1000 gifts

I get stressed that I am always behind in posting my lists, but I am keeping track in a journal. It should be that much easier--right. I am still struggling with counting my blessings. Some days are so incredibly hard. Lately I feel like just packing it all in and running away to a deserted island some where, but usually when I stop to reflect I am amazed at how much God truly has blessed me with.

141. Finishing Valentines that he really wanted to make. He had to cut out all 22 super hero capes and write "love Zech". It was a struggle to get him to finish!

142. Heat attacks on their doors and crib.



143. Cuddles and the sweet things they say:

Gigi - Mom you're so cute.
Me - Oh thank you, you are very cute too.
Gigi - No Mom, just you're cute.

144. Seeing their faces as they awoke to hearts.

145. Valentine surprises and treats for everyone.

146. Reading all of his Valentine cards to him.

147. Powerful video messages.

148. Words of encouragement from a woman who has been through so much.

149. Baskets of cheese.

150. Celebrating my hubby's birthday.



151. Mexican food.

152. Black Forest Trifle - a quick fix for a birthday cake flop!

153. Slow mornings - not having to rush for school.

154. Leftovers.

155. Walks to the park and playground.

156. A clean house.

157. Stocked fridge.

158. Prepping yummy platters.

159. Celebrating 30 years!

160. Dedicating our kids--finally!

161. Bible verses and prayers for each one specifically.

162. Friends to celebrate with and confide in.

163. sleeping in after a rough night.

164. Packing a picnic.

165. Mountains, a fresh blanket of snow and toboggans.

166. Friends and family to share Family Day with in the mountains.

167. A week off from school.

168. Brown Bear activities and games.

169. Time for the two of them.

170. Encouraging discussions and openness.

171. Psalm 27.

172. Opportunities to minister.

173. Planning items for a Busy Bag exchange.

174. A change of plans that works out best for everyone.

175. Dabbers to colour with.

176. Wrapping up our Brown Bear week.

177. Teddy bear pancakes for our teddy bear picnic.



178. Teddy bear M & M sorting and counting.



179. Knowing that God has a plan for us.

180. God knows our hearts and imperfections as human beings.

181. He works through our weaknesses.

182. Dinner out at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant.

183. Girls night out and my hubby who watches all three kids.

184. A trip to Ikea.

185. The comforting taste of Chai Lattes.

186. A husband that deserves far better than I give.

187. Flat tires close to home.

188. Cuddles from my sleepy baby.

189. Seeing that God has everything under control in the midst of the storm and when I want to quit.

190. Peace that God loves us and has us in the palm of His hand.

191. Awesome friends and the encouragement, love, support and the listening ear she offers.

192. Watching best friends play, laugh, cry, hug.

193. Getting a 'family' doctor.

194. Hearing results that we should have heard a while ago (but because we didn't have a family doctor we couldn't).

195. Knowing that my suspicions about her 'owies' were right and getting her some medicine.

196. Flat tires close to the tire shop. We just replaced our two back tires on Monday, and then on Wednesday we got a nail in our brand new tire. Luckily it was still under 'warranty' and we were really close to the shop, when it happened.

197. Knowing that when no body else knows, God understands.

198. Playing outside.

199. Hearing that he was short listed.

200. Adventures with Clover.



201. Games that they love to play.

202. New ministries and knowing that it is only God that will make it work.

203. Celebrating 6 months.

204. Mentors, words of encouragement, Godly discernment (miraculously it still exists) and advice.

205. Going to church with some good friends we haven't seen in a while.

206. Going for a walk and playing 'football' as a family.

207. A surprise birthday party.

208. Text messages to throw him off so he was really surprised.

209. Busy Bag Exchanges.

210. Choking back tears as she gives me words of encouragement, support and love.

211. Knowing that God has put the right people in our lives at just the right time.

212. Seeing how eager he is to try new and different foods.



213. Seeing how much fun my kids had playing with all of their friends.

214. Catching up with some friends we haven't chatted with in a while.

215. Sitting tall, on his own!

216. Playing Pirates.



217. Trying new hairdo's and a little girl who lets me.

Happy 30th!

My dear sister celebrates her 30th birthday today. I laugh at her because she was kind of 'anxious' about turning 30. I mean it is only 30! :o)

She has made a list of 30 things that she wants to accomplish in her 30th year. You can see it here on her blog (look at the right side bar). She has some really cool things on her list, so indicative of the kind of person she is. So to go along with her list of 30, I thought it would be fun to blog 30 random facts about her.

My sister is such an important person in my life. She has known me longer than my husband or friends. She has put up with me and my over bearing, protective, motherly, big sister ways for 30 years now. She was my best room mate, running partner, friend, and of course the best sister I could ever ask for.

1. She was the sensitive one and was by far the easiest one for my parents to discipline. All they had to do was give her 'the look' and she would be in tears.

2. She loved puzzles and would spend hours doing puzzles. She would fill up the entire foyer with all of her puzzles.

3. She let me boss her around and was my best student every time we played school. Maybe I could take credit for teaching her and her smarts! lol

4. I cut her hair when she was very young. She had finally just had it cut and then I took the scissors to it. I will never forget, as I had to go in with her and explain to the hair dresser what I had done!

5. She then decided to cut her hair when she was in kindergarten. She took a hunk right off the top and Mom always had to pull her hair back and over the 'spot'.

6. Everyone always called her 'little Alice' as she looked so much like my Mom when she was young. What do you think.....is she still a little Alice?



7. She had a spitting problem. She would spit so much, it drove us crazy. Finally one day my brother and I told her that she had this horrible disease and if she kept spitting it would get worse and she could die. That put an end to her spitting.

8. We spent hours, days, exploring, going on picnics, picking meadows to build our fort in. We really did grow up in such a perfect farm to do all of this.

9. She is fast. She is a sprinter and always kicked my butt. I was more of the middle/long distance runner. We had to race each other in track one time--the only time thank goodness. It was a 400 meter race and we were right next to one another. She was in lane three and I was in lane four (I believe). As we were crossing the finish line, I turned to look where she was and elbowed her. The elbow caused me to beat her in the photo finish. She wasn't too impressed and I seriously didn't mean too---really I didn't!

10. Her gardening skills are really good. She has had to take care of all of my plants---or should I say rescue all of my plants.

11. She is extremely organized and neat. She always had a tidy room growing up. I would bribe her to help me clean mine as I would have to spend hours. She always helped me---probably because she felt sorry for me and knew that the quicker we cleaned my room, the sooner I could play with her!

12. I remember being angry with my parents and decided that I should pack my bags and leave home. So I packed a back pack and started heading down the driveway. She came running after me, crying and begged me not to run away. It was so sweet, so I stayed! :o)

13. We shared so many of our clothes and shoes growing up. I am amazed at how well we shared and never really fought over them.

14. She 'bottomed out' my car and I hit a pole with her car---we are even! ;o)

15. I was and still am very protective over my little sister--ask her she can tell you stories.

16. She is an amazing mom to her two adorable boys.



17. She is so generous and always willing to help out. She has bailed me out on numerous occasions.

18. OCD--should be her initials! lol (you know I had to put that Mel)

19. We shared an apartment together by the University and we also roomed together with another room mate downtown Edmonton. She was the best room mate I ever had. Apparently I gave her heck for not cleaning enough---I seriously don't remember this, and could not fathom giving her heck for being 'unclean'.

20. She is very good at recycling! ;o)

21. Math is and has always been her forte. Probably explains why she is an 'Engineer'. She should have been my Math tutor!

22. We rode Elephants in the Jungles in Thailand together. Probably a favourite memory for Mom, John, Mel and I. It was so surreal!

23. She has some pretty crazy muscles. You should see her pipes!

24. She has helped me out with my kids so much. I don't know what I would have done without her when Jude was born. She watched 4 kids, cooked, cleaned and gave us a tonne of freezer meals. I don't know how to thank you Mel.

25. She has such a loving, generous, heart. Don't ever change that Mel!

26. She is the one person who truly knows me, desires to know my heart and has not falsely accused, maligned, judged, lied about me. Thank you for always listening and loving me, even when I don't deserve it.

27. She has a crazy love for ice-cream. My brother and I even bought her an ice-cream maker for Christmas one year.

28. We went through a 'Winnie the Pooh' phase together---doesn't everybody though!

29. She collected lambs. Every time I see a lamb, I think of her! ;o)

30. I am so blessed to have her as my dear, baby sister. I love you!

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life!

My wonderful husband celebrated his birthday today. To say that I love this man dearly is well putting it mildly. He is my everything, he is my rock, he is my best friend, he is such a wise, Godly man. I really am so incredibly blessed to have him in my life, to have him as my husband and the father of my three beauties.

Happy birthday my Love!!!

I thought it would be fun to list 10 interesting facts about my hubby that you may or may not have known. I won't write as many as he is old.......he will love me for that! ;o)

1. He is really artsy and creative. You should see his drawings, hear his many inventions, see the creative toys he makes for the kids and he has an eye for decor (thank goodness cause I sure don't).

2. To go with that artsy side, he knows a tonne about art. In fact most of his degree is Art History related courses. It fascinates me because I have no, like zero, knowledge on art. He also knows a tonne about architecture and design (I don't even have the proper lingo).

3. He is a history buff. History fascinates him.

4. He is musical. He can pick up the trumpet and still play it, he can also pick up the sticks and play the drum. He can belt out a tune and he is really good at the electronic music. His taste in music varies from heavy metal, to classical.

5. He has had more broken bones, surgeries, injuries than I can even count. He plays hard!

6. He is a bit of a Theology nut too (good thing hey). I usually wait until he is home, rather than try and search things out on the internet myself, as most likely he has the answer and if he doesn't he can direct me to the answer.

7. Traveling is a love that we both share. He loves to explore as much as I do and experience different foods, cultures, etc. He watches a lot of travel shows and google earth is a must in our family.

8. He is really sweet and romantic. He was the one that had a 'song' for us, and it is awesome!

9. His life could be made into a movie. He has had such an interesting life. His stories never cease to astonish me...there should be a book at least.

10. He is a jack of all trades and can fix just about anything from our vehicles, house, electronics, you name it!




Happy birthday John. I look forward to spending many more with you!

1000 Gifts

Thankfully I have been recording gifts, every night in a journal, as once again I am so behind in putting them up on my blog. I look forward to writing them every night now and find myself really making an effort to pause and reflect on them throughout the day. Some days are still chaotic, exhausting and I just seem to struggle, but it is amazing when I come to the end of a hard day and reflect back on the events, I can still manage to come up with 3 simple things to be grateful for and to really thank HIM for.

88. Feeling like I am finally getting Jude on a schedule.
89. Fasting and praying for direction with my husband.
90. Listening to my DH play and interact with our kids.
91. Moms and Tots.
92. Meeting with Zech's teacher and seeing how much he has improved since September.

(one of his drawings - Larry the cucumber from the 'Pirates' Veggie tales movie - he watches the how to draw section of the DVD all of the time and this is what he drew)

93. Hearing my 5 month old laugh hysterically.
94. Wathcing Zech hug his sister when we came to pick him up and then grab her by the hand and introduce her to all of his friends. (so sweet and a proud mommy moment)
95. Friends that have discernment and know what we are struggling with and offer words of encouragement.
96. Remembering and Cherishing memories of my Aunty Elaine.
97. Prayers from new women friends.
98. Encouragement for my hubby and knowing that he is exactly where he needs to be. God has our backs! :o)
99. Spending time playing with my girl.


100. Hearing that I am her best friend.
101. Hearing all about his day at school, especially the prayer requests.
102. That he is now 5 months old.


103. Beautiful winter weather (please God let all of our winters be like this).
104. First swing rides.


105. Sore muscles - means I had a good workout.
106. Conversations with friends I haven't talked with in a long time.
107. Feeding him cereal for the first time.


108. Reading my dear Aunt's blog posts and reflecting on how much I miss her comments and will miss her posts.
109. The Military Museum.
110. Inquisitive minds and a million questions that accompany those minds.
111. Marble Slab icecream - and coupons so we can afford it!
112. Setting up the trampoline again.


113. Getting to be in a church service with my husband (usually he is teaching).
114. Seeing the connections he has formed with the Youth.
115. Going out for some Thai food.
116. New fish to fill the tank.
117. Watching him go crazy over his cereal and seeing him cry when he is done (I made him more--he is such a hungry boy).
118. Our 1st new bed (King size memory foam).
119. Yummy new recipes. (Oven Fried Chicken and Roasted Parmesan Green beans).
120. Riding in their car.


121. Watching my 5 year old sing and dance to worship music and tell his baby brother all about Jesus.


122. Women who will pray with me and for me at Bible Study.
123. Hearing how God is working in the loves of other passionate ladies.
124. Feeling prompted to share (even when I hate sharing) and the sense of release it gave me.
125. Meeting a dear friends for lunch at the airport.
126. Listening to my 2 year old pray for Aunty Mari's safe flight home.
127. A nap in the afternoon.
128. Getting in and out very quickly at the Urgent Care.
129. Relief and a diagnosis.
130. A wonderful, but difficult celebration of my Aunty's life.
131. Awesome friends who watched our older two kids so that we could go to the funeral.
132. An amazing sleep (thanks to my amazing husband).
133. Celebrating a 4 year olds birthday.
134. Excitement to wrestle daddy.
135. A great sermon.
136. Catching up with friends at church.
137. T & T Supermarket
138. Homemade wonton soup.
139. Sushi and Dumplings and the fact that my kids are so willing to try new, exotic foods.
140. Workout partners.

(she is doing jumping jacks)

Jude at 5 months

My little monkey is 5 months old already. I feel like my baby is disappearing right before my eyes.

I know I say this every post and will continue to say it for all of the consecutive posts.

Jude at 5 Months:

- weighs approximately 17 1/2 lbs.
- is ___ inches long
- wears size 3 diapers, which are too small already
- wears 6-12 month clothing.
- is out (or supposed to be out of his infant carrier)
- smiles, smiles, smiles.
- is finally on a bit of a schedule, napping in the morning for an hour at around 9:00 am and then again in the afternoon at about 1:00 pm.n and a cat nap before bed time too.
- Still does not sleep through the night and seems to be up more than ever now, making this momma one tired, grumpy momma.
- Is such a chatty little monkey and makes all sorts of new sounds.



- Adores his siblings as much as they adore him.
- Pulls his sisters hair all of the time - that is how we know when she is constantly in his face.
- Loves hearing from his big brother. Zech tells him all sorts of Bible stories and sings him songs.
- Is such a wiggles bum. He loves to stand and jump (time to get out the Jolly Jumper).
- Spent a week away visiting with family and did quite well.
- Was enamoured with Great Grandma adn her hands. It worked well, he loved her hands and she loved his feet.
- Loves his daddy's whiskers.
- Has lots of ticklish spots.
- Is still teething, drooling and knawing on anything and everything, but has no teeth.
- Loves his sister's babies.
- Is my cuddle bug. He loves to fall asleep touching us, especially our faces.
- Loves his bathtime, especially in the big bath in his bath ring.

- likes talking to his penguin.


- Rolls and rolls all over.
- Does this back arch scoot across the entire floor. It is so weird, as he arches his back and pushes himself backwards with his legs. He will cross the entire floor.
- Grabs at everything and for everything.
- I started sitting him in his high chair and give him frozen peaches, which he loves!

1000 Gifts

We were away, so I am catching up. I have been recording this every night now, and am surprised at how easy it has been.

40. Snow Days! Resting, playing, being at peace and being content to just hang as a family.

41. Cloud Dough for Snow Days.

42. A wonderful teacher with a back-up plan to ensure that my boy gets a chance to be "Star of the Day" when his turn was missed due to the cold weather.

43. Excitement over his teachers plan to share 'Star of the Day' duty with his buddy.

44. New recipes and planning meals.

45. Stepping out of my comfort zone and joining a Woman's Bible Study at Church.

46. Knowing that this study is exactly the study I need right now.

47. Answers to prayers and seeing how God 'knows' the truth.

48. Amazing deals while shopping (e.g. a $95 sweater for $3.97)

49. Reading Ann's words.

50. Cute little sayings: " Mommy, my bum has toots in it"

51. Prayers. I love the fact that my kids pray all of the time, for anything and everything. We are a praying family and I just noticed it now.

52. Seeing my 5 year old hold back tears and be visibly upset for the dis-abled.

53. Talking with our good friends from Regina who just moved back to Ontario and hearing how everything went and how God is taking care of them.

54. Dancing with the love of my life!

55. Playing silly games with my kids. The boys were hunters, while us girls played Princess and painted our nails.

56. Watching her show her Daddy her pretty nails.

57. His Words.

58. Peace, knowing that no matter what He is in control and has a plan for us (this is the first time in a long time that I have felt peace, joy and anticipation for whatever He wants us to do and for where ever He wants us to go)

59. Birthday parties and hearing all about the exciting time they had.

60. An unplanned coffee date with my husband.

61. Chai tea Lattes.

62. Cuddles and snuggles as he slept through the service and allowed me to hear the entire sermon.

63. Watching cousins go crazy and play with one another.

64. Time with my sister.

65. Connecting with the R family and watching our kids interact and play.

66. Special dates with Daddy.

67. Bedtime, especially after a long, exhausting day.

68. Indoor playgrounds.

69. Watching little ones have a great time together.

70. Spending time with my cousin Rita.

71. Coffee with Heidi and her kids.

72. Friends that are so understanding and willing to help when I am at my whits end.

73. Having my darling husband home again and hearing all about the conference he was at and the connections he made and most importantly how God is speaking to him.

74. Broken water mains = time with Grandma.

75. Watching them work things out and be quick to forgive and play again.

76. Hearing my nephew tell me that he loves me and telling him how much I love him.

77. The Carnival (Galaxy land) and seeing how much fun they had!

78. New clothes for my growing 5 year old and finding jeans that really are a 'slim' fit.

79. A traditional Caribbean feast with the Ramkissoon's. It was so yummy and it was great to hang out!

80. Visiting Great Grandma and taking pictures.

81. Celebrating birthdays early, yummy pizza (from Famosso's), decorating cupcakes and opening presents.

82. Safe travels home and getting to sleep in our own beds. It is always nice to be away and spend time with loved ones, but it is always nice to get back home too.

83. Sleeping in. (it never happens and when it does it is wonderful--too bad I didn't have a good night with Jude though)

84. Visiting my dear Aunt and remembering all of the great times we had and what a wonderful woman she is.

85. Hearing my 2 1/2 year old pray for Aunty Elaine's owies.

86. Spending some much needed, quality time with God and His word.

87. My amazing husband who is such an amazing Dad to our amazing kids.

1000 Gifts

I must keep counting, I must keep counting, I must keep counting. Some days it is so hard. I am so exhausted by the time I need to count, I forget what I even did that day, or what I felt blessed for. I should wear a pen and paper around my neck maybe!

28. Re-organizing Zech's room, which means he has more room to play and it is easier for him to clean up every night (I hope).
29. A new palm tree.
30. A new Sponsor child.
31. Grapefruit, so sweet and juicy.
32. The Circle of Safety.
33. Apologies from my 5 year old.
34. Two little ones, encouraging me when I need it the most.
35. 5 monkeys in the bed...

36. Finding pictures (and videos) I forgot we had taken (on our point and shoot camera)

Our New Years picture

37. Cuddles
38. Fasting, praying, talking and seeking HIM with my husband.
39. Dinner conversations

Zech: "Mom, what do you want to be when you grow up? Would you like to be a Mailman, or police woman. I know.... a cook, you like to cook."

I think I just about spit my food all over the table at this point. When I grow up, wow it made me feel so young again. I went into a delightful conversation about if I had to do it over again (cause I am so old--right) I would be an ESL teacher. This quickly turned to how Zech and I could teach people about Jesus. Then he asked Gigi what she wanted to be?

Gigi: "Gigi, God' little princess."

These two make me laugh. She had this look like, what the heck are you talking about, duh, I am God's little Princess and nothing will change that.