Change!

And once again our lives are changing!  
I actually love change. Too long in one "spot" seems to leave me dreaming of something new! Maybe that is why we have moved around so much.
This time we are not moving away. It is our children who are making all of the changes!

Leaving for the MTC! 

We have just arrived home from dropping our dear son, Nathan, off in Provo Utah at the Mission Training Center. He will be there for a few weeks before heading off to Halifax where he will serve a two year mission for our church. Although we have been planning this for years, it was still hard to drop him off and drive away.  I am grateful for emails and happy news that he is doing well and not homesick at all!

Saying good bye

Our dear Mackenzie is starting the countdown for high school graduation. She is making summer plans that don't include anything on my big brown paper summer calendar that I make every year. Instead she is planning her own adventures with her friends. Then she will be off to college and maybe a mission of her own!
I am excited to see her branch out and explore her world. This is what I have been working on their whole lives~ getting them ready to make it on their own,  But boy oh boy, it is hard to be left behind. I wonder and hope that I have given them the tools they will need to be happy and successful!

It could be 3 1/2 years before they see each other again!
 Glad to know they will miss each other!!

Even our dear Jacob is making plans without me and is excited for his own adventures.  He will be 16 in a few weeks and is planning his first date with a sweet girl. They will be double dating with his dear sister and her date.  He was very clear with us that a double date with mom and dad is just NOT cool!! Whaat???

There are always many changes with the "Littles". Our five year old is finished with preschool and getting ready for kindergarten. He is need of a bigger bike and we are even talking about taking off the training wheels! Our 2 and 3 year old are working on mastering the potty. Their favorite words these days are "Me do it" and "I do it myself"! 

All of these changes are wonderful, positive, exciting and expected.  I am grateful to be the mom and to have a front row seat to watching it all unfold!
I will still take out the big roll of brown paper, draw on some calendars, make some plans, fill in the days and go on my own adventures with whoever will come with with me. Maybe some geocaching, a trip to the zoo, swimming lessons and a hike in the mountains!  We will continue to make more memories but I will always cherish the memories of years gone by!

He didn't even look back!!
Love this guy!

 I hope you enjoy the changes of your day!  I plan to!

Boo Humbug!

I have a secret...
Halloween is not my favourite holiday. 
The year that we all caught the flu and had to stay home felt a little bit like a blessing.

Having to come up with costumes and then taking these little ones door to door to collect poison, I mean candy by the hand full so they can spend the next couple of weeks whining and crying and throwing themselves on the floor in hopes to consume the stuff before 7am just does NOT add up to fun for me. 
I know, Boo humbug.

I have tried everything, Offered a night out to the movies with a bag full of treats and popcorn, family bowling night, indoor waterslides... Nothing seems to equal the pull of dressing up and collecting free candy!
Thankfully it comes but once a year.  And who am I to deprive these sweet children of mine of the highs and lows that sugar brings??
So we have our costumes ~No, they are not themed, unless Old McDonald's farm have a puppy and bumble bee who are attacked by a large green dragon, has a kind nurse who comes to mend everyone back to health and  brings meals on wheels with her!! (Jacob and his wheel chair is covered with cut out food from the grocery store ads... Meals on Wheels!! oh yeah, it just came to me in the middle of the night!) 
And Yes, some are wearing the same costumes as last year.  And  yes, My dear daughter has warned be of the trauma this may cause in the future when looking through the scrapbooks!But it was their choice and they still fit! Win- win! Right?

So, We will carve the pumpkins, we will go door to door and we will fill the hugest bowl in the house with all of the candy.  I will be the one who eats the most and be moody for days to come because for some reason I seem to think the best way to deal with a problem such as this is to get rid of it!... By means of ingesting it... oh yeah, fun times!!
I hope that you enjoy your Halloween... I plan to try!
Boo humbug

Hey It's All About You!

I just spent a wonderful afternoon with a dear friend.  She is one I can share my dreams and aspirations with, she will listen to my ramblings and my grumblings and still loves me.  She is a true friend.  I am so grateful for her.
She invited me to attend a luncheon with her where we listened to a presentation on brain development and how children's brains are affected by toxic stress and about the importance of nurturing relationships in the healthy development of our little ones.  What we once thought to be so is changing.  We are understanding more and more on the amazing abilities of our minds.
That was very exciting and I enjoyed the yummy lunch (best crème brule I have ever had!) but the real fun came in getting dressed in "grown up" clothes- no goop or stains. And enjoying the company of other adults. Adults I look up to as leading in their fields AND some of them even knew my name!  Yup it was a great afternoon! 
Then as I was leaving I realized something even more astonishing.  The reason that all of those people where gathered together talking about early childhood and brain development was because they are trying to help grow happy, healthier FAMILIES!  Guess who is at the heart and soul of that...yup you guessed it us parents.  Me the Mom!  They were all there sharing what they knew to help me be a better mother to my dear children. 
Isn't it funny how we (Maybe you don't) think that parenthood is less then dressing up in "grown up" clothes, having fancy meals, having adult conversations and contributing to the "real" world?  I am hear to tell you that today I discovered that the "real" world exists so that families can be happy, healthy and together.  Is this a bold statement? Maybe, but take a look at it with me.  Farmers and grocery stores~ so I can feed my children; teachers and schools~ to help me educate my children; wind turbine technicians and other power companies~ so I can keep my children warm and comfortable; amusement parks~ for our entertainment and to help build memories; photographers, hair dressers, fashion designers, pilots... Yup all to help the family look good, be together and capture memories. I am sure that you could come up with some profession that doesn't directly tie into keeping the family happy, healthy and together, but I would suggest that those exist because of the lack of family togetherness, good health and happiness. So if you are a parent and you have a day where the baby won't stop crying, you are covered in goop that you can't identify and you wonder if you will ever stop sticking to the floor and you ask your self why? Just remember you are doing the most important work there is to do! Have a wonderful goopy day! I plan to! Here is the link to the family wellness initiative. They put on the seminar! www.albertfamilywellness.org

Fun At Calaway Park!

So I posted this on my other blog ~ A Year without T.V ~ by mistake so I am reposting it here!  Next time I will pay more attention! ;)


Before I had Jacob I have to admit that I didn't give much thought to wheel chair accessibility.  I knew that there were wheel chair parking spots, automatic doors on some buildings and the odd place had a ramp, but that was about the extent of it. 
This week we visited a place that seems to have given accessibility some real thought, oddly enough, it was an amusement park, Calaway Park in Calgary Alberta.  A place full of family fun, spinning rides, challenging games, yummy food and fun entertaining shows!
But here is the inside scoop on accessibility.  We stayed at the campground right beside the park.  We had a power only site because the full service sites were full and I am glad.  The campground is all about being close to the park, not about space and privacy, however the power only sites do have some trees and shade.  Full service was pretty much a big field with some little trees that will need a few years yet before they are ready to shade anyone!
There are bathrooms and showers on site.  A Canadian toonie ($2.00) will get you five minutes of hat water in a very clean shower.  I was very impressed.  But what I loved even more was the family bathroom.  You need the access code to get into this bathroom with a wheel in shower and room to manoeuver a chair and a couple of helpers.
We got up each morning, ate breakfast, stepped outside the door and walked across a field to the gates of the park.  No fighting the traffic or worrying about parking! Admission to the park is listed below and if you stay at the campground they offer discounted tickets and meal vouchers too. If you have a family member with a disability they get in for $11.55 (at the time of this post) and their aide (or mother/father) gets in free.  That is not all!  Once you have your tickets you head over to the guest service counter and ask for a bracelet.  This allowed Jacob and up to three others family members to beat the line ups.  We were put on the ride in one or two turns.  Someone was thinking! 

Regular (7-49 years):  $35.95+gst
Junior (3-6 years): $29.00+gst
Fifty Plus (50 years and up): $27.00+gst
Family of 4: $89.00+gst   Each additional family member: $22.00+gst
After 2 PM rate: @20.95+gst
children 2 and under are FREE! And you can purchase season passes.

That being said my sister in-law found tickets for $20.00 each at her local Co-op store.

Okay, now that we have all of that out of the way, let me share with you our adventure!
We spent two days at the park. It was great fun. My dear husband, Colin, our daughter, Mackenzie, son Jacob and nephew, Sloan joined me on this excursion.  Nathan was being 17 and decided that he would have more fun if he stayed home (Dang it all, he thinks he did)! 

Our first stop was the junior bumper cars for Sloan.  We were too big and Jacob couldn't go alone so we headed over to the "egg" ride where you climb aboard a giant egg that spins around and goes up and down.  This is where we discovered Jacob is no longer 3 :) He was so excited to get on the ride and squealed as it started, but soon turned to me with a very serious "You have got to be joking" look on his face!  Apparently he has out grown the "egg" ride.  We moved up to the junior roller coaster...better, but still not enough.



Kenzie and Sloan on the Eggs!



A very excited Jacob, ready for adventure!

Jacob on the Spider ride!  Getting ready for it to start!
(We tried to get a picture while it was running, but couldn't catch us!)



So reluctantly I got in line for the Spider.  This is what Jacob had been waiting for!  Spinning, tilting, up and down and the turns made "your heart feel funny" (quote by Sloan!)  Jacob laughed right out loud!  Then we headed over to a ride kind of like the swings, but in a car instead of a swing.  This was Jacob's limit I am sorry to  say.  He came off a very pale boy.  Wasn't to interested in lunch either. Poor guy,  but I am sure he was happier going on the 'big boy' rides.  It was a good reminder to me that he is growing up!
Kenzie and I had a turn on the roller coaster, we all took a turn on the carousel ~ tradition of course!But the favourite for all of us was the bumper boats! We came out dripping!  It was the best of both worlds, "big kid" ride without the crazy spinning!

A tired Boy on one last ride!

So what would we keep and what would we change?  We would do it again but I don't know if we would go two days in a row.  Day two was exhausting and I don't think we had recovered from the first day.  We would stay at the campsite again~  Loved the convenience.  Most of all we loved the time we spent with our family creating wonderful memories!
Thank you Calaway Park for helping All families to enjoy a fabulous day together~ everyone!
Have a wonderful Day!  I plan to!

I Would Like You To Meet Jacob!

It occurred to me as I was looking over my last post, that I really haven't introduced my dear family to you.  So I will start with the youngest and work my way up!

As I was looking at the pictures I put on my last post, I realized they didn't really give a good idea of who Jacob is and that is sad because our Jacob is one of my favourite little people!



This is the Jacob we know and love the best.  He has an amazing smile and is quick to use it!

Twelve and a half years ago we had no idea what to expect with this little man.  Would he walk, would he talk, would he know what was going on around him?  Would we be able to know and fill his needs?
Well.  He doesn't walk or talk, But he defiantly knows what is going on and lets us know what he wants and when he wants it. Don't get me wrong he isn't demanding, in fact he is a very sweet, patient soul.  He is just really good at communicating without his words!  Instead he uses his many expressive faces!




His "NO" face.  This is a pretty mild "NO" Sometimes his brow is furrowed and you know you are being told!
On the up side, he smiles for "YES"!




We don't see this very often, but every now and then, when he has simply had enough we hear about it!  This is not to be confused with his broken hearted cry! (when all else fails pull out the camera!)



Not the greatest picture, but this is Jacob's 'famous lip'!  He is good at sticking it out when he is not impressed with what is going on!

 Jacob really does Not like to be left out of anything!  He is very much a part of what we do and the decision making.  And he has a list of his favourite things!




Mackenzie is one of Jacob's favourite people in the whole world!  They are kindred spirits if ever I had met a pair!

Knocking Down Mom's Block towers can fill a whole afternoon and get the biggest laughs!  There really isn't anything better.  Which reminds me... Jacob loves to TEASE!  He has a great sense of hunour!



Making Cookies and helping in the kitchen is a highlight of a great day!

Okay. Terrible picture of Mom, but Jacob LOVES the trampoline!  Look at that face!
(Not mine, Jacob's!)



Life is a whirl of Joy when Jacob is involved!  Great time on the carousel!



A good friend always knows how to make others feel included! 
He was a little worried about his eyes, but everyone else was doing it... why not him! 



Bringing down the house at the Halloween school dance! 
(He was one of the Triplets and Mackenzie was Merida from Disney's Brave)

 

So now you have a little better picture of our Jacob!  He is living life to the fullest, it just happens to be from the seat of his chair!
Hope you have a day full of joy.  I plan to!