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May 31 Birthdays come & go...It was my birthday this week (Monday , actually)
I can't hardly remember what I did last year on my birthday..other than I had a 3 week old baby..it's all a blur.
I had my last 'official' birthday party when I was 35..when my birthday fell on a Saturday..we had a BIG party (even then it was a blur..with a 3 month old baby) I remember being pleased to drink Heineken again.
This year, I'm 37.
whew
I know it's just a number, and it's whatever I want it to be..but, to me it sounds like such a big number..not sure why.
Then I was reflecting on what it felt like to be 27..nearly the big 30.....
In a strange way, it seems a lifetime ago, but at the same time, I could blink, and it could feel like yesterday.
I can honestly say, as a person, I'm happier now, at 37..even taking anti-depressants..than I was at 27.
When I look back at myself at that age..I just see a woman going round in circles..with minimal direction.
sorta lost, sorta thinkin' she 'knew it all' 'seen it all' 'done it all'
Now, being nearly...gulp...forty years old..
Aside from the expectations I have, for how someone 'should' be when they are 37yrs.old..
I don't FEEL 37
I don't even look 37
I still FEEL like my early, early 30's.
not bad considering I had 2 babies back to back.
I'm definitely more confident in myself and WHO I am, what I'm good at, what my 'tendencies' are, what my weaknesses are, and what I'm capable of.
I found I was capable of birthing 2 children, even thru back labour, with NO drugs, no IV's, nothin..
THAT is definitely on my list of achievements.
I have a stronger sense of purpose, in my life.
I have clear goals, for myself and my family.
I have a keener sense of how strong I am.
With age..hopefully comes wisdom..so I would certainly hope I'm wiser now than 10 yrs. ago.. I dare say!
One of my favourite quotes is still:
The older I get, the more I realize how little I know.
For my actual birthday..
Gary arranged for his folks to watch & feed the kids, while he took me to a movie.
Something we don't get to do often anymore.
We saw X-men. I found it very entertaining. Gary was giving me a play-by-play on the accuracy of the film -vs- the comic...
hehe
My brother never called to wish me a happy birthday..that disappointed me. I never expect a card or anything...but a phone call would be nice...
I'd be happy even if it was a late phone call.
Whenever I call, I only get his smart-ass answering machine.
Wasn't there a movie called;
'to Jillian on her 37th birthday'
??
I remember when that movie came out..I thought..sheesh, who'd want to see some movie about an ol' lady on her birthday... ironic eh??
May 27 Mission Possible: wear out the kidletsI picked up a couple 'froofy' dresses for Eryn at the swap meet.
She managed to wear BOTH the same evening.
It was a looong day,
so near 4pm , we decided to head to McDonald's to let the kids play (at one of those play places) and feed them a happy meal (well, Eryn anyways). The play area finally quieted down enough to let Aiden out & about.
He made a B-Line for the climbing tunnels, where his sister was. He managed to climb thru the whole thing all by himself. He even managed the slide at the end, though he came down head first.
I made Gary go in there with him the first time, to be sure he didn't get stuck.
The other kids playing there were squealing with delight, that a 'daddy' was climbing in there too. They were calling Gary, Darth Vader and running from him, was very amusing.
Both kids wore themselves out completely. They couldn't even wait for their 7pm bedtime.
Mission Accomplished!
here's the pics, also a couple pics of Eryn with her 'new' dresses. May 26 TragedyTragedy struck the house this morning
Somehow
Aiden managed to get a book off the bookshelf next to his crib,
and began making confetti of it,
as well as breakfast.
the loss of a book is sad,
but the loss of THIS book is a tragedy.
This is my childhood favourite book.
My Grandma sent it to me on my 11th birthday.
My mom told me she loved the book, and I would too.
I've read it probably more than 50 times since.
it stirred my young soul, made me believe in magic.
I was going to save it to pass on to MY daughter.
but somehow,
Aiden must have been able to pull himself up to a shelf,
'er before unreachable,
and ended up striking right at my heart.
I could hardly get mad at him,
he looked so cute,
sitting amongst the shredded pages, some in his mouth.
But I nearly cried at the loss.
May 25 Naked baby bums & Karyoke QueensGot some cute pics of the kids playing in the livingroom, jumping on the couch together, all naked, before bath time. Funny how kids get such an unbridled thrill outta running around naked.
Also got a cute one of Eryn laughing herself silly, because Aiden found a diaper and put it on his head and was waling around like that. Eryn thought it was sooo funny.
I went out last night, met up with some girlfriends in North Van. My girlfriend, Aisha, was in the karyoke finals and well in the running for the grand prize. It was hilarious, especially watching the cheesy karyoke videos with the little bouncing ball and all. But, it being the finals and all, most of the contestants could really sing. Especially the women. There were supossed to be 5 judges, but 2 didn't show. Show the contestants had their very own Paula (she even wore a paula hat) Randy, (even the glasses were all Randy) and then another chick, who we were hoping would be 'a Simon' but she was a whimpy judge. I didn't get to stay til the very last, because it was already so late. I had fun though.
So, I also got a good pic of Aisha singing her whitney houston heart out...(talk about a tough song choice)
Here's the pics'
May 20 GraverobbersBeen feeling a bit down this week.
It's finally clear to me why
Aside from missing my mom , on Mother's Day.
The pain of losing her has been hurting keenly, as I listen to my girlfriend Jenn,
tell her day by day story
because her mom is dying too.
My mom was on Methadone, for her pain, by then end. I know it helped her feel better, but I hated it. She wasn't herself, when she was all doped up on narcotics and pain med's. She wouldn't remember our visits, and it was difficult & sometimes impossible to converse coherently with her. I hated seeing her like that.
Jenn is experiencing much the same, with her mom.
I really feel for her, I SO know what it's like.
Like it was yesterday, that's why it hurts so much, I'm guessing.
I think I need to look for a 'bereavement group' or some such support, to help me.
We also need to move back to North Vancouver. So if anyone out there knows of a 3bdrm place that is family friendly and allows dogs...leave a message here! pretty please!!!
I was reading the front page article in the recent issue of the Georgia Strait. It's about our childcare-crisis, and the fact the there are only licensed daycare spots for 1 out of every 20, 2yrs. and under here in the lower mainland. My investigation, so far, in North van, is revealing that I may find a spot for Eryn fairly easily, as she'll be potty trained and over 2 1/2 by then, but Aiden will be a challenge. I'm not going to have them in separate day cares..that would be ridiculous. So, I'm taking the task full in hand, cause September will becoming pretty quickly.
May 18 Best Friends Girlz'Isabella & David came over to play again (really David left his jacket w/ i-pod here, from Tuesday's visit, so he had to retrieve it.. )heeheehee
Great excuse to come play again though,
This time, when Aiden was up, we went somewhere different.
I told David I couldn't do another 'playground game show' chasing after both kids & the dog.
So we went somewhere, close by, (called the 'family place') where the kids could play inside OR outside, safely, lots of new toys, snacks, other kids to play with..etc..
and I wouldn't have to be on HIGH ALERT the whole time.
Isabella loved the place.
Eryn & Aiden have been there a couple times already now.
I put up new photo's in the photo album above, of our 'play date'
I love the ones taken outside on the lil' playground.
Isabella is such a doll!
But , like I said last blog entry,....she has a secret weapon ..so just when you're taken in with her 'Cupie Doll' looks, she'll let out a SCREECH! and you won't know what hit you.
Eryn & Isabella play well together...so far.
I love watching them interact..; There's my best friend's lil' girl & my lil' girl playing together..only 7 months apart.
Would sure be neat if they could 'grow up' together.
But ,
I fear, over the next few years, everyone will slowly move away.
I know we will be.
It's just tooo expensive (unless you're debt free and earn good money) to buy a house and raise a family here. By the time our debt is paid off and the kids are ready for school, we hope to move into the interior, and buy a house up in the Okanagan.
Edie & David could be anywhere, by that time, even Shanghai...
So, for now,
I'll enjoy watching the girlz play together more and more. They even have little 'conversations' now, between the 2 of them...
which wouldn't surprise me at all..
considering the way Edie & I can 'yak it up'
hehehe
In the pictures, you can see, poor lil' Aiden, wasn't able to keep up with the girls. He was trying so hard to catch up to them, as they were going thru the 'jungle gym'
Got a couple cutie ones of Isabella in the tunnel, and then all 3 of them on the swinging bridge. In the photo's you can clearly see whose kid is 'stirring the pot' and jumping up & down......
FIVE yearsWOW
hard to believe it's already the May long-weekend!
The May long-weekend will always be a special time of year for me.
It was 5 yrs. ago this weekend that I met Gary...camping.
5 yrs. later...
We're married
have 2 small kids
whew
Guess I've been pretty busy the past 5 yrs.
(just thinking though...more than half the group there that weekend, has kids now, hehehehe)
Wonder what the next 5 will be like...
Gary's taking an extra day off, for the weekend. So we'll get a mini holiday together, 4 days.
The weather's supposed to be gorgeous, so I'm sure we'll be outdoors, most of the time.
I think we're planning a Friday, dinner picnic.
Saturday, Gary's supposed to go Mtn. Biking, then we'll probably go for a family hike or play at the playground.
Sunday, maybe the rec. centre in N. Van, they have an awesome family 'drop in' on Sundays.
Monday's still open... no plans yet.
2 news things the kids can do:
Aiden can now 'dance' in spinning circles too..just like his Sis'
Eryn can put her jacket on & off, same with socks, and even some shoes.
Eryn also counted up to 18 yesterday...blew me away....(she's also good with all her shapes, colors etc...now we got to work on letters & numbers recognition.)
Aiden, can follow some direction now. He knows 'NO', and will listen if you say; STOP or SIT DOWN, or COME HERE, DROP IT, or some other such 'doggy' command (usually I'm yellin at the dog..and Aiden responds..hehehe)
Hope everyone has a fun-filled weekend!
cheerios!
May 17 Payin' the piper... & facing the music (actually , piper was free and was a swell fella)Today we had our first meeting with the 'debt counselor'
It's been such a struggle, financially, ..I had to see if there is some relief.
I prepared all our paperwork...lined up childcare (thanks Mae & Bill) and off we went, at peak rush hour..luckily, it's only 4 stops away on the sky train, so we 'sky trained' it. It still cost us 4.50, just to get there..then another $4.50 for the way back
anyways...
they had good news and bad news for us...
but, as this is a public blog, I'm not going to get into details about our finances. In any case, we now have a plan..and feel more empowered and in charge of our finances.
What a great service, it was all free as well.
So glad that's over with...whew...
Was feeling pretty anxious about that one. I'm sure going to make an effort to teach my kids how to handle money better than I have...or Gary, for that matter. That means I'll have to educate myself, and learn it inside & out. That meeting was a good start. I wish my step-father had taken the time to teach me how to 'handle' my money.
My next plan this summer, is to try and find daycare spots for Eryn & Aiden, for the fall. I already feel like I should have began months ago...but, well, now we have more of a plan, so I know where we'll be and what we're doing.. If I can get a full-time teaching contract..we'll be laughing. We'll be able to pay for daycare & pay off some debt..so that by the time BOTH kids are in school, we are debt FREE! ie: we can start our debt all over again with a mortgage..... oh joy.... <sarcasm>
I do dream of a nice big house, in a great school en-catchment, with a huge backyard, with trees and tree house..a kids DREAM backyard. I don't plan on putting my kids in a million activities. They will spend most of their free time at home, entertaining themselves with 'play', in the backyard, inside..or hopefully, in the neighborhood. THAT's the long term goal. And once they're both in school, all that childcare money can be dumped into the mortgage...
We're ready to move at the drop of a hat. We have a deposit ready, and can give notice the end of this month, if we find something..
It's been difficult finding something that meets our specific requirements. So, it's important to be able to 'move quickly' if something good comes up.
I'm constantly on the prowl for a good rental.
It's only Tuesday, but I've already gotten 13 km walking in, so far this week. I'll get another 4km in tomorrow for sure. I'm totally getting addicted to it. A long vigorous walk. It's great for the dog too. Gone down another 5lbs. My calves are hard as rocks now. And when I have to push the stroller on those long walks (an extra 60+lbs) my triceps have become...well..they're not 'jiggly' anymore! They're pretty hard..like they were back in my Mtn. Biking days..because back then I was pushing heavy bikes up mtn. trails. Same muscles....
Aiden is drinking Homo milk now, Doc gave the 'go ahead' at his 1yr. check up...that's going to help with our budget..
AND
Eryn went poo-poo on the potty tonight
If we could get her out of diapers soon..that will save us money too.
I met up with David & Isabella yesterday. Once Aiden was up from his nap, we took the kids on the trails and did the 4km loop, with a stop at the playground, of course. Isabella is such a lil' talker now. I brought my camera and was going to take pictures at the playground.
BUT
I was so busy, chasing after Aiden, watching Eryn, and throwing the sticks for Sirius (otherwise he barks incessantly and drives me nutso), so I had no opportunity to stop a second and take some photo's. With the ages of the kids now, it's really hard to let both of them loose on the playground. Eryn still doesn't know better than to walk into the path of a moving swing. Aiden is constantly trying to climb UP the slides, even when kids are coming DOWN. And I have to be sensitive about the dog, because not all parents & kids like dogs..so I have to keep a sharp eye. We stayed for a good half hour. Then I was beat. I feel like I'm on a game show, or a hidden camera..running from Aiden, run to check Eryn, go throw the stick for the dog (hopefully try to loose in in the trees, so he has to hunt for it a while) then run back to Aiden, try to convince Eryn to come play near her brother....whew
Least with David there, he could help me keep an eye on Aiden..that helps..
Can't wait to see Isabella in the height of her 'terrible two's' She's such a lil doll right now..a lil' doll with a dangerous weapon...an ear shattering/piercing squeal. When we were walking with the kids. I look over at David...
and say
'Is that an ear plug in your ear?'
'What the hell?'
YEAH, he says, I have to protect myself, cause you never know when she'll 'go off'
I laughed good at that one....
Today is 'daycare' day for Eryn.
Mommy gets a bit of a break.
Aiden is napping and the house is quiet..for now...
sigh
I love silence.
I've never appreciated silence as much as I have, now that I'm a parent.
It's another gorgeous day , here in paradise..
So, naturally , Aiden & I will be doing something outside today..
Maybe we'll take the dog to the river, and let him have a good soaking and a good swim.
Cheerios!
May 15 weekend re-capWhat a busy weekend we had.
Aside from mother's day, we also had a 1st B-day party to go to, at Greg & Joanne's new house, and I went out Friday night too.
I hadn't seen Dee in a couple months, since Jacob's 1st birthday. So, I went out to Surrey, and he headed to a cowboy bar, that a friend of hers owns. It was also the friends birthday so there were lots of drink specials at the bar. I haven't been to a cowboy bar in...ooo.....well.... probably since I left the 'great-mid-west'
I got a photo of Dee and I at the 'saloon'
I got to try a new shot/drink I liked..the Gladiator..amaretto in OJ..that was tasty.
Was pretty pooped when I got home, and knew I was gonna be up early the next day.
Saturday was Elliot's first birthday, Joanne & Greg's son. Gary has known Greg since about high school, same with all the rest of his friends. They've just recently gotten a new house, so we were excited to see that too. It was a pool party, as the entire yard is taken up by a lovely pool.
Here's Elliot, a week younger than Aiden
The pool was awesome, but tricky when you have wee-little ones running around. Greg pulled the safety cover over the pool, then all the kids had fun, playing in the enormous water bed.
The weather was awesome, so we hung outside on the deck, most of the time.. Here's a couple shots of Daryl & Stacey & Jackson:
Stacey was pretty hungry Daryl & Jackson
Eryn loves her Cheetos!
We left the party at 7pm, cause Aiden was having his 'melt down' because it was bedtime. So, unfortunately we missed the cake & presents. But on the plus side, our kids were pleasantly worn out (probably from moving on the water bed) and went straight to sleep when we got home.
I've already 'been over ' mothers day. I've talked to a few of my friends, bout mother's day. Nobody had any real expectations, but everyone had high hopes. I feel lucky with what 'pampering' I got. But as mothering is such a 'thankless' job, it would be nice to have a full day of appreciation, just ONE day a year...since we're the unrecognized everyday heroes. Mother's day is no 'hallmark holiday' unless you buy into that crap...it's a day of recognition, appreciation and pampering for the special woman that cares for and pampers everybody else they love. Just one day, where the tables are turned, and Mom gets special treatment. That's how mother's day was in our house, growing up. It would always start with breakfast in bed for her.. Well, the kids are still young, and hopefully, Husband is still 'ply-able' so I can teach them how to celebrate it 'the right way' heeheehee I never made it out to White Rock, to visit the cemetery where my mom's grave is... We just couldn't afford the gas to drive all the way out there. I am making it a point to go again soon though. I sure miss her. The thing that comforts me the most, when I miss her so badly, is knowing I can pass on all her traditions to my kids..like all the tracers she has for painting windows at xmas time, and making lil' egg/bunny familys at Easter...and the Halloween ideas she had..and all the xmas decorations of hers...ours..we still have.. Passing on all those special things I loved about her & sharing that with my kids, makes me feel good, and in a way, it will help my kids know their grandmother..yet. I was kind of feeling 'bah-humbug' about this mother's day..it's the second mother's day..without my mom around and last years motherday went by in a blur, because a had a day old baby to take care of. So this is the first mothers day, where things are quiet..relatively speaking..and so I'm missing her all the more.. I hate cancer!
May 14 Mother's Day pt. 2No mother could ask for better weather, than what we had here today, in in Van City area.
My mother's day started out with ME getting to sleep in!
I slept in til 9:30am
Don't think I've done that since BEFORE kids.
I enjoyed that.
Then I got a nice egg, bacon,pancake breakfast, with coffee.
Gary already had most of the cleaning chores done by 9:30am too.
For our morning outing (also called the pre-nap outing) We decided to join Steph & Lauren at the park for some play time. Confederation park was gorgeous. I got some great pic's of the kids at the park, with the gorgeous North Shore Mountains in the background.
We really tried to keep a hat on Aiden. We managed to keep his sister's hat on him for a while, cause of the elastic, but any other hat was whipped off his head, as soon as he felt it touch his scalp.
I anticipated that, though, so I'd already coated his head, face, neck, ears, hands and hair (YES he has hair) with like 99 block sunscreen (lol). Eryn has learned the value of sunglasses and hats, and now keeps them on. She REALLY loves her pink rhinestone sunglasses.
Sirius always manages to attract his own attention, when we're out with the kids. Today, we were playing Frisbee with him, while the kids were on the playground. He's part border collie, so he's a natural with the Frisbee catching. Kids love watching him catch them. Lots of older kids love that we named him Sirius,...and that he's a black dog..(this is a reference to Harry Potter series of books..though I named Sirius, as a pup, after the Dog Star, Orion's hunting companion, Sirius, brightest star in the northern sky. I'm sure that's where JK Rowlings got the idea to name the werewolf character in her book, Sirius Black.) Often, the kids come, just cause they want to pet him. Sirius is fond of kids that are bigger and probably older than 7. Kids that can really play with him, and throw the ball/frisbee/stick/rock whatever. Any kids under about 7, and he acts as if they don't exist.
We had a great time at the park, but we never saw Steph or Lauren (we found out later, Lauren decided she'd rather nap , so the playground would have to wait) Aiden had a great time playing in the sand. Eryn was completely absorbed in 'sand play' for a good half hour. She played well with the other kids and shared all her sand toys. Aiden spent most of his 'sand time' falling down & standing up (it's not easy walking in the sand w/ big shoes on) and putting everything, including the sand , into his mouth.
Eryn enjoys her 'swinging' too, especially when you push her really high. Aiden...not so much into the swinging...least not yet..
After a good hour and a bit at the park..the kids were ready for their snack..then a quick trip home for NAPS
Gary was 'thinking on his feet' this morning, because he'd prepared the kiddie pool, for use later in the afternoon (If you fill it in the morning, the water has a chance to heat up, under the sunlight)
SO
apres-nap activity was SWIMMING
that's what Eryn calls it.
When Aiden joined us outside, it didn't take long before he decided he wanted in the pool too.
So, we put him in his swim wear too & he didn't hesitate, even found himself under water a couple times when he tried to climb up the slide. No pictures of that, naturally, since I was fishing him out.
Both kids really love playing in the water..guess most kids do...
Eryn practising her kicking
After a good soaking in the kiddie pool. We got them dry and dressed again, and packed them up in the stroller, for a 4km trip round the trails here. We included another stop ,at a different playground this time. Another 45 minutes play there, both kids were ready for DINNER (which Gary had pre-made before we left)
SO, went straight home for dinner, baths, then bed.
Aiden loved the pasta dinner. WHY is it that the kids always rub the food on their hands RIGHT into their eyes??? Poor Boo-boo was SOOOooo tired..both kids had a VERY full day..LOTS of outside time..
Gary & I are pretty pooped too.
Tired & sated...but still room enough for blueberries..
All in all, it was a pleasant mothers day. We enjoyed our time together, we were able to wear the kids out.. I'll be sure to get a photo of Gary tomarrow, with his BURNT face. His face is all A-GLOW tonight <snicker , snicker>
Maybe next year I'll even get a card..or token gift of some kind..
May 12 mother's dayI know it's not Mother's Day YET
but it will be in 2 more sleeps.
I'm hoping I'll get pampered all to hell on Sunday..like all mothers deserve to be
BUT
the reality is that I MAY get a meal out of the house..one I don't have to prepare or clean up after.
Last year, I didn't get anything for mothers day...except labour pains. Aiden was born the day BEFORE mothers day..YES what a wonderful 'gift' but not the kind of mothers day gift, mother's day is meant for. It's meant for appreciating mothers..not becoming one.
again.
Last year, Gary explained that he didn't do anything for me, because, I'm not his mother. He takes 'mothers day' VERY literally. I had to give him 'an education' last year, regard such a narrow literal 'take' on Mothers day.
SO
We'll see how he does this year.
honestly though, I hope for alot, but expect little.
Not that he's a bad guy or anything. It's just, our funds $$ are VERY low now, so he can't really spend much money on me, nor is he usually very creative or imaginative, when it comes to things like this. So, if the spending $ option isn't there,....then ....well..... like I said.
I plan on going out to the cemetery on Sunday, to pay 'respects' to MY MOM.
I know I'm not supposed to plant anything there, but I'll probably sneak something into the ground, at her grave site. It's supposed to be a gorgeous sunny 25 degrees on Sunday, here, so I'm not sure if I want to go alone, or take the whole family, then head to white rock beach after... I'm sure it will be PACKED there...
That's all I got to say about Mother's Day , now..
but I'll ramble on further about it this weekend...so be sure to stay tuned...
Here's some pics I took at one of the playgrounds we visited this week. Aiden tried to do everything his sister did..including climbing UP the slide..
May 11 Never take your dog to the libraryToday's adventure begins with Amy looking over the library schedule, for the start time of story time.
With a plan ready, our brave mommy of 2, feeds, changes, and dresses kidlets for a library adventure.
Aiden finished his morning nap right on time, to head out for story time.
My 'figuring' went like this;
How to handle 2 kids at library storytime?
Eryn is more independent now, so it would probably be Aiden who would need looking after.
I figured Eryn would need minimal supervision.... HAHAHAHA
the last laugh was on ME
Everything went perfectly , until we got to the library and I began unloading the kids. Eryn was VERY excited about going to the library. I always unload her first, since she can stand & walk on her own.
This was a parking lot though, so I'm always scared she'll wander away in a heartbeat, and get hit by a car..or whatever..
So, I take Eryn around to the other side of the van, to unload Aiden. I asked Eryn to stand inside the van too. She was able to, until the dog, who was in the VERY backseat, kind of pushed her outta the way, because he saw a squirrel or something.
Eryn, fell backwards out of the van, and flat onto the concrete, SMACK, went her head.
You always know when kids REALLY hurt themselves, because they don't cry right away...they are too busy taking in a DEEEP breath for the forthcoming BAWL
Sure enough, she was wailing!!!
poor kiddle..
There was no blood, no huge lump on her head, so I figured, best thing was to get on with the show..get her distracted.
So, stroller less, I'm carrying +50lbs worth of kids, in both arms, thru the parking lot, up the elevator, and inside to the story room. WHEW...sweating already and we just got there.
It's a very popular activity. There were at least 30 mom' s & kids in the room. They also have these big carpeted blocks for parents to sit on. Well, Aiden can climb on top of them and stand on them..>YIKES The entire story time was a bit of a circus.
Eryn wasn't crying loudly, by this time, she was just clinging to me, for comfort. So I couldn't put her down (or she would cry).
Aiden was EVERYWHERE!
He managed to walk/climb all over the room. I was glad there were closed doors, because otherwise I would have lost him for sure.
He was visiting all the kids, pulling the girls hair (ponytails ya know), pulling the books off the librarian's table, trying to pull over her grease board...basically ANYTHING he could get into, he was trying to.
He was very popular and all the parents & librarian found him amusing. When the librarian was doing songs or stories, Aiden was very engaged, he'd go RIGHT to the front, and stand right in front of the librarian, very cute.
But meanwhile I'm the one sweating , chasing after him, holding onto a upset lil girl etc..
There were a few sympathetic mom's, with only 1 kid, who would lend a hand, when Aiden tried to leave the room, or when he was pulling hair, or climbing on the big blocks, or taking food, etc...
Mom's gotta help other mom's, cause nobody else will.
By the time 'story time' was over, Eryn was feeling more herself, so we went to pick out a few books and kiddie videos. Even in the main library part, I had to chase Aiden down every other minute, afraid I'd loose him in some book aisle... Even the story librarian, who saw us book hunting later, said, SHEESH he doesn't stop or slow down at all does he??? She held onto him for me for a few minutes when I was rounding up Eryn, the jackets, books and vid's to check out.
Thank God Eryn found the whole morning enough, because she fell asleep before we made it back home.
Now, I need a nice shower, to wash all the sweat off me...
Who needs a gym membership...just try raising 2 kids...or rather...2 troublesome toddlers (only troublesome, because they are always looking for 'trouble')
whew.
On a side note; I find it very amusing/interesting that while pregnant, everyone was very considerate of me, opening doors, giving me a seat on the bus, picking up dropped items..all that..
BUT once you have a kid or 2..there is no more of that..no more holding doors open, giving up a seat, any of those kinds of things... the only people I notice that still help, are mostly other moms....(ok, well i did notice that when u have a REALLY little newborn baby, lots of people will still be considerate, but after they're about 3 months old..forget it...you're on your own MOMMA!)
Any other mommies notice that too?
I think I'll need a different plan, for our next library adventure. #1) I won't take the dog (even to leave him in the van) & #2) Maybe I can drop off one of the kids SOMEWHERE...
May 10 Copy CatMy lil' Boo-boo has grown into a full-fledged copy cat.
The past couple of days, I've been noticing him imitating Eryn ever more closely.
When she dances (she loves to dance when Dora & Boots dance) Aiden will get up and try to 'dance' too. Eryn will actually jump and spin around while she's dancing..Aiden is trying to turn around too, while dancing. Usually he collapses into a heap in the floor, cause he can't spin like big Sis' yet.
Wherever she runs to in the house, Aiden has to be right behind her. It's cute because Eryn thinks he's playing 'tag' with her, when he's just trying to keep up. He's getting REAL close to running now too. He may be running already if it weren't for his lil' bow-legs that seem to trip him up in the end....when he gets going too fast.
Whatever she's playing with, he wants. If she's eating , he wants some too. When Daddy reads to Eryn at night, he will burst into her room, wanting to see what's going on. Mind you, he won't sit still for a story, so I have to remove him every night. I try to read his baby books to him, at the same time, but after turning a few pages, he throws the book down, and wants to crawl away...back to his sister's room.
He's quickly becoming her shadow in all things. It's hardest with the toys, because Eryn really plays with the toys now (she'll talk to them and make them 'play') so when Aiden TROMPS thru all her toys she gets VERY upset, and yells: AIDEN, NOOOO!!!!
and gets so mad she starts to shake.
Luckily, I can put her & her toys in the big playpen to play then, cause there, Aiden can see her, but he can't get at the toys. She can climb in & out of the playpen at will, he can't.....YET (he did get another boo-boo on his head, because, the other day, he somehow managed to climb/crawl out of the playpen and fell to the floor)
Another challenging aspect is that Eryn still thinks everything is hers. So even if she's playing with a toy, when she sees Aiden playing with a different toy, she gets upset; MY TOY, MY BALL, MY BEAR, MY LEGOS.
So, I am a constant referee...
in all things
From what I understand, it will be like this for years to come yet....
sigh
Maybe I'll get a nice whistle for Mother's Day.
here's a cutie pic of Eryn. The one, she's about 14 months old, the other, shes 25mnths....cute, eh?
May 08 how open-minded are you? test yourselfIf you have the time, and the inclination to read something VERY interesting
be sure to check out this article,
It is long & lengthy, but very in depth. It takes an open mind to read this. It's an interesting review of history that sheds a different light on the commonly held 'assumption' that Iraq was somehow behind the 9/11 attack, in NYC.
challenge yourself ...how open minded are you??
I'm always open to hearing a different perspective, and this article certainly presents one.
It's always a good exercise to reassess or re-evaluate beliefs & assumptions we hold about our world...
and the things that happen in it.
May 07 Boo-Boo's BirthdaySunday was the BIG day,
I can't believe he's already a year old....seems like just a few months ago.
Aiden was his usual chipper self today. Eryn can competently say to him; 'Happy Birthday Aiden'
All she wanted to eat all day was birthday cake. She had helped me make one of Aiden's Birthday cakes...so she was very excited to EAT them.
She didn't like it when I told her she had to wait til after 'naps' to eat cake.
True 2 year old
Still learning the in-&-outs of 'throwing' a kids b-day party. I think I'll get better at it, when they're older...it'll be better, you know, organized games, or scavenger hunts, or apple-bobbing, theme parties, slumber parties... that sorta thing.. All in all...everything ran smoothly today, the kids nap-timing, the set up, the extra errands...no sweat. Thanks Bill & MAe for all your help!
The weather even cleared in a timely fashion, and it turned out to be a beautiful spring day.
Got some great party pics. Aiden & JD look so cute together..lil' baldy twins.
Thanks to all who came out to wish our lil' guy a Happy Birthday!
It was great seeing everybody.
Sounds like we'll all (well, most of us) get to see each other again next weekend, for lil' Elliot's 1st birthday.
But enough of the ramble...
heeeere's the pics;
Ju-ju's BithdayBusy Birthday weekend
whew
Brian & Jenn had a birthday get together for Julianna, we all got to see baby Gaby again too.
Eryn loves playing at Julianna's house. It's a looong house, so she has a long stretch of space she can run at full speed, pushing Ju-ju's lil' shopping cart.
I swear, outta all the kids there, Eryn was the loudest/rowdiest...most energetic, non-stop toddler there.
A combination of new toys, CAKE and a free-for-all at the 'fruit bar', was the fuel that drove her. She's not wild & unruly, just...full of energy that HAS to move...so ya better git outta da way!!!!!
I got to meet Jenn's photographer brother, Dave (Jenn & Brian's house is full of photo's he's taken, just beautiful). He walks with a cane. He let Aiden take the cane from him, to play with...and Aiden's walking around the place like Charlie Chaplin...what with his wee little bow-legs and all...then that cane...was toooo funny, got some cute pics of that.
I finally took it from him, as he began to treat it more as a 'light sabre'. Aiden reveled in all the new toys too, putting as many in his mouth as possible, then walking around with fists full of other toys.
Jenn & Brian have a nice little landing, at the base of the stairs that go...upstairs..(duh)
It's only 2 steps, and nicely carpeted, so it was a perfect spot for Aiden to practice his stair climbing.
He will climb anything he can, at this stage..so rather teach him how to do it safely, from the start, cause I won't be able to stop him anyways. He caught on real quick, and would sit down, and scoot his butt to the edge of the stair, then step down. He did fall a few times, but he'd go RIGHT back up the landing. Up, down, up , down, up , down..until he'd mastered it.
Ju-ju did a great job blowing out her two-year old candles. She & Eryn are very close in age. It's awesome watching all these friend's babies grow up..and watching our kids all play together..still feels sorta surreal.
We had a great visit with the 'Shin's'. Needlesstosay, our kiddies were EXHAUSTED when we got home. We couldn't keep them up til their usual 7pm bedtime. They were in bed, asleep , by 6:30..and slept, the whole night thru, til 6:30am.
We have a whole summer and Fall full of birthday's to go to..next weekend as well... this year, most of the kid-lets will be turning 2...then all the friends have finally joined the ranks of TODDLERHOOD parents, and all the whining, crying, foot-stamping & 'NO's' that go with it. (hee he hee)
Here's the pic's:
May 04 Baby BoogasToday, was an awesome day,
aside from the SUMMER weather and amazing sunshine.
I took Eryn back to the Vancouver Aquarium again. This time, I knew it would be exceedingly difficult to enjoy myself, if I took both Eryn & Aiden (as Aiden has a time limit in the stroller now, because he wants to get out and walk & explore...Imagine me letting them both loose in the aquarium? I know exactly what would happen. Eryn would go one way, and Aiden would run the other way..)
So, I had already arranged that Nana & Papa would take Aiden for the morning, while I took Eryn to the aquarium. This time, I didn't even need to bring the stroller, THAT was awesome. Just one small bag and me & Eryn (plus an arsenal of sun glasses & hats) Eryn was SOOOO excited, when I told her we would see the whales again. She just adores ALL animals.
When we got there, we went straight to the beluga's. She was jumping up & down, yelling 'baby belugas, baby belugas'
well, I knew she was saying that...everyone else heard: 'baby boogas, baby boogas.'
It is very entertaining to take a fearless unstoppable 2yr. old to the aquarium. Wherever we went, it was at a dead run.
One little incident that happend, made me shake my head in wonder.
We were heading somewhere, Eryn was running, like I said. While she was running, a grown-up, who wasn't looking, began to walk backwards. They kinda collided. Well, Eryn got tripped up and fell down. When she got up and looked around at how she fell, she said, very authoratively ; "HEY!" as she looked up at the lady who tripped her. It was like : HEY lady, watch where you're going..kinda HEY. The lady didn't 'get it' but the people she was with, who saw what happend, were killin themsleves laughing. This cutie lil' 2yr. old, with the 'wherewithall' to say HEY- watch out for ME! in that sweet little voice.
It was very cute.
When we saw the sea lions underwater, THAT was funny too.
Sea lions are ENORMOUS (for those of you who can't recall) like the size of a small truck. We were watching them, and the seals, from the underwater viewing area. The tank water was pretty green, so there was like 1ft visibility. We kept tapping on the glass until the sealion would swim by. When he came by, it was RIGHT next to the glass, and because of the visibility, he would SUDDENLY appear. Eryn found that delightful and would scream with excitement and pound the glass harder. All the other little 2 & 3 & 4yr old there, would shrink away in fear or surprise at this enormous animal appearing outta nowhere. I love that she's so fearless, even though it makes her more challenging to look after, because she doesn't know her limits yet. She is secure enough in herself and her environment, that she seldom experiences fear or panic. She's also a natural extrovert, that probably helps.
BOY, don't mom's love bragging about their kids?
I'm trying to think of the last time I saw Eryn scared. It musta been last year near Halloween, because I remember her crying & shaking when she saw her Papa Bill wearing a Frankenstein mask. She didn't cry at Santa, at xmas, or at the fireworks on new years, or at the balloons we had on her birthday (her 1st year she was terrified of balloons, we've NO idea why). She's a bold lil' chicky, that's for sure.
Can't wait to see what she'll do when she rides a horse, for the first time. So far, like all animals, she loves horses too. I'm hoping she'll catch my passion for them, like I did from my mother. SO much to look forward to!
I'm getting better at taking aquarium pictures. I just need to learn more about my manual settings so I can play with exposure time etc.. I posted some extra aquarium pictures below, in addition to the ones in the photo album above.
I also wanted to write a comment about sleep, this week. So far, 2 of the past 3 nights, BOTH kids slept thru the night, from 7:30pm to 6:30am. On both mornings, Gary & I would look at each other in bewilderment....and ask, 'Did you look after the kids last night? were they even up?' Last night was interrupted by poopy midnight bums, from both kids..YUK, but we are definately doing better.
It would sure help if we had a proper room for Aiden. His crib is still in the hallway, right outside the bathroom door. That makes sneaking to the bathroom in the middle of the night, VERY tricky...no flushing THAT's for sure!
Maybe when Aiden is sleeping thru more consistently, we can try rooming them up again. Eryn chooses not to climb out of her crib, so at least we'll know Aiden's safe from her, during the night.
Thanks Nana Mae, for the sunglasses & hat for Eryn, she sure loves them.
Heeere's the pics:
May 03 so much for HOORah !you may have noticed (or not)
that the videos aren't playing on my site again...
that means our server is 'down' again.
Which is crumby because I was applying for jobs using that email...so now..how will I know??
I told him already, when he gets it 'up' again I'm abandoning his server for cheap & reliable hotmail.
HUMPH!!!!
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