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one of the more exciting experiences of my life so far was the chance i had to go and see U2 live in concert. they are so incredibly amazing live. i’ve been a fan since i was 12, and i’m excited that they have a new album out. just wanted to say that.
U2 Live

a fellow Canadian transplant posted this on her facebook page recently… and i just had to post it here. i love this song – Stompin’ Tom was just a pretty cool guy, and the footage of NHL hockey pre-helmet rules is totally foreign to me!

i took a quick run over to Wal Mart today to pick up some groceries after picking Josh up at school. he’s a great grocery shopper and loves pushing the cart around for me.

as we got back to the car he said his fingers were freezing, so i unlocked the car and he got in while i stowed the bags in the trunk and took the cart to the cart return which was right behind my car.

how much trouble can a 4 year old get into in that amount of time? you’d be amazed…

as i got back into the car, Josh said “Mommy, i’m sorry – i burned my finger on this button.” i thought he was pointing to a toy on the seat, so i figured he was just making it up and ignored it. on the way home, he started crying. that was when i thought there might be something to his story.

we pulled into the driveway at home, and i turned around and asked him to show me what button he burned his finger on. he pointed, and i pulled his mitten aside to see that he was pointing at the cigarette lighter from my car, sitting on the seat. he’d obviously gotten ahold of it while i was putting away groceries and returning the cart. and now his right index finger was red and had a big blister forming.

i performed all of the burn first aid that i know (cold water first, then holding it on a bag of ice for awhile, followed by antibiotic/painkiller cream and a dose of liquid ibuprofen)… and he’s still complaining that it hurts. i explained that it would probably hurt for awhile.

so… what can happen in 40 seconds? a lot! we don’t smoke, so i don’t know if Josh has ever even seen that lighter in action to know that it was dangerous. it’s a lesson learned for me, and i think the lighter will be residing in the glove compartment from now on.

well, we rolled in to Albany yesterday afternoon around 4:30 after spending 3 days in Montreal doing our green card stuff at the consulate.

we are the newest permanent residents of the United States of America!! hooray!! we spent all of Wednesday morning at the Consulate where a VERY nice woman pushed our visas through the very same day. we didn’t have to drag Josh back on Thursday morning – i am SO thankful to her, and i don’t even know her name! she’s the single adoptive mom to a little dude whom she adopted from Cambodia – i think she took pity on us being stuck in that waiting room (which is very much like the DMV for any Americans reading this) all morning with Josh.

we enjoyed what we saw of Montreal immensely, and let me just say that The Keg on boul. Rene Levesque was SO awesome – we celebrated my birthday, Valentine’s Day and Green Card Day with dinner there. i have not eaten a Keg meal in ages and my steak did NOT disappoint, dawg! (yes, i’m watching AI again)

the DHS guys at the border were jovial, friendly and quite congratulatory when we were all done there – after about 1 1/2 hours waiting at the border, we were completely done and are now just waiting for our “real” green cards to arrive in the mail. they give you a temporary one in your passport and then send you a separate document to use instead.

WE ARE DONE!!

Come mid-February, we’ll be making a couple of trips to Montreal. Not specifically for pleasure though… our green card appointment at the consulate is set for Feb 18th! Prior to that date, we will be going up for a daytrip to do our medical appointments, and then the following week we’ll be back for the actual appointment at the consulate. Exciting times! I am really just hoping and praying that there won’t be a big snowstorm on February 12th or 17th… we have to drive straight up I-87 from Albany to Montreal, and that can be a treacherous drive if it’s storming.

I’m really looking forward to this trip – I’ve driven through Montreal, I’ve flown over Montreal, but I’ve never stayed there or really seen the city. Get the bagels & lox ready, because i’m coming!!!

i recently became part of the Thomas Nelson blogger book review program, and was tickled when The Moon Shines Down, by Margaret Wise Brown, arrived in my mailbox. here’s my first attempt at a book review on this blog!

The Moon Shines Down was written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Linda Bleck, with additional verses by Laura Minchew. The unfinished manuscript for this sweet children’s book was found in a cedar trunk in a Vermont barn, completely forgotten over the years since Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, died in 1952.

A sweet little koala bear travels the world by moonlight, and we are treated to painted illustrations of scenes from countries such as Switzerland, Mexico, France and Australia. Josh is captivated by the details in the illustrations, and by the lovely rhymes in this book. I have to say that I do think it’s a little on the long side *but* since Josh turned 4, his attention span has increased, so i’d say this is great for the 4-6 year old crowd and maybe even a little older.

The words are a great reminder that a loving God sees and cares for us, no matter where we are in the world, no matter what our background, the color of our skin… none of that makes a difference to our loving Heavenly Father. As a mom who is striving to teach her son to love everyone *because* God first loved us, i know this will be a favorite to go back and read many times in the future.