A special package arrived...

After two sleepless nights for Heather and Bruce, little Selah Rae decided it was finally time to make her entry. She was born at 2:54 this morning weighing 6 lbs 15 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.
No time for a long post today so we'll just include a few pictures. You can't see her mass of dark hair with the little cap, and her poor little nosey is still squished & bruised, but she's pretty sweet :) She even opened her eyes for a little peek.

She's already loves holding daddy's hand - but I'll bet he'll hold on tighter :)

Take good care of me Mommy & Daddy

Let's Just Keep Busy...

Yes...indeed. Trying to occupy my mind with things other than just thinking about Heather and when this little munshkin will decide to come. I'm glad she is still feeling well and I'm sure we'll get that phone call when we least expect it. This week would be nice though, Heather :)
So nice to have our Manitoba summer weather back!!! It's been crazy with thunderstorms, etc., although our new grass definitely enjoyed the humidity.
I'm taking advantage of this glorious day - the housework can wait! Today I'll be pruning & propogating some shrubs and moving a few things around in the garden....oh yes, and getting at those weeds that thought they were home-free since we haven't been able to get close to them with all the rain. Gotta keep busy...right.
Anyone got a good idea for garden paths? I have a large garden and want to have some winding paths going through it to enjoy all the beautiful plants & flowers. So far the paths are just dirt which makes it tough to enjoy the garden when it rains.
Alright, I better go finish what I started - this day won't be long enough, I can tell ;)
Go outside and enjoy the day :)

Sara

A little breather...maybe?

Feels so good to be done the painting which kept me pretty busy last week. Oh, let me clarify... that is, the painting I was doing for someone else. She actually called this evening to tell me her girls were very happy with the job...yay!! Earlier she wasn't so sure she liked the one feature wall, which she chose to have painted a nice warm brown, so I'm happy I don't have to repaint!

May have a pretty short week at the clinic as well since Herb (x-ray tech) is away for two weeks and couldn't get anyone to cover for him this week. There will be a few x-rays that are outstanding, which may keep me busy for another half day, but other than that I should have some time for myself. Shhhh - don't tell anyone! Hopefully I'll be able to sit down and do some serious thinking about the next step of our renos...being...uhmmm, not quite sure :) I have some projects in mind for outside as well.

Course, all that could change should we suddenly have a new grandbaby (due in a few days). I'm sooo excited! Had the funniest dream last night. Heather had a boy and when I asked her the name she said, Matthew Dididi (dee-dee-dee). Not wanting to hurt her feelings, all I could ask was, "How do you spell that?"! Had a good laugh over that one this morning. Though I really feel she's having a boy, I highly doubt she'll name him Matthew Dididi. LOL

Saturday Les worked hard breaking down the chimney. I felt bad that I wasn't really much help and since Dustin went to the city with some friends, he carried all the rubble out of the basement himself. It got a little hairy when half the chimney broke off and stayed perched at the main floor level. Les had to pry it loose, catching his finger between the prybar and sledge hammer...OUCH!! Right now we have our very own skylight - all the way from the basement!! I guess that'll have to be the next fix-up since we probably shouldn't leave the hole there for too long - never know what kind of company we'll get comin' down the chimney space! I'll try to post a few pictures tomorrow.

Finished off the week with a nice get-together at the Back 40. Always relaxing. Thanks for hosting Glen & Anna. Here are a few pictures.

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Now, off to bed!!!

And It's Only WEDNESDAY

**UPDATE**
Forgot one special little boy on the June Birthday Calendar - Mackenzie turned 6 on the16th!! I hear you had a fun birthday.

~ ~ ~

Sorry to anyone who tried to comment on the last post - for some reason blogger decided not to allow any comments. When I checked the settings they're still all fine so here's hoping it was a fluke.
Been a long week already. I've been busy painting for a lady who called and asked if I would paint her apartment. I've done a lot of painting for others, but this was a first being called by a stranger. I agreed to do the job and spent the first afternoon working by myself. It was a little overwhelming with the many nooks and crannies, etc., to paint around, so I quickly enlisted some help. Aren't most things more enjoyable when shared with a friend?
All day I was thinking of Liane knowing she had a prenatal appointment today. Of course I couldn't call while I was painting (obviously I wasn't working at the clinic today), and then we had Bible Study at our house in the evening, so I rushed home to get supper on and then quickly clean up before everyone arrived. Thankfully Warren and Liane dropped by just as we were sitting down for a snack and I could finally ask her how things went. You can read all about it on their blog. Definitely keep them in your prayers.
So,where has the time gone? Heather is now entering her last week of pregnancy (at least if baby decides to come on time). I get so excited every time I think about our next grandchild arriving in possibly a few days. Can't wait to hold him/her and I wonder how Rowan will react to having a little cousin. Good thing Nana and Papa have lots more hugs to share and plenty more room in our hearts :)

Rowan - 2 days old

Proud Grandpa - who'd have thought
it would be this good?

Oh yes, and it's my Dad's birthday today, but with all the busyness I haven't had time to visit him. He's in the hospital recovering from an acute flare-up of COPD and infections in his leg. Hopefully we'll get to the hospital tomorrow. Happy Birthday Dad - hope you're feeling MUCH better!!
AND MORE BIRTHDAYS....don't want to forget our nieces and nephew - check out Sonja, Melissa and Jordan who all have birthdays this week - talk about celebrating as a family :) Hope you guys have WAY TOO MUCH FUN as a family this week!!! Miss you all. HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO YOU!!!
JUNE is crazy with extended family birthdays - almost as bad as December for our family. To the rest of you, hope you have/had a super day (Austin, Nathan, Tyler, Henry, Madeline, Jolene, Scott, Ken and Desiree) YIKES...that does not include anniversaries!

Little Drummer Boy

*UPDATED*
Discovered recently that "doodeez" means more than just drumsticks. "Doo" is the sound the drums make when he hits them (can't you hear it?) and "dee" is the sound of hitting the cymbals. So, when he's not actually on Dustin's drums and is air-drumming - he says, "doo-doo-dee" - I finally got it!!

If you've recently visited Stacey's blog, she wrote a bit of a tribute to the band Downhere, one our family's favorite bands. When Dustin was little we took him to a Downhere concert when they were starting out....well, he was awestruck! When we asked him whom we should havecome to our home, he said, "the drummer". We were sure he'd say "the guitarist". Well, he got both, to his delight. He never forgot that and is now a pretty fine drummer himself (yes, guitarist too!).
Now Rowan thinks Dustin is the most amazing person because he's a 'drummer'. He used to give hugs when he came in the door to visit; now he gives a big smile and says, "doodeez" (drumsticks) and quickly finds the first person who will take him downstairs to play on Dustin's drums. Nana & papa will do, but if Uncle Dustin takes him down he's in little drummer boy heaven. He's constantly drumming, even when he's at the table! Sound familiar? :)
Here's a little clip of Rowan playing along to some music (BTW it was a Downhere song that he started with, and kept going - just took us a while to get the camera).
Pretty cool for 22 months old!!

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A Memorable Weekend! WARNING - long post!!!

Where to start? Ok..let's go with...
FRIDAY - Les reminded me when he came home from work that we had tickets for the Palliative care fundraising concert that night, which he was now unable to attend since our shingling got re-scheduled to this weekend. I really was tired and tempted to not go, but decided to call Liane to see if she would accompany me. Thankfully she said yes - it was definitely worth the effort. The Dingleberries were the first act. I enjoy listening to their music - they are very talented musicians, for which I have a great appreciation. I can listen to almost anything when I recognize talent. The 2nd act...oh my, if any of you out there have not seen Elvis impersonator Corny Rempel - he is hilarious!!! Besides doing a great job impersonating 'the King', my goodness was he funny!!! At one point he walked into the audience and it didn't take long to realize he was heading towards us (Liane was in the aisle seat :)...and sure enough - he stopped right by Liane and started wooing her. I was laughing so hard and all the while trying to get the camera phone to work. Well, I couldn't figure it out on time and he moved on - would have been fun to capture Liane's look of "please don't stop here...no, not...oy vay!!" We laughed for most of our walk home and I still giggled later as I was drifting off to sleep. Sorry you missed out Les! For those who were there, you'll know why I'm thinking of enrolling in Spanish classes, hehe :)

SATURDAY - Shingling Day
Les was up bright & early banging on the roof, so I got a good start on lunch for the guys. Stacey brought over a yummy rhubarb cake for coffee break. Dustin had some fine tunes blasting from his car stereo, and I got to play with Rowan in between preparing food (which the girls helped with...thanks so much). Thanks big time to Glen, Warren, Bruce, Keith, Mike and Dustin for their hard work. Here are a few photos of the fun.After shingling Les and I went to participate in the Palliative Care Sunset Hike. Les volunteered to BBQ for all the walkers and afterwards we 'hiked' through the Parkland area. We were given a bag and a candle as we registered, to create a luminary to light and carry as we walked (they actually had a craft table set up with markers, paper, glue, etc). I hadn't expected that... but as I sat down to create this 'memory' luminary I was overcome reflecting on what Mom T. meant and I just sat there for a long time thinking of her. I do hope this event catches on in the years to come as I think it was very special. Anyways, here's my luminary...was the best I could do without forethought.

SUNDAY - Mother's Day - Happy...and Sad!
After Church Les and Dustin made lunch - Les wanted to go out but I just wanted to be at home. For some reason I was feeling kinda down (don't know why but Mother's Day often makes me reflect on how I wish I had done some things different) and so when Les went for a little nap I went to visit my mom, whom I'm so thankful to still have around. I couldn't help but think, sadly, of how busy my life is and how little time I spend with my mom, and how I wish my mother-in-law were still here. I know we can't turn back the clock, but some days I long for just that one wish. Anyway, I was glad to find Mom sitting alone on her porch swing reading a book, which she loves to do :) We had a nice long visit, just she and I, which was very special. I pray God will give me more times like these.
I headed home about 5:20 where a wonderful supper was waiting for me...this was my special gift from my girls. They schemed to make me supper since I told them they weren't supposed to buy me anything...they didn't really listen, did they!? Well, it was soooo delicious - enchiladas, herbed rice, nachos & salsa, yummy salad and something chocolate for dessert - does it get any better? Oh yes...it does...the guys did all the clean-up :) I AM SOOO BLESSED!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! :)

Sara

All the Goings On

Lots been happening, other than renos :) Don't worry, we'll get to that soon.

It's kinda nice to have a big empty room for Rowan to play - for now.

Heather has been over a lot lately trying to get her diapers done. She's pretty good on the old pedal too! I wouldn't have thought she would be the one to enjoy sewing so much. Wish I had a picture of the rag quilts she's made - amazing! Those are some fancy diapers Heath!


It was nice to have Keith's family out for the weekend. They all came over on Saturday for Keith's birthday. Enjoyed a BBQ even though it was raining outside. Happy 24th Keith!!!


Rowan and his little buddy Ashton arriving for Uncle Keith's birthday.


He loves his auntie & uncle "Booce" (among others)


Warren and Liane came for supper on Friday (another rainy day)....we were highly entertained by Dad showing Liane how he makes paper airplanes (that fly :). She started it!

Look at the detail on Liane's wings.


And now for the test flight...I won't say who won :)

Some Things Can Wait...

What's up with the renos? We're at a bit of a standstill waiting on a few things....but that's ok...there are more important things, for sure!!

Had a bit of a rough day at work the other day, but if there's one way to cheer me up, it's seeing one special little boy's smiley face. He always runs to greet me when they come to visit, and I get the most wonderful hug (second to nothing!!). Thursday night is Rowan's and my "date night" since Mom and Daddy are busy with the Youth. This week we played some soccer and had fun on the trampoline (don't worry - only gentle 'nana' bounces). Rowan thought it was a little strange that my hair was standing on end from the static and he tried to smooth it down. Afterwards we went for a walk and found a playground on the way home that we couldn't wait to try out...cheating bedtime a little :) Mom and Daddy found us still reading when they came home! Oh well, I'm sure he slept like an angel as usual.

Thanks for the fun evening Rowan!!!

GOT A SUGGESTION??

Ok...I'm a little frustrated right now not knowing exactly which direction we should go with these renovations. We have a few options for bathrooms, etc., but nothing is quite hitting the mark yet. Anyone know of someone local who likes figuring out renovation floor plans?

What oh what are we doing!!???

So, the day has finally come. The walls are coming down. Literally. I mean the old walls in the room that is to become our new bathroom. How exciting!! The plans are being set into motion. OH HELP!! What have we gotten ourselves into!! Here's the first pictures of our momentous occasion. Enjoy.

I left my heart in Texas....

...well, not actually, although we did enjoy the warm weather and a great Conference in Dallas. Certainly a highlight was being able to spend some much anticipated time with our old friends, Ron & Gail.
The drive there was quite intense with the highways being covered with ice clear through to Nebraska. Our first day was 14 crazy long 'white-knuckled' hours and I have to say I don't know when I've been so stressed for so long, nor so happy to get out of the vehicle. There were hundreds of cars, truck & transports in the ditch up to that point. We stayed put in Nebraska for a couple of days at friends of Mike & Renee's - Charlie & Alvena Adams - they were wonderful hosts. We left Nebraska in the wee morning hours on Monday in order to get to Dallas on time for the first session....thankfully the roads were good from this point.
As far as the Conference, my favorite speakers were Bob Wilkin, James Bond (yes, really!) and Tony Evans. You can check out the Grace website at www.faithalone.org, click on Annual Conference and you may even find me/us in the pictures during Charlie Bing's session. It was standing room only when he spoke. There were so many good speakers during the afternoon workshops, but you had to pick and choose between several going on at once, which meant you were missing other good speakers! The important thing is that the message of Free Grace came through loud & clear.
The hotel was gorgeous and after sleeping in a king-size bed for a few days I was ready to knock out walls to make room for one of those in our bedroom!!! The elevator was glass on one side and the entire hotel had an open concept, with the rooms all overlooking the main floor lobby, balcony-style, no long closed-in hallways. We could talk (more like yell) to Mike & Renee across the courtyard from our room even though we were on different floors.
It was also great to re-connect with our friends Ron & Gail. They live in Dallas and we managed to spend some time together. Gail was even able to join us for a couple of sessions. Thanks guys for taking time for us!
Anyway, I'll let you enjoy a few pictures now. It's is good to be home, but sure would have liked to bring those 20's (C) temps home with us. I guess our turn is coming, right!?
Oh, did I mention I really don't care to drive in Texas anytime soon - the drivers are crazy!! (Sorry Ron, you actually drove pretty nice and thank you so much for the tour) :) The George W. Bush turnpike had Renee closing her eyes TIGHT, and although I was a little freaked too, I tried to capture it with my camera.

Sara

Ok...looks like blogger doesn't want me posting pictures right now, so we'll try that again tomorrow.

So what's on your mind?

A few things on mine this week....

~ it's finally Friday ~ I'm wearin' jeans!!
~ I've been working full-time lately - thankful I don't have to do this all the time, but happy I can help out a friend in need right now.
~ crazy weather - if you don't have to be on the roads....DON'T....I'm glad I don't have to, yet!
~ a young "old friend" died this week - no warnings! How does one cope when a loved one just slips away? I'm so thankful she loved the Lord.
~ we're supposed to leave for Texas early tomorrow morning - the weather's been bad on much of the route we need to take. I don't do great on long drives and this brings a little added stress. Are there some extra prayers out there?
~ I'm trying desparately to get used to my new glasses....who called this "progressive" anyway!!???
~ two people died on the slippery highway yesterday....how sad...wondering~ pray for loved ones left behind.
~ how do people cope when someone they love doesn't recognize them anymore?
~ I'm thankful my family is home safe - in more ways than one :)
~ understanding God's grace is a new experience every day!! We are loved unconditionally...loved eternally...loved individually.. WOW...does that really reach to my core?!
~ am I committed to finding out what makes God smile and then doing it...even if it doesn't feel comfortable for me...even if things don't turn out as I'd hoped?

Ok...it's your turn!
Sara

Good Stuff...

Ok so, hope you didn't have to be out on the highways this weekend - they weren't very friendly. The freezing rain and then snow was a bit much for some motorists who found themselves attracted to the ditches. I have to say though, it sure feels good to be out of our deep freeze! Couldn't keep from going for a walk today in the fresh snow - quite refreshing after being cooped up for so long - made for a pretty good workout too :) "Bring back the springtime!"
The kids came over and we made a pizza feast for supper....good stuff indeed!! Afterwards we all
went over to K&S's to watch "Flyboys", a war movie based on a true story. It was a good movie, but couldn't help but feel thankful for all the freedoms we have today - some don't share that luxury.

Sara

This is as close as I get...

So, did a little "Hawaian"-themed Pampered Chef party for a friend the other night. I brought a bunch of leis so each lady could 'imagine' being somewhere in the tropics - 'cause that's as close as some of us will ever get :) We drank mock pina colada's and I made Aloha pizza with fresh pineapple salsa - delicious!! Purchased some hawaian music from itunes to add to the atmosphere of the evening and thought all was set until the songs wouldn't download properly...arghh! Gotta get #1 son over here to figure out what went wrong so I can try this again.
Anyway, for anyone reading this, if you need/want stoneware - it's 20% off this month....60% off if you're a host....give me a call!
Sara

Our Little Sunshine

Seems we haven't seen as much of Rowan lately (because we've been busy) and can't believe how fast he's changing. He used to get upset if I tried to take his picture because he wanted to be the one holding the camera. The other day I asked if I could take his picture and he popped his head up high and smiled for me. Had to be quick though! :) He was also full of stories to tell, if only I could understand - he looked at me so seriously and just kept talking. When I asked him about it he smiled, nodded and said, "ahuh". His favorite words lately...button, book, door, kick (loves to kick a ball around), Joe & Bob (from Veggie Tales), Mom and Dad and many we're not sure about :)

After Stacey changed his diaper he quickly crawled away wanting to snuggle up in the guest bed. I asked if he wanted to have his nap at Grandma's and he said, "uhuh". Now if only mommy had brought along his little napping buddy!

Got to babysit Thursday evening while his mommy and daddy worked with the Youth. We had such a blast doing all the fun things he likes to do, and then more excitement when we had to pick up Uncle Dustin from work. He absolutely adores his uncles and aunties.
At bedtime he's got a little routine that, if you forget a step, he'll remind you - get into pj's, turn on his night light, his little fan and his music. Then we sit in the rocking chair for a story and a little singing. After that you pray with him and he gives a long hug before lying down to sleep. He must have felt I didn't pray enough or forgot someone/something because he lifted his hand for me to pray again. I melted!! Could he be any sweeter? I just wanted to pick him up and hold him....well, I got my chance! After a few minutes he called me back but I didn't know what I had forgotten. So, we re-did the routine and I laid him in his bed again and all was well. It was only after about 10 minutes of him being asleep that I realized what I had forgotten - his cup of milk!! I felt sooo bad, even moreso that he was gracious and let me off the hook.

For Old Times Sake

So we finally managed to find a date that worked for us to visit with our dear friends, Sam & Melody. They invited us over a few Sundays back (ok...I'm know I'm a little behind, but life has been busy) , along with our 'entire crew'. We spent some time at the aquatic centre and then went back to their place for some good eatin' and 'catch-up'. Sam & Melody had never met our kids' spouses, nor Rowan, so that was very special! Sariel and Rowan hit it off right off the hop and she really laid on the charm by letting him play with her cell phone.

Then, this past Sunday they were giving a presentation in our morning service, so we were able to enjoy their company once more. Again our kids joined us for lunch so the house was full, but we still managed to get in some good conversation and reminiscing. In the evening we all headed over to our church for an International Dinner where we enjoyed some fabulous food from different countries (China, Russia, Germany, Greece, Mexico/El Salvador - did I miss any?) - yummmm! You can check out more pictures on Warren's blog http://warrenandliane.blogspot.com/





So, it was great to re-connect with friends and laugh over old times, but I can't help but feel a touch of sadness as I realize it may be some time before we'll be able to get together again. Their plan is to go back to the Philippines for another year and then hopefully moving toThailand where they will begin a new ministry. Maybe we'll have to plan a trip or something.

Apparently Red Makes People Hungry!

Alright, so it's been a little crazy at our house lately - challenging to navigate in the kit/dining area since the piano, fridge, table and microwave stand are all huddled in the middle of the room - but all is well. We only got the first coat on so far, but the kids like it. Rowan seemed to enjoy the fact that the walls were 'coloured'. Hopefully next week everything will be back in place.

I've been busy painting at the Coop as well - I know bad timing, but that's just how it worked out.

So...if this makes you think of food... give us a call - we'd be glad to come on by :)

Sara

How many people read this trivia

Watching paint dry is considered to be one of the most boring things possible but people get pretty excited about paint colours. There must be more interesting things.

This renovating thing has gone a little over board too. Our house seems to be in a shambles because of it and now at work we are experiencing the same thing. We plan to move the Co-op offices to a new location in the same building. Right now our office looks like we have been bombed. All the interior doors and windows have been removed and it looks pretty bad. Because the door into the grocery store has been removed we also get a cold breeze from the dairy cooler.

Enough complaining I have to go and study. I'm teaching a Bible class tomorrow on I Chronicles. I have been teaching Old Testament Survey since September. I lost a student just before Christmas when Beth went to Austria.

Rowan came over for supper while Keith took Stacey out for supper. We had a great time and Rowan discovered that he really likes raisins.

That's all for now

Les

Here's the latest

I have been checking this Blog and there are never any new posts! Someone told me we have to do that ourselves, so we will try this thing.

We have had a real cold blustery day and riding my bike into the north wind was a bit extreme. Dustin thinks his ride to the high school was colder. Mike (our pastor) is in Haiti this week and I hope he enjoys the relief from winter.

I have men's prayer time in an hour and then at 9 we have an entire staff meeting at the Heartland Inn. I have to give a 5-10 minute speech and it is supposed be very uplifting. It was not really called a staff meeting but a 'Rah Rah' meeting! Can you imagine an accountant trying to be motivational? Any way it should be easier than preaching on Sunday.

Let the renovations begin!! That's right...finally. So far we have painted the living room and changed the carpet (I know, kinda backwards when you think that we'll be doing some removing of walls and plastering, etc., but the old LR carpet was sooo worn it had to go first). We scraped the stipple off the ceiling in the kitchen/dining room/hallways. (That was an ugly discouraging job!!) Then there was lots of plastering to be done before any painting could happen. Undercoating is now done and it's time to pick colors. Sara wants to paint the kitchen sundried tomato - sounds interesting - what do you think? We'll try to post some pictures as we go along.

I hope this shows up where it is supposed to.

John (Les)

The First Post....

So, the kids decided we needed to have a blog, even if only to post pictures; so here it is. Now, since we haven't learned how to navigate this thing 100%, they also got us started with this post. Hopefully we'll be able to keep it up.

Our growing family consists of Dad, Mom, Warren (& Liane), Stacey (& Keith), Ashleigh, Heather (& Bruce), Dustin, and Rowan (Keith & Stacey's son, the first grandchild). Here's a little preview:

Grandpa & Rowan

Grandma & Rowan

Warren & Liane

Keith & Stacey

Mom, Dad, & Ashleigh - it was a VERY windy day in SK!

Bruce & Heather

Dustin (the pro drummer)

Rowan & Monkey - his very special buddy.

Rowan just loved the snow.