Tearful Goodbyes

This week we said goodbye.

A few times.

And another big one is coming tomorrow (when I see my little preschoolers off).  :'(

We said goodbye to soccer... and Coach Jason.

We wondered if soccer would ever end.  It did.  And we're crazy enough to do it again next year.  Actually, I hate to admit it.... but the people that said, "it gets better," were RIGHT.  Jake did great (after a rough start).  He really bonded with Coach Jason and now says, "I a good soccer guy mom."


We said goodbye to hair.... lots of hair.

And here is the finished product.  It's similar to having leather furniture and hardwood... the ease of wiping it off can't be beat.  Now after Luke is done eating we just take a face cloth to his head.. so convenient... lol.

We said goodbye to KidsPlay Preschool... the happiest place on earth.  :'(  What a wonderful group of people that really "get" kids and what they need.  If you need a great preschool program check out kidsplay.

And we said goodbye to Mrs. Fox, Jake's music teacher..... and one of my favourite people.

We also said goodbye to "Julian" (Gillian). She has been doing home visits through the school board.  What a great lady.

We also said goodbye to some other stuff...... but I won't get into that.  YUCK!

Growing Up.

It always sounds CHEEZY-O-LA when people say, "Oh my, they just grow too fast."  But, seriously, it's TRUE!!  Eli will start HIGH SCHOOL in September... huh?  High School?  Noah will turn 13 this summer.... huh?  13?  Jake is almost done his first year of preschool.  And Luke is talking, walking, running and getting quite the sense of humor. 

Here are 2 short videos of Pookie's new skills:  

About 68 bajillion times per day I find myself thinking.... "will the whining ever end?" "will he ever wipe his own butt?" "why can't they just eat what I make... and NOT throw it on the floor?" "what is so hard about ......?"  But, then.... late at night.... when they are all asleep (and I SHOULD be)..... I find myself wanting a pause button.  Yet, for a huge part of the day, I have been wanting a "fast forward to bed time" button.

Do you ever stop to think about where you are in life... and how you perceive the challenges and battles of each day and almost "wish them away"?  I'm convinced that one day we will look back and realize that THESE days (when the kids are little... and the days are one battle after another) are the BEST days of our lives.

So right now, I'm going to PAUSE... and ENJOY the moments of today... for I know that once these days are behind me... that I will begging to have them back.


Will I ever miss THIS:  I somehow doubt it.  ;)

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire!

Over the weekend I was home alone with the little boys while Chris was in Calgary with the big boys.  Just before 5 pm someone started banging the snot out of my front door (it might have snot on it... who really knows) and ringing my doorbell.  I was a bit freaked out and planned to NOT answer the door.

But the person on the other side of the door just flung it open and started yelling, "GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, GET YOUR KIDS... THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR IS ON FIRE!!!!"  I could immediately smell the smoke and started rushing.  Living in a duplex (which I have started to feel uneasy about), I wasn't sure if it was the adjoining unit or the duplex next door... I didn't care, I just ran for it (but made sure to grab the camera... obviously).

We raced across the street to the park.... and THIS is what we saw:

It seemed to take FOREVER for the firetrucks to get there.... and it was insane to watch just how quickly the fire spread.  Here are a few more pictures.... YIKES!

I felt so terrible for this girl, standing in tears as she watched her house burn down.  She lives in the unit on the right... the fire started on the other side, but quickly spread and destroyed her house.

My TOTALLY relaxed little dude... was so patient through the whole process.

And my little Platoon Chief :) Obsessed with firetrucks since the event.  Seconds after returning to the house he was rounding up his fire toys and driving them around saying, "weeee ooooo, weee oooo."  And the next day he said, "Mommy, I DO love dose fire mans.  Dey helping dat broken house.  Ya, mommy, dat house was having a hard time yeshterday."  So sweet.

And this is what is left:

The day after this fire, I learned of the wild fires in Slave Lake.  Watching the images online is just hearbreaking.  Just thinking about how devastating a fire on the front of one single house can be... and then trying to imagine what it would be like for a fire to take most of an entire town.  If you are in a position to help, please do.  If not, send a prayer... it's the least you can do.

There are some very moving images on this video... have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s5m6OErRXpA#at=220

May the 4th Be With You.

Well... the adventures have been coming fast and furiously for the past few weeks.  Maybe a picture walk is in order.... because really, what else should I do with the bajillion photos I take??

Have you heard the news?  There is another Johnston on the streets.  On my birthday Eli got his learners license.  WHOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH NELLY... where has the time gone?  He was in Kindergarten when I met him.  As a side note.. Luke started walking about the same day.  One learning to drive, one learning to walk... how's that for opposite ends of the milestone spectrum.

This is a clip from a video... but it was too cute not to share.  Luke was at a birthday party for some of his homeboys and girls and they brought out a tunnel.  Good times.

Billy Bob teeth. So you know by now that it doesn't take much for me to be amused.  :)

Well, it's official.... we are soccer parents.... again.  Although I don't remember the urge to drink after Eli and Noah's soccer games.  Oh my... it was a GONG SHOW.  At one point 6 of the 12 kids from our team were crying... the other 6 were off eating rocks and picking dandelions.  They are so little and it is seriously adorable... but BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!  We're hoping that our field isn't right beside the playground next week (or ever again maybe).  The playground was locked.... but some of the kids (Jake included) managed to sneak in under the fence.  Good times.

On a positive note.. Luke sat like this THE WHOLE SOCCER GAME.  He didn't complain, didn't move, just sat and mumbled baby talk to himself and smiled.  I'm not sure what we did to deserve such an EASY-GOING little guy... but we are sure thankful for it.  

The end.  May the 4th be with you.  Have a good StarWars day.

:)

xoxo

E.A.S.T.E.R.

Happy Easter Friends and Family (and if there happens to be a random reader or two out there... you'll fall into the "friends" category).

E is for EGGS:  Turns out Jake and Luke both prefer the "mini eggs" (the chocolate ones) over the REAL DEAL hard boiled and decorated eggs.  Imagine that. If you have never swept egg yolk off of the floor you should try it.... good times.

A is for ANTICIPATION:  After all of the waiting and talking about the possibility of the Easter Bunny coming to our house, Jake woke up very confused.  He thought that the toys were from mommy's school and that the Easter Bunny was outside.  Jake spent a bit of time in front of the window yelling at the Easter Bunny.  "Hi Big Daddy Easter Bunny, I can't see you.... I'm right here... see my new haircut?"  He then told me that we needed to go in the van so that we could drive to Daddy Easter Bunny's house. Later in the day he asked if the Easter Bunny would be coming soon.  Too cute.  

S is for SWEEPING:  Chris must do A LOT of sweeping.... because seriously, I have not cleaned up after the kids this much in my life.  My little sweeping fairy must do that job a lot more than I realized.  I fill a dust pan after each meal.. which leaves me wondering how these kids continue to grow.  Must be a miracle. 

T is for THANKFUL:  There are obvious things to be thankful for... and I (almost) always am... but I'm talking about the extras.  Maybe you called to check up on us while Chris is away.... maybe you came by with Sushi.... maybe you spoiled our kids rotten this Easter.... maybe you're just awesome in general. Either way... I'm THANKFUL.

E is for EXCITED:  I'm excited to see Chris.... 3 more sleeps.  Missing him a lot (and NOT just because he sweeps and cooks).

R is for REFLECTION:  Take a moment to reflect on the TRUE meaning of Easter.  Take a minute to watch the following video.

EASTER LINEBACKER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgNZ7RmNBX8

The Wonders of Technology

I'm just testing this out to see if it's possible to post to the blog from my iPhone. I guess if you can read this we'll know if it's possible or not.

I'm going to try and add a photo too. Let's see what happens.

PS: I'm REALLY starting to miss Chris... A lot. His arrival can't come soon enough.

Photo Review

iLove the iPhone camera... so handy to capture moments like this:


1. I started my day with this:

Notice that I went to bed at 1am and got up at 6..... GREAT PLANNING, right?



2.  My lack of sleep led to this:

If you guessed that the purple substance is a full smoothie dumped on the floor of my van YOU ARE RIGHT!!  Seriously, a cup holder would have been the smarter choice.



3.  So, then.......

Regal Services to the rescue.  $84 well spent dollars later, my van looks BRAND NEW!  Woo Hoo.  So, ladies, if you want your vehicle detailed and can't convince your hubby, just spill a blueberry/yogurt smoothie in the vehicle and you'll have no other choice.  BOO YA!!



4.  And since my vehicle was getting cleaned, Jake got this experience:

He pushed that thing ALL THE WAY home and refused to let me help.  And, by "refused," I mean FREAKED OUT when I tried to steer it so he didn't run into a light post.  Poor Luke probably has whiplash.  ;)  Good thing he's resilient.



5.  So, logically, this was the only way to end my day:

Good night.