Here's a pic of Journey from her birthday ... that was only a little over a month ago and since then she has learned to spell her own name. She is also 'mostly' potty-trained. She only wears pull-ups for naps and nighttime. It is a rare moment indeed, to catch her without her thumb in her mouth and/or lamby in her lap. 

Gettin' Braver

We got this rocking horse for Journey's birthday. If you press on its ears he makes clip-clop sounds and neighs. She LOVES it! She's not as crazy as her cousin Cara was when riding rocking horses ... but she is getting braver. 

Watching Bob

Here's our little Journey contentedly watching "Bob the Builder". She loves to sing the theme song and play with all her Bob the Builder tractors. She knows them by name and acts out many of the episodes she's seen. She just came into the computer room and said "See Journey watchin' Bob the Builder". She's VERY observant! 

THANK YOU!!!!

This post is directed at the incredible friend who just sent us an annonymous gift of $500!!! You couldn't have known how timely and how needed that was! We thank you, who EVER you are, for reaching out to us so generously. Your thoughtfulness has lifted our spirits and put smiles on our faces in the midst of an otherwise stressful time.

May God richly reward you!
Love
Garron, Amy, Journey (and Solomon)

Crossing the Country?!

We were out taking some promotional pics for Garron's upcoming cross-country bike tour ... doesn't look like the middle of February does it?!

Its only 5 months till he and his sister Sharon join up with over 60 other crazies to cycle all the way from Victoria, BC to St. John's, NFLD. They are going with the Canadian Bible Society's Bike for Bible Centennial Ride and will be on the road for 2 whole months. He has to raise $5000 in pledges which will be used to publish and distribute scriptures for Canadians who otherwise couldn't afford them.

He's been in training for over a year already but I've noticed a definite increase in intensity in the last few weeks as the dead line gets closer. It seems once the calendar read 2006 he realized that THIS WAS THE YEAR and he'd better get a move on if he was gonna be ready. Keep him in mind as he trains physically (and mentally) and tries to raise the necessary funds. Oh, and speaking of funds ... if you want to donate to the cause just email us at jameskid3@yahoo.com and we'll get ya set up. Every penny counts!!! And speaking of pennies ... if you were to pledge one penny a km it would be a grand total of approximately $78. Can you figure out from that how far he has to pedal? hee hee

Two Years Already!

Hard to believe that Journey is already 2 years old. I was just blogging about some of the cute things she says nowadays ... and then I saw THIS pic of when she was only 2 months and couldn't help but marvel at how far she's come and how much she's learned already.

That's her uncle Pete holding her (whom we saw this past weekend actually) and whom she now thinks the song "Peter, James and Jon in the Sailboat" is all about. 

Checkin' In

Today I am feeling cloudy. Not only are there clouds overhead casting a general shadow on our life but there is low-lying fog making forward progress near to impossible. I have a sense of idling, wanting to move but not knowing in which direction.

Thankfully, and this may sound trite ... but thankfully Journey has been extra adorable lately and given me many opportunities to smile in spite of myself.

She recently learned to recognize the Canadian flag and has been trying to learn the national anthem (which she understands to be "Holy Canada") I have attempted many times to correct her but she is insistent. Maybe she knows something we don't?

She's also been learning a little geography. We got her a placemat of the map of Canada and she can now point out and say Thunder Bay, Ontario (where she was born) ... Three Hills, Alberta (where she lives now), and Nunavut (a place she understands to be COLD). I am trying to teach her the Provinces and Territories one at a time by attaching a 'descriptor' to it ... but its tough to come up with something unique about Manitoba and New Brunswick! (and most of the Provinces to be honest ... if anyone has any ideas please let me know!)

Some of her most adorable sayings of late are:
"O gosh", "Dingo Dongo" and "I frustrated!" (all uttered in times of trouble or despair) ...
"kick in the bum" (to hurry her along on the way up the stairs to bed) ...
"why'd you do that?" ...
"yes e can, bob" (taken from the kid's series "Bob the Builder") the 'e' could mean I or you ...
"Bye-bye, see you in the morning" (said to everyone and everything that leaves) ...
"Quiet, mommy ... look out own window" (said to me in the car when I'm talking too much and she wants to be left alone -- unfair I must say because I'm usually talking in order to answer a question SHE asked!) ...
"Hurt youself?" (she asks her toys this when she's made them crash or fall) ...
and "Uh-oh mommy ... Dr. Dan" (said when she hurts herself and feels she needs to go see our family doctor for a bandaid)

So you see, I can't remain focused on the clouds for long with Journey around. She always finds something to say to make me smile or even laugh out loud!