Newest Kiva Loans

Amazing how fast the repayments can come in.

We are now able to start a new loan from the repayments

So here she is

Ayisha

 

Ayisha is married and has four children. All go to school except the youngest who is three months old. She usually sells shirts for men and skirts for ladies. She has spent six years in the business. With the loan, she wants to add more shirts and skirts to sell.

 

PK painted the cards for Papa's Christmas concert. With the money he was paid for doing the cards we were able to fund a new loan.

 

Abraham

 

Abraham is a carpenter in Mombasa. He has been in this business for the last nine years and he is doing great. He is requesting a second loan to purchase timber for making more furniture. He hopes to use the anticipated profit to repay his loan, after successfully repaying the first loan. He hopes to own a bigger workshop in the future.

 

 

 

Sing a Song

"Birthday Party to You
Birthday Party to You
Birthday Party Little Mister
Birthday Party to You"

So it isn't anyone's birthday nor has it been one in a while but someone starting singing at the breakfast table this morning his own little rendition of a well known song. I just had to share cause it was so super cute!

Hoo Hoo

Little Man PK likes to wander around the house saying

"Hoo Hoo Me an Owl Hoo Hoo"

Our Ski Bum

Just got home from four days of fun on the mountain. Took little PK for his first experience on the skis. Little dude loved it! We were so surprised at how well he did. Actually managed to stay balanced for several metres at a time.

Showing off how well he can stand on the skis

Wipe out

Sledding with Daddy

Christmas is coming....christmas is coming

So little PK is getting excited about Christmas. He obviously isn't to the oh goodie presents stage but he senses that there is excitement about this event. He is very into turning on 'my christmas light' (snowman lamp) and plugging in the christmas lights (bannister is decorated). He is also newly attached to 'my christmas bear'

He has helped me make him a stocking as we used a christmas fabric bag for him the last two years and we thought perhaps a proper stocking was in order this year. Here he demonstrates what a smartie pants a two year old can be - stocking looks like a sock so it should go on ones foot shouldn't it?

Greetings from snowland

Well they said it was coming but I'm not sure I actually believed it. Here however is the proof.

And the littlest PK helped out with some sidewalk clearing.

It started Friday evening and as I write this on Monday at 3pm it is still snowing!

Move me........

So as a parent you get to experience so many great stages of a little ones learning. One of these is the learning words, expressions and so forth. Sometimes little ones come up with great versions of sayings.

A fav right now is "move me" for excuse me

Another great one is how many things are now "no my like". Atleast I know his opinion.

He is also very caring of his baby. He takes her for walks around the house and makes sure she gets breakfast and bottles regularly.

Goldstream

We went to Goldstream today for a Strong Start fieldtrip. The Nature House gave a great story all about a salmon's life cycle. We got to watch a frog eat it's breakfast and then we went down to the stream to see some of the fish spawning. Not a lot of fish today but still neat to see.

Learning about owls

Taking a few photos

A spawning Chum Salmon

Posing in a log

My favourite photo of the day 

Our Little Trick or Treater

We took little PK to four houses for trick or treating this year. One aunty and her neighbour and his Papa & Mimi and their neighbour. Then we headed to the community centre to partake in their live music, hot dog eating, bonfire, bouncy castle and other activities. PK wasn't sure about all these weird costumes on people but he sure liked the balloon he was given at the centre and spent most of his time hitting it around.

Little Lion all ready to go

His loot from four houses and the community centre.

Way too much for a little boy! Guess Daddy and Mommy will have to help out.

A very bad picture of this years decor. We cut out faces in large poster board. Once dark out the house light shines through the faces welcoming any whom wandered up our drive.

A Visit to Providence

Last week we went for a hayride, a pumpkin patch tour, animal watching and other fun and games at Providence Farm with little PK's Strong Start program. They got all the local strong starts to go on the same day which was fun with all these little kids running around.

The Hayride

The Steeple

And many a People

Summer days

Not sure what this meant but boy was it cute.

Some intense choochooing - loving the truck transport.

Still in love with my new camera

Babysitting

Today PK and I babysat my mother's cousin's littlest one - M. Super cute. The two littlies had great fun together. PK helped by giving her a bottle and her soother and showing her how to do things. She was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. I just loved this moment.

The little princess out for some glorious summer sun wearing the crown we had whipped together in the craft room at GG's.

Tea For Haiti

The in-laws recently had a "Tea for Haiti" fundraiser. I contributed through making dozens of scones, donating jams, plants and items for the sale and auction, helped with set up prior to the event, etc, etc.

The exciting part was there was a donor who would match our funds raised by 10x's the amount up to $100,000. So the items I donated which netted $51.50 then became $515.00 and littlest PK whom painted cards for the event turned into $350.00 - not bad for a two year old!

Currently we are at over $6500.00 in donations which means over $65,000.00. I'd say that was pretty good for a two hour event on the front yard with less then a hundred people.

For anyone interest this is the charity the funds go through - Compassion Canada

Peek a Moo

PK made this cute cow mask at Strong Start several weeks ago. He enjoyed playing 'Peek a Moo' with Daddy.

Been busy in the garden

It's been awhile since we left a note on here.

 PK and I have been busy little bees in the garden installing a new berry patch and starting to plant veggies for this years crop.

PK weeding and thinning out the strawberry patch.

Anyone need some plants?

Taking a break to sniff the flowers.

The last few days

Washing anything and everything is our newest funnest thing to do.

We do believe spring has sprung

Blue Jean Boy

Attempts at a Photo Time

I attempted to set up a photo shoot with little man this morning.

Not something to attempt without help apparently as someone thinks the curtains should be pulled on and one should grab at the camera.

I am leaving it all in the living room and hoping that perhaps a day or to of playing with it will make it old news and we can try again.

I did however catch this.

Sad Day......Happy Day...Grateful Moments

Today is a day that started with some sad news. My grandmother passed away. And though it may sound odd that is happy news. Though it is sad that she is no longer with us in the physical sense it is good...great in fact that she has passed away. The reason that it is great is that she had cancer and it was just a matter of time and no one could say just how long it would take. The doctors also said that it would be very painful near the end and yet she went suddenly from doing just fine to gone and for that I am happy. I didn't want her to have to suffer a long and painful drawn out closure to her life.

The odd thing is that our household was getting ready to go and see her when the phone call came. Had my Mother phoned me just 10 minutes later we would have been gone and the news would have come from some staff member at the hospital. So for that person whom was spared having to give me the news I am grateful. For receiving the news from my Mother rather then some unknown hospital worker I am grateful.
For my husband whom chose to spend the morning with us despite there no longer being the reason to go to Victoria with me - I am extremely grateful.

PK feeding my grandmother when we went for a visit with my father back in September. This was a visit I insisted on doing as I wanted to make sure we had atleast a photo or two of all four generations. It may not be a portrait but atleast I have something for the photo album.

Work in Progress

So the bathroom is almost complete. We have some touch ups to do around the countertop due to new backsplash not at same height as old backsplash. Sounds like maybe a new mirror going in - yeah! And then finally using the beautiful wrought iron towel racks, etc that we were given for Christmas several years ago.

Before

After

And a look at the project that has been going on in the front yard the last couple of days.

Littlest PK telling those guys to get back to work. Anyone need a pint sized supervisor?

I am very excited about our new block wall - it is already making the entrance to our property look a million times better.