Thoughts on the end of summer

I've kinda been avoiding "back to school" stuff. It's sad that summer break is almost over. I have had my days and moments with these three wild things, but this summer has been so good and I really just want it to last forever.

In a sense, it's been (minus the lovely heat) similar to our time in Uganda. Our family. All day, every day together. And I loved that. And this past year with the boys in school has been good, but I've missed that togetherness. So this summer has been lovely. 

And I will miss it. 

freezing & three & stuff

my youngest turned three yesterday! THREE! how did time fly by so quickly that my baby {but not for much longer!} turned three? amazing.

jude lines up all his monster trucks to watch a monster truck video on my computer.

we had a monster truck party for him on sunday. i didn't take a single picture. jamie captured a few on his iPad and his family got some as well, i'm sure. it's been pretty busy here, to say the least. did i mention that jamie's family is here? it's been great to have family here to "do life with" around these here parts.

this morning my nose and my toes are cold. i sat at the table putting peanut butter on toast for the boys and had a memory of autumn. my most favourite time of the year. it feels like autumn this morning. maybe it's just me being used to warmer weather, or maybe it's just actually that cool, but i love it. i just need to put on socks and a sweater now.

on monday we went to the zoo. it was a perfect day. not too hot but still sunny and beautiful. the chimps were making quite a fuss and were hilarious to watch. i tried to sit down as much as possible. the swelling in my feet has begun. it's still quite minor, but by the end of the day i can feel it and i don't want hobbit feet again.

yesterday i had my last midwife appointment before she heads to the UK for 2 months. i made my first appointment with the doctor who will hopefully be catching this baby. baby B is head down {hoorah!}, has a strong and very good heart beat {no ectopic heart beats like we've heard in the past} and is still moving like a fiend. the kid can move, let me tell you!

i flipped the page on the calendar this morning. we're in august, folks. that's nuts. on my calendar are the departure date for jamie's family {sadly, it's this saturday night}, one of my brothers' birthday, my sister's birthday, my first doctor's appointment and our one year anniversary of living in uganda.
my last month of pregnancy.

here we go....

books we're into

since we have summer weather year 'round {why yes i am boasting about that although i have zero to do with the weather here} we aren't feeling the need to make the most of every single summery second. which is actually kinda nice.
so we really like books around here. i often say to people when they ask what i miss from home, sidewalks, parks and libraries. yup. we love books.
luckily in kampala there are a couple book stores that have a great selection of kids books so i pick up a new one every now and then. plus i've also found some second hand places that sell some fantastic older books.
if you have kids, you know that they'll go through their favourites which of course have to be repeated seventy million times every day. and usually multiple times at bedtime. of course.

so here's what we're into at the moment:

Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham
i'm not sure who first pulled this one out, but every time we read books, this one is a must these days. this morning noah "read" the whole thing to jude which made my heart go all squishy from all the cuteness.

Dr. Seuss' Fox in Sox
of course this book is a favourite. and impossible to read through without making a single mistake although that's my goal every time i read it. {hm, maybe i do have a bit of "type A" in me...}. the boys have picked up on one line "goo. goo. gluey gluey." and make sure they say it every time we use glue in crafts.

The Snail and the Whale
this is such a sweet book about a snail who wants to see the world and a whale who lets him hitch a ride. the illustrations are lovely and it has such a delightful rhyme to the story.

Mater and the Ghostlight
i picked up this book back in canada for a roadtrip we were going on with the boys. it's still a favourite and the boys like to say a lot of the lines in all the right voices from the pixar short film. super cute.

Jesus must be really special
this was a book that was sent over from our church in toronto when they celebrated their 50 year anniversary. it's about a really sweet family who loves Jesus and i never fail to feel like a lousy parent when i read it. {jokes. sorta.} but the boys like it. so that's enough for me.

Pete the Cat
jamie's family sent this book over for noah's birthday and the boys still love it. even jude will "read" it to himself. there are tons of activities you can do with your kids that are related to this book. {just look on pinterest!} and while i was looking up this book on amazon i saw that there are other pete the cat books which looked super cute!

Moomin's Lift-the-Flap Hide & Seek book
i grew up reading stories about the moomins who live in moominvalley and loved the books. when i happened upon this book at a store here in kampala, i knew i had to introduce my boys to the moomins. the fact that it's a lift-the-flap book makes it fun for the boys. there's even a character called the Fillyjonk who has three children and the boys say that maybe they should call me Fillyjonk since i'll have three kids when this baby is born. kids are so funny. {luckily the name hasn't stuck.}

Tootle
this book is one that jamie and i both dread when the boys pull it out. it's got so many words and at bedtime, let's be honest. sometimes you just want a quick "Hop on Pop" book to read before having some downtime. but regardless, the boys love this book about a little train who wants to be a "flyer" between chicago and new york, but can't manage to stay on the tracks.





and my kind friend kelly has lent me Mr. Poppin's Penguins to read with noah but we haven't started it yet. perhaps today we'll start. noah loves reading and we've already read our way through several chapter books together.

there are many others but those are just a few of our favourites at the moment.
what are your favourites?

3 things about being a canadian in uganda

1. canadians are known for frequently apologizing. living in uganda has doubled {at least} the amount i say "sorry". now all i can think of is george costanza saying, "you can stuff your sorries in a sack, mister!". *

2. i love our four seasons in canada. {or two. if you call them "winter and construction.} seriously! i do! but living in the land of eternal summer has it's perks. like if it's rains on a weekend, it doesn't matter. it's not like it's taking away one precious day of vacation. it's just another day. and chances are, it'll clear up in about 20 minutes and be shining away like the most perfect beach day ever.

3. meeting other great canadians {and americans!} here has been such a blessing to me and my family. when you're living in a foreign country and you meet others who understand what you're coming from and what your current reality is, it's truly a wonderful thing. 

yesterday we celebrated canada day with my lovely friend aletha and her family as well as my amazing friend beth who traveled to uganda simply to hang out with us {!} and a new friend {whom beth met on the plane} from poland, marta. we ate, we laughed, we did sparklers. it was fabulous.

happy canada day to those in canada and around the world who celebrated and an early happy fourth of july to all the amazing americans i know!

linking up with the lovely Elaine for Miss Elaine-ous Mondays!


* the reason that i say sorry more here is that ugandans often say "sorry" to show empathy, not necessarily when they've done something wrong. for instance, if noah bumps his head and comes crying to me i'll almost always say, "sorry." i don't even know how to stop saying it. "sorry rehab", maybe?

he swims!

once he figured out the water wings and realized he had independence...

pure joy.

and for me to watch my child learn a new skill, become confident and excited about his new ability...

also pure joy.

like nothing I have ever experienced until I had kids. 

being a parent is really, really cool. 

big challenges.

massive blessings.

linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesdays

relax

because everyone ought to sit on a front porch in pajamas with an umbrella as the sun sets.

excuse me while i go drown in packing.

sunny days...

so remember this and this?

we're house sitting just steps away from that beach.

until next Friday.

call me if you want to come visit. 

we won't have internet {or time to check. we'll be at the beach!}.

photo shoot

oh heat wave. you are hot. and wavey.

anyway, so apparently we picked the hottest day for a photo shoot. outside. with the humidity it was 46 degrees celcius (117 degrees farenheit!). 

yikes.

oh. and i forgot jude's shorts at home. and all my bribery snacks. 

sigh.

but we still went out (jude in pajama shorts) and braved the weather.

dang.

it was hot.

and my sister did such a great job - especially with two moderately grumpy kids and all of us being generally hot and sweaty.

we will likely try again before jude's birthday party, but for now, enjoy this little beauty:

"blue steel" (too bad jude didn't participate - he's got a killer blue steel look)
(also, i really want this to be the picture for our prayer card. but it probably won't be. because while my jawline looks incredible, there are far cuter ones of the kids and jamie.)

my random life

just now i walked into my room to find noah in his "quiet time" sprawled on my bed with books covering his entire body - even his head.

he peeks out from under the books and says,

mom, i'm not done yet.

i tell him i know and asks him if he wants some music. he says yes. and then he says,

and then go back out, mom.

well alrighty then.

i ask him what he's doing and he says,

being quiet.

um, okay. sounds good to me. strange child.

also this happened today:

and i wish i had my camera with me last night at 10pm at the beaches jazz festival. noah was shaking his booty and grooving to all the big band jazz. it was awesome.

the kid has some sweet moves!

share the love

farmer's tans.

no, scratch that. i don't love farmer's tans. 

but both my boys have 'em.

because they're almost always in a t-shirt. 

hence, my love for sleeveless shirts.

and specifically for younger kids - rompers.

oh my heart. 

on a day like today (yeah, it feels like 46 degrees with the humidity) noah is in a sleeveless top and jude is in a sleeveless romper and i.love.it.

i think 2 yrs might be the longest i can push the romper on jude, but dang! so cute!

Old Navy

Carter's

Carter's

love.

what are some summery things you love?

summer

if this doesn't say summer to you, i'm not sure what will.

we've been having so much fun spending time with friends and family that i've barely picked up my camera and i've talked so much that i feel as though i have nothing to blog about!

{which is totally not true, but ... i'm processing verbally which is so much faster and satisfying.}

we got some bins that we're going to use in lieu of suitcases.

i bought a bunch of stuff from ikea today.

i'm making lists like a crazy woman {i actually enjoy making lists. besides, it helps me feel sane.}

the packing is beginning.

this is good.

and

i finally completed my "family yearbook" for 2010 and ordered it today {from blurb in case you were wondering. they are amazing. i've purchased at least 5 books from them and have NO regrets as well as being completely impressed at the quality and speed of delivery. true story.} and i'm really excited to get it. i think it will be really fun to have and look at while in uganda.

right here. right now.

a week and a half ago i was running when i tripped and fell.
big time.
it was more incredible than embarrassing if you can believe it.
i was shocked at how far i flew and the velocity with which i flew.
i could not have stopped myself if i tried.
because of this major wipeout (Major Wipeout! - HIMYM fans?) i've had these ridiculous scabs on my knees and my left elbow/arm. i forgot how bad a "picker" i am. it's probably borderline obsessive. is it easy for anyone not to pick a crusty scab?

just me?

okay. moving along.

today i took the boys for a bike ride in their new bike trailer that my parents bought for their collective birthdays to enjoy for this summer while we're here. it was a pretty long bike ride for someone who hasn't really done a long bike ride in quite some time. just over 10.5km. (my butt really hurts.)

i'm glad exercise is part of my life.
i want and need to exercise.
not just because i feel like i'll get fat but because i actually enjoy working my body and i feel better physically and emotionally after i exercise.

i like the length of my hair right now. sometimes when i let it air dry it looks awesome. sometimes it doesn't. (right now it looks awesome.)

on the craft docket for this week with the boys is this and this. i'm excited for both.

sometimes i feel like cramming my social calendar chock full.
sometimes i feel like hibernating.
right now? i feel like i might actually be somewhere in the middle. which is a good thing.

when the seasons change is when i find it hardest to fight materialism in my heart.

i think i'm falling deeper in love with Jesus. for me and Jesus it's always been gradual. no shocking testimony here. (aside from the fact that He chose me.)

i'm also falling deeper in love with jamie (we celebrated 7 years of marriage on saturday) and i'm so thankful to have married a man who loves Jesus more than he loves me. i'm also really thankful for God's grace and mercy to me and jamie.
we were so young and immature and selfish (okay, so i'm pretty much speaking mainly for me) and yet He has used us and changed us and held us together so that i can honestly say that i do love jamie more today than i did 7 years ago.

i am continuing to surrender my hopes and desires for what my family is "supposed" to look like and am holding my plans loosely in my upward-facing palms. i have lots of hopes and dreams and desires, but i'm learning to want what Jesus wants most of all. it's usually in this state that my dreams and hopes end up aligning with God's plans and desires for me. so good!

this is the part of the blog post where most people go back and edit and delete.
but i have many people in my life that i love dearly and haven't been able to share with as much lately and so here i am. unfiltered. unedited. this is me and my heart and my life as of recent.

beach day

we went to the beach today.

breathe in.

breathe out.

so relaxed.

it was hazy. but lovely. 

our day

i picked up my camera today.

it was the perfect day.

seriously.

a cool breeze. the sun out. {psst! i ran again!} a lovely play date. 

so noah melted down multiple times today {not really sure what the deal was with him...} and jude wouldn't listen when i called him back to the house. 

we played! outside! with water!

watering the bird bath so the birds would have "good" water.

sunshine makes me happy too, kiddo.

a vigorous {and happy} clean up - chucking cars back into their bin.

and so ends a good tuesday.

tomorrow we've got a full day of visiting with friends in guelph and i'm kinda {really} looking forward to it.

'night!

first

nothing like the first bbq of the season to welcome the warm weather.

today i took the boys on the bus, subway and street car and went to a lovely colombian cafe downtown with my sweet friend shelly.

noah grumbled through the entire meal because it wasn't the mcdonald's we had just passed but both boys gladly scarfed down the empanadas i ordered for them.

me?

i had a black bean and mozzarella arepa and it.was.delish.

if you're in the queen st. w area in toronto, check out arepa for some delish food at a good price.

also, shelly introduced me to the store fresh collective which is a bunch of local artisans who each work one day a week at the store and sell their gorgeous jewelery, clothes, etc. 

i'm in love.

(and i'm going back without kids.)

it was a lovely day. 

how was your thursday?

there and back

I love road trips.

I always have.

Before we had kids, Jamie and I drove across Canada, down through the states to Florida and also to visit friends in South Carolina. We've driven to Chicago with Noah and we've done shorter trips with both boys. 

We really wanted to visit our friends in South Carolina and spend some time with them as whenever they come up to Canada, their time is mainly spoken for by their family (as it should be).

So we left last Monday. In the past, we've just taken a day or so to travel, but this time we decided to try driving through the night.
We left at 8pm and this was Jude

And this was Noah

Oh my boys. So so so different from each other.

Anyway, I didn't pack the little DVD player this time (partially by accident) and no one missed it or asked for it. Love it. (We don't use it much anyway.)

The boys did great on the drive down and were cute and funny whenever we'd stop for gas - all of a sudden they'd wake up and squint from the ridiculously bright lights and point out trucks or whatever they happened to see.

We got to Florence, South Carolina at 11:30am and unpacked and settled in.

It was a great 5 days with our dear friends, having many conversations and laughs in the evenings after the kids were in bed and breaking up fights watching the kids play during the day. (In all seriousness, Noah and Leah played great together, it was my wild child, Jude who kept terrorizing poor baby Steven. *insert Mommy lesson of choosing to teach and instruct your child, rather than be embarrassed and ashamed of them* *also insert a heaping helping of humble pie - it's hard to be the Mother of a "hitter"*)

We also went to the beach and while it started off with a brutal nauseous migraine for me, the wonder-drug ibuprofin kicked in about halfway through our day and I was able to enjoy our time there. 

It's always so refreshing to spend time with good friends and for a short time to be able to "do life" together. {Now if only we could get them to move to Uganda with us!}

Our trip home started a little earlier with us leaving at around 5:30pm and getting back to Toronto at 8:30pm yesterday morning but I think we all had a much more rough time. I couldn't sleep until 2am or so just being kinda stiff and uncomfortable and the boys slept for most of it, but Noah was awake from around midnight 'til 2am (that and he didn't fall asleep until 9:30pm made for a tired boy tonight at 6pm when he was about ready to fall asleep in his dinner!). Also, at 3am Noah woke up and asked for sunglasses because the street lights and car lights in oncoming traffic were hurting his eyes. So there he sat, with my big purple sunglasses on and his fuzzy green neck pillow. This kid cracks me up.

All in all, it was wonderful. We got a taste of summer weather, time to spend with lovely friends and a fun family vacation. 

Perfection as far as I'm concerned.

share the love

It's been a little while since I shared the love so here we go.

If you are looking for a good flip flop I will always recommend Sanuk. I bought my very first pair of Sanuks in 2006 (I'm still wearing them!) and instantly fell in love. They are comfortable and I could walk for a really long time in them. They run around $30-45 but are so worth it (as I am clearly in my 5th year! that's a long time for a flop!). I figured, though, that wearing flops year round might be too much for my 5 year old Sanuks so I bought a new pair to bring along and spice things up. Oh my gosh, you guys, these are the yoga mat line and that means that the sole of the flop is made from yoga mat material. So.Stinkin.Comfy.

I think if I were sticking around in Canada I might have gone for a different style but these seemed to be the most versatile and I'm glad I had Jen there to give input and help me choose ones that are different enough from the ones I already have.

I bought mine at North by Northwest but you can purchase them directly from Sanuk. You should check out the site anyway. It's well-designed and there's a roll-over link that tells you how to pronounce Sanuk. I like.

I had been looking for a wind-up flashlight for each of the boys to take to Uganda when we go and I found some adorable ones at a cute toy store in Fergus called Jester's. I loved how they seemed able to sustain rough play as well as be stinkin' adorable. We have the Panda bear one and the Duck one. 

The pump just pops out of the side you and just squeeze it to recharge the battery. I'd recommend these flashlights for kids even if you're not going to Africa. If your kids are anything like mine, they play with flashlights and then lose interest and leave them on. This way you don't go through 5 million batteries. You just pump it up (say it like Arnold - go ahead) and you've got light!

This particular brand is called Ecotronics and they were $11 a pop. A bit pricey, but we'll never have to spend money on buying batteries so I think it's a fair trade off.

And of course, the token "yum" piece - Mini Eggs. Dang. I can't get enough of them. I bought one of the BIG bags a couple weeks ago to save for Easter with the boys but wouldn't you know it, I opened it one day and it is slowly dwindling. Oh well. Seriously, who doesn't love Cadbury Mini Eggs? 

As for music, I have been randomly singing out lines from the Mumford & Sons song Blank White Page. It's because the song just circles around and around and around my head. You know a song is good when you don't mind it "stuck in your head". The entire album is solid and while it's not new, it's good. So I'm sharing the love, okay?

Can you kneel before this king and say, "I'm clean, I'm clean" ?
But tell me now where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?


As I ponder Good Friday (tomorrow), I'm incredibly grateful that I can kneel before THE King and say that I am clean. All because of Jesus. Taking my sin. Paying the penalty that I should have paid.

Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life.
Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life.


He is the truth. And so I follow Him.

Tired but satisfied.

It was a really good day.

The kind of day that when you sit down on your couch you feel tired, but satisfied.

My kitchen and living room are clean.

The laundry is done (but not put away. Sigh. Always the hardest part.).

We played outside. We went to the park. We went to the Y (I had a good run!). I bought some supplies for my first DIY project(s) from a thrift store. (I also went to a seamstress to get a dress altered only to find out I didn't need it altered. It fit me the way the dress was designed to. Which meant I didn't have to pay $100+ in alterations! Woo! And I filled out some paperwork which these days is a huge feat in and of itself for me.) We watched Jamie's soccer games.

I am tired.

But I am definitely satisfied.

I need to spend less time on my computer and more time in the real world.

Can I get an amen?

Saturday

Humidity 0%.

Sunny.

Water at the perfect temperature.

Bathing suits.

Family.

Despite the 6 hours of driving for a 5 hour visit it was nice.

It was summery.

weekend

We went to a cottage last weekend with my parents and sister.

It was really nice.

You really can't go wrong with cottage living. We ate piles of food. We talked and laughed. We played games and watched old tv shows.

The view was beautiful and my sister and I even went for a long run along the dirt roads.

Then we jumped into the (really cold) lake to cool off.

I finished reading this book (I really enjoyed it) and started reading this one.

I had an amazing nap and a small sleep in.

Noah was obsessed with the boathouse and loved exploring.

He even got to hold his first sparkler.

The weather was decent; not really hot and sunny, but we did have some sunny patches and the rain was an excuse to build a fire in the wood-burning stove and eat yummy soup.

It was a perfect weekend and if I could, I'd spend every weekend at a cottage.

You Capture: Fun