Extemporaneous Considerations...

Beginning Of The End

2012-01-30T12:53:00.002-07:00

Today is Pete's first day of his last 8 week installment at NAIT for his auto mechanics apprenticeship. On March 23rd, he will be a Journeyman mechanic. Yay Pete!

Doesn't Matter, Need Sleep.

2012-01-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

When Nathan is tired, he will just fall asleep. Sitting, laying down, loud or quiet place. Doesn't matter.

Nathan's latest sleepy moment - Pete got Oilers tickets from work for him and the boys, and Nathan couldn't even last through the second period.

Home

2012-01-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened.

We came and we went. We took a trip that we will never go on again and had an incredible time. We had even more fun than we set out to have, and everything was even better than we could have imagined it.

We started here, headed to the Edmonton airport in our hoodies (it wasn't that cold, hovering right around the freezing point), and took a plane to Denver, Colorado and then one more to San Diego. We picked up the massive SUV that Dad rented for the six of us and the luggage and headed for bedtime at the Sheraton Carlsbad, which has a private entrance to Legoland for it's clientele. Saturday morning we woke up, had breakfast, went to Legoland until it closed, had supper, went to bed, and did the exact same thing on Sunday and Monday as well.

Lego Star Wars miniland with scenes from each movie!

Legoland was nothing short of magical. I mean, this place has everything. The park is divided into sections that have a theme from kings and knights to dinosaurs to pirates. Each section has it's own music, decor, rides, and restaurant. It would take us FOREVER to explain to you all of the things we did there, all of the rides we went on, etc, but here are pictures of some of our favorite things.

The Sky Cruiser - It's a roller coaster that you PEDAL around the track!

Pete and the boys on the biggest coaster in Legoland, Zack's favorite of all the rides.

Even the bathroom signs are cute.

The Volvo driving school - a little city with traffic lights and signs and lots of kids driving around in little Lego cars!

Zack rode on every ride - even the scary ones that turn upside-down!

After our last sleep at Legoland, we checked out of our hotel and headed to our next one in La Jolla (pronounced la hoya). We spent Tuesday at a couple of different beach areas, where the boys saw the ocean for the first time. They loved every second of being in the water, on the sand, finding shells and hermit crabs, everything.

Captivated.

Wednesday was another exciting day as we went to the San Diego Zoo for the day. Another spectacular place to go. It was so great that we went back for the day again on Friday! Our favorite animals there were the polar bears, the pandas, and the orangutans. The great thing about this particular zoo is that the animal exhibits are designed to put as little space between the animals and the humans as possible. The giraffes could bend over an lick us because we were that close. It was amazing to see these animals within a few feet of our vision as opposed to far off in the distance.

In between our days at the zoo, on Thursday we went to the San Diego harbour and took a harbour cruise. There is a US Navy base in the harbour, so we got to see not one but TWO aircraft carriers as well as many other ships. This was a huge highlight for Zack, he was lit up and fully engaged for the entire 2 hours. We also did some more wandering around San Diego and enjoyed the sunshine. It was great to be able to eat outside at least once each day.

On Saturday morning, we packed up and said goodbye to the ocean one last time, and took three plane rides home.

The boys made special trip journals for the experience where they each wrote a page and drew a picture for each day of our trip. Hopefully some of you will get to see them and get to hear about everything first hand!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T13:22:00.001-07:00

This year is going to be exciting. There are great things on the horizon!

We're starting the year off with a trip of a lifetime.

Pete will finish his last year of apprenticeship and get his journeyman.

I'm going to be an adopted auntie to a long-awaited little one.

Zack will turn 8 and we'll have a third-grader on our hands.

Nathan will turn 7 and will go into grade two.

Pete and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.

Big things are happening, and I can't wait to savour every moment.

Happy New Year!

We're Farmers!

2011-12-29T12:10:00.002-07:00

Well, temporarily...

Feeding the sheep

Our friends Chris and Brandi took off for a few days this week, and entrusted their farm animals to our family. So we've been waking up really early to go to the farm, and then heading back in the late afternoon as well to feed and water the horses, sheep, llama, chickens, and cats. We also get to pick the eggs from the henhouse and do other various chores. The boys are pretty tired from all the early rising, but they have enjoyed it so much. They aren't afraid of the horses or the other animals at all, and caring for them has come so natural to them.

Pete and Nathan giving hay to the horses

Picking eggs in the henhouse

Elmo the Llama

Two of the four horses; Merle (left) and Magic (right)

Big (Secret) News!

2011-12-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

Something big is happening.

After months of planning and keeping the secret, we finally revealed to the boys on Christmas morning that on January 6th we are all getting on a plane and heading off to San Diego, California. We never thought that it would be possible for us to do this, but with some help for flights and hotels, we are making the boys' dreams come true and heading to Legoland. We hadn't even had a trip to anywhere as something on our radar of financial priorities, but this was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up. My parents had decided to help us out with some of it, and they will be coming with us too!

We're planning on spending 3 days in Legoland (staying in a hotel across the street), and then we will move right into San Diego for a few more days of sightseeing, heading to the San Diego Zoo, and walking on the beach. The best part about having my parents come with us is that they are going to take the boys for an entire day while we're there so that Pete and I can spend the day just the two of us. Our trip will be 8 days in total, and we are thrilled. I made the boys a countdown calendar and we gave it to them on Christmas day. This way they will always know when we're going.

I took a video of us telling the boys about our trip, but it was very anti-climactic because they didn't really get it! It took them the whole day of asking questions to realize the true magnitude of the trip. Now they're excited though, and Nathan is already developing his plans for the trip - he has already asked me if he can pack his suitcase.

Old Pictures, New Laughs

2011-12-20T21:28:00.001-07:00

This 2009 Christmas picture of the boys is still one of my favorites. We called it, "Christmas Picture: Epic Fail." Just in case you needed a reminder of our boys' personalities, this picture says it all.

Merry Christmas to all!

Zack's Christmas Concert

2011-12-20T21:24:00.001-07:00

I've posted video of Nathan's class doing their Christmas concert, but I wasn't really able to get any good video of Zack singing at his concert. Zack's class sang in the evening Christmas musical. Zack did an awesome job and sang every word, even while there were some girls behind him not singing the right words. These girls were annoying him so much that he felt the need to turn around and give them many stern looks. Zack was pretty excited that even Grandma & Grandpa Heinbuch drove up from Rocky Mountain House to come and see his concert!

Nathan's Christmas Song

2011-12-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Nathan's class singing "One Small Child" at their afternoon concert! Nathan is front and center.

The Candy Cane.

2011-12-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Nathan had a candy cane in his hand, and I overheard Nathan telling a little girl near him, "See look! A candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's hook because Jesus is our shepherd, and like a J for Jesus, and it's red and white because Jesus' blood washes us white as snow. And it's shaped like a gun. Pew! Pew!"

So close.

A Month Of...

2011-12-11T00:14:00.004-07:00

Every time I go into my computer to check the blogs of family and friends, I feel the urgency to blog myself, but it seems like there just hasn't been a massive amount of newness going on in our lives this past month... It's more like we're getting ready for the new stuff to happen in the next couple of months! Getting ready for Christmas, getting Pete ready for his last session of school (for his FIRST ticket, anyway...), stuff like that. Here's a few highlights from the last few weeks.

Nathan has been rather eager to "tell on" Zack as much as possible, even stating things that could possibly happen. Example: *whiny voice* "Mommy! Zack's looking at me, and it's going to make me fall down!" He honestly said that.

We went to see the new Muppets movie on December 1st. It was fantastic and adorable. We are so thankful that Pete's sister works at the movie theatre here in Spruce Grove and can get us in for free. It's much nicer to just buy the snacks. :)

A couple of Fridays ago, all of us were heading into Edmonton from home at 4:30 in the afternoon and came home at 9:00 in the evening... We spent the entire time on the side of the Yellowhead... We merged onto the highway when out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw the last lugnut of the rear driver's wheel fly off, and he pulled over just as the wheel came off the car. Long story short, Pete RAN back to our house, got his car, drove it back to where we were while I jacked up the car, and laid on the highway fixing the bent bolts and brake assembly in the dark with 90km/h winds. The boys were total superstars; they sat in the car the whole time.

Zack wrapped a whole bunch of Christmas presents with me today and he was a total superstar. He wraps far above the second grade level, haha.

The boys have their school Christmas concerts coming up, so I'll be sure to post video/pictures as soon as I can!

New Paint

2011-11-07T14:17:00.003-07:00

In September, the boys went to full-time school, and I was running out of projects and FAST. So I decided that I had the time to do what I've wanted to do for a while - paint the house! So I painted the kitchen, living room, and front hallway a silvery-gray. I absolutely love the change from the "trailer-colored" walls. I still have a few things that I'd like to add to a few places, but here are a few shots of everything so far!

Dressing Up!

2011-11-07T10:22:00.002-07:00

The boys went out for candy on Halloween and got an impossibly large amount of it, as usual. Nathan went as Darth Vader, and Zack really wanted to wear his motocross gear. They looked awesome.

SMH (Shake My Head)

2011-10-21T21:56:00.002-06:00

Zack has always been beyond his years, and his knowledge of cars is no exception. He loves to know anything and everything about each make and model, which car companies are part of the same group, which car companies compete with eachother to make the best of a certain type of vehicle, and so on. Having two parents that love cars is particularily helpful considering his extensive questions. Zack and Pete recently bought a new car-racing video game to play together, it's "Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit" (and yes, Zack says the FULL NAME of the game every time he refers to it). Zack loves it because it showcases everything from regular cars and SUVs to high-end supercars. I have never seen/heard someone talk so much while playing a video game. Zack wants to tell anyone within earshot the specs of every car. No wonder he crashes so much while he's racing, haha.

All that to say that Zack has come up with some type of game at recess that he has called, "Need For Speed: Awesomeness" and he plays it with his friends. I think it's mostly Zack talking about cars and making everyone listen... Anyway, one day in the car on the way home from school, Zack was telling me about playing his game with his friend Mikey:

"Mommy, I was playing Need For Speed: Awesomeness with Mikey, and I asked him what his favorite car was. Mommy, he said his favorite car is... A Honda Pilot, Mommy. (Shaking his head and speaking slowly now.) A. Honda. Pilot. (Long sigh.)"

"Well Zack," I responded, "Some kids don't really know all that much about cars. That's probably just the car that his mom or dad drives. Remember that you know a LOT more about cars than many kids your age."

"But Mommy, I think Mikey needs to watch some episodes of Top Gear (a show about cars from the UK) and learn about GOOD cars."

Zack told me a list of his dream cars. He would like to have the following:
A Porsche 911 GT-3 RS
A Nissan 370Z
A Chevrolet Camaro (Painted like Bumblebee from Transformers)
An Audi TT
A BMW M5
A Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Our Playgrounds

2011-10-21T21:47:00.002-06:00

We did quite a tour of playgrounds this summer, just for something different. Nathan loves playgrounds, and requests his playground of choice when we go. He has named the parks we play at by color:
The Blue Park = The Parkland Village School Playground
The Red Park = The playground closest to our house, by the pond
The Red and Blue Park = The playground at Woodhaven School in Spruce Grove
The Colors Park = Rotary Playplace in Spruce Grove at the Tri-Leisure Centre
The Brown Park = Jubilee Park by Spruce Village
The Metal Park = The playground closest to Grandma's house; downtown Edmonton

The Black Eye Fiasco

2011-10-21T21:29:00.004-06:00

Nathan became a school celebrity a couple of weeks ago by getting his first black eye. He and another boy were running in the playground at recess, and somehow ran headlong into eachother without seeing eachother coming. The other boy's forehead hit Nathan's eye, and Nathan ended up with a full-on swollen shut black eye. As if every child and teacher didn't know him before, for about a week, all people said at school was, "Hey Nathan! Let's see your eye. Eeeeeeew!"

B-Log BackLog

2011-10-21T16:38:00.002-06:00

Oh dear. It's been a while. Let's get it started.

Say What?

2011-09-29T16:09:00.002-06:00

Sometimes Nathan will say and do the funniest things just to get people's attention... Example time. We were at an engagement party for a friend, and a bunch of the kids there were playing in a bouncy castle. Nathan was very into pretending to fall and hurt himself on this particular occasion, and when his actions caught the attention of another parent, he got up and with a grin proclaimed, "Thumbs up for hurting yourself!"

I Almost Peed My Pants.

2011-09-12T17:11:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) is a single 30-something woman, and she has started a blog about her recent terrible blind dates. It's called "A Waste Of Makeup." Click HERE to take a look (plus I added the link to the blog list at the bottom).

This. Is Great.

2011-09-12T16:45:00.003-06:00

This is an ode to my Keurig. It's a fancy new-fangled coffee maker.

I got this thing a while ago, and I have nothing but great things to say about it. The Keurig is a one-cup-at-a-time coffee maker, which is perfect for the only coffee drinker in the house - me! But it's also great for all of our friends that come over who like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. This way we always have all the hot drinks ready and available. It uses "K-cups" - the little round things in the holder beside the coffee maker - they look like really big creamers. They are cups of coffee grounds, loose tea, or hot chocolate mix (it's not instant - they're really coffee grounds. I checked.) that you put inside the machine. Then you put your mug underneath and press the cup size you want and the coffee comes out! It has a hopper for water, and it takes no time to heat up, so it's always ready to go. I highly recommend it for entertaining - this way everyone can have exactly what they want.

As far as my favorite appliances go I would put this at #2, right behind my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I think I'm going to go have a cup of coffee now...

Spare Time

2011-09-09T16:46:00.007-06:00

I'm starting to run out of things to clean... And there have only been 7 days of school so far. I realized that I really have forgotten what it was like to have both kids in school; last year while Nathan went to school with Zack, I was in the office, so this is very different to have no one at home with me for the balance of every day. So I try to give myself a project to do every day; I've washed and detailed the car, cleaned out the shed, made a flower bed for the raspberries we're transplanting, cleaned out the kitchen cupboards, repainted the fridge, and redecorated the kitchen. Next week I'm going to clean out the closets and dressers. It's been nice to get this kind of stuff done. I guess. I did a cool craft project to redecorate part of the kitchen. I started with the wine rack. I never use it. I wanted to make a space that I would actually use that would be my style and wouldn't be so bare.
So I took some hard styrofoam, cut it to size, and glued it.Then, I wrapped it in one of the boys' black pillowcases, folding the fabric over a few times. Then I pushed it into place (it fit perfectly into the hole!).Then I put some stuff in the "pockets" that resulted from the folds in the fabric, and put some push pins in. Now it's a bulletin board!Then, to add to the redecoration of the kitchen, I took the Coke stuff down. *GASP!!* I know. It was just time to take it all down - the Coke was corroding through the cans! Plus, I wanted to make my kitchen uniform in the black/white/silver color palette that I have. I also took the artwork off the fridge (don't worry, I put the photographs back up on the freezer part after I took the final picture - it looks TOO bare without them!) and put bulletin boards in the boys' rooms to display their favorite pieces of art. The final look:

Sandwiches...

2011-09-09T16:42:00.002-06:00

I thought they were supposed to be yummy...

For sandwiches at school, Nathan wants:
Miracle Whip on one side, mayo on the other, and lettuce. Yes, just lettuce.

Zack wants:
Honey on one side, butter on the other.

I posted this on facebook, and this seemed to trigger a response from friends of mine with equally "interesting" sandwich recipes from their childhood or their children. I knew a girl in elementary school who had a ketchup and butter sandwich every day.

Back To School!

2011-09-04T22:39:00.004-06:00

The boys went back to school this week. They were so excited! Here's some first day photos! So what grade are you going into??It was Nathan's first year in a desk - he looked so little to be in one!
Nathan is in a 1/2 split this year (just like Zack was last year) with the same teacher Zack had in grade one - Mrs. Shurnaik (Shur-Nick). Zack is in a grade 2 class with Mrs. Ryan. They are both excited for this year!

They Really Can!

2011-08-17T20:32:00.003-06:00

I've discovered the ultimate recipe blog. It's called Mennonite Girls Can Cook. They have a great selection of all kinds of recipes, including gluten-free stuff and a goldmine of desserts. I made these marshmallow filled chocolate cookies today and they're incredible.

Re-Vamped!

2011-08-16T12:29:00.002-06:00

I've redone my website for my wedding flower business to make it easier for brides to look around and see what I offer. I'm so thankful that blogger added a "tabs" tool to make my site look less like a blog and more professional. Take a look around and tell me what you think!
www.flowersbychristy.com

Back-To-School Shopping Time

2011-08-16T11:34:00.002-06:00

With school starting just 2 weeks from today, the kids are still loving summer, and I find myself just longing for the routine again... Both boys will be in full-time school this year, and when asked if they're excited about school they just kinda shrug their shoulders and say, "I guess." They have loved their time together these last 2 months, but they need to spend some time apart...

We've really had a great summer. Huge contributing factors to our fun as just the 3 of us have been the summer passes we have to the Tri-Leisure centre, and our membership to the Telus World of Science that we got last Christmas. We have gone swimming pretty much every second day, which has been really nice! It's great to get out of the house and do something FUN that we've already paid for. At the end of July, the boys stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Heinbuch in Rocky Mountain House for a week of VBS and fun! Pete's mom took the boys to Drumheller for the day as well, and it's something the boys talk about regularly. My parents hosted the boys in their new downtown highrise condo for a few nights last week and the boys had lots of fun living in "Grandma's Hotel" as they call it! We've spent lots of time playing outside in the sunshine riding bikes, playing with the kiddie pool, water guns, water balloons, and the sprinkler (I think the kids like water). I have to say it's sort of disheartening for me when I've spent half an hour filling up water balloons and they're gone in 5 minutes, but it's so much fun so it balances out. :)

Over the past few weeks, it seems that the boys have grown out of so many things. They have gotten so big over the summer that we've had to give away the little playground climber/slide and the Power Wheels. The Power Wheels just strains under their weight and can't even move forward, poor thing! So I put a sign on it in the driveway (and kept the batteries inside the house) and 20 minutes later the doorbell rang and a mom with a little boy named Maddock got a sweet new ride.

The only sad part about all of this is that Pete has worked through the entirety of our summer fun. With one of their mechanics on medical leave with cancer, Pete and the shop foreman Bert have been the only ones fixing the equipment - and with Bert's other responsibilites, Pete is often the only mechanic on the shop floor. Sometimes many days pass before the boys see Daddy - Pete leaves for work before they wake up and comes home after they go to bed. It's actually surprising for Pete to come home somewhere near supper time. The overtime money has been good - with the shop closing for almost a month over Christmas/New Years, we've been able to save some money to pay for life during that time - but we would rather have Pete with us! I have no doubts that he is just exhausted both mentally and physically. He passes out the second his head hits the pillow.

With the back-to-school shopping almost done, I'm looking forward to spending these next two weeks savoring every moment of summer fun with my boys.

My Dorky Side Rides Again!

2011-07-28T21:32:00.003-06:00

Pete's boss Bert is crazy for cake. He loves cake SO much, but only when it's made from scratch. Last year for his birthday, Pete asked me to make him a chocolate cake and he loved it. Since then, he is a regular customer of mine and Bert buys cakes from me for every single birthday in his extended family. It was his birthday last week and he ordered a cake from me for his family party. He had a special request though - he REALLY wanted a cake with a habs (Montreal Canadiens) logo on it. Well, I tried super hard, and I think it turned out good enough to photograph!

My Grown-up Little Men

2011-07-26T15:23:00.002-06:00

Here's a pic my dad took of the boys as ringbearers in my cousin's wedding. They're so adorable!

Involuntary Reference

2011-07-12T12:54:00.003-06:00

For those of you that haven't seen the movie "Up" this will probably pass over your head, but it made us laugh.

The four of us were driving, and Nathan was telling us about something. As he is looking out the car windows, but emphatically telling us his story, mid-sentence, even mid-word, he all-of-a-sudden stopped and said, "Squirrel!" And then he went silent. I forget what he was telling us before that because Pete and I burst out laughing. Just like Dug (and all of the rest of the dogs) in the movie.

It's Like He Knows What I'm Thinking...

2011-07-06T18:23:00.004-06:00

I read a very frank, honest, and rather scathing column today about discipline. It really expresses what I feel about discipline, as well as what I feel about my kids (and other kids) and the way that they act. Especially in public. Here's the first paragraph.

"If you're the kind of parent who allows your 5-year-old to run rampant in public placces like restaurants, I have what could be some rather disturbing news for you. I do not love your child. The rest of the country does not love your child either. And the reason why we're staring at you every other bite is not because we're acknowledging some sort of mutual understanding that kids will be kids but rather we want to kill you for letting your brat ruin our dinner."

I never wanted to have "those children." You know the ones. The ones that NOBODY wants to have over. Pete and I have worked hard and been extremely dilligent in our efforts to make sure our boys are respectful to people and their property. Having no boundaries for our children doesn't show them security. It will only make them try harder to get some type of reaction, other than the monotone repetition of empty threats I hear in the grocery store lineup. Like the article says; "I don't believe making a child's wishes top priority is a demonstration of love. Nor do I believe I, or the rest of the world, should act as a surrogate parent for somebody's bad-ass kids." If I tell my children, "If you do that again, we are leaving right now," they believe me. They know that we will drop everything and leave. I wouldn't tell them that if I didn't have the intent to follow through.

There. That's my rant for the day. If you would like to read the article, click HERE. **Please be aware that this is an OPINION. If you don't like what I or this article have to say, it's not my fault. **

Nathan is 6!

2011-07-06T15:33:00.003-06:00

It was Lego Birthday Party time in our house again! Nathan turned 6 on June 21st, and on the 26th, we had not one but TWO parties! Nathan had 5 friends come over for a fun time on the jumpy slide and cupcakes in the afternoon, and then family and family friends came for supper and the evening. We had a great time with everyone celebrating Nathan.It took me just over three hours to make this sign. But it stood all on it's own, and I'm unnecessarily proud of my handiwork... It's harder than you think to make all those letters!

Lego colored cupcakes and Lego block sugar cookies!

Nathan's favorite part of the day (of course) - PRESENTS!

We borrowed the "jumpy slide" from my parents, and it was a big hit especially with his afternoon party guests!

And here's Nathan at the end of it all, just so excited to build all of the new Lego sets he got.

The Heinbuch Family Arsenal

2011-07-02T16:30:00.003-06:00

We started off with a dry Nerf arsenal, but recently have expanded to wet as well. We decided that, with the amount of water fights we had last year, that we would get some really good water guns this summer. Now that the Nerf brand has purchased Super Soaker, they are turning out some super fun stuff. We got 4 (oh yes, one for each of us) Nerf Thunderstorm water guns. They are really cool because they are fully automatic (no pumping required) and have removable magazines full of water that you can change in and out of the gun, and you can also purchase extra magazines so that you've always got an extra clip of soaking power! :) We have already had a blast with them, and it's only the first week of summer. Here's some action shots I got of the end of a major family water fight we had today. We were all soaked. It was great!

When the boys were babies I wasn't sure about them having gun-like toys as kids, but after reading the book "Wild At Heart" by John Eldredge, I was completely fine with it. The book gave me a look into a boy's heart and the reasons behind why boys seem to always want to play with guns (whether they have them or not).

(By the way, I highly recommend this book to read as a woman - it really gave me good insight into my husband's heart, too!)

What Nathan Does All Day

2011-06-16T16:15:00.000-06:00

This is a pretty good example of what Nathan does for a good portion of the day. Building new creations while singing under his breath, and then showing me what he's made.

Zack vs. the 50cc

2011-06-16T16:13:00.000-06:00

Here's Zack on the dirt bike! Love it!

He's 7!

2011-05-26T15:56:00.005-06:00

Well, it might be a month too late to post it, but Zack DID have his birthday and we DID have a party. I can't believe that Zack is 7 already... So exciting. Here are some random pictures of his party that we had a few Sundays ago; we had his friends over in the afternoon and family over in the evening. A busy day, but so much fun! It was a Mario themed party (surprise, surprise), and I had a great time doing the decorating and baking for it (surprise, surprise)!Above: This is what we had in place of birthday cake - cupcakes and sugar cookies!
Below: Zack's friends over for the afternoon. One of Zack's friends got him a skateboard that he thinks is pretty awesome. He got lots of different kinds of toys and crafts and games to play with, he was very excited!

He Can Do It!!

2011-05-26T15:53:00.004-06:00

Pete's been working hard with Zack, and last week it finally paid off. Zack can ride a 2-wheeler. He's known he could ride his bike for so long, but it's taken him until now to work up the confidence. Yay Zack!

Sweet Moment

2011-05-18T19:21:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, the boys and I were having breakfast, and I looked up from my cereal and saw that Zack had tears in his eyes. Worriedly I asked him what was wrong. He smiled and said, "Mommy, I'm not crying. It's just the birds outside are making such wonderful noises."

Getting the Prize

2011-05-05T13:15:00.002-06:00

So yesterday when I picked up Nathan from Kindergarten, he ran up to me with a Tim Horton's card and said, "Mommy! Look what I got! I got the prize!" Puzzled, I glanced up at Miss Fraser, and she explained the story.

At chapel (the K-4 kids have chapel together every Wednesday morning), the speaker asked the kids what Jesus means. Not what His name means, what HE means. A whole bunch of kids started yelling out other names of Jesus from the bible, and words like love and kindness. After pondering this for a minute, Nathan (in the front row) put up his hand. The speaker quieted the kids down and called on Nathan to give his answer. The room was quiet as Nathan said, "Salvation." The speaker was floored. Then excited. He fished around in his pockets and pulled out a Tim's card, saying to the teachers, "Now THAT deserves a prize," and gave the card to Nathan.

Such an adorable video...

2011-03-22T14:47:00.000-06:00

6 Going On 60

2011-03-20T22:50:00.004-06:00

My Zack has always been old for his age; he doesn't like change, he thinks so differently from children his age. He seems to pull his thoughts and ideas from places in his mind that I didn't think kids posessed. Here are some examples from the past few weeks.

In the car. "Mommy, I've noticed that I'm so tired in the morning on the days I have school. I think I need to start going to bed earlier on those nights." So logical.

After I got my nose pierced (not a ring or anything - just a tiny little jewel stud). "Mommy, I hate to have to tell you this, but the earring in your nose just looks weird." He didn't want to hurt my feelings, but he just didn't like the change.

He also uses phrases like, "I'm sorry to say that..." and "Unfortunately, the problem was..." He ties in the emotion first, and then directly points out the issue.

Pete and the boys had "Man Supper" one night and Pete went and got them a grocery store pizza to bake at home. Zack didn't like it. Not because the pizza tasted bad or was overcooked or had too much crust, etc. It was because of the shape - the pizza was square. He couldn't stand the idea of eating a pizza that was not round. It was like he would be betraying all he held dear.

Go Team!

2011-03-12T14:06:00.002-07:00

Nathan is extremely aware of our family's likes and dislikes. He loves to know when there is someone else in the family who likes/has the same thing as him, and his excitement about it increases when he is at the table for a meal. Every time someone has the same thing as him; everything from ketchup or the same color of bowl, he fist bumps the person across the table and says, "Go team!" If Pete and Nathan both have the same cereal in the morning, Nathan puts his fist across the table toward Pete and says, "Go team same cereal!" If Zack and I and Nathan all have black plates and Pete has a white one, Nathan fist bumps the two of us and says, "Go team black plates!" He loves to both encourage people and feel included, and it's an adorable way to do both.

The Prettiest Picture

2011-02-25T16:28:00.003-07:00

In January, I finally had the chance to have lunch with my Auntie Marg. While we were eating in her kitchen, I noticed a beautiful photo of a rose she had framed. Marg explained that it was a photo of a rose from her mother's garden. I told her that the picture reminded me of a gorgeous canvas print of white roses that I had seen at Florists Supply (the place I get all my wire and oasis and other florist-type stuff), but everytime I went I just didn't have the extra cash to get it. Well, the afternoon went on with more great conversation and we said our goodbyes. Then a few days later, we had my cousin Dale over (he usually stops by on Sunday evenings) and he had a card for me from Auntie Marg. It said how much fun our time together was, and a little note with some money to get the roses picture I had told her about. Excitedly I went to Florists Supply on Monday morning and was able to get the LAST one they had. I put it up as soon as I got home.

So quiet...

2011-02-17T16:13:00.002-07:00

I now have the opportunity to work part-time in the office at Lafrentz working on a new database that they are compiling. So as of the beginning of February, on Mondays and Wednesdays, I drop the boys off at school in the morning and head to the office with my laptop and a lunchbox. Then I sit at a desk at my computer to type for 6 hours, and then I go pick up the boys from school and come home. Even though I've been working for Lafrentz for 4 years already, I was a "mobile employee" mostly working from home, so it didn't really feel like a "real" job. It feels strange to be in the office though - the silence, the dressing up, the other adults... Not what I'm used to. But I kinda like feeling like a grown-up for a while.

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Whaaaaa?

2011-02-15T23:02:00.002-07:00

The boys have always ALWAYS said the typical "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo" rhyme in the same way, and I have no idea how on earth both of them started saying it like this, but ever since they could talk they've said:
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo.
Watch your step and bite your toe.
[They then continue on pointing at whatever they are choosing a few more times while rhythmically chanting something to the effect of "you are the one I pick."]

So watch your step and bite your toe.

Goodbye Harold

2011-02-15T12:59:00.003-07:00

Last month we bid our truck, Harold, a fond farewell. Pete's been having a hard time staying motivated to fix it over the last while, and the older it gets, the worse it's going to get. So we bought Pete a little Toyota Corolla (also from my grandparents - Harold's original owners) and put our truck up for sale. Zack cried hard when we told the boys we were selling the truck, but he was okay with it eventually. Pete already misses having a truck, but not the repairs that were always lingering around the corner. Now we start a new era with another vehicle, as Harold has now been driven off to continue his life with a new family.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

2011-02-15T12:57:00.003-07:00

SO.

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I have lots of stuff in my mind that I told myself I just HAD to post about, and every day has gotten away on me with less and less free time...

So back on the blog-train I intend to hop, and shall do more postings! Weeeeeee!

Nathan the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

2010-12-20T22:56:00.002-07:00

Nathan had his Kindergarten Christmas party on Friday at school. They had face painting, and here he is as Rudolph. I almost didn't want to wash it off at bedtime. WAY too cute.

Nathan's Kindergarten Christmas Song!

2010-12-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Nathan's kindergarten class. They are singing about the candles on the advent wreath. Nathan's 2nd from the left on the top row. He knows I'm taping him!

Zack's Grade 1 Christmas Song!

2010-12-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Zack's class is the top row, and the special needs class is the bottom row. Zack is 7th from the left.

Another New Experience!

2010-12-08T20:42:00.003-07:00

Our friends Chris and Brandi have horses, and the boys were dying to see them, and our schedules finally worked out a few weeks ago (just before it snowed!). So we spent Rememberance Day out at the farm and the boys got to ride horses for the first time.
Nathan wanted to be led around the whole time - he didn't want to bother with the reigns or anything, he just loved the ride. Zack, on the other hand, was eager to learn everything about controlling the horse and was able to ride all by himself. I didn't think Zack would like it as much as he did, but he rode for hours and just loved it. We can't wait to go back and ride again!

Anniversary Cookies!

2010-12-08T20:40:00.003-07:00

I made these cookies for Pete on our anniversary and took them to his work just before his lunch break as a surprise.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!! ...and I can't get it out of my head.

2010-11-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

My Car. The only girl I'll ever have.

2010-11-09T20:21:00.004-07:00

This is my car. I'm pretty proud of it, paint chips and door dings and all. It's a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and, with my hot mechanic husband of course, it's a race car in progress. As of now, it's got the following mods:

- RoadRace short ram air intake

- Magnaflow catback exhaust

- RoadRace piggyback ECU

- ACT Stage 3 clutch kit

- Cross-drilled rotors with ceramic pads in front and rear

- RoadRace underdrive pulley

Here she is looking pretty in the summer after we waxed every inch by hand.

Here's the first mod she ever got - a RoadRace short ram air intake.

Here's the engine bay... It will always be a work in progress.

Brand new cross-drilled brakes with shiny red calipers.

Here she is lookin' fine with new brakes!

Looks like next on the agenda is suspension work, rims/tires, and turbo kit. She having a great life so far... After all, this car has driven 170,000km.

After all of this I have to say that I'm a woman that loves cars. I have always loved driving, I love learning new things about vehicles, and I love that Pete and I both can share a passion for something. Unlike most women that just think this stuff is "pretty" or even "unnecessary," I actually KNOW how all of these modifications work on my car, how they make the engine run smoother, how they make the car go faster... It fascinates and excites me. I love that I know the difference between a straight 6 and a V6 and a flat 4 and a straight 4... The difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger. It's pretty sweet.

I Got The Coolest Thing!

2010-10-28T16:24:00.003-06:00

So I got the coolest thing. I saw a mom at the boys' school with one of them, and I stopped her in the hall and asked where she got it (more like accosted her and begged her to tell me where I could find one). I used some of my birthday money (thanks to Mom & Dad H), went to Gifts & Gadgets, and got this. It's called a "Cupcake Courier" and it's exactly what I've been looking for. It holds 36 cupcakes in stackable trays, and the bottom is flat to transport a tall cake. I've been making so many cupcakes lately, and they are SO difficult to transport!

Recent Pictures

2010-10-28T16:01:00.005-06:00

Here are some recent shots from the last few weeks... The first is some viking gear that I made for Nathan - he's been loving the movie "How To Train Your Dragon" lately and asked if I could make him a viking helmet. We had so much fun together. Nathan cut out all the circles for me - they're hard to see in the picture... Here's a Lego Bionicle guy that Nathan made one day. He was so proud of it.

This is a picture Zack drew for me on the front of a card. It's me playing keyboards at church. I love it so much!

These next ones are of the boys (and us, but we're not important enough to take pictures of - ha ha) playing hockey on the driveway. This is an almost daily occurrence for our family. The boys are getting really good, and Pete is helping Zack with his goalie skills.

The boys in the car. I'm actually not sure why I took these, but they're awfully cute. I think we were bored in the car.

This picture is of Zack and Nathan holding their two favorite baby boys - Samuel (Zita's little guy - Zack is holding him) and Tobin (Erie's baby boy - Nathan's holding him). Sam and Toby are just 2 days apart. So cute! I think it was either last week or the week before that Galaxyland was free for an entire day on Thursday. We pulled Zack out of school and Pete out of work and had a total blast. It opened at noon and we left around 5:30 when the crowds really hit. It was family time that we'll never forget. I don't know how people can afford to go there - it would have cost us $118 to go! Yikes. I didn't get any non-blurry pics of Zack, so here's a couple of good shots I got of Nathan.

Sunday School

2010-10-18T17:19:00.002-06:00

I got this message from one of Nathan's sunday school teachers about class this week:

"Anne (another teacher) asked everyone how you could tell someone was a Christian just by looking at them, if it was even possible. Nathan raised his hand and said, "If he was holding a bible and wearing a moustache."

School So Far

2010-09-30T11:27:00.002-06:00

The boys are having a great time at school!

Zack is loving Grade One. He had a hard time adjusting from kindergarten though - no more playing all day, instead he's sitting at his desk doing work. The first few days Zack was pretty sad, he came home depressed that all they did was work. Poor guy, only 11 more years to go. Now that he's adjusted, he loves school again. Zack is making new friends, finding the time to play at recess, and is really excelling in his schoolwork. The biggest change in him since starting school? He now talks even MORE. I never thought it would get like this. Zack gives us a step-by-step descriptive replay of every moment. We won't miss a thing anymore! Besides talking, Zack is still into drawing and reading.

Nathan is having a great time in Kindergarten. His teacher, Miss Fraser, definitely has her hands full! Nathan is everywhere at once in his classroom. His favorite thing about school is when they have library day - he's so proud to bring home a new book every week to show us. All of his choices so far have been books on dinosaurs and animals, and we read them every day. At least Nathan still loves to cuddle among the rest of his activities. His favorite thing ever is still Lego, and it's the first thing he wants to play with every day.

I've enjoyed having both boys in school; people have been asking me, "what on EARTH are you doing with ALL that spare time??" Between making sure the house is all clean so that I can maximize my time with the kids after school and my hotels job with Lafrentz, the day is over so quick. It's nice that the boys get the chance to be somewhere they can make noise! When I'm booking hotels for Lafrentz, I'm constantly telling the boys, "Shhhh, mommy's on the phone with a hotel." So it's nice for them that they don't have to spend the day being quiet while mommy's being boring! Especially since my hotels job has grown enough that I need to work every day.

The boys are becoming so much more independent now. Zack is taking showers by himself, brushing his own teeth, and putting away his laundry. Nathan still needs help for most of this kinda stuff, but for everything else, he prefers to do it himself. I think it's a second-born thing. On the days that only Zack has school, he wants me to drop him off at school - I stay in the car with Nathan and Zack gets out and goes inside. He started doing this the last month of kindergarten. But Nathan wants to do it NOW. So when we pull up to the school, both boys get out, put on their backpacks, and hold hands all the way to Nathan's classroom. I still go inside the school to pick them up, I won't stop doing that part. Nathan's still a momma's boy, and he loves to see me waiting outside his class after school, but he needs that independence... Sigh.

Shooting the Shooting

2010-09-30T11:21:00.004-06:00

A few shots of me shooting handguns...

Feeling Stylish!

2010-09-27T22:33:00.004-06:00

I have discovered something awesome. Buying glasses online. While some people think it sounds stupid or shady or too good to be true, I decided to go for it. What have I got to lose? Well, besides $8.00 a pair (a COMPLETE pair - lenses included!).

A few months ago I decided to take the plunge and order a $29 pair from goggles4u.com. They weren't too bad at all - I've heard stories about people buying glasses online that had mega-thick lenses that they couldn't even see through because the perscription was all wrong. Here's the first pair of glasses I bought:

Once I got this pair (and a pair of perscription sunglasses too), I heard about zennioptical.com and ordered a few pairs from them. I love Zenni - their selection is huge, and their prices go from just $8.00 a pair up to $34.95. So for less than the price of one boring pair of glasses from a random optometrist around here, I now own 9 pairs of glasses (2 of them sunglasses). Here are some of my favorites:

I love being able to pick glasses every day to go with what I'm wearing - it's super fun. I'd totally recommend it - best 8 bucks I've ever spent.

A New Experience

2010-09-27T16:21:00.003-06:00

So Amanda and I have talked about going to the gun range with her dad (a firearms expert for the government) for a few years now. Every time we've planned it, it has fallen through for one reason or another. So a few days ago, Amanda sent me a text asking if I could come to the range on short notice and we made our date. So yesterday I shot a gun for the very first time. It was stressful at the beginning - knowing that you're about to have fun with something that kills people is a tad intimidating! But luckily Amanda's dad trains people to shoot all the time, and is an excellent teacher. I got to shoot a revolver, a 9mm automatic handgun, and a rifle. After a few hours (and LOTS of ammo!), I got the hang of it. Here's my target from the rifle. Not too bad at all!

Santa

2010-09-27T16:15:00.002-06:00

So the boys (but especially Nathan) are all about Santa. I mentioned in the car that I was planning the Lafrentz Kids Christmas Party (as I have been for the last few years), and that I needed to call Santa when we got home so that I could book him for the party. Nathan gasped and said in an excited squeaky voice, "You mean you have Santa's PHONE NUMBER??" Of course this was followed by many, MANY questions about Santa's whereabouts, how on earth I could know him, and if I could ask him to bring Nathan Lego for Christmas.

First Day Of School!

2010-09-11T12:00:00.003-06:00

Well, last week, both my boys started school. They were so excited that I just couldn't be sad! Zack started Grade 1 - he's in a 1/2 split with a great teacher, and Nathan started Kindergarten with the same teacher that Zack had. I hope she knows what she's in for!

In The Car

2010-08-31T13:32:00.003-06:00

The boys are so different when we're on a car ride. Nathan is almost always sleeping, while Zack is awake and enjoying the view. Here are some shots from our trip...This last one is when all the boys had to pee... I snapped it JUST after Zack finished, but they were all standing in a line.

My Favorite So Far...

2010-08-25T16:22:00.002-06:00

I did a bouquet a few weeks ago, and I think it's my favorite so far of the bouquets I've done. It's white casablanca lilies with blue orchids. Love it.

Manitou Beach

2010-08-25T15:20:00.004-06:00

Well, the drive to our destination in Saskatchewan was not without it's interesting moments... After pulling onto one "Secondary Highway" we were surprised to see the road up ahead:

Which, on a brand-new windshield, didn't leave us without a reminder of it's charm...Our camping trip to Saskatchewan led us to Manitou Beach, just outside of the town of Watrous. This is a really neat lake; it is a salt lake and it is more dense than then Dead Sea! We would have loved to float in it but the weather was SO cold! There's salt foam coming off of the lake, and it blows across the grass like tumbleweeds. The lake was so high this year that it came right up to the road in places, swallowing the sand beach that surrounds it. The view was beautiful though, and the lake was pretty cool to see. You can smell that briny ocean smell, even though you're landlocked. A close-up of the salty foam on the shore.

There was a little playground by the water that we played at for a while.

Zack and Grandpa looking out at the water.

This part was cool - the lake has expanded so much in places, that it is now on BOTH sides of the road that goes around it, making the drive pretty strange as we are on the road that now goes THROUGH the lake!

Where did they learn this?

2010-08-20T12:17:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago, the boys and I made cookies for the shop guys and went to visit Pete on his lunch break. While we were in the lunch room, Nathan noticed that Pete's boss, Bert, had a cigarette tucked behind his ear. Nathan, realizing what it was, looked at Bert very seriously and said, "Bert, smoking makes you die."

In the past couple of weeks I've decided that, instead of using a can of Coke every morning for a caffeine boost, I'm going to drink coffee instead. Yesterday, while I was working on the computer and drinking my coffee, Nathan looked at me and said, "Mommy, coffee makes you crazy."

Family Camp-Out!

2010-08-18T21:45:00.003-06:00

This weekend brought us to a place we've never been, in an situation we've never been in before. We went for a Heinbuch family camping trip. We picked up the boys from Grandma & Grandpa's in Rocky Mountain House, and we all drove together to Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan to camp for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Pete's sister Sarah and her husband Shaun and their dogs came up, and Pete's grandma and his brother Dave and wife Rachel came up from Wisconsin and met us there, too. Not only was it our first BIG road-trip (10 hours driving there from Rocky), but it was also our first experience camping. Here's our home away from home. It fit us really well - lots of room and we could even stand up on the inside, too.
We set up in the cold and rain, but once we got settled, it didn't really matter. We had such a great time with everyone. More pics to follow!

Nathan's Heroes

2010-08-18T21:41:00.003-06:00

Nathan went to get his pre-kindergarten immunizations yesterday. He said they were "great!" Oooooookay.

While we were in the nurse's office, the nurse was asking Nathan all kinds of questions about what he likes to do for fun and his favorite toys to keep him distracted. During one of his needles, he looked at the nurse and said, "my favorite super heroes are Optimus, Spiderman, and Jesus!"

Dude, it's the COOLEST place!

2010-08-17T12:09:00.006-06:00

So we went to Jurassic Forest, and it was pretty much the greatest place ever. I took the boys and my mom and we went, not knowing just what to expect.

For those of you that don't know, Jurassic Forest is a park north of Gibbons (in the middle of nowhere) that is brand new and contains animatronic dinosaurs. It's like going to the zoo, but with dinosaurs instead. The dinos are always doing small movements, but are triggered by sensors that we walk by on the path to make larger movements and sounds. It's amazing. When you get there, there is a playground that is the centre of the park, and there are 2 loops that you walk to see the dinosaurs. There are no visible wires, no paths out to the dinosaurs, and it looks SO real. Even though Nathan knows that dinosaurs are extinct, we had to tell him that no, these aren't real! The signs around the park were funny and made it that much cooler.

The dinosaurs are all built to scale. Some of them are close to the paths, some are far away.

Here are some raptors chasing a brachiosaurus. It looked amazing.

A t-rex eating another small dino. Nathan thought this was very cool and cheered on the t-rex.

Adorable little wagons that they have on-site!

A small indoor centre with more cool stuff!

The boardwalk paths in the forest. So nice.

The playground has bones underneath the sand!

Cool stuff to climb on.

A Nice Break

2010-08-10T10:50:00.002-06:00

This week the boys are away at Grandma & Grandpa Heinbuch's house in Rocky. Pete's parents have them for their church's VBS and they have been excited for months to go! When I asked the boys whether or not I should come and stay over for the first night to get them settled, Nathan said that he didn't want me to... They're growing up! Although I miss them, I'm glad that they have the chance to be with Grandma and Grandpa. I've got such fond memories of being with Grandma and Grandpa Zapf at the lake in the summer, and I am so happy that the boys get to have that experience. It gave me the chance to get to know my grandparents so much better, to be in a different place for a while, to appreciate home and my own bed that much more.

...It's really quiet...

Nathan in Love

2010-07-16T13:04:00.003-06:00

For at least a year, Nathan has been telling me that he's going to marry a girl in Sunday School named Allison. He is adament that this is going to happen, and that he will never change his mind. The following is a conversation that Nathan and I had in the car on the way to church a few weeks ago:

Nathan - Mommy, can I kiss Allison on the cheek today at church?
Me - I don't know, you would have to ask her if it's okay...
Nathan - Mommy, do boys marry their girlfriends?
Me - Well, if Jesus says that their girlfriend is the right one for them to marry, then yes.
Nathan - *gasp* Allison IS the right one! Jesus said it!

Poor Pluto

2010-07-07T15:29:00.002-06:00

Zack and Nathan and I were having a conversation about the planets after having watched and read a few different things about space. Nathan, with his love of everything tiny, said, "My favorite planet is Pluto because it's so small that it's a baby planet." I told him that scientists have now found out that Pluto is too small to be a planet, so it's not a planet anymore, and Nathan started to cry, saying, "But it's my favorite!"

Nathan Is FIVE!

2010-07-07T15:17:00.004-06:00

Well, it's definitely been a while, hasn't it? Between Nathan's and Pete's birthdays, doing wedding flowers (have a look at my flower blog, there's new stuff on that too), and the end of school, it's been quite a ride this past month! Here's some pictures of Nathan's Lego birthday party - we had a great time, and the weather was nice enough for us to play in the yard. The sign I made. I love making signs. I'm such a dork.

Nathan's Lego cake/cupcakes. It takes a whole lot of wilton icing color to make the color that intense... The boys had red and green poop in the morning!

Zack reading Nathan's cards to him - so cute.

Nathan blowing his party horn, or a "blowey" as he called it. I'm so sure we have a similar picture of him doing the same thing from a couple years ago!

Surprise!

2010-05-23T13:14:00.002-06:00

I can't believe a whole week has acutally gone by since all this started!

Last Sunday night, after spending the weekend building a fence and a flower bed, Pete and I were sitting on the couch and chatting with Amanda and Nathan. My stomach started hurting a LOT... Having had a digestive disease before, I'm used to stomach pain, but this was like nothing I've felt before. I wanted to tear my skin off. Then the pain localized just a little left of my right hip. Pete told me I should go to the Stony hospital to get checked out, but I reeeeally didn't want to go. Then I finally broke (mostly because it hurt so much) and went. I didn't expect that they would keep me overnight with an IV and morphine and tests. On Monday afternoon, I got transferred to the Misercordia in Edmonton for a surgical consult - they were pretty sure I had appendicitis. Late Monday night I went into surgery and they took out my appendix, and they discharged me from the hospital on Tuesday. I don't remember too much of the rest of Tuesday... I was still pretty doped up!

God has a way of working things out, and people came to our rescue as we needed them. On Monday, Zack went to school and Amanda took Nathan with her into her class for the afternoon so that Pete could stay with me for my transfer. Amanda took the boys from school to her house and fed them supper and played with them until Pete came to get them. Then Pete dropped the boys off at our house with my parents, who brought supper for Pete and put the boys to bed while Pete checked on me after surgery on Monday night. Tuesday morning, Pete's parents drove up from Rocky and Pete's mom took the rest of the week off of work so that she could stay here and cook and take care of the house and Zack and Nathan while I recovered. She helped me so much; even helping me set up my PartyLite open house so that I didn't have to cancel. Even Bethany came to my rescue at the hospital by tracking down some breakfast for me because it didn't come.

I'm so thankful to our family and friends who were thinking of us and praying for us and helping out. What a blessing it was to know that even when bad things happen, God prepares all the right people who are willing and able to help out, even in the smallest ways.

Hardcore... And Adorable... And Scary...

2010-05-11T21:13:00.007-06:00

As most of you know, the boys both start Motocross lessons (on an actual motorcycle with gears and power and everything - yikes!) on Sunday. They couldn't be more excited to ride, especially with their hero, the magnificent Kyle, as their teacher. We bought all of their gear and they are ready to go - helmet, gloves, riding pants, jersey, chest and shoulder protection, goggles - they've got it all. They're pretty proud of their new look and are SO excited to start riding! Zack and Nathan have both been on our motorcycle (a little one just for them) with Pete on the back, and they know how to work the throttle and the brake with ease - only Zack has the foot strength to shift the gears so far, but I'm sure Nathan will catch up right away.

Zack Is Rockin' It... School Style

2010-05-11T21:07:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, Zack's class had "when I grow up" day. The kids were instructed to dress as what they wanted to be when they grew up. There were some parents that came in to talk about their jobs, too. I asked Zack what he wanted to be, and he said with conviction, "A rock star!" Okay! So I shredded a pair of Zack's old jeans that already had holes in them, spiked his hair, and put black eyeliner on him. (Side note: It's REALLY hard to put eyeliner on a five-year-old!) We gave him our non-working guitar hero guitar and sent him on his way. Here's Zack rockin' out before school.

In His Head

2010-04-28T11:08:00.002-06:00

Zack came to the breakfast table this morning a bit earlier than Nathan, and asked if he could pray and start eating. I said sure and he said, "Okay, I'll pray in my head." During breakfast, once we were all eating together at the table, Zack thoughtfully said, "When we pray in our heads, the words travel down our bodies and to our hearts where Jesus can read them."

Old Pants, Big Pants

2010-04-27T22:54:00.005-06:00

I've never really been that conscious about my size... It's never really been that big of a deal for me to be fatter than I was when I got married. It doesn't bother Pete in the least, so in turn I'm not really that bothered by the whole weight issue. Last fall, one of my friends (who is also a bit on the bigger side like me) asked me if I wanted to be her workout partner. Not really with the idea of losing weight in mind so much as just getting a bit healthier and seeing where that took us. In the first few months I really didn't notice any changes and I figured that if I was already doing the exercise thing, maybe I should take it a little more seriously and try to make some type of difference. So I did. Starting just after Christmas I re-started my metabolism; ate breakfast every morning so that my body knew that it could get rid of everything in my stomach overnight. Then I started making sure that, along with my 3 times a week workout with my friend, I got a solid and consistent period of physical activity for about an hour every day. Nothing big, just stuff like walking, biking, running after Nathan as he drives the Power Wheels around the neighborhood. And it worked. Since Christmas I've gone down three dress sizes. Three! I've underestimated the expense of weight loss - it requires a new wardrobe! But at least I'm not paying some diet clinic or taking aerobics classes, so I'm okay with that. :) I'm happy with how it's turned out - I never wanted to do the whole diet thing because I knew I just needed to have consistent eating habits and spend more time on my feet... That and I like food too much (especially now that I don't have celiac!). So now I have a healthier body... And a drawer of pants that are WAY too big.

Zack & Mario... And about 30 other people!

2010-04-26T23:12:00.003-06:00

We had a blast this weekend here at our house to celebrate Zack's 6th birthday. We had an awesome time with everyone, and as squishy (and chaotic) as it was, Zack LOVED having everyone there with him.

K, my niece Soleil is just about the cutest thing in the entire universe. I can barely handle the cuteness. :)

For those of you who have never seen a tired Nathan before, here he is cuddling with our friend Mike, and he's absolutely pooped.

Wow Bethany, this game is HARD, isn't it?

More Dorky Cupcakes

2010-04-26T23:10:00.003-06:00

I made these for my cousin Dale's birthday, and they turned out so cute.

Still Roaming The Earth

2010-04-17T23:15:00.002-06:00

Nathan has always been a big fan of dinosaurs. It's one of the things that he spends a lot of time thinking and talking and reading about. He's not really much for TV, but he sits and stares very intently at the TV when watching the only show he cares about - Dinosaur Train. It's a show on PBS on weekday mornings, and it's about a computer animated family of Pteranodons (ter-AN-oh-dons) that take a train to different places and times to learn more about different species of dinosaurs. Nathan thinks this is amazing, and often asks if all the dinosaurs really died because he's pretty sure some of them MUST still be alive and roaming the earth somewhere. Last month Nathan was SO SURE that a set of three footprints in a cluster in the snow was a T-Rex footprint; he stared at it with awed wonder for a really long time. It was adorable. And last week when we were walking Zack into school in the morning, Nathan saw a piece of wood in the gutter by the parking lot and was absolutely certain that it was a dinosaur bone. I sometimes wonder to myself what it would be like if adults still looked at the world with the same amount of excitement that kids do. I think we would have better imaginations.

Things I'm Not Supposed To Hear

2010-04-07T10:26:00.002-06:00

Now that Zack is getting a bit older, he's in the "I'm the big brother so do what I say" phase right now. He often tells Nathan to do things for him, but only when I'm out of earshot. Last week the boys were playing at my mom's and while mom and I were upstairs making lunch, I heard Zack in the basement say, "Nathan, if you don't get me a kleenex, I'm going to punch you in the eye." Needless to say, Zack was called upstairs immediately and right away made sure to let me know that he "wasn't gonna really hit him." Hmmmm...

Yesterday, the boys were playing with Lego (surprise!) and I was cooking supper. I leaned around the corner to see Zack poised to whack Nathan on the back of the head. I asked, "Zack, are you going to hit Nathan?" Zack quickly answered, "No mommy, Nathan's hands are busy, so I'm going to give him a high five on his head." Again I say, hmmmmm...

Kinda Dorky

2010-03-25T10:57:00.002-06:00

I made some hat cookies for Wee College at Beulah again this year. People tell me I need to start my own business making sugar cookies, and I'm considering it. Apparently my perfectionism with icing cookies isn't as dorky as I thought!

A White Shirt

2010-03-25T10:47:00.002-06:00

My mom was over for supper on Tuesday and the boys sang a song as our prayer for the meal. After the song was done, my mom said, "I think Jesus was smiling while you were singing that." Zack replied that he couldn't see Him, and so we had a conversation about listening prayer. (For those of you that don't know what "listening prayer" is, it's really cool. When God says "behold" in the Bible, He means to "look with the eyes of your heart" and the eyes of our heart is our imagination. So it's basically asking Jesus to meet us in our imagination to talk with us.) My mom asked the boys to close their eyes and see if Jesus was here. Nathan closed his eyes for a minute and said, "Yes! He is!" My mom asked him what Jesus looked like. Nathan said, "He's got long hair. And a white shirt on!" After supper, my mom and I were talking about how cute that was and we looked into the living room to see Nathan on the couch with his eyes closed tight and his hands folded. He was double-checking that Jesus was still wearing a white shirt, and ran back into the kitchen to let us know that He hadn't changed His shirt and it was still white. It was so cute.

Zack's Art

2010-03-12T14:07:00.007-07:00

The boys (especially Zack) and I spend a lot of time at the kitchen table drawing. Zack loves to draw all kinds of things, and he's really good at it too. He draws pictures and cards for everyone that comes over, it's super adorable. I've been getting better at drawing a few things over the past couple of years, but sometimes Zack will ask me to draw something for him and when I show him the end result, he just says, "It's okay mommy, you did your best..." So here's some of the drawings that Zack and I have done.

Here's our family in the car together - we are all our favorite colors. Pete is driving, then Zack behind him, then me, then Nathan. This is when Zack and I decided to draw some monster trucks. I actually didn't do too bad!

Here's a computer that Zack made for me, with "To Mom, I love u, from Z.H!" on the screen.

Nathan wanted me to draw him a robot on this super-cool paper that Pete's grandma got for Zack for Christmas.

This is a card that Zack made for Nathan whilst in his "I'm Optimus Boy" stage.

Here's Mario and Luigi getting an invincibility star. Sweet.

The Art Of Lego

2010-03-10T17:06:00.003-07:00

Nathan plays with Lego all day, every day. He makes vehicles and vehicle-related objects, and is very intentional with every piece. He always makes sure that each vehicle he makes has a specific purpose, which is then outlined in his presentation of his newest creation right after he makes it. Nathan's cars are made by himself - if even one piece is added by someone else, he will remove it very hastily. He's so proud of each one, and always remembers what everything does and what it's for. Here are a few of his vehicles that I was able to take pics of...

Monster Jam

2010-03-10T16:55:00.004-07:00

We were able to go to Monster Jam again this year, thanks to Kyle's brother Tyler who still tours with them. We had a blast together and Nathan was so excited that he didn't stop jumping up and down the entire time we were there... Here are the boys with Tyler, sitting on his quad.
More quad sitting when we went to the pits, Zack being cute.This is a pic I got of Nathan when we were sitting in the stands for the show...

School

2010-02-22T10:55:00.002-07:00

Pete's been in school since the first week of January, and this is his last week. Starting Wednesday, he's got one major exam every day; the NAIT practical, the NAIT written, and then the provincial. He hasn't been to work since the week before Christmas! He's all frustrated that he's lost his callouses on his hands - he's going to be hurting when he gets back to work. But Pete's doing super good in school, and I'm so proud of him.

I registered Nathan for kindergarten this fall. It's shocking to me that I'll have both boys in school in September. Nathan is SO excited to go - he's going to LOVE it! I can't believe he's growing up so fast.

Zack's doing great in kindergarten, although I know he's kinda bored with some aspects of it. He's quite a reader now; every book he brings home from the school library gets a little bit bigger and has more words. He used to bring home Dr. Seuss to read to us, and now it's books about race cars and how things work. He brought a book this week from the library about how the lungs work, and I'm shocked at his reading skills and comprehension. He hadn't read the book until he read it at home with me, and he reads words like "automatically" and "oxygen" without missing a beat. Then Zack proceeded to tell me that the word "automatically" comes from the word "automatic" which is just like the doors at Safeway... Wow.

Growing Up

2010-02-02T15:42:00.002-07:00

Another step for a growing child happened this weekend; Zack has his first loose tooth. Is he really old enough for all of this? Yikes!

December Pictures

2010-01-24T11:10:00.006-07:00

Here's some shots from December!

This is what the transmission from my car looks like. I asked Pete to take a picture of it while he was working on it right before Christmas. Doesn't it look so cool?

Zack drew a really cute 2-sided picture of a happy face and a sad face, so I had him pose accordingly. So cute!

This is the first gingerbread house that I've ever built by myself. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out... To bad it only lasted a few days before it got eaten! I made it out of sugar cookie dough instead of gingerbread - I'm not the biggest fan of gingerbread, and it turned out pretty good. I stayed up WAY too late building it, but I had so much fun.

This is the boys sledding on the hill by Pete's parents' place in Rocky Mountain House. We had a blast with them - it was a beautiful day! After supper that day we went for a walk to the Von Hollen's house, a pretty big tourist attraction in Rocky at Christmas, and it's only a couple blocks away. They spend months decorating their house and yard, they even have corporate sponsors and everything for their lights. Their yard has a pathway that goes all the way around the back of the house complete with lit arches all the way through and "lookout points" to see all of the inflatable stuff they have in the back yard. It's pretty cool - the boys went around a few times to take it all in!

His Own Words

2010-01-19T15:31:00.002-07:00

We listen to music all the time, and the boys love to sing along. While Zack prefers to sing the words in the song, Nathan prefers to use the melody to sing about whatever he wants. We were on the way home from church this weekend, and Nathan was singing along to the music in the car (loudly, as usual); "I loooooooove dinoSAAAAAURSSS!!! *Fast unintelligible other stuff* Neeeeeerf guuuns!!" He often sings about Lego, fast cars, and monster trucks too (surprise, surprise!).

Scarfy 2.0

2010-01-17T12:19:00.002-07:00

He's aliiiive! This week the boys and I finished this year's snowman. It's been beautiful outside, but the way our house sits, our yard is in constant shade in the winter which doesn't make that good sticky snow. We went outside on Friday morning and the snow wasn't sticky, but I was determined to make it work. So I grabbed the watering can, filled it with hot water, and sprinkled the snow with it. I gathered all the new wet snow I just made, and continued to sprinkle the ball I was making and then a path in front of it. So I rolled and the boys sprinkled, and eventually we got ourselves a snowman! Yay! I'll put pictures up soon - it's even better than last year.

Man Supper

2010-01-12T12:57:00.002-07:00

Every family has certain names for events/products/etc that other people don't have, and one of ours is "Man Supper." Man Supper happens when I have a meeting/worship practice/other thing and I can't be home for supper to feed Pete and the boys. Zack and Nathan - especially Nathan - love Man Supper because they usually get to eat/drink stuff that I don't feed them. It's funny; if you give a positive name to put to the experience it somehow makes the whole thing easier and fun...

Christmas Day

2010-01-05T09:41:00.002-07:00

We really wanted to get the boys something cool for Christmas this year, but not really having a Christmas budget that included presents for our immediate family was disheartening for us. BUT at the end of November one of the guys at Pete's work asked him if we would like to have (for freeeeee) his Power Wheels truck. It was sitting at his house and was never even driven once, and now his son is too big for it. So Pete said that OF COURSE we'd love to have it, and picked it up a few days before Christmas - it even came with two batteries and a charger. All we had to do was get the dust off of the truck and charge the batteries. Well we managed to wrap it (somewhat) and the boys LOVE it! Here they are on Christmas day driving their new truck around.

Christmas Picture: Epic Fail

2009-12-29T12:52:00.002-07:00

Enough said.

Shrinking!

2009-12-28T19:59:00.002-07:00

Nathan was very alarmed and worried when he got up this morning, and when I asked him what was wrong he said, "Mommy, I'm shrinking because I need to read the bible more! We need to read it now!" He was remembering the shrink and grow song from church. So cute!

Snow Buddy

2009-12-28T12:56:00.002-07:00

My little Nathan loves to personify objects; his cars and trucks, pillow, all kinds of things. Yesterday was the cutest one by far. We were in Rocky Mountain House for the weekend visiting Pete's parents for Christmas, and after church we went sledding. While we were sledding, Nathan found a clump of snow that was all hard and stuck together. He named it "Snow Buddy" and carried it around everywhere we went outside. When we went into the house for supper, Snow Buddy sat on the front step right by the door. After supper we went for a walk to go see some Christmas lights, and Nathan carried Snow Buddy all the way there and back. He was sad that we couldn't take Snow Buddy home (he would melt in the car!), but we left him on the front step at Grandma and Grandpa's and Nathan said an adorable goodbye to him as we left.

Power of Positive Thinking

2009-11-18T11:02:00.002-07:00

I was having a conversation that Zack overheard, and his positive (and innocent) mind put a smile on my face:
Me - "It was such a piece of... you know." (Making a face.)
Zack -"Cake! You said 'piece of' and I think you mean 'piece of cake!'"

A Big Challenge

2009-11-08T13:44:00.003-07:00

This past month I had probably the biggest challenge of my floral career; to make wheat look good. I was asked by some leaders at the church to make massive wheat arrangements for the October 24th women's breakfast. When I said that I would take this on, I didn't realize that it would be really HARD. Nicole, one of the ladies that asked me to do this, ran behind the Jespersen's combine (she honestly had to run) and had gathered rubbermaid bins FULL of wheat. My job was to make something "harvest looking" (whatever that means) that could be used for the podium and registration tables. All I could use were the bins of wheat, and then some blue and white ribbon and some fake sunflower-type things to add a bit of color. It took me hours to do; wheat is really hard to work with. LOTS of mess and wheat slivers and I'm still finding random pieces of wheat around the kitchen. But I got them done and I'm pretty impressed with how they turned out. The first one below is the massive long vases with tied-up bunches, and then below that are the ones for the platform. They don't look that big, but everything was HUGE.

Dressing Up!

2009-11-02T19:30:00.003-07:00

Batman and Optimus prime pose with their stash of newly-acquired halloween treats!