Birthday's Rock

The end of July marked the 7th birthday of my nephew Kaden. Kaden is the oldest grandchild on the Beattie side only beating the next (Ben) by 5 weeks followed by Brayden 5 weeks later. The oldest of 14 grandchildren, 9 boys and 5 girls. Sadly Chris and Candice's family had a wedding to be at so they weren't there making the boys wildly outnumber the girls!

With that being said and us being gone for 5 years there have been a few babies born that we haven't gotten to know at all. The youngest being Marcus who we have just only met for the first time! He happens to be the smiliest baby I have ever come across!! And super photogenic already:

With all these little kids running around playing with each other it was so fun to sit back and watch from the side lines for a while. To see Brayden and Sydney playing with their cousins as if we had never left. Kids are so resilient and so excepting at such a young age, I wish that stayed the same as we aged. We ate corn dogs, cake, played games and bashed a pinata. Of course opened presents and let the kids run wild.

It was such an amazing morning and although it started out a little chilly (only for me apparently, still adjusting?) the sun quickly warmed me up ... it was a nice HOT day. The perfect way to spent the time .... hopefully Kaden felt the same way!

I Love These People

This past week and a half back in Canada has been fantastic. We've been busy visiting with family, friends, work and random errands that come along with a move. Ryan had spent a few nights out in Medicine Hat working with his brothers while the kids and I got in some grandparent time in.
Finally Saturday arrived. This was the first time since we arrived in Canada where the five of us spent some good quality family time together. Not that hanging out with family isn't good quality but I mean just the five of us, no other distractions. We decided to get some sandwiches and head down to the river bottom for a picnic and exploration. The weather cooperated and the sun quickly warmed us. We started at a couple parks where we quickly ran into Ryan's older brother and his family! We spent a little bit together before they continued on their family bike ride and we went to find a picnic table for our lunch.
After lunch we went for a nice walk that lead us to the train bridge where Ryan helped the kids climb up to explore. Thankfully they stayed close to land while Ryan went for something a little more adventurous:

It was so great to get outside into the fresh crisp air together. Brayden saw a snake (apparently), we walked through mud, the tall grass and climbed on playgrounds and the train bridge. It was quiet and peaceful. It is great that with life as busy as it gets we can always find the time to get out, just the five of us to reconnect, laugh and make memories together ... those little moments where I can stand back look at these 4 other people and think to myself "man, I just am so in love with these people!"

Double Date

Friday morning Brayden and I braved the freezing air, ran to the van, cranked up the heat and headed up to Calgary for the day. Kaden, Brayden's cousin, is staying up in Calgary with Jessica and Parker for a little while. We thought a day trip for the boys to play together and for me to spend some time with Jessica would be so fun.
When we arrived we headed to the hospital to catch up with Seely's. Brayden and Kaden were so excited to see each other they were bounding around the hospital. It is so fun for me to watch my kids with their cousins. It's as if we weren't gone for an entire year, they pick up right where they left of, no questions asked.
The weather really sucked. Freezing rain, hail and wind. We attempted to play outside briefly at the park but it was short lived, unfortunately. Instead the boys played in the play room at the Ronald McDonald House, they have a game room with pin ball machines, foosball, hockey, I think I even saw Guitar Hero for the Wii with the drum set! There was some farm animals set up the boys fed and pet, we went shopping, pigged out at DQ and watched a movie. It was a full day.

It was so nice for me to have the time with Brayden without the girls. We rarely get time just the two of us and for it to be doing something so fun. I loved it. I told Brayden it was a double date, Brayden and I with Jessica and Kaden except there was a 5th wheel ... Parker. It doesn't matter though because Parker steals the hearts of all the ladies around. When we arrived at the hospital one of the nurses was declaring her love for him and even with the doctor accusing her of being a cougar (an older lady going after a younger man) she just kept on flirting. Then only an hour later Parker was flirting with another lady at the Ronald McDonald House who was claiming to be in love with him too! He has no shortage of the ladies and I can understand it. He is SO cute and always waving and smiling at these girls, flirting with them! I seriously have the cutest nephew around!

And I Thought I Missed The Wind?

I guess one of the biggest perks of not being in Lethbridge Alberta is not dealing with the wind. Seriously, it has to be one of the windiest places on earth.
One time there was a typhoon blowing through Bacolod so it was windy and rainy. The wind gusts even blew out one of the windows in our house BUT that window was super poor quality and half broken anyway so we weren't too surprised by it. There were some pretty big puddles and so we all piled into the car and tried to make the biggest splashes we could while catching it on video camera. We noticed that outside of our subdivision some of the big palm tree's had got knocked down which was a little strange to me because the winds were nothing like Lethbridge's. We went to the mall because our power got knocked out and burned some time there before coming home, lighting some candles and going to bed. The next day we went to church and hardly anyone was there. People slowly started to trickle in all looking like death. Finally, when enough people were there they started church a half hour late. Apparently what was a minor wind storm for us had wreaked havoc on everyone else in the city. For a lot of people lack of power means lack of water. With the rains and winds so strong the local transportation wasn't running and so people (who live meal to meal) had no way to get to the markets (which weren't open anyway) and buy food. As if no food and no water isn't enough ... their houses were flooding. One guy at Ryan's work actually had his tin roof fly off his house!! Sucks, don't it!?
Anyway, while rains and strong winds can cause a lot of damage in the Philippines, in Lethbridge it's a little different. So what did the kids do on their first windy day back in Canada!? They went outside and had a blast with Grandma!

In Good Hands

Ryan and I went up to Calgary Alberta to do a few things and decided to make a weekend of it. We went and saw Wicked, which was really well done and we both enjoyed, I had lunch with a great friend and got to hear how great she is doing and amazing she looks and we got to play with my nephew Parker who has now been in the Alberta Children's Hospital for 6 weeks. I was totally blown away. Hospitals are hospitals and no one wants to be stuck in them BUT if you do need to be in a hospital, this is the one!! It's huge. There are multiple playgrounds outside with a new mini golf, a soccer field and lots of grass to run on. Inside there is a library, playrooms, a movie theatre room, an arts room where they do crafts, they bring in animals for the kids to pet and play with, fish tanks, clinical offices and of course rooms for children up to age 18. Although there is nothing better then being home at least they try to give something positive to these families while dealing with their problems. Parkers room had a small bed where Jessica can sleep when she needs to be there in the evening, all Parkers equipment, a large bathroom, TV and playstation, a place to store your clothes and foods and window. It seemed that Parker thought the hospital as his second home. It was amazing how happy this boy is. He was continually smiling and laughing with Ryan and waving at the nurses. He knew his way around and I only heard him cry once because he had a good fall at dinner. Seriously one of the happiest two year olds I have ever met. Jessica is so on top of everything, asking the doctor and nurses questions, explaining how it all works for us and making sure Parkers treatment is the best for him. She is 100% involved and made sure she know's exactly what's going on and why.
What was heartbreaking was all the little babies lying in their beds without family by their sides because of different situations. It just makes me so grateful for our financial situation so I can stay home with our children, my healthy children, Ryan's family support that has made it possible for Jessica to stay at Parkers side and again, Jessica's amazing example.

We stayed overnight in Calgary at the Ronald McDonald House which is where Jessica and her family have been staying for the past 6 weeks. Again, I was amazed at this facility. I have no idea what I had pictured in my mind but this was way nicer. There was a massive kitchen where each room has a space in a fridge and a little bit of cupboard space to keep their food, a big dining room with multiple tables, a patio with some BBQ's and picnic tables to eat on, a great playground inside and outside, 4 laundry rooms, a few TV rooms with big couches to lounge on and Jessica's room had 2 beds, cupboards and a decent bathroom. Again, it's not home but you can tell they really have tried to make it as comfortable as possible for these families. I love that people's donations have made these facilities possible and available for my family in their time of need so that their stay can be as comfortable and manageable as possible and so they have a place to take their families when they come to visit.

It was such a humbling visit and I felt in awe the entire time. In awe of these facilities, in awe of how happy Parker is despite of the wires and equipment that have become his life and in awe of Jessica and how she has handled all this with a smile on her face and how she has learned everything she has so that Parker gets the very best treatment! I left feeling extremely grateful that even though they are going through all this craziness right now, they are at least being taken care of the best that they can be.

Survival of the Fittest

Each time we do these long flights to and from Canada/Philippines we learn a little. This time, the kids and I's finale, was by far the best we've ever had. I guess after 5 years we should have learned enough tricks to make it relatively painless and we decided to span the trip home out a little bit to make it as relaxing on me as it could be.

Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Bacolod and took our first of 5 flights to Manila where we spent the afternoon cruising around and enjoying good food and good sleep as our last full day in the Philippines. Wednesday we did flights 2 and 3. The first being a quick 2 hour flight to Hong Kong which provided just enough nap time for Ryan and Madison and where we spent a short layover running the kids. We then boarded our 11 1/2 hour flight to Canada around 4 pm. It was so great. We have never had a more perfect flight. By the time dinner was served and the cabin lights were turned off the kids were exhausted and ready to sleep. They finally woke up with only 2 hours left when they were starting to serve our breakfast. Just enough time to eat, change back into our clothes and get ourselves ready to meet Auntie Kait at the airport. No drama, no tears, no whining ... just happy go easy kids.
After collecting our 10 pieces of luggage and transporting them to the luggage storage at the domestic airport where they would be waiting for us the next morning we spent our afternoon and evening with my sister and Matthew (her man). We ran outside enjoying the crisp fresh air that smelled amazingly clean, we ate yummy food and spend some time in the hotel room playing and reading books until we couldn't keep our eyes open a minute longer. What was amazing was that the kids slept for 13 hours with the exception of Maddy who wanted a pillow and went right back to sleep. We have NEVER had a first night where all the kids just slept right through. It was awesome.
Thursday morning we continued onto our last 2 flights to make it back to Lethbridge Alberta where our amazing families greeted us at the airport with a banner! We are SO loved (yes, I'm bragging). We then had a nice BBQ where the kids ran wild with their cousins and we kind of caught up with everything. It was perfect. AND that night, other then a pee break, the kids again slept through the night. Actually other then one night where Madison freaked out about who knows what the kids have been amazing. If they do get up to use the bathroom, or because they are chilly, they go right back to sleep. Adjusting to a 14 hour time change is super hard so I'm really thankful this trip they just fell right in even though we were 14 hours behind what they are used to. Last night Ryan and I finally had our first sleep right through the entire night too!

SO cheers, to good night sleeps and Canada!! And to the quickest adjustment to date.

Pamilya Ko (My Family)

How do you say goodbye to the people who have been such an instrumental part of who you have become? These last 5 years have been the most challenging, difficult, exciting, amazing, lonely, unlonely time in my life. We have been put through the refiners fire and made it out better somehow. Without our family to rely on we've had to make a new family pamily for ourselves, our Filipino Family.

I just want to say thank you to my Philippine family even though those words are hardly enough. Without you we would never have had such an amazing time in the Philippines or lasted as long as we have. It is because of you that we made it and enjoyed it! We are better people because of our experiences and your examples. I have learned humility as you have accepted our differences with love and without question. You have supported me and served me and at the same time allowed us into your homes and into your personal lives sharing with us your filipino foods, your trials, your successes and mostly love. I am proud to say this is my 'pamily':

Although this picture is just a few, as I board this plane on our journey home I just wanted to say I love you and we'll never forget you! Thank you for being our support group through our trials!

Forest Park

Saturday afternoon we decided to take some of our friends up on their suggestion to check up the new improved Forest Park. We had been before when Sydney was still in diapers and it was pretty much an open space with a random spray park and monkeys so we'd never been too motivated to return. So off we went ready to get wet and we were pleasantly surprised with it's new awesomeness. They kept that small little spray park and the monkeys but added a nice big pool with a nice gradual slope into the water. The bigger kids could touch through out the entire pool which was nice. The ran around into the water, did some cannon balls and practiced their swimming.

Forest Park has this pool off in the corner that is just a perimeter of a circle with picnic tables in the middle with a nice patch of grass. You can go and get a blow up inner tube and the jet propelled water pushes you around the circumference which was a hit with the kids:

There was a lot of room with grass where you could spread your things out and relax or eat your picnic lunch. It was a really nice set up. They also had a covered food concession which is perfect since you really never know it's going to start raining. My kids LOVED the park with the seesaw's and wicked fast slides. I think the biggest hit for Maddy was running around the spray park with me chasing her around. She was squealing and laughing and surprisingly we only had one slip the entire time. I wish we had just bit the bullet and went out to Forest Park months ago because the kids had such a great time!

Bug Collectors Heaven

There is something just awesome about a great big disgusting bug that gets me so excited. When I'm pulling my shoes off the rack and I see something scurry I jump back afraid of a cockroach but when I see it's something different (a spider or a lizard) I relax. Cockroaches are just the most nasty things EVER. EVER. I once brought in the laundry from the clothes line and was flapping it a bit to get that stiff feel out before I folded it and a cockroach came flying out of the shirt. I grabbed the closet thing I could, which happened to be a stuffed panda animal, and started beating that thing to death. Only it would.not.die. Seriously! I beat that thing so badly the panda's eye came off before that sucker stopped scurrying off.
So in summary: I don't do cockcroaches and thankfully this house has hardly any at all! Maybe 1 a month. If it's anything other then a cockroach them I'm golden, good to go. So whether it's the biggest spider I've ever seen or some cool new beetle I can't help but run and grab the camera! Maybe it's just my dedication to capturing ALL our Philippines moments, beautiful white sand beaches to big creepy crawlies that come out in the night. At least the kids are ok with these big spiders. They get kind of close but when a spider catches them off guard ... screams. The other morning it was early, too early and Brayden had made his way to the bathroom to use the toilet and was walking back to his bedroom and started screaming like a girl. I wasn't too impressed when I had to pull myself out of bed to see what in the world was going on but once I saw the size of that spider I understood. I ran downstairs and got my trusty bottle of spray and killed that thing! I'm the best mom, ever.

FRECKLES

So, check these out!! My boy is a freckle face ... and I heart it. I'm totally claiming it to my side of the families genes with my dad being a red head! Not that there was ever any doubt BUT this kid is mine, no switches at birth ... he's got the Moffat gene's.

How Cute Are We?

My kids love to pose for the camera but Brayden is starting to pose like Ryan which means his smile is super exaggerated on purpose or his tongue is hanging out, Sydney has weird poser smiles because she's trying too hard and Madison is into a strange smile faze. It's very rare I get a shot of the three of them all decently smiling but when I do ... it's a keeper!

Mommy Maddy

Sydney got this talking, drinking, peeing doll that she just loves. It sings, hugs you, tells you jokes and pees in a diaper. It really pee's and I know this because it pee'd on me. It has these huge eyes that blink at you that are irresistible for little girls fingers to resist! Maddy has tried to slowly adopt this baby and takes advantage of any down time Sydney gives her baby. She loves to turn her on and play with her. She sings along to all the little songs and responds to the babies questions along with a lot of hugs, kisses and pokes to the blinking eyes. Sometimes in a quiet moment at home I will find her laying on the couch or on the floor giving this baby hugs and kisses. It's just so cute. The last time I caught her on the couch being a mommy to this baby I grabbed the camera and tried to sneak a few pictures of her because I wanted to share Maddy's cuteness with the world.

No Bathtub ... No Big Deal

We've only had one house in the 4 different houses lived in during our time in the Philippines that had an actual bath tub. No nice long soaks in the hot soothing water ... actually our first house didn't even have heated water, brrr (I'm such a wimp I know). Well when you have a baby you need a tub. When you have kids you need a place where you can dump them and let them splash for a half hour while you just sit there regrouping so we bought a wash basin, the biggest wash basin we could find.
They love it so who cares, right! We use it to plug the massive drain and fill up the entire shower area although the tub water is so much warmer then the excess spillage it's a fun time for all. I think it's pretty genius actually but I have to admit that it's a little too small for me and I'm really looking forward to a nice, long, hot bath when we get back to Canada!!

Yay Canada Day

This is the 5th Canada Day that we've celebrated in the Philippines. 5th! I had to go back and really think before I put that statement into writing but it's true.
Seeing as Canada Day is no holiday here we've never really done too much other then reflect on our awesome nationality and the privileges that come with it. This year we decided we were going to light off some of our fire crackers as a celebration. After dinner we took a walk with a long string of fire crackers down one of the streets in our subdivision where no houses are. Once we found a nice section of newly laid sidewalk Ryan carefully laid out the string while the kids anxiously waited up the street a little bit with their ears plugged (they are obviously well accustomed to noise makers).

Once everyone was in position "BOOM"

My ears were ringing so badly because I was too busy trying to get a picture I didn't have any free hands to protect myself. Along with ringing ears our fire crackers left behind quite the mess. A mess AND a nice little banner we can hang on our wall wishing us a Happy Chinese New Year! Yippee. I love free stuff.