Some photographical updates

The main even this week: Abby lost her first tooth! She is overjoyed. I am a happy/sad. Another "growing up" sort of event that makes me feel all conflicted. Maybe that is why I am doing nothing about potty training Mina. I just don't want them to grow up so fast!
Getting pretty. Auntie Eve gave Abby a make up set and Abby loves it. She even shares it with Mina! wow. Thanks Auntie Eve. Sharing does not happen often around here these days!
Here is Abby's reaction when we (finally) told her about going to Disneyland this summer.
This was the day of Abby's 6th birthday party.
Mina often takes off all of her clothes for no reason at all, and then I find her places, carrying on with her naked life. When she does this in combination with a tantrum at the medicentre, that is when it is time to go home.
Here are my girls. Abby can be such a nice big sister. They are so cute together in one big bed. It is hard to spot them sometimes, there are at least 8 pillows and no less than 50 stuffies at a time....

Inspiration

Here at long last is a picture of the runners! Seattle was so much fun. We did not get even a drop of rain and the weather was great. We stayed downtown and there was lots to do. I think it would make a good family holiday spot! The energy and excitement of the marathon was very inspiring, and I have decided to learn to run so that one day I can cross the finish line with my sisters. Although not for a marathon! Those crazies all looked mostly dead, had ice packs cling-wrapped to every joint below their waists and were falling over. The 1/2 marathoners on the other hand looked happy, but tired out. It was quite a contrast. Anyway, I bought some over-priced shoes, and some walmart special shorts and an exercise shirt. I never ever in a million years thought that running would ever be something I would do, but I am going to give it a try. One day, I might get to run with my sisters. And I will also gain the skills to run away from a bear, if I ever need to.

Abby Soundbite

Today gramma is visiting.

Abby: Brings her Trilobite cast that she made in Drumheller for Gramma to see.
"Look Gramma!"

Gramma: "Oh, what a nice footprint".

A: "It's not a footprint."

G: "Is is a bug?"

A: Rolls eyes. "It is a TRILOBITE. It is a sea creature from the early cretaceous. (Stomps off sighing to herself), I'll go get the book and look it up for you..."

Later...

A: "Mum, isn't Gramma a teacher?"

Me: " Um, yes, but she teaches special ed." (Was that wrong of me to say??)

The Mother Weekend

Last weekend I sent to ye ole home town of Slave Lake, and visited my mom, along with 3 sisters. We had a lot of fun hanging out with mom, and she loved it. I think she gets really lonely up there. Eve made bread with mom, and did lots of scrubbing - but I think the crazy girl actually enjoys the scrubbing! I went for a nature walk with mom while all of the athletic types ran away from us, and we all went to the movie. My mom was surrounded by a whole row of us at the movie theater, instead of being by herself. I think it was the highlight of the weekend for her. We also gorged on orange slurpees. mmmm, and the campfire smores of course. I had a chance to visit with an old friend and it was so nice to see her! Although being around her kids made me miss mine. Definately bringing the family up there next time. We even cruised mainstreet in her '68 Camaro. Being inside that car makes even a 30 something mom with the mom ponytail and a sinus infection feel cool. I think that might have been the highlight of my weekend. The weather was beautiful, and of course being in SL in the summertime always makes me want to move back. I miss the nature, the open spaces and well, the non citiness of it. ( All the things I hated as a teenager...) The black preacher at the old IGA, the small town gossip at the health store coffee shop, picking up mail at the PO, the REX, Tags, the deer and coyote sightings, the horses and cows, the quads and boats, the lake, seeing more of the stars. You can just, breathe, there. I think when I am done educating myself, we are going to have to seriously consider a move back to nature.

The Best

The best $13 I have spent this week:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090323.wStyle0323/BNStory/lifeStyle/home

Did that show a picture? Or just a link? I am so not good at this...

Anyhow, this cheese grater like device has transformed my hideous heels from revolting to almost normal. I know that I am not the only sister with hideous heels, so if you want to try something new, other than moving to the perfect climate of California, try this! It is kind of gross really, to think about grating off the dead dry cracked skin, and emptying the old skin make me want to barf. But the results are amazing. Do try it.

Up Up and Away

My girls are growing up. Mina has made the big leap out of her crib. She began climbing out of it, with Abby's instruction, of course. Although it was quite a fun game for her, it meant the taking away of the crib, the last piece of bona fide baby furniture we have around. Sniff. So now Mina and Abby share not only a bedroom, but also a bed. They snuggle up together in Auntie Nunu's old double sized bed, and it is the cutest most heart warming thing to see my 2 little girls cuddled up amongst no fewer than 37 stuffies. I was a little worried about how this new arrangement would work out, but after a few late nights of the 2 of them playing and being very silly until 2 hours past bedtime, they are settling in well.

Abby choose to get a hair cut. She wanted shorter hair, just below her ears, with bangs. All that hard work to grow them out for 18 months, and she wanted bangs. So even though I really really did not want her to have bangs, I remembered what it was like when I was little and was absolutley not permitted to bring a pair of scissors near my hair, and forced to emulate Laura Ingalls. So now Abby has bangs and short hair and is still very beautiful. And I feel good because I made a good mother choice and let Abby choose her own hair style. I hope it makes up for my not so stellar moments this week...

Random Tuesday thoughts.

• I have a grey hair. At first it just had a weird texture, but even with Paul Mitchell moisturizing shampoo, it did not soften up. It just turned grey. I hope it is a "one of" event. I am not a fan of hair dye, but will try it if this gets out of control.
  
• I like the commemorative Olympic glassware from the gas station. Weird, I know, but for some reason I get really excited about the winter Olympics, and next year they are in Canada! Very exciting. Time for the deeply buried hockey fan in me to come out and cheer for my country. I think it weirds Keith out a bit when I become a sports fan every 6 years. And I admit that I like watching figure skaters fall down.
  
• When I was in grade 12, I ate a lot of m&m's. Usually in Mrs. Walstrom's Social 30 class. But after opening each package, I would chart how many of each colour were in each bag. By the end of the year, I could pretty accurately predict what would be in each bag. I made pie charts about it too. (DORK!!) I wish I still had the data.
  

Been Awhile...

Once again, it has been a while. All is well here, in the N household. Here are some tidbits about what our family is up too.

Abby: Loves to watch infomercials. She is very convinced that we need the Turbojam, Snuggie, Rapid Wave oven, and Oxyclean. She will bring up these, and other, products in conversation. "If we had Oxyclean, maybe that stain would have come out mom." "Did you know that the Snuggies comes with 2 free booklights, and you can get it in 3 different colours? It is a good deal if we order it now, and not wait! Then it would be more expensive".

Mina: Loves Abby's things. The moment Ab's bus rolls away for school, Mina heads over the their room, I hear her dragging the step stool over to the dresser, and she plays quietly. Then she comes out with armfuls of Abbys "specials". Snowglobes, paper umbrellas, seashells, horses. She treats them with a quiet reverence and it is so cute, that I, as a younger sibling myself, cannot help but allow her to do it. And she always puts things back before Abby gets home.

Keith: His wacky boss is coming back from India, where he has been at a spiritual healing retreat for the past month. Who knows what the return may mean, hopefully the experience has calmed his inner demons. Or whatever new agey term you are supposed to call them. Perhaps he will start eating cooked food again. Or he might just get some stronger crystals to hang in the windows of the office.

Me: Keith bought me a Crohn's cookbook. It is so validating. It says things like: Do not use whole wheat flour when you are unwell. When trying to gain weight, use butter instead. Try adding chocolate syrup for added calories. Recipes are tagged as" higher fat choice", "low fibre", "high protein" and so on. It is really quite interesting to see all of the foods that I cannot eat right there on a list - it made me feel like I am not imagining all of this, and there is good reason that I don't like those foods.

I have also realized that I really do not like my job. It is not the location, which is a bit far, or the employer, who is a passive agressive meanie a lot of the time, or the hours that keep me up way too late. It has more to do with the fact that is is not interesting, challenging or fun in any way. It is boring. I have been doing it for way too long. I cannot wait to be back in school, learning and doing new and interesting things.

And so it is February

Ahh, February. The coldest month of the year, so it seems. We are all so tired of winter. What am I doing in this climate anyway? Why aren't I living somewhere warmer, closer to a sister or 2? I judge how cold it is by how hard it is to open and close the door, and whether the deadbolt will actually turn. I spend 20 minutes getting me and the girls dressed so that we can go and wait for the bus for 3 minutes. I am afraid to roll down my car window at the drive thru in case the plastic handle snaps. We eat cheese and crackers for dinner because it is just to cold to make the trip for groceries. It has been -20 degrees for the last 3 weeks, which admittedly is better than the -30 it was before that, but I am tired of being cold, and even though my long johns are a gift from God, I am tired of wearing them! Even my eyelids are now plagued with dry flaky skin. Gross. The only bright spot is that it will be my birthday, and I will have an excuse to make a cake! On which I will remember to place candles for Mom and Bunn Bunn, the far away members of the February club.

In other news, the kids are doing well. Abby is in the "learn to read" program in kindergarten, and is finding it too easy. She rolls her eyes when it is time to do home reading, and reads the books upside down to try and challenge herself. Lucking student confrence night is tonight, so hopefully we can convince the teacher to send home better books for her.

Mina talks so well now, in full and well put together sentences. She likes to tell stories about things that she has seen or done. Like the dog who was sniffing another dogs poop at the bus stop, or when she was playing with Uncle Dan and bumped her head on the fan. She also likes to identify people, and strangers by whether they are boys or girls, and if they have have a penis or a "gina". So cute... I think.

Well, I am braving the trip to the grocery store, where I will procure supplies. I am trying PW's-friend's parmesan chicken this week. It looks so good!

My "calling"

My job, or "calling" at church is as a primary teacher. I love it. I teach 4 yr olds, and they are very sweet and wonderful. It is so neat to get to know other people's children. But, some things about it bug me. I have one little guy, let's call him "Jimmy". He's a bit different than the others. He does not like to clap his hands when the others do, he likes to sit under his chair sometimes. He is the kind of kid that might get medicated, if a public school teacher has her way. The kind of kid who I was warned about: "Good luck with Jimmy this year, he can be a handful". "So, how are you going to deal with Jimmy this year?" Well I'll tell you. If Jimmy does not want to clap his hands, colour the picture or sit on TOP of his chair, that is fine with me! Let Jimmy do what he wants to! He is fine under his chair, not clapping along. He is happy and comfortable there. Jimmy is sweet and adorable, and he enjoys coming to my class and I am happy to have him here. He is much easier to have in class than "Jack", who is a spoiled know it all, talks out of turn, and always wants to be first. And Jack, claps to ALL the songs.

And as a side note, the most disgusting thing I have seen in a long time is the microphone in the primary room. It's mesh covering is filled with bits of food and drippy saliva. If I ever have to speak into that microphone, I just might throw up.

Welcome

Welcome to little Georgia Ann. She is my newest niece and I can't wait to meet her, of course. However, the whole having a baby thing (not only me, but other people too), just gets me so worked up. How am I ever going to be an effective midwife or LD nurse when I melt into tears and gratitude everytime I read a birth story, see pictures of a new mom, dad and baby, let alone getting to be there as part of that incredible journey? My face will forever be red and puffy, you know how it gets when I cry. Like it is right now, because I just read Georgia's story, and even though I heard about it firsthand already, I sit here crying. Abby just asked me "Mom, are you thinking about new babies again?" Sometimes she catches me sitting on the couch watching those birth TV shows with a box of kleenex in hand. I only do it on very early mornings, when Keith is at work (heaven forbid he see me that way - he might think I want another), and Abby and Mina are still asleep, and I am awake usually because of the cat. So anyway. I am going to have to find some coping mechanisms.

Not a Creature was stirring...

Well, Christmas is upon is. And my family (siblings and parents) are all away, at Betina's house. Well, except for Eve and Sean. So at least I am not alone in my lonely-ness. I thought I would be okay with having a quiet Christmas, and probably I still will, but when I read Betina's' blog, and think about how much fun it is to be all together, I wish I was there. I don't even want to call there, because that would make me miss it even more. But it was not going to happen - Keith and I both have to work today, so that would have left us 1 day to get there. Not possible, at least for us. So, we will have a quiet holiday here, as planned. And it will be nice and fun and happy. But, very quiet. Next year, I will be where the action is!


And just to comment, I think it is GROSS when people leave their shoes on indoors. How disgusting. That is one thing I just did not get about Americans.

School Days

Abby is happily settled in school, kindergarten that is. She had her first report card last week, and all is well. But I think a day at school is hard work for a 5 year old. All of that playing and learning... The pictures showed up in the wrong order. But you can tell which is the before pic, of her at the bus stop, waiting excitedly for the morning bus to arrive. (which it did not, I had to drive her...) She is well put together, wearing her Auntie Nunu shirt and sweater, hair nicely pulled pack, pants on properly. the after shot, of her home on the bus (which did show up) amuses me. What a busy day she must have had. Kindergarten can sure take it out of a girl!

I ask her about her days, and she tells me things like "Matthew wore three coats today" and "I lost my gloves because they dropped when I was getting on the bus and I did not want to be late so I did not pick them up". We are on her 4th pair now. She knows how to sing "oh Canada" now, and can read. She brought me for show and tell when the letter of the week was M, and Keith when it was D. Very flattering! Although today at breakfast, she said that she should have brought a mirror instead of me. hmmph.

monday musings

It has been pointed out to me that I do not blog very often. Well, that is true. Sometimes my life just seems so normal and routine, that it does not seem blog worthy. So well, here are some of the things I have been doing and thinking about.

• I did not realize when I choose to become a mother that for the first (well I don't know how many it will be, still counting) at least 5 years, my children will want to be no further than 2 inches AT THE MOST away from my body at all times. Sometimes it is kind of cute and endearing, but usually it is just annoying and causes a lot of crying when children get stepped on and fall over.
• Mina talks a lot. She is so unbearably cute. I think 2 years old might just be my favourite age. I love when she says phrases that we use. Like "just don't worry about it" (when she drops a toy) and "maybe later" (when she is in her bad crying about having to have a nap).
• I am going to finish my nursing degree, starting when Mina is in Kindergarten or grade one. Then in the future I may go to the states somewhere for 2 years and do a masters Certified Nurse Midwife degree. When the kids are older, I think that might be a neat thing to do. Planning on something that does not even exist yet is to stressful for me to handle.
  
• Keith's office has been moved into his boss's house. His boss is a raw foodist who hangs crystals in the windows and believes in the energy they give. This should be interesting for him.
  
• My babysitters kids have headlice. It gives me memories of when I had lice as a kid and my sisters were so mad at me and hated me, sort if like when I brought the chicken pox home and they were so mad and hated me. Well, I'm sorry I was so infectious! I did not realize how much my feelings were hurt by those experiences. I bet that is why I tried to hide all of my sicknesses after that, like having the flu at school and denying it even though the teacher caught me throwing up in the water fountain, cause I did not want my sisters to hate me again. So, I am trying to be understanding and cool about the whole headlice thing. I have added tea tree oil to the shampoo the kids use, and check daily. They are fine, but it all still makes my head itch!
  

Alberta Joins the Brave New World!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/10/16/alberta-midwives-costs.html?ref=rss

Holy Moly! I can hardly believe it! Alberta is finally going to cover midwifery care! It makes me want to get pregnant all over again! (oh oh, wait a minute. Keith reads ths blogs once in a while, I better be careful what I say, hee hee). This is such great news, and can only mean that an education in midwifery is getting a wee bit closer! What great news to wake up to. It is going to be a good day!

I admit it.

Alright, lets face it, I am a terrible blogger. I have not posted since august, shame on me. I had the best of intentions to do a fun "first day of school" post for Abby, and in the excitement of it all, did not get around to it. I also wanted to post pics of my finished renovated bathroom, and again, never did. Now I have a kitchen in the process of renovation, and maybe I'll just post them all when it is done. Keith spent the whole weekend taking out the old countertop and sink, and installing a DISHWASHER! (and new sink and countertop.) The dishwasher kind of scares me. It says on it "whisper quiet" but it is so loud that I keep thinking someone is spraying down my kitchen with a high pressure hose! Also I need to buy some more dishes, especially glasses. Usually I just wash them after each meal, but yesterday I ran out of dishes, so for his bedtime snack, Keith had to drink his milk out of the bottom of one of Mina's sippy cups, and I put my reheated chinese food in an icecream bowl. I am getting very excited to host Thanksgiving dinner here! Mom, Dad, Patience and Dan are coming. The other sibs are all invited too, but I know Anders and Celeste cannot make it, and Nunu is not sure yet. I hope I have the cabinet doors installed by then.

Abby is loving school. Her teacher is able to teach her in ways that Abby won't allow me to. With me, it was always "NO! I am not reading! I just remember what those letters mean", but for her teacher, she will sound out words, and write them down, and even admit that she is actually reading. Abby used to draw pictures for me when she was mad at me, with her sad face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Now when she is mad, like last night, her notes have evolved to spelling words, such as "NO LOVE MOM" and "I HAT DAD". I love the way she expresses herself on little notepads and post it notes.

Mina is at the talking age. She talks all day long. She has no control over the volume of her voice and is often yelling when she is really excited. When I get her out of bed in the AM, she says "Hi mum, I awake!" She loves to eat. When we run out of something, she is very sad, and will spend the rest of the week reciting the grocery list. "Shreddies, all gone. Chocolate milk, all gone. Yoghurt, all gone." Needless to say, she LOVES to go grocery shopping, and gets so excited when I put the all gone item in the cart for her to hold. Especially if it is chocolate milk, which I think is her favourite thing the world.

Not much is new with me. I am excited about renovating the kitchen, and I have some canning equipment which I am very excited to try out. I am going to start with applesauce and see how that goes. I am still struggling with my future education choice. LD Nurse of Midwife? I know that LD nurse would be more practical for me, however I am not sure I could follow a hospitals regulations, and deal with doctors who have a medical agenda and different opinions about pregnancy and childbirth than I do. But maybe in the right hospital or birth centre, I could actually make a difference... ahhhhh.....

Anyhow. I need to blog more. Shame on me.

At a Loss!

I am at a loss about what to do. Mina, appears to be ATHLETIC! This is very strange to me, and I wonder how the combination of Keith and myself could ever have produced an athletic child. Keith is the first to admit that he is very much not athletic. He is also non-competitive. Although I think that he may have enjoyed badmington in Jr. High, I don't think he was good at it. I also, am the opposite of athletic. I think my very low blood pressure, and crappy hemoglobin, has something to do with it, because when I physically exert myself, I get very dizzy, and red, and stay that way for hours. At high school track meets, when we are forced to choose 3 events to participate it, I would pointedly choose things that I would only have to do once, because I sucked so much and would rather just go and, well, no need to get into what I would go and do. So I choose the high jump (funny to watch a 4 foot 10 girl attempt!) the 100 m dash (my body does not "dash") and the shot put, which usually landed somewhere around my feet. Hardly even out of the circle. So. We produced Mina, who likes to run around the house shouting "fast", could hold her own in a throwing rocks in water contest with her cousin, and can throw a ball like nobody's business. Way straighter and harder, and with far more accuracy than Abby ever will. (Abby is much more like Keitha and I, when it comes to natural athletic abilities.) I picture a dim future for us, having to get second jobs to have to pay for sporting equipment, and driving all over the province for tournaments. Weird. I never thought I'd be a soccer mom, but I guess kids surprise you.

This 'n That

Hello all! Just thought I'd say hey. We are so excited to go to SL for the weekend and see everyone! (Well, except for Eve, who is following her dream and writing her big exam!) Mom has a million plans for us all, I don't think she realizes that we are just there for 2 1/2 days, one of those being a church day. I have been thinking about Eve a lot, and have to admit that I am a little jelous that she is following her heart, and doing that thing that she loves and has wanted to do for so long. I am so frusturated that I cannot even study part time to do midwifery, as the program just does not exsist here in Alberta. All of the courses at the other universities are very midwife specific, there is no equavalent here to get me started. Sometimes I wonder if I should just be a labour and delivery nurse, and wonder if I could ever be happy doing that, or would I always pretend to be a midwife and get into trouble with the hospital rules. It is just not the same. Although there is a Dr here who does home births, and brings along a nurse and usually has a midwife as her back up. What do you think? Should I get on it, and be a L&D nurse, since Midwifery is a far far off possibility that may or may not ever happen here? And at least then I would be able to help, and make a small difference in the way women give birth. Or should I hope for the best and keep on dreaming about getting to be a midwife? I just hate not doing anything to reach my goal. I hate not really knowing if it will happen or not. And I do not feel right about uprooting my family and starting everything over for me to go to school in another province. I like to ask myself every once in a while "what have I done today/this week/this month to reach my goal?" And it drives me crazy that the answer is nothing. And, that I cannot do anything about it.

In other news...

Abby is learning to read her watch and tell time! I have no idea what she is going to do in kindergarten... I remember being so frusturated trying to learn to read a watch in grade 2!
Mina is talking up a storm. She also is learning her shapes and letters now, and gets so excited when she sees a letter she recognizes. She nearly has a seizure when we drive past a McDonalds. "M!M!M!M!M! Yellow M! Yellow, yellow! mom mom!" If she weren't buckled down, she would fall out of her chair for sure.
We have renovated our bathroom once again, because Keith got a free toilet at work after chatting up the American Standard rep, and I wanted to replace the cracked tile... It looks way better! My next task will be painting the bedrooms and then switching our room with the girls so that they will have more space to share, and Mina will not have to sleep in the living room anymore.

Later!

Changes...

Well, my old job is officially finished. I worked there for 7 YEARS! That is a really long time for me to be in one place, and it was very hard to leave. My employer whom I got along so well with, his patients (sniff, not mine anymore) who I got to know so well that going to work every day was more like a social engagement, catching up with old friends, instead of actually working. On the bright side, now I work 3 evenings a week, and 2 saturdays a month. I get the privledge of raising my own kids, instead of sending them elsewhere, which always felt a little wrong, and a lot wrong if I thought about it too much. So here I am, on the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, and I feel so strange not having to be at work. It is like those days when you forget to wear your watch, and spend all day wondering what time it is and what you are supposed to do next and being all nervous that you are late and missing something important. I need to establish a new routine, and am not sure how to start. I think by finding some swimming lessons and library groups to join for the girls. I have been able to do so many things I have been needing and wanting to do! I finally threaded and started using my beautiful new serger that has been gathering dust for months, the house is cleaner than it has been in a long time, and it has only been 2 days! Housework somehow does not seem so oppressive when you have more than a 30 minute slot to do it in! I think I may even be able to make some progress on the house reno stuff we have been wanting to do for so long. Change is difficult sometimes, but I think this is going to work out for the best. The only down side, is that I am really going to miss Keith in the evenings. But I think we can handle it, after all those years of night shifts, this is nothing!

The Latest

Well, last week it was the International Day of Midwives. I missed Edmonton's event, as I was in Disneyland, and I was a bit sad about that. I was looking forward to going to the leg. and seeing all of our area's midwives (yes, all 7 of them!) and especially Noreen, who was there for Mina's birth. Anyhow. The news is that the province is planning to start funding midwifery! For real! Alberta is finally going to catch up with most of the rest of Canada! Also, MRC had a date set for the "bridging program" for training international midwives to practise here. And they had a meeting with UofC and UofA about developing direct midwifery programs. Soooo, I may not even have to move to get my education! I am going to try and post links now. One is from the news brief from MRC, another is to a documentary called "the business of being born". It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It is about 1 1/2 hours long though. I love how at the end, the director, who is pregnant goes into labour. She was planning to have a midwife home birth, but her baby was coming early and was breech, and so the midwife brings her to the hospital for a c section. There are so many people who have such an uninformed opinion about midwifery, and I hope that they will see this film, and recognize that midwives are professionals, and are highly trained in knowing when a delivery needs interventions. And they bring the mom to a hospital when this happens.
http://www.mtroyal.ca/healthcomm/ashs/midwifery.shtml
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/home.htm
I am really excited about this positive development for Alberta! Imagine, being able to birth where and how you choose, whether you have the $ or not! Midwives will be available to everyone, not just rich people! Now I really have to get serious about figuring out how to fund my education...

The Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland! We got to spend 3 days there with "Papa" and had a wonderful time! The weather was beautiful, (even though the air quality was not - Keith said that it made him feel like a smoker again.) Our flight was uneventful! That was a true miracle, and it was so nice to fly direct instead of having to transfer airplanes. Our new sit-n-stand stroller was really the best $100 bucks ever spent. It was perfect for the girls, Abby could get out when she wanted, and hop back on when she needed a break. We actually did a really good job at packing just what we needed. I was quite proud of us for that! My new favourite ride is the Tower of Terror, I thought it would be really scary, but actually it was quite fun. Keith was quite impressed by the Haunted Mansion. Abby loved the rollercoaster in Toon Town the most, and she also spent most of a morning getting soaked in the waterpark. She still does not like rides that are dark, as they are too scarry. I do need to find a way to cover her scalp in sunscreen, or just get her to wear a hat, as it got sunburnt through her fine red hair. Feeding the ducks was also a big hit, especially with Mina, whose new words from the past few days include "duck-duck" "Papa" and "abra" (as in abra-cadabra). Very very cute.

Travel tips for next time:

• Take the time to get to a grocery store. Shopping at 7-11 for groceries is just wrong, and you never quite get what you want.
• Stay up for the fireworks (note to self). Even though I get so pooped out after a day of Disney, I should have stayed up! Next time I will!
• Bring some Auntie's along. I would have loved to have a sister to go shopping with. I wanted to go, but did not really want to go alone, and also did not want to bring Keith and the kids. Shopping for deals at Ross is just something you have to do with a sister. Plus Aunties are good for the girls, and cousins would have been even more fun. Next time we should plan for a family event. There is usually a "kids fly free" event in the spring time, I think we should take advantage of it!
• Bring my own camera. At the last minute I decided not to bring mine, as dad and Keith both had theirs. But I missed my D40 the whole time, and was kicking myself for trying to be so practical about how many cameras one group of people actually needs.
  
• Plan for a cheaper parking spot for when we are at the airport! Nuff said.

We had a really fun time. I think Keith may even be hooked on the Dis for family vacations too! I will post some pics later when I get them sorted out.

Because I don't post enough pictures...

Here are some pictures, I realized that I do not put enough up here, and the aunties do not get to see my kids beautiful faces enough.
A) Abby and Keith doing science experiments.
B) Putting together IKEA furniture. Notice that Mina is the only one bothering to read the instructions...
C) Playing "my old friend". This has become a favourite activity before bed. (I thought I had rotated the picture. Sorry) I had forgotten how much fun it is to play my saxophone. Abby and Mina love it so much, although they do chew up my reeds and slobber all over the mouth piece.

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the girls, each wearing the cute hats Auntie Betina made for them. Although Mina prefers to wear panties on her head, I do make her switch them out for a hat when we go out, which makes her very sad. It is officially spring now, and even Easter this weekend, but you would not really know it by looking outside. I am wishing we were at Betina's again for the holiday so that the Easter Bunny could come outside (and to Rosaurs too), instead of just to the living room. Somehow, it just does not seem as fun. But I am sure Abby and Mina will still love it. Maybe we should consider making Easter in Colfax a tradition.

Funny

"Where am I going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

About my Job

This week is teachers convention in Edmonton. Which means that at work, I get to clean childrens teeth all day long.
One question: Are all 9 - 15 yr old boys so sullen and unresponsive? They will not answer any questions, make eye contact, or even be generally pleasant.
Also: A note to people who go to the dentist. If you treat your dental professional badly, if you are whiny and mean or try to bite them, you can bet that you are going to get the 4 minute disgusting fluoride instead of the more pleasant 1 minute tasty one. There will not even be a choice!

What Have I Been Up To, You Ask?

Well, let me tell you. I have been making and individually wrapping (well, 2 to a pkg) 500 home made chocolate chip cookies. I have been doing it for a long time. Because I love my little sister, and they will make her wedding guests very happy. I have always been good at baking cookies, and sometimes people ask how come mine always turn out so well. Here are some cookie baking tips.

• Use butter. It just tastes better. It must be at room temperature. You should not try to cheat by heating it up in the microwave, because that melts the middle of it and that will change the end result. Make sure you leave the correct amount of butter on the counter until it softens. Do not cheat.
  
• Have a good recipe. Some, like just finding one on the net, will not turn out well. Others are tried and true, like the Toll House chocolate chip recipe, or the ones on the back of the chipits package.
  
• Have good equipment. A Kitchenaid mixer is the absolute best, but a hand mixer will do. Ther right cookie sheets are essential. Shiny metal, air insulated with a rim only on one side. This is very important so that the air will circulate around the cookie and bake it properly. A cookie scoop will ensure they are the right size and shape. Do not cram the dough into the scoop, or they will not fall out of the scoop properly. Have an oven thermometer in your oven to make suer the temperature is correct, and pre heat it. Know your hot spot. Mine is at the back left, so a cookie sheet must be off centre to the right to ensure even baking.
  
• Follow the recipe. Always cream the butter with the sugars before adding eggs and vanilla. Mix the dry stuff seperately, then mix in with wet. Then do add ins, like chips/nets etc. Don't do it all at once.
• Use only a minimal amount of spray oil (pam).
  
• Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart. If you try to put too many cookies on a sheet, the air will not flow around them and they will be flat and raw.
• Do not scoop dough onto a warm or hot cookie sheet. Have at least 2 cookie sheets to rotate, so that you do not have to wait for the one the cool before putting the next batch in.
  
• Use a timer. Always check them 1 minute before the timer goes off. They should be very slightly brown around the bottom edge. Take them out of the oven at this point and let sit on the pan for 1 - 2 minutes more. Then remove to cooling rack. Use a clean lifter. If the lifter has melted chocolate chips on it, it will not lift your cookies properly and they will get misshapen.
  

If you do any of those things wrong, your cookies will not turn out and be beautiful, like the ones that will be at Patience's wedding.

My Incredible Husband

I have a fantastic husband. There is a long long list of praises to sing for him, but let me just share with you this most recent feat. He has not smoked in 4 days! I am so proud of him! YAY Keith! You are awesome. I love you.

Tagged

Well, Betina tagged me, and so I have to write 6 things about myself. I do not have any other bloggers to tag back though, so the tagging will have to stop here.

• I hate hot weather. Even though today it is the coldest day so far this winter (-46 with the wind), and it is the first time ever that I have called my boss to tell him that I am not coming in to work, I still can honestly say that I hate hot weather. Today I will attempt to shovel out the 3 feet of snow we got overnight, I will plug in the car so that it might start tomorrow morning, and will probably get frostbite. But I will still enjoy it more that I would a hot hot summer day.
  
• I have been fired from 2 jobs. One was a Tim Hortons, and they fired me because I had a "bad attitude", and the other was The Keg, because I missed a shift when it was -35 and my car would not start, and they thought I should just take the bus. (I was not about to wait for a bus in that weather, so I got fired.) So even though I know Dr. M would not fire me for today, I was still a bit nervous about calling him this morning.
  
• I really like eating out at restaurants. We do not do this very often these days, but I love it. I am excited for when the kids are older and Keith and I can do this more often. One of the careers that I have always wanted to try out is being a food writer for a newspaper or magazine. And if you are going out to eat, you have to order desert. It does not make sense not too! Especially if they have cheesecake, or a chocolate lava cake.
  
• Recently I have began to enjoy opera music. I think it is because we got a kids opera CD with english translation, and the songs are really fun! Now every time it comes on the radio, I turn it up.
  
• I never properly learned how to be a girl. I cannot for the life of me blow dry my hair, and I haven't the first clue about how to put on makeup. I don't really like spending money on clothes, or even shopping for clothes in general. This only really bothers me when I am with my beautiful sisters who are really good at blowdrying.
  
• I never use spell check, normally. But the past few weeks I have been e mailing principals of some schools we might send Abby to, and I used spell check on them. I would be so embarassed if I sent an e mail to a principal with spelling mistakes in it. And besides, they might not let Abby into their school if that happened.
  

I think that is 6. Now I just have to figure out how to link to my sister's blogs. I'll try that next time I am on here.

January 8 random samplings

Well, it is a new year already! Christmas was really fun, Keith and I both had lots of time off, and we both got to just relax. It was nice, and actually felt like a holiday when it was over. Here are some fun things that happened/were said. (Mostly by Abby)

• "Auntie Patience, are you excited to get married so that you can sleep with Dan?"
• "I am NOT a fish expert, I am a HORSE expert" (stomping away in a huff)
• Mina seems to be sleeping better! Over the holidays we developed a new night time strategy. We just ignore her. Well, not completely, but we try to have her go back to sleep on her own, without the boob. She seems to be getting the hang of it!
  
• Mina is also walking up a storm! 14 months is such a cute age. She will just walk around the house, carrying a stuff, putting random things in the baking cupboard, and chattering away. So cute.
  
• We were talking about registering Abby for school. Abby got really excited, started to jump up and down doing the happy dance, saying "Yay! I get to go to Paleontology school!" When we told her it was for kindergarten, and not college, she was very sad. Incidentally, we may have found a suitable school for her, so long as there is space left for kids from other neighborhoods.
  

I am sure I had more to blog about, but it is nearly 10, and I am falling asleep. zzz.

One more sleep!

Only one more sleep, and then it is Christmas holidays! I am really excited for Christmas. It seems like the magic only lasts a few years - until grade 1 or so, when other kids ruin it for everyone. So I am really trying to enjoy and notice how magical it is for Abby, and Mina too. Every morning, the first thing Abby does is the advent calendar, and of course counts the remaining days. She has her letter for Santa memorized, and wraps up little presents for people all day, with kleenex and tape. She also loves to hear the baby Jesus story before bed, she says it gives her a good sleep. Right now she is more excited for "Auntie" day, the day we get to see Nunu. Abby is kind of upset that I did not put a picture of Nawana on our Christmas card, and she also thinks Auntie's last name is the same as ours. Abby also dreams of her every night, riding a white horse together. Mina likes to toddle up to the tree, oohing, and goes up to the baby's 1st Christmas pictures of her and Abby, and she likes to take the Christmas Fish off of the tree and play with him. It is fun.

Just a note about the Christmas card I sent out, you will notice there is no letter to go along with it. That is because I was too tired and grumpy that week to say anything positive. It has been a good year, I think, but really it has gone by in a blurry haze due to lack of sleep, and I do not really remember the highlights very well. Each time I started writing the letter, it degenerated very quickly into "I wish everyone would just go away and let me sleep." I am trying to be more positive now though, and I am hoping that this holiday season I can at least have a nap. Maybe 2 of them, if I have been good this year. Then I might feel better.

This and that, incoherent ramblings of today....

Well, since I went through the trouble to sign in and post a comment on nunu's blog, I might as well post here too. I do not really have anything specific to say, so here are my random thoughts.

• It is very cold here now! Like 20 below 0 for a high during the day. brrr. I sewed Mina's mittens on to her snowsuit, and she ripped out the stitching! That little weiner. I guess I should not have just basted them on...
  
• Abby and Mina both have eye infections, and I have to torture them 4 times daily with eye drops, and it is not much fun.
  
• There is no Midwifery school in Alberta! So, it seems likely that in 4 or 5 years, we will be moving to BC or Ontario. Unless things change in this province. We are so backwards here, in the "richest" province in Canada. I might become a lobbyist in the meantime, while I am upgrading and saving $.
  
• Christmas is coming! I arranged a cookie exchange at work and everyone signed up to participate! (except for M the grinch, who doesn't really like me, so is spurning the cookie exchange) I am unreasonably excited about this, and change my mind 3 times a day about what kind of cookie I am going to wow everyone with. I also arranged a festive pizza lunch, to which I am bringing dessert, and Donna caught my merry spirit and is arranging a gift exchange. Ho ho ho!
  
• Mina walks now! She can go about 10 steps, when she is motivated, like when she sees someone else's church bag and wants to root through it, in search of food. Then she will sit there, quietly, eating someone else's apple.
  
• Abby can count to 100! She is often muttering under her breath, and when you ask her what she said, she gets mad at you for interupting, and she has to start counting again.
  

When I Grow Up

I have always known that career wise, and education wise, I want to do more than Dental Assisting. For a long time though, like the past 12 years or so, I have struggled with figuring out what that something was. I have always been very envious of my sisters, who all seemed to be able to figure that question out very early in life, while I sat by, taking dental assistimg really only because it was only 1 year long, so if I hated it, it would not be a big loss. Turns out, I do enjoy my job, and it has served me well for the past 9 years. (holy cow, that is a long time!) For a while I thought that I wanted to be a nurse. But after being in the hospital a couple of times, and seeing what a nurse's job is like, and what our healthcare system here is really like, I realized that I do not want to be doing that. So that was the end of that dream. But the past couple of years, I have had this secret ambition. At first it was just a passing thought, I did not really believe I could do it. I would read books about it all the time, and imagine and dream that it was me, but I never said anything about it, because it was like this secret idea I had... But I got brave, I said it out loud, and it made me so excited. I have an info session to attend at the end of the month to find out if I can train for it in Alberta, but I could also go to BC or Ontario for it - for a 4 yr program at university. So my new 5 year plan is to do some major upgrading, as the programs are super competitive, and to save money. A lot of money.... Then, when my kids are both in elementary school, I am going to school to become a MIDWIFE! I am so so so excited about this, and it feels so right!

We Miss Auntie

Sigh, beloved Auntie, sister and nanny NuNu has been away for a week now. We sure miss her! I miss having so many stylish pairs of shoes on my shoe rack - and they almost fit me, so I could pretend they were mine and that I knew something about fashion. I miss all of her shopping bags, she would come home after being at the mall and give us fashion shows of all the things she found that day. I miss coming home to a fresh batch of cookies. Nunu would wake up, promptly at 2, and start baking up a storm. And she always shared. Now, I have to start baking cookies regularly again, because there is nothing as depressing as an empty cookie jar. I miss hearing the giggles from when Abby would crawl into bed with Nunu and pretend to be a bear in a cave under the blankets. I miss being able to say "go see what Auntie is doing" when Abby was driving me crazy and needed something to do while I made dinner. Abby misses her too, and really loves sleeping in Nawana's old bed. She says that she dreams of Auntie sleeping there too. She misses the walks to Starbucks to get strawberry frappuccino's on a nice day. Keith misses reading fashion magazines, well, so do I. Mina misses impromptu piano concerts - Nawana would play very complicated songs, and Mina and Abby would dance around the living room. It was so cute.

We hope things are going well in Mississauga, and that your ugly nurse shoes are at least very comfortable. We love you Nunu!

Disneyland!

We are back! We had such a fun and relaxing time at the Happiest Place on Earth! (Which to Keith was the one and only smoking section in Tomorrowland.) So after taking a car, 2 airplanes and a bus, we arrived at the wrong hotel. So "Judy" called for a golf cart to come and pick us up, and what appeared, but a fancy schmancy Cadillac - a sign of things to come. Abby asked if she had to take her shoes off in it, it was so nice. The Grand hotel was so amazing and beautiful. I miss sleeping in the bed, having a newspaper delivered in the morning, and the double vanity and cozy robes that we wore to the pool. It was really high class, nothing like the KOA Disney holidays of childhood. Not a can of Chunky soup in sight! Just nice ladies asking us if we needed turn down service (I had to ask what that was. It involved fluffy pillows and chocolate. Two of my favourite things!) For me the hotel was really the highlight. I may plan all future vacations based on if we can afford a top hotel.

Our first morning there, we went to California Adventure, which was all decked out for Halloween with candy corn growing on the palm trees. Abby LOVED Soaring over California, and was making a joke later about "walking over California", ha ha. Keith, mom and I did the big rollercoaster, (which we could see from our balcony!) and Abby went on the carousel too. Then it was time for lunch at Ariels Grotto. Holy moley. Princesses galore. Abby had the Christmas morning look on her face for the entire event, and I got all teary seeing her so excited. Then we went to Disneyland, where I made the mistake of taking Abby on Snow Whites Scary Adventure (not reading the sign before going into it.) It was very scary. Abby would only go on outdoor rides that were not scary, loud or dark after that. So we spent lots of time at Dumbo, Tea Cups, and the Carousel. Although we did get her to go on Pirates then next day, which she says she liked, even though she was complaining about how wet her Belle dress was, and hiding her eyes the whole time... Her big highlight was the Princess Vanity Faire, where she got 1 on 1 time with 3 princesses - for 1/2 an hour! She brought a picture of them that she had drawn, and got to show them and chat and dance with them. She did have a bit of trouble explaining to Pocahantas why she was not included in the drawing... It was so cute to see her in that princess dress, having such a magical time. She also really liked the parade and the Jungle Cruise. Keith and I loved Space Mountain, which I think is my fav "fast" disney ride.

We had such a fun time! It was relaxing and happy and fun! Our pics are not digital this time, but I will try and post some after I get the negs scanned and put on CD. Thank you dad and mom for taking us on this really great holiday, and for all of the magic that Abby got to experience! We are planning to go again at Christmas time, when the girls are a few years older, I am going to save me pennies so that we can stay at the Grand again!

A few things Tuesday

Betina's Thursday posts are really fun to read, so I am going to try and post weekly too, even if is is just random goings on. So here we go.

On Sunday, during Sacrament meeting, just after the water prayer, the bishop gets up and tells us all that there is a bomb in the building and we have to evacuate. He is Chinese and has quite an accent, so it took us all a while to figure out what he was talking about. Quite the adventure. Turns out it was only a prank call, and the police traced it and have a suspect, who will be charged. The Primary presentation was supposed to be that day, so they are going to do it on fast sunday instead, in place of testimony meeting. Maybe they just do not want to hear everyone bearing their testimonies about the bomb...

Abby likes to play with Mina. When Mina is not in the mood, Abby will set a trail of food on the floor to make Mina come to where she wants her to play. She keeps a bowl of dry cheerios in her room for this purpose. It is her "Mina bait".

I am back at work now, it is going fine. My boss is really happy to have me back, which is nice to know. Mina hates being away from me, and it makes me feel so guilty, I really hope that she gets used to things soon. I am stressed about it...

My Bathroom

One day, in my dream house, I will have my own bathroom. One that no one else is ever allowed to use. It will have:

• A heated ceramic floor, so that there are never drops of water to step in
• A heated towel rack too.
• A double shower with seats for shaving my legs without having to balance like a flamingo.
• Glass block window so that the neighbors cannot see inside when I am showering at night. Because the window film you buy at the store just does not do the job, apparantly.
• A bidet, which I think every crohnie should have.
  
• A built in window seat, so that i can just hang out in there and read when I need to get away. Also so I can just in there when I am sick.
  
• A telephone so that I can talk to my sisters. For some reason, one of us is usually in the bathroom when we chat.
  
• A really big cabinet where I can store many varieties of floss.
• No bath toys.
• A huge jetted tub, so that if I ever get pregnant again, which is not likely, I can have my baby at home. Or one of my sisters can come over and have a baby in my tub.
  
• A cabinet with special lights for sterilizing my toothbrush.

I think that is it. I have discovered that I really want my own bathroom. Even Keith would not be able to use it, although he really quite pleasant to share a bathroom with, I just want my own. Maybe I would set up my sewing machine in there too.

Letter to my Kids Dayhome

Hi Nicole.

Well it is almost that time for me to go back to work! While I am happy to be back, I am also sad to leave little Mina. (Abby I am not sad about, because she loves you already!) So when I drop her off, I am going to just drop them off and run away so that I do not cry in front of them. So I thought I'd send you an e mail of all the things I would normally tell you that morning, if I wasn't running off like that.

• Naps: Mina usually takes 2 naps in the day. One around 9 am , for 1 - 2 hours, and another around 2:30, again for 1 - 2 hours. I put her down tired, but awake. Sometimes she does not cry at all, sometimes she cries for about 10 minutes. Please don't let her go longer than 15 minutes (though it rarely comes to that). If you vary the time to suit your schedule better, that is okay, that is just what works for her here at home. I have no idea how she will do with other kids in the room. Do you have a crib/playpen for her?
• Food: Mina is still nursing, but she can go the day without it. (we have done a few test runs). She does eat a variety of solid foods, so I know that she will not go hungry. She also drinks water from a sippy cup, but still needs help with it. Do you have a high chair? I will get a list of the foods she can eat for you. She still has not tried everything, so I would appreciate if you did not introduce new things to her. I can provide her food for you, if that would be easier or helpful. That is no problem at all, just let me know. Do you have a high chair?
• Development: Mina can sit up, crawl, pull up to standing and walk along furniture. She can also crawl up (but not down) stairs and makes a bee line for them whenever she gets the chance. She knows the sign for "more". When she learns more signs, I will let you know.
• Pets: So far Mina has been afraid of dogs. I am sure she will get used to Playful, but just so you know, the 3 she has met so far scare her...
• Personality: Mina is a happy kid. She adores Abby. When she is tired she will pull her hair and turn her ankles in circles, and yawn, of course. She gets startled easily by loud sudden noises and cries. She likes to clap her hands and play peek a boo, and she really likes dolls, and banging 2 things together.

Please e mail or call me if you have any questions about her. I will e mail you if I think of anything else. You are probably think that I am acting like a neurotic mother. I can't help it...

Serinda

End of Summer

Well, summer is over. It is September long weekend already! We had a really fun summer this year. We went on 2 weekend camping trips, and got to see much of the fam on one of them, and we also got to go to Calgary and visit the zoo. I renovated the front entry, and we got started on the kitchen this week. Right now I am sanding down window frames to get ready for a fresh coat of paint to go with the new windows that are being installed next week. We had lots of fun playdates at the splash park, and Abby learned to ride her bike! Summer went by so quickly. It is almost time for me to go back to work, part time, which is mostly a good thing, although I will worry about Mina until she adjusts to her dayhome. Of course she will do fine, but it is my job to worry about my kids. I am excited about going back to work because I will have something of mine back. I will get to be alone, when I am driving there! It sounds really selfish to say so, but I really miss having a few minutes to myself. And I will get to chat with grown ups. After being around little people for almost a year, I just need some grown up space. I am so lucky to have a boss who I like, who is a family guy and allows me the flexibility to work only the hours I need to.

Things I want to Always Remember about my kids

• Abby's imaginary friend "Spider". She uses her fingers to make him, and he plays with us all the time. I have a spider too "Big Spider" and hers is "Little Spider".
• Abby's favourite cuddle buddy Ghost, and her red striped vegetable blanket. Note to self, never go away without it! Many tears are shed, right Patience?
• Abby's rats nest after she wakes up.
• The sad little drawings and letters that Abby delivers to me when she is angry or sad.
  
• Mina's trilling sound that she loves to make. It is like a rolling R. I have no idea how she does it. Maybe because she only has front teeth?
• Mina's birth. Wow.
  
• The way Mina hits her chest when she is excited. Like a gorilla, it is so cute, but she ends up with odd bruises, especially when she does it while holding something hard.
  

Those are just a few. Now I must go and play pirates. Arr.

A little Update

Hello all,

Here are some things that have been going on in the humble home of ours.

• Mina can stand in her crib! She is growing up, I must shed a tear.
  
• Mina LOVES Abby's princess couch. She climbs up onto it, and ooh's and aah's four like 15 minutes while touching the faces of the princess's. She also has the same reaction to dolls. Definately a girl!
• Abby put on a pair of plain white underwear the other day. She usually chooses princess ones, but it was laundry day. So, she puts these white ones on, and walks around pretending to be Mummy! "Look, I am Mummy. I have boring panties." Well, guess who is going shopping for exciting panties this week?? I can't believe I have become the boring pantie person. Needless to say, I am embasassed.
  
• I have tiled our front entry! It looks beautiful! I am going to paint this week. I love doing this stuff! All of the HGTV I watch is really paying off! And, I found this store near my house called the "ReStore" where builders donate extra stuff, and I buy it for really cheap. So awesome. I learned to use a manual tile cutter (there is a trick to it! Good thing I bought extra tiles!)
  
• Keith has built another computer. Now we have the main one, which is super duper high tech, I have no idea about it's credentials, but Keith says it is top notch, also a "file storage" computer, set up in the laundry room, and a "media centre" under the TV. I am rolling my eyes. Keith is sure that I will show some WAF as soon as I figure it all out. (WAF: Wife Approval Factor among the techie computer people.) I am happy for him.
  

Pictures - Finally

I would post more but Blogger is going very slowwww right now.

Hot!!!

It is soooo hot here. It has been above 30 degrees all week and I am about to die. I hate the heat anyway, and this is just too much. We have been hiding in the basement all day, except for when we went to the air conditioned mall. We would have stayed there all day, but Mina needed her nap, and we ran out of loonies for the rides, and Abby kept on finding things that she just MUST have, like golden shoes, flip flops, a beaded purse, and a garden hoe. I was about to buy her the new camoing chair, but then she had a bit of a tantrum, so home to the oven we went. I was tired of saying NO. It makes me feel like a meanie. Did I mention how much I hate the heat? I would rather have 30 below zero, at least then I could warm up in the house. There is nothing I can do to cool down. Our window AC unit fell out of the window last summer and broke. That was a very sad sad day. Woe is me.

This weekend we are going camping! We are going to a lake with lots of trees, so it should be cooler than staying home would be. If it cools down we are going to go berry picking too. Also we need to try out the new tent we bought. I have a few new camping recipes we are excited to try too, like boil-a-bag omlettes and some kebabs. It will be nice to have a weekend away. I hope Mina does alright.

I have so many pics to post, of Abby's awesome birthday party and horse ride, but Keith is in the middle of building his new computer right now, and the photo stuff is not installed yet. I promise I will do a whole blog of pics as soon as I can.

New Car!

We bought a new car!!! I am so excited! We were going to get used, and be sensible and practical about it, but the interest rates were just so good on the new ones. We bought a 2007 Toyota Corolla. It is black and shiny and beautiful. I am so happy to have a reliable car, I do not have to worry about highway driving anymore (as you know, I had irrational fears ever since my transmission blew up at 120 km/hr. Which was pretty darn scarry!!) We cleared out a place in the garage for it, I can just see the hooligans down the street vandalising it for fun, just because it is new and shiny and not theirs. So, if you know anyone who needs a car, we are selling the old toyota...

Wednesdays notes

This morning someone broke into my car. Well, my dad's car actually, which he has been kind enough to let us use this summer. Stupid little teenage theives are so annoying. They broke the window, and stole the registration. They did not steal several prescription pads, which my dad uses as scrap paper and leaves everywhere, or the chequebook that was in the glove compartment. They did however empty a bag of salted peanuts (Abby's emergency car snack) all over the car. And it looked like they heapedbroken glass into the carseats. What annoying little destructive disrespectful brats.

Mina is moving around like crazy. The other day I left her on the living room floor, and went and did something in the kitchen. Then I hear her distressed squeal, so I go to find her. She was completely stuck under the couch. I could not find her right away and got rather worried. This morning I had her in bed with us while we were sleeping. I woke up and she was nursing, upside down. It was really funny.

On a totally unrelated note, would you send you child to French or Spanish kindergarten? Pros for French: It is our national second language, and if she likes it, and continues with it, she could do some really cool exchange programs in highschool, and also be eligible for plum government jobs when she grows up. Pros for Spanish: she and Eden could go travelling to Spanish speaking places together, knowing Spanish is more unique and has a better "cool" factor than knowing French, and she already knows a fair bit thanks to Dora and Diego. I have a year to decide...

On Sunday, Abby's sunday school lesson was about tasting and smelling. They always draw a picture to go with the lesson. So my dear daughter drew a picture of an orange noodle aka: KD. I felt like such a trailer mom. Now everyone knows I feed my children crap. And they love it enough to draw a special picture about being thankful to be able to smell and taste orange noodles.

In Response to Eve's Posts

I was reading Eve's blogs, and I am very sad that no one would be her hair model. It would be so nice to all live in the same place, at least until Eve is done hair school. Then she would have 6 models at her disposal. Maybe we should all plan our California visits around her test dates. The thing about having so many siblings is that growing up, there was really no need to make and keep friends. We did not need to, because we had our sisters and bro. Now that I am all grown up though, I feel that I am socially stunted because of this. I think that I did not develop the usual social skills that most other people seem to come by easily. A girl at church asked us over for dinner, and really, I am terrified. That is so wierd. She is perfectly nice, and I have no reason to be intimidated by a dinner invitation.

In other news, well, happenings... Mina is rolling over really well. She can sure get around! She also has been diagnosed with a flat head, and may need to wear a helmet. She has an appointment on the 20 of June to see what we should do about it. It is funny though, if she is fussing and crying, Abby will say "don't be sad Mina, your head is only a little bit flat." She has been crying a lot these days, I think her teeth are coming through soon.

Abby and I have planted a garden! I am really excited about it. It will be so cool to grow Mina's first foods! We planted peas, carrots, beans, spinach and potatos. Also some corn at Abby's request. I still need to plant the squash and zucchini, I just need to find a space big enough. Abby has also requested to go for a horse ride for her number 4 birthday. You would think this is an easy wish to grant, but I am having a heck of a time setting this up! I have one more place to call today, I really hope it works out.

I have been feeling like I am ready to go back to work... I am just not cut out to be at home 24/7. It is driving me crazy! I love my kids, but I am loosing my sanity. I need some grown ups around. No wonder my mother is crazy.

missing out

I am a bit sad that I am missing out on this weekend's California fest. I did briefly consider going, but I would have had to bring Mina. And, babies just would not hold up to Eve's rigorous scheduling. In fact, I have a hard time with Eve's rigorous scheduling. Maybe it is because I am a crohnie and am severly anaemic, but I just do not seem to have the energy that my sisters have. It is really hard to keep up with their adventures. I have no idea how they do it. I do hope that you all have fun though!

The junkfood thing

I had said that I would join my sister in the no junkfood on weekdays idea. Well, that will not work for me, because if I do that, then on Sunday night I will eat: 1 hotdog, 1 family size fruit and nut bar and 2 bowls of sherbert - oh and a coke. All because I know that it will be another week until I can have yummy things again. The thing is, that is more junk than I would normally eat in a whole week. So I am just going to be mindful about the size of the junky portions that I want. I never believed in denying oneself pleasure anyway. What an awful way to live.

In family news, Mina has started eating rice cereal, and loves it! She has also discovered her toes. Very cute. Abby really misses her cousins, and wants to go back. I fit into my old jeans, even after Sunday's binge! So, no reason to be crazy and deny myself the occasional coke. Sheesh. that is just not me. And it is officially spring time. Raking the grass yesterday (which is dead, so I thought it would be safe) brought on the seasonal allergies that make me spout water from my eyes and nose all day long, uncontrollable sneezing fits and other unpleasantries. And as much as I love nursing Mina, I am so excited for next spring, as I will not be nursing then, and can battle nature with many pharmaceuticals.

the dark side

Well, the bathroom reno is done! It looks great, although I have not taken pics yet. But I found out the dark side of renovating. Yes, I have a beautiful sparkly new bathroom, and it is wonderful. However. I also have a back yard filled with debris. Bathtub, sink, various plumbing things I cannot name, shower doors, boxes of tile and plaster, off cuts of drywall, cardboard. Ooh, and our Faux fireplace which I forgot was there until the snow started to melt. And an old fan, which still works, but Keith apparantly hates. He has tried to throw it away several times, and this time, I was too late to save it. I bet he will ask where it is this summer when he is sweating away on a project in his garage. Ha. Oh, and also a compter monitor, which sadly burnt out. So, Welcome to Wabasca! At least until we rent a truck to do a dump run.

Also, here are some pictures of my beautiful girls. They have nothing to do with the name of this post, by the way...

Todays Ramblings

Well, I have a couple of thoughts today. The first being, when I told Keith that it was time to have a baby, I did not realize that there would be days where my biggest accomplishment would be sucking out a booger from my baby's left nostril. Really. That huge thing was in there all day, going in and out every time she inhaled and exhaled... It was driving everyone crazy. I really felt like I had won a prize when I got it out! Thank goodness for the nasal aspirator I um, brought home, from the hospital.

The other thing is about crockpots. My sisters all swear by them, how they are so handy and make such delicious meals and all that. So, again wanting to fit in, I got one for Christmas this year. (well, actually TWO!) I have made several dinners. The first got burned. Yes, burned to a crisp in the crockpot. The pot roast was good, but I fail to see what the advantage of the crockpot here. It is just as easy to put it in the oven, and does not really save time because you still need to make the yorkshire pudding, mashed potatos and gravy, because that is the real reason to have pot roast in the first place. The other things I have made, including several soups, and a few chicken things, all come out this anaemic brown colour. And I noticed that the pictures of crockpot recipes in all of the books are also the same sludgy colour, so it is not just me. I am really grossed out by that colour. I cannot eat it. Especially after Keith pointed out that it turns that colour in your stomach anyway. So, I may retire my crockpot, and just try to be myself. I will cook my future stews on the stove, because I like my carrots to stay orange.

Update

Well, I have not blogged in almost a month. Which is about the time we tore apart our bathroom, and began renovating. It is a big job, when you are working around 2 kiddos and a husband who works long and hard hours. So we get 10 minute increments randomly dispersed throughout the week to work on the bathroom. But I think another week and we will be done! It is looking very good, and soon my lifelong dream to have a beautiful clean bathroom will be realized. I have lived far too long with tubs that never look clean, grout that might have been white at one time, no shelves or cabinets, yellow water that stained all of the fixtures, and yes, even mushrooms growing in a spot where the wood was rotten and would never dry. I can't believe I admitted that on the internet. Disgusting. Even repeated doses of bleach did not kill them.

I have learned how to cut and install drywall, bought my first powertool, rented tools from Home Depot, laid some tile and grouted a floor. I still have some painting to do, hopefully tonight, and we have to put the mouldings and silicone around the tub. Then the fun part of buying new towels! I have not had new towels since I got married, and I am really excited! I love being a homeowner, because I do not have to put up with fungi growing in the WC.

V Day

Well, not to be out done by my sisters, (why is this such a theme in my life? hmm, perhaps a future blog about that...) I am posting our cookie making picture. Thank-goodness for Cookie Monster's Famous Cookie dough! It is a Payne tradition. Every boy we have ever woo'ed, or wished we were woo'ing has sampled this timeless recipe. And I must say, that the cookie method is tried and true, and works nearly every time. Abby gave cookies to our neighbors, and also made Valentine's day cards for the Mailman (taped onto the mailbox), the birds (placed on the front porch for the magpies to find) and the "Princess's at Disneyland" (which was mailed to the Disneyland hotel.) Happy Valentines Day to all. A very good excuse to make cookies.

Joining the Club

Some of my sisters are fitness freaks. Well, they are not freaks, they just really seem to like working out, counting WW points and - gasp - running. I have never done any of these things, because my Crohn's keeps me malnourished enough that if I ever do break the 100 mark, I save those pounds for the lean times coming... I have even been known to say that I would never run in my life again unless I was being chased by a bear or some such creature. I am not going to start running (sheesh, I am still sane!), but I have been thinking about getting fit. You see, I have several baby pounds hanging about that I would rather be rid of. And since I plan on seeing a naturopath after I am done breastfeeding, I have some confidence that I will be better able to manage the Chronies, and not have to keep the poundage in reserve. So. I have started doing my Yoga tapes. Holy Moly! It is really hard! I am not a very good Proud Warrior, and I absolutley cannot to the Triangle without falling down. It is hard to "feel my breath with the soles of my feet" when the Warrior's arms are burning and about to fall off. Another problem I am having is my junk food cravings. It makes it really hard to plan healthy family meals for the week when all I want is chocolate cake and gummy bears. But I will persevere.

And so it goes on

Well, my dear first born has incredible willpower. She is fighting the fibre. Which is why we are awake at this ridiculous hour, dealing with her issue. This means, her screaming, going into the bathroom every 3 minutes and then changing her mind. This goes on all day, every day. I am so tired and stressed about this. I cannot even leave the house with her this way. We get absolutely nothing done, and now we are not sleeping either. I feel like I am missing something in the parenting skills box because I am really sucking at this. I am trying really hard to remember that she is only 3 years old, and is not a rational human being yet. But I am getting so mad!

poops

Why, oh why, is my life filled with POOP issues??? First of all, there is my Crohn's disease. All about poop. (Well, and pain too, but that is a whole other poor-me post. This one is only about poop.) Second, my cat, who still poops on the floor a few times a week. Yuck. Thirdly, and most importantly, my first born. She has had poop issues forever. When she was a baby, she stopped going for about 2 weeks! My dad, books, and her GP all said normal, fine, she is breast fed, don't worry about it. Well, of course I worried, cried and lost a lot of sleep, and was convinced that everyone was wrong, because only I knew my baby's poop patterns. So, I got my dad to fandangle a emergency appointment with a pediatric specialist, who also, said that she was fine. And she was. I think this is why we have issues today. It is all my fault. She will actually hold it in for a week at a time, and make herself sick. It is awful and really stressful for everyone. So, today I took action. I made a double batch of bran muffins, fed her blueberries and muffins for lunch, and spiked her drinks with that powdery fibre additive. Lo and behold (drumroll please....) a huge poop! I am so happy and relieved. ahhhh. Nothing like a good poop. Fibre is our friend, and will be a part of our lives, even when it is secretly added to water, forever!

pictures!

Okay, at long last, here are a couple of pictures of our little one. She is 9 weeks old already! I was going to do a blog too, but it is running so slow today, I will wait until later.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all (of my sisters, smears, and my dad, who seem to be my only Blog readers). I can't blame everyone else though, because my blog really is quite boring. However, I will continue on. A few days ago, Abby said to me. "Mummy, we need to go to the store and buy a new chair, with soft cushions. Our time-out chair is very hard, and I would rather not sit on it." She was suffering from "too much Christmas" syndrome: an interrupted schedule, being dragged all over town to visit well-meaning friends, too much sugar, late bedtimes, all on top of being three, which is not easy. Which resulted in many temper tantrums, bite marks on daddy's leg ( I really thought we were past that!), slamming doors (I think she gets that from me), and breaking things. Next year there will be some changes around the holiday time... We will decorate our gingerbread house with vegetables, for starters.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We had a great holiday. We went to my mom and dad's place for a few days and visited most of the family. Betina's branch was dearly missed though. It was so nice to see everyone else, especially Eve and Sean who we don't get to see very often. We had a "pre Christmas" gift opening, and Abby's gem was, as she was opening yet another present, "I sure hope this one is not clothes!" It was really funny. I think kids like toys best, but the parents like it when they get clothes. Her favourite toys were the Barbies from Santa. I cannot believe I caved in to the Barbie thing. I always swore that no daughter of mine would have barbies.. But it makes her so happy. I think this is how Keith mush have felt when his dream of a Disney-free childhood for our kids was shattered....

I also got to see an old friend of mine! One of the very few people from my old SL life that I really missed. I have not seen her since my wedding, and it was really cool to have that visit. She has a little baby girl too, and it is just so neat to see your old friends in a new context. Instead of playing saxophone together and dodging Billy Onofrychucks spit bombs from his trombone, we were sitting side by side on matching recliners nuring our little girls and talking about spit up. I miss her.

Happy holidays all!

My little Ballerina

Yesterday was Abby's ballet recital. I am such a proud mummy! It was at a big theatre - not a gymnasium, a REAL theatre! With stage lights, curtains, stadium seating and everything!!

Abby was part of 2 preformances. One was with her class, a group of equally cute 3 year olds. They were all dressed up in their red bodysuits, a Christmas print tu tu, and curly ponytails. (Although, Abby has hair issues. Once again, I had hair envy of all of the other girls, with thick, flowing long ringlet-y hair, while Abby's barely goes into a half ponytail, and is so wispy that it does not stay...) Well, I felt much better when the music started, because Abby was the only one actually doing the dance steps! She was so good! The other girls were all distracted, staring into the lights, playing with their jingle bells, or fiddling with their ponytails. There was Abby, tapping her toes, doing her plies and jumps, and singing the words.

Her second time on stage was the preschool finale, where about 50 3 and 4 year olds stood on the stage and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". All of the kids were lined up around the stage - sort of in a horseshoe shape, so that you could see all of them. Well, our cute little stagehog goes into the centre of the U, so that the kids are all in a horse shoe AROUND HER! And then she stands there dancing while all the other girls sing. Like they were all wishing Abby her very own personal Merry Christmas.

I was laughing and crying so much! What a little preformer she is! I am so proud of Abby.

I know, it is about time

Well, the day after my last blog, Mina was born! Right now, she is cuddled up in Abby's old sling and having a snooze. (I love the sling!!) She was born as planned, in Stony Plain, in a big ol tub of water, with no drugs, and with a midwife attending. It was the most awesome and indredible experience that I have ever had. I am still so awed by it all, that my body actually knew what it needed to do, and that I had the courage to let it. My labour was only 3 1/2 hours from start to finish, and everything went perfecftly, as it should. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to have a midwife attend Mina's birth and take care of us. If you want to know all of the gory details, just call me up and I would love to tell you all about it. In fact, I seem to have become a tree hugging earth mom and just want to tell total strangers what a beautiful thing it was, while whipping out the boobs and nursing the baby anywhere. But I hesitate to talk about my vagina too much on the internet...

Things have been rather crazy around here, I am learning that having 2 children is a lot different than having just one. It takes a whole lot more planning and juggling, and really I have no clue how everyone else does it so well. I took the girls grocery shopping, and was so proud of myself, until I realized that with 2 kids, I had no room in the cart for groceries. There are a lot of tricks I still have to learn. I wonder if I will ever be on time for anything else in my life again. I used to be such a hard a about my patients who would show up for their appointments late. But now, I am beginning to understand...

Mina is a great baby, and Abby is doing incredibly well with all of the changes, and she is very happy (still) about being her big sister. I will post pictures soon.