THE FITZ BOYZ: March 2014

March 26, 2014

March 25, 2014

This short story was passed on to me courtesy of Grams. Who knows where it originated from. Who knows if it is true. The truth is, it doesn't matter. It is a short, simple message, it's smile worthy and hopefully make you realize that this is a great outlook to have on life. We do the best we can with what we have, enjoy the gift of each day, be grateful for it and appreciate all that you have.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it" he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it", he replied.

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do."

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you both for your part in filling my Memory Bank.

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my babies you'll be.
- Robert Munsch

March 22, 2014

RIPLEY'S AQUARIUM OF CANADA

Quinn and Kieran spent the afternoon on an amazing adventure with Poppy and Nana. This date to go to Ripley's Aquarium has been on the calendar for weeks and the boys were excited when they woke up today knowing today was the day. When we picked the boys up I asked, "did you like it?" and the response from the backseat was, "no, we LOVED it!" Highlights included stingrays, jellyfish and sharks, oh, and of course, pop and chips as a snack. Thanks Poppy and Nana for planning and executing such a fantastic outing for the four of you. I hope you had as much fun as the boys did.

Photos courtesy of Poppy. aka: Michael Bosley

Q playing in the locks

Kieran underwater - although he came out looking dry!

My cute faces

The cost of Quinn if he was a tuna fish

The cost of Quinn, Kieran and Nana if they were tuna fish

Cool shark shot

K's turn at the locks

March 20, 2014

INTRODUCING...

Speedy Bubbles Fitzpatrick, the newest member of our household. The boys have been asking and asking and asking for a hamster and we finally decided to let them get one. There are 4 requirements that were agreed upon before making this purchase.

1. They are responsible for feeding and giving him fresh water every day.
2. They are responsible to check in on him, play with him and love him every day.
3. They are responsible for cleaning out his cage every single week.
4. Do all of the above without complaint.

The boys split the cost of the hamster and Dave and I told them we would pay for food and bedding. The very cool cage was given to us by our great friends the Thompson family. They have had a hamster before and have opted not to get another one. The cage has been sitting in their basement for a number of months and they very kindly passed it on to us. Thank you Thompson's!

"Speedy" was Kieran's chosen name.
"Bubbles" came from Quinn.
"Fitzpatrick" came with the address.


After picking "the one" they wanted out the man put him in the carry part of the cage.

The proud new owners of a Teddy Bear Hamster

Speedy getting ready to turn in for the night.

His groovy, colourful home, courtesy of the Thompon's. Thank You!

In 2014 Teddy Bear Hamsters cost $10.99 and come with a 15 day health guarantee... *Notice the final sentence on the receipt. *No guarantee of age, life span, temperament or gender.* Hilarious!

March 02, 2014

HAPPINESS

Quinn's class is keeping a blog. The kids are reflecting and writing about books that they have read or topics they are discussing in class. I realized I had not checked the blog for a few weeks so this morning I checked it and read Quinn's most recent post on HAPPINESS. What he wrote about brought tears to my eyes. Quinn, you bring great happiness to our family. We love you!

March 01, 2014

DURHAM GYMNASTICS INVITATIONAL

This morning had us travel to Durham Gymnastics Academy for Kieran to compete in another gymnastics competition. In the past, Kieran has still be in the "Demo" category. Now that he is 8, he has been bumped up to Level 1 which is where the judging begins. Kieran admitted to me last night that he was very nervous for today's competition. He knew this was the first time that he was going to be "marked". He did well on all six elements, and most importantly, he had a blast! There were huge smiles on his face after each routine was completed. He was also thrilled to receive so many ribbons for five of his routines and one bronze medal for his parallel bar routine. Well done, Kieran! We are thrilled you have found something you truly love to do. It is great fun watching how much progress you have made since last year. We are so proud of you. Keep working hard!