Friday, April 23, 2010

Ben's first team...

We promised Ben before we moved from Calgary that he could play soccer when we got to Houston. He is having a great time playing for the YMCA and Earle is excited to be starting the sports portion of our boys lives. He is the assistant coach on Ben's team. Ben if having a great time. It will be neat to see what he takes a big interest in...he say's he wants to do baseball next...
CB

Monday, April 19, 2010

Vividity

My eyes popped open and there I was in my bedroom. I was breathing fast. It was around 4:30am. My heart was racing and my stomach felt like it was in my throat. I was still in a state of panic as I tried to calm myself down trying to convince myself that everything was fine now and it was just a dream. It would have been different if I had known I was dreaming, as I usually do. I walked up the stairs to check on him. He was fine, sleeping peacefully in his bed.

I went back to my bed and tried to process through what had just seemed so real.

It had been a pleasant day in my dream. Earle and I and both boys were on a walk in our subdivision. We have walking trails and ponds that we frequently walk by. It had been a mild sunny morning with a slight breeze outside. I could smell the clean but slightly thick air. We stopped as we often do to look out over the ponds at the ducks and the alligators who like to sun themselves on the banks of the ponds or entertain the passers by simply by just being visible. There are just a few small gators and they keep their distance. Sometimes they will grin just for kicks. The boys and I were merely observing as we walked.

Then just like it happens in dreams the scenery changed a bit. Instead of being on walking trails we were up on narrow wooden pathways, sort of like a small bridge for pedestrians to observe the nature below. We continued to walk and watch.

There was an alligator up on the shore that the people on the ground were carefully spectating. From the bridge that we were standing on we could see down into the water. We were about thirty feet above the water. The water was so clear that I could see two other alligators swimming together near the bottom of the pond.
I took a quick glance around my surroundings and I realized that there were some areas on this narrow little bridge in which the sides were gone and their were no rails. I got nervous and Earle and I grabbed onto the boys hands tightly. I was more worried about making sure that Ben did not let go of us because he can be a bit impulsive. Collin is generally much more careful and more scared of things than Ben is, so I assumed he would cling tightly to us.

We had been up there awhile and Ben and Earle had wondered off to another area of this viewing bridge. The bridge turned into a more complex structure.
I now noticed that there were corners and turns in this bridge. It was almost a maze-like structure. All of a sudden Collin let go of my hand and started running as fast as he could. I was trying to get hold of him. I could see a part of the bridge where the sides were gone that he was quickly approaching. He turned and looked at me with the look of playful rebellion. And then in a flash, he jumped off the side of the bridge.
I had almost gotten to him in time but was about a step short. I hesitated. And for some reason my eyes would not let me look over to see him. I listened to hear a splash..I heard nothing. A split second later I heard only a groan. I tried screaming out to Earle to tell him I was going in and we needed help but no sound would come out of my mouth. Alright then. I am going to look down, see where he is and jump straight to him. I stepped up to the edge of the bridge to see where he was, but like I said, my eyes wouldn't let me see...

So there I was laying in my bedroom again, still a bit traumatized.
Why did I hesitate? Could I have rescued him? What was the outcome...I needed to go back into the dream to make it okay. I needed to know that I got to him and pulled him out of that water. I needed to make sure the alligators did not get him.

I spent a good hour just trying to get over this.

I finally decided to get out of the bed around 6:00am.
I went into our living room and looked at my e-mail and checked facebook. Around 6:15am I heard the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs.
Collin was walking toward me in his sleepy stupor. He had two toys clutched in his little hands. He climbed up into my lap and just sat there for a couple of minutes in silence trying to wake up. I was holding him close and kissing his little tousled head. He looked up with at me with his big blue eyes and said, "They didn't get me Mommy, they didn't get me."

Talk about freaking me out a little!! I then tried to probe him to see what he meant by that, but I just got a chain of "I don't knows". And that was it, he was awake and now entranced in watching an episode of Blues Clues.
Earle came in a few minutes later all dressed and ready for work. He asked me why I was awake so early and why Collin was up. I told him that Collin just woke up and that I had woken up because of a dream.

And that's it. Exactly how it happened.

CB

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Favorite Things 2010

1. There are a few things that a girl like me simply has to have out of necessity. One of those things is of course something I could not get by without...My Garmin. If you have lived in the same place for awhile, you may not need one, but if you move often and travel often, they are great to have. So, I would like to extend a toast to the creators of the GPS systems! Here's to you! Without this trusty staple, I would have been lost most of the time.


2. Favorite Things I have done in the past year:
Trip across British Columbia with Earle and the boys to Vancouver
Horseback Riding and Dog Sledding in Banff and Canmore

3. This photo is of a favorite artwork of ours. Earle's co-workers from the plant in Cochrane gave us these three paintings done by a local artist of three different places to see in Alberta. I love it!


4. This little device has opened a whole new world to me! The Cuisinart blending stick purchased last fall. They are only about 30 dollars and blend soups, smoothies, and puree just about anything. There is no transferring required and I love the practicalities of it!



5. A favorite new soup I have made quite a lot of this year is this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque...I follow the instructions but also add a can of Rotel and some Cajun seasoning.




6. My new favorite Tassimo flavor is the Caramel Latte Macchiato...only about 80 calories!


7. Earle got me this Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for Christmas and I really love it! I had no idea what I was missing out on with the hand mixer.
8. These were inspired by my friend, Nicola Mooney, who got something similar on the T.V. show, My Rona Home last fall. Earle and I were able to find a super sale at best buy when it was time to move and I was excited! Why not have a little 'happy' in your laundry room!
9. Okay, well this is a given. I went for a year while in Calgary without a cell phone...and it was really fine, not torture, but I was plotting for the one I would get upon our return. I have never even had texting on any of our cell phones before. I have to say, I do love it. It is so not a necessity, but boy is it fun to have!


10. A big favorite of mine this past year has been my camera. We had upgraded last year to a Canon Rebel and I really like it! We take so many pictures it was worth spending a little extra on. We find great joy at looking through our pictures and remembering good times that we have spent with our family and friends.
11. Favorite New Store here.... "Charming Charlie" Love this store!!
12. Favorite Epiphany...it has to do with strategies in making friends and getting to know people. I like to analyse things quite a bit, especially with all of the moves we have had. It is sort of like self-evaluation, I guess. It finally dawned on me that it is much easier to invest energy initially in people that you feel comfortable with immediately. You know, like you don't even have to try and conversations flow easily. If you feel nervous or anxious like you are having to try hard to say the right things it is probably not going to be the perfect fit at first. So don't waste the energy. Get to know the ones first that are interested in getting to know you...then some of the others will come over time. Basically stop trying to fit in! To be honest it is pretty freeing!


13. One of my favorite Bible verses this year has been:
Philippians 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
14. With each move Earle and I are reminded seriously how unimportant our 'stuff' is. I know I have listed lots of "things" above, but to be honest when you have to drop things and go, stuff is pretty annoying and can weigh you down! Don't get me wrong, I love having certain luxuries, but my favorite things are below! I love my boys...even if my favorite time of the day is sometimes their bedtime.






This post is inspired by Michelle Carlson's suggestion...I'm starting here because it seemed like the easiest. When I first thought about it, I was not sure if I had any favorite things that were different from last year, but when I started to think of some little things that made me happy, I could definitely think of a few. By the way, I think Earle looks super handsome in this last picture!
CB

Friday, April 16, 2010

A Woman of Few Words...

So I realize that my past few posts have been a little surface-like and you know...picturesque....which is fine because of course this is also my scrapbook. I am feeling the urge to write, but to be honest, I just don't have much to say. Can you relate to my mood? This of course is not a bad thing. I am sure some of you are thinking that I am not posting as much because I must be having a hard time or not adjusting...that is really not the case. We are doing well, I tell you, we really are. We are happily settling in and I think we have rounded the bend, so to speak, as far as all of the moving in/unpacking has gone. We are meeting people at church and also starting to get to know our neighbors, so those are all really good things. Also, I think that in times of major transition, God numbs us just a little for a little while...so we can take the jolt...you know, kind of like in surgery when we get administered anesthesia...so maybe that is what it is. Anyway if you want, I thought it might be fun to open it up for suggestions. Suggest something that you might want me to write about...muse me a little. Nothing on politics please! It could be fun...especially if it is a funny subject. I really don't expect any comments, but if you do, and I like it, I will try to work in a post just for you.
CB

No Fear



So we finally gave in and let the kid do the Euro Bungy at the mall. He has no fear. It freaks us out a little. He asked me this week about how you land when you skydive...you know for when he does it. Lord protect this boy!! Hope everyone has had a good week.
CB

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I almost forgot!!









Okay, you know every year I have to post one of these pics of Collin to compare with today...always around his birthday and Easter. The basket he is holding on the Easter Egg Hunt is the same one he was in. Just a reminder to myself of how God is SO good! Collin is finally on the charts for his weight!! He is now in the 10th percentile! For us that is great news!!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter Fun!































We had lots of fun this year celebrating Easter! Our church had an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday with games and blow-ups and also the Easter bunny himself. Little did the Easter bunny know that he would be stalked by a small golden haired boy. Collin followed the Easter bunny around
for the majority of the time. I feel bad for the other moms that were trying to get pictures! Collin kept stepping into everyone else's pictures asking the Easter Bunny to give him high fives. After we left the Easter Egg hunt we had many questions like, "Where does the Easter Bunny live?" and "What is inside an Easter Bunny"..etc.
Earle says he thinks the idea of the Easter bunny is weird and a little creepy. I guess the Easter bunny is a little random. Seriously, a bunny that lays eggs??? I get the whole egg thing being the empty tomb..but the rest is interesting.
Ben had a good time at the picinic too....but was not so into the big fluffy creature this year. He was more into the treats and activities. I tried following them around with the camera to get their pictures on Sunday morning before church and they kept running from me. I finally caught them, but they would not look at the camera...so...the token picture leaves a little to be desired. Maybe soon, I'll put the same clothes on them and try to get a retake.
CB