My Latest Gig

The last 2 days I have been hanging around with 13 old men.
Older men.
I got to be the sole "estrogen factor" at our friend Gord Askey's CD release parties in both Kimberley and Invermere. Last night Gord and his wife Lynn had set up their 5th wheel beside the concert hall in Invermere.

We spent the Saturday in Invermere before the concert with Steve, Leanne, Shawna, Meg and Jasmine at a condo unit in Radium that Gord had booked for us. We went swimming and hung out nibbling on appetizers and sipping Port. Finn had a hoot playing hide-and-seek with Meg and Jasmine: while Wrenny, still sick and snuffly had a 3 hour nap in one of the 3 bedrooms. Once the concert started rolling at 8pm, all went tickety boo. Finn and Wrenny stayed in the 5th wheel with Shawna's daughter Meg and Steve's daughter Jasmine during the concert. Except for my zany yet prevalent nervous Mama tendencies, all went very well. The scotch helped. I realized again last night, why it is I am not good at performing live music and being a breastfeeding mother. It is just damn stressful. I don't relax well and always feel torn.

After the concert, the band went from a bluegrass to an electric country swing set, and we danced a little later into the night. This morning we all had platefuls of pancakes, ham with mustard, eggbake and strong coffee cooked on a woodfire stove at Gord and Lynn's.
A lovely weekend indeed.


Steve, Gord, me, and John Cronin (played with Ian Tyson for 7 years!)

Myron (played with Ian Tyson for 10 years!), Fred Milette Gord, Kevin

Our Steve Jones inhis bluegrassin' element

Breakfast at the Askey's

A little rollerskating at home

Wrenny's big grin



Yesterday we discovered a bag from our Christmas in Lethbridge.
There were rollerskates from Skye in it.
They are a big hit..as seen above.

Home Again

The boys in row 12.


The girls in row 13

Suitcases are still sitting in the living room;open-unpacked..but we are home.
It was a long trip home-Wrenny was a little less tolerant this time around..crying off and on throughout the whole trip..but we are safe and sound and happy too. everyone happy to sleep in their own beds. What fun-five days we just had...I am soo very glad we got to go. I wish Colorado was not so stinking far away. bah.

Tomorrow night I start a course at the local Retreat Center on "Finding God in the everyday" run by some local Benedictine nuns. I am excited as a few other women (my friend Jen, my midwife Jane and 2 other moms I know only a little bit) will also be taking it with me. It has been a while since I enrolled in a course.

Well, Wrenny has wowed me today by rolling over for the first time! I wasn't even watching..just looked up and there she was-with a look as surprised as my own.
Next week-she'll be graduating from high school!
slow down, kiddo!

Last Day in Wellington

The unique eating combinations of my brother..pictured here: beer and cheerios
(he says they are all grains...)
Visiting the horses..Finn and Zach
Cousin sandwich (Zach, Finn and Evan)
Finn's new coat (a second hand find at the local thrift store in Ft Collins..$4!!)


Today included a lovely lunch at the "Chocolate Rose" in Wellington (pop. 3500) with my awesome sister-in-law! Christian and Mike took all the kids to a little farm and a walk as today was the first day in a long time where the temp was at alomost 0c for a time. It has been a while since the kids got a good romp outside.

Mike and I also got to go out for a dinner at the local Mexican restaurant tonight, while the kids stayed with Uncle and Auntie. So we are feeling pretty spoiled!! Another very cool event today was WRENNY LAUGHED for the first time! Really chuckled..over and over as Mike was tickling and kissing her. We were delighted! This coincided with Evan making his first real deposit in the toilet. A very eventful day indeed in the land of childrearing!!!!HA.

Finn has LOVED hanging out with his cousins and wakes up asking for the boys by name from his crib. He will be so sad to leave these buddies behind. He's not the only one!

Saturday's Adventures

Here is what we have been up to .....

Skating at ROLLERLAND!!

With Josh (7 years) during the limbo competition.

Evan (2 1/2 years) and Wrenny hanging out


Finn falls asleep in Mike's arms at the rink.


Pizza Night with all the little guys (Hubby's at a gig-Wren napping)

Please Come to Denver in the Winter...

Finn's lookout at the Spokane airport
Wrenny's sleeping quarters..
in the guest room closet in our roomy suitcase
(don't worry-the lid is tied up so it won't close on her!)


We have arrived safe and sound.
Happy even.
Kids travelled exceptionallly (with 3 'l's -for emphasis) well for the 12 hours we were enroute.
We were duly delighted! Today we relaxed -since 3 of the four of us are fighting colds..it was well needed and wanted. Its so good to be here in not-so-warm Colorado, with in the cozy walls of Family.

Another Day, Another bath

Wrenny in towel accesories. ..
after a rather invigorating bath with her big splashy brother.
Note the shell-shocked look in her eyes!

PHEW!

YIKES!!
We were a little worried over the last few weeks..and today eased our fears with a test.
Mike celebrated by doodling on this cup.
Note big "X" on belly!
11 months between kids would simply NOT be enough!!

A funny thing i found online today..

My Fortune Cookie told me: You are delicate as a tomato sandwich. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

Damp-dry

We went for a walk around the block this afternoon. Finn on foot, wrenny in her carseat on a wooden toboggan. It took 25 minutes. One block. Not kidding. Finn found that he needed to do alot of snow sampling. When we got home, he was pretty much soaked. And although I was just going to change his clothes, he seemed to have another idea.
Clever little feller.

Early in the year

A few shots from the last days...

The day we returned from Lethbridge, we went to a potluck dinner at the houseof one of our musical friends:Beth. "Uncle Steve"-my bass player, did dinner duty, and held Wrenny while I scarfed down supper. we have a similar picture of him holding Finn..had to post this one!

NEw Year's eve we did a very brief version of a fondue. The night included one very spirited toddler, one tired baby, 2 befuzzled parents, a ceramic fondue pot cracking over the blue flame, tears, bad words, and one ceramic pot in the snow. We did manage to put the then-melted cheese into another fondue pot (the cheap thrift store variety) and enjoyed the night with wine and well, if nothing else..a memory of a bumbly, funny crazy year!


Wrenny is a girl transformed.
She is all about the jolly jumper-just as her big brother was. can't wait to string her jumper up in the trees, in the van, at the cabin etc. like we did with Finn. Where did 2 years just go? Actually-where did our newborn baby just go??

Girl Outing and kitchen table reform

Wrenny and I went on one of our very first "Just the girls" outings while Finn napped.

She in backpack and me in my Sorels, slogging throught the slushy snow.
Only to the post office.
She's so light I sometimes think I have forgotten her...kind of like a suspiciously light guitar case on the way to a gig. She so quiet...or maybe too-dressed is a better way of saying it. Couldn't hear her much through her scarf and snowsuit etc. even if I really tried.

Anyways, the sky is perfect.
Blue and freshly washed..after a good cry of rain and snow yesterday. Its starting up new: putting on a happy face and moving forward till the next clouds take its brilliance for a meloncholy twist. We breathed it all in really deeply. Fleetingly euphoric and glorious skies need to be celebrated. So we came back and had a big blue mug of hot green tea and 2 ginger cookies...me now, Wrenny will have them later.

And now, i have done some clearing up in the kitchen..gone through the "returning home from Christmas" clutter and am pleased with the results. Amazing what a sense of accomplishment a person can get from an emptied kitchen table! but hey, i'll take what I can get to feeling successful at the end of a day.

New year, new wine and other foresights and hindsights

Have a few minutes here before I fall asleep. I have been thinking about the january Movement..as one might call it. It seems that in this cold and slushy air there tingles a freshness: a desire for something New, yet undiscovered to happen. I have not made any "Resolutions" they are a little too grand for me. I am more of one to lurk in the shadow of these Resolutions, and put together instead a few wishes for this new year.
they are as follows:

• a good night's rest, for 3 days in a row (I know, I am aiming a bit high here)

• exploring new kinds of red wine (as heard on tuesday afternoons on CBC Radio's "All Points West" with award winning BC Wine book writer who's name I can't recall)

• at least one retreat at Marywood

• journalling regularily about the inner workings of my mind and spirit and body

• creative projects ongoing..even if they are only brewing in my mind for now..songs or lyric or paintings in the perculation phase

• knitting for my Finn and Wren

I am in the middle of a truly wonderful time in my life. Not without its weeks of fatigue and grieving of course...but it is truly the richest and most colorful my world has ever been.
I have found such incredible "lump-in-throat" moments due to these two little urchins with their rapid and inccesant growth, and in the also always-changing and crazy-flexing of my co-parent and true love, Mike.
And I keep thinking, this is it. This day will never come again.
I will never have another chance at today's rare beauty, and unique challanges.
So let me be gracious.
Let me be Kind. Genuine. Creative.
And heavy on the Mercy and the laughter.
I may be clutzy in this whole department of motherhood, wifehood, and friendship,
but dammit I sure do enjoy it.
It has been truly, a good year.

Snuggle

Snuggle.
Its the new thing at our house.
Finn and wrenny are both fans.
Each have their favourite partners!

The last day of the year

We took Finn and Wrenny out for a winter's walk yesterday..to the nearby outdoor skate rink. Our friends the Hansens met us there with 17 month old buddy Paige. Good to feel so Canadian in these endeavors..all that was missing was a Tim Horton's coffee.

Home again

We are home..after 5 full and busy and fun days in Lethbridge.
Below are some pics of the last days. We were able to stay at a friend of Nana's..sort of a housesitting arrangement which was great! Good for naps and getaways.
Finn and Wrenny had a lot of time to see almost all of their Hepher Relatives (except for Grandad and GrAnne)..and Wrenny met Opa and Omi Schwarz for the first time. Auntie Irene who was also in Lethbridge during the holidays came by a few times. Hurray!
We are home...very pooped but happy for the good times gone by.
Mike has fallen asleep in front of the TV..and it is only a little after 9.
He's usually in bed at 1 or 2 am.
that about sums it up!!
hope yours was a wonderful Christmas!

enjoy the pics below.

Boxing Day

Opa and Omi from Calgary, meet Wreeny for the first time. Her first impressions were rather loud and demanding!
Auntie Irene comes to hang out with Finn too..as the Schwarzes all unite in Lethbridge for the day.
Mike and Anie go out for a date on Boxing Day..Finn and Nana do the bathtime/bed routine.
Nana's newest outfit for Wrenny!

Christmas Day at Nana's

The Grands (Great Auntie Rita and Greatgrandma Sperry-Maureen's Aunt and Mom) digging in to festive victuals)
Spiderman (Skye) and his sidekick (Superboy-or "Soupy"-as said by Finn) solving perplexing puzzles on Nana's floor and beyond.
Finn in Nana's sunglasses: surrounded by cheering rellies!
Robin (as seen with new DVD), And Rin holdin baby Wrenny.
Too cool for school...but not too cool to be the hippest librarian , ever!

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve PJ's back at our Christmas House-the Bolton's
Parum pa pa pum, Finn and his drum (and shaker, rattle, tambourine..)
Pops and the Family hepher
Robin, Rin and Skye on the way to the Christmas Eve service

Too early

the glare of christmas hype...it seems i can't sleep past 4 am these days.
This morning I decided I had better just get up and do something to tire me out.
so i am working out here on the computer
sectret christmas things.
in my sorels and bathrobe.
waiting for the light of day
for the salutation of Finn as I enter his room ("hi mama..nuggle? couch?")
for now I am waiting for thie sting to creep into the back of my eyes
so i'll be forced to lie down again
before wrenny wakes up with breakfast demands.

Need we say more?

We have a new baby in our town.
Kate has a little brother and Jenny and Ross are proud and very surprised parents of a certain
JACK SLATER WESTCOTT
October 12th, 2006
11 pm
6lbs 8oz

surprised:not about having a baby.
Surprised about it being a boy baby!
We had Kate over for a sleepover the night he was born.
Yesterday we had brought soup, buns and a big bottle of celebratory Merlot as Jack and Jenny came home. I am so excited to share the two child experience with such awesome friends. Picture of baby Jack to follow soon.

The snow fell all night and Finn and I went out to attack it with shovels this morning. We then came in and were revived by a stack of "cay-cakes" (pancakes). Now our little friend Paige is visiting..they are taking a 30 minute movie break while I blog!

Just returned from a weekend in Lethbrigde where Mike was drumming for his brother Robin's band (the darby and joan club: www.djcmusic.com). We stayed at Nana's. It was absolutely great! Nana, Wrenny and I went shopping on Saturday. A Girl Afternoon. Finn got to hang out with Skye and they played so well together. I was thrilled. I got to play a bunch of games with them like musical cushions and broom hockey in the backyard. The age gap between them has always been enough so that playing was not really do-able yet. And now Finn just is completely enthralled by his cousin. Although I did not get any pics from the weekend as the camera stayed home) I have some here of the day before we left.



The first one is his best friend Kate being their silly selves.
The next Finn was eating breakfast while I was in the shower. When I returned to check on him, he had added a new ingredient to his cereal! A Milk Duck.
The last one of Wrenny in a shirt from a hippy stand at a music festival from a few years ago.

a picture of my sister Moni and her hubby Richard and son Kai...who is celebrating ONE YEAR next week. WOW where did the time go?!!

First Advent.

Mike wrote a new melody to "Joy to the world" and it was a part of kevin's serman this morning. Very cool. I still haven't got my advent Calender up. Somehow I think we will be doing a fairly minimalist version of decking the halls of the house this year. Finn and I are listening to "Larry and Bob sing the 70's" (Veggie Tales cd) its keeping us in good spirits as we build a fort in the living room. Wrenny sleeps in heavenly peace.

We just had our friends Jack and Dale Ann for lunch. They brought homemade minestrone and Christmas cookies and we made Paninis in our new Sandwich Press i got a few days ago. Its like a grown-up version of our usual Tomatoe Soup and Grilled Cheese on Sunday lunch. Its like we are getting all Yuppie, as Mike commented.