Thursday, April 23, 2009

House Hunt

No... that sounds wrong. We're not really hunting, we're just keeping our eyes open! I looked at another house-to-be-moved tonight. It was a HUGE ole' farmhouse with lots of potential... but lots of work needed too. The downstairs was lovely and completely renovated.... but motivation must have been lacking on the way up the stairs! I totally understand, but I'm just not sure we should pick up the baton! So.... this one shall to pass.
Part of me feels discouraged, and part of me feels relieved. I think we're done with houses to be moved for now. It is just SOOO much work! Plus finding land is the real issue. So we will continue to look for a place outside of Morden. They are getting fewer and farther between though.
But...I'm thankful we have the house we have and I just need to focus on the positives! Yeah.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I'm back!

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged and I have to say... I've missed it. It's good to be back!

"When I'm happy my ears wiggle...

... and my foot taps up and down." That's the song that has been floating around our house, thanks to Gramma and Grampa Great who got a song singing Easter bunny for Alia! It's a catchy little jingle! Alia had her first Easter egg hunt and LOVED it!! She caught on pretty quick to the game! She would spot an egg, crawl crawl crawl as fast as she could to get it, and then we would clap and cheer wildly when she picked it up! But when all was said and done the poor girl had to cash in all her candy for cheerios! Oh the life of a one year old! Here's our little family on Easter morning!
We had a great time with my folks over their spring break! They arrived on Saturday and stayed for a little over a week. We didn't do as much as we would have liked... our town isn't exactly the tourist attraction of the world, ya know! And since my parents have been here a number of times, we've basically run out of cool things to show them! They said they didn't mind, and all they wanted was to be with us! Awwww!!! What a parent thing to say hey?!?! :) So we caught up on chatting, playing with Ali, getting into some Euchre tournys, and relaxing in general! It was nice for Alia to have some quality Gramma and Grampa time and for me to connect with my Mom and Dad! It's never enough time though. It seems like I'm always just getting back to "normal" with them, and then it's time to leave. I hate that! Distance is an annoying thing, but for now that's our life!
We also had an early birthday party for Ali while Gramma and Grampa were here! It was fun to watch her open gifts and turn her nose up at the cake! So yeah... I have much practice to do in the cake department before the main event! I'm going to try working with fondant and see if that produces better results! At least it tasted good and we all had a fun evening! Plus Alia walked away with a super cool set of wheels! A new riding giraffe... I, ummm, I mean she.... loves it!

Florida, the Bahamas, and beyond...

We had such a great trip! It was a busy week, but we managed to have our share of relaxation!

We got to Minneapolis with only one minor detour and even got to visit with some friends for dinner in Fargo. Our hotel was probably the nicest hotel we've ever been in and they treated us with so much hospitality. We will definitely stay there again when we're in the twin cities!

Alia did great on all the flights and got her share of attention from the other passengers and stewards! Oh my that girl has had attention for the past 2+ weeks!


Anyhow, we met up with the rest of the family and then let the buffets begin. Almost EVERY meal was a buffet! How we could eat so much and still function is beyond me!

We ended up going to a GREAT church service Sunday morning. We were greeted with smiles and open arms, even though we were obviously not part of the congregation! We all left challenged, encouraged, and very thankful to be part of their fellowship. We spent the rest of the day by the pool, going on a walk, and of course... eating!

On Monday we went to the beach and soaked up the sun for awhile before boarding the cruise ship. Alia absolutely loved the beach! She quite enjoyed the sand too! She ate her share of sandy cheerios, licked some sandy licorice, and simply tried eating it by the handful! She had sand ALL over! Every time we changed or bathed her for the next few days we found more sand.... crazy!

The cruise was our highlight of the week. We boarded early afternoon on Monday, sailed all night, and arrived in the Bahamas the next morning! We could have spent a few more days there I think... but it was nice to see more of the world! We only saw the touristy parts of the Bahamas - the beach and shops galore! Jon's one wish was to see the engines on the boat. Despite sneaking around both nights and getting VERY close, he and Arnie weren't able to get in. Apparently guests aren't allowed near them since 9-11. So... he was a bit disappointed but had a very good chat with the 2nd in command. That made up for it, I think!

We disembarked Wednesday morning and scooted off to Orlando where we spent the rest of the trip. After much deliberation, we decided not to do the whole amusement park thing. We decided we'll take in Disney when all the kids are a bit older and can appreciate it more. We went to Campus Crusade's International headquarters for some info on the Jesus film and went on an air boat ride. We met our "goal" of seeing some gators while in Florida and got a glimpse of the Everglades... ya know, I think I'm okay with not having those critters in my back yard!

We left early Friday morning and made the long trek back to snowy, white, cold Manitoba. I couldn't believe it! Some welcome hey?! We could hardly get in the driveway! Oh well... no complaining, at all. We had such a great time with family and it was a trip we'll never forget! (More pics are on Facebook if you want to see them!)