Welcome to the ramblings of my mind and the passions of my heart. Who am I? I am a child of God, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a teacher and a constant learner... often the hard way.
Last week, Mitch and I were able to have a night on "cloud 9", and it was unbelievable!
It was around Christmas time when Groupon posted the opportunity to take to the skies in a hot air balloon with Sundance Balloons for half of the regular price. I took a stab in the dark, hoping that my husband would be on board with this when I presented him with the voucher (in May) for his birthday. He was. :)
Hot air ballooning is very dependent on weather and it is quite common for scheduled flights to be canceled the day of, due to storms, rain, high winds or no winds. I have heard of several instances where people have had their reservation rescheduled multiple times before they ride in a balloon. We were very fortunate to be able to ascend into the blue yonder on our very first scheduled reservation.
The evening was perfect.
I can't actually remember the last date Mitch and I went on before this evening... Our anniversary, maybe? Anyway, we enjoyed dinner together at 'Go For Sushi'. We were both impressed with their menu and style of dining. The sushi was delicious.
We went to Kinsmen Park for 6:15 to meet with the Sundance Crew, and our sky high adventure began. :)
Arriving at Kinsmen where the crew was laying the balloon out on the grass made us even more excited for this experience!
Here is a look at the basket we rode up in. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't quite like this in my mind. Mitch and I rode in the section on the top left.
Mitch got to help get air into the balloon by holding onto one of the sides. It was pretty incredible to watch how quickly those fans inflated the balloon.
You can get somewhat of an idea from this picture, but seriously, the balloon is HUGE!
Once there's enough air in the balloon, the flame is turned on to heat that air so it all rises. It pulls the basket upright so we can all climb in. It was tethered to their van. :)
This pic gives you an idea of how "cozy" each of the four sections in the basket were. Good thing it was date night! :) We didn't mind.
I really like this picture of Mitch because it captures how we were feeling for most of the experience. This was during our "lift off"which was a cool/thrilling feeling.
Buh-bye Sundance van. The van actually follows and tracks the balloon from the ground so that is is there to pick you up when you land.
Here is a view of Kinsmen park from above. The next 5 pictures are also of Kinsmen park as we ascend higher....
and higher...
and higher...
and higher... (bottom right corner)
and HIGHER!
We were up as high as 8200 ft above sea level, which is more than twice as high that the average balloon ride ascends. Our pilot/guide told us that they often only climb to about 3000-3500 ft, but on this particular evening there was almost no wind. We had to get as high as we did so that we could find a breeze that would carry the balloon out of the city. I found that interesting. I knew that balloon rides could be jeopardized by too much wind, but I hadn't thought about how NO wind could also pose problems.
Looking out over the edge of the basket, it was like time stood still. We were in the sky for about an hour and a quarter, but it felt much shorter than that. It's a very serene, yet exhilarating sensation.
It's kind of funny how safe you feel in the basket considering just how high you are and there is nothing belting you in. If you wanted to jump, you could. Mitch and I were leaning back against the edge of the basket and it didn't cross my mind to be nervous about it.
Our pilot/guide was from Slovenia and I'm assuming this is their flag??? I haven't actually checked. :)
So spectacular. I felt so, so, SO small.
Of course, my farmer hubby noticed all of the water on the land. It IS pretty crazy. He pointed out the piece of land in the middle to me. Look really closely at how it is swathed in several small sections that are semi round, not in rows. ;)
AND the landing...
We had been fore-warned by friends of ours that balloon landings can be rough. You don't think that a balloon that just glides so peacefully along where the wind takes it would have a bumpy landing, but it does! Our pilot told us that our landing likely wouldn't be too rough because it was so calm on the ground, but some other factors contributed to a rather exciting finale.
Our pilot chose a grid road that he wanted to land on. The fact that he can pick a road to land on is pretty incredible. He can not "steer" the balloon at all. He can only control the ascent/descent. I could definitely feel how much more quickly we descended than we had initially climbed. My ears were feeling the pressure.
From the van on the ground, the crew informed the pilot that there were power lines along the grid road he had chosen. This didn't faze him, but he did tell us that the landing wouldn't be as soft as he'd initially thought because we would have to hang in the air to clear the power lines than drop quickly to hit the road.
After passing the power lines, it felt like the ground came up VERY quickly. We first touched down about 20 ft from the edge of a canola field and then dragged up the ditch, over the road, and just barely down into the ditch on the other side. The initial touch down is with the basket still upright, but as the balloon drags you, the basket is on it's side. When we reached the far side of the road and went over the other edge, I was sure we were going to tip upside down. I'm kinda glad we didn't. ;)
Mitch and I both agreed that the landing was fun.
Here is the small section of canola we flattened with our landing... I hope that those canola plants stand up again for the farmer that owns this field (this is the sympathetic farmer's wife in me talking). Funny that you can't actually see the wires we had to clear in this picture, but trust me, they were there.
And thus, we have made it to the conclusion of a wonderful date night experience. I would recommend going up in a hot air balloon to anyone. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It took the Sundance crew about 20 minutes to get the balloon all folded up and into the trailer with the basket, then we drove back into Saskatoon. I think we landed about 10-15 min. out?
So, a little while back, I had my kiddos at MacDonalds. For
those of you that live in or around Saskatoon, it’s the one on Attridge that
has the great kids play area (best I’ve seen). Jett loves it there, which is
why I sometimes meet friends there to visit. (what has life come to???) Sorry
Starbucks, but I don’t even mind the McD’s Latte.
Anyway, we were there, done eating, and getting ready to go.
I went to intercept Jett before he could sneak up the climbing apparatus again,
and two boys (probably 5-6 years old???) came down the slide. When they saw
Jett there, the one nudged the other and said, “Hey, there’s THAT guy!” Then
they both chuckled.
That guy.
My initial thought was, “What did he do to be deemed THAT GUY?” There are endless
possibilities. Hit someone? Hug someone? Push? Pick his nose? Fart? I guess it
doesn’t matter because I’ll never know, but it got me thinking. Being “that
guy” can be a good thing or a bad thing. I sure don’t want my Jetty to wear the
term “that guy” in the negative sense!
I realize that I am WAY over-thinking this, but every mother
wants the best for their children and I am no exception. I pray for my boy
everyday that he would be growing and developing exactly as he should be. He is
a sponge! Jett’s learning increases by leaps and bounds each day…. But so does
his strong will, determination and curiosity. In his mind, boundaries are made
to be pushed and tested, which makes for some long and frustrating days.
I know that someday, I’ll likely look back and laugh, but
here is a glimpse into our life as of late:
1.A while ago, I was in Saskatoon and needed to
get some groceries. J was with me, but he was in good spirits and seemed to be
behaving himself. My cart was nearly full when I guess he’d had enough. He
didn’t have a melt-down like other children I’ve seen… No, no. Instead, he
shrieked. And shrieked and shrieked and shrieked. Not angry, there was no
injury, he actually had a smile on his face. He was very amused by himself, and
by the reaction he was getting. I was completely flustered! Of course I tried
to silence him, but he refused to stop. People may have preferred if I had
taken him out of the cart and just left the groceries there, but we live out of
town! I wasn’t going home without the food! He shrieked all the way through the
checkout and out of the store.
Agghhh!!!!
2.Learning how to behave in church is taking some
time. I can’t remember the last time I was able to sit through an entire
sermon! The nursery is not
scheduled through the summer, so if you want to stay in the service, so does
the munchkin. A few weeks ago, I thought I had come up with a solution. Mitch
and I have iPhones and Jett loves them. Both phones are equipped with some of
J’s favourite shows, Curious George and Mickey Mouse, and are used during
extenuating circumstances (more often than I care to admit). So, on this
particular Sunday, I brought some headphones and he stayed in the sanctuary
with us, watching a show. It actually worked really great… for at least 10 min.
I felt pretty pleased with myself until Jett started shouting out loud for no
apparent reason. I’m fairly quick on the draw and got my hand over his mouth,
while shushing him in his ear, but when I started to relax my grip, the same
shout was offered up again. He wasn’t angry or upset about anything; just
amusing himself. I wasn’t quite so amused. We rode out the remainder of the
church service in the nursery.
3.Earlier this summer, we had a playdate at the
Forestry Farm, which we love. It was a good day, and the kids were getting
along great. As my little boy grew more and more excited and comfortable with
his surroundings, he became increasingly difficult to reign in. He was
wandering further from the stroller that I was pushing Kalena in, and more
reluctant to return to me when I called. Then it happened. He was running on a
hill, blissfully happy, but then he started running down towards the
creek/river. I panicked and thought that I had the stroller in a secure place,
so I sprinted after him. Behind me, the stroller started rolling away!!! A
complete stranger grabbed the stroller and I did catch my escapee. The experience shook me up some and
that evening from home, I ordered a child harness! (I’ve never actually used it
anywhere yet)
Rolling down the hill is also a fun Forestry Farm activity.
4.During the August long weekend, our church had a
combined service with our neighbouring church in town; the one that my dad
pastors and sister/brother-in-law attend. So, it was a perfect opportunity to
dedicate our sweet baby girl, Kalena, alongside her cousin, Lucy. It’s a
convenient arrangement for our family, so we take advantage of it. Anyway, this particular church service
was in the Community Church, which is not our regular building. When we went to
the front for K’s dedication, we brought Jett, too, but he was captivated by the
balcony at the back of the sanctuary and exclaimed very loudly, “Mommy, those
people can’t get down!” While talking very loudly, he was pointing at the
balcony excitedly. I had the completely wrong response. I laughed! It was one
of those nervous, we’re in front of people and the sound escaped my lips before
I could stop it kind of laughs. This, of course, only encouraged my boy to
repeat his observation over and over again, increasing in volume and excitement
each time. I was able to quiet him finally, but then when a few pictures were
taken, he went off again. “They’re taking pictures! Mommy, they’re taking
pictures!” I knew at this point, that there would be no quiet composed family
moment at the front of the church, committing ourselves to raising our children
in a God-honouring home, if I kept my cute but disruptive announcer with us,
loudly entertaining the crowd with the play by play. I sent him down the aisle
to go and sit with Papa Schultz, which he was happy to do, but wouldn’t you
know it, he tripped over his shoes (they were too big, but they looked really
cute!) and went sprawling across the floor. Miraculously, as I waited for him
to cry out loudly, he didn’t. I helped him up and he hurried down the aisle to Papa.
The rest of the dedication went on as it had been supposed to.
5.Jett’s favourite part about going to church each
Sunday is being able to race around the sanctuary after the service. This is a
custom that no one seems to mind, and he’s got several accomplices in this
activity. He has been seen on more than one occasion, pushing the toy stroller
from the nursery, with a dolly in it, up the aisle in the sanctuary. This
appears cute and innocent and often gets a smiley reaction from on-lookers.
They, however, are unaware of his schemes to take the stroller up on the stage
and push it over the edge with a great deal of force. Why that is so funny, I
have no idea. Must be a boy thing.
6.A week or so ago, we were at a friend’s house
where a handful of moms and kids had gathered. Jett started off well. I often
give him a pep talk before playdates/groups. “Okay, Jetty you need to be a nice
boy and play well with the other kids.” I sure feel like he understands because
he responds, “Yes, mommy. Not hit, not push…” It’s really rather cute. But on
this particular day, he was not listening to me well; not obeying quickly. He
was jumping too close to smaller kids on the trampoline, being overly
aggressive in general, and not sharing well. There was a cute playhouse there
and Jett was repeatedly slamming the door. I pulled him aside and told him to
stop slamming the door. For a few minutes, he went off and played somewhere
else, but then he returned to the playhouse and once again slammed the door.
Wouldn’t you know it, he caught a little girls’ fingers in the door. I pulled
him aside, reprimanded him and made him apologize to the girl. Shortly after
this, Jett was pulling toys out of the sandbox. I stopped him and informed him
that sand and sandbox toys do not leave the sandbox. Moments later, I see him
dumping a big pile of sand right in the middle of the grass. Arghh!!! This time
I did spank his hand and reprimand him for his disobedience. I had him scoop as
much of the sand as he could back into the sandbox as I packed up Kalena to go.
Enough was enough. I felt myself get emotional, which frustrated me even more.
Other moms were understanding/encouraging, which drew even more emotion out of
me. When I had both kids out the gate, I was thinking to myself, “Get it
together! Why am I so emotional? I had better not be pregnant!” (Don’t worry.
I’m not.) :)
7.One of the most common things we here Jett say
lately is, “I do it self!” He is incredibly determined and strong willed to
complete most tasks independently, even if it is a skill that is above his
ability level. If you help him with something he feels that HE should be able
to do, he will throw a fit. MELT.DOWN.
8.I find it funny when I see kids that don’t like
to get dirty. I have a cousin who’s boys are incredibly neat, clean and
organized. Jett is far from it. This boy loves to play in the sand, dirt and water;
preferably all three at once. Being dirty doesn’t faze him. In fact, he’s in
his glory. This doesn’t actually bother me too much. As long as he’s clean when
he needs to be… At our family gathering, a group of the young boys were
standing on the beach throwing rocks into the lake. My cousin’s little guy was
splashed a bit and got a little lake water on his shorts. He actually asked to
go back to the camper so he could change!!!! In the same moment, I look to see
Jett literally bathing in a mud hole.
That’s my boy. :)
There are many frustrating moments with my active 2yr old
and I have caught myself wishing that Jett would grow up quickly and get though
this stage, but I truly love my boy more than I could ever express on here. For
all the things he does that make me want to pull my hair out, he does things
that melt my heart and make me swell up with pride just as much or even more.
Here are just a few things that I absolutely LOVE about my
little Jett Jaxon.
1.At many completely random times during the day,
he will stop whatever he’s doing, look at me and say, “Hi, mommy,” in the
cutest little voice while smiling sweetly.
2.The boy has no qualms about apologizing. Often
he is following me a little closer than I realize and I bump into him, but HE
will offer up a “SORRY, Mommy” that makes me smile.
3.He has the biggest, bluest eyes in the world.
4.He demonstrates genuine love and affection for
his baby sister many times throughout each day. If she’s crying, he often
nuzzles up close to her, puts her soother in her mouth and says, “It’s okay, Ka-yehhh-na.”
5.Like I’ve already stated, this boy likes to do
everything independently lately. When he is successful in whatever attempts
he’s making, he comes away very pleased with himself, “Mommy, I doo-ed it.!“
(The English teacher in me tolerates his poor grammar because it is SOO cute.)
6.As Jett’s confidence grows and he thinks of new
things to try, he pulls me in with an excited, “Watch this, mommy!” He then
does something like a big jump off of the ottoman onto the couch… ;)
7.I’ve discovered that many times when J’s behaviour
deteriorates, it’s because he is bored. He loves to be given tasks to do so he
can “help” out. Emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, and delivering items to
people are some of his favourite jobs, but he is starting to come up with tasks
of his own. The other day he was hanging out in the garden and I went and asked
him if he wanted me to push him on the swings. He shook his head and said, “I’m
WORKING, mommy.” He was using the hoe to pull out thistles! (Yes, my garden is
occupied by thistles and other varieties of weeds.)
8.In the morning, J lets himself out of his room
and informs me, “Mommy, I waked up!” We wander down the stairs and he opens the
fridge to grab his sippy cup of milk. Then we go into the living room and
snuggle on the couch. (I love our morning routine the best when it begins at 7
or later…)
9.Jett is a little sponge and he learns songs
incredibly quickly. He has taken to singing a lot lately. His favourites are:
The Farmer in the Dell (his favourite verse of the song is, The farmer takes a
wife. Ummmm…), Old MacDonald, Who’s in the middle of the dark (God is), and “Jesus
loves me, upside down.” :)
10.He
learned to recite John 3:16 very quickly and now we’re working on Psalm 23.
11.Jett
often likes to be given the responsibility of praying for our food before
meals. He loves to recite, “Come Lord Jesus…” I get a kick out of watching him,
when someone else prays for the food, though. If the prayer gets a little too
long by J’s standards, he will cut them off with a loud, “AMEN!”
12.I
love how Jetty describes things. If something is big, he says “BIIIGGGG” <<insert
deep raspy voice.>> If
something is small, it is “yittle” <<insert high squeaky voice>>
13.During
our time of worship through singing in church, J has recently begun to enjoy singing
along (If he doesn’t know the song, he either inserts his own words or breaks
into a rendition of Jesus Loves Me.) He also enjoys clapping to the music… for
every song. :)
14.We’ve
been trying to emphasize sharing for Jett. For the most part, he gets it, but I
get a kick out of how he “shares” with his sister. Kalena will be holding a toy
and Jett will take it out of her hands. If I say, “Jett… why did you do that?”
He responds, “Mommy, I’m sharing. It’s MY turn.” …We may have a little work to
do, yet.
There are many many more reasons why I think my son is super
fantastic as well as many other occasions that he drives me crazy. I suspect
that Jetty may be the kid that draws everyone’s attention at Christmas concerts
or performances with his antics… but, isn’t that what makes memories???
Jett certainly IS, “THAT
GUY” and I love him like crazy.
No, I haven’t actually forgotten about this blog, I just haven’t made it
here. It’s just a part of my quirky personality that I have a difficult
time posting something that I don’t feel is “well-rounded;” meaning, complete
with pictures and/or video and edited, thought out text. This is fine and all,
but it takes time. Tonight, I was handed a special gift. My highly energetic
two year old completely conked out at the dinner table… at 6:30! I’m sure it
has much to do with the fact that he didn’t nap today and I am really hoping
that this early bedtime doesn’t translate into an equally early awakening in
the morning… If it does, I suppose I could blog about it. ;)
I haven’t blogged in nearly three months. I attribute this
largely to the fact that life with a busy toddler and baby is rather full, as
well as the random non-schedule that summer brings. I have, however thought
about blogging. In fact, I have several posts partially thought through, even
if they never make it on the screen. Some of the titles could read like this:
1.Strong Willed Toddler vs The World
2.Taming the Boy NOT Crushing his Spirit
3.Beating the Heat in an 100 Year-old House
4.Dying of Heat in an 100 Year-old House…
5.The DIY Bedroom Renos that have lasted 4 Months
(and counting)
6.Surviving the Two’s… (barely)
7.I Married an All-Cow-Holic (totally about cows/dairy
farming, not alcohol)
8.This is What Blessed Looks Like
9.Sports after Babies
10.Housekeeping and Why I Suck at It
So, after all that, I think I’ll just fill the rest of this
post with an update on life in the Schultz house this summer. :) I suppose if
anyone was just dying to read one of the above posts, (haha) I could flesh it
out. :)
First of all, I think I have the greatest kids. They have brought so much joy to my heart over the last number of months. I love watching them grow, develop, and especially, interact. They truly love each other.
I realize that I did dedicate an entire post to comparing the similar appearances of my kiddos, but see if you can tell who's who in these pics. They are both about 4 months here.
My sweet boy, Jett, is at a very exhausting stage. Some call it the "terrible twos", I call it "constant discovery on the verge of pulling my hair out". I love this kid more than I could put down in words, but being responsible to help shape his character is often overwhelming as he constantly pushes boundaries trying to gain independence.
He does love the farm; just like his daddy :)
Mitch and I played on a Slo-pitch team May-July. It was a lot of fun, but I often lament at how my athletic "form" is just not what it used to be... This pic is of one of the few games Jetty watched. It is actually from Dalmeny Days, not our regular team.
One of Kalena's BFF's was born at the end of May. I am so excited about watching these two grow up together! Way to go, Zach & Dana!
My sweet niece, Lucy Kate was born on June 6th. She is SO precious. I love watching my baby sister as a mom and I think it's great that these cousins will be so close! Way to go, Braden and Carrie!
Have I mentioned that I'm smitten with this girl???
Kalena Jane brings constant joy to our family. She is growing up WAY too fast!
I also love watching her with her daddy... :)
Everytime we pull out a baby toy for Kalena to play with, Jett becomes transfixed on it. We were having a difficult time keeping him out of the Jolly Jumper, so...
...we bought him a trampoline. :) He loves it and has affectionately named it his, "Jumping Bean."
You may be catching on to the fact that I enjoy the jumping pics. :)
We've spent time with family; in homes, at the lake and the Sawatzky Reunion.
Uncle Greg and Aunty Karmen were out for 2 weeks and we loved spending time with them! We will miss them during this next year as they're in South Korea.
We live on the same yard as my in-laws, yet ironically, I don't have many pictures with them! We love them very much. :)
I think we've gone to the Martensville pool 4 times already this summer. We all really enjoy it there, especially Jett. On some of July's hottest days, the cool pool water can bring your body temp down enough that you feel much more comfortable! Jett loves the watersides and becomes more bold every time we're there.
We love to go to the lake. Mitch and I got our trailer at Candle Lake anticipating that we would love to bring our children there, and we do. :) It's a fantastic get-away that is just far away from home, that we can relax. We just need to get there more!
When we're not at the pool or the lake, we try to keep cool by filling our sauna... I mean, house, with many fans. I love this picture of Jett. It really makes me miss his curls. :(
Recently, we've been putting up feed at our farm. Jett loves watching all of the tractors & trucks at work. He's a pretty pleased passenger.
We've had several fun playdates.
AND... I think I had better stop there because, is anyone actually still reading/following??? This has become a monstrosity of a post, but a fun journey for me, I must say. :) ...making up for lost time.
