An All Over the Place Kind of Saturday

Today started with the temple.  The temple.  I love the temple.  Going to the temple with a tiny baby is hard to figure out.  I've been once since Fiona's been born, but today was the first time I participated in work called an endowment, in a long time.  I had a beautiful, beautiful time.  I went to the 7:45 a.m. session.  So that meant I left the house at 6:45 a.m. 

When I got home we took a while getting organized but we eventually did and we went out to Orangeville to a Maple Syrup festival.  FUN!  Kate watched a magic show, and even got to help.

 Kate and Alice had their faces painted.

 We took a horse drawn sleigh ride.

Next up was a walk through the forest to go to the sugar shack.  We roasted marshmallows, watched a presentation or two and then saw the maple sap being boiled.  We learned that light syrup  comes from sap early in the season, and dark syrup comes late in the season.  We had a taste of fresh syrup - so good, some maple taffy in the snow - so good, and then Kate lost it! 

Poor thing was freezing. We thought it was warmer than it was.  Neither of the girls was wearing their snow pants and Kate wore her rain boots. Needless to say that all the outdoor fun was too much.  We raced back to the van and  I warmed Kate's feet and she eventually stopped crying.  While I was warming her feet, Ken picked up hotdogs and pancakes and we had a picnic in the van.  He also picked up 2L of light syrup.  Liquid gold!  We did a few errands in Orangeville and then we drove home.

Once we got home I changed quickly and then Fiona and I drove back to Orangeville.  It was the very first of a new women's conference.  From now on there will be a broadcast for all the women ages 8 and up every six months - the week before general conference.  To mark this historic event there was a potluck dinner and an activity and of course we watched the broadcast.

Now for the all over the place.  In the midst of this uplifting day of temple, of family, of spiritual edification, a tragedy unfolded across the street in our neighbour's home.  Four and a half years ago our neighbours lost their son.  He was 13, and it was labour day.  He should have started grade eight the next day.  I suppose that Mama - his Mama never recovered.  She put on a brave face.  She organized charity benefits in his name.  She carried on, but she was broken.  Part of the reason that we were late leaving our house was because of all the emergency vehicles outside our house.  One of which was blocking our driveway.   

I wondered what had happened.  Ken and the girls all wondered what happened.  I sent a message to another neighbour later in the evening.  I was worried and I was curious.  It was after the dinner, not long before the broadcast that I received a message back.  This broken Mama had come to a tragic end.  Tragedy on top of tragedy is just too much.  I am so, so sad for this family.  For the husband and her daughter, now left. 

We don't know any of our neighbours very well.  We are friendly, but mostly keep to ourselves.  I was glad of all the spiritual uplift that started today and ended today.  I'm so thankful that families are forever.  I am thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  For resurrection, for the peace that knowledge brings.  I am thankful that I know that Alicia is now at peace and she's with her son Dodge.  I just hope and pray that the family that is left behind can find peace and comfort.

Alice's First Real Dentist Appointment

I'm not sure how many times the dentist has looked at Alice's teeth.  She hopped up into the chair when it was Kate's first visit, because she needed to have a turn.  And then she's had a turn once or maybe twice more?  In any case, I'd been meaning to make her an appointment of her own and I did. 

Alice was awesome.  She was excited and cooperative and not the least bit difficult.  She had a very positive first appointment. 

And now I will say this.  Taking care of my children's teeth is very, very stressful.  Very. 

Another Dad, Another Birthday

I think that it is funny that my Dad's birthday is the day before Ken's Dad's birthday!  They are seven years apart, but that's neither here nor there!  Ken's parents are actually in town this week and so we had an "almost everyone in the McCartney Family" birthday party for Ken Sr. at Maureen's.  It was a fun night enjoying family.  I so enjoy the girls enjoying their cousins.  We had pizza and treats and cake and fun.  It was just a fun night.  Funniest moment of the evening though was the singing of Happy Birthday.  Many candles were lit and placed on the cake and then because of this Ken was given instructions not to spit all over the cake while blowing out his candles... this led to the unorthodox, blowing out of the candles before the song was done.  I've never seen this before, and I think we were all thrown off by this.  No one clapped.  We all just laughed.  HA!

Oh but wait, I forgot... the funniest, most awkward part of the night was right before we left when Kate was asking everyone to have a naked party.  She doesn't get silly at bed time... nope not her!  She asked the newly engaged couple to take their shirts off and run around with her.  Yup, not awkward at all!  And of course the more we told her to stop, the sillier she got!  She did eventually get changed into her pjs and we did leave, without having a naked party!

 

My Dream Job?

What is my dream job?  Staying at home with my kids full time forever.  But they don't stay kids forever.  And there's this thing called money.  Money.  Yuck.  And this thing where I feel like I do good things, I'm a positive force for good in the lives of young people.  My three little people being the most important young people.  But.

I'm freaking out right now.  I looked at the Vacancy List tonight, just for fun.  And there on the screen, a half time position, music/prep coverage in Kettleby.  Kettleby is one of the closest YRDSB schools to us in Tottenham.  It would take twenty minutes to get there.  And it's a little school.  I loved teaching in King and I've always wanted to go back to a little school.

In part there is no reason to freak out because there are just too many what ifs.  What if I'm not the right fit for the school?  What if I don't like it?  What if they've already hired someone else?  Not to mention that as of right now I'm approved for an infant care leave - a leave which will keep me out of school until May 2015.

This past week I've been thinking about what do I want to do.  Do I want to work part time in the classroom, or do I want to build my own piano studio? 

You know in movies when the movie star is faced with this difficult decision and their guardian angel comes and shows them all of the alternate realities?  I want someone to come and show me the future.  I want someone to tell me what to do.  Sadly, I know this won't happen.  I need to go to bed.  Perhaps my dreams will tell me the answer?

Dad's 74th Birthday

First were the presents.  I brought Suzanne's present - butter tarts, coke zero and chicken pot pie.  Dad loves food.  He said "forget Weight Watchers this week!" with a huge smile on his face!

Kate was so excited to give him our cards.  Dad loves cards with pictures of the girls, and I love making cards with pictures of the girls!  WIN!  I should also say, that Dad loved the picture of him and Suzanne that she put on the front of her card.  So cute - it was of her and Dad on Centre Island.  I'll just add it, because it's too cute!

Back to Kate.  She was very excited to give Grandpa his presents. In fact, poor Nancy (Dad's cousin), we totally interrupted her giving Dad his present.

After the presents we chatted, waited for the food to arrive, and for Rayna and Andrew to arrive.  I helped Mom make this fun potato recipe I found on facebook.  Then we ate.  Then it was time for cake.  We had carrot cake.  It threw me.  We always have ice cream cakes for birthdays, but the Baskin Robbins that Mom and Dad always used to go to has closed.

And then there was running around, more chatting, tv watching, baby watching.  Crazy grandchildren.  All manor of good fun! 

And another present, Fiona didn't cry when she saw you.  She even smiled a little when you held her!  Happy Birthday Dad!  We all love you so much.

Fiona, the stairs and her cute teeth!

Six hours after posting about Fiona's new accomplishments during her eighth month she adds something new.  She discovered the stairs.  And this morning - with a little help, she climbed the stairs from the office to the kitchen - four steps in total.

I almost went back and added the photo to the post I'd written earlier that day... oh and I had to put a new sweater on her because she made a mess of herself at lunch.  But I decided after I still hadn't added the photo, and after I finally captured her cute two bottom teeth that I would make a separate post all together!  So here it is.  Another post dedicated to my cute smart little flower.  Stairs and teeth!  So many adventures!

Cold Creek Conservation Area

Today we went for a family walk.

And it was AWESOME! 

(We saw tracks - deer, rabbit, squirrel, and dog, and we saw woodpecker holes.  Woodpecker morphed into ritz-cracker, care of Alice - from wood-cracker.  Kate walked the whole way without a single complaint, and Alice only fell apart about 5 minutes from the car and Ken was able to quickly bring her back to sanity.)