Because I said so.. that's why!

2008-04-28T14:39:00.001-06:00

Win an Ergo!

Hey moms and dads, there is a contest to win a free baby carrier right now, so fill out the form, and maybe you'll win!

Win a Free Ergo Baby Carrier from Along for the Ride

2008-03-13T15:09:00.002-06:00

He loves me!

On Saturday morning Chris came home with a card, two roses, and a DISHWASHER! What a sweetheart. The delivery man brought it an hour ago, and I can't wait to get it up and running. Trying to get the three big kids to bed at a decent time, do the dishes, clean up everything else, and then get Piper down every night seems to take hours (it does take hours), so this can at least cut down on the work that keeps me from the kids. I'm pumped.

2008-02-26T11:32:00.002-06:00

I kind of forgot that this was here! My sister just commented on it, so I thought I would do a bit of an update on our lives over the last four months.

Piper has adjusted SO well to our family, and my knocking on wood helped. ;) She is still a very placid baby, and such a joy to have in our home. She adores all of the siblings, and especially her dad. It's interesting for me to not be the apple of my baby's eye, but I absolutely love watching the two of them together. If she can see him, she immediately lights up, and starts worming her way to get to him.

Jason is still doing really well in school. Chris still drives him to karate every week. There are a couple of distracting boys in his class, which make it hard for him not to fool around, as well. We've finally convinced him to stand next to the girls, and that their cooties won't reach him. :) Last week Chris said he was a lot more focused, and did better.

Mary still enjoys ballet, but I can't say that it's a passion for her. She was terrified at the mini-recital at Christmas, when they had to perform in front of the parents. And she hates that all they do is "skip" every week. I think she thought that she'd be Genevieve from the 12 Dancing Princesses movie after a few weeks. We'll see if I can convince her to go back next year, but it looks like it will have been a one-year try-out.

Jonah is still such a cutie. He's learning his colours, and learning how to count, and say his abc's. It's all adorable. His favourite colour is "ojur" (orange), and loves pointing out orange things all the time. One day before Christmas he was looking at a book, and I asked him what colour one of the pictures was in the book, he exclaimed "Apple!" Apparently, to him all colours should be named after the fruit, for which they are best known!

It's been a bit of a struggle for me since Christmas. Everyone has been sick since then, and we've all been tired and cranky. I'm hoping with the sunshine, and everyone healthy that we'll all be on the up swing now.

2007-10-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

It's a Girl!!

Piper Rose Carnell was born at 10:54pm on Saturday, October 13. She weighed in at 9 Ib 2 oz, and 20.5 inches long. (Almost exactly the same size as Jason, 10 oz smaller than Jonah, and 2 Ib heavier than Mary). Everything is going well, and I look for a gigantic peice of wood to knock every time I comment on her placid nature. I'm sure fate will hear me, and remember that Carnell babies are anything but placid. LOL

The kids adore her. Jason sits and holds her for hours, just gazing at her. He told me yesterday that he loves her more than anything: more than his toys, and even more than his TMNT video game. THAT is a lot of love. Mary hated her name at first, and was a little obnoxious about it, but her behaviour is settling down, and she's completely enamoured with her baby sister. Jonah didn't notice her existence for the first two days, but held her for the first time yesterday. Now he's a bit possesive, which makes breastfeeding difficult, when you have a two-year-old constantly trying to pull her off your lap!!

Chris is completely smitten with our new "Princess Squeak" as she's been nicknamed. It's fun to watch daddies with their baby girls.

That's all here folks!

2007-10-08T11:01:00.000-06:00

A quiet Thanksgiving.

My family went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving this year, so we were on our own at home. It has been really quiet, and restful. Although the baby didn't come this weekend, I wouldn't have been able to make the trip to Quill Lake very succesfully. Even driving to Climax for mass yesterday had my back in spasms.

I was going to do a "chicken dinner" yesterday, but Chris wanted to go to Shaunavon for brunch, so we did that, and had leftovers for supper. Kind of unconventional, but I DID make pumpkin pie for dessert. I think Jason was disappointed that we didn't have turkey and trimmings, as they've been learning about Thanksgiving at school, and I was told that Thanksgiving ranks right up there with Christmas and his birthday, as far as favourite holidays go. Next year, I guess. :)

I'm 38 weeks tomorrow, and it's within the vicinity of 38 weeks that both Jason and Jonah came. Mary made it almost to 40, so we'll see what happens in the next little while.

2007-09-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

Back by demand :)

I've had a request to update my blog, so here you go!

The kids are back in school full swing, and loving it. I think they are really enjoying being in the same classroom. I think they enjoy being together, while still having other friends to interact with, etc. (It's also nice to hear another version of the stories that come home from school, as the communication coming from a four-year-old and six-year-old isn't always fully formed.)

Mary started ballet two weeks ago, and seems to really enjoy it. The studio isn't large enough for parents to stay and watch, so I have no cute stories to share. It will be exciting to see the recital in the spring though.

Jason started karate on Thursday night. He really enjoys the kicks and punches, but Chris said he wouldn't do the blocks. The only information I got out of him is that sensai's head is so shiny the light bounces off it. :)

Jonah is still crazy Jonah, but SO MUCH FUN. I don't ever remember enjoying a two-year-old quite like we enjoy him. Having older siblings really helps his vocabulary, and so he comes out with sentences and comments that are quite entertaining. He's a pretty pro-active personality, as well, which is really funny to watch. He's enjoying the quiet days at home when the kids are at school, and I think especially enjoys choosing toys and shows to watch with no fights. Sleep seems to elude him though, which is VERY frustrating for tired mom. The kid seems to be fueled by pure adrenaline.

I am now almost 37 weeks pregnant, so three weeks to go! We've been waiting for labour to begin for just under two weeks now though, so we'll see if any of these stop and start fits turn real before 40 weeks. I spent a night on the antenatal ward at RUH in Saskatoon last Sunday night, as I started having major contractions just as we were heading out of the city, after a marriage conference we had attended. But everything stopped on Monday morning, and the only thing that's happened since is major back pain!

Chris is still busy with work, but is home more than he was in the spring, so that's nice. He keeps his evenings busy with various video games, and other online entertainment (that sounds much worse than it actually is, LOL).

We will be sure to keep everyone updated if anything happens though.

2007-08-22T09:31:00.000-06:00

Summer Recap

What a summer. Weddings, summer camp, birthday parties, my highschool reunion, an ordination, camping, heat waves, swimming pool, no air conditioning, VBS.

Now Jason and Mary BOTH start school next Thursday.

Jonah and I will be at home alone every other day until the baby is born, which is kind of crazy for me to wrap my mind around. I was kind of panicked at the idea for awhile, but he seems to have calmed down a lot, and is now content to watch Elmo, drive trucks, or sit in the sandbox.

Jason and Mary will be sharing a teacher/classroom/classmates this year, as they are in a split Kindergarten/Grade 1 class. I think they'll be just fine together, though. One of the little girls in Mary's class has been known for calling names, and specifically calling Jason "diaper" when he walks by her house. They were at the playground with Chris the other night, and this other little girl was there. Apparently, Mary walked up to her, and said "Hey! Why do you call my brother diaper!?" So, it looks like Jason might have a protector in his little sister. ;)

2007-06-29T08:35:00.000-06:00

We're off to Moose Jaw for the weekend. We're going for a wedding on Saturday, but decided to camp, instead of stay in a hotel. This always seems like such a smart idea, until the morning we leave arrives, and I'm running around trying to pack the van/clean the house/keep my kids in SOME semblance of order, then I wonder what the heck I was thinking!!!!

Anyway, we love Moose Jaw, the city where we were married, had Jason, and lived our newlywed year. It's always exciting to go back, and see familiar sites, and sometimes some familiar faces.

I hope everyone has a great Canada Day weekend!!!

2007-06-14T17:20:00.000-06:00

Jason had his Kindergarten grad today, which was pretty emotional for me! Miss Keller had us all in tears, including herself, as this was a memorable year for both her and the students, as they shared their first year of school together.

I can't say enough good about her to express my gratitude to her for the work she's done with Jason this year. He has truly blossomed, and I'm very proud to see him growing up so nicely.

They performed a few songs, (no Jason didn't sing any of them), Miss Keller read the lyrics to the song "I hope you Dance" to the students, presented them each with an award, and their diplomas, and shared a video she had made for them.

Jason's award was "Jason has found a way into everyone's hearts through his quirky sense of humor and for being small, sweet, and a little nutty, Jason has received the "M & M Peanut" award. Each award was a candy theme.

Here's the video she made:
http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/katecarnell/?action=view&current=KindergartenGraduation_0002.flv

Friday, June 08, 2007

Above: high jump
Above: just after running long jump.
Above: the 100m race.
Above: proudly showing his ribbons.
Jason had Field Day today, and had a blast. He placed second in the 25 m, and third in the 50 m, and third in the 100m, and I lost track after that! He competed well in the jumping and throwing events, as well!! He was so excited, and came away with 11 ribbons (only the races were competetive, the other events you received a ribbon, as long as you met the benchmark).

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

I just read this post on an online friend's blog. I really appreciated it, and don't think I could have said it better, so here for your reading pleasure:

http://empressg1973.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 14, 2007

Jason's class made cookbooks for us for Mother's Day, using their own recipes. Here's Jay's:

3 Bananas
8 cups big chocolate chips
A few cupfuls of flour
2 Eggs
1 Cup milk

Put the ingredients in a giant bowl. Use a machine stirrer. Plug the plug-in in the plugger and stir the ingredients all together. Pour them into things that make the bottom into a circle. It has to be flat on the bottom. Pour the batter in little circles on the tray and put them in the oven. The oven should be really hot. Leave in oven for 3 minutes.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

There isn't much going on here, so blogging has been poor.
Jason has a loose tooth, and learned to tie his shoes.
Mary's best friends BOTH moved away (well one already has, the other one is right away).
Jonah is still crazy. He's turning two on Monday, and we're having his party on Sunday afternoon.
Our mama cat Sammy died last week, so I've been hand raising her kittens. However, our other cat is about to have kittens too, and seems to have adopted them as of this morning, so that's nice.
I'm glad the puddles are drying up, as Jonah has ruined every pair of shoes that fit him. We have managed to wash a few pairs in the washing machine.
I'm 15 weeks pregnant as of this week, and still exhausted, but seem to be getting a little bit of life back in me.
Jason and Mary are both in t-ball, and Chris is their coach. All three of them are loving it.
Chris pierced his eyebrow a few weeks ago, and is enjoying his new streak of rebellion.
That's about all folks.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The night we left Dallas we drove to Oklahoma City. We wanted to see the memorial of the OK City Bombing. The top is a picture of The field of chairs has 168 chairs representing the lives that were lost that day. They are in rows according to the floor they were on. The field is located where the original building stood.

Jonah reading about the sites and happenings of Brick Town. We went for Supper at Brick Town that night, and had FABULOUS burgers and beer. MMMMmmmmm.

This is the main memorial at the Oklahoma Bombing site. The pool is the street that used to be there (I'm assuming the street where the van was parked). The wall on one end has 9:01 and the other end 9:03. The bomb went off at 9:02 am, so the first is the last minute of innocence, and the second is the first minute of change. The pool is beatiful. This picture does no justice.

After the bombing children from around the world sent in pictures of hope to the people of Oklahoma. They were made into tiles which made this wall. This is the kids in front of it.

That morning I drove the kids to the Dallas Aquarium, and met up with a woman that I met on a Natural Family Planning discussion board. This is a picture of the penguins, which could have entertained the kids for hours. I think it was because they saw Happy Feet in the hotel room.

Here they are at the Shark Tank. Sorry the Sharks didn't show up, but you can see their enthusiasm!!

On Tuesday morning Chris had a bit of time to kill so we took the train to the Dallas Zoo. Here's Mary:

and Jason:

My favourite is ALWAYS the monkeys.

The kids waiting for the train at Union Station:

Reunion Tower. This is attached to the hotel where we stayed. Chris went for drinks one night up there, but the kids and I just went to see the look out on the last night.

Wichita Falls. We saw this as we were driving through the city. I wanted to see them, and it was that desire that helped us find a Church to attend mass on Sunday morning! We were pretty lucky with that one.

Chris and the kids:

The Kids and I:

There are also some from Mt. Rushmore, but I haven't uploaded them yet. They can be another post another day. :)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

This is Chris and the kids outside in front of some mountains in Wyoming. Chris and I entertained ourselves for a good portion of the trip by humming the theme song to Brokeback Mountain.

For some reason I can't upload any more images. I'll add more tomorrow. :)

We're Home!!

We got home from our Road Trip to Texas on Sunday evening. We had a really great trip. On the way there we drove through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, the N. Eastern tip of New Mexico, and through Texas in to Fort Worth/Dallas. It took us three nights to get there, and we stayed in Dallas for three nights. On the way home we drove through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, and home.

The trip there was pretty uneventful, and rushed. We just drove straight through the days, only stopping for meals, basically. Dallas was kind of, um, not what we expected. I was assuming it would be more like Chicago, in regards to shopping and touristy stuff. Unfortunately, it was almost the opposite. There was NO shopping downtown where we were staying, everything appeared to be more in the suburbs or Ft. Worth. So we occupied ourselves in the hotel, mostly. We took the train to a grocery store to pick up food for the kids and I one day. Took the train to the zoo the next day, and the last morning I drove to the aquarium, and met up with an online friend and her kids.

We drove to Oklahoma City that night, and LOVED it. We went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, which was really, really special. We didn't get a chance to see the museum, but the memorial itself was very nice. Also downtown OK City there is a section called "Brick Town", which was REALLY neat. The buildings, streets, etc. are made out of bricks, and in the middle there is a little river running through with tour boats, etc. It had a real Louisiana bayou kind of feel to it. The weather was GORGEOUS, and we had a nice, relaxing evening. The next day we drove through Kansas, and into Nebraska. We started hearing a funny noise in our van that evening, and could tell it wasn't the engine, but couldn't pin point what it was. So we kept driving down the #2 highway in Nebraska, which is essentially the same as driving through any rural Saskatchewan highway. We found a tiny little town with a nice hotel, and it also happened to have a garage in it. It was our passenger side wheel bearing, which we got replaced at a dealership at another town an hour north. So, ON to South Dakota. We LOVED this state. The Black Hills are gorgeous. Just outside Mt. Rushmore there is a tiny little tourist town called Keystone. It was mostly shut down for the season, but it looked like SUCH a fun place to visit. So our plan is to return in five years for an extended vacation to Mt. Rushmore and surrounding areas. We made it back to Billings, MO the next day, but didn't have enough time to make the border crossing, so we just spent a quiet evening there, as we had no clean clothes, and no energy to do anything else! There was a quaint little Mexican restaurant across the street where Chris got us supper. The next day we headed home, but I had the flu!! It was awful.

We had lots of fun, and the kids are dibbing this as the "most fun vacation ever", but when asked what their favourite part was it was "swimming". Apparently hotel pools in the States are more fun than at home. *Shrugs shoulders*.

2007-06-08T17:50:00.000-06:00

2007-05-16T18:21:00.000-06:00

I just read this post on an online friend's blog. I really appreciated it, and don't think I could have said it better, so here for your reading pleasure:

http://empressg1973.blogspot.com/

2007-05-14T18:31:00.001-06:00

2007-05-03T21:03:00.001-06:00

2007-04-04T13:38:00.000-06:00

Jonah reading about the sites and happenings of Brick Town. We went for Supper at Brick Town that night, and had FABULOUS burgers and beer. MMMMmmmmm.

Here they are at the Shark Tank. Sorry the Sharks didn't show up, but you can see their enthusiasm!!

On Tuesday morning Chris had a bit of time to kill so we took the train to the Dallas Zoo. Here's Mary:

and Jason:

My favourite is ALWAYS the monkeys.

The kids waiting for the train at Union Station:

Reunion Tower. This is attached to the hotel where we stayed. Chris went for drinks one night up there, but the kids and I just went to see the look out on the last night.

Chris and the kids:

The Kids and I:

There are also some from Mt. Rushmore, but I haven't uploaded them yet. They can be another post another day. :)

2007-03-21T18:28:00.000-06:00

This is Chris and the kids outside in front of some mountains in Wyoming. Chris and I entertained ourselves for a good portion of the trip by humming the theme song to Brokeback Mountain.

For some reason I can't upload any more images. I'll add more tomorrow. :)

2007-03-07T16:01:00.000-06:00

We're heading to Texas tomorrow! This was a last minute decision made on Monday morning. Chris was supposed to fly to Dallas for a software convention, but his pathological fear of flying appears to be getting worse every year. He got permission to drive down insteady, so we're making a family vacation out of it!

Hotels, Food, Gas for 10 days : approximately $2000
DVD player for 6 days of driving: approximately $200
Managing to make it there and back and still love one another: priceless.

Updates when we get back!!!

2007-01-29T09:25:00.000-06:00

We were in Saskatoon this weekend, and when we were driving home from mass yesterday Jason says "Dad, does your name have a 'p' in it?" Chris said "Does my name have a

'p'? Yes." (He meant in Christopher). Jason says, "Okay, well I just saw a sign that says 'No P's. No, No, No. No P's this way or that way." Chris was very touched that he was so concerned that we would drive down a street where he may be discriminated against, because he has a p in his name.

2007-01-18T13:51:00.000-06:00

My New Job!!

I was offered a contract a few months ago, to do Medical Transcription at home, by a company called Accentus. I was finally offered an account last week, and will start my training soon! I'm so excited. I've worked an endless amount of crappy, thankless jobs since becoming a mom, so this will hopefully be a nice change. It's the first time I don't have to clean stinky, gross bathrooms!! And I don't have to figure out baby-sitting, etc. Now, I just need to get organized enough to make sure that I don't neglect my kids for the sake of my job, or neglect my job for the sake of a clean house. Let the typing begin!!

2007-01-17T10:10:00.000-06:00

So, a good hint that supper wasn't overly edible: When your four-year-old makes you pinky swear not to make it again. Whoops!

2007-01-15T18:34:00.000-06:00

An awesome clip on youtube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0nSjxDKJEo

What an affirmation of my faith!!

2007-01-11T14:47:00.000-06:00

Mama Knows Best
Jonah moved the bottom bunk of the boys' bunkbed when he was about 15 months old. It's been a rough go of it. Fighting him until 10pm every night, him constantly getting out of bed crying. I DREADED bedtime every night. At Christmas he slept at my mother-in-law's house really well, and it dawned on me that he's afraid of the bunk bed!
When we got home I convinced Chris to saw the bunk bed in two and make twin beds instead...
Wouldn't you know it. That night he got out of bed one time, and I disciplined him. He went to bed and only woke up twice for a drink. Now he naps every day at noon, goes to bed at 7:30, and slept 13 hours last night!! (except for needing drinks again).
All I need now is for Chris to ADMIT that I'm always right. ;)

2007-01-10T11:05:00.000-06:00

Well, we're back in the swing of things. Jason went back to school on Monday, and Mary had playschool yesterday. We spent a week in Saskatoon with Chris' family, and came home for New Year's weekend with my family. Lots of celebrating, little sleep. We ALL ended up with colds by the end of it. All three kids went on antibiotics on Friday, and we've been battling coughs, fevers, sneezes, and yet more sleep loss. (Oh yeah, and battling Jonah, who refuses to take the antibiotics and the nebulizer on which he was put....)

A few weeks before Christmas, Chris decided he would like to start celebrating Ukrainian Christmas at our house. So the week after we got home I got busy making perogies, cabbage rolls, borscht, kolache (braided bread), and other goodies. (Did I mention I'm Irish/Scottish???) My family came on Saturday night, and Chris' mom showed up on Friday night, and we had our first Ukrainian Christmas celebrated on Ukrainian Christmas Eve.

It was really exciting for me to prepare all these dishes, knowing that many generations of women before me had worked the days before Christmas to put on a feast for their family to celebrate the birth of Christ. I struggled a lot with Advent/Christmas this year. I found Advent really difficult, because while I'm supposed to be "preparing" for the celebrations, and preparing my soul for the birth of my saviour I was already partying it up with staff parties, school concerts, church concerts, bake sales, etc. from about November 22 on. To top it all off the all you hear on the radio or TV is (paraphrase) "Tis the season to spoil your kids rotten, spend all your money, and gain a tonne of weight!!" Which is NOT at all what I want Christmas to mean in our family.

Then the season for which we've been waiting for four weeks (well, technically three this year) is here, and it's time to celebrate, and all of the Christmas stuff gets ripped off the store shelves, the Christmas carols are no longer on the radio, and people are no longer saying Merry Christmas, because it's now "Happy New Year!!"

Anyway, the point of that rant was to say that I struggled a lot with everything to do with Christmas. I didn't want to do any of it, and would have gladly stayed home with my family in our house and hid from the world. However, the opportunity to have a big Christmas celebration with cultural traditions that had NOTHING to do with commercialism or society was so exciting and rewarding for me. Even many of the dishes symbolized something to do with our faith. Chris and I researched some of the traditions, and did some that of which we liked the idea. We had garlic on the corners of our table, and an axe outside our front door to ward off evil from our family. The braided ring on our table was shaped in a circle to symbolize eternity, and stacked in three to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The kutia (a dish made of wheat) that we served at the beginning symbolizes abundance and fertility. At the beginning of the meal we tossed some on the ceiling of our kitchen, and it stuck! This means that it should be a good and prosperous year.

Anyway, I just find it a little interesting or funny that I have taken so much from a culture that I know so little about, and it really was the highlight of my whole Christmas season. It really ended the season on a positive note for me, and now I can focus on the year to come with our family!

2006-12-22T17:30:00.000-06:00

The van is packed, the presents are wrapped, the kids are exhausted, I'm stressed out. We're heading out for Christmas!!!!! Chris is still at work, so I'm not sure when we'll actually get on the road, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope that you are all filled with the love of the Christ Child during this special season!

2006-12-20T14:30:00.000-06:00

We had the opportunity to see our first Christmas concert with one of our own kids in it last Thursday night. Jason did a small poem with the Kindergarten class, and his line was "Welcome". Then he "sang" in the choir with the K-5 kids. By "sing" I mean he stood there straight faced for 1/2 hour. Sometimes he pulled at his cheeks and eyes, sometimes he squinted into the lights, one time he waved at me, and one time he had a conversation with his buddy next to him. On the way home when I inquired why he wasn't singing he informed me. "I was singing quietly in my head!" It made a lot more sense then. HAHA.
Mary had her playschool Christmas party yesterday, and for the first time ever happily stayed in Santa's present, and EVEN had her picture taken with him! This was a real treat, since Santa usually sends Mary screaming and running (literally). Jonah was a different story. While he didn't scream, he also wasn't willing to give this scary man with a beard a chance, and took off running the first chance he got.

2006-12-03T17:40:00.000-06:00

Mary turns four tomorrow! Yesterday we had her party, and she had a blast. I just can't believe for the life of me that she's already four. I still think of her as my "baby girl", and keep teasing her that she'll be my baby girl forever, because she asks us for a baby sister on a regular basis. Because we had her party yesterday I've decided to make it our tradition to set up our Christmas decorations on her birthday, so that there is still something special to do. I know it's only Advent, but I just love Christmas decorations so much! That, and I'm feeling incredibly scroogish this year, and feel like locking myself in a dark room until Christmas is over, and I'm hoping the decorations, etc. will help. Anyway, here's a picture of Princess Mary:

2006-11-24T10:28:00.000-06:00

So, I posted a couple of days ago about Jason learning his phonetical sounds. WOW!! From watching that video for less than a week he now knows ALL off his Capital letters and their sounds. He can now sound out and read/write simple words! He sat at the table last night and wrote MOM, DAD, JET, MAT, HAT, AND, ANT, and many others! When Chris was putting him to bed he sounded out the title on his story book. I'm so amazed. I've been kind of mourning his growing up, but when I can sit and watch him comprehending a concept and using it it amazes me! I just hope that he'll have the confidence to show Miss Keller what he can do on his next school day!

2006-11-23T12:05:00.000-06:00

Boys and Video Games

Chris stood in line on Sunday morning to get a Nintendo Wii. Now our evenings are filled with video games. That's all Chris and Jason want to do for hours on end. This morning out of nowhere my five-year-old proclaimed "I am OBSESSED with Wii." Great. Another generation of Carnell boys and video games. *sigh*

2006-11-22T10:29:00.000-06:00

Gillian!

I'm making you your own post, since you're so faithful of a reader, haha.

Anyway, yes, I was at the Day of Reflection, and I was going to tell Fr. Tom to say hello to you from me, but he had left before I got a chance. It was really a great day for me, and I enjoyed hearing his stories very much. WHAT a story teller! When I came home I was checking out the Salt and Light website, and saw you on the video clips! Chris was watching T.V. and as soon as you came on he perked up and said, "Hey! Gillian!" So you have a famous voice in the Carnell household. I hope you're doing well and enjoying newlywed bliss! What is your email address, because it would probably be easier to communicate that way, than through blogging/commenting.

2006-11-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

The 'A' says 'Ah"...

Every letter makes a sound the A says "Ah". Will I ever get this song out of my head?????

We're working hard with Jason to help him recognize his alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. We bought a couple of Leap Frog videos,which have been VERY helpful (he has most of the letters down pat now after watching the video 3 or 4 times.) However, I now walk around ALL day singing to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell, "The B says "buh" the B says "buh" every letter has a sound, the B says, "Buh." I'm about to lose my mind (who am I kidding-- as if the song caused it).

In other news, I think Jonah just microwaved our phone. He just brought to me smelling kind of burnt, and when I went into the kitchen the microwave is running with nothing in it now. Yay!! I can't wait to tell Chris that we have another broken phone!!!

2006-11-13T14:19:00.000-06:00

A Mom Just Like Me???

I was at a retreat on the weekend led by Fr. Thomas Rosica, and he spoke to us about the St. Gianna Beretta Molla. What an amazing day it was for me, and I'm not even sure I can begin to explain why.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla lived in Italy during the mid-twentieth century. She was a doctor, a wife, and a mother. Two months into her pregnancy with her fourth baby it was discovered that she had a tumor in her uterus. Her doctors suggested that she abort the child that she was carrying, but because she believed that the baby in her womb was indeed a person with full dignity, she chose to have surgery to remove the tumor only. She died a week after giving birth to her daughter Gianna Emmanuela.

I have known her story for a few years, so that part of it wasn't new to me this weekend. However, when I watched the home video clips of her with her children and her husband, and as I viewed the joy that radiated from her, I realized that if I were in the same situation, I'm not sure the choice would have come so naturally to me.

St. Gianna's family and friends have testified that she prepared herself for her heroic decision every day of her life. She lived in constant love of Jesus, and with a desire to please him first above all others. She wrote once to her husband, "I would rather die than commit a mortal sin". I could so easily say this, but do I live it??
If I were to come to the end of my life soon would I be confident that I have planted the seed of faith in my children deep enough that it will flourish and grow without my pruning and watering later on? Have I loved my husband well enough that he would fight to make my life and my story honoured?

We so often hear the stories of the saints and believe that they were different than we are. It's almost like we think they weren't faced with sin or temptation, but that's not true. They were faced with the same struggles, difficulties, hardships, and persecutions that we are, but they made the right choices in how they dealt with those struggles. All the time? Maybe not, but definately when it counted.

"Lord, keep Your grace in my heart. Live in me so that Your grace be mine. Make it that I may bear every day some flowers and new fruit". - St. Gianna Beretta Molla

2006-10-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

I never realize how boring my life is until I try to blog. We had a very eventful week last month involving our dog Oliver.

We sold him to a family in Swift Current, because I didn't feel that I had the ability to train him, and he was running away from our yard numerous times daily. I was so frustrated I sold him to the first people that I talked to, and it was a BIG mistake.

They phoned within 1/2 hour of being home because he'd peed in their house (imagine that! a male dog in a new environment peeing!!!), and that they didn't want him anymore. Then he got out, and she emailed me again that she didn't want him anymore, then three hours later I got an email that she DEFINATELY didn't want him anymore.

Then I didn't hear anything for five days. I was sure he must be dead. I called every shelter I could think of about him. Finally, five days later she emailed me to say "Thankfully we found him the next morning before we were leaving for Edmonton! We were so thankful that we found him BEFORE we left!" UGH. (OH YEAH! They cancelled the cheque when he ran away! So he was missing, and their solution was not to pay for him!) So when she got back she decided now she loved him, and wanted another chance to pay, but told us it was our decision.

So I said I wanted him back. And she flipped out. She refused to give him back unless they took him to the SPCA and we PAID for him, or drove the two hours to Swift Current PLUS and extra 1/2 hour to her dad's farm to pick him up. (Oh yeah, because they had to drive to get him. Like I was the one who forced them to buy a dog that wasn't closer to them).

Anyway, we eventually got him back but it cost us TWO trips to Swift Current (we were supposed to get him from the SPCA last weekend, and when we went he wasn't there. They called us at 8:15pm Saturday night, about 20 minutes after we walked in to say that we had to pick him up the next morning, or they were taking him to AB with them.)

I honestly think I will die a year earlier, because of the stress this situation caused me. Fun times. Good thing he's cute.

2006-09-16T15:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed that home renovation jobs always take a lot more work than you originally planned? The days that I decide to renovate a room I always assume that I'll be done by lunch time (I'm hardly exagerating).

I put down peel and stick tiles in my kitchen on Thursday, and they look awesome. It took me about six hours to do it, and I am so sore I can hardly move. I have muscles aching that I didn't even know existed.

Two months ago-ish I ripped apart my bathroom assuming that I would have it finished within a day or two. As it is I still have wallpaper to remove, much of the wall still needs to be prepared, and I've completely changed my plan of action. I was originally going to rip off the ugly pink tile, and wallpaper, and just remud and paint the whole thing. I've now decided after seeing my dad mud and tape two small sections that I'll just wallpaper the whole thing. That's a totally new adventure for me, and I hope I don't screw it up too royally.

I'm working hard on getting our house fixed up for potential resale value. There's nothing set in stone, but on the off chance that we have the opportunity to sell and get the hell out of Dodge in the next little while, I'll be happy to know that the house is in viewing order. It would be nice to enjoy the fruit of my labour a little bit though. We'll see what happens!

2006-09-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

RECAP

I had written a big long post about our lives, but something crashed on the blogger server and it was lost.

So recap:
1. Jason started kindergarten and LOVES it. All my homeschool aspirations are pretty much over for now. He already knows how to write the numbers one to five and the letters p, b, and j (ha! I just realized that he can write the peanut butter and jam letters). I think he would go everyday if he could.

2. Mary misses him a lot. I hope she'll learn to play with Jonah soon, but they both seem kind of content on their own still. I was hoping that this would be an opportunity for me to spend more one on one time with her, but that hasn't really happened yet either. I'll have to get better at scheduling my day and our activities so that the little ones can really benefit from Jason being. gone.

3. I think Jay and Jonah had some kind of measles last week. Roseola is my guess. They're over it now, but for a family who rarely gets sick it was kind of bizarre for me!

4. The kids and I went to Pine Cree Regional Park on Sunday night, and had a blast. We spent an hour and a half hiking the little paths around the creek. All three of them loved it, and we plan on going back for family pictures once the colours really start changing.

5. We're heading to Camp Lemieux tomorrow night, because the CCO Fall Retreat tomorrow night. We're excited to be back at the place where we met and started dating, to see some friends, and to hear the speakers that are going to be there this year!! I'm not sure how much we'll be able to take in, since we'll be working in the kitchen lots, but I'm sure we'll be blessed by what we do manage to catch!!

2006-08-21T17:34:00.000-06:00

AND NOW HE'S OFF!!!!!

We had an awesome week camping. Food cooked over the fire always tastes WAY better. MMM mmm.

The racoons thought our food was really good too. We woke up one night to what we thought was a stray dog stealing our cookware. It turns out it was racoons raiding our garbage!!! It freaked the pants off me, but all was good.

The REALLY exciting news of the week was....

When Jason started riding a two-wheeler!!!!!

We spent the week next to two different families, both with bigger boys who could ride with two wheels. On the second last day there Jason came to me while I was washing dishes, and said, "Mom, I think I want to try and ride my bike without the training wheels." This made me very excited, as I had been trying to convince him for a couple of weeks. So, I thought Chris might be better at teaching him than I was, and asked him to give it a try. He removed the training wheels, took him to the top of a little hill, and Jason took off the FIRST try!!! We were all super excited. The people next to us, their kids, all of us were laughing and practically cheering for him. He kept saying over and over, "I found my balance today!!!"

So now he tells everyone that he sees that he can ride on two wheels. All he does is ride his bike now. Another milestone reached.

2006-08-13T09:40:00.000-06:00

And we're off!

We're packed and ready to go! I have to go to work, then mass, then come home and pack the frozen foods, and we'll be hitting the road.

We're camping at Buffalo Pound this week, and we're very excited. There's a specific campground that we REALLY want, so we've got our fingers crossed that it will work out accordingly!

Talk to you all next week!!!

2006-08-10T10:29:00.000-06:00

I found this idea on another blog, and thought it was a good idea. Besides Gillian informed me that she checks my blog everyday, and I thought I should make a more valiant effort to keep it updated. This was something I could do without attempting to be entertaining.

1. One book that changed your life:
As cheesy as this sounds I would have to say the Bible. Specifically, the Gospels, which showed me about Christ, his life, and how I should be living mine.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I've read a few Maeve Binchy books more than once. The Janette Oke Love Comes Softly series. There are a number of novels, really.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Christ is My Life by Fr. Marciel Maciel. Or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

4. One book that made you laugh:
I used to have Answers, Now I have Kids by Phil Callaway.

5. One book that made you cry:
I remember crying uncontrollably when I read Where the Red Fern Grows in Grade 7.

My Sergei: A Love Story made me cry just as hard in Grade 10.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
The user/training manual for my kids. (and my husband--tee hee)

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
There are a lot of damaging books out there. Off the top of my head I can't think of any that have negatively affected me in a direct way. There were a lot of wacky "Christian" books that I read in University that could have done damage, had I not been under the guidance of a good spiritual director.

8. One book you’re currently reading:
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Kimberly Hahn's book on Homeschooling. I think part of the reason I didn't, is because I'm afraid of being convicted to the point of actually carrying through with my already nagging ideas.

10. Book that you bought but haven’t read:
The Dolorous Passion of Christ. I just couldn't get into it.

2006-08-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

It's been a rough few days in mommy-land. The kids and I are at each other's throats constantly. We're all hot and tired. Jonah is cutting FIVE teeth, and I'm feeling pretty much as close to worn out as it gets. It's one of those weeks where I wonder what I've gotten myself into, and seriously doubt my vocation to marriage and motherhood. Therefore, I thought I would devote this blog to my family. I'll share a little bit about why I love each of them, and why they ARE so worth it. Hopefully this will recharge my battery a little bit, and give me the push to see things the way I would usually see them.

1. CHRIS:
I am so thankful for the devotion that he has to physically taking care of his family. I know that our needs and even just some of our wants are taken care of, and that is very comforting. It makes me so happy that I've been given the opportunity to stay home with my kids, and that I'm the one here to experience it all, the good and the bad. I also love his sense of humour. There are few people that can make me laugh the way he can, and I can't wait to spend our week at the lake!!!!!!!

2. JASON
I love Jason's ability to play. He spends hours flying action toys around the house, building lego, playing Spy Kids or Shark Boy and Lava girl. He can make a toy out of anything. When he was three his favourite toy for months was a peice of rope left over from building his swings. He used it to pull things, climb on things, swing around, and tie things together for hours and hours.
I'm also VERY proud of his devotion to his brother and sister. Although he and Mary have newly discovered a different side to their relationship, which mostly consists of screaming at each other several times an hour, they have been best friends since Mary was old enough to know who he was. The two of them are inseparable. He adores Jonah, and even when he is being sat on (or beat on) by his baby brother Jason just says, "Nice hugs, Jo Jo. Nice hugs." It's very cute.

3. MARY
Mary is incredibly artistic. Six monthsago, whenever she disappeared I was worried, because she was usually smearing lipstick on the carept, or something equally destructive. Now, I'll get worried, and start searching for her, and I'll find her quietly colouring at her desk. She spends hours colouring in colouring books, or drawing pictures freehand. She's actually quite talented for a three-year-old.
She is so devoted to Jason that it amazes me. I truly think she would give him the shirt off her back if he asked her for it. I think that we're going to have a pretty sad girl on the days that Jason goes to school. Hopefully, this will be her chance to build a better relationship with Jonah.
She has also recently started riding a "big girl bike" with training wheels, and caught on the FIRST time she tried! It's so crazy to see her out there riding up and down the street. She's incredibly athletic. One day early in the summer, Chris took them to the park and she ran two times around the track bare foot. Which is about 1.5 km.

4. JONAH
Jonah is my sweetheart. He is such a mama's boy, which can be at times trying (like when I'm trying to leave him with a sitter or his dad), but generally he is the fuel that keeps me going. He showers me with such love that I remember that it is always worth it.
I always love his sense of adventure. Usually he runs for the backstairs the minute he hears the door opening, so he can be outside exploring. Driving his Little Tikes car, or pushing his lawn mower, or playing in the sand box. He just LOVES to be outside, which is nice, because we get a lot of one on one time during our early morning walks. Jonah is an early riser (which has been a huge adjustment, because the other two aren't.) So, for the sake of allowing the rest of the family to sleep, Jo and I go on a big walk every morning, which we both love.
He's also 100% boy. I always joke that his guardian angels must sink down in exhaustion at the end of the day and say "Thank God he's asleep." At any given time in the day he can be found climbing, jumping, wrestling, or falling. Life is only peaceful while he's asleep!

2006-07-19T12:54:00.000-06:00

HIGH ASPIRATIONS

The other day I was in the bathroom changing Jonah's diaper, and Jason discovered the toilet bowl brush. He got right down to work, and scrubbed the entire toilet. When he was finished he looked up at me with great anticipation and excitement and said, "Mom! When I grow up, if I'm not a lifeguard, I can clean toilets!!!!"

We won't be able to hold that kid back, I swear. He's driven to success.

2006-06-30T14:05:00.000-06:00

WELL THAT'S JUST CRAPPY

I woke up this morning to a funny smell. It wasn't Chris. Apparently the line leading to the lagoon was struck by lightning last week, and the pump wasn't working. Therefore we ended up with a basement full of sewage. YUUUUUCK!

On the brightside.. my laundry room will be very clean!

2006-06-24T22:32:00.000-06:00

I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH

I was just saying goodnight to Jason, the following was our conversation:

ME: I love you.'
Jason: I love you too.
Me: I love you this much (extends arms as wide as I can.)
Jason: I love you as big as the world.
Me: I love you as big as the universe.
Jason: *pause* Uh, MMM, I love you as big as ... Saskatoon.

Apparently, when you grow up in Frontier, SK. it doesn't get any bigger than Saskatoon.

2006-06-23T09:23:00.000-06:00

BABIES, BABIES, BABIES!

We anxiously awaited the call from my brother and sister-in-law yesterday, because they had gone into Swift Current to have their baby on Wednesday evening. Camden Thomas was born yesterday evening. I love his name, and mom and babe are both doing well. AND, I just got a call that my good friend Sherilyn had a baby girl at the same hospital at 11pm last night. So Laura Joy and Camden get to be nursery mates. Marla and Sherilyn had been joking that they would be in the hospital at the same time, but I'm not sure they actually thought it would happen. Congratulation to Rob, Marla, Kendell, and Lydia!! And to Terry, Sherilyn, and Kyle!!! Can't wait to meet the babies!!!

On a side note those of you who know Chris might be interested to know that he's just started a blog too. Here's the link:

http://www.myspace.com/87610242

2006-06-19T09:22:00.000-06:00

OPRAH WINFREY, DR. PHIL, AND ICE CREAM.

I'm so lucky that as a SAHM I have all the free time on my hands to do nothing all day but watch self-help t.v. shows and eat junk food. According to Linda R. Hirshman, women who give up the work place for the sake of their families are copping out. Raising children doesn't take the same intelligence or work ethic that it takes to work in a corporation, so therefore we are sell-outs. I just cannot begin to get it through my thick skull how stay at home women are still being treated like we do nothing all day long. It frsutrates me to no end that because house wives are underappreciated we are then to turn around and find us jobs that will make us appreciated in the eyes of society. I don't understand how I am more of a woman if I tote my kids off to someone else's home day in and day out, just so I can bring home a pay cheque. Don't get me wrong, there are MANY, MANY women who do this, and it is their only option. I don't think that they are any less of a mom, because they work. So why then, are we considered less of a woman, because we don't earn a huge salary. I've worked constantly since finishing my maternity leave when my oldest was born. I've worked cruddy, hard jobs evenings and weekends to make the payments on my student loans. However, because I'm at home with my children during the day, my efforts mean nothing?

Hirshman goes onto say that the backlash she has received from this article have mostly come from fundamentalist Christian groups. She's disgusted by the idea that evangelical Protestant wives say their husbands make them happier, even though "they never wash a dish". Did it ever occur to this stupid woman that these stay at home wives happy to wash dishes, knowing that they are doing their damndest to raise their children to be everything that they want them to be, and they don't care if part of that package is having to wash all the dishes alone?

She keeps referring to herself as a feminist. When did the description of feminist mean that you sell out your own wants and desires to a society that doesn't care about children, is obsessed with materialism, and moral relativism ONLY applies to those making immoral choices.

Anyway, I have to run. Oprah is on. And I have some ice cream to eat.

2006-06-03T14:09:00.000-06:00

R.I.P Julius

We had to deal with death with the kids today. Mary accidentally killed Julius, the kitten, this afternoon. Everyone's pretty sad, but Jason is especially so. Heartbroken would probably be a better word to describe him. Growing up is hard to do.

2006-05-31T13:11:00.000-06:00

FELINE FUN

I decided a couple of weeks ago I'd like to get a mouse trap. A furry one. So we spoke for one in Eastend yesterday, and planned to go pick it up last night. As we were sitting down to supper a friend of mine stopped by with two orphaned kittens, wondering if we wanted one. Of course Mary fell in love with a little black one, but Chris still wanted to get the orange one for which we had spoken. Now I, who *hates* cats, now is the proud owner of two! I'm hoping that getting them as kittens will help my transition, and that I will automatically have affection for them, because they're cute now. I also hope that it helps Oliver adjust to them as well, considering when they're fully grown they'll be bigger than him! Jason's is named Julius (for the drink-- even though I know he named it from the show Deliliah and Julius, but I think the other reason is cuter), and Mary named her's Missy. Which is a much better name than her other two choices : Oliver or Mary.

2006-05-23T11:03:00.000-06:00

Heard at our House Last Week:

My mom was babysitting for me last week and had this conversation with Mary:

Mary: You have hair in your nose.
Nan: Yes, everyone has hair in his or her nose.
Mary: I don't, I just have boogers.

Thank you Mary.

2006-05-21T16:25:00.000-06:00

C-O-O-L-R-I-D-E-R

I don't want one.. I have one (a cool rider that is). Chris bought a motorbike, and thinks that I secretly love it (even though I repeatedly tell him I'm terrified of anything with less than three wheels. Chris is to airplane as Kate is to bi-ped.) Anyway, in honour of his new toy I thought I would post a pic. Here's my grease lightning cool rider. Eat your heart out Michelle Pfeiffer!!

2006-05-15T09:47:00.000-06:00

MOTHER'S DAY

It was a nice, laid back day. We got the back yard tidied up quite a bit and looking presentable again. Chris set up the tent for the kids to play in, so they were very excited!! Then friends of ours came and we went out for Chinese food, which is always a real treat. Before bed I watched my new favourite show "Big Love". And that's all she wrote!

In tribute to my Mom I thought I would write about my favourite memory of her growing up. My mom was the BEST mom in the world to take care of us when we were sick. I can remember one time having a really bad chest infection, and was in bed for days, not allowed to speak. She had dad run set up a T.V. in my room, and I watched the Wizard of Oz. She had me clap out codes to her for what kind of juice I wanted, etc. so that I wouldn't talk. She was always really, really good at making me feel better when I was sick. I still want her when I'm sick now!!!

2006-05-04T20:30:00.000-06:00

WHAT'S THE OTHER GUY LOOK LIKE?

Yesterday morning Jonah was playing with an old keyboard (one of his favourite toys), and he tripped over the chord. He landed on the corner of a dining room chair and gave himself one heck of a shiner. It made me realize how different my parenting styles are becoming from my first to my third child. The first time Jason fell off the bed (which didn't even result in any injury) Chris and I had a huge fight over whose fault it was. We acted like it was the end of the world. Now Jonah looks like we beat him, and I hardly even noticed. I thought I would take him to the bathtub to distract him, because he was crying so hard, and it wasn't even until I saw him in the mirror that I saw the damage. Poor guy. He's by far the toughest of our kids, and we seem to raise 'em tough.

2006-04-21T10:49:00.000-06:00

JONAH CAN DO STAIRS!

Now that the weather is nice the kids are outside often, and Jonah learned how to do stairs last week. So that means that Jonah has also discovered the back yard. Everytime he sees the back door open for any reason he flies down the stairs and out the back door before anyone can stop him. So now he gets lots of chances to play with the big kids in the sand box, and with the puppy on the lawn. He's a pretty happy boy.

2006-04-08T09:05:00.000-06:00

WHAT A PAIN IN THE NECK !
The night before last I woke up at 3am with blinding pain in my upper back and neck. After a fitful night sleep I woke up and called my client's to let them know I wouldn't be able to make it to work, and called the chiropractor for an appointment. He tried massaging it and then adjusting it, then did a laser treatment, but couldn't figure out what's causing the pain. He sent me for x-rays, and then home again. So here I sit pumping Advil and Robax Platinum for pain management. I'm feeling a little bit better today, but I still can't look left and right very well, or look down. It's not the easiest thing to cope with as I watch my house falling to shambles around me!!! Hopefully it will clear up soon on its own.

2006-04-04T09:42:00.000-06:00

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

And with it has come mud. Muddy shoes, muddy rubber boots, muddy vehicles, muddy kitchen floors when the muddy shoes and boots are left on by the muddy pre-schoolers. Despite the constant mud I'm loving that the kids can finally go outside and get some fresh air. Mary has discovered a love for geology. She spends hours picking gravel out of our driveway and washing it in the bathroom sink. Jason wants to be on his bike constantly. Yesterday, while Jason was riding his skateboard down our ditch and Mary was picking rocks a little guy I used to baby-sit showed up after school, and I was nervous to let him stay, because things didn't end on the greatest of terms. Anyway, I thought this may be a good chance to let the kids play again, and called his mom to find out if he could stay a little while. He got hurt a couple of times when under my care, and I know that his mom wasn't really trusting of my abilities. Anyway, she agreed and I watched them like a HAWK the whole time he was here. I stood at the kitchen window watching them each dig in the sand box for the entire duration of his stay. When it was time to go I walked out to find him COVERED in mud. His new-looking Adidas jacket had mud caked all over the front of it. When I questioned him he said that Jason had thrown mud at him. I called Jason over by his FULL name and demanded to know what on earth he was thinking THROWING mud at his friend. He sheepishly says "I was just trying to get the mud off my shovel." ARRRGH! Try explaining that one to his mom without looking like I'm a "My kid would NEVER do such a thing" kind of mom. Stupid mud.

2006-04-03T10:11:00.000-06:00

Who's there?

Our kids have discovered the wonderful world of knock, knock jokes. Most evenings at supper we are entertained by their line-up of humour. Because they are only three and four-years-old they often forget or mix up the punch lines.
This was Jason's newest:

JASON: "knock, knock!"
US: "Who's there?"
JASON: "orange!"
US: "Orange who?"
JASON: "Orange you glad you didn't let me in!?"

Of course when we burst into laughter at the bizarre joke they are encouraged all the more. This just leads to saying anything that is considered funny when you're a preschooler, just to get more laughs out of mom and dad.
Funny kids.

2006-04-01T09:43:00.000-06:00

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!!!

I think I pulled off my first succesful April Fool's Day trick today! I set it up perfectly. My four-year-old and three-year-old were playing quietly with lego and Polly Pockets, and the baby was quietly launching all the food off his highchair onto the floor for the dog to eat. Chris was having a nice sleep-in on a Saturday morning, when I quietly climbed back into bed next to him, and made a few seconds of idle chit chat. Then I dug deep into the part of me where the hours of highschool drama instruction was tucked away, and I quietly said "there's something I need to tell you." Just by the nervousness in my voice he new what my big news was going to be. Yes, I told him we were expecting baby #4, and that I had seen the doctor on Wednesday. He slowly rolled over with a look that was telling what he was really feeling inside, and "compassionately" said "why did you wait so long to tell me?" PERFECT for the delivery of my prank. I calmly replied, "because I didn't know how to tell you. And because I was waiting for April Fool's Day." The last thing I heard before he buried his head back under the pillow was "Jerk".