100 Things

Bold the things you've done:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait drawn
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - a tiny little Wetaskiwin made movie that played at the Reynolds museum. I was the piano player in the background.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - piano lessons, does that count?
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a cheque
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - my mop doll
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Been in a commercial or other ad
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - on the pioneer trek in the Red Deer Stake
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Sherri Dew
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee - a wasp actually
100. Auditioned for a reality T.V. show (like American Idol...)

Blah, blah, blah - I can't think of a title right now

I don't know why I haven't updated our blog in a few weeks. It seems like the time has flown by. I've been busy typing, Ryan's been busy with school and we have something going on every day of the week. I definitely haven't been getting enough sleep, hence the lack of title. Even though I know that I need to get more sleep, I can't seem to give up staying up late because I like having the time to myself or spending it with Ryan.

We've had some fun activities lately:

GRIT Winter Festival - it was a day-long drop-in activity at the GRIT offices with so many fun things to do. The girls loved it and we met a lot of new people. It was good to see other kids in wheelchairs there because I had felt like Claire was the only one!

Here is our little Picasso. She's getting very good at painting.

Claire loved being in the open jumping pit. She stayed in it for awhile.

It doesn't show up very well in this picture but Madeline's hair was
sticking straight up the whole time she was in the jumping pits (click on the picture to enlarge it). There was another, bigger jumping castle that she enjoyed - she got tossed around like a rag-doll because of all the other kids jumping, but I guess that is the fun part!
They had a fun fishing pond where the kids got stickers.

Our Primary had a PJ Party which was okay. I always feel like Claire is on the outskirts of things at church and I have a hard time expressing my feelings without becoming either angry/rude or too emotional. I need more practice to be a better advocate for her. Thanks to my friend Cindy who stepped in a made sure they included Claire and thanks to Shauna for making sure she had a nice prize for Claire at the end. Madeline was allowed to tag along and I couldn't even get one picture of her because she was running around and having so much fun.

The GRIT fundraiser Hope & Harmony is coming up this Saturday and I think it will be great. I hope I don't screw up - that's my huge fear when I accompany people. I always say a prayer that I won't detract from the good singing!

We set up an RDSP for Claire this week to make sure we made the cut-off date so we could take advantage of the government grants offered in 2008. It will be so nice to have these savings for her so that we know she'll always be taken care of.

I'm feeling renewed and encouraged by my friend Shauna's successful purchase of a home. Everything fell into place for them and they found exactly what they needed so I have to have faith that it will happen for us as well when the time is right.

FYI - Here is what was on my "to-do" list today:

Rhymes & Songs group
Deposit cheques
Mail letters
Call Sears re: yearly appliance checks
Finish Maddie's Heritage Maker card deck for her birthday
Find fun songs for piano on Thursday
Fill out Little Bits medical/liability release forms (Claire starts riding in APRIL!!!!)
Organize Claire's GRIT binder/file cabinet/seizure list for Dr. Sinclair's appointment
Write Elder Patterson a letter
Sewing - mending/velcro for Claire's walker/chest strap for Claire's new chair
Groceries
Laundry/dishes/clean-up/meals/bathtime/etc.

Here are some fun pictures:

Madeline is such a delight in our family. She makes things so much fun. The other day she found Ryan's toque and gloves and put them on and danced around the house.

Here is a cute picture of Ryan and Claire. They love to cuddle together.
I must have been really boring this day. I need to think of more fun activities!

ABCs

A= Age: 26

B= Bed size: Queen

C= Chore you hate: Cleaning floors, dusting

D= Dessert you love: Cheesecake, Blizzards

E= Essential start your day: Getting dressed, eating breakfast (usually cereal)

F= Favorite actor: Colin Firth, David Duchovny

G= Gold or Silver: Silver

H= Height: 5' 3

I= Instruments you play: Piano, saxophone, clarinet

J= Job title: Mom, Maid, Cook, Apartment Manager

K= Kitchen color(s): Brown & white

L= Living arrangements: Apartment living....AHHHH!

M= My name is: Jacqueline Lee

N= Nicknames: Jacky, Mom, Jake the Snake

O= Overnight hospital stay: For my c-sections and when Claire was in the hospital

P= Pets: I don't enjoy pets

Q= Favorite quote: I have so many - here is one of my favourites right now:

Michael Scott: Would I rather be feared or loved? Um... Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.

R= Right or left handed: Right

S= Siblings: 2 younger brothers, 3 younger sisters, 4 sisters-in-law

T= Time you woke up today: 7am

U= Unique about you: I cannot watch horror movies because I get too scared.

V= Vegetable you love: Asparagus

W= Worst habit: I am inherently lazy and also procrastination is my downfall

X= X-Rays you've had: Ones at the dentist & when I bruised my tail-bone in elementary school

.Y= Yummy food you make: I love making homemade soups - any kind

Z= Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Now you know my ABC's ~ I want to know yours!

7 things & 3 New Posts

I've done three new posts so make sure to scroll down to read them all....if you dare.


I got tagged by Brenna about a year ago to tell 7 interesting things about me, so here goes:

1. I love to do laundry and load the dishwasher, but I hate putting dishes and clothes away. Also, when I load the dishes, first I have to sort them into categories and then put them in. When I'm hanging up the clothes I do the same thing. I have to take everything out of the washer, sort them into categories and then hang them up in groups. Maybe OCD, who knows.

2. I hate veins, I hate thinking about them, I hate to look at them, I hate it when people touch my wrist where all those veins are....I'm crazy, I know. Along with this one...I hate needles.

3. I love step aerobics - the more complicated the routine the better because it helps take my mind off the fact that my body is suffering. I hate running though.

4. I normally hate onions, but I love onion rings. I'm a big texture eater - I get in the mood for something crunchy, smooth, crispy, snappy, etc.

5. I'm a night owl - I like to stay up late. But since having kids, there is no such thing as sleeping in so I've had to take it down a notch.

6. I'm a list maker - I make lists for everything: groceries, things to do, goals, etc. I even add things to my lists that I've already done, just so I can cross them off. Then I feel like I've accomplished more.

7. I love to watch Stargate SG1 and Atlantis and the movies. I'm a geek.

Meh-he-co (Mexico)

Ryan and I just got back from a week-long trip to Mexico. It's been almost 6 years since we've been away together (last time was...OUR HONEYMOON) so we decided to bite the financial bullet and just go ahead and have a fun trip. I'd like to give a shout out to the folks at VISA who made this trip possible before we actually had the cash. Interest is a major bummer when it's accumulating against you...but it was now or never!

We had a lot of fun together and I don't think Ryan got too sick of being with me 24/7. :) We tried to balance between seeing the sights and having adventures (our first trip to Mexico!) and just relaxing and recharging. I think we had enough time to do both things and we didn't get homesick until the end. There were a lot of things that we saw that made me think "I wish the girls were here with us!" But a lot of the time I was grateful that it was just the two of us. I just realize how hard it is to travel with kids and how it usually isn't a "real" vacation for the parents!

We were lucky that my family was willing and able to look after the girls for us while we were gone. It took two van-loads to get everything out to Wetaskiwin (Claire's equipment sure is bulky!) and they even loaded it all back to our house and had everything back to normal on Sunday when we got home! It was such a blessing to have the girls where I knew they would be loved and kept safe. Madeline now says Mamma & Poppa & Uncle & Auntie and often asks for them!

My family has always had an affinity for signs - welcome home signs, graduation signs, happy birthday signs. No family affair would be complete without signs. It has always made me feel loved!

The guitar was a big hit with both girls

Madeline is figuring out how to use the flute - right now it's mostly a spit tube but every once and awhile she gets a note out

Here is Claire testing out the "shakers" we bought for her

We also had some great friends look after our building (thanks Jeff & Eva) and siblings who also kept a watch on things (thanks Greg & Steph and Steph and Mel).

I've made a couple of albums on Facebook with pictures and explanations of things so I won't write too much here. If you want to see the pictures, here are the links:

Mexico Album 1
Mexico Album 2


Experiences in Mexico:

• That a "loose woman" in Spanish is called mamacita

• That going topless on the beach is a European thing

• That smoking is also a European thing (we probably smoked about a pack each in second hand smoke!)

• That a LOT of European people travel to Mexico (at least this time of year)
  

• That street shop bargaining is kind of fun

• That tipping is an art

• That what people read on the beach can tell you a lot about their personalities

• That you CAN get a sunburn on your earlobes

• That Mexican TV is hilarious

• That the Quebec French accent is quite horrific (Ryan's sentiment)

• That Ryan is a pool shark

• That highways in Mexico have huge speed bumps and no real lane divisions

• That snorkeling is super fun but then you have "suction cup face" afterwards

• That the stress and fatigue from the day of traveling home almost erases all the relaxing done on the beach!

Cool things we saw:

• 2 different rays, a lobster, HUGE dark purple sea urchins, tiny red sea urchins, little swordfish, tons of bright coloured tropical fish (while snorkeling)

• A wedding on the beach at sunset - we were out in the water at the time and watched the bride walk down the aisle. Very romantic

• Beautiful sunsets

• The most hilarious night show ever where these Mexican kids danced to songs from Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Evita whilst lip synching

• Fun towel designs on our bed everyday

• Banana, coconut, aloe vera and chile pepper trees/plants

• The "bidet" statue/fountain (see Mexico Album 2 for pictures)

• Tons of huge lizards everywhere

• Vultures circling overhead as we walked through the jungle (not a very encouraging sight

All in all, this trip was a great break for us but we are glad to be home and I am excitedly preparing for Christmas! My policy is that we have to wait for December 1st to put up the tree and decorations and start up the Christmas music! That way you are not sick of it all by the time Christmas day comes around.

Lots and lots and lots

I'll start out this blog by killing two tags with one stone. Ages ago Brenna tagged me to write 7 interesting things about myself and Karen just tagged me to write 7 quirks I have so I'll do them both at once:

1. I am totally squeamish when it comes to veins and needles. I can handle lots of other stuff but even right now as I'm typing, my hands are resting on the keyboard tray and I am painfully aware of the bulging veins on the inside of my wrists and it grosses me out. I can't have anyone touch my wrists because it freaks me out. Weird, I know.

2. I love doing laundry and loading the dishwasher, but I hate dealing with putting the clean stuff away.

3. I love to alphabetize things - all our DVDs and CDs are in alphabetical order (and if you saw how many we have you would know it's a big job). It really bugs me when Maddie pulls them all off the shelf and they get mixed up.

4. I have no green thumb - I try my darndest but I seem to kill every green thing that enters this house. They may appear to flourish for a while but it never lasts.

5. I love to read but I always do it too quick - my mind and eyes keep jumping forward to find out what happens next. Sometimes I even start at the bottom right hand corner of a page and read backwards. I often miss important details though and so I like to read books over and over until I have all the info.

6. I am a list maker. I even made a list of what to write for my 7 quirks before I wrote them down. I sometimes even write things on my "To-Do List" that I've already done, just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing them off. Some may feel that is cheating but I don't!

7. Whenever I eat pineapple, my tongue gets really itchy.

8. Because I'm so weird I have to add an extra one - every time I see billboards or brand names or any words when I'm bored...I count, in my mind, how many vowels are in the words and add them up. I would do this at university when I was bored with a lecture. Sometimes I even count rare letters - like x's or z's or q's. It helps me pass the time.

I would love to hear about the quirks/interesting facts about Jenny, Tanis and Sarah - if you have the time!

We've had a busy few weeks. Here's some highlights:

Madeline enjoyed playing with Uncle Robbie's new cymbal. She would run over to it and balance on it. It was pretty funny to watch.

We spent a day at the zoo with other kids from the CNIB and we got to meet lots of "behind the scenes" animals. Here is Madeline chasing the petting zoo animals. She would run from animal to animal, giving them a pat and moving on to the next. She just kept going and going!

I loved watching Claire interact with the animals. She was so gentle and careful and sat very still when she was meeting them. Our guide was so kind to the kids and made sure they each had enough time to explore. Here Claire is meeting a ferrett in the restricted area that only we got to see! We also got to touch a snake, chinchilla, skunk!, bunnies and chickens.
The girls were in heaven.

We also got to meet an armadillo and it was super cool!

Another fun activity put on by the CNIB was a visit to the Build-a-Bear store in West Ed. The ASVI gave the kids $20 each to put towards a furry friend so we had a ball picking out the sounds and accessories. Here is a picture of the lifeless bodies we picked out for the girls.

Here's Claire hugging her bear Sunshine - we picked it out because it was yellow and sparkly and picked a giggling sound for her button.

Madeline was going crazy in the store because there were so many fun things to look at and grab. She loves her Fraidy Cat and how she meows.

Luckily I had the help of Natalie and Robbie or I couldn't have done it.

It takes three of us to handle the two girls! One for each and one for damage control!

One rough part of last week was that we noticed some seizures again during the night. It's a really scary thing because it just seems like Claire isn't really there and we can't get her back for that minute or two until it's done. It was even more of a blow since we haven't noticed any since November and we thought we had things figured out. Now it takes another EEG, another day at the hospital and probably another "wait and see" or "up her meds" solution.

I love to look at pictures of Claire when she's just purely happy - she is never fake about what makes her laugh and what makes her happy. She equally as able to tell us when something scares her or hurts her. I wish I could take those scary times away from her but I'm trusting that Heavenly Father is allowing this to happen for a reason - although I can't see it now.