Overdue

Well I know that an update is long overdue on here!

Life is busier than ever, and some days I wonder why I still bother to keep up with this blog.

(The free stuff may have a little something to do with it!)

I do have some positive updates about the girls that I wanted to share on here.

Brie is maturing each week.  She has a beautiful personality and more often than not she thinks of other people (namely her little sister) before herself.  She is gentle and kind, and very generous.

Of course we know how intelligent she is.  After all, she began reading one month after she turned 4.  She has been reading for almost 3 years already, well ahead of the average age for new readers.  She already reads entire chapter books on her own.

So when her teacher started sending reading homework home, we knew that it was going to be fairly boring for her (one sentence on a page).  John spoke with her teacher and immediately the next day she was bringing home larger books, but still not something that would give her any type of challenge.

Just this past week she brought home a keyring that had some words that the kids were supposed to memorize.  They were two-letter words, such as 'an, in, on, or'.  It was attached with a newsletter that said to send back the keyring when the child could read all of the words on it.  Well obviously she already knew them, but she did not want to tell her teacher that since "they weren't supposed to bring them back yet".  We strongly encouraged her to read them to her teacher for several days, but Brie was very hesitant to say anything at all.  However, finally yesterday she did it!  And she read the other keyrings that were supposed to be sent home for the remainder of the year as well!!

As a reward, she got a new chapter book and a little keychain that says "Reading Rocks", from her teacher.  I am excited to know that her teacher finally GETS how good of a reader she is already.

Another great thing about yesterday?

It was the very first day, since school started in August, that she ran out to the playground by herself when we dropped her off.

Both of these situations show me how much she has matured.  She is most often a painfully shy kid who does not like to be alone or draw attention to herself.  She somehow managed to conquer both of those in one single day!!

As for Ella, well her Pre-K teacher said it best:

"She is the Belle of the Ball!"

She loves making new friends and having a good time wherever she is.  So everyone wants to be with her and have fun too!

She is loving school and dance, and now she has begun piano as well.  She is in the Music for Young Children (MYC) program, which seems to be a lot of fun so far.  Even Brie has enjoyed participating in the group activities.




What about me?

Things are going well.  I'm trying to get adjusted to another type of class, as I am taking three this semester through AU.  These courses are all "independent study" which means I am entirely on my own for learning the material.  There is nothing to read but the textbooks.  So it will be a new type of challenge, but I'm hoping that it also provides a bit more flexibility in how I get through the semester.

It also appears that the U of R will also be offering the English class that I need in order to actually apply to the Social Work program.  I have enough credits now, I have just been waiting for this last pre-requisite to be offered somewhere!  This class will begin in January.  The deadline for Social Work is also January.  This means that I could apply under the assumption that I would pass that course.

I'm excited at the prospect of actually being in the SW program, but I'm also nervous about the application as it's fairly detailed with regards to work and volunteer experience, and how this relates to a career in SW.  I'm also trying to find ways to get involved already in our new town so that my volunteer experiences are current.  I have submitted my name at the elementary school for anything, but I'm also hoping to get involved in our church somehow.

John has been busy with renovations around the house.  He has completed the improvements on both main floor bathrooms; with new flooring, new cabinets and some paint.

We are also putting up a garage in the very near future, which we are both excited about.  Our concrete should be getting poured on Monday, and our materials are coming on Friday.  This is the third house that we have lived in, and this will be our very first garage.  It will be sooooo nice to get rid of the tools, camping stuff, and other miscellaneous clutter in the house and shed.

Well I think that kind of gets us up to date.

For now, anyways!

5 Years

Tomorrow marks the 5-year anniversary of our move into our current home as well as  the beginning of a new journey for our family.  Since our time here is coming to a close, I thought it would be fun to look back on the last 5 years and highlight the big changes that this brought for us.  Some are lighthearted, and some are more serious, but I hope you enjoy looking back with me...

(I have tried numerous times to change the format of this post but it just isn't cooperating!  So I guess all of these points will be #1.  Sorry!)

1. New Career - Obviously this was a big career change for John since he came from a machine shop.  Switching to policing required 6 months of hard-core training away from home and we were so anxious to be together as a family again.  Then there was the adjustments of shift-work, being on-call, learning all there is to learn (and continue learning!) about small town policing.  For me it was learning how to survive as a police wife, as it can be very stressful when he gets called out to deal with those crazy people out there.

1. Small Town Life - Both of us grew up as “city kids” so we really had no idea what to expect when we moved to a town that neither one of us was familiar with.  It took me a long time to adjust to life as a SAHM here when there is nowhere to escape to on those hair-pulling days of insanity.  It took a while to get to know people and feel like this was “home”.  In the beginning we took a LOT of trips back to the city just to feel normal, but eventually the city just became too loud and obnoxious.  Small town life is peaceful and quiet.  No one is rushed or rude when you stand in line at the grocery store.  People know us by name everywhere we go.  Sure, that has it’s downside too, but I have come to really embrace it over time.

1. Having Our 2nd Child - Very shortly after we moved here I found out that we were expecting Ella.  We were certainly surprised that it happened so quickly, especially since getting pregnant the first time around was a lot more difficult.  This certainly contributed to not getting to know people very quickly as I suffered from the “morning” sickness (yeah more like all day!) for MANY months.  However once Ella was born we were able to get out more and start making some friends.  She has brought so much joy and laughter into our family with her wacky personality and we love her dearly!

1. Got a Mini-Van - Yep.  We are one of “those” people.  And we have no shame in it.  Really they hold lots of stuff and are great.  

1. Started Scrapbooking - When Ella was born someone gave me a beautiful scrapbook as a gift.  I really had no desire to begin this hobby, but I found out the price of the album ($50) and thought I should at least give it an honest effort to try it out.  What a surprise when I found out that I actually enjoyed it!

1. Friends - I wish I could say it was all good, but the reality of life is that some friends are just there for a season. This has always been a sore spot for me (which really could be a blog post all on it’s own but I’m just not ready to be THAT open), but I am trying to work through it the best that I can.  I have lost friendships, made new ones, and regained others.  The great thing though is that my dear friend Kristi knew we were moving here and prayed for us before we even got here.  She is someone that I can laugh with, cry with, and pray with.  Our husbands are friends, and our kids are too!  You really can’t ask for anything better, which is why we get together so often.  When I think about leaving and moving away, they are the ones I think of first.  God has truly blessed us with their incredible friendship and I KNOW that we will be friends for life!  She has told me that she will be singing “Friends” by Michael W Smith at our church farewell.  Normally I find this to be a super cheesy song, but I was at his concert last night (assisting at a Compassion table) and was bawling in the darkness of the balcony as the reality our our move hit me.  

1. Learned How to Quilt - it was actually my friend Kristi who asked me if I wanted to help her make a baby quilt for a mutual friend.  I thought it would be fun to try and it made a great keepsake too.  We ended up making several baby blankets together, and I have successfully made 2 others on my own.  I also made Brie’s quilt and have the good intention (I already have the fabric) to work on one for Ella as well.  

1. I Began Blogging - Little Missus Sunshine is actually my third blog.  Initially I began blogging as a way to connect with friends and family from a distance, but it has since evolved into doing product reviews as well, which I really enjoy.  

1. Started Teaching Music Pups - I was looking for something to “do”, aside from being a SAHM.  My mother-in-law had actually recommended this to me several times before I gave it any consideration.  But eventually I took some training and started up my own early childhood music program.  I taught several sessions with parents and their little ones and we had lots of fun together.  This past fall I led music at Ella’s preschool, which had new challenges in a class of 22 without any parents to assist, but we had lots of laughs too. 

1. We sponsored our first child with Compassion - I was at a Breakforth conference in Edmonton 3 years ago with my sister when we moved felt moved to sponsor a child with Compassion.  This was one of the greatest decisions for my family as we correspond with Ashly, and more recently Mary, on a regular basis.  I believe that God  is using this organization to do amazing things around the world, and I am blessed to be a part of it.  The Michael W. Smith concert saw approximately 60 new children find sponsors and I was so honored to be a witness to it.

1. We bought a piano! - LOVE IT.  Playing piano will be a lifetime hobby for me.  I’m not sure what our lessons will look like after we move, or who they will be with, but we will find a way to make it work.  This was a lifelong dream for me, and I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to play.

1. Attending a Small Struggling Church - We moved from a church of 1200 in the city to a church of 25.  What a shocker.  One of our first weeks there, a “new” song was introduced circa 1970.  John and I exchanged glances that said, “What have we done and why are we stuck here?!?”  Music is just one of the areas that have been a struggle.  But yet we have learned to celebrate the small victories in our church.  They have really become our church family and we will be sad to leave them, especially since a wonderful woman there is actively involved with teaching Sunday School and keeping the kids excited about coming to church.

1. Got a Referral to a Neurologist - Just over a year ago I mentioned that I was experiencing what my family doctor thought to be an Essential Tremor in my hands.  I only recently made it in to see the neurologist who also believes it to be the same thing.  I am trying some meds to see if it helps to reduce the shaking of my hands, but so far I haven’t noticed any changes, although it was suggested to try it for at least a month so I will keep at it for now.  

1. I Decided to Take University Classes - No one was more shocked than me when I decided to return to school.  I had thought of taking one or two classes (to open up some reception-related opportunities) but never considered pursuing a bachelor’s degree.  Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed to think long-term and not just a couple of years ahead.  Suddenly I knew that I wanted to become a social worker, because I love helping people and any volunteer work I have done in the past has always centered around this idea.  The doors just opened for me to take distance classes through the U of R.  I was so worried about how I would do on the schoolwork, and although it doesn’t come easily I have been impressed with knowing that I can do it.  (Some classes have been more challenging than others, but to add a little brag.....91% is my highest final mark!!!!!!)  At the end of June I will have completed almost one fifth of the entire degree program.  So still a long ways to go, but one class at a time, right?    

1. Sold Our House - This has been a big stress for us.  We missed out on big housing boom in Saskatoon 5 years ago and we were worried about making anything on this house.  For that reason we were reluctant to make any big changes to the house, other than a few small renos.  John knew of another RCMP member who is moving here to replace him and emailed him a few pictures.  They were very interested and begged us to hang onto the house until they could come see it.  We spoke with our realtor who suggested we could list the house last Friday (one week ago) and sign a document stating that we wouldn’t take offers until Wednesday, giving this member the opportunity to look at our house.  We ended up with THREE offers on Wednesday.  All THREE parties then gave a second higher offer when they were advised of the competition.  WOW.  Thank you God!  The sale is now completed and we are free to go look at houses in our new destination which due to some staff-shortages was either going to be this coming week (if we could sell our house quickly) or not until the end of June.  The end of June being when we want to take possession of a new house, not start searching.  It has been super stressful but God just continues to remind us that he is helping us out.  Why am I so slow to figure this out?

Scattered

My thoughts today are very random and scattered, so bear with me!

Today Ray is going for a bypass surgery on his heart. We are praying that his surgery doesn't get bumped as it was originally scheduled for Monday.

I need to finish up a take-home midterm today but it's difficult to concentrate.

I've actually been playing piano instead, since it is a wonderful way to relax.

I've starting working on my newest challenge in piano. In January I decided to work on a shortened version of "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven. It has definitely been a challenge to play with the frequency of note changing, as well as the dynamics (loud, soft) of the music.

I think that this song still needs some work, but it has come together quite nicely. Especially considering that our piano teacher was away for all of February. I've actually had a couple of other Suzuki songs come together recently, and it is starting to feel like I am actually a pianist!

Giving myself a challenge seems to work well. It keeps me inspired, and it feels like a great accomplishment once I tackle it. This one will take a lot longer, but with finals coming up shortly I'm sure that I will be practicing even more in the weeks to come!

The song I want to learn?

"Think of Me", from the Phantom of the Opera!!!

LOVE that song!

At this point, I can play the first 8 or so measures of the song hands together, but there are over 60 measures so I have lots of work ahead of me.

YAY! It's good work.

We also have the unofficial word of where we are moving. I will not post the location online, but for those who are interested we are happy with the result. I will update my Facebook in a couple of weeks once the papers have been signed. Or you can email me in April to find out!

Now begins the fun process of house appraisals, listing the house, selling the house, etc.

I actually have had a few people in town asking about our house already. One neighbour was even kind enough to phone me at 8:00 in the morning to inquire. (seriously, 8AM!) Our pending transfer was in the paper (yep, pretty sad, I know!) and she wanted to know when we would be selling our house. That is small town life for you!

We will really miss this house. It is spacious and bright. I love the yard with the MANY perennials, and the garden. This year I have decided that it wouldn't make sense to plant anything. But that makes me sad because I love making trips to the greenhouse. Gardening is so fun!

Once the sale is complete, we can go ahead and search for a new place to live. Believe me, we have already searched MLS quite extensively and have a few possibilities in mind.

Well I really DO need to finish up this midterm exam....

Video Diary

In March I finally was brave enough to share my simple piano skills in order to document the progress that I had already made.

This month I have been very dedicated to learning my all-time favorite song.

O Holy Night.

It seems to be a rather cliche song to choose. Afterall pretty much every Christmas album out there has covered it in some attempt to be unique.

But I joke that it was really MY favorite first.

So when I was given the choice to pick a Christmas song to learn for December, I instantly knew it would be this one.

It's a bit of a stretch for me because it was adding some new concepts that I had not learned previously, such as using the pedals.

But I played it diligently.

Seriously sometimes dozens of times a day.

John laughed and said that he knew I was just trying to perfect it before my next lesson.

Uh, yeah!

My piano teacher noticed the amount of time that I dedicated to practicing this song in particular. After all, December was not a month for any extra time on my hands because of final exams.

She commented that my overall piano playing has even improved in a short amount of time because of how much practice I have done on this one song.

My head swelled a little at that one!

But practicing this song is therapeutic. Playing the piano is such an excellent stress-reliever. So of course while I was anxious about studying I was practicing it over and over.

The video makes my piano sound horrible tinny. I assure you that despite my elementary skills it does sound better in person.

So anyways, hope you enjoy!

Firsts

This week the girls started dance.

I have never seen 2 kids so excited about anything before!

After a couple of years of introductory lessons, Brie is into "real" dances. She has chosen to take tap dance and is absolutely thrilled!

The day we bought her tap shoes was very exciting indeed. I do have some video of her testing them out, but for some reason I have trouble uploading videos from my camcorder. So it just stays on the tape instead.

As for Ella?

This is her very first year in dance. She is dreaming of possibilities, as you can see from her picture. She is in a small group with only 3 dancers, although one of the kids is her very good friend from Music Pups and preschool.

I too, am experiencing some firsts this fall...

I have taken on the fun job of being the preschool music teacher. We are working with the MusiCanopy program, which was created by the makers of Music Pups. Ella's preschool has 22 kids so I was quite nervous for our first class on Tuesday. Little did I know that I had nothing to worry about. The kids and I had a complete blast together! I have already heard several positive comments from parents too, which is always encouraging. I think that I will enjoy this year with these energetic kids.

Plus I also began my U of R classes. I have mentioned before that the classes are a satellite feed that I watch at the regional college here. The classes I am taking are all introductory courses: Intro to Psychology, Intro to Women's and Gender Studies, and Intro to Social Work. Unfortunately I am the only one registered here for all 3 of my classes, which means those 3 hours each night are very quiet and lonely. I think John is getting tired of my constant texting during the breaks!!

Televised classes are a neat experience for those who are unaware. Both classes that I have attended so far have approximately 100 students that are offsite throughout the province. Some like me, are doing this alone, and other sites have 20 students. The students that actually live in Regina have to deal with the cameras in class, and pushing the button for the microphone to pick up their voices. Us that are offsite have to "phone in" to ask questions of the prof. I got to experience phoning in yesterday. The first time threw me off as the satellite feed has quite a delay, but I was less nerdy the second time around. At least I hope I was!

I have a head start on a couple of assignments already. Actually I just received my first library book request in the mail today. It's quite fun learning how this distance education process works. I'm not too sure what the second semester will hold for me yet. The 2 classes offered that I would need for the social work program require more credits than I will hold by January. I will try to get special permission from the department heads, but if that doesn't work then I may be doing some online schooling through another university. I realize that I am thinking about this way too early, but my "J" personality needs to plan ahead!!

The girls are handling a babysitter well too. She is a good family friend that just passed her babysitting course in the spring. So far she has only needed to be here until John gets home at suppertime (my classes run from 4-7 pm) but next week she will need to feed the girls supper, as John is on the night shift. Well at least my slowcooker will finally get used more often now!

Piano lessons just started up again today. Definitely not a first, but Brie is going to start learning how to read music this year. And so will I.

So it will be a busy busy year, but I am looking forward to the progress that we all will make.

Piano Recital

Yesterday was a fun-filled day.

We had a lovely piano recital in the afternoon and therefore invited the grandparents out to come watch.  Fortunately, it also happened to be John's birthday so we also had a yummy supper and birthday cake.

The piano recital was called "Family & Friends", so everyone was supposed to play with someone else being a part of the song, whether they also played or sang or something else.

So Brie and I played together.  I was so very proud of her ability to play well while being scared to introduce herself.  She refused to speak into the microphone, but I remember being that shy kid (yes, hard to believe...I know!) so I talked for her.  Then we sat down and played it together perfectly!  

We played Chant Arabe (the song that I posted of video of myself playing not too long ago), me playing the left hand and Brie playing the melody on the right hand.  

She was very pleased with her performance too.

I wasn't able to take any pictures yesterday since Ella hid our camera.  We later quizzed grilled her on the location and found it concealed underneath the couch.  Yeah, 'cause that's the first place I would have thought to check!  Silly girl.

Anyways, the grandparents brought cameras so we were able to get some via email.

Piano Progress

I have been taking piano lessons for of all about 3 months now and already I have seen huge progress in my playing!  This song, Chant Arabe, was the challenge I gave to myself at the very beginning, before I even started my lessons.  I told myself that once I could play THIS song, I would be well on my way to becoming a decent pianist.  Other Suzuki songs are easier to play together, the left hand usually plays the same pattern all the way through the song so it's easy to focus on the right hand instead.  However for this song, the opposite is true.  I need to focus on the left hand and I found it was just too complicated to put both hands together.  So I left it for a while without practicing it at all. 

Finally I had to start playing it at my lessons and I would just quit once it got to the second part of the song.  My instructor got me to play both parts individually and told me that I knew the parts well enough that I could just put them together.  How simple, hey?  Actually she encouraged me to play the right hand with my eyes closed to prove that I really could do it.  I highly doubted her confidence in me, but I went home last week and gave it a try.  

And this week?

I can play the ENTIRE song together!  

I know that it needs a LOT of polishing yet, but I'm just thrilled that I CAN do it!

For a 30-year-old, this 'aint bad!  

Definitely a confidence booster.

Blogging Funk

Sorry, it seems I have too many things on my "to-do" list lately and blogging has made its way to the very bottom.

Not that I haven't thought of things to blog about...I have.

I just can't seem to find the time to get it all done.

Plus this cold weather is making the SAD part of me come out. I am not feeling motivated to get it all accomplished.

I have to practice piano. I have to get Brie to practice piano. We are supposed to prepare a piece to play together (I'll play the left hand and Brie will play the right) for a recital at the end of April.

I'm trying to work on my This Is My Story album and journalling and it's taking me longer than I had expected.

I'm working on starting up a spring session of Music Pups in a couple of weeks.

The usual household chores...

Extra whiny children...

Yep. I'm in a blogging funk.

Sorry I promise to be back soon! (Let's hope that spring really IS right around the corner before I lose my mind!)

Practicing Piano

Brianna is 3 weeks into piano lessons and we are trying our best to practice each day.

I never realized how difficult fitting a little practice in each day can be. But I truly want to set a good routine NOW before it becomes a chore in the later years.

I have also been trying to practice for myself several times a week. I have not had a lesson yet, as it was recommended to me by my mother-in-law (who also teaches Suzuki piano) that it would probably be best to start in Brie's second year of lessons.

We listen to the Suzuki CD a lot each week and we are slowly learning the words to the songs. Actually, Ella is the fastest learner in our family when it comes to music. She knows the lyrics better than anyone! She claps out the rhythms and sings her heart out. I just love it!

Since we listen the CD so often, I am learning the songs in my head quite well (which is the whole point of Suzuki anyways). I have been plucking away at those ivory keys and have actually impressed myself with how quickly I am improving each week. I am FAR from playing well, but I am beginning to play with both hands and it doesn't sound completely terrible anymore. I have even noticed improvements from day to day which helps stress the importance of daily practicing for both of us!

Life is just getting so busy.

We have completed 4 weeks out of 10 for Music Pups already. We are having a lot of fun each Thursday morning! Ella has a couple of girl friends in class with us and they all have a blast together. Sometimes they are a bit of a challenge to rein in before we start another song, but the main thing is that they are having fun with the music. It's always fun to see how each week the kids have more fun as they know the songs better and are more comfortable with me as the teacher.

We are excited that Gymnastics finally starts tomorrow. It turns out that the high school will have room for us afterall. Ella is quite thrilled to be starting this and I know that this will be a great outlet for all of her extra energy. Sitting at home (especially with Brie gone during the day to Pre-K, piano and dance) she is getting bored.

Bored children drive me crazy.

Probably because I am a reformed bored child.

I am now a bored adult.

Which is getting much better since we are getting so busy!

Fall Festivities

It is certainly beginning to feel like fall. I would really like to know why there was no weather transition from summer to fall this year. As a person who is "solar-powered", I really need to know when summer is coming to an end. Of course I know to watch the calendar, but seriously? It has been so frickin cold lately!!

I have been trying to come up with ways to keep my oven on each day, as John is quite opposed to turning on the furnace this early. Baking isn't really a great method either, as it means that I will eat it, which I'm trying to avoid

Well, here are some good things about fall beginning...sob...sob...sob:

Brianna has started dance again. She ABSOLUTELY loves dance and everything related to dance. She is beyond thrilled and I'm glad to see her so excited to participate in something she loves. It was quite a challenge just to get her to hold still so I could take a picture on her first day. Her class is called "Movement To Music" and is designed for 3 and 4 year olds. They learn the very basic ballet movements and have lots of fun marching and dancing to music.

Last year we had tried putting her in dance and skating with the intention of finding out what she really likes to do and continuing on with that activity in the future. Our plan is to only do 1 activity and 1 music per child. That's it. Some people can race around and take their kids to several activities. Not me...I would lose it somewhere along the way.

Fortunately last year, skating only lasted 3 weeks for Brie before she broke down in tears and said that she didn't want to do it anymore. So we definitely know that she doesn't like skating. Which is quite okay, because both John and I don't skate either.

I'm waiting to hear when Brie is going to start piano. This will be her first year of lessons and we are all quite excited. My plan is to take lessons also, but with the teacher's advice I'm going to wait until part way through the year after watching and gleaning information from what she teaches Brie. She is in the Suzuki program, which is essentially learning how to play by ear rather than reading music at this age. We listen to the Suzuki CD a lot these days! I'm sure that John could have told me the order of the songs before we ever played it because his mom is a Suzuki teacher also. He has heard it a LOT over the years!

I also will be teaching another session of Music Pups. It's not going to be a very large class this time, but I'm confident that we will still have fun anyways. I'm losing a few kids to the preschool music program, where the new teacher is using the Kindermusik program. I think this will be the first time that Ella will fully participate in class without me having to give her the evil eye as she strays from class or refuses to sit still. I always could count on Brie to sit great and participate without prompting so I will definitely miss her in class this year, but I'm glad that she will be having fun at pre-K instead.

Ella is going to feel a little lost this year, without her big sister around in the mornings and going to her own lessons for piano and dance. We are considering enrolling her in gymnastics here so give her something that is completely her own. She loves doing somersaults and everything related to jumping so I think she would have a great time. I know how it feels to be the youngest child who can't do stuff that the big sister can, so it would be nice to give her a fun activity that she doesn't have to share.

It will be nice to get back into a regular routine, although this one will be the busiest yet. I'm looking forward to it. Well, mostly. The weather could stay +20 and I would be happier!!