My Girl Space

With all the boys' toys and the game room, a girl has got to have some space too. I bought the picture board in the top picture over a year ago on clearance at Target just because I liked it. I didn't have anywhere specific that I was going to hang it as we had just barely began repainting in the house, so I stuck it in the closet where it remained until we started to hang pictures for hanging. It then sat out for a while, while I decided to hang it. I finally decided on our bedroom as it looked nice with the paint colors.

I since found the curtains and bed set at Target to match. It is funny how the room evolved from this board that when purchased didn't even have a spot and now it has become the basis for the room.

Boys & Their Toys Part 2 - The Game Room

Since November, the game room has been Dan's latest project. It is now fully set up with our old computer, X-Box, TV, dartboards, big bean bag chair, and a pool table. Now I have to ask, what more could the boys in this house want? The smaller dartboard is a "Doink it Darts" for the boys with magnet darts. The idea for the huge bean bag chair came about when we were in Texas for a wedding and Dan saw his cousin's (thanks Jeff!). Both the boys and the dogs love jumping in it. This is definitely a room that daddy is enjoying and that the boys will grow into. I am sure this is going to be a favorite hangout for their friends.

Boys And Their Toys....

I am thinking of doing a series of posts based on this title!! Since their are 3 boys and 2male doggies in this house along with me it just seems to make sense. It is funny to see what our house has turned into.

This post is based on Dan's safety at work. What you are asking? Every 6 months Dan is eligible for a safety bonus, which he just received a couple of weeks ago. Then, once a year, Glanbia has their annual awards dinner and dance. That dinner was last weekend and Dan was drawn for the safety drawing for $500. Thus, we have now acquired a Wii of which you see Dan boxing with in the pictures. He is teaching Caleb to play tennis with it and it is quite interesting.

I have to say with all the equipment and type of job he does I am very happy to know he is being safe and the bonuses are a nice recognition of that.

And He's Going To Be Turning Two...

In just one month he will be two!! From looking so sweet sipping a smoothie one minute too conquering daredevil feats the next. If you look him in the face and tell him no, he will respond by tickling you with his nose and saying "diddle diddle diddle"!!

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness.....

I guess it began 14-15 years ago when I was pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. As I have told many of you, from the time I was a very small child, I knew I wanted to become a nurse. It became very obvious when I was in nursing school that the majority of us were not going to be able to pursue this dream in Canada upon graduation as we were in the midst of mass layoffs of nurses that had been practising for many years. So, as I neared my graduation, I started sending out applications to various places in the US. There were also many recruiters coming from the US seeking nurses. They were eager as they said they knew we were well trained and that obviously our seeking this profession in a time where there were no jobs in our homeland, indicated that this was a profession that most of us felt a true calling for.

It took almost a year after graduation to find where I was meant to go. At the end of May 1993, I set out on my drive/relocation to southern Texas. The only belongings that went were what fit into the cab of my dad's truck. I followed him and my mom as we made the drive down. The hospital I worked for offered the opportunity of being sponsored for my green card (permanent residency) so I decided to take the next step of the process. In April 1996, I completed the next step and successfully became a permanent resident.

In the spring of 1998 I went to a graduation at Baylor University in which I heard 2 people I really didn't know much about speak - George & Laura Bush. I thought: " I hope he runs for president someday". I then met my husband to be mid 1998, moved to Idaho late summer of 1999 and was married in October. It was then the fall of 2000 that an event occurred that changed many people's lives forever - 9/11. It was that day that I realized I felt like an "American". Some metamorphosis had occurred that I hadn't even realized. I began to make it my focus to learn more about the politics and people of this country. I have since given birth to 2 wonderful sons that are American citizens and who may someday choose a role in defending thier country and all the freedoms we enjoy.

Thus, I made the decision last year that I wanted to pursue what steps it would take for me to become a US citizen. I downloaded an application 10 pages long. The hardest part of the application was that I was required to fill out every time and exact dates in the last 10 1/2 years (the time from which I became a resident), that I had left the country. At the beginning of December, my paper work was filed. At the beginning of January I was summoned to "The Department Of Homeland Security" for fingerprinting into a national database for my criminal background check. This past Saturday I received "The" letter. I am set for my interview and citizenship testing on March 5th!! Please pray for me for the knowledge I will need and safety in travel!!

Blah - Quack!!

Here is some pictures of Elton playing with his Baby Einstein puppets. He is so darn cute running around going blah!! I can't believe he is going to be 2 in a little over a month.

A How It's Made Man!!

This is what Caleb has decided he wants to be when he grows up. "How It's Made" is a show on the Discovery channel that shows how factories and machines make all sorts of things. Dan started taping them on the DVR and Caleb watches them over and over. The other night he told me that he wanted us to get a "How It's Made Machine" for our house so that he can make things. He is a very focused little guy and has memorized many little details about what is in things and how they are made. At school, his teacher says he loves to build things. She says maybe a little architect or perhaps a little engineer. Only time will tell!!

He Knows His Vowels!

Elton has taken to reciting his vowels to show he is well on his way to learning the alphabet. He can be heard running around saying A E I O U throughout the day. Or maybe he is just practicing being a monkey?