Stairs

How Chuckles takes Buddy down the stairs:

I hope she’s able to loose that darn cast soon.

Things I never thought I would say - Part One

"Why is it you won't wear a hat, but you'll run around with a toilet seat on your head??"

Um, Honey???

That’s my clothesline dear…

Not a shortcut!

Merry Christmas

Baking Christmas Cookies

Every year at Christmas, I bake far too many cookies. We’re usually eating the cookies until halfway through January.

But really… who can resist!!

Just look at the concentration that Buddy has going on here:

And Chuck is definitely enjoying showing him how to decorate:

This year we made about 40 “Neapolitan” cookies, a small batch of shortbread, tons of the cookie cutouts that he kids are decorating, and about 40 gingerbread men & women.

Advent Calendars

Buddy and Chuck each have an advent calendar that my Dad’s cousin made for them. We fill them every year from our Halloween candy.

Buddy has spent the entire month trying to figure out how to climb up and reach his. He will stand below it and yell “peaasssssssssssssssee……peasssssssssssss!!”

Although, he has figured out that we get a treat every night, after we read a Christmas story. When we’re done reading, we’ll ask him “do you think we should go find the number?” And his eyes light up and runs over to the calendar, and finds that day’s treat.

Christmas Pageant

Yesterday was the annual Christmas Pageant. Chuck was an excellent narrator, and Buddy was a sheep. Sheep are supposed to wander, right? And Mama was the chief shepherd. It was my job to herd the two (young) shepherds & two (younger) sheep on & off stage.

The pageant was very well done. The kids rehersed in Sunday school a few weeks ahead of time, but there was no time to do a dress rehersal in the actual church.

They did a "A night before Christmas' type theme, modified to "A night before Christ's birth," and told the story that way.

Week Four - Love

Last Sunday we lit the candle of joy. We light it and
the candles of hope and peace again as we remember that
Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to
fulfil all of God's promises and bring us everlasting
peace and joy.

The fourth candle of Advent is the Candle of Love.
God's love is a perfect love. It holds nothing back.
God, in love, gives us everything we need to live a life
of hope and peace.

The bible says that "God so loved the world that he
gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should
not perish, but have eternal life." Jesus shows us God's
perfect love.

This is what love is like: Love is patient, love is
kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful or
conceited, rude or selfish. Love is not quick to take
offense, it keeps no records of wrongs, it does not gloat
over other people's troubles, but rejoices in the right,
the good, and the true. There is nothing that love
cannot face, there is no limit to its faith, to its hope,
to its endurance.

Love never ends. We light the candle of love to remind
us that Jesus brings us God's love and shows us how to
love others.

Love is like a light shining in a dark place. As we
look at this candle we celebrate the love we find in
Jesus Christ.

Source: http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-advn-candles.php

"Who's the Baby" and "Is he Sleeping?"

Two new tricks that Daddy taught Buddy this week:

1) Who's the Baby?

When we ask him this, he'll put up his hand, "I am!"

2) Is he sleeping?

When we ask him if he's sleeping, he'll scrunch his eyes clsoed for about two seconds, then open them again.

Still not Sure

About Santa:

Although he can identify Santa in pictures & dolls, and will point and say "Tanta!!" when he sees one.
He has no idea why Santa is important, but knows that he is!!

In which I (Accidentally) Steal a Cane

At church last week, one of the ladies (Buddy's Godmother actually), said that she had a spare cane that Chuck could borrow if we needed it.

We'd already borrowed one, and so said we were fine.

And then realized, that she needs two crutches outside, but just a cane inside, but has no way of getting her cane to school, when she's already on the crutches.

So we asked if we could borrow hers after all.

It was in the car, and she went out to get it.

Excellent.

It's even a folding cane, so it will fit inside of a backpack or a purse, so very easy for Chuck to get it to school.

I handed it to Chuck, who was thrilled.

After church, we went over for coffee hour, and I dumped my purse, baby's bag, and papers on a table. Chuck added her script for the pageant next week, and her papers. And Buddy's Godfather put his cane down there as well.

After coffee, Chuck & Daddy went to youth group in another building. I stuck around and talked a bit more, and then went to get Buddy, all his stuff & all my stuff, and go home. So I scooped up my purse, the baby's bag, all Chuck's papers, all the while grumbling that she'd left them there and hadn't taken them with her, and wondering if she'd remember to go back for them or not (Incidentally, she did remember, and wondered where they were), and the cane.

yup.

I grabbed the cane.

Because Buddy's God Mother's cane that we borrowed, and Buddy's Godfather's cane that we accidentally borrowed, look very similar. Although I did wonder why Chuck had unfolded it, but then not used it.

When Chuck and Daddy got home from youth group, Chuck was using the new, accidentally borrowed, cane. And then she said "I thought that the cane we just borrowed was purple?"

and I looked at her like "huh?"

And Daddy said.... "Did you steal the cane??? you stole the cane!!! Everyone was running all over the place after Choir practice and Youth group trying to find the cane!!"

oops.

So, I made a quick call, to advise of the whereabouts of the cane... luckily, they own three extras, besides the two that are at our house. So there's no rush to return it, we can give it back when we see them next week....

Week Three - Joy

Last Sunday we lit the candle of peace. We light it
and the candle of hope again as we remember that Christ,
who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to judge the
world and bring it everlasting peace.

The third candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy. When
the angel Gabriel told Mary that a special child would be
born to her she was filled with joy. She sang a song
that began with the words: "My soul magnifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

Just as the birth of Jesus gave great joy to his
mother, so his presence in the world gave joy to those
who had none before.

Jesus healed them and gave them hope
and peace when they believed in him. From hope, peace,
and love grows joy. We light the candle of joy to remind us that when
Jesus is born in us we have joy and that through him there will
be everlasting joy on earth.

Joy is like a light shining in a dark place. As we
look at this candle we celebrate the joy we find in Jesus
Christ.

Source: http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-advn-candles.php


(Incidentally, Chuckles & another girl read this in church yesterday as the advent candles were being lit)

How Many....

Winter scarves does one girl need?

It snowed yesterday, so we got out the box of hats mitts & scarves.

And then I went through the box (there's no point in keeping one mitten, if you've lost it's match, right?)

And then I started thinking... we sure do own a lot of scarves..... hmmm......

So I sorted everything into piles... One for Chuck, one for Buddy, one for Daddy, and one for me.

And it seems, that every year, we think Chuck has lost her scarf. When in fact, by some miracle, she hasn't.

We have scarves that she owned all the way back in Kindergarten (She's in grade seven now), we have scarves that people gave her to keep her warm when we moved to Calgary for the winter when she was in grade one, we had knitted scarves, bought scarves, all different shapes & sizes. She had scarves that she didn't even realize were hers.

The child owned 12 (twelve!) scarves.

Last time I checked, she only had one neck.

We need to make a trip to the women's shelter up the road, to offload some of these scarves. She went through her pile, and choose three to keep. Which is fine... I can see getting one wet, and needing a spare. Or something. Odds are, the only one she'll wear all winter is the one from the Gap. That one was her favourite last year, and I'm betting it will be this year too.

Progress

Within a week of her last Dr. visit. Chuck is hobbling around the house with either a cane or one crutch.

Since there's snow, she's still using two crutches outside, and two in the halls at school.

And it is absolutly hilarious watching her bring her brother down the stairs. She sits on her bum at the top, and puts him in her lap, and the two of them "tobbogan" down together.

Every Kleenex Box in the House needs to be Moved up High.

Very high.

Because Buddy has found a new game. It's called "blow."

This is the game where either Mommy or Daddy hold a Kleenex to his nose, and says "blow!"

He scrunches up his face, bend his knees, and blows with all his little might... through his mouth.

right.

I think we're missing the point.

This has become such a fun game, that he will ask "blow? blow?" when he wants to 'play'.

Or, when I was making dinner yesterday, I turned around to find that he was systematically bringing me every Kleenex in the house, so that we could play. Not every box, mind you. Every Kleenex. Individually.

Week Two - Peace

The second candle of Advent is the Candle of Peace.
Peace is a word that we hear a lot. It is one of the
things that we hope for. Christ brought peace when he
first came to us and he will bring everlasting peace when
he comes again.

The prophet Isaiah called Christ "the Prince of Peace".
When Jesus came he taught people the importance of being
peace makers. He said that those who make peace shall be
called the children of God.

We light the candle of peace to remind us that Jesus is
the Prince of Peace and that through him peace is found.

Peace is like a light shining in a dark place. As we
look at this candle we celebrate the peace we find in
Jesus Christ.

Source: http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-advn-candles.php

Week One - Hope

A few days late.... this should have been posted last Sunday


Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means
"coming" and in this season we prepare for the coming of
Christ. One of the ways we prepare for his coming is by
making an Advent wreath and lighting its candles to
remind us of the gifts Christ brings to the world.

The Advent wreath includes many symbols to help us
think about Christ and his gifts. The wreath itself is
in the shape of a circle. A circle has no beginning and
no end. This reminds us that there is no beginning and
no end to God and that God's love and caring are forever.

The light from the candles - which grows stronger each
Sunday in Advent, reminds us that Jesus is the light of
the world.

Today we light the candle of hope. The people of
Israel hoped in God's promises and were not disappointed.
Again and again God delivered Israel from its enemies.
We too have the same experience of salvation. That is
why we believe in God's promise to send Jesus to us once
again to judge the world and establish his kingdom
forever upon the earth.

Hope is like a light shining in a dark place. As we
look at the light of this candle we celebrate the hope we
have in Jesus Christ.


Source: http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-advn-candles.php

Still....

Chuck is still in the air cast.

And will be for another 8 weeks.

Although over those eight weeks, she's to transition from two crutches to one crutch to a cane.

I need to go buy a cane.

Keeping Christmas

For the past six or seven years, We've had a few family traditions that we keep, to remind us about what Christmas is really about. We have a storybook (that's beginning to fall apart), with several Christmas stories in it.

Every night before bed, we read a story, and the year at the top of the page (some stories have been ready every year, some only a few years, etc).

Every year, there are always friendly 'discussions' over who gets to read the 'good' stories - The Gift of the Magi, Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Clause, etc.

After reading our story, the kids get to eat their advent calendar candy. In years past, this was a store bought calendar, but my Dad's cousin made each of the kids an advent calendar, so this gets filled from the Halloween candy now.

Last year, we added in a Bible study as well.... we had a reading for each day, and then there was a discussion question at the end. This year, I don't know if we'll be able to find something similar, but I'm sure we can figure out a daily reading.

Christmas Eve, we always read 'The Night Before Christmas,' Luke, and Mathew.

How do you 'keep' Christmas?

Christmas Time

December First is the day that we start decorating.

What do you think the odds are that when I get hometonight, chuck will have hauled all the Christmas decorations upstairs, broken leg or not?