Happy 18th birthday to my baby!

I can't believe that Grace turned 18 years old. She got her ears pierced, had her hair layered and shopped! "A perfect girl day with Mommy." We went to all the make up counters and tested perfume. What will be next?

Braces part 2

The day finally arrived for Moriah to get her braces.

He uses a different type of bracket than I have ever seen and so I would appreciate any comments on this: Damon systems by Ormco. Moriah has the damon q which are all metal and close like a door. This was the really interesting part. . . she only has appointments every 10 weeks. I thought I seriously missed my calling. . . I should have been an orthodontist in Calgary! The price of braces is twice what it is in Houston and I only have to see patients every 10 weeks. We saw the ortho today for less than 30 seconds.
The orthodontist's assistant did everything. The braces were on a wax mold and they just slipped it over her teeth. Then they took the wax off and the braces remained. Interesting.
Mimey only has braces on her 6 front teeth as this is a phase 1.
She was so brave!

Braces

A Happy Anniversary

Our 20th anniversary was spent in Banff. We took a gondola ride and saw spectacular views on the top of Mt. Rundle. I am truly blessed.

Noah's Birthday

Today is Noah’s birthday and we celebrated by skiing.The ski resort is called Naksiska and it is about an hour and fifteen minutes from our house. It is a beautiful place with large trees and scenic trails.

We went with fear and trepidation because the temperature was -30 but lessons encouraged us and ski masks helped us. By the time we left, it was -20, which felt warm.

All the kids eventually managed the chairlift for the blue trails. The sun came out in the afternoon, and it really was a beautiful winter day.

Grace completed her first black run without any major injuries. J When she was exhausted, Moriah became Josh’s ski buddy. We are hoping the signs of frostbite do not continue. All the kids and their dad are sore. Moriah said, “I was traveling at the speed of Joshua and I flipped over. I tried to straight-line it.” Moriah and Noah went down their first blue.

With lunch at the lodge, pizza for dinner, I think we made a memorable experience for Noah’s eighth birthday.

I watched the movie Blood Money by the niece of Martin Luther King Jr.. . . instead of skiing. It was reminiscent of watching Food Inc on vacation. Both are very heavy documentaries for such a happy day.

Year End Review

Servants Anonymous

I went to a really interesting " jewelry party" last night to help educate and protect women involved in human trafficking. It was very sad and overwhelming.

The first thing they asked me when I walked in the door was, "Are you a Texan?" My reply is always, " I lived in Houston, and before that I lived in Holland." There were the usual comments about "the States" and there's always the thoughtful, " So, what do you think of Canada?". That is always hard to answer, but especially yesterday because the temperature was -18 with heavy snowfall.

One lady did say, " I have to go to a wedding in April in Houston. Give me one good reason to go to Houston in April".

"The weather. "

She was not satisfied. "Houston's most beautiful natural resource is its people. "