Summer is here!!

Ha! I just thought this was such a goofy picture I had to post it.
I know I'm way behind in this update and now I have to rack my brain thinking of what the heck we did the beginning of June. One thing we did was to go to the Medieval Festival at Upper Canada Village and spend the day watching jousting, play games, eat giant pickles on a stick and watch the knights in shining armor. In this picture, Will is making a candle by going around in a circle and dipping a wick into hot wax. We went with my friend Ruth and two of her girls. It was an extremely hot day and very busy and dear Ruth got to see the side of me that's hot and uncomfortable. Hopefully, she still likes me.
By the way, I have to laugh at the response to my GPS in the last post. 3 people wrote me that they have "feelings" for their GPS too! I was thinking about mentioning Bob as one of the family in our Christmas letter this year but Wayne thought that was taking it a bit too far. His brother and sister-in-law have a GPS that speaks like Yoda. Can you imagine?

8th Birthday Bash

We survived another birthday party!!! Always an accomplishment. The theme of the party was "Mad-Scientist" and we had a blast! I put together a few experiments for them to do including a test tube lava lamp made with Alka-Seltzers, fun with slime and the finale was exploding Diet Coke with a pack of Mentos candies. (what 8yr old boy wouldn't want something to explode at his party - thankfully it was at the park down the street!) My Mom and Dad were able to spend his birthday with us and they were a big help at the party along with friend Melissa. Wayne was in charge of pictures and video. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off.
This is the cake for this year. Much easier than the bike cake from last year! It's a brain if you can't tell. The kids got a kick out of eating "brain" - haha!

At this point I'll catch you up with what I've been up to other than putting together crazy birthday parties. Inspired by my sister-in-law and several other sources, I purchased a grain mill. This means I've been grinding flour from wheat berries (not exactly as rustic as Ma Ingalls - this baby is a fine tuned machine.) and managing to make bread and other baked goods when I get the chance. I've done this because first of all - it tastes amazing. It has a fantastic nutty flavor that you can't get from stuff off the shelves. And second, because it very nutritious. Flour goes rancid extremely fast on top of the fact that they suck out all the good stuff and leave white all-purpose stuff that's supposed to last - how long? Anyway, I've been enjoying it and my family seems to like what they get to eat.
The other thing I've discovered I can't live without and Will's so tired of me talking about it is Norwex products. Now this is a line of cleaning products so you might wonder what I'm so excited about it's the fact that there aren't any chemicals I'm using anymore (for the most part) and I'm still getting things clean. This is very exciting for me. I know - I need to get out more. I have a friend who admits (you know who you are) that she likes the smell of CLR. I do not. And my trusty micro-fiber Norwex cloth cleans better than CLR (I'm serious, Cara).
Finally, the last thing to come into my life and I wonder how I even functioned without before. His name is Bob (as in Bob's your uncle), has a brilliant British accent, goes with me almost anywhere and tells me where to go as I happily comply. My in-laws feared that Bob would cause marital strife but that was when Bob was a women telling my husband where to go. The new man in my life is our trusty GPS. My father-in-law got this little gem for my husband shortly after Christmas and I was not amused. It was set to the women's voice to begin with and she kept telling me to go the long way to church. I know how to get to church. She really ticked me off. Then when we were going on a family outing to Upper Canada Village (which I've been to about 10 times and know the way very well), Wayne listened to HER as she took us all over tarnation and no one would listen to me. But then we found the switch and changed her to Bob. Bob has gotten us to out of town cities, suggested restaurants in the area, gotten me and kids the the kids museum and back to our hotel - I can even take a wrong turn and Bob will "recalculate" and get me back on track. I can now go anywhere in Canada, the States and Puerto Rico and get to my destination. Does it get any better?

Trip to Rochester, NY

The beginning of May the children and I were able to accompany Wayne to his pastors' conference in Rochester. So while he was at conference during the day - the kids and were free to roam about town!!! It had been quite awhile since our last trip to the States so Mommy was in need of a major Target fix (among other places). So for the first morning I dragged (at times this was quite literal) them around the local mall. I had no time or luxury to lolly-gag as they were not amused by this outing. But I had a list!!! Since Mother's Day was fast approaching and didn't want their minds to be focused on this unpleasant experience - I made it up to them by taking them to Chucky Cheese for the first time. I then turned into "super Mommy" thank you very much! We ate OK pizza and Will played video games (a rarity for him) and Zanna rode the machines for toddlers (the cars that vibrate). Sure she sits on these things at our local mall but we never actually put any money in it. Now she knows they do something - rats! We went back to our hotel for some down time and I had hoped she'd nap at some point but she was having too much fun. Then it was time to leave for the children's museum where we were to meet some friends. She fell asleep 5 minutes before we got there. I put her in her stroller and thought she'd wake up during the transition but she continued to snooze. So after refusing to nap ALL day and fussing about shopping she falls asleep at the Children's museum of Play!!! Crazy! She finally woke up about 45min later to find herself in Sesame Street. I thought she was going to pass out. It was like we were there! There was a room that was Elmo's World!!!!! It was magical. I was just as excited as the kids were. There was a Berenstein Bears exhibit that they loved too. They played in Bear Country. How cool is that? We went to an amazing butterfly exhibit in a room like a rainforest flew 80 or so species of butterflies. Unbelievable. This place went on and on and we didn't even get to everything. I can't wait to go back.
The next day was back to shopping and while they were "fresh" in the morning I took them to Target and Kohls. It went pretty well, in Target the two of them sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star" at the top of their lungs. Annoyingly cute, but at least they weren't driving each other nuts.

That night after Wayne's meetings were over we drove to Syracuse for a family evening before heading home the next day. After dinner that night, we walked back to the hotel and Will and I played tag and I sprained my ankle. Did it ever hurt. Of course, I can't go to a doctor because I'm in the States, so I put ice on it and waited to have it checked out the next day when we got back. Thankfully it happened after my shopping was done. Whew!

Our school year is winding down. We're finished with everything except Language Arts and should wrap that up in a few days. Will finished his pottery class and made some pretty cool pieces - definitely something he'll do again. He's doing great at the violin and hopes to take his Level 2 test in August. Hard to believe he'll be in grade 3 in the fall!!! Crazy!

Zanna's doing well and likes to take care of her babies Rou Rou and Susie. She's a good mommy and takes them on walks around the house. She still gets her fair share of 10second time-outs for various reasons like telling her brother to "shut your mouth". Consequently, she can count really well in both English and Mandarin.

My Kids!

A vision of things to come? I hope not!

"These boots are made for walking" She's so stinkin' cute!!!!!

Looks like we made it

Well, after making it through Lent, Holy Week and Easter (while certainly a most joyous occasion but more stressful time for Wayne) Wayne decided we needed to "get out of Dodge" and took advantage of a telemarketers offer one evening while I was at a Ladies' Aid meeting at church. Before I knew what happened we were on our way to Quebec - more specifically to Mont Tremblant for 2 nights at an unbelievable price of $120 if we agree to sit through a time-share presentation. He apparently agreed for the both of us and off we went. Not having been there before I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out pretty good. Our room was quite the deal for the price for sure - fireplace, separate bedroom (a plus for kids!) and a kitchenette. The time share presentation was tolerable and they provided babysitting for the kids who had a blast. Will and Wayne went skiing while Zanna and I shopped and looked around. The worst part of the trip is now that Zanna can climb out her pack and play - she does. I watched her in action and it's pretty funny to watch if I wasn't so stinking tired. First she chucks "Rou Rou" over the edge followed by her blankie. Then she hikes up her leg and climbs over to be reunited with her sleeping buddies. This gives her WAY too much freedom. So after I clued into what was going on I just kept returning her to her bed. Over and over and over again. Not fun.
Here's Will in the VW that takes him up to the ski hill.
Will has started a pottery class that he is really enjoying. He is doing this with a couple other homeschool buddies. They've made quite a few creations so far and I got to watch him at the wheel this last time and it was pretty cool. I think the boys like that they get to play in the clay and get dirty! Ha!
We had another book club on "Mr Poppers Penguins" and the theme of the day was - you guessed it, penguins. They all made a penguin mask and walked around "goorking" until the Mom's couldn't take anymore. The older kids did a scavenger hunt outside (the weather's finally nice) and the little ones played on the playground. Zanna managed not to attack anyone this time. We're making progress. As far as his other studies are concerned - we're almost done with Math - 8 more lessons! We finished a study on Poetry this last week and learned about the first Queen Elizabeth in History.
I am writing this now to avoid the housework I should be doing. Unfortunately, no one has done it for me while I've been doing this so I better get back to work!

March Madness

March was an incredibly long month that I'm very thankful we got through in one piece. Because I seriously thought I'd go insane and I'd be writing this from the loony bin. The picture of our house is one big clue. Just when I thought we couldn't possibly get any more snow because where the heck would be put it, it snowed. I'm not talking about flurries. I'm talking some serious storms. For the first time since we've been here, church was cancelled due to snow. It was the week before Palm Sunday and Wayne got up as usual on Sunday morning, showered, put on his suit, ate breakfast, reviewed his sermon and then - took his suit off and put his snow pants on and went outside to start the snow blower. He not only snowplowed our driveway, but made his own path down a few streets to hopefully get the van through. He did get it through and made it to church (with the suit back on) and then it was decided to cancel it. So he came home and snowplowed some of the neighbours driveways, nice guy that he is. The plows never made it to our street until 3 in the morning.
This picture makes me laugh! I guess this is what poor Zanna has to do for fun to keep herself occupied. The other reason March turned out to be so long is all the being sick in our house. We all seemed to have the flu at some point during the entire month on March. The fevers would last for up to 5 days, it was in our muscles causing soreness, went into some nasty colds. And the bloody noses the kids had was horrible. One evening I went upstairs to find Will leaning over the sink that had pools of his nosebleed in it. There was a trail of dots in the carpet leading from his bedroom to the bathroom. And somehow it managed to spray on the wall next to his bed, not to mention the sheets. Oh, how I did laundry because Zanna had nosebleeds to. I felt like I was covering up a crime scene after these episodes. I know I've become pretty good at getting it out of sheets. By the time Wayne and the children started feeling better Mommy got it good. It's funny cause when you're a kid you get to just be sick and watch TV all day. When Mommy's sick everyone wants to know what's for supper. Wayne tried to help as much as he could but I managed to take ill for Holy Week. I was even supposed to cook the meal for Maundy Thursday's Seder Supper at church and woke up feeling horrible and panicked!!!! Friends from church thankfully stepped in and took over.
The highlight of the month was Easter. We not only celebrated our Saviours resurrection but celebrated two adult baptisms from Wayne's chinese bible information class. A women and her teenage daughter were baptized on Easter Sunday!!! As if that wasn't enough, Wayne and I were asked to be the daughter's godparents. We were extremely touched by this and honored. Praise God as he continues to bless the outreach efforts to the Chinese community here. Our church recently started an English Conversational Outreach program and have made contact with 8 new Chinese people through this program. Please keep this in your prayers as we establish new relationships with these people and look for opportunities to tell them about Jesus.
Speaking of the ministry, Wayne did not take the call to Austin, TX. And so Ottawa continues to be our home and we're happy to be here. We'd be happier if the snow melted but alas, my discontent shows. The weather has since taken a turn for the better and the snow has been melting. Since living in Ottawa, we've had to laugh at the yearly tradition that most of the locals seem to do. After shoveling snow off their driveway all winter and paying taxes that fund the snowplows that clear our streets, come spring they shovel the snow off their yard and back onto the driveway and street to melt faster. We've gotten quite a kick out of this every year but this year the jokes on us - we're one of them! In an effort to get the snow off our yard, a good chunk of it now sits in the street and driveway. They may be on to something.

February Fun!!!

This managed to be another crazy month - but lots of fun!!! We had some house guests for a few nights - the Gumms from Syracuse,NY came with their adorable little girl just a few months younger than Zanna. The two hit it off and had a great time together. They played, pooped and (I can't think of another p-word to fit into this) and shared a bath together. It was too cute! It's nice to have another pastor's kid in our district she can look forward to playing with at conferences, the Labour Day retreat, etc. The day after they left we took off for a two night stay in Toronto. We had the opportunity to get together with most of the group we travelled to China with a little over a year ago. It was great to them all again, to see how far the girls have come and how well everyone is doing. It's just amazing how well they've all adjusted. The hotel we were at had a water slide which was a hit for Will. That and the fact that almost all the older siblings were girls he had all to himself. I wish we had taken a picture of him in the hot tub with all his "ladies". Ha!
We had a chance to go to the famous Mandarin buffet restaurant. I have never seen such an amazing Chinese buffet, we were in heaven (I'm sure the Chinese food will be even better in heaven) but until then, this will do! And for those interested, the twins (affectionately called the snot sisters) are doing great and were still snotty (I'm sure there had been a period of draught for awhile).
The day after we arrived back from Toronto my parents came in for a visit to celebrate Zanna's birthday. We had a great time and it went very fast as usual. On her birthday, her godparents Skip and Karen came over to celebrate. Elmo was the character of the day! Having clearly recalled Will's 2nd birthday and the meltdown he had from too many people and no nap I learned my lesson this time around. It was low key but she had a great time and quickly realized this was an extra special day for her. As my custom is to make my children's birthday cake every year and stress myself out this one wasn't too bad. I made a chocolate cake (with the flour I ground in my new wheat grinder mill - that's a whole other endeavor) and wrote Happy Birthday Zanna and had little Elmo candies around it with an Elmo candle. As you can see from the picture, she enjoyed her sugar high!
I should have put this picture first because it happened earlier in the month but this was taken at a Chinese New Year party we were invited to. Here Will is helping turn the pasta wheel for the dumpling dough. Wayne helped fill the dumplings and we all helped eat them!! It was a very lovely evening and we felt honoured that a group of the Chinese community would invite us in their home and share this important part of Chinese culture with us.
On the school front, we've done some special fun things. We met a group at the Experimental Farm where the kids got to learn about the food chain. It was very interesting and everyone had great time. Of course once we were home all I could smell was farm on my hair and skin - I had to shower all over again. I'm such a city girl!!! We've also participated in some book clubs. The first book was the Railway Children. There was a discussion circle followed by some Victorian period themed crafts and lunch. I took Zanna along since there were a few other little girls her age which turned out to be a pain in the butte! She plays great with kids but when it comes to people her own size she likes to hug them and it ends up in a tackle with her on top and the victim pinned to the ground screaming and wondering what when wrong. It's exhausting. The last book club was on Little Lord Fauntleroy. Loved this book!!! Had to take Zanna this time, more tackles.
Finally, this last Sunday we hosted the group from Ottawa we traveled to China with. It was a lovely evening, potluck style. It was great to see everyone again and Will had more ladies to schmooze. Zanna had more toddlers to tackle.