Archive - 2010

month in review and January goals


this year’s family photo was taken with the self-timer during our camping trip
 

December has been a fantastic month for us, with Vi taking her first steps, and Nikki and Michael performing in an outdoor Christmas concert. Since completing her 100 reading lessons, Nikki is now reading everything she can get her hands on, including the gospel of Luke, which was handed out at church on Christmas Eve. Nikki also finished memorising the entire 145-question Catechism for Young Children. In addition, Michael’s vocabulary and confidence in speaking have noticeably improved this month, with fewer pauses as he searches for the right word.

 

We squeezed in the Christmas tree by rearranging our living room to put the tree in front of our unseasonable fireplace. Crazy Clark’s provided unscented white candles and a green garland which, when supplemented with a springform pan base, became a simple table centerpiece and advent wreath. We lit the appropriate candles every night at dinner, and it helped the kids count down to Christmas, while keeping our focus on Jesus and the reason we celebrate.

 

Ben is participating in a pedometer challenge at work. He has discovered that with his walking commute to the central business district and taking care of things at work and at home, he covers an average of 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) per day. He hit 10km the day he walked from our house and up the steps to his seat at the U2 concert this month, a record which has since been superseded in an errand-running day prior to Christmas.

 

Our new baby has been bouncing around and I enjoy feeling the movements from time to time. Since sharing the news of a new sibling with our children, Nikki has come up to me spontaneously on several occasions and said, “It’s so exciting about the fourth baby in your tummy!” The stethoscope we gave the children for Christmas is getting a workout, listening in to all of our tummies. My main pregnancy symptom is tiredness, which isn’t helped by the fact that I find myself waking from vivid dreams of queuing for the toilet.

 

I did finish sanding and waxing the bedside tables for our new bedroom, with the final coat of wax going on just prior to logging in to the computer to write this update! Our washing machine is also back in commission, having been repaired under warranty this afternoon. Am I the only person who questions the conventional parting, “see you soon!” when the repairman says it? Though I did feel like I had a lot of free time this past laundry-free week…

 

mama smiles
 

My goals for January are to:

 
  • find a time to read the Bible and pray each day. At this stage in the pregnancy my morning routine comprises of (a) waking from vivid toilet-related dream, and (b) throwing on clothes and stumbling outside to use the toilet, so I have abandoned my first-thing-in-the-morning quiet time. I want to pick up the habit again, even if it can’t be the first thing I do.
  • enable Michael (either through training or gate adjustments or both) to open the bathroom baby gate so he can get in there by himself to wash his hands
  • continue my quest to eliminate boxes by digitizing at least one box of paper
  • read and begin to apply Chapter 6 of How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk

Happy New Year!

candy striper Vi

 

Coming soon to a hospital near you…

burrito eater’s gallery

 

 

 

The enthusiastic burrito eating pictured above launched our “international menu experiment” featuring menu items from countries Ben and I have both visited, in the order of first encounter. Here we have the list:

  • USA: Mama’s chili
  • Mexico: burritos
  • England: sausages and mash
  • Scotland: salmon and leftover mash
  • France: cheese and ham croissants
  • Ireland: baked potatoes
  • Turkey: Mediterranean breakfast (feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cherries)
  • Germany: grilled Frankfurters
  • Austria: Wiener schnitzel
  • Switzerland: grilled Swiss cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
  • Italy: wood fired pizzas
  • Canada: pancakes with real maple syrup
  • Egypt: Koshary
  • The Vatican: an excuse for pasta
  • Cyprus: grilled chicken and garlic mayonnaise on rice
  • Australia: grilled steak and mash

a visit to the laundromat

 

Our washing machine stopped draining on the 23rd, and the repairman can’t come until the 29th, so this year we spent part of our Boxing Day at the laundromat. The kids had a grand time, hopping around on the black and white floor, tipping themselves over in our laundry basket, and both drumming on and climbing through a stainless steel table for folding clothes.

 

Ben and I enjoyed washing machines that finished their loads in less than 30 minutes (for years now we’ve had front-loading washers that take over two hours to finish a normal cycle) and chatting with the other people using the laundry facilities. Funny, everyone there thought the national holiday would provide a good chance to have the machines to themselves!

 

 

Crucially, we also solved the mystery of where those odd socks end up… in the laundromat car park, of course!

stepping out

 

Vi’s first steps were at a friend’s house on Christmas day! She asked to be put down when I was holding her, so I set her on the kitchen floor. She stood on the tile for a moment before taking a single step toward a nearby chair.

 

After lunch, as I was sitting on the floor playing with the kids at our friend’s house, Vi walked up to me. She was holding a stool such as she might have used at our house to push along our smooth wood floors. However, this playroom was carpeted, so instead of pushing the stool, Vi carried it while she crossed the room without support.

 

We opted not to start shooting a feature-length documentary at our friend’s house, so the first video we have of Vi walking was filmed on Boxing Day. Enjoy!

 

 

Related posts:

 

     Michael’s first steps (and a cute video of him walking one month later) – 28 March 2009
     Nikki’s first steps – 11 January 2008

Jesus is born!

 

The story of Jesus’ birth is one of Nikki and Michael’s favourites in their Eager Reader Bible. Here Nikki reads the story aloud to her brother while he gives his doll, Holly, some numnums.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Concert 2010: The First Noel

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I’m sharing five videos of the five performances Nikki and Michael contributed to the Forte School of Music Christmas Concert 2010. More than 300 people attended the outdoor concert, and with these videos, you get front row seats as well. Enjoy!

 


Teacher Averil sings with three of her students: Joshua, Ella, and Nikki
 

It is fitting that soloing the last verse of The First Noel was the last of Nikki’s performances at the concert, because this is the one that brought the house down, with people starting to clap their appreciation in the middle of the song, as soon as Nikki finished her verse.

 

 

Related posts:

 

     Away in a Manger (violin solo)

     Mary’s Boy Child

     Frosty the Snowman

     Jazzy Jingle Bells (violin ensemble)

     The First Noel (singing)

Christmas Concert 2010: Jazzy Jingle Bells

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I’m sharing five videos of the five performances Nikki and Michael contributed to the Forte School of Music Christmas Concert 2010. More than 300 people attended the outdoor concert, and with these videos, you get front row seats as well. Enjoy!

 


Nikki and another 4-year-old violinist take center stage for an ensemble performance
 

Five violinists and an alto sax produced a fun version of Jingle Bells, arranged by their teacher, the multi-talented Sandra.

 

 

Related posts:

 

     Away in a Manger (violin solo)

     Mary’s Boy Child

     Frosty the Snowman

     Jazzy Jingle Bells (violin ensemble)

     The First Noel (singing)

Christmas Concert 2010: Frosty the Snowman

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I’m sharing five videos of the five performances Nikki and Michael contributed to the Forte School of Music Christmas Concert 2010. More than 300 people attended the outdoor concert, and with these videos, you get front row seats as well. Enjoy!

 

 

Now it was Michael’s turn to take the stage. He has his tapping sticks (claves) at the ready during ‘Frosty the Snowman’ but gets distracted by the snow machine…

 

 

Related posts:

 

     Away in a Manger (violin solo)

     Mary’s Boy Child

     Frosty the Snowman

     Jazzy Jingle Bells (violin ensemble)

     The First Noel (singing)

Christmas Concert 2010: Mary’s Boy Child

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I’m sharing five videos of the five performances Nikki and Michael contributed to the Forte School of Music Christmas Concert 2010. More than 300 people attended the outdoor concert, and with these videos, you get front row seats as well. Enjoy!

 


Nikki with classmates Caitlin, Lewis, and Zachary
 

Nikki’s second performance was with her Forte classmates, playing the güiro to accompany ‘Mary’s Boy Child‘.

 

 

Related posts:

 

     Away in a Manger (violin solo)

     Mary’s Boy Child

     Frosty the Snowman

     Jazzy Jingle Bells (violin ensemble)

     The First Noel (singing)

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