guess who i met?

Can you guess who I met last weekend?

No, it wasn't Ali like someone I know.

And it wasn't Elsie like someone else I know.

Although he does have his own line of scrapbooking products.
*giggle giggle*

Give up?

This was our second meeting with Thomas the Tank Engine. Every July, Thomas (this small version of him) comes to the Western Development Museum which is only a 45 minute drive away. We went to see him last year and of course, we had to go back this year.

Matthew has been a huge Thomas fan for half his life. He stills remembers our trip to visit Thomas last summer. This year, we spent a bit more time visiting the museum. We also rode on a real steam train, got our pictures taken with Thomas and played with the Thomas train tracks. Grandma gave each of the boys some money to buy something from the gift shop and Matthew chose Toad and Caleb bought a Thomas book. We also bought them some Thomas t-shirts. It was such a great day!

happy

Happy 2nd Anniversary to my sweet sister (and her husband)

July 17, 2004 (it was soooo hot out that day)

By the way, that's not her husband on the right. That's me :)

sore muscles

I have sore arm muscles today.

Can you guess why?

Are my arms sore from carrying around a sixteen month old all day?

Are my arms sore from working out at the gym?

Are my arms sore from lifting the big double stroller in and out of the car?

Nope.

It's a shopping injury. Hee hee.

Yesterday I went shopping and there were such great sales that I had so many bags in my hands and clothes in my arms. I blame the sore arm on these pyjamas and these ones too that I had to carry around in my arm (along with two more pairs) while balancing the shopping bag from Eddie Bauer where I bought myself these jean capris. I really like shopping. But I love getting great deals.
(which I did)

I'd better go rest my arms ;)

moving on

Well the time has come for Caleb to say goodbye to a dear friend. I'm sure that he will still see him from time to time. I know that he learned many things from his dear purple friend.
But it's time for him to move on...

In other Sesame Street news, have you ever seen the Donald Grump episode? It's just too funny! Check out the hair on that grouch!

And while I was searching around for that I found this list of muppets based on celebrities which is fun and interesting too.

Now that I've written this all out, I realize that I may need a little more adult interaction. Can anyone else relate? Hee hee.

games in the park

Football
Little Caleb running away with the football. He's getting to be so much fun and really likes to be a part of the big boy games.

Hide and Seek
Hide your eyes and count to ten.

Where could Daddy be? Can you spot him?


There he is!

(Photos taken on Saturday, June 8 at Wascana Park.)

what we love

We love when Auntie Faye comes to visit.

We love going out for lunch with her and watching movies too.


We love giving her kisses.

We love taking her out to the park.

We love having snacks with her.

We love our Auntie Faye. (and the little baby growing in there too)

no need

No need to send anyone out looking for us...

We are just sick.

Ear infections.

Coughs.

Fevers.

Tired.

Grouchy.

Waking up during the night.

I'm trying not to complain...but it's getting hard not to.

REALLY GREAT NEWS!

Check out my sister, Faye's gallery.

I'm so excited!

bad news/good news

bad news- I haven't been able to go grocery shopping this week because Matthew is sick.
good news- My mom brought over an ice cream pail full of strawberries she picked for us and my dad bought us monster cookies.

bad news- The wait to see the doctor at the walk-in clinic was an hour and a half.
good news- We were able to leave for an hour, come home and rest and then go back.

bad news- Caleb has started waking up at 5:15 every morning.
good news- Yesterday, he and I went for a calming and peaceful walk at 5:25 AM. Of course I was tuckered out by noon. But it was a nice walk.

bad news- Yesterday was very hot and our air conditioner stopped working.
good news- Rick fixed it. We hope.

bad news- Yesterday, a friend called and told me she's moving away.
good news- Yesterday, another friend called me and told me she just moved back!

*Stay tuned for more good news, coming up soon.*

highlights

Here are some highlights from the Saskatchewan Suziebeezieland Convention:

- meeting Nadine for the first time and finding out we both look good in pink

- eating a hamburger the size of a pizza (I actually only ate half)

- my little Matthew telling Nadine about every toy he owns

- calling Suzanne on the phone and surprising her with the news of our "convention"

- hearing Suzanne say the word "popsicle", although she thinks we're the ones with an accent :)

- sharing my scrap space with a friend and creating side by side

- creating some surprises for a couple of our online friends.

Thanks Nadine for all the fun!

my wedding day

Flashback Friday
June 27, 1998

This is not the photo I wanted to use, but this is the memory I wanted to remember.

The photo I wanted is stuck in a big photo album that we paid a fortune for and also up on our wall beautifully framed by my dad (who does picture framing in case anyone is interested). I do not recommend trying to scan extra large photo albums or framed photos. It doesn't really work.

But I do recommend getting married. Marrying Rick was one of the best things I've ever done. He's the perfect match for me. And when you find that perfect person, you really need to hold and never let go. God brought us together and He has kept us together too.

It's been eight years and they've been wonderful.

Happy Early Anniversary Sweetie! I love you.

the grandma I see everday

You call her "the grandma I see everyday".

And you do see her everyday, but she is so much more.

She is the grandma that we call when we have a silly question.

She is the grandma who drops everything to come look after her munchkins.

She is the grandma who takes you superstore to buy chocolate chips and then makes cookies with you.

She is the grandma who bakes 4 cakes for your birthday.

She is the grandma who rocked you and your brother to sleep when you were babies.

She is the grandma who prays for us each day.

She is the grandma who comes over so your mommy can take a nap.

She is the grandma who is your mommy's best friend.

She is the grandma we can't wait to see everyday!

*We'll see you later today, grandma* xoxo

I might be just a little too proud...

of this train cake I decorated for the kid's party:

(thanks Grandma for doing the baking)

But don't worry, I am humbled by my lack of cake photography skills.

It all evens out.

:)

on the day you turned three...

your breakfast toast was cut into star shapes (I also managed to form a letter "M" for you with some of the leftover pieces) ,


you were a little bit sick ,

you took a morning nap, which you never do anymore ,

you played in your new pool ,

- your grandmas and grandpas and uncle Mark came over for supper ,

- you had a spiderman cake from dq and when it was time to blow out the candle you spit all over the cake ,

you built bridges in the living room with pillows from all over the house ,

you practiced playing tee ball with your new "baseball thing" ,you laughed and you played and you made us so proud.

* And now we're gearing up for the kid's party tomorrow. Wish me luck.*

flashback thursday ?

I know the flashback day is supposed to be Friday, but it's my blog and I can do what I want.

June 15, 2003
The day Matthew was born. Did you know that he was born on Father's Day? What a great first Father's Day gift! It's pretty hard to top that one.

This is the very first photo of him. He was such a big baby-8lbs 15oz. Don't you think I should be able to round up to 9lbs?
There's a story behind this photo.

It's a polaroid. I'll explain...

We had a rough labour and delivery. I don't think it's ever easy, but it had been a long day. The baby (we didn't know the gender) was experiencing fetal distress and a team was standing by.

"It's a boy!", they said when the work was done (how's that for glossing over the details?) But I already knew before they told me because I saw him right away. A boy! It was 7:44 pm and I knew my nurse's shift was supposed to have ended at 6:00. She had stayed and helped out right till the end.

He was immediately handed to the team and checked over. We were told that he would be taken to neo-natal. I held him for maybe a minute and he was taken away. Rick stayed with me. We were talking about the experience and wishing we could hold him some more. We couldn't even remember if he had hair or what colour it was (I think he had been wearing a little hat)

Not long after that, my sweet nurse, Kathryn returned with a photo. This polaroid of my baby. I appreciated that so much. She had stayed much later than she was scheduled to. It was a few hours until I was able to go to neo-natal to see Matthew (stitches, fainting, etc), but I had this picture to look at.

He spent 2 days in neo-natal and what a roller-coaster that was. When Rick went to see him for the first time, they asked him "Is your's the big one?" I guess they don't get too many 9 lb babies in there (I rounded up)

Everything worked out. But I still feel very fortunate to have this special photo from a very special day.

Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew Baby!

it hasn't been so terrible

Today marks the last day of Matthew's "terrible twos". It hasn't been that terrible. Although, I must admit they were a little trickier than the ones.

As I reflect on the past year, I realize how much he has grown and how much his life has changed. The photo below was taken on his 2nd birthday, almost a whole year ago. He was just new to being a big brother back then. He was kind and gentle and so very sweet to his baby brother.

I used to think that the terrible twos only happened to other peoples' kids. Was I in for a surprise! We've had our share of tantrums and grouchy days. We've had meltdowns and frowns. We've had tears and frustration. All of that is part of growing up and becoming an independent little person.

And he is becoming such a good little person. Kind and sensitive beyond belief. When he goes to his grandparents and asks for a cookie, he always asks me if I want one too. When I thought about leaving Caleb with my mom while Matthew and I went on a playdate, he said "I think Caleb would like to come play too. I'd miss him".

We are beginning a new adventure. The threes! Some people tell me that the threes are even harder than the twos. I've already seen some early 3 year old characteristics come shining through. I love how creative and imaginative he has become. He can pretend to be a pirate, a mole in a hole or a fire chief. He builds bridges, houses and nests out of blankets and pillows. I am in awe of his natural curiosity and have started to answer an endless supply of "how come?" questions.

I love this little guy. I will miss having a two year old, but I know that the next year will be just as exciting with new milestones to achieve.

And don't feel too sorry for me. Only 8 and a half months until I have another 2 year old on my hands. And I'll get to go through it all again :)

(photo taken June 15, 2005)

I am...

I am...

- working on my circle journal entry
- taking care of a little boy with strep throat (possibly two)
- planning a birthday party
- trying to remember that Father's Day is this weekend
- not going to dry my dishes today
- looking for a new printer/scanner
- loving my new leather sofa
- drinking 2 liters of water a day
- happy and tired at the end of a busy day

Goodnight!

baby shiner

Last week, Caleb got a couple mosquito bites beside his eye. Why is it that babies always swell up so much with mosquito bites?

And then a few days later, he walked right into the door frame and ended up with a black eye (that was accentuated by the swollen mosquito bites). I put the entire blame on Barney because he was running away from his diaper change to go watch Barney in the other room. Basically, Barney gave my baby a shiner. I really never trusted that big purple dinosaur to begin with.

The poor little guy looked so pathetic. But he has remained positive through the whole experience.

And now it's just business as usual in the sandbox,

on the slide,

and in the backyard

(that is grass on his nose)

still my baby...

He'll be three next week.

He started reading in February.

He was toilet trained in May.

But he still has his soother at quiet time and bedtime.

I really didn't think that things were going to happen in that order.

But when I see him like this, I remember that
he's still my baby.

my irises

My irises are blooming. And they're so pretty. I just can't pass by them without smiling.














Unfortunately,

Caleb

does

not

feel

the

same

way...














I think he was a little unsure about the rain falling on his (almost) bald little head. Or maybe he just doesn't like irises.

But Matthew was pretty chipper. Look at that crazy face!














My friend, christinew once told me, "Someday he will stop making that face...and you will miss it!"

I'm sure she's right, but in the meantime, it still drives me just a little bit crazy.

having scanner problems today

I have a really good picture for Flashback Friday, but I'm having scanner problems, so it'll have to wait.

In the meantime, I'll fill you in on what we've been up to over the course of the last week or so...

• playing trains
• trying on hats from the dress up box
• sleeping through the night (finally! thanks Elizabeth)
• making words on the fridge
• throwing food onto the floor
• making mini-pizzas on pita bread
• reading books
• playing musical instruments
• play-doh at the kitchen table
• scrapbooking
• sending packages :)
• shopping
• going to storytime at the library
• discovering birds
• eating toast with a spoon
• drinking lots of chocolate milk
• saying the word maybe alot (Matthew)
• talking more and more and understanding lots (Caleb)
• counting our blessings

picnic in the park (victoria day)

Before you get images of me packing a nice picnic lunch in a wicker picnic basket, I have to tell you...

We picked up McDonalds.

Hee hee.

But we had a lovely time in Wascana Park. We found a nice shady area and spread out our blanket. After we ate, the boys ran around and it was so nice because we could see them and it's so good for them to just be able to run.

I didn't get too many good pictures, but that's okay because that just means we were too busy enjoying ourselves :)

my new favourite bbq recipe

Super easy homemade bbq sauce. Yum.

Smothered this on chicken thighs (although I'm sure it would be great on anything) and then threw them on the grill.

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce

This is from my fave cookbook at the moment (The Healthy Family)

Give it a try :)

two funny things (about Matthew)

1. Yesterday it was very nice out here (and today too-yay!). Nice enought to wear shorts for the first time this year. But Matthew wasn't too sure about these "shorts".

Matthew: Mom, where are the sleeves on these pants?

Hee hee.


2. Today, Matthew and I were snuggling and reading books and I said, "I sure love you".

Matthew: I sure love you too. And I sure like yogurt.

This is the yogurt he likes so much.

reach the top

They who reach the top, boys,
First must climb the hill.
-James H. Fassett


Caleb started climbing today.

No, really climbing.

Everything.

Up onto the sofa.

On top of the train table.

On Grandma's coffee table.

Yikes!

mother's day

I had a great day. Did you?

Here are some highlights (in no particular order, as you can see):

• the slideshow/video that Rick put together of me being a mom (awww, kleenex anyone?)
• my "mother's day" card (I wish I could have seen Rick's face when he realized that he accidentally bought a birthday card-hee hee. *)
• a new printer
• still having to change diapers, just not as many
• a nice long nap
• brunch at my mom's (how come my mom's waffles always taste better than mine?)
• visiting my mom and my mother-in-law
• a yummy supper at home
• just being thankful for all of my blessings

*In all fairness, the card was picked out by Matthew and it was quite lovely and was meant for mothers :)

newsflash

This just in...

Up until a few minutes ago, Caleb's vocabulary consisted of these two words:

ba...(pointing)
-translation: bunny, bear or ball (depending on what he was pointing at)

ga...(pointing)
-translation: everything else (depending on what he was pointing at)

Here's the newsflash....

Today at lunch Caleb said "nana" and pointed to the banana!

Yay! His daddy takes full credit since yesterday he fed him a WHOLE banana at snack time.

We now return to your regularly scheduled blogging :)

*If you're looking for me, I'll be washing smushed up banana off the highchair and the floors and the walls...

shopping

It all began Friday afternoon.

With shoes.

I hadn't bought shoes in such a long time.

And then I bought two pairs.

These ones:


















and these ones













The shopping spree continued on Saturday, when we finally bought a new sofa and loveseat. We had been shopping for over a year!

Here it is. The colour is a little bit off. But you get the idea.










I go grocery shopping this afternoon. Who knows what I'll buy next? Hee hee!

party girl

Flashback Friday... Kenosee Lake ~ May 1996 ~ girl's weekend

This is one of the last photos taken of me as a "party girl". Notice that I'm drinking out of a bowl? I forgot to bring a cup to the cabin that we rented and they didn't supply cups. Only dishes, cutlery and ... bowls. So I had to drink out of a bowl all weekend. Shortly after this weekend, Rick and I became more serious and I grew up, but it sure was fun to be a party girl for a little while.

hey mister knicker bocker...

boppity bop!

That song is stuck in my head. Can you guess who we saw today?

Matthew was even more excited than Caleb. But they both really enjoyed the show. Matthew danced around and Caleb clapped and pointed.

And I don't even care if Barney's not cool anymore, I'm not afraid to say I had a good time too.

:)

Hey mister knicker bocker boppity bop!