Look out below

Growing up it was always so much fun to jump off the top of my dad's boat. Up until this summer we couldn't get the Nolan or Jarom to join in the fun. When grandpa sweented the pot, by telling the kids he would pay them 5 dollars if they jumped it suddenly became something they wanted to do. They were still really scared, but once they made their first jump we couldn't stop their dare devilsh ways.

Grandparents

I just received these pictures from my Dad and couldn't help but think how lucky my kids are to have such wonderful grandparents.

Summer Reading

I wanted to share some of my summer reading – as I know this is why so many of you click daily onto my blog site.


I’d wanted to read the Birth House for quite some time and it was much different then I had thought it would be. I thought it was about a house unwed mothers went to have their babies; instead it is the story of a girl growing up in Nova Scotia who become a midwife.

From The Birth House:
"My house became the birth house. That's what the women called it, knocking on the door, ripe with child, water breaking on the porch. First-time mothers full of questions, young girls in trouble, and seasoned women with a brood already at home. (I called those babies 'toesies,' because they were more than their mamas could count on their fingers.) They all came to the house, wailing and keening their babies into the world. I wiped the feverish necks with cool, moist cloths, spooned porridge and hot tea into their tired bodies, talked them back from outside of themselves.
The Glass Castle is a heart breaking memoir of Jennette Walls. Jannette grows up in total poverty; her father being a alcoholic, who moves his family from one town to the next to follow his latest idea to make them rich, all the while feeding his kids tales of a Glass Castle he will one day built them.


After starting this Novel by Anita Shreve, I’ve decided that I very much enjoy her books. I love the style she writes in and I find her books are a quick read. This is the first book of hers that I’ve pick for myself ,as Spencer usually buys one of her books to put in my Christmas stocking. Pick up this book if you want an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Just the way we like him

Screens

When I was a young mom, I remember listening to my friend, Nicole communicate her frustration with her inability to keep her kids off The Screens (computer, T.V. and game system). I remember at the time thinking and probably expressing, “what’s the problem; you just turn off the T.V. and tell them television time is over and that’s it”. Once again as the years have gone on, and my second child has reached the age of television watching, game cube playing and computer exploring I have once again been taught that valuable lesson – Never say Never.

Jarom is a Screens fanatic! He will wake up at the crack of dawn rush down to the game cube and play until I rip the control from his tightly clutched fists. At which time he will head for the T.V. and masterfully manoeuvre the remote to the channel of his choice. He loves the remote so much he hides it in his coat pocket when we go to pick Nolan up from school, thus ensuring two things 1) that he is guaranteed sole use of the control upon returning home and 2) he gets to feel the remote in his pocket while we are driving and dream about all the wonderful cartoons which await his arrival.

This has been a totally adjustment for me; Nolan who still doesn’t know how to work the remote complied with my turn off the TV and just say no policy. Jarom will sit for hours trying to undo the lengths I’ve gone too to prevent his screens addictions. The only thing I have done that seems to work is physically removing the TV and hiding the controllers.

I'm off to go round 6 for power of the remote. Wish me luck.

Alone at Last

Yesterday was the first day of school; Nolan started grade 3 and after lunch Jarom attended Pre-school. Normally at this time of the year I feel sorrow and a desire to shut all the curtains, lock the doors and keep my kids with me. This year however, I felt a little relief at seeing them securely in their classrooms.

I’m not sure if it's because I've caught some sort of nasty illness from my kids that is leaving me drained of all energy, achy body, and a sore throat among other complaints, for over a week now or if it is the ever constant sibling rivalry turning into more than one fist fight and a couple of biting matches, that helped make the transitions of a new school year a lot easier than I have anticipated.

Nolan’s new teacher is Miss Sopka who is apparent very good for boys. He came home happy at lunch and tired afterschool. His best buddy Leon is in the other class, which caused a couple of tears, but with the promise of lots of play dates, he seems ok. I guess time will tell as the school year unfolds.

Jarom is attending preschool 3 times a week for 2 hours. It’s just enough time to give me a few minutes to myself to enjoy all the things I love to do like watching soap operas and eating bonbons. Ummmm – maybe in my dreams. I remember when Jarom started last year I thought I would have all this time to accomplish everything, but in reality my "free time" managed to be taken up with things like volunteering and Vt'ing.

Jarom had a great day and like his teacher very much.

P.S. Jarom insisted on wearing his soccer medal to show his teacher.

Thank Goodness for McGavins

When I was a little girl one of my favourite things was rounding the corner of our block at lunch time and seeing my grandparent's orange truck. My mouth would start to water as I broke into a run because I knew what would be waiting for me when I opened the front door – homemade scones.

My grandpa Blumel was an expert bread maker; we grew up on homemade bread. White was our favourite, but once we’d polished off the white bread we start on the brown. Rarely did a loaf of storeboughten bread make it into our home. I remember sitting beside my grandpa as he ate the sacrament bread and hearing him muttered “McGavins” as if it were a swear word.

With such a talented grandpa, I figured bread making was in my gens; I could pictures my family gathered around the table feasting on home baked cinnamon buns or enjoying their bedtime snack of toast that I have lovingly prepared with my own hand. This has not proven to be the case. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. I have absolutely no skills in the bread making department. Any recipe calling for yeast should just ripped out of my cookbook because there is no way it will ever be made by these hand of mine.

In an effort to still supply my family with fresh baked bread, I asked for a bread maker for Christmas one year. Even the bread maker refuses to deliver a perfectly made loaf of bread.

I just tried to make pizza crust for my kids for lunch and that was a huge bust – so it’s official. If I can’t even make pizza crust I was not meant to enjoy the comforts of home made baking.

Grocery Shopping tales

Ok, My cousin Amy posted this on her blog and I thought it was so funny, I wanted every mother I know to have a chance to read it.

I hope you're sitting down and your blatter is empty.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675

My first video

Well, my plan to do a daily post of our summer fun didn’t exactly pan out; so instead I’ve made a movie. One of my young women showed me a movie she had made and I was so impressed I had to try one of my own. Since I am computer challenged it took me longer than I would have liked; I had to wait for Spencer to come home from work every day and fix the latest road block I had run into. But here it is!!!

We had so much fun, although lots of our activities are missing since, once again due to dead batteries, I used my parent’s camera and have yet to receive those pictures.

We were so fortunate to see so much of our family (some by birth other by us claiming them as our family – Sheena and Michel and the Taylors). It was hard to say good-bye to them again, but at the same time; I felt so very blessed to have such wonderful people be a part of our lives.

My Boys

WHAT!!!

This is a funny story about Jarom I wanted to share before I forgot it.

One Sunday in my parents ward the priests were talking about preparing for their mission. As the priests were talking Jarom was coloring with his book on the seat, so he was kneeing on the floor facing me. As one of the priest talked he mentioned that he knew that he had to learn how to cook and clean and do his laundry because his mother wouldn’t be there. Jarom whipped his head up and yelled, “WHAT, you’re not coming on my mission with me.”

Good-bye Rachel

Well its official – my summer of fun with my family is OVER.

Bright and early this morning we set off for the airport to bid farewell to our Rachel. We were running a little behind and since the plane was leaving at 8:50 whether Rachel was on it or not, we were saved from a tearful good-bye. Nolan however, had a really hard time with Rachel leaving us and tried to stage a protest by refusing to get out of bed; in the end he resigned himself to his aunt’s departure and settled for a long hug.

Our time with Rachel wasn’t action packed, like I would normally like, but I think we were all a little tired from our time at Grandma’s and need a couple of low key days. We did however manage to squeeze in a movie (Oceans 13 and although I have been a great fan of the Ocean movies in the past I wouldn’t recommend this one), Lunch with Spencer and a stroll around the Forks, bike riding and tennis playing and a couple of movies: Fracture and 300 (I am still a little shocked Spencer rented it and thought I would enjoy watching it - nasty).

Thursday being our final day we thought we should have an outing, so we decided to go to a little place called Emu Ville – it promised to be a good time, learning about Emus and going on a train ride, what could be better? After driving all over the southern part of Manitoba we decided it no longer existed (apparent there aren’t a lot of people wanted to visit an emu farm – imagine that) and decided to visit the Zoo instead.

On our way to the Zoo, we passed the golf dome and decided we would rather go mini golfing. After a highly completive round of mini golf which proclaimed Rachel the best golfer of all, we headed off to the greatest Gelato store in all of Winnipeg – Nucci’s.

We finished off our afternoon with a little frog hunting in Kings Park. The kids had a wonderful time, and although Rachel and I were fine with the small frogs, when Nolan captured a great BIG frog we turned into the girls we are and screamed and screamed as the frog tried to make his escape.

It was great to have Rachel here and we ( me especially) am going to miss her.

(due to dead batteries I was unable to capture any of our fun time with Rachel, all the memories are on her camera; these our some pictures from our time in Alberta)

2 down 7 to go!

He's done it again...

passed another exam.

HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!!!

We're Back.

I’m sure you have all been checking my blog daily to see any new posts I may have posted (or given up entirely on me); fear not, your wait is over. We have returned to Winnipeg and have lots of fun stories and pictures to share. We even managed to convince Rachel that her time off from work would be best spent with us in Winnipeg – very excited to have her with us!

We had five glorious carefree weeks of freedom. It was so good to be around family, allow my kids the freedom to run around and explore grandma and grandpa’s acreage to their hearts content. Time went by much too fast and there were lots of tears as I brutally ripped my kids away from their grandparents and brought them back to the “Houde”.

I’ve decided to draw out my summer posting a little bit and everyday (or so) post a new activity we did over the summer.

The Pictures are of Nolan with the dogs, Max and Matty and Jarom in grandma and grandpa’s crab apple tree.

1 down 8 to go!!!

Congratulations

to Spencer for passing his

Materials and Methods exam.

We are so very proud of you.
Love, Angela, Nolan and Jarom

It's a boy

Congratulations

to Rob, Tanya and Dalin on their new arrival.

Braden Parker Court

(not 100% sure the spelling is right)

We can’t wait to see photo’s of him!!!

Soccer Wind Up

Last night was Jarom’s soccer wind-up. We all gathered together to enjoy a bbq of hot dogs, chips and pop. Jarom received his team photo and medal. He has been talking all season about the medal he is going to receive at the end of soccer. He was so excited to FINALLY get his very own medal (just like Nolan) and proudly wore it all evening. We had to display it on his wall as soon as we got home.

More Baseball Pictures

Drowning Ruth

It has recently been brought to my attention that many of my blog viewers do not enjoy my book reviews, but would rather see more pictures of my adorable kids and stop wasting their time with my thoughts as I turn the last page of my latest novel. I was shocked to hear this news, well not shocked exactly, it bought back memories of Spencer, Tricia and James with their eyes glazed over at party night while I tortured them with the latest developments in my book.

For you who dislike my book review I have 2 words for you - TOO BAD! I like writing them and since this is my blog you can just skip them.

“Drowning Ruth” is an Oprah’s Book Club selection that I picked up at a garage sale for $1. In the past, I’ve read a few of Oprah’s selections but found them to be a little too on the darker side of life; although I always find the main character’s in Oprah’s selections to be complicated and they hook me in as soon as I start reading. This book proved to be no different. "Drowning Ruth" is a thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the last page - what happened on that frightfully cold evening in November which caused Ruth’s mother to break through the ice and drown.

I very much enjoyed this book; if you have an opportunity to read it, take it!

Baseball Jamboree

Saturday Nolan participated in his first Baseball Jamboree, I’m not really sure what the difference is between a Jamboree and a Tournament, they seemed the same to me.

Nolan’s team played 3 games and Nolan was in heaven. In the first game he played first base and kept catching pop fly after pop fly. He was so thrilled; catching pop flies in his favorite part of the game. He has a running total of how many he has caught during the season and is more then happy to share his stats with anyone willing to listen. He is a great little player and plans to continue his baseball career again next season.

For all those wondering… I did not join the ranks of the Spit Spitters.