Showing posts with label Back "home". Show all posts
Showing posts with label Back "home". Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I can't believe it...
...I just got an e-mail from Gran! Probably only my family will understand my shock and amusement, but I just never expected my Granny to get her own e-mail address. :)
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Happy 8th Birthday Caitlyn!
Caitlyn had her 8th birthday while we were in KS. It was fun to celebrate with cousins, and some of my Nisly aunts and uncles stopped in that evening, too, so that was nice. (Below you'll see a picture of my Uncle Willis, sitting on the floor as he usually does.)
Kansas, part one
Not the greatest picture of everyone, but this is Gran, Pappy and their grandkids (except for 2)
Mom and Aunt Kath and assorted kids
Pappy and Karla
The four in-laws in our family. I guess they figure they have to stick together.
We had Kim and Jose's names in our family gift exchange. Here are the girls giving the gifts, even though it looks more like they're attacking them.
I feel like I've reached a milestone...this is the first time I've found this sight on my camera. :) (If you leave your camera around Jose, it seems he finds it. :)Christmas
New Christmas nighties. (And, before anyone freaks out...Aimee's knees are bent. She's not really that short.)
A webkinz puppy...and the sun shone, the angels sang and all her dreams came true. Or something. :)
We had some visitors on Christmas day...
Mike and Helen and the sweet grandbabies...Yutzys and Slaubaughs at Stormer Lake
Good thing that we really didn't sit around looking this bored all the time. Ha.
Sheldon, Matthew, Derek
Cutie-pie Xander and Great-Aunt Rachel (don't you think she's looking wonderfully wrinkle-free for being a great-aunt? :D)
Above: Uncle Sheldon and Sierra were a team for the relay - here I think they are putting on a bandaid while holding hands.Below: Uncle Dave and Aimee were a team for the same relay.
testing, testing, 1 2 3
my crazy kids...
Iris and I with our (not-so-)babies(This was the night that we had 8 adults and 15 kids here at my parents' house. While they were gone. Ha ha...I felt like a teenager having friends over while my parents were gone. :)
Playing the infamous Sleeping Queens with some Graber and Lyndaker kids.
Playing in the snow with Grandmathwarted
I have just tried to post pictures 5 times and it will not work. Huh. What's up with that?
We are in countdown mode and packing like madmen. (At least for short bursts every day...) We leave Canada next Thursday, so it's really down to the last minute stuff. There is the packing, of course, but also the flood of last-minute dinner invitations and the crappy good-byes. (I already said good-bye to my sisters, which may mean that the worst is over, at least.) I bought the molasses, ranch dressing packets and other assorted goodies over the last few weeks and now Matthew is packing it all up, rather skillfully, I might add.
So, since I blogged last we were at Stormer Lake for a weekend with M's family. That was fun, in spite of Caitlyn having her 2nd annual Christmas earache and crying for hours during the nights. The ladies had a great time ripping up old magazines and decorating notebooks for various uses. The kids wore out our Sleeping Queen cards, which was fun to see. Then men played a lot of games - both table games and in the gym with the kids.
We were here for Christmas day, but mom and dad were already in KS, so we had the house to ourselves. That was kind of nice, since we needed some peace and quiet about then. We had a few social events, but not all of us made it to all of them, especially since C was still dealing with her earaches.
The night our family opened gifts together was a lot of fun. Our girls had a great time shopping for each other (they each shopped for one sister) and giving their gifts. Someday they'll laugh at how excited they were about "little" things, but I love it.
We had a delicious Christmas dinner with M's family, and then got ready to leave on the 26th for our trip to KS. My grandparents live in KS and so this year almost the whole family was there for a few days together. It was a long, tiring drive down there, but so good to catch up with everyone. (And, our drive was nothing compared to Robyn and Daryl's marathon drive from NS. Yikes.)
We got back here on the 4th. And began the aforementioned packing.
Yesterday we took the girls skating. They loved it way more than I expected. Larissa even cried when it was time to leave. :)
Well, I was going to post a lot of photos, but I'll have to wait for Blogger to repent of it's wicked ways.
We are in countdown mode and packing like madmen. (At least for short bursts every day...) We leave Canada next Thursday, so it's really down to the last minute stuff. There is the packing, of course, but also the flood of last-minute dinner invitations and the crappy good-byes. (I already said good-bye to my sisters, which may mean that the worst is over, at least.) I bought the molasses, ranch dressing packets and other assorted goodies over the last few weeks and now Matthew is packing it all up, rather skillfully, I might add.
So, since I blogged last we were at Stormer Lake for a weekend with M's family. That was fun, in spite of Caitlyn having her 2nd annual Christmas earache and crying for hours during the nights. The ladies had a great time ripping up old magazines and decorating notebooks for various uses. The kids wore out our Sleeping Queen cards, which was fun to see. Then men played a lot of games - both table games and in the gym with the kids.
We were here for Christmas day, but mom and dad were already in KS, so we had the house to ourselves. That was kind of nice, since we needed some peace and quiet about then. We had a few social events, but not all of us made it to all of them, especially since C was still dealing with her earaches.
The night our family opened gifts together was a lot of fun. Our girls had a great time shopping for each other (they each shopped for one sister) and giving their gifts. Someday they'll laugh at how excited they were about "little" things, but I love it.
We had a delicious Christmas dinner with M's family, and then got ready to leave on the 26th for our trip to KS. My grandparents live in KS and so this year almost the whole family was there for a few days together. It was a long, tiring drive down there, but so good to catch up with everyone. (And, our drive was nothing compared to Robyn and Daryl's marathon drive from NS. Yikes.)
We got back here on the 4th. And began the aforementioned packing.
Yesterday we took the girls skating. They loved it way more than I expected. Larissa even cried when it was time to leave. :)
Well, I was going to post a lot of photos, but I'll have to wait for Blogger to repent of it's wicked ways.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Pre-Christmas thoughts...
*I just got done wrapping presents, and thought I'd take a few minutes to blog.
*I wrote that sentence about 3 hours ago. :)
*My cup of decaf Vanilla Chai is sitting here beside me, smelling so good. (Jocelyn, it's real tea-bag tea, not a mix. Hee hee.)
*It's -23 C at the moment, which is the warmest I've seen in a few days. There is something invigorating and refreshing about cold weather, but yet something almost paralyzing, too. I've been wondering if we'll be overwhelmed by the heat when we get back to Mada, considering that we'll be coming from temps like these.
*We've had the house to ourselves the last week or so, since Mom and Dad were helping Daryl and Robyn move out to Halifax. It was really nice to have that time to ourselves, but it's nice to have them back, too.
*On Wednesday night we had Keith & Jenni, Arthur & Iris, and Dave & Rachel over for supper. Let's see, since Jenni and I each had one of Wendy's kids for the day, there were 8 adults and 15 kids here that night. :) The oldest kid is 12. Only one thing was broken, and we were all still smiling when all was said and done, so I think it was a success. :)
*I'm starting to gather up all the things I want to take back to Mada...important things like taco seasoning and molasses. :)
*This weekend we're going to Stormer Lake for Matthew's family's Christmas get-together. I really should be packing, but I'm telling myself that I can throw things together tonight after supper. I wonder if it's true. :)
*We've been to 2 funerals since we're back from our trip (Dec 3). We took the 3 youngest girls to the 2nd one, since they were very curious about funerals and the like. They did very well sitting through a long service, and were able to keep their questions till afterwards. :) One of them did observe that the body was not as "flat and smooth" as she had expected it to be. I think she expected it to be deflated. :)
*Having Christmas here is an experience in reverse culture shock. I forgot how busy the Christmas season is, and that the heat from baking is actually welcome here, and how the whole culture (whether they like to admit it or not!) is immersed in the celebration of the season, even if it's on a purely commercial basis. I forgot that churches here sing the carols for weeks ahead of Christmas and that grocery stores actively promote specials on baking supplies, hams and eggnog. I forgot that buying presents is a huge exercise in decision making, because there are many viable options, not just one or two that will do in a pinch. It's great to be here during the Christmas season, but I have been reminded that I need to choose to be content wherever I am for Christmas. That I need to choose to celebrate and worship Jesus for His birth, whether I'm sweating in Mada while I miss family, or surrounded by family and overwhelmed by the hype. :)
*I'm sure I could find more to say, but I will stop for now. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!
*I wrote that sentence about 3 hours ago. :)
*My cup of decaf Vanilla Chai is sitting here beside me, smelling so good. (Jocelyn, it's real tea-bag tea, not a mix. Hee hee.)
*It's -23 C at the moment, which is the warmest I've seen in a few days. There is something invigorating and refreshing about cold weather, but yet something almost paralyzing, too. I've been wondering if we'll be overwhelmed by the heat when we get back to Mada, considering that we'll be coming from temps like these.
*We've had the house to ourselves the last week or so, since Mom and Dad were helping Daryl and Robyn move out to Halifax. It was really nice to have that time to ourselves, but it's nice to have them back, too.
*On Wednesday night we had Keith & Jenni, Arthur & Iris, and Dave & Rachel over for supper. Let's see, since Jenni and I each had one of Wendy's kids for the day, there were 8 adults and 15 kids here that night. :) The oldest kid is 12. Only one thing was broken, and we were all still smiling when all was said and done, so I think it was a success. :)
*I'm starting to gather up all the things I want to take back to Mada...important things like taco seasoning and molasses. :)
*This weekend we're going to Stormer Lake for Matthew's family's Christmas get-together. I really should be packing, but I'm telling myself that I can throw things together tonight after supper. I wonder if it's true. :)
*We've been to 2 funerals since we're back from our trip (Dec 3). We took the 3 youngest girls to the 2nd one, since they were very curious about funerals and the like. They did very well sitting through a long service, and were able to keep their questions till afterwards. :) One of them did observe that the body was not as "flat and smooth" as she had expected it to be. I think she expected it to be deflated. :)
*Having Christmas here is an experience in reverse culture shock. I forgot how busy the Christmas season is, and that the heat from baking is actually welcome here, and how the whole culture (whether they like to admit it or not!) is immersed in the celebration of the season, even if it's on a purely commercial basis. I forgot that churches here sing the carols for weeks ahead of Christmas and that grocery stores actively promote specials on baking supplies, hams and eggnog. I forgot that buying presents is a huge exercise in decision making, because there are many viable options, not just one or two that will do in a pinch. It's great to be here during the Christmas season, but I have been reminded that I need to choose to be content wherever I am for Christmas. That I need to choose to celebrate and worship Jesus for His birth, whether I'm sweating in Mada while I miss family, or surrounded by family and overwhelmed by the hype. :)
*I'm sure I could find more to say, but I will stop for now. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!
Friday, December 05, 2008
For Jose and Vicki :D
Interesting title, no? Well, my status on Facebook currently says, "Rhonda is thinking that this day was full of unexpected events." Jose (my brother in law) and Vicki (one of my Israel girls) both thought that I should blog about today, so here I am, ready to comply with their wishes. :)
This morning when I came upstairs, Mom told me that an elderly lady from church (and Mom and Dad's neighbour) had passed away early this morning. It wasn't entirely unexpected, and it's not at all sad to think of her being healthy, in Jesus' presence. But still, a death in the Christmas season isn't ever expected. My heart goes out to the family...
Soon after that, Mom got a call from Dad, saying that he was in the ER waiting to get his finger stitched up. He cut his finger badly at the car wash this morning, and needed 6 stitches.
Jenni (M's sister) called me this morning and invited me to have lunch at her house with a bunch of ladies. That was a fun unexpected event! :)
Matthew has been thinking he might have strep throat, so he wanted to go to the walk-in clinic this afternoon. He took A and S with him, because I was worried that they have strep in their noses. (I will spare you the details here. :) He ended up spending most of the afternoon in the clinic waiting to see a Dr, but got good attention when they finally saw one. The girls have impetigo (if I understand correctly, that is a form of strep...) and are on 2 meds each, and the biggest bummer is that they are highly contagious until they aren't getting new sores. So, no playdates with cousins for a few days I guess. :(
Now, I'm going to help tuck the girls into bed and then sit back and relax. (I did 4 loads of laundry today, with help from Mom and the girls, and cooked supper and washed dishes. It felt good to be domestic, but I need more sleep! No more late nights for awhile!)
This morning when I came upstairs, Mom told me that an elderly lady from church (and Mom and Dad's neighbour) had passed away early this morning. It wasn't entirely unexpected, and it's not at all sad to think of her being healthy, in Jesus' presence. But still, a death in the Christmas season isn't ever expected. My heart goes out to the family...
Soon after that, Mom got a call from Dad, saying that he was in the ER waiting to get his finger stitched up. He cut his finger badly at the car wash this morning, and needed 6 stitches.
Jenni (M's sister) called me this morning and invited me to have lunch at her house with a bunch of ladies. That was a fun unexpected event! :)
Matthew has been thinking he might have strep throat, so he wanted to go to the walk-in clinic this afternoon. He took A and S with him, because I was worried that they have strep in their noses. (I will spare you the details here. :) He ended up spending most of the afternoon in the clinic waiting to see a Dr, but got good attention when they finally saw one. The girls have impetigo (if I understand correctly, that is a form of strep...) and are on 2 meds each, and the biggest bummer is that they are highly contagious until they aren't getting new sores. So, no playdates with cousins for a few days I guess. :(
Now, I'm going to help tuck the girls into bed and then sit back and relax. (I did 4 loads of laundry today, with help from Mom and the girls, and cooked supper and washed dishes. It felt good to be domestic, but I need more sleep! No more late nights for awhile!)
Last installment of trip pictures. :)
This, my friends, is a photo of a momentous occasion. I soundly beat these two gentlemen in the game of Risk. And it was fun. FUN. :) (To all my girlfriends out there: please don't be hating me because I like to play Risk. We can still be friends, right?)
Have I mentioned that I loved being with Mayah? Don't you love the slack-jawed sound sleep? :)
We spent the weekend after Thanksgiving with Matthew's Miller family (I have a Miller family, too, so we have to specify). Aunt Mattie, Aunt Fran and Aunt Beth generously gave all of the kids Christmas presents, and they were happily received. :)
We got to see our friends, Gerd, Tanja and Fanilo in MI. It was great to see people from Mada, but it seemed kinda funny to see them out of context. :) It snowed like crazy that day, so the kids had fun playing outside. I had fun enjoying the beauty of it from inside. :)
We spent the last night of our trip at Matthew's brother Sheldon's house. This is how our van looked when we left for the drive to Red Lake. Can you say Beverly Hillbillies? All we needed was a live animal tied on somewhere...
Thursday, November 27, 2008
because a random blog is better than no blog at all
*We have been at Kirk and Karla's house since Saturday evening and we have rarely been so lazy as we have been here. :) Well, maybe not lazy, but relaxed. :) On Sunday I didn't even go outside one time, and didn't dress my 3 youngest all day. (My husband thought it was scandalous...I found it freeing. haha.)
*Kirk and Karla had the pleasure of introducing us to Jeni's ice cream. Oh my lands. Amazing.
*Did you all know that my newest niece, Mayah, is so sweet? Here, I'll show you. :)
*One major highlight of this trip has been seeing all of the "girls" that I was with in Israel in '97. I love that we can catch up relatively quickly when we see each other after a long time.
*My girls are doing alright, but showing a few signs of being travel weary. (As are Matthew and I...) I took them to get their pictures taken the other day and I can tell you this: Matthew was laughing so hard he was crying because of the on-command smiles from one little munchkin. :) They looked plastic.
*I'm holding sweet little sleeping Mayah even as I type this. :)
*One thing I had to buy while we're over here is summer clothes for the girls. I was feeling a little discouraged about finding summer clothes over here at this time of year, but God reminded me to ask Him about it. A few days later, my cousin Delores took me to Once Upon a Child and they had clothes for all seasons! I was in there for 2 hours and got so much stuff! It was a fun answer to prayer. :)
*Today is American Thanksgiving and Kirk's brother and his family spent the night here last night. This morning we had a delicious brunch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls and breakfast casserole. The guys have been outside barbequeing and smoking/grilling 3 whole chickens while the rest of us are making mashed potatoes, stuffing, buns, etc. I'm looking forward to this a LOT. :)
*I might have to be rolled back to Mada. Huh, that isn't connected to the above paragraph is it? ha ha.
*I am really ready to get back to Mada. It's not all about missing being there, although that is a large part of it. The biggest thing is that I desperately miss having some sort of routine, and I really am tired of living out of a suitcase. This has been such a crazy mix of fun and stress, and I wouldn't want to have missed it, but I'm ready for some kind of normal.
*It seems that it's time to set the table, so I should move on. We're leaving early tomorrow morning for MI and Matthew's Miller family's get-together. Hopefully there won't be any snow, because it's official: I'm a wimp in the cold. :)
See ya.
*Kirk and Karla had the pleasure of introducing us to Jeni's ice cream. Oh my lands. Amazing.
*Did you all know that my newest niece, Mayah, is so sweet? Here, I'll show you. :)
*One major highlight of this trip has been seeing all of the "girls" that I was with in Israel in '97. I love that we can catch up relatively quickly when we see each other after a long time.*My girls are doing alright, but showing a few signs of being travel weary. (As are Matthew and I...) I took them to get their pictures taken the other day and I can tell you this: Matthew was laughing so hard he was crying because of the on-command smiles from one little munchkin. :) They looked plastic.
*I'm holding sweet little sleeping Mayah even as I type this. :)
*One thing I had to buy while we're over here is summer clothes for the girls. I was feeling a little discouraged about finding summer clothes over here at this time of year, but God reminded me to ask Him about it. A few days later, my cousin Delores took me to Once Upon a Child and they had clothes for all seasons! I was in there for 2 hours and got so much stuff! It was a fun answer to prayer. :)
*Today is American Thanksgiving and Kirk's brother and his family spent the night here last night. This morning we had a delicious brunch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls and breakfast casserole. The guys have been outside barbequeing and smoking/grilling 3 whole chickens while the rest of us are making mashed potatoes, stuffing, buns, etc. I'm looking forward to this a LOT. :)
*I might have to be rolled back to Mada. Huh, that isn't connected to the above paragraph is it? ha ha.
*I am really ready to get back to Mada. It's not all about missing being there, although that is a large part of it. The biggest thing is that I desperately miss having some sort of routine, and I really am tired of living out of a suitcase. This has been such a crazy mix of fun and stress, and I wouldn't want to have missed it, but I'm ready for some kind of normal.
*It seems that it's time to set the table, so I should move on. We're leaving early tomorrow morning for MI and Matthew's Miller family's get-together. Hopefully there won't be any snow, because it's official: I'm a wimp in the cold. :)
See ya.
our little cabin in the woods
I am so cranky with blogger for not putting these pictures in the order I wanted them to be in. Why after all these years do they have to change things now?? We loved our little holiday in the cabin SO much. It was so restful and relaxing and, except for the fact that I was dealing with some painful digestive disturbances the whole time, it was just what we needed. We went in the hot tub at least once a day, played a lot of games and went driving/hiking on the mountains one day. Matthew took one afternoon and went horseback riding and then one afternoon I got to go get a massage. (Contented sigh.) It was wonderful. Most of the above pictures are from our hike up on Skyline Drive.
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