Getting There

Yay! (or as Carrie Ann says, "Woo hoo!") Yesterday, she stayed dry all day -- not y me rememering to put her on the toilet, ut y going all y herself! That is a huge step ahead. Hope it will last, it's aout time! Sorry aout the key after a... the kids got it yesterday.

My ankle is getting there too. I can walk, even on grass, ut still have a limp, and it hurts at the end of the day. Actually, all of oth legs hurt from compensating! I'm very glad to e ale to get around, though!

Oops!

Good news first... the other day I was babysitting an almost two year old at her house with Carrie Ann and Bethany. Carrie Ann went over to Luna's play kitchen, and said, "Now I'm going to back my favourite food! Spinach!"

Today I sprained my ankle -- I was rushing to walk to the school to get Bethany for a dentist appointment, and tripped when my foot hit the backpack on the back of the stroller. Then suddenly I had lots of time, because I knew I couldn't do the half hour walk anymore! I flagged down a passing neighbour and got a ride home, then called Frank's Mom who was happy to pick up Bethany and take her to the dentist. So it all turned out all right, I even got the fish tank moved to a shady corner with everyone's help (hopefully that will cut down on the algae overgrowth), but now I can't sleep because my ankle hurts. It's not at all like the worst sprain I had (in 1996) which took months to heal. This one will probably be better in a week or two. Such is life.

October

Well, October was a busy and emotionally full month for me. Therefore, it has been hard to prepare to share about it -- I need to process it myself before I know just what I want to say. I am going to comment my photos -- I took over 200, and narrowed it down to "only" 80, and I know that's too much for most of you, but it's my scrapbook so I can do it how I like and you can flip through as fast as you want to (just look at the thumbnails, do a slideshow and pause when there's a long comment, or something like that).

First pictures, I signed up Bethany for ballet, and her new outfit arrived in the mail (it is a great use of her birthday money from Grandma each year).

That first week of October, I was thinking a lot about how quiet it was around the house while Matthias and Bethany were on the field trip with Frank. Homeschooling was going less well, Matthias was being more resistant, and I was having trouble focussing. I had a concussion a year ago, and I still find multi-tasking difficult and stressful. (The spot where I hit my head also hurts when it's cold, just like my ankle did for a few years after I sprained it.) I wanted to do more for Bethany in science and socials, but Matthias was taking all my energy and I felt I was not doing justice to the education they should be getting.

At the same time, I had been thinking since last spring of visiting Ontario to see Opa and Oma (they had never met Carrie Ann in person), to see Uncle Tony (he was sick) and to see Dave and Julie (my uncle and aunt) when they were around for the summer. I really wanted to go when Rob was there in July, but Frank said it was just too expensive.

So, in the first week of October, I found some better tickets ($50-$100 less per ticket, per way, per person), and decided that I was going to really regret it if I didn't go to Ontario soon, even if it meant we had to put off some renovations for another season. Uncle Tony had already passed away in July, and Dave and Julie and Rob weren't going to be there, but I didn't want to live with the regrets if I left it too late and missed visiting Opa.

So I bought the tickets, and started looking for a way to get to Calgary at 5 am on a Sunday morning. As I worked on this, I faced the fact that homeschooling was not going well enough, and decided to put Matthias and Bethany in to public school. I was pretty sure Bethany would do well (and she it), and I hoped that Matthias would do better in an atmosphere of compliance and a roomful of kids doing the same thing. Well, he has had three or four bad days (as bad as I feared), but on the whole he has been doing as well as I hoped -- he's working at his level, and not giving the teacher too much resistance. I met her at the store today, and she was really happy with how he did today! Anyway, back to the first week of October, as I was making travel arrangements, I gave up on homeschooling and registered the kids at the local public school, visiting their classrooms with them, and meeting their new teachers and principal. It is a really great school, with a lot of focus on learning virtues and making it a wholesome atmosphere for everyone there (no bullying allowed). I planned for them to start the Monday after we arrived home, allowing a day to rest up and unpack, and Friday was a Pro-D day.

So on Saturday October 10 we set off at 8 am for a restful Sabbath on the Greyhound. The kids were great, a lot of the other passengers really appreciated them (quiet on the bus and cute during the breaks), and I read "A Wrinkle in Time" -- the whole book -- to them.

The flight, and all the connections between bus, hotel and airport, went very smoothly, and I was overjoyed to "come home" to Thanksgiving with the Boonstra Family at Oma and Opa's. It was so great to see everyone again -- my cousins' babies and everything! In the afternoon, we all visited Opa in the hospital. He was so happy to see everyone, and was thrilled that "that beautiful young girl wanted to kiss him" (I'm not sure if he meant me or Bethany!).

The next few days we spent in Niagara Falls with Dad and MaryAnna. My good friend from highschool, Tonia-Joy, came to visit us, and we "did" the Falls together, as well as the SkyWheel, the big ferris wheel (pictures). It was so awesome to see her, and to spend some time with Dad. At Thanksgiving service, I most enjoyed the pipe organ in Dad's historic church! MaryAnna, unfortunately, was very ill those first couple of days, so we let her rest!

At the end of the week, I loaded the kids in Dad's car and we set off (through Toronto) to Bowmanville to visit cousins there (the ones who weren't at the Thanksgiving meal, mostly from Dad's side). Thanks to everyone who prayed for "travelling mercies", because I've never attempted city driving like that before, and it went really really well! We also enjoyed our time with our Toronto region cousins -- some I have pictures of, and some I do not, but I love them all. Some I hadn't seen since 2001, and a couple, even longer. On Friday morning, we even had time for a side-trip to see the CN Tower! How many BC kids can say they've been up the CN Tower?!

The beginning of the next week we spent with Dad and MaryAnna -- it was great to really get to spend some time with her. She has a lot of wisdom about life. We also visited with Dave and Julie -- did I tell you? Right after I booked the tickets, we got an email saying they were coming for Thanksgiving too -- I jumped for joy! We visited Oma as well, and Opa once more in the hospital. Aunt Kathy was with me that time, and we sat in the sunroom and talked while Opa watched Carrie Ann playing. It was so fun to see them together. The thing I remember most from that conversation was Opa saying "I want to go home *in the worst way*" At the time, the context meant, to his house, but I wondered if he also meant his heavenly home. He was very emphatic. On Monday he got to go home, and on Tuesday we visited him at home. He was on oxygen, but was able to take it off for a few minutes for picture taking. He held Carrie Ann's hand the whole time. They were so taken with each other! When she played, she would keep bringing her toy over to show him, or put on his lap, and he would listen to her and smile at her, and follow her around with his eyes as she played. She looked at Dad and announced joyfully, "I have two Opas!!" I don't have words to say how glad I am that we were there that day. Later on, we went for a walk in the woods, and that was such a beautiful time as well -- those woods are so full of happy memories for all us Boonstra cousins! (Pictures)

We left a 4 am, Ontario time, to head home on Wednesday. We stopped for a detour at the Calgary Children's Hospital, where I had a follow-up appointment about some tests Matthias had done in April. (No surprises there, he is still developing at his own consistent pace.) We spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital, and caught an evening bus to Cranbrook, where Frank picked us up. When we finally arrived home, it was 1 am BC time -- a full 24 hours later! Thankfully, we all got a fair bit of sleep on the bus ride.

When we got home, Frank had indeed done his threatened renovations and rearrangements! Thanks to his earnest efforts, and his mom's help, the furniture (as well as ceilings and floors) were all back in place, and the kids bed had been made up. I had to find my bedding on the couch... The next couple days of "resting up and getting ready for school" ended up being a mad rush to bring order to the chaos in the house. But by the time Monday came, the beds were made, the linens stored, the toys and books all rearranged, the living room cleaned up, and the house was livable. Then I got to "decorate" my desk -- the new "me space" Frank created for me in the rearranged bedroom. Pictures will come, but by the time I was done and took pictures, it was November already!

So the kids started school. Bethany brought cupcakes with whipped cream and sprinkles, and found out that two of her friends were already in her class, so she fit right in no problem. Matthias brought chocolate chip cookies, and his classmates were very friendly. However, the Gr. 5 class didn't have a Teacher's Assistant, so after three days they moved him to a Gr. 4 class with a TA (and another Gr. 5 student who needs a little extra assistance). He fits in very well with the Gr. 4 class -- they are more the same size as him, and closer to his academic level. His teacher also loves science!

I bought a sunlamp, and just this week Frank picked up a mini-trampoline for me, so that I can continue to stave off depression during the dark winter months here. Carrie Ann has become somewhat less clingy, and is doing better at toilet training, now that she has some hours each day of my undivided attention. I even have energy, time and attention to cook something special once in a while now -- pumpkin pie, apple crisp, or a three course meal (I couldn't cook two things at once for quite a while, so while the meals were nutritionally complete, usually one part was cooked or "prepared", and the other two were just opened or peeled).

Meantime, Frank also got the furnace fixed (yay!) and the leaky sewer pipe -- this I have pictures of!

The last thing that happened in October, on the 30th, was that Opa passed away. I thank God so much for impressing my conscience that I better visit now or I'll really regret it (I don't know if I could have handled it if I had not gone). But I did, and I am incredibly thankful for that. Now Opa is at Home, and we will see him again later, but not right now.

I hope you enjoy all the pictures (or at least some of them!).

Feeling Better

Well, I'm finally starting to feel better, so now to update my blog...

First, I finished the March pictures -- here is one of the kids:



We had a great trip to Calgary -- Matthias' appointments at the Children's Hospital went well, and all the experts were very happy with how he's doing. We went to Science World (less than three hours was just not enough time, but they close at 4), and swimming after the hospital on Monday, and headed home after the Tuesday morning appointment. It was a lot of fun, but I came home sick again... anyway...

I won't post a picture here, but I got a couple really nice ones of my crocuses this year.
I also uploaded a couple new/old videos -- the kids celebrating Carrie Ann's birth, Bethany doing her first cartwheel, and the older two playing airplane with Uncle Hugh, before Carrie Ann was born.

Cute Sayings

The other day I was peeling potatoes, and Carrie Ann begged a raw one off me. (I don't know why my kids like raw potatoes, up until about 3). So I gave her one, but wouldn't give her a big piece, explaining that you can't eat too much raw potato because it is hard to digest and could make you sick. Carrie pipes up, "Diarrhea?" I was so surprised, how did she come to that? So I asked her, and she explained that if too much "Vitam and C" gives you diarrhea, maybe raw potato does too. Smart cookie!
She is also learning to say Bethany now instead of Betadane. Usually it comes out without the th -- Bessany, Beffany, Bettany -- but she's getting close!
She got a new stuffed dog from a customer of Frank's, and when Bethany asked what she wanted to call it, she replied "Keffeno". (Sounds a bit like "Kevin O" with f for v.) A couple days later I realized that Keffeno also means "customer," as in "Daddy's going to the keffeno's house?"
When I ask what she wants for breakfast, she replies, "Mashy patoes and bwokii!" (Mashed potatoes and broccoli)
Sorry it took so long to post... since about the last post I've been sick -- nauseous and exhausted, with headaches (no, not pregnant), and it just took weeks to get over. I wasn't sure if it was some kind of flu (there is a long-lasting, exhausting one going around town, but not usually that long) or a bit of a relapse of that concussion I had last fall. I still lose words and spelling more often than I used to, and often mix up my words -- either by switching letters or by inserting the word I'm looking at instead of the one I want to say. For instance, two days ago I told Bethany's friend's mom that "Sarah wants to know if Sarah can come over to play." When Bethany laughed at me and Iveta sounded confused, I realized I'd said something wrong... Yesterday, I was asking the kids if they wanted to sing another song, but the page was open to a song called The Midnight Cry, so I said, "What do you want to cry next?" Last week, I made ramen noodles with a can of mushrooms in them, and Frank commented that the noodles were more slippery than usual. Later I realized that, as I thought "The nipples were sloodery because of the mushrooms." That one made me crack up!
With me being sick so much, Carrie Ann learned the word headache "hegake". The other day she said, "Me have a hegake, Mommy." I thought that was unusual, so I asked, "Where?" and she put her hand on her tummy and said, "Right here, on my tummy." First time I've heard of a headache in your tummy, but with my nauseous headaches, it kind of made sense.
Anyway, I have some pictures, but they are not really ready yet. I will try to get to that when I can! Next week we are going to Calgary for Matthias' yearly appointment, so please keep us in your prayers.

All Done

Well, it looks like I'm all done nursing Carrie Ann! She was down to one last nursing time, in the early morning, for the last couple weeks. Then, suddenly, yesterday morning she forgot to wake up and ask for "dissing". When she also forgot this morning, I decided that means she's finished (fishished, as she puts it). Wow! I started saying no to nursing last October when I got that concussion, because I needed to be able to sleep through the night. So we worked on it gradually for -wow- almost six months now. I also lost another five pounds, maybe because of less nursing (my body doesn't think it needs to store fat for that anymore), or drinking more water, or something... Today I had a bad migraine, it lasted about 24 hrs then suddenly dissipated. I wonder if I'm allergic to the walnut candy Frank made for lunch dessert yesterday.

February pictures

Hi! Sorry it's been so long. I've been spending my spare time trying to get a handle on why I'm so tired and down all the time. Well, the head-fog was likely a cold going around, since other family members have it now as well. Carrie Ann is only nursing twice a day now, and the days are getting longer (though the snow isn't as nice for sledding on anymore), so that is helping with the tiredness too. I'm trying to cut back on wheat a bit and see if that makes a difference. It is hard to be strict with wheat on all our shelves, though!

We have been enjoying some theme boxes from the library. This is from the Castle box.


Carrie Ann drew her first person this past week (on the right) -- head, eyes, body, and even arm lines. The line at the bottom is the hem of the Princess' dress. Wow!


We had a very frosty couple of days, and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures (though I'm no match for Brad and Caryn!).

More pictures are at my Gallery.

Prayer Works

I had a rough month last month -- first the concussion when my toe was being worked on, then the toe itself got infected. I was asking God why, what he wanted me to learn from all this (I don't think he caused it, but he must have allowed it for a reason). Well, after two weeks of nausea and dizziness, the concussion finally got quickly better when Frank and Charlie promised to pray for it. The infected toe continued to respond to nothing very well for another week -- until Jacqui and Candace prayed for it, then it quickly healed as well. A week later, to my frustration, I came down with a very bad, sick-in-bed kind of cold. I just couldn't shake it -- usually one day in bed will do it, but this time, I needed a second day, and still felt bad. Then on the third day, Carrie Ann got tired of napping with me all the time and said, "Mommy, wake up!" I explained that I couldn't "wake up" until I was feeling better. So she knelt on the bed, folded her hands and closed her eyes and said, "Jesus up away, mumble, mumble, Mommy all better, mumble, mumble, Amen!" (She knew it needed more words but wasn't sure what they were, so she just put in some random noises.) I thanked her, and said Jesus is very happy when his children pray to him! And after that, I no longer needed to stay in bed all the time!!! So what have I learned from all this? God didn't answer my prayers for myself -- he waited until I asked for help, and let my friends pray for me. I learned that we need to pray for each other, and let others pray for us. Not a new lesson, just one that needed to be reinforced, I guess. So if there's anything I can pray for you about, let me know!

9 hours!

Carrie Ann slept nine hours last night! Wow, wow, Wow! That's the longest she's slept yet, all the way from 9:30 pm to 6:30 am. I told her no more nursing until the sun came up, but I had 6 am in my mind. Then, when she woke at 6:30 and I nursed her, she paused to ask, "Mommy, why sun not up?" I told her it would be up soon, and it was getting light by the time she finished ("fish-ished, Mommy"). Now if only I could have slept. I woke up at 2 am and 4 am, according to our normal nursing schedule -- and at 2 had a hard time getting back to sleep! I resisted the urge to wake her up, though, because if I can train her to sleep through, surely I will get back in the habit too! Days are hard when you spend so much of the night wishing you could sleep. Oh, well, this too will pass.

Other favourite phrases: "Mommy, where you is?" "What Tysis/Betadane doing?" "Off we go" (Off-a-doe!)-- used anytime we are going anywhere, as in, "Mommy, in car, Daddy, off we go?" for "Mommy, can I go with Daddy when he leaves in the car?" "Tank-oo" has joined "pees", and she has a version of "you're welcome" which she throws in right after she says thank you sometimes. When she needs help, "Mommy, I needing howp!" or sometimes, "Umbey it!" (Open it.) And of course, "Why?" -- sometimes a dozen times in a row. I thought you didn't get that until 3!

In other news, my toe seems to be not infected anymore, though it still bleeds/hurts a little. My head is mostly better, I am only dizzy when I exercise or otherwise overdo it.

After this long break, I've been re-thinking school work, and we may not go back to all the book work we were doing -- it makes it easier to have something to hand in, but I'm not convinced it was helpful in actually teaching the kids. When they are free to explore, they learn new things and grow all the time. With all the book work, either it was covering old ground, or they weren't ready for it yet! Frustrating. Needs a bit more thought.

Concussion

Well, I saw the other doctor again on Friday, and he said, no, it is a concussion, not just an infection. I felt nauseous and dizzy again after Tuesday, and he suggested quitting the Advil (ibuprofen), which helped with the nausea. So I am slowly getting better, toe and head both, and getting used to spending lots of time in bed (I can't even read because it is hard to concentrate for long). God must have a reason for allowing this to happen, but I sure don't know what it is yet!

Progress

Well, I went in to the hospital yesterday because my toe suddenly looked quite infected. The doctor there was convinced that the nausea, dizziness and shaking were entirely due to the infection (which must have started days earlier and been hidden until then). So I am feeling better now, on antibiotics and ibuprofen. It is looking good!

Carrie Ann was wiping me out (in the midst of this all), by nursing every hour and a half for a couple nights. So I finally told her she only gets two sides (not left-right-left), and has to wait at least two hours until she nurses again. Well, the result of this is that she doesn't quite fall asleep nursing -- and that means when she wakes up at night, she doesn't think she should still be nursing -- so she goes back to sleep instead of crying to nurse! In the last three nights, she slept 6 hours, 6 hours and then 8 hours! (She's never slept 8 hours before!) I hope she keeps this up! And I hope soon I will be feeling better enough to sleep 8 hours too -- so far, because of resting during the day, I've been waking up at 2 or 3 and not able to fall asleep again for a couple of hours. So I haven't entirely benefited yet from Carrie's extra hours, but I'm sure I will if she makes it a habit!

Number Two, Number One!

Yay! Today Carrie Ann told me "Mommy, poopine", which usually means she has just peed, pooped, or farted. I asked if she wanted to go on the potty, and she said yes, and after a bit of work produced some "number two", for the first time! (You won't understand how excited I am until after you've changed a couple hundred poopy diapers!) This is also the first time she's used her potty since the first day -- when she peed in it twice. So I am excited and hope this is a trend she continues! (It's a trend of three now, Rob, right?)

In other news, my toe is feeling a bit better (dull roar rather than on fire) as of Saturday. However, that made me realized that the nausea and shivering was entirely related to the head injury, not the toe operation! So Frank and I figure I probably have a mild concussion, but there's no point in going to the hospital on a holiday weekend (wait for hours, then go on an 1.5 hr ride to the next hospital, ouch!). I will stay mostly in bed, walk around with my head "wrapped in cotton balls" (so to speak) when necessary, and see the doctor when he's back in the office -- provided nothing more serious appears. As long as I move my head and eyes slowly, and avoid sudden or sustained loud noises and tugging or pulling on my hair (poor Carrie Ann), I feel almost fine. Otherwise, dizzy, woozy, nauseous, with a little pain and fatigue. Then I go back to bed! Please keep praying for me. I am also asking God why this happened. Is there something he wants to tell me by it?

Ups and Downs

Good news first! Yesterday we went swimming for physiotherapy, and all the kids did a super great job! Carrie Ann, with a pool noodle under her arms, was able to move through the water independently, at least a foot at a time (I remained within arm's reach at all times, of course)! Bethany swam across the width of the shallow end, coming up twice for air and swimming part of the way heads up, without touching the bottom at all! And Matthias finally overcame his fear of letting go, and pushed off from the wall about one foot, then swam under water back to Candace (about one foot). It seems like a little distance, but it is such a huge step for him to try moving through the water without holding on to anything or anyone! Wow, it is so amazing to watch these three precious children grow and develop!

Now the bad news... I had a badly ingrown toenail, and I went in to the hospital this morning to have the sides of it cut off and cauterized. Well, I fainted while he was anaesthetizing my toe, and managed to sit up and then fall off the bed before he could catch me! It was quite a shock for the doctor! I woke up with two faces bending over me, and said, "Where am I?" (Just like in the movies!) So I was on oxygen and a pulse monitor for a while, then went for head and neck x-rays. Good news is, nothing was seriously damaged. However, I had a long day in bed today with a sore neck, head, and foot. Please pray for my complete recovery!

I've been quite concerned with the news of the partial collapse in the USA lately -- I think it will get worse, friends, and if you are living in the city, I recommend that you move out as soon as possible (especially if you live in the States!). Prepare for a reduction in standard of living -- stock up on rice and beans (and learn to cook them). Make sure your heart is right with God and man. Don't store up your treasure on earth -- we may have more time in Canada, but I don't think our economy can survive when the US goes plunging. Keep the Sabbath holy, and don't support any religious legislation (church and state should stay separate!). You are all welcome to join us in Creston area if things get worse in your area! At least we have fresh water and agricultural land here. Ask God what you can do -- and as soon as he answers us, I will let you know where we are headed!