I want to be like you someday

I love this picture my aunt took at the park last week. Kinsmen Park in Saskatoon has been a staple in our family experience. Our parents took us there when we were kids and now we're bringing Liam there. Besides this picture being cute, I love that Uncle Brad and Liam are there together and looking at something from two different perspectives. Liam is probably thinking, "wow, I really hope I get the black horse. Will Daddy and Pappy hold me up there? Look at it go round and round. Look at that cute little girl." Brad might be standing there thinking, "it sure has been a while since I last rode this thing. I wonder if it's still safe. It sure goes around a lot, hope I don't get dizzy. Hey, the girl working this thing is kinda cute." It's crazy to think how time flies. Brad used to stand there just like Liam but now he is a grown man and we're so proud of him. I pray that Liam grows up to be a man that loves God and because of that love, deeply cares for those around him, just like his Uncle Brad. Thank you Brad for being such a great uncle and a great example to Liam.

Hanging out with the Witters

Just last weeke we were able to hang out in Saskatoon at the same time that my mom's sister and her husband (Becky & Tom Witter) were visiting from Wisconsin. We had a fun time. We're looking forward to seeing them again soon when they bring their son Taylor to Nipawin to study here at the college.

What Remains...The "love chapter" for parents

I was leafing through my parents Focus on the Family magazine and came across the following. It was something that hit close to home and is a good reminder to myself that love for God and my family needs to be at the centre of my role as a mom.

If I spend my days buliding skyscrapers with blocks, assembling cool stuff out of LEGOS and creating relationships with other moms at Starbucks, but have not love, I am only the siren of the kids ride-on fire truck, annoyingly stuck on hold.
If I have the gift of knowing which child attempted to flush the Hot Wheels down the toilet and which one pushed her sister, and if I have faith that somehow we'll survive life's emergencies, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I save all my box tops for school and give outgrown clothing to the local shelter, and if I sureender my body to stretch marks and under-eye circles (without the benefit of botox, tanning salons or diet bars), but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient when someone isn't ready to use the big girl potty. It is kind when my husband has a hard day. It doesn't envy my neighbour who drives the new sport utility vehicle I can't afford.
It is not rude, snapping at my spouse or children when things don't go my way. It is not easily angered at perceived or real injustices.
It always protects the smallest, sweetest family confidences; always trusts God to provide my children's needs; always hopes in the freshness of tomorrow and the bright future of family; always perseveres amid hardship and doubt.
Where there are sleepless nights, they shall end. Where there are diapers, Little League and dioramas built from shoeboexes, they will cease. Where there is knowledge of baby-care trends, discipline strategies and boy-girl problems, it will pass away. Now there three remain: faith, lived out in my daily circumstances and instilled in my children; hope, of one day rejoicing with my family in heaven; and love, which covers over a multitude of less-than-perfect moments. But the greatest of these is love. It is what remains...long after I am gone. Written by Cindy Sigler Dagnan. Bases on 1 Corinthians 13

Update on Mom

Because her levels were good, Mom was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. She is now home and trying to stay away from everyone...so it's not quite "home sweet home" yet. Due to the treatment she had on Monday she is a bit of a danger to anyone who gets too close. It will be this way for a week. She was able to start her thyroid medication yesterday and things are going okay in that area. Her doctor explained that because her body slowed down in that area for 10 weeks it will now start to speed up. This means that it might be a struggle emotionally. Please pray that God will give her peace inspite of what's going on inside. It has been good to phone her up these last few days to cheer her up. We called her during her last day in the hospital and for the first time Liam said "Love you" over the phone. It made her day. Since this is the first time he's said it I think it's another indication that God's timing is perfect.

Another Update on Mom

On Monday (23) my mom went into the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon to take a radioactive drink. After her scan they found two spots that they hope to kill with this drink. Because of the drink's potency she has been staying in a lead lined room in the hospital. Thankfully she has a great view of the river and has cable TV and a phone. Her levels seem to be good so it looks hopeful that she will be out tomorrow (Thursday). Thanks for continued thoughts and prayers.

Who's the Man?

When Liam first was introduced to a quad a few weeks ago he was very hesitant. You'd never know it now. This guy is a full out fan. Especially after we house sat for friends of ours from church. They have a regular sized quad and then this little one for their son. It's still a bit big for Liam but that didn't stop him from checking it out. We were there for a BBQ after the lake and during supper I went around looking for Liam only to find him in the garage, in the dark and on this quad. It kind of reminds me of my brother Brad when he was a kid except Liam likes quads and Brad didn't really like horses all that much. While preparing for a church family trail ride at Torch Trail one year (Brad was quite young still) we ended up misplacing Brad before we even left the stable. Mom went looking around for him and found him in the barn, in the dark and sitting on his horse who had decided the trail ride idea wasn't a good one and wandered back into his stall. Ahhh...memories!

Staying cool at Tobin Lake, SK

Tobin Lake is about 40 minutes from our place and is considered a great place to fish by many a fisherman. We don't fish that much but this summer it has also been a great place to catch a break from the heat of our apartment. Here's Liam playing around and in the lake when we went out there with some friends on Sunday. Great fun!!

Update on Mom

Just last week they did a scan to make sure they got all of the thyroid they removed a while back. They found two spots. One they think is left over thyroid and the other could still be cancer. On July 23 she goes into the hospital to drink a radioactive drink that will hopefully kill those two spots. Once she takes this drink she has to be in a lead lined room in the hospital for three to five days. They will do another scan in November to check again. A few weeks ago Liam and I spent the week with my family to help around the house and keep mom's spirits up. Her body is now really looking for what it usually gets from her thyroid but they haven't been able to put her on medication yet. This is hard on her and my dad and brother. Please pray for our family if you think of it.

The Great Looking Skeldon Family

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Fun with Photo Booth

With me working a few hours here and there to NBC, they have let me use the macbook laptop. Let's just say it hasn't been all business. :0) There is this great program called PhotoBooth with all sorts of fun things you can do with pictures. Here are some examples.

An Anderson Houseboat Adventure II

An Anderson Houseboat Adventure

June 2nd we set sail...okay, we started the engine...and pulled our houseboat out onto the Shuswap lakes in British Columbia. Lindsay's parents planned a week-long trip for all of their kids. It was great. We left Liam with my parents in Saskatoon and Lindsay and I enjoyed the old life for a few days. We sure missed our little man though. We had lots of fun golfing, soaking in the scenery, swimming, hot tubing (once we switched boats so we would have a hot tub that worked and boat that didn't leak...into our bedroom and into the hallway :), playing games, sight seeing, and just enjoying each other's company. It was a great experience.

Oh Brother!!

Never a dull moment with Brad, which made this trip to MB very fun. This is Brad letting off some steam in a rest area dog run outside of Regina, SK.

Happy Day!

Brad and I were able to drive to Steinbach, MB in May and celebrate with our friends, Angela Cole and Tim Thiessen! We had a blast traveling there together and it was great to be there to support them as they begin their new life together as husband and wife.

Update on Mom

Mom got out of surgery Wednesday (16th) afternoon with the news that there was another lump that they hadn't noticed before. So, we are thankful that they decided to take out the entire thyroid gland. It will be another 5 1/2 weeks before the doctors scan mom to see if they were successful in taking out all the thyroid. If there is still some in there, she will have to drink a radioactive drink to kill what remains of the gland. At this point they should also let us know about the cancer and if treatments have to be undergone. Mom is sore and sometimes a bit numb, meaning she is low on calcium. She has had to go into the hospital once since the surgery to receive more calcium. Please pray that mom heals well and that the doctors were succesful. Please also pray for patience as she waits and recovers.

That's a big bathtub Daddy!

It was really fun showing Liam the ocean for the first time. It took him a few moments to used to the sand. Once that introduction took place there was no stopping him. Surprisingly enough there wasn't much in the diaper that night. :) Liam didn't really appreciate us dipping his feet into the cold ocean water but us landlubbers gotta do these things...it's tradition. Emma, now a pro with all things sand and ocean, showed Liam how it was done and they had a great time.

Fun in the Tub

Why is it that we parents run for the camera when it's bathtime? Is it that we hope to come up with some good shots to show at a future wedding reception? Or is it just that we think our little people are cute when wet? Either way, we had a good time watch Emma and Liam play in the tub. Most of the time was spent trying to keep Liam from drinking the water. Something that also might work well in a wedding reception setting. :)

Liam, what does a dinosaur say?

That was the question when we pulled into Drumheller, AB during our trip. Liam definitely knows what a lion and tiger say but we had never tried dinosaur. Maybe it was the big teeth or the big eyes staring down on him but after a few minutes he came up with, "ROOOAAAARRR". We found out that day that for $3/each people can walk up the inside of Mr. Rex and take a peek from inside his mouth. We decided to wait for the next time we drive through, just in case it would be too much for our little man. That, and we didn't feel like paying $9 to walk up a flight of stairs. :)

I guess it's John Deere!

Spending time at the zoo or on the Peter's deck, it was John Deere all the way.

News about Mom

Recently my mom found out that she has thyroid cancer. At first this news was very overwhelming for all of us but since then we have learned more about it. This type of cancer is a very slow growing cancer which means that it is very unlikely to spread to other parts of the body. The cancer looks like it is completely contained in the lump the doctor found but they decided to take the whole thyroid out. They did that yesterday (Wednesday, 16) and she is doing well. It hurts to swallow of course and the next 6 weeks until they can scan to see if they got everything, will likely be difficult. Our family would appreciate your prayers regarding healing and comfort. There is a possibility that they won't need to administer chemo or radiation, which would be great. I talked to mom the morning of her surgery and she was doing very well emotionally. God has given her a lot of peace and I am so proud of her.

Oregon here we come...

From WA we travelled south to Oregon and began a one week visit with Jeff, Alysun & Emma Peters. I met Alysun at Briercrest and we became friends right away. Through the years we have had many fun times together. This latest trip was no exception. We traveled to the coast, spent a night at the coast, went to the zoo, ate ice cream, laughed, watched movies, laughed some more, fed cows (one of Liam's highlights) and enjoyed some great food. Over the days ahead I hope to post some more about our trip out there so that you can see what we were all up to.

Gig Harbor

We then traveled to Gig Harbor, WA to visit with my Great Aunt Jo & Uncle Gordon. Spending time with them is always a treat. If you find you have a moment as you read this, our family would appreciate your prayers. Aunt Jo has breast cancer and is awaiting the details regarding Chemo and Radiation treatments.

Spending time in Canuckland

Our first night of holidays were spent in Calgary (not Canuck land, but Flames land) and there we spent a great evening/night with our friends Ryan & Sheila Meikle...and little Meikle, yet to be officially met. We enjoyed a great BBQ with them, lots of laughs and even some hockey. Go figure, Lindsay would want to watch hockey on his holidays. They have two cats and Liam had a blast playing with them. I think Tigger and Bailey were offically freaked out and ready to have their house back without a curious toddler. From Calgary we drove to Kamloops and then on to Abbotsford to visit the Leppingtons. Now we were truly in Canuckland. We were thrilled see them again and had a great visit. That Mark & Joni in the pic with Liam. Mark & Joni used to work at NBI. Mark was the one I assisted as Exec Assistant and Joni was the Dean of Women. Such an awesome couple. We were also able to visit with the rest of the family that lives out there, including Danny who was Linds' roommate in first year.

Playing in the gym with the guys

Often Liam and I will head over to the NBI gym to work out some energy. On this occasion our friends, Kepler and Theo, along with their mama bear, Darlene joined us.