Our Little Gong Show

January

2012-01-29T18:44:00.012-07:00

It is hard to believe we are almost into February already. I don't know if it is because I am old that time seems to just fly by these days or if it is a problem that everyone is facing, regardless I will try and remember all our goings on so far this year.

First of all I am happy to report that Anna and I are still fish owners! Unfortunately our Silver Molly "Ghost", became, well.....a ghost a few weeks ago. She was definitely the more energetic one out of the two, and if I was a gambling woman, I would have put my money on her. However our Rainbow fish "Finn" is doing really well and will hopefully have some more tank mates within the next couple of weeks.

Reality set in earlier on in the month with the resumption of school and work. Gosh it was a chore to go back! We could have easily remained on holidays for at least another month. But now that we are back in the swing of things, it isn't so bad.

Orrin is currently working on his "100 Day" project for school. I fear the little guy bit off a little more than he can chew for this one, but once completed, the final product promises to be spectacular!

Along with Jake's other "jobs" at school he has now been promoted to "Bake Shop Friday" delivery boy. Our shop makes lunches for the elementary school kids on Fridays. The kids get a choice of either a soup, bun and cookie or a bunwich and cookie. We usually get between 40-60 orders and once we take them up to the school, it is Jake's job to deliver them to the classrooms. The drama continues as far as finding a suitable place for him for grade 7. I found an excellent program in a nearby school, but because it is in another school division, they wont take him. So for now, it looks like we will have to make the best out of a kind of crappy situation, hopefully things can improve at the local school.

Anna started curling this year. For all you hoards of Aussies that read my blog, here is the Wikipedia explanation right here.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling . She is just learning, but really likes it.

Jesse started up a floor hockey team for the Fire Department. Again the wikipedia definition is here....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_hockey. It started up as the Firefighters Vs RCMP, but now it is really anyone that wants to join in. The guys and gals take it very seriously and there is often a few scrimmages before the night is over. The kids and I went to a game last week. It was a lot of fun to watch. One of the guys gave Orrin his stick so he could get in on the action. He is a little Mighty Mouse and got in there like a pig in mud. After a few minutes Jesse wanted him out in fear of his life, and he was pretty disappointed but has hardly stopped talking about it since.

Before I bought the shop, Friday nights were pizza nights at home. We would come up with different kinds of pizza and we would make them together. Well this month I took the very rare opportunity of actually wanting to cook something at home so we had Pizza Night again. The kids did everything and our garlic sausage pizza's were delicious!

Bonnie and I took the kids to West Edmonton Mall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Edmonton_Mall for some shopping. The Guns and Hoses Ball (for emergency service workers in Brazeau County) is next month and I was on the hunt for a new outfit. Bonnie and the kids were really troopers! Alas I came home empty handed.

My peeps and I try to have a girls night once a month. This month we were able to go to a local bar to watch Ray play in his band Blackwater Crude. Other than the nasty snowstorm that same night, we still had a blast! I asked Ray earlier that day if they could play "TNT" by ACDC. The do an awesome job of it and I got it on my camera. The sound is atrocious (I was apparently way to close to the speakers, but you get the jist).

And finally we celebrated Australia by making Cheesymite scrolls at the shop. Canadians really don't appreciate fine cuisine when the see it, so all the more for Emily and I!

And as promised the photos of my new kitchen, car and humble little shop....

Winters Here :(

2012-01-16T16:41:00.002-07:00

Well, we all knew it had to come eventually, and boy did it come! All year and even December was so pleasant. Christmas Day was +10 and there really hasn't been much snow or cold weather to excite anyone(now by cold I mean COLD, like for a Canadian!) But Saturday old man winter arrived with a vengeance! It snowed all day and I mean it started in the morning and was still snowing at 4am Sunday (I know this cause I was out in it!) The temperature plummeted and here we are Monday at -26, colder of course with the windchill. But today will seem quite balmy in comparison to the -37 that we will all be enjoying for the remainder of the week (actually, if you ask me, it all kind of feels the same after -25).

A New Year and a Resolution - 2012

2012-01-02T17:20:00.003-07:00

So as a rule I don't make new year resolutions because, quite frankly, I don't keep them! However record keeping for our family is something that I actually love to do, but I just haven't been motivated enough to do. This year I decided that I am going to try really hard to blog on a regular basis, and if no-one reads it, I'm ok with that, at least our family has a journal of sorts.

Ok so here I go...A big reason why I haven't blogged in a while is because I am exhausted! Eighteen months ago a friend and I took over a busy little soup and sandwich place in our little Village of Breton. As everyone knows who has had their own business, that you are married to said business and barely have enough time to pick your own nose! (sorry for that visual image...phew it's a good thing no-one reads this!) As busy as our little shop was before we bought it, we have almost doubled it's business, so yeah, I'm proud, but mostly just tired.

My boy Jakey (who is snuggled up right on me as I type) is 11. Oh my 11! He is halfway through grade 6. December at school he received citizen of the month and as if that isn't enough of an honor, he also gets his photo up on the wall of the office for an entire month! Apparently he was beside himself excited and even received a standing ovation at the school assembly.

My girl Anna Banana is 10 and in grade 5. Anna likes me a bit less than Jake so at this moment is playing Donkey Kong Country on the Wii. She still likes school, although the novelty has worn a little thinner over the years, and is very liked by the students and teachers alike. Anna and I are becoming aquarists together and enjoying the steep learning curve that is fish-keeping.

And then there is my Peanut (AKA Orrin). My baby is 6 going on 55. He knows more than everyone about everything and is the strongest and fastest 6 year old going on old man you would have ever had the pleasure of meeting! He is in grade 1 and although claims to hate school, I think that deep down he hates it less than he likes to let on. While he does claim to hate everything that has to do with school, he does enjoy snowboarding, ice skating, playing on the wii and running up and down the kitchen, jumping over the couch and thereby creating holes in his jeans.

The love of my life is as sweet and kind as ever, and also very busy. He not only works full-time as a operator and or foreman, he also has his own excavator and is a volunteer fire fighter for Station 2. In his ahem 'spare' time, he loves to spend it with his family and pretty well every Sunday we all get a hearty brunch made by him and his cooking side-kick, Orrin.

The Blue Bullet (AKA 2000 Dodge Caravan) was placed into retirement by a 2012 Cherry Black Kia Sorrento. Car buying was quite honestly one of the most stressful episodes in my life and if I never had to do it again, I would be OK with that.

We finished our kitchen reno's (well mostly). We still have fiddle little things to do, but it is functional and beautiful and that is all I care about!

My darling Mum came to visit (well lets call it what it was : work) for 3 months this past summer. It was only supposed to be for 2 months but because we stayed so busy at the shop she extended her stay. Holly came with her, but didn't stay quite as long. Then my Dad came out for a few weeks also. It was lovely having the family out and the kiddos also had a blast.

The biggest news so far (actually, who am I kidding, it doesn't get much bigger than this) is da datda....our upcoming trip to Australia!!!!! Yay I am so excited I can hardly contain it. Still in the process of getting cheapest flights etc but it is going to happen! Late February or early March looks like, so fingers crossed no amazing deals slip through our fingers.

My resolution actually comes in two parts, the latter being photo taking. I have also been just awful with that as well. So with an updated blog will come updated pictures....

Camp Health Hope & Happiness

2009-07-27T21:27:00.007-06:00

Last year for the first time ever Jake went to camp for a week. By accident one day I stumbled across the Camp HE HO HA website (here if your interested www.camphehoha.com, Jakey is actually on the website now!) and found out that it is a camp just for kids with disabilities. They have two seperate camps, one for kids with physical challenges and the other for mental. Luckily I got in soon enough and he was able to go! Krista went with him as we were nervous about having him by himself for a week and they both had a blast!

This year he went again, only he flew solo this time. Krista loved it last year but felt he would benefit and do well without her so on the 12th of July we took the drive to Seba Beach, Alberta to drop him off. We really couldn't have picked a worse time to go to camp as it was pouring with rain, but as soon as we arrived there were kids and their counsellors running all over the place and jumping in the puddles!

Needless to say jake was NOT impressed when he figured out what was going on, but I met two of the young ladies that would be involved in his care and felt confident that as soon as I walked out his cabin door, he would be having as much fun as the rest of the kids.

After 6 very peacefull days for us and 6 fun-filled action packed days for him we were anxious to see Mr Jakey again. He was so excited to see us but we could tell he had a great time. The theme for the week was Super Heroes and we even saw Superman in the flesh wandering around. Apparently Jake was quite the hit with the lady folk as we discovered on our way to the car and managed to melt a few hearts with his killer smile and sparkly eyes.

What I said in my earlier post re the Ronald Mcdonald House rings true for Camp HeHoHa. It is a fantastic place with a sweet spirit that is evident as soon as you enter the grounds. The people that take care of the kids are amazing and I am just in awe of how they choose to spend their summers. It really does give me reason to hope that this world isn't as mean and nasty as it sometimes seems.

Because it is such a specialised camp it is expensive, but most of it is subsidised by generous businesses and groups so that at the end of the day families like ours that already have alot of extraordinary costs related to having a child with a disability are able to have a break for a week for a relatively small fee. And this I am so grateful for!

Canada Day - Warburg & Breton July 2009

2009-07-27T19:35:00.006-06:00

So this year we got to celebrate Canada Day twice! It is a lucky thing it is Anna's favourite holiday!

The weekend before Canada Day we attended the Warburg parade and celebrations. We only caught the tail end of their parade, but for what we saw it looked good. After we went to their gathering area where they had some vendors and games for the kids. Anna and Orrin got to see a clown for the first time and he did some tricks with them. They went on the bouncing castle and played at the playground. Jesse had to get some things done at home so he and Orrin left for a bit while Anna and I went with Bonnie and Taylor to watch his baseball game.

After the game we met back up with Jesse and Orrin and went to watch the 4th annual Demonlition Derby. It was a lot of fun and in my opinion a lot more entertaining than the Mud Boggs. My only complaint was a sore butt from sitting on the ground for so long! I will definately plan to go to the one next year.

And on Canada Day we had it in Breton. I don't have any photos of the parade this year cause I was in the parade, so I will post some of last years as it was pretty much the same! I have to say it is a very different experience being in the parade and a lot of fun waving to all the kids and throwing them candy. It is a huge parade for our little town and people come from all over Alberta for it!

After the parade we went to the dunk tank for a bit where Anna tried to dunk the High School Principal and missed only by a hair! We looked at the vehicles at the Show 'n' Shine and went to play area for the kids to play some games.

Tribute to the Blue Blankie

2009-07-27T15:50:00.003-06:00

I was one of those Mum's that as soon as my kids were out (as in born) I was counting down the days to when they would be going to school. I have never really been a baby person, I don't know if that is because there was such a big gap between myself and younger sisters that the whole 'baby thing' lost it's appeal at a young age or what, but I just prefer older kids.

Well this was all before I had Orrin. I don't know what it is with him but I loved being pregnant with him and anyone that was around when I was pregnant with him knows it was no picnic. I loved the baby stage with him so much so that I created a total monster that wouldn't sleep unless I was holding him. I may be over analyzying myself here but I do have a theory. When Jakey was a baby he was in hospital alot. When Anna was a baby Jakey was still in hospital alot so I guess I missed out on your regular baby things with the older two and combined with knowing that Orrin was going to be my last I guess I just wanted to just have a baby that everything was normal. I absoloutely love being at home with him and dreading the day that I have to send him off to school.

Orrin has had a security blanket since he was a baby. When he first started to talk he called it "Kie" and now it is called "Blue Blankie". He mostly just sleeps with it these days but he always drags it around with him when he first gets up in the morning and when he is tired during the day.

Tonight before bed I was reading him a story on the couch. His 'Blue Blankie' was right by us and after the story I asked him to go hop into bed and I will come and tuck him in. As he was going to bed I noticed Blue Blankie was still on the couch so I called out "Ooops you forgot this!" to which he replied very matter-of-factly "I don't need it, I can just sleep with my Wiggles blanket" (he has a Wiggles duvet) I just stared at him and said "You don't want Blue Blankie anymore?" "No I'm just big now". I must admit I felt tinge of what I am dreading when I send him to school for the first time. I went to tuck him in and I asked him why he doesn't want his Blue Blankie anymore. He told me this "well today my Dad said that when I'm bigger I can use my chainsaw and cut wood with him". Well that was it for me and I just started bawling in front of the poor kid. My baby is feeling ready to move on so I should be too!

Here are some photos of Orrin and his Blue Blankie from over the years....

UPDATE: I checked on Orrin and he has his blankie in bed with him...not quite ready I guess...PHEW!

Ronald McDonald House 16th-18th June 2009

2009-07-27T15:14:00.004-06:00

In June, Jake and I got to spend some one-on-one time together. For any dental work that he needs to have done he has to have a general anaethetic. He needed a filling and some cleaning to be done. His mouth has always been a pretty sensitive area and so I am actually surprised we have gone 8 years without any problems.

His surgery was booked for the 17th June at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and because we would need to stay in the city for 2 nights we got to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton.

We went in for his pre-op appointment on the 16th and because the weather was sooo nice and the house was only a mile or so from the hospital we were just able to walk. I have never spent any time on Whyte Ave, but heard a lot about it so it was nice to feel like a city slicker once again.

The house was just beautiful! Jesse and I had stayed at RMH in Australia when Jake was a baby but that one was much smaller and not near as fancy as this one. It only cost us $12 per night and it truly is a home away from home.

The house’s main floor had 2 play areas plus 3 kitchens and a dinning room. There was also a library and a T.V/quiet room. There were 2 upper floors that had bedrooms and a laundry plus some more T.V rooms. There is enough space in the house to accommodate 30 families. In the basement there is a sort of teenage area with a fuse ball table etc. They have a few paid staff, but most of the people there are volunteers. Once a week some Hutterite women come in to bake for the families.

For the past 8 years I must admit for probably seven and a half of them I have wished that Jake was just a regular little boy that could speak and act appropriately in public, use the bathroom, not have to be on medication and cart some clunky communication device around and certainly not have to be admitted for surgery for a simple filling! But if he was just a regular boy we never would have had the amazing experiences that we have and having the privilege to feel the sweet spirit at Ronald McDonald House was one of those times.

Orrin's 4th Birthday - June 28th 2009

2009-07-27T13:54:00.008-06:00

My youngest little man turned 4 on the 28th of this month. He was really excited about his birthday this year so I was looking forward to it too.

I really like making cakes for the kids' birthday so his request was an icecream cake with bananas, strawberries and chocolate. About a week before his birthday he changed his mind to a soccer ball cake. Well my plan was already in place for an icecream cake (and besides I had never made one before so I was really excited about it) so I figured he will have to wait till next year!

When he goes to gym and his friend Kurtis' house all he does is place on the scooter so we got him one of those. Emily and Ray got him a helmet for it and we also gave him a tent and a soccer ball. We had Ray. Emily, Adam and Taylor over for his special supper and cake (which because of the round bumps on the top he thought was an icecream-soccer-cake!)

Waiting for Halloween...

2009-07-14T15:03:00.004-06:00

As you all know it is July, but just out of the blue last night while I was reading Orrin a Spiderman comic book...(hmm, maybe not so out of the blue) he asked me what he could be for Halloween this year. I asked him what he wanted to be and he said a Transformer. I replied with "Adam is going to be that this year so maybe you should be something else". He wanted to be a scary thing, but as he was thinking I remembered that one of Anna's old costumes would possibly fit him. I told him Anna has a dragon costume that he could wear if he wanted. As he was already in bed I said he could try it on in the morning. He said "When's Halloween Mama?" I said that when the leaves that are green on the trees turn orange and start falling off.

First thing Orrin did in this morning was ask me if it was Halloween now. I said "no, the leaves on the trees are still green". Apparently he didn't believe me so he went to check. About every 20 minutes throughout the day he has asked me "Is it Halloween now?" And keeps checking out the window to make sure I have my head screwed on straight!

I dug out the dragon costume this morning and he has been wearing it all day in anticipation of Halloween somehow arriving 3 months early! He eats in it, sleeps in it, drinks in it, goes to the bathroom in it and even rode his bike in it. I just hope I can get it off of him long enough to wash it!

Anna's Golf

2009-07-14T07:40:00.004-06:00

Anna did the Future Links Junior Golf Program again this year. It runs for 6 weeks begining end of May. A golf pro and another experienced local golfer go through everything with them from etiquette to where to put your hands on the clubs. Last year she was the only girl and one of the 5 kids out of over 20 to pass level 1. This year the program has changed to a new system, and we haven't heard yet what level she went onto.

So wednesday from 4:30-6pm was golf night at the Village of Breton golf course. Luckily the weather co-operated for the most part. If it was raining though, they continued their work as the program has to be finished before shool is done. One week Anna got a prize for having the best swing. She picked out a Tinkerbell skipping rope.

On the last day the kids were put into groups of 4 and did 9 holes. Afterwards they had hot-dogs, icecream and prizes.

Last week Juniour golf started and Anna has signed up for that. It is operated by the pro at the golf course. Last week he helped the kids with their putting and then took them out to do some holes. Despite the rainy, miserable weather they had a good time!

Because of how well she is doing at golf we got a membership this year for her. I usually take her out when Jake is with Krista and Orrin and I tag along. As long as the weather is nice we quite enjoy the walk. She does pretty good. She manages to lower her score each time. Her strength is in her short game. Even though she has a good swing , she is lacking the strength to go any more than 150-200ft. One of these days I may get myself a driver and putter and get her to teach me a thing or two!

In September there is a Junior Tournament that she will participate in to end the season. This winter (seeing as though one can't play in the snow) we are really going to try and keep up with her golf by going to an indoor driving range in the city

Teddy Bear Picnic & Show 'N' Shine 12th June 2009

2009-07-13T20:42:00.004-06:00

For our last 'Drop In' activity for the year by Brighter Futures, we had a Teddy Bear Picnic. Thankfully the weather was lovely so we even got to have it outside! Breton now has a Village Square that has all grass, plants, a nice path, gazebo and some picnic tables. It was the perfect spot for our picnic!

We started with our food and then some games. Sylvia had a parachute that the kids played with and sang some songs and read a a story. They also had ribbons and balls that they threw around. Sylvia also brought along some teddy bear treats like Bear Paws and gummy worms. We then walked to the rubber park to play on the equipment and afterwards Sylvia surprised us all with an icecream from Gramma's Kitchen!

After the picnic Anna, Orrin and I walked to the high school for the grad class of 2010 Show 'N' Shine. They had an excellent turn-out and even had hamburgers, hot dogs and giant slushies for sale. We were still stuffed from all our teddy bear food so the kids just had a slushie. The kids got to go in the towns brand new fire truck and our neighbour Jacky who is an RCMP was kind enough to pose in front of her car with the kids. All in all a very interesting and fun day!

Track Meet 11th June 2009

2009-07-13T20:08:00.005-06:00

This year Breton's elementary schools track meet was done without Winfield and so was held at the Breton high school. I had never been before and since it was just across the road we decided to make a day of it and have a pinic too.

The weather was beautiful for those of us spectating, but a little too warm for the kids that were competing. They were all put in colour teams and did each activity 'round robin' style with the same age-groups. Some of the activities were, high jump, short jump and sprint. The kids did really well and we all had a fun day!

Time With Grandma

2009-07-06T20:42:00.004-06:00

Grandma Blackmore came to see baby Taylor in June. She was able to stay for a week. She stayed with Ray and Emily but we were able to see her often. Jake has always been more of a 'Grandpa's Boy' in that he warmed up to him really fast but has always been a little more stand-offish with Grandma. Well this last visit was AWESOME! Jake just couldn't get enough of Grandma and here are the photos...

Our Veggie Patch - Saturday May 23

2009-06-14T22:15:00.004-06:00

While Pam was up she came over to work in our yard one saturday. It was a beautiful day and Jesse had organised for a local man to come over with his tractor to rottotill our garden plot. What should have taken us several hours to do, only took him 10 minutes. Now we could get planting, well Jesse, Pam and Anna could and I was on Jakey and Orrin duty.

Orrin had his friend Kurtis over, which ended badly with poor Kurtis getting sunscreen in his eyes so I took him home and once I had the boys under control I decided to take some pics of the days effort. They planted beets, potatoes, cabbage, onions, sunflowers, brussel sprouts and corn. Anna got to write on the sticks, hence the "beats".

Aunty Pam

2009-06-14T08:33:00.004-06:00

Along with the arrival of baby Taylor, also came Aunt Pam and Aunt Janette (Jesse's younger sisters). Janette was only able to stay for a few days, but Pam was here to look after Adam during and after the birth of Taylor. It was great to see them both and the kids were super excited. Pam got to be here for a month and we were able to spend lots of time together.

Ray had his birthday and Pam wanted to make him something special. She made a Raspberry White Chocolate baked cheesecake. Oh my was it ever delicious!!! She also put on a scrummy spread of ribs, salad and potatoes for the adults and hot dogs for the kids. Ray got a deepfryer and 'The Office' game...which we are still yet to play! Hey whats with that Emily? Actually I probbaly need to watch the episodes again before I play the game!

May (although it is June)

2009-06-13T17:30:00.005-06:00

It is terrible that June seems to be almost over and here I am hardly even blogged for May. My intentions are good, but boy do I have a lot of catching up to do!

We have been keeping busy during the day with home schooling and other activities in the community. On Monday's Orrin goes to Bonnies and Anna and I play golf (well at least thats the plan, so far it hasn't worked out like that!), Tuesdays is gym at the community centre and then soccer in the afternoon, Wednesday we are at home during school hours and then golf, Thursday is library and then soccer and Fridays we go to drop-in at Brighter Futures.

Phew!!!

2009-06-09T09:21:00.004-06:00

So May has finally come to an end! Kids Night Out went well, there didn't seem to be as many people as previous years, but I can safely say that is was a hit. Anna and I have decided to hang up our dancing shoes for this next coming dance year (at least) and expand our horizons.

I have joined the local fire department which will keep me busy one night a week with training at the fire hall plus all the calls I will be required to go out on. The majority of calls are car accidents as we live by a major highway. House fires are common in the winter. So far I have been enjoying it but it is all still very new. I have only been going to training for two weeks and am still to be fitted for my bunker gear. I did get to go in one of the trucks though to scope out a residential area that is somewhat of a fire hazard. It was pretty neat.

Anna started golf a couple of weeks ago for the 2nd year and has become something of a star around the Breton golf course. Apparently the break over winter hasn't slowed her down any and if she plays her cards right she may be nominated for a golf camp next spring that runs for the whole season at a golf course in central Alberta. One of her teachers has taken her under her wing and will help her develop as much as she can till the time when she needs to have lessons with a pro. Without dance being in the picture next year, we can make golf more of a focus. There are indoor places that she can go to in Edmonton when the courses are closed over winter.

May Long Weekend

2009-05-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

So this past weekend was May Long Weekend which is celebrating Victoria Day. Loosely translated it means 'the first weekend that people can go camping in 8+ months but it must snow and be cold and miserable'. Well this year May long did not dissapoint! Saturday was gorgeous, a lovely 20 something degrees and Sunday started off really nice but went own hill quickly. Monday morning we awoke to a whole bunch of snow. All I can say is I am sure glad we didn't go camping.!

Here are the pictures, the first was taken on Monday the 18th and the 2nd one was taken today, Wednesday the 20th.

Taylor Shane Blackmore

2009-05-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

On Thursday the 14th May my little nephew Taylor made his appearance into the world. He arrived weighing 7lbs 7oz and 21in long. It was a planned c-section and everything went well. As an interested by-stander I'm not sure what I think about the 'planned' birth. I was on tenderhooks all morning and afternoon not knowing but hoping everything was OK. They were originally booked in for 12:30 and once I hadn't heard anything by 2:30 my imagine began to get the better of me. As it turned out I got a phone call about 4:30 from Emily letting me know the news and that both Mum and baby were great!

The following day Myself, Anna, Orrin, Adam, Aunty Pam and Aunty Janette made the trek into the Royal Alec in Edmonton have a peak at the latest addition to the Blackmore/Thomas family. I took my fancy camera in with me and managed to capture these little gems!

Orrin is growing up!

2009-05-19T12:58:00.000-06:00

On May 13th my baby (Orrin who is actually almost 4) had his first 'play date'. One of Orrin's friends Mum offered to take Orrin to soccer on Thursday for me. Soccer ended up being cancelled so they both just played at Curtis's house. Before he went there I was explaining what was going to happen and that when he was there it was very important to remember his manners. Just to make sure he remembered his manners I asked him what they were and he answered with this little gem..."I don't say 'turd'..." Hmm well that's right Orrin!

Mothers Day & Other Delights

2009-05-19T09:42:00.000-06:00

May 10th was Mothers Day. I love to have a smoothie for my breakfast so Orrin (with the help of Dad) mad me a very yummy one. Later that day we went to Edmonton and had lunch at Red Robin (a really yummy burger place). It can be stressful going to public places with Jakey and restaurants are no exception. Usually we will avoid them like the plague and opt for simply doing the drive-thru eating experience instead. However we were both feeling brave and so decided to try our luck. Our gamble paid off and it was a very pleasant experience!

After lunch we went to get my Mothers Day present. So far my mothers day gifts have comprised of things that the kids make themselves and usually some flowers from Jesse. I love this and think that is what Mothers Day gifts should be. This year, however, I lost my camera. Because I use my camera CONSTANTLY I was quite distraught about not having one and felt as though my right arm had gotten lost with it! So this year I got a camera, so even though I got the camera on Mothers Day, it is also my birthday, christmas, next birthday (you get the idea) gift. I LOVE it (it's an Olympus SLR) and have been having a great time playing with it.!

The Dorothy the Dinosaur Show

2009-05-19T09:10:00.000-06:00

May 6th was The Dorothy the Dinosaur Show. To be honest I got tickets (for the 5 of us) for Orrin's benefit. He is a HUGE Wiggles fan and I thought that he would love it. So I sent Jake to school that morning (Anna is home schooling right now...more about that later) with the intent to pick him up at noon, go to Wetaskiwin where Jesse is working right now to pick him up and then into Edmonton for the 4pm show. Well I got into the car to get Jake and my battery was as dead as a door nail! So I called Jesse in a panic and he suggested I boost it (ME???) with our portable car battery charger. Well I was convinced I would blow all of us up, but he assured me everything would be just fine. Finally I got the car started and off we went. Despite our rocky begining we actually made it to the show with 10 minutes to spare. Our friends Jacky and Ryan Layton and their two girls Claire and Madeline were also going to the concert. The plan was to meet Dorothy before the show. She ( and The Wiggles) do meet and greets for kids with disabilities so Jacky and I had organised to be able to do this with someone from The Wiggles staff, but it all fell through. Oh well, we thought, we and the kids will still have a great time.

'Dodgy', would be the word I would use to describe The Dorothy the Dinosaur Show but Jake had an absolute blast and I am sure he would have been able to sit through another show back-to-back. It was very small. Captain Feathersword (well not the real one, but he did good), Don the Postman, Wags, Henry, 2 fairies and of course Dorothy were it for the cast, so as you can imagine it was pretty small-time (but so were the Wiggles when they first began). Orrin really could have slept through the whole thing for the enthusiasm he had for it. He just kept waiting for The Big Red Car and Murray to make their appearance so I suppose he is a true Wiggles fan and really doesn't care for any of their supporting cast! So even though my intent was for Orrin's benefit, the reaction of Jake was well worth the trip.After the show Jacky and Ryan invited us to their place for supper. It was a really fun night. It is nice to have friends to socialize with that also have a special needs child. Even though our kids problems are different, we have an unspoken understanding of each others situations.

All about Love & Hate

2009-05-18T20:46:00.000-06:00

I have discovered I have a love/hate relationship with May. I love it because the weather is finally warm, the flowers have started to bloom and the grass is turning green. I apreciate so many things about nature that when living in Australia I didn't really notice (or care for), for that matter. I absoloutely love May because I don't have to bundle the kids up before they step out the door and generally they don't even need gum-boots, they are actually able to wear shoes for the first time in 8 months!!

I hate May because it is such a crazy busy month. Anna and I are both in dance and April and May is when competitions begin. This year we had her first in Airdie on the 25th of April which is about a 3 hour drive south. Thankfully the schedule was such that even though she was in two dances there, they were both all over and done with in just a few hours. Their tap routine got a silver with 'Best Choreography' and their ballet recieved a high silver. As luck would have it Airdrie had a little 'post winter' storm that weekend so we decided to pack some pj's in case we got stuck, but we made it home just fine.

Because that festival was on our anniversary weekend we celebrated a week early. We organised for Jake to be in respite and Ray and Emily very kindly looked after Anna and Orrin. Because having the house to ourselves never happens and I mean NEVER, we decided to stay home. As you can imagine it was a very relaxing weekend.

The first weekend in May was the 2nd dance festival at Grant Mcewan in Edmonton. Because Anna's dances were spread out over 2 days we decided to make a weekend out of it. I had enough airmiles to book a hotel 5 minutes from the festival for 2 nights. We drove up on the Friday night as her first dance was at 9 Saturday morning. We had the rest of the day free so we watched some of the dances and then went shopping. Her Ballet was on Sunday afternoon so we were able to take it easy in the morning and then watch some dances during our free time. They recieved 2 silvers and a 'Most Promising' plaque for tap. It was lovely to be able to have a 'girls weekend'.

In the midst of all of this hun-bub Anna and Orrin started soccer. For some reason I felt I still didn't have enough to do so I put the kids in soccer. Anna has been wanting to do it for a few years, but I have always said no as it clashes with the last month of dance. At the end of May the kids do their final performance for all their friends and family that weren't able to make it to any of the festivals and for the younger kids that just take dance for recreational purposes. So instead of having practices at the studio we are required to go practice on the stage that is about 15 minutes from Breton. However Orrin was old enough to play soccer this year and he really wanted to do it and since I was taking him, I might aswell take her. Anna has dance on Monday's, Tuesday's and Thursday's, so of course soccer would be on Tuesday's and Thursdays! So far it has been a bit of a gong show, but they are both really enjoying it.

The weekend just gone (15th & 16th May) was at Sherwood Park the last Dance festival for our dance year. Anna had three dances and I had my Musical Theatre. She got a high silver for tap and 'most promising', high silver for Ballet and 'most promising' and Jazz they got a high silver. Our performance got a high gold.

A Rude Awakening

2009-04-15T21:14:00.000-06:00

Just when the kids had finally stopped tracking mud in, the grass was starting to be less brown and all but a couple of blobs of snow here and there... and.... I had put the snow gear away I wake up (on a school morning, mind you) to 15 feet of snow outside! OK well maybe not 15 ft...5cm though! And not just snow, it was doom and gloom. The highways had really poor visibility and lots of cars in the ditch. Jesse said that between Winfield and Wetaskiwin (aprox 45 min drive on nice roads) there were 7 cars in the ditch and phrases like "it looks like God puked cars all over highway 11A" were heard on the radio. So quite reluctantly I dig out the snow stuff and the poor rubber boots, spring coats and splash pants are put on hold till further notice. For better or worse it was still kinda warm outside so it was not even nice snow, it was like one big slurpee out there. Just when I think things ouldn't get any worse I get to work and they have 3 times as much snow (I'm actually suprised I made it through the un-graded roads in my little mini van). I am pleased to report that it is all up hill from here. Despite the sudden acumulation of a tonne of mud, tempratures are only expected to rise over the next few days!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T16:28:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was Easter Sunday and on Saturday it was Adam's birthday. Emily and I decided to do a combined Easter/Birthday celebration. We invited Levi, Jody and the kids. I made a ham and a strawberry spinach salad, Jody did some buns and a coleslaw and Emily made a punch and her and Ray did an Easter Egg hunt for the kiddos. Thankfully the weather was perfect and most of the mud gone so the kids were actually outside the whole time, except for when they were eating! There are 7 in kids in total so things tend to get a little rowdy when they are all inside.After we had enough room in our bellies for dessert we did the cake. I made a cake for Adam that was supposed to be a spiderman chocolate cake, but it ended up just being a chocolate cake! Nonetheless he and everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Following the spiderman theme we gave him a spiderman backpack, sock and undies.

April 2009

2009-04-11T22:12:00.000-06:00

Here I am, almost 1 whole year later finally updating our blog! For those of you that read my first and ...ahem...only entry will see that I not only have updated, but also changed the name and the layout.It has been a busy year. It seems the older the kids (and Jesse and I) get, the crazier life becomes.

It has been a long Winter and Spring has finally sprung! Last week was the first week back at school after Spring break and know the kids are off again for Easter. Call me crazy, but I am sure that when I went to school, I didn't have near as many days off!We started the break with a bang with 2nd semester report cards. Anna had a wonderful report consisting of straight A's!! The day she got her report she jumped in the car and scrambled for the much anticipated piece of paper and since I was driving (and was also impatient enough to not want to wait till we got home to read it) she offered to read it to me. She read out loud "I got one A, one B, one C and one N!" with which I replied "WHAT???" Wondering how on earth a child could go from an average of 2 A's and 2 B's per semester to a C and the very dreaded N. Thankfully we both figured out that she was simply reading the little card that explains each grade and that her actual report was quite a bit more pleasing. Of course I was as proud as punch of my Missy-Moo who when it is a snow day, still wants me to take her to school even though there won't be any other kids there so that she "doesn't get behind on her work".Jacob also had a very good report. His is a little different. Even though he is in a regular grade 3 class, he has his own program that concentrates on developing life skills, speech therapy and of late learning to use his new communication device. He has had an exceptional year and continues to keep learning and his speech has come a long way in the last 12 months. He has met a lot of his goals that were set at the begining of the year and has become much more independant. He delivers the milk everyday to all of the classrooms. This has been his job for the last 3 or so years and now he is now able to do it without any assistance.

Orrin began child care 3 days a week last fall. I started a part time job and so he goes to "his friends house". It is a day home in town that about 4 other kids also attend. He was deathly shy when he started, and it has done him a world of good! He is so much more social now, even to kids and adults that he has never met. He is talking very well these days. He speaks in full sentences and is easy to understand. He does tend to get his 'he's' and 'she's' and 'him's' and 'her's' a bit mixed up though. He told me the other day that "Ray is a her and Emily is a him" reffering of course to his Aunt and Uncle. He also refuses to call Anna anything other than "Nana". I secretly hope he never grows out of that.

Something that he has grown out of now is his nickname. Since he was just a couple of days old I have called him 'Peanut'. It was so commonly used that one day when Anna's Grandma asked her what Orrin's middle name was she told her it was "Peanut Orrin Blackmore". Well my 'Peanut' told me last week that "I'm not Peanut anymore Mom, I'm a big boy!". Needless to say old habits die hard and I'm thinking the poor kid is going to be Peanut till the day I die.

Last week I got Orrin some gum boots. As much as I am beyond excited that the snow has almost completely melted, as a result we get A LOT of mud. Last week we had a swamp in the corner of our yard, so gum boots are pretty much a necessity. I wasn't quite sure which size to get him so I had him try on this really cute green pair with little frogs all over them. He was rather happy with the boots till he spied a little red pair with lady-bugs on them. He said "Mom (he speaks Canadian) I want these ones" I say "Well Orrin you can't, those are the girls ones" with which he replies "But Mom (again the accent) red is my favourite colour!". Of course I can't argue with that so I say "Are you sure you don't want these cute frog ones?" "Yes I want the red ones". I figure he's just 3 going on 4 so what can it hurt to have a little girly pair of gum boots...right?. So I get the lady bug boots and he is SO happy that as soon he gets home he has to wear them all over the house. He keeps saying to me "Mom, I just love my boots so much!!" The next day he went to day care with his new fancy boots. When I picked him up that afternoon, Bonnie (his Day care provider AKA "My big friend"-Orrin) Says to me that when they went for a walk and to gym that day he told anyone that would care to listen, all about his boots. She did have to convince him however that he could walk in the puddles and mud now, that is what his boots are for. She told me the other kids were just a stompin' their way through the water and mud and there's my little Peanut avoiding them at all costs so that he doesn't get his much adored boots dirty! When we got home he said to me "Mom, I need to get the green frog boots" I thought well thats typical, the novelty has worn off already! (mind you I wouldn't get him the green boots now anyway, he can just suck it up as far as I'm concerned!). But before I had a chance to say anything he gave me his reasons..."My lady bug boots are all dirty and I don't like them dirty". Ahhh...this people is what water is for!

Jesse has been busy working with his brother Ray doing drywalling. And of an evening he will quite often keep slugging away on our house renovations. At the moment he is working on a fireplace re-vamp!He is also as thrilled as I am that winter is finally over and we are hoping to get our land cleared up so we can start on our little house we are going to build.

As I said before I am working part-time and I really enjoy it. After Christmas I got to go to Las Vegas with my two other co-workers and boss. It was an action packed weekend where we went to see 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'The Chippendales'. Both shows were awesome and I would see both again in a heartbeat!

Anna and I are doing dance again this year. She is doing Tap, Ballet and Jazz. Her first competition is in two weeks and then another 2 after that. I am just doing musical theatre and am only going to competition once. Orrin and Anna are also starting soccer for the first time as soon as it dries up enough. I have rocks in my head and signed them both up against my better judgement. April and May are insane times in our little dance world and of course soccer would be on the same night, but we'll see how it goes!