stink

No matter how funny you think it is to give your son “fart bags” ... resist.
If you don’t, they will pop them outside, but waft the nauseating smell all through the house, culminated by leaving the popped stink in YOUR bedroom, thinking this is hysterical.
You, in your older than fourteen age, will then say
“that is kind of giving me a headache”
Which will lead him to get the Febreze out of the linen closet, and he will spray copious amounts of IT through the house, which really WILL give you the afformentioned headache and you will be forced to spend a long, long time outside, without cushions, cold and damp, because it is also raining.

I should know

bye bye tooth fairy

... you know you have "arrived" and are looking at a new level of maturity in your youngest child when, discovering that another tooth has become permanently dislodged, he rolls down the car window and emphatically hoarks it out onto the road than announces, quite simply:

"I lost another tooth"

either that or it simply means you've gone a little too country for too long

my guys have been having a blast so far this March Break, and, frankly, so have I. I don't remember the last time I felt that I so enjoyed a time away from school! It is still an adjustment, being back here. I know you are probably wondering what can possibly be taking me so long ... it just is.

today we drove into town to apply for a S.I.N. number for Jonam so he can officially apply for a job this summer if we find one we think would be a good fit. Wow. Hard to believe it can be already. I started working at 14, though, and haven't really stopped since, though I come and go as far as the paid working scene goes. I had had a paper route for a long time, but I mean a REAL job. The first one, if I remember correctly, was as a Day camp Counsellor the summer I was in grade 9. I babysat a bit before that, (and continued to babysit until I gave birth to my own)
Today, as I saw the look of pride on his face, I began to smile myself, with excitement.
Just who is this wonderful young man going to turn out to be?
And then I felt overwhelming thankfulness at the privilege to be on this ride with him.
Yah, being a parent is pretty darn cool ...

thursday throwback, one of the happiest days...

this day is one of the happiest days of my life. my brother got married this day, and neal and I truly agree it was the best wedding we have ever attended. evan was around 8 weeks old in this picture. for some reason, whenever I look at this snapshot, my eyes fill up with tears and I truly do not know how to explain it. evan is a wonderful boy, to be sure, but he was anything but an easy baby, so that can't be it. maybe it's just the "last baby" syndrome or something. anyway, I have been waiting for a thursday to put this up ...
happy memories

thursday throwback, the boys

today is back to school for us and back to work for neal. today, tomorrow and then we have a four day weekend to look forward to. family day is the newly legislated statutory holiday. I still have a rehearsal that night, but at least we have the day to play together. most of everything will be closed in town ... good. I am relishing the idea of sleeping in and not having to be up early, out the door for HIGH Day.

I am also, unfortunately, looking forward to neal helping me figure out the best way to stop these boys from picking fights with each other and with me. talk about attitudes. I know we as homeschoolers spend an exorbitant amount of time together but you would think by now we would also know how to acquiesce. definitely have to work on that one.

started normally in "the good old days". this was around 1996. we rented a three bedroom apartment.

suggestions? (bearing in mind that one just turned thirteen and the other is only 17 months behind)

sometimes all we need is just a little reminder of how things used to be ...

on evan's third birthday. no one could have pulled these two apart (or understood half of what they said to each other for that matter) we rented a house from my brother's friend. great, huge backyard.

this is on evan's fourth birthday. we had just purchased our first home a few weeks prior to this day, July 2000. so far, arguing or no, we have not found any friend who sticks closer than a brother.

how did he get to be thirteen?

My oldest is now, officially, a teenager. I am not in denial, just a little taken back. I know, I know, we all have the same number of years to plan for this, but it still snuck up on me while I wasn't looking. At least he still loves to play Lego ... only now it's usually weapons or models from movie scenes and involves simple motors and definitely blows up and ultimately becomes a low-budget flick on youtube.

I am starting to find crumpled tissues and reading glasses in my pockets much more often ...

only yesterday, I thought, at the Brock Monument near the falls
just last month. where does the time go? happiness is ... the future