Lighting of the torch

I talked to Niek briefly before his torch was lit and he was so excited, he was shaking! I am so proud of him!

So tonight was a highlight for me as I don't get out much anymore! Anyway on Jan. 15 2010 I got to hold the Olympic torch. Caryn and I went to the Ceremony here in Red Deer and left the boys at home with the babes! After running quite a ways to find exactly where we wanted to be, we randomly saw a guy waiting for his leg of the race with no one around. So of course we asked him if we could hold the torch! We were obviously thrilled when he said yes!

Just up the road, was where we actually trying to get, the young man in this picture is remarkable. I taught him Phys. Ed 2 years ago as ninth grader. His name is Niek Theelan. With limited used of his legs he walks with two canes and braces on both ankles. In my class I treated him no differently than the others as I wanted to see what he was capable of. Obviously if he wasn't up to the task or if it was too dangerous we made other arrangements for him but I would say he participated 99% of the time. He is funny, hard working, and just a great person to be around.

On more than one occasion during our class Niek brought me to tears with his dedication and perseverance. During our track and field unit I wondered what he would be able to take part in, particularly the running events. So on the day of the 400m I was amazed when Niek lined up to get timed. I knew it would take him a while but we all waited for him to finish. After about 300m (also the distance he walked tonight with just one cane) he decided to throw down his canes and make a dash for the finish line. His whole class was cheering him on and a few of them were running beside him. In that last 100m he fell just once, flat out, got up and made his way to the finish line.

Niek is a remarkable young man, an inspiration to all who know him, and I am so proud to have been there to see him carry the Olympic torch for his community! Way to go Niek!!

Ellyanna's First Christmas

1. Checking out her first Christmas present ever

2. Silas loving the lego we gave him, or maybe just loving the box it came in

3. Relaxing after all the gift opening

4. Hanging out with Grace in their Christmas dresses! I love this picture it is too cute!

The focus

At just three months old our little girl has amazing focus, here she is watching TV, I can't remember what it was but it had her completely captivated. So much so that it was hard to draw her attention away from it! I love the picture where is standing, it must have got really intense at that point, and the picture with her soother in her hand, it's like she just pulled it out to comment on what was going on!

Bitter Sweetness

So another year has come and gone and this past year we were lucky enough to meet Kevin and Sarah, or as we often refer to them, the Aussies. They were here for the year on exchange with Sue, a former co-worker from Glendale. Nate and Kevin taught side by side for the first half of '09 before his transfer, and became great friends.

We spent many evenings with them, swapping stories and enjoying the odd beverage (except for Jamie of course, as she literally found out she was pregnant the day they arrived)! Sarah and Kevin are just good people we would love to pop over and visit, perhaps we'll have to apply for an Australian exchange soon.

This is Sue, she has just returned from Australia, and is meeting Ellyanna for the first time. The last time Jamie saw her was just before Christmas last year when Sue informed her that she had a feeling Jamie was pregnant. Obviously she was right! We are delighted to have her back of course but sad that it meant Sarah and Kevin would be on their way.

Ellyanna"s latest photo shoot

So I took Ellyanna for some professional pictures at Superstore last week and it was so funny! Here are a few before and after shots. She was prefectly happy when we got there.

As the shoot went on, she become more and more unhappy, making it difficult to get those classically cute baby photos. However we did get some pretty funny ones! Apparently she would rather just smile for her Dad!

And the sweet little angel shot! She is too funny! This was the last shot of the day. She cried for a few minutes after this, making me think she may be hungry. I asked one of the girls who works there ( a former student of mine) to warm some water in the staff microwave so I could make her a bottle. However by the time she got back Elly was as happy as could be checking out her photos with me, no bottle needed!