Sunday, April 27, 2008
Home Signs
I'd always kinda wondered how home signs were created. These are signs that aren't ASL signs, they are signs only used in that home..special signs that only that family knows the meaning of. Well, today Little E created one! We were at a friend's house and I'd just finished giving Big E a shoulder massage. I'm sitting on the couch when Little E climbes up and looks at me...puts his fingertips on each of his shoulders and makes a movement...kinda like a chicken flapping their wings. It looked similar to the sign for angel and I'm asking my friend and Big E what on earth he was asking for. He did the sign several times when I'd ask what he wanted. FINALLY (I'm a little slow on the uptake) I realise....HE wants a shoulder massage!! :) So, now he has a shoulder massage sign...too cute. Needless to say he got his massage. Slightly off topic...but really, 2 year old shoulder muscles are pretty little...doesn't take much to massage 'em!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Today's Exchange...
Big E: Hey, what are you doing little boy? Are you learning to use the potty?
Little E: Ya.
Big E: Good. Is it working?
Little E: No.
At least he's honest!!
Little E: Ya.
Big E: Good. Is it working?
Little E: No.
At least he's honest!!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
update
Just a quick update. Our house buyers have discovered that condo fees have risen and that they are going to be saddled with a $600 owners assessment by the condo corporation. They used this information to leverage that extra month out of us. We caved...what else could we do? So, now I don't get to gleefully pay off debts until the end of June!
Little E thinks that Little B's ears are really handles with which you move his head around. Poor fella, Big E will never be able to play with his ears!
Little B continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I fully expect Little B and Little E to be in the same size clothing this time next year!
Big E is working hard. We are scratching and saving so we can vacation this summer as a family. We look forward to seeing you all!
Little E thinks that Little B's ears are really handles with which you move his head around. Poor fella, Big E will never be able to play with his ears!
Little B continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I fully expect Little B and Little E to be in the same size clothing this time next year!
Big E is working hard. We are scratching and saving so we can vacation this summer as a family. We look forward to seeing you all!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Helpful children
Little E has figured out zippers. I didn't think it would take him long, but now he cannot be trusted with zip up sleepers! Here are the pictures of why...
He has also decided that Little B's swing is fun for him too! Luckily he isn't heavy enough to exceed the recommended weight allowance!
I think children should be helpful. They should slowly learn to do all the things that their parents start out doing for them...things like blowing their nose using a kleenex. However a line is crossed once they start doing these things for YOU! The other day little E decided to use a wipe as a kleenex for his decrepit old mom. I wasn't too sure what he was doing until he'd stuffed the twisted wipe up one of my nostrils! Then the other and then he decided to help me blow...and he was none too gentle about it! The 2nd time he tried doing that he was doing a speed wipe and his aim was slightly off...one of his thumbs jabbed itself up one nostril and then he wiped...giving me a nice scratch on the inside of my nose. Thank you little E for learning to blow not only your own nose, but mine as well!
This coming Saturday I am headed to Edmonton. There is a regional youth conference at the Bonnie Doon stake centre. The featured speakers are Russel M. Nelson, his wife and Sheri L. Dew. Quite a package! I am trying to get a few youth living close to me to go...including one young woman who is Laurel age who seems to be on the verge of not being active. I called her and enticed her with little B...who I am bringing with me and really who can resist him? Well, she might be able to...but I'm not sure yet as she hasn't gotten back to me. Here are a couple of irresistible pictures!!
Last Saturday it was so warm our family went for a walk to the park and visited friends. It was lovely and I arrived home with a sunburn! I'd forgotten about sunscreen...nasty stuff. I like lotions...but sunscreen doesn't do much for me...leaves me feeling slimed, protected, but slimed. We had a wonderful time hanging out in the backyard while Eden took apart their swing set...which they have graciously given to us! We also took advantage of their trampoline.
And really...what childhood would be complete without the obligatory, "Here I am in the cupboard" picture? :)
Well people, what a month. The condo sold (and they wanted to push back the closing date for another month!!), our car broke down (the old white one), we have all had some kind of flu, and we've just been going crazy in general. But crazy in a good way. We have even bought a microwave!! YES...we've entered the 20th century (again). I'd forgotten how easy it made things when you could just zap things to thaw them. WAHOO! Each night we have a long list of things to be grateful for in our family prayer. SO many blessings...Thank you all!
He has also decided that Little B's swing is fun for him too! Luckily he isn't heavy enough to exceed the recommended weight allowance!
I think children should be helpful. They should slowly learn to do all the things that their parents start out doing for them...things like blowing their nose using a kleenex. However a line is crossed once they start doing these things for YOU! The other day little E decided to use a wipe as a kleenex for his decrepit old mom. I wasn't too sure what he was doing until he'd stuffed the twisted wipe up one of my nostrils! Then the other and then he decided to help me blow...and he was none too gentle about it! The 2nd time he tried doing that he was doing a speed wipe and his aim was slightly off...one of his thumbs jabbed itself up one nostril and then he wiped...giving me a nice scratch on the inside of my nose. Thank you little E for learning to blow not only your own nose, but mine as well!
This coming Saturday I am headed to Edmonton. There is a regional youth conference at the Bonnie Doon stake centre. The featured speakers are Russel M. Nelson, his wife and Sheri L. Dew. Quite a package! I am trying to get a few youth living close to me to go...including one young woman who is Laurel age who seems to be on the verge of not being active. I called her and enticed her with little B...who I am bringing with me and really who can resist him? Well, she might be able to...but I'm not sure yet as she hasn't gotten back to me. Here are a couple of irresistible pictures!!
Last Saturday it was so warm our family went for a walk to the park and visited friends. It was lovely and I arrived home with a sunburn! I'd forgotten about sunscreen...nasty stuff. I like lotions...but sunscreen doesn't do much for me...leaves me feeling slimed, protected, but slimed. We had a wonderful time hanging out in the backyard while Eden took apart their swing set...which they have graciously given to us! We also took advantage of their trampoline.
And really...what childhood would be complete without the obligatory, "Here I am in the cupboard" picture? :)
Well people, what a month. The condo sold (and they wanted to push back the closing date for another month!!), our car broke down (the old white one), we have all had some kind of flu, and we've just been going crazy in general. But crazy in a good way. We have even bought a microwave!! YES...we've entered the 20th century (again). I'd forgotten how easy it made things when you could just zap things to thaw them. WAHOO! Each night we have a long list of things to be grateful for in our family prayer. SO many blessings...Thank you all!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Regular life and amazing miracles
Life in the Zea household continues to roll on. Our condo renovations (new flooring, new paint on walls and cupboards, new sinks, new faucets, major cleaning) were completed April 1st. Now it is on the market and we are keeping our fingers crossed for a timely sale.
Our waterbed here has been on the floor as we forgot the base when we moved. Mom mailed it to us and it arrived yesterday. So, we've been emptying the waterbed because we want to move its position. The hose is still out today....and I turned around this afternoon to find little E buck naked and trying to attach the hose to his own little 'hose'! I don't know if he was trying to fill up or empty!! He is in the throws of the terrible two's and often finding life just too much...fortunately he continues to improve his behavior with little B as he learns what constitutes 'gentle' and what doesn't.
Big E is looking forward to the condo sale because it means he can quit work! The job isn't bad, the hours are crazy. 4:30am-9:30am and then off to a full day of school. It is a tiring schedule and he is looking forward to being able to just do school and home....and wednesday night basketball with the Elders Quorum, and training for a team triathlon here in Lacombe this fall.
These are some pictures I took today. It was WARM here, +8 or so. And the trailer heats up pretty good, so the boys cooled off together. :) I have to add this...when I told big E that I'd taken pictures of the boys in nothing but their diapers he asked, "Why did you do that?" Now, not that I consider that a crazy question it's simply part of a pattern. Why is it whenever I try something I consider somewhat creative, those around me (usually this happens when those around me aren't related to me, but it happens sometimes with them too) question my ideas? In fact, I was at a women's meeting not long ago and we were doing a craft. Instead of painting my craft in any of the ways I saw being done around me I tried something a little different. The woman on my left leaned over and asked, "Did you mean to do that?" (I had a little inner chuckle because by this time I'm getting used to such comments.) When I assured her I was painting it that way on purpose, she had to ask, "Are you going to leave it like that?" (My inner chuckle was now a howl.) I told her that if I liked it I would definately leave it, however one of the wonderful things about paint is that if you don't like it you can paint over it!
NEWS FLASH!!! Today the For Sale sign went up on our London condo. And this evening we got an offer!! Talk about a miracle. This trial has been long and trying on us, and our respective parents as we struggled with unpaid rents, and then deplorable conditions left by tenants. To see an end in sight gives us cause for celebration. Trials are rarely fun, but 99.99% of the time, when they're done I'm able to look back and see a dizzying array of miracles and lessons learned. This time is no different. While the sale of the condo won't pay off every single debt we owe, it will take care of the majority of them. We look forward to our foray into student life with no assets, but no (well, not much) debt either!! Just the way beginning student financials should be!! :)
I've also received information from the University of Western Ontario on the final course of my Deaf Specialist additional qualification. In Ontario that would make me an official Teacher of the Deaf. I'm not entirely sure if these courses give me the same designation here in Alberta. IF they do....then heck I'm going to take it!! I spoke to one woman who hires out for private consulting as a Teacher of the Deaf and she charges $600/appointment! Now, she travels all over central Alberta like a crazy person and I definately wouldn't want her schedule, but I DO want her paycheck! It's nice to dream...I'll be phoning UWO and the Alberta Teacher's Association to see if this little dream might become reality.
Our waterbed here has been on the floor as we forgot the base when we moved. Mom mailed it to us and it arrived yesterday. So, we've been emptying the waterbed because we want to move its position. The hose is still out today....and I turned around this afternoon to find little E buck naked and trying to attach the hose to his own little 'hose'! I don't know if he was trying to fill up or empty!! He is in the throws of the terrible two's and often finding life just too much...fortunately he continues to improve his behavior with little B as he learns what constitutes 'gentle' and what doesn't.
Big E is looking forward to the condo sale because it means he can quit work! The job isn't bad, the hours are crazy. 4:30am-9:30am and then off to a full day of school. It is a tiring schedule and he is looking forward to being able to just do school and home....and wednesday night basketball with the Elders Quorum, and training for a team triathlon here in Lacombe this fall.
These are some pictures I took today. It was WARM here, +8 or so. And the trailer heats up pretty good, so the boys cooled off together. :) I have to add this...when I told big E that I'd taken pictures of the boys in nothing but their diapers he asked, "Why did you do that?" Now, not that I consider that a crazy question it's simply part of a pattern. Why is it whenever I try something I consider somewhat creative, those around me (usually this happens when those around me aren't related to me, but it happens sometimes with them too) question my ideas? In fact, I was at a women's meeting not long ago and we were doing a craft. Instead of painting my craft in any of the ways I saw being done around me I tried something a little different. The woman on my left leaned over and asked, "Did you mean to do that?" (I had a little inner chuckle because by this time I'm getting used to such comments.) When I assured her I was painting it that way on purpose, she had to ask, "Are you going to leave it like that?" (My inner chuckle was now a howl.) I told her that if I liked it I would definately leave it, however one of the wonderful things about paint is that if you don't like it you can paint over it!
NEWS FLASH!!! Today the For Sale sign went up on our London condo. And this evening we got an offer!! Talk about a miracle. This trial has been long and trying on us, and our respective parents as we struggled with unpaid rents, and then deplorable conditions left by tenants. To see an end in sight gives us cause for celebration. Trials are rarely fun, but 99.99% of the time, when they're done I'm able to look back and see a dizzying array of miracles and lessons learned. This time is no different. While the sale of the condo won't pay off every single debt we owe, it will take care of the majority of them. We look forward to our foray into student life with no assets, but no (well, not much) debt either!! Just the way beginning student financials should be!! :)
I've also received information from the University of Western Ontario on the final course of my Deaf Specialist additional qualification. In Ontario that would make me an official Teacher of the Deaf. I'm not entirely sure if these courses give me the same designation here in Alberta. IF they do....then heck I'm going to take it!! I spoke to one woman who hires out for private consulting as a Teacher of the Deaf and she charges $600/appointment! Now, she travels all over central Alberta like a crazy person and I definately wouldn't want her schedule, but I DO want her paycheck! It's nice to dream...I'll be phoning UWO and the Alberta Teacher's Association to see if this little dream might become reality.
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