Thanksgiving

Well I am American after all, aren't I? Today is thanksgiving in the States, and I am thankful...

* for time and healing

* for close family relationships

* for the ability to travel (even though I'm sick of packing!!)

* for Andrew and everything we share

* for these 3 little kids who rely on me to love them

* for a little bit of time and space to myself, starting tonight for 2 nights! 

Character-building or bribery?

Laura and Daniel and I went to meet Aunty Sharon to help with a video for a church event. Kids were excited about it. But Laura changed her mind when it all started - didn't want to smile or be helpful at all. Hmmm. Took her aside, did the whole "do you want to choose to be helpful to Aunty Sharon and have good manners or do you want to choose to be difficult?" Yep, straight in the eye, she says to me, "I want to be difficult." Okay, what now? "Well Laura, if you choose to be difficult, then when we go for a hot chocolate (which before that moment wasn't planned) with Noah and Veia later (who were also helping out), your choice to be difficult means that you won't be having a hot chocolate, but you'll be sitting by yourself." Magic. It was bribery, I know, I was desperate! No lectures please... :)

Songwriting

You would think when the kids are in the backseat singing together, creating a made-up song, it would be totally cute. Well maybe, but also kinda worrying when it goes something like this: "Miss Mary Mack sat on her back in a big big pack of bumblebees... and one got in her mouth and she choked and she choked and choked and choked, and then she was dead." I wish I could have recorded the tune and the rhythm, it really did bring the lyrics alive!!!!! 

Always up for a good joke

Laughing feels great.
So here's a laugh courtesy of my nephew Chris.

This is verbatim from my sister's blog.
Too funny!

Chris: Mommy, Grandma. I have a joke for you.

M&G: Ok, what is it?

C: What is the difference between roast beef and pea soup?

(Jake chimes in: Oh, No Chris! Not that one!!!)

M&G: Uuuhhh. We don't know, what?

C: Everybody can roast beef but no one can pee soup... (total look of anticipation on his face)

M&G: (laughing hysterically)

C: Was that funny?

M&G: (still can't answer, laughing too hard!)

What?

So you're telling me that tiny chip in my computer called my hard drive is FULL and I can't put any more photos on it?? First it blows my mind that our computers can hold this much data, and then all of a sudden I can't get my head around it being full. What is that about?

So while I've been trying to get to 'clearing it off', or having a techy friend over to help minimize the space it's using, Andrew announces that he's sick of his Mac (after converting me he's returning to the PC world, whatever), and I get his, which has eternally more hard drive space, and which I might add (with my well-used smirk) I suggested should have been mine in the first place, since I 'do' the photos around this place. :)

So new Mac = more space = more blogging. Sister E (read: eldest) is blogging every day. Yeah right, I can't even get to showering every day.

Like it?

One of my sisters made up this catch phrase (not sure which one cause both their kids say it), and I love it: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." Truly a well-thought out statement that could only come from calm, rational parenting. :)

Well, I made up my own calm and rational catch phrase today: "Whiney voices don't get choices!" I have high hopes for its effectiveness... LOL...

Photo Albums

Old Photos. Just because.

2006 Grandma and Laura

2005 Daniel and Cousins

2004 Dad and Daniel looking young!

Snow to sand

Only a few days after the snow, we were doing this in beautiful weather! Such is spring...

Brothers

Beach walks

Rock exploring

Different perspectives

Finding flowers

Got wet. Not happy.

Happy now!

Daniel's photo skills. Not bad!

Changes

Same kid, same chair. Wow. (and his cute sister next to him has changed a lot too!)

How?

How does one make time to blog when there are so many other things to be done? I just can't prioritize it... goodnight blogspot. See you when the house is clean and the kids are sleeping and it's not too late in the evening and I have finished my book club book and folded the laundry and done the ironing and gotten my head around what is meant to happen tomorrow and caught up on the latest episode of The Amazing Race (did I just admit I was addicted to a TV show?!). Sure, see you soon.