First Half of Summer

Well, would you look at that. July is gone!

As I knew it would, July flew by in a whirl of swim suits, plane rides, and party favours. It was exhausting--and so, so much fun. 

We signed up at the local Y in June and have been putting our membership to work for us all summer long. The two older boys got into swim lessons once a week right away, and while Sam was on the wait list, she took part in a two week summer swim camp. First thing in the morning, three times a week for an hour, she's been practising her skills in the water. We can't believe how far she's come in such a short time.

This is the summer that the three big kids will learn to swim. Two parents and four kids, doesn't make for very fun outings to the lake when none of the kids can swim. 

Joel and I flew to Ontario for 6 days for my cousins wedding, and he did far better than ever expected on the flights. It was busy as always when we're out there, trying to visit everyone, but it was so nice to be back in my second home. 

As soon as we got back it was wedding prep for Jared's sisters wedding the following weekend. Another busy week, and so great to finish it off with a celebration of Tasha and Dan and a great party. 

And last week we were back at the pool! Which will take up the majority of our time over the next three weeks, until our camping trip.

It's the busiest summer yet, but probably also the most fun :)

Father's Day 2015

It's been a good, hot, roller coaster around here lately, and we're only just getting started!

We have had an incredibly early start to our summer here in southern BC (as in, no exaggeration, I have my typical "end of summer" tan and we haven't even hit July), and tomorrow marks our last day of school and the last of those activities. I'm looking forward to this short little lull in our schedule before things pick up for the start of wedding season!

Father's Day was this past weekend and we kept it pretty low key this year. Jared wanted to take his Dad on a guided sturgeon fishing trip for his Father's Day/birthday gift this year, and since it's a little pricey, that pretty much took care of my gift for him as well. 

But, the kids and I were still sure to shower him with cards and love :)

Being in the "school scene" as a parent has really re-opened my eyes to just how fortunate and blessed we are. Knowing that there are quite a number of our kids' friends whose parents have divorced or separated (whether permanently or for a time), just fills me with such immense appreciation for my husband and our relationship. 

It is filled with respect and we work hard on our communication, we dedicate time to spend together, whether it's at home watching a movie or playing video games and ordering sushi, or going out together, or triple dating with good friends. That time is important to us. And, yes, for us, sometimes it means sending the kids down to the playroom to play together so we can have five or ten minutes to just catch up. That's our reality with Jared's job requiring a 3am wake up call. But we make it happen. 

I truly have such a deep love for my husband and it still feels like I love him more each year. He is my best friend, my companion, my partner, my confidant, my safe place, my comfort, my other half. And seeing him as a father just makes me love him more. 

This Week Takes The Cake

This week I have:

Discovered a toothbrush covered in poop in the bathroom sink.

Missed an immunization appointment after confirming less than 24 hours prior. 

Washed a handful of play pots, pans, and teacups that were suspiciously sticky and smelly with yellow liquid. 

Scrubbed my carpet clean of poo with my trusty Bissel cleaner.

Thrown away a toy drill that was covered in poo. 

I'm ready for the weekend.

A Blog About My Kidney Stone

Where do I even begin?

My urologist (yeah, it's enough of an issue that I actually have a urologist) thinks that this little stone that I've been carrying around, is actually still related to the original stone that I developed when I was pregnant with Travis five years ago. 

So now it's just hanging out, collecting E-Coli (yep) while I walk around with a never-ending bladder infection. Most of the time it's okay. I make sure to drink plenty of water to keep the bacteria at a manageable and mostly non-bothersome level. 

But every now and then, like yesterday, it decides to cause a problem. And when that happens it means I go from functioning to clutching the sink to stay upright and trying not to vomit in a matter of minutes. A trip to the ER where I wait in excruciating pain for a shot of morphine and an X-Ray. Prescription pain killers and medication to help me try and flush the stone out of my system. Which never works. I'm fairly certain that for some reason my anatomy doesn't allow it. I drink water until I want to puke, pee often, and still nothing. 

So for now, the pain is manageable. I have to wait and see if it's still bothering me in two days time, and if so, head back to the ER for further, more detailed scans. 

So please think of me and pray that 1) I am not debilitated by pain at incredibly inconvenient times (upcoming flights, weddings, etc) and 2) that I can somehow get rid of this stone for good. 

Mothers Day Tea

I had the privelage of having Mother's Day Tea with my oldest boy at preschool on Friday. We are blessed to have two incredible preschool teachers (no, seriously, they are the very best. Sorry!) who work so hard for our kids, and put together a very special day for us Mums. 

It started with each kid giving their mum a hand massage (yes, really) with delicious, soft lotion. They sang a sweet song while holding our hands and looking straight into our eyes about how much they love us (nope, still not kidding). We played a game where we stood behind our kids and answered various questions on chalkboards, while the kids showed the answers they had guessed in front of us (apparently my favourite drink is fruitopia, not coffee). 

We had tea and sweet treats, watched a slideshow with photos of the kids and what they loved doing with their mums. We guessed which portrait our child drew of us.

It was so sweet. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day busyness and stress of life with our kids. To take even just that one hour, and be able to stop and spend dedicated time with just one of your children, to get a glimpse of how they see you through their eyes, is such a treat. 

It was an incredible afternoon, and I'm already looking forward to being able to do it again next year with my second boy. He's already talking about it, too!