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Nooooooooo!

Not too bad Nate. Not bad at all...

Yes, OK, I failed miserably at getting in my 4 "top 10" lists. But I'm here to tell you I'm back!! We got a new computer today and are all set up. Before that we were using a computer loaned to us from Kristin's school. It was great to have in the interim, but it was much slower than we're accustomed to and also we didn't want to bother putting a bunch of pictures and videos on it, only to have to move them again. So, we've got our own set up now. I'm going to get all the pictures and videos put on this computer and start sharing more of those in the blog.

Just so you know, the final top 10 list was going to be my top 10 favourite places in Taiwan so far. I may eventually put the list up. But for now, I think I'm going to just hit up some of these places, get some pics and dedicate a blog to each one.

Oh, and yes, along with our computer, a web cam purchase was made as well.

Hi Eric.

10. Warmers and warmer tins. I never knew these existed last time we lived in Taiwan. I guess the schools I worked at never had them. But there are warmer machines that you put your tin full of food (last nights supper) into first thing in the morning and by lunch time you have a perfectly warmed meal. Kristin and Nate both use them regularly for their lunches.

9. I feel safe. If I wanted to, I could walk the streets at all hours, in any area with no worries. There is, however, that general uneasiness that always sticks in your gut about whether you're going to collide with some other moving object at any moment. And that feeling is a little more present when you're out and about with children. But violence and crime aren't really a concern.

8. Treasures and surprises. Around every corner could be some wonderful treat. I feel like I could live my whole life here and not have enough time to explore all the interesting places. It really is like a box of chocolates, Gump style.

7. Shopping. From stationery and book stores to fresh markets and night markets. You'll find it all in this place! And the more people you ask the more places you'll learn of that you never would have found on your own. Treasures I tell you.

6. The chaotic order. I just recently got a chance to visit Kaohsiung - the city where we lived for 3 years previously. Being in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, I see that laws and regulations are enforced more strictly here. But with all the people crammed into this space, there is still plenty of room (or lack thereof depending on how you look at it) for organized chaos. Bikes and scooters on sidewalks and driving the wrong way down a one-way street is all quite the norm here. Horns are often used to warn others you're coming and a polite bicycle bell lets pedestrians ahead know that you're about to pass by. So while it all looks very confusing and dangerous (and once in a while it is), I love that anything goes and that's basically the rule of the road. Anything goes! (When done safely - hopefully - and with a beep-beep on the horn first.)

5. The service! Kristin bought a TV one Saturday night around 9 PM and it was delivered, unpacked and set up about 15 minutes later. (he wasn't even home yet) Last week we went to buy bikes. We walk into the store, pick out a bike and start accessorizing. Would you like a basket? Sure! And how about a wider, softer seat? Definitely! We'd also like some helmets, kids seats, and oh ya, can you throw a bell on the bikes? No problem!! 20 minutes later and for a very reasonable price, we were all set to ride our new bikes home with the kids on the backs! When you pay to get something done, it gets done. Quickly. And with a smile.

4. Drinks. Black fruit tea. Iced coffee and ice cream. Pearl milk tea. Grapefruit green tea. Black tea and ice cream. Just a few of my (and others) favourites. And these drinks are fresh! (with fresh fruit in the fruit teas to chomp on...yum!!) They're made up for you on the spot and range in price from from $1 - $3.

3. There is so much to do! I think in moving to Taiwan, our lifestyle has changed to be a lot like the community that we're becoming a part of. And this is a very active community, always looking for ways to get out and explore. That being said, Taiwan offers many adventures. There are many things to do with the children. We have two parks close by, the public library, Bethany campus (also with a library and play area), indoor play spaces, Da'an Park (the Central Park of Taipei) and so much more. Even going on the bus or MRT is fun for the kids. (I'm sure that will grow old eventually) And now we've got bikes to get to so many of these places! Which leads me to my next point...

2. Bike trails! They're awesome. And 5 minutes from our house. They run all along the river and from one end of the city to the other. And they're much more enjoyable to use now that I know how to enter and exit the bike trail area. Yes, it's true. I got stuck down by the river one day. (There were no vans in sight) And I will be forever grateful to Chris who came out to the trails, found me and brought me home. I'm also thankful for cell phones.

1. Bethany/Morrison/Community. As I've said before, I'm really thankful that Kristin and Nate get to wake up and go to Bethany each day. (Not sure how Kristin feels about the waking up part...I won't speak for him) I'm thankful for the new friends we've met and the old ones we've connected with. I think Nate is on the brink of being at an age that would have made this a much harder transition for him. But as it is, he loves school and his friends. When he does think or talk about people in Canada, he gets sad, but for the most part he focuses on the positive. He prayed last night that he would wake up early enough to leave with Daddy in the morning so that he could have more time to play before class. While I could turn this into a long bit about the positive ways we're all adjusting, I'll save that for another blog. I'm just thankful for the people we've been blessed with here.

It figures that when I make a promise to have a top 10 list written for 4 weeks straight, our computer would crash. For real. Today is the first day that I've been online since Friday. I don't know what I would have done without my blackberry. I tell ya what I wouldn't have done. I wouldn't have updated my status on facebook a bunch of times or checked my e-mail. I did try to blog, but for some reason it wasn't happening. Anyway, here I am. With the next top 10 list. This leaves me about due to write my 3rd one tomorrow. But whateves...let's get started.



(for the record I could easily write a top 50 list and just fill it with people alone...so for that reason I will avoid writing any names down)

10. Knowing exactly who to call or where to go when you need to have something, oh let's say a computer, repaired.

9. Eavesdropping on conversations in public.

8. Goodlife gym.

7. English menus at any restaurant I want to go to.

6. Driving my own car and the use of car seats.

5. Being confident in where I am going, how I am getting there, what to expect there...etc.

4. Being able to call other people (in Canada) at any time without worrying about waking them up in the middle of the night or ridiculous phone bills.

3. Cheap and abundant "Western" groceries and basic Canadian "odds and ends". (ie - shopping at Wal-mart)

2. Lansing.

1. Family and Friends.

In one month it will be October 10. In Taiwan, it's called 10/10 or double 10 day and it's the national holiday here. In light of this, I've decided that for the next 4 weeks I will write a weekly top 10 list, all based on something to do with our move to Taiwan.

Here goes nothing...

TOP 10 THINGS "WE" FORGOT ABOUT TAIWAN... (Melissa co-wrote this weeks)


10. How hot and humid it really is. I'm talking sweat drips down my face, pants sticking to the backs of my legs every time I stand up, and looking like a grease ball by mid-afternoon, kind of heat.

9. How much I love driving a scooter! I haven't even gotten on one yet, but I didn't realize how much I missed it until I saw them. Everywhere. I'm going to try get my license soon.

8. How stinky "stinky tofu" really is. 'Nuff said.

7. The smell of 7/11. It's not bad, it's just different. And very distinct. It's the smell of hard boiled eggs cooked in tea.

6. How frustrating, and yet rewarding, grocery shopping can be. Frustrating when I can't find the one product I'm looking for that I know the store has had in the past and when I can't read labels. But, rewarding when I come upon a little treasure in the imports aisle or try a new food that's actually amazing.

5. How beautiful it is!! We've gotten out of the city a few times already. From the ocean to the mountains and countryside, it's remarkable. Really, you have to see it to believe it.

4. How hard Mandarin Chinese really is to speak. Not that I've tried that much. I'm determined this time to learn more. But honestly, if I were in a country where Spanish were spoken, I'd probably be ok by now. Except for the terrible accent I would have with my inability to roll my 'r's".

3. How friendly Taiwanese people are. They help on the MRT or bus when I look confused. They somehow reassure me that's it terrible that their English isn't better and it's perfectly acceptable that I speak no Chinese. (I need to change that!) And then there's the shopkeeper that told us exactly how to get to the other store that sells the product Melissa was looking for instead of trying to pressure her into buying something else from them. I could go on and on about the sincere kindness, but for time's sake I'll end it there.

2. How great squatter toilets are. (This one's from Melissa) "They're just so much more convenient and cleaner. You're going to squat anyways when you go to a toilet so you might as well squat more comfortably! And you, like, flush with your foot. You're going to flush with your foot anyways so why not have it at a better angle? You know what I'm talking about?"

1. How much I love this place!

Today is day 3 of school. I would say both my boys are doing an excellent job of adjusting! I can already tell that Nate is going to thrive at this school. First thing Monday morning, there was an all-school chapel in which the worship team led us in some amazing songs. And Kristin is already on the team! What a blessing to start the year that way. I can't describe the joy I felt to know Kristin would be working and Nate would be attending school in such an environment! Not only can we talk about God in this school, but He is the focus and the purpose!! Honestly, so exciting!

When we were at PFO, there was a book that some families received called "Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World." I was hoping to get my hands on a copy, but it was only given out to families with older children. (more age appropriate for ages 7 and up, or somewhere around there)

Anyway, every time we go somewhere, I can't help but come back to title of this book. I think of the title of it as I prepare the sandwich for Nate that I am getting into the habit of bringing along with us. Yes, Costco is here. And yes, we can find western groceries in a lot of the stores. (and I'm thankful to have friends that have not only told me about, but also taken me to all the best spots!) But really, the selection of foods that we are accustomed to is not nearly that of what it is back in Canada. Not to mention it can be inconvenient and pricey to find these treasures. So, needless to say, Nate is eating a lot of PB & J's.

For the record, I've made a lot of meals at home already that Nate enjoys. It's eating out that brings this struggle to the forefront. We are excited to get out and eat a lot of the foods that we've missed from Taiwan. And Nate's having none of it. Literally. I feel like this is something I would have pushed more in Canada. I would have at least made him try a taste then. But here in Taiwan, there are 3 very important factors to take into consideration before I take that path. They are his exhaustion level, the current room/outdoor temperature and the amount of droopiness that I see in his left eye. Based on the examination of these 3 things at each instance, I haven't really picked too many battles with him. I figure he's got enough to deal with and hey, peanut butter has protein right?

Well, in the spirit of the title of this blog, I'm here to share a little about our new world with you.

We were welcomed into Taipei with...

- a ham sniffing dog in the Taipei airport. (yes, we thought he was a drug sniffer, but no, he found the ham sandwich and fruit hidden away in our suitcase. Like we were even going to eat that sandwich after its daylong ride in our carry on!)

- a friend meeting us at the airport, with cold drinks and a school van driven by a very friendly and kind Chinese employee.

- a beautiful, bright, 4 bedroom apartment to call our own.

- a new neighborhood full of drink stands, wonderful western and Chinese restaurants, evangelical churches, 24 hour grocery stores, parks, MRT (Subway) and bus access.

- an address to boggle the mind...yes, it includes a road, a section, a lane, an alley, apt number and floor.

- wonderful bedroom furniture that we'll keep and other "make do" furniture in the livingroom and dining room until we replace it with new. (all thanks to Morrison)

- extreme heat and humidity and beautiful sunshine! (My skin has never felt softer!)

- exhaustion. (none of us adults slept on any of the flights on the way over!)

- an awesome host family! The McKenzies, who we met in Kaohsiung before, got our apartment ready for us and have been awesome tour guides and just so helpful in general!

- trips to Ikea and Costco (yes, we have those here!) with the school and our host family to help us start to settle in.

- Typhoon Morakot! It didn't seem to hit the North too badly (as it seemed it was going to) but did tons of damage in the South! Please pray for those affected!

- Kristin's AWESOME school staff! We are excited to find our place in such a great community.

- slippery when wet surfaces!! I've almost bailed so many times already and Nate has taken the plunge a time or two...or three. Poor kid.

- mango in our fridge (among other food - thank you Morrison/McKenzies!) and in season!!



We are happy to be here and yet missing people at the same time. The kids are adjusting great. Nate has made a few friends already and Gemma's happy to get out for multiple stroller rides in the exciting city. She has taken to Chinese food, especially enjoying noodles and of course all of the scrumptious fruit! Nate has enjoyed the MRT and bus rides and seems ready for school.

The kids have come upon this really strange phase where they seem to try to annoy each other and get really frustrated, really easily with one another. They also seem to get competitive over toys and don't want to share. Honestly, it's so bizarre. I've never heard of siblings acting this way, and I'm sure this phase will pass quickly. *wink*

Well, it's approaching 10 PM over here, and I'm done. Heading to bed. I will try get back soon with more details and some new pictures!

(Oh, FYI, Kristin joined the blog and hopefully he'll contribute more often now. But you can tell who it's coming from by checking right under the title! Today it's me. Katrina. :o)

Hey all,

Where did the time go? We fly out of Sudbury at 6 AM Wednesday morning. The next two days will be a blur of packing, weighing, unpacking, repacking, weighing, writing lists, checking off lists, rewriting lists, searching for lists, saying final good-byes, some tears and finally, exhaustion. Well, technically the exhaustion will probably set in sometime Wednesday.

Today I asked Kristin, "Are we really moving back to Taiwan in 3 days?" I'm not sure it has hit me yet. Not to worry, it will hit me like a brick wall the second I step out from the comfort of the air conditioned airport upon our arrival.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to. And there are so many things (people) that I am not looking forward to being so far from. But ultimately, excitement comes out on top. I'm excited for new experiences and I'm excited to see what God has in store for us this time around in Taiwan, and to see how we can serve Him there.

A couple more PFO vids...

It's our last day tomorrow. See everybody in Sudbury on Saturday and we'll be heading to St Joe's around July 12th.

Hey all,

As most of you know we're heading back to Taiwan to teach at Morrison Academy's Taipei campus. Morrison is an awesome International Christian school that's part of the Association of International Christian Schools (ACSI). We've been thinking about doing this for some time now and have felt that this was the time to do it. We're excited that we'll be stretched just a little bit more toward unleashing the tremendous potential that God has given us when we're working to further His kingdom.

Being the awesome school that they are they've sent us to a two-week Pre-Field Orientation which is taking place in Houghton, New York. We arrived here safe and sound last Saturday after an 8 hour drive. So far it's been a great time of learning, as working in an International school will be much different than working in a school in Canada and we'll be living in a completely different culture.

Gemma and Nate have also loved their time here so far! They've made little friends and get to do a lot of cool things. Nate's learning about different cultures and being prepared by the excellent staff for the transition he'll have to make in about a month's time.

We've met all sorts of interesting and amazing people, many of whom have lived in various parts of the world as missionaries. What better way to prepare than to have experienced missionaries sharing all their nuggets of gold with us.

Truly -- what a great time of preparation it has been for the whole family thus far!

Check out the video I added of a part of the worship time that we do every morning. Most of the songs are brand new to many. The worship leaders are Evan and Jewel Evans who are the chaplains and boarding administrators at Dakar Academy in Senegal who had served 20 years in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa, until they were evacuated to Senegal in 2002. What an amazing story they have of putting your full trust in God even when the cost may be your life.

Check our site out often as it will be one of our main communication tools while we're away in Taiwan!

God Bless!

(*Editor's note: We are honoured to have a blog written by Kristin here. He neglected to mention that he wrote it. But it was clearly him, because had I written the blog, a "at the very least we're brushing up on the periodic table of elements" type comment would have been included.)

Finally got a new video camera! It was inexpensive, it's simple to use and it's hd! I LOVE it. I got it this afternoon and literally whipped this video up in about 2 minutes. LOVE it. I highly recommend the Flip Ultra HD for any person who wants to take more videos and do some fun things with them. And wants all of this to be SIMPLE!

Well, we did Kristin's favourite thing the other day. And unfortunately we did it right before Gemma's nap time. Squirmy, cranky baby always makes getting family pics taken fun! There weren't many to choose from, but we got a few decent ones of the 4 of us. And some really cute ones of Gemma and Nate.

Nate: You know what I want to be when I grow up?

Me: What?

Nate: A musician!

Me: Really? That's awesome...I bet you'll be a wonderful musician Nate!

Nate: Ya! I wanna walk through walls and get sawed in half.

Me: Um, do you mean "magician" Nate?

(Kristin goes on to explain the difference between musicians and magicians...)

Nate: Oh...YA! I wanna be a "ma-jus-shun"!

Ya. It's official. We've got a lot of stuff to do. I can't lie. It's starting to weigh a little heavily on my mind. We've got some pretty major decisions to make regarding our house, cars, furniture and about a bazillion other possessions. And we've got 11.5 weeks to deal with all this "stuff". We've still got 13.5 weeks until we make that big, long flight, but we'll be at training in the States for 2 weeks. How can one little house get so cluttered in 3 short years? And speaking of that "big, long flight"...just another stressor to add to the list. Thankfully Dorothy will be flying over with us. We've got the kids outnumbered by 1 now. That's huge. And honestly, I think I'll be so relieved to be "done" with decisions and dealing with everything here that settling in for some long flights with two small children will feel like a walk in the park.

On the very bright side, we have nothing to worry about once we get there. The school has already arranged an apartment for us. They'll have it set up with temporary furniture, made beds and even some food to get us started upon our arrival. We'll have a few weeks to acclimatize and settle in before school starts. (Kristin will start staff training pretty much right away) And mango is in season.

Nate is definitely dealing with this huge move in his own way. He's been drawing a lot of pictures lately of a plane flying from Canada to Taiwan. One day he drew one where he was in Taiwan and I was back in Canada. He was a little upset by that thought. I reassured him that would never happen. He's also been asking lots of questions like, "is Easter before Taiwan? Is my birthday before Taiwan? Does Santa go to Taiwan? Do they have spaghetti in Taiwan? Is it so hot in Taiwan that my skin is going to burn off?" And when he's not drawing pictures or asking questions, he's arguing and testing us every little chance he gets. And oh ya, throw in the occasional night terror and that about sums up what's happening with him. Poor little guy. I was actually questioning whether we should have waited to tell him. But in the end, I think it's best that he have lots of time to prepare, like us, and deal with it however he does. When we go to the training in the States, he'll be going to his own class every day and they will be helping him to prepare for the move as well. And in the meantime, all we can do is love him and reassure him with all the good stuff. (home every summer, going on a plane, going to Daddy's awesome school, get to use a subway, and oh yes, we'll live in an apartment building and get to use an elevator everyday!)

Alright, I'm going to bed now...where I will pray and fall asleep quickly. None of this lying in bed "thinking" business.

Our Gemma-bean is one!! And she had two parties to prove it. I can't believe how fast this year went by. I know people often make comments like that, but seriously, I can't believe it. I hope things slow down a little. I know, I know...highly unlikely.


Click on the above "pictures" tab to see more pictures of Gemma's parties.

New template, new blog once again. And at a decent time of day this time around. So, I think we can all be happy with this one. Easy to read and quite pretty if I do say so myself. I've even got the picture and video tabs working. I can't figure out how to get the contact tab working though. So, if anyone out there knows..please contact me and let me know. ;o)

I have these friends who have a beautiful little boy. This boy never took to a soother. Until he was like 6 or 7 months old. I found that to be kind of odd. But cute and endearing nonetheless. Well, today Nate asks to use one of Gemma's soothers during their "chasing game". It's pretty adorable how they play together actually and if I've never shared this with you, I LOVE the age difference. Anyway, back to the story. I decide to humour Nate and wash up a soother for him. It's all fun and games until Gemma decides she wants the soother that Nate has instead of the one she has. Nate's a little bothered by this and by the fact that I ask him to put the soother up and out of sight. I patiently explain to him that she's a baby and doesn't understand why she can't have her soother. And he's a big boy that understands this and can help her by just putting the soother away. To this he responds, "Oh ok Mom. So, how about if I just use the soother when she's sleeping?" Yes, he's actually taking a liking to the soother. He'll be 5 this summer.

You know, he actually talked a lot less when he had the soother in his mouth.... Hmmmmm......

Thanks Aboo! :o)

I'm not sure why whenever I want to post a new blog after a long absence from blogging I feel I must change the template.

And I'm not sure why when I decide to change the template I decide to start doing this after 11 PM. (inevitably!!)

And I'm not sure why I ever think that I'm good enough to actually change my template in a way that makes my blog look good and refreshing and perfect.

But here I am again. It's now 12:03 AM...my blog is new and rather fitting I think. It's a picture of the Taipei 101 and skyline and yes, it's a picture of our future city!! And yes, the blog still needs a little tweaking. (I'm not anticipating the best feedback as it's not very reader friendly, but isn't the picture bee-you-tee-ful? I'll change it once people are doing more reading of the blog)

However, the point is...we are moving back to Taiwan. I'm sure this is old news to most by now, but it's still very exciting for us. It's also very overwhelming and scary. "Bittersweet" is the term we seemed to have coined around here for this next chapter in our lives. We will be very sad to say good-bye to loved ones again as we travel to the other side of the world.

There are many positives to this move though. We will have 8 weeks off in the summer to return to Canada. Kristin will be working in an amazing environment at a private, Christian, international school. Nate will attend this school. We have amazing friends living in Taipei and in the city that we formerly lived in, Kaohsiung. And we will get to drink drinks that have a laminated top on them once again. (really, really good drinks...did I mention that??) Well, there you have it...to name just a few positives among the many.

Well, this concludes my attempt at breaking back into the world of blogging for tonight. I may break it in slowly because these next few months are going to be busy. But, I always knew I was hanging on to this blog for a reason. I will be updating regularly once we're back in Taiwan.

(fyi - We'll be leaving Canada the last week of July)

Nate: Mom, if I was a bumblebee and I was right beside you, I'd sting you.

Me: Well then, I'd step on you.

Nate: Well, you know those striped things on the bottom of shoes? I'd sneak out between them.

Me: Then I'd do this. (rubbed my foot back and forth on the floor pretending to smear the bumblebee everywhere)

Nate: Well, that would actually help me.

Me: (laugh) No it wouldn't Nate.

Nate: Yes it would. Mom....do bumblebee stings actually hurt? Mom...do bumblebees sting bumblebees?

Me: laughing...no answer.

Pine Crest is a little tent/trailer park in Thessalon. (An hour from the Soo) It was my family's tradition to rent a cabin there every summer when I was younger. I believe the last summer that I camped there with my family was either 1993 or 1994. For me, Pine Crest holds magical memories of amazing sunsets, late night campfires, fireflies, stargazing, swimming endlessly, laying in the hot sun and spending hours on end reading. Well, Kristin and I have taken it upon ourselves to rekindle the tradition. (For the record, it's not so magical when there with your own children...but it's special in a new way to watch the joy in their eyes at being there) We just got back from a week there and actually spent a week there last summer. While the actual cabins are quite 'rustic' the beach is beautiful. And it's perfect for kids. The water was a little chilly for us this year and the winds quite wild actually. But we had a good time regardless. It's great for visiting with family. Kristin's parents have made the trip with us both times and my family is all close by. Anyway, along the coast, between Pine Crest and Camp McDougal there are these big rocks. "The rocks" as we call them. My dear friend Krista and I spent many the hours chiseling our names into the graffiti covered rocks. Krista came to visit us this year and we took the walk to the rocks to find our names. (The walk seemed a lot longer when we were younger) Hers was partially finished and spray painted over. I forgot that I did mine twice...one's easy to read the other one not so much.

In other news, our sweet boy Nathaniel is 4 YEARS OLD tomorrow! I can't believe it's been 4 years. I still remember like yesterday, the day he was born and yet it feels like I've known him all my life. He's SO pumped for his birthday. He already had "party 1" at Pine Crest since my family is all so close by. And tomorrow we'll have another small dinner for him. This is a fun age. And his behaviour has been really great lately. What problems could possibly come up at the beach? Besides staying up too late and eating too much sugar...

Tomorrow is also kind of a big day for Gemma...she's 3 months old! 3 months is fun! She's full of smiles and small coos and giggles. I can't wait til she gets really alert to watch her and Nathaniel interact.

And finally, Kristin's summer won't be quite as long as he hoped. He got a new job! He starts at the Registrar's Office at Cambrian College on Monday the 21st. I can't remember if I've already written about this or not, so I won't go into details.

That's about it for us. Hope this finds y'all well!

Well, I know a while back I made a promise to blog at least once a week. I hope anyone who reads this blog will pardon the sparsity of blogs in the last two months and probably for at least the next 2 or 3. Things are busy with a 4-year-old and a 2-month-old. Sleep is hard to come by. Honestly I think they tag-team me to see how little sleep they can actually make me have. And my time...well it can't really be spent on blogging constantly at the moment. All that being said, I'm not slowing bowing out on this blog again. The blogs will come...just a little less frequently for a while.

As you can see by the title, I'm getting a little peace and quiet today. Amma has taken Nate for the afternoon...and that makes my day pretty nice. He's been a bit of a handful lately to say the least. He's still my sweet, sweet boy...but he also can drive me a little nuts sometimes. Having a 2nd child is really all about having your first all over again. If that makes sense. I feel like Gemma is a piece of cake. It's giving Nate enough attention and love and caring discipline that's draining me. Things are slowly settling down with him. He loves and adores Gemma. He just doesn't appreciate how much of my time she occupies I think. Or the fact that she gets presents. But I need to remind myself that this is pretty much the biggest thing he's ever had to deal with and it'll take time. It's hard to remind myself of that when he's ignoring me and testing me on something I asked him not to do for the 5th time in 3 minutes. Anyway, I've been finding success in avoiding the power struggle (this boy should be a lawyer because he can argue with the best of them) and just laying the law down. I can take solace in the fact that we must be doing something right because I'm always told how well behaved he is for others. It's only Kristin and I that he likes to bring to the edge of sanity and back. He must really love us. (smile)

Now Gemma. What a sweetie! She reminds me so much of Nate as a baby. Nate was what I'd consider a dream baby...Gemma's pretty great too. But she's a bit closer to 'normal' I think. Although, now that we've figured out the tricks that sooth her...she's pretty easy. She loves to be swaddled in her bed. I can tell when she's cranky that's all she wants. And I'm happy that we've already gotten her to that point of going to sleep on her own. We didn't make that a priority with Nate and I often nursed him to sleep. I'm sure we could have easily gotten him into the habit of going to sleep on his own. We paid the price for it between 9 - 12 months. Anyway, Gemma is just blowing me away with her cuteness. When she smiles at me it's like we share a sweet secret between just the two of us. She's a strong and happy little one. And she's packing on the pounds quickly like Nate did. She was 12 lbs 12 ounces at her 2 month check up. (My little piglet Nate was 13 lbs by a month! But he had a bit of a 'head start') Some days I think...I need more of these. And sometimes I'm convinced that we're finished having children. So I really have no idea what will happen after this. But I'm just enjoying every moment of this stage with her right now.

Well, Kristin has about a week and half left of school and only 2 days left of students. He's pretty happy these days. The one thing troubling him is the "what next?" thought. He was redundant this year and is not guaranteed a teaching job in September with the Rainbow board. We were talking to a school in Taiwan a few months ago and were close to returning there. We were talking with a school in Bella Coola, BC in the past 2 months and were close to heading out there. (Our amazing friends Kim and Jon live there) But we've closed the doors for now on both options. Something is keeping us here. We're both not feeling we're ready to make that big move again yet. But what?? Obviously a big part of it is we have a 2-month-old and our families missed out on the first 9 months of Nate's life. And also that we own a home...and two cars. And it's a big deal to figure out what we'd do there. So, Kristin has a few job prospects here if teaching doesn't work out. Or he may considering supplying next year. This season of life is tough. Young children exhausting us and major decisions that we have to make that will affect the rest of our lives. But it's also kind of exciting. The options are endless really.

Well, that's where we're at right now. And at the moment I have a hungry girl on my hands, so I'll end this for now. Hopefully I'll return relatively soon!

To get a sense of how your older child might feel about the addition of the new baby, imagine this:

Imagine that your partner puts an arm around you and says, "Honey, I love you so much, and you're so wonderful that I've decided to have another wife (or husband) just like you." When the new wife (or husband) finally arrives, you see that (s)he's very young and kind of cute. When the three of you are out together, people say hello to you politely, but exclaim ecstatically over the newcomer. "Isn't (s)he adorable! Hello sweetheart... You are precious!" Then they turn to you and ask, "How do you like the new wife (or husband)?"

How would you react to this? I know how I'd react. It wouldn't be pretty. Nate's a lot like me.

(large sigh)

I'm just trying to make it through today...

We got a new camera for Christmas. Ok, not "we", but "I". The Rebel XTI. Pretty fun stuff. And I've been taking a lot of pictures. Now...there is nothing amazing about this chain of pictures. Except that they're hilarious. If you've ever met the Jakola's cat, Scooter, then you know, don't mess with her. I assure you that Nate was never truly in any danger in these pictures. She only attacks if you make loud noises, like constant whistling. The rest of the time she just gets annoyed really easily. She can often be found glaring at any given person from across the room. I just find these pics SO funny, because she's such a freak cat and Nate is in a daze and oblivious to what's going on.

A week from tomorrow I'm going to have a baby. That's so bizarre. I've gotta say, that knowing the date you're going to have a baby mentally changes everything. I'm finding the second time around to be a different experience. At this point in my last pregnancy I still had 5 + weeks to go! Although I didn't know it. This time...one week. But, it feels SO long. And then, also maybe because this is baby #2, the pregnancy has also kind of flown by. I mean, last time I had a lot more time to lay around and thing about the baby brewing inside of me. This time, I've got Nate to take care of...and to constantly distract me. (And I don't use the word "constantly" loosely...my boy never stops) Anyway, the differences in the pregnancies don't matter. The bottom line is, there is going to be a new baby here to love to bits shortly. And I'm ready!! And really, I have nothing to complain about with this pregnancy. Sure I'm a little sore and exhausted, but I know many others have had it much worse. The weight I've packed on...well, I'll deal with that soon enough. Not the best way to go about things, but what choice do I have now??

Can I just say, that I love Spring!! I love the sunshine. I love snow melting. I love the increasing daylight hours. I love lighter clothing. I even love the Spring rot smell in the air. (And I'm normally overly critical of bad smells) For years I've gone back and forth on whether my favourite season was Spring or Summer. Summer is obvious...it's Summer. What's not to love? But Spring...Spring brings with it the joy of the anticipation of Summer. And I think that might actually be more exciting than Summer itself. It just puts me in the best mood. And I've got so much to be thankful and happy for this Spring. I've got a baby on the way, many, many Spring bulbs that my mom planted last year for me that are going to sprout up so soon and increasing temperatures. I'm SO ready for tank tops and flip flops! And for getting out walking!! God is SO good. I am blessed.

I can't believe how quickly time's flying. Things are happening around here. This past week was March break. We started it by having a wonderfully, relaxing wknd at our church's family retreat at Galilean. I actually had a morning and afternoon nap last Saturday. Absolutely delightful! On Sunday afternoon, we headed to my mom's and were greeted by my mom and about 13 other women for a baby shower for moi! (Well technically for the little one growing inside me...) It was good times, scrumptious treats, amazingly generous gifts and just really good to see people! We spent a good part of the week there on St Joe's island. My niece and nephew were there and Nate was overjoyed with spending time with his cousins.

We returned to Sudbury to find our new sunroom almost complete! It's just missing carpet and I'll post some pics once that's installed. We're also hoping to get our kitchen floor redone before our baby makes her appearance.

And ya...3 weeks and she's here! At least it had better be a she. I'm seriously not washing anything or removing tags until that's confirmed. I can't believe the time is almost here. My body can believe it. It's pretty much impossible to get comfy in bed at this point. But I am still sleeping somehow...so that's a positive thing.

That in a nutshell is all the happenings in our lives lately. I'll get back on here with some pics and stuff soon!