Happenings

The last three weeks have been a blur:
- camping with Kurt's folks at Struthers Lake
- both girls getting sick on the SAME night at the lake.
- the recovery process... which included both Kurt and I dealing with being sick, too.
- Kurt's cousin's wedding July16th.
- Our power going off late the evening of July 18th - and staying off until July 20th around 8 pm! (seriously!)
- several days in the city leading up to my little brother's wedding and Peyton's first flower-girl experience! :)
- at the end of the day, she was thrilled to sing "You are my Sunshine" in front of 200 people to her very newest Auntie... Ashley Podhordeski! Congratulations and well wishes to the happy couple as they are honeymooning in the Dominican as I type. :)
Anyway - as the week starts we're in recovery mode.
We've also got a few other things on our plate are taking time and attention. But that's life, right? :)

More updates soon! :)

May Update

So I became terribly convicted that I've not posted for almost an entire month - and a picture of the kiddos - no matter how adorable - doesn't really count.

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Kurt and I are finally (and do I mean finally) getting a honeymoon. It came about something like this:

I got a Travelzoo 'top 20' which I perused halfheartedly.
I noticed a massive discount at the Niagara Falls Hilton.
I casually clicked it.
I got excited. And then talked myself out of it. And then I kinda got excited again in a "Hmmm... what if...?" kind of way.

I checked airline prices. I cried. (no not really. that's just for dramatic effect)

I called RBC to find out how many air miles we had fully prepared to find out we were about 25,000 short.
Omigosh. We had exactly enough (like, with 34 to spare)

I called my mom in Arizona with a "what would you do??" request for advice.
She offered on the spot to take the kids.

Our friend Riannon said she could do chores.

Oh man. It's even exciting to re-type!!! :)

I put the whole deal together in a little love-note package that promised to submit to whatever Kurt decided and gave it to him one evening. Lets face it - we're not exactly rolling in the dough these days with me being on mat-leave and he... farming. So I wanted to be really sure my heart wasn't going to be angry and bitter if he said we couldn't swing it. He does the books, after all.

My only request was that he take a few minutes and think and pray - and if I knew he was going to do that, I could handle anything.

He totally went for it! :)

So, June 13th, at 0605 we're flying to the big TO, renting a car and driving to Niagara Falls - staying in luxury room at the Fallsview Hilton for two nights, eating steak, touring vineyards, and yes - even riding the Maid of the Mist (how could we not???) - and landing back in Saskatoon on the 15th at 8:15 pm. The perfect little getaway. Far enough we need to fly there, close enough we don't need to get shots before leaving.

The most amazing concept is thinking about flying there. Holding hands. Drinking hot coffee. No Treehouse TV on the screens in front of us. No one getting pooped on. I swear: that's half the holiday for me. (lol!)

I hope no one misunderstands this excitement. I love being Peyton and Tenley's mommy. We're so blessed to have them - and even this small and needy phase is a gift. It's our life right now, and I'm not complaining. But it is hectic. And it is darn-near impossible to get a date in more often than once every couple of months.

The fact of the matter is that nothing is better for kids than to have two parents crazy-in-love with each other. And I kinda have the feeling this getaway will be good for them to that effect. ;)

So to wrap this up, I'll try to be calm and subtle.

WOOOO-HOOOO!

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In other news (hard to top that one, right?) we've got our garden patch rota-tilled and planned. One of these evenings we'll get it done.
Also got my pots done. Of course - those pots were on SUPER-sale at Costco and I didn't "do" anything other than hand over my Amex card. But they're on my deck. Lookin' good.

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I put this on facebook: but when we visited Autumn's grave a few weeks ago, we noticed that someone had left flowers there. We're not sure who - but if you're reading this - thank you. It touched my heart so deeply.

Peyton is also starting to talk about Autumn a lot more. She'll say, "Do you know what?" and when someone says, "What?" she'll get a very sad look on her face and say, "Autumn died." I've felt bad for a couple of people who haven't known what to say.
There really isn't anything to say.

Peyton is also asking a lot of questions.
"Did you put Autumn in the mud?" ("No. She was in a cozy box with a little bed and warm blankets, Peyton."

"Why does she have to stay there?" ("Because this is where people who have died stay.")

"Will Jesus raise Autumn up from the grave?" ("Someday, Peyton, Jesus will come back and everyone will see Him.")

My heart and mind are full and busy these days - but these moments give me pause. I've been able to talk to my second daughter about some of those things that I've wanted to since the day Autumn died. How God sustains me. How His love has held me. How sin is horrible - and why death is in this world. How when Autumn died I prayed and prayed and asked God to give me a little baby - and He gave me Peyton.

I've watched her eyes tear up as she says, "Mommy. I wish my big-sister Autumn didn't die."
("Me too, sweetie. Mommy wishes that very much, too.")

What a place to be in. I'm daily asking God for wisdom and discernment in how to handle both her questions and grief as well as my own. Anyone who would like to ask Him for that for me would be most appreciated. :)

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Whew.

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Kurt and I are both heading in different directions this weekend. He's off to bachelor party with Cody and the boys to an unknown location. (He actually does know - but Cody doesn't, so it's on the down-low...)

I am taking both girls, the stroller, my pots which don't yet have flowers in them and a couple of suitcases and heading to Melfort for a few days with Kurt's parents. We're looking forward to our respective times away - should be a lot of fun on both ends. He'll freeze alone in a tent, and I'll be pampered and spoiled. (lol!)

Okay - so maybe that's a little extreme. But in my case, having an extra couple of sets of hands to help with the girls will be lovely. Not to mention I'll eat well! :)

Peyton is going to have Grandpa at the park morning, noon and evening. :)

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Thanks for reading, everyone! :)

The Kids Are Napping...

We're slowly recovering from my bout with a true flu these past 2 weeks. It started with aches and pains, and progressed through the entire respiratory tract. Kurt and the girls all got sick to - but I'd like to think I cleared the path through the rough stuff 'cause none of them got as sick as me.
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Kurt and I have a new nephew as of this morning: welcome to Kempton Gordon! :)
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I cannot believe it's been a month since we came home from Arizona. At least the 6-foot drifts are gone...
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We ditched all television in favor of Netflicks. So far, so good. And who can doubt the total value of unlimited movies and various documentaries and tv shows for only $7.99 a month? Really. Who??
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Did I mention that Peyton is going to be a flower-girl for Cody and Ashley in July? Picked up the pattern (just before I got the flu) and have arranged for a lady in town to make it. Hope it all works out - all of a sudden we only have a few months left!
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C'mon summer - we're ready for you!!!

Little Miss Muffet

A few years back I got bit by a spider - and it caused a serious-enough reaction that I could not move my left arm. The doctor gave me a mega-strong antibiotic to counteract any possible infection - and that was that.

(I remember thinking out loud to my South African doctor at the time, "Geez. Isn't the supposed lack of poisonous spiders one of the reasons why I live in Canada?")

Anyway, life after that was kinda paranoid about spiders for a while. Every little tickle I'd feel, every little brush of my own hair on my neck or cheek.... blech. I'd throw back the covers on my bed each night to just make sure there wasn't anything lurking there to feast on my flesh.

Eventually I got over it.

The other night - about 1:30 am to be precise - I felt a tickle on my face/neck area. Enough that it woke me up. My thought process went something like this:

"That feels like a spider crawling."

"Naw... you always think that and it never is."

"It's probably just my own hair."

"Yep... that's all it is. Relax and go back to sleep."

And - feat of amazing feats - I did just that.

The next morning when I made the bed I noticed a black rolled up ball of something by my pillow. Upon closer examination I made a horrified gasp.

I threw back the covers and sure enough - evidence of a spider. Pieces of it were strewn through the whole length of the bed.

I immediately got itchy. Then I examined myself from head-to-toe for bite marks. But - in this case, anyway - it looks like this spider was simply jaywalking in the wrong place at the wrong time. As in - that stupid sucker was crawling across my face and neck when I brushed "my hair" out of the way.

My one consolation is that he looks to have died a horribly violent death.

Ick.

K-OS

My life, that is.
(I do love the Steve Carell version of Get Smart. Saw the malfunctioning cone-of-silence scene on TV the other day and started laughing out loud...)

I thought about taking a picture of my bedroom - which currently has all of Peyton's clothes from the last 2 years in various stages of sorting and stacking... what to keep and what to give away?

(If I keep a third of what Peyton owned, this next one is still gonna be one trendy baby!)

Today I said to Kurt, "Well. I guess I should get about packing that hospital bag."
Bless his heart. All he said was, "Yeah, that would be a great idea, Kendall."

This, of course, led to taking out all the tubs of clothes for sorting, etc - 'cause I have to put baby clothes in my hospital bag, too, right?

How do I have only one week to go and still feel like it's gonna be forever until I meet this baby?

Oh well... whatever gets done, gets done. The rest can wait.
In k-os, I guess.

Twinges and Stuff

So yesterday it all hit me.
The lower back pain. Shortness of breath. Achy legs.
In Rona. :-P
I did a 5-minute squat in the hinges aisle attempting to give my back a rest.
If I wasn't so uncomfortable I would have laughed. I seriously considered asking Kurt if I could ride in the cart with Peyton. (lol!)

30 weeks, 2 days.
Subtract 14 days - and it's less than 55 days until we meet our 3rd daughter. With that amazing thought, I've created an all new "must do" list for Kurt us to accomplish. I'm also mulling over a hospital bag: remembering what I needed, what I didn't and wondering how long I'll actually be there this time.

According to our doctor yesterday, she's head-down and measuring roughly 32 weeks in size. This isn't a shock: 37-week-Peyton was only 3 ounces smaller than 4-days-overdue-Autumn. This kid won't be hurting too much with a 38 week induction, size-wise. With that logic, neither will I.
;-D

I'll be honest: I am less ambitious about my original "I'll work until 36 weeks." plan today.
But I do have several days off - in a row! Thanks Lord.
I need it and Peyton needs it.

But mostly I need it.

On another note, Kurt broke down yesterday. I didn't fight too hard, though.
NFL season starting (a Saints/Vikings rematch!), constant rain, the early darkness, and no TV was a little too much.
Our Star Choice is now hooked back up... so I have an excuse to sit on the couch with feet elevated when time allows.
Bring on the new season of 'What Not To Wear"! (chuckle)

Isn't He Handsome?

Never mind. You don't have to answer that. :)

On another - and completely unrelated - note: 79 days! :-O

*Cough-Cough*

I'm sick enough to stay home from church today. It's rough to not be able to stop coughing. Rougher, still, to not be able to take anything for it. I'm pacing my Tylenol - no closer than 4 hours apart - and it does a nice job of managing the headache and throat pain. But this is - by far! - the worst cold I've had in a long time. I've tried a few unique things in the last couple of days including: Vicks dabbed in my ears (it made the scratchiness stop for a while), and this morning I stuffed a cotton-ball soaked with olive oil into my left ear. I think it helped! Yay for ancient remedies! (lol!)
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Peyton didn't want to nap yesterday so I offered her the big, brown, fuzzy blanket from our bed. She acquiesced right away. As I lay her down she was sure to remind me, "Blin-ket." and pointed over at it (where it was dragged from my room) in it's big, brown, fuzzy pile on her bedroom floor. It kept her remarkably content. Bribery can be so simple sometimes...
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This morning I taught her to say, "Go, Ghana - GO!" and told her were were cheering for them because that was Auntie's country. She got pretty good at it by the end of the game. She had 90 minutes to practice, after all...
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I'm so thankful for the sun and cheerful breeze that is keeping my house fresh and warm this morning. It justified wearing my pink Hawaii dress today! It's a tad tighter in some areas than it was in February. I wonder why... :-P
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Happy birthday to my wonderful mommy! Love you so much, mom!
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Well, I'm off to tidy the dishes before hopefully more Vicks and a nap (?) and then Germany v. Australia. I'm going to cheer for the Aussies just because Kurt will not. Plus - we have to stick with the Commonwealth, right? ;)

Time Is Flying

So - the real reason I wanted to confess my pregnancy on the blog is so that I could keep track of it with a counter.
I blinked twice today when it said 15 weeks.
Holy smokes.
How did that happen so quickly??

Hello? Hello?

Yep.

Manzville has been pretty quiet these past few months.
It's been a good reason.
Honest.

I'll share soon.

If there are any readers left....

?

(chirp. chirp.)

Shock and Awe

I just posted it on facebook - but it's significance is worth repeating.

My usual threat for Peyton when she's cranky is "Is it time to go night-night?" To which is often responds, with a vigorous head-shake in the negative and tries to smarten up a little. Nap time has previously been a hard thing to deal with for a little girl who is afraid to miss one moment of the day. :)

Today - however - she turned into a teenager.

She was kinda whiny while I was trying to do some reading. So I leveled the ultimatum.

She started to shake her head and then paused as she considered it. She then looked at me, cocked her head to the side and said, "Night-night."

Whhaaaaa???

So I waited a minute to see if she would follow through - and sure-enough, she headed for her bedroom. She turned around halfway across the kitchen as if to say, "Why aren't you coming?" and again said - more forcefully this time - "Night-night." and pointed in the direction of her room.

Oooo-kay.

I thought she was bluffing. But I followed her into her room, where she pointed at her crib and said it again. I thought she'd cry or something when I lay her down - but nope - other than one little cough, I haven't heard a peep in 15 minutes.

So I quickly got my workout clothes on and am going to milk this free time for all it's worth!







Talk to you soon!

Computer Screens and Snow (in that order)

So our old computer screen died - literally - and all my pictures on this screen (on loan from my mom) are horribly dark. :-O
Surprise! According to my pictures, Peyton is still jaundiced at 15 months!
:)
We're hoping to pick up the new flatscreen we've been coveting for a year looking at sometime this week.
But in the meanwhile, NO PICTURE EDITING!
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Our back alley is all snowed it. Thus making our parking area inaccessible. But they're gonna have to plow it soon because tomorrow is garbage day. I'm sure you care - but this excites me because it means a little less shoveling for us. Eeerrrr.... okay.
A little less shoveling for Kurt. :)
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Speaking of snow:
Enjoy it all you snowmobiles! Just not near my house at midnight, okay?
I'm going downhill skiing on Saturday with my sweetie - so I'm pretty jazzed for the most part.My fashionably attired daughter feels the same way. :)
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Okay - coffee cup is empty so I'm gonna post this and get more. :)

Update!

I saw the Olympic torch on Tuesday: SUPER-COOL even for my somewhat cynical nature. The runner went right up to the windows of the nursing home, waved at the residents and lit the flame then ran by us while we screamed and waved little Canadian flags.
I always like the winter Olympics so much more (the danger element, I think) but I am so freakin' pumped to watch them now!!! Own the podium, Canada!! :)
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Work is busy. Super-busy. But otherwise, pretty satisfying. I have great coworkers, I have shift flexibility, and I'm paid well for what I do. Overall: no major complaints.
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I've worked off 3 of the extra 5 lbs I gained from all that yummy Christmas food. (I'm not a real scale-watcher... but sometimes it's a good indication.) I'm also getting back into a little resistance training alongside my cardio... so far, so good.
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I'm a little worried about going to Hawaii in a month-and-a-half. With all this security stuff... and the possibility of no carry-ons? It could be a looooong flight. I'm not worried about being scanned (it's preferable to being patted down, I think), because I'd rather that than have someone trying to lite their underwear on fire while we're over the deep/dark ocean.

*shudder*
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Kurt got a bread-maker for Christmas which he loves. (thanks mom and dad M!) The house smells pretty good right now - and in the past 2 weeks alone we've probably already saved 15 bucks. We eat a lot of bread. :)
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(In the arm-chair she got from us for Christmas)

I am daily amazed at my daughter. She is now climbing onto the footstool, placing her hands in the air (like a gymnast presenting) and saying, "Ta-daaahhh!" She's such a little show-off. However, she very rarely cries when she falls down or bumps her body into anything unless she's super-tired. She looks at the falls as almost as much of an adventure as the climb.
I'm also working on teaching her to say, "I'm a TODDLER." To which she replies, "ah-la-LAA-la-la". (she's loving the 'l' sounds these days) Close enough. She's also learned to cock her head to the side and say, "Cheeeese!" which is making for some funny sideways-ish pictures.
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Okay - must run for now! Thanks for reading!!

Timing

It's funny when I reorganize my day because I think Peyton will probably wake up soon - and then she sleeps for another hour-and-a-half. (shaking head with a sigh)

Ha-ha.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

I have to say that listening to the bible on CD while walking on the treadmill has been a really good thing. I can walk while I work my way through the Word - two things that are both necessary and enjoyable for me.

Score!

Then I hit Leviticus.

This is dry stuff, baby.

"Burn this."
"Don't eat that."
"Dress this way."
"Sprinkle blood over there."
"This is 'unclean'."
"This is 'clean'."

... yikes.

So, if nothing else, this section of scripture is making me unspeakably thankful for the new Covenant which says, "You can't do it. Jesus did it. Trust Him."

Score. :)

Breakfast Foods(?)

I probably could give my daughter peas and broccoli for breakfast - but I'd probably gag.
The only veggie I can handle before noon is a hash-brown... and the jury is till out as to whether that constitutes as one with all that lovely grease and crispiness.... 'scuse me whilst I meditate on that for a moment... Yum!

But I digress!!

Peyton wouldn't care. Lets face it: she hasn't exactly been a foodie to this stage. Milk, milk, milk... anything she has to chew is a novelty.

But as I was scrambling this morning to mush together bananas and apples for her breakfast while she howled impatiently from her highchair I mentioned to her that she was lucky I have breakfast standards which don't include squash. Apples and bananas are an acceptable breakfast.

Ironically, I'd eat Honey Nut Cheerios anytime of the day or night... so breakfast food can be carried over. But a chunk of sweet potato in the morning would just feel wrong somehow.

Do so-called "breakfast foods" have a strict cateory in your house?

Anyway... I had better go and defrost the bacon for my supper tonight.
Harvest widows break all the rules. ;-D

Forget Sports!

I need to find out where my daughter can learn to do this.
I just hope she can teach me...

(You may want to pause the music player...)

Ta-DAAAHHHH!

I'd like for you to meet the newest member of the Manz automotive family: Our brand-new (to us) 2007 Honda CR-V!
(Okay - it can snow now 'cause I've got my 4x4!)

So this has been a big vehicle purchase year for us - the van in February and the CR-V now... we should be done for a while now, though! :)
(hope! hope!)

July (holy cow!) 17th

Some stuff:

- Second of 3 weddings to be attended this summer tomorrow. Congratulations Darcy and Sam!

- My girlie cannot decide where she wants to crawl or walk. Her newest thing is holding on to the furniture and then totally letting go - standing there for a while with no hands and then grabbing on to the furniture again and clapping while braced with her elbows. She's oh-so-proud of herself.

- Activia is a rip-off! They say to take the 14-day challenge but only sell sets of 12 and 24. So you HAVE to buy more! I love it though... I didn't realize what a good-tasting yogurt it was. But still!

- We're having a little bit of trouble keeping up with the yardwork with our schedules. Kurt actually phoned the neighbors last night to ask if he could cut his grass after 9pm. They were fine with it - but that was the soonest he could get out there. Sigh.

- I actually like the colder weather. I know the crops are having a hard time... but I feel a lot better when it's mild.

- I've been working more than the previously decided on 1-day per week - but by God's grace it hasn't been too bad. I have willing babysitters, and I work super-close to home so I've been able to go home and nurse Peyton at lunch a lot of days. And my manager and coworkers have been really great about letting me do some half-days... so I can still go in and help with the heavy hours and have either the morning or afternoon off. And Kurt is happy because there is a little bit more money coming in.

- Speaking of money: Does anyone watch "Til Debt Do Us Part"? Well, watching it with Kurt dramatically changed my life. This is typed tongue-in-cheek and kinda whiny.
We are now on a cash-only budget. To say I was reluctant would be an understatement. I love Visa. Don't get me wrong - I'm careful with it and we always pay it off... but what are a few more dollars at WalMart on a Visa, right? Right. And besides - we get points!
But NOW I look at my dwindling cash-stash and think: "Hmmm... maybe I don't need that recipe book today." or "Maybe I should wait until next month to buy some more flower pots." or "I guess I could live without Party Lite for a few months." *Sigh* (the last one is a kicker...)
We haven't cut up our credit or debit cards - it's an honor system and I'm glad Kurt trusts me to not be sneaky. Besides - he gave me the bulk of our 'disposable' cash and only kept a fraction for himself... so that makes up for the crazy idea, I guess. ;)

- I should go walk now - Peyton is sleeping and I've got to redeem the time. The best thing I've done in a long time was start to listen to the bible on CD while exercising. Treadmill time isn't exactly heavy-duty mental work... so I'm get about a half-hour of uninterupted time in the bible - it's just that instead of me reading it it's being read to me. I've noticed a huge change in my prayer life and my appreciation of Jesus grows daily - and as a side-effect my butt is getting smaller! Sweet, right? I know. :-D

Thanks for reading!

Today I'm Thankful For...

Air conditioning. It's blasted hot. Some revel in it - I wilt.
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My husband who loves me when I am most unloveable.
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A new neighbor across the street who also happens to be a good friend.
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Willing babysitters - you know who you are!
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Great coworkers. No other people I'd rather spend a whole day doing IVs with... chuckle...
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A pregnancy announcement - and never-ending amazement with the God who can create human life!
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My daughter being so close to crawling. It's so much fun to watch her try! :)
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A coffee pot that turns itself off after 2-hours.
This is especially comforting when I'm at a meeting in a town 40 minutes away and realize I forgot to shut it off when I left the house. :-P

A few more pictures! :)

Her onsie actually says, "Daddy's little Sweetheart." :)

Eyes for her daddy!

My two favorite people in the whole world!