Mom ~ In Loving Memory ~ October 31, 2006

The message is the same as last year, and missing her is the same, too.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

A Mother's love is something that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining, it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle we cannot understand
And another wondrous evidenceof God's tender guiding hand.
~Helen Steiner Rice~

Three years ago we said our "good-bye for now's.

Missing Mom today, as every day.

Fantastic Day at Fantasy Island!

Where have we been for the last month and a half, you ask?

Well, we've been a little, ummmm, tied up...

...doing all kinds of fun summer stuff. We've had a great summer together at the cottage, playing soccer, resting and relaxing.

Now, it's back to reality. However, today we took another day to play!

We've been very busy this summer! But we'd promised the kids that if they wanted to use their birthday money for some day trips, we could go places they'd like to go. (We're trying to teach them that we're not the bottomless pit of denaro that they like to think we are. Ha!) So, today was the first chance we had to get to a theme park. We'd never been to this particular park and we had so much fun! There was no one there, which made it that much more fun (don't take that the wrong way, that almost sounds anti-social! What I meant was no crowds, no lines etc.) We could ride the rides over and over and over again. And we did. Sara and I did the roller coaster 5 times in a row without getting off. Whew!

It was great to steal another day with our family "while the gettin' is good". What a gorgeous day of weather we were blessed with today!

We did a round of mini-golf (Connor's favourite...)

Another of Connor's favourite... driving the antique cars! Maybe when Opa gets his '32 Chrysler finished, Connor can take it out for a spin!

I made Sara pose with me as I am in NO pictures for the last, oh, 7 years.

Sara and Connor on the slide...


Racing down together:


Bumper Cars!

Hey, Guess what????

What??

Really, what??

It's raining!

No, I'm not kidding.

Rain.

Here.

Now.

Again.

I think we might start building an ark.

The kids decided that if you can't have sun to play in, rain isn't so bad either.

Huh. (anyone watch Canadian TV?)


Oh, and here is what happens when they find some washable markers to entertain themselves in the rain.
Except that is stopped raining. Har-dee-har-har.
Now they're waiting for Daddy to get home to turn on the sprinkler.
Ah, youth.

We're Hitting Double Digits Today!

Ten years ago today, Sara Justine graced us with her presence at 8:25 am. It was a Tuesday morning (ten days later than expected, but hey, who's keeping track of that now anymore??).

It's been such a blessing to watch her grow from baby to toddler to oung girl to *gulp* pre-teen. Sara has a wonderful, caring, fun-loving, compassionate personality. She keeps our lives spicy. We like that. We pray for many more birthdays to celebrate together.

Happy birthday, Bear!

We love you to the moon and back!!

Love, Mommy, Daddy and Connor

Look Who's Got Glasses!

Isn't he cute??

The Blogging World

I'll admit that I've become addicted to the blogging world. I have several "bookmarked" blogs that I follow regularly. These are people I have never met, nor do I know them. But I read about their lives. Everyday.

Most of the blogs I became aware of by another blog I follow. People put links on their blogs to other blogs and ask you to think of or pray for this family because of the needs they have. So I click and follow the link and before you know it, I am involved in the stories that make up their lives. People I have never met and don't know.

Why are we so interested in those we don't know? Why such voyeuristic intentions? Do we love drama? Maybe. Like a real-life soap opera of sorts? Perhaps. But for me, I think it's just seeing how we are all the same, no matter where in Canada or the US you may live. We laugh, live, love, lose. No one is exempt from joy and pain, life and death, good times and stuggles. It really brings into perspective that in everyone's life "a little rain must fall". Sometimes it's more than rain. More like monsoons.

So I continue to be a voyeur into the lives of others. And, I feel for these people I don't know.

One family I have been reading about had a son name Ryan. He had cancer for the last 5 years. Then, saddly, his mother developed breast cancer about a year and a half ago. She passed away on Wednesday. And sadly, their son died yesterday at the age of 9, 2 days after his mom. Can you even imagine? Say a prayer for this broken family and one of thanks for the blessings you do have in your life. You can read from his blog here.

So I'm sure I will continue to peek into the lives of others. I will be encouraged by their expressions of faith through struggles, the cute photos and the day to day ramblings.

Because we are all the same.

Annette and Michael

The death and subsequent media frenzy of Michael Jackson has left me with feelings of melancholy.

Sara and I had this conversation today:

"Mom, was Michael Jackson a Christian?"

"I don't know, honey. I know his family was Christian when he was younger, but I'm not sure if he still was now."

"Oh.
'Cause I was just thinking that maybe Aunt Annette got to meet him finally in heaven".

"You know, I had the exact same thoughts the day that he died. I wondered, too, if they met up in heaven".

Then we proceded to talk about ALL the people in heaven. Quite a mix. Abraham. Noah. Aunt Annette. Oma. Maybe Elvis and Michael? One day we'll find out I guess.


Annette really liked Michael Jackson when she was a teenager. (She would probably not like me sharing this-ha!) She had the posters (I think) and the Thriller album. (I need to dig that out album from Dad's house!). We even went to see the Jackson 5 in Toronto when they were on tour. Michael was just breaking out on his own, but still touring with his brothers (hmm... I wonder if there's still a concert souvenir guide somewhere in her or Dad's stuff...).

He was a talented artist, entertainer, and dancer, no matter what you thought of him. But his death this week leaves me feeling melancholic because it brings back so many great memories of us dancing in the living room. Listening to the music. Seeing the concert. Teasing Annette for her love of Michael. Good and happy memories. Memories now tinged with sadness for a longing to share those memories with Annette first hand.

And this is exactly why there is such a communal interest and mourning when a young celebrity dies. We care so much because these people are intertwined with our lives, for better or worse. They are connected to our memories. They are a bridge to our past. We all know the phrase, "Where were you when...?". For that reason, I have felt sadness this week.

And I don't know if Michael was a Christian, but I still can't help but wonder if they met up in heaven.

An Afternoon at the Petting Zoo...

"Show Us Where You Live Friday"

One of the blogs I frequent has a feature called "Show Us Where You Live Friday" because, let's face it, we're all nosy interested in everyone's decorating ideas. Today we are looking at yards.

We love our yard. It was one of the things that we fell in love with when looking at our house last summer. We can't take much credit for it because it was all here and already done last year when we moved in. But we're doing our best to keep it up!

The front yard.
The garden is full of interesting greenery and perennials that bloom at different times. I use baskets for "pops" of colour.

Our backyard. Look at that mulch! Steve spent most of Tuesday and all day Wednesday adding mulch to the back gardens. (He still has to finish the small garden in the foreground). We love mulch. It keeps the weeds in check and helps retain the moisture in the ground. Plus, it looks nice!

Another backyard view.

The pergola came with the house and we are loving spending time outside this year. This is our first summer year, so it's nice to see what's coming up in the garden and being able to enjoy it. The weather has also been a little lot cooler so far this summer, but it makes for easy sitting outside.

Why don't you show us where you live? You know, because we're nosy interested in your decorating flair!

Happy 142nd Birthday, Canada!

I, for one, am so happy and thankful for our wonderful country and all the priveliges we enjoy here.

Stop and give thanks for the great country we share!

Have a great holiday!

imshp59rcf

Let's Play Ball!

The idea of going to the Roger's Centre to see the Bluejays play baseball was a very exciting idea!

Watching them loose 10-0 without many hits at all was a great big bummer (quoting Steve).

BUT, the day was gorgeous, the atmosphere fun (mostly :) ), the traffic horrible, the junk food great and the experience wonderful! Overall, a very successful day!

Maybe we'll go again and hope for a more successful game (and Haladay pitching??)

Mish-Mash weekend.

We had a mish-mash of a Saturday...literally!
Although it rained, we had a lot of fun doing things like...


Swimming at Uncle Rick and Aunt Deb's pool for Father's Day...

The weather was gorgeous!

Sara had the joy of pulling teeth weeds in the garden. The pulling of the teeth was getting her to do it!

Connor's birthday lunch at the Mandarin. Someone introduced these kids to the Mandarin and now it is their restaurant of choice for their birthday dinners out. I wonder why they love it there so much?? (Hello, can you say All you can eat dessert? These are my children, afterall!)

Fresh strawberries for our homemade strawberry jam.

A good, restful, yet productive weekend!