me and the gang

Still Up...

2008-11-08T22:56:00.006-06:00

Can't believe it's so late again but I can't sleep yet! maybe it's the sound of the men laying next to me who never slept a minute at his men's retreat :) I kid you not I hear him through the vents and I'm downstairs, maybe I'll just leave him the whole bed tonight :) I'm also feeling extremely grateful tonight and just happy. I feel thankful for my almost teenage daughter's friend who is here for a sleepover who just called and ask if she could come to church with us :) I mean does life get any better than this. Thankful for a busy crazy week-end at work but the opportunity to be with people and see how God can use me. Thankful for my two boys snuggled in bed together and the blessing that God provided Jake with HIS brother!
Thankful for a warm home, full of good food, warm fireplace, the incredible amount of material things that we have. Thankful for friends who drop off " 7" pairs of brand name shoes for my little ones and " brand new"

I'm so grateful to be looking forward to an other wonderful Christmas with my family and that I love them so much, A lot of people can't even stand Christmas music just because of all the bad memories it brings, I Chatted with a girl at work who seems so lonely and is just honest with the fact that she has nobody.

My heart is FULL and I am guilty of often forgetting the daily blessings but some days there are so many to count that I feel like it's Christmas morning and I've just opened too many wonderful gift from God.

I'm getting ready to go see my little sister Monday and needless to say that also has me very happy.

Where has October gone?

2008-10-15T21:06:00.007-05:00

Life is good, busy and full of blessings. My family just came over for 4 great days and I always feel like I don't get to see enough of them, probably because I don't :( I see them 3 times a year if I'm lucky. We're back in the routine of school, piano, hockey, youth group and even eating more together since it's getting darker. We've been really bad at sitting down together in the past year, using our counter as family space but it's getting old and I was ready for a change. Last week I was shopping in the classified adds for dining room sets and found this older guy 15 min from here selling his mom's old Teak set large table "6" chairs so it's been a huge source of excitement here at our home. It still has the yellowish-greenish fabric on the chair that I love but we'll need to clean it up. So we'll be enjoying the rest of October and trying to spend more time eating together, and taking in the rest of the fall before it's time to make a Christmas list.

Joy

2008-08-28T23:19:00.004-05:00

I took this picture on a really hot day this summer when I was inside cleaning dwelling on all the wrong things like my very small or the lack of a backyard, the fact that all I had that day for the kids was Joe's baby pool to splash in and all those things that were making me a very sad mommy and then I took a look at Emma outside :) so much to be thankful for.

A Long Day!

2008-08-21T20:55:00.008-05:00

After a long day at day camp my baby was very tired and dirty :) I had lots of plans to make the most out of these 3 wonderful days but I decided to change my plans and enjoy a bit of that time instead of the intense heavy duty fall cleaning I had planned. Hubby was really busy and had a lot on his mind so we are putting off the painting until later on this fall. So I've done a little bit of this a little bit of that enjoyed some coffee with the girls, lunch with hubby, a bit of shopping, trying to organize the fall a bit. It has been really nice to have a break from the busyness. We are the neighborhood party house and although it's wonderful to have so many friends and action, the break was equally nice. We're enjoying these last couple of days of sunshine and trying to get ready for school! And hopefully an other day or 2 at the beach.

Taking it in...

2008-07-16T09:58:00.011-05:00

We're alive and well. Enjoying summer to the max. We spent a week at a cottage that was givin to us for free, incredible blessing and we're getting ready to go spend a week with my wonderful little sister and her boys and then a week with Mamie and Papie in Québec. We've been going to bed really late and enjoying our lazy mornings. I love summer. The fall is approaching soon enough with too much to think about so we're just focusing on now and having lots of good times together and with family and friends

One on One

2008-05-28T22:18:00.010-05:00

If I don't blog about the clouds it's about my kids, I promise I might put a recipe in there sometime :) Today Jakob had a dentist appointment so I picked him up from school he was really scared It's funny even at 10 how much he wanted to smooch on the dentist chair, he was crying a bit and really scared so it felt like he was just my baby still, the dentist kicked me out " OK MOM" he said he's a big boy !!! but I just wanted to keep kissing my jake and say "you will be OK" I think I needed him to need me. He so big and independent. We had a great chat on the way back where in a nutshell I found out he wanted to be 1. A pastor 2. A singer and 3. a cartoonist he changes his mind a lot so it's always fun to see where he's at. So I guess the $Dollar store owner goals have been changed :) I had such great hopes...

He also will marry a darkish-blondish girl (that covers all of them) he might have 1 or 2 or 3 kids :) he will drive a 4by4 "OR" a minivan. He also will live a town away but probably more like a street, actually even couple houses down and will visit at least 10 times a week :)( I've tough the boy well). He wasn't sure about want kind of activities he would like to do with his wife because "MOM" the stores might change by then. And he'll marry a MEDIUM size women :) So his life is looking good.

More funnies...

2008-05-23T20:44:00.006-05:00

Tonight Joe was so tired by 5:00 he was ready for bed after a nice day, biking, playing with his friend and at the park so he was dirty, tired and EMOTIONAL. Because we have no fence yet we are all "very" close to each other with not much privacy, so Joe saw the little girl next door, playing and started to almost hyper ventilate "MOM" "MOM" my girl is outside, my girl is there I need to go play with her, but soon realized he was going to bed not outside so then proceeded to cry and cry deep wounded tears as he kept saying my girl is outside she wants to play. Of course the kids thought it was too funny and kept asking is that "YOUR" girl Joe? Just to have him answer in more tears my girl, see, my girl waiting for me :) I will miss these moments.

I'm looking forward to a quiet Saturday doing stuff around the house. I might even hit a yard sale or two. Hope you all have a great time with your families.

My funny girl.

2008-05-21T07:43:00.006-05:00

So it's 2:30 am and I'm hearing all this noise in the bathroom so I got out of bed and waited in the hall to let whoever was in there know that they were way to loud and we were trying to sleep. After a few minutes Emma comes out and she's a GREAT sleeper so it kind of surprised me that she had to go to the washroom, but oh well. I said Emma next time don't move things around so much. She goes " Mommy why am I wearing a sun dress over my nightgown ? Who put it on for me? and why? " So I burst out laughing realizing she had taken her sleepwalking to an other level. We've seen her do many things from siting in closets, halls, standing at the end of our bed, but this time she got dressed, even buttoned up the 4 tiny buttons that she usually needs help with and went back to bed. When I got back in bed and told Bartley he said when he had come up to bed she was sleeping with her lights on.

Finishing the week-end

2008-05-19T19:52:00.004-05:00

I love my hubby and love to hear him play. The kids all had their doors open tonight when they went to bed as we enjoyed song after song. A peaceful way to end our week-end. I came in the office to sit and took this picture with his Mac Photo booth:) ( pretty sneaky) I just love to see him at that piano makes me think of our dating years. We've had busy long week-end. Finally painting some of the hall-entry way. Maggy had a 3 day camping trip with youth group( her first ) and it seems like she biked for hundreds of km ( coming from a tired and dramatic 12 year old) . The kids each had a sleep-over on Saturday and got to go to a movie (narnia) with daddy this afternoon as I had to stay back and pick up Maggy. they had lots of fun even though it was wet and cold.

Gros bisoux xoxoox

2008-05-11T18:41:00.002-05:00

Taking a minute to wish my mommy a happy mother's day and wishing we weren't so far apart. Hope you feel much better soon. Je t'aime

Last one I promise

2008-05-03T21:40:00.015-05:00

OK so I'm an extremely boring blogger who only puts pictures of the sky but how could I not show this one :) We are back from our 10 days away with each other no kids and it was really good. I looooooove flying and can get really frustrated when there is a possibility I won't get a window seat and how can you blame me. I took picture after picture of the sunset just to realize they were all pretty much the same but it just felt like the right thing to do. Almost disrespectful not to. Half an hour of that sunset, it was out of this world. How powerful and amazing to see how God blesses us so much with his beauty and nature This summer our car broke down ( again) and we ended up getting it fixed about an hour away from home so the nice mechanic said we could take one of the cars he had for the day and come back the next day to get ours. All that to say there was a little sticker of Jesus on the passengers side and it struck me funny I guess it was a reminder of God, and I took a picture just because :) I'm so glad my God is bigger to me than a little sticker on my dashboard.

So now back to life and reality of the day to day but I feel good and very refreshed. And ready to take on this boy some more. He was doing a great job cleaning the windows for me.

Sunny days!

2008-04-14T18:13:00.005-05:00

An other week is on it's way. We have had beautiful days here, lots of playing at the park which is really nice just to catch up with all the neighbors. The kids are riding there bikes, playing hockey, soccer in the field and enjoying all these sunny days. Joe and I even made it to the Zoo last week with some friends, he's still talking about the BIG BIG black gorilla. We are looking at 19 degrees on Wednesday :) good day to do windows.

It's an other busy week, we are having our ladies retreat this week-end which I am only attending this year :) kind of fun to be on the other side of things. And Sunday I leave with hubby for 10 days in Florida, he'll be really busy with conference and his board meetings at the beginning but we are looking to spend 4 days or so together :) on la playa after. I am excited to spend time alone, reading, breathing and feeling guilty for my amazing friend and family keeping the Sawatsky bunch. So no big news just the everyday. Life is in one of those too busy phase and we are looking to cut back some things to get a bit of our old family life back, and just to be a bit bored together, but for now I'm looking forward to being bored by myself a bit.

Peace...

2008-04-03T12:44:00.004-05:00

Lately my boy hasn't had really regular naps and I rarely just sit while he's napping but wow the roaring of my fridge sounds nice and the keyboard but that's about it for noise :) I'm so thankful for this sunshine today and for the hope of all the things that summer brings, It's been a long Winter, my perennials are looking greener by the day. I can see the day approaching to get all the bikes tuned up and the lawn cleaned up and I can't wait. You can sense it in the kids (and mommy) how much they just need those long summer days when they play outside until it gets dark. My baby boy is definitely wanting out. I feel very grateful for an other season. Off to walk and enjoy!

As close as it gets.

2008-04-01T07:55:00.008-05:00

never been good at writing down milestones in the kids life but this morning my baby was too cute he says look mommy weally weally big, a big man, little boy in the morning now big, big, big Josef then he puts his hands on his hips totally satisfied with the realization that he can now turn the lights on and off. I love the way he expresses himself and the words he uses to describe situation and I'm really happy to be " HIS PRECIOUS BOY"( that's what he calls me)

There is hope!

2008-03-26T22:00:00.009-05:00

Today felt so great, the sun, the wind (cold, but amazing) We even saw a robin when we went for a walk after school, and the sidewalks were almost clear. Time to run Angie :). I think we'll be getting some more snow but I saw a bit of hope today just a small taste of Spring. It even smelled like mud. We had a really nice time with my family coming to visit for Easter, lots of cousin time for all the kids, lots of taking pictures and many many pots of coffee :) . I always feel so bless with the time we spend together even thought all 17 of us can get a small house feeling pretty full it's always very sad to see everyone go.

Come out, come out wherever you are!

2008-03-19T12:21:00.002-05:00

Feeling kind of down from all these cloudy days since we've been back and the rain and the snow, all too gloomy for me. I can't wait to see the green leaves again, and open my windows, clean the garage plant some flowers, go on bike rides boys do I feel like complaining :( I'm avoiding my cleaning on top of that too much to do. Maggy is home for the third day, but feeling much better today. She took her brother to the dollar store this morning she couldn't stay inside any longer, she also picked her mommy up some coffee and cream you have to love this age :) Well I should snap out of my funk and go back to folding and ironing clothes. Hoping for a sunny week-end with my wonderful family.

Cousin Cuddles.

2008-03-18T17:55:00.003-05:00

I should have knowned to wait before I told Joe his cousin was coming, I think he has said it, or sang it or chanted it over 60 times this afternoon " Isaac coming to our home now :)" He just won't stop I wish I could tape him ( not with duck tape thought that would be fun too ) 2 nights will seem really long here.

Highs & Lows

2008-03-17T09:21:00.019-05:00

We are back from an other Sawatsky road trip and even though we might need a vacation from our vacation, if nothing else we created memories :) So here is a short way of summarizing our trip.
1. We had a week of great beach days, not super hot but great sun.
2. Nobody got sick until the last day.
3. Had lots of bonding time, playing bocce, looking for shells, shopping at the flea market, eating LOTS of Wendy's value meals, listening to good music, building sand castles
4. Had time away from home, work, school, SNOW :)
5. Enjoyed 50 hours of intense family time

And now the lows
1. Got an other speeding tickets, after 18 hours of driving the first day we were a bit eager to get to our first destination and 45 minutes short of getting there we got stopped.
2. On our way back our van got broken in and hubby's laptop, Maggy's camera and all of Jakobs's savings were stolen.
3. My Emma got really sick with a fever on the way home and has passed it on to all of us.
3. We have now had a taste of summer and will be very anxious to see this snow melt. I already miss the sun, the sand, the birds, the breeze.
4. I lost most of my pictures from our trip because they were already downloaded on Bartley's computer
5. I have LOTS of laundry

So by now we have learned that things happen and it's part of life and we have still feel extremely blessed to have had a chance to get away. God is good.

5 minutes

2008-03-05T21:26:00.004-06:00

That's how much time I'm giving myself to post before we leave in 4 hours or so :) We're going to see my in-laws in Florida and very excited about it. We'll be there for 10 days including our 50 hour drives there and back. I'm feeling a bit nervous, not quit packed, but hoping to enjoy lots of time as a family. See you soon.

Don't Tell!!!

2008-02-23T22:47:00.009-06:00

You know it's time to cook when you find this empty in the fridge :)

I think Maggy likes sugar :) There was only 1/4 of it left but still...

Recipe for " Happpy Toddler"

2008-02-19T13:48:00.005-06:00

A new batch of blue KOOL-AID play-doh.
Some cold leftover pizza.
Lots of Ray Charles.
And there you have it 2 solid hours of fun with Joe.

February Loves xoxo

2008-02-16T07:57:00.024-06:00

Well everyone's updating so got to follow the crowd :) it's been two months since I last blogged. We've had 3 b-days, Christmas holiday, and lots happening. It's been a good winter so far and lots to be thankful for. So I'm going to play along with Angie :) She's my friend...:) What are some of your new/rediscovered loves/likes? So here it goes

we are finally seeing little fingers and big ones too :) playing music in our home. After 14 years and many many trips to look at pianos we have finally bought a piano. Daddy and the kids are thrilled, I just listen end enjoy :) The kids are finally taking lessons for a REALLY good price and taking initiative to practice, even Joe tries composing his own tunes... " happy birthday to myself " is his favorite :)

I'm also loving browsing on all the wonderful artistic people that make things on the Etsy shops and have just found some amazing talents . Just found a fun piece and can't wait to see it in the mail.

Digging through some of my old CD's ( B.B.king) and discovering new one.

Shower gel from the body shop It just has that amazing, edible scent. The grapefruit one is also incredibly delicious smelling. I'm very protective of it as I have 2 other girls constantly digging through my stuff :) and using half a cup each time.

I'm rediscovering my days alone with just my boy, as I finished babysitting I have much more time with him. We've been swimming a couple of times together ( with his girl " Rory" of course). It's been nice and much more quiet around the house which means still very loud. He's been using his imagination a lot more. building fires almost every day, which consists of dumping any small objects in a big pile like 1000 piece puzzle, monopoly money and there you go you have it, his project, just now he walked in grabbed a music book and nail clippers and said it's for my fire :) I might want to redirect his interest before I have a pyromaniac on my hands. He loves putting his hands on his hips when he shows me. Makes him look much more serious :) He's also enjoyed things like drawing circles all over his body, or anything that requires lots of clean up but how can I resist him when he says " you my best friend mom" OK so he's number 4 and I'm just a big wimp!!!!

So this is my first attempt at blogging again.

My Maggarilla..

2007-12-03T22:41:00.000-06:00

I once again should be in bed getting ready for an other day, but no instead I'm enjoying a nice cup of peppermint tea. I ran outside with my hair wet this morning and now my throat hurts. I love this time of day, where I can think without interruptions. I'm feeling like my life is just passing by and there we go heading towards an other Christmas more birthdays. My baby is turning twelve in just over a week and it is so hard to wrap my mind around it. There are days as a mom that I want to run away from everything and life becomes more than I can take, and then other days when it's all going by to fast and I want to restart everything with all that I have learned, but that's not how life works and I wouldn't be who I am now. I was talking to a girl at work who also has a 12 year old and asking if they got along well ( trying to make conversation) and then she starts describing her daughter with swear words after every two words and after 10 minutes goes" I guess not!" I really didn't know what to say. My baby has her faults like everyone else but she is truly an amazing girl full of love and compassion and weeks like this when we have so much on the go, I don't think I could survive without her.
She comes home from school today and says I'm here to help what do you want me to do? last night after I came back from my waitressing I gave the kids their allowance which was exactly what I had made that night (not a long night) and she didn't want to take it. She said I can't take your money that you worked so hard for! I am so thankful to God for her beautiful heart and hope I can be the mom and friend she will need in the years to come.

#46

2007-11-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

Well I can't sleep tonight, I have TOO much on my mind so I sat down and came up with 46 things that were on my mind, taking lots of important space inside my head. Even now I could add an other 5 just because my brain can't stop. In a way it's good for me to get down on paper what is inside because I can actually deal with each thing properly, some things " can" be fixed quick like going to Wal-Mart tomorrow and buying the kids winter boots and underwear, and then I can be down to 45 but some things just need to be given to God so they will probably stay on my list for quite a while still, but they should be off my mind. Because they aren't for me to worry about.
Mattew 6:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I think a lot of times that If I wasn't reminded of this I would probably need lots of therapy because I'm really good at worrying and it doesn't do nice things to me, but God is good and patient with me and I'm very thankful for his love. So now I'm off to bed to listen to the rain or is it sonw??? either way, it sounds nice.

Changing Sky!

2007-11-15T14:23:00.000-06:00

I wonder if my neighbors think I'm weird always taking pictures of the sky :) But that was the sky at 4:00 p.m yesterday after all the dark clounds of the morning.

We're not scared...

2007-11-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

This was the sky at 10:30 this morning, and after waiting for it to clear, and it wasn't, we decided to head out anyways. Maybe it was the smashing of the goldfish crackers between your fingers contest that the boys had. Maybe the dumping of all the Halloween candies in the basement or the dumping of all of my sewing basket? No I think it was the way the walls were slowly closing down on me and making me feel a bit crazy that made me head outside for a peaceful break. So after getting to the grocery store and having my bicycle trailer FULL of groceries with two toddlers that are getting really tired and a 4 year old that is letting me know that she is "STARVING", I realized that my two tires were completely deflated. So I quickly became that crazy women in the grocery store that was trying to keep everyone away from the bulk candies that are right by the cash!!! BRILLIANT concept isn't it?. We managed to get back on her way. So maybe it wasn't the picture perfect"peacful walK" but we still made sure to stop for picture, the park, and finally naps and a big cup of coffee to enjoy the rest of this day.

Look what my mommy found! "MY" boots, "My" Wain boots.

Sharing some love...

2007-11-07T07:31:00.000-06:00

Just a cute picture of " the boys" even though there is 7 years between them I love to see them interact with each other, finding that Joe has snuck into bed with his big bro in the morning for a few cuddles before Jake has to go to school that's a good day for Jake it means Josef didn't wake him up with his typical " GET UP RIGHT NOW!" we have to work on his gentle side a bit more he is fully charged ALL the time ready for action tiring his mommy out big time, but bringing lots of joy and smiles to all of us.

Perfection

2007-11-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

I love pomegranates, I think it makes me think of my childhood. My dad use to always buy a couple of theses around this time of year and it was such a big deal, so exotic to us :). Now for just a dollar you can get them in just about any grocery store and they are so so good its amazing to me how accessible it all is to us now. So while I was suppose to be getting ready for work today, I grabbed one, and you HAVE to sit down or stand still while you eat it not to get the juice all over you, so instead of spending my 45 minutes cleaning I started eating this perfect little fruit and then taking pictures for 30minute. It is so rare for me to be alone at home, there is always someone staying back and usually if everybody leaves it's only a window of an hour or less, before something else happens, and it was worth every minutes today. Time to savour, be quiet and enjoy a bit of life. So my house is still in needs of some TLC but when does it not? it's a busy crazy house full of life that I sometimes try to turn into something it is not meant to be for the time being. Enjoy your week!

Bye Bye October...

2007-11-02T09:48:00.001-05:00

A little bit of Friday frost that actually stayed on the ground until past 9 this morning I'm ready for Winter. Today is also my beautiful mommy's B-day so as she requested here are some Pictures of the kids on Alloween except for Jake that had already disappeared with his friends dressed as a hunter.

j'aurais bien aimé être avec toi aujourd'hui je t'aime très fort gros bizous xox et Bonne fête.

Accepting Change

2007-10-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well my taking it step by step new found motto is being tested. What was meant to be a nice day with my love ended up being cancelled because of well… life (he had way too much on his plate) but saying I was dumped kind of sounds good. . So here it goes 10 things to do when the day doesn’t go according to plan 1. Call your favorite girls to come to the rescue and help you plan your day so full that you don’t have to face your responsibilities at home ☺ 2. Take a nice looooong walk to your friend’s house because you have no car and you will not stay home. 3. Pick up a diet coke and pomegranate on the way at the grocery store just because you can. 4. Stop to let the unknown husky lick your son all over, and smile at the glow on his face (Joe) even though you wouldn’t let that big furry smelly thing come anywhere near you. 5. Decide to switch you original coffee plans to coffee+ the farm (just because you can). 6. enjoy a beautiful lunch at the farm and even squeeze in some shopping (when will I have enough baskets) 7. Pick up a free coffee on your way to one more store just one more mommy promises.
8. Make a bit more time to go to you’re the nursery to see all their new Christmas stuff and pick up couple new ornament for your tree (that hubby will after question you on??? Aren’t Christmas ornament suppose to be shinny not a solid chunk of wood??? ) Well I like wood + I wasn’t shopping with him ☺ ( shopping with girls does have it's perks.9. Make it back home to realize the cleaning lady never came and then realizing you are the cleaning lady. 10. Just be thankful that even though your plans changed you at least have amazing friends, a beautiful gorgeous sunny day and freedom to plan a great day with your son. there will be an other day to be out with the one I love :)

Just Us!

2007-10-13T08:03:00.000-05:00

This morning we're enjoying the warmth of our house, the fireplace I even turned on the heat for the first time ( it's very very cold out there ) french toast, some tea and hot chocolate and I think some afternoon naps for very tired munchkins. A day with no expectations, no plans and each other to be with :) I think it's going to be a good day. Daddy is leaving tomorrow for an other 5 days so we'll enjoy the quiet moments when they come even if they seem fewer and fewer.

Taking it step by step.

2007-10-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

Lately I'm trying to take each day as it comes or it all becomes so overwhelming to me. I've been able to find some work in the last month and it has been really good to know that it's not hurting our family time and it's helping with all the extra things that seem to always come up. I feel like the kids at the beach just going from one rock to the next, trying to find a safe dry spot to land. Do you ever wonder why we play that game taking the risk of slipping, getting wet, hurting ourselves I guess the challenge is still worth the risk. Through all of this process I have had to remember to give ALL of my uncertainties and insecurities ( their has been a lot of those) to God and it has been so wonderful to see the ways he has answered our prayers as a family and his faithfulness. Thank you for praying. The walk has been nice so far :) and I feel I have been stretched in good ways.

I've got a secret...

2007-09-25T07:58:00.000-05:00

It still doesn't feel like fall, and no one here is complaining!!!

Daddy's day :)

2007-09-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

Whishing my daddy a very happy Birthday!

A "not " so good hair day!

2007-09-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

Who could resist this boy with the crazy morning hair ( is it time for a haircut you think? ) Begging for a bowl of cucumber at 8:00 in the morning with his shinny necklace really!!! He keeps me smiling.

The Routine

2007-08-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

I love finding peace on my bed at night , when my room is clean :), specially if the sun is going down and there's a nice cool breeze. I t 's one of my favorite things to do ( probably because it doesn't happen too often) but it's so good, gives me time to think, refocus. I'm a little bit scared of the fall, scared to get back to the routine , the lunches , finding work, seeing less of everybody. I HATE change even though I know it's good for me and that is how I grow as a person I go into it kicking and screaming and resisting if I can, but the truth is that it's going to happen no matter what. Only couple more days of being home with the kids, of play, of beach , of late night with friends before it all goes back to fall routine, I'm hoping to find joy in my " routine" joy in change, an joy in growth even when it's not always fun, because I know it's good!!!

Perfect chaos!

2007-08-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

Enjoying every minute of this month of August. This week it's Ottawa with the kids and my sister. What is better then a messy table with lots of coffee, Ricardo magazines, fruits and yogourt dip and my favorite girl!!!

Missing you so much

2007-05-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a long couple of weeks, trying to find some peace in our lives, times like this I just want to go back to being a little girl and curl up in my mom and dad's arms for comfort, I miss you so much gros bizous

Wishing you all a good day :)

2007-05-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

Just when you think...

2007-05-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Just when you think you have said I love you enough, just when you think you have kissed them more times than you can remember. Just when you think that if you squeeze them any harder you will break some bones, Just when you think you have told them so many times how much God loves them... They ask " I'm I special to God even if I have a lazy eye?" My Emma is going through a lot as our next door neighbors are moving this Sunday, she has been crying herself to sleep for the past 3 nights, asking me if we'll be able to have play dates when her friend moves to Greece?. Tonight whe talked for a long time as she sobbed over the lost of a very good friend. Then all the big discussions usually follow because she needs to know she is loved, that it's going to be o.k and that God will provide more friends. But it was so hard to see her just crying out for love when I think " isn't it obvious how much we love you and God loves you" . But no, she wanted to be told again just to feel safe, so I just held my baby and told her over and over what she wanted to hear and kissed her all over until I could see she was at peace, knowing she is special even with her lazy eye.

M is for Monday

2007-04-23T20:57:00.000-05:00

M is for my big sister Maggy!

For the first time today Josef called his sister by her name " Maggy" otherwise called " Emma??" for the past year. Now he also calls Emma " Emma" but today all day it was " Maggy" this "Maggy" that, he was really proud of himself. Now he's not stupid because I know he knew who she was but for some unknown reason he enjoyed calling his two sisters by the same name. Until today...

My Mommy Thinks I'm Cute!!!

2007-04-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

An amazing week-end of sunshine and heat. We've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. The kids have enjoyed every minute of the weather outside riding bikes, playing with the hose and water guns, running around the house pretending they're pirates, eating outside, riding their bikes, having friends over. We had a great spontaneous Friday nights with friends and family eating some salmon on the grill and enjoying lemon meringue pie over the counter :) Saturday was a day of tackling the great beast " THE GARAGE" between 6 bikes, wagon, camping gear, 3 recycling bins, 2 garbage cans, golf bags, beach stuff and the list goes on it took a while, but it was fun to get things ready for the summer and feel organized. My body is also dead from biking with my great friend Angie who will bring more pain to my life :) and taking Joe out today while daddy took everyone to Awana. I feel good about the progress done before summer craziness starts but there is much more to do...

( I couldn't resist the pictures of Joe eating his yogurt even if they have nothing to do with my week-end)

Sometimes Overlooked

2007-04-17T21:04:00.000-05:00

My Emma's love language is definitely WORDS and TOUCH and just this week she gave me this note that I barely glanced at and she said " I'll put it on the fridge for you". Couple of days after as I was just standing in my kitchen frustrated at something ( can you believe " I " get frustrated?) I saw her note and remember how excited she was to give it to me and my lack of response. I made sure that when she came back from school I told her how she had made my day! It's so easy not pay attention to the zillions of notes and drawing that I get forgetting how their hearts and souls are usually poured in the making of it.

Work in progress!

2007-04-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

What is this you ask? Isn't it obvious? It's " A PIECE " of granola bar. When Joe was having his snack this morning I asked him, "could mommy have a piece?" Well very carefully he picks up " A PIECE" that had fallen and hands it over to me all pround of himself :) Sometimes I'm sure that's how I seem to God when he wants to spend time with me and He wants to know He's first. I pick up the leftover from the counter and hand it over to Him. Small lesson learned from my 2 year old today :) Just like Joe has much to learn about generosity and sharing I have so much to learn about some areas of my heart that I keep to myself.

M is for Monday

2007-04-15T22:27:00.002-05:00

M is for M'gonna try to make it back to the gym today :). M is for Messy week-end house and Massive load of laundry. M is for Mommy needs a cup of coffee. M is for Missing my morning sunshine and its wonderful heat. M is for Make sure you take some time to enjoy you day!!! M is for my Myriam's last Monday morning at work :)
We miss you Lots. Plein de becs d'amour xoxo

Sorry Angie :(

2007-04-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

The background color against my sunset was driving me NUTS, I probably tried 10 or more colors and I'm trying white for a while not that anyone really cares but me but that sunset is so gorgeous and somehow agaist that limmy green it didn't work. Maybe someday I'll figure out this whole blogger HTML :( that's what you get for a free service and then I can add features or maybe I should get typepad just so I can be cooler than Angie. Enough complaining I'm starting to sound discontent. We had one more crazy week-end. Hockey Banquet, outing with friends, first ever Dim Sum after shopping at a chineese market and getting a lesson in what some of our friends favorite foods where. Roller Skating at Skooter's Roller Palace :) what a name ( An other free hockey activity!) My baby roller bladed for the first time and made his mommy so pround. Tomorrow is a new week and I'm hoping to get started a little more rested so I'm off to bed

This and That...

2007-04-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

We are back for good! our Month of March is over and busyness has started again, We had an amazing time. spent a week in San Diego for Some meetings that Bartey had followed by 4 days to ourselves. It was chillier than we thought but I can't complain. I think some of my favorite moments are when I get a chance to walk by myself in a town I don't know, new coffee shops, beautiful flowers and bushes everywhere it's good to think, refocus, breath. I am sooooo thankful for my wonderful sister who put up with my munchkins for over a week and blessed us once again with her generosity. We spent a day Tijuana just to say we went. Not quit the same side of Mexico we saw 4 years ago but I love watching people and being reminded of how blessed we are here in Canada. It was overwhelming to see how much we have... so so much. We feasted on coke, coca cola light, peanuts and guavas. Not brave enough to take a chance of being sick. My hubby's
Spanish class ( beginner :) came in handy as we drove around in the local buses and tried to get around but more importantly RETURN to the states. Now we're trying to get back to our routines and looking forward to the nice weather. I'm all excited about spring cleaning and doing some small project around the house, without spending money :) We have been in our home for a year an a half and I still haven't done anything to the kids rooms, actually anywhere upstairs ( my son still has a table cloth, hanging from his window) he said tonight as we talked about doing some stuff to his room. " I look like a cheapo !!!" and it kind of does look weird so I will challenge myself to "try" even if I might fail to accomplish what "I want", to my son anything but a green table cloth will be more than appreciated.

Random thoughts: I want to try cooking an artichokes this month and I was just surfing on a great web page and found this so I will conquer my fears of the unknown and try it not a big challenge but I have never tried them fresh so I'm really excited about that :) And I want to learn how to make authentic salsa, yum, yum. So that's it for today.

We're back

2007-03-23T07:29:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, I have been a very boring blogger once again but life has been good. We took off to Florida with the munchkins for about 10 days and had a really good time. The weather was gorgeous the whole time. I love road trips and hope the kids will cherish these times we spend together. Bartley always makes a new road trip CD usually with hits from the 80 the kids think it's soooooo cool. We sing a lot and they watch movies on his laptop, eat lots of junk, play road trip bingo to make the 24 hours or so go by faster. Small price to pay for the difference in price with flying. We went to the beach everyday, and brought enough shells back to start our own little store. We got to go pick oranges which for me was one of my highlights and drink the . We also rented a boat for the better part of a day to go see or more "find" the manatees. We were out on the boat for hours and finally on our way back got to see probably 6 or so of them. I can't believe how fast March is going by. Our Ladies Retreat at church is this week-end so I'm taking off in a couple of hours and will be getting back tomorrow night. And early Tuesday morning Bartley and I take off for San Diego for 8 days for his board meetings+ couple days of fun. Actually ALL fun for me :) I feel very blessed to have my wonderful sister who is willing to come here and keep my 4+ hers to allow her big sister to soak in the sun xox Pay back will come :) So in a couple of weeks I will hopefully be more interesting on my posts but for now I'm just kind of enjoying March and spring to the max and all the blessings.

Take the time...

2007-03-06T10:56:00.000-06:00

3 girls

2007-03-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

We had a good week-end. Got to spend some time with my brother and mimi on Friday night just hanging out, we bought some really nice sushi, and I was brave enough to try everything, raw fish and fish eggs. I have to say it was yummy, rather surprising but it's so much fun to challenge your taste buds. Since living in Ontario and being surrounded with so many different cultures I've eaten so many different things and it's wonderful to keep trying. We had a Saturday morning of chores and in the afternoon we split, daddy with the boys at hockey and me with the girls doing odds and ends for our trip. We had a lot of fun, stopping in to Terra Greenhouse to check out All the orchids they had. Have I ever said how I love that place :)
So much fun on a cold day to walk in that warm greenhouse and see geranium starting and tons of flowers. I've would love to buy an orchid but they are so expensive and I really don't know how to take care of them so it would be a personal challenge, but a fun one. We also did a lot of other stops and I listen to my girls and see how different we are in many small ways especially Maggy and I. She loves to dress in bright colors and would be flashy if she could :) I have to push myself to wear something else then black. She loves loud music, I love mellow. She hates talking on the phone, well ... She hates cheese, I couldn't live without out. So many more little detailed stuff but when it comes down to important things I love to hear her talk about what she values and to see that what we have been teaching her is becoming a heart thing, even with all of the pressures from kids her ages she is such a good girl and I'm so pround of her. On our stop we went to shop for shoes and I thought o.k girls lets go in and out and see if we can find anything WELL think again. Maggy had her pants rolled up and wearing bright red leather patten heels she comes walking down the isle saying " Mommy these are the shoes of my dreams" "I just love these shoes she kept saying" I just smiled and said they won't be great for the beach :) and Emma also found her dream PINK shoes but those were age appropriate. We probably spent 50 minutes as the girls just tried shoes after shoes, I thought next time I better be ready for this. They are growing to be there own little ladies It was fun to see that they knew exactly what they liked, and when it's just a matter of my taste over theirs well I can't force then to only wear earth tones because I love it :) but Maggy will have to keep dreaming about those red shoes. We are going on a girls night out tonight trying to find her "other" dream shoes.

The view from my front door...

2007-03-01T16:39:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st of March what a change from yesterday, snow, rain, wind kind of crazy weather. I'm going to bed feeling so warm from sitting by the fire place for 2 hours I was reading a great book but at the same time trying to stay awake to make it to the next chapter and then to the next, drinking hot tea and listening to the wind rattling all the windows ( and we have big windows) and the rain making so much commotion outside. We were going to have my brother and beautiful sister in law over, but decided to take it easy and it was wonderful. Sometimes it's good to get a little bored and slow down. I love the wind, and the rain and if I could I would go sit on the porch with a big blanket and indulge myself like on a summer night. But it's only March and it will still be a while before I can do that. It still sounds amazing from inside my warm house. Good night :)

I love mornings

2007-02-28T09:08:00.000-06:00

I love mornings when the sun is so strong you can almost taste summer, I love mornings started with a good cup of coffe ( that's how long I lasted Angie :) ) I love mornings when I have time to spend with God. I love mornings when my Maggy is home for the day. I love mornings when there is no babysitting. I love mornings when I can't wait to get my hands dirty and clean like a crazy girl. I love mornings when the fridge is full and I don't have to worry about suppers. I love mornings when there are only 7 more to be spent here before we go away. I love mornings when I'm tired because I've spent 3 nights in a row up until past 12:30 with my hubby watching movies ( that's pretty rare) I love mornings full of potential when I don't have to go anywhere else if I don't want to. I love mornings when it's actually quiet enough to here the walls crack in my hubby's office. What makes a good morning for You.

Exciting news

2007-02-26T09:54:00.000-06:00

What do I get from round #3 of the stomach flue? Well lots of hugs and cuddles at times when I'm usually sleeping, I get to answer fun questions like is God in control of my vomit? because I would like to pray right now! and will it hurt more then this when I have a baby? followed by "can they put me to sleep?" with finally my 7 year old letting me know she wants an epidural for ALL her kids. I also get days off cooking because nobody is hungry, I get to bake my 60 cookies for church at 1:00 am I wasn't sleeping anyways and had been out until 11:30 PM with the girls ( a bit irresponsible but fun for a Saturday night :) We get to lay on the couch with lots of pillows and blankets for the whole afternoon watching "Babe the pig" and "Beethoven". We get to be thankful of our usual very healthy family. We get to try all the blankets and sheets in the house to see if they still work :) as we wash the dirty ones. I'm trying to be positive.
Well I bet you were all dying to know what's new at the Sawatsky's it's been a week without blogging shame on me :) Let's just say that my life for now revolves around my children the flue and babysitting. Nothing glamorous but LIFE. I was hoping to have exciting news to share this week but no. I will be babysitting 3 days a week for an other Month minus the time we'll be away. So when I have Joe and baby#2 all day things are all about cleaning there mess and getting ready for the 3:30 invasion of 5 more kids so I have to be ready to go. And Joe and Emma had the the stomach flue over the week-end. Only 2 more to go. So this week I'm hoping to get ready for our family getaway to Florida to visit Grammy and Grampy Sawatsy and have lots of fun on our 50 hour drive :) Enjoy every minute of the sun and the beautiful ocean. I'm hoping to get back on track with other house things and help the munchkins recover I also have to start packing and figure out if we have everything we need fo our trip. So is life at our house lately. There has been lots of good moments like a date downtown with hubby and a nice dinner at a place called Mr. Green, then a trip to Value Village with my friend Angie that included 2 Tim's coffee :) and last night we went out the 3 girls Myriam, Angie and me to have a girls night out. It was good to get together again, we haven't seen Myriam a lot since she's been working. Life is Good and God faithful.

Emma Bear turns 7

2007-02-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

An other B-day for my baby girl, a very tired mommy.

I'm all about planning

2007-02-14T12:17:00.000-06:00

Well today is just an extension of a very long night. Yesterday I thought It's my day off so before I start my crazy week, let me take a nice cup of coffee with Angie ( it was more like 3 :) I came back at a good time to cook supper and be organize so here comes the whining ... as I'm putting something in the fridge I knock over a full glass of orange juice (Maggy's) and it spills everywhere did I say EVERYWHERE so I slam the door, thinking I'll wait until it dries knowing how much harder it will be to clean up, so I re-open the door and tackle the 45 min job ahead so buy now hardly any time left so get my chicken, rice veggies for supper as I try not to loose it to a toddler that only seems to know one word MOMMY! MOMMY!MOMMY! sorry he also says CAR and Lighting McQueen . All I want is silence to think but that would be too much to ask, so by then after 2 loads, doing dishwasher blah blah the neighbors boys are at the door and are locked out, sure come in :) then the 3 +1 extra kids ( Maggy's friend ) come in my small tinny entry way. They are excited, hungry so much to say, have to get started on a project and I'm thinking breath in and out ( as I try to not hipper ventilate) so buy now I have 7 kids in the house MY house and the next door neighbor is at the door ( Emma's friend ) Well all I remember is sending her away without any recollections of what I had said. Our evening was full of school project, reading, going to the dollar store to get started on the birthday planning LOTS of phone calls, planning for the snow day. It's 11:00 and I'm a happy girl, I'm going to bed... but my baby gets up for half an hour until he starts trowing up (8-9) times until somewhere around 3:30 non-stop. I'm so tired right now and it's almost depressing to read my own post. Sometimes I wonder why I can't think of what my day was like or what I do and I'm learning more and more to go with the flow or the coucou hospital as I call it will be picking me up.

I've always wanted a big family, the kids friends invading our house, making hot chocolate and cookies for everyone, and now that I have it, I sometimes don't know how much more I can take. Today is Valentine's day and for us it's also Jake's B-day. I haven't had a chance to say anything to hubby yet beside go sleep in Emma's bed, I need to sleep for an hour,my head hurts and drive safe, we kind of lose our self in this cahos called life, children, ministry and it gets so busy but just the fact that I wake up and look at him and crave spending more and more time with him, talking,laughing, sharing our heart and dreams and what God is doing in our lives makes my day. I don't want Roses (maybe a jade) or chocolate don't get me wrong I love treats but the overwhelming feeling of gratitude, respect and love that I have towards him after almost 14 years is better then anything material. God blessed me and now I can spend the rest of my life with my best friend and I love him more today then ever. I can't wait to get away to San Diego with him. so much for not having time to blog!!!

The Great White North...

2007-02-13T07:55:00.000-06:00

After trying for a couple of months, I finally managed to go see my sister in Gatineau. Angie and I left at 5:30 a.m on wednesday morning with the 3 little ones leaving daddy Rob and Bartley with the rest :) to go spent couple extra days with Marie. The guys met up with us on Thursday night. We got to spend Friday at the Ottawa winterlude in real cold Ottawa weather, even went skating on the canal. Maggy's goal was to skate the whole canal :) she soon realized that she might have to wait a couple more years to fulfill her goal. It was so good to get away with my good friend and be with my sister. There's nothing like being real with people you love. The kids also had a great time and we are all getting really excited for March Break. Thank you Marie and Alex for having 6 adults 8 children in your 2 bedroom house we had LOTS of fun. This week is busy with 3 days of babysitting, 2 Birthdays Jakob and Emma and 5 hockey games in 9 days! ( that's totally not typical but I guess we made it to round 2 ,so happy :) can you sense a bit of sarcasm. So I have been a very boring blogger but unfortunately not much time to spare. So I'm sharing some pictures for mommy to see xoxo The kids should all look happy as they are sucking on half a pound of maple syrup but "I think" they were cold.

Letting go...

2007-02-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

Well Joe had his last bottle last night... At 2 years old, one month, and a couple of days just like that Beep-Beep was over that is Josef's bottle ( the sound the microwaves makes after 1:11 Seconds ) So yes maybe mommy spoiled him a little wouldn't you rather warm milk. So this is it! my baby won't lay down, tucked in my arms drinking his milk anymore, just like that it's all over. So am I crying? OF COURSE, I think if I could give him a bottle until he left for college I would but he might not like that! I knew I had to do it someday but I couldn't. You should all know Maggy was off the bottle by 11 months, I did everything by the book, but Joe, come on he's my baby . So even if all I want to do is run upstairs and say here you go mommy has some warm milk for you I know he has to grow up and he'll still love me...Je t'aime bébé

Beautiful Winter...

2007-01-30T15:40:00.000-06:00

The kids have been loving the woods across our house, they get home from school put their skates on and travel through the trees to their "fort" they have cleared huge surfaces of the frozen water that has accumulated in the fall after it rains and under the snow they found "ICE" and I have to say it's pretty neat for living in the suburbs to find outdoor ice. Since we've moved here I have often worried what kind of upbringing the kids would have without nature all around them, but the constant little blessings of finding a precious ice patch for them to spend hours on or having parents in-law now live in Florida for the winter( and they have a dog, that Jakob can't wait to see) makes March Break really special. We have so much to be thankful for and it's good to remember those things. I'm loving the snow, missing beautiful Québec but loving where God has put me for the moment.

Burnt Soup...

2007-01-27T19:46:00.000-06:00

The icing on the cake to my long week. Here are some pictures of my week-end soup :( I have to say that I haven't been really thankful lately, even though I know I should be, it feels like there is a big fire of frustration raging inside, that I'm continually trying to put out. Not that the frustration of burning my whole supper isn't justify but where do I go from there. What do I feel like doing? You don't want to know. I started reading a great little book with a friend called cultivating contentment and it has been making me think a lot all week. I thought I wasn't too hard to please, and I tend not to set my expectations to high fearing that I will be disappointed, but I guess they are still too high! I see it in my kids ALL the time, that constent, I waaaaaaant this, I wish I had thaaat but I don't think of myself as having any huge discontentment issue, big reality check! So this week I'm hoping to hopefully move closer to a life that reflects the joy that I should have for simply being alive, and knowing that God should be the one filling that void of wants in my life even thought my list might seem insignificant, it is enough to plant a seed of unhappiness inside of me. In her book she has an awesome quote: Longings. Coming face to face with the fact that there are empty places in our lives that haven't been filled. Yearnings. Wanting more than we have: more love, more enjoyment, more passion, more hope, more rest. Cravings. The hope of finding something that will satisfy the rumbling we feel in the stomach of our soul. Nicole Johnson

So I'm not sure where that came from but it felt good :) So since I love writing silly list here is my thankfulness list:

I'm thankful that the kids didn't notice too much the lovely taste of my soup.
I'm very thankful for the snow that provides "hours" 7 to be precise, of fun for the kids
I'm thankful for my brother and sister in law living minutes away and thinking of us on the week-ends
I'm thankful for a very patient husband who has a very intense wife
I'm thankful for God's forgiveness of my selfish and sinful state of heart
there is so much more but I won't make this too too boring... even though I could go on.

Sleeping Beauty!

2007-01-25T19:37:00.000-06:00

This is how I found Emma couple mornings ago when I went to wake her up notice the layering of clothing, from the inside out dora top, to layer #2 the flower print nightie, #3 penguin pg pants and to top it all #4 the long knee hight socks, what can I say, she's my girl!

Doesn't that look comfortable!

Me, My Chai and I !!!

2007-01-21T19:41:00.000-06:00

It's almost Monday again, the week-end goes by too fast. The more the years go by, the faster life seems to pass. I still remember our first couple years of marriage religiously taking our Sunday naps. Now it's running from one thing to an other from the moment we wake up until everyone comes back from Awana. I have been ditched by hubby for football :( He had a really long day of non-stop work so he really does deserve a break. So here I am with earphones, diet coke, and lots of my favorite music blogging away to whoever cares about the small details of my life. Peace is wonderful. Last night I also got ditched by what I thought was a great friend, now I would rather call her an acquaintance. So off to Value Village I went on my own ( no Angie ) then I HAD to go to Chapters to drink a wonderful chai latte and browse for a whole hour at all the wonderful books, I love the smell of that store, paper and coffee, AND good music what a mix. It had been a rather long 2 weeks of watching kids, trying to keep some kind of order in the house and then round 2 of the flue came with Jakob having the stomach flue and Joe got a cold. Jakob has started his hockey tournaments so we're almost done with that. I am so pleased that we decided to finish the year even though it has been a big stretch for our family. I feel he learned a big lesson in finishing what you start. As a parent it's so hard to always have to make those critical decision in your child's life, that really shape the way they will learn to deal with hard circumstances that come up. Today Emma asked if she HAD to finish her puzzle if she started it?. It made me smile to know she was thinking hard about it.

We had a soccer coach call for Maggy to try out for the Rep soccer team, she was thrilled to know they thought she would be good enough she's so brave. I was all worried that she was insecure, meeting a bunch of vicious pre-teen girls, but nop she said: I don't care, she such a good girl ( xoxo) she sneaks to read my blog :) so I have to be careful what I say... Managing all of our lives and still having a life is extremely hard... We will learn to cherish our small family getaways.

So I think hubby has time for me now :) I'm thankful for our family, even if sometimes looking back on a week-end I really have to dig hard to find the " good moments". Tomorrow Bartley and I are off on a date so I'm looking forward to a fun time away from the house, the munchkins to snuggle up to my man for a night.

Almost winter...

2007-01-17T11:13:00.000-06:00

We've had just a little bit of snow and ice, the kids are LOVING playing outside, I'm really enjoying finally seeing white :) Let's hope we get more. I don't know what they would do with an actual storm? because this is just a tease. Long week here at the Sawatsky household. Lots of babysitting and routine stuff, I'm looking forward to getting out a bit more. Angie and I are dreaming Value Village so watch out we're coming soon...Dangerous stuff :) You all have a great day...

Indulging

2007-01-12T12:05:00.000-06:00

A minute for me... Today I had a grapefruit for dessert, and I just got thinking of how it always brings back such great memories for me, wait until I explain. Growing up we often visited my grandmother for a sleepover and when we would wake up in the morning she always had the table set up with breakfast. I just remember so often she would have a half of a grapefruit, facedown in a bowl and I felt like she had prepared such a nice treat. It's not one of those fruits you just bit in while your working around the house like and apple, banana, even a hand full of grapes. It take lots of planning . Bartley and I sometimes have contest on who eats it the neater ( he wins). I always seem to splash the juices everywhere, but it's soooo worth the getting messy. And just when you think it's all done you get to squeeze the last couple tablespoon out to your spoons. As a kid I use to load it up with sugar. It still taste amazing that way, but now I feel to guilty to ruin it with big spoonful of sugar I try just to enjoy it (almost) plain :) Anyways my sister challenged us to take a moment for ourselves and leave the 4 loads of laundry, full dishwasher, supper preparation... To enjoy a moment in our day, and this was mine.

Big Goals For 2007

2007-01-04T13:39:00.000-06:00

Well I've never been one to make a huge list of goals when the new year comes around, probably because 2 of those past years I've been busy giving birth and 2 of those years a month from giving birth. Bartley and I have always decided to let God show us what he had in store for our future, not that we don't make any plan. Bartley has his new year planner bought before the new year even starts and we do make long term plans ( like going away together :) yummy )but we've learn our plans can change pretty quick and then your either left feeling disappointed, like you have failed or undisciplined. As a mom I can feel that way a lot. Of course I want to be in shape and eat healthy, patient with my kids... blah blah but on my own it will probably last a big 4 weeks and then the February blues will come, the stomach flues and I'll feel in a big boring routine about to go crazy. I just hope this year we will keep making God happy with the way we live and raise our kids, and serve him out of love, not because it's our job. Bartley said to me last night that I needed more refocusing time to be quiet and have some thinking space, ( I had mildley freaked out at Jake at dinner). And I said but... He spilled butter all over my floor! and then husband said, " but Sarah, didn't you want kids? and I said but Joe pied all over the bathroom floor... And he said but Sarah" didn't you want kids? We have great conversations. So yes this was my life Goal to serve God with my husband and have a beautiful family like I have, but it's much harder then I thought on some levels. I never thought I would be that mom that gets upset because my house has been destroyed. You should have seen my room growing up. And sometimes I forget that they have to walk on my floor and make sweaty foot prints and eat supper and spill there water, buttery biscuit, fork ... On the floor and that they will pee twice on the floor because they are just learning, or that they will come in and out all day to go to the bathroom, drink, blow there noses, put mittens on, ask me to be the ref on there huge life crisis. They are just kids and it's so easy to be heavy on them and to forget how God has lent me those 4 beautiful lives with the hope and lots of praying that they will become adults that will seek to do his will and love him and have a real relationship with him . So many times this week my heart has felt full with love as I looked at them, with their friends, or Emma getting her first build a bear and her face as she saw the bear's birth certificate come out, Jakob being a pirate, or going with his friends on a huge hike, playing in the back of the big ugly green van ( it has no seats), watching Josef discover animals on a little day trip to a park in Toronto. I just think how much I love them, and even thought I might not have time to go to the gym every morning at a reasonable hour ( not 5:40) or I might have to babysit for a couple more years to make ends meet, or that I might not find out what it is that " I " like to do besides getting a thrill at the look of my clean floors, I love being a mom and wife to a wonderful men. So my goals for 2007 is to let God at work in me and I'm sure it will be good if I listen.

Christmas is over :(

2007-01-01T19:13:00.000-06:00

Well it's January first and all of the Christmas stress is over. All the action, cooking, cleaning, organizing of activities, buying presents, returning presents, preparing for family, lack of sleep, colds, fevers, vomiting, wrapping, baking, drinking LOTS of coffee, sitting around not doing much...Soon things will all be back to normal. My family was here to visit over the holidays and we had a really good time, I did miss going home though, and no snow :( The kids still have a week of from school so we'll have lots of fun hanging out for one more week.

Where is the Christmas tree?

2006-12-17T08:23:00.000-06:00

Well our other baby, Josef turned 2 yesterday, but we actually celebrated his big sister, so his turn is yet to come. We have had a busy week-end, Friday Bartley ended up in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder ( which he's had surgery on couple years ago) so big change to our Christmas shopping day. He's feeling better and has to follow up. We also had 2 birthdays, and on top of that the stomach flu has come to visit thus the reason why I'm home this morning blogging. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be too much of a vicious one this time, so the kids should get back on there feet quick. Only 7 more days until my family comes :) We've done most of our Christmas shopping, and hopefully will get a chance to finish soon. Maggy had a girls day yesterday, she had 2 friends come over and we went shopping as mommy walked far behind and sat down every chance she got waiting for the girls that spent probably 50 minutes in Claire ( jewerlery store) I felt old. And then we went to eat chocolate covered crepes, she was covered up to her elbow ( not kidding). Then they watch a movie in bed on Daddy's laptop, and crashed. So Josef in all of this got nothing but big kisses, but when my family comes I will make it up to him :)

Happy Birthday Mon Amour!!!

2006-12-16T22:42:00.000-06:00

Joe's First Time Playing With Snow

2006-12-06T10:05:00.000-06:00

This morning we went for a nice walk to our brand new A&P ( grocery store). Very exciting tons of fun food they even have a sushi bar :) and huge bakery section. Just a 5 minute walk, I'm so excited to think I can walk to the grocery store first time in 10 years ( something to be happy about) Joe unlike his cousin :) loved the snow and would have eaten it all day. Got to go clean...

A Bell in My Washer???

2006-12-01T09:53:00.000-06:00

Well as much as I'm a freak about lots of cleaning routines ex: my floors and even there after 10 years I finally use a mop ( only because it really does do a good job on my type of floors) or maybe the neurotic way I have to take my whole toilet lid apart when I clean them, well when it comes to laundry we are really trying to survive, so keeping a slow steady pase pretty much running the beast 5 hours a day seems to work. So when it comes to laundry I TRY to sometimes, maybe, if it's a good day to check the pockets but unfortunately it seems not enough , because I often have enough leftover Kleenex to fill a small pillow or enough nails to put up couple frames and that's not including, rocks, screw, beer caps ( Jakob loves picking those up), pens, money, leftover food wrappers of every brand out there, orange peal, sticky tag to, even my husbands memory stick for his computer( that only went in twice) I kid you not yesterday the wheel sort of object that I found coming out of the dryer I had to stick my head in there to see if sometime had fallen off. But when Jakob came back from school I verified and asked if he had ever seen the foreigh object found in my dryer and her replied WOW it came out so clean, so I asked what kind of dirt was on it and he said grease or something. Martha Steward would be so ashamed me, no orderly shelves with beautiful jars filled with lavender or special laundry hooks just tons of junk on my floor. All that to say that when the Sears guy came last week and explain that the smallest thing getting caught between the seal of my washer door and the door would cause the water to leak out, I just tried to look as stupid as I could and said " OH yeah! Really Hein!" hoping and praying he wouldn't say that hasn't happened right? Because my Warranty only extends to manufactured problems, not irresponsible mother of 4 who can't do laundry problems. So anyways I signed his paper and let him decide what he thought our little visit should be assessed as , and hope not to see the 75$ bile come in the mail...

It's December

2006-12-01T08:02:00.000-06:00

We are some sad looking girls.
Emma started a fever and has been home for 2 days, today it's just us 3 ( Joe) so it's really nice. The rain is so strong outside I love it, Bartley has an huge window in his office so it looks just amazing, this is exactly what I needed after a long hard week. I'm on antibiotics for bronchitis and I think it's starting to kick in so maybe I'll feel like me again soon. Josef has been transforming into Mr. T ( terrible 2) at such a fast rate I really didn't see it coming, so between his intense NOOOOOOOOO to everything, or MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE or just demanding me MOM!! well he has pushed me to the end of my patience this week. Last night Bartley asked what I felt would make me feel better and I had a hard time deciding between a trip alone somewhere for a week, hiking, camping, I don't care as long as nobody would talk to me, or just going to see Marie :) I love being a mom but sometimes it definitely is incredibly demanding and overwhelming especially when you add an extra 5 kids on top of your 4 to the equation. Well it's time for cuddles. What things are you guys looking forward to for the month of December?

Just An Other Normal Day

2006-11-27T17:06:00.000-06:00

This last week has been a bit blah, I have been caufing since the first week of November and getting pretty tired of it. I am missing having snow big time, I am still not over the fact that Christmas is in Ontario this year. No beautiful Québec, watch out next year we'll go for 3 weeks :) I went to Terra Greenhouse ( a beautiful nursery here in Milton ) last week to pick up a small wall hanging with my gift from Maman et Papa ( it was my B-day) Bartley put it up today and it looks beautiful. I don't know why I love cast iron so much? I spent the day with Bartley and that was a really nice change to my monday morning. I usually don't babysit on mondays, but I did today and we had been really busy again over the week-end so it was nice just to be together.

10 random things about my day... 1) Watch world vision and cried ( again) 2) Got kicked out of the house by my husband for an hour walk ( the kids were sleeping and the sight of me crying while I was folding dish towels was probably a bit depressing. 3) Came back from my walk to cleanned floors and kitchen ( hubby is nice) 4) Manage not to cook, all the leftovers are gone :) yea!!! 5) Found out my washer is leaking again :( 6) Started to clean out the garage. 7) Had a really hot shower after all kiddies left. 8) I am drinking my second diet coke. 9) Had a slow day , but good with my man who did tons of little things around the house. 10) well I don't have one yet but it's just 6:20 the day is still young :)

My Baby

2006-11-18T15:10:00.000-06:00

Just a cute picture of Maggy in the morning... She's like a cat that curls up on any confortable surface she finds. She's turning 11 in one month, I still can't believe how fast life has gone buy. Soon I'll be singing some sad country song as my baby leaves for University...

Happy Moments...

2006-11-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

Well it has been a quiet week in the Sawatsky home. Lots of gloomy weather again. I was reading my sister's post this morning and we do have to remember daily what God has blessed us with, so let me share the happy Sarah moments for the day: Waking up with the men I love, being able to turn on my fire place, putting on my new Sarah McLaughlin Christmas CD ( who my sister had suggested was amazing), we do everything together she's my twin born seven years later who now lives in Ottawa but I like to think we share all of life's great moments together :( now that make me sad, not fare...Ok let's go on with my list of HAPPY moments, having 2 wonderful cups of hot tea ( I pretend I drink hot beverages), we should do a study some days on how many time coffee and tea can be reheated before something weird happens ( just an other random thought I thought I should share). Being able to be with my son as he discovers life ( he was coloring for an hour this morning), My four beautiful kids who are all very healthy, knowing tomorrow if Friday :) no more babysitting. Did I mention my wonderful and patient husband ( just kidding :) He is very YUMMO though!! I'm just getting back at him for letting the whole world know that I blog By the way I don't really blog... I keep my family updated via internet ( that works for me) So that sounds good for now , God is good and we are SO blessed even when we feel gloomy.

Slow work...

2006-11-12T17:16:00.000-06:00

Last night I was telling my great friend of a blogger Angie, that I found it really challenging to get work done quickly with Joe basically coming behind me and undoing everything I did. Well here was the perfect exemple. If you see a role of toilet paper in our house that hasn't been put on the hook, it as probably been stuffed with dirty old pieces of toilet paper that the kids have used to blow their nose on. One of the kids wonderful habbits ( I don't buy kleenex boxes a lot) is to blow their nose and then proceed to stuff the used piece into the middle of the role. So all that to say Maggy and I were cleaning the upstair bathroom and refilled the cupport with more roles. As I moved on to cleaning something else I noticed Joe had taken ALL the roles back out and was ripping a piece off each one, blowing his nose ( or he thought he was) and then stuffing each role. He must have thought they looked way to weird all nice and clean!!!! I'm starting to think I should get my cleaning done during the night while everyone is a sleep, maybe then I could pick up the pace a bit, but I might have a problem finding time to sleep during the day.

Sisters...

2006-11-11T13:05:00.000-06:00

The girls spent the whole day playing together yesterday, sometimes they both get so busy with all their own friends that they don't spend much quality time togther. Well yesterday, I made them hang out. Sure maybe Maggy wasn't trilled when I said "please hang out with Emma a bit". As always though by the end of the day they were making pancakes, painting ... having lots of fun, Emma became really frustrated when they were painting because of Maggy's MORE developed skills saying: " I don't want you painting with me because you're better" . Later on I walked by and Maggy had drawn a line down a big sheet of paper and was teaching Emma one step at a time how to paint a nicer, flower, butterfly... I just pray they will always remember to invest in their relationship as they get older and maybe move ( If I let them of course). So that's my DEEP thought for the day, now back to cleaning right...

Les Amours !!!!

2006-11-10T13:27:00.000-06:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

It's All Over!

2006-11-09T16:25:00.000-06:00

Well the dark suppers have started and gloomy days with empty trees, It's too sad outside today :( We've had two dark days, warm but dark and I have to say, I'm really looking forward to some snow, but I don't want to get my hopes up to much, I just LOVE Christmas time, probably because I love my family so much and that's when we hang out until we can't stand each other anymore. ma belle Marie, mon amour de soeur. Well I should go and prepare dinner for the family I guess they have to eat. Emma it hidding all around the house while Joe is chasing her, It's nice for him to be playing with someone else. He has been glued to me all week. Have a great evening all of you bloggers out there.

Nice Compliment

2006-11-08T10:19:00.000-06:00

Well today I had the cabinet guy come for my kitchen ( might be getting some work done) we got talking about kids, and I told him that I had 4. Well his response was shocking, WOW you look so young ( never heard that before) but then he goes and you don't look PRIMITIVE at all ???? Whatever that means. I have to say a LITTLE scary. He was saying it's a good thing you know what I mean right? NOOOOOOOOP I have no clue what he meant but I guess it's suppose to be good, so great I look young and not too primitive. It's all good :)

Definitions of primitive on the Web:

crude: belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains"
a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
archaic: little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe"
a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies; "primitive societies"
a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived"
of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style; "primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn He's obviously not met the primitive kids :)

An 8 Year Old's Point Of View.

2006-11-06T21:49:00.000-06:00

Well I don't think I've ever been good at doing things in moderation, it's more in excess when it comes to me, I can't believe this whole blogging thing is actually getting to me, I need help, or I will become one of them :( I have to say sharing my babies with you is fun, I love this whole digital picture thing.

So here is my first post that contains more then 4 sentence, hope you enjoy. Yesterday as I was getting ready for church I peaked in the boys room to see if it was o.k to run for my 1 minute shower? So I opened the door a crack to see the 2 boys sitting on Jake's bed and facing each other and jake was holding a ripped piece of paper. He was saying to his brother, "joe now you know you will not do this again right!" and Josef's response was...well nothing so jakob thought he should repeat himself, so he takes his brothers face in his hands and says: "Josef you will not rip my paper again right!" But then he goes ..."Now come over here and hug me, give Jakob a kiss now...". You know I love you right!". Well a mommy has her moment of pride and that was a very cute moment to see on a very stressful Sunday morning. I often wonder if I have been to hard on them, or if they GET IT, but seeing that, made me realize that Jakob totally understood the" OFFICIAl" steps to take when he had to dicipline is 22 month old baby brother. :) :)

If Life Was Always That Simple!

2006-11-06T17:38:00.001-06:00

My beautiful Joe discovering bugs is enough to put a smile on my face when the day has been rough, and a cup of Tim's coffee...

Halloween Night

2006-11-05T21:30:00.000-06:00

Est-ce que les citrouilles sont pour les papas? Ou pour les enfants?...

Les petits monstres... Il est mangeable juste un peu mon beau joe hein.

Why Should I Blog?

2006-11-04T18:51:00.000-06:00

Marie if you don't mind I thought I should give my post a brand new start since the pictures you had put of me were soooooooooo bad. I feel people should know the real me, who I am deep inside, actuslly who is that, besides someone who can't spell properly in either French or English which actually gives me the right to post in whatever language I want. Maybe I should give this blog a serious start but then again what would that be? Hello, I am Sarah mother of 4 and yes I can change diapers and potty train children. We'll see I have to do some deep reflexion.

Oh by the way here is my daddy no resemblance at all. Maman tes photos seront plus belles :) Je vous aimes gros becs