Single mother with 3 kids!

Tonight...I asked Olivia to do something (while she was in the middle of playing). Her response to me was, "Excuse me, but I'm a single mother with 3 kids!!" Once again...apparently this was a line from a movie (Ice Age 3...maybe?).

Extreme Home Makeover

I sat down the other night to watch Sunday's recorded episode of Extreme Home Makeover. At the beginning of the show, they tell the story of the featured family and show the disfunction of the current house they are living in. While the Makeover team works on their house, they send the family away somewhere on vacation. This particular family was being sent to Disneyland on vacation. As soon as Olivia heard that, she piped up and said, "WHAT?! We don't get to go to Disneyland because we don't have a broken house? (pause) Well...we do have some damage downstairs."

I'm sure Olivia will be soliciting people to nominate us for the show.....now that she knows Disneyland may be involved....haha!

"Great Pleasure"

We have accumulated a few pumpkins around our house this season and Olivia is full of pumpkin ideas! Today, she was convinced that we needed to make pumpkin smoothies...so we did. After supper, she was begging me to carve the pumpkin (or "curve" the pumpkin as she says) and I kept saying that it's a bit to early to do that yet, if we want it to last until Halloween. She kept insisting that we do it and kept asking, but I kept saying we needed to wait. Finally, she looks at me and says, "Mom, PLEASE can we carve the pumpkin tonight? It would bring me great pleasure!!!"

Seriously...I don't know where this kid comes up with these lines, but they always crack me up!

Our 'newest' Announcement!

We recently discovered that we are expecting our third child! Although we wanted to tell Olivia & Braden right away, we knew that we'd need to wait until we were okay with it being 'public' information before we told them. So...the right moment finally came to share the awesome news with them. We sat them down on the couch and I had pre-recorded the 'announcement' in one of those recordable greeting cards. As they opened it and heard the message, their eyes both lit up and Olivia kept looking at the card, then at us, then back at the card....then us again! Finally with great excitement, she shouted, "We're having a baby!!" She kept opening that card and listening to it over and over again for the next few hours and days! The next day she was talking about it again and she said to me, "Mom, all our dreams have come true! We have been waiting for this forever!"

This past weekend, while we were at church, Olivia just walked in front of me and announced to everyone she met, that her mommy is pregnant! Who needs a sign...or even a belly for that matter...Olivia is on the loose! Good thing we waited to tell her....haha!

A "boy" Makeover?

I picked Olivia up from school today and took the kids to Dollar Giant (as promised), to spend their remaining coins from the "spoilings" of Gramma & Papa. Olivia bought some princess stuff (tiara, clipon earrings, fake nails & play makeup) and Braden bought a Pez dispenser (after much deliberation). So...on the way home, Olivia was begging for Braden to share his candy and after a few minutes I heard them finally make a deal. Olivia offered to do a makeover on Braden, if he shared some candy with her. I don't think Braden really cared about the "makeover", but because he is very willing to share, he agreed. I heard this going on while I was driving and said, "A boy makeover?? That doesn't sound right!" Olivia responded with, "Well...Russell (a male friend of ours) wears earrings...so what's the difference?"

Good point! It's getting harder and harder these days to define "gender" likes and dislikes...or do they even exist anymore?

The Terry Fox Run

Olivia is in Kindergarten now and picking her up from school everyday is always a joy! I love hearing about her day and all her "adventures". Last week, there was a particular day that stood out for me. It was a hot September day and usually she runs to me with a big smile on her face, but on this particular day, she was dragging her feet with her shoulders all slumped forward. She didn't even stop when she got to me for the usual after school embrace, she just walked past me and headed to the car while muttering, "We had to run 8 laps today!" Then it hit me. The school newsletter had mentioned something about the whole school participating in the Terry Fox Run. I didn't think the Kindergarten class was participating in that, but apparently they did....and I sent her to school in flip flops that day (which I never usually do).

I continued to ask her about the run and with each question...the number of laps she recounted, kept increasing. I finally asked her what the running was for (just to see if she actually knew). Her response was, "Some guy died and we had to save money for him!"

The Demo-Derby

Yesterday afternoon, we all piled in the car to head to the Demolition Derby in Hope. We didn't know exactly where we were going or how big of a deal this was, we just figured the kids might enjoy it (well...mostly Braden) and it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a drive. Anyway...turns out, this was a pretty big deal and a 3-hour long event. Braden absolutely loved all the crashing and Olivia liked the concession stands...ha! I think she actually enjoyed it too, probably not quite as much, but it wasn't until the way home that she decided to complain. Over and over again, we heard, "That wasn't very fun...I wish there was more stuff for girls to do!" So, we tried to explain to her that we are a family and we do things together. Sometimes we do things that Braden is really into and sometimes we do things that she really enjoys, but we can enjoy things together, even if it's not exactly what we like.

So...when Shawn was tucking Braden into bed last night, he asked him if he liked the Demo Derby and if he'd like to go again sometime. And my thoughtful 4 year old son said, "Well....Olivia didn't really like it, so maybe we can do something that she likes next time!" It's so interesting to see the different personalities coming out in our kids.

My 'not-so-wonderful" day at church!

Wow...I haven't posted anything all summer! It was such a busy summer and I can't believe it's over already. Anyway....we're back in blogging mode again. Yesterday was our fall kick-off Sunday at the church....which I anticipated being an exciting time, but ended up being a super chaotic Sunday, which also meant I was basically doing church 'on my own' with the kids that day, due to Shawn's involvement with the kickoff. Normally, I can handle it fine, but my kids were not in a great frame of mind for this particular day, especially if it meant sitting still in church for any length of time. Maybe it was the fact that we all had to get up earlier...or maybe it was the 'over-exposure' to Krispy Kreme donuts at the church. Regardless....the recollection of this story is not necessarily 'cute'. But, as I've been told by others who witnessed this event, it proves that we are 'normal'...although nothing about this moment felt 'normal' or comfortable to me.

I was feeling quite proud that I had actually made it to church a few minutes early...especially since I was on my own with the kids and 9am services are not easy in our house. So...we arrived early enough to get a good parking spot and were actually able to choose our seat in church. We spotted some friends up near the front and headed on up to sit with them. Other than the kids being a bit loud at times and needing a little reminder to be quiet....things were going pretty well. Then it was time for the scripture reading, which meant that everything else was super silent....except for my son. He is normally quite well behaved, but something set him off and he started crying and screaming loudly, "I'm not loving you anymore!!!" I tried to calmly deal with the situation, but gently putting my hand over his mouth only seemed to escalate the situation. He continued screaming this out, over and over, "I'm not lovign you anymore!!!" I found out later that he thought I was laughing at him about something and being "Mr. Sensitive", that was the thing that had set him off. So...I dragged him all the way up that LONG aisle, trying not to make eye contact with anyone and hoping they had no idea who I was or whose kid that was! I found Shawn in the hallway and quickly passed Braden off to him while I took a few minutes to gain my composure. I can laugh about it now, but it was not funny at the moment. Anyway....the rest of our time at church continued to be chaotic, but we survived. It was definitely one of those days that I wondered...."Why on earth did we come?"

David & Goliath!

So...the other night, I was reading our bedtime Bible Story to the kids and it was about David and Goliath. I was really engaged in the story and was really building it up at the point where David puts the stone in the sling. So I said, "...and David put the stone in his sling and he swung it around and around and around and then the stone flew out of the sling and hit Goliath, right in the ____" (waiting for my kids to fill in the blank...cause they've heard the story before), Olivia blurts out "...right in the PACKAGE!" (Big chuckles from me) Then I said, "NO....right in the forehead!"

Now, if you don't know what the "package" is....you'll have to ask me....cause it's not really "blog-appropriate", but I'm quite sure you can figure it out! Ha!

Braden's MADEUP song!

Of course, Braden always has to keep up with his big sister, so...apparently, he had written a song too. His is a bit shorter....and even more random than Olivia's, but very cute!! Here's Braden's song:

http://videomail.shaw.ca/view/13885563785-1245428300-18858/

Olivia's First Song Composition

When I was tucking Olivia & Braden into bed the other night, Olivia had informed me that she had made up a new song and wanted to know if I'd like to hear it. So...knowing my children, I figured I better pull out the camera to capture any "important moments"! Anyway...I'm pretty sure this was all done on the fly, but it was actually quite good and very amusing!! Click on the link below to view Olivia's First Song Composition!!

http://videomail.shaw.ca/view/13885573058-1244608890-39636/

Unnecessary!

We were driving back from Whistler last weekend when a single-vehicle accident happened a few cars in front of us. Fortunately the driver was okay and no one else was involved in the accident, even though traffic was quite heavy that day. Anyway...earlier this week, Braden was recalling the whole incident and was asking me if I remembered what happened. Then he asked me, "Mom...why did that lady crash?" I said, "Well, I think she just lost control and hit the cement wall." There was a long pause and then Braden says, "That was unnecessary!"

The "Pastor of Disguises"

Last night the kids and I were hanging out in Shawn's office for a bit while youth was on. There was a cross necklace laying on Shawn's desk that had been left behind from an event, so Braden decided to try it on. It was quite big on him and he didn't have it on quite right either, but as usual, he wanted everyone to see, so he turns to us and says, "Look at me guys!!"

Olivia looks at him and shakes her head saying, "Oh Braden (sigh)...the pastor of disguises...."

Too Funky!

This morning I was sitting on the couch using the laptop. Braden woke up and came and sat beside me. I guess he saw an advertisement of the side of the screen for eyeglasses. So...he looks at me and says, "So, mom....which glasses are you going to get?" I said, "Mommy just got new glasses, I don't need another pair." And then Braden says, "Yeah, but yours are too funky!" HAHA!

Playing the Wii

Shawn was playing baseball on the Wii tonight and he usually ends up getting so frustrated with the computer because...apparently...it doesn't always throw the pitch that he tells it to and then the other team ends up getting a hit. So...tonight was the same deal (we've heard it before) and I usually just end up laughing at him because he is SO competitive. Anyway....he was blaming the computer again tonight...almost as if it was a conspiracy against him and Olivia comes over to him and says, "Umm, Daddy...I don't really think it's the computer." I had a good laugh over that one.

Braden has a girlfriend??

Braden had been playing outside in his sandbox today. After a while he came wandering in with a little pink necklace in his hand (which I assume was Olivia's), but he found me in the kitchen and said, "Mom, my girlfriend left her necklace in my sandbox." Wondering if he was thinking of a particular girl that we know, I asked him what his girlfriend's name was. He said, "Harley!" I have no idea who Harley is...and I'm assuming he made it up, but I did ask if she drove a motorcycle...LOL! Anyway...he told me later that he hid the necklace in his underwear drawer so his girlfriend wouldn't find it...to play a trick on her!

"Diminishing??"

I always find it amusing when kids use "random" words in the right places!

We were sitting at the table for dinner the other night, and Olivia was just about finished eating. Randomly, she looks at Shawn and I and says, "Whoa....my stomach is diminishing. I don't think I have room for any more food!" We were both kind shocked to hear such a big word in our 5 year old's vocabulary. It's not like that's a word that is commonly used around our house. So...we usually press her to find out where she has learned it and learned how to use it. Turns out...."Martha Speaks" (one of her favourite kid's shows)....has a segment at the end of each show that teaches kids new words and their meanings. Who knew?? I guess I should watch the show more often. If I'm not careful...my kids are going to be smarter than me BEFORE they become teenagers ....HA!

"Quite Well!"

We finally got Olivia's bike operational again the other day. It has been out of commission ever since we moved here (like almost 2 years ago now). Since it was a beautiful day, we all headed to Mill Lake, so Olivia could get some good riding time in. She got the bike when she was too little to ride it, so she really hasn't been on it at all. Basically....this was her first real shot at it. She seemed to get the hang of it pretty quick (obviously still with training wheels)....and only having one real close call with an "oncoming walker" on the path...LOL (that's another story). Anyway....Olivia was riding in front and I was walking with Braden a few feet behind her. As Braden and I were walking along...holding hands....he looks up at me and says proudly, "Mom, she's doing quite well!"

So adorable!

Encouraging Words...for us!!

Olivia was out with Daddy today! They had some errands to run, which included a trip to the Landscape Nursery. So...I guess while they were there, Olivia ran into another little boy and his dog (named Toby). Shawn told me the little boy was showing off a bit with his dog and trying to get her attention, but she kept rolling her eyes and pretended to be disinterested, while saying, "Ya, ya..I see you!" Anyway, when it was time to leave...Shawn said, "Okay Olivia...it's time to go! Say good-bye to Toby and and his friend!" Olivia looked at Shawn and again rolled her eyes and said, "Dad...I'm not really interested in a boy friend."

Phew! What a relief for us! Hopefully we can maintain that attitude for a few years!! LOL

Potty Training!!!

Potty training is NOT my forte! It's not that I can't do it...I just dread it ...and pretty much wait for signs that my kids are completely ready before I even try. Anyway...it's been getting down the crunch with Braden now...so it's been on my mind a lot lately. I've attempted a few times...but he just hasn't seemed to be ready, so I didn't push it. The odd morning he will wake up and tell me he has to go on the potty...but in all of our attempts...we've never had a success yet.

This morning...was another one of those mornings. I was sleeping downstairs in the spare bedroom since I was up coughing in the night and didn't want to disturb the rest of the family. I was also exhausted after a long, but good youth night last night. Anyway...as usual...my children came and found me around 8am and once again, I heard, "Mommy...I have to go on the potty!" I was so tired that I had no ambition to respond to yet another "false alarm"...so I didn't. But Braden persisted that he had to go and Olivia was more than willing to take him, so I sent the two of them upstairs for the "potty mission". After about 15minutes...they returned....with HUGE smiles on their faces, Braden with a naked bum and Olivia with a fresh diaper, wipes and powder in her hand. Apparently...this was not a false alarm...and both Shawn and I missed the main event!!! Olivia had taken on the mission and was back to give me all the details. With great excitement, they informed me that Braden pee-ed on the potty (well, a little on the floor), but that she cleaned it up!! So...although unplanned...today became the day for starting this whole journey of potty training with Braden.

I quickly ran out to the store for some motivational treats (which happen to be "hotwheels" cars...the only thing that seems to work for him...ha!). And...as of this moment....we've had about 4 successes and no accidents! So...big props to Olivia...she has accompanied Braden to the bathroom most of the time and is his biggest cheerleader!! Here I was....asking for other peoples' advice on the whole issue....all the while, the "potty nanny" was living right in my own home!! Too funny...I LOVE my kids!!!!

Tell'em What He's Won "Huggie"!!

Braden and Olivia were playing together so nicely today (which always brings a smile to my face). They were pretending that Braden was in a race and when he crossed the finish line...Olivia was congratulating him and then says in her "announcer-like" voice..."Tell them what he's won, Huggie!" Then in her other voice (I'm assuming this was Huggie speaking), she says, "Congratulations...you don't have to eat supper ever again! No parents, no pets, just treats!!"

First of all...this is funny to me because Olivia has obviously picked up on the fact that Braden is not a great "meal-eater". We are always on him about finishing his supper! Secondly...I think the second half of the "prize"...speaks more of her heart. Obviously we are a big obstacle to her desire for "treats" all the time!!

I learn so much about me and them...when I hear them playing together! Sometimes it's funny...and sometimes...it's rather scary!

(And apparently..."Huggie" is a character from the show "Wordgirl"....which I wasn't aware of)

Doesn't he look so familiar?

Olivia has been learning about the death and ressurection of Jesus in her class at church....and since it's been fresh in her mind, it has come up in a lot of conversations lately...as well as her artwork. She loves to draw pictures....and if I do say so myself...I think she is a pretty good artist when it comes to her freehand drawings (but, of course, I am biased)! Anyway...the other day, she was drawing a picture of the cross and then the tomb with Jesus all wrapped up inside. When she finished her picture, she held it up for me to see and said, "Look mom, doesn't he just look so familiar?"

The "Ruler" of the Church

Well...it's been a while since I've blogged anything on here, but let me assure you that it's not for lack of material...LOL! It seems that both Olivia and Braden are saying and doing things....daily....that make us laugh so hard, but sometimes....it's hard to know how to reproduce those situations in written form. Anyway....here's another one that I think is "reproducable".

Yesterday...the kids were playing air hockey in the foyer at our church, while I was having a worship practice with our band for the night. Our lead pastor (Jeff) and his wife and 2 boys showed up for a while and joined the kids in playing as well. I guess Jeff started setting some rules to keep the game running fairly for everyone, but Olivia was obviously not comfortable with someone else making up the rules. I wasn't there at that moment, but from the story that was related to me....I think it went something like this,

With a big frown on her face and hands on her hips....Olivia walked up to Pastor Jeff and said, "Hey, you can't make up the rules! The church makes the rules and I am the ruler of the church!!"

So...after hearing what happened....I brought up the situation once we got home that night. Here's how it went:

Me: So, Olivia....did you have fun with Micah & Ethan tonight? (Pastor Jeff's boys)
Olivia: Yeah
Me: Was Pastor Jeff not playing by the rules?
Olivia: Well, mom....God made ME the ruler of the church!
Me: How do you know that God made you the ruler?
Olivia: I don't really know....I just feel something inside. I can't see it or taste it, but I just feel something inside that shouldn't be there!

Well...I'm not sure where this "thinking" has come from....I certainly hope she hasn't picked up this whole idea from us!! Unfortunately....she just spoke truthfully about the view that a lot of church people hold subconciously.

Ahhh....lessons from a child.

The Hand that Holds The World

While we were driving last night, Olivia again had another "theological" question that brought a smile to my face. The conversation went something like this;

Olivia: Mom, does God hold the world in His hands?
Me: Yes...He does Olivia.
Olivia: Does He sometimes put the world in His pocket?
Me: Hmm...well...I don't think so Olivia.
Olivia: Well...then what does He do with the world while He eats?
Me: (long pause while laughing to myself..ha!) Well....God is so big and awesome that He can do things that we can't even imagine or understand.
Olivia: Does He maybe just set the world on the table while He eats and let it roll around for a bit?
Me: (Again....laughing....and thankful we had arrived at our destinations...ha!) Sure....Olivia!

Did I mention that I LOVE this age? If laughter really is the best medicine, then my kids keep me super healthy for all the laughter they bring to my life!!

Heaven?

This post is sort of a continuation from an earlier post, "Questions about God??" A few months ago...Olivia was asking so many questions about God and heaven and dying....all that stuff. It's hard to know how to truthfully and appropriately answer those questions to a 5-year old, without giving them more knowledge than they are able to handle mentally (if that makes any sense). Anyway, it got to the point where Olivia became very upset about the thought of going to heaven....not so much afraid....but simply not wanting to leave the comforts of her life right now.....and unable to process the thought that heaven is so much better than we could ever imagine.

Well....it had been a while since the whole subject of heaven had come up.....until the other day. I don't know exactly how we got talking about it, but Olivia was asking questions about how our bodies work and I was explaining how the blood flows through our bodies. I was explaining that the blood essentially travels from our heart to our veins (which she thinks are called "brains"), and then back to our heart, then back to our veins, then back to our heart....etc.

Then she said, "So...when our blood stops flowing, we die?" I said, "Well...yes." Then she says, "...and that's how we get to go see Jesus?" Again I responded, "well....yes." She took a minute to process that thought and then she looked at me and casually said, "Hmm....that doesn't sound so scary." Then all of a sudden she was excited about the thought of heaven.

NO Secrets!!

Olivia is taking a pre-ballet course right now and loves it. The studio she goes to is run by a lady from the Bridge church and according to Olivia, their teacher always prays with them at some point during the class and apparently asks them each week if there is anything they would like prayer for.

Well...the other day...I sprouted a nice pimple on my forehead. I guess Olivia must have heard me complaining about it. A couple of days later, she mentioned to me that she asked her teacher to pray for the pimple on my forehead. Her gesture was so thoughtful, yet I was so embarrassed! I sarcastically said, "That's great Olivia!" She must have picked up on my embarrassment and she looked at me and said, "Mom! It's okay...Miss Jenn didn't laugh when I told her." Oh well....no secrets in our house I guess! At least my daughter has learned to bring EVERYTHING to God in prayer....HA!

Miss Mother Olivia

Disclaimer: There is material in this story that may be deemed "gross", and I'm even hesitant to share these somewhat "embarrassing" revelations about our family...but oh well! The humour is worth the risk....I guess...HA!

Much to my dismay, Shawn has this habit of blowing his nose in his socks ....before he throws them in the laundry. Yes...I know...very gross! All I can say is....rubber gloves are a laundry room staple for me! Anyway...the kids know that Shawn does this and they know how much I hate it. They always hear me telling Shawn to use a kleenex and not his socks.

Well...this morning....Shawn woke up and went into the kitchen. Olivia was in there attempting to make her breakfast. Shawn actually grabbed a kleenex and blew his nose this time. Olivia must have saw him do this and all I heard her say was, "Now that's what I call being a good boy....using a kleenex instead of your socks!" HA!

Such a little mother!