Let's Get Started!!

...on April, that is :).  I guess it's time to get April's photos up.  Maybe one of these days I'll actually get caught up.  Every time I edit and post, I think "That didn't take long.  I should do this more often."  Then I don't.  But, the kids are at the circus with Papa and Daddy right now so I have a bit of time.

So, on the home front, it's ball season.  It could be really crazy for us but it's been raining.  That means my poor boys don't get to play as much ball as they'd like.  Xander's league actually rescheduled some of the games so hopefully we can get a few more in.  He's really improving over last year and both boys have so much fun there.

On the Jonathan side, we finally got him his own "bed" (it's a mattress on the floor).  He wasn't as excited as I thought he'd be, since he was always wanting Evan's bed.  Well, he still wanted Evan's bed.  He also wouldn't stay in his own bed.  We tried just laying with him for a couple nights, hoping he'd catch on but he didn't so it took a whole night of me sitting there, putting him (or his foot or his hand) back on the bed every time he'd put it off.  It worked.  We won.  The only problem now is that when he wakes up at 6 a.m. he can get out of bed and wake me up (or cause a disaster elsewhere).  Progress, though and hopefully that will change some.

Anyway, we can get on to April's photos now.

April 1 - Not sure if you can see it but Xander has a strange mix of dry cereal that he decided to have for supper Sunday (eat whatever you want day).  If I remember right, it was Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios and Corn Pops.  Needless to say, he didn't actually eat it all :).

April 2 - It was a nice day so I took the two younger boys for a walk down to the lake.  It was chilly but they love to look at the water and have a run around.

April 3 - Somedays it's just worth it to go outside!  18 degrees at the beginning of April.  Really, who could complain?

April 4 - It was care group Wednesday and one of the ladies in our care group made Eater goody bags for all the kids (including the teenagers!).  These were extras because she didn't fill the little kids' bags as full so that they wouldn't overdose on candy.  It was really sweet of her and I was telling her how I think we really need to do more for Easter, to emphasize its importance and get our kids more engaged.

April 5 - Fun day!  We went for a fast food supper and swimming with some family and had a lovely time at the pool.  Jonathan really loved the little slide once I let him go to the kiddie pool.  I like to start in the bigger one because it's colder and if we start in the kiddie one, I'll never move!

April 6 - My very first attempt at making hot cross buns.  They turned out not too bad.  They were a bit dense...I really gotta figure out how to get my buns to rise more.  Since my parents were in Europe, I didn't have my Mom to make them for me so I had to do it myself!

April 7 - My project, my prerogative.  I have two photos for this day.  Since we were having some family come over the next day, we did our Easter egg hunt Saturday night with the kids.  Here they are with all their candy spoils.

Also a tradition (hopefully) that we started this year.  It's the Easter advent calendar.  I had 8 eggs with a Bible passage, a symbol, and a treat in them that we opened for the 8 days up to and including Easter Sunday.  This was a "white cloth" to symbolize the cloth used to wrap Jesus' body.

April 8 - Again, my project, my prerogative...two photos :).  This is the resurrection cookies that we attempted to make.  They turned out OK (meringues that had a story to go along with them and the next morning they were empty...just like the tomb).  They tasted really good, though.

A quick family photo on Easter Sunday.  The kids are all dressed up in their cute outfits so I had to make sure I got a photo.  It's inside because it snowed outside Easter weekend.

April 9 - I just love when the kids cooperate and get along.  Xander is sharing his book with Jonathan here and telling him all about it.  It was really very cute.

April 10 - Today was dentist day.  Both the boys and I had appointments so we made a morning of it.  We took the bus downtown, did a bit of shopping and even met Dad for lunch.  Here we are waiting for the bus to go downtown.

April 11 - This photo is pretty anti-climactic since I don't have one.  Oops.  This was the first day that I forgot to take a photo.  I guess it was just a regular Wednesday.

So, we're almost half way through April and that's all the photos I have done up at the moment.  Soon, I will be back...I promise :).

Until next time...

A Sacred Day

Before God and these witnesses, 

I make this promise - that I will 

choose to love you each day of our 

lives together.  God has given us this 

love and, beause of it, I will always 

be your best friend, standing beside 

you throughout the good times and the 

bad.  Today I marry you and give you 

 my heart and my love, which shall 

always be yours.

These are the words that Jason and I said to each other 10 years ago today.  It was a solemn vow, a promise to be faithful to each other and to the God who gave us to each other.  Here we are...10 years later.  A bit older, a few more kids, a few vacations, one more house than we had back then but still working on living out these words.  I just thought I'd take you on a bit of an journey through our last ten years.

2002 - Young, in love and just married!  (In fact, 10 years ago about an hour from now)

2003 - Our first anniversary spent in Calais, France

2004 - We purchased our very first home.

2005 - No longer two, we added Alexander.

2006 - Fun times as a family of 3.

2007 - Along comes the next one...we welcome Evan.

2008 - Our kids' first time on an airplane and other fun in Tijuana, Mexico.

2009 - Adventures with toddlers.  The jerseys are symbolic of Jason's finishing university.

2010 - Still expanding...here comes Jonathan.

2011 - Just enjoying life and each other.

2012 - Everyone's growing up so fast...Easter this year.

2013...and beyond - who knows?  But I sure am looking forward to it.

It has been a wonderful 10 years and here's to the next 10!!  (By the way, we're definitely the old married couple since we're spending our 10th anniversary throwing a 2nd birthday party for our youngest! :) ).

Until next time...

March Part III...

Well, yesterday was Mother's Day and it really was a beautiful day.  We had a lot to do at church in the morning but we did get to spend a good afternoon and evening together.  We all went to Xander's Little League game and then had a picnic in the park.  It was nice just to sit out in the beautiful weather.  My kids got me a remote control for my camera so we even took a few family photos!  Then, we played a few games at home and the day was good.

It does look like summer has arrived as the weather is just beautiful and forecasted to stay that way for a bit.  It's nice to have the sun out again!  It's going to be a busy week this week again but it's all good.  Jonathan turns 2 on Sunday but we're celebrating on Friday (same day as our 10th anniversary).  Not to mention ball, ball and more ball :).  Good thing I actually enjoy ball and we get to sit outside in nice weather, rather than getting up at 5 a.m. in the dead of winter for hockey! :)

Anyway, here is the rest of our March...

March 22 - The day was nice and the cement was dry so Xander just had to try out the 3D chalk he got for Christmas.  It really does work and he totally thought it was cool...though maybe his look isn't with these glasses on...

March 23 - This was conference day at school.  The other boys had gone to Auntie's so that Mom & Dad could both go to the conferences and, of course, Xander came along to school, too.  Xander's choice after that was to spend the entire day with just him and Mom.  We had fun together and played at the park some (even though it was cold - notice my winter jacket).

March 24 - Jonathan's getting into the swing of things in the kitchen.  He just had to help me make cookies.  He's actually not a bad helper, either.  Doesn't even make much of a mess.  He loves to sit on the counter, too.

March 25 - Today was a sad day.  We had to say good-bye to this little fellow.  He was part of our family for a time but it was time for him to join his family.  So, we had a farewell/birthday party for him.

March 26 - Playing Uno...this happens a lot in our house.  One of the kids must have taken this photo.  Evan, maybe?

March 27 - The unpredictable spring...snow!  It barely snowed all winter but then snowed several times during the spring.  Ah, life on the prairies.

March 28 - It was cold, yes, but not icy or drifts of snow so we can still use the stroller!  We headed out to the bank all bundled up, but getting some exercise in!

March 29 - The first time I had my windows open at all.  It wasn't really the warmest but still, it was nice to have some fresh air in the house.

March 30 - My sister and her family came into town for the weekend.  This is little Jari with Evan.  Sometimes Evan can be really sweet.

March 31 - Little Jari with those great big eyes!  Who can resist them?  I love this photo so I had to play with it a bit, too.

Well, we made it through to the end of March, now I just have to get on April's stuff!  But for now, I think I'll head outside with the kids.

Until next time...

A Sweet Summer Evening (or March pt 2)

Mmmm....it's that sweet smell of a summer evening.  The fresh grass, the damp ground, the bit of a chill in the air.  These all take me back to my Dairy Bar days.  My shift would end about 11 p.m. and, if the day was busy (which it was if it had been hot or was a long weekend), we would take our supper to go then.  Usually it was a large box of fries with THE best gravy in the whole world (seriously).  The only other gravy that compares is one we found at the Big O in Montreal.  Back in those days, I didn't even like gravy on my fries but THIS gravy I did.  Then, all blue, pink and sticky, we would head out to our cars into an evening just like this.  That is what I thought about as I stood at my sink washing dishes tonight and breathed in that same smell from my open window.  I loved those summers.  Sometimes, on a really nice night, we'd even stop at the lake and sit on the bench for a bit before heading home.

Anyway, iNSD was a great success for me (I did a lot of shopping and a lot of scrapping) and I shall have to post some of those layouts on my scrapping blog one of these days.  It was a fun weekend and I got 5 layouts done on Saturday, just like I had wanted to do.  I got another one done on Sunday, too.

And, as promised, I have more photos for you from March...

March 11 - One of the favourite games around here is Kinder Bunnies (Killer Bunnies for kids).  Evan, in particular, just loves to play it.

March 12 - I finished Matthew.  This was one of the challenges we took on as I was going through our study on anger.  It was to get into the Word on a more consistent basis.  I chose to start somewhere "easy" so I picked Matthew and, while not reading every day, I had read most days (some days larger chunks than others) and I finally got to the end of the book.

March 13 - Time to do a little budget work for next year!

March 14 - Xander's teacher had the kids try this experiment.  We hard boiled an egg and then put it in a cup of vinegar overnight.  It softens right up so that the shell is soft and pliable.

March 15 - For once I looked at a photo and had NO IDEA why I had taken it.  This was a Thursday and I do not know what happened.  All I can think of is maybe this was the day Xander was sick and I had to call the school.  Maybe it was something with Jonathan.  I really don't know.

March 16 - This was a Friday and Jonathan and I went for a walk.  It was a lovely evening and we walked by Xander's school.  Earlier that day, I had been at the school for a work day...helping teachers do prep work.  It's always an enjoyable time.

March 17 - How could I resist?  The kids don't have puddles to play in at the yard so we had to go find some.  That is just one of the joys of childhood.  They both ended up falling in the water and Xander lost his boot in the mud.  These are the things that I have to actually look for in the city but they are totally worth it.  Here, the boys are playing What Time is it Mr. Wolf?

March 18 - One of those Sundays where I was at the church for all three services.  At times, I serve during the third service and this was one of those days.  Luckily, it was nice enough for me to walk home so that Jason could take the boys home.  I took this photo of the church as I was heading away.

March 19 - I'm trying to be more diligent in keeping our bedroom clean and our bed neatly made, especially since it looks so pretty when it's made.  I have decided that Mondays are my day to clean my room and the upstairs bathroom.

March 20 - This is one of Xander's birthday presents.  A short LEGO Star Wars movie that they ALL love to watch.  Jonathan especially loves R2-D2 and runs around saying that :)

March 21 - A beautiful spring day and my Evan just has to go outside to play.  He simply loves playing outside and the swings are a favourite for him.

There...a few more to tide you over until I can finish putting up March.

Until next time...

March...

Well, I got a bunch of pictures ready to post the other day but I never got around to doing it.  I can't believe it's May already!!  I am so far behind in posting my photos.  I will try to catch up but not likely until after this weekend since it's {inter}National Scrapbooking Day!  Too much scrapping to do!!  Also, it has been a weird last month in that I have gotten sick (with a NASTY cold) and, 3 weeks later, I'm finally over it.  I rarely get sick and never for that long so it was really annoying.  Then, Jonathan hurt his knee (a VERY minor sprain or so the doctor thinks) and then he got a cold, which turns kinda croup-y and had him up a couple nights ago.  Last night was the fun part, though.  Xander got sick and so I spent most of the night on the couch with him.  I barely slept and when I did, it was sitting up so I'm surprisingly lucid at the moment.

On another note...I have been enjoying my brand new oven.  In fact, yesterday I cooked in the two ovens at two different temperatures at the same time!!  It was very exciting and it seemed to work.  It is definitely taking some adjusting to get used to an oven that works properly.  I have to figure out all new cooking times and what things look like when they're done is just different.  I did bake cookies two sheets at a time last weekend but I think I over-baked them just a bit.  We're getting there, though and then it will be wonderful!  I did try out the defrost feature, which was kinda cool.  I forgot to take my chicken thighs out early enough so I tossed them in the oven on defrost and, in 45 minutes, they were perfectly defrosted...none of those slightly cooked edges or anything.  I can see that will come in handy!

Anyway, on to the photos now...

March 1 - The kids can be so good at helping when they want to be.  This was one of those mornings as Evan "neatly" (for a 4 year old) folded his pyjamas to put them away for the day.

March 2 - We celebrated Jason's Mom's birthday (though it's in February but she was gone then).  It was a big one for her this year and here she is...Nana with all her grandkids.

March 3 - Another one of those little things that make up our days.  Saturday...time to organize the money and the receipts from the week and get ready for another week.

March 4 - Evan's round of treatments.  He ended up going to a paediatrician for his eczema and this is what we got.  Some hydrocortisone cream and really expensive lotion.  Now, we have cheaper lotion but it does keep it away, as long as we're diligent.

March 5 - One of Evan's papers.  He so loves letters and numbers and printing and learning.  These are all his wonderful 8's.  He was practising his new number.

March 6 - The day that we had no power.  You can read the whole story on my blog here.  This, however, is the little doodad that saved my day from complete waste.

March 7 - What a cute kid but you'd think someone was trying to steal his food the way that he shoves these cold cuts in his mouth.  Well, at least he's eating them (except when he chokes himself 'cause he shoved the whole thing in his mouth...why do kids think we have teeth, I wonder...)

March 8 - It was Mom's group at church but there was no school.  So, we arranged for one of the high school kids down the street (who also goes to our church) to come over to watch Evan and Xander.  Jonathan came with me to church.  Well, the played Mario Kart ALL morning long...they did the entire complement of 32 races (I think) and this is where they all ended up.  He was really good with the kids, though, and did a great job of letting Evan finish ahead of him (or at least not last) and encouraging him.  This did require that he stayed (of his own will) for an hour after I got home.

March 9 - No school so it was pyjama day at our house.  Sometimes these are nice (though they are generally not productive).  This is the pretty pattern and edging on the pyjamas my mom got me for my birthday.

March 10 - It was picture day today.  All the Berkan grandkids got together to do a photo for Nana.  We went with the pastel colour scheme this year and it turned out quite cute (though the better pose never had everyone looking!)  These are my guys before we head off.  I love how Xander and Jonathan are looking at each other.

So, I'll try to get more photos done after the weekend but until then, I'm just gonna have a grand old time!!

Until next time...