A Greater Appreciation

Tim's mom had planned a trip to visit us in Canada this February and had been hoping to see some snow since she doesn't get to see much of it in Memphis. Because we have gotten very little snow this year in the Toronto area, we thought it would be fun to take her a few hours north of Toronto to the Muskoka area. This is the area where we went with our small group a month ago. We rented a small cottage and enjoyed a weekend of playing in the snow. The boys were outside most of the time, but Lidiyanna preferred to stay cozy and warm with Perpy inside. We made some great memories, and enjoyed our time with Perpy. I'm glad we got to show her some more of Canada's beauty.

Graham and Wesley had fun jumping off of a snowman and landing in the fluffy, deep snow.

Graham and I did some ice skating in a park where they had flooded a road and made it into a skating trail.

My appreciation for Canada continues to grow the longer we are here. It has been a hard adjustment moving to Canada, but now I can say I'm thankful to be here. I'm thankful for the friends God has provided for us, the boys' school and their wonderful teachers, and the amazing adventures we are having here. Tim continues to have stressful days at work, and we wish his work schedule was not as demanding. Yet, we can see God's hand all around us, and I know we will look back on our time in Canada with tender and grateful hearts.

My Animoto Video

We just celebrated Lidiyanna's second birthday. She is such an amazing blessing in our lives, and we continue to thank God for placing her in our family.

My Animoto Video

Future Snowboarder

We got this great plastic snowboard (not a real snowboard-just one to use when sledding), and Graham has been loving using it. He wanted me to take this picture of him with it and he thought he would try to be cool and not smile. So cute!

Snow fort

Our friend, Evan, came over to play in the snow this weekend. The boys made a snow fort that they quickly destroyed. I guess that's part of the fun of it.

A Canadian Winterwonderland

One of the families in our church small group graciously invited us all to their family cottage in the beautiful Muskoka Lakes are of Canada. Let me tell you the snow was so beautiful and peaceful that I did not want to leave. It snowed most of the day on Saturday so every branch and pine needle in the forests were covered with shimmering ice crystals. Our children had so much fun playing with the other kids, tubing down the hill, and hiking through the forest. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know the other families in our group better. I'm so thankful for the time we had and for the great church and small group God has given us.

Snow Fun!

Disclaimer: These pictures were just taken with my cell phone so I am sorry for the pour quality. Better than nothing.

The children were so excited this morning when they awoke to find it snowing. We've been waiting for snow here in Canada for a month now. Of course, Graham still had school today, and I dropped him off in his snow pants and boots. He got to play in the snow during recess two times today. I took the younger two for a walk through the trails in our neighbor, and then we ended up playing at a park. What fun to finally get to enjoy some snow. We always say that if we are going to live in the cold North, we want snow to go with it.

The kids got these sleds for Christmas and they both worked well today. Lidiyanna's sled works perfectly for pulling her around so I will use it when we take the boys to school on snowy days. She really liked riding in it.

my beautiful snow angel

Wesley got creative with his sled.

Looking Back at Christmas

Looking Back at Christmas

Just click on the link above to watch the video of our Christmas memories.

Cute!

Lidiyanna brought down Graham's "big bear" which inspired an impromptu photo session by the Christmas tree. Aren't they so cute!!

Sweet Love

One of the activities I enjoy most during the holidays is baking. I love sweets, love to bake them, love to try new recipes, and love to eat them. My children share my love of sweets as well. I have great memories of helping my mom in the kitchen when I grew up and I still think about certain treats we made together at Christmastime.

To my delight, my boys have both taken an interest in helping me bake. Graham and I used to bake together during Wesley's naptime. Now, Wesley and I bake while Graham is at school and Lidiyanna is napping. I have a feeling Lidiyanna will have her turn helping me when she gets a little older.

A few years ago, we started packing up our treats and taking them to our neighbors as little gifts. The boys would sometimes make notes and cards to go along with the baked goods. They always seemed to enjoy the giving as much as the baking, and I've hoped that we passed along a little bit of love and kindness with each treat we gave away. I miss some of our dear neighbors from our Nashville home, and I thought about them today. Ms. Terry was across the street and always had little gifts and handmade cards for our children on special occasions. Alanna, next door, babysat our kids and would come over after school on days that she dreaded going to her empty house. The Keever kids, a few streets over, warmed our home on snow days when their mom had to brave the icy roads to get to work.

Now, we have new neighbors. We mainly interact with the ones we see on the playground after school. So, Graham packed cookies in a bag to take to his buddies, Mia, Josh, and Aaron. Wesley wrote a note to his friend, Karl, who is in his Junior Kindergarten class. We spent five or ten minutes getting on our coats, mits, and hats and made our way around the neighborhood delivering a little bit of love to go along with the cookies.

On a side note, I don't want anyone to read this and feel guilty that they don't like to bake or take cookies to their neighbors. Baking is not for everyone. (If it was, we might have a world full of overweight people.) Yet, I am sure everyone has special things that they enjoy and that they are good at. Take those gifts and passions and share them with others. That's what I want this post to be about...taking the passions that God has given you and blessing others through them.

Thankful

Yesterday was a very different Thanksgiving for me. I didn't eat turkey. I didn't spend the day with my extended family. Tim went to work and the boys went to school. I cleaned the house, volunteered in Graham's class, and served left-overs for dinner. We're in Canada now, I guess.

We did have a great opportunity to spend time with Tim's mom, sister and her hubby and kids. They came up to visit and we had a great time at the Great Wolf Lodge. Below is a picture of Perpy with her grandkids. After five full days of fun, our kids were very sad to see their cousins leave.

Earlier this month, our friends, the Fulks, visited us. Our friendship started in Michigan when we met them at church. At the time, we didn't have children and they just had one daughter, Emma. Our lives have changed a lot since then. A year after we moved back to Nashville from Michigan, they moved to Nashville as well. So, we had the blessing of living in the same city for four more years. As we were moving up to Canada this summer, they were getting ready to move back to Michigan. Although I'm very sad they won't be in Nashville when we return, I am thankful for the visits we can share over the next few years since they are less than four hours from Toronto.

As I reflect over the past year, I am filled with thankfulness at how God has been working in our lives. He is always at work around us, and we will be blessed when we choose to look at life through His perspective. His plan for us is not always easy, but it is the best way for us.

Going, going, gone...

For about a month, Graham has been wiggling his loose tooth waiting for the day when it would come out. He's actually been waiting for this moment for about a year. I got teary-eyed when I first discovered it was loose. My little boy is not so little anymore. The first tooth is gone and more will inevitably follow soon. As I am trying to enjoy each beautiful day of Fall, I want to treasure all of the precious moments I have with my little guy.

One of the few good things about having a little backyard and backing right up to the neighbor behind you is you can enjoy their gorgeous maple tree in the Fall.

Halloween

The kids had a great time celebrating Halloween in Canada. Our neighborhood has tons of kids so it was so fun to see the sidewalks full of trick-or-treaters. Lidiyanna dressed as a cow, Graham was a mountain climber, and Wesley decided to repeat his costume from last year-a dragon. He did add the neon green vampire teeth this year.

After the boys got back, they dumped out their candy to sort the goods. It was interesting seeing how the candy here is a little different than in the US. Smarties (which are similar to M&Ms) were a favorite to hand out to the trick-or-treaters. Another popular candy is Coffee Crisp which is similar to Kit Kats but with a bit of a coffee flavor. The kids also got several small bags of chips.

Lidiyanna hung with the boys for a while and then Tim brought her back home to help me answer the door and pass out candy. She was very good at that!

He's a star!!

Tim's new job at Nissan Canada has had many challenges. Most days, he comes home feeling overwhelmed. He works so hard and so much yet never feels like he's done enough. Despite the struggles, I know he's doing an excellent job in his new role.

He also has the opportunity to interact with journalists and reporters for the auto industry. He's been on TV and the internet. Check him out on the link below:

http://www.drivingtelevision.tv/?cid=1015

Okay, so maybe he's not a star on the big screen but he's a star in our home! I'm so proud of my hubby!!

Fun Fall Recipes

Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars or Balls

10 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


Place popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.


Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Press into a buttered 9X13 pan or form into balls using buttered hands. Cool slightly.

We spent last weekend with our friends, the McKims. We met them in Ethiopia during our first trip and bonded through court dates, meeting our children for the first time, and other adventures in Addis. Even though we've only seen them three times in our lives, we consider them dear friends. We hope to get togther at least once a year. All of our children get along really well, and we're hoping for a marriage to occur somewhere between the six kids. We also think it's really important for Lidiyanna to see other families like ours and to know she's not the only person that looks different from her parents...especially as she gets older.

Apples

We joined some friends on Saturday and went apple picking at a nearby apple farm. It was such a beautiful place and a great way to spend a Fall day. I've mentioned this family before as they have become such a blessing to us since moving to Canada. I met them through a connection at our church in Nashville, and I thank God often that He caused our paths to cross. Alison was the first person that reached out to me and was so helpful when we first moved. She has such a kind and giving spirit. Being with her feels so comfortable and easy. Her son, Harrison, has become Wesley's best friend here and they have their own playdate every Monday while the older kids do school. Graham also loves playing with their twin girls who are just a few years older than him.

School

School started a little later here in Canada than what we are used to in the South. We are now getting into our new routine with school and the boys seem to be settling in well. Graham is in "Grade One" as it is called up here. He's loving his teacher and has already made several friends in his class. Wesley is in Junior Kindergarten at the same school as Graham. In fact, his classroom is just next door to Graham's. He goes two and sometimes three days a week. It's similar to his preschool program from last year. His teacher just seems perfect for him as well. The school is in our neighborhood, so we are really enjoying biking or walking to school. Again, I see God's provision for us and am so thankful for the way He cares for my children.

I didn't have time to take a picture of Wesley before school (imagine that!), so here he is enjoying an after school snack after his first day.

Graham on his first day of school

Lidiyanna

It's been one year since we brought our daughter home. Click on her name below to see a slideshow highlighting our first year with her.

Lidiyanna

Labor Day weekend

My dad and his wife came to visit us over Labor Day weekend. The kids enjoyed the time with their grandparents. They especially had fun when their grandparents let them play in the mud in the backyard while Tim and I were on a get-away. :) Thanks for the night away, Dad and MA.

My dad took a few pictures of the kids at the lake. I thought they were really sweet.

a view of the CN Tower from the music gardens in Toronto

Notice Tim and I in the corner of this pic trying to look at a map so we could navigate our way around downtown.

Lidiyanna and Grandpa enjoying the train ride into Toronto

Best Buds

Something happened this summer...

they became each other's best friend.