Tulip's Tantrums

We got a little snow yesterday. About 20 cm (8") with it still coming down and expected to end around noon today. I don't mind the snow so much as the cold. While our temps aren't supposed to be too bad, the windchill is going to bring them almost to -30C. Chilly!! The weather is playing havoc on the roads as well. Kiershyn had her first drive on snow covered highways yesterday. She made it through though and I'm sure learned a lot. Dad's driving her today, so that will give her a little respite. In Ferguson, Missouri, there are riots and looting going on. Michael Brown , an African American,  was shot by a white officer, Darren Wilson, in August of this year. A few days ago, a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson for Brown's death. This has not sat well with a lot of people so instead of doing something constructive, they choose to loot and burn and destroy one another's property. Wow! That's a great way of showing your respect for the dead. O

Well the night ended late and this morning came early. Peanut came for a sleep over last night. She went to bed about 11 and woke at 4 for a quick bottle. Now she's back sleeping with Opa and I'm still awake. LOL Today's the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall . It was an incredible thing. Watching it on tv, we felt such joy for the people of Germany - especially those in East Germany. Ariya is just such a joy to have around. She is getting VERY busy and moving around everywhere. She's walking along furniture and I'm sure it won't be long before she's walkingd. Peanut will be 9 months on the 17th - getting to be such a big girl! Here's her latest pic from this morning. And here's a picture with Opa last night. Being a granny is so cool. We get to spoil her and love her up and send her home! It really is fantastic! Have a great day! Toodles

Early this week, a crazed individual hit two Canadian Forces soldiers with his car . Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent died from his injuries. Yesterday, an act of terrorism was carried out at our country's capital, when a lone gunman shot and killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo . These deaths are senseless and leave me with a heavy heart. They remind me that Canada is not immune to these things. We've got thousands of people who follow ISIS or are supporters. I'm sure many of them wouldn't hesitate to kill more military, given the chance. We sent 6 planes to fight in Iraq ... that's all? Shouldn't we stand up for with our allies, as they are supporting us? Regardless, we have to be on guard on our home soil ... everyone needs to be! These things can happen anywhere, and the perps don't care who's around; they'll wipe out everyone in their path. Take care, stay aware and love your families like never before. Toodles.

After another long break from my blog, I'm back. Not sure what I'm going to write about. Family, friends, the news? The family is doing good. Everyone gets along well, for the most part. Everyone's healthy and happy. Ariya is growing like a weed; almost walking - at 8 months! She's incredible. Friends. All is well. We see each other when we can. When there's time. Which there isn't much of in this busy world. I cherish the times we do have together. The news. There are just so many things one can talk about with the news. Winnipeg police just found 4 newborn babies' bodies in a storage locker. They're so decomposed the police weren't sure if there were 3 or 4. Very sad. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremists have been a little quiet lately. Kind of scary. In the past few months they've beheaded many soldiers and news reporters, as well as terrorized and slaughtered their own people. Thousands of civilians have tried

It's been a long time since I last wrote. Life just takes hold and pushes you along, time slipping past at a quick pace. Our family has gone through a lot of changes; I'll try to bring you up to date on all of them. Darrin and I live in our same home in Fort Saskatchewan. We've been here 13 years now. Darrin is a Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, and works up north 10 days and home 4 days. I stay at home and tend the animals: Gator, Lucy, Joni, Ellie and Tatyana. Dreytan is a power engineer and works just outside of Edmonton. He lives in Fort Saskatchewan with a beautiful girl, Joanna. Joanna is a safety admin and is going back to school in the fall for a dental assistant. Kiershyn lives in Edmonton with a nice young man, Tyler. She works downtown for an engineering firm as an administrative assistant. Ty is an apprentice electrician. They have two wonderful cats: Jimothy and Finnigan. Braunt and his fiancee, Breanna, live in Fort Saskatchewan. Braunt works