30 September 2008
Meet the newest member of the family!
After much discussion, we decided to adopt another kitty into our home. I felt conflicted about the idea at first... we said goodbye to Goobie only a few months ago, and I thought it would be too soon to get another one. Plus I was getting used to only one cat. They are very low maintenance, but it was half the work (actually less than half, considering all of Goobie's health issues) and I wasn't ready to take on more responsibility. But what pushed me to say yes was an article in the paper last week about our local SPCA bursting at the seams with cats, with a plea to the public to open their hearts and homes to a new feline friend. So we went and adopted this beauty last Thursday!
She has made herself right at home already, and the kids are obsessed with her. Their screaming, squabbling, and roughhousing don't phase her AT ALL. She hangs around them all day and lets them pet her, smother her - she didn't even bat an eyelash when Munchkin decided to give her a hug in the form of a bodyslam. Needless to say, she's a keeper.
Her name is Helo. If you're not familiar with Battlestar Galactica, it's the callsign of one of the main characters. (BSG is my new TV obsession... blame the Boy.)
Hershey is not too thrilled with her new housemate, but she's adjusting slowly. I'm sure they'll be buddies soon. (I thought I should post one of her too, to avoid any perception of favoritism in her mind.)
21 September 2008
It only took 4.5 months to finish, but it's FINALLY FINISHED. I am truly amazed and how much stuff (and pure JUNK) one can accumulate over a 2 year period... like tons of empty boxes (not my fault though, I fully place the blame on my husband for this one!) and baby clothes and toys that were long outgrown (fully MY fault). The both of us were quite ruthless in what we chose to throw out/donate - we easily got rid of over half the items. It feels GRRRRRREAT!! I feel so much lighter and free; that massive pile of stuff was totally weighing me down. Don't believe me? Want proof that it's actually done? On to the pictures!
To refresh your memory,
here's what it looked like before.So here's the storage area. This part took the longest and used the most muscle. I dragged EVERYTHING out of there, vacuumed, and went through (almost) everything in the containers and bags. What I didn't feel like organizing, I at least labeled the container and put it back. Everything is now accessible AND labeled so I don't have to spend 3 hours searching for that one little thing that I know is back there.
To the left of the stairs. These are some of the things we chose to keep - stacked nicely.
More stuff. A few select pieces of furniture and accessories, and a couple of boxes of wires and things, I think. They're apparently important.
Holy crap, it actually looks like a ROOM!!!
So what happened was we swapped out the queen mattress for the futon from the living room (now that we have our new furniture - WHEEE!!). And our queen boxspring wouldn't fit down the stairs, so it was sitting on two twins instead. Now there is one complete twin set down there, and the other is now in Monster's room. (His old mates bed-frame-thingy was a piece of crap so we chucked it.) We moved furniture ALL DAY. But it was so worth it.
And we even have a TV and CD/DVD player set up too. NICE!
It doesn't look beautiful down there, but that wasn't the goal. It's a functional, organized, clean use of space. And that makes me very happy.
16 September 2008
So. Last week marked a first and important event for me: a photo session! With people other than my immediate family! THIS IS BIG, PEOPLE.
BIG BIG BIG.Who were these willing
victims participants? Who in the world would subject themselves to a gruelling and unpleasant endeavour such as this?? My friends, that's who!! Yay for them! :)
I have to admit, though try as I might, I came dreadfully unprepared. My week was so busy and I wanted to set aside time where I could study a bit more and bring my A game, but alas, it was not meant to be. My kids ended up coming along, and although they behaved like perfect little angels, (which is a rare and BEAUTIFUL thing) it was not an ideal situation. We made it work though. I definitely learned a few things for next time, namely:
1) I will never bring my children to a shoot ever again, and
2) One hour is not nearly enough time.
Yes yes, I should have known better. But hey, they are friends and I'm an amateur, and we just goofed off for that one hour and had a lot of fun. At least I did.
So Josh, Jamie, Kiera - thank you. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for asking me to do this for you. It was an honour and I am so grateful to have you as friends. :)
PS. I feel guilty about posting these here already when Jamie hasn't even seen them yet. I know she's really excited! I am too, that's why I couldn't wait, please forgive me! I'll get them to you tomorrow, girl!! (This isn't nearly all of them... it's just a handful of my favorites.)
10 September 2008
Yesterday I sent my firstborn out into the world and into the school system. Yes, I know it's only playschool, but the fact that it's called "school" creates a slight panicky feeling inside me. My little boy, who I feel I just gave birth to, has grown into this big boy, who is growing steadily more and more independent... and now taking this step into school feels like a leap from a tall building.
Of course, I knew he'd be just fine and have a blast there. He had been excitedly talking about going to school for the past week, and helping choose supplies just added to it. We got brand new indoor shoes, and he picked out a Cars backpack (no surprise there) sporting Lightning McQueen.
His T.A. said he did very well, he cooperated for the most part, but got very distracted by all the words and alphabet posted all over the walls. She said she couldn't give him enough words to spell! This, of course, did not surprise me at all. His brain was already in the zone this morning - the first thing out of his mouth was, "Mommy, I spell carrot. C-A-R-R-O-T. Carrot!" Ah, such is the joy of having a hyperlexic child.
(Read
this article that describes him so perfectly, it freaked me out.)
Labels: big boy
03 September 2008
On Sunday my husband and I celebrated 6 years of marital bliss!! Well, it hasn't been exactly
blissful the whole time so, how about... marital togetherness? Haha. We've had our ups and downs, but we haven't strangled each other yet, so we must be doing something right! So, to mark this momentous occasion, the four of us headed out for some desperately needed family photos. I can't tell you how insanely happy I am at how some of these turned out!! This was also the first time I took my tripod on location (that is so sad... my noviceness is showing!) so I didn't get too creative (unfortunately :( ) with different angles and whatnot. But regardless, these photos to me are precious, and I hope you enjoy them too!!
Daddy realizes he's a tad too big for the slide...
I loooooove this one. It's been so long since I got a shot of Munchkin genuinely smiling and happy. :)
This one cracks me up. Her face is like "Moooommmm!"
The last photo taken of all four of us together was when Munchkin was only a few weeks old, and the lighting was so awful that no amount of photoshopping could salvage it. So I'm pretty happy with these here. :)
Monster wasn't a fan of sitting still for long, and he thought yanking grass out would be more fun. Even better if you can throw it on people.
There are seriously NO PHOTOS, PERIOD of just me and the kids. Until now.
A couple attempts of just the two of us. (I'm desperately trying not to crack up in this one)
I didn't want to post this one due to.. ahem, its
mature theme and suggestive nature, but HE insisted! (Typical guy, right?) But, for the record, I agree that it's very funny.
Click if you dare.We packed up and walked around the park for a bit. Monster went to check out the gaggle of Canada geese that flew in.
We had so much fun that afternoon, it was just a wonderful family bonding time. We've decided to make this a tradition... every fall, around our anniversary... family photos. I can't wait for next year already!
Labels: big boy, my girl
01 September 2008
The kids and I went to my mom and dad's acreage last week for a break, change of pace, and kind of a last-minute-let's-squeeze-in-a-vacation-before-summer-ends funtime. It was great - we went to the pool on Monday night when it was ridiculously hot (34 degrees still at 6 pm!) and Monster got to ride the waterslide which he LOVED. And Thursday my mom and I took the kids to Kinsmen Park, where we rode the merry-go-round, ferris wheel, and the train... again, which Monster absolutely loved. I've never felt a week slip by so quickly! It was a little sad leaving the farm, but September looks to be VERY busy and crazy, but in a good way. I'm looking forward to fall. :)
Rufus and Ozzy - or as he's commonly known around the house - Cat. They're best buddies and love to fight.
There's Cat. Oh, such nice cat. :)
Monster and I decided to take a walk on Friday and scope out the local scenery.
That evening there was the the liveliest sunset I've ever seen!
Awesome goodness coming in the next post!! I'm excited!
Labels: big boy, nature
30 September 2008
Meet the newest member of the family!
After much discussion, we decided to adopt another kitty into our home. I felt conflicted about the idea at first... we said goodbye to Goobie only a few months ago, and I thought it would be too soon to get another one. Plus I was getting used to only one cat. They are very low maintenance, but it was half the work (actually less than half, considering all of Goobie's health issues) and I wasn't ready to take on more responsibility. But what pushed me to say yes was an article in the paper last week about our local SPCA bursting at the seams with cats, with a plea to the public to open their hearts and homes to a new feline friend. So we went and adopted this beauty last Thursday!
She has made herself right at home already, and the kids are obsessed with her. Their screaming, squabbling, and roughhousing don't phase her AT ALL. She hangs around them all day and lets them pet her, smother her - she didn't even bat an eyelash when Munchkin decided to give her a hug in the form of a bodyslam. Needless to say, she's a keeper.
Her name is Helo. If you're not familiar with Battlestar Galactica, it's the callsign of one of the main characters. (BSG is my new TV obsession... blame the Boy.)
Hershey is not too thrilled with her new housemate, but she's adjusting slowly. I'm sure they'll be buddies soon. (I thought I should post one of her too, to avoid any perception of favoritism in her mind.)
21 September 2008
It only took 4.5 months to finish, but it's FINALLY FINISHED. I am truly amazed and how much stuff (and pure JUNK) one can accumulate over a 2 year period... like tons of empty boxes (not my fault though, I fully place the blame on my husband for this one!) and baby clothes and toys that were long outgrown (fully MY fault). The both of us were quite ruthless in what we chose to throw out/donate - we easily got rid of over half the items. It feels GRRRRRREAT!! I feel so much lighter and free; that massive pile of stuff was totally weighing me down. Don't believe me? Want proof that it's actually done? On to the pictures!
To refresh your memory,
here's what it looked like before.So here's the storage area. This part took the longest and used the most muscle. I dragged EVERYTHING out of there, vacuumed, and went through (almost) everything in the containers and bags. What I didn't feel like organizing, I at least labeled the container and put it back. Everything is now accessible AND labeled so I don't have to spend 3 hours searching for that one little thing that I know is back there.
To the left of the stairs. These are some of the things we chose to keep - stacked nicely.
More stuff. A few select pieces of furniture and accessories, and a couple of boxes of wires and things, I think. They're apparently important.
Holy crap, it actually looks like a ROOM!!!
So what happened was we swapped out the queen mattress for the futon from the living room (now that we have our new furniture - WHEEE!!). And our queen boxspring wouldn't fit down the stairs, so it was sitting on two twins instead. Now there is one complete twin set down there, and the other is now in Monster's room. (His old mates bed-frame-thingy was a piece of crap so we chucked it.) We moved furniture ALL DAY. But it was so worth it.
And we even have a TV and CD/DVD player set up too. NICE!
It doesn't look beautiful down there, but that wasn't the goal. It's a functional, organized, clean use of space. And that makes me very happy.
16 September 2008
So. Last week marked a first and important event for me: a photo session! With people other than my immediate family! THIS IS BIG, PEOPLE.
BIG BIG BIG.Who were these willing
victims participants? Who in the world would subject themselves to a gruelling and unpleasant endeavour such as this?? My friends, that's who!! Yay for them! :)
I have to admit, though try as I might, I came dreadfully unprepared. My week was so busy and I wanted to set aside time where I could study a bit more and bring my A game, but alas, it was not meant to be. My kids ended up coming along, and although they behaved like perfect little angels, (which is a rare and BEAUTIFUL thing) it was not an ideal situation. We made it work though. I definitely learned a few things for next time, namely:
1) I will never bring my children to a shoot ever again, and
2) One hour is not nearly enough time.
Yes yes, I should have known better. But hey, they are friends and I'm an amateur, and we just goofed off for that one hour and had a lot of fun. At least I did.
So Josh, Jamie, Kiera - thank you. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for asking me to do this for you. It was an honour and I am so grateful to have you as friends. :)
PS. I feel guilty about posting these here already when Jamie hasn't even seen them yet. I know she's really excited! I am too, that's why I couldn't wait, please forgive me! I'll get them to you tomorrow, girl!! (This isn't nearly all of them... it's just a handful of my favorites.)
10 September 2008
Yesterday I sent my firstborn out into the world and into the school system. Yes, I know it's only playschool, but the fact that it's called "school" creates a slight panicky feeling inside me. My little boy, who I feel I just gave birth to, has grown into this big boy, who is growing steadily more and more independent... and now taking this step into school feels like a leap from a tall building.
Of course, I knew he'd be just fine and have a blast there. He had been excitedly talking about going to school for the past week, and helping choose supplies just added to it. We got brand new indoor shoes, and he picked out a Cars backpack (no surprise there) sporting Lightning McQueen.
His T.A. said he did very well, he cooperated for the most part, but got very distracted by all the words and alphabet posted all over the walls. She said she couldn't give him enough words to spell! This, of course, did not surprise me at all. His brain was already in the zone this morning - the first thing out of his mouth was, "Mommy, I spell carrot. C-A-R-R-O-T. Carrot!" Ah, such is the joy of having a hyperlexic child.
(Read
this article that describes him so perfectly, it freaked me out.)
Labels: big boy
03 September 2008
On Sunday my husband and I celebrated 6 years of marital bliss!! Well, it hasn't been exactly
blissful the whole time so, how about... marital togetherness? Haha. We've had our ups and downs, but we haven't strangled each other yet, so we must be doing something right! So, to mark this momentous occasion, the four of us headed out for some desperately needed family photos. I can't tell you how insanely happy I am at how some of these turned out!! This was also the first time I took my tripod on location (that is so sad... my noviceness is showing!) so I didn't get too creative (unfortunately :( ) with different angles and whatnot. But regardless, these photos to me are precious, and I hope you enjoy them too!!
Daddy realizes he's a tad too big for the slide...
I loooooove this one. It's been so long since I got a shot of Munchkin genuinely smiling and happy. :)
This one cracks me up. Her face is like "Moooommmm!"
The last photo taken of all four of us together was when Munchkin was only a few weeks old, and the lighting was so awful that no amount of photoshopping could salvage it. So I'm pretty happy with these here. :)
Monster wasn't a fan of sitting still for long, and he thought yanking grass out would be more fun. Even better if you can throw it on people.
There are seriously NO PHOTOS, PERIOD of just me and the kids. Until now.
A couple attempts of just the two of us. (I'm desperately trying not to crack up in this one)
I didn't want to post this one due to.. ahem, its
mature theme and suggestive nature, but HE insisted! (Typical guy, right?) But, for the record, I agree that it's very funny.
Click if you dare.We packed up and walked around the park for a bit. Monster went to check out the gaggle of Canada geese that flew in.
We had so much fun that afternoon, it was just a wonderful family bonding time. We've decided to make this a tradition... every fall, around our anniversary... family photos. I can't wait for next year already!
Labels: big boy, my girl
01 September 2008
The kids and I went to my mom and dad's acreage last week for a break, change of pace, and kind of a last-minute-let's-squeeze-in-a-vacation-before-summer-ends funtime. It was great - we went to the pool on Monday night when it was ridiculously hot (34 degrees still at 6 pm!) and Monster got to ride the waterslide which he LOVED. And Thursday my mom and I took the kids to Kinsmen Park, where we rode the merry-go-round, ferris wheel, and the train... again, which Monster absolutely loved. I've never felt a week slip by so quickly! It was a little sad leaving the farm, but September looks to be VERY busy and crazy, but in a good way. I'm looking forward to fall. :)
Rufus and Ozzy - or as he's commonly known around the house - Cat. They're best buddies and love to fight.
There's Cat. Oh, such nice cat. :)
Monster and I decided to take a walk on Friday and scope out the local scenery.
That evening there was the the liveliest sunset I've ever seen!
Awesome goodness coming in the next post!! I'm excited!
Labels: big boy, nature
said... Ah yes, what I have to look forward to in a few years! It's amazing that Jonah is in preschool..I can hardly believe it myself much less what it's like for you as his Mommy! I remember how little he was when we first met him..and now he's growing up! Crazzzzzzzy. -- September 15, 2008 11:11 AM
