HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURTIS!!!

Eleven years ago, we met our wonderful Kurtis for the first time! Now I know I repeat myself with each birthday, but I just can't believe it's been eleven years!
Kurtis is a tender-hearted, generous and kind boy who has brightened our lives. We are proud of the person he is and love him dearly.

Kurtis' highlight of his birthday is that he is getting a new puppy! We can't wait to meet him! I'm sure he'll do a great job taking care of it.

Happy birthday, Kurtis!

(Kurtis loves hallowe'en and spends several months planning out what he is going to do. The picture above is one part of the display that he and his dad put together last hallowe'en. He sure does have a creative mind!)

I Heart Spring!!!

I sure do love spring.

More than summer? Not sure, but boy, do I sure love spring. The smells, the green grass and buds, the warm air on your skin. The sun. The sandy gravel on the road that mixes in your bike tires, reminding me of youth. As soon as I feel the slightest warming, I run to my garden centre and get me some flowers. My friend stopped by and said, "Oh, you HAVE to be the first on the block to get flowers out."

Why, yes I do.

However, even I had to stop and reflect on my geekiness when Connor and I had this conversation the other day:

ME: Look at that nice dirt!
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: The dirt! At that house! Look! It's all nice and dark brown and lush and rich looking.
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: Doesn't it look beautiful? It's all mounded up all ready for planting. It's gorgeous!
CONNOR: Huh?
ME: The DIRT! Over there! It's gorgeous!
CONNOR: WHAT are you talking about?

At this point, realizing I was talking about soil like it was art or something. I really loved the sight of that dirt!

Now, I am NOT a master gardener or anything, but I do love planting and flowers and SPRING!

Please don't hate me for my geeky love for beautiful soil!

Dear Monday Morning,

You're arrival is here like clockwork. You never fail to arrive after a blissful weekend of family, friends, work, fun, and worship.

I must admit, you are my least favourite morning of the week. If I could, I would skip you and go straight to Tuesday. But I know you will continue to show up week after week.

While I dread your arrival, however, you're not so bad after an hour and a good cup of coffee. And I'm working really hard to not let you get the best of me when you creep into my Sunday Night.

Monday Morning, I will find a way to co-exist with you.

Love, Me.

Ode to 1 a.m.

Two cups of coffee

after 6 p.m.

does not a

sleeping girl

make.

The Empty Tomb

An empty tomb. The stone rolled away. Huge and heavy, yet rolled away by the earth-quaking appearance of the angel. Guards like dead men. Those Romans sure thought they had planned for everything. But they didn't plan on the power of God.

Do we plan on the power of God? When things are smooth sailing, we sure love to think we do. But when the storms roll in, the stone rolls in, life upside down, the supportive crowds rolling out, do we really plan on the power of God? Earth quaking, guards like dead men, stone rolling belief?

What a sight for the women who went to look at the tomb! They went even though they weren't sure what they were going to do about that stone when they got there. They went at dawn. As soon as was legally acceptable. Eager to do a task for their Lord, even though He had died. Did they plan on the power of God? Imagine their fear and joy at what the angel said to them, "He is not here! He has risen just as He said He would. The power of God. The "piece" that passes all understanding. The piece of God that is beyond our understanding in this life. But, thankfully, we can have the peace that passes all understanding.

the tomb is empty

The tomb is empty.

The Tomb Is Empty!

He is not there. He has risen, just as He said. Come and see. Then go tell!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day

March 21 (3/21) is World Down Syndrome Day. It was chosen to signify the uniqueness of Down Syndrome in the triplication (trisomy) of the the 21st chromosome and is used synonimously with Down Syndrome.

Commemoration of World Down Syndrome Day began in March, 2006. It has grown manifold globally. The observance is used to promote awareness and understanding of Down syndrome and related issues; and to mobilize support and recognition for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with Down syndrome.

Happy Birthday to our Snowbirds!

Dad and Menny are so busy having fun somewhere warmer than here for a LONG time. so we can't share hugs and kisses in person. BUT we want to wish them both (yes, one day apart) an awesome birthday and blessings for many more happy and healthy years.

We love you!! Happy birthday!!

With love from all of us!!

Phone Follies

I generally called Annette or she me at least once a week. Since she lived long distance, I dialed an eighteen digit number (an extra 7 digits to get cheap long distance of course).

My fingers flew over the keypad faster than my mind could think of the numbers. It was just an automatic physical reaction to key in those numbers without even thinking of them. I used 2 thumbs as once. (Maybe I will make a good texter some day...)

I sat down to call Tom the other day. My fingers began their thing without me thinking.

Then I stopped.

My fingers had forgotten.

My mind had forgotten.

I tried 3 times.

Couldn't get it.

Had to look up the number in my phone book.

*sigh*

Happy Birthday, Ryan!!

Ryan is NINE today!! Ryan has brought much joy and laughter into many lives. We are grateful for his presence in our family. It's hard to believe it's been 9 years since he was born. Look how adorable he looks here:

Ryan, we hope you have a wonderful day and that we can see you soon!

Happy birthday!!

We love you!

xoxo

Missing the Snow!

I miss the days when winter guaranteed snow in our city!

The Ring

Have a look at my ring. I love it, although I don't wear it often. I usually wear the ring from my mom that she got on her 25th anniversary. However, occasionally, when I'm wearing silver, I wear this ring:
It came from my mom. I got it out of her jewelery box. I inherited it from her. I love it for sentimental reasons. I love it because it is so unique as it was crafted from a spoon, from Holland. Do you see it? They clip the spoon part off, and make a ring from the handle of the teaspoon. I remember my mom telling me this. Isn't it beautiful?? What clever Dutch people. Always finding a way to do things frugally.

So, a few weeks ago, I am wearing said ring and my dear sister-in-love, Kathy, comments on it's beauty. I presume to tell her the whole lovely story:

"It's my mom's so it's really special to me."
"It came from Mom's jewelery box"
"Well, actually, it's a spoon handle!"
"I know... very cool, eh?"
"Well, you see, they take one of those fancy tea spoons and cut the spoonie part off and bend it around to fit your finger. Very clever, isn't it??"



at this point I am taking said ring off to show her the creative spoon workmanship...
"...and look inside the ring here..."



Now, here is where I had an SLR camera to take a super duper close up of the inside of the ring...
(I know, you're getting goose-bumps here...)
There is something engraved there.... maybe this will help solve the mystery of when the ring was created... was it an heirloomed, passed down from generation to generation? Did Mom buy it on a trip to Holland? I can't remember, but wish I knew...

Exciting...




"Uh....."
"hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
"Welll................................................................................................"

thinking" Call me crazy... but...


I'm pretty sure they didn't have AVON in Holland that made spon rings"

Yeah, me too.

Never saw that one coming. I am so sure I remember that I heard that story of the ring coming from a spoon handle. Really. Heard it. Somewhere. But I guess it wasn't from my mom. Must have been in my other life. Or someone else's mom...

And as funny as this was to me, it was twinged with sadness as I can never ask Mom the true story behind the ring. I know Dad won't have a clue where it came from (sorry, Dad, the truth hurts sometimes...) So, it will always and forever now be the Antique Spoon Ring from AVON in Holland...!

Olympic Fever

Yes, we've got it, too! Olympic fever has decended on our house. There is a certain national pride that comes when your country hosts the Olympics.

Despite what we may think about the billions of dollars spent, infrastructure built at the expense of nature, homeless displaced, and the focus on the glory to be only THE best, we can't help but jump on the Olympic bandwagon.

We love our country and are proud to be Canadians. We are in awe of the beauty of God's land of Canada. We enjoy seeing scenery of the beautiful west. We are excited when we win a medal.

So, these two weeks, we will enjoy history in the making. We will be grateful for the land that we live in. We will be grateful for the opportunities we have here.

Go, Canada, Go!!!!

My New Obsession...

Want to see my new obsession?

OK... obsession is a strong word. But I am in LOVE with the new scrapbooking digital software from Creative Memories. I've always been a novice scapper, using materials from here and there. I've been scrapping books for each of the kids since they were born. However, unfortunately, I'm about 3 or 4 years behind. You know... you just get a little behind, then a little more, then it's way too overwhelming to even begin. That's where I'm at... (however, I did do a whole book on our Disney trip 2 years ago...)

So when I heard about this digital scrapbooking, I knew it was the answer for me! I have all the pictures from 3 years ago on as digital images. Press, click, save-presto! So I'm planning on working backwards with the pages. Here's what I accomplished during the Superbowl:
You can upload these pages to Costco and slip them into a 12 x 12 album. Super excited!!

I was doing a lot of hard thinking about how to change the year 2009 to 2010 for the Halloween page. Connor then came up with the briliant comment, "Uh, Mom, it WAS 2009." Yes, sometimes I'm not smarter than a second grader...

Got a Few Minutes...?

Want to read something so touching? A blog friend, Tara Marie, found this beautiful "birth story" and shared the link. It is l-o-n-g, but it is well worth the read when you have a few minutes. You will be touched!


(Click here:) Welcome to the World, Nella Cordelia!

BAHA

You might be dreaming up images of white sandy beaches when you read that word (OK, so the place in California might be spelled "Baja", but the sound is the same...) That once unknown-to-us word (or, more accurately, acronym) has become the centre of much research in our house.

The story begins last April, when Steve came down with a bad case of flu-like symptoms. Shortly followed severe ear pain which prompted a trip to the clinic, a course of antibiotics, severe dizziness and illness, another trip to the prompt-care, including IV fluids and antibiotics and culminating in a deafness in one ear, which we hoped would dissipate with the resolving of the virus. Unfortunately for Steve, it did not. Unbelievably, the virus attacked his auditory nerve and permanently destroyed it, leaving him 100% deaf in his left ear. Not only can he not hear from that ear, but he has constant, loud, jet-engine tinnitus (TIN-i-tus) ringing that drives him crazy on a good day. After a lead on an option called the BAHA from his ENT, we began to research.

A Bone Anchored Hearing Aid is a remarkable newish assistive device. It relays the sound from his left side (the deaf side) through the BONE in his skull so that he can hear those sounds on his right side. It involves a short operation, during which a titanium post is screwed into his skull. The post fuses with his bone and becomes a part of it after 3 months. Then a processor is worn on the post. The processor picks up the vibrations of sound and relays it through the bone where it the sound is then processed in the good ear. So, in actuality, Steve will be hearing (hopefully) all the sounds a normal person hears, but in one ear! Technology is remarkable!

We are hopeful that this will help him hear more and also hopefully alleviate some of the tinnitus. We are grateful that we live in a place where Steve is able to receive this procedure and device. As it is a fairly new procedure in Canada, it is not covered by OHIP. However, the hospital where we went today covers the procedure because of experimental grant money they receive from the government. Steve is a great candidate and so has been approved for one of the twenty surgeries they are able to do each year. The processor is not covered by any government agency and comes with a hefty price tag. However, we are hopeful that our insurance will cover most, if not all of the processor.

(These are pictures from this website...)

The process is worn on the skull. That will be an adjustment. It can be removed for showering and sleeping.

The sound travels through the processor and through the bone in the skull.

We remain hopeful that this will restore some of the things that Steve has been missing for the last many months. It will take 3-4 months on a waiting list for a surgery spot to come open for him. You can read more about the BAHA here.

New to Me Pictures

Annette has many people who knew and loved her. She was very happy to be a part of an on-line community of equally dedicated parents to children with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). She loved to "chat" with them, so much so that she and Tom occasionally traveled to meet some of them IRL (in real life).

I am fortunate enough to have been welcomed in her place in their community. I also like to "chat" with them. I have met 2 IRL (at Annette's funeral). Many of her friends have posted pictures of her on their blogs. Pictures I had never seen before. One day, I got to thinking that I would love to have these pictures for myself. So I asked the girls. And they came through. They emailed me all the pictures they had from meeting Annette IRL. What a gift that is to me. Unfortunately, I really don't have a whole lot of pictures of her, me or us through the years. Something I try to compensate more for now. (Take those pictures!!)

Thanks, ladies, for such special pictures!

A New Year

Happy New Year! I know, only 20 days late. Where does the time go?
We had a wonderful holiday and are now (somewhat reluctantly) settling back into our regular routine.

So many times I think, "I need to comment about this on the blog". But it never seems to get done. Life is busy.

Admist all our busyness, we feel great sorrow for our global neighbours in Haiti. The death and destruction seems unfathomable. We hear the cry of anguish. We see the images. We imagine the pain (or we can't imagine). We raise money and awareness with our children. We try to teach our children compassion. We are helpless. But we are not hopeless.

Fire Safety for Snowmen...

Christmas Wishes

"for to you is born this day in the city of Davids a Savior, who is Christ the Lord..." Luke 2:11

We have had a wonderful week preparing for Christmas. As usual, we spend much time with friends and family to celebrate Jesus' birth. It's been wonderful to have some "down time" from our regular routines and being able to spend more time together. We are truly blessed.

I came across this poem again tonight and found it appropriate to post it here. We are so grateful for all the blessings and joy we continue to receive. We do, however, continue to miss our Annette and Mom, at Christmas as we do each day. What beautiful words to remind us of the true joy they now live.... as someday we will, too!

Wishing you and yours all the peace and joy of the season. Blessed Christmas!!

I see the countless CHRISTMAS TREES around the world below

with tiny lights like HEAVEN’S STARS reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so SPECTACULAR please wipe away that tear

for I am spending CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I hear the many CHRISTMAS SONGS that people hold so dear

but the SOUND OF MUSIC can't compare with the CHRISTMAS CHOIR up here
I see the countless CHRISTMAS TREES around the world below

with tiny lights like HEAVEN’S STARS reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so SPECTACULAR please wipe away that tear

for I am spending CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.
I hear the many CHRISTMAS SONGS that people hold so dear

but the SOUND OF MUSIC can't compare with the CHRISTMAS CHOIR up here.

I have no words to tell you of the JOY their voices bring

for it is beyond description to HEAR THE ANGELS SING.
I know HOW MUCH YOU MISS ME, I see the pain inside your heart

for I am spending CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I can't tell you of the SPLENDOR or the PEACE here in this place

Can you just imagine CHRISTMAS WITH OUR SAVIOR face to face
I'll ask him to LIFT YOUR SPIRIT as I tell him of your love

so then PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your HEARTS BE JOYFUL and let your SPIRIT SING

for I am spending CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN and I’m walking WITH THE KING.

~ by Wanda Bencke© Copyright 1999.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

Sara has been growing her hair out for the last two years. About a year ago, she decided to continue growing it until she had enough to cut it to donate it for cancer.

We researched the various places and discovered that she needed 10 inches in order to donate. She finally had enough! So on Monday, she took the plunge and had it cut! For many places you can mail the hair in an envelope. However, we found a place right in our city that makes wigs for kids right here! It is called Wigs For Kids They provide wigs for children who have hair loss from illness, burn or other issues.

Sara decided to "cut my hair for Aunt Annette because she had cancer." We think she looks beautiful with short hair, and even more so for the reason behind the short hair.

We love you, Sara, and are proud of you!