Monday, December 20, 2010

2nd Annual Santa Shuffle... at least for our family

We participated in the Santa Shuffle again this year, with the whole Parmar family.  Last year we started the tradition, and as long as the weather is good (not raining), I think we'll keep it going.  Its fun to go out and support a good cause, enjoy the fresh air, and hang out with the family all at the same time.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

It's Christmas!

Nat is at the age where she comprehends a lot of things... but time and waiting she does not seem to understand. Once we started talking about Christmas and decorating the tree, she assumed that now it was Christmas. We tried to get her to understand that it was a long ways away, but to no avail. Each day she would wake up and declare that it was Christmas. One way we tried to get her to understand the countdown to Christmas was through an advent calendar... but it still isn't working all that well. Its eased the urgency of Christmas, but she wants to open up every day 'right now'. She's a work in progress.
I want to be able to instil in our children the true meaning of Christmas, and not the commercial version they see displayed all around, but it can be hard to not get wrapped up in what is all around you. Nat thinks that Santa lives in the North Pole and will bring her a present... do I allow her to continue to believe this? I haven't been able to bring myself to change her view point. Would she understand if I told her Santa is a mythical character?

We talk about Christmas as Jesus' birthday, and it is because of Jesus that we celebrate Christmas, but all she sees is Santa... I know that we have time for her to understand the truth, but... should that time be now? Chelsea never did have any inclinations that Santa was real, so we haven't gone through this decision before.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Movember

November is Movember - a month to raise awareness and support for prostate cancer. This is not new, but was new for our household this year. Depak participated in Movember with his work, and was able to raise some money for a good cause. Gotta love the stash...

Not quite the smile I fell in love with...

Oh Christmas Tree

A family tradition is putting up the tree together. Nat was so excited she wanted to put the star on first, but we got her to wait until the end. I'm usually the one to fuss over how the tree looks, but Chelsea was the one to make sure the tree looked great this year. No new decorations, no personal touches, just a simply green and gold tree. We'll have to make it a Parmar tree next year with a few hand made ornaments, but this year we can enjoy the simply beauty.
And Nat got to help daddy put up the star too.

Another birthday at the Parmar household

Daddy's birthday is the last of our fall birthdays. Unfortunately Depak had to work on his b-day (a Saturday). We were still able to have some special family time, and some amazing chocolate cake (dairy free too)!
We got daddy a present, all be it one that he picked out, but a present none the less! It was a very sharp looking wool jacket. Its not easy buying Depak a present for a couple of reasons... he doesn't usually want much, and what he does want has to actualy fit him... so, he picked out a jacket this year. It looks great on him!

I am also getting more and more successful with the dairy free deserts... which is good and bad. They taste great, but we don't need that many sweet treats. It is good that I am able to make something that daddy likes and that he can eat too!

Hope you had a special day honey, love all your girls!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

November snow

A novelty around here... a November snow fall.  The snow didn't last very long, but we enjoyed it for a moment.  Nat helped me shovel the driveway... daddy bought her a snow shovel for just such an occassion.

It's catch up time... again!

I love being able to record our life in this format... but some times I get behind.  Life, as busy as it can be, is worth recording, so here's a catch up post (or more).

One thing I've wanted to blog for a while is the life I now live as a full-time "home" mom.  I have been truely enjoying my time on mat leave, and am very thankful for this time at home with the little girls.  I get to see as much of Chelsea as before, as I always picked her up after school while I was working, but I get to spend my days with the little ones, and am having a blast (at least most of the time).  Sure, it is exhausting, and some days I desire adult conversation and don't really want to play play dough, but all in all, we're having a good time!

Natalie still desires to be the center of attention.  I guess that's what you get when you're center of life for 2 1/2 years... you just want it to continue.  She is not so much of an attention seeker; she just wants me to be playing with her rather than playing by herself.  She's not too bothered by Anna, and is just starting to pay attention to the baby in the house.  When Anna was small, Nat just ignored her.  Now that Anna is playing and making noises, Nat is starting to notice her and interact with her.
Anna is a pleasant child. She is our chubby little girl who eats and sleeps, and now plays too! She does not like to be by herself either, she wants to be where the action is. If you give her a toy and walk away, she's not very interested... if you give her a toy and she can see you (at your level), then she's happy for a while. We've had to pull up the high chair just so that she can sit where she can see us in the kitchen. The floor just isn't fun anymore. She also loves the jumper, but only if you're near so that she can smile and make faces with you.

Both girls ADORE their big sister. Its so neat to see Nat's bond with Chelsea, and even more neat to see Anna follow suit. As soon as Chelsea walks in the room, both girls are enamoured with her. Nat can be fussy all day, and then when Chelsea gets home, Nat will be content to follow her around, sit in her bedroom to listen to didi's music.

Aaaahhhhh... its been a good fall for me.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Retreat!!!

Our church has put together a ladies retreat every other year for several years now, and I've attended the last three retreats.  They've been held at this amazing little retreat centre in Northern Washington, which is an amazing setting to truely marvel at God's creation, either rain or shine.  The group of ladies changes each retreat, and I love being able to get to know ladies I don't chat with every Sunday.  Its a small weekend away, but an amazing refresher from the everyday life. 

The focus of the retreat was loving well, as seen in 1 John 4:7-21.  So often I try to fulfill my desire to be loved from others, but the retreat brought be back to the truth: that God IS love and he is all I need to be loved.  It is too easy to just look to the physical world for our desires, as it is in front of our faces, but the physical realm always lets us down.  If I allow God to fulfill my hearts desire for love, and drawing on his love and strength, I can love others in my life.  Those that are easy to love; those that are a challenge to love; those I do not love (I have a hard time using the word hate, as we are called not to hate); and those that are not a part of my life, the strangers I am called to love.

Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This is a longing in my life, and I trust that God will continue to do a good work in me.

Monday, November 8, 2010

"The best birthday party ever"

According to Natalie, it was "the best birthday party ever"!  Its wonderful to see how life to a 3 year-old is so AMAZING!  Nat had her 3rd birthday last week, and we had a few family over for dinner, cake and gifts.  She was showered with love, and some very cool toys, what a lucky girl.
Nat has a love for care bears.  A long while back she asked for a care bears brithday cake.  So, I set off to figure out how to do this.  I found a cake pan on craigs list (complete with instructions) and made my first drop icing cake.  It was a lot harder than I anticipated, but once I got the hang of it, it was a lot of fun.  Nat helped make the cake, and discovered that licking the beaters is the best part.  Now Chelsea will have to share that honor.  This cake is love-a-lot bear, just like her care bear (which in fact was Chelsea's from long ago).
Nat also discovered that we had a small #3 cake pan, so she wanted that kind of cake too.  It was small and easy, and Chelsea did the honors of decorating it for her.  Although she wants candles on her cake, she's still a little afraid of the flame and did not want to blow it out. 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Trick or Treat!!!

One thing I have always enjoyed doing was dressing up for Halloween.  As kids we would find things in the closet to dress up as, which, more often than not, included a cowboy hat.  One year I even used a curtain for a skirt.  It was fun trying to be creative and come up with costume ideas.  As an adult I've had several opportunities to dress up as well, which is even more fun.  I love rummaging through the thrift stores to find gems to use.  I have this awesome shaggy orange jacket in the closet that I'll keep for future dress up opportunities.

There are many things about Halloween that I am not a supporter of.  We also have friends that have chosen not to take part in the day, which I fully respect.  I think it is important to understand the dangers that the day presents, and to take extreme caution, especially with our little.

All that in perspective, we still dress up and take part in trick or treating.  We dress the kids up and go to Grandma and Babba Ji's, and then off we go trick or treating.  Grandma and Babba Ji enjoy taking the kids out.  We were out for nearly 2 hours and came home with toooo much candy!

The kids had great costumes also.  Chels and Steph combined their options from their mom's old stashes, and looked cool in their rocker and pirate costumes.  Nat got to be a monkey again this year, as the costume fit really good.  Anna got to use Nat's first costume, and was a pumpkin.  She even came out with us, but slept in the stroller the entire time.  Chacha Ji and Chachi Ji were awesome looking nerds, and Arjun was an adorable spider.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Family visits

Seeings as the majority of my family lives in Manitoba, it isn't often that we get family visitors.  This year we've had an abundance of family come out to BC, and we've enjoyed having them over for a visit.  My aunt and uncle came out for a wedding a couple of weeks back, and we got to see them before they headed back home.  Nat, who tends to be shy with almost everyone these days, really took to Aunty Hilda.

Some of our other family stopped by that evening as well.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Birthday season has begun at the Parmar household

I love birthdays, they seem to generate so much joy.  As a parent, I think birthdays are particularly special... we set aside a day to celebrate our child.  Our first birthday celebration is Chelsea's, and what a nice day it was.  Chelsea, you are blossoming to be a beautiful young lady, and we continue to pray that God molds you into the woman He has in store for you.  We love you... baby girl.
Oh, and for her birthday this year, I made her another special cake.  Chelsea has a love for art, and we got her an art easel for her birthday, so I decided to make a paint pallet for a cake.  It turned out pretty neat.  I got to play with fondant again, which I do love.  Now I have a whole year to come up with another cool cake idea (and a few more cakes to make in between).
We had a fun small family party for Chelsea.  It doesn't take many to spoil her.  We are so thankful for the people in her life... they love making her feel special.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My beautiful family

This is my beautiful family... and I love 'em! God has truely blessed me!


Friday, October 15, 2010

Wedding!!!

I am a typical western Canadian, with a little bit of Mennonite heritage.  I did not grow up with much tradition aside from regular family gatherings at the various holidays.  Having a multicultural family has really brought new experiences to my world, and traditional Indian weddings is one of them.  We were able to take part in my brother-in-law's wedding two years ago, but there is nothing like an Indian wedding from a female's perspective.  My sister-in-law got married this past weekend, and here is a little snapshot of our experiences (and I truly mean a "little" as there was so much to take in that it'd be hard to share it all).

Let's start with the ENGAGEMENT... These are nothing like are western engagements, where the man proposes on one knee (which Mukesh did do, and with a ring pop none the less - at a much earlier date though).  It is customary to have an arranged marriage, and the men from the girl's side goes to the guy's house with a "dowry".  So, the men who supported Gurpreet took gifts and sweets over to Mukesh's place - this took place on the Saturday.
While this took place, the rest of us ladies did our best to decorate the house for the parties.

On the Sunday, the engagement continued, where the ladies from the guy's side brought gifts and sweets over for Gurpreet.  There is a lot involved in these gifts, including combing the bride-to-be's hair and putting on bracelets and henna... so many customs that I don't fully understand.

And then there was the MEHNDI party (or henna).  This is a ladies party, which involves food, music, and best of all, mehndi.  The lady that did the mehndi was amazingly fast, and did an excellent job.  Gurpreet had her hands and feet done, and it looked great.

Then, there are the Mayan (the "n" is almost silent) events, one on Thursday morning and one on Friday evening.  The Friday is a large party, with lots of food and dancing, including the Juggo dancing (with a type of pot on our heads).  At the Mayan we spread a turmeric colored paste all over the bride, and then wipe it off with a type of flour.  This is to "cleanse" the skin, although it looks like it would actually stain the skin.  The bangles and jewelry are also presented to the bride by her "mamma ji's" (which is mom's brothers).

And then the WEDDING DAY!!!  For us, this started at 7am.  We took family pictures at the house before heading out to the Gurdwara together (all the extended family).  That means we were up super early getting ready; I believe Gurpreet was up at 4:30 am.  At the Gurdwara, the bride's family greets the groom's family and the men exchange flower garlands.  Then is morning tea (with sweets and pastries), before heading up to the ceremony.

The ceremony is all in Punjabi, so I was at a loss for most of what was happening.  They provided a small pamphlet for us "white" folks to try to follow along, which helped, but I still did not understand everything.  It is a bit of a teary celebration, as the bride's family almost mourns the loss of a daughter, which is quite foreign to what I am used to, but in their culture, the bride leaves her family and goes to live with her groom's family.  In India, this can be in a village quite far away.  We are fortunate that Surrey isn't too far from Abbotsford, but Gurpreet has left our home and is now a part of Mukesh's family. 

After the ceremony and a quick family photo, we all head back to my in-law's place, as more tradition abounds.  This is around 1pm.  Once Mukesh and Gurpreet arrive at the house (after their pictures), Gurpreet came in, but Mukesh has to "buy" his way in to get his bride.  The "sisters" from the bride's side try to get as much out of the groom, while the "brothers" of the groom support him and try to "push" their way in with little cost.  We made a compromise and prepared a "deal or no deal" type of game.  Mukesh was lucky, he got away with only paying $200.

After the groom's family left, it was time to get ready for the PARTY.  We got our hair done, outfits on, and off to the reception.  It was a great reception, they did an awesome job.  Mukesh and Gurpreet even did a choreographed number for their first dance, which was so much fun.  They also had a photo booth for the guests.  Most importantly, the bride and groom looked stunning.

And that is not all... on Sunday, after the wedding, the bride's family invites the groom's family over for a meal.  We had the traditional Indian food, as we've had all week, but since it was Thanksgiving, we also made a turkey (compliments of Lois - thankyou). 

Yikes... I think that covers most of it.  Now, let the normal everyday routine begin!!!

Showers and salons

A fun part of weddings are the bridal showers and the pampering that goes on before the wedding.  There were two showers for Gurpreet, a small friends shower, and then a family shower.
We also took an evening away and had our nails done.  It was a nice time away with the ladies.  I do wish I picked a brighter color, as gold is shiny, but doesn't stand out enough.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Special moments in life

The biggest reason why I own a camera is because I love being able to reflect back on special moments in life.  Here are just a couple of precious moments recently.
Natalie playing at the park with Grandpa.
Grandma getting to snuggle Anna.
Nat and her friends having a "sleepover" during a movie.
Nat missed a nap one day and fell asleep in the stroller when we decided to go for a walk, which she never does.
I took this while Nat was painting, cute photo.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit

My parents were able to come out from MB this summer, and it was great for them to meet our Anna.  Anna's namesake is my grandma (dad's mom), which was pretty special for my parents.  We had a nice visit, making some traditional mennonite food from scratch, trying some amazing Sockeye salmon, playing cards, swimming... we even tought mom how to use a digital camera.  We didn't venture out too far from home, as the weather wasn't the greatest, but we had a good visit none the less.

We got to celebrate my dad's birthday while they were out here, so we had a picnic in the park for lunch, and went out for dinner in the evening.

My parents don't get to see these grandkids as much, so it was great to have them visit.  Nat took a special liking to grandpa... he's a fun grandpa.  She was especially sad when they had to go.  Can't wait for the next visit, probably in MB.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Anna's baby dedication

We were able to have a baby dedication for Anna at the end of August while my parents were out.  We had our close friends and family come to church that Sunday to be support for us.  We are so thankful to our Lord for how He has provided for our family, especially our three girls.  Our desire is to raise our children in a way honoring to Him, and we dedicate ourselves as parents before the Lord.

Its also a bit of a release of control for us as parents.  It is so easy to try to do it on our own strength and control the on-goings of our children, but to realize that we do not have control and trust our daughters into the Lord's hand is extremely refreshing. 

We chose a scripture passage for Anna.  Philippians 1:9-11 "And this is my prayer: that your love may about more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

We desire that Anna love Jesus and lean on Christ as she grows, and to live a life that is pleasing to God.  We hope to help Anna learn about Jesus and his gift of salvation.  With God's strength we desire to raise our beautiful daughter.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Cottage, continued...

We took so many pictures on our family vacation, that this is just a taste of our trip (by major category).  Definitely a trip full of memories, we had such a nice time.  So, here goes...

The beach life was fabulous.  Although it was too cold to go swimming (Chels & Steph did attempt to on the first day), we had a really nice time beach combing, hanging out, etc.  We were at Porpoise Bay, which is not directly on the rough ocean, which made the water really calm.  The water was very shallow for a long ways out, so it was pretty safe for Nat.  The only thing you had to worry about were the sink holes.  I sunk all the way to my knees one time.  And when you sank, you could feel all the clam shells just below the sand, pretty creepy.
We didn't get bad weather on our trip, it just wasn't the warmest weather.  But it is definitely the sunshine coast, and we got sun every day.  On a cold day we ended up swimming in the local rec centre.  But still we get a view that is spectacular, especially at dusk.
It was cold enough to start the wood stove in the cottage.  As BC was having a province wide burning ban, we were not able to have a camp fire, but we really wanted to roast marshmallows... so, we roasted them in the wood stove.  Not sure if it was the safest thing to do, but it was a lot of fun, and very yummy!
Gibsons is the town that the ferry lands at, and we spent a part of one day enjoying the beautiful port.  It is a very quaint little town, a great B&B get-away for hubby and I some day.  Gibsons is where The Beach Combers was filmed many years ago.  We even ate at Molly's Reach, which was on the show.
As an excursion, we went on a boat tour of the bay.  Depak so graciously stayed behind with Anna, and I got to take Nat and Chels.  It was pretty awesome viewpoint, and we got to see a bunch of sea lions and a plume of jelly fish.  Super neat.  It just fueled Chelsea's desire to study marine biology.
One of the things I was looking forward to was going out to see Skookumchuck rapids.  This is where the three narrows join into the big ocean.  At high and low tide, a tidal wave or rapid is created.  It's apparently a hot spot for experienced kayakers.  The rapids happen to be about an hour outside of Sechelt, and with having a little one we debated if it would be worth the trip.  We went none the less, packed a picnic lunch, enjoyed the hike (4km one way), and the rapids were very neat.  We didn't make the peak, so the rapids were coming down as we were there. 
And if there is one thing my family can count on... its the infamous family photo.  I love the self timer function on my camera, and love to subject my family to the vacation family photo.  This time I had us posing at a couple of different spots.  I love my family, and want to see their smiling faces as much as I can, so...

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Cottage

This has been such a busy month that I have not had a lot of chances to get away and blog.  This one will come in two parts, hopefully that way it'll be easier.

This year our family booked a cottage in Sechelt for our family vacation.  I asked my husband to do something low key but still fun for the kids, as I really wanted to get away together as a family, even with a newborn.  We searched the internet and found this amazing cottage, and what a beauty it was.  It was very quaint... about 80 years old, and well maintained.  Depak is used to a few more modern amenities, but I thought it was so charming.  Chelsea and Stephanie were dreaming up their future in a cottage like that one.  It just so happened that the cottage was for sale, so we were all dreaming what it would be like to live there (the price-tag made it a bit unrealistic, but fun none the less).

So, here is the little cottage... it had two rooms plus a loft, a full kitchen (minus the dishwasher), a bath with a shower and claw foot tup, and a laundry room.  The furnishings were old, the bedding was purposefully mismatched (in a very matching sort of way), the kitchen sink was old style ceramic... just lovely.
Then there was the view... the most amazing part of the trip was being able to look out the window and see that view... to be able to walk out the back yard and onto the beach below.  It was great for the kids to be right on the beach and be able to enjoy the sea life anytime they wanted.  Although the beach is public, there weren't that many people out in front of where we were staying, mainly as it was a little cold for sun bathing, and we had a lot of rocks.  This is why the pricetag of this little place was soooo high!
Chelsea had the priveledge of bringing her BFF with us for the weekend.  It is such a treat spending time with Stephanie, she's like another daughter for us, we truely love her.  It was also very nice for Chelsea to have a friend, as the remaining time we were there, Nat was on her heels.  Thanks for joining us Steph.
My adopted parents also came to visit us at the cottage for a night.  It was great to spend some time with Harold and Lois, play games, get to talk as we haven't in a long time.  Nat really warmed up to Grandpa, and Grandma got to get her baby snuggles in.  Thanks for the visit!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

A summer favorite...

Crescent Beach is always a favorite spot for us to go every summer.  We usually make it out once or twice, enjoying the beach combing, having a picnic, and always ending the day off with delicious ice cream.  This year, Depak got to take the girls, as I was home with babe.  It was a nice outing for them, and much cooler at the water than our hot inland temperatures.

To the river

There is something captivating about our Heavenly Father's creation.  One thing I truely delight in is being able to be outdoors and taking in the beauty of the created world around us.  I am drawn especially to water, and am blessed to live in a place where water is in abundance.  We took some time on a hot summer evening to stroll along the Fraser River.  Its a beautiful place for breathtaking sunsets, and good pictures too.
This always brings to mind the Brian Doerksen song "The River", a favorite of mine.  The Sunday before we happened to sing this song at church, so I reflected on the words while enjoying the peacefulness of the setting.  "He is calling, he is waiting, Lord I need to meet you there."  When life seems overwhelming, I am so thankful that I have a savior that desires to have me "cast my cares on Him for he cares for me."

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Summer of memories

It's been a while, so let the updating begin...

What a wonderful summer it was!  We were very busy as a family this summer, even with having such a little babe.  The summer flew by too quickly, such as it goes every year, so it seems.

Here are a few fun photos from our summer:
We have adored having our little Anna a part of our family this summer.  She's growing too fast, she is definately out of the newborn stage.  She's already holding up her head, looking around, and she loves to sit up.  As a third child, she seems so much more content to go along with the flow.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Family day trips

Being summer vacation, we've been trying to make the most of it by taking small day trips.  With having a newborn, it requires a little more planning, and a lot more patience from the older girls, but we've been having a great time anyway.

We spent some time at very dear family friends of ours one afternoon.  Chelsea was invited over to swim, and Natalie was able to spend a little time in the water as well.  They had a good time swimming with Taylor.  Chelsea stayed for the afternoon and evening, while we took a cranky Nat home (she didn't want to leave the pool).
Our first major outing was Cultas Lake.  We packed a small lunch and headed out to the beach.  I hadn't been there in years, and Depak had never gone, so we weren't familiar with the beach... we didn't realize that there are geese everywhere... makes for dodging of do-do everywhere you walk.  It was a nice get-away, and not too much work with Anna (there is lots of shade to protect her skin).  Depak didn't like the bonnet I put on Anna, but we didn't have anything else to cover her head.
Chelsea is such a great sister and always plays with Natalie in the sand.  We were making birthday cakes, and Nat was singing happy birthday to each of us.  It was fun.  When we wanted to go into the water, Nat was hesitant, as always, and wouldn't go in.  Chelsea did, though, and swam around by herself for a while.
We also made it out to the Agrifair.  We saw the animals, took in the Flying Fools High Dive show, the Rodeo, some rides, and the Brian Doerksen concert.  Natalie really enjoyed the kids zone this year, and went into the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bouncy structure (took some coaksing).  She loves Mickey, so it was neat to be able to play in the Clubhouse.  Nat also went on a couple of rides (the dinosour train and car), and had a blast.  Her first fair experience (that she can remember).
I had the priveledge of going on a couple of rides with Chelsea.  The first two were great, and we had a blast (the octopus and the hang gliders).  The third ride did me in... the Sizzler.  Chelsea loved them all, but I think I'm getting to old for this stuff.  We had a great time throughout the whole day, but glad the fair only comes around once a year.