Can you say MIGRAINE?

My head has just been aching these past few days, but today was the worst of all. I spent most of the day wishing for my head to just explode already. Unfortunately it didn't, and to top it all off, I was supposed to be getting ready for my all day scrapbooking on Saturday. I'm not sure than non-scrappers can full appreciate the labour intensive packing that happens when you go away to a crop for a day. In any case, I still have done very little packing, and am ready for bed.
My grandma is in town from Thunder Bay, so we headed over to my uncle's to visit her this evening. This is the first time she has met Declan, so it was nice for her to finally get to meet him.
In any case, I am glad this day is almost over for me, and I am heading off to bed. Sweet dreams all!

Kids say the Darndest things!!!

Khai, Declan and I have been walking to the "cookie store" every day, as I said yesterday, and today was no different. Kelsey was at home today, so she joined us as we walked. Yesterday, Khai had some stones in his shoes, so he stopped to get them out, and as he dumped them out of his shoes, he said ,"I don't like the crumbs in my shoes Mummy." I asked him what crumbs he was talking about, and he pointed to the little dirt, pebbly sediment that accumulates at this time of year and said, "Those are crumbs Mummy, did you know that?" That is his new favorite saying, "Did you know that?" As though every single thing he says could be new information to the rest of the world.

Today, as we were finishing at Sobeys, the little basket under the stroller proved to be too small for all our groceries, and Khai asked to carry the Shreddies box. As we were walking out of the parking lot, he said, "My legs are too tired!" and proceeded to sit (rather pathetically) on the curb with his cereal box...

We also did some finger painting, and he really seemed to enjoy that! My earlier hopes of getting Declan involved were dashed as he decided to sleep! I will get his hand and footprints for my scrapbook one of these days!

This evening, Kelsey, Brett and I went to the mall. We got blizzards, mine had chocolate covered peanuts and brownie BITS, of course when Kels asked what was in it, she thought I said brownie PITS, and you can imagine the jokes for the rest of the evening!

It was an amazing day.

Swimming Lessons

Have you ever looked at any of your kids and seen pure joy in their eyes? This morning was Khai's first day of swimming lessons, and I saw that joy! It was so much fun! We had a wonderful time, and what a surprise that there was a friend of ours in our class!

He wanted to jump in the pool before lessons even started. It was a wonderful day.

He and I have started walking to what he calls the "cookie store" everyday. It's actually the Sobeys that's just down the street from us, but they give him a free cookie each time, and that's what he remembers...

It's nice to be able to get out into the sunshine every day and finally not feel lethargic!

I love spring!



For the first time today, Declan laughed out loud! Apparently he is ticklish! How sweet! It is a wonderful little laugh...take a look!

Happy 43rd Birthday Helmut!!

Well, it has been a long time since I posted, mostly because of lack energy, not lack of inspiration! This past Friday was Helmut's birthday. It turned out to be a WONDERFUL day. The secret gift I'd been hiding for 2 months, I was finally able to give him, and he loved it. The kids and I gave him tickets to a Nascar race in Kansas City in September. He loved them!

It made us feel so wonderful to be able to give him something that we knew he would love, and wasn't expecting.

My Mum made him this awesome Nascar cake that he thought was really cool, and actually everyone thought it was really neat. She bought the cake pan before they moved back here from Oregon, so it was a huge forethought that he really appreciated.

On a personal note, it is so wonderful to be so completely in love with someone, and to know that they completely love you back, with or without Nascar tickets. I love you Helmut, and I always, ALWAYS will. I am forever, yours.

The Long Walk Home

Today, my sister Michelle (I have two) did a presentation as part of her program at Red River Community College. She is in the Creative Communications department there, and was required to do what they call and IPP...Independent something Project. She chose to do it on our Grandpa on my dad's side.

My Grandpa died when my dad was 14 years old. He left behind 9 children, ranging in ages from 3 to 22 at the time of his death, and his wife, my grandma. The whole family has had a hard time talking about my grandpa, and this was a very emotional experience for all of them, as I know it was for Michelle.

On November 26th, 1970, Grandpa was killed by a train. They have never determined how or why his car collided with that train. I know that it was incredibly hard on all of my Dad's siblings, and himself, because whenever he is mentioned, there is a sadness. No one wants to make anyone sad, so we, as the grandchildren, have collectively, asked very little about him.

Michelle decided to change all of that. She interviewed each of my uncles, and my aunt (yes, only one of those 9 kids, was a girl!) and put together a book about this incredible man. A man who loved to laugh, who didn't have any time for a hobby, because he was too busy playing with his kids, a man who was loved so deeply, it physically hurts those who knew him to talk about him. But talk they did.

Today, we watched her presentation. From the moment she opened her mouth, I was bawling. You have to understand. Michelle lives her life as though she was not given tear glands. She never cries, but today, she cried most of the way through her presentation. It was terribly sad to hear her tell the stories that my Aunt and Uncle's had recounted to her....Auntie Marlene and Uncle Ted had already bought Grandpa an ash tray for Christmas...Dad was shovelling the snow from the driveway so that Grandpa could park his car there when he got home from work...Grandma was doing some sewing as she waited for her husband to come home from work. Stories about the day he died, and other stories, from his life that I've never heard, about a man I never had the chance to know.

It was an honor that Michelle chose Grandpa for this project. An honor to all his children and grandchildren, and to Grandma. I wish I could have known this man that my father misses so much, but at least now, I can have the memories of his kids and wife in this book, "The Long Walk Home" by Michelle Cattani.

Michelle dedicated the book to Margaret, David, Don, Glen, Barry, Doug, Steve, Ted, Marlene and Tim.

Thank you Michelle, for this tribute.

Sign Up Day...

It's that time of the year again, when parents think about digging out their cheque books; deciding whether the money they have to put out for their kids to play an organized sport is going to be worth it. Especially considering the amount of complaining that often happens when it's actually time to go to a game or practice, never mind the homework that certainly doesn't stop just because it's baseball or soccer season again, or in some families like ours, the fact that you may not have enough vehicles to get all the kids to their respective practices and/or games.

Last year, we had two kids in baseball. That is four nights per week, PER CHILD. Thank the Lord that Kelsey has her own car, and was able to get to all of her games herself. Unfortunately that also meant that we didn't get to attend very many of them.

Then we needed to consider that we have little ones. Last year, Khai was two and his bedtime was quite early...it still is for that matter. Are we supposed to keep him up later, so that he, and both Helmut and I, could see the games? Or should one of us go to the game and the other stay at home and watch Khai (and this year Declan)?

I remember my dad telling me stories of playing football at the school fields, and hockey in the streets, (even if they were in organized sports) they loved to play, and did so, at every opportunity. When I think of the struggle it sometimes is to get our kids out to play the sport we've paid money for them to play, I can't help but think something is missing. Of course, we are terribly proud of the kids when they do play, and do well at something they've been working so hard at. It is nice to see them doing something they enjoy, once we get them out there. I guess I just wish it wasn't such a fight to get them there, and finish their homework and make dinner and....

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for any of these things, and so as I write this, Helmut is out signing up Bretty, and seeing how old Khai needs to be to play, and all I can say is, let the madness continue...

Exhaustion!

Have you ever been SO tired that your man looks at you, moves closer to you and asks how you got your black eye? It's not until you inform him that they are simply dark circles under your eyes, that you realize that you aren't hiding your exhaustion as well as you'd like to! The one day I decide not to put make up on. *smile*
These days, getting out of bed seems harder and harder to do! I thank God everyday that He's given me enough sense to know that I have to get up for my kids! I don't think I would have the strength to do it otherwise, of course, I wouldn't be so tired if I wasn't for them; vicious circle!

My patience often wears out when I'm this tired. But kids are amazing aren't they? I can be at the end of my proverbial rope, when Brett will tell me that he has a new password for logging onto the computer. At first, I get upset, because he's not supposed to have a password, then he tells me that the password is "ilovekhai" and my heart melts. Or Khai, who tried my patience when we were getting Brett's skates sharpened today. He wanders around Play-it-Again Sports, looking at every piece of hockey equipment, telling me that we need to buy it, no, not for himself, but for Declan...who is three months old. When I tell him he's too small, that he can't even walk yet, he tells me that, "it's for when he's bigger Mummy!" or, "Maybe Bretty would like it Mum, don't you think he'd like it?" Not once did he ask for anything for himself.
Then there is Justin, who couldn't sleep for two days because he was so worried about his girlfriend in the hospital. Or Kelsey, who bought everyone a treat from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...just because.

and all of a sudden, I'm not tired anymore.