10K - for fun and friendship

This weekend my friend Christa & I ran a 10K together.  Our goals were to not stop running and to make another good friendship memory.

We reached all our goals easily.  It's amazing how quickly time running can go by when you're with a friend with whom you just never run out of conversation.

Our cheering crew was definitely the loudest and cutest!

There were all kinds of fun kid activities afterwards. Helena & her friend Holly have just started holding hands all the time.  It is so sweet.

Amber Rubarth

I'm usually one of the last people in the world to discover new artists or new songs, so if you've already known about Amber Rubarth for years, be nice.

If you don't know about her music, check it out.  We heard the song "How Did This Happen?" a few months ago on a TV show and wanted to find out who sang it. 

How did this happen again
When did the room start to spin
Out of focus and crash in the breezes
I thought we’d figured it out
Thought our hearts finally found
One love that trumped every reason

But bricks came piling up
And they blocked out the sun
Stopped our arms from holding each other
The walls we built to protect
Locked us in here instead
In the darkness, lonely and hungered
Both back to a life all alone

I want to get out
I want to get out
So I gotta give in
I gotta give in, now
I gotta give in
I want to get out
I want to get out
So I gotta give in
I gotta give in, now
I gotta give in

How did this happen again
Why did I fight to the end
In a battle I didn’t believe in
I thought we’d figured it out
Thought our hearts finally found
One Love that trumped every reason
One Love that trumped every reason
One Love that trumped every reason to go
Back to a life all alone

The tune is beautiful and the words, well, they're a very good reminder for me and my desire to be right.  A lot of her other songs are good too.

I love my kids. I love my husband. I love my life.

Just uploaded a bunch of photos, and as I was quickly going through them again so they'd all be upright, tears formed.

After Benjamin was born, both John & I realized how big Helena was.  She wasn't a baby anymore, as made obvious by the new baby in the apartment, but she also wasn't a little toddler either.  We were forced to realize that she's getting big.

Ignore the dirty face and just notice how old she looks.

She's starting to read letters on cereal boxes, in books, and on signs.  She likes to get the mail to see if there's any with an H on it, because she knows if there is, it's for her.

Having a kid who is 2 1/2 years old is so much fun.

Then there's Mr. B.  He is so smiley, so alert, and so long.

His fingers, or someone else's, are in his mouth at least 50% of the day.  He loves to grab, and he's already going after food on his parents' plates. He laughs when someone howls "ahh-ooo" over and over again.  He has rolled over in both directions a few times and it's obvious he wants to be on the move.

Having a baby who is 4 months old is so much fun. 

Besides the kids, there's John.  My hardworking, studious, list-making, always-trying-to-go-to-bed-earlier husband.  Also known as Helena & Benjamin's Duplo-loving, book-reading, song-singing, bath-giving daddy.

Having a husband who loves me & our kids, and shows that love to us everyday, is so much fun.

I'm loving my life right now.  Livin' it and lovin' it.

Our Anniversary

7 years of marriage

13 countries

15 places of employment

6 apartments

5 years living abroad (which now feels like home)

2 kids

When we said our vows to each other, we had no idea so much was in store for us in the next 7 years.  It's been a whirlwind of activity, that's for sure, but I've loved it.  Thank you John for all the excitement and adventure.  I can't wait to find out what's going to happen in the next 7 years!

Target in Canada!

We went to one last week, and it was a little strange to walk inside.  It immediately felt like I was in the real deal Target, which transported me for a second as Target can only be found in the U.S. - until now.

It had everything a Target typically has - except the two things I was really looking forward to:

1) the great clearance end caps, but they've only been open a month so that's understandable.

2) a good maternity clothes section, as theirs included 5 big racks of jeans, pants and shorts, but only one foot-long rack of shirts.

The other thing that was missing was my mom.  We've spent lots of time together in Target and her presence was definitely missed.  BUT she's arriving in two weeks - I can't wait!

Montreal

 Never having been to Quebec, we were very excited to experience all the "Frenchness" of the place.  The first thing we found that was different from Ontario?

 

Snow White brand pop.  It was the only thing in the gas station that we hadn't seen elsewhere, besides cheddar jalapeno Cheetos (but we'd already eaten a bag of Cheetos on the drive to Quebec, so having another bag so soon seemed just a little bit unhealthy). In case you're wondering, the pop - Orange and Cream Soda - tasted like all other pops.

But then we got to Montreal, and there were many things to take note of.  One thing we hadn't considered, however, was the age of the city.  This road was built in the late 1600s - how many roads in North America are that old?  NOT MANY.  We drove down it once and only made it about 3 blocks before turning off; it was so incredibly bumpy.

    

Most of our time was spent in Old Montreal, the part that contains many government buildings as well as beautiful architecture.  We already posted about the Notre-Dame Basilica but here's a photo featuring "the belly" taken in the square in front of the church.

The number one thing people told us to do while in Montreal was to eat, and did we ever eat!  I won't share all the photos of the food we ate but here are a few of our favorite things:

French Onion Soup - you already know we love it!  The ham, cheese & apple crepe I had at this restaurant was the best food we had on the trip

Except for perhaps the poutine.  This Quebecois dish is traditionally just French fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  We went to a poutinerie that is open 24/7 and has over 30 varieties on the menu, so we had to try a different variety as well.  I got La Reggae, which was the traditional topped with peppers, tomatoes, and guacamole, as lots of people were ordering it.  Delicious but we prefer the traditional - it's just so good there's no need to change it!

 

There are all kinds of rules about language and the use of it on signs, in stores, etc. in Quebec.  If you're interested, here's a short recent article about the language police.  So anyways, all signs are in French and possibly other languages.  BUT with the age of Montreal, and the stone construction of some of the buildings, you do see signs that are only in English.  The below - which really makes me curious of what used to be there - is an example of an old English-only sign!

One thing that Montreal is well-known for are its staircases.  There are two big neighborhoods in the city that have outdoor staircases that lead to the second floor - and sometimes the third.

No, these are not fire escapes.  These staircases
lead to the front doors of these apartments.

No one is really sure of why these staircases were built.  One theory is that residents didn't want to share their front doors and the then required inside area for a staircase, so the outdoor stairs allowed everyone to have their own.  Another is that at one point lot sizes were larger, thus requiring builders to set the homes farther back.  A staircase, however, could be built closer to the road, which then allowed the homes to have more space. 

Whatever the reason, they really are fun to see.  Some of the streets we walked on looked so crowded with all the wrought iron coming down from above, but others had so much character. 

Montreal was a fun place to go.  It was very European feeling, and had a lot of charm without it being fake.  No one seemed to mind that we didn't speak French.  

All in all, we'd be happy to go back :)

Pride and Prejudice continues...

I had to wait over a year for my turn to check this book out of the library,
and the wait was worth it.

 

Written by P.D. James, a woman who is known for her wonderful mystery books and who has studied Pride & Prejudice for years, Death Comes to Pemberly is a great mystery that takes you back to Jane Austen and her wonderful characters.

My Pregnancy This Time Around

People say your second pregnancy goes by in a flash.  I wouldn't say this one has been going by  quite that quickly, yet I have blogged very little about Baby, so here's one post full of bullet points all about him/her.

• No, we don't know the sex.  Our hunch is a boy as the first trimester was quite rough and I'm carrying lower and more horizontally than I was last time.  We have found NO boys' names that we can agree on.  We do, however, have a girl's name - that was easy.
• This baby moves.  Both ultrasound technicians commented on how active s/he is but now I can really feel that movement.  S/he doesn't just move, s/he pushes.  Put your hand on your stomach and push until you feel like you can't stay stationary any longer - that's how hard this little one is pushing.  It has gotten to the point where I literally cannot move because if I do, s/he will push so hard against my ribs and I cannot breathe due to the pain.  This baby is active and STRONG!
• There have been no health concerns so far throughout this pregnancy, which we are oh so thankful for.
• Our due date is June 22, a day after John's birthday.  I really do not want to give birth on the 21st, as I want them each of them to have their own special day BUT if this baby wants out, I'm not going to do anything to keep him/her in longer!
• In case you didn't do the math from the previous bullet point, I am 30 1/2 weeks along.  It becomes a little more real to me when I think that my mom is arriving in 2 months and 1 day, and my due date is in 2 months and 6 days.  That's not a lot of time.
• That being said, I feel like there's not that much to be done specifically for the baby's arrival.  We have most of the equipment that we need, and the few things we'd like to add are on their way to being purchased.  So the stress of all the buying that goes with the first pregnancy isn't around. Yet I do feel a little bit like I wish I knew the sex, as then I would be able to do more things to prepare.  But I'll wait for the surprise :)
• At the same time, I am definitely nesting.  I didn't nest much with Helena, probably because there was simply no room to nest in that tiny apartment but I'm finding all kinds of things to do in this one.
• Cravings?  The only one is for burgers.  A greasy burger topped with tomato and lettuce, dripping with sauce - yum. A hamburger always sounds good and tastes good.

Here's the much asked-for belly shot - from 5 1/2 weeks ago.
Sorry, it's the most recent one we have!

It is...

Not an avocado scooper, although I like the idea, Greg.

Not a prosthetic arm for a squirrel, BBS - I really hope the world has not come to making those.  Sorry squirrels.

But it is a butter curler!

My dad has one and uses it to make butter curls for major holidays.  This past Christmas, I really wished I had one, to continue to tradition and to make it all a little more festive.  

So when the kitchen store was going out of business, I asked if they had one.  They had that exactly - ONE - and the lady told me I could probably go to 20 kitchen stores and not find one at any of the stores.  I believe it, as the only place I've ever seen one is in my parents' kitchen!

from Wikipedia

Now when you compare my first attempt to the photo above, I obviously have a bit of learning to do.  I need to learn exactly how long to leave the butter in the freezer before curling, and how much pressure and speed to use to get the curls to roll beautifully.  Plus, I totally forgot about dipping the curler in hot water!  But, now we can have our butter curls for Easter.

A New Tool

I recently bought myself a present at a going-out-of-business store. 

 

Does anyone know what it is?

Maple Syrup for My Birthday

This past Saturday was my birthday, so we decided to live it up.  We went out to Bruce's Mill, a conservation area that has a large Maple Syrup Festival this time of year.  It was the most beautiful day of the year so far, so not only did we have lots of fun, it was most enjoyable to be outside.

A little bit of info about maple syrup for you: the sap comes out of the tree completely clear and has only a 5% sugar content.  It used to be collected in buckets, as seen below, but now the modern more efficient method is to have tubes connecting all the trees to a main line, which carries the sap directly to the sugar shack.

It takes 24 hours of boiling for the sap to reach a 66% sugar content, which is what you want for syrup.  The below photo shows how they used to do it; using three different pots was necessary because you wouldn't want to boil sap with a 5% sugar content in the same pot that you'd just boiled syrup in.  It would burn!  Notice the third pot - it's concave.  This was a recent development in the early 1900s which helped the syrup to boil and froth in to the pot, rather than bubbling out. 

 John & I found all of this really interesting.  There's so much about our food that we just don't know!

Besides being educated on maple syrup, we petted animals, Helena had a pony ride, and we all went for a wagon ride.  Oh, and there were rocks to find, snow to tromp in, sticks and leaves to dig in, and tons of mud that we tried to avoid.

Other especially fun things we did with our rental car were made a stop at Michael's (nearly impossible to get to on public transportation), bought a huge amount of groceries (which means I won't have to push/pull all of them home), and took a gander at this Slovak Byzantine Rite Roman Catholic former cathedral.

Its construction was started in 1984, when its cornerstone was blessed by the Pope, but it is still not completed.  And it is no longer a cathedral, because the church and the church foundation that owns the property could not hold a stable relationship. 

 The day ended at Banjara Indian Cuisine with one of the most delicious Indian meals we've had and then key lime pie at home.  An absolutely fabulous day - thank you John for my great birthday!

Thankful

On the TTC bus today, I overheard two blind men talking. One has been blind most of his life, the other lost his sight 6 months ago. While listening to them discuss how being able to perceive enough light to know whether it is day or night is such a gift, I couldn't help but be inspired. At one point, the man who has been blind since his childhood said,

“I'll be honest with you. I've had my days of depression. But then I was reminded that God had given so much and that there are others who are less fortunate than me. I can do something to help them.”

These two men had some of most hope-filled voices that I have heard in a long time.

------

I know it's a day late, but I am so thankful for all I have.

My little girl may have a regularly appearing cough but she can see, hear, talk, walk, run, and so much more.

My husband may be spending most evenings in the library studying this semester, but I have a husband who loves me, who is willing to stay up all night with his daughter, and who wants to have a positive impact on as many people as possible.

Our family may be far away but we have managed to stay close through emails, Skype and visits.

The friends we see most often may be those who we've only known for a year or two, but how they have become people who we can depend on.

We may live in a downtown always-dusty apartment but we have so much space for Helena to move and play in – and we have two bedrooms!

Our God may be one that is sometimes confusing but He has proven Himself o'er and o'er in our short number of years.

I am thankful for all of this and more. What are you thankful for?

Twins

At church last Sunday we were unplanned twins: jeans, sweaters, black shoes, and green purses.

Helena loved it - and admittedly, so did I.

The Love of God

I was introduced to this hymn awhile back, and the words still strike me with their amazing poetic truth,  especially the second verse.  (There is a modern addition to the song that starts at 2:00.  I like it best before that part, but to each her own, right?)

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

A Great Trip

Helena & I had a wonderful trip while John was in Israel.  I honestly couldn't ask for a better trip.  We had a great time with John's mom with lots of other family members thrown in at various times, we had a fun time in Bemidji, and we ended our trip with 3 relaxing yet full days with my friend Mandy & her fam.  I was ready to get home to see John & not be a single parent anymore but I do wish the trip could have gone on because it was so good.

Visiting Chickens at Grandma's friends' house

All the cousins traveled to Grandma's house for a big picture party one day.  Lots of good pictures were taken and lots of fun was had!

Visiting Mutti in the nursing home - pushing a wheelchair is like pushing a stroller :)

The big highlight of Bemidji was fishing!  Uncle Rob and Papa helped us catch lots of fish.

Hmmm....worms...

She loves to kiss so why not kiss a fish?

Papa & Uncle Rob made Nani & Helena's mom kiss fish since we made Helena kiss a fish :)

They also made me pretend to kiss Rob's big catch.  I swear that fish stuck his tongue out at me.

Pizza and Play in the Park with Kay :)

Tea Party before we left - there was real food!  It just hadn't been served when I took the photo.

Watering flowers & a mini watering can were both big hits. The water just didn't always go to the flowers.

Helena made so many dog friends on our vacation.  Whenever we Skype with anyone we visited, her response IMMEDIATELY after someone answers is "Arfff?  Arfff?"  This is Moses.  At one point I had to explain to Helena that dogs chew on the sticks but kids don't.  From then on she liked to feed them to him.

Baby Caleb is great.  He's got a CUTE smile and such a content demeanor.

When we went out for ice cream, I ordered Helena a toddler cone off the menu.  It was a full-size ice cream cone.  And she ate all of it :)

Mandy, it was so nice to live life with you for a few days.  I can't believe we're both moms!

The trip ended with a "Fashion Makeover in 10 minutes flat" by my nieces.  Don't we look fabulous?