Morning Surprise

I had a surprise waiting for me when I went in to get Jesse up this morning. It makes me laugh just thinking about what I am going to write! So, I went in to get Jesse, and noticed he was pantless right away. I got a little closer and saw a wet spot on the floor. And then I looked in Jesse's crib...low and behold, there was his diaper sitting on the mattress. I'm not sure why he took his pants, and his diaper off, but it reminded me of Angie's story of Eoin and his diaper just a few days ago!

We had our last MOPS meeting today, until the new year that is. It was fun, as always. I got to pick up my plate that I made a month ago, plus I won a door-prize which is always cool.

Rebecca and Jesse are both sick right now. For the most part, they don't seem to be too uncomfortable...just runny noses and a cough. Rebecca actually has lost her voice. It's kinda nice, because she can't really cry...but at the same time she makes these cute, pitiful, squeaky noises that made you feel bad for her. Hopefully they are both better by the weekend (because the grandparents are coming!!!), and hopefully Mike and I won't get sick at all!

I saw the coolest spider at the park the other day. I know you are probably thinking, "But Trina, you don't like spiders." Yes, it's true, I don't really like them. But, when they are outside and I have enough distance between me and them, they're okay. So, the cool spider...he was a little guy. He was walking down the slide that I happened to be sitting on. He ran over to this little rock that was the same color as him, he curled up in a ball and looked just like the rock. I thought, "Strange, I've never seen a spider do that before...I wonder if he would do it again?" So, I blew on him just enough to disturb him, and he ran over to another rock about his size and color. Again, he tucked his legs in and sat very still. I left him for about 5 minutes, and he just sat there, looking like a rock. Then I blew on him again, and he ran away to find another rock. It was so cool. I kind of wish I had a video of it...

One more thing...

Yesterday, amidst all the talk about bugs, I forgot to mention one thing about Rebecca which is actually a pretty big milestone in her development. She can sit herself up. The other day she was playing on the floor by herself, and I looked down and she was sitting up. I asked Mike if he had sat her up, but he hadn't so I figured she must have done it herself. Then, last Wednesday at church I watched her go from her tummy to sitting up. When I was at the doctor yesterday and she was asking all the questions, "Can your baby...roll over? (yes, for about 3 months now) Can your baby...pass object from one hand to the other? (yes, and she can even pick things up with her thumb and index finger) Can your baby...sit up supported? (yes, in fact she can even sit herself up)" Needless to say, the doctor was amazed at Rebecca's developement. It doesn't really surprise me though, since Jesse and Rebecca seem to be on about the same schedule as far as when they accomplished their "firsts". The doctor did think that it was funny that Rebecca had no hair...I figure our kids just decide to let the hair (and teeth - Jesse was 8 months old before he got a tooth, and Rebecca has none yet either) wait until they accomplish all these other things!

Rebecca's growing up...

I can't believe Rebecca is 6 1/2 months old already...she's getting so big. I just took her to the doctor today. She is 16 lbs 8 oz and 26 inches tall (at 6 months Jesse weighed 18 lbs 12 oz and was 27 inches tall). We are still working on getting her to eat solid food. She was doing great for the first week (we even have a video to prove it!) Then our whole house got the stomach flu and ever since she has not been interested in eating. But, we keep trying and someday she will be hungry enough to eat!

It's almost time for Christmas holidays. I have a hard time remembering it's December since our weather has been pretty nice. We had a few cold days with some snow, but now it back into the 20's and we gladly go outside without our coats. It's kind of nice not to worry about piling blankets onto Rebecca, or making sure Jesse is wearing his toque. Plus I'm sure Mike appreciates not having to ride his bike to school in the snow!

But as a trade off for the nice weather, we do have lots of bugs still. The roach problem may be under control now. We changed our sticky tape on the weekend, and haven't caught any in it yet, so that's a good sign. But we have had some nasty spiders. Not nasty as in dangerous, but nasty as in gross and disgusting. It's kind of funny actually. About a week ago, we were getting ready to leave the house and Jesse was at the door with his 'Mater truck (which he likes to take everywhere). I was sitting behind him putting his shoes on. He was peering into the trunk of the truck saying, "bug." It was a spider, and a pretty good sized one at that. I thought to myself...that's the biggest spider I have seen in our house. Mike killed it. Then, a couple of days later I was coming out to turn the computer off before bed and noticed an even larger spider hanging out in the crack by our door. Our weatherstripping is so bad that I have watched bugs as big as 2 inches come in our closed door. I'm sure that's how this guy got in, and why he was hanging around the door. Anyway, he was probably around 1-1.5 inches in body size (plus legs). So Mike killed him too. Again, I thought to myself, "that's the biggest spider I have ever seen in a house." So, a day or two later I entered the living room and saw this big black spot on my window. I got closer and realized it was on the inside. It was another spider, and I thought, "THAT is the biggest spider I have ever seen in my house!" I tried to kill it with a shoe, but it was on the window behind the blinds and I couldn't get it. I am afraid of spiders, like really afraid. Especially when they are big, and black. I was shaking from trying to get close enough to kill it. Mike got rid of that one too. He decided to use the vacuum. As soon as he turned it on, the spider ran away but I was sure it wasn't gone. So he took the blind down (we have those mini-blinds), and the spider was sitting in its little burrow it had built inside the hollow part of the top of our blinds. We had a spider living in our blinds - a big spider, close to the stool where Jesse loves to play. I'm sure it would hurt if that sucker bit you. So, Mike vacuumed him. It made a *clunk* as it got sucked up. Then he ran the vacuum for a few minutes, dumped the container out, and the spider tried to make a run for it, so Mike beat it with a shoe (until it was black and blue as he puts it). Isn't that gross? I still find myself looking at the corner of the window out of paranoia. I don't care how clean you keep your house, how would you ever find a web that a spider has built inside your blinds? It kind of scares me to think what we would find it we moved the boxes around in our closet...

Well, Mike is almost finished the semester. All he has left now is finals. He has one take home and one on Tuesday next week. I think we are all looking forward to the semester break. He has been working so hard this year, this is a well earned break. Plus, this year will be our first Christmas (day) at home. And by home, I mean it's the first time that we haven't been with one set of parents or the other. I'm kind of excited about that.

That's about it for now. Christmas cards will soon be in the mail...

Almost 3 months later...

We still have bugs. I can't believe it. These suckers are hard to get rid of! On the bright side, my dishes have to get done every night. But, not only do we have roaches...we also have some fire ants again. They are back, in the same spot, in Rebecca's room by the window (which her crib sits next to). We put plastic up over the windows in the kids rooms a few weeks ago (trying to cut down on electricity costs). So, most of the ants were contained. But, since we couldn't get a perfect seal on the window, some ants escaped. We found a big spider web under Rebecca's crib that was full of ants. And for some reason, I am always finding spiders. I thought we would have gotten rid of them by now. Unlike roaches, where one female can lay 30 eggs a month and they hide in all the cracks and crevices; spiders you usually just have to suck up and they're gone. I have no idea where they keep coming from. We find them in closets, wall corners, sometimes walking on the wall above our bed (which is really creepy). They just keep showing up. Sometimes I kill them. Most of the time I make Mike kill them. So there you go - we have roaches, fire ants, and spiders. People tell me that when it freezes, it should slow down the bug population. We'll see. I certainly hope so. Right about now, I am seriously missing my old apartment in Regina. It would be one thing if it was just me I had to worry about, but we have 2 small children...who get into everything. Rebecca crawls everywhere these days. I just don't like the idea of her finding a spiderweb in a corner, or her having fire ants crawling on her while she sleeps. Jesse's funny. He takes shoes and squishes pieces of dirt on the floor like us squishing bugs. We have this two sided tape in our kitchen to catch bugs, and in the morning he always "helps" me kill the ones we caught overnight. He will point them out and say, "bug...dirty!" Our kitchen cabinets have been packed into plastic tubs for a month now, and it's really annoying to try and remember what is in each tub...but it's nice to know our dishes are safe there. It's also nice to know that there are less places for the roaches to hide amongst our stuff, when the cupboards are empty. Jesse enjoys playing in the empty cupboards. Every one in a while he emerge with a bug, which he deposits in the garbage can. What a helpful little boy! I am so glad that he isn't freaked out by bugs yet (and hopefully never is). We are trying to get moved into an upper level apartment in hopes of getting less bugs, but it could be over a month before they have one open and even if they do they just told us we could "investigate the possibility"...so please pray our bugs will go away and/or we will get moved to a better location soon!

Ahhh...and other than bugs, what's been happening. Well, like I said, Rebecca is pretty much getting all over the place. She still does the army crawl, on her arms, but she is quick. The other day I took Jesse to the potty, Rebecca was in the living room, and when we came out she was halfway down the hall towards us. I remember the first day Jesse followed me into the kitchen when he was just learning to crawl. She just started eating rice cereal, and seems to like it okay. I put a video on the dropshots site of her eating it. Other than that, not much is new with her. I must say though, she sure looks petite compared to a lot of other babies that I see. It seems like most of the other ones I see are way chubbier...oh well, I like my non-rolly-polly girl. She actually fits the right size of clothes for her age!

Jesse...Jesse just turned two. Everyone seemed to be busy on his birthday, so we didn't do much. Our little family of four went to Sonic. Jesse ate a corndog and part of a sundae, but he mostly had fun playing on the slides and such. I bought some sparkling candles for the occasion, but they weren't like the sparklers I remember...these ones were a candle that occasionally sparkled. Since it was windy outside, they didn't work so well. Jesse got a bike for his birthday (from his grandma & grandpa Wieb), a stick horse, some bath foam and bath fizzies (from us), a chunky construction puzzle (from the Lee's), a book (from Mike's Aunty Val & Uncle Bill), and some money (from great-gpa Jack and Beryl). He also got some special birthday cards in the mail (he likes the sparkles on the one from great-gma & gpa Severson). Two years old...wow!

Mike is hard at work with school still. He just turned in a major assignment earlier this week, and I'm sure is feeling some relief! He is also participating in "Nazarite November". Some of the guys in the grad program have taken a vow not to shave for the month...should be interesting to see the progress Mike has made in a months time!

I've been battling a bout of tonsillitis this past week. It was so bad for several days that I could barely swallow liquids, but it seems that I am on the mend now after taking antibiotics for 4 days. Today is actually the first day that I could probably eat without needing any painkillers. There were a couple of days I was convinced I needed to have my tonsils removed, and was ready to pay any amount of money to do so...so, I am glad I am starting to feel better cause I'm sure it's not cheap to have tonsils removed down here!

And one last cute story...Mike took the kids out for a walk last night so I could have some down time to myself. I was vaccuming when they got home, and Jesse came in, grabbed his broom and started copying me. When I went to another room, he followed me and continued to "vacuum." It was cute. It didn't last too long, but it was neat to see him watch me intently, then look at his hand a broom to make sure he was doing it the same as me. Now if only getting him to use the potty was that easy...

So I finally got Rebecca in for her second round of shots. She had been sick earlier in the month, so we are about 2 weeks behind. Anyway, she did great. They do three shots down here (instead of the two they give in Canada). She cried when the first one went in, but the nurse had all three done before Rebecca got past her first breath of the cry (you know, the long silent part between the initial cry and the full blown wailing...) The nurse put bandaids on, I picked Rebecca up and she stopped crying before I had her in the carseat. Now I just hope she isn't too cranky for the rest of the day, especially considering that she woke up 4 times last night and didn't nap well yesterday.

We recently had Jesse weighed and measured. He weighs 30 lbs and was 35 inches tall. People often think that he is older than he is, mostly because of his height. I can't believe he is almost two. Crazy!! He got his first birthday present on Tuesday, from his grandma and grandpa Wieb. Jesse got his first bike! He doesn't know how to ride yet, but he is quite interested in it. He likes to push it around the house (as he is doing right at this moment...) Sometimes he tips it over and spins the wheels on it.

Well, that's about it for right now. I have lots to do today, so I should go.

We're back...

Well, we made it back safe and sound. Here's what has happened the last few, very busy, days...

Most of the family gathered at the Cedarwood Inn on Friday and Saturday. We had a huge breakfast party as Smitty's with some friends of Granny's and the family (at least 30 people, maybe more). We skipped lunch and planned an early supper. We had salmon and bbq chicken. It was yummy. And for dessert we had a birthday cake for Jesse. It was fun to watch his face when we sang "happy birthday dear Jesse..." He ate the icing off his piece of cake and that was about it. Later that evening, the grandkids and great-grandkids went over to Granny's apartment and picked out things of hers that we wanted to remember her by. It was pretty neat. I enjoyed hearing the history behind some of the objects.

The memorial service was very nice. There was a slide show of photos - it was hard for me to picture Granny as a young woman, but really neat to see. My favorite was the picture of her shooting a shotgun in her swimsuit! Dan, Mike and I sang two songs. I felt pretty honored to be able to participate in such a manner. After the service, we enjoyed a delicious luncheon (well done ladies!!) and then we had to rush out to catch our ferry. From the ferry, we drove to the airport, checked into our hotel and went to bed at 11. We were up and out by 7:30ish the next morning. It's too bad we didn't have more time to spend there, because it was a very nice hotel...the nicest I have ever stayed at! After finally getting checked in (it seems it always takes so much longer with the kids), we got to our flight. Jesse slept most of the trip, and Rebecca slept for a good chunk of it as well. The last bit into Dallas was a bit bumpy. I enjoyed it...something a little different, kind of like a roller coaster ride. Our flight from Dallas to Abilene was late, and packed, but we made it home and are glad to be done traveling. I have a couple of Tim Horton's donuts left (my favorite donuts in the whole world are Tim Horton's chocolate glaze...) And so, I shall end my post, eat my donuts and put more pictures on the dropshots website.

Once again I have managed to go for over a week without writing anything. Right now we are in Sidney, BC (on Vancouver Island) visiting family and attending Mike's grandma's funeral. Jesse is out walking with Brenda and Dan; Mike and John are shopping; Rebecca is sleeping, so I actually have peace and quiet right now!

Our day yesterday was interesting. We got to the airport in Abilene on time (that's a first!) and had a horrible time checking in. They couldn't seem to find the kids tickets. Then they told us that the kids had to have their own tickets because we were flying out of the US (I think he was confused about the difference between "international" and "intercontinental") Anyway, we finally got it all straightened out, ended up paying some more money, raced through security and got on our plane. The airline had decided to switch planes to a smaller one at the last minute, so we were on a packed plane. Luckily the flight to Dallas was only 25 minutes. We landed in DFW 7 minutes late, took the train to our new terminal; Jesse had some time to play around (up and down the escalator at least 20 times). We checked into this flight with no problem (they were not confused about the kids riding on our laps). This flight was empty, we each had a row of three seats to ourselves. Jesse slept a bit, Rebecca slept a bit. Four hours and two minutes later, we arrived in the Vancouver airport. We breezed through customs, picked up all our luggage, hopped in our rental van and drove to the ferry. We were the last car (#201) on the ferry. If we had missed that ferry, we would have been sitting for at least another hour waiting for the next one. The ferry had a play area for the kids, so Jesse had a blast going up and down the slide. We got into Sidney, checked into our hotel and went out for sushi! Jesse tried a bite (check out the video on dropshots). And we all went to bed early!

Sleepless Nights...

I may have a few sleepless nights in the coming days/weeks. You see, on Saturday I was awakened by not Rebecca, not Jesse, not Mike, and not even an alarm clock, but rather by a cockroach crawling across my face. At first I thought it was just a piece of my hair tickling my face. Then I realized it was moving. I have never gotten out of bed that fast. I flicked it off and jumped up at the same time. I grabbed a tissue and squished it good. It happened to be an adult female, carrying an egg capsule. Both the roach and the eggs got flushed down the toilet. Isn't that gross? I then went on to kill two more within the next 5 minutes. Last night I didn't sleep well. I felt like there were bugs crawling all over me. I lifted my head off my pillow many times during the night just to check. I even contemplated sleeping with netting over my head and pillow. In the end I decided that if I was willing to let the bugs possibly crawl on Jesse (we have seen them in his room too) and Rebecca (who currently sleeps right beside me), then I should be willing to let them possibly crawl on me. They are just bugs, right? It still creeps me out though. The pest control people were supposed to come by our apartment last week, but decided they were only going to treat half the complex and didn't come to our apartment. And they won't be back until the 15th. That means it will have been over a month since their last visit. We have had cockroaches since we came back in August. Seriously, they should have been able to take care of them by now. It can't be sanitary!! Anyway, I keep telling myself it was just a fluke that a roach happened to find its way to my pillow and that if it's the first time it's happened in a month and a half, chances are it won't happen again. But anyone out there who prays, please please please pray that the bugs will go away very soon and not come back!

And here's a picture of the female german roach carrying her eggs (just in case you were wondering what I woke up to...)

My Curves Monthly Report Card

So I got weighed and measured at Curves tonite. I was pretty pleased with the results. I lost 5 lbs this month; 1.8 inches and reduced my body fat percentage by 1.82%. So compared to last year (just before I got pregnant), I am 5 lbs lighter and only 2 inches larger (all of which is in my abs and bust), and my thighs, waist and hips are all smaller. I think that is pretty cool. I am kinda looking forward to next months report card just to see if I have lost any more!

Has it really been a week since I wrote? I can't believe that it's been that long...I guess that's what happens when you have 2 websites and a Facebook account to keep updated, plus 2 kids to take care of.

Anyway, what's new...last week Jesse, Rebecca and I went over to visit Donna and Tyler. Tyler is 18 months old, and Jesse and him have a blast playing together. There is a video on our dropshots site of them playing. Rebecca's really moving around. Not crawling, but she rolls and pushes herself all over the place. If she sees a toy she wants that is out of her reach, she will keep moving until she can reach it. And she sure adores her older brother. She loves watching him play, and gives him a huge grin when he comes over and talks to her. Jesse is getting a lot better with her too. He likes to give her a soother (whether she wants it or not), and he will bring her toys too. Sometimes he will let her play with them, other times he just gives it to her and then takes it back. But he rarely hits her anymore. Most of the pain he inflicts on her is a result of a temper tantrum on his part. And most times she doesn't even cry anymore, even when we think, "that must have hurt!"

The weather is still nice and warm, although it is getting dark earlier. We like to go to the park in the evenings. Last night was beautiful. We went to Sonic and had ice cream while Jesse played in the playground. I was in shorts and a tank top, and thought about how wonderful it felt to be standing there in October, with the sun down, and not one bit cold.

But speaking of cold...three of us have a cold right now. Jesse, Rebecca and I are all sick. I'm not exactly sure how Mike isn't sick as well, but I hope he manages to stay that way! We all have a cough, stuffy/runny nose, and both kids have run a temperature at some point. Plus I think Jesse is still cutting those last two teeth. Rebecca seems to be suffering the worse. At least Jesse and I can move around and our nasal passages drain pretty well, but poor Rebecca can't sit up on her own and seems to get really stuffy. Saturday night she barely slept at all...well she tossed and turned and slept very fitfully while I didn't sleep at all! I just feel so bad for little babies when they get sick. It's hard for them to eat, sleep...the only time she seemed to breathe okay was when I was holding her upright. Anyway, I think we are all on the mend now, though still a ways away from being healthy.

We have our tickets booked for our trip to Canada later this month (for Mike's granny's funeral). I am really looking forward to seeing a bunch of the family on Mike's moms side. It will also be nice to get some crisp autumn air, and then come back down to our warmer weather. I've been trying to sort through Rebecca's clothes and find some warmer ones for her to wear. It seems most of her clothes are summerish. But, we will make do.

So that's about it I guess. I am in the middle of doing laundry, and I should really get as much done as possible while both kids are asleep.

Well, here's what's new with us:

Jesse got two more teeth. Two more to go and we will be done until they start falling out.

Mike had a birthday...he's 25 now. We tried to get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. I went in and asked if they made them. The lady looked at me and said, "You mean ice cream cones?" I said, "No, ice cream cakes...cakes made from ice cream." She gave me a you're-an-idiot look and said, "No." So, I don't know if just Canadian Dairy Queens make cakes, or if that store just didn't have them and she had never seen one before. So, instead of an ice cream cake, we bought some little tubs of ice cream. Not the same but still pretty yummy.

Rebecca isn't doing much new...still rolling around lots and wiggling on her tummy to get places. We did apply for her American passport though. She looked pretty cute in her passport photos.

I got to go to my second MOPS meeting. It was a blast.

We got to see our friends Josh, Krista, and Miriam (they moved to Mesquite last spring) on the weekend. It was a lot of fun. Their little girl has grown so much.

I guess that's about it. I had a funny story that I wanted to write about, but I forget it now. Sorry!

"Trouble is my middle name..."

Some days I think we should have named Jesse "Jesse Trouble Coghlin". He has just been wild this week. Here are a few things that he has done.

1. Took a credit card from my wallet and hid it (two days later I found it...he had hidden it in another spot in my wallet).
2. Took cash from my wallet, a coin and dollar bill, and tried flushing them down the toilet.
3. Once I took the doorknob cover off Rebecca's room to put on the bathroom door, he threw all Rebecca's clothes off her cart and onto the floor. (I know, we should just buy more doorknob covers...)
4. He tried to pick Rebecca up by her feet (I managed to intervene before any injury occurred)
5. He climbed up on the shelf we keep the diapers in, and managed to put lotion, hand sanitizer and baby powder all over himself.
6. He discovered it's fun to climb up the recliner and hang/jump off the back.
7. He climbed up on the desk, found the box of staples and tried to eat some (they have since been put completely out of reach)


That's all I can think of right at this moment...Oh what fun it is to have a two year old boy!

Check it out!

So, I've been wanting to do this for quite some time...here are some comparison pictures of Jesse and Rebecca...
Jesse (left) and Rebecca (right) minutes after they were born.


Rebecca and Jesse, snuggled in Mike's yellow baby quilt.


Dan holding Rebecca and Jesse. He looks much more relaxed with Rebecca!



Asleep on the plane (Rebecca then Jesse)


Rebecca and Jesse making similar faces.


Jesse and Rebecca's first time in the high chair (Jesse was around 2 months, Rebecca 3 months).

I got bored today...so I decided to give the website a facelift. It was kind of fun!

Guess those eyes!

Okay...I have a quiz for you. In the picture above you will find the eyes of Jesse, Rebecca, myself and Mike. Guess which belongs to who and write it in the comments section. After a week or so I will post the answers. Good luck...and a small hint - Jesse's eye pictures go back to when he was a baby!

Pomegranates

Did you know that Pomegranates grow in Texas? I had no idea until this past Sunday. But then again, I also didn't know that pears, pecans and cotton also grew here! See, I am getting an education too!! Anyway, this past Sunday we enjoyed lunch with the Rainwaters out in Benjamin. And they have a pomegranate tree in their backyard. So we came home with a couple pieces to try. Another interesting fact about pomegranates - their juice was originally used in Grenadine (today it's mostly made of high-fructose corn syrup, water, and citric acid base.) This is a picture of the tree we picked the fruit from.

Sunday School

For the past two Sunday's, Jesse has been going to Sunday school during the Bible Class time. He usually comes home with a paper from class that he has colored. Today he found the paper from last Sunday. It has a door pasted on it that opens to reveal Jesus. Jesus is knocking at Mary and Martha's door. Well, today he brought the paper to me and said, "Jesus. (as he opened the door) Door. Knock knock. Jesus." I couldn't believe it. I was so impressed.


And then he found a marker and drew on the wall. I wasn't too impressed by that! I just saw him out of the corner of my eye, and said, "Jesse!" sharply. I must have startled him, because he jumped back and just about fell over. He looked pretty sheepish, and put the cap back on his marker. Then he went down the hall to the linen closet, grabbed a dishcloth, came back out and tried wiping it off. I thought that part of it was cute.

Kids Wish Lists

I have created a couple of lists with gift ideas for the kids. I thought it might help anyone who wants to get Jesse a birthday present (or Christmas presents). You can look at the list, and order it online, or send us a cheque/money order and we can pick it up. Anyway, I just thought it might be helpful! And maybe someday I will get around to creating lists for Mike and myself too...

On Rebecca's list there is a Canadian Coin Baby Gift Set. Jesse got one when he was born, and I would really like to have one for Rebecca too. If you are interested in giving this to her, please let me know so I can take it off the list (so I don't get more than one set).

Bugs, Bugs...Go Away, and Don't Come Back Another Day!

I am so tired of seeing cockroaches. Every day I do all the dishes, put all the food away, scrub the counters, vacuum the dining area, sweep the kitchen floor and yet we continue to see roaches. We aren't dirty people! Why do we have roaches?! Anyway, I really hope that we can get rid of them soon. This weekend we emptied all our cupboards, cleaned them with bleach, put some roach bait in the cracks, added some bay leaves (supposed to repel them) and some baking soda (supposed to explode their stomachs when ingested). So, here's hopin'! I killed one in Rebecca's room today. I have no idea what it was doing in there. Maybe it got tired of smelling the bay leaves in the kitchen and was looking for a more suitable home. Anyway, keep praying for us...we can use all the help we can get!

Rebecca keeps on doing all sorts of stuff these days. She continues to love rolling over and seeing the world from on her tummy. But, she just started laughing this week. And, she also discovered her feet. I often find her staring at them, or playing with her toes. She's so cute!

Jesse had fun at the park this weekend. He loves the park! He had a blast on the swing and loved it when Mike have him under-duck pushes (where does that word come from anyway...). He also petted a cat nicely today...several times. Usually he just grabs a handful of fur, but this cat was so soft...maybe that's why he petted her so nicely. Either way, it gives me hope!

And MOPS starts again tomorrow...I am so excited!!

The 11th Thing We Learned (while traveling this summer)

I can't believe I forgot this when I did the post about the things we learned this summer while traveling. This was one of the coolest ones! Did you know that some Rest Area's in Texas have tornado shelters? I thought that was so cool!!

Some?

Jesse talks more and more each day...which results in some funny moments. Yesterday we were eating some chicken nuggets with dipping sauce of course (Jesse had 4 different kinds on his plate). Well, he finished eating all his food and was eating the rest of his sauces by dipping his fingers in it and then licking his fingers. After dipping his fingers, he would hold them out to me and offer me some by saying, "Some? Bite?" which is often what we say to him. I declined each time, but he kept offering it to me.

One of the other things that cracks me up happens most evenings when Mike comes home. Jesse always gets really excited. He will say "Daddy!" which is quite often followed by "How are you?" Mike usually says, "I am good. How are you Jesse?" but Jesse has yet to reply to the question.

He's getting much better about communicating what he wants. He can consistently say "juice" or "drink", and if he's hungry and doesn't know the word for what he wants to eat he will just say "some." Or, he will start bringing me cans from the pantry and a little dish and use sign language to say "food".

But, he also parrots a lot of things we do. For example, the other day he was playing with my pots in the kitchen. He puts the lid on one, and carries it over to the table very carefully saying, "hot, hot, hot, hot..." just like I do when I want him to back away from me. He did this with each of our pots. Once they were placed on the table, he took the lids off and brought them back to the counter. It was so cute!

Rebecca isn't talking too much these days (at least in actual words...she does like to coo). But, she has started rolling from her back onto her tummy. She has been trying for a couple of weeks, but couldn't seem to get her arm out from under her. Then on Monday she just figured it out. Now I can't seem to keep her on her back. She can roll the other way too (from her tummy to her back), but I usually only see that happen about twice a day. She sure can get around though. She kind of kicks and pulls herself around, and can get right off the blanket. Once she managed to turn 180 degrees around, though I'm not really sure how she accomplished this and stayed on the blanket! I have a feeling that she will be mobile at an early age, kind of like Jesse was.

I'm doing pretty well these days. Just got back to Curves. I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight (pre-Rebecca, not pre-Jesse) and am hoping to get back to at least my pre-Jesse size and maybe more. It feels good to get back exercising though. I think I was in better shape when I was pregnant than I am now, which would make sense since I exercised until 2 weeks before Rebecca was born and then didn't do anything over the summer (other than chase Jesse around and go for a few walks). MOPS starts again on Monday, and I am super excited to see everyone again. I think Jesse will be excited to be in class again with the other kids.

Mike is busy, as to be expected. He is working really hard this semester, trying to juggle a full load of classes, working 2 jobs on campus, preaching on Sundays, and being a dad and husband. Here's hoping that we all survive the semester!

Just because she's cute!

Have a headache...come visit us!

Our house sure is relaxing these days...on Saturday we were doing some housecleaning which also included the bathrooms. Mike had taken everything off the counters and placed it in some boxes on the floor. You would think that after more than a year and a half of being parents we would realize that Jesse gets into everything. Well, we got a refresher course! Jesse took my lavender bath oil and dumped the whole bottle. Some in Rebecca's room, and some on the bathroom floor. Rebecca's room still smells quite strongly. I suppose out of all the things he could have gotten into and dumped, this was probably the best. At least I like the smell of it!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches, BLT Salad and Quesidillas

So, we had potluck today...our sandwich potluck. I took chicken salad sandwiches, a BLT salad, and Pear Tartlets. The sandwiches and salad were a big hit. Both are super easy, but I thought I would share the recipes with you just in case you wanted to give it a try.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches (I think these are our favorite sandwich, and super easy too!)

Mix up:
cooked chicken breast, cut in chunks (I grill lots all at one time, and use it for stir fry, quesadillas...etc.)
grapes, cut in quarters
walnuts (or almonds, or whatever you have)
green onion, diced
Miracle Whip


Mix it all up, slap it on some bread, and voila! Deliciousness!!

BLT salad
Romaine lettuce (about 2 heads), cut in bite size pieces
1 package bacon, cooked and diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
Miracle Whip (about 1 cup...adjust to suit your taste!)
1 tsp of salt-free seasoning (we have this stuff from Superstore called "Salad & Vegetable Mix" that's really good)

I had Mike guessing what the dressing was...and he had all sorts of guesses, but never thought it was mostly Miracle Whip. The salad was completely cleaned up, and we only came home with one sandwich (which was eaten before supper).


And, in case you have more left over chicken breast, give this a try:
Quesadillas
Heat margarine in a pan (over medium heat). Throw a flour tortilla in there. Sprinkle grated cheese on it. Add sliced or diced chicken, maybe some onions and green peppers, then some more cheese. Top it with another flour tortilla. Spread margarine on the top tortilla (kinda like you would for a grilled cheese sandwich...) When the bottom side is nice and golden, flip it over and cook the second side until golden. Mmmmm...be sure to serve when it's still nice, hot and crispy!

10 things we learned driving this summer

The title is pretty self explanatory...here we go:

1. Don't change a baby without a change pad underneath.

2. Pack a lot of diapers, and have them accessible. (aka...don't have them packed in some strange container buried under two suitcases)

3. McDonalds playplaces are a parents best friend - when they have a toddler who needs to burn energy at meal stops.

4. DVD players are a parents second best friend - when they have a toddler who gets bored.

5. Cool-a-tron's don't keep food cool when they are plugged in to the "warm" setting. Milk and cheese especially do not fair well.

6. "Complimentary, Hot Waffles" at the hotels are not all they are cracked up to be, especially when you have to wait 15 minutes for your turn to cook one. Although, they are better than no breakfast at all. (Yes, there are actually hotels out there that don't serve any breakfast)

7. Don't give a child macaroni salad to eat while in their carseat (at least without a bib on!)

8. Don't plan all your breaks at outdoor places. Sometimes it rains...a lot.

9. Don't believe the prices and directions you find on the internet. Sometimes, you may be disappointed. (One day our hotel was $40 more than we thought - so we found a different one - and the restaurant we wanted to eat supper at we couldn't find! A double wammy.)

10. A lot of people travel up and down I25 & I90. We saw plates from 32 different states and provinces (Saskatchewan, Alberta, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Quebec, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Colorado, Florida, North Dakota, Ontario, Wisconsin, Nevada, Utah, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Indiana, New York, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Illinois.)

Internet, glorious internet!

I am so pleased that we have internet again! I have been putting up pictures on the website since noon. It's great to have our phone and email back again. Hopefully we won't be so out of touch now.

So...what's new...we are still fighting off a few bugs here and there. I found a large cockroach hiding on the computer desk this morning, but it managed to escape while I was trying to kill it...and now I don't know where it is (so my chair is as far away as possible while I type this, and I'm not shuffling any more papers!)

Kids are doing well. Rebecca rolled over again today. I put her on her back, and she can roll over on her tummy but can't get her arm out from under her. Then she rolled back over onto her back because she doesn't like having that arm stuck under her. When I do place her on her tummy, she wiggles around so much she can get right off the blanket. She can also do that while on her back. She arches her back, lifts her bum up and uses her feet to push herself around. And of course, she continues to smile and just be generally cute.

Jesse...he is learning so much these days. He uses words often, and even knows what they mean. For a while he would just repeat whatever we said, but now he actually uses words to talk. It's pretty cool. He finds the microwave popcorn in the pantry and will bring it to me and say "puh-corn". Sometimes when he drops something he will say, "oh man!" He will point at the cup of pens and say, "color." He will take a drink of milk from the fridge and exclaim, "cold!" with his eyebrows raised. He knows Rebecca's name and calls her "Becca". I think he has even said, "Becca, quiet" before, just like he would tell Tim (the Coghlin's dog) to be quiet in Calgary. And of course he knows the words, "blankie, soother and Tigger" as they are all part of his nap/nightime routine. I can't believe it's almost his birthday again, and that he will be two! That's crazy!!

Enjoy the new pictures and videos on the dropshots site. Hopefully there will be a steadier stream of them now that we are back home and have our internet back.

Jesse's phone conversation

I almost forgot...Jesse has this play cell phone he likes to "talk" on. Well, the other day he picked it up and dialed a number. They he said, "Hi. How are you? Bye." Isn't that hilarious! He did it multiple times in a row too. It still amazes me what they pick up from by just observing what we do everyday...

Still no internet connection...

I am currently borrowing someone's internet connection, so I will just write a brief note (and it's also way past my bedtime...) Our phone and internet should be connected on the 28th, I can't wait. A week without internet or phone is hard!

We are still dealing with a few bugs here and there. I think I only saw three cockroaches today, and managed to kill one. We have some in our microwave. I killed one, but there is at least one more in there that I can't get to. Every once in a while I see him in the clock/number display area. He hangs out for a bit, and then walks away. The Terminex guy said they like it cause it's warm, moist and has bits of food. He also said that he would just get a new microwave. Mike wanted to take ours apart, but you need a special screwdriver. I suppose that's to stop just anyone from taking it apart. Anyway, I was using it the other day and I heard popping noises and then the light bulb blew. It was at that moment that I decided not to use it anymore. It just grosses me out to think about dead cockroach fumes floating around my food. Anyway, we had the Terminex guy come and spray. He said that it takes about a week and a half to work, so we will probably still see the odd bug. And sure enough, I did see some today. It's interesting though...I went from being afraid of them to being angry at them and killing any one of them I can get (they are really fast!) Sure, they still kind of creep me out, but the hatred toward them is definitely stronger that the fear. I still see the occasional spider, and beetle too. Oh and crickets. We have crickets too. I guess from all the moist weather we have been getting. Crickets don't really scare me, but they do startle me sometimes, like when they get in clothes or blankets that were on the ground (or in a suitcase on the ground).

Enough about the bugs...I don't want nightmares tonite! I'm sure glad Jesse and Rebecca are too young to care, although I sure wish Jesse didn't want to eat the bugs...

So our mold problem appears to have been fixed. Hopefully we won't have any more issues with it again. Other than all that, life is pretty normal here. It's hot and windy. The kids and I spend our days indoors. We do need to get up to ACU and walk around the path though.

Anyway, I need to get to bed. I spend way too long on Facebook tonite already! I promise to add pictures to the Dropshots site when we have our internet set up.

Three Days and All Is Well

Three days…we managed to make the trip from Bengough to Abilene in three days. With lots of stops at parks and McDonalds playplaces along the way of course. Sure, we had a few cranky spells along the way, but all things considered, the kids traveled exceptionally well. We learned a few things too…like don’t give Jesse macaroni salad to eat while we drive! Rebecca added her fair share of laughs to the journey too. One morning, I had just fed and diapered her before we left. She was in her carseat, all ready to go, and she pooped. So, she came out of the seat and I changed her while Mike took a load down to the van with Jesse. Just as Mike came back through the door she pooped again (it had been about 5-10 minutes since the last explosion). So, out of her seat she came again. Mike flipped on the TV to watch for a few minutes. We waited about 10 more minutes before changing her again. Luckily three dirty diapers seemed to be it, so we managed to get going about 20 minutes after we first were ready to go. We had a pretty good laugh over the whole ordeal.

When we got to Texas, we could sure tell…if by nothing else, by the temperature. It was over 80 by 9:30 am, and 100F when we stopped for lunch. But, it didn’t deter Jesse from playing outside for a while. So, we arrived safe and sound in Abilene on Sunday night – relieved to be here, but also disappointed in several things. When we first walked in our apartment, we noticed a strange smell…we had mold growing on the walls in two rooms! We also discovered several species of bugs living in our house, including spiders, carpet bugs and cockroaches. Nice, eh? The mold has since been cleaned up, and we see less and less bugs everyday. Jesse did try eating a cockroach though (at least we assumed he did…the dead bug was there one minute, and the next time I turned around Jesse was spitting something out and the bug was gone. I did find the head later, placed on the table by Jesse I assume). I guess some pretty crazy stuff happened the week before we arrived back. First there was a water usage ban, then there was a boil water advisory, and the day we arrived the river and lake had overflowed (courtesy of the hurricane storm) and flooded the downtown. It was so bad, church was cancelled. I never realized that the hurricanes could affect us was up here, but apparently the storm can travel pretty far inland dumping lots of rain.

So…things have been pretty exciting since we have gotten back. We still have boxes packed from when we moved (I guess that’s what happens when you have a baby a few days after you move!) Plus, we are still unpacking from the summer. Lots of work to be done. We are still working on getting our internet connection up and running, which is why there are no pictures up recently. We will try to keep you all posted!

My favorite picture of the week...

Jesse was leaning up against the grill around the firebox...it just makes me smile every time I see this picture! (Melissa, what does this remind you of??)

Anyway, we have had a busy week. On Saturday, Mike and I got to leave the kids here with John and Brenda, and we traveled out to Banff for the afternoon to celebrate our fifth anniversary (which actually isn't until the 10th). We ate at Melissa's Bar & Grill, which was one of the places we ate on our honeymoon. Then we bought some fudge from the Gondola gift shop. And, then we drove out to Morraine Lake and spent some time canoeing. I love that lake, it is so pretty. It was a good day and we enjoyed the time together.

We have had some special friends visiting here in Calgary. Alex and Natasha, and their two girls Yulia and Marina, were in town. They used to live here a couple of years ago (originally from Russia). Then they moved to Holland, and just recently moved to Australia. They have hopes of moving back to Canada in a couple more years. They are such wonderful people. Back when they lived in Calgary, they invited us (John, Brenda, Dan, Mike and I) over for dinner. Natasha cooked us a Russian meal, and it was delicious. That was the first time I had ever put sour cream in my soup, but it tasted great! So, last night, Natasha came and prepared another meal for us to enjoy. We had the same soup (tasted just as great as I remembered) and a yummy salad. Jesse loved the food, but I think he liked playing with the girls even more! Yulia is such a smart little girl. I think she is 7, and she already speaks several languages. When she speaks English she almost sounds British. I listened in on part of a conversation she was having with John, and she was explaining about why it was hotter closer to the equator, and why the bigger the city the hotter it was...she knew all sorts of stuff I'm pretty sure I didn't know when I was 7!! Anyway, it was fun to have them around.

So it's almost time for us to leave Calgary. On Saturday we head for Bengough. We have to be back in Abilene on the 19th, so we will only be in Bengough for a few days. I sure am looking forward to seeing all the family there again one more time before we head south.

Fun in the city...

We got to go to Calaway Park on Sunday afternoon (Jesse, Mike, John and myself that is). It was fun. Jesse rode a few rides, played in the ball pit, and cried when he saw Mike and I on the rollercoaster. I can't wait until Jesse is a little bit older and can ride more of the rides. When we were getting ready to leave for the park, Brenda stood at the door and pretended to cry (like Jesse does when she leaves). Jesse looked back at here, held out his hand and said, "Come!" It was so cute.

I think we must have been eating a lot of waffles this summer. This morning we were going to share some, I took the syrup out of the cupboard and handed it to Jesse to carry to the table. He took it and said, 'syrup." It amazes me how many words he can say (most he does understand, sometimes he just repeats what you said). Anyway, speaking of waffles...here is a recipe for some very delicious ones!

Pumpkin Walnut Waffles
3 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Place the milk, pumpkin, oil and eggs in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Place flour in a large bowl. Crumble the brown sugar to remove any lumps. Add the flour along with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir to blend. Add the liquid ingredients and whisk until smooth. Let batter rest for 5 minutes before using.


One day we made a double batch to freeze. Then just pop them in the toaster to reheat! Yummy!!

Back in Calgary

Our family is all together again here in Calgary. It is so nice to have Mike around again...we really missed him. Our first day back, Jesse discovered that a bush in the backyard had edible berries on it. He loves going out there and picking himself a little snack...he even spits the pits out! He gets red juice all over him, but it's pretty cute!

He also found a bunch of red ants yesterday. They are in a place he usually plays. At first he just watched them. Then he decided to sit down and watch them. Since they weren't fire ants, I decided to just him sit for a bit. A few minutes later I see him getting upset, and hitting himself. The ants had crawled all over him - I found them on his legs, arms, head, and even in his diaper. Once we had them all off, he went back over to where they were, but didn't get as close this time. As lesson learned, although I'm sure he will try again in the future.

We went down to the river yesterday after supper to cool off. Jesse had a blast playing in the water, and the rest of us had fun watching him! Rebecca even cooled her toes off in the water (although she didn't have nearly as much fun as Jesse).

Today we have plans to head to the farmers market (I've been waiting all summer for this) and to Calaway Park in the afternoon. It should be a good day, so look out for pictures on the website soon!

Will the heat wave ever end?

Ever since I arrived in Saskatchewan, the temperatures have been horribly high here in Bengough. I don't think we have had a day that was under 30 degrees, and most days were close to 40. I look forward to being back in Calgary just to be in the cooler temperatures (and to be back with Mike...it's been a long 11 days apart from him).

Well, VBS is over, and the crew headed back to Colorado. The church building seemed so empty this morning. I'm sure Jesse was wondering what happened to all the people he was used to seeing there twice a day. But, Lissy is here for a visit so that's fun!

And the most exciting news of all - I joined the Facebook bandwagon! Okay, maybe that's not too exciting, but my friend Jacinthe is excited to have me join. I'm actually kinda surprised it took me so long to join, and now that I have I am amazed at how many people are on it already. So, feel free to invite me to be your friend!!

That's about it for now...we should be headed back to Calgary on Tuesday or Wednesday, so you may not hear from me until then. Laters...

Nothing too new...

Not much new and exciting to report, but I thought I would give a general update on what's happening. Jesse has learned a few new words since we have been in Canada (no, "eh" is not one of them...) He can say truck, which sounds more like "cruck", he can say "blueberries", he has his own special word for drink which I won't even try to spell phonetically for you, he is using his sign language lots and can say "done" too, and he is perfecting his pronunciation of "grandma and grandpa" and "no". He has become exceeding good at going up and down the stairs, throwing a ball, drinking from a regular cup and even getting water from the water cooler. He likes to call Sheba (the cat) "Tim" (which is one of the Coghlin's puppies). I think I heard him say one day "Tim, meow." Jesse is known by everyone at VBS. There are kids who say "hi Jesse" and I have no idea who they are...He gives everyone high fives and likes to "pound it" (ask Dan) with people. One day he was right up at the front doing the actions to "Father Abraham"...I had so many people come and comment to me about how cute he was. Everyone thinks he is the best kid ever...none of his teachers believe me that he has temper tantrums or that he ever cries (how little they know!) Jesse also likes to sing...he will even open a song book and sing along with us in his cute singing voice. He also likes to lead singing - he copies the song leaders hand actions. He's also loving the pool these days...he even doesn't mind getting his face wet anymore.

Rebecca smiles more and more each day. Of course everyone thinks she is beautiful, and can't believe how alert she is for a 2 month old, and how happy she seems all the time.

We are all missing Mike though, and look forward to seeing him hopefully sometime early next week. Jesse looks at his picture of Mike and says "dada" over and over again. I mentioned "dada" tonight at Jesse's bedtime, and he started looking around for him. I felt kinda bad, but I know he will be thrilled when we see him again.

Anyway, I should get going...it's late and the baby is squawking for me again.

It continues to be hot here...today was only supposed to be 26 degrees Celcius (which sounded good after high 30's). At lunch time it was 29, and then it got to about 35 degrees this afternoon and very humid. I can tell that I packed way too many long-sleeved clothes for the kids!!

VBS is going well. Jesse went to class the first day, but wouldn't stay this morning (I think there were too many adults in the classroom, plus he woke up at 5 this morning and was tired pretty early in the morning). But, he and Tyler played upstairs in the Ladies Class. Susan Roberts is here teaching the Ladies Class. We are studying Proverbs. The little bit that I got to listen to (in between distracting Jesse...) was great. Bob Lewis is teaching our evening classes, which are just as interesting. I am collecting all the handouts and hope to get a chance to review them later and see what I missed.

Anyway, both children have woken up and are crying, so I should go for now...

It feels like Texas...

Well, we arrived safe & sound in Bengough. Jesse, Rebecca and I flew to Regina on Thursday morning (we were up by 4:30 to catch our early morning flight...) with Brenda. My mom met us at the airport and we drove to Bengough (Brenda had to fly back to Calgary). It is hot here in Bengough...I think today is supposed to reach 33 degrees Celcius today and 36 tomorrow (that's 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit). It was 25 by 9:00 this morning...plenty warm enough!

Jesse has played in the backyard pool lots, we have taken plenty of walks around town and have enjoyed the slower pace of life the smallk town offers. Today though, the business of VBS begins...mom is baking, dad is cutting grass and running errands and I have a baby attached to me (she's loving her sling Brenda). Lissy should be coming home today too, so it will be fun to have her around too.

Memories from my childhood...

Yesterday was hot! Jesse played in his pool quite a bit. And then we decided to put out the sprinkler since he had never played in one. It was great. He loved it. And it brought back so many memories for me....there's just something about the smell of the grass when it's wet, and the way the water is such a nice relief from the scorching sun. I could just close my eyes yesterday and remember all the times I ran through the sprinkler at home (or grandma's), and playing on the slip & slide. Great times. Sometimes I wish I was still a kid and the summer was filled with camping trips and swimming lessons and VBS...

I hope someday Jesse and Rebecca have the same type of happy memories to look back on when they are playing with their kids.

6 weeks

Rebecca and I had our six week check up on Friday. All is well with both of us. My incision is healing well which is a nice change from last time. Rebecca is growing well and is completely healthy, other than a bit of neo-natal acne. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 oz (Jesse's exact birth weight...) and was 21 inches long.

Our Canada Day celebration included going to church as usual, eating burgers and milkshakes at Peter's Drive In, building a railing on the deck in the afternoon, and having a bbq roast for supper outside. It was beautiful out and a very enjoyable day overall. I hope you all enjoyed your Canada Day celebration (or July 4th for you Americans).

Summer has arrived...

...at least according to the calendar! The longest day of the year passed just under a week ago. On June 21st the sun rose at 5:21 am and set at 9:53 pm. That's more that 16 hours of sunlight. That means that it's light out when Mike gets up for work, and light out when he goes to bed. And there is usually only one feeding for Rebecca during the whole day when I look outside and it's dark. I had forgotten how much longer the days are here in Canada. Abilene gets about 2 hours per day less sunlight than we do here.

On another note, Jesse has pinkeye! From where...I have no idea. So far none of the rest of us have been afflicted thankfully. He's also learned a few new words...he can saw truck (which sounds more like "cruck"); he also asks for blueberries on his cereal every morning and for his yogurt at night; he can say balloon too; and when he doesn't know the word for something but wants it, he asks for "some". Brenda has also been teaching him some signs for a few words. He can sign for "food" and "drink", although I'm not sure if he knows what they actually are or if he's just copying what we do. Either way, he's one sharp cookie!

Rebecca still just does baby things...eat, sleep, dirty diapers...I can't believe she's 6 weeks old already. The other day I'm sure she smiled right at me while I was singing her a song.

Other than that, not much else is new out our way.

Rebecca can get a job!

That's right, Rebecca can now legally get a job in the United States...well at least she can 16 years from now. We just got her Social Security card in the mail. Now we are just waiting for her birth certificate...

Mike and I are officially Albertans. We have switched our car insurance over (I sure do miss Saskatchewan's premiums!) and our licenses too. We still have a couple of addresses to switch over, and our provincial health. It's so frustrating that SGI wouldn't insure us while we are in Texas. It's such a hassle, and very expensive, to switch everything over. I guess I should just be grateful that Alberta is willing to insure us.

We had lots of company over the weekend. Dad and my Grandma and Grandpa Severson came out to pick up my mom. They arrived Friday afternoon and had to head home on Sunday. It was a short, but very nice visit. It's kinda lonely now that everyone is gone, and Brenda & John are back to work. I think Jesse is missing them too (plus he's just cranky because he's getting 2 more teeth).

Well, I should go. Both children are down for naps and I have some bills to pay.

Rebecca meets her other Grandma

Angie, Eoin and Mom arrived safe and sound on Sunday night. Mom is staying here with us at John and Brenda's. She's enjoying cuddling with Rebecca and chasing Jesse around. Today we are planning on getting together with Angie and Eoin for a bit at the mall. Other than that, there's not much new here.

Rebecca has a belly button!

That's right...no more umbilical cord stump. It fell off one day before she was three weeks old. I'm glad to finally be rid of that. I hate having to clean (and look at) it. That's about all that's new with Rebecca.

Jesse on the other hand, has learned to say a few new things since we have gotten here. He does pretty good at saying "Grandma" (and gets very sad when she leaves). The one that really cracks me up is when he goes around the house calling Tim (one of the puppies). And, when he hears Tim barking, he will sometimes say, "Tim...shhh." He sure does keep us entertained!

Mike bought his first pair of work boots this week, and actually is wearing them for the first time today. Yesterday he didn't have to go to work because of all the rain we got here. On the radio they said that there was an estimated 10 million dollars of damage within the city from the storm on Tuesday night. So, instead of work yesterday he got to go and ride along with Dan, hauling gravel for the afternoon. Brenda and I went shopping with Rebecca, while John stayed home with a napping Jesse.

As for me, I am feeling pretty good these days. I still can't believe that I just had a baby three weeks ago, and major abdominal surgery too. I did stub my toe this morning, and suspect that it may be broken. I can't really bend it, and it's sticking out at an odd angle. Not to mention the fact that it hurts really bad. I think we managed to get the swelling under control pretty well - Brenda stuck an ice pack on it within a couple minutes of it happening, and propped my foot up. Unfortunately, there is a little boy running around that has no idea how much it hurts when he steps on my foot.

Anyway, I should go. I really just came upstairs to get a recipe off the internet to make some muffins.

Life in Calgary

Well, we have been here in Calgary for just over a week. Mike is working as a framer (yes, that's right, not farmer) in Okotoks for the summer. He gets up at 5:30 to get ready for work and is home around 6 on a good night, sometimes later. He will have a pretty good tan by the end of the summer - at least his arms from the elbow down! He's enjoying the work; getting to try something new, but the heights kind of scare him. I suppose you just have to get used to it.

As for me, Brenda and John have both gone back to work, so I am home alone with the two kiddos. Jesse gets really sad when Brenda leaves for work. He sure has fun playing with her. The majority of my time is spent with Rebecca. She's doing great. She sleeps pretty well at night, but likes to take her time eating which means I am up for more than an hour at a time most nights. We have also discovered that she is a real cuddler. She loves to be held and snuggled all the time. It's nice (since Jesse is not a cuddler at all), but it also makes life challenging. I am looking forward to my mom visiting, since I am sure she will be willing to hold Rebecca all day long. Then maybe I can actually get some stuff done or even better yet - take a nap without the baby! I feel great (other than being tired), and actually can't believe that I had a c-section 2 1/2 weeks ago. Such a change from my experience with Jesse. It's actually really hard not to just do everything I want to, like carrying Jesse around (I admit, I do pick him up occasionally).

Well, that's about it...not much else happening out this way. We celebrated Dan's birthday yesterday afternoon, which was a lot of fun. I'll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.

Safe and Sound in Calgary

Well, we have arrived safe and sound in Calgary. The drive took 4 days, but we all made it here in one piece. For those of you who are interested, here is the tale of our journey.

Day 1 (Wednesday) - Abilene, TX to Clayton, NM
Rebecca turned 1 week old today, and we set off on our journey northward. We left Abilene around 11 am. Months ago, I had prepared a schedule for us of places to stop and hotels etc. I had done this up with the thought that I would still be pregnant (the schedule had us only stopping twice a day for meals...not every two hours for feeding!) So, on day one we were supposed to travel 642 miles to Colorado Springs. Needless to say, between leaving 3 hours later than scheduled, having to stop every two hours for me to walk (to prevent blood clots) and feeding Rebecca, we didn't make it to Colorado Springs. We did make it out of Texas and into New Mexico though. We stopped to eat our packed lunch at a small park by the lake. Jesse had fun running around and throwing rocks into the water. The ducks and geese thought it was food and came rushing over. Some baby geese wandered over, and the mama and papa geese hissed at Mike and Jesse before herding their young away. We stopped in Clayton, NM for the night - at the same hotel we stayed at on our way down. It was 11 pm before everyone was in bed and asleep. Rebecca woke up around 2ish, hungry. She ate for over an hour. Then she woke up at 5:30 to eat again. This time Jesse also woke up and climbed into bed with Mike. Jesse laid there contently, talking to himself and snuggling with Mike. Around 6 everyone was up, getting showered and packing up. We managed to eat breakfast and leave shortly after 8.


Day 2 - Clayton, NM to Wheatland, WY
We managed to put a good 3 hours in this morning while both kids slept in the van. We traveled slowly through New Mexico where they are still working on twinning the highway. As we entered Colorado and drove through the hills on the southern border, we reminisced of driving down to Abilene pulling the trailer, and how nice it was to actually go the speed limit this time through (which is a wonderful 75 mph on the interstate). We stopped for lunch in Pueblo, CO at a McDonalds so Jesse could play in the PlayPlace while I fed Rebecca. When she was done and we were getting ready to eat our packed lunch, Mike pulled out the Cool-a-tron, and noticed that all our food was warm, really warm. He had plugged it in backwards, on the heat setting. I found it extremely humourous. Mike didn't at the time, but I'm sure he will someday. So, we picked through the food and threw out our yogurt, mayo, turkey meat, and milk (which had started to separate or curdle or something!) Then Mike and Jesse went to Wal-Mart (which just happened to be in the same parking lot) and bought some food to replace what we had lost. I sat and fed Rebecca again. Then we ate in this big grassy area beside the parking lot (Colorado grass is so nice). Rebecca ate once more (she's a hungry girl) and had another dirty diaper (third one since we had stopped), and we were off again. We drove through Denver. Traffic wasn't too bad, but still not fun. It took at least an hour to get through the city. At some points, the interstate had 6 lanes each way, and traffic still came to a stop. We were glad to get out of there and stopped in Lafayette for a supper break. Jesse was spinning in circles in the parking lot and fell, scraping his face all up. Our second night we got a hotel in Wheatland, WY (same city we stayed at on the way down, different hotel). Jesse and Mike had a blast down at the pool while I got Rebecca ready to bed. We had a fairly good night, and got up around 6. We were on the road again by 8 which felt good.

Day 3 - Wheatland, WY to Great Falls, MT
Today was a long day. Jesse did fairly well considering this was his third day stuck in his car seat. We stopped in Kasey, WY for lunch at a rest area. Jesse got to run around in the pet exercise area with Mike while I once again fed Rebecca. After Kasey we drove to Billings, MT where we decided to stop again at McDonalds. Jesse had fun at the PlayPlace, I fed the baby, got my "lunch" to go (it was around 5 before I got to eat it), and we were on the road again. We really wanted to get to Great Falls since it would make the next day a lot shorter. Jesse cried for over an hour on the way to Great Falls. We kept expecting he would fall asleep since he was really tired. As we drove, Jesse started making this strained face like he was trying really hard to poop. We thought he was constipated since he hadn't had a lot of fruits and veggies in the past couple of days. Anyway, he probably strained for 10-15 minutes. When we got to the hotel, Mike went to change Jesse's diaper. It was really full, and Jesse was definitely not constipated. He had pooped just fine, and boy did it smell. As Mike described it "the smell burned my eyes." We took it out to the dumpster, but our hotel room still smelled until morning.

Day 4 - Great Falls, MT to Calgary, AB
We got on the road fairly early again today, around 8. We were at the border by 10ish and maybe waited in line for 20-30 minutes. When we got to the window, we breezed through questioning and were on our way. That was a huge relief for me, since Rebecca doesn't have a birth certificate yet. We stopped in Lethbridge for lunch at a park by the lake. Mike and Jesse got to play at the playground (Mike commented today that he feels like a single parent the past couple of days). We ate down by the lake. Jesse had fun watching and chasing the birds. It was a great place to stop and nice weather too. Jesse fell in the parking lot and scraped up his knee, but recovered fairly quickly. I was changing Rebecca before we left, and had just gotten her diaper off and her all cleaned up when she started peeing. At it wasn't just a little pee either. It went everywhere, all up her back and in her hair (she was on a slight incline). So, she got a baby wipe bath and a new set of clothes. At least when little girls pee, it doesn't spray all over you! We arrived in Calgary around 4, and at John and Brenda's by 4:30. Jesse finally got to run around and chase the puppies. Rebecca got loved on by her grandparents. Mike won't have to drink any more energy drinks. And I can finally stop wearing my compression socks!

We are glad to be here and look forward to settling in to a routine over the next couple of days. I will try to do a better job of keeping everyone updated on what's happening out here.

Rebecca Grace

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write a post...but I guess I have had my hands full the past 5 days. My delivery went very well (much better than last time) and my recovery has also been much easier so far. I was discharged from the hospital after two nights, and we even went out to Benjamin for church on Sunday. Everyone there was excited to see Rebecca, and Jesse and I (we haven't been out for the past two weeks).

We are settling into life here at home..and plan on leaving on Wednesday or Thursday for Canada. Rebecca has been sleeping pretty well at night. I don't know if this is because of the painkillers I was taking and they just made her sleepy, or if she will just be one of those babies that likes to sleep. Either way, I don't expect it to last very long! We are slowly getting the hang of nursing. I thought that it would be easy this time, because I had already done it once with Jesse - I had a year's experience. But, I forgot to remember that Rebecca has no experience, and she has to learn how to eat. That seems so silly to say, but it really is true. Babies are born with some instinct on how to nurse, but they still have to learn how to latch on right and to be patient...sometimes it takes a while for the milk to get there! Anyway, I think we are getting the hang of things now. Yesterday I was ready to quit...sure she wouldn't be able to figure it out. Then I was reminded by Mike that she was only 5 days old, and with Jesse we were just taking him home from the hospital at 5 days old and we struggled with nursing for a good week after that. So, with that in mind, we will continue to try with renewed patience. She has only lost around 10 oz (Jesse dropped almost a pound in the same amount of time), so we aren't really concerned yet.

Some of you may be wondering why there aren't a lot of videos of Rebecca on the Dropshots site...that's mostly because all the seems to do is eat and sleep. I could take a video of her sleeping if anyone out there would like me to...and as far as taking a video of me feeding her, I think that's best left off camera!

So, there you have it. I am feeling great and we have a beautiful little girl.

We have a daughter!

It is a good thing that I decided to read Trina's post from yesterday, otherwise I might not be writing this.

Everything went extremely well, both the delivery and Jesse waking up to unfamiliar faces and not seeing me until 11:45am or so.

Our daughter (name TBA) was born at 9:51am on May 16, 2007, weighing 7lbs 12oz and measuring 19.25 inches. We are excited!

Mike

We're having a baby tomorrow!

No, we aren't kidding...we really are having a baby tomorrow. After my doctors appointment on Monday, they decided it would be best to schedule my c-section for Wednesday. So, our baby will be born on May 16th around 9:00 am. Mike and I will go to the hospital at 5:30 am (so incredibly early!!) for all the prep work and stuff. Jesse has some people to look after him, and we are hoping that everything goes pretty smoothly for all concerned.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know. Maybe Mike will post a short note on my behalf after the baby is born to let you all know about him/her. So, here's the last picture of me pregnant (at least with this baby) and in about 12 hours, I will hopefully be a lot skinnier!

Yes, I'm Still Pregnant...

Some of you may be wondering what I look like these days (being only two weeks from my due date). I will relate two stories to you instead of posting a picture. The first story occurred on Monday of last week. We went to Sonic to have a cold drink and let Jesse play on the playground there. When the girl arrived to drop off my order, she handed me my change and asked if I was having twins. I said no, I'm just getting close to my due date. She just looked at me and said, "Oh, 'cause you look huge." And then she walked away. It kind of surprised me, because first of all, most people don't make comments like that to your face. And secondly, almost everyone else has been telling me how good I look this pregnancy. And thirdly, I have been measuring on track for this baby (Jesse measured 2 weeks big all through the third trimester) and I have only gained 4-6 lbs since I found out I was pregnant.

Okay, second story. Yesterday Mike, Jesse and I were getting out of the van to shop at WalMart. A girl in the car pulling out of a stall near us called out her window, "You look so cute pregnant. I was huge, but you look cute." I have no idea who this person was, or what possessed her to say I looked cute (I was wearing a baggy t-shirt, rolled up sweat pants, and hadn't showered that day!) But, both Mike and I found this extremely humorous, especially considering the previous incident.

So that may, or may not, help you have a better idea of what I look like these days. I'm actually feeling pretty good. A little sore (some from lifting boxes that were too heavy or carrying Jesse around, some just from being pregnant), occasional heartburn, but overall feeling pretty good considering how close to my due date I am. Even with that said, I am looking forward to having this baby and losing some of my extra girth. Every once in a while I forget about the basketball belly I have, will get to close to the stove and get a little warm; or I will walk into a counter; or Mike will forget and walk into me!

I see the doctor again on Monday afternoon, and will hopefully have some news to share then!

Fire Ants and Cranky Boys...

Well, we are almost settled in our new place. Friday night we officially were moved out of our old place, and were living amidst our boxes in our new place. Mike just set up our computer last night (hence the reason I haven't been online to post any pictures or news), so it feels a bit more like normal.

So...fire ants. Not nice. Canadians, don't worry...they will probably never venture that far northward because of the cold (I do miss winter specifically because it kills off the bugs!) Here is some of what Wikipedia has to say about fire ants, "Fire ants often attack small animals and can kill them. Unlike many other ants, which bite and then spray acid on the wound, fire ants only bite to get a grip and then sting (from the abdomen) and inject a toxic alkaloid venom (piperidine). For humans, this is a painful sting, which leaves a sensation similar to what one feels when they get burned by fire — hence the name fire ant — and the aftereffects of the sting can be deadly to sensitive individuals. The venom is both insecticidal and antibiotic....Red imported fire ants are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting. A person typically encounters them by inadvertently stepping into one of their mounds, which causes the ants to swarm up the person's legs, attacking en masse. The ants respond to pheromones that are released by the first ant to attack. The ants then swarm and immediately sting when any movement is sensed...Red imported fire ants are extremely resilient and have adaptations to contend with both flooding and drought conditions. If the ants sense increased water levels in their nests, they will come together and form a huge ball or raft that is able to float on the water, with the workers on the outside and the queen inside. Once the ball hits a tree or other stationary object, the ants swarm onto it and wait for the water levels to recede. To contend with drought conditions, their nest structure includes a network of underground foraging tunnels that extend down to the water table. Also, despite the fact that they do not hibernate during the winter, colonies can survive cold conditions as low as 16°F (−9°C)..." Okay, I know that was a lot of info...but despite being nasty pests, they are pretty smart. Okay, so why am I suddenly fascinated with fire ants? On Friday we came home from lunch, I went into the baby's room and killed a flying ant. Didn't think much of it. Then I looked at the window and notice 10 or so ants crawling around on the sill; some flying, some little red ones. I told Mike about it and we decided that we probably needed to have the pest control people come and spray our place soon. About 1/2 hour later, I went back in the room and there were hundred of ants crawling around in there. Mike had to leave, so I was left to deal with them until pest control arrived in two hours. I didn't want them crawling everywhere in the house, so I decided to plug the crack they were getting in through, and kill as many as I could. I sprayed the ants with window cleaner (it was all I had here...) The little ones disappeared back through the hole, and the winged ones couldn't move that well. I squashed them with an old papertowel roll. Then I plugged the hole with a wet papertowel to hinder any other trying to enter the house. I could see them swarming outside the window, but it appeared I had them under control.
When the Terminex guy arrived, I explained what I had done. I'm sure he thought I was an idiot, but frankly I didn't care what he thought. He looked at the dead ones and the few that were still crawling around and said that they were definitely swarming fire ants. Then he sprayed something around the window, injected some kind of goo into the crack, and went outside to tackle the nest. He said that they shouldn't be back as long as he could find the nest. So far, we haven't seen any new ones. I'm glad we came home when we did (and that they were in an empty room) because he said that they could be thousands of them in a few hours. So, for the first time in my life, I now own a can of Raid and a set of fire ant traps. Mike and I laughed one time because we saw a sign in WalMart that said "Fire Ant Killer" by the "Light Bulbs, Paint..." signs. Now we know why!

Other than that little incident, we have been very pleased with our new place. The one neighbor we have met is nice, other than the fact she smokes all the time. At least it's outside though. And the pool is only open June - Labor Day. That was very disappointing, especially considering the weather they have here...and the fact that it's filled with water and tempting us! But, we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and more counter space and better lighting in the kitchen. All bonuses in my opinion!

I suppose Jesse has handled the move well enough, considering the stress of it all. But he has been a cranky boy through the ordeal. First it was the strangeness of being in a new place - he never wanted to be set down to even walk around! Then, he was upset because Mike was gone all the time, and the door was constantly opening and closing but Jesse couldn't run out it. So, when the guys brought a load over, Jesse and I would retreat to a closed bedroom and play while they carried stuff in. It's just been hard for him I think. But, now that we are getting settled in, and things are getting unpacked and looking a little more familiar I think he is doing much better. He will be very glad to have Mike around to play with him the next few days/weeks while we wait for the baby to be born.

So there you have it...that's what has been happening in our lives the past couple of days. There are a few more pictures on the dropshots site, but I will wait until we unpack a bit more before taking pictures of the apartment.

We are Moving!!!

Isn't it exciting?! We are finally moving. That's right, today we get to pick up the keys to our new apartment - almost one month after starting the application process. I will be sure to put some pictures of the new place up soon, but for now you will have to settle for our new address. Here it is:

Michael, Trina and Jesse Coghlin (no new baby yet)
1250 Yeomans Road Apt 13104
Abilene, TX 79602

Our phone number remains the same, as do our email addresses. So there you have it, we should be all moved by Friday and then the baby can feel free to come any time!