Where Does the Time Go?

Sometimes I wish everything would slow down, and at other times, like when the baby kicks me especially hard, I wish it moved quicker.  It seems "like only yesterday" at times, but more often it feels like things have always been a certain way, or at least have moved quite slowly. 
Until you reach the milestones.
Last autumn our first baby boy went to school for the first time...yesterday he just lost his first tooth!
I think it would have been more tragic had none of his fellow classmates gone through this experience before him.
Mr. Sensitive bravely allowed me to yank out the stubborn thing that was just barely hanging on.  It was wiggly for what seemed like ages.  Its neighbour is wiggly, too, but it will be a while yet!
Another milestone reached.

Three

Last week we celebrated this cute little guy's third birthday!  He has always had an advanced grasp of vocabulary and speaks as someone older than his current age.  It's been commented on many times, with some people guessing that he was as old as four!  It must be all those books we read...
He's Mr. Tough Independent Guy, very different from his older brother!  Although just as silly as him.  Just when I thought someone couldn't be as silly as Callum, Asher came along and proved me wrong. 

 His chosen birthday meal was "cheesy noodles!" 

I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.  It was "chocolate cake with chocolate icing and marshmallows on top!"  Happy Birthday little boy...I can't believe it's been three years since you've come into our lives.  You've definitely enriched it with your giggles, crazy walk, and creative play!

Great Big Update Part 1

Well.  It's the end of the year, and I haven't updated since April.  So, for the readers who are still with me, it's time to fill in what's been going on in the Harseverse.  My heart had gone out of blogging for a while but I hope to catch up and once again keep you in the loop of the happenings over here! 
The first photo is of one of the many birds who have been stunned by flying into our giant front window this summer.  I was able to get in nice and close to photograph this goldfinch as he was quite dazed by the impact.  Other birds were not so lucky and we've had to remove a few of them afterwards.

 The castle project!  We had an extra ladder that came with the bunk beds we had bought for the boys, and so were dreaming up ways to use it.  Stu drew up some plans after settling on the castle theme, borrowed some tools and went to work.  It turned out really well, complete with an upper floor.  I painted the landscape in the background.

This spring I was able to attend a women's conference at Camp Caroline, hosted by the churches in Edmonton.  Beautiful grounds, wonderful speeches by Sally Gleason, and fun fellowship with sisters in Christ were enjoyed by all!

Beach days!  Callum is getting more and more used to the water, and even goes up to his shoulders now.

We had a fun day at a park where the kids got their faces painted.  Callum chose a butterfly while Asher chose a tiger.  Later in the summer we visited the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.  It's an open-air museum that depicts the history of east central Alberta by telling the story of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in this region.  All the people are "in character" as Ukrainian settlers.  It's kind of weird to talk to them as who they represent.  A really neat and educational place to visit, though!  I have plenty of photos from the trip but limited space in this big giant update...

Callum petting the goats at the town's street festival.  Callum rode a pony for the first time.  He's getting braver!  There were balloon animals and a bouncy castle to enjoy.  And cotton candy!

Honeybees drinking in our lilac's sweet nectar.

There's always a day here and there where a fort is in order.  Like a rainy wet day.  The living room is transformed into a little boy's hideaway.

Mom and baby moose tracks at the beach.

Our niece Bethany came over for a visit.  The boys loved it!  We did a little sight-seeing in the area.  Unfortunately a beach day turned thunderous so we had to head home early.  We still had fun road tripping!

Mom and Dad H and Piet came to visit this summer.  It was lovely seeing them again.  Asher like feeding Piet his snacks, and standing on his wheel chatting with him.  Both boys learned to bike this summer and they took many walks/rides to the park with Grandma.

Relaxing.

Smooch!

One of the projects tackled by energetic in-laws: new paint!  It really brightens up our living room.  And, bonus, the paint was on sale!  Woot!  Thanks for all your help, Mom and Dad!

Campfire in the backyard.

Fishing game enjoyed by the kids at our church picnic.

It's hard to choose one picture from our trip to the mountains!  We took the Jasper Tramway this year for some awe-inspiring views.  We also experienced the Miette Hot Springs, which were relaxing (except for when Asher almost drowned!) and we stopped at a few interesting places along the way to see a waterfall, elk, mountain goats, and even a bear!

A float from Neerlandia in the Blue Heron Parade.

Our garden growing and growing...tomatoes!

My birthday raspberry bush growing some sweet delicious fruit!

And at the end of the summer our first bundle of joy turned 5!  I can't believe how time flies.  It's been a wonderful five years with this lovable, curious, always-cheerful guy in our lives!  I can't believe he's going to school already.

 

 

 

And so ends part one.  Stay tuned for part two, coming soon.

Homemade Hamburgers

It's just about barbeque season again, and what better thing to throw on the grill than a big juicy burger?

Ingredients:
1 pound groud beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (use fresh if you can - throw a chunk of bread in a food processor and pulse until crummy)
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 clove grated garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, or 1/2 Tbsp deydrated onion flakes

Mix spices and crumbs together in a big bowl.  Add egg and beef, mix with your hands until just combined.  Shape into four patties and cook on your preheated barbeque grill on medium-low heat until just cooked through.  Slap on some old cheddar and serve on split crusty buns with your favorite toppings.

Friends in our Front Yard.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

1 cup raisins
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
optional spices: cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, 1/4-1 tsp each, depending on how adventurous you are!
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups shredded carrots (really pack it in the measuring cup)

Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak while you prepare your other ingredients. This will prevent them from burning while in the oven.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. To save on washing dishes, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and beat them gently. Add the oil and milk and mix all together until just moistened, then fold in the raisins and carrots. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes, until the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Dinner

1 pound (or so) fresh italian sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sweet bell peppers, (red, green, yellow, whatever you like!) chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (I like red)
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 large can diced tomatoes with juice)
2 cups spinach, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregeno
1 pound cooked pasta

In a large skillet, sautee the sausage until browned. Add garlic, onion, peppers, herbs and cook until almost tender, about five minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Add to pasta and stir. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Consecrate - Matt Brouwer

"For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." -Hebrews 9:24-28 read the whole beautiful chapter here.