Sick Days That Force Stolen Creativity

Our girls have come down with a croup sounding cough. It really sucks to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a dog barking only to realize it's your kid. Sydney was so scared when she woke up coughing that she starting crying not understanding why that awful noise was coming out of her. Hearing it makes my chest hurt, my poor girls.
We had a very lazy day of sitting around and training Madison how to properly use the tissue box for her nose. The thing that sucks the most about these kinds of colds is you can still kind of do 'stuff' but you can't really do 'stuff' either. They were really lethargic but had a little more energy then sitting on the couch doing nothing kind of thing.
So what do you do? You go on pinterest and steal other peoples creativity. I know I've blogged about Pinterest before but it really has a lot of great easy idea's for days like yesterday. I have a craft shelf on the top and almost out of reach parts of our book shelf that was stocked with paper and paints so those were the type of crafts I was going for. We did some pretty generic stuff, Brayden brought up a huge cardboard box from the basement cutting arm and head holes out of it and made himself a robot shell and Sydney did her thing along side him. Maddy napped.
So here are some of the cute things we made thanks to pinterest which was how I got through the entire day inside my house. Today .... it's 10am and I'm already going crazy BUT I've got a list that can't wait so outside world, here I come!

On Dasher, On Cupid, On Donner and Blitzen

Ryan had heard on the radio that Santa would be arriving at the Park Place Mall Saturday night with his reindeer! I guess this is an annual thing but it was the first we'd ever heard of it and we were not going to pass on the chance to see Santa's real live reindeer, especially after watching the old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movie a few weeks ago. To be honest I was way more excited then the kids were because they had no idea what was going to happen and I think they were expecting to see little cartoons like the ones from the movie.
We set up camp right beside the pen for the reindeer because honestly ... we could see Santa any other day but the reindeer were a "one night only" kind of big deal. It was perfect. They announced Santa was in the building and all these hyper children and their exhausted parents stood there waiting and watching and then the cheering started. We couldn't see him but we knew he was there! Finally Santa was in our sites as he lead his reindeer into the pen and went and took his seat at the Santa display with one of his Reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer? I have no idea who the lucky reindeer was) and hunkered in for a long night of pictures and kids listing off their greedy idea's of what they want for Christmas.
Brayden had a melt down when we said it was time to leave. I guess we didn't state clearly enough all day long that we were going for the reindeer only and that talking to Santa would be saved for a different day. Not his best moment but I guess I did take a little pleasure in the fact that he was upset enough to obviously still believe in the magic of Santa.
As we were walking back to the Van one of the Reindeer was out for a walk and posing for pictures for some lucky kids. We totally were all over that action!

It was totally worth the late night. We only had to stand around for 30 minutes before Santa arrived and we ran into some friends which made the wait shorter and the kids burned off quite the amount of energy playing tag during that wait.
I am SO excited to plop the kids on Santa's lap and see what kind of picture we get this year!!!

You Yell "Fore," Shoot Six, and Write Down Five - Paul Harvey

We took the kids mini golfing on Friday to celebrate Ryan finishing up his work day in the early afternoon. I had decided that it was going to go one of two ways. Madison would freak out and get frustrated with the whole thing or she'd love it and not really care what was going on and be happy just to have a club of her own. She went with the latter which was the route I was hoping for. Her club was just her size and she would just plop her golf ball down wherever she felt like it and tap it into the hole. She stayed out of the way when she needed to and did an amazing job fetching my ball out of the hole and bringing it to me and of course it helps that she's just so dang cute.
Brayden just seemed to be an all star. I don't think it ever took him more then three shots putts to get it into the hole and at the end hole he plopped it right into the middle slot winning himself a free round. As quickly as he picked it up it was a little annoying to hear him brag for the rest of the night and flaunt that free ticket around with him. Maybe i'm just jealous he beat me?
Sydney seemed to prefer to take a Happy Gilmore approach to golf and attack the ball like a slap shot at the puck. Since Friday's we do a movie as a way to end off the school/work week and the movie this day was "Tooth Fiary" which stars Dwayne Johnson as a hockey player, I'm pretty sure that's where she picked up that swing of hers. At least she had no problems getting the golf ball down the green towards the hole, it was the lightly tapping in that seemed to be a challenge.
Other then it being the coldest day to date for us Filipino's in a long long time, it was a good day! Lots of fun to get out of the house together as a family and just relax and have a good time. The bonus, we have to go back at some point to redeem Brayden's free coupon. Hopefully the next time it will be just as fun.

Filipino Nativity

Our first Christmas in the Philippines, which we thought would be our only, we stumbled across this great nativity. We loved it mostly because it had a Lechon (pig on a spit) which is totally Filipino. The characters were also wearing traditional Filipino costume and one man was carrying a rooster. It was very much Filipino and we loved that. It was huge though and super expensive so we couldn't justify the purchase. Every year after that around Christmas time we would bring up the nativity and contemplate purchasing it with the possibility of it being our last Christmas in the Philippines. Each year we couldn't bring ourselves to justify the cost of the purchase and so we just coveted it from a distance.
Ryan's very last trip to the Philippines was a few weeks ago and he mentioned that maybe we could get that nativitiy with the Lechon. This time it wasn't just the cost on my mind but the problem of getting it home. They recently went and slashed luggage allowance and we knew with excess things he had picked up for friends of ours we were already well over the allowance. Ryan decided to go to the store and see what good fortune his negotiating skills could provide for us. I have to admit he did all right. I think the amount that he saved was the amount it cost us to get our excess luggage home which every peso saved helps.
Sadly a few pieces didn't make it home as in tact as we'd hoped. The angels wings busted off, the pig on the spit was broken into at least 3 pieces and the caribow's horns were no longer sharp BUT with Ryan's amazing hands he glued it all perfectly and we got some good touch up paint and now it's like new.
It's huge, it's busy with colours and animals but it's Filipino and wouldn't be Filipino any other way. The different styles of clothing worn are beautiful and a part of their history. The pig, the man cuddling his rooster, the ducks and caribow are something we saw everyday and wouldn't ever think twice about seeing. It has been the last 5 amazing years of our lives and the memories and warm fuzzies it brings me every time I look at it were worth the money spent. It sits on reeds in the corner next to some sands from the Phiippine waters and our Philippines outdoor broom next to the fireplace. We are SO proudly Filipino/Canadian!

First Real Snow

A little while ago we bought the kids some snow shovels of their own at Toys R Us. They've been pretty excited to try them out but other then the littlest skiff of snow there hadn't been anything shovel worthy. Finally that first legit snow fell from the sky and as soon as the kids were home from school they were outside shovelling away. They were out and then in and then back out some more making the absolute most of the snow fall. I finally had to force them inside because we were going to families for dinner. I have to say that for $5/shovel it was the best $10 i've spent in a long time.
Hopefully this excitement doesn't dwindle as the real cold sets in and the snow gets old but I guess I should just be happy and thankfully take what I can get. Besides it's the middle of November already!

The Price They Pay

I think that one of my talents is my compassion. I used to be a little embarrassed about how I would cry at a Hallmark commercial or random tears would form in my eyes while I watched an elderly person walk solo past my house everyday thinking that he might be on his own having already buried his long time companion. Now I guess I've just come to except the fact that I'm a cryer. Often upon hearing bad news I don't know what to do to help or what words of wisdom to offer but I can easily share my tears.
I think that as we get older and gain more life time experiences compassion grows. I also think appreciation for life and our blessings, big and small, becomes deeper. We realize how precious life is, how rare perfect health is becoming and that sometimes we have to sacrifice the things we want for the needs of others. I think i've learned the last since becoming a mother. Parents often sacrifice for their children's safety, health and happiness, but today I don't want to talk about me as a parent; I want to thank those strangers who have fought and sacrificed for me to be free.
I look at my little boy, his freckles, his genuine smile and how he tilts his head to the side when making a goofy grin, his desire to learn and never ending questions. He has a thirst for knowledge and life. I can not imagine sending him off to war. To fight for me, for a stranger, to witness death that way, watching friends and enemies fall by the hands of others and taking away his sweet innocence. I think of Ryan, my rock. I think of those strong women who have said good bye to their husbands and stayed strong for their children knowing the battle their husbands are walking into. My heart aches knowing that some men never make it home and those that have are most likely forever changed.
Canada is a beautiful country. Rocky Mountains, prairies, beautiful lakes and forests. People (mostly American's) make fun of our kindness and politeness but I'm proud to be seen that way. I'm proud to be Canadian because my country is beautiful, diverse, accepting (for the most part) and free. "True North, strong and free."
I'm am SO thankful for the opportunity to set aside a moment today on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to think off all those who sacrificed their lives, do sacrifice their lives so that my family is free. I'm grateful for those mothers who let their sons leave, those wives who somehow made it through so that I can be a mother to my three amazing children in such an amazing country. Life as I know it is because of those who fought. I'm sure many of you have had family fight for our freedom and today I feel proud to know that someone in my family sacrificed because he loved his wife and son enough to fight for their freedom.
So on Remembrance Day I'd like to say "Lest We Forget."

First Christmas Decoration for The Year

Last year I ordered the Fisher Price Little People Christmas Nativity but it remained unopened because it was in Canada and we were in the Philippines. I was excited to bring it out this year and check it out and it's been sitting in our dining room since August taunting me. A few nights ago the kids were running around the house making tons of noise right before bed time. I was trying to think of something I could do other then read books to settle them down and I decided that setting up the nativity would be perfect.
I just started to open the box up and as they sprinted past me it caught their attention. Within seconds I had 3 pairs of curious eyes staring at me and then moments later 3 sets of little fingers helping me pull out all the little characters. Of course we've always had a nativity or two set up around Christmas time but never one the kids could touch and play with. They set it up themselves, I told them the story and then they played quietly together re-acting it out until it was time for our bedtime routine.
The next morning I woke up to my kids huddled around the nativity lighting the star and dancing to the Christmas tune it sings. It was perfect. I love nativities. I love that I now have one that the kids can play with and act out the Christmas story of Baby Jesus. I love that they love it! I think that every family with small children needs a nativity that they tinker with. It's been out for a few days now and although I do find a random donkey on the kitchen floor or a Joseph in the hall, they are still playing with it and every time they do they are remembering what Christmas is really celebrating.

5 Years

Wow. So 5 years ago this weekend we boarded our first flight to the Philippines. We had no idea what to expect and that probably was a good thing. What was going to be a 6 month stint while waiting for Ryan's US work VISA to come through turned into 5 years and no US work VISA. We took our newly turned 2 year old boy and 6 months old baby girl, took a deep breath and away we flew.
We survived and came back better people then when we left, being the first Focus sent over to the Philippines, they went above and beyond to make sure that we were happy and safe in our new home. We took advantage of the location and tried to see as much as that part of the world as we could travelling around the Philippines and South East Asia. I think that with all the wild and crazy things we did and saw the thing that blows my mind the most is that we left with my two babies and came back with 3, the youngest being older then the oldest was when we left! It is only fitting that Ryan is leaving Bacolod for the last time this weekend to officially mark his 5 years over there and I guess they had one big party his last day/night. I'm sure it was nice to see that he was loved and would be missed.
So we did more then survived, we thrived! Yay for us.

Christmas Countdown

Halloween is over. A good evening with only a little snow that thankfully melted as soon as it hit the ground but it was enough that Madison didn't know what was going on! She's seen snow before but when she was a baby. Nothing that she remembers. She just froze staring at her little hands watching these little white flakes melt on her skin while her teeth chattered away. Now that we're into November I guess we all know it's coming and by it's I mean snow. *knock on wood*
So with this impending weather on the horizon and Halloween marked off the calendar I'm focusing my attention to the Christmas season! I dusted off the wood burning fire place and had a fire this week to make sure the chimney wasn't clogged. I pulled the newly washed electric blanket out from the closet and plugged it into the wall while making the bed and I sadly put away all the sandals and crocs that were crowding the shoe rack to make room for winter boots. I don't have Christmas decorations or lights up or anything but I'm thinking the Little People nativity will make it's appearance this week. I have to admit that after a nice warm Christmas in Thailand last year I'm excited for a white Christmas home in Canada surrounded by all our families this year ... so bring it on!