A Day In The Life...

I've been working less and therefore have more time to take photos throughout the day.  I love to photograph my own family more than anything.  I am so thankful that we have some snazzy equipment and the know how to use it. I wish that my creativity also extended into fashion, design, sewing, decorating etc :)

 I get grumpy when Nya does not nap (at least 50% of the time) as there is no down time for me to work in the day.   I can do all my housework with her awake (although when vacuuming she insists that I hold her) but if I sit at the computer for a minute to work, she will not have it.  Yes, I can have her in quiet time in her room but that lasts less than an hour.  Taking cute pictures of them helps to remind me of their awesomeness.

 Koey always sleeps in the longest (7:30am)  and he loves when Nya joins him for a morning cuddle in the bunk bed.  Yes, he still has a safety rail on his bed as he falls out every time without it.

Trampoline + fine hair = great lesson in static electricity

The whole `close your eyes and relax' method didn't work.  Bird didn't get any seeds.

It was the perfect morning to walk at Campbell Valley Park (north entrance...must do it again soon)

Nya's first time playing `Hungry Hippos'.  She's a fan.  Koen did not go easy on her.

Rule #27 in photographing people: always have the eyes in focus.  This one did not follow that rule but she's too cute.

In the bath, Kai and Nya play `mean auntie Jackie' and Koen gives Nya vaccinations :) {Jackie gave the kids their hep A shots and boosters}

Tea party with bear and baby

`Cheers!'

You don't wear a helmet when walking to the park?  You must not have an Elmo one.

Sibling fun.

Perfect end to a great day?  Peach and Strawberry (and mango) Crumble.  This was the recipe I used...I replaced arrowroot flour with cornstarch. So easy.

Although it can be boring be with the kids day in and out, I am so glad that right now it works for us.  I get to enjoy all these moments with them.  I know soon enough they'll all be in school, and suddenly, running around with an Elmo helmet will not be very cool.

Have a wonderful day.
Love, Louise

Sister's Getaway

I don't get away often without Gary (maybe every 3 years?!) and this weekend my sisters and I all went away together.  We went to Harrison Hotsprings which is relatively close and suits our personalities; outdoorsy and relaxing.  It's hard to get away because all of us work (three full time) and I work almost every single weekend.  Throw into the mix toddlers, newborns, pregnancy, breastfeeding, working husbands and ya, it gets a bit tricky!

{Below is a picture of me setting up the timer for the shot above. My sisters love making fun of me for taking pictures so often but I think they appreciate it.}

We did a hike, hung out in the adult only pool, went out to eat, walked and enjoyed some beer and wine.

It's easy to be together in that we all get each other and we can say what we think to each other.  We're all in the same place (married, young kids, live in the lower mainland, working etc) which makes for many things to talk about candidly.

We are all  quite close in age as all 5 of us were born in 8 years!  I'd say one of the biggest differences is just in our intro/extrovertedness.  We've got the extremes and I'm in the middle.  

{Youngest to oldest.  Jackie is 7 months pregnant.}

My dad came by Saturday night to join us for dinner and talk about his big upcoming trip.  I won't share too much about it, but you can ask me in person.  However, I will say that he has done some specialized training in a capsule in the pool learning what to do if his plane crashes in the water.  Who knew you could do that? 

Thanks for dinner, dad!  It is pretty interesting when people find out that we are his 5 daughters.  It seems like a lot when you see us together.

I know that some people do not have siblings.  Some have lost siblings.  Some people have difficult relationships with their siblings.  Some people live far away from their siblings.  I am thankful that I have these girls/young women/ladies in my life (even if Jan turns on the light at 7 am and wakes us all up).

{From Jackie's camera; I win! I jumped the highest.}

 It was always very important to my mom that we did not hold grudges and that we had a positive relationships with one another by being full of grace and working through things.  She had 5 brothers and no sisters so I think she was a little envious that we had so many sisters :)  I think she'd be happy to see that we choose to hang out together.  Sometimes.

Our next time away will probably be my 40th (oh my) in 4.5 years.   

Hope you had a great weekend.  It's incredibly beautiful out there.

 I need a nap.  

Love, Louise

Life

I am so thankful for my family.  They drive me absolutely nuts at times but I love them so much.  I know that anything could happen at anytime.  It's not that I'm pessimistic, I'm realistic.  I don't live worrying about it but I do appreciate what I have every single day.  That is one thing that I've really taken to heart from the loss of my mom as well as my dad's heart attack; every day is such a gift. Appreciate it.

This week I was reminded of how so much is out of our control.  My friend Rachel, and her husband Paul, have three young boys.  Their youngest son, Jaxon, is just a week older than Koen.     Yesterday, they found out that he has leukemia.  I am so sad for them.  Heartbreaking news.  I am glad that they are in a great hospital and have an amazing community supporting them.  

If you could remember their family in your prayers, they would appreciate it. 

Also, being that they live on Vancouver Island, there are, and will be, many expenses involved

with travelling to and from BC Children's Hospital.  If you feel led to donate at all, here is a link to more information and a safe way to give.  This is a picture of Jaxon that I took from the fundraising site.


Thank you for reading.  I don't really know what to say except that we will be praying for Jaxon and his family over the days and months to come.

Love,
Louise

Thankful Thursdays

Thankful for:

1.  Kids growing up & continuously learning new skills.  Although it's sometimes sad to see them move from cute little toddlers into smelly (beautiful) boys, I love that they can learn so many different skills as they work towards independence.  Kai has dreams of being a Top Chef so I think he will make a lovely lady very happy one day :)

2.  Being able to attend my niece and nephews birthday parties.  So fun for all of the cousins. Happy birthday Sami and Jack!

{Nya was very thankful for the cupcake}

{The boys were very thankful for these toilets in their goody bags that made farting noises the whole way home}

3.  March Madness.  Gary's top sporting event of the year is the NCAA basketball tourney so I'm happy that he was happy to watch some great games. (He was also trying to fix one of our back up drives at the same time).

4.  This cheese grater.  So grate (ha).  Right into the container and it has a separate top for storage.  From Ikea.

5.  Our lazy susan!  We just put the leaf in our table and added the lazy susan.  Our family is now big enough. Love it. 

6.  The `Push Daddy Off The Couch' game.  Started about 6 years ago and now Gary has 3 attackers.

7.  Nya's beautiful eyes.  I love how big they are.  She melts me.  Well, except when she doesn't nap, then she destroys me. 

8. Kai's maturity.  Sure he jokes about farts just like the next guy, but you can have real deep conversations with him.  I love that we are able to explain so many different ideas/beliefs/processes with him.

9.  Koen's complexity.  I don't know how to explain him.  He is a very focussed  kid that can play for hours and hours making up creative games on his own.  However, he is very, very goofy and has no personal space whatsoever.  He gives 100% without thinking of possible consequences (example: run as fast as he can and runs into things).  He loves his siblings and LOVES teaching Nya new words every day. He also tries to teach her math which is not going so well.  I guess I love that he continually confuses and amuses us.

10.  Planting flowers.  I'm excited to make our yard look a little prettier. I have plans for a section by our fence that has the perfect evening light for photos...my hope is to put in a flower bed there in the next week.

Happy Thankful Thursday everyone. 

So much to be thankful for.

Love, Louise

Loss & Remembering

I was talking to a friend today and the topic came up on the loss of a loved one.  One thing that I was reminded of was how much I appreciate hearing other people's stories about my mom.  I'm having a harder and harder time imagining what she would say in certain situations, although her gift was definitely listening and empathisizing.  I'm starting to really forget her voice and laugh.  I have memories of her from pictures and my mind but there are only so many. Also, I only know her as a child, teenager, and young adult.  I don't know her as a fellow adult/mom so I wonder what conversations we would've had and the things that would come up.  I would just encourage you, that if you have a friend who has a lost of a loved one, and you remember something about that person, no matter how small, that you share it.

I wish she had seen the woman I had grown into because I was still changing so much.  I would love to have her listening ear so that I could tell her about all the ridiculous and awesome things our kids do.  She wasn't an advice giver (unless asked) and I really appreciate that.  It was such a wonderful gift in my life, growing up, to have someone who listened and empathised.  It's what I truly needed (and still do!).  I hope my kids know that I am here for them with a listening ear and an open heart.

{Off to go snowshoeing!}

{Story time}

{We `finally' went to Disneyland when Trish was 5 :)}

{`There's a whale!'}

{I remember this...dad was fishing off of this rock and he made all us all paranoid to stay far away so we wouldn't get a hook in our eye}

 I feel very connected to my mom when I make `her' meals.  You know, the dinners, desserts and cookies that she always had on hand.  My hope is to make my kids a recipe book with our favourites, but so far I'm not doing so well with that :)  

Is there something that makes you feel connected to your childhood?

Hope you are having a good day!

Love, Louise

Sun. Smiles. Siblings.

Yesterday was gorgeous. I looooove being outside, and when you can wear short sleeves, it's a whole lot better!  I finally took out our real camera and got some pictures of the kiddos.  My goal is to do this more often and it sure is easy when you're not worried about the camera getting soaked :)

I asked Koen and Nya for a nice smile and this is what I got.  Such goofballs.  Both of them.

After two years of racing cars each and every day, Koen is starting to move away from it.  He doesn't like that he can control the final placement of the cars.  However, when they can race them down the slide, it's a little more fun because he doesn't have the control over who wins.

This past week, we shifted from going to the `baby park' to the `big kid' park!  Nya's a big girl now, I guess!  Here she's going down the twisty slide by herself. 

The boys have a lot of fun together, especially when they are running around outside.  It's when they are stuck inside, on rainy days, that the fighting gets to be a bit much. And by a `bit much' I mean, `THEY ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!'. 

I'm so curious how it will be when they are at the same school next year.  Will they play together? Will they fight?

Looking forward to many, many more sunny days to come.  Family walks.  Playing at the park. Memories.

Love, Louise

Girls Weekend!

In 6 more sleeps I'm going to be leaving Gary and the kids for a night.  I have only left twice before (besides a school trip to Bamfield, but that doesn't count because it was work).

In 2006, when I was 4 months pregnant with Kai, I went with girlfriends to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

{Look how young we are!!}

Then, in 2010, I did a kayaking trip with friends.

{How have we not done this trip again?! It was so fun!  That's it. Planning it again for this summer.}

Next weekend, my sisters and I are getting away for a night. Without any kids (besides one in utero). All five of us. This will be a first!  The plan is to hike, relax in the hot tub, eat, and sleep.  I am bringing a bottle of wine too.  I think the last time my sisters and I shared a hotel room, we were in Hawaii in 1997?  We all get along well but each of us has our quirks (who doesn't?) so it should be interesting.

{Apparently this is the last picture I have of the five of us without any kids in the picture?!  Here we were all pregnant...2.5 years ago!}

Suddenly I'm excited for the summer and the thought of planning an overnight hiking trip or two! 

 If you could do a girls/guys weekend, what would it be? 

Hope you had a great weekend!

Love, Louise  

BC Hydro Update

I initially posted about our hydro usage a couple of months ago when we joined `Team Power Smart'  and I'm totally curious if anyone has made changes and if it has altered their hydro bill!  We have been way more concious about turning down the floorboad heaters in the kids rooms during the day and also lowering our overall indoor temperature.  We are much more aware of the lights and computers on.  I would say that the biggest change we have made is with temperature control.  Even though most of our house is heated by gas, the upstairs room are electrical.  We have reduced our night time temperature to 15 C.  The outdoor temperatures have come up which has helped but our next bill is looking to be about $40 less than the same time period last year!

Now, I'm not sure if it's worth it as it's pretty chilly in here but I sure like the idea of saving $20/month which is almost $250/year :)  Every dollar counts and I bet our gas bill will be lower too!  Gary and I will just have to cuddle a bit more watching Shark Tank tonight.

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Louise

PS You may have noticed an add below this blog post...I tried to pick the least annoying spot :)  I'm just trying it out this week to see if it's worth it at all to have it.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for...

1.  Options.  I just feel thankful that as I try to figure out my work plans for 2015 (yes, things will be changing), that I can actually consider various options.  In so many places, and for so many, there is no choice.

2. Boerenkoel and Rookwurst.  We rarely make it but it has such good memories for me from growing up.  The kids love it too.  Dutch food isn't very exciting but at least they loved kale before it was ` cool' to love it :)

{Recipe below in case you feel you want to make some Dutch food :)  This is from my `Extending The Table'  recipe book.  Oh, this has to be something else I'm thankful for!!  So many great recipes from all around the world in one  place. It was a wedding gift from my aunt and uncle and it was so perfect for us.}

3.  `Mom 06' written in our garage.  When our house was being built, my parents lived across the street and one day, when the cement pad for our garage was setting, my mom etched `Mom 06' in it.  I didn't notice it until about 2 years after she died!  Now, whenever we go out for a walk, I am reminded of her and it makes me smile because this was a slightly rebellious act and she was not very rebellious :)

4.  Koen starting to read.  He doesn't love it.  He actually doesn't even like it.  But, he's doing it.  Here Kai was helping him read a book as it was a road block on their Amazing Race (for the two stuffies Koen has in his hand).

5.  Nya's new bedding.  It's cute and affordable.  She's a fan.  I think she will love when we convert her room to a big girl room!

6.  My dad's unique personality. Variety is the spice of life.  We never really know what he's going to do next but a very large plane trip is in the near future.

7.  Koen sleeping.  This kid can sleep in.  I wish the other two could.  He plays hard and sleeps solidly.  This is pretty much the only time that he is quiet.

8.  Reverse psychology.  Usually it works.  It didn't in this  case but it did result in an song entitled `Mommy's hat is awesome!' (to the tune of `Everything is Awesome') in hopes she would want to wear it.  It was funny when Kai learned the term because he tries it on me all the time.  `I know you would never buy us ____________.' 

{I so want to delete this picture for my 400 chins...this is why you hold the phone slightly higher than your face, people. :) }

9.  A husband who is very content with his job.  So thankful for that one.  13 years of full time teaching, with no break, is no easy feat.

10. An awesome trip last summer.  It still has such great memories for us (the fish in the center has the Philippines flag).  Although this summer will be very low key with camping in Oregon and an overnight hiking trip, we look forward to more adventures to come.

Happy Thursday.

Love, Louise

5 Reasons to Collect Bottles

For the past year or so, we have been collecting bottles. I used to do this a lot as a kid in order to go to Disneyland so it's something that brings back good memories for me.  Initially we started collecting so that the kids could go to Menchies.  I didn't want to spend the money on Menchies but with a groupon and bottle collecting, they went about 6 times!  We were also using the money to support a missionary but now that money just comes out of our bank account :)

The bottle money is now going towards Disneyland.  We started one month ago, walking around our neighbourhood 2-5 times a week, and already have $30.  Okay, so that might not sound like much, and maybe it isn't.  But let me tell you why I enjoy it.


1.  The kids are part of the process of making money.  They can see how much work it takes to raise money to go to Disneyland.  We bring the bottles to the depot by our church so that we don't have to spend gas money on bringing them to the depot and the boys are responsible for organizing all the bottles.  Kai loves that part the most.

2.  It's quality family time.  We walk for about 20-60 minutes each time.  Usually we go all together, sometimes I just take Nya and Koen.  The kids LOVE it. We've always gone for family walks so incorporating this just adds a new dimension.

3.  Exercise!

4.  Cleaning up the streets.  It's unbelievable to me how much people litter.  Very sad.  I'm thinking we may have to start bringing a garbage bag along to start picking up garbage as well.

5. It's a little outside of my comfort zone.  Sometimes, I care too much about what people think.  It's kind of embarrassing jumping into a ditch with cars whizzing by to get the 10 cent beer bottle.  Actually, it's really embarrassing.   I'm working on it.

The following story is slightly ridiculous but it just shows you how awesome Gary is.  So, driving home from Green Lake, along the main Green Lake road, there were 100's of bottles along a 5 km stretch.  The snow had melted and they were all exposed.  I may have pulled over 4 times so that Gary and I could collect a bunch of  bottles.  Thank you Gary :)

Hope you had a great day!  We had  some BEAUTIFUL sunshine here today. So thankful!

Love, Louise