Seems like I start every blog with the same excuses/apologies about the time between postings. Oh well, better late than never. A lot has happened since the last time we talked so hopefully nothing is forgotten.
This week my students are participating in a Curling Clinic which will culminate in a Bonspiel on Thursday. I have enjoyed the clinics thus far and am thoroughly looking forward to the game this week. Curling has always been one of those sports/activities that I wanted to try. Claire and I both are really enjoying curling on Thursday nights. It's a nice night out with Sawyer at home with the sitter. Unfortunately it has been cancelled on more than one occasion.
We had our Christmas Concert last week and my class performed a skit entitled "This." The skit had a Seinfeld-esque twist where our scene was the students trying to choose their Concert idea. So they badly sang and danced and realized they couldn't do anything except a skit. It had rave reviews and the students had a lot of fun performing it.
Afterwards our principal hosted a Christmas Cheer for the staff. It was fun to get to know some of them outside of the school. One of them was our music/choir worker. He is a semi-writer/semi-pastor from Oxbow but originally from Cape Breton. I found out that night that he went to Acadia and lived in Wolfville from 1986-1991. I commented that I have family from around there and I liked the University town. And for the best part........wait for it.......are you sitting down?..... Aunt Marianne?......he knew Dr. Cherry quite well. For those that have no idea who I am talking about, Dr. Cherry was a Baptist minister from Kentucky who looked and talked like Colonel Sanders. By being on his own he was routinely around my Aunt and Uncle's dinner table on family meals. One of my cousins even lived in apartment at Dr. Cherry's house as well. Needless to say, that five provinces away in a small town of 242, we connected on someone. What a small world!!
Way back when in November, our volleyball team played in the year-end tournament. They played extremely well and ended the round robin in first place. In the championship game they met their match and lost by a score of 25-23, 24-26, and 10-15. Not too bad, considering one of our most experienced players was missing. Oh well, we'll get them next year.
Our little family also pre-celebrated Christmas with Sawyer last Saturday. We figured lugging presents home and then back wouldn't be the most efficient. Sawyer opened her stocking and presents and enjoyed playing with her new presents. It was so cute to watch her open her stocking. She would take something out, look at it intently and then place it on the floor in front of her. She seemed to understand what she was supposed to do with it. She was blessed with a doll, stroller, and a Little People play set (oh and a plastic ball, of course right). We are really looking forward to coming home this weekend. We have a long 12 hour drive on Friday afternoon (staying overnight in Steinbach, MB) and Saturday to Thunder Bay before our flight to Toronto that night.
My time in the classroom has been going well. I continue building relationships with the students and feel that they are enjoying this year. During parent-teacher interviews one parent asked, "Do you walk on water?" Apparently their daughter is REALLY enjoying this year.
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I guess our New Year's resolution should be to blog more often eh?
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The Weekend
This weekend we wanted to do something different then we normally do. We had discussed going to Brandon on the weekend and seeing a Wheat Kings hockey game and doing a little shopping. On Friday we decided last minute that we weren't going to go to Brandon and instead we were going to spend some time in Estevan.
We started our trip by going to Walmart and picking up a few odds and ends. We then went to the aquatic centre and toured around it a bit. It is pretty large. There was a library, a large ice rink, and a track around the rink, a gym and then the pool.
The pool was very nice (a little cold for adults though :) ). It had a large slide, hot tub and an area for little kids to play. There was a thing that filled buckets up with water that dumped on your heads, a little slide for little kids and lots of toys. Sawyer LOVED it!!!! In fact she was really upset when we had to leave.
As we were leaving we saw one of Greg's students. We also happen to attend the same church as this student and his family. He was there watching his sister play hockey. She is on the Estevan double A girls hockey team. This boys sister has been a great help with Sawyer at church and she is going to help us out with babysitting on Thursday nights while Greg and I curl. It was nice to watch some hockey and we look forward to going to watch another time.
Today we went church and then had a nice relaxing time at home. We all had a nap today which was really nice and much needed.
Well I hope everyone else had an equally nice weekend.
We started our trip by going to Walmart and picking up a few odds and ends. We then went to the aquatic centre and toured around it a bit. It is pretty large. There was a library, a large ice rink, and a track around the rink, a gym and then the pool.
The pool was very nice (a little cold for adults though :) ). It had a large slide, hot tub and an area for little kids to play. There was a thing that filled buckets up with water that dumped on your heads, a little slide for little kids and lots of toys. Sawyer LOVED it!!!! In fact she was really upset when we had to leave.
As we were leaving we saw one of Greg's students. We also happen to attend the same church as this student and his family. He was there watching his sister play hockey. She is on the Estevan double A girls hockey team. This boys sister has been a great help with Sawyer at church and she is going to help us out with babysitting on Thursday nights while Greg and I curl. It was nice to watch some hockey and we look forward to going to watch another time.
Today we went church and then had a nice relaxing time at home. We all had a nap today which was really nice and much needed.
Well I hope everyone else had an equally nice weekend.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Pumpkin Carving
With living in Carievale, we have had the opportunity to do some things that we have not been able to do in a few years. One of those things was carving a pumpkin. I was super excited about getting a pumpkin and carving it and watching Sawyer experience the whole pumpkin carving experience. Greg was an excellent picture taker as we enjoyed feeling the pumpkin "guts". Sawyer was not 100% sure about the pumpkin insides and seemed to be more interested at putting the guts back in the pumpkin that I had already taken out.
All in all we enjoyed our pumpkin carving experience. Sawyer was not happy in the end when I put the pumpkin back outside. She liked it so much she wanted to keep playing with it. I think I will put a light in it on Halloween and show her how it glows.
We are not taking Sawyer out trick or treating this year. We will probably go out next year. We felt she was to young to go out and does not eat candy so it was pointless. I know that we could eat the candy but our waist lines hardly need that.
We hope you have all enjoyed your weekend and are gearing up for this next week.
She seemed very into the pumpkin carving experience.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
At the Movies
It has been a relaxing weekend. We had a chance to go to the Carnduff Theatre on Friday night with another couple and saw The Butler. It was so refreshing being able to "go out" as we haven't been able to do that the last three years. We did find a lack of babysitters (we have a surplus back home with all the family members all queued up) here though. With it being rural there aren't many people nearby and many of those who are able can't afford the pay cut (the allowances out here are ridiculous). The theatre was pretty amazing. It is a converted church from way back that recently purchased a digital projector. Tickets are $6 with popcorn only $2. Not bad for a date night.
Saturday we travelled into Estevan for our weekly grocery and city experiences. At night I went to Carievale's Hoedown. It is a fundraising event to support the local arena, riding area, ball park, and hall. It consisted of around 100 silent auction items that have been donated by local businesses and families. Some were small (pies, baked goods, etc.) while others were a lot larger (Apple TV, brand new chainsaws, $500 Spa gift certificate, etc.). Needless to say they were all out of my price range, as the pies were at $50 when I had left.
Claire has been getting opportunities at Carnduff School recently which has worked out. It is a much larger school, which includes a high school. She has enjoyed working there and subbing all around. She doesn't have to mark or plan, so who wouldn't. I like her only subbing too, because I can still rely on her to help out marking sometimes too.
Saturday we travelled into Estevan for our weekly grocery and city experiences. At night I went to Carievale's Hoedown. It is a fundraising event to support the local arena, riding area, ball park, and hall. It consisted of around 100 silent auction items that have been donated by local businesses and families. Some were small (pies, baked goods, etc.) while others were a lot larger (Apple TV, brand new chainsaws, $500 Spa gift certificate, etc.). Needless to say they were all out of my price range, as the pies were at $50 when I had left.
Claire has been getting opportunities at Carnduff School recently which has worked out. It is a much larger school, which includes a high school. She has enjoyed working there and subbing all around. She doesn't have to mark or plan, so who wouldn't. I like her only subbing too, because I can still rely on her to help out marking sometimes too.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Where SMART is spelled with an R
Another installment that seems much too late. Unfortunately there will be no new pictures today. I would love to show some from my school, but I am more cognizant of putting my students' faces on the internet.
We are absolutely loving it out here! The community, house, and work all feel like home. We are obviously missing loved ones back home, but for right now, this is where we are supposed to be. I have 25 students (11 Grade 6, 11 Grade 7, and 3 Grade 8 students). The automatic respect for staff, each other, and most importantly self is much more evident. Most of the students want to learn and achieve high marks. I am also learning Saskatchewan's educational practices as some things are drastically different. For example, no marks are given for assignments or assessments. Instead a MABEI scale is given out. Meeting, Approaching, Beginning, Experiencing difficulties, and Insufficient Evidence. Instead of handing out 9/10s or C+, students receive one of the 5 letters. As well, each outcome is assessed. As an example, Math has 14 outcomes for the year. By the end of the grade, each outcome will have been assessed. In Ontario, Math has five strands and students are given broad assessment results each term. All in all, it is very quick and provides a more accurate picture of all aspects of learning. The one area that has been heavily criticized is that nothing denotes work or learning above expectation. Meeting is the highest achievement the student can achieve.
Our home life is becoming more settled. Almost all of rooms have been painted and we have attempted to personalize each area. Claire, after three long years of waiting, finally has her scrapbooking area set up (*sorry Dad about not bringing the desk out yet). Edgar has been loving our fenced in backyard. We have also finally purchased and picked up our new vehicle. We now own a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. It is a very nice vehicle and we are pleased at our purchase.
As mentioned, I do not have any photos, but I can share a few stories from the first month. One of my students is bright, and I don't mean just, "she writes neat and knows her multiplication table." My first day I had the students think of questions they wanted to ask. Most thought, "What is your favourite subject?/How old are you?" But this girl asked, "Do you consider yourself to be an organized person?" Word for word. Who talks like that? A few weeks later, during our Questioning Unit, I had the students think of three random questions. After collecting them and typing them up I randomly handed them back out for the students to find its answers and complete a short presentation on their findings. Again, most asked, "Why is the sky blue?/When was the first hockey game?/Why is grass green?" Instead this girl inquired, "Why are there wars when nations can just peacefully talk?/Why in a world of technological advancements, are people still dying from ordinary things?"
I would love to post this picture, but it is what it is. There is a young student named Gunner who wears a western outfit on a routine basis. He isn't the only one as many students regularly wear cowboy boots with spurs, cowboy hats and jeans to school on a daily basis. This particular student has several shirts that remind me of old pictures/movies from the 70s. He wears them as they were designed too, with the first two/three buttons undone.
One of the new opportunities this position has for me is to coach a school team. With our small school size there are not a lot of team opportunities, but I have volunteered to be the Girls Volleyball coach. Just like everything else, I am loving it. Working with the girls has been an excellent way to connect with them, as well as with their parents. On a bit of a selfish note too, I am feeling more at home being connected with competitive sports again. It has definitely been too long.
Until another day, Goodnight and Goodluck.
We are absolutely loving it out here! The community, house, and work all feel like home. We are obviously missing loved ones back home, but for right now, this is where we are supposed to be. I have 25 students (11 Grade 6, 11 Grade 7, and 3 Grade 8 students). The automatic respect for staff, each other, and most importantly self is much more evident. Most of the students want to learn and achieve high marks. I am also learning Saskatchewan's educational practices as some things are drastically different. For example, no marks are given for assignments or assessments. Instead a MABEI scale is given out. Meeting, Approaching, Beginning, Experiencing difficulties, and Insufficient Evidence. Instead of handing out 9/10s or C+, students receive one of the 5 letters. As well, each outcome is assessed. As an example, Math has 14 outcomes for the year. By the end of the grade, each outcome will have been assessed. In Ontario, Math has five strands and students are given broad assessment results each term. All in all, it is very quick and provides a more accurate picture of all aspects of learning. The one area that has been heavily criticized is that nothing denotes work or learning above expectation. Meeting is the highest achievement the student can achieve.
Our home life is becoming more settled. Almost all of rooms have been painted and we have attempted to personalize each area. Claire, after three long years of waiting, finally has her scrapbooking area set up (*sorry Dad about not bringing the desk out yet). Edgar has been loving our fenced in backyard. We have also finally purchased and picked up our new vehicle. We now own a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. It is a very nice vehicle and we are pleased at our purchase.
As mentioned, I do not have any photos, but I can share a few stories from the first month. One of my students is bright, and I don't mean just, "she writes neat and knows her multiplication table." My first day I had the students think of questions they wanted to ask. Most thought, "What is your favourite subject?/How old are you?" But this girl asked, "Do you consider yourself to be an organized person?" Word for word. Who talks like that? A few weeks later, during our Questioning Unit, I had the students think of three random questions. After collecting them and typing them up I randomly handed them back out for the students to find its answers and complete a short presentation on their findings. Again, most asked, "Why is the sky blue?/When was the first hockey game?/Why is grass green?" Instead this girl inquired, "Why are there wars when nations can just peacefully talk?/Why in a world of technological advancements, are people still dying from ordinary things?"
I would love to post this picture, but it is what it is. There is a young student named Gunner who wears a western outfit on a routine basis. He isn't the only one as many students regularly wear cowboy boots with spurs, cowboy hats and jeans to school on a daily basis. This particular student has several shirts that remind me of old pictures/movies from the 70s. He wears them as they were designed too, with the first two/three buttons undone.
One of the new opportunities this position has for me is to coach a school team. With our small school size there are not a lot of team opportunities, but I have volunteered to be the Girls Volleyball coach. Just like everything else, I am loving it. Working with the girls has been an excellent way to connect with them, as well as with their parents. On a bit of a selfish note too, I am feeling more at home being connected with competitive sports again. It has definitely been too long.
Until another day, Goodnight and Goodluck.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Carievale, Saskatchewan
Not to much new to report here. We went for a walk tonight and took some pictures of the town so everyone could visualize where we are living.
This is a picture of the two churches in town. The one on the right is a United church and the one on the left is an Anglican church.
This is the school. It is small, but Greg loves it. We can see the school from our house as it is at the very end of the street.
This is one of the two grain elevators in town.
This is a picture of the main street in town. There two grain elevators on it and a few businesses. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses have closed.
This is the sign the train sees as they enter Carievale. The train comes through a few times a day. Love hearing stuff go on in town.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
School
Well it is about time that I posted something about my new experiences at school. I am absolutely loving everything about it. The students are great and the staff are very welcoming, even though there is only 10 of us (including secretary and EAs). It has been really refreshing to get into this school and work in a different setting.
As for the community, we are really loving it too. Everyone is friendly and has made sure we feel welcome here. We have enjoyed going to church and meeting all 30 attendees. Claire, along with another woman, will be running the Bible Story time for the children's program this year.
A bit of exciting news...we are officially Saskatchewan residents. We went and surrendered our Ontario licences and purchased Saskatchewan plates and insurance. For those that don't know Saskatchewan has public insurance, SGI. In all, our insurance and yearly sticker cost just below $90/month for our Pontiac Pursuit. Not bad considering I was at 100% fault when we got into our accident in Winnipeg.
Well there are no pictures today, but we are going to take some photos this weekend and post them at some point.
As for the community, we are really loving it too. Everyone is friendly and has made sure we feel welcome here. We have enjoyed going to church and meeting all 30 attendees. Claire, along with another woman, will be running the Bible Story time for the children's program this year.
A bit of exciting news...we are officially Saskatchewan residents. We went and surrendered our Ontario licences and purchased Saskatchewan plates and insurance. For those that don't know Saskatchewan has public insurance, SGI. In all, our insurance and yearly sticker cost just below $90/month for our Pontiac Pursuit. Not bad considering I was at 100% fault when we got into our accident in Winnipeg.
Well there are no pictures today, but we are going to take some photos this weekend and post them at some point.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Ending Summer with a BANG!!!
Well summer has come to an end! We had a great summer. We went on many vacations camping, cottaging and just hanging out with family and friends. We also celebrated Sawyer's first birthday. However now we are off on a new adventure. We are becoming Westerners and are moving to a small town (about 240 people) in Saskatchewan called Carievale.
We already really like Carievale and are looking forward to seeing what this place holds for us. Unfortunately, it has been quite the adventure getting here. We shipped our belongings her on August 10th and were told they should be here by August 22. The box did not end up arriving in Winnipeg until two days later. We are now being told that our box will not arrive until September 5 or 6th. So the only belongings we have with us is what we could fit in our vehicles (which is not much considering we are moving here). The U-Haul company has decided they are going to charge us a new fee every time we turn around or talk to them. So this process has cost us a lot more money. They also told Greg that when they bring the box to us they are only letting us have an hour or two with it and that I will have to unload it. Now this is all fine and dandy but I have a one year old running around and Greg is working so unloading this box is not going to be the easiest thing and many of its contents are too heavy for me to lift on my own. We are in the process of talking to them so hopefully something will work out. All I know is I would not recommend U-Haul to help you with moving ANYTHING!
On top of our stuff not being here. We are now dealing with insurance companies and trying to figure out what to do with our RAV. We unfortunately got t-boned in Winnipeg on the way here. No one was hurt, thankfully. So this week has been spent figuring out what they are going to do with our vehicle. It is being said that they are probably going to be writing it off. We are hoping we hear this week so we can take the next step with our vehicle.
So far we are loving Carievale. It is very small town and for those of you who have ever watched Corner Gas, it is exactly like that. People have helped us so much since our stuff is not here. Lending us pots and pans. Buying us groceries. Giving us a bag of meat and lending us a table. Their generosity has been so encouraging. We are living in the oldest house in Carievale. 111years old. I absolutely love it. However it does need some work, but it has so much character. I will post pictures of the house and the work we have done on the house at a later date.
I hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer and for those of you that are returning to school I hope you have an awesome school year.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Heartbroken
We are heartbroken today. We got the devastating news this morning that one of our students in Deer Lake, one that Greg taught this year in Grade 8, died yesterday. He was thirteen years old and he hung himself.
This student is one you would never expect to do anything like this. He ALWAYS had a smile on his face. He always stopped to talk to you. He loved Sawyer and always wanted to give her lots of kisses and talk with her. This student went to church every week, he was a christian, sang in front of the church. He went to visit and talk with the Elders of the community. He loved to hunt and fish and play his guitar. This is what we saw on the outside, obviously no one in Deer Lake realized that there was a lot of hurt going on on the inside.
I am shocked, sad, heartbroken, numb. I feel awful for Greg who spent 5 days a week 7 hours a day with this boy. Please pray for Greg and I, Deer Lake and this boys family as we grieve the loss of this special boy.
This student is one you would never expect to do anything like this. He ALWAYS had a smile on his face. He always stopped to talk to you. He loved Sawyer and always wanted to give her lots of kisses and talk with her. This student went to church every week, he was a christian, sang in front of the church. He went to visit and talk with the Elders of the community. He loved to hunt and fish and play his guitar. This is what we saw on the outside, obviously no one in Deer Lake realized that there was a lot of hurt going on on the inside.
I am shocked, sad, heartbroken, numb. I feel awful for Greg who spent 5 days a week 7 hours a day with this boy. Please pray for Greg and I, Deer Lake and this boys family as we grieve the loss of this special boy.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Father's Day
Well, it is my first Father's Day and I am disappointed it is being spent thousands of kilometres away. It is because of Sawyer that this day means something extra special for me this year, and I can't hold her, kiss her, and tell her how much I love her. But that is one of many sacrifices I (and Claire) have made with living in Deer Lake the past three years.
The last week I spent leading the Grade 8s on their yearly graduation trip to Toronto and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I couldn't imagine a better way to end my tenure in Deer Lake, than to spend quality time with my students and fellow chaperones. As much as there is too much work and responsibility on the leader, I wouldn't give up the chance to experience Toronto with the students. Everyone had fun, stayed safe, and created lasting memories that will be talked about for years to come.
Last month, Claire had the opportunity to create a blog about what Mother's Day means to her. I decided to take the similar challenge and spend some time (got nothing but) this day to write what Father's Day means to me.
The whole world changes when you become a father. As we were getting ready for Sawyer to come, many people would say things to prepare us for a child. "Better get your sleep now" "You'll always be tired" "Won't have time for yourself." Many of these things are true, but as for most things in life, it is all about how you see things. I do get less sleep now, but it is because I am spending more time with Sawyer. I do feel more tired, but it is because I am chasing after my giggling daughter. I do watch less sports, but it is because I can't take my eyes off of her. You see, life does change and it may, no it will get hard, but there is nothing greater in the world than being a father.
Why I Love being a father, in no particular order (except #1, it is the best):
1) When Sawyer gets up from a nap and you peek your head in the door, to see Sawyer jump up and have the world's greatest smile. The smile is the best part. Knowing she has a grin from ear to ear JUST because she sees you. You don't need to say anything or have a gift or do anything. Your presence alone is what makes her day.
2) The ability to provide for my family. Being able to provide for oneself is a great thing and being able to provide for a family means so much more.
3) When giving Sawyer her bottle, she will cuddle with you. Before Claire and Sawyer left for home, Sawyer fell asleep on my chest for the first time. What a magical feeling.
4) Sawyer's dance. Seeing her move her legs when music is played.
5) Sawyer's infectious laugh. At times, especially at night, she will walk around the house and just laugh and make sounds.
6) The future. I am looking forward to spending time with Sawyer as she grows up and being able to help her through life's challenges.
7) Buying clothes. Seems weird right. But being able to buy pink Toronto Blue Jay shirts and hats is pretty awesome. Pink has never been my colour.
8) Sawyer's Kisses. They will make your day.
9) Watching Sawyer love life. I know it will change, but for now, just now, Sawyer has no problems with the world. She is not concerned about friends, boys, and other worldly problems. All she wants right now is you and your attention. And believe me, my eyes are glued to her.
10) Completeness. Sawyer is the smallest member of my family. Family. With Claire, myself, the little munchkin (and even Edgar) we are a family. This is it, this is the start to my family.
The last week I spent leading the Grade 8s on their yearly graduation trip to Toronto and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I couldn't imagine a better way to end my tenure in Deer Lake, than to spend quality time with my students and fellow chaperones. As much as there is too much work and responsibility on the leader, I wouldn't give up the chance to experience Toronto with the students. Everyone had fun, stayed safe, and created lasting memories that will be talked about for years to come.
Last month, Claire had the opportunity to create a blog about what Mother's Day means to her. I decided to take the similar challenge and spend some time (got nothing but) this day to write what Father's Day means to me.
The whole world changes when you become a father. As we were getting ready for Sawyer to come, many people would say things to prepare us for a child. "Better get your sleep now" "You'll always be tired" "Won't have time for yourself." Many of these things are true, but as for most things in life, it is all about how you see things. I do get less sleep now, but it is because I am spending more time with Sawyer. I do feel more tired, but it is because I am chasing after my giggling daughter. I do watch less sports, but it is because I can't take my eyes off of her. You see, life does change and it may, no it will get hard, but there is nothing greater in the world than being a father.
Why I Love being a father, in no particular order (except #1, it is the best):
1) When Sawyer gets up from a nap and you peek your head in the door, to see Sawyer jump up and have the world's greatest smile. The smile is the best part. Knowing she has a grin from ear to ear JUST because she sees you. You don't need to say anything or have a gift or do anything. Your presence alone is what makes her day.
2) The ability to provide for my family. Being able to provide for oneself is a great thing and being able to provide for a family means so much more.
3) When giving Sawyer her bottle, she will cuddle with you. Before Claire and Sawyer left for home, Sawyer fell asleep on my chest for the first time. What a magical feeling.
4) Sawyer's dance. Seeing her move her legs when music is played.
5) Sawyer's infectious laugh. At times, especially at night, she will walk around the house and just laugh and make sounds.
6) The future. I am looking forward to spending time with Sawyer as she grows up and being able to help her through life's challenges.
7) Buying clothes. Seems weird right. But being able to buy pink Toronto Blue Jay shirts and hats is pretty awesome. Pink has never been my colour.
8) Sawyer's Kisses. They will make your day.
9) Watching Sawyer love life. I know it will change, but for now, just now, Sawyer has no problems with the world. She is not concerned about friends, boys, and other worldly problems. All she wants right now is you and your attention. And believe me, my eyes are glued to her.
10) Completeness. Sawyer is the smallest member of my family. Family. With Claire, myself, the little munchkin (and even Edgar) we are a family. This is it, this is the start to my family.
Monday, May 20, 2013
We're On the Move!
So it is official. This Martin family is making a move, as of the end of August we will be living in Saskatchewan. Carievale, Saskatchewan. We are really excited about this move and the new opportunities we will have. We have also found a place to live, which is great. Everything seems to be following into place.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mother's Day
I had an awesome Mother's Day yesterday. I was spoiled by Greg (who told me this morning I only had to change 2 diapers yesterday because he did the rest). I never swept the floor (I think he did 3 times), I never did the dishes (he did at least twice), I never cooked (he did 2 times... and made me rickity uncles), I didn't change as many diapers yesterday. I got to sleep in, nap and do what ever I wanted. I got to cuddle with Sawyer, and play with her. I got to go for a walk with my family, watch a movie with Greg and visit with two medical students while we watched the hockey game (Go LEAFS Go)!! I got a nice letter from Greg and a beautiful card from Sawyer (that she made with Greg's help of course). I had an amazing day. We didn't need to go out and spend money. We didn't need to go out for dinner (not that we could if we wanted to). We were happy just spending the day together. It was perfect. Thank you Greg and Sawyer for giving me an amazing first Mother's Day!
As I was reflecting on Mother's Day and what it means to be a mother, I read my cousins blog where she challenged everyone to write down 10 reasons why your mother is awesome and why being a mother rocks! I decided to take her up on her challenge but add one more special woman in my life to my list, my mother-in-law.
Why my Mom is awesome....
1. I love the way being a mom gives me a sense of purpose. Sawyer relies on me for everything she needs.
As I was reflecting on Mother's Day and what it means to be a mother, I read my cousins blog where she challenged everyone to write down 10 reasons why your mother is awesome and why being a mother rocks! I decided to take her up on her challenge but add one more special woman in my life to my list, my mother-in-law.
Why my Mom is awesome....
1. She is selfless
2. She is a dedicated worker (in everything she does)
3. We (her family, especially her children) come first
4. She is always available to give advice, or share a hug
5. She is an amazing friend
6. She is always up for an adventure
7. She is funny and likes to have fun
8. She enjoys reading and sharing books with me
9. She is an awesome Nana
2. She is a dedicated worker (in everything she does)
3. We (her family, especially her children) come first
4. She is always available to give advice, or share a hug
5. She is an amazing friend
6. She is always up for an adventure
7. She is funny and likes to have fun
8. She enjoys reading and sharing books with me
9. She is an awesome Nana
10. God
is the centre of everything she does
Why my Mother-in-law is awesome....
1. She will do anything for her children
2. She is goes after the things she wants (i.e.
aquafit, weight loss)
3. She puts 150% into everything she does
4. She is an amazing Grandma
5. She is a hard worker
6. She takes an interest in everything her children does and wants to be involved (i.e. endless sporting events)
3. She puts 150% into everything she does
4. She is an amazing Grandma
5. She is a hard worker
6. She takes an interest in everything her children does and wants to be involved (i.e. endless sporting events)
7. She is a fantastic listener
8. She has many friends and makes time for all of them
9. She accepted James, Lisa and myself into her family with open arms and treats us like her own
10. She is very giving (of her time, of her home to Greg and I, of anything she has)
8. She has many friends and makes time for all of them
9. She accepted James, Lisa and myself into her family with open arms and treats us like her own
10. She is very giving (of her time, of her home to Greg and I, of anything she has)
Why I love being a Mom...
1. I love the way being a mom gives me a sense of purpose. Sawyer relies on me for everything she needs.
2. I love when she puts her head on my shoulder and
cuddles up with me
3. I love how her smile and laughter is infectious
and no matter what is going on it melts my heart.
4. I love going into her room to get her in the
morning or after a nap and seeing her standing up eagerly waiting to see me
5. This year has been a year of firsts and I love
watching her discover all the new things in her life (her hands, crawling,
standing, walking)
6. I love listening to her talk/squeal as she plays
with her toys
7. She has unconditional love for me, no matter
what I look like, how much I weigh, what I am wearing etc.
8. I love that every time I go some where without
her and walk in the door she crawls right over to me and wants to be picked up
9. I love how she wants to be apart of everything I
do
10. I
love how when I am in the kitchen cooking or baking she comes and holds on to
my leg and wants to make sure I know she is still there
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Changes at the Martins
Since coming back from our Christmas Break Sawyer has changed SO much. She loves to play! She will sit on the floor with her toy box of toys and play all on her own with them. She also LOVES hanging out with Edgar. He is often laying beside her on her blanket while she plays. I do have to watch these two though because Edgar loves to share with her. He often brings her his toys to play with, and Sawyer loves to put everything in her mouth EWW! She enjoys sharing with him too and I will quite often find her feeding Edgar part of her rice cracker and then taking a bite herself. I know it sounds gross, but I do honestly watch these two, and try to catch them and teach them that this is not appropriate sharing.
Sawyer has gotten two teeth! She is such a champ. No complaints at all. She is such a great kid. She has also leaned to pull herself up to standing position. She loves to stand. Lastly, and our newest achievement, she has learned to crawl FORWARD!!! She just started doing this and is only doing it a little bit but I am sure she will be crawling all over soon.
That has been all for the new developments lately! 2 weeks until we are home for March Break!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Update!
Well, we have all made it back safe and sound to Deer Lake after an awesome trip home. Sawyer and I flew home 8 days earlier then Greg in order for Edgar to be able to fly home too. We enjoyed our trip home and were able to spend sometime with friends, family and of course do some activities that we do not get to participate in with being up north (ie. going to the movies). Sawyer and I also stayed home 2 extra weeks after Greg went back. My dad turned 50 on January 16th and we wanted to be home to celebrate with him.
Our trip back was eventful. Our WestJet flight was maybe half full, Sawyer and I had a full row to ourselves so I was able to lay her down on the seat. One of the flight attendants had finger puppets and were playing with those with her. Once we made it to Thunder Bay we learned our flight was delayed and they were unsure if we were actually going to fly. Well we ended up waiting for four hours to find out our flight was flying. During our wait Edgar was allowed to be out of his cage and sit with us. A little native boy really liked him and was playing with him. At some points the boy was laying on the floor nose to nose with Ed. Sawyer also just wanted to play with Edgar during our layover and at one point she wouldn't stop fussing unless she was sitting on the floor beside Edgar. Those two really do LOVE each other.
Once we boarded our plane we flew to Sioux Lookout. Our wait here was only about 15 minutes and then we boarded the plane again. This time though we got to the runway and sat there for 30 minutes to find out our plane was having maintenance problems. We had to turn back and completely unload the plane. We waited for another 45 minutes and they got us a new plane. We finally made it home by 7pm. Needless to say it had been a LONG day. We had been up since 5 am- Niagara time (4am Deer Lake time).
Since we have been back everything has went back to normal. Sawyer has started on real food- I have made here sweet potatoes so far and she seems to be enjoying them. She is also teething, so she is a little fussier and clingy. School is going good for Greg- nothing new to report there. He has had a few mornings off school because it has been so cold, and the busses won't start. This morning our thermometer read -41. It was quite nippy. Yesterday when Sawyer and I walked to the school in the afternoon it was -35. It is tolerable, as long as you are dressed warm (everything covered) and there is no wind chill.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Below are some pictures of our trip home.
Sawyer and Sadie.
Sawyer also turned 6 months old while we were home.
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