Foto Friday

Today is Foto Friday...enjoy!

(Sandy's bruised arm from giving blood on Wednesday for tests re. joint pain - her other arm is equally as bruised.)

Have a great weekend!
Gerald

100 Days

Today was our 100th day of school for this school year. Seventy more to go before summer break - not that we are counting :). So, you ask, what are we going to do to celebrate? Well, we are taking the day off tomorrow. That is a good reward don't you think?? Actually, I have a doctor's appointment in Winnipeg tomorrow morning and the substitute teacher wasn't available. After the doctor's appointment we will do a little shopping, go out for lunch, and then come home. The kids and I are looking forward to the day off.

The boys had some of their friends over this afternoon to slide. They had lots of fun and enjoyed being outside. I enjoyed looking at the long range forecast and am hoping that they are right in their predictions and that we will very soon be enjoying some warmer weather.

Saturday Andrew decided it was time to grill some hamburgers. So the kids helped Gerald make the patties while I made some buns. It was so cold out but Gerald moved the grill close to the patio door and went in and out grilling the burgers. They were very tasty and made us long for some warm summer days.


Off to put the last of the kids to bed while Gerald continues studying.

Sandy

Orange Pop and Milk

Ahhh, Friday afternoon has arrived. School is finished for the week. The sun is shining in the living room window making the room warm and cozy despite the bitter cold outside. Ok, I know that it isn't bitter, but after the gorgeous weather we just had this seems very cold!

We had a crazy start to the day today. Olivia has wanted orange pop for awhile so yesterday I finally bought a case. I told her to put it in the fridge downstairs and it would be nice and cold for her to enjoy one today. So, right after breakfast, before school starts she asks if she could go get one. Then she tells me that she put it in the freezer downstairs. I reply, "The fridge, right!" Olivia says, "No, the freezer on top of the fridge downstairs." I race downstairs expecting to find orange pop frozen all over the freezer. This ends up being the one of the times that I am thankful that the old, old fridge that we inherited with the house is so old that the freezer doesn't actually freeze. It just keeps the items slightly colder than the fridge. The case of pop was cold but each can was still intact. So, I take the case out of the freezer and open the fridge to place the case of pop in there. And...discover that the extra milk we purchased yesterday had been leaking all night. So, instead of cleaning up frozen orange pop out of the freezer I was cleaning up milk out of the fridge.

The kids played outside every day for the last week. It was just so beautiful out. The boys discovered some snow caves across the street and spent some time there. Olivia had a play date at a friends house. They also spent some time on the slide and we took several walks.

We have done several science projects this week. We grew some crystals - which were very cool! We we suppose to do several seed and growing projects but since most of our garden and flowers are started already we just talked about our garden. The kids check out the table every morning and inform me what it up and how tall things are. Several of the pots almost need to be transplanted already. Olivia has one science project going right now where she is trying to grow some roots on a carrot top.

Tonight is gym night with our home school group. Gerald is in charge of the older kids. He is still limping some, but it is getting better. This is one of the kids favorite activity. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend. I went to the chiropractor today for my shoulder and he told me to rest it and not do any lifting for a few days - how long can I milk that!!! :)

Have a great weekend,
Sandy

New Doorknob??

The kids are outside playing tonight - for the first time this week (while I am sitting in the house eating chocolate :). We are anticipating the warmer weather that they have been promising us and today is the first day this week without a windchill warning. The kids have been so antsy and need to burn some energy. Gerald told them he would go clean off the slide for them and they all jumped at the chance to go outside. It remains to be seen how much he can actually do out there. He is still limping as he walks and certain movements are still very painful. The chiropractor is very encouraged with the progress but I think Gerald is still looking for the progress.

We had an interesting day yesterday. This is what our door from the garage into the house
ended up looking like at the end of the day.

And this is Olivia waiting for Gerald to come home from work to go get a replacement doorknob. She is sitting on the prop to keep the door closed.

This is the second time we have had to get some replacement parts for the door knob that we replaced in August. The customer service at the hardware store told Gerald that they have had lots of problems with that type of door knob. When it happened in fall it wasn't all that serious. We had other doors to use. In a bitter week of winter weather it wasn't so funny. The other doors are frozen closed since we do not use them in winter. Thankfully, it was a simple fix, they gave us the parts for free, and we are warm once again.

Sandy

Happy Birthday Caleb!

We just finished several days of celebrating Caleb's birthday. Saturday he had three friends over for a sledding birthday party. Thankfully it was not as cold as it was today!!! They had lots of fun sliding and being together. Caleb picked hamburgers for the meal and brownies for dessert - how easy is that? Monday was his birthday and he started the morning getting up around 3:30 am to tell us his tummy hurt and then he proceeded to vomit. Happy Birthday buddy!! Thankfully it seemed to be short lived and by the time Olivia and Andrew woke him up by singing Happy Birthday to him it seemed to be over. He even ate cupcakes for lunch and was fine. It is hard to believe he is 8 years old. Time flies, oh yes it does!


Hop Along, I mean Gerald :) started school today. He said that the thermometer in the van read -40 degrees all the way to Providence Seminary. Yikes! I was very happy to stay inside all day! Gerald is taking two classes this semester - one at the school and one online. As I type this he is already at his homework (how studious is that?).

Gerald's knee is SLOWLY getting better. He is still hobbling along and icing the knee several times a day. Tonight he is in more pain since the chiropractor worked him over again today. At times he has been really frustrated with the slow progress. Do I remind him that he isn't 20 anymore or just sympathetically listen to him and wait on him hand and foot? Yeah, you know me well!!

The kids and I are in our second week of school this year! Andrew is loving learning about the Civil War. He and I just started a story tonight about a young boy who runs away and joins the Union Army. He is also reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. He asked if he could read it after he finished a book he checked out of the library yesterday about the life of C.S. Lewis. Andrew has an amazing mind. I know that I did not comprehend at his age what he does.

I can't leave Olivia out. She wasn't feeling too well today - runny nose and just not feeling too well. She put on a puppet show for us tonight using the puppets(Christmas story) she made in Sunday School. She had fun and did a great job. She is fast asleep already and I hope she will be feeling better tomorrow.

Well, it is going to be another cold night so I'm off to the hot shower and then under the duvet.

Keep warm,
Sandy

(The video is from Caleb's birthday party on Saturday)

Back to School...

Today marked the first day back to school for Sandy and the kids after the Christmas break. As with any such day there is a mixture of excitement and bad attitudes. Thankfully, the bad attitudes did not surface and the day went well.
The morning for me was not so great. I injured my knee at work while bending down to change some cables on one of the computers. It seemed like it popped out of joint, but the chiropractor told me that things will be fine. I am at home this afternoon icing it and wondering what the next weeks will be like as I begin a rather busy winter season of work, family and school at Prov Seminary.
Olivia was back at ballet last night and tomorrow they return to Awana. But most of all we are entering another year of anticipation, looking forward to what God has in store for our family. Back in 2007 our time in Mexico changed our lives, for which we are eternally grateful. The year that just was, 2008, was more of a stable year but filled with much joy and confirmations in our lives that we are making good choices in how we are nurturing and discipling our children in the ways of the Lord. It was also a year in which Sandy and I grew much deeper in love for each other, thankful beyond words for our marriage and the bond that we have between us.
But this year ahead, 2009, is still unknown, and so we are trusting God that He will do His work in our lives according to His will and will use us as He chooses. And how much more exciting can it be than that.
- Gerald

Happy New Year 2009!!!

We (Grandpa and Grandma Pust) are having a wonderful week with the Reimer's! We have been doing crafts together and surviving some bitter cold weather. We have played games, enjoyed Sandy's wonderful cooking, especially her candy and baking items. Today we had wonderful homemade Carmel rolls with even more exciting things coming for supper! Sandy is a tremendous cook and the holidays are full of her art from the kitchen. It all tastes so good.

We have also enjoyed watching the kids on their bobsled slide....zoooooooooom with all kinds of twists and turns. Gerald has a done a terrific job of getting his kids to enjoy the bitter cold and lots of snow. The slide is awesome and fast since Gerald waters it for speed. It has provided hours of entertainment for everyone. Grandpa has been shoveling snow. I have braved the cold only one day as we all went to Winnipeg and toured The Mint (coin factory), shopped and ate to our heart's content at the kids favorite restaurant, Montana's.

Tomorrow is Gerald's 41st birthday and we are planning a party with the kids. We have already watched Prince Caspian and have one more DVD to go. As you can see our holiday celebrations are quite full of having fun, eating and playing games!! Can't get much better than that!!
They tell us it has snowed at home but I know it hasn't been as cold as Manitoba!!! We return Saturday and back to Duane's school job but I think I will still be willing to be pretty home bound if it is cold! Happy 2009!!

(Painting wooden crafts...)

(Finished products...looking great!)

(Grandpa and Caleb playing Yahtzee...)

(Caleb and Dad working on sand art...)

(Caleb showing off his skills on the slide...)

Grandma Katie and Grandpa Duane