Rainin' and pourin'...
Temperatures droppin'...
Flurries floatin'...
Little helpers shovelin'...
Daddy "mush"in'...
Cocoa sippin'...
Feline Hibernatin'...
GQ Stylin'...
Cuties Chillin'...
....type of week!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Grandparents
Growing up, I knew that I had wonderful parents. I always felt loved. Of course there were many times when I would argue with them and slam my bedroom door. There were definitely growing pains but I knew that they were always there for me and that they loved me a lot.
Gramma always has time for books, puzzles, and play-dough...she is a fountain of patience.
Needless to say: a trip to G&G's is always at the top of R&B's To-Do list...
It was not until I had my own children that I realized just how immense a parent's love is for their child. Now I understand. I get it. These little people are the most important part of your world. Parenting is intense, constant, exhausting and often all-consuming. Everyone does it a little bit different but ultimately, to parent is to love.
Sounds simple enough. But it isn't simple. There are so many mistakes to make along the way...like being too hard on your eldest child and letting your dimpled wonder get away with everything... So you try to learn from your mistakes. Be smarter. Be stronger. Have patience. Give grace. Then if you do your job right, after about twenty years of parenting in the trenches, your children become self-sufficient and start to branch out on their own. After nearly two decades of love by trial and error your parenting skills have been honed into sharp tools of on-the-fly negotiation, picking your battles, endless patience, and enjoying the moments. You are older and wiser and somehow you have all the makings of ...a grandparent!
My parents are the type of grandparents you read about in story books. "Poppa" teaches life skills like how to read scrabble tiles and how to throw a ball...
Gramma always has time for books, puzzles, and play-dough...she is a fountain of patience.
Needless to say: a trip to G&G's is always at the top of R&B's To-Do list...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Two!
B's passion seems to be playing sports and he especially loves hockey so picking a theme for his 2nd birthday was a no-brainer. The weather held out for us and we even got just the right amount of snow to make it seem wintery without having to call off the street hockey game!
We knew it was going to be a good party when we answered the doorbell and it was Grampa T ...and Sidney Crosby...
We braved the cold and headed outside for some ice time...
There was even enough snow to scrape together into a cute little "Frosty" complete with a corrot nose...
We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipping cream to warm us up...
Then we headed inside for bbq hot dogs and chili. Once we were fed and warmed up, B opened his gifts. As you can see he was impressed with this concept...
Finally we served the birthday boy his cupcakes...another concept which he fully embraced...
Happy Birthday B! You are one amazing two year old! I am so proud of you and what a caring and fun-loving little boy you are growing to be. This is going to be another whirlwind year with you and I am looking forward to it!
We knew it was going to be a good party when we answered the doorbell and it was Grampa T ...and Sidney Crosby...
We braved the cold and headed outside for some ice time...
There was even enough snow to scrape together into a cute little "Frosty" complete with a corrot nose...
We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipping cream to warm us up...
Then we headed inside for bbq hot dogs and chili. Once we were fed and warmed up, B opened his gifts. As you can see he was impressed with this concept...
Finally we served the birthday boy his cupcakes...another concept which he fully embraced...
Happy Birthday B! You are one amazing two year old! I am so proud of you and what a caring and fun-loving little boy you are growing to be. This is going to be another whirlwind year with you and I am looking forward to it!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Organized Chaos
Life is busy. Life is crazy. But life is very good. It seems like all of a sudden the clock has been ticking too fast and sometimes it feels like the fast forward button is jammed, other days it feels like Groundhog's day. I don't know what it is but gone are the summer days of sipping iced tea and snapping pictures. Hence, the lean visuals on this and recent posts.
I am back to teaching on call which is always nuts. The thing is though that I do thrive a bit on chaos...you should see my kitchen, and laundry room, and bedroom. I have piles of paper which I organize and reorganize. Finally, I get sick of looking at it so I put it in a bin. Then I am looking for a specific piece of paper and the hunt is on. I am searching all of my favourite haunts for piles and bins and sifting through until all of a sudden what I am looking for is not so important because I have come across an old post-it note from RKA that makes me laugh, or found a magazine which I decide to thumb through one last time before recycling it. So I sidetrack myself to the point where I forget what I was looking for in the first place, enjoy a good peruse through my bins of treasures, and then strategically dump everything back in the bin. Then, once or twice a year I find myself pulling an all-nighter and obsessively labelling the Tupperware cupboard or the medicine cupboard.
This week it was the laundry room's turn for an impromptu overhaul. The laundry room has a self-closing door on it which makes it the perfect place to dump junk and forget about it. It also doubles as our mudroom...triples as the cat's dining area and litter box haven...and finally also functions as our guests' changing room for the hot tub. Yes, it has a multitude of purposes...and it is approximately 8' by 8' with no windows. Well, one new storage bench and one bottle of spray paint and my laundry room/mudroom/cat's quarters/cabana is now definitely improved.
I am back to teaching on call which is always nuts. The thing is though that I do thrive a bit on chaos...you should see my kitchen, and laundry room, and bedroom. I have piles of paper which I organize and reorganize. Finally, I get sick of looking at it so I put it in a bin. Then I am looking for a specific piece of paper and the hunt is on. I am searching all of my favourite haunts for piles and bins and sifting through until all of a sudden what I am looking for is not so important because I have come across an old post-it note from RKA that makes me laugh, or found a magazine which I decide to thumb through one last time before recycling it. So I sidetrack myself to the point where I forget what I was looking for in the first place, enjoy a good peruse through my bins of treasures, and then strategically dump everything back in the bin. Then, once or twice a year I find myself pulling an all-nighter and obsessively labelling the Tupperware cupboard or the medicine cupboard.
This week it was the laundry room's turn for an impromptu overhaul. The laundry room has a self-closing door on it which makes it the perfect place to dump junk and forget about it. It also doubles as our mudroom...triples as the cat's dining area and litter box haven...and finally also functions as our guests' changing room for the hot tub. Yes, it has a multitude of purposes...and it is approximately 8' by 8' with no windows. Well, one new storage bench and one bottle of spray paint and my laundry room/mudroom/cat's quarters/cabana is now definitely improved.
Monday, November 8, 2010
I remember...
...wondering why anyone would spend their allowance on gum when you have to spit it out in the end
...skating on the ice rink my dad built us in the backyard
...making snow forts and wondering if it was going to cave in and suffocate us
...that my mom was always there
...calling nintendo - "intendo"
...the incredibly itchy feeling of my first chicken pock hatching on my head in kindergarten
...my mom sitting me on the counter and snipping my bangs with the kitchen scissors on picture day morning
...thinking that people who had microwaves and dishwashers were really rich
...flat out refusing to wear white leather sandals to kindergarten because I was embarassed of my ugly feet
...wanting to wear glasses and have braces because you seemed to miss a lot of school for appointments
...going to the bus depot to pick up huge parcels which were filled with home baking and gifts from grandparents
...being afraid of moustaches
So many random memories. It makes me wonder...what will they remember?
...skating on the ice rink my dad built us in the backyard
...making snow forts and wondering if it was going to cave in and suffocate us
...that my mom was always there
...calling nintendo - "intendo"
...the incredibly itchy feeling of my first chicken pock hatching on my head in kindergarten
...my mom sitting me on the counter and snipping my bangs with the kitchen scissors on picture day morning
...thinking that people who had microwaves and dishwashers were really rich
...flat out refusing to wear white leather sandals to kindergarten because I was embarassed of my ugly feet
...wanting to wear glasses and have braces because you seemed to miss a lot of school for appointments
...going to the bus depot to pick up huge parcels which were filled with home baking and gifts from grandparents
...being afraid of moustaches
So many random memories. It makes me wonder...what will they remember?
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Essence of a Gentleman
I went to visit my grandpa today at his care home. As always, my favourite part of the visit was that first moment. The one where he looks up to see who has come in to visit him and there is a definite flicker of recognition in his eyes. His eyes light up and then he smiles slowly as he places you. In that moment he knows you... and even better he knows that you love him. You can tell.
It is hard to visit sometimes. Awkward. Grandpa is often in a different time or place. Worried about things from years past. So we try to calm his worries. Smile and agree, distract him, or switch topics. Our disjointed conversations are peppered with moments of clarity. In those clear and fleeting moments we can connect. Hot topics for connection are taxes, bridges, politics, vehicles, golf, and occasionally even current events. Just when you are sure that he is mentally residing in the 1960's he will surprise you with a tidbit from the evening news. Then in the next breath he embarks on a new line of questioning as he tries to get his bearings and figure out his surroundings but he is obviously confused. Yes, it is hard to watch a man who was so clear in his opinions and beliefs, now have such muddled thoughts. Still, it is important to visit and to learn more about this man who has lived almost three times as long as me.
I heard once that when you near the end of your life and your body fails, and your mind falters it is your soul that is left. In old age your spirit is exposed without the mind's ego or the bravado of your body. All that is left is the essence of your being. That notion has always stuck with me. I am grateful to witness my grandpa's gentle, humble, funny, and loving soul. He truly is a gentleman.
It is hard to visit sometimes. Awkward. Grandpa is often in a different time or place. Worried about things from years past. So we try to calm his worries. Smile and agree, distract him, or switch topics. Our disjointed conversations are peppered with moments of clarity. In those clear and fleeting moments we can connect. Hot topics for connection are taxes, bridges, politics, vehicles, golf, and occasionally even current events. Just when you are sure that he is mentally residing in the 1960's he will surprise you with a tidbit from the evening news. Then in the next breath he embarks on a new line of questioning as he tries to get his bearings and figure out his surroundings but he is obviously confused. Yes, it is hard to watch a man who was so clear in his opinions and beliefs, now have such muddled thoughts. Still, it is important to visit and to learn more about this man who has lived almost three times as long as me.
I heard once that when you near the end of your life and your body fails, and your mind falters it is your soul that is left. In old age your spirit is exposed without the mind's ego or the bravado of your body. All that is left is the essence of your being. That notion has always stuck with me. I am grateful to witness my grandpa's gentle, humble, funny, and loving soul. He truly is a gentleman.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
West Coast
Obviously R embraces the beauty of her surroundings...
I really do love it here. For many reasons. But mostly because most of my favourite people in the world inhabit this same little corner. (see above)
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