Orange you Glad it's Summer

So today was officially the last day of school.  I figured the boys deserved a little treat to greet them when they got up.  I started by making this sign

Then I went out and bought a bunch of orange treats and a couple of toys for each of the boys

I put them all together in a bright orange bags and left them on the table when I went to work this morning.  They were a big hit.

Table talk Tuesday......on a Wednesday

OK, so I know I'm a day late.....but it's that crazy time of year when school and soccer are ending. finals are ending, plans are being made....so please forgive me for my slack-assedness this week.

Here are the questions and answers we had at our dinner discussion this week.

1.  What kind of pets do you want to own when you grow up?

     Drew -- Wolf
     Max -- I would want a dolphin with a gorilla taped to its back
     Ryker -- A gecko, a monkey and a komodo dragon

2.  If you saw someone cheating on a test would you report them?  Why or why not?

     Drew -- No because no one likes a snitch
     Max -- Yes, because cheating is bad
     Ryker -- No because there is no point; they are only cheating themselves (smart boy, eh)

3.  If you could make snow any other color for one day, what color would you choose?

     Drew -- Red so it would look like blood
     Max -- Black so people would get all freaked out about it
     Ryker -- Rainbow colors because it would look pretty

4.  If you could do one really nice thing for yourself  this week, what would it be?

     Drew -- I'd go to Marble Slab and pig out on ice cream
     Max -- I'd buy myself a dolphin and ride it
     Ryker -- I'd teach myself to swim

5.  What could we do as a family this summer to help others?

     Drew -- Volunteer at the soup kitchen
     Max -- Give food to homeless people
     Ryker -- Help clean up some lakes

6.  What is the one thing about becoming an adult that you are most excited about?

     Drew --Making my own decisions about big stuff, finding my own way, getting out  on my own  
     Max -- Not to be a jerk, but I'm looking forward to moving out and having my own space
     Ryker -- Being able to drive

7.  Would you rather have the ability to read peoples minds, or be invisible?

     Drew -- I'd rather be invisible.  Mind reading is a waste of time because people always say out loud what their thinking eventually to someone -- plus if you're invisible, you can mess with people
     Max -- Invisible because I could mess with people and get away with it
     Ryker -- Mind reading so that I could read peoples minds when I'm standing in line at Walmart
   

Soccer Season End Round Up

I was going to post this on Saturday night because I needed to get some pictures off my camera, but for some reason my computer isn't recognizing them. *sigh*.

So, you'll have to do with the ones I got.

The season started out pretty rough.....we lost every single game.

I tried not to be bummed at all the games Ryker's team lost.  After all, this was his first year ever playing soccer.  And, honestly, he didn't seem to mind not winning.  He just loved being out on the field.  He loved the game; playing, watching, cheering on his teammates.

He was one of  the three best players on the team.....which is odd since most of us aren't sports minded in this house.  But he ran his butt off every game.  Even when he knew they would lose the game, even knowing they had no chance of catching up.  He would run up and down the field, running, passing, cheering for his friends..  I have never seen such a work ethic in a young, new athlete in my life.  He just LOVES the game.\














He's already told me he wants to take summer camps, play indoor soccer every fall and outdoor soccer every spring.  So it looks like I am literally now a "soccer mom".

                  

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

Where to begin.......

What started out as a couple days of rain

And a little bit of hail

Has turned into some of the most catastrophic flooding our province has ever seen.

Tens of thousands have been evacuated, displaced, and uprooted.  Entire towns have had to leave, not knowing what, if anything, they will come home to.

Many of these people have lived in these towns their entire lives.  The devastation is heartwrenching.  A tenth of the city of Calgary has been evacuated (thats 100,000 people).......the military has been called in to help.  

Living in a fairly safe, secure, and landlocked province, you would think this would never happen to us.  We look like we've been hit by a hurricane.  The reality is, Mother Nature is just an equal opportunity destroyer.  For hours at a time the rains seemed endless, and just when you thought you would get a reprieve, the deluge would start again.

City after city have declared states of emergency.  People are panicked, people are scared.....and through it all people have proven time and again that the human spirit is a remarkable thing.  For every story of fear and devastation, there is a story of love, compassion and people on guard and ready and willing to help their neighbors.  We pull together, we embrace people we've never met and we offer what we can to those who have lost so much..  There is A LOT of cleaning up to do once the water goes down......but people are ready.

                                       

So as you go about your life in the next few days, please take a moment a say a prayer or give a thought for Alberta.  We could really use it.

Some ABC's all about me

I know you all want to know everything about me......ha ha ha, narcissism rules!  Anyway, here's a fun little game.  Play along if you'd like.

Age:  36

Bed Size:  King

Chore you hate doing:  Cleaning toilets

Dogs:  1 female cavapoo named Penny

Essential start to your day: Fruit

Favorite Color: Red (purple a close second)

Gold or Silver: Gold

Height: 5'5"

Instruments I play:  Piano, Clarinet

Job Title:  Administrative Clerk

Kids:  Three boys; ages 16, 13 and 9

Live: Canada

Mom's Name: Kate

Nicknames: Ersie, Eri, Houston (work nickname)

Overnight Hospital Stays:  Birth of 3 boys, tonsillectomy, sinus surgery

Pet Peeve: Poor grammar, people who eat while talking on the phone, 

Quote from a movie:  "There's no place like home"

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings:  2 younger brothers and a younger sister

Time you wake up:  6:00 - 6:30 a.m.

Underwear:  Nobody's business

Vegetables you dislike: Brussel Sprouts

What makes you run late: Having a habitually late husband

X-Rays you've had: teeth -- I honestly don't remember having xrays done

Yummy Food you make: my chili is pretty darn delicious

Zoo Animals:  I am really not a big fan of zoos.  Usually the animals look really unhappy and unhealthy

Table Talk Tuesday

This was a fun little thing that we decided to start at our house.  You ask random questions and everyone gets a chance to answer.  So each week, if only to remind myself in the future, I'm going to post our questions for the week and what each boy's answer was:

At this time the boys are 16, 13 and 9

1.  List 3 things you like about yourself:

Andrew -- funny, musical, smart
Max -- smart, tall, funny
Ryker -- good at soccer, smart, creative

2.  If you could plan our perfect family vacation, where would we go and what would we do?

Andrew -- I would like to go to Venice, Florence and Rome and see all the historical places and amazing architecture.
Max -- I want to go to Ireland and eat potatoes
Ryker -- I want to go to Mexico and see the monkeys

3.  If you could have dinner with any world leader, who would it be?

Andrew -- Bill Clinton, because he seems like a cool party animal and we could play saxophone together
Max -- George W. Bush because he's an idiot and I would feel smart around him
Ryker -- Barack Obama because we both like fried chicken.

4.  What is your favorite word and why?

Andrew --  hippomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, which means fear of large words.  I like it because it's ironic
Max -- I don't have a favorite word
Ryker -- hashtag, because it sounds funny

5.  If you could hold the Guinness world record for anything, what would it be?

Andrew -- I would like to have the most #1 platinum albums in history
Max -- I would like to have the longest video game marathon ever
Ryker -- I would like to eat the world's biggest burger

6.  If you were stranded on a desert island for 1 month, what 2 people would you bring with you?

Andrew -- Mercedes (current girlfriend) and Chef Ramsay
Max --  Bear Grylls and a fat man so I would have someone to eat
Ryker -- Bear Grylls and Morgan Freeman because one is good at survival and one has a sexy voice

Weekend Roundup

This weekend started off with the thought that since the weather was supposed to be crummy, maybe a movie night at the theatre was in order.  So, dad and the two older boys went and saw

 

Ryker and I opted for something a little easier for a 9-year old to follow and we decided on seeing

Everyone came away happy with their cinematic selections.....and bellies full of rich, buttery popcorn.  As we left the theatre we realized that we must have missed quite a rain storm, and the air smelled glorious.

Saturday was too nice a day to be indoors, so we decided to put the troops to work in the yard.  We needed to remove an area of dead grass in our backyard and ready it for some fresh sod.  So after doing the flyers and plying the boys with slurpees, we got to work tearing up the earth.

First, Drew had to survey the land and get a plan in place.

Then everyone got to work on tearing up the grass (the horrendous garden and nasty fence are another job for another time)

Ryker was a good little helper who wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty

But he did have to take a break and get himself up in a tree....he is my monkey after all

Saturday night, Ryker had a sleepover with, who else, his best friend, Corbin.  They had great fun with pop and ice cream sandwiches, nerf wars, xbox, lego and even a bit of dressing up like fancy gentlemen.  Ryker was just upset that he didn't have a monocle.

This morning we had a bit of a damper on our spirits when we learned that Corbin's mom, also named Erin, had to put their dog, Ike, down.  We were all very sad for Corbin's family.  Ryker and I went over to the store to get some flowers and treats and took them to the house to offer our sympathy.  RIP Ike.  You were an awesome old hound.

This evening we are having a delicious dinner of BBQ ribs and playing some games. 

Tomorrow is back to work for another week.  Why cant' the weekends ever last a bit longer?

Fill in the Blanks Fun

So, now that I'm sort of back in the swing of blogging, I think I'm going to try and keep up with doing it more often.  Here's a little game I saw going around the blogosphere.  Feel free to play along....

1.  The last thing I ate was -- A Crunchie bar, and it was delicious

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is -- a delicious chocolate banana smoothie for breakfast tomorrow

3.  The best things -- are usually the little things.  Like how Ryker asks if he can cuddle with me on my bed for half an hour before his bedtime.  I sure do love that boy.

4.  Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is -- thinking about the upcoming summer holidays and thinking about all the fun things I can do with my boys.

5.  Sports are -- a whole lot of fun to watch......if it's hockey or basketball.  Especially if you're there in person.  The adrenaline that flows and the electricity that flows through the crowd.  So much fun!

6.  I miss -- my grandma.  Especially with the July 1st holiday coming up.  It just hasn't been the same for the past 14 years without her.

7.  Right now I am -- multitasking.  I'm blogging, listening to Songza, browsing Pinterest

Blog Every Day in May -- Day 31

WOW!  I have to say that I am really proud of myself.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off blogging every day.  Now, granted I missed a couple of days here and there, but I went back and made them up, still hitting every topic.

Day 31 -- A Vivid Memory

It was a warm spring day in May.  The sun was peeking through the clouds as we pulled up to the church.  I still remember the effort it took to get out of the car and the sound of the doors as they slammed behind us.  My heels clicked on the pavement as I made my way toward the door of the building, my head tucked toward my chest.  I wasn't ready for this.

My eyes panned over the crowd of people that were already gathering and I busied myself with little Andrew, trying to not make contact with anyone, but it was too late.  Everywhere I looked were sad eyes and brave smiles.  My eyes met my cousin Dana across the room and we both smiled.  She made her way toward me and folded me into one of the longest, deepest hugs I've ever experienced.  It was comforting and heartbreaking all at once.

We made our way down the hall to the room I was trying so desperately to avoid.  I took a deep, cleansing breath and walked into the room.  There were aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends everywhere.  And at the front of the room was the lush, rich casket containing the earthly body of my grandmother.

Time stood still for a moment.  The larger than life, louder than necessary, vibrant, smiling woman that I had known for all my 22 years lay still and stoic, dressed in white.  It was difficult for me to remember that just three days earlier she had spoken on the telephone to Andrew, and my heart caught in my throat.  Why hadn't I gotten on the line and talked to her too?

The next half hour was a bittersweet trip down memory lane with family coming together to share stories and anecdotes, remembering her imparted bits of wisdom and wondering who was going to take over the duties that had so seamlessly and lovingly been handled by the family matriarch.  There were tears, there was laughter......and there was love. Then it was time to go to the chapel.

I watched as everyone began to file out of the room, and purposefully held back.  I wasn't ready to leave yet, not ready to tear myself away from her, knowing that once I left the room there was no going back.  Soon everyone had gone, leaving me alone standing at the casket.  I looked down at my grandmother, grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her forehead.  I told her that I loved her.  And in that moment, it was just her and I.......she was there.  I knew she was.

I made my way into the chapel with my family, somewhat numbed to what was going on; willing myself to wake up, because this had to be a horrible dream.  But as I walked up to the pulpit preparing to sing for her one last time, my heart pounding in my ears, I knew that it was not a dream.

Just before the music started I looked up over the congregation.  I saw the family in the first few rows, close friends, people that knew and loved my grandmother........and I was overcome by what I saw.  There were so many people.  It felt like the entire town of 3500 people were crammed into the church that day.  Every seat was taken, there were people standing.  I was overcome with what an impact my grandmother must have had, what a significant imprint she must have left on the world to have so many people want to join with us in celebrating her life.

The strength to share my song somehow found it's way to my heart.  And in that moment, it didn't feel like she was gone.  It felt like she was standing right there behind me, singing every word with me.  I wasn't alone, and in the last chord of the song, I knew I never would be.