Yesterday night we had to vaccinate chickens--just over 10,000 of them. Being short catchers we told Eric he could come and help. I tell you, that kid was SUCH a trooper! He worked and worked and worked--he did not stop. He kept up with the rest of the guys for sure. Everyone was impressed with that boy's work ethic! So, at the end of the evening, he got a cheque for his hard work.
Today I took him to town to put the money in the bank. He's been saving money for awhile and had squirreled away all the money he earned doing his paper route while we lived in Spruce Grove. So he gets to the teller and she puts the money in his account and attempts a little conversation.
Teller: So, are you saving all your money for something?
Eric: Yup! I'm saving my money for a house.
Teller: Wh--Wh--What? Really, a house?
Eric: Yeah, houses are expensive. They're like 350,000 for a good one. So I have to save up for it.
And you know what...that boy is going to pull it off too. He's got an uncle who has LOADS of work for him on a chicken farm. Eric's got the motivation and the work ethic. I'm awfully proud of that boy.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Another Great I-max Experience
After lunch we dropped Courtney off at my in-laws and we took the other 4 to the space and science center. The plan was to go watch the newest I-max called "Rocky Mountain Express" but since we were there early we went to browse in the earth and environment section. Glad we did!
There was a fellow standing in a 'zone' that had a giant white ball hanging from the ceiling. He ushered us inside and wanted to show us a couple of things. We sat on the benches and as he played with a few buttons on his I-pad, the giant ball took on the appearance of the moon. He asked if anyone knew what it was. Of course the kids all said that it was the moon. Eric told him the moon was called Luna. The fellow showed us some neat things on the moon. He told us some neat facts about the 6 landings on the moon. We were told that the space and science center ACTUALLY had a piece of the moon in their building!
Then he changed the ball to look like a planet. He asked the kids which planet it was. Eric and Lindsay answered, "MARS!" Very good! The guy asked if they knew anything about Mars. Eric said that Mars had a lot of volcanoes. The guy then zeroed in on the largest volcano in our universe--which was indeed on Mars. He explained some landings on Mars by robots. The kids were pretty gripped. Next he showed the sun. Very cool! Eric especially was really into this exhibit. he knew most of the answers since space fascinates him so much. Unfortunately, we had to catch the I-max so we couldn't stay much longer, but we want to go see that exhibit again.
The I-max was SO good! It was about the building of the railroad through the Rocky Mountains in the late 1800;s and early 1900's. BC insisted that if they were going to be a part of Canada they expected the government to keep them connected to the rest of the country by rail. And so the task began. 40 men died in the surveying aspect of the work--travelling and mapping the line on horseback, boat and on foot. The winters were brutal.
The I-max showed the actual building of the railroad and all the difficulties the men encountered. These men only used primitive hand tools and black powder to get the job done. They had to build trestles, bridges, tunnels, rails and the like. On the really bad stretches, the men had days where they only got 5 feet done. It was averaged that for every mile of track laid in the Rocky mountains, 6 men died. There were Canadians, Japanese, Englishmen, Chinese, and Americans working on this line. Yes, they could've built the railway farther north, but the main reason for building the railway along the southern border of Canada was to keep the Americans from easily taking our land. So our blood, sweat and toil went into making this land the way it is.
This I-max made me proud to be a Canadian. My kids LOVED it. They were left with deep impressions. I highly recommend it. I must say...the best thing we did was buy that yearly family pass to the Science Center. The kids LOVE it there, and the pass has already long paid itself off.
After that, we went back to my in-laws. We went swimming with dad and the kids and then had supper with all of us. After supper I had a coffee (and that was a GOOD coffee--totally hit the spot!) and we chatted awhile before going home. Really, another great day.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Outside Time!
What a fantastic day today! So much got accomplished. We had loads of fun. The weather was absolutely terrific--hovering around 30 degrees all day. Here's some highlights.
Now to be fair, this picture was taken last night after church. The kids all wanted to eat their snacks out on the deck. So here are all 5, getting along WONDERFULLY, and just plain enjoying the amazing weather. Apparently this was the first weekend in the last 90 days that we did not see snow!
My dad showed up this morning much earlier than expected (6:30 am) to see how the chickens were doing. I made everyone some breakfast, we had a nice visit and soon thereafter he went home again. I like breakfast visitors :-)
By 8:30 we were ready to hit the books. The 2 oldest asked if they could work outside. That worked out well since the 3 youngest were playing out there as well and I could keep a good eye on all of them. The little ones were far enough away not to be a distraction, yet close enough to hear my voice if something wasn't quite going well.
Dan had some work to do with the tractor. This time he took Courtney with him. Tractor time with dad is greatly coveted!
As the day continued, the day got warmer. Dan had been filling up the pool and figured it would be ready by about Friday. Right now it is FREEZING cold. But of course, the boys wanted to show off their manliness and opted to jump into the frigid waters. Not to be outdone, Lindsay was determined to prove that girls could be 'tough' too and she jumped in right after them. The snapshot I got of them does not show the initial looks of shock and the desperate thrashing that occurred immediately upon contact. Nope, they definitely 'posed' for this shot.
By 3:00 I opted to shut the books. I wanted to get out to the garden and see how my strawberries had fared after the long, cold winter. I gently pulled the straw off of them to reveal the new growth. Almost every plant had made it! I was so thrilled!
Next I decided to take the girls to go see the Devonian Botanical gardens. Paul decided to come as well. What a beautiful place! They have a maze for the children and a large 'Rapunzel' lookout tower where you can oversee the entire 190 acres of themed gardens. We took the time to walk through the Japanese gardens, the butterfly house, and the greenhouses that housed many exotic plants. Just beautiful! Since I had bought a family pass for the year, it will be the perfect place for me to sit and read many evenings over the summer months.
Speaking of reading, I also picked up a package from the post office that contained 3 books that I've been wishing for:
--The Letters of Samuel Rutherford--yes, unabridged and complete with 742 pages. can't wait to eat that up!
--Faith on Trial by Martyn Lloyd Jones--an exposition on Psalm 73...my favorite psalm!
--The Valley of Vision--I haven't a CLUE why I haven't purchased this one earlier.
Anyways.......to go along with a great summer day, I figured we ought to have a real summer type of a supper. Chicken wings, garlic bread and coleslaw...with ice cream cones for dessert!
All day we noticed our poor husky dog, Lincoln, just panting up a storm. Being only 4 months old, he's never seen summer. You can just see him thinking, "Where did the snow go?" He is accustomed to sleeping in snow drifts. We have a dog house for him, but he prefers a nice snow bank. There is a bit of snow alongside the barn yet. We caught him meandering over there where he happily flopped down in his rapidly disappearing natural habitat.
So this evening I started reading the kids a new book. They are pretty hooked on the Chronicles of Narnia. We started the one entitled "Prince Caspian." Then off to bed. Finally, I sat on the deck by myself listening to frogs croaking, ducks quaking faintly in the distance, and Canada geese loudly squawking as they flew by. The sun was slowly going down and the clouds were an amazing swirl of pink, grey and white behind a darkening blue sky. I read until it was too dark to see the words in my book. It was a pretty sunset tonight.
How does one not offer thanks upon the completion of such a wonderful day....
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Flowers
Yesterday I bought myself some pretty flowers. They are fake, but quite frankly, that's the way I like them. They will last a long time. Lindsay came with me last night and helped me pick them out. She pointed out that I needed a little pink with the purple and yellow I had in my hands. that girl knows her stuff! Next she told me that I should put them in a yellow vase (rather than the blue one I had in my hands) since the yellow vase complimented the yellow flowers. Again, she was right. But it's pretty and I really like them and they color up the room beautifully.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tape, Fat Lips, and Manure Piles
Well, it's high time I highlighted some of the shenanigans that my hooligans have been up to lately.....
Paul and Seth....
Paul was out looking for a roll of tape.
Seth was sitting on the can in the bathroom doing his 'business'.
Paul decided that the top shelf in the bathroom was a possible location for the tape.
Seth continued to 'do his business.'
Paul climbed up to the top shelf.
Seth just sat there.
Paul slipped and sent the entire top shelf hurtling down on his poor unsuspecting brother.
Seth took a piece of the shelf right in the lip and bled profusely.
Paul never did find the tape.
Seth learned that it's possible to get a fat lip just by sitting on the can and doing your 'business.'
Later that day...
I entered the boys' room to discover that there are clothes (clean and dirty) piled in an enormous heap on their bedroom floor. Upon inquiry I discover that the boys have built a farm and of course they needed to have a manure pile. Hence the pile of clothes served as just that.
Paul and Seth....
Paul was out looking for a roll of tape.
Seth was sitting on the can in the bathroom doing his 'business'.
Paul decided that the top shelf in the bathroom was a possible location for the tape.
Seth continued to 'do his business.'
Paul climbed up to the top shelf.
Seth just sat there.
Paul slipped and sent the entire top shelf hurtling down on his poor unsuspecting brother.
Seth took a piece of the shelf right in the lip and bled profusely.
Paul never did find the tape.
Seth learned that it's possible to get a fat lip just by sitting on the can and doing your 'business.'
Later that day...
I entered the boys' room to discover that there are clothes (clean and dirty) piled in an enormous heap on their bedroom floor. Upon inquiry I discover that the boys have built a farm and of course they needed to have a manure pile. Hence the pile of clothes served as just that.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Safe in Christ
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." --Psalm 116:15
I want to write this all down so I don't forget. Right now it's hard. It's feeling thankfulness and sorrow at the same time. I don't like death. It doesn't seem natural. Such grief. Such upheaval. I am so reminded of the ugliness of the curse. Sin has made it this way. At the same time I am ever so grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and died and conquered the worst of all enemies--because he loved us. Along with the great pain and separation of death comes hope as well.
This past Sunday, (was it really only yesterday???) we got reports that grandma was not doing well. Mom and dad were going to stay with her instead of going to church that morning. That in itself was a HUGE indicator that things were not good. I told Dan that we ought to go visit her right after church. He agreed. We told our kids that they would not go to Sunday school or catechism. Right after services we would go see grandma/great grandma.
I wept much of the service. Right after church we piled into the van and went to Norwood. We rode up the elevator and went straight to her room. She was awake and commented immediately on Paul's hat. You see, Norm had bought Paul a big cowboy hat for his birthday. Soon more family from church came in. We noticed grandma was very tired so I mentioned to Dan that we should say good-bye now.
I told the kids to go hug grandma. Each in turn went to hug her. Grandma had words for every child. Eric went to hug here and she said, "You're getting to be such a big strong boy." Eric responded, "Thank-you. We're going to miss you." Grandma says, "I love you." Eric responds, "I love you too great grandma."
Lindsay actually went in twice. at first Lindsay gave her a big hug and said, "Bye great grandma. It was nice seeing you!" Grandma responded, "Bye Lindsay. It was nice seeing you too!" Later Lindsay went in again and said, "Bye great grandma. I really love you." Grandma responded, "I love you too."
Seth could not reach grandma in the bed, so grandma leaned over towards Seth and held his face in her 2 hands and said, "I love you Seth." Seth gave grandma his super sweet million dollar smile.
We lifted Courtney to grandma and Courtney gave grandma a huge hug. Being 2 and sometimes difficult, I am so thankful Courtney hugged her back. Grandma smiled at Courtney and said, "I love you Courtney."
To Paul, she also replied, "I love you Paul," as he held him close. Paul replied by saying, 'I love you too great grandma." She truly made a big deal of his new hat.
Then it was my turn. I held her for a long time. I held her tight. I said, "I love you so much grandma." She responded, "I love you so much too. You're a good mom Anita." I clung to her a little longer, stroked her cheek, gave one last squeeze and left the room in tears.
Finally Dan held her. She told him, "I'm going to be with the Lord very soon now. I love you all." before she had always said "The Lord must still have a task for me to do." This comment was notably different. "Dan replied, "I love you too grandma." And then we left. We were very visibly shaken.
I walked around Sunday afternoon in a stupor. No one cared that I fed them, leftovers for lunch. By mid-afternoon I asked Dan if it was alright if I went back to see grandma that evening to see her. And so I did. Only my in-laws were there that evening. I had my bible in hand, but I just sat and watched her sleep for an hour. It just seemed fitting to watch her and I was content to do so. Just over an hour later I left.
The next morning my mother-in-law called and told us that grandma had taken a turn for the worse. She told me that grandma had mentioned my name that morning--she knew I was there the night before. this brought me much comfort. Dan went up to see her that morning. As she saw him she said his name. Dan." He held her hand. He stayed with family in grandma's room all morning. The minister came by and read a passage--Romans 8. After he read he asked grandma if she was able to hear what he read. She responded by saying, "Every word." That's grandma!
She's in heaven now I was there tonight when she died. There were 13 of us there. She just lay peacefully in bed. We all took turns sitting by her head, holding her hand and speaking to her. Mom figured we were about 10-12 hours from death yet. I think many of us were praying that it would come much sooner. I brought my bible and James read several Psalms. A little more time passed and we noticed her hands becoming discolored. Her breathing suddenly became very shallow. At about 8:30 we all stood around her bedside and sang Psalm 23. I must admit, we were not the most beautiful sounding choir with all our sniffling and cracked voices. But as we sang in our imperfectness, she rose to glory. She's listening to a much better choir now. We're all relieved she is in heaven. We know she is there. She was Christ's. Amidst the pain of death it is precious knowing that Christ loved us enough to come and die for us that we might have hope. We know the sting has been taken out of death. We know but it is still SO hard. Death is such an ugly thing--it's such an awful part of the curse. But there is hope even around a deathbed.
To God alone be the glory.
I want to write this all down so I don't forget. Right now it's hard. It's feeling thankfulness and sorrow at the same time. I don't like death. It doesn't seem natural. Such grief. Such upheaval. I am so reminded of the ugliness of the curse. Sin has made it this way. At the same time I am ever so grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and died and conquered the worst of all enemies--because he loved us. Along with the great pain and separation of death comes hope as well.
This past Sunday, (was it really only yesterday???) we got reports that grandma was not doing well. Mom and dad were going to stay with her instead of going to church that morning. That in itself was a HUGE indicator that things were not good. I told Dan that we ought to go visit her right after church. He agreed. We told our kids that they would not go to Sunday school or catechism. Right after services we would go see grandma/great grandma.
I wept much of the service. Right after church we piled into the van and went to Norwood. We rode up the elevator and went straight to her room. She was awake and commented immediately on Paul's hat. You see, Norm had bought Paul a big cowboy hat for his birthday. Soon more family from church came in. We noticed grandma was very tired so I mentioned to Dan that we should say good-bye now.
I told the kids to go hug grandma. Each in turn went to hug her. Grandma had words for every child. Eric went to hug here and she said, "You're getting to be such a big strong boy." Eric responded, "Thank-you. We're going to miss you." Grandma says, "I love you." Eric responds, "I love you too great grandma."
Lindsay actually went in twice. at first Lindsay gave her a big hug and said, "Bye great grandma. It was nice seeing you!" Grandma responded, "Bye Lindsay. It was nice seeing you too!" Later Lindsay went in again and said, "Bye great grandma. I really love you." Grandma responded, "I love you too."
Seth could not reach grandma in the bed, so grandma leaned over towards Seth and held his face in her 2 hands and said, "I love you Seth." Seth gave grandma his super sweet million dollar smile.
We lifted Courtney to grandma and Courtney gave grandma a huge hug. Being 2 and sometimes difficult, I am so thankful Courtney hugged her back. Grandma smiled at Courtney and said, "I love you Courtney."
To Paul, she also replied, "I love you Paul," as he held him close. Paul replied by saying, 'I love you too great grandma." She truly made a big deal of his new hat.
Then it was my turn. I held her for a long time. I held her tight. I said, "I love you so much grandma." She responded, "I love you so much too. You're a good mom Anita." I clung to her a little longer, stroked her cheek, gave one last squeeze and left the room in tears.
Finally Dan held her. She told him, "I'm going to be with the Lord very soon now. I love you all." before she had always said "The Lord must still have a task for me to do." This comment was notably different. "Dan replied, "I love you too grandma." And then we left. We were very visibly shaken.
I walked around Sunday afternoon in a stupor. No one cared that I fed them, leftovers for lunch. By mid-afternoon I asked Dan if it was alright if I went back to see grandma that evening to see her. And so I did. Only my in-laws were there that evening. I had my bible in hand, but I just sat and watched her sleep for an hour. It just seemed fitting to watch her and I was content to do so. Just over an hour later I left.
The next morning my mother-in-law called and told us that grandma had taken a turn for the worse. She told me that grandma had mentioned my name that morning--she knew I was there the night before. this brought me much comfort. Dan went up to see her that morning. As she saw him she said his name. Dan." He held her hand. He stayed with family in grandma's room all morning. The minister came by and read a passage--Romans 8. After he read he asked grandma if she was able to hear what he read. She responded by saying, "Every word." That's grandma!
She's in heaven now I was there tonight when she died. There were 13 of us there. She just lay peacefully in bed. We all took turns sitting by her head, holding her hand and speaking to her. Mom figured we were about 10-12 hours from death yet. I think many of us were praying that it would come much sooner. I brought my bible and James read several Psalms. A little more time passed and we noticed her hands becoming discolored. Her breathing suddenly became very shallow. At about 8:30 we all stood around her bedside and sang Psalm 23. I must admit, we were not the most beautiful sounding choir with all our sniffling and cracked voices. But as we sang in our imperfectness, she rose to glory. She's listening to a much better choir now. We're all relieved she is in heaven. We know she is there. She was Christ's. Amidst the pain of death it is precious knowing that Christ loved us enough to come and die for us that we might have hope. We know the sting has been taken out of death. We know but it is still SO hard. Death is such an ugly thing--it's such an awful part of the curse. But there is hope even around a deathbed.
To God alone be the glory.
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