Go Vipers!

Congratulations Elijah and The Vipers!!!!
7-1 in the playoffs this morning. Elijah had two excellent assists and a breakaway goal. Awesome game. Then this afternoon they won 6-4--the team they played had been unbeaten in 6! This time Elijah had 2 goals and one assist. The whole team played really well--awesome passes and tricky goals and great saves by the goalie.....Go vipers!!!!!

"Hey you, do you want to start a mercy house?"

This is the kind of thing that my friend Justin Mathews sings about; he also sings about the Theotokos and icons. He sings about how we can apply the gospel to our life in a socially conscious way.... and he sounds fabulous. Check out the songs he has on his web site and then order his CD. He is a 2nd year student at St Vlad's. I am thinking that anyone with a desire to make music in an orthodox fashion should get thee to St Vladimirs Orthodox Seminary; there is an incredible number of talented musicians there at the moment. Father Peter Jon Gilquist graduates this year, but Justin in there for one more year. Fr Peter has some great records--he newest, "The Simpler Things" is my favourite. Fr Peter's web site is a great place to find new to you music!
Check these talented muscians out and get their music!!!!!
FYI this picture of Justin was taken at Central Park at "The Gates" exhibit that was on last fall/winter. Quite an interesting art installation.

Quail-Tards

Seriously, just watch. I can't type......laughing too hard every time I think about it!
When you get to the page click on the video that says "VP Firearms Mishap Analyst"

Happy Happy Birthday Birthday

Today is Nikolai's 4th Birthday and Margaret's 2nd Birthday!!!!! They are both morning babies; Niko was born at 7:50 am and Greta was born at 1:50 am. These two are like champagne bubbles--or firecrackers! Interesting fact... they both had the same due date and they were both born 3 weeks early on the same day! I would love to know the odds on this!
Many years to Nikolai John Peter and Margaret Lynn.

A Weekend Challenge for You

I know that most of you have probably seen the list below but after the week I have had I needed a chuckle and I thought I would share it with you  You mission should you choose to accept it is to pick one of these 16 actions and complete it before the end of the weekend Then come back here and post how it went  Please humour me I have spent the last 6 days inside a 12x16 room watching my 23 month old breath  I need some distraction
Now to show you how easy this is   I have just completed number 8
If I had a dime to my name I would totally do number 6 
Ditto for number 14  so I might have to go to Stanley Park and do number 15 at the petting zoo or the aquarium

16 WAYS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY

1. AT LUNCH, SIT IN YOUR PARKED CAR WITH SUNGLASSES ON
AND POINT A HAIRDRYER AT PASSING CARS. SEE IF THEY
SLOW DOWN.

2. PAGE YOURSELF OVER THE INTERCOM. DON'T DISGUISE
YOUR VOICE.

3. EVERY TIME SOMEONE ASKS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, ASK
"DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?".

4. PUT YOUR GARBAGE CAN ON YOUR DESK AND LABEL IT "IN"

5. WHEN TRYING ON CLOTHES IN A DRESSING ROOM, YELL OUT
"THERE IS NO TOILET PAPER IN HERE"

6. IN THE MEMO FIELD OF ALL YOUR CHECKS, WRITE "FOR
SEXUAL FAVORS"

7. FINISH ALL YOUR SENTENCES WITH "IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE PROPHECY"

8. DONT USE PUNCTUATION

9. AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE, SKIP RATHER THAN WALK.!

10. SPECIFY THAT YOUR DRIVE-THRU ORDER IS "TO GO"

11. SING ALONG AT THE OPERA

12. GO TO A POETRY RECITAL AND ASK WHY THE POEMS DON'T
RHYME

13. PUT MOSQUITO NETTING AROUND YOUR WORK AREA AND
PLAY TROPICAL SOUNDS ALL DAY.

14. WHEN THE MONEY COMES OUT THE ATM, SCREAM "I WON! I
WON!"

15. WHEN LEAVING THE ZOO, START RUNNING TOWARDS THE
PARKING LOT, YELLING "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES THEY'RE
LOOSE!"

16. TELL YOUR CHILDREN OVER DINNER, "DUE TO THE
ECONOMY, WE ARE GOING TO LET ONE OF YOU GO."

Greta is Home

We have arrived home from Children's Hospital! Greta really improved over the last 24 hours and is at the moment snug in her bed having a well deserved nap without any interuptions from nurses or doctors listening to her chest (although I must admit that I snuck in and had a listen).
She will need careful watching over the weekend and is still on a high dose of ventolin (breathing medication) and antibiotics, but she is getting better every hour.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers. Her quick improvement is definitely heaven sent. On Monday we were preparing for a very long and scary hospital stay and then I could actually feel the prayers and instead of continuing to get worse, she started to get better around midnight.
Margaret actually had RSV AGAIN. This is the illness that she had at 9 weeks of age that caused her to be in the ICU of Children's hosital in 2004. It is unusual to get it twice and even more unusual to get so very sick with it at the age of almost 2, but because little Greta has developed Asthma from her first bout with RSV, her little lungs have a much harder time dealing with it.
The doctors, and nurses and support staff at Children's are an incredible group of people and their expertise and calm treatment was a blessing.
Now I am sure that most of you have never heard of RSV...in will manifest as a cold in those people who are normally healthy, but in tiny babies (preemies to 6 weeks of age) and ill children in is very serious. You can help to reduce the spread of RSV by simple things like washing your hands frequently and staying away from any babies (especially preemies and those under 6 weeks) if you have a ANY signs of a cold no matter how small. For the healthy people, always remember to wash your hands before holding anyone's baby. We all know how cute and cuddly they are, but our desire to touch their cute little hands, which they then put in their mouths, can spread illness! I always like to remind people to only touch babies socked feet--since there are so many babies around it is always good to be aware of our actions.
Again thank you for all of your prayers. It is so wonderful to have our baby home and continuing to get better!

Just 'cause everyone else is....

I must confess that this Word Cloud
is oddly mesmerizing. What a strange gathering of words....all from the same mind.
It reminds me of an e e cumming poem......each stanza could be a word cloud!

)when what hugs stopping earth than silent is

)when what hugs stopping earth than silent is more silent than more than much more is or total sun oceaning than any this tear jumping from each most least eye of star and without was if minus and shall be immeasurable happenless unnow shuts more than open could that every tree or than all life more death begins to grow end's ending then these dolls of joy and grief these recent memories of future dream these perhaps who have lost their shadows if which did not do the losing spectres mime until out of merely not nothing comes only one snowflake(and we speak our names