Brrrrrr !!!

Oh yes, it's hard to believe that when I took this picture a mere 5 days ago, I was outside in a tee shirt. I just can't get the chill out of my bones today. It's amazing how +4 degrees celcius in the fall is SO cold, yet +4 degrees in the spring is almost balmy :)

I truly love the fact that we have the four seasons that vary so much in weather here in Canada. I love the changing leaves this time of year. I love the first snow and how it blankets the world in white. It's almost like I forget what that looks like and I'm seeing the world for the first time. I love snow all the way up until December 26th, then I would be fine without snow for the rest of the winter. By February I'm so tired of it that I yearn for the spring. You know, that first day when you don't have to wear a coat outside. What I love most about winter is that it makes me appreciate the warm weather that much more when it comes in the spring. I can't imagine living in a country where it's always green. I love the variety.

I have lots of bright points to look forward to that will get me through the long cold winter this year. My trip to Colombia in November of course, Christmas and New Years (Christmas is definitely my favourite time of year), the a trip with my darling up to the Bear Trail for our yearly getaway in either January or March. I love to have things to look forward to. I guess I'm like a kid that way :)

For those of you married couples that don't make a point of getting away once a year with your spouse I would really encourage it! The Siebert kids bought gift certificates for mom and dad Siebert this past Christmas and they will be staying at the Bear Trail this weekend. I hope they have an incredibly relaxing weekend, with nothing to focus on but eachother. I've had a lot of discussions with friends in the past few weeks about kids growing up and moving out etc., and how couples manage with the 'empty nest'. With how important it is to invest in your marriage even while your kids are little and you're extremely busy and worn thin. I am so blessed to have such an incredible husband. We have so much fun together...we share the same dry sense of humour and have some good laughs. We try really hard to take time for eachother and we try not to make the kids the 'centre of our universe'. I think my kids will grow up knowing that they are loved, but that the world doesn't revolve around them. There are times when I tell them that I need a time out and I just can't play with them at that moment...or tend to whatever they are asking for at the moment. They see Joel and I pursue our own interests even while we are parenting them. Joel plays hockey once a week, I've got ballet. I think these things are important. I want my girls to grow up to believe that it's okay for them to look after themselves and take some time to nurture themselves when they are moms.

I guess I've gone way off topic from my intial thought of being cold :) Me...I never get off topic :) That's what I like about blogging, I just let my mind wander to whatever I feel like talking about that day. Back to my intial thought though, I've been struck this week with how blessed we are to have a home and be able to be out of this cold. I told the kids earlier in the week that there are people in Ontario that don't have homes to live in, and they live 'on the streets'. To which Obi wondered how they manage to not get run over :) I just really want them to know just how richly blessed they are, and that there is a large percent of the world that has much, much less than they do. Maybe someday I'll be able to take them to Colombia or even Toronto, to see people living with so much less than we do.

Thanks God for blessing us so much!

Melanie