sure! (Pundies and jammies in her stocking!)

Kaleb - still a Lego nut! (Love the smirk!)


Makenna and her new Maplea doll, Leonie!

His biggest Lego project yet - Ninjago Fire Temple, 1174 pieces!

Snuggling her "twin", who's wearing a matching sweater Gramma MADE!

Such a diva, with her new HK luggage and shirt!

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite family traditions for Christmas is when we (together with my in-laws) host the family for a Christmas Eve dinner buffet. When Andy's brother and fam are with us (instead of Jan's family) for the holidays, we sometimes have my entire extended family together in one place. That is twenty one of us (so far!). Can you almost imagine the volume and near-chaos? I love it!

With three pastors in the family, and the obligations for each in Christmas Eve services (all at different times and locations), it was decided that it made more sense to have this family time a day early. So this was our second year having a "Christmas Eve Eve"! Makes me laugh to call it that, but it spreads out the holiday festivities a bit and makes our actual Christmas Eve less chaotic and low key, which works well with the busyness of the season.

So here we are this year, about to pray and dig into the delicious feast that my mother and father-in-law created. (Can you say Bacon Wrapped Bread Sticks?! I think my husband and middle child define the night by this newer menu item!)

I know how unusual it is for a whole family to be in one place and I cherish the blessing of being able to celebrate together. God, thank-you for this family you have given us!

Jammie Days and Candy Making

2011-12-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

We love to have a few "jammie days" (or at least "jammie mornings") when on holidays. This Christmas break was no exception. We love to play, watch TV, bake, and just RELAX together with no big agenda!

One of our "jammie day" projects was to try making some chocolates for Grammy and Papa for Christmas. (Well, making the chocolates is a making it sound more glamorous that it really was. We used chocolate melting wafers in a Christmas tree ice cube mold and added sprinkles and candies to decorate them. Fun nonetheless!) Kaleb and Kenna went first, then Jorjie had a turn. I'll let the series of photos speak for themselves.

Not sure if the chocolates were any good, but we sure had fun making them!

What happens when you try to get a nice picture!

Feeling silly!

Sweet smile!

Jorja shows off her creations!

Last Preschool Christmas Dinner and Concert

2011-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

This past week was our last ever Christmas concert and dinner at preschool. Three kids and six continuous years of preschool means that this concert (and "The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy") has very much become a part of our Frew family Christmas traditions.

I could seriously cry about it if I actually thought about it for a minute. How did all of my babies grow up?!?

I'm hoping Andy will chime in here sometime soon to post the VERY CUTE video of Jorja doing her thing. She was SUPER excited to go on stage and sing all of the songs she had been practicing, and her performance did not disappoint. She was very animated (as you can see from the photos!) and gave it her ALL!

Afterwards, the director of the childcare centre (who oversees the preschool, daycare and afterschool program) came over to say that she and Jorja preschool teacher were saying that they could always count on the Frew kids for participation and VOLUME!

And we're very proud of that! :D

Big kids, ready to cheer on their little sis!

Me and the star performer!

On stage, before the show started

Can you almost sense the volume?

Singing her heart out!

Good job, Jorja! Mommy, Daddy, Kaleb and Kenna are proud of you!

School's Out!

2011-12-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

For ~~summer~~ Christmas holidays! (Alice Cooper reference there, in case you missed it!)

Yayayay! Not sure who is more excited! Me, or the kids?

Kaleb did gingerbread decorating during his final afternoon of school, and parents were invited to come and help. I was quite excited to spend some time in his classroom, as it was the first time we have been invited in. It was good to be able to hang out and see him in his class environment. My boy is not very vocal about his six hours a day he spends away from me in school, so I like what little glimpses I can get into his life at school.

What struck me from my hour hanging out in Ms. Vallee's grade three/four split class? How many BOYS there were! I always knew there was a higher number of boys in his class, but I had no idea how lopsided the class was till I was in there. Nineteen boys and only five girls! I admire his teacher a little more with this knowledge! ;)

Kaleb wanted me to give you and "before" and "after" photos, so here they are.

Before - almost bare graham wafers

After - a candy heaven

Kenna's class watched a Christmas movie in the gym with the rest of the school. I made Reindeer gingerbread (thank-you Pinterest for your never-ending source of foodie and crafting inspiration) for her and her classmates. :)

Gramma and Grampa arrive in two days and then the real par-tay begins! Yay for Christmas holidays!!

Christmas Dresses!

2011-12-15T00:38:00.000-08:00

I had to share these pictures of my two girlie-girls, all snazzed (spell check says this is not a word, but I beg to differ) up in their beautiful new Christmas dresses. Jorja got some money for her birthday from GG and she used it (with a little prompting from mom) to buy her and her big sister a new Christmas dress. (Makenna had bought new Easter dresses with her birthday money in April.)

Thank you Great Grandma! Don't they look pretty?

And don't forget those dollies, who also got matching dresses!

Jorja and Rose

Makenna and Lily

Life's been busy and blog has taken a bit of a backseat. (I've been using all free time in the evenings to bake up storm!)

I so wish I was doing better documenting our daily (or almost daily) advent activities (like other friends) as I know I'll regret my poor blogging habits later when I want to look back and remember. Maybe this post will be the first of some more regular posts, as I do want to document this season and all the memories made. I'll never do Christmas with an 8 1/2, 6 1/2 and 4 year old, so I need to savour each little bit as I go.

While Mommy's Away

2011-12-06T16:23:00.001-08:00

Part 2

Advent Activity: Day 5

BOWLING WITH DADDY

I love my family! So happy that they can have so much fun, even without me! ;)

While Mommy's Away

2011-12-05T22:21:00.001-08:00

Part 1

Daddy took this picture when he was putting my princess to bed for a nap this afternoon while I was out for the day. She's wearing my bedtime bandana.

I LOVE this photo. It made my heart smile!

December: Day One

2011-12-01T23:00:00.001-08:00

Family advent adventures begin! First activity?

Have fire and roast marshmallows in fireplace.

Kenna, my big first grade reader, read that one herself!

The loves of my life!

Looking forward to more special moments making memories and remembering Jesus' gift this Christmas season!

Three Cheers!

2011-12-01T22:55:00.001-08:00

Women all over the world are rejoicing that today is December first! Why?

MOVEMBER's OVER!

This wife sure is happy!

Ready for December!

2011-11-29T23:24:00.001-08:00

Well, if you've been hanging out here for awhile, you might remember that two years ago I started a new family tradition for advent that included a Jesse tree. What you don't know is that, despite my initial enthusiasm for crafting, I never did finish the little ornaments for each day leading up to Christmas. Not the first year. Or last year either (when we decided to do a different version from our church that involved paper ornaments the kids coloured). How pathetic, huh?

Enter a new idea for this year's advent! A few weeks ago I was very fortunate to stumble upon this blog post. (Can't even remember how I got there, but so glad I did!) The idea was that instead of one momma trying to create a whole bunch of different ornaments, a group of mommas would create a whole bunch of one ornament (or in our case two) and then exchange them so you end up a whole set. Within a few hours of discovering this idea, I had begun to round up other mommies (with the help of facebook) who wanted to get their craft on!

I ended up enlisting 12 very creative ladies. We chose, as a group, to do a "multi-media" version (that's the fancy, artsy way of saying that each momma could decide how and what materials to use to make her ornaments, instead of all sticking to the same type and style). Each person chose two ornaments from this version of the Jesse tree (another online discovery that I loved) and away we went!

Monday day was the big exchange party! Oh what fun! First of all, let me say how much I love to host a group of moms. The kid-free (well, except for a few cute little babies!) party meant I could clean without watching it get "magically" undone before my eyes, which is such a welcome change from our normal parties around here! :D I also lit about 30 candles around the house and didn't have to worry about any unexpected fires! It was lovely!

What a great evening it was. Amazing ladies, from all different places and areas of my life. An awesome feast of delicious food. And 25 beautiful and unique ornaments that are going to be part of creating a very special advent tradition. Yes, I was smiling pretty big when the night was over. Sweet success!

So without any further talk, here are some shots of the ornaments that we will be hanging our Jesse tree (and 12 others).

All 25!

And now some close-ups, so you can appreciate each of these cool and unique ornaments!

Amazing, eh? Can't wait to start tomorrow on our advent fun! And, in case you can't tell, I totally recommend this exchange idea if you don't already have your advent traditions started. Obviously too late to arrange for this year, but do it next year for sure! You won't be disappointed!

All I Want for Christmas....

2011-11-22T13:05:00.001-08:00

...is my one front tooth!

Got the privilege of yanking this one out myself (since the usual tooth puller had already left for meetings)! Took me three yanks and she was very brave. (Surprisingly so actually!)

It actually took her a few seconds to realize that I had been successful with my attempts. I loved the look on her face when she figured it out! Such excitement and RELIEF! This was all minutes before school started, so we took a quick pic (seen above), popped the tooth in a ziplock bag for safe-keeping and then rushed to school so we wouldn't be late. The school's principal noticed and commented as we hurried through the school crosswalk. (Go Ms. Charlton. You made Makenna's day!) And the first thing her classmates said as she rushed in the door? "Makenna, did you lose your tooth?"

Oh, I bet you never have seen such a big, proud smile.

Marking Milestones!

2011-11-19T23:48:00.001-08:00

Big milestone in the Frew household! Yup, our 4 year old Jorja Adelaide is now SOOTHER FREE!

(No flames, please, about how long it took us to get here! She was very attached to this sleep-aid! Plus, she's my baby!)

Proud smile!

Though she only really had it for a few minutes at bedtime (and the occasional "catch-up" nap about once a week), we knew the time had come for her to say goodbye to her beloved soo-soo. We'd been talking it up for ages, that when she turned four we were going to give her soothers away. She was in agreement, at least in theory. (Plus she knew how happy this was going to make her dentist!)

Birthday came. And went. After a wild and crazy night at Captain Kid surrounded by loads of friends and family, I didn't have the heart to take it away that same night. And I think I personally would have copped out the next night too, considering the serious "birthday hangover" the poor girl had.

But Daddy stepped in and gave us the (unwanted?!) push we needed. That bedtime was rough. The next night's was even worse. Instead of a soother, it was going to be a bit longer of a snuggle with mom. (I didn't mind. These days don't last forever!)

Outside Chuck E Cheese!

I talked her through it, with promises of big reward.

Big reward for my sweet 4 year old? A trip to see her favorite mouse, Chuck E. Cheese. 10 days of being soother free and that is what she would earn.

A few more rough bedtimes. And then it got easier. By night six, she was barely mentioning it. Kaleb and Makenna were encouraging her too, and counting down to her big reward.

Such a poser!

So today, after 11 "big" sleeps and a couple "little" sleeps, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese! A fun family adventure to celebrate our BIG little girl! :) We're proud of you!

Morning Commute with Daddy

2011-11-18T08:38:00.001-08:00

So glad I beat the rush and got snow boots from Value Village ($18.98 beats the $60+ they would be new!!) on Tuesday! Didn't totally believe we'd get the snow they were predicting, but wanted to be ready anyways!

Kaleb, your cover has been blown!

2011-11-17T14:01:00.001-08:00

Discovered this gem while going through the work Kaleb brought home from school because his binders were getting too full.

Andy posted this on twitter last night. His comment? "Apparently Kaleb has been working the system for awhile. And Niki and I spend too much time on our Macbooks."

I asked him, while snuggling in bed, why I was the one who was saying no, pouting a little bit when asking this. His answer was, "Well don't say no then, Mom." Cheeky little thing!

And here was another page I enjoyed.

Interesting that the hardest part of school was "getting interrupted".

When Mommy's Away!

2011-11-15T10:34:00.001-08:00

Jorja's outfit yesterday. The picture says it all!

Yesterday my sis and I were down in the US doing a big grocery and Christmas shop. Great day for sure! (Apart from our Duty Free store disaster. Ask me about it later. Once the financial sting has worn off, I might even be able to laugh about it!)

Since the kids had the day off school, they headed to Hope to catch some quality time Grammy and Papa. My dad just got back from a three week trip to England to see the reli's so he had not seen our big 4 year old Jorja yet. They had a great time. And it was more relaxing to shop knowing my family was having fun together while I was gone.

What I'm working on today

2011-11-10T22:42:00.001-08:00

A nasty cold has struck and so I've been taking it easy today. Laundry, all folded and ready to be put away, you can stay there in the corner on my bedroom for another day. And ditto with the rest of the jobs I had planned to do today. I spent most of the day,snuggled up with a warm drink and a big blanket, doing computer projects. I thought I'd share one of them now, and hopefully another in the next couple days.

I decided, after seeing a cool version on pinterest (yes, spent a long time there today!), that I wanted to make kid friendly version of the 10 Commandments for my family. All three have been learning about Moses and the 10 commandments this past week in their two different Sunday school classes and I wanted to follow up this lesson at home. We had spent some time talking in the car about the different commandments, but many of them are confusing/not easy for a child to comprehend.

(During our conversation, Kaleb listed a few for the girls. One included "Don't commit adultery", which he pronounced adult+ree. Thankfully I was facing forward, as I'm sure I made a bit of a face hearing him say this. I asked him if he knew what this commandment meant. He said no, but then guessed that maybe it meant not to act like an adult? I gave a (very brief) response (that resembled the phrasing below) and we let it go at that!)

Anyhow, I googled 10 Commandments for children and then combined (stole?) a few different lists to make a version I liked.

I don't have many good backdrop photos (most of my pics have my kids' faces front and centre!!) but found this and decided it would work. (This is my boy, running towards a beach in Oregon. *smile*) I just wanted something pretty that would look nice in a frame, as opposed to some cheesy 10 Commandment tablet clip-art! Now I'm about to place an online order for an 8x10 photo, so I can slip this in a frame and have it where we can learn it, and refer to it.

The kids have also learned the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and so I think, if I can find a good background photo (no cheese clip-art fruit bowl), that I'd like to frame this verse as well.

The Main Event!

2011-11-10T21:54:00.001-08:00

This will be the end of the birthday party posts, I promise! ;) But had to post a few of Jorja's actual party, right? Actually only got a few good photos, as the lighting and high ceilings are NOT my best photo conditions! Good thing for some editing tools in iphoto!

The setting! (Of course we chose the Castle Room!)

The birthday girl, posing in front of the fun play structure!

My sweet sunshine!

She insisted on having her birthday buddy by her side at the head of the table!

Thanking God for the evening, the food and the BIRTHDAY GIRL!

The whole gang! (Minus little buddy Luke!)

A big thanks to all who came and made my girlie's night special! We appreciate you and your friendship! We were very glad to have you and hope you had a good night as well!

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows!

2011-11-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

Can I share my hard work for the birthday party? Pretty please? :D

Thanks to pinterest for the inspiration for Jorja's birthday cupcakes! The girls and I enjoyed many moments together looking through cute cuppy cake photos for inspiration. We picked a few ideas, and then I asked the birthday girl to let me make the final decision and surprise her. I just wish I could have recorded her giggle when I told her what I'd picked and showed her the "sunshine, lollipop and rainbow" cupcakes. She was thrilled! Makes the work totally worthwhile. (Besides the fact I love making cupcakes! ;P )

The single sunshine was for the birthday girl.

Fun and easy! I'll definitely make these again!

Made a rice krispie version for those who don't love cake and/or who have allergies. These were a big hit! I might just be done making cake cupcakes, as my whole family preferred the marshmallow treats!

And while we were on the rainbow theme, I figured I'd do a rainbow fruit tray. Chopped about 9 different fruits for about an hour and a half to create two of these:

And instead of a goodie bag, we had goodie sticks! I saw these on pinterest as well and had to make a rainbow version. They were harder to make than I thought (stale gummies maybe) but they sure did look bright and fun!

And had to include a few pics of my girls that I snapped before we headed our for the party. Aren't they cute, with their piggy tails and Hello Kitty shirts?! Makenna usually resists the matching "thingy", but for Jorja's birthday, she was the instigator. She even borrowed the shirt from Jorja so they could be alike. I could just about eat them up.

Same-sies, right down to the skirts, socks and sparkly shoes!

Happy Birthday, to my Baby!

2011-11-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

It is too late at night for a thoughtful/sentimental post about my baby turning four. (Whaaaaaaaaahhh!) But I did want to document this long awaited and very special day.

Happy 4th Birthday, Miss Jorja Adelaide Frew! We are SO happy and blessed to have you as part of our family these past four years. You are a beautiful sunshine in our lives, and everything is sweeter (or at least more interesting ;P ) with you around. Your gorgeous smile makes me smile and I absolutely love being your mommy.

Isn't she a sunshine?

Jorja's theme for her party tonight was "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (as inspired by this song, which was a family favorite during our RV road trip). So above is our sweet sunshine, wearing her rainbow shirt, with her lollipop crown (which was created by her Dada)!

Say "cheese" Mama!

This little turkey climbed in bed with me this morning and, after I wished her Happy Birthday, her first words to me were, "How many days until I turn 5, Mama?" When I answered 365, she responded, "AWWWW, that is LONG TIME!"

Silly girl is trying to rush some of the most precious days. With full day kindergarten looming ahead next year, I'm trying to cherish every moment I have with my baby. Meanwhile she is wishing it away!

Let the Celebrations Begin!

2011-11-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

Decorating her cake with Grammy!

More hands make light work?!?!

The cake: 4 for Jorja, 4+4 for Mikah!

Birthday buddies! I love this special relationship!

Tomorrow (well today really!!) is Jorja's actual birthday. I don't think there has ever been a girl so excited about her birthday F-I-N-A-L-L-Y arriving! (She has been waiting for months and counting down to this day.) Big party planned for tonight at Captain Kid's play area, so lots of pictures to come soon.

Now off to bed, as I'm going to need my rest to prepare for the celebrations!

And one more!

2011-11-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Such an amazing trip, for so many reasons. Sad to be going home tomorrow (our time is up already?!) but happy to go home and love on my gorgeous kids! Feel spoiled to have been able to come here and experience this time in Quebec City!

Quebec City (as seen from my hubby's iphone)!

2011-11-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! A quick post from Quebec City, Quebec.

Andy and I are here for a church planter's retreat and having a fantastic time! It has been an amazing few days, a blessing in so many ways. I'm not going to post much right now as we want to get back out, with coffee in hand, and enjoy the city and some time together. But I did want to post a few pictures Andy has snapped with his phone. I'll share more from my camera once I'm back home and have time to digest and blog about our trip.

On the boardwalk in front of our hotel

Patio lunch (in November!!) with friends/fellow planters

Quebec's Notre Dame

Oh Canada!

Our castle/hotel

We're on our way home tomorrow (sad to leave but happy to see my kiddos!) so will write more then. Au revoir!

Brunch Date!

2011-10-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Had to post the rest of my photos from Jen's visit (before you get bombarded with blogs from Quebec). These were a few from our brunch here at our house yesterday.

9 adults + 11 kids = lots of loud fun!

Do my girls need a little baby brother or what?! ;)

These four could be siblings!

Off to bed as the alarm with be ringing before 6 for our flight to Quebec. (Eeek!) Maybe the next blog with be en francais? ;P

Friendship Blessings!

2011-10-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Jen is visiting from Alberta this week and staying with my sister. After a super short visit last year, it has been soooooo wonderful to have longer to connect again with this very special friend/sister who I do not get to see often enough. We did a girls coffee night out on Monday, our traditional pancake dinner at the Oldhams on Wednesday, a field trip to the Thomas Store (aka Art Knapp Plantland) on Thursday, and a full family brunch date today.

After a few rocky and emotional days and weeks, specifically in the friendship area, this week was JUST what I needed! Jen, you are one of the best "bucket fillers" I know. God knew a visit with you and your sweet little family would be a huge encouragement to me. So very thankful we could hang out! (And that I had a chance to meet your man and spend some quality time with your gorgeous kiddos!)

Here are some pictures from our Thursday trip to the "Thomas Store". We hadn't been there for ages, now that our train fan is all grown up and has moved on to other things. It was so fun to see the store through the excited eyes of a 2 year old train fanatic! Reminded me so much of when my boy was two and Thomas the Tank Engine was the ticket to the biggest smile on his face. Such great memories!

Rhydian LOVED the Thomas Store!

Sweet little Josiah!

I'm in love!! Seriously!!

Jorja loved him too!

She wants to be just like her big brother and sister!

Posing with pumpkins!

Jen, Rhydian and Jorja get ready to ride the train!

When you ask Rhydian to say "cheese"!

Train ride!

Jen, can I keep him?!

I love friends who you can feel totally at home with, even after not seeing each other in ages. What a blessing!

Harvest Fest

2011-10-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Harvest Fest at my sister's church, a yearly tradition for our family. It was extra special for ME this year, as Andy and I will be away for Halloween (for a national church planters' conference in Quebec City!!) and this was my one chance to see my kids in their costumes and do the picture takin' thing! Thankfully we had a few moments left of daylight left to capture my kids "working" their costumes! (Oh fall, I love you, apart from the evenings of darkness!)

This year, Kaleb is Zane, Lego Ninjago Ninja of Ice. (Not to be confused with the Karate Master he was last year! ;P) He was VERY OBSESSED with getting this costume perfect, driving his mom a bit crazy with his requests! I think it turned out awesome, and I think he was pleased with the end result as well. I loved taking his photo, as he was totally in character, doing all the ninja moves! (Our neighbors across the street really enjoyed it as well!)

Kaleb as Zane

Feel his intensity?

For Makenna we found this fancy (FULL LENGTH - so hard to come by!) purple dress at Value Village! And on another trip, we found the matching purple, diamond-studded high heels! This lovely purple princess was obviously MEANT TO BE! Add a bumpit for a little added glamour and you've got one happy princess.

Andy was pretty sure she was ready to head off to prom. Isn't she a beauty? Eeeeeek!

Makenna as a pretty purple princess

And Jorja? Well, Jorja has a bin full of fancy princess dresses and she was happy to dig in and pick her current favorite. No stressing for her. She decided on being Ariel about 30 minutes before we headed out the door and was happy as a clam. Gotta lot it!

So much personality in this almost 4 year old!

Jorja as Little Mermaid

Face-painting time.

With the cousins.

Zane and Zane!

Not the first time they have matched. Remember these little boys??

Great night! Good memories for kids AND parents! Thanks for letting us crash your party, Oldhams and Ladner Baptist Church. ;)

Thanksgiving In Hope

2011-10-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

Our big family sleep-over in Hope over Thanksgiving was a ton of fun! The kids got along amazingly, and spent a surprising amount of time playing all together as a group of six. Wish I'd taken a photo of this new "phenomenon" but unfortunately I wasn't great with getting the camera out. The only documentation I do have is from the hour or so we actually spent outside (since it rained like crazy for most of the week-end), which is better than nothing, I guess.

A big highlight of the trip was Papa's new creation, a super cool zipline from the old playhouse to the ball machine in the side yard. The kids, minus Jorja, loved it! (Jorja, with much pressure, tried it once but that single time was enough for her!) I struggled with my camera to get clear, non-blurry photos of their rides, but was only able to get a few. (I guess I'll have to try again the next time we're in Hope.)

The biggest boys waiting for their turn.

Jorja is happiest on the ground!

Big smiles from Mikah!

Lukas gives Kaleb a high five!

Little cuties with their umbrellas!

Classic Naya! She faces the camera but doesn't actually look at the camera!

Say "Ahhhhh!"

After a trip to Bee's (aka Grammy's Candy Store) for sugar-filled treats to fuel the trip, we took a walk out at Sucker's Creek to see the salmon spawning and to look for frogs. There were lots of salmon, but no frogs unfortunately, despite taking local frog catching expert, Blake, along. We Frews seem to be jinxes when it comes to finding frogs, as the Oldham cousins seems to find them everywhere (including right outside of Grammy and Papa's house) when we are not with them! Despite the lack of frogs, we had a good time walking and exploring in the wet woods of Hope.

Checking out the spawning salmon.

Thankful for family time!

Forgot to add...

2011-10-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is my husband's handiwork from today's fieldtrip. He made this himself. So proud, so very proud!

Also forgot to mention that Kaleb teacher didn't seem too pleased for Kaleb to be missing a morning of grade three for a preschool pumpkin patch field trip. Despite the fact he told her it was our SIXTH annual trip for our family. Oh well. She got her point across by giving him all the work he missed. And we went anyways, without her consent.

But since part of what he missed was learning about early settlers to Canada, we decided to take these photos with a real covered wagon. I'm having them printed up at Walmart for him to take into his class.

Take that, Ms. V. We were learning a little bit outside of the classroom! ;)

Recent immigrant Kaleb is excited to journey across Canada to his new home.

About to start his long trip across our great land!

The Sixth Annual!

2011-10-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

I really CANNOT believe that today was our sixth annual trip with preschool to the Aldor Acres pumpkin patch. I won't go into how the thought of these sweet days being over causes my breathe to catch in my throat and a horrible ache in my heart. I will instead focus on what a beautiful and perfect last day it was. I love my little family so much and treasure these special days together!

Hayride out to the patch!

I love the special daddy-daughter relationship these two have!


With the pumpkin she chose.

I like this silly series!

Trying to capture the beauty of her freckles!

Oh how I love this sweet smile!

I just want to eat her right up!

I love this one. She looks so grown up, with her hair almost the same length as mine.

She's always up for a kiss, which I love!

I got a snuggle to warm me up on the hayride back to the farm.

My boys!

She loves the bunnies. This one reminds me of Zeke!

Snuggled up next to his mother.

Cute kid! ;)

Aldor Acres seems to really get into these head-through-the-picture thingys.


Bad apples?! :P

Goat-cam!

Lunchtime!

Family picnic time.

See what I mean?

How tall this fall?

I AM SO BLESSED! THANK YOU GOD!

I Did It, Mom!

2011-10-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

We'd been studying nightly, as instructed by his teacher, for over a week in preparation for his first real test (on a unit about Canadian symbols). (Side note: I'm still getting used to this jump from grade two to grade three, which has seemed quite...intense. Maybe more on that at a later date?) He came home in the afternoon with the proud report - 20 out of 20, or an A (his first ever letter grade of his school career)! I wasn't at all surprised. He'd worked very hard, with his note cards and quizzing game. Plus, he's a smart little (big) guy!

Last night, just before midnight, as I got ready to make lunches for the next day, I pulled the actual test out of Kaleb's school planner. And it jumped out at me.

"Look I did it Mom."

I cannot even tell you how it made my heart smile. All day today even, just the thought of it made me smile. That desire to tell me about it. To share it with me. That sweet connection between us.

He is growing up, so very rapidly, and yet that special bond is still there. I want it to always be like that. Of course that is how I feel, right? I'm his mom. And he's my boy. My only boy.

But he's going to grow up into a man. With a wife and family of his own, God willing. I just hope I can have a special bond with this boy I love so very, very much.

How can a test paper with a few extra words on it bring up so much emotion and tenderness?!?

(And does this post make sense to anybody out there who is reading this?)

Happy Turkey Week-end!

2011-10-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

Had to share these turkey cuppy cakes I made (with some help from my sous chef Kenna) for tonight's festivities. Thanks to the internet, I found these fun little gobblers to make for the younger set - orange tinted cupcakes, chocolate frosting, candy corn feathers and beak, sugar cookie head and wings, and a fruit-by-the-foot snood. (Snood was a new word for me I learned while creating these cupcakes, so I'm linking to it's wiki definition. Am I the only one, or was it a new word for any others out there??)

Tonight, our Turkey week-end starts. Friends Buffy and Jay are hosting the second annual Thanksgiving in Point Roberts. Very excited! This year is being held at Camp Awesome, with 37 adults and 24 kids at Camp Awesome! So nice to have all that space for the masses, and a dry sky (as opposed to the torrents of rain like last year) as well!

Then tomorrow (after Crossridge's 3rd service!) we head up to Hope for a Thanksgiving sleep-over at Grammy and Papa's. We haven't seen my parents since before school started, so we are excited to be heading their way and hanging out with the whole fan-damily! Word has it Papa has a new zipline creation for the kids to ~~get hurt on~~ enjoy! Should be a fun and loud celebration! :)

Then Monday we'll come back to Surrey for our third turkey dinner with our Frew family. We'll be missing Gramma and Grampa, but are very glad we can celebrate and be thankful (and eat tonnes turkey and fixings) with so many members of our family.

So much to be thankful to God for! We really are BLESSED! Hope are are feeling the same way too!

Jorja's "first" day of school!

2011-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Attempted to believe it would never happen in this family, but poor Jorja was a victim of "third child syndrome" this back-to-school season. Yup, forgot to take my camera along for the required photos of her first day of 4 year old preschool!! I can't even believe it, actually, as usually I'm snapping up photos like a crazy woman. Whoops! :S

Got home and realized my error, so had to keep the first day name tag in order to "recreate" these first day photos. You'd never know, right?! Except that she insisted on wearing the Minnie Mouse ears she made at preschool during the previous class. Ha, ha! Oh well, what can you do??

Jorja, if you ever end up reading this blog, I love you. No less than your big brother and sister. First day of your second year of preschool was so "no big deal" for you that I kinda forgot what a big deal it is! It truly is a big deal for me, especially knowing that next year you will likely be in school full time and our time together will be so much less!

Funny thing about my outgoing, people-loving Jorja is that she keep telling me that she wants to go to a NEW preschool. This never happened with either Kaleb or Kenna, so this has taken me by surprise. Big brother and sister happily went back to the same school, excited to see some of their old friends and teacher too. But not my youngest.

Jorja is feeling a bit left out, I think, with Kenna switching over to her new school, and also with both of her siblings being together at their school now. Plus, she has several friends who has "graduated" to Kindergarten and I know she wishes she could be in Kindergarten too. So strange to think, since she is my late-in-the-year baby and still waiting (asking daily) for her birthday to come.

Being oldest in my family, I've never really considered what it is like to be "left behind" and always get to do things last. Maybe other personality types might be okay with this. If she was a little more Mommy's girl and less super-social girl, she might be loving all this time with my (somewhat) undivided attention. But my baby is VERY AWARE of what everyone else is doing and doesn't want to miss out on a thing. She has even instructed me to stop calling it 'preschool', but just to call it 'school' instead.

It breaks my heart a little bit, that my baby is so intent on growing up so quickly, but I sure do love and appreciate her spunk and personality!

Cousins!

2011-09-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

It is our weekly tradition - pancake dinner and hang out time with the cousins, otherwise known as Waffle Wednesday. Right now we are in the middle of enjoying our first night at the Oldhams of this new school year (based on sickness and visiting family). Oh, how we've missed it! Right now Auntie Juli and the big boys are playing 3-D I Spy (new game from the consignment store) and the other four and playing with the Littlest Pet Shop. What a blessing to live near all of our 6 cousins!

(Posting about Waffle Wednesday made me want to look back over my blog and search for other posts I might have written about our weekly hang out. Found this one, from over 3 years ago. Back when Jorja and Janaya were babies, our boys had chubby cheeks, and we actually ate waffles! I love looking back and remembering!)

Here We Go!

2011-09-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the official launch of Crossridge Church. So very exciting to see something you've been dreaming and praying about for several years finally become a reality. It was surreal almost! What an amazing day!

It was a wild ride of a morning, with over 55 children(!!) in our Kids Ministry and almost 200 adults in the theatre across the street! I spent all but 2 minutes running around the kids area, making sure things were running as smooth as possible, but I heard it was a great service in the The Clova. Afterwards, we had a (windy!) BBQ outside, so people could meet and fellowship together. And God answered our prayer and held off the rain until the crowds had gone home and everything was cleaned up and put away. Yay! Thank-you God!

We are so excited to see what God will do! Praying that God will use this new church for his Glory in Surrey and beyond!

Note: The launch of our new church also explains, at least partially, my absence from this blog as of late. Life around here has been ... busy, crazy, stressful, hectic, etc. Despite the excitement and adrenaline of new beginnings, I'm really hoping that the speed of life will settle down a bit and you'll see me here documenting life more often. We shall see...

Mommy Days!

2011-09-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

With both big siblings in full time school, my youngest is getting used to what we call "Mommy Days". For my super social girl, these days have been a bit of a hard adjustment.

Yes, she is lonely for little friends, but gets stuck with boring old mom. ;) And misses her big sister especially. I know she really does feel left behind, and is already asking for when she gets to start Kindergarten.

I'm going to have to work to keep her busy with preschool (which is in the gradual, GRADUAL entry stage), ballet, and a plethora of playdates. :) Plus add in some good quality time with Mommy!

A picture she made of me today! I have a "ho-hawk" and just lost a tooth!

You may not be excited to hang out with me, Jorja, but I love being at home with you!

She may not be as much as I am, but I'm looking forward to this year with my baby girl! :)

Back to School 2011

2011-09-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

It is Friday afternoon, and so we have officially survived the first week. Whew, back-to-school and all the expended emotional energy sure does wear a mom out! I am exhausted, shattered actually, after this week. Especially after watching my first grader start her full time days at a new school.

Wow, that sure was hard! My heart actually hurt inside my chest, watching my sweet 6 year old, with her serious/shy face on, surrounded by 53 other students she did now know. She looked so small sitting there, waiting for the teachers instructions and giving me the little wave that meant her sister and I were allowed to leave. I was so thankful she gave the nod of permission (as it meant she was okay) but it was so very hard to turn and walk out, knowing she was on her own and I wouldn't be back to get her for almost 6 hours.

I prayed all throughout day, thinking about her in her class, getting to know the teachers, students, and routines of grade one. At recess and lunch especially, I prayed extra hard for her. That she'd know God was with her, and that she'd be feeling confident and happy.

Walking up to the classroom to collect her, I was nervous. How was her day? What would her expression say about her experience at her new school?

She was one of the last to file out the door of the class. I'm not even sure I had time to read the look on her face before I swallowed her up in big hug and choked back a sob into her neck. I held on for a minute or so and then stepped back to look into her eyes. Despite looking tired, she was okay. Happy even. Thank-you God.

She went to bed that night without worry or stress, and went happily back for another six hours the next day. Again, thank-you God.

It was so much easier with Kaleb, who is returning to Berkshire for his fourth year and was looking forward to seeing all the friends he hadn't see since June. No fear or hesitation - just excitement and anticipation! (I'm sure this is how Makenna will be next year for grade two.) I asked if he had one friend who he was hoping would be in his class, and after a moment of thinking about it replied, "No. I don't care. I have lots of friends."

Wow, if only we (meaning me!) could all feel that secure and relaxed about it.

We find out class assignments on Monday morning, so am still praying. That God would put them with the right teacher and classmates, so that they will have great year of learning and growing.

And Jorji, well, pre-school doesn't start for her until next week. And VERY gradual entry at that. But she wanted in on the back-to-school action, so posed sweetly for her picture as well.

She is adjusting to it being "just us" during the days. I'm sure we'll get in a groove, especially once preschool and ballet are going and we've gotten into our fall routine, but this week has not been easy on her. I never realized how hard it might be to be the youngest and kind of get abandoned or left behind. She often asks if we can go get Kenna now and is sad when I explain that she goes to school all day for grade one.

On Thursday, once we'd walked and dropped off the kids, she asked me if it was a "Mommy day". And I said yes and her response was a sad "awww". (Thanks for making me feel so great, kid!) Thankfully we had a playdate planned with a good friend in Abbottsford, so she wasn't stuck with just me! ;P

Thanks to those who have been praying for the kids (and I) as they start school. So thankful for grandparents, and great grandparents who are prayer warriors for my little family.

Camp Awesome!

2011-09-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

We are all VERY excited to head out on our annual trip to Point Roberts, WA!

Here we come, CAMP AWESOME! Let the fun, laughs and memories begin! :)

A Short Note!

2011-08-26T00:26:00.000-07:00

A short note from the worst blogger ever! I did just look back over my past summers of blogging and realized that this - 4 to 5 posts per summer month - is normal for me. Something about this season, I guess! Trying to fill these long days with three kiddos can keep a momma busy!! So much to blog about, but no time and/or energy to do it. :)

But ya, sorry for the lack of posts, all 4 of you who are still reading. ;) I'm hoping the fall schedule will mean more regular posting, as it has in past years. We'll see though. We've never planted a church before, so this year could be a bit different. (Yikes?)

We just finished up a 8 day visit with Gramma and Grampa. It was a treat to have them here in the summer (I think the last time was when they came to help us install a kitchen in the new house we'd just moved into). It gave the family something to look forward to, especially with Andy's cut back of holidays this year.

And we had a great time with our visitors! Lots of just hanging out all together, plus a homecoming carnival, a bike trip, a trip to the PNE (while the girls shopped!), a matinee movie, Chuck E. Cheese (Jorja's request) and a couple water parks. And my "surprise" birthday! (Can't forget about that!)

Yes, lots of good memories made!

(I wasn't very good at dragging my camera around, but thankfully I was able to steal a few from Gramma's new camera.)

Proud of those Chuck E. Cheese tickets!

Off to spend her tokens!

Riding a "roller coaster" with her cousin!

Such a poser!

The Frew girls!

Gramma and Grampa with their "clan"!

Now we're up in Hope (without Andy, of course) spending time with Grammy and Papa for a few days before back-to-school sneaks up on us. Today was rock collecting on the Fraser River and a trip to the candy store, and tomorrow is Sucker's Creek. Good times! Hopefully there will be a photo post to document/prove it.

Time for bed. And speaking of bed, it sure is going to be a rough transition to early mornings once school is back in session. I keep thinking I'll start to work my sleep schedule back to those hours. But then here I am, blogging at 12:24 am. Tomorrow maybe?!

We Know How To Party!

2011-08-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a "surprise" party with these crazy (and wiggly) monkeys! 37 is already turning out to be very fun and ... memorable! (Thanks Mom and Dad Frew!)

These Hands!

2011-08-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Gaining a little perspective on life and parenting tonight from a few blog posts. One I loved, and had to share, is titled "these hands". You mothers must go there and read.

My family is a blessing.

My children are a blessing.

Also, if you haven't discovered the inspiring and encouraging blog, A Holy Experience, you absolutely have to check it out. (Or buy her book, One Thousand Gifts. Haven't read it yet, but it is on my "must read" list after how much I've appreciated her blog.) Last night, I was reading and stumbled upon just what I needed to hear. And again tonight my heart was encouraged with her words about motherhood and its mission.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Backyard Tenting!

2011-08-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

Our version of the "stay-cation"!

I love it, sleeping with my three babes in our backyard! Off I go to join them!

Point Roberts Picture Post!

2011-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Way back at the beginning of June we went and spent some time in Point Roberts with our good friends, the Paul family. It was a gorgeous day and so, before enjoying a yummy BBQ at their place, we headed down to the beach to enjoy the awesome weather and some of God's amazing creation. AND take some photos!

So even though these photos are "old", I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Showing off our beach "finds": a crab!

Something on your head, Andy?

Another crab!

A big shell!

Leo, just being super cute!

Eli, showing off his skim-boarding skills!

Leo's turn, with a little help from his daddy!

See that smile?!?

I was having lot of fun taking photos of Leo!

Good times with sand!

The cute little 2-year-old again, with Kaleb in the background.

(Sorry no pics of you, Buf! Next time! :))

Short but Sweet!

2011-07-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, Andy was away in Tennessee doing music for a youth pastor friend's Junior High camp. We let him go on his own now (after learning our lesson a few years back!!) and instead made a trip up to visit Grammy and Papa. It was short visit, but we packed a lot into those few days. And despite not having the warm summer weather we should be having, the rain mostly stayed away and we were able to enjoy some of our favorite outdoor spots in Hope.

I missed some great photo ops at the house (swings, crafts, enjoying Papa's super ball machine), but here are at least a few of the things I did manage to capture:

Check out Papa's cool balcony fort. This was the first night. (They ended up coming inside between 4 and 5 am because of the rain.) Dad build an much more sturdy version and the next night they lasted until morning.

Good-night guys!

We took our annual trip the Sucker's Creek. The water was super high for this time of the year so it was a very different looking beach, but we still had fun crossing the little creek and playing in the sand and rocks.

From Sucker's, we hit up Bee's Market to take advantage of
Grammy
their amazing candy selection (it can take about half an hour to make a decision!!) and then went out to Kawkawa Lake to check out the new playground. Verdict? Playground was very cool, and the new bathrooms were a huge improvement (to the old outhouses). But the geese and resulting poop was not so cool! Kaleb even managed to trip in it (slippery stuff!) and get it all over his legs! Ewww!

The next day we heading out for a walk to the Othello Tunnel, which is one of my favorite stops in Hope! If you find yourself in Hope, you MUST check 'em out! So beautiful!

My boy, in his new Canuck's jersey!

Soooooo strong!

In the first tunnel, looking out through second to the third.

A nice one!

Followed by a silly one!


This fails to capture the amazing colours! God's palette is awesome!

We ended our walk by going down to the riverside to build some inukshuks. Others before us had done the same thing, and we were inspired. The kids, even Jorja, were quite good at it and had fun finding good rocks and working on their balancing skills. Unfortunately, it was at this point my camera battery died, and so I didn't get photos of either Jorja or Kenna's creations.

Kaleb with his 8 rock inukshuk!

Jorja concentrating on her building!

Thank-you Grammy and Papa for having us! As always, it was so good to spend some quality time at your house. We look forward to coming again before the summer is over!

A Highlight!

2011-07-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

Today was surely a highlight of Kaleb's week, month, summer!! Maybe even year?!?

Yesterday, while pouring over the newest Lego catalogue just delivered to our mailbox, Kaleb came across the event of the year - the Lego Ninjago Spinjitzu Tour! Kaleb is a Lego nut (as you already know) and the Ninjago Lego series is his newest favorite. He has all the current Ninjago characters and even got the Dojo for his 8th birthday from his (very nice!) Mom and Dad.

Anyways, the tour was hitting up just 5 Canadian cities (one location in BC), and our little old Surrey, BC was one of them! And not just anywhere in Surrey, but our (very) local Guildford mall! And (thankfully!!!) we read about it time. It had been here at our mall for two days already, but we still had a chance to go after church today!! Yippee!!

I swear the two of us could barely sleep last night! (Yes, ask Andy if you don't believe I was almost as excited as Kaleb. Being able to take my son to an event that is so right up my boy's alley makes this momma seriously happy!)

Getting even more excited when we saw the Ninjago truck in the parking lot!

So after church we raced over there, not wanting to miss out on any of the action. (Or swag! I heard there was free stuff, which I'm all over!!) And it did not disappoint. After talking with one of girls running the event and telling her what a fan of Lego and Ninjago Kaleb was (helllllloooooo Lego birthday party!) she hooked us up! Ninja headbands, VIP lanyards, Ninjajo tattoos and stickers for all three, and even a Ninja metal for the true Lego fan! And then she chose Kaleb as one of the eight that would compete in a Spinjitzu battle! (For a chance to win a trip for 4 to the new Legoland in Florida!)

With Ninja of Earth: Cole

Too bad he got knocked out the first round (super spun his "spinner" top, but so much so that his Ninja fell off). He was sad, of course :( And he had about 10 seconds of looking defeated and close to tears after missing his chance to show off his spinjitsu skilz.

With Ninja of Fire: Kai

But then we reminded him how cool it was to be chosen one of the eight for being a "super fan" and have a chance to play, and his giant smile returned. He got a second metal for competing in the challenge, and left a happy boy. *big smile*

With Ninja of Ice: Zane

Looking sweet with his new Ninjago headband! Soooo excited!

My three ninjas! ;)

The battle! Can you see how fast his ninja is spinning (the blur by his hand)?!

With the ninja referee who oversaw his match!

What a great afternoon! I'm sure he'll remember it forever!

For Gramma!

2011-07-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

24 more sleeps!!! We cannot wait to see you and Grampa!

(Please bring the sun and hot weather with you when you come, okay?!)

Fresh, local berries and whip cream for dessert! YUM!

(Not sure WHAT is up with Jorja's silly pose!)

Yay for having cousins that live close! What a blessing! What great memories made with great buddies!

Never Thought I'd See The Day!

2011-07-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd never see the day when my son had a mo-hawk. But this is what can happen when you have "wacky hair day" at VBS/day camp!

Usually Kaleb has trouble participating in these wild hair occasions (bedhead day at school, etc), because of his short and THICK, almost bristly, hair. So, since Kaleb was in desperate need of hair cut anyways, Andy and he decided that they would give him a wild hairdo for the occasion. The plan was just to keep this crazy cut for the day. But we're all kind of liking it, so we've decided to let him enjoy it for a few more. Kind of fun summer hair, don't you think?

Anyhow, all three kids had a fabulous week being part of Real Life Community Church's Kids Camp. And I was privileged to be a Team Leader to the Grade 1 and 2 girls (Makenna's group) for the week as well. (Go Swooping Seagulls!) Loads of fun hanging with these nine awesome girls and being part of this ministry. That being said, I'm very happy it is done and tomorrow will be a relaxed "jammy morning" around here! It was seriously tiring. (Guess you have to build stamina for these types of things!) So off to bed I go...

Preview of Chase!

2011-07-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

Just got home (Sunday evening) from our week of Mansfield family vacation time in Chase, BC. What a fabulous week we had! Now I'm heading to bed (need all my energy this week for VBS/day camp at Real Life Community Church) so just a few of my favorite photos from the week, with promises of more to come!

The gang, with the neighbour's dog, Teegan.

My three!

Oh Canada!

2011-07-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Canada's birthday at the beach!

Our Graduate!

2011-06-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I'm ready for her to be done Kindy, but done she it. She even has the mortar board and diploma to prove it!

It was a sweet morning, with Mrs. Clogg even pounding out a bit of "Pomp and Circumstance" while the graduating class of 2023 of filed in. Got a little teary in that moment, I'll admit. That is, until my little ham got on the stage!

Seriously, not sure exactly what happened to my little Miss Makenna, but she was (in Andy's words) full of IT! I mean, we've seen her precocious stage personality before (see this post) but I actually really wasn't expecting the crazy faces and silly antics. Even the teacher told me she was a bit surprised, "as she could run the class on any other day".

Looking at me while I give her the "please smile" sign language!

She told me afterwards that she got nervous with all the people there to watch. Whatever it was, it sure made for some "good" photos. (Wedding slide show material FOR SURE!)

And these are only some of the crazy faces she made!

Anyhow, it was a neat little ceremony. The kids did a few songs and poems they've learned, and then Mrs. Clogg gave out their certificates after reading a acronym poem she wrote for each student. She obviously went to a lot of work and the whole thing was really neat.

MAKENNA

Math problems are no problem
Always has a story to tell
Keeps the class running smoothly
Energetic rope skipper
New words are
Not too hard for her!
Absolutely ready for grade 1!

Whose kid is THAT?!? ;)

Participating now.

This is how she feels about graduating!

It has been a really positive year for her. She had a fabulous teacher and was part of a great class. And I'm so glad and thankful for the decision we made to have her in half day Kindergarten.

Little Moments!

2011-06-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

A little moment from today that made me smile.

We were making oatmeal choco-chip raisin cookies to take to Makenna's Kindergarten graduation party tomorrow. (Side note: Does anyone else find Kindergarten graduation ceremonies funny? I mean, they are fun and entertaining and make the milestone memorable, but why? Especially now with the start of full day Kindergarten, exactly what are they graduating from and to?)

Anyhow, my girls and I love to bake together. They usually even work pretty well together, and thankfully today was one of those days.

I had to post a photo of my pundie-clad monkey! Isn't she cute? She was middle of protesting the outfit I picked her. I mean, c'mon Mom. Brown capri pants and t-shirt instead of a frou-frou dress?!? What was I thinking? ;)

Angry Birds!

2011-06-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Had to share my latest cuppy cake creations!

My sis had shown me a photo of some Angry Bird cupcakes a few months back and I knew I HAD TO make them for Andy's birthday. In case you haven't heard of Angry Birds, here is a link to this video game phenomenon. Andy loves playing this game on his phone, as do Kaleb and Kenna! (And we even got Gramma addicted while there in Atlanta earlier this year! Maybe even Grampa!)

So the kids and I planned the "secret cupcakes" we would make for Daddy's birthday. A bit hard with Andy working from home, but we managed. We got right to work the minute he headed out the door on Saturday to get ready for church, and then banned him from the kitchen so I could finish them that evening. So he obviously knew we were up to something. But amazingly we did manage to keep the theme a surprise, which is pretty amazing when you consider an 8 year old, a 6 year old and especially a 3 year old!

And tonight we celebrated the birth of my man with a potluck BBQ with a gang of wonderful friends here at the house. Great food + great friends + decent weather (no rain at least!) = a GREAT TIME! Thanks for coming, friends!

Andy's shy look? Nope, he's hiding his extra chin! :P

The whole gang!

Those naughty pigs!

Idea from The Crafting Chicks.

Blow, Andy, Blow!

Jorja with her naughty pig!

Lukas with his blue bird.

Kaleb and I even made Angry Bird balloon decorations (last minute while waiting for guests to arrive). Didn't get any picture unfortunately, but they were really fun. We sent a few home with the party guests and so I've promised my boy that we could make more. With summer holidays just two days away, we'll be looking for crafts and projects in a few days, won't we?!

Anyhow, hope you felt the love, Mr. Frew!

And the Birthdays Continue!

2011-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 36TH!

WE LOVE YOU, DADDY!

Birthday Buddies!

2011-06-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

For our family, June is the month of birthdays. In just three weeks, we celebrate seven birthdays! So of course it makes sense that we have "birthday buddies" - a buddy or two who you share your birthday with. My kids take this bond quite seriously, which I find sweet! :)

Last Saturday was our night to celebrate the first half of our June birthdays (along with an early Father's Day).

Papa, Kaleb and Janaya being sung to and celebrated!

BLOW!

Then we celebrated Janaya on her actual birthday, June 15. (Forget that the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals threatened to eclipse her special day!) While some stayed glued to the (disappointing!) game, others of us celebrated a sweet three year old on her day!

Showing off the outfit and scarves we gave her!

The rowdy crowd!

Birthday buddies!

Janaya's chance to BLOW! (Love Lukas in the back!)

The big girls! (Kenna is showing her Canuck team spirit!)

The blonde brothers!

Happy Birthday, beautiful Janaya!

Final Fieldtrips!

2011-06-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

End of year fieldtripping, captured on film. (Except Kaleb, who went on his first field trip without his momma! *tear*)

First, the Planetarium with my Jorji! A little sad thinking about how this is my last trip to the planetarium with the preschool gang. My babies are growing up! :( (I love looking back and remembering. In case you wanted to, here with Kaleb and here with Makenna.)

The bus ride is half the fun! (For her at least!)

With the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre's crab!

The requisite self portrait!

The crab again, with best buddy Melissa!

Picnic lunch from a Barbie lunch bag! Yay for a sunny day!

Such a poser!! Oh what a cutie!

Astronaut Jorja!

Then, a week later, it was off to Maplewood Farm in North Van with Kenna's Kindy class. And we were even blessed with sun that day too!

Can you sense her excitement?!?

Proof the sun came out!!

Hee-haw!

Little tractor ride!

With her Kindy buddies. And a horse.

Show off! ;)

My group to supervise.

Hello Mr. Goat!

First Day of Summer!

2011-06-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is officially summer and the sun has decided to grace us with its presence! Yay! I'm sitting on my porch in the shade of my beautiful and flowering wisteria and listening to three little girls bike, scoot and play with chalk. Ahhhh, this is the life!

Today's outdoor lunch with buddy Kady!

And I have to share our fun summer "treat". Forget sugar-y store bought popsicles and try these fruit pops! Makenna and I made these together a few days ago and they got a big a thumbs up from all my kids!

Jorja review of Gina's Fruit Pops?

"They are super duper duper duper duper good. And good for your BOdy."

(Can I say how much I love how my youngest says the word "body"? So cute, with the emphasis on the first syllable. And these days, she is often inquiring if something "is good for her BOdy". She makes me smile a lot!)

Whole chunks of fruit. Good for your BOdy! ;)

Kenna with her creation!

Had a lovely visit with a friend over homemade iced coffee. Now off the computer and to get dinner done.

5 Years!

2011-06-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

It is my FIVE YEAR blogging anniversary! Well, technically I guess I've missed it by a day, but I couldn't let this milestone pass without celebrating a little bit!

5 years! Who'd ever have thought? Not me! :) Over 700 posts and I'm still going, albeit a bit more slowly as of late!

My first post, on June 19, 2006, was a "Happy Daddy Day" post, where I talked about what an amazing dad Andy was to his three and one year old kids! Seems like a million years ago and just like yesterday at the same time. So strange!

Wish I had a great and recent photo of my handsome hubby with this 8, 6 and 3 1/2 year old, but I don't. Will have to work on getting one of those in these next few days.

I should also wish my man an online HAPPY DADDY DAY! You're an amazing father and I'm so thankful to be married to you and doing this parenting gig with such a great partner! (Sorry for the mush! ;) )

Last Day!

2011-06-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday was Jorja's last day of her 3-year-old preschool class. It was a special "playground party" and she was very excited about it! Yay for balloons, pinwheels, picnic snack, painting, sliding and a water table! Her teachers had drilled in her head that she needed a hat, sunglasses, and "sunscream" - hence the little cutie you see here!

She wasn't too thrilled about me taking her picture at first (see below), but then changed her mind and posed like a pro. Funny kid!

I also have to laugh about how excited she is about summer holidays. Have NO IDEA why she'd be so excited, considering how much she looks forward to her time at preschool and how much she loves to be busy and surrounded by friends and playmates. Obviously her brother and sister have influenced her!

Un-thrilled!

Can I say that the above photo illustrates a little of how I feel about preschool being done? Though I am very much looking forward to summer holidays and making memories with my kids, I am a bit (!!) sad that I will no longer have my 5 hours of kid-free time each week. I think those two mornings a week keep me sane (if I can call myself that)! ;)

First day smiles!

And I had to look back and remember the first day of preschool, which seriously seems like just yesterday. I know I've said it before, but it scares a bit to think of how time is flying by and how big my kids are getting. 7 more days and we'll be saying good-bye to kindergarten and Grade 2 as well! Yikes!

I guess it just reminds me to cherish every day and live in the moment. Think I'll go and give my three a hug and kiss...

Rockin' The Lego Party!

2011-06-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

It was a real no-brainer that the theme for Kaleb's 8th birthday would be Lego. Seriously, the boy is Lego obsessed! And once we saw the awesome Lego cake pops online, the deal was sealed. Lego party it was!

Please pardon the bazillion photos, but I had to share how much fun I had creating a Lego party! ;) I was seriously DREAMING about Lego this past week, with all the crafting and cutting and baking and icing I was doing. But I sure was having a blast "creating".

And, more importantly, the birthday boy (and his gang of friends) had a great time celebrating!

The Lego (Marshmallow) Pops - the inspiration for the party!

Had a blast with these! So many cute faces to draw!

Loot bags! These were a blast as well!


Had a lot of fun with the Lego table setting!

Place settings. The boys really loved the different faces!

Up close of the name cards and green bubble wrap table runner, ideas I found online!

Centerpiece!

The girls and I made this together on this while Kaleb was at school!

The pinata! Used to be a Vector box!

Two pictures, because I'm pretty proud of my hard work! ;)

The little kids table!

My cute little helper with her fake food for practice.

Cuppy cakes, with the Anakin Lego candle holder.

Let the party (and chaos and noise) begin!

Andy ran games. (In between hockey periods!)

Jorja was in there with the big boys!

Measuring their creations to find a winner!

Lego on a spoon race!

Sibling love, after Jorja gave Kaleb his present.

Pinata time! That Vector box took a beating!

Happy Birthday to Kaleb! (Love Andy's face here!)

My boy!

Eight!

2011-06-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, I became a mom. I met my first born son and fell instantly in love.

Kaleb, God made a lifelong dream come true by entrusting you to me. And I will forever be thankful.

I love you. I love being your mom. My heart swells when I think of you.

Hamburger Cupcakes? Check!

2011-06-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Around this house, we love looking at fun cakes and cupcakes. Usually we look on the internet (so many great sites with awesome ideas), but recently even ordered a few cupcake books from the library to get some inspiration. (Check out "Hello Cupcake" for some very cool cuppy cakes!)

After all our looking, Kaleb picked "hambur-cakes" to take to his class in celebration of his birthday, which is ~~tomorrow~~ today! (Happy 8th Birthday, my sweet boy!) They were fun to make, apart from trying to get a real "ketchup" red (grrrrr!) and running out of icing at 11 pm and having to make an early morning Super Store run. :S

But I'm used to those little hiccups when cup-caking! :D Par for the course, really!

But all ended well, and I was pleased with how they turned out, which isn't always the case. No, they weren't perfect, but they were cute. My favorite part? The sesame seed tops. Totally MADE them burgers for me!

After rushing to get more icing and finish the last seven in order get them to the school in time for recess, we were greeted with lots of "ooohhhs" and "aaahhhs" from Kaleb's classmates. This made it fun for me. And Kaleb. And Jorja, who was along for the cupcake delivery ride.

But the best compliment came from my boy, who, on the way home from school, told me that it was the best "hamburger" he'd ever had! ;)

Well, I'd best be off to bed! A VERY busy day tomorrow and somehow (ha, ha!) up past my bedtime! ;)

(Hambur-cupcake idea from Bakerella, who also inspired the Hello Kitty cake pops!)

Super Lily!

2011-06-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Makenna made this picture at Kindergarten yesterday. Had to share here on the because I LOVE it! Her super hero is .... get this... CLEANING! Ha, ha! Maybe she is modeled after me?!?

What I'm Doing Instead of Blogging?

2011-06-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

What am I doing instead of blogging? Well, amongst other things, I'm planning my soon-to-be eight year old's Lego themed birthday party! Yahooooo! Just six more sleeps!!

Here are some the projects I'm working on...

Invitation: Check!

(Cool graphic from Delia Creates)


Marshmallow Pops

(This is what started the whole thing, from Living Locurto)

Lego face goodie bags

(From Production Not Reproduction)

Lego Pinata

(Another cool idea I hope we can pull off, from Delia Creates)

Isn't the internet full of such fun ideas? Just trying not to get get carried away, time or money wise! I'll let you know how I do. :)

Surrey: City of Parks

2011-05-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Last week's Victoria Day, we took advantage of this "city of parks" we live in and loaded up the fam for a walk at nearby Tynehead Park . I dragged along my camera to capture the fun of our loooooong walk (ever walked 5 kilometres with little kids?!) with the cousins.

Starting off. (As evidenced by Naya running up at the front of the pack.)

Me and my man!

Cousin love!

Taking a break along the way!

Janaya is DONE!

Loving a sunny day off and a chance to hang out together with family!

Sunny Sunday!

2011-05-30T00:14:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning Culloden Church in Vancouver. (Part of our preparation to church plan. Andy lead worship and Lee preached.) We then decided to take advantage of being in the city and head to Granville Island with friends for some lunch. The sun was even shining, making me almost believe that spring has arrived. Lovely!

Blog Lock-Out!

2011-05-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Somehow I got "locked out" of my blog and was unable to login and post. Yikes!

But I'm back. Thankfully, things seems to be working again. I'm so thankful, I might even post a bit more often! ;)

So to tie you over until I can get my act together, a photo. From a sunny afternoon at the park with the cousins. From last Tuesday, before it turned back into a rainy BC winter! :S

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

I have a Mom.

Thinking of those who are missing theirs.

I am a Mom.

Thinking of those who long to be one.

Thoughtful and thankful!

Where'd The Week Go?

2011-05-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been 8 days since I last blogged. Where has the time gone? It has been a pretty busy week, with some more solo parenting (this time Andy was away in Kelowna at the BCMB convention doing the worship), as well as a trip for me to join hubby for our denomination's Pastor-Spouse retreat (more about this later). Add in the baseball, t-ball, ballet, plus playdates, a few birthday parties, a Mother's Day tea and the start-up of another session of swimming lessons - well, you're got a recipe for bad blogging habits.

And now I'm too tired to give you much of anything. Sorry. And in order to be a happy/sane mommy tomorrow, I need to put down my computer and fold laundry, start up the dishwasher and then head to bed. Exciting, I know. ;) Church at Emmaus and then Mother's Day celebrations with the family at my sister's. But I hope to be back soon, so stay tuned.

Leaving you with a few more photos of my kids on Easter morning, on our way to church.

My Baby, at Almost Three and a Half!

2011-04-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

Jorja, to me:

When I'm big, I'm going to marry Daddy.

And you're going to be little.
_______

Makenna, in the car while driving home from a playdate:

How do you make water?

Jorja, before I can give my incredibly knowledgeable scientific answer:

Cheese and butter and chicken and nuggets.

(We were laughing so hard, her question never did get answered.)
_______

Because we are always "dropping off" the big kids at school and playdates and games and activities, Jorja doesn't want to be left out. She has often, over the past few months, asked to be "dropped off". I guess it sounds exciting. I just told her about a friend's birthday party she has been invited to this Friday and her first response was:

Can you drop off me?

And since Kaleb has a baseball game at the same time (and Andy is out of town AGAIN!), her dreams are coming true. ;) I'm dropping her off. We'll see how it goes...
_______

A few weeks ago she earned her much anticipated prize for giving up her soother during the night. She had been coveting her friend Rachel's ballerina jewelry box for ages, and so I thought this was the perfect prize. She was thrilled with her accomplishment and her reward.

Treasure Hunting!

2011-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Jayson may have mocked it, but geocaching is a fun way to get kids excited to walk and explore outdoors. For those who need a reason to walk or a destination to arrive at, geocaching is perfect. (Even works well for daddies too, I might add.) It is like a big treasure hunt, and kids of all ages enjoy hunting for a prize!

We took some time on Easter Monday to head out in the beautiful scenery of Hope and look for a few caches. The kids had a great time and were thrilled with their traded treasures. Despite Uncle Jayson's protests, I'm pretty sure we'll be doing this again as a family.

The girls out looking for treasure!

Makenna with the "treasure box" SHE found!

Lukas' new treasure!

At the (not so) famous "H" tree (looking less like an "h" these days!)

This is Jayson mocking us die hard geocachers! ;)

The whole gang on the bank of the Coquihalla River after finding our 3rd cache.

If you haven't tried geocaching, you should give it a go!

Easter Celebrations!

2011-04-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

A busy four-day Easter week-end just passed us by. It was lovely, filled with family and friends celebrating together. Wish I'd snapped a few more photos along the way (I know I say this every occasion).

But here's the run-down (more for my memories, than for you) with a few photos:

Dinner out in Richmond with "old" church friends, while their big kids partied at home (aka babysat) with our little kids! (Thanks Jessie and Levi! My kids had a blast!)
An egg hunt at Jorja's preschool IN THE SUNSHINE! (This is a yearly tradition, as it is our fifth year having a child in this same preschool.)
A baseball game IN THE SUNSHINE! (Realized I don't mind watching sports when it is a decent temperature and sunny!)
Friends over for dinner and a long overdue visit! (Glad we finally made it happen, Amanda and Tyler!)
Celebrations of Jesus' sacrifice at our new/current church!
A giant sleep-over in Hope with the WHOLE fan-damily!
Delicious turkey dinner (sans marshmallow yams) with the noisy clan!
Geocaching (amid protests from Jayson! ;P ) around Hope (we found THREE!) and a trip to Grammy's school gym to play!

With the treat-filled bunny from Gramma and Grampa!

Ready to find some eggs!

Don't be fooled by the sweet smile! She's out to get some eggs!

Look at that haul!

Fun times at Grammy's gym!

Blurry but too cute not to include!

A few more photos of our family adventures to come. But I'd better get off this time eating machine (aka my computer) and get working on dinner, as we are entertaining new friends tonight for supper.

Easter Sunday!

2011-04-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Heading off to church to celebrate the risen Jesus!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Easter With A Purpose!

2011-04-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

This year, I was determined to be more purposeful and intentional about teaching my children about the reason we celebrate Easter. As with Christmas, the hype around the holiday can so easily eclipse the actual story and celebration. Christmas? Presents and Santa. Easter? Bunnies and egg huts.

As much as we could, I wanted our family to be putting the focus on Jesus in our celebrations of Easter. And creating special traditions that would point us to the miracle of the resurrection story. With my kids getting a bit older, their attentions spans are getting longer (at least a little!) and their understanding is growing, and so we are able to tackle the details of the story a bit more.

And so I set off on an internet hunt for creative and hands-on ways to teach my kids the real story of what happened to Jesus and what that means to our faith and lives today. (I should have asked for your input, dear readers. I did that when on our Advent quest and was rewarded with lots of great ideas. A bit too late for this year, obviously, but if you have any ideas, PLEASE feel free to share.)

One neat idea I discovered for teaching the Easter story was Resurrections Eggs. I hadn't heard of these before but really liked this way of tying the Easter tradition of coloured eggs to a hands-on way of teaching through the events of the story.

My original plan was to make my own set of object-filled plastic eggs (click on the three links for ideas). Kenna and I had even started painting the carton to house our special treasures and I'd collected the 12 plastic eggs. But then I decided, because of time and the importance of my personal sanity, to purchase the commercialized version instead. Despite the cheesiness of a few of the objects, I did like the idea that the kids could actually hold and "play with" the items from each egg, which wouldn't have work so well with real nails, thorns, etc.

I also found a book, titled Benjamin's Box, that uses the idea of the Resurrection Eggs in a story. It tells of a little boy named Benjamin who lives in Jerusalem and follows the events surrounding Jesus' death. The book had received a lot of good reviews online, and though I do like the story and the kids did listen intently, I found it a bit confusing to use a fiction story of Benjamin and his box to teach the true story of Jesus' death and resurrection. For young kids, this can be very misleading. What part is just a made up story and what part really did happen? And for this reason I will consider not using the book along with the eggs next year. The eggs themselves come with a guide book with scripture verses and questions to accompany each egg, and so I might stick with them instead.

We also will try and do just one egg per day, so we can have a bit more time to read the scripture, ask questions and discuss the story. This year, because I had only gotten organized and picked up the eggs on Wednesday, we were a bit rushed and so tackled 3-4 eggs per evening, which was a bit much at times, especially for our "baby". Yes, I think it would be more meaningful and memorable to countdown to Easter Sunday over 12 days, almost like an advent countdown to the day of celebration.

I also bought this story, titled The Story of Easter, to read with the kids on Easter Sunday. I chose it quickly, based on length and price, so I'll give you my review after tomorrow. ;)

For a fun activity, the kids and I also dyed some eggs together. But instead of normal Easter eggs, we tried to give it a "reason for the season" twist. So we made a special "JESUS" centerpiece for our dining room table. (I'd seen the idea here. Hers is the pretty, subdued and natural version. Ours is the loud, vibrant and celebratory version! :P )

And lastly, more of an family tradition, but one that was special to me and one I wanted to continue, was making hot cross buns. My mom always made the best homemade version and I had to continue this awesome memory.

It took a few batches (darn expired yeast), but this afternoon we sat down and enjoyed these delicious treats together. (I have to admit I did abandon my mom's fabulous recipe for a half whole wheat bread machine version that I found on the internet. Sorry mom!)

Whole Wheat Hot Cross Buns - Bread Machine

3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon bread machine yeast
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast, dried fruit and cinnamon in bread maker and start on dough program.
Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
Shape into 15 - 18 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about an hour. (Cut cross with scissors at about half time.)
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 18 - 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
Ice crosses and ENJOY!

(Adapted from here.)

Now I'm off to bed. More Easter celebrations with family tomorrow!

From the Draft File!

2011-04-22T00:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a post I started but never actually posted. I had uploaded the photos, but not added any text. Despite it being just a bit overdue, I've decided to post it anyways.

Way back in the fall of 2008 Andy and I were able to get away for a night (thanks Lauren and Laura for braving a night with the Frew kids!!) to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We didn't go to far (the Inn at the Quay in New West) as I was worried I'd be driving home in the middle of the night for my nurse-happy 10 month old, but it was lovely nonetheless! Dinner out at The Boathouse, sleeping-in (without baby interruptions!) in the huge king size, a morning walk on the Quay, and then brunch. Sweet memories!

(Can hardly believe we are almost at 13 years!)

Our room at the Inn!

Celebrating 10 years!

Our room's evening view!

My cutie!

Morning view!

Brunch with my hunny!

His!

Hers!