Boys and Girls

This is for all you moms out there who aren't sure what to expect when you get a boy or girl. I think the contrasts can be pretty much summarized as follows:

Boys like to play games with high probability of ending up with X-rays and sutures. Specifics of the games vary, of course, but they frequently include pouncing, pummeling, spitting, throwing hard objects at either inanimate or animate objects, jumping out from nowhere to scare other player to death, climbing on rooftops and shouting to pedestrians, leaning out of roller coasters at ninety-degree angles and yelling, "Hi, Ma!" and sneaking off to the mini-mart for sodas and junk food. This is their idea of fun, so don't try to change it. Just be prepared to start coloring your hair a little earlier than originally planned. If you want to socialize boys to be more tame, and convince them to try to help you make dinner, don't kid yourself that they are going to end up like Wolfgang Puck, devoting their careers to concocting new ways to cook Portobello mushrooms and goat cheese. They are just there for the knives.

When I was a young mother, I refused to buy my boys any toy guns or knives. Like a good student of the 1970s, I wanted to give peace a chance in my house. Ha! What a chump! Although my policy has not changed, and I still cannot bring myself to buy toy weapons, my efforts have been for naught. My boys have created toy guns when they needed them out of whatever materials happen to be around the house: hangers, Legos, tree branches, soda bottles (the one liter size makes a nifty AK-47), and my grandmother's antique candlesticks. So if you persist in maintaining that you can socialize boys to subsume their naturally occurring, testosterone-driven swashbuckling and not buy them toy guns, go ahead.

Girls like to play games that end with a high probability of injured feelings and detailed reenactments of their playmates' most galling insults to their persons. Necessary equipment for girl-play includes hairstyling implements, purses, telephones, high-heeled shoes, nail polish, magazines of alpha males and beautiful women, and their mothers' jewelry boxes. Their games ideally end with marriage, children, and credit cards with generous spending limits. (If you don't believe me, please reference the 45,000 contestants who lined up to qualify as a wife for the far-less-than-perfect stranger on the show "Who Wants to Marry a Alleged Abusive Barely Qualifying Multimillionaire Who's So Cheap He Reuses Baggies?")

If this depresses you, it shouldn't. Society has always required hunters and gatherers, as well as nesters and fortune hunters. See, our software hasn't changed, just the dimensions of our motherboards.

For you skeptics out there who don't believe me, you are probably not a parent yet.


(Judy Gruen: Carpool Tunnel Syndrome)

Twins

Sweet Spot

That is what Charlotte considers the inside of Jim's vest. Whenever he is sitting down, she likes to jump onto his lap, burrow inside his vest, and stick her nose into his armpit (not sure how she keeps breathing :)) But on these cold Canadian winter days, I guess that would be a pretty warm spot. Jim's only complaint (it isn't that she smells, surprisingly) is that she likes to dig a bit before she settle in and he is deathly ticklish!

Christmas Break Activities

Party Time!

. . .soooo the kids had their last day of school for 2009 on Friday. They are hoping for a couple of weeks of down time, but I have dashed their hopes with news of cleaning! What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! And the really good news is. . . they get to do this while I am at work : )

Can't believe it is almost Christmas again. It seems like just a couple of months ago A. LuAnn was up here and we were eating homemade cinnamon rolls, opening gifts, and riding horses thru the woods on Christmas day. And can't forget the ski trip to Chicopee. This will be the first year we will not be with any of my family for Christmas. We will miss you guys! However, we have been to several Christmas parties already and have a few more in the upcoming week. Looking forward to seeing all the family together.

3 Saturdays in November. . .

Jim and Steven have climbed out of their warm beds to load up their dirt bikes and go trail riding. Today, Jim took Daniel with him, too. One of the places they went was Ganaraskan Forest which has 11,000 acres of trails. Most of the trails they have been riding on are single track with lots of technical challenges. Jim is lamenting that he has just discovered these parks so late in the season. He is also hoping to take the Baurers there when they come up next summer (hint, hint)!

A Girl's Best Friend

Hannah and Charlotte enjoying the sunset.

Mt. Trashmore

Here are some photos of our afternoon at Mt. Trashmore. We just discovered this BMX track in September. The city of Kitchener built it on the site of an abandoned landfill and it is free to the public. It has several very fun (or so I have been told--I personally did not bring my bike) downhill runs. There are 3 different levels of track; beginner, intermediate, and expert, and a couple of free running courses. The boys can't get enough of it! Too bad winter is coming. . .

Finished Project

A couple of pictures after I finished (notice even the dog is admiring it! :)

Here are some pictures of the project I have been working on for the last 2 weeks. The stairs from the garage to our house needed some recovering. We originally had put indoor/outdoor carpet on them when we moved in (15 years ago). The carpet had started to come apart even though we had glued it securely. Removing the carpet glue off the plywood was the hardest part of the job. Putting on the Stoneffects was a close second. It was pretty hard to work with and didn't want to stick to any of the vertical wood. But, I am happy with the outcome and hope it lasts for another 15 years. (Not sure how to scrape off the Stoneffects!)

Slow Ride

That is the pace at which Andrew is getting his G2 licence. He had an appointment last week to take the test, but it got cancelled since the MTO examiners are still on strike. He is VERY disappointed because he was hoping to be driving now without his parents harping at him in the passenger seat. He also has places to go and people to see, which isn't always convenient in his current situation. Oh, well, a few more months with some knowledgeable instructors sitting beside you can't hurt too much (right Andrew???)

Teddy on the Trail

Today, Leah took Teddy out for his first ride outside the arena. He did FANTASTIC! We even had some horse and buggies pass us and he didn't spook. He is such a nice horse, Leah is would really like to keep him. If thats going to happen, we will have to lengthen the day because she certainly doesn't have time for another one! (Not to mention the $$ for two either!)

Up and Running. . .

. . .again. Jim spent most of the summer waiting for parts that; came from Japan, got lost at the dealership, and had to be re-ordered. The bright side was he got them for free ($100 value-- He likes to save money)! Bike runs better than ever because as he was taking it apart to get to the broken gear, he fixed the leaky crankshaft seal. No more missing and runs clean and strong. Sigh, . . . . . .it IS wonderful living with a guy who can fix anything

New Horse. . .

. . .horsepower that is. Jim recently got a new truck at work and has been having "fun" working the bugs out of it. It is soon to be equipped with a touch screen computer (so he can do Facebook while on the job. . . .NOT) and is set up for wheel to wheel delivery. Now all they need to do is put his name on the door (Bugsbunny).

Happy Birthday, Julia

Yesterday Julia turned 9. Wow! Our little girl is already in 4th grade! She got a DS (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa S. and A. Jane for your contributions!) and an alarm clock. What more could a girl want??? Happy Birthday, Julia!

Carriage Ridge Resort. . .

. . . was the name of the place Jim and I stayed when we went on our 4 day getaway. It is a nice resort located in the Horseshoe Valley north of Barrie, ON. We had a great trip and it was a good combination of R & R and mountain biking. There are some GREAT places to bike with really neat single track trails. Even though it rained for 3 of the days we were there, it was warm. We were still able to enjoy the scenery. Now, back to reality :)

Fergus Fall Fair

Just some photos of Julia and Leah showing their horses recently at the Fergus Fair. Leah did mostly hunter/jumper classes and did place 2nd in one of her classes. Julia handled Dakota really well. He was pretty nervous when we first arrived with all the activity going on around him. She entered in 3 classes and completed them all. Dakota is a stubborn pony when he doesn't want to go somewhere, so she has lots to work on for next show season!

Fair Parade

Just a few photos of the horses in the parade. Stella even got to be in it! There was also small horse show following the parade. Leah received first place in the saddle horse class. The above photo is of her relaxing with some friends before her class.

Fair Pet Show

Today was the Wellesley Fall Fair. I let the kids take the whole day off school to go. This is Daniel holding Charlotte while waiting for his turn to take her onstage. There were several categories, so Hannah, Daniel, and Julia took turns showing her. She is very tired tonight. Below, is Hannah showing Charlotte.

Girls in Green

This is most of our church league slowpitch team. We had a great year and finished 2nd in our tournament yesterday. It has been a GREAT way to meet some other Christian women from our new church. I am already looking forward to when next season starts!

God. . .

. . . .is a God of miracles!