Candid moments

Life has settled down to a normal routine for us. We stay constantly busy and Conor and Mackensey live outside - rain or shine. I have posted a few new cute pictures of our life here in Canada.

Conor, being in Grade 5, has the responsibility of a Crossing Guard. I could not resist taking some pictures of him. It was a rainy week when it was his turn, so the rain gear made him look even cuter.

Another picture is of our typical Friday movie night.

On a long weekend we went into Victoria's Chinatown ( I will have to tell you all about that in another blog) and Mackensey got an outfit. She thought she was getting the outfit for church; thankfully, once she had it on she realized it was for pjs.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We won't be celebrating an American one this year since our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, but will be thinking of you.

Fall

The afternoons have been beautiful here and the kids have really enjoyed taking advantage of the weather. We found a new playground and had a great afternoon with the neighbor kids. Shane went with Mack and her class to the pumpkin farm. She was so thrilled that he went with her. Mack put her arms around Shane and said, "Daddy, do you know how much I love you?"

Pumpkin Fun

The "boys" were gone for the day, so I took Mack and her friend to pick out some pumpkins. They had a great time climbing on the pumpkins and looking for two that were almost identical. We came home and carved away. We also toasted pumpkin seeds. Mack's friend from next door came over and helped with the carving. All I have to say is that I will rethink the carving next time. They each chose hard stencils so it was a lot of work. All in all it was a great day. I am so thankful that my kids have such great friends.

Eli - Our Dog

Well for those of you who don't know - we have had some dog drama (not that that is anything new for us). Eli is nine month old and had to have eye surgery. He had ulcers in his eyes and the vet said that if we did not operate he would go blind - also he was in a lot of pain. He had his eyes sewed shut for 14 days. He still has to wear his cone while his eyes continue to heal. I thought I would post some pictures especially for those who have known about the drama. He is a great dog and we love him a lot. We are hoping that this works because this is our one and only time of surgery.

Walk of the Nations

I have been so busy so it has been awhile since I updated the blog; therefore, I have posted three blogs today.


On Sunday, our family got to experience an incredible event. The community along with the First Nations' community gathered together and walked through Duncan as one group. The event was to promote unity and to offer one more step for reconciliation. Although this was not a church event and primarily a First Nation's event, our church had a strong presence there. Our pastor was expecting some other churches in the area to not be happy with him for promoting this. Our pastor has a strong passion for the First Nation people. As most of you already know - in order to have an impact - we must meet others where they are and not expect them to meet us where we are. Because of his heart and service in the community, Pastor Mark was able to speak at this event (along with spirit dancers and prayer chants). I was so thankful that our family could experience such a rich cultural heritage and to see our pastor leading the front in reconciliation. I find it very rare in this day and age to be able to look up to many pastors (yes, they are just men); however, I am so thankful that my kids are influenced by such a humble and evangelistic minded pastor as ours. Many pastors want to build their church with the wealthy and do not want to get their hand dirty. I have yet to see our pastor's hands clean.

Mack and Basketball

Well, the princess has decided to try her hand at sports. Yes, she has asked to play basketball. Shane and I just laughed and laughed at her first practice. The pictures did not turn out very well, so I will try again to get some better ones. Mack dribbling the ball with her hand on her hip was just too funny. Every time she had to do the drill again, she would look at us and roll her eyes. She just wanted to run around and shoot. Her dad took her to her second practice and said that she did better. She made a few goals. Way to go Mack!

MOPS- The Adventure Begins!

I am glad that our first two meetings are over - smooth sailing from here! Everything is going well - just a lot of planning in a very short amount of time. We gained five more moms at our second meeting and hope to continue to grow. This is a new concept for the area but the moms are really enjoying it. The picture of a group of ladies is my team. Thank goodness for them; they have really taken a lot of stress off of me. In October, Canada celebrates Thanksgiving, so we decided to have a lady demonstrate how to make a Thanksgiving dinner. I really needed this lesson; this is the first year that I am on my own. The kids are really worried. Conor thinks we should grill steaks. Ha - I will show them.