Hmmmm...I wonder who the city kids are?

So we were at my friend Charlene's house for a week. It was a great time. I thought I would relay a funny little bit of it. We had 6 small children and 3 adults (and then 4 adults the last few days b/c Shaun came) in 1,200 square feet. They are off the grid completely. Their house runs on generator and battery power. Their water is well water. At night all the power and water are off. The week we were there the hot water pipes were frozen for the most part so it was an adventure to get all the kids plus adults bathed. They have cell phones and no computer. It was a nice quite week in that respect. No outside demands. It was -30 C or so so it was too cold for the kids to play outside. So Charlene and I needed to be a little creative to keep all the little kiddies entertained. They live in a BEAUTIFUL country setting on 10 acres that Charlie inherited. The river just down the hill was frozen so we got to have a little walk on that our last day. They are a beautiful and happy family. I really enjoyed my week there. It was a quieter life in so many ways. There were times when I needed to go outside to get something and I would just pause and listen to the quite. It was restful and peaceful. Just what my soul had been craving. In all, as I said, it was a blast.
These city girls learned a few things. Mercedes, when we got back home here in BC, noticed that some lights were on and she walked over to them and turned them off saying "we need to save power". Another funny thing that happened was a few days before we left (now mind you pretty much all the outside walls are windows so you have a great view) a cow walked down a hill (which is part of their yard) and right on down onto the river. Charlie and his dad had seperated the cows from their calves that morning and she had gotten out and was rather agitated. Seeing her lasted for a matter of about 30 seconds. It was hilarious the reactions of the kids. Charlene's kids ran to the window and started banging on the window yelling at the cow...Mercedes stepped back to the middle of the room and Portia started screaming and ran to me terrified. It took about a half an hour to calm her down. It was VERY obvious who the city kids were. Anyway, Charlene and I had a good laugh over it. So I thought you might as well :).

Best Friends...

So the day that Shaun left for Alberta (January 7th) was the same day that our best friends moved to Kelowna. That was a very rough day for me. And somehow between their moving and Shaun being away for work and my realization that my mothering skills are lacking...well needless to say the inner thoughts of my mind have been rocky. I don't really like living away from them. We have always lived near each other since we were all newlyweds. We followed each other back and forth between provinces for something like 15 moves in 9 years. You form a deep bond in those kinds of things...and just our natures. Plus we've had 12 years of friendship, life lives, children born, jokes between friends...and Shaun and Trevor have had since they were 13 years old. It's really wonderful to have such best friends.
So on the way home we are in Kelowna for a few days to visit them. What a comfortable and refeshing thing to be "home".
To our best friends: You have made me feel just loved. You have treasured me. You have trusted me. You have loved me through these last years with great tenderness and care. You have shared your hearts and lives with me. You have given so much. You have loved my family deeply. My children adore you and your children. You have walked with me through thick and thin. Your hospitality has always warmed our hearts because of the love with which you give it and the excellence with which you do it. Shaun and I have often commented on the blessing of a friendship with another couple where all of us are friends. It's a rare rich gift, I think, in a lifetime. We are blessed to have gained this gift at such a young age. Now we have our lives to grow and live and share together.
It will be a vast change to not live by each other...but I am so excited for you. I am so happy that you were finally able to make the break and pursue LIFE.
Thank you for being our best friends.
May the NeyHuth tradition be for as long as the sun and moon rise on our lives. And may God be the sovereign over it all.
Love you...

the man who brings the gift of joy...

There is a man who has a gift to bring joy where ever he goes. He brightens up a room when he walks in. If he comes into a conversation he can get people laughing in a matter of seconds. When he travels people anticipate his coming because they know that he is not only wonderful but that he will have them rolling on the floor laughing and that they will have the best laugh since last they saw him. It's a rare gift. You CANNOT stay mad at him...no one can. But those nearest to him know that there is no point in trying because he can make you laugh in about 5 seconds and all anger slips away like a mist. His children adore him and just love to be with him. They know that when Daddy is around there is so much joy to be had. His wife is fascinates and so madly in love with him. His friends love him deeply and always want him around. There is so much laughter and joy in their home because of him. It is the greatest gift a person can give.
Do you have the priviledge to know a person like that? I do. That man is my husband. I cannot tell you over the last 12 years how many times I watched and experienced the truth of this gift with myself and other people. I am thankful for it every day.
Thank you God for giving me such a husband...the man who brings joy to all he knows.

Lessons I got to learn from excellent role models

Well these last weeks away from home have been hard and yet they have been good. I am so thankful that the girls and I got to go on a visiting trip. It was hard to be away from Shaun the majority of the time. It was hard on the girls...I am not interested in the whole single parenting thing when my spouse if alive and kicking. The girls are not interested either. We all need, love, and adore Shaun. We love to be around him. There is a reason why God made 2 parents...it's a necessary thing really. I don't know how single parents or parents who's spouses are unavailable do it. I know that they must be haggard the majority of the time it takes to raise a child. I applaude them and ache for them all at the same time...but that's a tangent for another day.
On a little, yet important, side note...my husband is the most amazing man I know. He just rocks my world on a regular basis with his ability to be a great man of God, husband and father. I am blessed beyond measure. There is no greater gift to me than that. We are not a couple that likes to be apart even for the day. Unfortunately we are not independently wealthy so "for the day" has to be. We are not pillars standing alone. We go on a premise that when the Bible says "the two shall become one"...it means it and so that's how we do it...and yet again here is another tangent for another day.
Ok back to my excellent role models...one of the good things that was amazing about this trip was that I got to visit some old friends from college days. I got to spend a week in each of their houses and just watch them go about life. They both have completely different lives, in some ways, but they are both amazingly calm and competent mothers. They cook amazing meals for their families and have dinner every night as a family. They just love their kids. They love spending time with them. They love including them in their lives in even the littlest things of every day life. They are happy families. They have husbands who are devoted to them and the children. They work as a team. The moms are calm and not much ruffles them. It was a wonderful thing to see...especially compaired to the frantic world I seem to live in at the moment. I doubt I can express to you what I saw and the good it did me. It's not that their world is perfect. It's that they are content in their world and work to be Godly amazing mothers. It's not that the job they are doing is not exhausting. It is. They face the same challenges any mother with 3 or 4 kids ,who are all 4 and under, faces. They just do it with grace. They do it with joy. It's a minute by minute choice for them. And that is what they choose. Their kids are amazing children because of it. There is not much strife in their home. I don't know but somehow I don't see that much when I get to glimpse into families. So I have to say I was honoured and blessed to be able to watch and learn much from these beautiful women who I get the priviledge to call friend. Thank you Andi and Char for being such gracious and strong women. You are beautiful to me. Thank for teaching me new ways to be a mom. My family will benefit from the lessons I learned from you in this last month.

A few things that brought me joy

Ok so one of the first days that we were here in Sherwood Park, AB...we were driving to a friend's house for a visit and Mercedes saw some refinery stacks. She said, "Mommy look at that big ship". I started cracking up because it was so cute. Only a west coast girl could see a ship in the middle of the prairies. Then 2 seconds later Portia pipes up, "Daddy needs man music doesn't he mommy." when I put some Lincoln Brewster on while we were driving. Now on our drive here from B.C. (which is about 12 hours) we listened to some kids music and at some point Shaun got extremely tired of it. He pointed out that he needed some "man music" and he had put Lincoln on. So now that music is "man music". I just cracked up again.

I love having kids. There is always laughter around them. Some days I tend to take life to seriously, at this point. So I think (yet again) that my children are God's little reminder to laugh more. I like those reminders and I sure need them :). I will never regret laughing but I sure will regret being too serious and missing a sweet moment. That I know for sure.

Thoughts...

Haven't blogged in awhile. Needed to get some thoughts out. Have no idea what they are. I am in Alberta right now. Shaun is working 6 days a week and gets home in the evening around 6:30 it seems. The girls go to bed at 7. This doesn't leave much family time. We are in my brother-in-laws's house. They are gracious to have us this long. It's cozy for everyone. Keiko is in a kennel here in town. Liam is allergic to dogs so it's just not possible for her to be around. I miss her. I feel badly that she is in a kennel. I worry about her. It's weird to be out of my house and away from life. I feel at odds. I don't know what to do with myself. I never quite relax. My kids have been throwing up and now I don't feel well. So after all that complaining...I had an interesting experience last week. I was in Three Hills (where I went to college). While I was there a lady who was 36 died from cancer. That is young...only 5 years older than me. She had 3 children ages 10, 7, and 5. That really hit me. I just felt deep grief for her husband and children. And then I started thinking about how we are only guaranteed today. How I have heard to "live each day as if it were my last". The Bible talks a bit about this. Psalms 139:16 " Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."

To the self absorbed male:

Well today I was witness to something really neat. The guys downstairs (2 guys in their 20's and bachelors as of today but not for long) asked me if they could watch the girls for me for a bit so that I could have a break seeing as I was single-parenting it for the week. I thought that was so kind and sweet. But then I really started thinking about it. And I got a little teary it touched my heart :). In our culture how many 20 something bachelors do you know who would take 2 wee girls for a few hours to give their mama a break? I say NOT MANY! It was their only day off in the week. They are well connected and well loved so it's not as if they had nothing better to do. They both have a significant other. They so generously gave of their time. And I just wanted to give a shout out to them and say "Thank you"!.
So to the self absorbed male: Your days are numbered...when there are guys out there like that!