Our Family Vacation

We left this past week for our first organized family vacation. We have done lots of other trips as a family but the focus of this one was to just relax and be a family together and I have to say it was the best yet.  We made the short trip to the coast and spent the first afternoon greeting the ocean.  Eliana was afraid of salt water for some reason but after much coaxing and a little squealing she got her feet wet and realized she could live through the encounter.  We rounded out the afternoon watching some crab fishing from the dock and beach combing for shells.

The next day we bravely ventured into the big city to the aquarium which turned out to be a highlight for the kids.  They were mesmerized by the sea life and in the end Eliana's favourite exhibits were the beluga whales and the jellyfish while Gabriel's favourite was the crocodile.  I loved it all but was particularly thrilled to get to touch a bunch of different star fish (which feel like rough rocks) and a sea urchin (which is really poky). The only one I didn't like touching was a star fish that looks kinda like a sunflower (lots of points) because it was slimy and squishy.

The next day was exciting for Ed and I  - the airshow. It is our third year in a row going and it is so awe inspiring that it just isn't getting old.  The kids loved it too and it was fun to watch them getting into the displays and getting excited for the loud planes (CF-18's!!) and bombs (pyrotechnics :)

Actually after the first set of pyrotechnics was set off Eliana was very distressed and asked Ed, "Why are they bombing Canada??" lol she was ok once we explained it was just part of the show.  Gabriel on the other hand...I don't know if he even noticed the jets sometimes - he just wanted to see more 'bombs' lol I guess that is a boy for you.  There were so many great planes and pilots at the airshow I would be sure to bore you with the details so I will summarize: A-10 is amazing in its capabilities, Bud Granley and his son defy everything you assume about flight, and the Snowbirds put on one of the best shows I have ever seen them do. 

The entire trip we were able to stay with some dear friends which made our evenings just as memorable as our days.  The kids loved playing with 'little sammy' and martina and are still talking about them non stop.  On Saturday morning Leanne and I went blueberry picking and it was such a great way to spend a morning.  While we were out the boys made waffles and bacon so we were treated to a nice breakfast when we got back.  Ed's blood pressure was through the roof but he made some great waffles :)

That evening when we returned home we went to the drive in to wrap our whole trip up. It was a perfect end to a great trip.  I love my hubby and kids and it was a great way to take the time to just enjoy who we are to each other.

Of Chickens

If I had thought about what this summer would hold for us this  year, you can be sure that I thought that there would be more sunny days and fewer chickens.


I wanted to share a few photos of our grown up chicks and proclaim that I would not make a very good farmer. Despite my efforts to remain emotionally aloof to our little feathered charges I got sucked in by how friendly they are!
If they hear me coming they start to peep and all line up at the fence for their feed.  Eliana is packing them around the yard at this very moment like they were well mannered cats.   They rest in her arms or at her feet while Gabe collects flowers for them to nibble on.


Ah the life of a chicken.

Of Order and Randomness

Every once and a while as a parent - your child does something that reflects the essence of who they are, encompassed in moment.

Eliana had such a moment this evening. Both our kids have chores that they are asked to take care of. This evening I asked Eliana to line up the shoes on the back porch. She came in a few minutes later and stated that cleaning up shoes is fun. I didn't think to much of it at the time. She is normally a happy little thing and I had no doubt she completed her chore but this evening I found out why she had fun doing it.

The best way to describe it is that she did it her way. When I saw it I saw a part if herself in her little mini self expression. Each pair if shoes were lined up neatly with one another but not one pair was next to the other. She had some under the deck chairs. Others on the steps and the rest randomly paired all over the deck. This would have been how Gabriel would have paired them if they were scattered in the first place - the part that makes me smile even thinking about it now is that all the shoes were piled by the door. It makes me smile because my daughter is so delightfully and seemly arbitrarily random. I know though that each pair was deliberate - a part of her plan and she had fun doing it. She found joy in the little moments. I hope as a mother I can help raise her to be who she was created to be and not just someone that fits into a mold.
Lord help me.

Welcome to the Farm??

So I am going to choose to share this story with you through the lens that God created me as an empathetic creature.  I am hoping in doing this I will look less crazy and more just like someone who needs to hone her gifting.


Ok, so this is how it started. 
I was born and I loved animals.  Did you know that I once cared for a dead robin for a whole day? Yup I did such a good job that the next morning when I went to check on him he was gone.  My mom told me he had flown home...(good one mom).
Flash forward 25 years.
I am now a photographer and I had a great opportunity to use some baby chickens as a part of a photo session for a family that owns a chicken farm.  It was so fun. (watch for them on my Twisted Lily Blog in the next few days...sooo cute!!)

Anyway at the end of the session these little chick models were homeless.  They couldn't go back into the  barns and risk cross contaminating the barns with whatever 'wee beasties' they picked up in the real world. In other words they were gonna die. Approximately 6 weeks ahead of schedule.

I shouldn't have let it get to me but I just felt for the little homeless chicks.  One short conversation later I was the proud? mom of 6 baby chicks.As I drove home with them sliding around in the cardboard box next to me - I tried to make a plan.

Actually I am still working on it. Mostly its a day by day thing.


Here are somethings I have learned in my 4 days as a chicken owner.


*Puppies laying next to chicks are NOT trying to be cute - they are waiting for the opportune moment to eat them. 
*Respectively if you act fast enough you can grab a chick out of a dogs mouth with no apparent damage other than a mad chick and disappointed dog.
*Neighbours will follow your lead and 'rescue' small baby birds and leave them in your care (Short version of how we acquired Quacker Jack our duck)
*If you live in a small enough town you can literally walk into a convenience store and walk out with a huge bag of chicken feed - and a slurpee.
*Chickens take over your life when you are so afraid of something happening to them you let them sleep in your en suite bathroom every night.


After reading that last one I realized I might just be crazy and need some help. Ah well.

My Littlest Sis...

This past weekend my littlest sis graduated from high school.  It was a great event and such a treat to watch her hit this milestone and celebrate her with friends and family. With that in mind I thought it would be cool to share a little about this girl with all of you.

Megs is one of those people that has a really sweet warm spirit with an extra dose of playful mischievousness thrown in. It makes her a great friend and excellent sister!  We are 12 years apart so growing up I mostly remember a little girl that was as cute as a button and a little on the quiet side but I had left the house before I really got to know the girl that I know now.

I love the change in the in the sibling relationship as you get older.  Once I realized that I couldn't always look at her as that little girl  - I found a friendship that has grown over the last few years.  Meighan has always been a creative being.  She has redesigned her room more times than I can count and I am always amazed how she can pull together colours and textures with such continuity.  Decorating to me at most consists of a coat of paint and often far less - so this skill never ceases to amaze me. lol

In the past few years she has also taken to painting and her work is so beautiful. I love that her style reflects something of herself.  Its always beautiful but some of her images are also strong and striking.  Her strength has been born in adversity.  She wasn't even in her teens yet when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  Thankfully we live in a country and time that allows her to manage it but it is not an easy burden to carry day in and out.  Although to talk with her you would never know it.  I think its the grace with which she handles it that impresses me the most.  When she could be whining and moping she takes it in stride.  Obviously she is human and has good and bad days but she has more good days than bad and is the type of person that will probably make other peoples day better by just being a part of it.
All of this said mostly I am just thankful to have a friend and sister like her.  We can be goofy and laugh about stupid things and then the next moment we can have a great conversation.  She has helped me with my house and kids so much that I have made a vow to myself that when she reaches this stage of life - I will be there to help!!! lol I am excited to watch her move forward and chase her dreams and figure out who she is and where she is going.  I love ya Megs!!

Of Bullies...

You know when you are young and imagine your adult life - the thought that bullies will still be around may not have crossed your mind.  I know that my young self thought that the days of bullies would be far behind me.


But we grow up and life gets complicated and when a bully stands in front of you as an adult - it can make life that much more tricky. Now instead of teachers and parents there to intervene - your on your own. Of course there are always the police and the legal system but it is easy to say 'it is just not that bad'...until one day it is and now what! The choice to stand up for your self goes beyond sticking your tongue out or pushing back. Hopefully as adults 'we use our words' and begin to create healthier boundaries for ourselves and our families.  In a perfect world the bully would be like, 'oh, wow, I had no idea that my behaviour was so offensive or my actions were having such undesirable consequences' LOL 
Ya right hey! If only it were that easy.  Instead of calming things down it often inflames things even further.  Its hard to watch scenarios like this one because you can feel so powerless. Its hard watching bully's lie and manipulate authority so they look like the victim.
I honestly don't know how things work out from this point; life is not a movie. Things don't work out picture perfect, neat and tidy.  What gives me hope is that although man may not see the whole picture and may not be just - God does and is.


Ps 71:4 "Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man"


Ps 22:8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

FYI...

So just an FYI...I am going to try to share my I heart Faces photos and such over on my Twisted Lily blog, in an effort to keep the photo 'stuff' there and the 'me' stuff here. I just thought I would give it a go - so feel free to pop on over there to check things out.


And if you really want to make my day become a follower!