Happy Birthday Dad!

I think I'll try calling you now...

A nice day...

Today was a beautiful summer day! After 40 degree weather yesterday today was really fresh. We stayed home today and it was wonderful. I got all the laundry done and dried outside, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, did a little quilting and started working on a dress for Anneke. Oh yea...I also took care of the kids :)


Here're my loaded lines - Mom, look how beautiful the geraniums are!

This is the quilt I pieced in a class about a year and a half ago that I'm hand quilting. It's been stored away for a few months but I took it out a few weeks ago again. I really enjoy hand quilting but I think I'll be practicing on the machine, otherwise I'll never finish anything!

And...a peak at the fabric for Anneke's dress. It's been a while since I've sewn something like this so it's a challenge, but I got all the pieces cut out tonight.

Ellen's Quilt

Today we gave Ellen her quilt. She is the grade 3/4 teacher at the elementary school and is moving back to Holland after being here for 4 years. The quilt is made up a squares from the church and school community and then we (I say we but I didn't actually do all that much quilting on it) put it together for her. Anyway, the teachers and students surprised her with an afternoon presentation/social. It was very nice. I think everyone here will miss Ellen very much. Here are a couple pictures of her receiving the quilt and the kids singing goodbye. Hopefully I can get a good close-up shot of it on Friday at the graduation. (click on the pictures to get a closer look)

Tessa's Walking!

Our baby isn't a baby anymore :-( It's still very exciting though! She has been taking steps for a few weeks now and then on Sunday she decided she could do it and I haven't seen her crawl since. If she falls down she just gets right back up again even if she's only a foot from where she wants to go.

Here she goes...

She's getting so big - trying to colour with the other kids...

and she loves to put things on. Here she is with Anneke's helmet and a little back pack, walking around as if she has places to go :)

Water

This past week has been nice and warm and the kids have been playing outside in the water a lot. On Wednesday we went to the splash pad for playgroup and on Thursday Chantal and Alyssa came over for the day and they were all playing in the little pool. Here are some pictures...

At the splash pad

Cooling off

Chantal

Alyssa

Anneke

Lukas

Planning our trip

Yes that's right...we're really planning to go out to BC this summer! Yea!! We've decided to drive across and make it a long holiday. I'm a bit nervous how the drive will go with 3 little kids but Conrad is confident it'll go fine :). We'll see...
We joined CAA and are figuring out which way to go. We'll go both ways through the states as it's faster and we've driven through Canada 5 years ago when we moved out here. If all goes well with Conrad's defense on July 9 then we hope, DV, to leave on the 16th.

Thesis Done!

Conrad has just sent off the final copy of his thesis to his defence team! Yea!! His defence is set for July 9. Time to go out for dinner and celebrate (just a little)!

Tessa

Today was Tessa's first birthday! Time sure flies...and that year went fast. Where did our baby go? She is a beautiful and very happy, easy baby. She didn't get a decorated cake and party but a couple friends still came by this morning and I iced some cupcakes so she could have fun with it and I could take a picture :). We bought her a "noisy toy" - don't ask me why as I think it might get put downstairs soon if the kids don't tire of putting it on all day long. Here are some pictures of her today. Is there such a thing as taking too many pictures??

"Are these for me??" She is the first child I know who doesn't like the crinkly paper...




"I don't really know what's going on here..."


"...but I know exactly what to do with this!"


"It's prickly on my legs!"

Lukas

Happy Birthday to Lukas! Today he turned 3!! He was pretty excited about his birthday after Anneke's and the week was very, very long for him. Well, May 25th came and he knew exactly what to do when it came to presents and he's very pleased to be 3. It's a fun age to be don't you think?

Victoria Day

On Monday we spent the day with friends, playing games, playing outside, relaxing and enjoying a barbeque together. It was a beautiful day!

Quilting

Every Tuesday morning a bunch of ladies from church get together to quilt or do other handwork. Over the past couple of months we've been working on a quilt for a teacher from the elementary school who will be moving back to Holland this year. All the school families as well as families from church made a square and we are quilting it. Here's a picture of 3 of us at the frame (I'm not on of course:)). It was a really neat experience and it really was a community effort. I can't wait to give it to her!



And here are all the little people, having a great time playing. You can kinda see some more people sitting around in the background working on different projects.



And finally....I've finished something!! What a feeling of satisfaction to complete a project. I know it's May and snowmen are out of season but I still have it hanging on my wall, just for a week or two, until I put it away for until December.

Anneke

Happy 4th Birthday Anneke!! It's hard to believe our first baby is 4 already. We celebrated this morning with friends from church. Conrad isn't here because he's at a conference in Philidelphia. Two birthday's in a row that he's gone... Maybe I'll have to go away on his :) We gave Anneke her presents on Tuesday night so that he could be here.The birthday girl with her butterfly cake.
Blowing out the candles. The party was for Anneke and Mckenna who turned 2 today!
Mckenna
Tessa and Evan

It was a full house this morning but a lot of fun and the girls were spoiled. Next week we get to do it again...for Lukas!

Goodbye

Today we said "Goodbye" to Mom and Dad/Opa and Oma. It was so nice to have them here and I think they enjoyed their holiday too. We are hoping to come to BC in August if everything works out so hopefully we'll see them and everyone else in a few months!!

Conrad left this morning, as well, for Kalamazoo, Michigan. He's going to a conference and is presenting a paper tomorrow afternoon. He'll be back Saturday evening again. It feels funny over here though. He's also going away next week, from Wednesday to Saturday, to Philidelphia for another conference and inbetween the two conferences he has to present a paper here at Western. A little crazy busy for a couple of weeks and then he has some work to do for his supervisor and has to get ready for his defense. He is really looking forward to having it all done!

Opa and Oma's 55th Anniversay

Today we celebrate Opa and Oma's 55th Anniversay! What a wonderful blessing to have so many years together. We pray that they may continue to live in good health and, most of all, live their days to God's honor and glory that they might be a blessing to their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all those they are in contact with.

This morning I went with the kids to visit and I got a very nice picture of them! Happy 55th Anniversary Opa and Oma!

Monday

Today we had to reply to Concordia. We have decided to stay here for Conrad to take the opportunity of the post-doc. Concordia has invited him to send an updated resume next year when they will be looking to fill the position again and he will go on their short list, so maybe next year... In the meantime we can keep looking for other postings that he can apply for.

On another note...we had a beautiful day today! We went with Dad and Mom to Stratford. We walked around a bit, looking in a few of the shops (mostly toy and book ones of course!) and them we went to the park by the river. The weather was just perfect and we all enjoyed it.

having a good time...

Dad and Mom S. are here! The kids are really enjoying it (us too of course!) and it's really nice to see them realize who this Opa and Oma are. Lukas said to me Friday, "But Mom, they're not the real Opa and Oma". He of course thinks of my grandparents as Opa and Oma. Anneke seems to have it all figured out though. Mommy's Opa and Oma, Opa and Oma still in BC and this Opa and Oma! Lukas will be really confused if we do come to BC this summer!

update

I'm finally here (at the computer) to give an update on our lives from the past week. Some of you might be wondering whatever happened with the interview Conrad had in Edmonton over a month ago. Well this week Tuesday we got a call and they have offered him a permanent-track position. So...now we have to decide what to do. Conrad did ask right away about deffering it for a year so he could do a year of the post-doc. They've said that if he wants to do this then next spring they would advertise the position again but Conrad would be on their short list and he would just have to send them an updated resume. This would work well in that if other jobs come up elsewhere we can still apply but it doesn't guarantee a job. So, do we take the security of a job now, or the wonderful opportunity of the post-doc? We also need to take into consideration that this is a Lutheran owned university. How will this play a role as a prof there? We need to respond a week from Monday so that gives us time to discuss and pray about it together and with others.

As of yesterday we also have a pair of crutches hanging around here! Conrad hurt his foot playing basketball yesterday afternoon. There is a small fracture but they didn't put it in a cast so he has to stay off of it for a few days (or more?). The most frustrating thing for him was sitting in emergency for 6 hours!

My Dad and Mom are coming on Friday! We are really looking forward to seeing them again - it's been a long time since we saw any family! If we do take the post-doc and stay here next year we are really hoping to come to BC for a while this summer, so maybe we'll see everyone then...

Friday

The kids played outside all morning. It is beautiful out! They played in the backyard, biked, walked their babies and then they wanted to have a picnic. So I made them some lunch and they sat at the end of our row of townhouses at this 'tippy' table. What fun!

Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law with the birth of their daughter Carolin Hilda Anne! Keep them in your prayers, especially Alisa, who had a difficult time after the birth. Life is fragile and we realize that nothing is in our control. We praise our Heavenly Father who alone controls all things. We pray that the Lord sustains them and that they receive all that they need at this time. I've included the verse Alisa put on her baby quilt - Psalm 139:13-16.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

home from Ottawa

Tessa and I are back home again from C & C's place. The train came in just after 2 on Saturday. Charlene and I had a really nice time talking, taking care of the kids and doing other normal everyday things, and of course...more talking. It was good to see Derek and Helena and their new house. Tessa had a bit of a rough time. She was all out of sorts and the train ride was really long and tiring. She didn't sleep much so she was exhausted. You should have seen her though when we came to London and she saw Conrad and the othe kids. She was laughing, clapping her hands and trying to jump right out of the snugglie. It was so cute - I guess she really missed them!

Anneke and Lukas had all kinds of fun with Conrad. They went to Adventures on Wonderland (an indoor play place), the pool, the Children's Museum and went to McD's one night for supper. Lots of stories to tell. I think they're going to want me to go away again!