An 8th Birthday Party & A Grade 6 Graduation

We celebrated two events in our family this past week.  Although Eden's actual birthday was a couple of weeks ago, we we're able to celebrate with friends until recently.  She chose to celebrate at the Nature Playground I wrote about a while back.  The day was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the weather co-operated nicely for an outdoor party.

I thought this little cake was super cute.  No, I didn't make it.

On Tuesday we made our last trip to Bairdmore Elementary School to celebrate the Grade Six Graduation of this girl.

In front of our house moments before we left.

Man 'they' weren't kidding when 'they' said "it goes by quickly".  I can vividly remember taking her to school on her first day.  She was so excited to finally be going to school like a big girl.  I also remember the tears that were shed.  No, not because I had to leave her there, alone, but because she wasn't allowed to stay all day (here, public schools are only half day kindergarten).  She cried the whole way home, saying "it was too short, why can't she stay longer?"  That memory still  makes me laugh.  Now here we are seven years later.  A beautiful young woman, with many new friends, countless new experiences, and a scrapbook full of sweet memories of her early school years.  Her teacher this year was fantastic.  She's a perfect fit for grade six.  She challenged her kids to be great, she had them reading beyond their own expectations, and falling in love with the power of a good book.  Isabelle did better this year than in any previous year in school.  Her marks were outstanding.  She did her homework independently, and on time, and responded well to our feedback, and that of her teacher to improve her study habits, public speaking, and writing.  We are so proud of her.  And this dress.  Isn't it cute.  On the way to Grad she looked at me and said "I can't believe I'm wearing a dress, and that I actually really like it".  For a girl who lives in t-shirts, and jeggings all year, the dress is a very much welcomed addition to her wardrobe.  

Yes Belle will be taller then me by the fall :(

The icing on the cake for this Grad Day was getting a medal.  Although it came later than anticipated the official times finally came in for the Manitoba Marathon Relay groups.  Belle's group of five Grade 4-6 kids came in first in their category.  We are so proud of her and her group.

This is the 3rd year in a row Mr. Dyck, the gym teacher has had a first place team in the Manitoba Marathon Relay.

Also on the agenda for this week has been transforming the front and back yard. But that's a post for another day.  

This weekend we celebrate Canada Day, so a long weekend is in the works.  Hope to get the trailer opened, see some fireworks, and have a few drinks, with a few friends.  Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a good one too.  

Have a good one friends, thanks for popping in.

♥S.

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10 Random Questions on Friday

How about some very random info on yours truly?

1. Have you ever broken any bones?
No, never.  I always wanted to as a kid though.  I think every kid wants to have crutches or a cast at some point in their childhood right?!

2. What is your favorite time of the day?
I love evenings, especially when we can sit down together and eat early as a family.  Then we have the whole remainder of the evening to hang out together.  I especially love it in the summer when we can get outside and bike ride, or go for a walk.

3. Do you shower in the morning or at night?
Mostly in the mornings, but sometimes I have one in the am and one in the pm.  All depends what I've been doing.

4. What's your favorite brand of soap?
I'm a Bath & Bodyworks girl through and through.  I rotate through several scents every season.  As far as bar soap goes, I love Dove and Oil of Olay.  On a side note, I can clearly remember how as a kid, I thought Oil of Olay sounded like old lady soap, hee hee.

5. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
No.


6. Have you ever been in an accident?
Yes.  I just had my first major one, this past November.  I was side swiped by a cab, who was trying to avoid a car running a red light.  I had over $8000 damage to my van.  It was damaged from one end right through to the other.  I came out without a scratch, thankfully, as did the cab driver.

7. What is your favorite food?
The same as most women in their 30's and upward...chocolate.  As for healthy options, I love a good steak.


8. What one feature do you like most about your face?
Humm...I don't think my features are anything special.  But I have received comments on how dark the colour of my eyes are.  Oh, I know, I like the fact that I don't yet have any wrinkles...so my smooth skin would be my most tolerable feature, hee hee.

9. Do you have a nickname?
My full name is Sherilyn, so I suppose technically Sherri would be a nickname. 

10. Are you afraid of spiders?
No.  At least not of any of the ones I've seen in North America.  I have no trouble picking them up to discard of them.  I may feel differently if confronted with something huge and hairy though.

And how about a random photo to add to the list?

My 2 yr old shadow: Wilson.  My lesson in "Never say Never".   *sigh*

How 'bout you?  Up for answering this same list on your blog or in the comments section so I can get to know you better too?!  I think that would be fun.

At any rate.  I wish you a wonderful weekend friends.  Thanks for stopping by!

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Like Twins

These two chickie poos can fight like nobody's business.  Hardly a day goes by where I don't have to get after one or both of them for picking a fight with the other.  It gets old I tell ya.  I'm sure I sound like a broken record.  I can't wait for the day when they realize that God gave them one another as a gift.  I look forward to the days when they leave the house together to attend Youth Group, go shopping, or catch a movie, or maybe even double date together.  Until then, I will simply have to enjoy moments like this one, caught on film (or more like SD card)..  The two of them were crammed into the same arm chair in the family room playing and hanging out together.  Théa was showing Eden the art of bubble blowing, and Eden was hanging intently on her every word, and demonstration.  After the lesson, when the camera came out the antics began.  People often ask if the girls are twins.  When I look at them, I don't often see it.  But every once in a while I understand why they ask.  The girls are only 15 months apart, which probably explains why they fight so much, and although the don't really look like twins, there are times where I feel they behave like twins.  Just last night, for example, they once again asked if they could sleep together.  They use to share a room.  That is no longer the case, in this house, however, so they have had many sleepovers in Théa's room.  What strikes me as funny though, is how often I'll pop in to peek at them before I climb into bed, only to find them both in the top bunk, legs woven together, blankets in a twisted mess off to one side, and both of them, looking as uncomfortable as ever :)  I'm not sure how long it will take them to realize that Eden's double bed would be more comfortable for that seeping situation, but as long as they're loving each other, and not fighting I'm fine with whatever location they choose.  I've tried many times to get a picture of them, each time without success of a nice clean, clear image.  One of these days I'll just have to take what I get, print it, and scrap it.  I think they'd really appreciate having the sweet memory recorded.  Especially since, I know the day is coming where they will sooner be forced to eat brussel sprouts for dinner than share a bed with the other.  For now I'll simply enjoy the times when they sincerely appreciate being with each other, just like twins.

Théa (L) 9yrs.  Eden (R) 8 yrs.

One more day before the weekend - whoot.  Only four more days until Summer Break - bigger whoot!
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A Close Call

This afternoon,  I nearly burned my house down.  Gosh, I still can't believe it.  I had put something on the stove to boil, and decided to fold a load of laundry in the meantime.  After folding the laundry I decided that since there was nothing going on for the afternoon, I would give into my fatigue and have a short nap.  When I woke up an hour later, I smelled something funny.  You can imagine how fast my heart began beating when I realized that I had forgotten about the pot on the stove.  I raced down the stairs, where the air grew thicker and thicker with smoke.  I thought for sure that when I turned the corner to the kitchen I would see flames shooting up from the stove. No flames, thank goodness, only the charred remains of what had been in the pot.  I ran around opening windows and doors all over the house; realizing, as I coughed and moved from room to room, how thick the smoke really was.  I was stunned that the smoke alarms did not go off.  I checked to be sure they were in working order and sure enough their green lights are illuminated.  I'm not sure how much smoke would be necessary for them to activate, but I know that any more smoke, and surely my home would have been on fire, and I would have had no way to get to the stove to handle the situation.  The experience left me realizing how easy it would be to lose everything.  In sixty minutes my life and the lives of my family could have been dramatically changed forever.  It is a sobering thought.  I was also struck by something else.  We have quartz counter tops in our kitchen.  I love them.  They're smooth,  and super durable.  You can pretty much do anything on them, and they'll be fine.  I learned today, however, that they do have a limit as to how much heat they can take.  Normally I can place a hot pot on them no problem, today however my pot was hotter than it's ever been, and therefore left a faint burn mark on the counter.  I am so sad that I've created an imperfection in my beautiful counter top.  I'm more sad that this burn mark will forever serve as a reminder of the afternoon I made a silly mistake.  But, it made me think about my sin, my past silly mistakes, and how scripture tells us that when we ask forgiveness of our sins that God is sure to forgive us.  God's Word tells us that through Christ we are made clean, white as snow.  Unlike bad burns that heal, but scare, our souls are healed without leaving a record of the wrong doing.  No scare, no burn marks.  Clean, pure, righteous.  On our own we are not worthy, but in Christ we are made whole, restored to our original splendor and beauty.  Amen to that.  I am grateful for the love of my Heavenly Father, and so thankful  that things didn't turn out as badly as they could have this afternoon.  Now to figure out what I can back that will have strong enough of a pleasant aroma to over power this terrible smell that lives in every corner of our home.


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Bad, Bad Blogger

That's me, I know. 
Is anyone out there? 
I don't blame you if you've stopped dropping by. 
I am very sorry.  Life has been really hectic around here over the past few weeks.  I realize I've said that before, but it really is a busy season.  No one ever told me that it doesn't necessarily get easier as the kids get older.  The reality is that it simply gets different.  Less diapers, but more driving.  Less diaper bags, but more Dance and piano bags.  Less being stuck at home with little ones, but more driving to and from with big ones.  You get the picture.  This past week was the busiest I can remember in a very, very long time.  We had three consecutive nights of dance recital, Monday through Wednesday.  Thursday I was out doing errands all day, then catching up on housework all evening.  Today, out again all day, all three girls had somewhere different to be between 5 and 7.  I had three places to be between 6 and 6:15.  Everyone is now starting to arrive home, and then it will be bed time for all of us.  I've been thinking about posts to publish, and photos to share.  It's all in my head though.  There's just not enough time to get it all out.  I think it'll be like this until school lets out on June 29th.  I hope you're willing to stick with me through it.  How about a few photos?

Around here:
We celebrated this girl's 8th b'day on Monday.  She wanted this monkey so bad when we saw it back in January.  Little did she know I bought it back then, and have been hiding it for 6 months. 

Coco her new furry BFF

Eden choose to celebrate by going out for breakfast bright and early before school.  Mom and Dad Funk are so awesome that they even drove into the city to surprise her and join us.  (Not sure why Darwin looks so mad here, I know he's not really.)

This is the place we call home.  I'm planning on tackling the pitiful landscaping in a couple of weeks.  A complete overhaul is desperately in order.  I've hired help so I get it done right the first time.

Dance related:
I picked up pre-registration packages for me and the girls tonight.  All together they are eligible to register for a total of 13 classes combined.  That will not be happening, but it'll probably be close .

My Tap Class.  We rocked it on Recital Night!  Don't we look great?!  Next year, it's been decided that we will officially become the Adult Competitive Tap Class *yikes*  I had so much fun with these ladies this year, so glad I moved up from the beginner class.

Théa's Ballet 2 Class.  How cute were those costumes?

Isabelle's Jazz 3 Class.  She did so well in her first year that she's been asked to join the Intermediate Competitive Jazz class.  Exciting stuff, except for the fact that she'll now have to take Ballet as well (a stipulation for all Competitive Jazz classes)

Eden & Théa's Tap Class.  This routine was incredibly cute.

On our day off last week we checked out the newly opened Nature Playground.  It is a spectacular place for kids ages 6 months to 12 years.  Eden even agreed to let us host her birthday party there next weekend. 

We took my spare daughter Kendi along with us for some fun.

Look at that face.  This is the steepest slide I've ever seen at a playground.

Additional shots:
I was so pleased Isabelle agreed to pose for just a few shots in front of these giant tulips.  I can't wait to scrap this one.  I want to use a verse I read today on the layout.  It's this: “You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.” Song of Solomon 4:7b (MSG)

 

Photo courtesy of little Miss Kendi.

I can't imagine my life without these young ladies.

On the scrappy front...
Remember that Random Card Swap happening at The Nook, that I spoke of in an earlier post.  Well here's the kit Michelle sent me to work with:

 And here's what I created with it by adding a few of my own elements...

An end of the year thank you card for our piano teacher.

A birthday card for Eden

A tag bookmark for me :)

Okay, so that was a lot of photos hope it makes up for my absenteeism.  So happy you made your way back here.

Have a great weekend all. Pin It

Taking time ...

to consider this today...

♥ S. Pin It