Miami, Here we come!

For those of you who don't know, Kenny and I will be leaving in 3 sleeps for our 10 year anniversary celebration. We are so pumped to get away. We have always tried to keep it a priority to go away just the 2 of us. We went away in 2000 when Brayden was 1 to celebrate making it through the first year of parenthood... we went to the Mayan Riviera. Then we went away again in 2002 when Ethan was almost 1 to celebrate never doing the baby days again... we went to San Clemete in California (and we did some serious star stalking in Beverly Hills... yes, we stopped at Brad Pitt's house just in case he felt like inviting us in).

Since those holidays we have not gone away alone. Well, we have been away a couple times but I guess for me, Pastor's Camp doesn't really count as the same kind of get-a-way! We took the kids to San Diego in 2005 in the midst of a hard time which was so awesome and refreshing for us. But of course, a holiday with the kids also doesn't count as time away alone.

So, this upcoming holiday has been greatly anticipated by us. Here's the plan for those of you who like details:
Jan. 3 - Fly all night long to Fort Lauderdale via Vancouver and Toronto (sleep on plane and in Toronto airport hopefully)
Jan. 4 - Arrive in Fort Lauderdale and drive to our hotel on the beach in Miami. Hang out in Miami!
Jan. 5 - Hang out in Miami, maybe hunt down Matt Damon and of course, go on a shopping spree to Bath and Body Works!!!
Jan. 6 - Spend the day in Miami again and then hop on our cruise ship in the late afternoon
Jan. 7 - Cruisin' the open seas
Jan. 8 - Fun times on Grand Cayman Island. Lots of snorkelling, exploring and a stop at the rum cake factory
Jan. 9 - Ocho Rios Jamaica. Check out Dunn's River Falls and eat some fresh lobster on the beach. More snorkelling!
Jan. 10 - Cruisin' our way back
Jan. 11 - Back to Miami and off to the airport. Fly to Toronto. Spend the night since we have a 16 hour lay over (these crappy flights are courtesy of flying with Air Miles)
Jan. 12 - Fly back to Kelowna to reunite with our beloved children

While we are gone my parents have been crazy enough (I mean nice enough) to watch our kids for the entire time. They will also take care of our dog and fish and house. I think they will need some Jamaican rum after that!

So, you may not hear from us for a while. But I'll definately share some fun stories with you all when we get back.

Happy New Year!

Cottage Christmas pics

Christmas at the Cottage

Merry Christmas. I hope you all had a great one. Thankfully, our pukefest was over in time to have a great Christmas at my parent's cottage. They have owned this cottage for 7 years but have been living in Calgary still and only using it for the summers. But in June my parents retired and moved out to their lakeside retreat here in BC. This was our first year being at the cottage for Christmas. It was so beautiful being right on the lake in the winter and having a fresh snowfall to enjoy.

We have really been trying to change the way we do Christmas. We have wanted it to become less busy, less materialistic and less stressed. I can't imagine Jesus ever intended us to celebrate him by being crazed lunatics with endless baking, gifts and full out glutony (is that how you spell it?). It has been hard to make this change with the increasing pressure by society to buy more, spend more, be busier, do this and do that. But I am so thankful we did it.

This year our boys just got small stockings of toys and treats. There were some small gifts from family members which was awesome, but we really kept it small. I did almost no baking and actually didn't send out the usual Christmas family portrait either. I might wait until our trip is over to do get our yearly picture/letter done. We didn't really decorate our house either. Just some small things that the kids made that they are so proud of! I loved how simple Christmas was and how relaxed I felt from not overdoing it.

I have been trying to add some pictures of our Christmas, but it is not downloading today. I'll try again later. Hope you all have a great New Years!

Pukefest 2006

Ok, let me set the scene for you. It was 2:15 pm today and I was trying desperately to rush out of work and get to my doctor's appointment on time. You know, the yearly joy that all women have to go through. Well this one has been highly anticipated because I phoned to book it 2 months ago and today was the earliest they could get me in. Needless to say, I wanted to go in and get it over with.

Anyway, I had Ethan and another girl in the van with me. I had just buckled them in, and I quickly hopped in the front seat (yes, we do have a minivan... wince). All of a sudden I heard a strange sound coming from the back seat. I looked behind me and the little girl had a sick expression on her face... she was looking straight at Ethan. In an instant it hit me, "Ethan is puking!" I jumped out of the van and opened the back door. Alas, it was too late to save the clothing and upholstery. I got him out of the van just before the second wave hit! I did a quick strip down and off we went to drop off the little girl (Ethan now equipped with a bucket and towel).

So, here I sit, at home, not at the doctors office. My new appointment is now another month away. And the craziest thing is that when I picked up Brayden from school today he announced that he had the "runs" all day... uh oh. I think I'm in for a day or two of excitement. Oh yes, the Toews home has become PUKEFEST 2006.

I'll let you know if we make it out alive!

Brayden's Christmas Concert

Here it is! Enjoy.

Ode to Ethan!

Ethan was being so funny in the bath tonight. I think I took 28 pictures of him just in the bath. Here are a couple of my favorites that are not too revealing. Personally, I think that watching someone snorkel in the tub is one of the funniest things ever! I think that last one with him in the mask is totally hilarious!

Christmas Tree Dilemma Part 2

Well, I thought Paul and Wanda had an excellent suggestion... get a table top tree and Ethan can decorate it and have it in his room. Perfect! So, today I went out to find one. Easier said than done. I came home with no mini Christmas tree but managed to blow $350 on groceries. I almost fell over when she announced my total. Honestly, how does that happen? Just 3 months ago I was spending half that amount. My kids must be growing like weeds or something. What will teenage years be like??

Anyway, one of the things I bought while I was shopping was a gingerbread house kit. I really wanted to bake my own gingerbread since I am a fan of cooking/baking. But just the thought of baking it made me exhausted! So, I bought it and we had a blast decorating it. I showed the kids before supper and Ethan was giddy with excitement the whole meal! He honestly finished his food in seconds and was clearing off the table to prepare for the gingerbread house assembly.

Here are some pictures of the final result. I think Ethan got some of his Christmas creativity out of him today!

How do you update a blog when there is nothing exciting to write about? Honestly, our last week or two has been pretty boring. Don't get me wrong, I love boring! In fact, if life could stay simple, easy and boring that would be fine with me. We live such busy lives I guess a week of boring is great!

We have had a Christmas Tree debate in our home this week. We have not had a tree in 3 years simply because none of us really cared to have one. To me, it's not worth all the hassle and mess. But this year Ethan wants one really badly. But Brayden is dead set against it. He tends to be a fairly spiritual guy and his stance is "A tree with distract me from remembering Jesus". How do I argue with that. I mean, if he is really trying to get his thoughts on Jesus, that is wonderful! However, I have a very artisitc son named Ethan whose passion is creating and he would love to decorate a tree.

Anyhow, after the boys realized that they couldn't both get their way, they came to a consenses. Actually, Ethan was the one who compromised. Ethan said, "Why don't we do this... We will have no tree this year and then have one next year." Of course, Brayden loved that thought and so here we are... treeless.

I'll just get Ethan helping me create some Christmas baking!

Winter Has Arrived!

Well, last week we had fall... today we have winter! I always say that our first snowfall here in Enderby is usually the last week of November. But this year's first snowfall came with a bang! We had a foot or so of snow that fell in a 2 day period. I know some of you at the coast that had even more, but it sure seemed like a lot for us here. Not only that, but we have had FREEZING cold temperatures. No, not like the prairies, but very cold for Enderby... like -17... that is cold here!

Here are a couple pics from our house. One of our van on the first night of the snow fall, one of the snow piled up on our railing, and one of the Enderby Cliffs from our house.

Also, there is a picture of Brayden's hair today. It was wacky hair day at his school. Last year he shaved it bald. This year we went for a different look. He loved it! Notice the Mohawk.. if you remember from a previous blog, that is my personal favorite male hairstyle... Ugh.

We plan on braving the cold in about an hour and go sledding. I'll be dreaming of our cruise the entire time!

I have the most hilarious picture on my camera right now. Yesterday Ethan had to get a filling inbetween two of his back molars (I had no idea baby teeth required fillings...I guess flossing is important after all)! Anyhow, Ethan was not impressed about it but was the bravest kid around. He still has no idea that a needle actually went into his mouth! I think that was the saving grace. Anyhow, I took a bunch of pictures of the event for Ethan's preschool class since they are having "Dental Health Month" right now. I just think Ethan looks so funny in this picture:





Those sunglasses they made him wear are STRAIGHT out of the 80's! Yes, they are white with red speckles! And that big honkin' purple rubber thing is so funny!

Anyhow, I just thought you'd enjoy a good laugh. Ethan laughed his head off when he saw the picture so even he thinks it's funny.

Moral of the story: Floss your kids teeth regularly... unless you need a good laugh!

I was going to write a nice big list of all the reasons I am so glad to have boys. But I decided to spare you all from the misery. Plus, I didn't want to offend those of you who are stuck (I mean blessed) with girls! I once had a father of 3 girls come up to me and tell me how awful it would be to have boys and I walked away scratching my head wondering if he actually remembered that he was talking to a woman with boys??? Everyone always wonders if Kenny and I plan on "trying" for a girl. Let's set the record straight here once and for all. No! Our boys are awesome! I have always prayed to have boys and I am so glad I did. Here is a picture of one of the reasons I love boys.

The boys built a fort with couch cushions and blankets and actually slept down there. They thought they were so cool! They loved that Daddy was in there with them until they fell asleep.



What more can I say? Boys are simple and easy to please. They don't give paragraph answers and can pee in the bushes without a debate. They don't need to do their hair in the mornings and actually think it's cool to hug their mom. So for all you fellow boy owners... CHEERS!

Parent School!

Have there ever been things that you swore you'd never allow your kids to do? Not the really nasty things like drugs or anything, but I mean just the little things that you saw other kids doing and you made a promise to yourself, "My kid would never be caught dead doing that!"

Well, I have made many of those promises to myself. And it seems that most of them have been broken along the way. "My kid will never pee off of a playground structure" (Ethan proved me wrong); "My kid will never be the class clown" (I went into Brayden's class the other day and a girl told me she thought he was the funniest kid in the class); "My kid will never poop in the public swimming pool and cause a massive evacuation" (Brayden proved me wrong at the age of 2); "My kid will never sneak toys into his bed at night" (Ethan proves me wrong on a weekly basis).

Ok, so you'd think I would have learned by now that my "nevers" don't work out. Well, I haven't learned yet. I have always said that my sons will never have one of those awful mohawks that kids think are so cool. I personally find them really tacky. And of course, what does Ethan say yesterday? "Mommy, I want a mohawk today." AHHHH! But of course, me being the encouraging parent who is always looking out for opportunities to build his self-esteem, I say "What? No! Really? You honestly want that? Are you sure?" And I attempt to talk him out of it... to no avail!

So, here was the result.








You may be asking yourself, "Is that blue in his hair?" Why yes it is! Not only did he want a mohawk, but he wanted it to be blue! I appeased him thinking this was a one time deal. So, can you guess what his first words were to me today? "Mommy, I want a blue mohawk for school today." ...

Maybe I'll finally learn to never say never!

Our family does not do much to celebrate Halloween. In fact, it's one of the dumbest holidays in my opinion... we celebrate the fact that we can scare the crap out of each other... nice holiday! Anyhow, we spent the day as a family and then went out in the FREEEEEZING cold to trick or treat. We were only out for an hour but the kids got more than enough junk to last them awhile. Brayden dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Ethan was Batman. Here they are in full form!





Halloween!

Proud as Punch!

Have you ever been so proud of another human being that you just wanted to explode? Well, Kenny and I had that feeling the other day. As you may know, Brayden has been taking Karate for the last couple of months. It is something he is really enjoying and he seems very good at it. Well, at the end of his last class, the teacher dismissed everyone and they all started walking away. Here is what unfolded:
Teacher: Brayden, can you come here for a minute?
(Brayden walks over)
T: Brayden, face away from the flag (there is a Canada flag at the front of their class that they usually bow to)
(Brayden turns away)
T: Brayden, turn and face the flag
(Brayden turns back)
T: Take off your belt
(Brayden takes it off)
T: (Pulls out a brand new belt from behind his back) Congratulation, Brayden. Well done!
Then they bow to one another and everyone erupts in cheers and clapping!

Yes, my son received his first new belt in Martial Arts! His face was as proud as they come and we were misty with tears! He was the only one that day who received a new belt. I think that made him even more excited! What an awesome kid!

And speaking of awesome, here's another reason to be proud of that guy. We were eating supper the other day and Brayden asked me what Hell was. I described it as a place where people feel like they are burning, and they cry and scream forever. I know, it was harsh, but he really wanted to know the truth. After I told him, he sat there staring at me for a minute and then he just crumbled to the ground, bawling. He was more broken in his spirit than I had ever seen anyone. He sat on the floor and wept for a good 10 minutes. At one point he stood up and cried, "But I have so many friends who don't believe!!!" I sat quietly and allowed him to feel our Father's heart. I have never seen the heartbreak of Jesus so tangible before. Then we sat together and talked about how our mission as Christians is to share God's love, but it is not our responsibility to make them believe. I talked about using our prayers to help those who do not want to listen and how we can share the gospel in love.

You know, it really reminded me of how much God hurts for humanity. It reminded me of how much I push those feelings away in my own heart. I pray that I will feel the heartbreak of God more often for those who are still searching for the Truth.

Cruisin'

So Kenny and I are feeling really old! We will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in 2007! We have always wanted to celebrate our 10 years with flare (since our 5 year anniversary involved a nursing baby in our hotel room... not so romantic). We have just booked a cruise for January! We are so pumped!

We will be spending 2 nights in Miami to start things off


Then we hop aboard our ship and begin crusin'


We stop in Georgetown, Grand Cayman for some snorkelling and island exploring


And we also go to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for good times, good coffee, and good rum (just kidding.. like we'd ever drink rum)!



Our cruise is not a full 7 day cruise but we think our 5 days will be plenty for us. We can't wait!

Puppy-sitting

We are so lucky to be able to puppy-sit a 7 week old little guy named "Rusty". We only have him for the weekend but we are sure having fun. He comes from the same mom and dad as Bailey did so he reminds us so much of her. Bailey is not sure what to think if him though. Check out the pics of Rusty drinking out of Bailey's bowl and playing with her toy!

Brayden Turns 7!!

I can't believe that 7 years ago I underwent 35 hours of labour including 2 1/2 hours of pushing to pop this guy out of me! People say that you forget the pain... I tend to disagree! However I have loved the last 7 years. Brayden is an amazing boy. He is one of the most generous people I know (he recently gave away 50% of his piggy bank money and just today gave away his favorite shirt). He is more empathetic than any 7 year old I know (he bawled while watching a kids version of the Jesus story). His heart is honest and pure. I am so proud to have a son whose character is so strong and deep. God has big plans for this little man with the big heart.

Here are some pics of his party. We went to Ruckers in Vernon (an arcade) for some good times before cake and presents. To top off the night Brayden had his first sleepover ever with his best buddy, Kaleb. It couldn't have been better!

"There's lots to do in Enderby!"

Kenny and I have had many laughs over the horribly embarassing jingle that plays on our local radio station. It goes something like this: "Come discover Enderby. The sights and sounds of Enderby. There's lots to do in Enderby." And the tune is about as cheesy as the lyrics! Anyhow, we tend to mock that song endlessly in our home. However, the Toews Family has come to learn that we are just as busy in Enderby as some of you city folk. Here are some recent exciting events that occurred in our home right here in Enderby!


Ethan decided that he wanted to eat the leftover spaghetti on our front porch one night.


Brayden received a brand new Karate uniform from his Grandparents!


Bailey figured the best way to bask in the glow of fall was to sit directly in the middle of our leaf pile.


Brayden worked hard one day to earn a dollar from his Daddy.

Me and Sarah

Thanksgiving dinner with the Jessop family

Kenny and Randy


Our Thanksgiving began a bit rough. I was called to come and see Brayden at school on Friday. He had split his lip wide open and it was thought he may need stitches. No stitches were required... Our first reason to be thankful this weekend.

But things went up from there and we had a great time with my family. We usually go to my parents cottage for thanksgiving but this year Kenny was working all weekend as his store had a big sale. So my parents, my sister and my brother-in-law all made the trip to the metropolis of Enderby for the feast. It was a great time...Our second reason to be thankful.

To top the weekend off my close friend and former college roommate, Sarah came with her husband Randy and two kids to visit. It was awesome to hang out again and our boys loved playing together...Our third reason to be thankful.

We have so much more that we are thankful for. We live such a great life with so many wonderful blessings. But those three things made our weekend great and we enjoyed it all...Now it's back to reality!

Weekly update from the Toews Gang!

Kenny's role in the community dinner theatre went well. He played the part of a biker gang leader set in the 1950's. He did an awesome job of his part and was the star of the show in my books! He had everyone laughing hysterically as he pretended to comb his non-existant hair and as he put the moves on old ladies in the audience. He also did 4 solos including one Elvis song and landed himself on the front page of this week's newspaper.

Brayden is enjoying school. My bragging rights came today as he aced his spelling test and read his "home reading" book like a pro! He is learning lots. He learned that drawing on the school walls with felt at recess isn't a good idea too! Oops! Today I got a call from a friend of mine who is an aide at his school. She said that Brayden and his friend, Kaleb are total studs at the school. She said that the girls chase them around all day and heard one girl announce, "One of these days we are going to get those boys!" Like father, like son!

Ethan had his first field trip of the year today. We went to an orchard and picked pumpkins from the field and apples from the tree. I'm telling you, field trips in the Okanagan are much more exciting than they were in Calgary when I was growing up. Nothing beats an orchard on a sunny day with fresh off the tree plums, apples and freshly made apple juice. Yummy!

We hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving this year and get a chance to be with family and friends.

It seems like the fall routine is in full swing now. Brayden seems settled in his class. He really seems to be doing well even though at first it wasn't my first choice for classrooms. He is finding it much easier to focus on reading and writing this year which is a huge confidence booster for him. He had his first spelling test today and aced it! I never thought I would be so excited about 5 words spelled correctly!

Ethan is also enjoying preschool. He is showing his true colors this year in school. For those of you who know him, I'm sure you are offering a quick prayer for his teacher right now. Ethan is a very passionate boy and is still learning that not everyone likes to be punched, yelled at or spit at. He is also learning that circle time is not the place to strangle other children or shove his face into their faces. He absolutely loves the music portion of the class and sings at FULL volume! I love being there with him when I work there on Mondays and Wednesdays but I make sure that I leave the discipline up to the teacher. Dispite his antics, he is making good friends and that's great!

So yesterday was Brayden's meet the teacher night. In true Toews form, he entered his name in a contest, and won! He was so excited! He won a board game called "Headbandz". I added a picture here for you to see the boys playing it. They are trying to guess what they have on their foreheads by asking questions. It's so cute!

Kenny is currently at a hall across the street from our house hosting a youth dance. It is going very well. He has a ton of the youth from Enderby there and they are doing some pretty awesome prizes, games, etc. The kids all have to be sober to get in and cannot bring drugs or alcohol in. It's so awesome to have something safe for the kids to be at.

That's it for tonight. Hope you all have a good weekend! Love to hear from you sometime!

Today was a day of firsts for everyone in our family.

It was Ethan's first day of preschool for the year (he was in preschool last year too but is in the "big kids" class this year). 20 minutes before we had to head out the door Ethan was STILL sleeping... why can't he do that on weekends? After a quick breakfast and some serious combing of the bed-head, we were out the door. He loved his first day!

He loved it even more because it was my first day of work... at his school. Yes, I have been hired by the preschool to provide one-on-one care for a little girl in the class. She is in both the morning and the afternoon class, which means Ethan is too. And the best part about that for him is that he gets to bring his special blue lunch bag to school! He has been waiting a year to do that! It was a good first day for me and frankly, I am still in shock that I am choosing to spend all day with 20 three and four year olds! But I get to be with Ethan, I'm done work by the time Brayden is out of class and I don't have to pay a babysitter.

Today was Brayden's first day of Tae Kwon Do (is that how you spell it??). We tried to get him into it last year and he was not ready for it. But this year he was. He did awesome and I was impressed at what a great kicker and puncher he is. Look out criminals, here comes Brayden-san! Hiyah! It will also help him develop his focus which is always good for an active boy.

And finally, today was Kenny's first day of being alone in the house on a day off. He didn't work today and had the house all to himself. Let's just say there was a little mid-morning golf on TV that needed to be watched. I think he enjoyed himself and managed to get lots done.

Now the day is almost over and we are all pretty tired. A good nights rest will do us well. Although, Kenny and I won't be resting much as we are still on our 24 binge (we are halfway done season 4)!

Brayden's first day of school

Brayden tubing on the Sept. long weekend (he did it for a really long time!)

Ethan joined in on the fun for all of 30 seconds but he seemed to prefer driving the boat

I just had to put this picture on here for the pleasure and enjoyment of all you men out there. Us women just look at it and go, "ok, what is the point of that? Who would actually want to do that?" But for guys, this is apparently pretty cool. This picture was taken by Kenny's friend Sheldon during Kenny's little golf holiday in Manitoba. As you can see, Kenny is in his traditional fine form here. They found a huge puddle on the course and decided that it was their mission to see what kind of tidal wave they could create using the golf cart. Yes, Kenny is behind the wheel, of course. Who else would do something like that with a golf cart?

We have been trying to teach our kids about money and the value of saving. They saw these dart guns at Walmart that they were wanting so they have been saving for the last while. Anyhow, yesterday they finally got these guns. As you can imagine the kids are giddy with excitement.

Ok, now picture this with me... 7:30 am today. A battle began in our livingroom. Brayden was holding one gun. The other gun was held by none other than Kenny! Yes, my third child aka my husband was in full battle with my son! Kenny, in fine 007 form was crawling along the ground, hiding behind walls and crouching beside the bed like he was Jack Bauer from 24! Brayden desperately tried to keep up with his CIA agent dad, but Kenny was in no mood to lose. The funniest thing about it was that they were both in their undies!! I would have taken a picture for you but, well, this is not that kind of blog!

Finally I informed Kenny that he actually had to be at work in 40 minutes and he surrendered. Now as I sit here the battle continues as Brayden is now fighting Ethan. My serene home has now become a battlefield!

I guess that is life with a house full of boys!

Ethan loved the tire swing at our campground

Kenny and the boys on our family camping trip

Brayden boating on Shuswap Lake

Charlene and Bailey in Charlene's parent's boat

The boys with Ethan's pet snail that he found

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure I thought this summer would ever end! This time next week Brayden will be back at school and Ethan will be beginning preschool shortly after. I'm not sure the kids are excited to get back into the grind... but I sure am!

Our summer consisted of lots of company (I think I counted at least 6 sets of company who came from anywhere between 2 days to 5 days!). I attended a birth right at the start of the summer. My parents retired and moved out here. Brayden had summer camp. We excavated and sodded our yard. Both boys had swimming lessons every morning for 2 weeks straight. We went camping with another family for 4 days and then a week later went again just our family for another 4 days. Kenny went to Manitoba for a golf holiday with some friends. And the grand finale occurred when our van broke down and left me and the boys stranded in Kelowna for 10 hours. We quickly had to do some serious van shopping and now have a newer one!

In between our busyness I was at home with both boys, who are really quite interested in fighting ALL THE TIME! That proved to be the most challenging of things. And that is what made me consider running away and never coming back! Just kidding... sort of! For me, September means that the boys will be separated for the majority of the day (good news all around) and I will have some sanity back. Don't get me wrong, I love them and all, but hearing the words, "Brayden stop that... Ethan NOOOOO" just gets a little much after 2 months. Do all siblings do this or is this a brother thing? Of course, I only have a sister and we always lived in perfect harmony so I just don't understand my kids!!!!

At any rate, although this summer will not go into the record books as one of my favorites, it was so great to see so many people and to have even just a few days as a family. We had not had any time as a family in a year and a half. It was a great time (even if a skunk kept us up one night eating Bailey's dog food and scaring the crap out of Kenny... just the thought of it makes me giggle again)!

I'll keep you posted on the ever changing lives of the Toews Family!