Shindle Family Blog

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Hello Again

I hope everyone is having a great week. I know I am. It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. It seems like yesterday that I began the school year with a new class. Where does the time go? I guess when you are busy time flies.
Our Kitchen is pretty much completed except for some painting that we want to do. That may have to wait until the summer but I am hopeful I can do it on my Christmas holidays. With a retired father who used to be a painter in his younger days (along with every other potential job) I should be able to find some help. We are really happy with the results and I will post a picture in the near future.

The hockey team I work with (Pembina Valley Hawks) as Assistant/Goaltender Coach is doing really well. We are undefeated in 17 games and in first place in our division. Graham (my Brother) is the Assistant Coach, and a friend of ours, Rob Smith, is the Head Coach. It has been a lot of fun to go to the rink and work with those guys. It is hard to imagine how much you don't know about hockey. I learn more than I teach everyday.

Kolton's hockey is going well. He enjoys the time at the rink and doesn't complain too much about going. For a 4 year old he is not a bad skater or player so I think he will get quite a few years of fun out of the sport. He is also up to the letter J in Nursery School. It is remarkable how much those little guys can learn.

Jayden is the same as always. He is charming, stubborn, happy, and usually hungry. Our big project is to toilet train him over the holidays. He is only 2 1/2 but because he is the size of a 4 yr old the diaper is looking pretty funny. Our neice Kylyn basically trained herself at the age of 18 months so I am considering having her over to train Jayden. Oh well, it isn't like Jayden will be wetting his pants when he is 16....does it?

Angie is working hard and doing really well. She was given a two week holiday to Mexico as a reward for putting in a lot of extra effort over the last year by her boss. Daren is really generous and we owe a lot of what we have to the opportunities he has provided Angie with. Of course if Angie wasn't smart, dedicated, and hard working those opportunities wouldn't have amounted to much.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Another Day...Another Day...Another Day

We had another day today. Grandpa Shindle came to help us take some things to the dump which consisted of mostly debris from the kitchen. We then took the kids to the rink because Kolton had a hockey practice and then Grandpa looked after the kids while Garth went to Morden for practice. Angie worked late in Winnipeg and stayed over night as she does every Wednesday. It was a busy day but it was calmed down by Grandpa's help once again. We consider ourselves lucky because we are able to get such support from our families and friends. It makes life far more enjoyable and allows us to do a lot more. There is no way Garth could coach, Kolton could play hockey and Angie could go to the gym regularly if we had no help. We have a deep respect for single parents who are able to provide opportunities for their kids because we know that those opportunities come at the expense of their own if there is no really solid support system. A big "Thank You" to everyone who helps us out and makes our life better. Have a great evening everyone. Hopefully you can keep checking back in.

"70's Batman" and "Beverly Hills Ninja" take to the streets on Halloween 2005.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the Shindle Family Blog. Hopefully we will update it on a regular basis and include pictures of the kids and of us "grown ups." We have entered a very busy time as we head towards Christmas. We will be hosting the School's Christmas Party on Friday and our Kitchen is in the middle of renovations so we are battling to keep the house clean and get the work done. When you combine that with work, coaching, Kolton's hockey, and Christmas, it is a little overwhelming. I guess it wouldn't really be the Christmas season if it weren't busy. Christmas is a great time of year and we are looking forward to seeing everyone.

Kolton has started hockey this year and is doing really well. He is one of the youngest kids at the age of 4 but manages to hold his own. He has now been close to scoring about 5 times but has come up empty so far. He seems to enjoy the game and LOVE the dressing room and all of the kids. I guess he is the same as everyone else who plays. The best part has always been the people. He is also in Nursery School and seems to be handling it well. He is pretty active and I suspect we will have some long Parent-Teacher Conferences over the years but he seems capable of learning everything. If he is like his Dad he will be a "Know it all" by the time he is about 15.

Jayden is growing like a weed. Except he is more like an Oak Tree than some skinny weed. Anyways, he is huge, cute and growing more stubborn and independent by the day. At the age of two he is already sharing Kolton's clothing. He is also the reason we are renovating our Kitchen. He overflowed the sink while Dad had a nap. The floors and coutertops were all destroyed along with some of the cupboards. OK, maybe it was Dad's fault.

Well, I hope there are a few people out there who are interested in paying us a visit. Leave us a comment so that we know you are there. Happy Holidays everyone.

Kolton the Hockey Star

Jayden the Hockey Fan / Rink Rat