I've got a couple of weeks of photos on my camera to upload, but there are still these ones to post from our time in Stoon.
Jenn, my sis. was starting to get a cold, and there were sniffles all around, but we got some hair braiding in. I got to braid Imogen and Andrea's hair too. I'll tell you what- everyone always asked with astonishment how I can handle my hair and I tell you, braiding or making it stand up without hair spray are a piece of cake! Getting straight hair to braid nicely is extremely hard though.
I can't remember what Ivan was doing in this picture- demanding attention maybe. I'm so ready for the kids to go to school tomorrow. We look forward to the breaks from school, but then the kids start to torment each other and thus torment us and yep- it's time to get them back into a routine! Emora is having daily meltdowns.. oy, oy oy!
The cousins had fun tackling my brother- they said he was their supper, then Emora called out that Andrea was desert- she got it next!
We did our family Christmas on the eve. which is when Andrea traditionally did Christmas celebrations in Germany. It also worked out for our schedule, since we had to get back home to welcome Brian's mom and her husband for the holidays.
Thanks family for acomodating our busy schedule!
Thankfully I remembered that this little guy is a fan of Sesame street! Oh yeah, I found a winner! So cute to see pure joy and delight over and over on his little face! Sorry about that thing not having an "off" button- Jenn and John ;) You still love me right?
Mom and dad had gone to Equador before the holidays, so they brought back gifts from Cuenca.
The best reaction goes to Andrea when she saw the cooling rack dad had made her. Way to go dad! You pegged it.
Brian said he wanted world peace and a bottle of Merlot... Not sure how the world peace is coming along, but he was happy about the Merlot.
Someone teach the girls a Spanish song- Feliz Navidad anyone?
Imogen was so proud to give her dad a gift she'd bought him at their school's "Santa's workshop". I love that our schools teach and facilitate our kids to learn the joy of giving. Look at that smile on her face! I was so impressed at how all the kids were excited most about what they were giving to others.
I've got to get my camera hooked up to load and post our Christmas and New Years in Fort Qu'Appelle. Nana is here in the snowy North- her first time here in winter since our wedding in Dec. 1998! She's been here in the fall and spring. Brian told her it's best here in the summer, but she has been getting new winter experiences checked off her list. She saw in an ice shack, saw the kids skate and we took them to a potentially lethal sledding outing! Nana got knocked off her feet, Papa got a slightly blackened eye and Dominique got a whopper of a bruise on her side when she hit a metal fence. It's still swollen nasty. Ivan wants all of you to know that he hurt his foot really bad- which I noticed did not stop him from climbing to the top of the hill with his friends or running back down! Emora cried the whole time because that is just her mood these days. But apart from all that- wow- so fun! No really there was lots of joy screams and thrills.
Hope your New Year is off to a great start. I am not one to make resolutions, but my wii lying to me about my weight- although flattering and great for my self-esteem has not been good for my health. I have missed swimming sorely and could tell my weight has changed, but when I got on an actual scale, I was a bit shocked. So I'm committing myself to putting all those fun new wii games to good use. We got several new dance games and workout games, and it's so much better to work out in a fun way. So you're my accountability, John's my inspiration- I'm going to actually consciously try toward a healthier me. Seriously, this is the first time I've tried this! Kinda scary- but if I told y'all I gotta do it right? I'm dreaming of swimming in my wet suit and maybe even of getting a kayak in the spring, but that's still a ways away and I will be a much happier person with regular exercise now. Gotta make time.
4 comments:
Either my WW leader or Flylady said,
"If you make it fun, it will get done."
I'll be praying for you!
I like that quote and thanks for the prayers! Another thing I read that I've found really helpful is that when I crave to eat something I shouldn't, to do something, that we are easily distracted- and it's working- so far!
Oh my word! Do you see my crazy baking expression? Yeah? Like a million ideas are shooting through my head on what to bake next.
About the healthier you: Andrew and I are doing the same. We go to the gym on a regular basis and try to cut back on the carbs in the evening.
The craving is a bit tricky though. Because sometimes your body needs what you are craving, e.g. it needs salt. So maybe you shouldn't cut yourself off completely but eat just a small portion. Take 10 chips out of the bag, sit down and enjoy them, consciously. And then go and distract yourself with something else. Drinking tons of water, especially in the evening helps as well.
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