I asked Monster this morning if he would like it if I took some pictures of him, and he enthusiastically responded "Okay Mommy!" Then of course, as soon as I took the camera out he got all shy and withdrawn on me, then became totally uncooperative. So this is all I managed to grab of him.
I cannot believe how long his hair is getting. It sits on his shoulders now! I love, yet hate it at the same time. He recoils every time I wash it or attempt to comb and tame it, yet I can't get him to sit still for a haircut either. Not to mention, a couple weeks ago someone mistook him for a girl... so I thought, that's it! It needs a serious trim. I'll have to get him in for a "real" haircut one of these days.
After giving up on him, I turned to Munchkin who turned on the ham factor to eleven.
My new absolutefavoritetodiefor photo of her. I can't believe she's mine... I'm so freaking blessed.
I don't know why, but she suddenly looks so grown up here. I think it might be the hair... it's actually long enough now to get a bit tousled, but not for a ponytail. Sigh.
Labels: monster, munchkin
Found a couple pics that I forgot to upload from the camera.
I'm still not feeling remotely inspired to do anything creative... could the winter blahs be setting in already?? Gosh I hope not.
Labels: monster, munchkin, nature
Yikes! IT'S NOVEMBER. I have no idea how October disappeared so quickly. It was a very busy month, hardly any photos snapped. (I'm very disappointed in myself) I really need to get back into the swing of things photography-wise; I've become very lax, and when that happens I tend to fall into a slump of uninspiredness... need to snap out of it!
Brief summary of October's happenings:
~ Visits. Both sets of grandparents came, on back-to-back weekends, one of which was Thanksgiving weekend. Mom helped me (or more accurately, I helped her) make a turkey, which was deliciously scrumptuoso!! Mmmmmmmm, turkey.
~ Surgery. I had my wisdom teeth removed on the 21st. Not fun, but now that I've recovered, save for some bruising on my jaw that seemingly refuses to fade, it was worth it. I had all four taken out, and two were impacted... I can still feel the stitches in my mouth, so gross. I can't wait until they dissolve.
~ Dance. Monday nights I've been attending a hip hop class with a close friend, which is a lot of fun and a real workout to boot! I'm about to sign up for another 6 week block, so hopefully I can learn a few more moves and dazzle everyone at the Christmas party dance!! Haha.
~ Helo. She is not fairing very well these days. She's been having gastrointestinal issues since we brought her home from the shelter... I thought at the beginning that it was just stress and the change in food, but it never went away so we went to the vet for some tests. The results are not good. She tested positive for giardia and cryptosporidium, which are a type of protozoa that attack the intestines. So she and Hershey are both on antibiotics for 14 days (they share litter boxes so Hershey could have it too). The worst part is that although rare, it's possible that it can spread to humans... and since Helo has not been, ahem... 'faithfully using the litter box', we've had to be very careful in disinfecting, washing hands, and staying clean... which is hard when your kids are 3 and 1. And have I mentioned that giving cats medicine in liquid form is almost impossible? Seriously, all medication for animals should be available in pill form. But I digress.
~ Monster. Continues to attend playschool on Tuesdays and is absolutely thriving there. Last week was his best day ever; he was compliant, he participated, and he remembered his manners!! He's come a long way in the few short weeks he's been going there. His new-found fun activity is singing, thanks to playschool. He loves to sing along to songs from movies and TV shows, especially Cars and nanalan'. If I can, I'll try to catch him doing it on video... it's priceless!
~ Munchkin. Has FINALLY started walking. Though not consistent, she does give it an honest effort, though she requires lots and lots of encouragement, and once she's had enough, she's done. She is a total chatterbox and still jabbers nonstop. Some words she does say are: mom, daddy, this, what's this?, what's that?, juice, done, fall down, uh oh, and kiss. That's her new thing - kissing. She kisses people, the kitties, her stuffies... always ready for a kiss. And her stuffies, oh my goodness. She has an entourage of animals that she MUST sleep with and MUST come downstairs with her when she wakes up, or she becomes very, very sad. The current tally is four, but if we let her she'd likely have many more!
~ Snow. Or lack thereof. I cannot believe we made it through October without a snowfall. Maybe that's why it doesn't feel like it should be November yet. It's been chilly out, with temps dipping below freezing, but no snow. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Winter will be here soon enough and last for half a year, so I'm perfectly happy with the weather as it stands. Just to clarify.
~ Guitar Hero. We got World Tour on release day (thanks to my WONDERFUL, AMAZING HUSBAND WHOM I LOVE for standing in line at Walmart at 7:30am in the freezing cold) and I'm hopelessly addicted to the thing. I played for 4 hours today... hehe. I'm very much a n00b, but I've almost completed Guitar Career on Easy, and will be moving up to the next difficulty very shortly. It's terrible much fun :)
Well, I think I've blabbered enough for today. Next time I'll try and get pics up.
Labels: monster, munchkin
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: monster
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: couple, family, monster, munchkin
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: monster, nature
The four of us went to visit my in-laws last weekend, and it was a great (although totally packed) 4 days of fun. On Sunday we decided to take a trip to Banff, but the weather was uncooperative... so we opted to drive through Kananaskis instead. The mountains and scenery were still gorgeous, regardless of the pelting rain and gloomy skies.
Our faithful roadies, Chimpynuts and Burrito.
Munchkin crashed early on during the drive.
We took a slight detour to Dead Man's Flats to see my brother- and sister-in-law's condo... I'm extremely envious of their patio's mountain view :)
Munchkin travels so amazingly well... I don't remember her complaining the whole day.
Monster on the other hand, was a different story.
The clouds finally decided to clear up on the last third of the trip.
This is my favorite shot.
That's a mischievious look if I've ever seen one!
Posing with Grandma at a waterfall in the Kananaskis village.
Labels: monster, munchkin, nature
His new favorite activity? Jumping on our bed. Or his bed. Or the couch. Anything with springs, really.
This kid would die for a trampoline.
Labels: monster
The kids and I went to the lake 2 weekends ago for a family reunion and had a total BLAST. The weather was perfect, the water was icy, the food was amazing and the company was awesome. I want to freaking LIVE THERE.
Jonah was completely in his glory, running around with a lifejacket on and throwing hundreds of rocks from the beach in the water. The highlight of the day was riding in my uncle's boat. He loved it so much they took him out 3 times! He was totally enraptured - the roar of the motor, the wind and water spray in his face and the sensation of speed - it was pure, unadulterated joy.
I wasn't brave enough to venture in the water, but others didn't mind.
Anni had fun on the beach. I tried to coax her into the water but she screamed like a banshee when I dipped her feet in...
This is as far as I went in.
Jonah wouldn't let me put sunscreen on his face and wound up with a nasty sunburn. Poor little guy...
(experimenting with cross-processing...)
Our dog came along with us and had a heyday.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmdarkchocolatedippedstrawberries!!!!
We stayed at my mom and dad's for an extra day before heading home. This is the nest of baby blackbirds that's in the shrub right next to their deck. I'd never seen baby birds before!
The kids got treated to a tractor ride by my dad. Anni was scared at first, but she grew to like it.
Labels: monster, munchkin
It's sprinkler time!
I thought he wouldn't like the sensation of being sprayed, but he LOVED IT. He got completely soaked and didn't want to come inside and dry off.
His shorts got so bogged down with water... it made me giggle.
Munchkin didn't want to get wet. She preferred to just sit and watch by the sidelines.
Labels: monster, munchkin
A random theme for a photo project struck my brain and I am SOOOOO happy how it turned out. I thought at first that I would put these on my lovely, freshly painted hallway walls (yes, it's nearly finished!) but now I'm reconsidering hanging them in the living room, which means I'd be moving some artwork around... but hey, change is good.
I was largely inspired by
this amazing living room wall, and I followed her links to find some ttv shots to use in Flickr.
Here's the one I used. Choosing which photos to use was relatively easy (considering I have thousands!), as I wanted each virtue to be conveyed by the photo, and when I thought for a bit, a bunch sprang from my memory. The only difficult part was remembering in which folder I had filed them!! Now all I need is some frames and decide where in my house they shall live!
Labels: monster, munchkin
Yesterday.
Jonah says to me: "Look Mommy! It's Papa!!"
Me, confused: "Where's Papa, Jonah?"
Jonah: "Right here!" And excitedly points to the guy in the cowboy hat of Weezer's 'Red Album'. (Who I *think* is Rivers Cuomo, I'm not sure, I'm really not big into Weezer.)
Me, laughing: "You think that's Papa?"
'Papa', my dad, has a moustache, and Jonah associates that with him, so anyone that has one looks just like Papa.
Jonah, still excited: "YEAH!"
Me, still laughing: "No, that's not Papa, silly. But he has a moustache, just like Papa does."
Just as I think to myself 'Ahh too funny. I should blog this', he then points to the guy on the far right and yells:
"And look Mommy! It's Uncle!!!"
My brother.
Labels: monster
Just a couple of quick shots from this morning. I ADORE the one of Jonah, crooked bangs and all.
And Anni has a new nickname: Polka Dot.
Labels: monster, munchkin
Snow in April is wrong. Just plain wrong. That's all there is to it. Last weekend there was a weird, freakish blizzard that blew through the entire province, shutting down highways and trapping vehicles in driveways. It was crazy! And it's been below freezing for this whole week so there hasn't been much melting going on. I WANT SPRING!!
View from my front door. Lovely, huh?
Check this out. Horizontal icicles??
Poor robin. There won't be worms for a while!
This little birdie was pecking his way through the branch, apparently trying to make a home for himself. The hole is so deep he almost disappears completely inside it.
***************
Switching gears.
Something nasty has afflicted our Munchkin for the last 2 weeks. We're not sure what it is - at first we thought she was having a reaction to her 12 month immunizations, so I took her in to the ER and the doctor there agreed that that's what it likely was, and I shouldn't worry, it would go away within a few days. This is how she looked that day.
But it only got worse, so I (amazingly) managed to have our family doctor examine her, and he's not entirely sure what's going on, but that it's definitely not a reaction from her shots. Best guess is either an allergic reaction to God knows what, or she actually has full-blown measles. Hopefully the ton of bloodwork he ordered will give us some kind of answer. This was yesterday evening.
Poor baby! She's so itchy and is scratching her skin raw on her arms and feet. Yet she managed to give me a goofy face - she's hanging in there. What a trooper.
Of course I couldn't leave Monster out. He always has to have his picture taken whenever he sees the camera.
Labels: monster, munchkin, nature
I'm not that happy with the way some of these turned out... I played around with them in post for quite a while but the colors look really washed out. They are nice and vivid on my monitor while I see them in the picture viewer though, so I'm a little disappointed; I really don't want to go back and re-do them all! Maybe someday if I have time... HA! When would that be I wonder?
Here goes anyhow.
And look! I try my hand at still life!!
Time to go home.
Labels: monster, nature
The day my child would genuinely and spontaneously say to me what every parent is dying to hear:
"I fwife you Mommy!"
I love you too Jonah.
Labels: monster
Hey Mommy! [Daddy, Anni, Hershey, Goobie, etc.] What's up?
Bye Daddy! Hurry back!
When Daddy leaves for work.Hey Muffchin!
Munchkin. One of my favorite things he says. So cute.Scooz me, I bowped.
Such good manners.Sooz on, jacket on, go van! Nana Papa Foofus house.
When he wants to visit his Nana and Papa. And Rufus.Anni baby, ta ta!
Reprimanding his sister.My weeding, Mommy. Teetow Teetow.
Proudly announcing that he is reading Yertle the Turtle all by himself.Bye eveewunn! See ya, have fun!
Bye everyone!
Labels: monster
This is just an excuse to post on Leap Day... and to say, Happy 11 Months Munchkin!
Labels: monster, munchkin
Goo moe-meen!
Good morning!Hoe-shee my fwend!
Hershey is my friend.Patch eye Foofus so?
Can I watch Wishbone with my eye patch on?Goooooooooowesso!!
Presto! (a Super Why-ism)Yeddi, set, zeeeeee-app!!
Ready, set, zap! (another Super Why-ism)See see Anni baby!
Silly Annika!Awesome!
No translation needed for this one!And my favorite at the moment... dee-sish-uss!
Delicious!
Labels: monster
My newest favorite photo.
Labels: monster, munchkin
