New BLOG...

Come see us at our new location: BE GRATEFUL 4 LIFE
Click on the above link, bookmark the site and come back to read often!


Our time has come to an end with our "AT THE MORIN'S" blog :(

I've seem to outgrow the need for 2 blogs - one for family life and one for thankfulness!

Because I AM thankful for my family! So now, I will combine the two blogs into ONE 'thankful for my family and life' blog!

Activities - PLAY BALL

I am pretty sure we have enrolled Noah in too many activities this year but we can't do anything now because we want to teach him to follow through with things/sports you start.

When we first moved, our main objective was to get him involved to mingle and meet other children. So we enrolled him to baseball & Frolic (a M-F afternoon camp for 7-10 year olds). Then, after finding out that the baseball & soccer schedules are coordinated - I convinced him to take soccer as well. THEN, when we got the pool and saw how deep it was - I told him he had no choice but to take swimming lessons (which was coordinated as well - but only 30 minutes 2X's per week).

As it turns out, YES baseball and soccer are coordinated but on the SAME DAY. PLUS swimming does coordinate as well but for his age/level is scheduled for the same days - at a different time as soccer & baseball. Tuesdays & Thursdays are very tiring days. We've both agreed that Noah will no longer 'have' to go to Frolic on Tuesdays & Thursdays - only if he wants to.

So, yesterday was the day I decided to bring my camera to capture the excitement on Tuesday & Thursday activities. BUT in the morning we met our new family doctor (so he missed swimming) and Jacques took Noah to soccer alone (I needed a break) so I only got photos of our little ball player.

When he really tries, he is AMAZINGLY good...but he is getting really frustrated that they ONLY do practices so far. In 4-5 practices they will begin to play games, but for now they are learning techniques. Noah is SO into baseball this year - that I hope he remains patient for the games to begin because I KNOW he will love it so much more when playing a full game!


Check out our little 'joker' - he's asking the coach if he wants to play catch (with his glove on his head and his hat to catch with. Noah thought he was pretty funny - but the coach didn't!!! LOL

He'll learn - one day!!

Our new house

So finally we have it - photos of our new house (before renovations).

Renovations to be completed are listed below (before and after photos will follow):

With the renovations, all doors (including bi-fold closet doors & door to garage) will be replaced with new colonial doors and all knobs will be replaced also.

Outside: changes to the cement step, stairs and possibly the retaining wall (depending what the concrete company says for fixing this)

Front entrance: no changes to be made

Kitchen: counter, kitchen sink, (possibly) refacing cabinets, new handles on all cabinets, kitchen table chandelier, (possibly) lighting over island and (eventually) replacing the hood range with a microwave that includes a hood range.


Bathroom: lots of changes in bathroom that include pulling all that wood panelling down , replacing it with ceramic (around tub), new paint, new towel & paper racks, new faucets for the tub & sink, new light fixtures, new mirror, new counter top. Presently we can not use this shower.

Spare room: no changes to be made (I already painted).


Noah's Room: I've already made the changes in his room. Newly decorating includes: quilt from Pottery Barn Kids, paint on walls, computer desk armoire (painted it white), poster at head of bed, football curtain tiebacks & curtains, basketball pillow on bed. We will continue to purchase the sports banners as we go to different events that will (hopefully) fill all around the top of his room. Note: excellent birthday / Christmas ideas for those of you always looking!


Master Bedroom: new paint, ensuite will get a new counter top, new light fixtures, new taps and possibly a new medicine cabinet (note the view from our bedroom window - ahhhh)

Family Room in basement: new PVC windows in family room (these are the only two left in house to change)

Bathroom in basement: we are currently looking to see if we can bring the washer & dryer into the basement bathroom (waiting to see what plumber has to say - whether it's possible or not)


There you have it - next time, come and see for yourself we'd love the visitors!

P-Mate - have you heard of them?

Oh my goodness...I just discovered the funniest thing (on a blog I linked to from someone else's blog). P-MATE's - are portable urinating devices for women. NOW woman around the world can stand to pee too!!! LOL

They are even 100% guaranteed money back. So, my first thought was okay, do you send in the device 'after' you used it or what? Nope, all you have to do is send in an 'unused' portion of the device and they will refund you 100%.

So all you women out there - we can finally experience peeing like a man!!!

Okay - you wouldn't believe how many giggles I'm having about this. But honestly though, what a great invention!

Check out some of the photos for an example of how it works (and how it doesn't work!!!).

How it works:
Step 1: Simply pop open the P-Mate, move your underwear aside, and place the cupped opening against your body under the flow area between your legs.
Step 2: Tilt hips so funnel faces slightly downwards. Relax and pee!

You can remove any drops left behind by slowly moving the P-mate to the front, and catching them with the back of the P-mate.

Step 3: Dispose of in garbage or even better, recycle. Do not flush.

The P-mate has a fold line down the middle, which allows it to fit into an average pocket. We suggest putting it into a zip lock bag for easy transport and disposal. THEY CAN ALSO BE BURNED IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
How it does NOT work:

Pool time fun with the ZACK 'attack'

What a PERFECT weekend! The weather was HOT plus we had NOTHING to do this weekend. So Saturday and Sunday - we played, swam and took in all the sun we could get (Including Mimi, check her out on the pool lounger with Jacques. She loves floating with someone)

Sunday, Zack came over to join us in the pool then we had a sleep over. Zack especially loved to have a sleep over because he told us it was his first sleep over with a friend! Stefan (Zack's dad) joined us later for pizza and some pool time - which was really nice for Jacques (you know the male bonding thingy)!!

Love, Love, Love having a pool! Thank you 'mother nature' for the perfect weekend (and the hot, hot, hot temps on the way this week)!!!

What NOT to do in a jetted bathtub?

Okay - so Noah asked if he could have some bubbles in his bath tonight? I said: SURE!

Either, I put too much or possibly you should not put bubble bath in a jetted bath???

To think, he was yelling for my help (in a fun manner) and I thought he was role playing while in the tub - which he often does. When I got into the bathroom, the bubbles were 'over-flowing' onto the floor - whooops!!! I giggled and said 'what happened here'. His response was, 'well I tried to call you to tell you'. That he did - I guess Mommy will listen next time (or maybe I just won't put bubbles when the jets are on)!! LOL

Summer time fun - so far.

Talk about FUN - why the heck did we NOT get a pool before now. Noah is LOVIN' it. C-c-cold weather, rainy weather and all! It doesn't stop him!

I finally finished the gate (that locks for safety purposes) - and I can breathe a sigh of relief now!

Despite the sucky, cold, rainy weather over the past week - Noah has been in the pool every day but one! I love hearing the splashes, screams, giggles....
I've decided that after this week - no more working around the house for me! I'm done... the rest of the reno's we are leaving for a contractor!! Yippy.... let the fun summertime fun begin! Noah's gonna have to keep up to me!

Monday & Tuesday (June 23-24) we had Jacques niece (Michelle) with their 3 kids come for visits. Monday night, the kids were between the pool and trampoline. Most of the photos of the trampoline were blurry - how do you get 4 kids all jumping at the same time - in focus? LOL Noah LOVED having the kids here! Thanks for stopping in Michelle - anytime!


We 'used' to have a beautiful screened in Gazebo on our deck until Friday morning. The photos below are what we woke up to :o( I am certain now that this gazebo was defective. We purchased it on June 3 and assembled it around June 8. Since then, we noticed that water had been pooling in the canopy (and it shouldn't have been considering the roof is sloped and the water should drain off)! Well, Thursday night we got a little too much rain for the canopy to hold and down she came with the weight of the water.

We had 3.5 inch screws holding the posts into the deck to ensure the wind never took the gazebo... check out the photo below. The weight of the water was enough to pull the screws right out of the wood.

It was too bad this happened because we were having company for supper on Friday night then Noah's 'End of School' Party on Saturday - oh well! At least it didn't ruin the glass on the table as well!

We had Nico & Amy (Jacques 2nd cousin and his wife) for a beautiful supper on Friday night. What a blast - so glad we live close to them now. They are AMAZING people! Can't wait to spend more time with them!


Nico got on the trampoline with Noah - did the 'popcorn' (where Noah lays down, Nico jumps and Noah bounces - like popcorn - in the middle of the trampoline). It was hilarious - man, did we ever laugh hard. Check it out, click on thumbnail to view.



We had an 'End of School' party for Noah and some of his classmates on Saturday. We had 3 families here - which was a GREAT turnout considering 1. It's Canada Day weekend, 2. It's the Grand Falls Potato Festival kick off weekend, 3. We gave invites out only a few days before school was out AND 4. Noah was new to the school. It was super fun to sit & relax with some other parents watching the kids play, swim and have fun as well! I love party's.... don't you?

I had to include the before and after photo of the 'welcome summer' sign. Noah was VERY proud of the creation that he made with only little help from me. I printed the letters, he cut all of them out (over the past week), I traced them to the big banner and he painted most of the letters by himself.


So you wanna hear some irony....here goes:

Ironic small town story #1: The first little boy we met on Noah's 1st day of school was Zack. A week later, we were driving to the states and Jacques pointed out a hotel. He told me that he was a Best Man for a friend of his from university at that hotel - a friend who he had lost contact with. Another week later, Jacques came home from Noah's soccer practice and said 'guess who Zack's dad is?'.... this guy (Stephan) that he had been best man for 12 years ago. AND, while he stayed for the 1st month with his mom (before she moved) - they live DIRECTLY across the street from her - so it was surprising they didn't bump into each other there as well. So, Stephan, his wife Autumn and Zack were at the party. I have since found out that the last day Stephan and his wife had heard from Jacques was their wedding day. Jacques teased and told them when he met me that I told him he had to ditch all of his friends!!! "What a guy" is all I have to say!!! LOL Note: Zack is the boy in the bottom left photo!

Ironic small town story #2: So we're chatting with Stephan & Autumn about what brought us to Grand Falls... how it took us so long to sell our house, how the other house we put an offer on fell through, how we had little choice of what to choose in Grand Falls....etc. I continued to explain about the only other house in the running with this one - where it was, tax prices, the things we didn't like about that house, why we chose this one, etc. Well...after the next guest arrived and after sometime (knowing the family was moving, that he was an RCMP and the location of the house) - I figured out that this was the other house we saw (twice) and did NOT chose. Ooooh...I felt terrible and never did tell him that we'd seen this house! I know for sure this house has been on the market since last August, as well he is commuting between Fredericton & Grand Falls - so it 'has' to be a sensitive subject.

So summer is off to a GREAT start - despite the rainy weather. We have an extra long weekend (Jacques took Monday off and has Tuesday off) to spend family time together - fun, fun, fun.

Congratulations NOAH!

I am way too proud of Noah! Friday was his last day of school and he passed! WHOOPIE! In September, my 'baby' boy will be in grade 2. Ummm, when did he grow up so fast - pout, pout!!!

He had a really tough year personally (being separated through the week from his dad) yet still managed to have his BEST report card to date. He was so self directed and disciplined to do his homework. I trusted him to self-lead and complete his homework on his own (by survival as a single parent Monday - Friday, rather than by choice) rather than sitting with him every night to do it which I had done in Kindergarten. Okay...well I was making supper while he'd complete his homework. Obviously, this worked and I am beyond excited to see his improvement as well as to see his growth - both academically and behaviorally throughout Grade 1.

Friday at lunch we went for the lunch (at the place of 'his' choice - which was McDonald's) - to celebrate his successful year!

Congratulations buddy, we are so proud of you! Keep up the great work in Grade 2.

Please say a prayer

Friday was the last day of school at Noah's school. For most, it was a happy day filled with celebrations of their summer vacations being started. Upon arriving at Noah's school, I suspected something was wrong as there was a police car and several other cars parked 'illegally' in the school bus 'spots'. As I walked in the school, I could feel the tension in the air. When picking Noah up, he told me that he was so scared earlier that he felt like he was going to have a 'heart attack or throw up'. He explained that the principal had made a very serious announcement for all the students to go to their home rooms and for teachers to do head counts.

There were some students that jumped the fence in the morning to go swimming farther down the river from the falls (seen in the photo above) and one of the young girls was swept away by the strong current. The other students ran back to the school to get help (around 9:30 am). This young girl was a student at Noah's school. Full story from CTV.ca at this link. In fact, her older sibling was a graduating student at the school as well and their ceremony was later that day on Friday.

I can't stop thinking about this poor family and continue to pray for them. Please pray that this family finds strength through this horrific time.

Noah, friends and girls

Noah has been making friends - very easily I might add. I'm so happy for him....it's been a rough couple of weeks with no children to play with.

Just last night (after I kicked Noah outside to play), a little boy (Logan) rode his bike over and asked he could play with Noah. A little over-excited to be playing with a new friend, Noah had an error in judgement (while we were meeting with the contractor for our renovations). He and Logan, took off to watch the baseball game across the road - only he FORGOT to tell us he was going. When Jacques and I came back in the house - Noah and MIMI were GONE and no where to be found. Okay...talk about a sick feeling..... So I remember him asking if he could go over to the baseball field sometime with Logan. I got in the van, drove and voila - there was Logan & Noah sitting on the bleachers and Mimi under the bleachers eating some one's left over Tim's. Okay, so we have since talked about some ground rules and consequences should these rules not be followed (like telling us where he's going). Looking back at it, it was kinda funny to see Noah sitting there enjoying a good game of baseball and Mimi under him enjoying a good feed of Tim Hortons!!!

Now, tonight Logan (4 doors down) came over with another little boy, Rene (from 2 doors down) and the boys played. Although it had to be split up to go to soccer, I overheard the boys making plans for Friday night - the last day of school!

At soccer tonight, I recognized that Noah was mainly hanging around the girls from his class. Small towns are kinda cool.....5 kids on HIS team are 5 of the 13 kids in his class! Brittany & Gabrielle are two of his favourites. In fact, Tuesday night Brittany called him to chat. The chatted for several minutes, acting all silly and goofy! She is a sweet little 'thang'. At soccer tonight, she was saying to Noah as goalie "Noah, just try your hardest, I know you can do it", fixed his glasses, patted him on the back, etc. Then when he was playing with Gabrielle, she kept trying to jump on his back for a 'piggy back' ride.

So cute and so happy that Noah's been making friends so easily!

Pools & Fences....dreams coming true

So our weekend was a 'labourous' one - but a dream in the making! Saturday we began putting up a fence in order to have our pool. This morning we finished the fence then by this afternoon, we put up the pool and began filling it - YIPPY! I can't believe it - this is something I've dreamed about since I was 8 or 9 years old. Next weekend, my dad will be coming up from PEI to help me build a deck (between our existing deck and over to the pool). I hope it will work out to the one end of the deck carried over to the trampoline (so you can walk right into the trampoline - thought this would be super cool (but we'll see if it's do-able)!! I've just emailed him the photos of where the deck is going to be for him to 'draw' the plans.

Below are the photos of where the deck is planned to be...



The next photos will be probably of the deck being built - stay tuned!

To get caught up...

If you wanna get caught up on what's been happening in 'our' world....read this posting called 'So much stuff...to get caught up on' on my Be Grateful 4 Life blog!

Thank heavens for little 'chatty' boys

To make the long story, short. Noah got Jacques out of a(nother) speeding ticket this year.

On our drive 'home' to Grand Falls (in two separate vehicles), I lost Jacques in my rear view mirror (partially because I was chatting with my mom) but then realized that there had been a cop on the side of the road with a radar. So I pulled over and waited. And waited, and waited and waited. I called him several times on his cell - but no answer. Just as I began to worry....he drove by tooting his horn. So I pulled back out on the highway to follow.

He called and explained that he had indeed been pulled over by this cop for speeding. As the cop was talking, asking 'do you know why I pulled you over?' question Noah's in the back seat saying (and anyone who knows Noah, knows he is a LOUD talker) 'Daddy, is the police going to give us a ticket, Daddy?' and in front of the cop Jacques responded 'Yes, he probably will'. Jacques also explained that he was trying to catch up with me (because we were just moving and I didn't know what exit to take - a little white lie). So when Jacques went to get the registration - the 2 coolers with all of our fridge items were blocking - so he had to explain to the cop that he would have to get out of the car.

Jacques got a lucky break....the cop said don't worry (ran his driver's licence) and let him away with a warning - thank heavens for little boys!!

A long time...

Okay...it's been a while since I posted and will probably be a while longer. So many wonderful things are happening - that are keeping us really busy. I only get a few minutes here or there to log on to the computer to check my emails, banking, blog, etc. A far cry from the amount of time I had spend on the computer since Jacques had been gone. Well, thankfully this is all changing.

I tried to write as our process continued over the past week, so we could remember how Noah handled our move, as well as Mimi (our dog, poor little thing she is so confused).

The timeline of what has happened and what has been going on and what is going to happen...

• Friday the 23rd - my LAST day of work (whoo hoo)
• Friday night - adult going away party
• Saturday - engagement party for our niece (who came from Alberta) - Jacques was a little hung over, therefore he was a little late arriving at the engagement party!
• Sunday- brunch at my sister in law's for everyone
• Sunday afternoon - LOTS of work around the house
• Monday - my first day unemployed, did some shopping, etc
• Tuesday - made 16 phone calls to change address, etc
• Wed & Thurs - worked my butt off trying to keep up with the packer (man, these guys are super efficient and really fast. I'm not so sure i will EVER pack myself again)
• Friday - movers loaded the truck
• - Noah's last day of school (boohoo, saying goodbye to Madame Small)
• Saturday/Sunday - relaxing in Moncton with Luc & Denise, went to a movie & Crystal Palace with Noah. (poor guy, he is really not himself. I think that this move is bothering him more than he is letting us know. We are just allowing him to feel the feelings and talking alot. He's been fixated on the Game Boy Advanced that we didn't find when we packed....he's been crying off and on about not finding it, very upset with me because I told him we would probably find it when we moved.) He also had a sleep over at Owen's on Friday night. On the way to Owen's, he told us he really didn't want to sleep over and he just wanted to have a play date because he just wanted to be with us, that he would miss us too much (this has NEVER happened on the way to Owens). We asked him why and told him he didn't have to sleep over if he didn't want - but wondered what happened between this point and the day before (when he was so excited to go). He told us he was joking...and we shrugged it off. Then, before we left....he came running over to give us a hug and kiss (usually WE have to force a hug&kiss out of him before we leave). By Saturday morning (around 9:30 am - early), Noah asked Isabelle where we were and if we she thought we had forgot about him. VERY STRANGE? We arrived around 10:30 am and Noah was VERY cuddly with me when we arrived.... I guess these little things are Noah's way of grieving and feeling sad. ME, I feel so happy about leaving except for when I see his pain.
• Sunday - drive 'home' to Grand Falls (in both vehicles)
• Monday - close, get keys, and clean new house (and put up trampoline)
• Tuesday - our 'stuff' arrives and the unpacking begins!
  

By the weekend, we hope to be mostly unpacked to put up the fence (for Mimi) then on Jun 11-12 we will come back to Dieppe to close the house in Dieppe (as well go for ALL YOU CAN EAT Ribs at Montana's - just for Jacques)!!!

Then life resumes.....hooray!

A Successful Party

What a success and so much fun. Yesterday we had our going away party for friends, co-workers & neighbours. The original idea was a little party with some of Noah's closest friends (in lieu of a birthday party). BUT, then his birthday came & went and we were still not moved.

It was pretty simple & low key at the Boys & Girls Club (again). The kids played, while the parents mingled and chatted (okay, so some of the parents played too!). We had some snacks & drinks while we had the chance to visit with many friends, neighbours and watch the kids be kids (while burning energy)!

I managed to get some special photos (of course, not near as many as I would have liked) with Noah & people who attended.


We wanted to say THANK YOU so much for all of you who came out to spend some fun times with us, especially for Noah, before we move! And a special thanks for those of you who brought a donation for my mission trip in the spring of 2009.

You're Invited

We're having a little going away party for (what started to be just for) Noah - but now it has expanded for the adults too. If you live in the area and wish to join in our farewell party, please come to join us. Attached is the invitation - that I made a boo-boo on (rushing late last night, oops). Come join in the fun on Saturday from 1-3 pm at the Boys & Girls Club of Dieppe (76 Emmanuel St).

Email me to RSVP (want to make sure I have enough snacks & drinks for all).

Let there be NO mistake...

what this blog entry is about.

*******WE SOLD OUR HOUSE******

After 9 VERY long, it finally happened - hooray! It doesn't feel real - but it is. The SOLD sign is up and we close our house in Dieppe on June 12.

Check out Noah's reaction when we finally told him:


Right now, we are in Grand Falls - desperately looking for a house (that doesn't seem to exist). The house we intended to buy (in St. Leonard) - did not work out. As much as we loved that house and wanted that house - it was meant to be. We know it, feel it and trust God's plan for us. Even though we do not know where we will be living, we know it will all work out and we will be TOGETHER. THIS is all that matters. That being said, our hopes are to be moved to Grand Falls in time for Noah to attend his new school for a few weeks to at least be introduced to his new surroundings for the fall. Then summer should be lots of fun - with more than likely lots of renovations in the few choices of houses that we have and lots of family time TOGETHER!

So our new favourite family word is: TOGETHER! It seems to be such an important word these days in our family. Check out the common definitions of TOGETHER and how all of them apply to our family!!!

TOGETHER:

• jointly; in conjunction with; combined: 'our time together can be used to accomplish anything'
• in contact with each other: 'we are stuck together'
• assembled in one place: 'we live together'
• in each other's company: 'we pray together'
• at the same time: 'we got married together'
• with cooperation and interchange: 'we worked together to get through the last 9 months'
• mentally and emotionally stable: 'we've got it together'

And I think we (Noah & I) could make this song (for those 'High School Musical' fans) our new theme song for our family. Noah and I have been singing "We're All In This Together" ALOT...

Watch the video:


Read the lyrics:
Together, together, together everyone
Together, together, come on lets have some fun
Together, were there for each other every time
Together together come on lets do this right

Here and now its time for celebration
I finally figured it out (yeah yeah)
That all our dreams have no limitations
That's what its all about(yeah yeah)

Everyone is special in their own way
We make each other strong (we make each other strong)
Were not the same
Were different in a good way
Together's where we belong

We're all in this together
Once we know
That we are
We're all stars
And we see that
We're all in this together
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come true

Together, together, together everyone
Together, together, come on lets have some fun
Together, were there for each other every time
Together together come on lets do this right

We're all here
and speaking out with one voice
we're going to rock the house (YEAH YEAH!)
the party's on now everybody make some noise
come on scream and shout

We've arrived because we stuck together
Champions one and all

We're all in this together
Once we know
That we are
We're all stars
And we see that
We're all in this together
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come

We're all in this together
When we reach
We can fly
Know inside
We can make it
We're all in this together
Once we see
Theres a chance
That we have
And we take it

Wild cats sing along
Yeah, you really got it goin' on
Wild cats in the house
Everybody say it now
Wild cats everywhere
Wave your hands up in the air
That's the way we do it
Lets get to it
Time to show the world

We're all in this together
Once we know
That we are
We're all stars
And we see that
We're all in this together
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come true

We're all in this together
When we reach
We can fly
Know inside
We can make it
We're all in this together
Once we see
Theres a chance
That we have
And we take it

Wild cats everywhere
Wave your hands up in the air
That's the way we do it
Let's get to it
Come on everyone!

SOON, our family will be back TOGETHER and this makes me one happy, thankful, thrilled, "gitty", giggly girl!!! TOGETHER, I know this family can accomplish anything.

Amazing Weekend....

...spent TOGETHER! It was beautiful. It was warm. It was sunny. It was fun. It made me one happy girl!

It started out on Saturday when I got a new bike - yippy. My first bike since I was a teenager (okay, I'm embarrassed to say that)! After supper, we all took off on a leisurely bike ride to the park, then we played at the park, then we rode a little trail. When we tried to raise Noah's seat, we 1. realized that he had outgrown his bike (that we just got him last year) and 2. realized (like we didn't know before) that Jacques bike was in need of being replaced (squeaky breaks, not all the gears working, etc). Once we got home, we all got our PJ's on and headed to the family room to watch the hockey game - only to see OUR poor HABS lose :0(. It was a very sad night in our house!

So Sunday morning, Noah convinced us to go to McGinnis Landing's for their famous breakfast buffet (one of our favourite places to eat out for breakfast)! After this, we went into Canadian Tire to get my $0.99 water bottle attachment for my bike (because it fits my SIGG bottle to a "T") and came out with - not one but TWO new bikes - one for Noah and one for Jacques. Crazy, I know - but something we should have done so many years ago! Now that we are all equip with new bike & gear, I guess we figured we were "all that" and jumped in to get both feet wet for this biking adventure! Only we pushed a little too far (considering it was easy on the way 'there' with the wind pushing us along). Coming home was a little more difficult considering we had been already riding for about 1 hour 45 minutes already and we were riding into the wind. We were gone for a total of 3.5 hours - and by the time we got back we were all pretty cranky, sore and tired - but happy to be TOGETHER. Once we relaxed a little, we all giggled about how crazy we must have been to bike all that way on our first biking trip! LOL

Check it out...

Check out the new look of my 'Be Grateful 4 Life' blog - it was for a GREAT cause!

SOLD - in 3 hrs Scrapbook Supplies (the WHOLE lot)

I have decided to switch to digital scrap booking. It was a tough decision - something that actually took me many weeks to work through....considering how much money I spent on supplies, etc. I mean, towards the end 'buying supplies' has been the hobby and not actually scrap booking the pages!!! This new found hobby of mine sparks my interest again (as paper scrap booking once did) and it also aligns with my desire to 'go green'. I believe this will be a more cost effective way of scrap booking (no cost of printing photos, no waste of paper, being able to reuse papers & embellishments over and over, etc) not to mention much better for the environment and way less messy.

So there you have it - my decision is made and I have TONNES of supplies to SELL! Spread the word because these supplies are going to be sold at a FRACTION of the price of what I paid.

If you're interested or know someone else that is interested, please contact me (through email or facebook or personally).

Below are some photos:
To view photos one by one, click this link to my facebook.

Something different

I saw this on a few fellow blogger websites, so I thought I'd copy!

If you read this entry, consider yourself TAGGED!!!

I am: up way too early this morning.
I think: what does my future hold because right now it feels like it's filled with endless possibilities (and this is exciting)
I know: our situation is not THAT bad in the grand scheme of things
I wish: our house would sell and our family could be TOGETHER
I hate: HATE
I miss: Jacques
I fear: the unknown
I feel: anxious
I hear: nothing (other than the humm of the computer and my fingers typing - this is what I LOVE about being up so early)!
I crave: too much junk food these days
I wonder: why our house hasn't sold yet & what God has wanted us to learn from all this?
I love: my family, they are numero uno!
I ache: when I fall asleep at night knowing Jacques will not be there
I care: about the well being of all children
I always: get 'good morning' hugs from my boy
I am not: the kind of mom I wish to be over the past 7 months of our family being separated :(
I sing: to those who will put up with me (mostly Noah - he's my biggest fan - he doesn't mind that I SUCK)!!
I cry: for everything, happy, sad, indifferent
I don't always: act the way I KNOW I should
I write: to remember
I win: the affection & love of Jacques & Noah, just for 'being me' (pretty awesome)
I lose: my emotions too much over the past several months
I never: go a day without telling my family I LOVE them
I listen: to my son's breathing EVERY night before I go to bed
I am scared: of losing another child
I need: my family to be TOGETHER
I think: way too much

Noah's BEST friend

For a cute video that Noah asked me to create of Noah and his best friend, Owen: click here to link to our 'Be Grateful 4 Life' blog.

Birthday fun continued...

Sunday was Noah's 7th birthday - WAAAAAH! Yup, my baby is growing up. As usual we took his height measurements and wrote them on the wall. I couldn't believe it when I realized that he had grown just over 3 inches since his 6th birthday - WOW. He now measures 51 3/4 inches tall.

When Noah woke up (as usual) I was already awake and waiting for my birthday boy. I was downstairs on the computer. Like usual, he came walking in the office with a big grin on his face, came closer looking for his 'morning hug' (my favourite hug of the day) and his usual cuddle in my red snowflake sweater. This sweater is my favourite sweater in the world - it's huge, it's old, it's cozy & warm - etc. Oh yeah...so every weekend morning he sits on my lap, stuffs each of his arms through the arm holes and I zip up over top of him and we cuddle. I LOOOOOOOVE this time of day with my boy - he is all cuddly and we talk about our sleep and any plans for the day.

Of course, I asked him if he wanted to open his present from Mommy & Daddy now and his response 'No Mommy, I want to wait for Daddy to see me open it and we should Daddy sleep in a little bit because he works so hard' - AAAAHHHHHH.... he's such a sweet kid! (Naturally, I set Noah up on the couch with some cartoons and went to wake Daddy up to tell him what a great kid we have!!!)

So we hit JACKPOT this year with his gift. We got him an MP3 player. He was completely SHOCKED - check out the reaction when he opened his gift!!


Our boy is FINALLY getting into LEGO. He got an Indiana Jones LEGO set from one of his friends at his birthday party. Did I mention how much DADDY loves LEGO!!! So, Jacques was so anxious to help Noah out on Sunday with his new LEGO set - but Noah told him that he was old enough to do it on his own now and he didn't need Jacques help. I was THRILLED to see Noah following the directions and building the set....WOW! He did a fantastic job assembling the set!

Sunday afternoon we had the family in Moncton get together for a good ol' fashion baseball game. Every night (for the past week) Noah had been bugging me to use his new ball & bat that he had got from Mike & Brenda (his Godparents/Aunt&Uncle) for his birthday. So this was our way to break in his new ball & bat....what a terrific time (note to self: must do this more often), the weather was perfect and the company was even better!

Some photos below of the great time had by us all!

I think we can say, without a doubt that Noah's 7th birthday weekend was a BLAST!

SEVEN

So I'm having a hard time believing that my BABY is actually 7 years old TODAY! Yup....7 years ago (tonight) we gave birth to our little (4 lb) preemie baby boy. At the toss of that fateful LOONIE (our Canadian one dollar coin) - Noah's name was chosen (changed from what was supposed to be Lucas)! I just showed Noah that lucky loonie the other day (we kept it for memory sake)!

So yesterday Noah was running on HIGH SPEED all day - anticipating the fun to be had at his 7th birthday party! We went shopping to buy him a new 'cool' shirt just for the party. Can you believe this is the FIRST time I found 'West 49'? Like, DAHHH! For a mother of a boy who is SO into skateboarding - WHY have I not discovered this store? Oh yeah....because I HATE shopping, the malls and I spend as little time shopping as I can!!! Second question I am exciting about: Can you believe I actually got my boy into a BUTTON down shirt? AMAZING - I'm so excited now that I found this store. I think it may be my new favourite store (next to Walmart, of course)!!! This is the first time since Noah was like 3 yrs old that I could pick something for him that was 'COOL' enough and something we agreed on. (I never really fought about this. I figured if he got himself dressed on his own, I wasn't going to complain. That being said, so many days I WISHED I could have picked his clothes)

Naturally I had to take some cutzie photos of my (not-so) baby boy looking so smart in his new BUTTON down shirt. Of course, my idea of a 'nice' photo and his idea of a 'nice' photo differed (again, not a fight I'm going to fight)!


When we went shopping at West 49 - Noah also spotted the skateboards (something he has wanted FOREVER). We couldn't get him away from the board section of the store. It was adorable to watch him taking in every little move the older boys as well as the clerk were making as they assembled skateboards. Now is mind was set on what to spend Grandma & Grandpa's birthday money on. "Please, please, please" he begged us over and over - and how could you refuse? After all, it was HIS money.

As soon as we got home - he hit the board. Fully equipped with knee pads, elbow pads, wrist pads and his new boarding helmet he got for Easter. He thought he was pretty cool - and he was. You should have seen him go! What a pro - he didn't even fall. I guess the next step is taking him to the BIG skate park downtown. (Hopefully there will be a skateboarding park somewhere around where we live - considering our new driveway is gravel)



Last night was the BIG night. Man - were the boys (11 in all) every HYPER. We rented the gym and the games room at the Boys & Girls Club of Dieppe (where he goes to daycare) for 2.5 hours. We 'thought' the boys would tire themselves out - woooof! We kinda underestimated the energy levels of 11 - 6&7 year old boys. They started the night off by playing pool, ping-pong, air hockey and games in the games room. As soon as all the boys arrived, we headed to the gym where they played hockey. It was cute to see Jacques with all the little guys....whether he admits it or not - he IS a big kid. I think he was having as much fun as the little kids. When he was done being goalie, he was all sweaty!

After we ate pizza, we did the cake then opened presents. Ha, this was COMPLETE kaos. One kid on top of the next wanting to see what each present was. Through it all, I remained a very proud mom as Noah (for most of the gifts) was ever so grateful and thanked each person over an over for such cool gifts! After all the presents were opened - BACK TO THE GYM for the pinata. NOW - if you think opening the gifts was kaos I couldn't believe my eyes when the pinata broke open. WOOOOOF - it was MADNESS....the boys were laying on the floor on top of the candy to protect 'their' portion (if they only knew that I was going to 'divvy' it up evenly)!!! Of course, thanks to Jacques we had MORE than enough candy!! LOL It must have been one of those things he wanted when he was a kid, but never got. We ended up spending about $45 on candy and HE thought there wasn't enough (until we had trouble fitting it all in)!



When the night came to an end - I have to say my 'sore throat' was very relieved!!! We gathered everything up and headed home. Straight to bed for Noah and straight to the couch for me (where I fell asleep watching the hockey game with Jacques within - I'm sure - 5 minutes)!!!

On today's agenda - we're going to play a game of baseball (with Noah's new bat & ball from Mike & Brenda - his god parents) then having the family over for barbeque'd Prime Rib steak and Caesar Salad! Yummy!

Happy 7th Birthday Noah....

Made with love from Aunt Tricia, Uncle Ed, Alex & Nick (in Ontario).

Happy 13th Birthday NICK!

How? Why? When?

Have you ever been stuck in the middle of a bad dream? Wished that you could just wake up and it would be over? That's how I'm feeling this week. I'm feeling pretty down about our family situation, being separated from Jacques and Noah from his Dad. As well, the spinner was and incident that happened Monday night (although I will not discuss the specifics, out of respect for my bravest little soldier) that made it painfully clear how much our family situation is affecting Noah's little soul. I was in complete SHOCK to say the least and frankly, it was the wake up call needed to made us decide that this is IT. We are done. It's simply black & white now. We are taking action to make something happen. To end this separation for our family and bring us back TOGETHER.

As much as I have begun to lean on my faith and as much as I am beginning to understanding the deeper meaning of why this has had to happen - it still hurts. It hurts so much. How can it not? I have found many positive aspects of our situation and I continue to be positive. That being said, I have allowed myself to feel moments of sadness and this is now. These past 7 months have been rocky - first negative & difficult and now positive & easier. We have been a family that has been separated - waiting for our house to sell - waiting, waiting, waiting. I've been separated from my pillar of strength, my best friend and Noah has been separated from his dad, his best friend and it's just been WAY too long now. Many people have told me they understand, but do they REALLY understand? Have they walked in my shoes? Have they been separated from their spouse for this long? Have they had to listen to their child cry themselves to sleep so many countless night? Have they longed for their companion at night - so much that you (too) cry yourself to sleep? I'm not so sure. It's been hard - possibly one of the hardest times I've been through. We've seen some tough times in our marriage, but through it all we've been together....and I think this is why these past seven months have been so difficult. Because we have not been TOGETHER!

Not only my heart hurts for my husband but it also hurts for more children to join our family through our adoption that has been placed on hold because of our move. Then again, this is a whole other topic - this topic opens a whole other flood gate of emotions. Our adoption continues to be on hold until we get moved and settled. On Mother's Day 2008, it will be one full year since we mailed in our application to adopt. The day we mailed our application, we were of the belief that we would have had placement by the Spring of 2008. This has all changed (as it most often does in adoptions), not only because of our move but because of a mis-communication by the adoption social worker. So here we are, one full year later and still no farther in our process, with no end in sight........no PRIDE training to look forward to & no home study to dread - even in our near future. Yet, many nights I still dream of the day when I hear the 'pitter-patter' of more than one pair of feet (too early) on a Saturday morning, the rumble of children arguing over a toy, the giggles of the children keeping a secret from Mom & Dad or the day I hear "MOOOO-OOOOM" being hollered to give bedtime cuddles filled with love & affection.... or the day I see more than one set of finger prints on the freshly washed windows & walls....all of these hopes and dreams so far off in the future and it all pivots around us selling our house. It's so frustrating and heart breaking.

As I continue to talk to Noah (and keep him focusing on all the positives), one of his primary focuses continues to be our adoption. For him it's an adoption of a brother, a sister or both into our family, into HIS world. He SO looks forward to having someone to share with and one of the most positive focuses in his life.

So for now, I HAVE to trust that this is all happening for a greater reason, a greater purpose that only He knows! And that's just all...

Busy Weekend Photos

These are pictures from when I went to High School Musical (Harrison Trimble's version) - got lots of video but not too many photos. Just a bunch of pictures of girls that Noah took on his own (most of which are blurry). I wonder WHY he got sat with all girls...hmmmm. Anyways, the two little girls next to him were the cutest (the one in the red - Sam - is a daughter of a man I work with)!

(below) Some more self portraits taken after we finished getting ready to go to the ADULT hockey team party - and 1 bottle of wine later! What a night - I also got many video and photos at the party. However, many of the 'wild' women that attended are teachers in local schools and they asked me not to post any! Let's just say it was one wild night - a much needed night out with adults acting like fools, drinking too much and letting loose! ALTHOUGH, I wasn't saying how much fun it was on Sunday morning - ouch!

(below) In Noah's hands, he holds his badge for passing Level 1 in the Red Cross swimming classes. The teacher gave great feedback - spoke of Noah being a very strong swimmer. On ward to level 2 (maybe not until we move, though)!

That's it, that's all folks!