A Bit of This and A Bit of That

I was going through some recent pics and found a bunch that don’t really match one another so we decided to toss them into a post.

Question:  What do you do when you clean out your freezer and end up with 70 Ziploc containers to wash?  Why, put them in the washing machine!    After that I washed them a 2nd time by hand but it was an easy way to do the initial cleaning.  Heh!  Necessity is the mother of invention!  What funny/unusual thing have you done to get a job completed around the house?

This sight is becoming more common around my house and it’s just one of the many ways I watch her growing up before my very eyes.  Sometimes she’ll sit with her legs crossed.  Already?  No!!!

On Thanksgiving Monday our family was together at my parent’s place.  Hannah and her 7yo cousin Shelby had fun playing together.   Shelby wrote down what Hannah asked her to write.   Such a sweet moment and I love what was on her heart.

(Interpretation:  Thank you for everything God.  I love God)

One job that Hannah takes very seriously is her role of walking GG to his place at the table for Sunday lunch.  Once we’re all sitting down she reminds us that GG will be the one to say Grace.  Oh how I love to hear Grandpa pray!!!

We’d been home less than 24 hours back in November of 2009 when we were at Nana’s house for our first Sunday lunch.  This tradition continues to be a weekly treat that Hannah and I look forward to every single week. 

Lunch with Nana the day after we came home from China.

Lunch now.  Such a precious relationship they share!

Stickers are still something she plays with every single day!  I’m so thankful that early on she learned that stickers can go on people and paper.  This day – it was people!

The aftermath of the Frankenstorm that hit our playroom when Hannah had a few little friends over to play!  They had fun though and that’s all that matters,

(I’m having a real problem with pictures on my Canon S95 being over exposed when the flash is used.  Any tips out there from those in the know?)

Dressed for church wearing one of Ro’s old Easter dresses and coats.  Beautiful!

When I looked in the rear view mirror Sunday afternoon what I saw made me smile.  Hannah never took a pacifier but has always had a few ‘pacies’ in her toy bins that the plays with occasionally.  It was a funny surprise to see she’d fallen asleep with this one in her mouth.  I think it may be the only time she’s fallen asleep with a pacifier!

At her friend Isaiah’s birthday party she literally flew down the slide and off the end…and then ran back to do it again! 

Memories……

China Travel Group Reunion

Last weekend Hannah and I plus my Mom and Dad were excited to get together with some of the families that we travelled to China with in 2009.  These families hold a special place in my heart as we shared the most amazing, life changing time together as we became parents together in Changsha, China.  We walked into a room with arms aching to hold our daughters and minutes later those arms held our daughters!  I am forever grateful that I had these families  to share that experience and many others with as we spent over 2 weeks together in China.

This year we saw huge changes in our girls as they’d changed from playing independently beside one another to playing with one another.  It was so neat to see! 

Although all the girls are from Changsha, only one other little China sister, Emma was in DaoXian with Hannah.

At one point I popped upstairs and asked the girls if they knew any songs and this was what happened.  Precious!!!

A second sweet video can be viewed here.  My favourite song of the evening happened when I couldn’t get to my video camera.    Our precious daughters born in China stood together and sang, ‘Oh Canada.’  I shed a tear or two and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who did.

This year we were finally able to get a group picture!  Phew!  The past 2 years when we attempted this it was a bit like herding cats!

2010

2011 (slightly more successful as the girls were 2 and 3 years old)

2012 – Ah, now that’s better!

Hannah’s China sisters – then and now.

Emma

 

Tessa

 

Kristy

 

Jiana

 

Meigan

 

Serena

It was wonderful sharing time with these friends and as we watched our girls together we realized the friendships forming between them is very important.  We’re hoping to get together more often in coming years in order to foster their friendships.  Such sweet little girls.  We are all SO BLESSED!!!

A Call to Pray

Today I want to ask you to pray for 2 families that I have mentioned here in the past. 

In the spring of 2008 I shared with you the story of Tricia and Nate and their beautiful DD Gwyneth born at just 24 weeks gestation.  Mom Tricia was born with Cystic Fibrosis and weeks after Gwyneth’s birth Tricia received a double lung transplant. 

I’m asking you to please pray for this sweet family again as Tricia is fighting a potentially life threatening infection in her lungs at the same time as trying to strengthen her body in order to be listed in the transplant list once again.  More details are available here.

 

I am also going to ask you to pray for little Ivy Joy whom you prayed for earlier this year when she came home from China with a very sick little heart.  This is a precious family whom we met in Changsha, China when they were adopting their first DD.  She has just had two more open heart surgeries and I know the family would appreciate your prayers.

 

Thank you also for your continued prayers for Lucy.  She is doing really well and her family is moving forward as the family of a cancer survivor!  Praise the Lord!!!  (I will be removing the Lucy link from the sidebar soon so you may wish to save the link somewhere.)

Thank you for praying!

‘but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.’

Isaiah 40:31

Lunch Buds Canning Exchange

I have a great group of friends that hang out together at lunch.  Between the two tables there are about a dozen of us or so and sometimes the laughter we share shakes the walls!  What a wonderful break this is in the middle of a work day and oh how I enjoy the time we share together.  Much of my work is solitary and my personality well, it’s not!   

Two of the guys in our group are hot sauce aficionados and in the past couple of years they’ve even taken to growing their own peppers and making hot sauces.  While I used to shy away from their sauces one day curiosity got the better of me and now it’s not unusual for me to taste their weekly experiments.  Mmm, mmm!  While they might stir in a couple of Tbsps. into their meal, my adventure usually means a few drops on the end of a spoon carefully spread throughout my meal.  But, I’m getting there.

Anyway, all of this to say that as the group of us would sit and chat in the lunch room we quickly realized that many of us were canning a variety of items and it would be fun to have a canning exchange.  The 1st Annual Fall Fair idea was born and yesterday was exchange day.

Back in June after we went strawberry picking Hannah and I spent an afternoon making 24 jars of yummy strawberry freezer jam.

Yesterday I pulled some of our jam out of the freezer and took it to work for the exchange.  It was neat to see the table full of all the things people made.  What a great way to quickly gain a variety of delicious homemade treats! 

In the end Hannah and I exchanged our strawberry jam for:

• hot sauce
• pasta sauce
• red pepper and green jalapeno Christmas jelly
• chili sauce
• cranberry sauce
• apple pie jelly
• pumpkin maple butter
• brownies and chocolate chip cookies!

Hannah checked out our new treats and couldn’t wait to dig in!  She already had the apple pie jelly on her toast this morning.

We had such fun doing this that a Christmas Cookie Exchange has already been talked of and recipe ideas are being formed. 

Thanks to Cory for organizing this wonderful event and to my friends for their smiles and laughter every day at lunch!

The Best Breakfast Ever!!

Yesterday Hannah and I started our day as typical lazy Saturday morning of cuddles, snuggles, giggles and stories.  We leave the house for gymnastics only 30 minutes later than we do on work days but somehow the feeling is just more relaxed and we have such fun with that extra time!

As we were sitting on the couch together talking about the fun plans we had for the weekend she suddenly jumped up and said, ‘Mommy, I want to make breakfast for you!’

How sweet is that?!!

She quickly grabbed her little chair and climbed up to find her favourite Princess and Tinker Bell mugs.  (Climbing on the counters is a special treat that was allowed as mommy stood close.)

I was curious to see what she would choose for us to have for breakfast and it was neat to see how creative she was and that she chose a combination that I’ve never given her for breakfast.

She started by pouring milk in our mugs.  (Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you.  We buy our milk in bags.  If you’re new to the blog there’s a little post with a video here that generated lots of fun comments.)

After she poured our milk she wanted to cut up an apple for us.  She gave it the old college try when attempting to cut it with her toddler knife but then let mommy kick in and help a little bit.

In the end our delicious breakfast was made up of milk, an apple, mandarin orange and…parmesan cheese! 

Hannah had seen mommy in action with the camera and decided pictures of her creativity were required before we ate.  Love how she chose to take her pics.   (Heh.  A little self portrait included too.)

Look Mommy! I made you breakfast!! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

My little photographer in action!

Hannah set her princess table for the two of us.  So, so sweet!  I’m sure you understand why this was the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten!!

I was already overwhelmed with love for my little sweetie preparing this when she told me the following as I took her out of the car at gymnastics.

‘Mommy, I know your back is sore so I made you breakfast to help you feel better.’

Oh sweetie….you sure did!!!

(Unfortunately the new mattress I purchased in late August has done a number on my back, shoulders and neck.  As much as I thought I was choosing the right one and have tried changing pillows many times, the pain is just getting worse.  I think the model I choose is just too soft for me.  Because of this she and I went back to the mattress store Friday night and took up the store’s offer of a 60 night comfort guarantee and I they have ordered a new mattress for us.  In the end it’s a more costly one than my budget allowed but due to a sale right now it’s only slightly more than the one I’d already purchased.  Yay!  It’s going to work out really well and I’m really hoping the pain disappears soon.  How could Hannah and I go wrong with a mattress called, ‘Sleeping Beauty’?)

All that to say she was listening as I spoke with the salesman last evening and wanted to do what she could to help my back.  Oh yes, and she put a Band-Aid on my back too!

Yes Shaoey, Mommy is feeling much, much better because of your loving care!! 

She melts me!  She truly, truly does!!!

It’s the Little Things…

that make me smile.  Hannah ‘whistling’ for Pluto.  Ahhh…gotta love 3!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  We have a busy one full of lots of exciting things to do beginning with gymnastics in 25 mins.  Oops….guess we should be getting dressed rather than Mommy blogging.

My day started in the very best, sweetest way.  More about that soon.

Guess what?  I LOVE BEING HANNAH’S MOM!!!!!