Labor Day Weekend

Started our weekend getting this 2003 Acura MDX

Entertained over the weekend with a little of this.

Ended the weekend picking up this table.

Was a fun and busy weekend.  Love the new additions.  With the start of school approaching, we needed to do something about adding extra seats to our vehicles.  Ethan found this one listed and it met our needs.  Love having the third row and used all 7 seats this weekend with our family visiting.  Then I used the FULL trunk capacity putting both back rows of seats down and scrunching up the front seats (ouch) to slide the NEW dining table into the back to get it home.  FINALLY have a matching dining room set.  YAY!  love it.  it is really big and can fit another leaf into it to make it giant.  Six fit around now, and I am sure 8 will comfortably fit with the leaf.  Have the protection pad on order.

Kids start school on Wednesday - well, Sophia does.  Dylan starts the following monday.  Little birdies leaving the nest...

Ya, ya, ya. Long time no write. I get it.

So, it has been since Jack passed away.  Well, school ended, summer happened, seasons changed and so must I.  Yup.  Ok, let me back up. 

After Jack's untimely death, our lives went on.  Sophia finished Kindergarten and Dylan graduated from Preschool.  I was psyched to receive a letter early in July stating he would be attending Beachwood Knoll with his big sister Sophia (they are out of district, so there were no guarantees).  That off my shoulders I was able to let loose.  Had a water party (part II) for Dylan's 5th birthday before heading to Winnipeg.  I think we pulled it off successfully.  About 30 people, blow-up pool, belly slide, squirt guns...  usual fair.  Dylan's main gift interest was Star Wars lego, and he was dully rewarded.  About 5 kits age range 9-14 on average and he had about 3 finished before we left for Canada.  Finished the others off a few days upon return. 
I had a super great visit home this year.  We were there 2.5 weeks and I wished it was longer.  My sister and her family arrived a few days after us and the kids all got along so well.  We had our fill of focaccia bread each day at 5 for "happy hour".  Ainley and I had our fill of G&T's one night to last, well, until next year, haha.  I was super excited to have my Lana spend a few days with us in their camper.  Going to have to pretend NKOTB are coming back to town to haul her butt back here...

We returned end of July and loaded up the fridge, hit the beach and unloaded the fridge to head up to Maine for 10 days to visit up there.  Ethan sold the boat while we were in Canada, so our visit on Lake Andro was different from previous years.  We had a nice visit there and kids loved there time with grandparents and with our island neighbors.  That Ally, what a dream.  She was about 16 and was such a sweet heart.  Took Sophia under her wing and played with her on our few visits with them.

We are back home and I nervously emailed my old co-worker about work in the fall.  Dun, Dun Daaaaaa!  he bit.  I guess I am in like Flynn.  wow.  Am I ready?  Hope so!  Kids start school on the 5th and 10th and then mama goes back to work.  seasons change and so do I....  Wish me luck!

Hamster tragedy

So, about three weeks ago we got a couple hamsters- fuzzy beat and jack. Today we have one :(.
Sophia had a playdate today and things ended poorly. Sophia has troubles on playdates in playing with her friends. I believe she has trouble connecting or finding a way to play with another and ends up in the kitchen asking for food the whole time. I finally got her out and was giving her space to play with her friend. They were having fun with the hamsters, however, I think I should have been supervising more. Sophia is pretty good with them, but does get a little carried away sometimes and treats it like a toy. Her friend has a dog, but maybe didn't understand how fragile hamsters can be. Well, I was called upstairs to find the poor little guy kind of convulsing and then die :(
I think her friend broke his spine getting him out of the cage. I feel so bad for the hamster, Sophia and responsible for the incident for not supervising more closely. I am nervous hamster 2 may be injured too. If he is not hurt, I feel bad his little friend is no longer with him. Sad sad day.

Kid Candids

Haven't posted pics of the kids lately.  Here are a few candids...

 Asked Dylan to smile nicely for a picture of him in the sweater grandma knit him.  This is what I got.

 Phew!  Got one that shows his sweetness.

 She looks like a TEENAGER here.  Ok, at least grade 6, not 6 years old.

 Loved this day.  Cold, rainy, windy.  This is what Sophia chose to wear and went out to enjoy the weather.

 Dylan was hot.  I came in the room and this is what he was wearing.  His face is priceless.

Enjoying the March heat wave.

Photo tip: If you click on one of the pictures, you can view them all in a larger format and can go through all pictures in a photo album style.  Just found that out myself.

Life of Leisure

I tend to get irritated when comments are made about the activities of stay at home moms.  I have recently been upping my exercise and like posting my runs on Facebook.  Kind of a log for myself through another website that automatically posts to facebook when sent from my phone.  I had one comment "I want your life".  Simple enough, yet it upset me and made me recall other comments made to "my life".  Sure I don't report to an office 8 hours a day and get a paycheck at the end of the week.  This does not mean I do not work.  As in any job, you can be good at what you do, efficient in time management, productive... or lazy and do the bare minimum.  I feel I do the former and start my day between 6 and 6.30.  I start by immediately making kids lunches and snacks for school, making their breakfasts and ensuring they EAT those breakfasts.  The lunches are made with care and I cut up fresh fruit and provide a variety of wholesome foods that are not prepackaged and place them in reusable sandwich and snack bags that I sewed myself.  I get on the kids to be dressed and sometimes have to assist in this and we are out the door by 7.45am.  I do a double drop off - one at 8.15am and the second at 8.45am.  Some mornings there is even an errand done in between.  After dropping off Dylan I have my day planned and this includes my 35minute run.  I am organized so that I don't waste gas in my errands for the morning and run is inserted in a way that I can still get everything done.  I don't think anyone thinks an office parent is living a life of leisure when they go to the gym before or after work, yet, because my job isn't really viewed as a job, I am seen as having it easy.  There are stresses and challenges in all jobs and they are what you put into them.  I redid my bathroom, scraped and painted the house, do most of the house chores - trash, laundry, yard work, snow shoveling, cooking, cleaning and these chores are 7 days a week.  Sometimes I gripe about stuff and am told it was my choice to be here.  Yes, it was my choice and I don't regret it.  I can still have gripes about the bad stuff.  I had gripes at the office too.  Both were legit, yet staying at home I am supposed to suck it up and not complain?  I like to vent - (ahem, like now).  Keeps things from building up and having a blow out.  So, for all moms - working and at home: I respect you and feel we are all doing what we want, faced with challenges that may be different, but challenges none the less.  We work hard and should be proud of that.  I intend on getting back into the office life soon and will feel frustrations not being able to accomplish all that I have been able to while at home - maybe only hit one grocery store instead of the three or four I get to in order to save money.  I DO look forward to a cleaning lady :) and interacting with adults about adult issues.  Getting away from the kids to appreciate them more while we are together...  I am scared to re-enter this work force being out of date and touch with what has been happening.  But I am also looking forward to tying a part time gig and having a life outside the house.  I am not really "real housewife" material.  Not fluttering from one social gathering to the next like a lot of moms around here I know.  I don't sit at home buying fancy things for myself and home.  I do look forward to more money in the wallet so that I CAN do some updating though :)

So, that is that.  Snip snap snout.  This tales told out.

Spring skiing and the sillies

Went for our spring ski on Saturday.  Perhaps our last one of the season.  Kids did GREAT despite a rocky start.  Dylan did his first accidental rail and was having fun hopping on his skis as he went down the hill.  This hopping led him to the mini jump run and he had fun going over those.  Sophia was a little speed racer and I could barely keep up with her as she sped down the blues squares!

Another fun weekend activity was the big hamster event.  Sophia and Dylan got their first hamsters today!  Not sure if Dylan really wanted one - he was very hesitant and will not pick his up yet.  We decided to get him one in case he wants one in a few months after getting used to Sophia's.  They are sharing a cage and you can only have them share if you get them at the same time (otherwise they don't get used to each other and will scrap).  They are dwarf hamsters and are VERY tiny - more like mice.  Maybe if they are really into them we can find them some teddy bear hamsters like I had growing up...  Ahhh, Timmy, Cynthia and Nausicaa...  Sophia named hers Fuzzy Bear and Dylan went with Jack.

Looking forward to Ainley and her crew's visit at the end of the week.  Has been  a while.  Should have good weather for them :)

Long time no blog

So, it has come to my attention that I have not made any new entries lately.  Not that I have been so busy, just not inspired?  Kids are doing well.  Dylan has been loving the play date action and requesting more and more.  He has had about 4 so far. 3 of them here.  The boys have been nice and well behaved.  Dylan is SOOO cute with his anticipation for the next one.  He will set aside his favorite shirt and pants at the beginning of the week to keep them clean so he can wear them for his playdate.  Current fav's include the batman shirt he got for Christmas and now a tiger t-shirt one of the grandma's brought back from india.  He likes to wear these with his two favorite "exercise" pants - one has three stripes and the other 1.  He has added the vest that my mom knit him at Christmas into the favorites list.  He wouldn't even try it on over Christmas, but yesterday it was not only requested, but added to his fav list.

Sophia is doing VERY well with her reading.  She is full on reading now and LOVES to practice on her own.  She spends 10 to 15 minutes after stories at bed time reading to herself.  She also enjoys writing her own books.  She staples a bunch of papers together and then writes and illustrates a story. 

The kids continue to take gymnastics lessons and we have added Swimming into the pile.  There is a little overlap right now, but gymnastics should be done soon.  I am psyched with Sophia's swim class.  We are paying for a group lesson, however, no one else has signed up which means she is actually getting a PRIVATE half hour lesson.  I think she will really do well in this class.  I accidentally signed Dylan up for the wrong level - one lower than he is supposed to be in.  I was happy to have them in at the same time so I am keeping them in it and the instructor will just treat him like he is in the upper level.  Works out well, I think (hope).  He is more timid this time around (maybe afraid his eye will get wet) so this class isn't as into head bobs and stuff that he actually finally got into at the end of his last session.  Hope he can move up.  He is not as big a fish as his sister.  She LOVES the water - as in being in it and swimming.  Dylan rather be on the shore and throw rocks in it or run through the waves and watching the splashes he creates. To each his own, right?

The bathroom is pretty much done - just need towl bars and toilet paper dispenser.  I taped the closet drywall and Ethan installed some shelves.  Nervous about the kids taking over this space as their new playroom - literally.  I am hoping Ethan paints is this weekend before they take complete possession over it and I never get my linens and bathroom/ cleaning products out of the bedroom!

Will post some pictures soon!  (kind of promise)

Sweet Baby D

I know, I know.  You are thinking "What?!  No post about the bathroom? "

I guess this blog WAS intended as a journal of the lives of the kids, not the bathroom.  So, I am returning to my roots for this post.

Dylan has been extra snuggly with me lately and tackles my legs frequently to get in a good snuggle.  Can't say I mind this.  On another note, he has been having a great time with one of the little boys in his class - Tyler.  When Dylan hurt his eye, Tyler really reached out to him, made him a special card and made sure his mom drove over and dropped off a little present for him.  At school they have been playing a lot and they were actually lined up to have a playdate just before the accident.  Well, things are healing nicely with the eye and the holidays are past, so we were able to set up his first playdate a couple weeks ago.  Dylan set his favorite outfit aside ALL week (batman shirt and "exercise pants") for his playdate on Thursday.  Tyler came here and the two were so excited that I couldn't even get them to eat their lunch.  They were supposed to have a playdate last week at Tyler's house, but Dylan had pneumonia and an ear infection.  Lovely. rescheduled again for today (thursday) and Dylan again put that favorite outfit aside for the playdate and abstained from wearing it mon-wed.  When I went to pick him up from school to take him over, I joked with him and aske, "are you SURE you don't want to just stay home and snuggle with me instead?"  There was a long pause and then he replied "AFTER my playdate"  HA!  He his so funny and loving.  wasn't going to give up on the snuggles, got to work them in there too.

I was very impressed as well when I went to pick him up from the playdate.  Tyler's mom informed me that Dylan was so sweet and picked up the toys he played with before playing with other things.  I tell him this all the time at home, however, it rarely happens unless I of course nag at it.  Well, I guess it DID sink in and he was the perfect little guest.

new record: 4 baths in one day

So, the was supposed to be done.  Looks done.  Sophia described her experience as "glorious".  The leak coming from the drain was not so glorious.  GRRRRRRR. 

The best part of the tub shower system by far is the tub faucet.  WOW!  If you ever have the opportunity to replace your tub spout - the Grohe Atrio is AMAZING.  Water comes out smooth and creamy - like butter.  And believe it or not, it actually LOOKS like diamonds flowing out - the mesh filter it flows through makes a diamond pattern in the water as it pours out.  Amazing.  It is so smooth coming out that it won't create bubbles in the bubble bath.  I had to manually swish them around with my hand.  So, I hope that this drain leak is quickly and easily resolved as I don't think I can hack anymore leak issues. 

Kids have been sick all week - fevers, pneumonia, ear infection, coughs... and I have my seasonal sinus misery - fire nose, ear aches, clogged sinus passages...  Another bath would be nice...  Last one was a tough HOT - I left looking like a lobster.  I shall promise to ease up on the heat if this leak is fixed :)

First week of January

Ok, so I have maintained a level of productivity even without my dad here.  Knitted two dresses for Sophia's new dolls and grouted all the walls at the tub.  I am now in A LOT of pain.  Right deltoid and upper back are very sore as are my fingertips at the top of the nail from scraping off little bits of grout on the surface of the tiles.  Tomorrow is a day of rest.  For sure.  Yes.  I mean it.  Really.