Gardening 101

We haven't had a garden of our own since 1999, so we weren't sure what to expect when we signed up for a garden plot at Carl's work.  But with some hard work and watching what other people do, we've actually had quite a bit of success.  Thankfully the sun shone and the rain fell often enough so that something could grow.  It was a bit of a challenge not living in the same place as our garden, but we managed most weekends to keep the weeds at bay.  Since our move, I've been able to be in the garden more often with the kids.  We've already harvested beans, beets, and a few cucumbers.  And the tomatoes are coming.....boy are they coming!

Good Good Friends

Three girlfriends with cameras + their husbands + all their kids in close proximity = a rockin' good time captured on film.
 

Canada Day - Tourist Style

This year was our first year in Canada celebrating our National Holiday since 2008.  So of course I bought t-shirts for a steal of a deal and we went to the largest park in the city to celebrate.  There were live concerts and at dark there were fireworks.  It was too late to stay, but we enjoyed going through the children's garden and of course picking up treats from the various food vendors around the park.

What struck me as we walked through the park is that our kids would not have remembered being there.  I think it was a first for Asha, and most certainly was for Elena.  Even though we are from this city, our kids don't remember much so it was kind of fun being wide-eyed tourists through our kids.  Our city really does have some neat things that we look forward to exploring.

Family Gathering

Last month we drove out to spend the day with Carl's extended family.  A number of years ago the yearly family gathering was changed from Christmas time to the summer.  It has worked out quite well since I'd say there were well over 75 of us there.  We hadn't been since 2007 when I was pregnant with Asha, so she was uber thrilled to be going.

A highlight for the kids was riding around on the gator with all their second cousins, going on a hayride, drinking copious amounts of pop, and of course watching two chickens get killed and butchered.  The fun part was getting to hold the head and play with the bloodied tendons from the feet.  Yes, that's what we do at family gatherings.

Frieda

The wonderful woman who babysat Elena and Asha while I was working in the afternoons.  The girls loved going to her daycare and it set my heart at ease knowing they were well cared for.  We met her at church, Asha became her best friend by the second Sunday, and we quickly became friends once the girls started going to her place on a regular basis after Christmas.  It was just as much a blessing for the kids as for me.

And so it was hard to think that at the end of the school year the girls wouldn't be going.  We'd be moving and instead of living just a 2 blocks away we'd live in another city.  I cried in Superstore when I was picking out a card for her.  How do you express to someone how awesome they have been for your family?  She loved the girls, put up with their antics, crying, and messes all in stride.  She even offered to have Joel and Kezia come over after school so they would have a place to play until I came to pick them all up.  Frieda gave them treats and loved taking them places.  With all the kids and all the chaos, she simply told me, "I do it because I love the kids and it's my ministry,".  And that it is.  Because we were so blessed and will continue to be blessed by her.  Asha's already booking off days to go back to Frieda's.

Thank you Frieda for everything.  May God bless you and continue to bless you in your ministry.

*Asha and Elena and Onyx the dog wait patiently for the treats from Frieda and her daughter Steph*

Renos, A Move, and One Fire

I hadn't posted much about the house for a couple of reasons.  (Carl,  you'll appreciate all my number lists in this post).

1) We were busy

2) There were other more exciting things going on

3) I was being mindful of not sharing too much information and I'll explain....

So we got possession of our house in mid-April but didn't move until the end of June.  Carl was staying at the house one or two nights a week and then we as a family would stay one night on the weekend.  Because of insurance, we had to stay there a few nights, but I didn't post that so that some roaming creep could find out from the internet that our house was vacant on a regular basis!  We wanted to stay put in our community so our kids could finish school, but we also had work to do in the house.

The main project was the bathroom on the second floor because it was poorly configured and wouldn't work for a family of 6. My mom's cousin has a reno business and his partner Dave took on our project.  Dave is stellar and though construction took longer than we expected (and is still happening while we live here) it is AWESOME.   With an older home Carl and I decided that a large project is better left to the professionals, especially to deal with surprises. Nonetheless, Carl and I are pretty handy so some of the jobs we did/are doing are:
1) installing a dining room fan (5 minutes on the box, 4 days in reality....)
2) installing the plumbing and vents for the washer and dryer
3) putting in the vent for the range hood
4) finishing the deck and staining it
5) painting the bathroom and kitchen
6) installing blinds on the main level
7) touch ups in all the bedrooms

We also had some basement work done and will probably have more to decrease heat loss in the winter.  The attic guy is coming next week to insulate and so there continues to be an endless list of jobs to do.  Then came the moving day.....

That was met with a very short night the night before because of a "quick" trip to the hospital with Kezia.  She's fine now, but an infection got quickly out of hand and she needed antibiotics immediately.  After 4 hours of sleep, up an at 'em to help our friends and family load all our stuff on trucks and trailers.  We managed to get everything in one trip and get everything cleaned by lunch time.  Off we drove.


Once we got to the house, many things were already unloaded and clogging up rooms and passage ways.  It's a bit intimidating thinking that though everything is in, the next big job is sorting through and unpacking.  But that could only be partially done because: (this is for you Carl)

1) the kitchen cupboards were taken down as part of the chimney removal in the bathroom, so kitchen unpacking was only partial
2) because Dave was still using our bedroom as his tool room, we had no bedroom to move into
3) we don't have bedroom furniture anyways, so.....
4) because there is still work to be done in the basement, Elena's room was packed to the ceiling with bins and so her playpen was cramped onto one side with the crib still in pieces

The girls' room was set up, plus our bed and Elena's dressers.  Joel's room is probably the only one in the house that has exactly what it should and not much of anything extra.

Okay, so we were looking at all the construction and the bins and feeling quite tired and blissfully happy to be in our own space but feeling weird because in Asha's words, "It feels like we're living in someone else's house and they are going to come back soon,".

And then on the 4th night in our new home, a large blazing inconvenience.

Elena woke me up with fussing and as I put her back to sleep, I thought I smelled smoke.  As I walked to look out to the backyard, I was horrified to see that there was smoke billowing from our garage.  I hollered to Carl and we called 911 to report the fire.  It was probably only 10 minutes before the fire trucks came but in that time the flames were shooting up in the trees and the hydro wires had been melted.  We got the kids up in a hurry and rushed them out to the front lawn to wait inside the fire trucks.  They were tired and confused and slightly amused to be in a fire truck.  But the mosquitoes were getting bad and they gave us the clear to head back into the house.

It didn't take long for the fire to be put out and for the fire marshal to walk around and take pictures, for the police to ask questions and for the cable guys to come and get the cable hooked up.  I had to laugh that of all the services, the cable guys were on the scene so fast.  We had to wait a few hours for our power to be reconnected again because of other needs in the city.  And the phone guys had hundreds of wires to re-wire that were melted.  It took them 2 full days and oh, I felt bad for them working in that heat threading and threading and threading.

In the morning, we surveyed the damage in the garage and around on the trees and were thankful that the fire didn't spread to the house.  Seriously, that would have been devastating.  So we thank God for protecting us and the neighbours and realize the stuff is just stuff.  Yeah, we packed it up and hauled it from one town to another and now we have a bit less of it because of the fire.  But nothing of sentimental value was in there and we can see how God is working it all out.  Insurance will replace bikes.  Neighbours are coming over to see how we are doing.  People bring over poppy seed cake and loan us their mower.  And one guy down the street is looking for work and guess what he does?  Builds fences and garages.  Despite some crazy fire bug and the inconvenience of it all, God still can use the situation for good.

But in all, I'm hoping for the dullest most uneventful rest of the summer.

End Of School

Our kids had a great year at their school, Elmdale.  Joel and Kezia both adjusted to Canadian school in English, even though at times there were tears, questions and wonderings, and a lot of new things to learn.

Joel had a fabulous teacher, Mr. Thiessen who was a very big, jovial man.  He loved Joel's sense of humour and appreciated his helpfulness.  Joel, who was used to very affectionate teachers back in Bolivia, really thrived under Mr. T's friendly and open nature.  Throughout the year, Mr. T expressed how impressed  he was at Joel's advanced math skills and the way that he was helpful with his classmates.  Plus, Joel was always good for a great joke and tease!  Often Carl and I were stopped in the community by the EA's or substitute teachers who wanted to let us know that they really appreciated Joel in the classroom and were impressed with what a great guy he was for them.  That made us proud to hear that he is a blessing to those around him.  He loved being a buddy reader to a kindergartner, wrote a hilarious book about pumpkins, and also had a fabulous time getting to know his grand-partner from the senior's centre.  We're really thankful for Mr. T and Joel's amazing year.  Now it's off to grade 4!!

Kezia also had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Remple.  She was very mothering and kind, something that Kezia thrived under.  Kezia really missed her profs and compaῆeros back in Bolivia and so she had a harder time adjusting.  But with Mrs. R's gentle manner and kind approach, Kezia found her place in grade 2.  Kezia proved to be an excellent student, especially in reading and writing.  Within a month of being in school, Kezia had already achieved the reading level for the year.  One of her favourite things that they did in school was writing and illustrating their own books.  She loved doing research, writing the book and drawing the pictures.  She even wrote a series about a girl named Cindy.  Her report card always had glowing comments, but more important than grades, Kezia was a helpful and supportive student in the class.  She was continually looking for ways to lend a hand either to Mrs. R or to other students.  We are very proud of her as well.


I had the privilege of  helping on their last day of school during their swimming party.  Though it was a little chaotic being a parent volunteer I was so pleased to be able to be there on Joel's and Kezia's last day.  At the lunch picnic teachers told us they were so disappointed that we were moving away.  "You know that we teachers were all vying to have your kids in our class and a bit angry that we can't have them!".  That brought tears to my eyes.....It's good to have your kids so loved by their teachers.


It's going to be a great summer and in the fall the kids look forward to starting in a new school....plus we have a kindergartner this coming year!

Her Love

Elena loves her blanket.  She adores that piece of cloth so much that we are convinced she couldn't function without it.  Everyone calls it The Magic Blanket, because it is.  If she's crying or upset or tired or hungry or just needing some comfort that thing will bring her into a place of peace and tranquillity.  She has been fiercely attached to it since we moved from Bolivia and would soothe her almost as quickly as breastfeeding.  That's saying a lot.  Her little toddler friend at daycare loves to yank it away from her if she is carrying it around and boy! does he get a reaction.  So much so that Frieda sometimes has to separate the two of them lest she have a complete meltdown.

A few weeks ago, she had the stomach flu.  Yuck!  And of course every night as she lay in her bed, she would throw up.  At least it wasn't all over the carpet in the apartment.  Try as I might, even with laying down towels, she would end up barfing on her blanket, affectionately called Colchita or Colchi.  So we would pry the soggy thing away from the wailing baby and put it in the wash, because really, we had no choice.  And she would cry and sob and scream and finally after 2 hours the blanket was washed and dried and could be reunited with her.

One night, the 4th night of this horrible ritual of barfing/screaming/washing/crying/drying/crying/dried/sleeping, an exasperated Carl whispered, "Just cut the part that isn't vomited on and just give it to her!!".  I almost did, almost.  But I didn't for two reasons:

1) I was afraid of cutting up the pretty blanket that Jenny made for her
2) I knew that it would backfire and instead of being happy with half, she would insist on having the two parts.  This happened with Kezia when we lost her Miss Teddy (again, another ordeal of tears and wailing from a toddler) and we quickly got a 2nd one to replace it.  Well, once the first one was eventually found, she had to have the two of them in order to sleep - no, there was no "extra" one, as we had hoped.

Well, it isn't a soother like Joel or Asha depended on and they eventually parted with their beloved Sooey.  And Kezia, though she loves her Miss Teddies, has grown to sleep without them.  Elena will outgrow this and for now, it's sort of endearing to see how special her lil' Colchita is to her.  We're just hoping that she outgrows her attachment to it before it complete disintegrates......

*because she is so happy when she has it*

One Year

We left Bolivia a year ago today.  It was after quite the passport drama but we were amazed at God's hand in providing 5 plane tickets for us only a few short days after we had to postpone.

It had turned cold and rainy our last few days.  Friends came over in jackets and scarves the evening before.  Some had colds from the damp.  I had gotten rid of Elena's snowsuit and kind of regretted it.

We got up early that morning.  Lizette had brought banana muffins.  The kids were still really sleepy and didn't want to leave.  We layered up and lingered in the kitchen.  The time came to go and we did a bit of a walk-about in the yard.  The kids wanted to say goodbye to the dogs and Asha gave them half of her muffin as a treat.  She cried because we couldn't find Wilbur the cat to say goodbye.  He probably was still hiding and sleeping somewhere.

Holly waved from the guesthouse.  We loaded up in the Prado and the Runner.  Elena was with Lizette while I piled in with Asha on my lap.  It was quiet as Wilmar backed up.  Roberto opened the gate and Carl said, "This is the last time we'll do this for a long, long time,".  We got teary eyed.

We drove through the city and I drank in the sights.  The arrival at the airport was quicker than I expected and I wondered about all my friends that were still sleeping in their beds.  I thought of all the places I just saw that I wouldn't be able to see again.  Hannah and the boys met us at the airport to say goodbye and were joined shortly after by Yuneth and Ramiro.

We got all 11 suitcases tagged and taken along the conveyor belt.  We went up the escalator with everyone and lingered by the televisions.  The kids of course were glued to the t.v's.  Small talk.  Chatting.  Not trying to get too personal or say something touching lest someone start the floodgates.  We were given small gifts as tokens of love.  We shed our warm winter clothes to leave behind because in Miami it would be 25 degrees warmer. But then Carl looked at his watch and nodded and we knew that we had to go through customs.

Then the tears started.  The hugs and the last words of friendship uttered in person.  It was such an awful feeling that I just wanted to run away from there, back down the escalator.  As we entered into the line my stomach was churning and my head was pounding.  I didn't want to look back.  But I did and saw Yuneth and ran for one more hug.

Elena started to cry.  Then Joel and Kezia and Asha started weeping.  Carl had been for a while.  We walked around the corner, snuck one more look and then we were passed the line.

It was almost easier then.  The goodbyes were over.  There was nothing to do but look forward and anticipate the reunions on the other side of the globe.

Tomorrow I can't say, "A year ago we were still in Bolivia,". We will have been here a year and what a year it's been.  Crazy twists and turns and unexpected amazing events.  God has been faithful and continues to lead us forward.