Quick Update

Okay, so we're without a computer for the time being, and unless a Future Shop opens up in our area we will have to wait until we go South to get it fixed (which is in 3 weeks and 6 days, but who's counting?). So while I'm furiously typing at my in-laws' computer, here's everything that's coming to my head.

1. I STILL have not lost a pound. Insert head banging into brick wall here.

2. The kids are STILL cute. Even with the growling and smacking.

3. We might be getting a new puppy. Why, you ask? Well, because it's free, and because that's what you do when you move North. Lose your mind and gain a puppy.

4. As I mentioned, we are coming South in 3 weeks and 6 days. Yes, I'm counting. Yes, when I'm on the treadmill each day, the only distraction from the pain and rivers of sweat running everywhere is the thought that I will see some of you very soon. The new iPod helps, too, which leads me to #5:

5. David somewhat surprised me with an iPod for my birthday. It's small and shiny and has 8 gigs of crisp sound and clear pictures. If it were pink I might feel like a very spoiled teenager, but because David, in his great wisdom, bought me silver I only feel like a mildly spoiled adult.

So that's pretty much it for now, unless God drops an IT tech into our laps between now and May 3rd. He could, but will He...we'll see.

You Know You're Old When...

I was curling when it suddenly hit me that I was turning 29. Not because curling is for old people; it's a surprising amount of fun and requires remarkably little in the way of athletic ability. It may just be my new favourite sport. But has anything ever just hit you before - or after - it actually happened? Tomorrow is my birthday, but in my mind, I am already a year older. It's like when Felicity was three days old, she and I were both sound asleep in our dark hospital room. Suddenly she gave a little cry, and without even thinking I picked her up and started to feed her. That's when I realized "Okay. I'm a mom". You'd think I would have realized that when I found out I was pregnant, or when she kicked for the first time, or after 20 hours of fruitless, irritating labour. As I sat there stroking her hair while my eyes filled with tears from the pain - oh the pain - I knew I was not just any mother, I was hers.

So what does 29 mean? It's not scary, not coming too fast, not unexpected, after all, it is next in line after 28. I think more than the age is the stage I am in right now. My children are still young, but they are not babies. My husband and I still feel like children ourselves in that we don't have to take care of our own parents, yet we feel an incredible amount of responsibility and each step we take requires a heavy measure of forethought. I do feel that since I was 24 and got married, had babies, started following my husband instead of my own wims, that I have been in a bit of a fog and now that fog is lifting.

And I am lucky. SO lucky. I love my husband, my children, even this God-forsaken village that God Himself brought us to. I see so much in our future but I recognize that there are chances that are no longer mine to take, and that's just fine with me. I am proud of the life we live, and even though I am far from the perfect wife and mom the relationships I share with those I love most are more healthy, richer, deeper than I ever imagined. So far, 29's looking pretty good.

Overturned Truck = Free Stuff

Imagine you're at home, listening to the morning news while you get ready when they announce that a produce truck has turned over on the highway. Now, imagine that instead of thinking "I should probably leave a bit early since traffic will be crazy" you think "I hope I get to the truck first so the good stuff isn't gone". That is life in a northern town. Overturned truck = free stuff. This week we got more avocadoes, lettuce, peeled garlic, ginger, shallots, and pineapples than I would buy in six months. The downside of free stuff is you have to figure out what to do with it all before it goes rotten. You'd be surprised what you can freeze!

In other news, I haven't lost a pound! Not a pound. My life has consisted of fruits, veggies, lean protein, zero ice cream, five small meals a day, no skipped breakfasts, daily exercise, and still no pounds dropped. I do feel better, and I can tell my body has toned up a bit, but it's still really frustrating, especially since I'm trying to drop pounds. So I'm going to try a few new things with my exercise routine and see if I can't get my body to drop pounds.

Xander and Felicity are doing wonderful. Xander's favourite thing to do is run around our house. That's it. Just run and run and run for about 10-15 minutes without stopping. Then he bugs Felicity for a little while, and when that stops being fun he runs some more. Felicity, when asked, enjoys "dress-ups, games, princesses, and school". In that order. I have to say that it's amazing how much they have started to act like siblings. Their interactions have really changed and they seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company when they're not kicking or smacking each other.

What can I say? It looks frightening, but I found it surprisingly, um...sexy? Are we still allowed to say that about handlebar moustaches?

Sheesh...

Once again I have managed to ignore this blog for too long, and now I don't know where to start. While I ponder you all can enjoy these lovely pictures of my kidlings.

Who needs sleep...

when we could be watching Cinderella III? At six in the morning? Actually, we woke up at 5:20 this morning, but it us took until six to get the movie started. In the meantime we (meaning me) cleaned sheets, changed a diaper, cleaned more sheets, changed another diaper, wiped down a mattress, changed another diaper...do you see where I'm heading with this? Just when we thought Xander was over his stomach flu it's taken a nasty turn south and is trying to force his tiny little body to do things it was never meant to do. I was lucky, though, because as I was cleaning I kept thinking "this could be SO MUCH WORSE". I know what Worse looks like, and fortunately this wasn't it. I'm also very glad that not only did Mom make a new set of sheets for Xander's bed, but that they weren't on his bed when his butt exploded.

A lot of you (okay, all three of you) have asked about how I plan on working out indoors. At my job we've talked a lot about having a workout room put in for the employees and their families. After Christmas we ordered this ridiculously large treadmill which should be coming this week, and hopefully other equipment will be following soon. Because I get off work half an hour before everyone else does I'll be able to work out in the afternoons, except for on the days that David works at 4:30. David also set up a little "guy corner" downstairs where he has a TV, XBox, stereo system, and his guitar. There's even a little area rug (to give it that home-y touch), so on the days I can't exercise at work, I can do core exercises or yoga downstairs.

Again, the big hurdle in all of this is me. My laziness, my busyness, my love of all things food. The weirdest thing is that I have never really tried to lose a specific amount of weight before, so this is feeling like a larger task than it really is. If only I could get the stomach flu, that would make this all so much easier!

Speaking of well-rounded...

Wow. That's a "Before" picture if I've ever seen one. I'm not a huge believer in New Year's resolutions, but seeing this picture on January 2nd has inspired something within me. Well, first I threw up in my mouth a little, but afterwards while brushing my teeth I thought to myself "I could probably do something about that". Then we watched Dr. Phil, and although I generally find him overbearing and self-righteous I genuinely enjoyed the episode. It was about New Year's resolutions (shocking!) and he gave a sort of checklist for people who seriously want to make a change in their lives. Besides something about willpower I don't actually remember what was on the checklist so I made my own, which I'll share with you in a minute. I also told Dave, which is great but also stinks because unlike that stereotypical, in-one-ear-and-out-the-other husband, he actually heard me and will actually hold me to it. Which will be awesome. Most of the time. Anyway, here's the list:

1. Keep a realistic food journal.

2. Always eat breakfast before walking out the door. This means getting up earlier.

3. Develop a realistic indoor exercise routine.

4. Decide to be okay with sweating, hurting, failing, and standing up again.

5. Tell everyone! Nothing like a little global accountability.

6. Ask for God's help every single day. He knows me best, He know what will trip me up, and only by His grace will I have any sort of followthrough.

My other brilliant idea, besides telling David, was to create some sort of "contract" that included a little motivation. So, here's the motivation: I have until April 28th to get to my goal weight. I will not buy any new clothes until April 28th (seriously). If I don't get to my goal weight by April 28th I will not buy any new clothes for myself until AUGUST (seriously). And in case any of you are wondering if the pink-eye has spread to my brain, we're only talking about 15 pounds. That's enough to be a challenge, but not too much considering our limited resources. Wish me lunch, I mean, luck!

And the beat goes on...

So, yes, it has been almost a month since my last post. In the meantime we have had four birthday cakes, one Christmas, one foray into ice-fishing, and TWO trips to Whitehorse, not to mention pink-eye, the stomach flu, runny noses, and topped it all off with a plethora of presents, laughs, and yummy food. We had SUCH a good time with Mom and Dad. We sewed, we ate, we played a kickin' game of Canasta, we ate some more. They were surprisingly relaxed for the over-achievers we all know they to be. It was a dream come true to spend Christmas with them, considering that I went through all the trouble to guilt them away from Sarah and her oh-so-boring Japan (yawn) so they could truly experience our Winter Wonderland. However, I have to admit that as I was making my first trip up to Whitehorse through a snowstorm with my precious Felicity watching Shrek in the back seat I wondered to myself "was it really worth risking my life and the life of my children so that I could have the Christmas I wanted?". Turns out yes, it was. Also, I may have been a teensy bit overdramatic, as the drive to Whitehorse is actually quite lovely.

Felicity turned four on the 18th, and she is four with a vengeance. Being right all the time never felt so good. Xander also feels the same way about being TWO. I mean, why do anything half-baked when you can really throw yourself into tantrums, throwing food, and smacking your sister every two and a half minutes? Seriously, he is committed to experiencing ALL that TWO has to offer, and he's going to come out the other end of this year a more diverse, well-rounded individual.

Here's some pictures from our various adventures.

In case you're wondering, that's not dirt. It's blood.

This picture was taken at noon, when we have the most light.