Happy Birthday Baby!

I think I'm having growing pains. Not because I'm turning 30 in three weeks (yay!), but because my Kai's age is now listed as a big fat 1. I don't think I like the fact that there aren't any babies in this house anymore.. at least no little babies.

We had fun celebrating.. it was busy and loud. There were 6 kids under 28 months here as well as some adults who sometimes act about that old : P

I have pictures to prove it.. MATT. I mean.. hmm.

My cousin Emily made the most spectacular cake I have ever seen. It was adorable and perfect. The first thing Kai did when it was placed in front of him was rip Makka Pakka's head off. Oh, children!

All in all it was a good party to celebrate the sweetest little boy, I just miss my tiny cuddly baby.

FIL & MIL:

Looking at getting a live Skype feed for you for Kai's birthday party in a little less than 2 hours... interested?

Another day, another few birthdays

It was the busiest day this household has seen in a long time. Jericho and I headed to Riley's birthday party at Jungle Jacks for 9:30. I had forgotten my wallet so D lent me $10 to get in, how embarrassing! Good thing my kid didn't need me to buy food or I would have had to beg.

We left a little over an hour later to pick up Nate and Kai and go back to my parents for lunch and cake. I realized my dad is going to enjoy having things to buy for four grandsons and one granddaughter a little too much. He bought this book all about trucks and tractors and I think he's too attached to give it up.

Around 12:40 I left with my Mom's car to go home and get ready for Lisa's party in Delta. I was due for a pedicure at 2:00 pm. I raced home in the Jeep, got in the Jetta all niced up and was on my way.

During this time we realized we would not be able to have D & J come watch the kids as they were both under the weather, too bad we couldn't find their phone number : ( But it all worked out and Nate brought the babies to dinner for 6 in Surrey.

It was pretty much go go go, but I have to say I was so proud of my kids, especially Jericho for staying completely dry the entire day and being incredibly well behaved. Our restaurant experience tonight was the best ever. They sat and ate and entertained the entire table. It was a great day and I am glad to be heading to bed this very minute!

PS - Did anyone see the video below? It is the CUTEST THING EVER! Not that I'm biased or anything.

The best 2 year old babysitter ever!

My brother called me around 5:00 tonight and asked if it was possible for us to take care of Sophia tonight. NO PROBLEM!! She's adorable and sweet, why not?! The boys were so excited when they heard she was coming, especially Jericho. He begged me to let him hold her and I finally, cautiously, relented. This video is the result. Don't worry, I made sure she wasn't going to fall!





PS - Don't worry everyone... I haven't caught the baby bug..... yet.

Riley

My nephew Riley turned 2 today! I love him, he's an active little toddler who makes me smile. When we were on the island last summer for some reason he took to me. Whenever he sees me, he yells "Sawa!" It's pretty cute, actually.

Jericho and I bought 2 cupcakes today, one for Ry and one for Jer and we went to share them. Auntie Megan was out doing errands though so it will have to wait until Saturday. The cupcake lady put them in these little Chinese food-ish boxes and put blue bows on them. They are sitting in my fridge and will remain there until Ry's party.

Anyway, I'm just pretty proud of my eldest nephew and love him to pieces!

Happy Birthday Riley!!!

Jericho is funny

I didn't just realize my son has a sense of humour, but I really saw it come out today. He peed on his stuffed dog. I was just getting off the phone and looked over to see him aiming and I pretty much ran as fast as I could to try and stop him. But it was too late. Poor puppy.

Then later, Nate was reading him a bedtime story and he decided he wanted to eat the 'bowl full of mush' in Goodnight Moon. Then when it got to the part of saying goodnight to everything he kept saying 'hush' to Nate and finally told him to stop talking.

I guess you can't really tell he's funny from those stories, but they sure made me laugh!

My Birthday

So if you know that something is going on for your birthday, in fact... you know ALMOST the whole story. Do you (a) leave things alone and hope that people feel comfortable enough to carry plans along even though they may not feel like it or (b) take things into your own hands and plan something for yourself?

I don't want to hurt or offend anyone cause that seems to be happening in spite of best efforts to the contrary, but I just want to have a great birthday with little or no drama.

I know I probably shouldn't post this on my blog, but it's what I'm feeling right now. I've been counting down since September and at times I've felt it would be easier to not celebrate at all. I HATE conflict and I've avoided people and situations that stressed me out and so naturally if I hear there's issues with planning a birthday party, I want to try and eliminate that.

I think I might just be PMS'ing.

A Walking Re-Creation

Check here:


Then watch this:

Beautiful Day!

Today is gorgeous, but freezing. It looks amazing if you're inside, and it still isn't that bad once you get outside... But so cold! We went for a walk this morning with Christa & Sophia on the dikes. It was a pretty good workout except for stopping every 50 feet or so to check and make sure everyone still had mitts, hats, blankets on and that no one's face had froze off.

Overall, the kids were all good. I think towards the end they were tired and hungry because Jericho wanted out and was helping Chris push Sophia and I was pushing my stroller and holding Kai as he just wanted to scream. I guess it was a little longer than they would have liked. But we came home and I made them pancakes for lunch, so they were thrilled.

We weren't sure how long the walk was, so I gmap'd it and turns out it was just over 6 kilometers for there and back. Not too shabby. If only we were able to walk in a continous motion.

Just so you know, I would love to hear from more of my lurkers! In the next few days I will be posting a message just for all of you! I'd love to see your comments. Check back soon : )

Not sure where today went

It was just last night I was sitting in the exact same spot doing the exact same thing I am now. But somewhere between there and here was an entire day and I'm really not sure how it went by so fast.

I'm not sure what's up with Kai lately, he fusses quite a bit at night again. The past few days he's been up at least three times per night. I think he may be teething as he's just miserable. Mind you, when morning comes he's his usual happy-go-lucky self.

I did promise that I would lose 3 lbs this week and I was only down 1.2 lbs. But it's still a lose and I'll take it. Not sure I'm going to make my 30 by 30 goal unless I kick it into high gear and fast!

Lisa is turning 30 three weeks before I am, and I'm looking forward to her party. It's the same day as Riley's, but I'm going right afterwards. We'll be meeting at her friends place and getting spa treatments, like mani's and pedi's and facials. Then we're heading to her favorite restaurant for a fun dinner. Nate and the boys are invited too, but I think I'm going to try and get a sitter. Maybe Janelle as she was sweet and emailed that she was available to help.. mwaa ha ha!!

I just heard a big bang, so I should go!!!!

A many splendored thing

Today was an insane work day. Matt had me trekking everywhere and it was quite exhausting actually. Days like this make me glad for Danielle : ) I started my morning finishing up some billing, as the 25th of the month is my deadline to get my invoices in to my General Contractors. It used to be fairly straight forward and I only used to have one GC and now I have 4. It's not as bad as some people, but it sucks some days. After I had my paperwork ready for Matt to come and let me know what numbers he wanted, I went to Service Canada for a ROE Web Seminar. Just so I can save paper and not have to fill in those tedious forms anymore. Now I fill out the tedious forms online! Service Canada had this seminar basically just to get you going, but it takes two weeks before everything is ready for me to begin... whatever.

After that, I headed home as I had forgotten my CCDC 9 sticker. I had to take the Stat Dec into the Notary to be signed, as always, and I forgot the sticker. I hadn't made the appointment for the Notary yet anyway as I usually just walk in.. but apparently he's having hip surgery so it was a new guy and I had to make an appointment. So I was home for a bit, then headed to B & G to pick up some shop drawings. I then had a tiny chunk of time to kill so I went to Staples and bought some much needed supplies PLUS two of the most beautiful journals I have ever laid eyes on. They look more like Bibles actually. Completely soft leather with a button clasp... *SIGH*. I'm so excited!! I wanted them for the boys as I'm going to just start taking notes about stuff so I can give them to them when I'm dead.

Then I went to my Notary appointment and came home after (again) to mapquest the Construction office I needed to take my shop drawings to. It was in Port Moody and I didn't leave until 2. Ew. But it turned out not to be that bad.

Matt came over around 3:45 and told me how much $$ to bill everyone, then I just started printing off paperwork and signing everything to be faxed. I still need to courier it all tomorrow, but I was mostly done by about 5.

And just think, I'm getting a second wind now!!

My sidebar for today is that Malachi is walking all the time now. He'll walk from one end of the room to the other and it's heartbreakingly adorable. The kid is cute, what can I say?

34 Days

My birthday is closer than the end of Lent, so I don't think I'm going to give up anything in case I'll want it when I turn 30.

I can't wait to see what's going to happen, cause I've heard whisperings and I think it's going to be good.

I think when I'm 30, I'm going to be more mature.... On Sundays.

I'm not going to have anymore babies until after I'm 30, please don't ask me if I am pregnant, cause I'm not. That was my New Years Resolution... to get through '09 without being 'with child' at all.

They used to say 30 was the new 20, but now they say things like "50 is the new 30" and 40 is the new 25" and other ridiculousness. Thirty is just fine without trying to pretend it's something else. But let's face it, it feels good to have people think you are 8 years younger than you are.

A friend told me that once I turn 30, I stop caring so much what people think about me. I'm beginning that transition. Not because I feel I have to, but there are days when I think that putting so much weight on other's opinion is really exhausting. I rather like being me and am quite happy with my choices, overjoyed in some instances.

I've been trying harder to experience more with friends. I've been out so many times this month and had lots of great times with friends, still want more though : )

I'd like to take a moment to thank those authentic, loving peeps I have. Those who have told it to me like it is over the past few weeks when I really needed it.

Okay, this 29 year old is thirsty and tired... more tomorrow!

Dreams

I was reminded today how much I want to travel to Italy and Greece. Lucky Catherine is going soon you know : ) The more I think about it, the more I can't decide whether it's something I should do in a few years and do well, meaning I need to go for at least 2 weeks and leave the kids at home...hehe. Or is it something I should do soon for a short period, like a week and still leave the kids at home? At one time I did consider bringing Jericho along, but with two of them I just don't know. I think they'd have way more fun with Grandma(s)? than with us trekking all over and partaking in long plane rides.

Plus it would be so much fun to just be with my husband and do things and see things I've wanted to for so long.

One day it will happen, for now I'll just keep using my BMO Gold Mastercard on Matt's work purchases to earn Air Miles. I have 6000, which is not nearly enough... but I'm getting there :P

As a fun little sidebar, I realized today some of the side effects of wallowing in winter. I was giving Jericho a proverbial ride to Grandma's house on my legs and he complained that they hurt him. Apparently they must remind him of Grandpa's stubble. *sigh*

Malachi

I can't believe how many new words Kai has. He's figured out how to imitate certain things and it's adorable! Some new words: Papa, book, cookie, cracker, Jericho, more, all done, etc.

None of the above sound exactly how they are written, but once you become accustomed to it, you realize what he's trying to communicate. I need to take some more video of him talking because it's soo cute!

I want to have his birthday party in two weeks and I've done nothing to plan it. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll get everything figured out : )

Today the boys were part of a photo shoot for Kewt Kids. A friend of a friend makes bandana's and bibs for kids and the boys will be on the website. I think it should be ready around April, so I'll have to post the link when it's done. They both did fairly well, but they were the only boys and you could tell. The other kids were quiet and didn't move around too much and ours were just super curious and moving everywhere in a small yoga studio with so many little trinkets all over. But they did fine when the camera came out, which was the imporant part, right?

I've been going to bed much too late the past few days and I really need to rest a little more. Those silly second winds kick in and I just get caught up in television or talking to Nate or playing Word Twist. Fun stuff!

I'm so happy!!

I just heard the best news! A very close and dear friend who has been trying for years to have a child has just recently found out that her and her husband are expecting!!!

I'm SOOOO excited!!!!

Hmmm.

I feel the same way after seeing Shopaholic that I did after seeing Supersize Me. Now all I want to do is go on a shopping spree! But not for Big Macs.

I'm feeling good after today, it was one of those days where at the end you wonder how you managed to let it go so fast. We took the boys to IKEA and ordered 38 kitchen sinks, that was fun. Then we went to the BC Safety Authority to get 2 boilers approved, that was boring. We even managed to go out for breakfast :)

But I was up 2 lbs this week at WW. Ew. Oh well, like one of the leaders says, "Easy on, easy off"

This week I'm going to lose 3 lbs. Watch me.

Wah Wing

Awhile ago I was invited out with a bunch of ladies from our church to go out for dinner at a schezuan place Nate and I love to go to. I wasn't sure I would be able to make it, but turns out everything fell into place like it sometimes does and I went!

It was an eclectic group, but it was really fun! I laughed a lot. I think KL is hilarious and I always enjoy hanging out with JH & JG, DR : )

I ate more bad food than I should of, but for now I don't care. It was worth it. Christa might beat me this week, but she leaves for New York soon and she will have the same issue next week and I WILL BEAT HER!

Nate is off for most of tomorrow and we haven't had a family day in awhile. Mind you, tomorrow is looking like it will more of a "let's take the kids while we drive around getting important things accomplished". Oh well, they're young enough that it doesn't really matter. They are just happy to go for car ride with Mommy & Daddy.

And that's why I love 'em.

February 17th!

The Canucks won! YAY!

I think I'm going to ask my Dad to give me Canucks tickets for my birthday. He gets them from his plumbing wholesaler, who weirdly enough, Megan will be working for again soon.

I can't get over how much Jericho talks now. He comes up with these crazy sentences like, "Mommy no eat all my donuts" and "Kai Kai those MY toys". There are nicer sentences, but the mean ones stick out. He can pretty much repeat everything and this is why I had to refrain from using a phrase I constantly use: "Holy crap". It doesn't sound so good coming from his mouth, especially when he uses it correctly.

Kai was so sad today, he has these little hives all over his body and I need to really keep track of what he's eating as he's obviously allergic to something besides oatmeal. I shouldn't really say allergic, it's more a food aversion. I just wish I knew what it was!

Thanks for all the comments on potty training, both on and off my blog. I appreciate people who validate me and who make me feel proud to be a Mommy and not judged or guilty... you know who you are : )

Tomorrow night and Thursday night I'm going out with girlfriends and I'm VERY excited.

Hard Day

What is it with Mondays? You already feel beat up about the weekend being over!! Jericho just wouldn't listen today. I can tell he's learning about the whole sharing thing, but he can be downright mean to Malachi and I'm really starting to get tired of it. Hopefully he gets over this little phase soon and moves on to something else. I know he's likely going to cause all sorts of little issues, but right now this is what I'm sad about. I don't really want to think of all the trouble down the road, because that's not really going to help now.

A separate issue: at what age do you let your kid sleep through the night with only underwear on? Jericho drinks A LOT so I know for at least the first few weeks I'll be changing sheets constantly and I don't want to push him before he's ready and have frustration everywhere. He does awesome with #1 and stays dry when we go out 90% of the time. I will only put a pull-up on when we go to church because I would feel bad if he wet the carpet there, and I'm not the one watching him there. What do you guys think? He's almost 28 months...

I'm going to try and go to bed early tonight.. 6:30 am comes too early!

Weekend? Ha!

Today was another day of me and the kids. We just hung out mostly... as much as you can 'hang out' with a 2 and almost 1 year old. The highlight was taking a drive down the the dikes and going for a little walk. I carried Kai and Jericho walked beside me. That was lots of fun. They were both in good moods and happy to finally be outside and not freezing cold.

On the drive home I decided I NEEDED sushi so bad. I've been watching what I eat since early October and usually when I get something from the sushi place I have sunumono salad, gyoza, & california rolls. Not the healthiest, but my favorites. Every single Japanese place I came across was closed and I was heartbroken. Why must they close on a Sunday when I NEEDED it? Oh well.

We were invited to Joe's birthday party and headed over there around 6. It was fun and the boys played fairly well together. Jericho and Riley are pretty different in how they relate to each other so Meg and I have fun in trying to teach them sharing, etc. Basically Jericho refuses to share and 99% of the toys are Riley's. Fun times.

I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow as it's the 5th day in a row of me at home with the kids not working and not being able to see Nate much. I've asked him to take the other car again and maybe we'll go grocery shopping. I don't think it would be as big a deal for me if we had the second vehicle for good. I get stir crazy and so do the boys. It makes for long days. I think people just don't understand my life.. why don't I go out more?? Why do I have a babysitter? My dream is to not have to work at all and be able to just spend time going places with my kids... little field trips and errands. I know it's probably not all it's cracked up to be, but at this point it's my tiny dream.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Valentines

Well, my Valentines date was last night so I didn't do anything today to celebrate. Except I did make a heart shaped low fat chocolate cake for my boys. Super easy:

Mix together the following:

1 cup Splenda
1 cup flour
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup egg substitute ( I used egg whites)
1 T vanilla
1 T soft butter
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 unsweetened cocoa

Bake at 350 C for 25-20 minutes in an 8" or 9" pan. It's not the BEST cake ever, but it tastes pretty darn good for being healthy. And it's not sweet at all so you really get the cocoa flavour.

I'm really tired today. It doesn't help that I walked almost 7 kilometers with the boys to pick up my two new Pampered Chef pans! I'm also not completely over this cold and I'm hoping it's almost over.

Nate's working again tomorrow so I'm hoping he'll take the car I'm supposed to be selling so I can get out of the house for a bit. Otherwise, we're going on another walk tomorrow boys!!!

Those of you who know what "In The Night Garden" is... would be amused to know that Kai is obsessed with Maka Pakka. If he's crying, he wants MP... if he's going to bed, he wants MP... if he's just in a good mood and wants someone to share a laugh... you get the picture.

I do have a funny story to share. This morning I was sitting on the couch with the boys, reading books, when Jericho took off all of a sudden. I let him go and just listened, but there was silence and that's never good. So I went down the hallway and there he was sitting on our bed with his teddy bear in his arms. Not really that strange, but wait... His shirt was half-way up and he was holding the bear in a 'nursing' position. I tried hard to hold back my gales of laughter as I calmly asked him what he was doing. His response? "Feeding Bear Boob".

Whatever will I do with this little man?

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing today was! What a great day! I've officially lost 20 lbs and I'm the lightest I've been since before I was ever pregnant. Ever.

I had a friend come over and just hang out for the second day in a row!

My sister bought me a hot shirt for my hot date with my husband as an early birthday present.

My date was amazing.

What's the use of coming up with a title anyhow? Sometimes I sit here for a good 2 minutes trying to come up with something clever to catch your attention.

Yes, you! I want you to read all this sentence.

And this one.

Okay, I'm done being silly. I had a good visit with M today, it was nice to just visit and not feel pressure to have a tidy house or readily made treats. All we did was sit and chat with our Caramel Latte's. Why haven't we done this sooner?

The boys are still sick. Kai hardly eats. At lunch he just sat and cried in his chair, so I just gave him some medicine, nursed him, and put him to bed. The poor little dude can barely breath he's so stuffed up! And Jericho just is NOT himself. He defies me almost any chance he can and screams when he doesn't get his way. Some of it is 'terrible two's' but I can tell that he's overtired and doesn't feel well and listening to his Mommy seems to be the last thing on his mind.

And me? Well, I have a sore throat and my head feels stuffy. But I don't feel completely awful..yet.

I was supposed to be having another contest with Christa this week to see who can lose the most weight (last week I lost 4 lbs, plus I reached the 10% weight loss goal WW automatically sets for you when you sign up), but with the boys being sick and feeling crummy myself.. exercise has not really been much of a priority. I am still trying to eat right though so we'll see : )

I went to church on Sunday morning instead of Saturday night and I don't think I've ever received so many compliments. A lot of people noticed I had lost weight and it felt good. Honestly, I think having my new shoes made a difference : )

Forgot One

I know I didn't post yesterday, but there's something about ear infections and croup that exhausts you. My poor little boys are so sick and cough so much they wheeze!

And even though I have avoided the three previous colds that struck my young family, I have now fallen victim to this one. The sore throat and sinus stuffiness makes for a long day, but I'm hoping to beat it soon.

Little Kai is 11 months old today and it makes me want to cry that my baby isn't so babyish anymore. I actually did cry about it the other day, but don't worry.. there are no more Searle babies on the horizon... at least not anytime soon : )

I just can't believe Kai wasn't here a year ago and soon we'll be celebrating his birthday. The fact that he hasn't been here forever is as crazy as is the thought that he's almost been here a year. How can I feel like I've had him all this time, but yet feel like I just gave birth to him?

30 in t-minus 45 days....

Busy month is a'coming!

I know Nate is planning a surprise for me for my birthday. Don't everyone freak out at once... but it was the only way he could get me to back off trying to plan my own shindig. He banned me from asking any questions or nagging about my birthday coming up. I'm VERY excited and feel extremely lucky to have a guy who's going to try and make my birthday special.

March is shaping up to be really busy, so I'm just a little nervous of how he's going to squeeze something in and where... so I'm constantly letting him know when something else comes up so it doesn't wreck anything. I think that may be stressing him out more than he's letting on... Hopefully it all works out!!

Jer & Kai are both sick and not sleeping that well, so tonight promises to be unfun by all standards. Early night anyone?

Nice Sunday and First Birthday Plans

Today was a really good day. We ended up going to church this morning as Jericho was sick last night and it was quite nice to sit with friends and just enjoy the service. Afterwards, we went to lunch with Matt, Christa, the cutest Sophia, & Mom and Dad. Not a bad way to spend a day, that's for sure!

I was pleasantly surprised with compliments on my weight loss. That's how you know you MUST be doing something right because people are starting to notice. I also wore new pants and shoes which always adds to the overall package : )

This afternoon the boys slept while I just hung out (played on the computer, watched TV). They woke up fairly miserable, but it was nothing some goldfish crackers and Arrowroots couldn't solve. Plus some lovable cuddles from Mommy, of course!

A short time after all that fun, Malachi decided it was time to take some STEPS!!! Now, he's stood a few times on his own to clap his hands, wave, etc.. but whenever we try and get him to come forward, he just falls to his trusted crawling position. But tonight, he stood... laughed, and WALKED. It was only a few steps, but it was just as adorable as when Jericho did it for the first time. You could tell he was proud of himself.

It reminded me that I really need to get going on planning his first birthday party! He turns 1 on March 11th, which is one month and three days away. I think I'm going to go with March 8th for now... Watch for your invite!

Friends

I feel like I've been a bad friend. Not to everyone, but to some I haven't seen in AGES. I really miss K, L, D, etc... but I've been having soo much fun with M, R, A. I basically am terrible at orchestrating and many of my close friends know that. But I feel bad for those who are just as terrible as I am, or who maybe have just had it with me and my lack of phone calls, emails, and so on.

I don't like to use excuses and I don't think having my kids is a good enough reason for not spending time with people who I love being with. I keep thinking of things I want to do in order to include as many as possible, but then how considerate is that of people who want to talk and interact one on one?

Maybe my 30th birthday resolution should be to reach out to those I miss and try harder. I hate feeling or knowing that someone is upset or angry with me - and I know it's happened on more than one occasion. I used to think I was perfect :) Looking back it seems I have more broken relationships than outstanding ones, is that a reflection of my personality or simply time gone by, misunderstandings, personality differences, and the proverbial love lost?

I'm not sorry for who I am, simply sorry for not doing what I should in reaching out to those I truly love and care for.

It goes without saying that I also love spending time with my sisters, cousins, Mom, & husband. I don't tend to have many issues with my family... they never go away :)

I remembered

So I was lying in bed and realized I hadn't posted on my blog yet today.

Now I'm going back to bed.

That's how much you all mean to me.

: )

4 lbs.

I'm a lot smaller today than I was a week ago. Thanks in part to a friendly competition with my SIL, Christa. I feel great and now I only have 14 lbs to go.

I would say a lot more today because I'm in a reflective mood, but I think I'm going to spend some time on the couch with my Love.

Jericho and his baby

Back before Jericho was born, Auntie Nina and her then-boyfriend bought this cute little stuffie toy dog/kangaroo thing. I really have no idea what it is, but it IS cute. Anyways, he did become quite attached to it until a few months ago when it was tossed to the wayside for other more exciting little gadgets. He's played with trains, trucks, and all sorts of other age and not-so-age appropriate items. Well, today for some reason he decided to pick up that little stuffie and it was no longer a babyhood has-been, but it was then re-christened his 'baby'.

He carried it around, cuddled it, hugged it, kissed it, and even gave it his soother and blankie (two EXTREMELY prized possessions). He asked people to hold it for him when he went back to playing, but would soon come back for him and check to make sure he was okay. I asked him what his baby's name was and was surprised to hear his response was "Malachi".

"Fake Malachi" had many naps today and enjoyed many cuddles and other odd adventures. But the funniest moment of the day was when he was trying to convince me that he needed to be fed just like "Real Malachi". And I'm not talking about big boy food. I'm talking about the feeding only a Mother can do. It was quite an amusing conversation and one I hope to laugh about with him later.

Joshie Rocks

Jericho and Kai were priveleged today to spend time with a really great little friend. They had an amazing day together. Looking forward to the next visit : )

Nate may be leaving for the Yukon again on the 17th of February and I already have two nights booked - GIRLS NIGHTS OUT!!!

Now sleeping alone doesn't seem so bad.

New Stuff

Words that Kai says:

Mama
Dada - LOVES his Daddy!
Uh oh! - Usually right before he drops something
Bah - Ball or book
Mmmmm - Anytime he sees something he wants, he holds his hand out towards it and says Mmm til he gets it
Derdo - Jericho
Makka Pakka - his favorite stuffie


New Phrases of Jericho's:

I'm coming!
Happy birthday to you - usually when he's holding something and carrying it like a cake
Brown bear, what see? - From his new favorite book
Have shower no cold water, no hot water - He's quite specific about wanting warm showers
Go swimming! - His favorite past time
Daddy go dentist! Daddy go work! - This is after I ask him where Daddy is and the dentist is usually his first guess.
Danelle come ober! - When I ask him who's coming, his response is his babysitter, but her name is Danielle, not Danelle.
Darbage fruck, Derdo happy! - He just said this because the garbage truck just pulled up :)


He says a tonne and it's hard to remember everything. I need to start journaling some of it more cause my memory seems to be not so good lately. Must be the 'almost 30' thing. : )

These are some pictures from Deacon's shower yesterday:

Weekend Is Over : (

I'd say it was a pretty decent weekend, nothing really eventful happened besides what I mentioned in my last post. I will say that this weekend's church service was outstanding. I thought Steve did a really great job talking about the purpose of our church and building community. I enjoyed it immensely. I also thought the worship songs were awesome and I even had a moment where I had goosebumps and tears were on the verge of falling just thinking about how big and awesome My God is! I meant to speak to Pastor Steve and tell him how much I loved it, but instead we talked about how big Kai is getting : )

Today was Deacon's Going Bagless Party and it was really good. Megan has a great friend who organized it and it was fun! I bought a frame and printed off a pic of Deacon and gave it to her. I think she liked it... But I wrote a poem as well and put it in her card.. It's not as good as I would have liked it to be, but I tried:

Deacon

You came as a blessing
A piece of my heart
Constant caressing
Life was tough at the start

You went through so much
A piece of my heart
Can you feel my touch?
But you triumphed, God had a part

You fulfilled all our wishes
A piece of my heart
I adore all our squishes
Your smile lights up, the best kind of art!

- Auntie Sara, January 29, 2009


See, it's not the best, but it's kinda cute.

Kai tried to walk tonight... I would hold him and he would stand for a bit and try and take steps but just fall down. I give him 2 weeks before he's running.

PS - A very Happy Birthday to FIL! Hope you had a great day!

The Countdown Begins Again..and again..and again..

I had the idea the other day to blog everyday until my birthday. It's now less than 2 months until I turn 30! But then I thought I might not be able to live up to that.. but I'll give it a shot.

Last night we went to Salt with Darren & Rachael and it was amazing! I LOVE that place. They serve small little 'tastes' of cheeses and meats to go with bread and different wines. There's also condiments that match each meat or cheese. Just thinking about it is making me gain weight. SO yummy! My favorites were the Stilton with honey, Camembert with roasted almonds, and the Guiness mustard with salami. But the Chocolate Pate was outstanding! Basically chocolate truffle meets slab of deliciousness.

On the birthday note... I wonder if I should buy tickets for the Newsboys concert? It's the day before my birthday and back in the day I LOVED them. Shine was my favorite song of all time for about 5 years. Hmmmmm....

I still have my 30 lbs before 30 goal in sight, but I'm not sure I'm going to make it. I'll come close for sure.. but I won't quite make it unless I exercise and eat well everyday from now until then. That's a pretty good idea, but one that requires effort that I'm not always willing to put in. So far, since Kai was born, I've lost 52 lbs. Most of that came off fairly fast, but I made the 30 before 30 commitment after I'd already lost the 40. For those not so great at math (myself included) I have 18 lbs to go. I might change it so I only have 13 to go and I'll feel a lot better about attaining what I set out to do, but I think that's cheating.

Christa and I have started going to Weight Watchers together and it's been a great motivator, but I haven't lost any weight for the past 3 weeks and I'm actually up 3 lbs on what I originally lost. I blame Cabo. And Christmas. New Years deserves a spanking too. I jest. In all seriousness though, I've decided to challenge sweet, innocent little Christa to a battle. One where our goal is not to 'beat each other up' but to 'beat each other down'. I'm just trying to lose more weight than her this week. So today, we went for a walk together for a mere 6 kilometers. No biggie. It was fun! I don't think Sophia liked it much in the end, but she will learn to adapt! If not, I lose more weight and I win! HAHAHAHAHA! (That laugh was evil in case you were wondering - next time I'll add the MW in front.)

Okay, so now it's off to bed or something like that... And no, that's not a dot dot dot like from Mamma Mia.

Thank you all and goodnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yes, I am HYPER!

I can't believe it's '09

What a month! It's already January 22, 2009, where has this year gone? Where did it come from?? Last year at this time I was incredibly pregnant. Kai is 10 months now and he was seriously born yesterday. Time is going too fast, before I know it these boys are going to be girl crazy and driving.

Enough about that. I hate to think about it. They are a handful and I know it's going to get worse, but why dwell on the negative?

After Christmas, my in-laws came to stay with us for a week. It was a busy week, but a good week. Nate's brother Greg and his little tripod family were out from Chelsea Quebec as well and they stayed in Vancouver with Nate's sister Noel. There were times when it was very difficult to organize all of us together, but when we did it was fun. The kids played fairly well together. Ashiah is 8 months younger than Jericho and 8 months older than Kai. She's very sweet and Jericho adores her.

We were able to go to Stanley Park and ride the Christmas train, which I have never been able to do... everyone seemed to enjoy that. There were lots of lights and decorations, but I think the theme was a Tropical Christmas or something because there were quite a few scenes that reminded me of Hawaii.

There were so many things we wanted to do with Nate's family, but having the 4 little ones plus all that snow certainly added a dynamic that takes some organizing and getting used to. I'm so glad Ted & Marie were able to come out and spend so much time with their grandkids though. And New Years was fun, just to sit and relax and play cards.

The other distraction was Cabo. Nate's family was here from December 27-January 2 and we were supposed to leave for Cabo on the 5th, so I felt like I had to spend some time in getting ready for the trip. I honestly was a little nervous about it. It's hard for me to remember everything that I need on a daily basis, and to try and condense it so I don't bring my entire house. I worked really hard at thinking what items would come in handy and which ones I just didn't have room for. In the end I was quite proud to end up with three suitcases, two carryons, two carseats and a stroller. Sad. And to think if Nate and I had gone alone we would have brought two carry-ons and a suitcase. *sigh*

In the end, our flight was delayed by quite a bit. It was to leave at 8 am on January 5th and we didn't end up taking off until 2:30 am on January 6th. They said it was due to weather, but there were other flights leaving under the same airline and heading in the same direction...so who knows? Miss Rachael was very kind to put her heart and soul into making sure this Christmas present for the Robinson family was as relaxing and stress-free as possible. She spend 2 weeks working on figuring out a small glitch and going out of her way to make sure our group was taken care of properly. Isn't she a great friend : )

When we arrived in Cabo, it was a treat from the start. I loved the resort, the food, the weather, the pool, etc. It was such a relaxing week away from worries and stresses that come up from day to day. The not so good parts were when Kai was sick... Jericho and Nate getting food poisoning along with Nina and Phil...Jericho throwing up in the transfer bus back to the airport at the end of the trip.. Jericho pooping in the airport and needing several new pairs of clothes... etc.

But in spite of all the bad that came with the good, I would go again in a heartbeat. It was fun to spend time with my siblings and just enjoy the great gift from Mom & Dad.

I'll have to add pics later as Malachi has decided now is a good time to get up from his nap.

Merry Christmas!

It's just after 11:00 p.m. on Christmas day. I haven't uploaded new pictures, but I have about a zillion. It was a great day with family and snow (!!) and I really enjoyed not being pregnant this year. Mind you, seeing Nate holding Sophia was enough to want maybe, potentially, eventually, possibly... do it all again.

My boys were both spoiled today, but not by their parents. We counted 13 presents under the tree and not one said "Nate" or "Sara". Sad, isn't it? Jericho was rather into the whole "Let's open presents" thing, seeing as he now has a bit more experience. Kai was content to let Jericho open his new toys, and play with his toys. He kinda liked the old ones.

Our little Pork Chop (Malachi) actually stood up for the first time on the 22nd. He did it quite a few times, then fell and won't do it again. But I figured I'd rather have him crawling than running.

Speaking of pork chops, Jericho sat down to breakfast this morning and said, "Oooooooh, bacon!" We sure love pigs here.

Anyway, I'm tired and looking forward to maybe sleeping in tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to Michelle tomorrow!!! Merry Christmas for the next 44 minutes!

Sleep Baby Sleep

I feel like an idiot. Malachi has now slept through the night two nights in a row and all it took was some white noise in the form of a humidifier. Duh. He even had a three hour nap yesterday. Seriously. Why did I not think of this sooner? Did I enjoy waking up two and three times a night to soothe my little one? No, not really.

In other news, Nate and I are working on a little Christmas letter we're hoping to have in the mail soon... and we were looking back on some blog posts I've made this year to jog our memory. I really couldn't remember much besides him finishing his Masters and me having a baby. Turns out back in February I had a dream that I would give birth on a Tuesday, sure enough Malachi was born March 11th, a Tuesday! I guess I have the gift of dream prophecy or whatever, I just didn't know it. Isn't it sad that I didn't even remember that and I had to look back on my BLOG to realize it?

Tonight is Nate's work Christmas party so I'm going to get out the flat iron and work on my hotness factor.

Toodles!

Miss Us?

I've been on a break lately, one that I wasn't aware I was on. I looked at my blog the other day and realized it had been almost a month since I posted anything. How sad.

Things in general have been busy at our house since I last took time to blog. Jericho is just about potty-trained. He is in underwear unless it's naptime or bedtime. He's not 100% successful, but he does very well for just starting. I thought at first that he was still a little young, but one day he just decided he wanted to use the potty and we haven't looked back. ( Okay, I lied.. I look back all the time. Are diapers REALLY that bad??)

Malachi is officially 9 months old and has mastered his "Soldier Boy" crawl. He basically just pulls his entire body along the floor at a cut throat pace. He also pulls himself up to stand on a regular basis and can walk behind a push toy. Where has my baby gone? The one who just lays in my arms and coos?? Okay, he never really did that for long.

I have been busy with work for Matt and we moved my office downstairs. Our tenants moved out and we're going to try and make things work without having the extra $$ for the mortgage.It makes a huge difference on what I'm able to accomplish, being down here. The boys stay upstairs for the most part with Danielle (their babysitter) and play. Usually I work about 12 hours per week, but this time of year is year-end and I have a lot on my plate. Last week I almost put in 20 hours! I wouldn't be able to do it without the extra help, however. As a matter of fact I think I'd be half-insane by now.

We had a great time with Crystal as she took a bunch of pictures of us a few weeks ago and then again last weekend. I couldn't believe how amazing they were. She's really talented and clever in dealing with little men. Especially my Jericho. I'm getting her to order some for Christmas pictures which may turn out to be Valentines pictures, but it's all good.

A friend from high school who wasn't my friend in high school and is only now becoming a friend online messaged me this morning that she found our former English teacher. He was a serious nut-bar. We would spend several afternoons in English and Socials 11 playing trivia. He also gave us this assignment where we had to build our own country. He never gave much more direction than that and whenever we asked what the entire project entailed, he would only answer, "more is more". He also gave us all journals to write in and would have us say anything and he would respond instead of marking work, he was giving input into our lives. Overall, he was a cool guy... if only a little eccentric. I've sent him an email and am curious to see how he responds.

Anyway... (I always say 'anyways' but my friend Lisa has informed me that it is wrong to say anyways..it's ANYWAY.) here are some pics of the boys. Enjoy.

Win some, Lose some.

I've officially kicked Malachi out of our bed. I know, I know... he's 8 months old for goodness sakes. I blame it on fatigue and sheer laziness. In the middle of the night I just have not taken the effort required to develop good habits with this child. I just pick him up, cuddle him in my arms and nurse him. He seems to like it. Now I have to break all those bad habits and move him and keep him in his crib. Should be fun.

I've been continuing my weight loss journey... After I lose those first 6 lbs I started going to Weight Watchers with my Mom. I've now lost 9 lbs there. There are clothes from early in my pregnany with Jericho that now fit. I have a little more to lose before I'm my pre-babies weight.. but I'm on the right track to my goal of 30 by 30! It's been difficult lately as I'm not always in the mood to go for a walk. And I've been craving bad foods... but whatever. Some weeks are good and some not so much so we keep going.

Only a month and a half left until Mexico!! My parents have bought plane tickets for EVERYONE. There won't be any holding of children on laps, unless they cry.. which is likely... But it was a very generous Christmas present and I can't wait!!

The other day I had to write a very direct and almost nasty email for work. There's this gentlemen who owes us money and it's been fun trying to convince him to pay. I honestly think he just doesn't have the money, but what do I know?

I'm not sure this is a good idea...

Will someone please tell my 8 month old son that the dishwasher is not a toy?

I have a theory about Malachi that I've been testing since yesterday. I'm a little ashamed I didn't try it out sooner, but we all know what happens when you assume stuff. Well, I was assuming that when he was waking up almost every night like clockwork and screaming and writhing in pain, that it was just gas. I would give him gripe water and soothe him, and sometimes it would take awhile.

After a particularly bad night, I went on the internet yesterday to investigate just what it could be. I had been cutting out certain veggies, watching that I didn't eat anything to gassy, etc. The weird thing was that he hardly complained about it during the day. Anyways, the theory I'm testing and what I found on the internet (not always a good thing to do - I'm planning to talk to my doctor about it at his 8 month check up) is that he may have baby acid reflux.

The reason I think he may have it is that he has a number of the symptoms - cries sometimes when I try to feed him, has 'wet' burps, hiccups a lot, writhes in pain in the middle of the night, arches his back when I try to nurse him, etc. There's other symptoms that he does not have, like loss of weight (mind you, he isn't gaining as fast as I expected him too)and frequent vomiting (he throws up, but usually only after accidentily eating oatmeal - which I think he's allergic to.

But I've been really frustrated because I have not been sleeping as he keeps waking up. I thought that if I fed him lots before bed that he would sleep right through, but if this is what he has, that just may have been making things worse. If he does have it, feeding him too much at a time is making the acid from his stomach come up his esophagus and it's causing him severe discomfort.

So, yesterday all day I fed him small amounts, but I fed him more frequently. Last night he slept from 11:30 to 5:30 which is the longest overnight stint in over 2 months. It's still just a theory, but as Nate says, "It's a good one."

As I'm writing all this down though, I'm currently awaiting news on my nephew Deacon. He's having surgery at Childrens Hospital today and I was supposed to have news around 1. My dad called and said they haven't had any update yet on how it went, so all this stuff about my baby seems trivial. I ache for my sister and the stuff she's had to go through with this little guy. I just hope it all turns out awesome and his little body works the way God intended.

Happy Birthday Jericho!

Two years ago I gave birth to a little boy who has been one of two of the best things ever to happen to me.

Happy Birthday to a sweet little man!

Malachi The Cutie Pie.

And Then There Was Five...

My Third Niece

First there was sweet Ashiah, 8 months younger than Jericho. Then we met little Daveigh Olivia back in September. Now there is the beautiful Sophia Grace who was born this morning at 8:31 am. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 13 oz, just an ounce lighter than pudgy Kai.

To Distract Me

I'm consumed with thoughts of Matt & Christa's baby, so instead I'm going to focus on where I'm going January 5-12.

Christa... where is your baby?

My sister-in-law was due on the 13th, and she's just been induced a few hours ago. My brother called to say she was sleeping, good girl! Hopefully very soon I can let you all know whether I have another nephew, or niece.

Here's the last pic of Christa in one piece, as my mom likes to say. It's of Kai and his cousin.

Jericho's Favorite Airline

Some funnies that have actually happened on West Jet flights:

West Jet is an Airline with head office situated in Calgary, Alberta. West Jet airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a West Jet flight (There is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
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On another West Jet Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
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On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."
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"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

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"Thank you for flying West Jet Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
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As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at the Vancouver Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
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After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Ontario, a flight attendant on a West Jet flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
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From a West Jet Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard West Jet Flight
245 to Calgary. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
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"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
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"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than West Jet Airlines."
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"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
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"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants.. Please do not leave children or spouses."
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And from the pilot during his welcome message: "West Jet Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
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Heard on West Jet Airlines just after a very hard landing in Edmonton : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
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Overheard on an West Jet Airlines flight into Regina, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Regina. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
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Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
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An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the

passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"

The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
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After a real crusher of a landing in Halifax, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
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Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of West Jet Airways."
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Heard on a West Jet Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
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A plane was taking off from the Winnipeg Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from Winnipeg to Montreal. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

6 Things

6 Things

Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. List 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post


6 Random things....

1. I'm lefthanded, lots of people know that... but some still don't. That was for them.

2. When I was 15, I travelled to Bolivia with my dad for a 3 week missions trip. I actually turned 15 there which in the Latin American culture is a huge deal. My most vivid memory of the entire trip is getting stuck on the top of this huge chain link fence and having my dad tell me to just jump and he would catch me. Still makes me laugh.

3. Nate owes meeting me and getting into his line of work to an old lady I've never met and don't even know her name.

4. I lived in Mackenzie, BC for 6 weeks when I was 8.

5. I used to do a wicked Pavel Bure impersonation.

6. I was actually married on the same day my grandparents were, but didn't know it until afterwards.

I tag: Christa, Sam, Michelle (though you've already been tagged in Rachael's), and Amanda. I don't know six who update enough.

Happiness

Happiness is watching the Canucks first game of the season and seeing them SCORE GOALS!!!!

Weight Loss

I've lost 6 lbs in two weeks. That sounds fast, but I've just been sticking to it and not straying too often to foods that make me gain weight. For breakfast I've been sharing smoothies with Jericho, and once in awhile adding some egg whites with low fat cheese and mushrooms (SO GOOD!). Lunch is mostly a salad..all sorts of veggies, but with some cheese and always with plain balsamic vinegar. Dinner I usually eat a fairly normal meal, meat and some form of starch with veggies. In fact, one night we had homemade gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce which was out of this world amazing.

I think the difference has been the walking. This week alone I've walked 18 kilometers. Not bad I say.

Emily

On Monday I received an email that broke my heart. Quite a few years ago at Burnett Fellowship we had a pastor by the name of Terry Stauffer. It was kind of a funny coincidence that a few years later we had another pastor named Terry Stauffer, but that's an aside. The email I received was a urgent prayer request for Terry #1 and his family as his oldest daughter was assaulted in her town of Edson, Alberta and died of her injuries. She was only 14. Even though I don't remember meeting her, I am devastated for her parents and siblings. May they feel the arms of Jesus. Words never seem enough at times like this.

My son, the comedian.

Jericho says the funniest things, granted... he doesn't always know they're funny until we laugh out loud. Here are some gems from the past few weeks:

1. "Geegee Ide Tuck!" (GG - Grandma Grace Ride Truck)
What's funny about this is GG is almost 80 and the truck can barely be ridden by Jericho.

2. "Horsie sleeping? House sleeping too?"
He's just started adding 'too' to sentences and 90% of the time it is used correctly.

3. "House's House?"
Nate plays "Here We Go To Grandma's House" with him.. after they 'go to Grandma's' he gets to pick who's house they get to go to next. One day he decided he wanted to go to House's house.

Tidbits.

My niece's name is actually Daveigh Olivia, not Daviegh as previously announced. It's pronounced "Davie" after her late Grandpa.



Kai now weighs 17 lbs and is the 50% percentile. He also 'creeps' and sits up. He's pretty awesome that way.

I had a cupcake today, it was SPECTACULAR. Actually, that's a lie. I bought two, but I've only eaten one. Still spectacular though.

I went to the Aquarium as well, it was fun.

My in-laws are staying with us right now as they wanted to meet their 4th grandchild.

I leave for Seattle/One Night Cruise in 6 days. I'm not taking ANY children. Inside or outside my body.

It's really nice not to be pregnant.



I, along with my MIL, made 12 jars of peach jam... canned 12 jars of peaches... froze 4 bags of peaches.. and last night I made my very first peach pie. Quite tasty.

I want to encourage everyone reading this to spend at least one day this week completely focused on blessing someone else. My challenge to you.

I've lost 2 lbs.

Jericho said "Dada" around the time he was 6 and a half months. I'm waiting for Kai to say "Mama" soon.

Just over 6 months until I turn 30.

I have a new babysitter, she watches J & M while I do work for Matt. Her name is Danielle and she's nice.

Kai was really sick last week... vomiting. But I realized it was only after he had baby oatmeal. Uh oh. My doctor told me to just give him rice cereal for one week, then try the oatmeal once more. He actually doesn't really like baby food. He's a true boob man, that one.



We went to a wedding in the Okanagan last weekend. I forgot how many people live up there who I adore. We're considering going again the end of the month.

I want to do something with my hair cause it looks like crap. Not literally though, cause that would suck.




My little sister, Nina and Nate went skydiving together last Sunday. It was fun for both of them. Nina had wanted to do something awesome and came up with skydiving, but there was no one to go with - so I suggested Nate because he's wanted to go for awhile and I've always poo-poo'd it. I don't know why I encourage him this time. Something about wanting the two of them to have some fun. I got some pretty amazing pics too.



I think I want to start going on regular dates with my husband. Nothing fancy, but maybe going for walks on the dikes by ourselves... going to see a movie... visiting friends... etc. I just need to get a regular babysitter. And I don't mean one that doesn't need Metamucil.



I can't believe I ever had a life without my boys. Doesn't that sound weird?

My New Niece!!!

Welcome to Daviegh Olivia!! She was born yesterday to Dave and Noel and weighed a healthy 10 lbs, 9oz. She's gorgeous, as you can see... CONGRATS!!

Only a month or so til I get another niece... or nephew!!!!

This is pretty much what I said...

Derrick:


When I heard the news you were leaving, I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was coming, but that fact didn’t save me from feeling heartbroken. You are a man who I have come to admire and respect greatly for the past 8 years. Someone I have worked with in close contact and someone I love as family.

I could continue, but I love you to much to make this sad for either of us.

Instead I want to remind you of some of the highs of our time together. Some ways that you were special and unique

1. Humor - You always knew how to make me laugh, and when I needed someone to help pull a prank on Brad, you were in like a dirty shirt. I will forever remember fondly the times you used to hide behind the corner of the office hallway and throw whatever candy you could find at my head.

2. Wisdom – You have a way with words and with people. God has gifted you with this ability to help people find solutions; to speak wisdom into their lives. You have spoken Words that were true for me and for others countless times at just the right moment. Your wisdom makes you someone I respect, honour and look up to. Your wisdom is also evident in your diligent teaching. You have brought truth in the word of God to our pulpit; to teach us, but also to be real with us. To share your heart and change our lives for God

3. Great Taste – Is something I know you have! (Beside your impeccable taste in woman). I know you also love good food. Food has been a place where we have shared many memories. A place where we have been blessed. I’ve been out for lunch with you more times than I can count. Lets see….

a. At paliottis you’d get Cajun chicken penne (tomato sauce extra spicy)
b. Kings kitchen – war wonton
c. Haney Dragon – curry chicken
d. Swiss chalet- quarter chicken dinner

Food, has also been one of the ways that we have come together. We have had fun
and built real friendships over countless meals. Are you looking forward to grits
and possum?

4. Care and empathy – I have seen so many families in our community who have come to Burnett when they have been experiencing tremendous pain. You seem to reach them in their depths of hurt and be real in your grief for their loss. You are an vessel of healing. Used by God to change our lives. This is a gift more precious then you know and a legacy that will continue to thrive in us .

5. Depth and authenticity – I love how we can see you honestly care about how I and others are doing. You never come across as false or fake in any way. Never better then me, always there for me. You wear your heart on your sleeve and that is what endears you to us. You touched us.

I’ve been attending Burnett for 21 years now and there has not been a time where saying goodbye to a Pastor was more difficult. Instead I am going to say see you soon; Watch for flying candy and FedEXed Paliotit’s. I wish you all the very best in Alabama. I’m glad it is your turn to get blessed. Your turn to get to have time with your other family now, cause to me.. You will always be another addition to my family. Leave us knowing that our lives are better because we new you. You are a true blessing.