Halloween

Tim wanted to be Spidey again this year -- and he still fit into his costume from last year...so we went with it :) We went out tonight with his best buddy Christian and his little brother....and got lots of candy!! Garnet had to work nights so afterwards we went over to see him and dropped off candy for him to snack on all night!

Spiderman.....(again) with his Pumpkin we carved (and decorated!!) at the party on Saturday


Christian (Hulk) and Tim (Spiderman)


The big boys taking Justin Trick or Treating :)


awwww.....


CANDY!!!!!!!!

Long overdue visit with the Camerons!!

Haunted House with Jenni


"Hey, where's your body?"


Going to climb the tree with Papa Gary


That's a little too high...


Driving his new truck


Hanging with his Home-Girl Shannon :)


Playing with Bailey


New Firetruck from Matt...more interest in climbing inside the box.

Basement Reno's

After seeing Garnet rip a wall down 3 times in search of perfection and no progress being made in 2 months our friend Wayne has decided to come over and help light a fire under Garnet's butt. This whole week they've been working on making the basement look more like a home and less like a warehouse.

Basement Walls --- 4th times a charm ;)


Looking more and more like a room


Drywall time

Bloody nose...

Tim had a run in with a friend in Gym class that ended in a bloody nose, swollen cracked lip and goose egg on the forehead. He was fine - they didn't even call us to come get him....it was an accident and they both survived. Nothing a little hug and Spray 'N Wash can't fix ;)

It just proved to us even more how hard it is for him to do 2 things at once....like run and look where he's going ;)

Class Trip to Korny Korners

Silly faces on the wagon ride


Picking a Pumpkin (I had to carry 3 gigantuous Pumpkins because my group picke dthe biggest ones....)


All muddy after we picked the Pumpkin (so much for new winter boots looking new for very long...)


Climbing a hay stack


King of the world (I have a really cute on of the whole class standing on the hay tower...so cute :)


Feeding the Ponies


Chattin' it up with Miss Wilson

Hockey and learning how to love...

Tim had his second hockey practice today. No, I don't have pictures.

Before you all die of shock - I figure with 1 practice a week until April there will be approximately 25 more opportunities to get identical pictures of him flailing around on the ice with a stick, Hockey equipment, and the "help me, mom!!" terror in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the first 2 practices haven't been extremely joyous occasions. Garnet and I have come to the conclusion that our child will not be the next Gretzky - and he is definitely not a natural....but he hasn't given up yet. And for that, he's a star.

The first week - I forgot to get his skates sharpened and the equipment was a little sloppy. He was right in between the sizes and seeing him on the ice just proved our inclination that we should have got the smaller size. So we did right after practice. This week went a fraction of a bit better.

So far, both weeks have climaxed with him in a ball, crying and kicking on the ice. He gets a drink, a few encouraging words and is back out there to try his best. The last half he has fun and gets into it, after practice and throughout the week he's excited about the next practice -- but the first half an hour is wrenching my heart out.

It's been one of the hardest moments for me as a mother to see him frustrated and trying to encourage him to keep going. Every ounce of me wants to pick him up, take him far away from the arena and tell him everything's fine and he never has to hurt again. But life isn't like that. He's going to hurt, he's going to fail, he's going to have hard times and he needs to know that he can pull through - on his own - and keep going. I'm there when it's over to have our Tim Horton's date and a big hug -- but he's on his own on the ice.

But how do parents do it right? How do I show my child that I believe in him, to stay strong in hard times, to not give up, persevere through the obstacles, to not quit.....but also show him that I love him and I am here for him when he needs me?

I want him to experience life - and all that comes with it. I want him to have all the opportunities that I wasn't able to have, to see things and learn things about himself, to see all that he is capable of achieving.

I want him to try things even if there's a chance that he might fail -- and to see how easy it is to get up and try again. I want him to amaze himself by his talents...even if he doesn't succeed the first time.

I want him to have what I still struggle with today...strength and confidence.

But every bone in my body wants to protect him from ever learning it all the hard way. So I bite my tongue, hold back tears, tell him I love him and I believe in him....and send him back out.

Just wait, Tim.
Wait til your first love breaks your heart.
Wait til your best friend backstabs.
Wait til you don't get the job.
Wait til someone you love never comes back.
Wait til life really hits you hard and knocks you down....and you don't think you'll ever get back up.
Somewhere -- you'll find the strength to open your eyes and stand up...even though it hurts so bad. And you'll wonder how you ever made it through, how you ever kept living. Just wait, Tim......soon baby, this right now, won't feel so bad.

Next week - there will be pictures.

I'm Spinning

....but my butt hurts a lot.

But at least I did it -- finally.

For the past year or so I've been talking about trying the Spinning classes at the Y, but haven't had the courage to do it. So last night my friend Sandra and I decided to just go for it....hoping we weren't going to collapse and die half way through.

I made it all the way through and the instructor said I did very well for my first time. I probably would have done better but I haven't been regular in my work outs for the past 2 months (slacking...) I absolutely loved it and I think it's something I would like to do regularly. I felt awesome afterwards, like I had an awesome workout. I like sweating when I'm working out as an indication on how hard I'm working -- and I was drenched. I also felt every muscle in my body today - which I surprisingly like!

We're going to have to work on the butt area a little bit though --- the regulars said the pain goes away after a few times.....so we'll see. As for this time I don't think I've sat down once today...except to write this post.

So now, I'm done this post.


******UPDATE (for Hillary and anyone else) Spinning is an hour long Stationary Bike Class set to upbeat music, with an instructor mapping out a course for you. With different tension and speed in intervals of standing or sitting or bouncing. Intended to use the whole body, burn a whole bunch of calories and help you feel every SINGLE muscle in your body.

Lesson Learned (aka: "my son the drama queen")

I let him chop the apples.

I gave him a sharp knife, and let him chop the apples.

It was a bagel knife, rounded tip, but it was still sharp -- and he thought that was the best thing ever. We made the Apple Crisp, washed the dishes and cleaned up - put the knife away. Waiting for the timer, smelling the magnificent, sweet, apple-cinnamon aroma.

Daddy woke up. The three of us cuddled on the couch and treasured our few minutes together before night shift started.

Two on the couch now - rustling in the kitchen.

me: "What are you doing, Tim?"

no response.

me (firmly): "Timothy, come out here please and tell me what you are doing."

A guilt filled face emerged around the corner.

tim: "I was biting this piece of paper, mmm I like biting paper."

Hmmm, ok nutcase.

Garnet and I start back into our conversation - trying to ignore the fact that our child is getting way too much enjoyment out of biting a hole in a piece of paper.

Terrifying scream. Blood on the finger.

tim (in between sobs): "MOM, I LIED. I'M SO SORRY I LIED."

me and garnet (jumping from the couch):"WHAT WERE YOU DOING!?"

Oh I get it....jabbing a hole in the paper - not biting a hole in the paper. Yeah, that makes perfect sense....

tim (drama queen...and still sobbing): "Oh, Please don't hurt my heart, don't be mad. I love you with my whole heart and I'm so sorry. Ooooooh my heart hurts. I won't touch knives again. My whole heart loves you soooo much. Ooooh, I wish I didn't do that."

Cleaned up blood.
Finger still on hand.
Band-aid on wound
......parents holding in laughter;

I think you learned your lesson Tim, I think your finger and your heart will be just fine.

Now, let's have some apple cri.....oh.

unhappy?

I've been a little ticked about a few things at work -- and being my usual passive-aggressive self haven't spoken up about anything. But I arrived at work today to find out that my boss had been fired without warning and everyone was pretty shaken up about it. So I guess I should start being thankful that I atleast still have a job!! And maybe start looking at the positives of it...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed our beautiful weekend in North Bay. Beautiful colours and lots of fun...

We went for a hike, enjoyed the sunny fall weather and lots of Turkey of course!!!! I learned how to play poker and Hillary kicked all our butts in Black Jack. You can see lots more pictures and videos on the Album. And since Hillary got our old camera she was able to catch an embarrassing video of me...Burn and Turn Baby!!

Northern Colours....


Lake Nosbonsing


My favorite field


Poker night at the Forsyth's


Dad's helping, Hillary's thinking, Mom's really into the game....


I was probably trying to bluff again...not so good.


And the big winner of Black Jack is.....Hilsy Bilsy Catrilsy!!


A Day at the Pumpkin Patch


In the Corn Maze


Painted a Pumpkin (yes I do bathe my child once in a while - that's marshmallow on his nose!)


Bobbi, Rich and Dakota enjoying the Wagon ride at the Pumpkin Patch


Watching the fields of rasberries on the Wagon ride


Hike


Out for a walk


My mom and I


Ahhh, to be a kid again!!


Me and my Grandma

Slacker

Wow, I never thought I'd slack this much on my blog.... ;)

This week has been good with the usual busy-ness. Garnet has taken over the computer a few days in order to get caught up on his computer repairs that he's been putting off.

Tim has been getting over the usual 'beginning of school sickness' that usually happens with all the germ-sharing that happens.

We are heading up to North Bay for the weekend to have Yummy Turkey with my family. And to enjoy some real fall weather and colours -- since it still feels like summer here!!

I'm sure there will be lots of pictures from our weekend to share when I get back.

Happy Thanksgiving!!
xo J

Could this be goodbye, my love?

I've been fighting Garnet's true love for a long time. It's a well known fact that my husband has put on a few pounds since we've been married....and no, not from my cooking. Rather, from his facination with a certain burger.

After a late night Mickey D's craving last night Garnet has become intimate friends with the toilet in a fierce bout of food poisoning....could this be the end of his ongoing love affair with the Quarter Pounder?

We'll see....

Hockey Time!

All ready for Hockey!!


Hockey Stance....looks mean!


Ready to take those gloves off or something??


ummm....what's a jock?