Life in the Basement

So, we have been living in this basement suite (when will the renovations be done!!!???) for about 6 weeks now, and we have had snow on the ground about three times in the past few weeks. Things are starting to get pretty chilly around here! For the past two weeks our landlords have been away, which has been wonderful in the noise department. It has been so nice and peaceful - no crashing and clattering coming from upstairs. There is, however, a down side. They have left the furnace OFF!! Can you believe it?? It is so cold in here that when we wake up in the morning, I come straight to the kitchen to turn the oven on (and I'm not cooking dinner at 6:00am), then, when Matt gets up, he brings his blankets out of his bed and him and Dixie snuggle up in front of the space heater that I have set up in the hallway. It is really not a very good situation, and there's going to be a planned power outage from 2:00 until 4:00 this afternoon so I'll have to make sure I have this place nice and toasty BEFORE that happens so we don't freeze our little toes off!

As far as progress goes with the townhouse, I did have the living room painted...until Barry and Ryan tore the walls out!! We wanted to put some "windows" in so that you can see through from the kitchen to the living room, so that it would be more open, and I had checked with Barry to see if he could just sort of "buzz" out the squares and leave the rest of the walls alone...he assured me that this would be no problem. Things were a different story once he actually got going. Turns out he needs to put in a header, which meant that all the drywall had to come down...and I'll have to re-paint that wall once the header is in and the new drywall is up. Not really the end of the world, but there is just so much destruction going on that now I feel farther behind than I did on Wednesday. Aaaahhhh! So, if any of you are at all handy, feel free to drop by!

In "Matthew" news, his newest word is "crazy." We were driving home from the townhouse the other day and he asked me "What are we doing now?"

I told him, "Nothing much. We're done work for the day and we're going home for supper now."

"How crazy is Mommy!" he laughs from the backseat. What a little monkey.

Well, that's about all the news from around here.

Love ya,

Laura

Helper Bear

So, this past Wednesday was Matt's turn to be "helper bear" at pre school. He really loved it, I made a (healthy) snack for all the kids in his class (helper bear's mom is in charge of snack) and it was his turn to bring something for show and share during circle time. Matt's pre school teacher had mentioned that it would be best if it was something educational, like a favourite book, rather than a toy, so I had to so some serious convincing that the T-Rex that can actually growl and move it's jaws should stay home and he can show all his friends at school a book called "Five Little Ducklings." This book has a really cute little rhyme to it and he loves it so much he has it memorized, so I though it would be nice that he could actually "read" it to his class. He told me that it was really fun and he liked it, so I guess that everything went off without a hitch!

Every night as we say prayers before bed, Matt chooses some people to pray for. We've had a few talks that "who" means a person, and a person is a human, because when we started this whole tradition, he always wanted to pray for an activity that he was hoping would happen the following day, like going swimming or skating or to the play gym. So, last night Matt says to me,

"Mommy, ask what humans will I pray for?"

"Okay, Matt, who should we pray for tonight? And remember, who means a person, not a play date, and a person is a human."

" I want to pray for you and me and we love each other and don't fight, and for you and me and Daddy and Dixie to all sleep in a row on the roof, and then we will wake up and dig BIG wholes in the grass to play!!"

WOW!! What on earth goes through that little mind?

So, I prayed that God would help us to love each other all day and not to argue (can you tell we're getting a little stressed with the renovation chaos?) and that maybe one day when we're camping we could all sleep in a row. Matthew actually stopped me mid prayer, and reminded me that we were to sleep on the roof!! What a kid!

This weekend we are going to try and get all the baseboards and window trim done on the upstairs at the Peach Tree townhouse, so that next week I can take photos for you and do the grand unveiling!!

Matt has two more skating lessons left and then it's into swimming lessons for him, he doesn't seem to like the structure at skating lessons, he spends much of his time laying down eating the "snow" and licking the ice. EEeeeewww. He's been begging me for swimming lessons, and for some reason, he is able to pay attention and do really well in the pool, so for now we will stick to that and will just go skating as a family on Friday evenings, much more fun for everyone!

Well, that's pretty much an update on us!

Hugs to all,

Laura

Cola

We are coming up on the one year mark of the death of our dear old girl, Cola. She passed away on Halloween of last year. I have been thinking about her lots lately, and missing her tons. She was so faithful, friendly, with just the right amount of protectiveness, and she absolutely LOVED our Matt.

So, the other day we went for coffee at a friend's house, and on the way over there Matt spoke up from his carseat, "Mommy, I wish we could have coffee at Jesus' house."

"That would be so nice Matt. Jesus loves you and would love to play with you."

"No, I want you to have coffee with Jesus and I can pet Cola again."

As you have probably gathered, we have told him that Cola went to be with Jesus, and he has not forgotten.

On a much happier note, we have a little Dixie with us now, who is very much part of the family. Matt still asks when she is going to grow up to be as big as Cola (Cola was a shepherd/husky cross and Dixie is a Shih Tzu). He doesn't believe us when we tell him that she is going to stay quite small and she will never be as big as Cola.

In other updates, I had a GREAT day in Prince George on Friday. Pine Centre had a sidewalk sale on, Starbucks has pumpkin spice latte, and it was just so relaxing to spend the day away with a friend, enjoying freedom and great conversation. THANK YOU Desiree! We'll have to do it again when we both need a little escape from the everyday routine.

Things are going along SLOWLY at the townhouse. Barry spent most of the weekend at work and so we have seen little progress in the last few days. He is hoping to employ one of our friends who is not working right now to get things going a bit faster over the next week or two. I am getting anxious to be out of this little apartment and so I trudge along at the painting. By the end of this afternoon I should be done the entire upper floor. NO MORE semi gloss red, purple and green (what were they thinking??), we now have a nice eggshell mushroom sort of colour.

Well, skating lessons start here in a little while, so I must run.

Hugs to all,

Laura

GRRR

This picture was taken in March 2004, so Matt was about a year and a half old. I posted it here because the events of last night reminded me so much of how much he loves the "shampoo mohawk" hairdo.

Well, life in our little basement apartment is crowded!!! By the time dinner is ready, every inch of our six inch long counter is covered, I've tripped over Dixie 8 times and I've told Matt twice to stay out of the kitchen (which involves walking three steps into the "living room").

So, last night I had visions of a relaxing evening for me. I had dinner finished (miraculously) by 6:00. Matt was in the tub, I was pretty much done the dishes and all was looking good. There was going to be time to curl up with a book!! I had washed Matt all squeaky clean while the water was still filling the tub, so when he was done playing all I had to do was pull him out, dry him off, jammy him up and put him away for the night. Sure enough, I hear his little voice calling me saying he's done and ready to get out, so I head into the bathroom. I am greeted by BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!! He has grabbed his dad's shampoo and has squirted it all over the place to make bubbles. Then he realized that it wasn't just bubble bath, it could really lather. So, he lathered up his hair (again) and made it stand up on end. There were so many bubbles going on in there I had to put new water in the tub to get him rinsed clean.

This morning Matt and I picked Aliyah up for pre-school. That little girl absolutely fills my heart with joy. Desiree came outside to wave goodbye as I was getting Aliyah all buckled in, and told me what Aliyah had said to her this morning. Their conversation went something like this:

"Mom, do you know Matthew's mom, Mrs. Candline?"

"Yes, Honey, of course I know her."

"Well, I love her. I love her like I love you. She's a nice mom. But you don't need to worry. I love you as much as I love her, okay?"

Oooohhh. Who on earth could resist that??

As I'm sitting here blogging waiting for Matt to be dropped off by Desiree (one of us takes the kids to pre-school and the other brings them home - it really is a wonderful arrangement) my phone rang. Sure enough, it was Desiree, calling to say that our children have been scheming at school. She went to pick them up, and they had discussed their day, and decided that Matt should go to Aliyah's for lunch, then stay for a short play, and that Mrs. Rachkowski could bring him home AFTER all that has taken place. I was so not expecting that whole "Can I go here to play" stuff until AT LEAST grade one. I guess I was wrong, seeing as Matt is now having lunch at Aliyah's.

Well, I must go have my own bite to eat and get ready for the afternoon of clearing out the renovation debris, going to the dump and washing the truck.

Blessings,

Laura

Prince Matthew

Well, yesterday Matt went to his first ever "drop him off and pick him up later" birthday party. I went in and stayed for a little while just to make sure he was doing all right, and I noticed that I was the first Mom there to pick up my little prince when it was close to time to wrap it all up.

The birthday girl was Matt's friend, Jewel, turning the big "5"! Matt was the only boy at a princess themed party, so to help him feel a bit more masculine, he got to be the prince!! He had a special prince crown instead of the tiara's that the little girls wore, and when he arrived he got a car to play with instead of a necklace to wear, his plate and napkin had cars on them instead of princesses and he got to drink from a special goblet and sit across the table from Jewel instead of having a pink princess glass like all the little ladies around him. He felt very special and for the rest of the day insisted upon wearing his crown and being called "Prince Matthew."

Prince Matthew has been begging me to go swimming so I think I'll take this afternoon off from painting and take him. I should probably stop telling him "No, honey, there's no time for swimming, we have to paint the townhouse so that we can live there soon." Speaking of the townhouse, the bathroom is ready for paint!! Once that's done I'll take some pics and post them so you can see the finished product.

Smiles,

Laura

Progress!

Well, it seems like it's been an awfully long time since I blogged last. Things have been pretty hectic and busy around here. We had a wonderful weekend in Edson with our friends the Jansens, and the most strenuous thing we did all weekend was go to a craft fair. Heidi and I relaxed and drank coffee, Barry and Paul were goofy for three days, and Matt truly believes that Nicola and Chane are his cousins. They were so fantastic to him, and played with him the whole weekend. It was exactly what we needed! Thank you Jansens!!!

As soon as we got home on Monday afternoon, it was time to unload the suitcases and turn around to head to the church, where we enjoyed a scrumptious turkey dinner with our Life Group. It was a great evening, with good food, good friends, and even some excellent music. We are truly blessed.

Once Tuesday rolled around, it was time for reality to hit. We were back into routine and back to the renovations. I'll try and snap a few pics this week and get them posted so you can all see the "progress." Things are starting to take shape a bit. The master bedroom is painted and the new light fixtures, outlets and light switches are up (thank you Ryan). Those finishing touches make a huge difference, but man, do they ever take a LOT OF TIME! Barry has put the sealant on the tile in the bathroom and is almost done putting together the new vanity. By the end of next weekend the upper level should be completely done and we should be able to get all of the boxes and furniture labeled "bedrooms" out of the basement at our old house. I bet the Clarkes are beginning to wonder if they'll ever be rid of our belongings!

Well, we're off to get ready for church, and then Matt has a birthday party to go to this afternoon. He is going to be the only boy at his friend Jewel's princess party (Jewel's mom assured me that there would be a prince role for Matt to play - so Barry doesn't have to have a complete fit).

God Bless,

Laura

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone.

What a day!!! It began at six, with me off to the gym to run and lift a few weights, then home to get ready for work in case the sub service called. They didn't (praise the Lord for days off!). After that is was one catastrophe filled stop after the next until 6:00 this evening when Matt informed me that it was time to go home "where we belong". Bless his little heart for coming everywhere with me and being so good the whole way through!!

The past few weeks have been quite a roller coaster for us. Barry was supposed to have last week off to work on the townhouse, and he ended up going in to work for two days, and having to go to PG one day, which left him two out of his five days of holidays to really work at the place. BUT in that short amount of time, my man was able to finish gutting the upstairs, tile the bathroom and begin the laminate flooring in Matt's bedroom (which I have painted). Things are going VERY slowly over there, and we were both feeling extremely guilty about heading off to Edson for Thanksgiving. We could really use a break though, and are telling ourselves that after a mini holiday we will be much more motivated. So, next week it looks like if I don't get called in to work, it's a painting I will go!!

Matt is in skating lessons and is loving it. I got to watch him today (the last few lessons I've had to work, so Shirley took him) and he actually sprawled right out on his tummy, smelled the ice, then rolled over and proceeded to make "ice angels". He gets distracted pretty easily, but when he hears the instructor call the group together, he perks right up and follows along really well. Today they started to skate backwards, which was hilarious to watch.

As I mentioned, we are heading to Edson for Thanksgiving, to see our dear friends, the Jansens. Matt is so excited he can hardly stand himself. I could hear him playing with his toys in the tub tonight, and "they" (the toys) were talking about how Alex the T-rex can hardly wait to go to Auntie Heidi's house in one more sleep. He told me last night that if he had a really fast car would drive to Edson and Vernon, to see Chane and Grandma and Grandpa. He is really starting to catch on to how far it is to different communities and he does a great job remembering who lives where.

Well, the pig stye that was our truck is now nice and clean and the suitcases are packed, so that's my cue to get some rest before our long drive tomorrow.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and God's richest blessings.

Love,

Laura