A new tooth

Zoe has two teeth now. Both on the bottom at the front. So cute. I'm trying to get a pic but she won't show them off.

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Going veggie

I guess Lana and I have officially gone vegetarian. I was reluctant to post incase it didn't stick but this has been a couple weeks now.

We were sitting eating chicken and Lana was saying it was yummy, then her face changed. And she asked if it was a baby chicken. We assured her it's not a baby one, it's probably an old male one. But she started crying and saying she wanted the chicken to be alive.

We explained to her that some people are vegatarians and don't eat animals. She said she wanted to do that too. I've always been sort of leaning that way too, so I've jumped in on it too. I figured it'll be healthy for us anyway, cut out some of the saturated fats.

Since then we've given her opertunity to eat meat but as soon as she realises its from an animal she refuses it. I think it shows some great free thinking for a 3 year old.

So far I'm making regular meals but using fake meat. I'd love some new vegitarian recipes though if anyone knows and good resources....

Rene and Kaya are still eating meat, so I'll still be cooking some sometimes.

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Oh my gosh honey and greek yogurt

I've missed greek yogurt, particularly with honey mixed in, so much since moving to the USA. I looked loads of places and couldn't find it anywhere. But today I saw some in the health food store!

Cost over $5 for one tub of it, which is so darn expensive, but such a nice treat. I had some instead of supper tonight. Mmmmm delicious. So much better than regular (especially American) yogurt.

And ya know what's crappy? They don't do chocolate advent callendars here. What's up with that? I haven't seen any advent callendars here in fact, never mind choc ones. We tried making our own today but I wrecked them. We'll have to try again...

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Back from Minnesota

Sorry I didn't update this for a few days after we got back. I just wanted to recover on Saturday then on Sunday we were all hit with some sort of tummy bug which thankfully is all better now.

We had fun at the family reunion. Sort of made me miss mum more than usual...I was a bit teary a couple of times.


It was snowy on thanksgiving which was nice. Helped us feel all festive.

Rene wore his kilt, which is really tight on him now! But he was his usual bouncy sociable self and everyone loved him.

My glasses broke and I had one lense out so I could see anything, my head hurt and I looked like I had one huge eye and one small one. Taking photos was more challenging too, with the eye situation...but I still got a few.

more here http://www.monkeys.smugmug.com/gallery/3887961#225383801

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Thankful for snow!

It's snowing here today! Yeah! Here are some pics I just took.

We're about to leave soon to head for Minnesota, so I won't be posting here for a couple of days.

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Kaya's thankful

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IM conversation

I'm thankful today for cute daughters and instant messenger.

I was upstairs giving Zoe 3 baths in a row cause she pooped all over the place and kicked her feet in it and it was everywhere....meanwhile Kaya heard the noise of Rene logging into instant messenger and she started typing to him, sounding out the words the way she'd pronounce them.

It went like this:

Kaya: dad i lvyosomuts (Dad, I love you so much)
rene: I love you too
rene: very very much
Kaya: dad hayo atwrk (Dad, how are you at work?)
rene: yes - and Im missing you
Kaya: dad duseneuv yio bosis havene dotrs (Dad, does any of your bosses have any daughters?)
rene: I think they do
rene: one of my bosses has a daughter
Kaya: dad vudyosa (dad, would you ask)
Kaya: do you want me to ask about the daughters day?

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New pics

Loads of new pics added to our smugmug online photo album Here are a few favs.

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My mum

I'm thankful for mum.

She's been in for her eye operation today, and I've been praying for her, and so has Kaya. I hope all has gone well, that it's been successful and that she'll recover well and be able to see again!

Miss you loads mum!

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Kaya and Lana are thankful

I'm still working on my thankful.



For now, here's Kaya's

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The weekend

Today I'm thankful for the weekend! Rene let me sleep in an extra couple hours this morning, which I really needed. Made such a difference. Since we're all still snuffly and under the weather, we just had a relaxed lazy day today, which we don't usually do on a saturday, but I really enjoyed it for a nice change.

We did briefly go out, to a goodwill store. We picked up a couple of cloth diapers in really good condition for 75c each! Bargain.

It's about bed time now. So goodnight.

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Uncle Doug

I'm thankful for my brother, Doug.

I'm thankful that he moved to Lincoln, and that he lives so close to me now. That he's over here today, to watch Heros.

Man I'm loving this show! We're watching season 1 just now, and are onto the last 4 episodes tonight. I dream about this show all week.

I'm thankful for Doug, the best big brother in the world. (of course, wee David is the best wee brother in the world)

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Layout

I haven't been doing nearly enough of these, like I had challenged myself to....

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Toilet paper and random thoughts

I guess I'm not in an overly thankful mood today. I'm tired of the cold/flu thingy I have. All I can think of that I'm thankful for in particular today is toilet paper. I certainly used loads of the stuff today (on my nose, that is! Blowing snot into it).



I'm feeling sad about our sweet friends leaving. More here too



Kaya and I finally finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the pheonix today. Took us ages to read that one. It was stop start. I enjoyed it though.



I've been busy cooking breakfast tonight, for Rene to take to work tomorrow morning. They take turns for doing Friday breakfasts. This was my first turn. I hope everyone doesn't hate it. I tried my best not to breath into it and make everyone sick!



I'm excited about our trip to Minnesota coming soon, for the first thanksgiving family reunion I've ever been to. Rene wants to wear his kilt but is having trouble fitting into it.



I'm getting excited about Christmas already. Even though we have no money saved and probably won't be able to buy stuff for friends/family etc this year, just for our girls probably. But I'm at least giving out Christmas cards. I love giving and receiving cards! I'm getting all giddy about it.



I'm feeling amazed at the ways God speaks to me through my kids sometimes. The questions and concepts Kaya comes out with at times blow me away. I should try to document it. I've learned so much about God and his love through those girls. They're awesome girls. And on that note, here's what Kaya's thankful for:

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Blog comments

I just changed the setting so that anyone can comment on this blog, you don't have to be registered. As long as I don't get spammy comments I'll keep it this way. So come on Mum, leave some commments :)

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The Flip

I'm thankful to have my flip camcorder back!
I was certain I had left it at some friends house. They tore their house apart looking for it, as we insisted we had left it there. And they're in the middle of a big move just now..

Turns out it was in our car, wedged between some panels. I feel so guilty! Oops.

Well I'm thrilled to have it back.

Here's Kaya's thankful.

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Rene

I'm thankful for my husband today. I didn't write a blog post yesterday because I've been ill. I've had tonsillitis and have been pretty miserable since Sunday night.

I didn't sleep at all Sunday night and was sooo tired and sick yesterday. So Rene came home from work at lunch time to help with the kids and let me rest. He also brought lunch home. And he's bringing lunch to us on his lunch break today, so I don't have to cook anything.

I'm just making the kids some porridge then I'm going back to bed, and they're watching PBS kids. Hopefully this will be the last of sickness for the season...I'm hoping. I feel like I've been constantly ill. Ugh.

Rene, I love you. Thank you so much for all your help.
xx

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Thankful For Flowers

On Nov 9th, our friends Matt and Christa kindly bought flowers for us. We weren't home for the delivery, so they brought them by today.

They're really pretty and it's so special to know that even here, far away from home, people who never even met Heather or knew of her when she was alive, are moved by her story and her photos and care enough to send us flowers.

To Matt and Christa: Thanks guys. You're very special people and it means a lot to us :)

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Thankful for seasons

So far we've experienced Spring, Summer and now fall in Lincoln. I've loved it all so much.

Spring was on the way out when we arrived early May, it was already getting really hot. Everything was beautiful though, flowers in full bloom etc.

Summer was so hot it's so much fun. Playing in the paddling pool nearly every day, then coming in to sit in the air cpnditioning for a while before we completely melt. I love it.

Fall is so pretty. There are so many trees here the colors are gorgeous. And the backyard squirrels have been so busy collecting all the nuts and things.

Here are some fall pics


I love the changing seasons. I look forward to Winter. I get bored too easily, but here there's not a chance to get bored with the weather.

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Thankful for Heather

Today I'm thankful for Peach. For the time I was able to have with her. Those ten short, but truly perfect weeks.

HEATHER'S WEB SITE

6 years ago today was the worst day of my life. In the wee hours of the morning my first born baby daughter slipped away in her sleep. We still don't know why she died, that's the nature of SIDS.

Today is a sad day. A painful day. A hard day. I hate the 9th November. At the same time though, I'm grateful to have these days where I can reconnect with my feelings and feel like I'm reconnecting with her. There's a healing in it.

And I love to be reminded of her. To remember those good times. Man they were good times. We were on cloud 9 when she was with us. Just as we've been with our other little girlies.




I am thankful for every tiny minute I had. I'm thankful for her smiles. I'm thankful for the time I spent just she and I, snuggling on the couch watching morning TV. I'm thankful for the cooing sounds she made. I'm thankful for the times she'd cry in the backseat of the car until I'd spin the little dangling window toy around and she'd watch it move and calm right down. I'm thankful for the way I changed through knowing her. I'm thankful for all her faces and expressions.

Here's a wee video of her. We had trouble capturing from the DVD, so this is the best quality we could get. This is her stretching after waking up. The video jerks and jumps a lot. Sorry.

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Getting sentimental

Today I'm feeling thankful for how God has provided for us and taken care of our needs. Moving country and away from our friends and family was such a hard decision. Leaving behind our house and all our possessions.

But God has really been with us, has used his people to provide for our needs and has given us great friendships here. I'm very thankful.

I did have videos of the girls thankful today but I think I left the camcorder behind at a friend's house by mistake. So it'll have to wait.

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Likeness?

D'ya think?

And I figured why not make a quicky layout to go with it.

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Zoe is thankful too

She's thankful for cheesecake

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Orajel, baked potatoes and pink cats

Here's what I'm thankful for today.





This stuff is nasty, as soon as I tested it on myself I was sure I would never use it on a baby. It tastes gross and makes your mouth feel very unpleasantly tingly and numb.



But poor Zoe has been teething like heck and has been so so sore. She's only got that one tooth cutting through, but her gums are bulging and she's working on a bunch of other teeth. She's biting on everything she possibly can (me included, ouch) and is a complete grump head. When I give her some orajel she hates it at first, then she's nice and calm for about 20 mins after. So we've used it a few times.



If anyone can recommend a good homeopathic teething product I'd be grateful. I'd like to try something else. At the end of the day, she's sore and needs some relief, so nasty as this stuff is, if it helps I'm happy. But an alternative would be great too.




Kaya is thankful.

Lana is thankful.

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NaBloPoMo

November is National Blog Posting Month

So in honour of that and the fact that this our first Thanksgiving spent in the USA, I thought I'd challenge myself to post a blog every day to say what I'm thankful for.

So today, I am thankful for
SMUGMUG

It's such a great way to show off our photos for friends and family overseas or across the miles to see.

I've just uploaded a bunch of photos from October. Check them out here

Here's a sneek peek

Here's what kaya's thankful for

Here's what Lana's thankful for

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Video evidence

Here she is saying mama. She does say it clearer than this too, but this was all I got.
I't kind of a sad video though :( (I'm such a cruel mother)

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