Quotes from my Brothers (and Sister)

Thomas: "I know why people kidnap people - because they want more kids!"

Thomas: "Is it illegal to fight a robot?"

Gavin: "If it's a police robot then maybe."

Thomas: "Dad, do you know what it feels like when I eat Rice Krispies? It feels like I'm having a heart attack." And then, "I just heard my day imagination. I put a bite in my mouth and I heard a bang."

Nadia is very prompt to say thank-you when she is given something. But if she is not responded to with a "You're welcome" she'll scold, "Say me welcome!"

Nadia: "Mom, keep me safe!"

Mom: "From what?"

Nadia: "From the lion."

Mom: "The lion?"

Nadia: "Justine is a lion."

A Post with Pictures :)

Today, after many days of clouds and rain, we had a few hours of sunshine. This evening all of us kids took advantage of the sunshine to play outside.

Outside our dining room window is a robin's nest in a tree. The robins have four babies. We joke that while we are watching them have their breakfast, they are watching us eat ours.

In a large puddle in the field next to our house live a pair of ducks. The ducks come nearly every year, but usually the puddle dries up pretty quickly. This year we have had so much rain, the ducks are still here. I do not know if they are raising a family though.

Nadia loves the swing. She begs, "Go too higher!" We always ask her, "Is it too high?" because we aren't sure if she will be afraid. Now she thinks "too high" is fun.

Meg taught Nadia to answer the question, "What country do we live in?" Nadia says "Me live Candada!"

Some more things Nadia says are:

When she has new clothes, "Want show my papa!"

Nearly every morning when we are doing schoolwork, "Want to colour." Then, when she has coloured a picture and folded/scrunched it up, "Here Dee-Dee (Justine), this yours." And when I have looked at it and given it back, she refolds it and says, "Here Meghan" or "Here Awsee (Allison)" or "Eah".

Sunday morning she heard Thomas crying upstairs and she cried, "T-Tom!" and ran all the way upstairs to the boys room. She loves her brothers.

The other day when Thomas got hurt, he exclaimed, "Ow! My skeleton!"

Justine

It's been a very long time...

...hasn't it?

Instead of the usual March weather of grey skies and brown fields, we received a beautiful layer of snow the other night. On top of that, the snow was glazed with ice from freezing rain. Today dawned bright and clear, the sunshine reflected off the ice and snow, and it was altogether a cheerful and breath-takingly pretty day.

In this picture, I tried to focus on the coil of vine. However, the sun was glinting off the camera screen, so I didn't see the result until I put the pictures on the computer. It did focus on something, just not what I wanted it to. And the background looks how I wanted it to. :)

I was bouncing these two little men on a fallen log (and having lots of fun) when they told me I looked like a Daddy long-legs. I just laughed, so they kept calling me that and laughing. :)

Happy Friday!

Justine

My Brave Soldier

"If any animals that eat people come, I'll donk them over the head."

It's nice to have such a willing protector. :)

But don't worry, he isn't too grown up yet.

Justine

This and That

It has been below freezing all day. Right now it is -3 C with a wind chill of -10 C. We saw a few snowflakes today, but not enough to stick.

As for the chicken that was hurt, it is still alive. It eats and walks around (with a major limp). Meghan is still faithfully tending to it.

Meghan and Leah have gone babysitting. Our parents are shopping. The rest of us are at home, enjoying movie night.:)

Tomorrow Allison and I are going to a concert put on by a local choral society. We will be handing out programs. I am glad for the opportunity. I saw a poster for the concert and thought it would be nice to go. And now I get to go for free.

Last night I went driving with my driving instructor. We did the big city/major highway run. Definitely glad the rain and drizzle was rain and drizzle and not snow. Driving on the highway was easy and fun. The city was harder to drive in, but a good challenge.

Here are some pictures of a handsome cowboy and his pretty little lady.:)

Pretty good for having been taken in the basement using a camera whose batteries were dying, eh?

Justine

Quotes from Thomas

Thomas: "Can dogs see in the dark?"

Me: "Not that well."

Thomas: "If they open their eyes they can."

"It's getting froggy (foggy) out here!"

Thomas: "These are my gravy pants."

Me: "Gravy pants? What are gravy pants?"

Thomas: "Like my Sunday ones."

Me: "Oh, navy pants."

Justine

Cheese Men

During the morning, some of us older ones take turns doing things with the little ones. Allison gives them a snack, and sometimes they do a "craft snack". Today they made cheese men.

Here they are, lined up on the counter while Allison is getting things ready. (We have a "shortcut" between the dining room and kitchen. I took this picture from the dining room.)

Eager anticipation

Three cheese men

Justine

Space Shuttle Adventure

The following is a journal entry I wrote a few days ago. The pictures were taken another day.

Every school day I take Gavin, Thomas, and Nadia outside for one hour and fifteen minutes. This morning the boys wanted to play space shuttle in the old blue van.

(Brent, Thomas, and Gavin)

Brent (who had some free time), Gavin, and Thomas took turns being co-pilot and "driver".
While Brent was driving, we went to the moon. On the way, we passed the sun and blew it up. We went straight through Jupiter and blew it up as we were leaving.

Gavin got us stuck in the middle of space. Then he hit an alien. Emily was doing a science project and was using the front of the van as a writing desk. We appointed her as an alien.

Thomas, whose knowledge of the solar system and of geography is somewhat confused, decided to head for Africa. But first, the space shuttle got stuck in a tree. After he succeeded in knocking down the tree, he steered for Africa, guided by a map of North America.

(Cyrus walking on the windshield)

Meanwhile Nadia and I lounged around in the back seat. Nadia sucked her middle fingers and watched her brothers' excited activity with a look of mild concern.

Eventually the boys tired of their cosmic flight and turned to the tamer activity of using swings as trucks and race cars. Someday maybe they'll really fly to the moon, but I doubt they'll go as far as their imagination took them one morning in an old blue van.

Justine