MEMORABLE HOLIDAY MOMENTS

So begins a series of memorable moments. I thought of this one when I was lying in bed last night listening to Josh and his friends enjoying their sleepover at 3:00 am.

Anyone that has travelled the Alaska Highway up to the Yukon may remember Pink Mountain. Last summer we had the experience of staying at the campsite there. We had been travelling all day through the pouring rain and were anxious to get home. However, home was still over a days drive away, so we decided to stay at Pink Mountain. We set up camp and everything was looking pretty good. Little did I know though that the bathroom was unisex. So, me being a rookie, walked into the bathroom. There were 2 stall doors to my left and 2 stall doors straight ahead of me. Not knowing which were the toilets and which were the showers, I decided to try my luck with the doors straight ahead. Wouldn't you know I chose the showers. Not only that but there was a man getting dressed in the unlocked stall, with only his underwear on. I was invited to join him which I politely declined. Then I went to the bathroom in record time and disappeared from the bathroom long before he emerged from the shower stall. So be forewarned that if you ever stay at Pink Mountain, it would be wise to have your own bathroom in tow.

JOSH

Josh will be 12 years old next week. He is almost an exact replica of his dad, from looks to personality. He has a scientific mind and examines everything, whether it is something on t.v., in a book, or just what someone says, he has to figure out all the possibilities. He is destined to be a great scientist.

He is also a real prankster, particularly where Naomi is concerned. He loves to play jokes on her and shoot her with his ball gun. He is just a fun loving guy.

He bought himself an xbox this past year and is becoming an ebay addict, always looking for a deal on games.

He is having his birthday party tomorrow since it's spring break. So, we will be spending the night with 5 (almost) teenage boys in the house - that's a scary thought. He is pretty excited about it.

We are very proud of him and love him to death.

At the present, his goal is to be a NHL goalie. He wants to be on the Calgary Flames with Kippersoff.

HANNAH

Hannah is 13 years old now. At the age between being a kid and growing up. She is tending to stay more towards the being a kid side of things. She is definitely not in a hurry to grow up. She has been referred to as one of the "two crazies" (the other being Josh) for a number of years now. She has lived up to this name very well - always doing and saying crazy things. Sometimes she comes up with the most bizarre twist on things that we just burst out laughing. She is very good natured and laughs along with us.
As most 13 year olds, she hates school. She has fun when she is there, but detests the work. Sometimes at school, I will walk around the corner and find her and her friends running down the hall. They will all burst out laughing and Hannah will look guiltly at me and smile. I usually just smile and walk away.
She just got braces in January, much to her chagrin. Her teeth are straightening out very fast and she lives in the false hope that they will take them off within a couple of months.
She is very independent and always has been. We were watching home movies a while back and there was Hannah. It was Christmas time and she wanted an orange. I said "no, no, Hannah" and she looked at me and kissed the orange. I said "no, no Hannah" again and again she looked at me and licked the orange. I seem to remember that she got the orange in the end. Maybe stubborn is a better word than independent.

Her goal is to become a carpenter.
We love her dearly, she brings immense joy and laughter to our lives.

NAOMI

I wanted to feature my kids just because they are so great.

Naomi is 14 now, she will be 15 in June. That means that she will be able to get her learners license. She has been counting down to this for over a year. It is a little scary to think that she will be driving me places. It probably means that trips to Whitehorse will take a lot longer than 4 hours.

She is one of the greatest people you will ever meet. We haven't had any of the normal teenage rebellion with her. She is one of these all around nice people. Very polite. She loves to laugh. When her best friend, Kimberlee, is here they never stop laughing. Yesterday they were making themselves sarongs, even that was a laugh-fest.

Naomi and Kimberlee!

I can't say enough good about Naomi. She has been a joy to us since she was born. Now she is a beautiful young woman and is still a great joy.

Her latest career goal has been to be a primary teacher.

Love you lots, Naomi.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON...

Well, just four more school days until spring break starts. Actually 3 because Friday is "winter activity day." This is basically just a day to play outside with the kids (weather permitting). Today was such a busy day, it flew by. Hopefully the rest of the week will be this good.

I guess now that the Olympics is over I don't have to worry about conserving oxygen (see previous post). My body wouldn't cooperate with me this morning. I woke up at 6:00, did a head to toe analysis and decided that my back hurt and I had a slight headache. So, I went back to sleep for another hour and a half. Needless to say that at 6:00 am my analysis isn't always accurate. And due to my recent lack of exercise I really did have a sore back by the time I got to work. Therefore, tomorrow I must get back to my exercising routine. Please inform me if there are any more major sporting events happening that I need to take into consideration in my environmental quest for oxygen conservation. Thanks.