One more month

In exactly one month from now it will be Jericho's first full day of preschool. Some days I'm excited for him and others I just think I'll really miss him. Like today. He's been sitting right next to me asking for " a little bit more loving". I told him that we would have to buy new things for preschool, like a lunchbox. Then I asked him what he would like to buy and his response was: " a green bus". I think he's hoping he's going to get a cool ride there.

We had company over last night and had some DQ ice cream cake. We discovered that we might be in for some trouble with Kai as he would ask Nate for some more, Nate would tell him to ask Mommy, then Kai would turn to me with the biggest smile and twinkle in his eye and say, "pleeeeeeese Mommy?" Smiling the whole time. I just wanted to laugh, and he got more.

Last night when it was time for Kai to go down, Jericho helped. Kai was already in his bed and started crying. So I asked Jer to go to the fridge, get Kai his milk and take it to him. He did, with glee. It was funny listening to them interact.

"Here's your milk Malachi..."

"tank-too"

"Where's your blanket?"

"bu-bye"

"No, it's right there silly! Good-night!"

"nye night!"

Those of us listening were in stitches. They are like little people now who communicate and mostly make sense! I feel like such a successful parent sometimes.
Right now they are in our room pretending like Nate's side of the bed is a slide and my side is the ladder on the way up. I'm a little worried as they can be way too quiet sometimes and last time they played this game my jewelry box ended up spilled everywhere. There are still little beads under our bed.

I used to blog more often.

I would love to be one of those people who blogs everyday or almost everyday, but sometimes the days just get away from me and before I know it, it's AUGUST! There have been a few big things that have gone on here in our modest household. Last week we spent a few days gearing up to feed 70 at my Nana's 80th birthday party. Nate did most of the work, I dealt with rentals, brainstorming and helped wherever Nate needed me to.

The party was beautiful. It was a vison of white and light purple and could have been pulled off as a wedding. The photographer even commented that we could organize events more often. Yeah, no. I mean, it was quite fun and I loved surprising my Nana, but it was a lot of work and quite stressful. But it would be cool if I was into that kind of thing. Nate could do the catering and Christa would look after the decor and Mom could host it. Like I said, yeah... no.

Part of the surprise included a scrapbook that had been put together. Both Megan and Nina did a lot of work on it. We had quite a few relatives write something to place in the book as well... I wrote a poem and thought I would share it with you:

My Nana

My Nana is high tea, crumpets and butter tarts
She’s royalty, but the kind of gentle, loving Queen

My Nana is smiles and laughter, giggles and winks
She’s everything that makes your day a little better.

My Nana is lilacs in full bloom, daisies galore
She’s someone you want to enjoy the day with

My Nana is unwritten memoirs, moments to treasure
She’s a book you want to read over and over.

My Nana is the simple farm life with blessings mixed in
She’s hardworking and loves her Jesus

My Nana is hugs and sweet smelling kisses
She’s the warmness you need, especially on cold days

My Nana is genuine, never makes you feel small
She’s the person to go to when you need the truth

My Nana is someone I will cherish forever
She’s my Nana, my confidante, my guide, my friend

Love you Nana!


From,

Sara

Written for Marion Beatrice Craig in celebration of her 80th Birthday, August 7, 2009


She called me the other day to tell me she had read it and loved it. That made my day.

Today my babysitter had asked for a day off so I decided to spend some time with the boys and we drove to Langley for the first time since the tolls have been implemented. We went to the "big park" for awhile, then went for a drive to the gardens where Nate and I had our wedding photos done. It's a beautiful oriental-ish garden with a rock waterfall and lots of flowers. The boys were even nice enough to pose for a few pictures. When they were done, we got out the stroller and went for walk down one of the Langley trails. There were a few people picking blackberries and we stopped for some, but the real exciting part of the trip was when we came upon a little clearing to find a dingy little pond filled with ducks. Jericho and Kai were so excited, especially when we spotted a pair of turtles in the distance. I was pretty disappointed to find my camera battery had died. I took them out for lunch after that and we had fun until Jericho had to go to the bathroom. I think the waitress thought we were dine and dashers.

On Monday I found a random cake mix in my cupboard and decided since Nate had done so much work this past weekend that I would let the boys surprise him with a cake. When I say "the boys" I mean it. They stirred it, they added the water, they licked the spoons : )

Well, I should start tackling my kitchen as the males have all left for the grocery store and I don't want blog writing to be my only accomplishment upon their return.











Toodles!

The Photographer Protege

I would love to think of myself as being a good writer, that when people read my blog they don't think of mistakes in grammar or spelling, or of how they would have written it differently. I would like to think that everyone gets lost in my world and the characters that surround me. I've been reading "In Sunlight in a Beautiful Garden" and I found myself completely focused on the story and enraptured by what was taking place on the pages. A few books I've read lately of been pretty sub-par in writing and mostly fluff, but I found myself renewing a love of true literature and it was heart warming. Even though the story is truly tragic, I loved it.

I'd like to hope that my boys grow up with an appreciation of the arts. They don't need to become artists, writers, or actors - I guess I would just like to see them as well rounded individuals. To be able to read a classic novel and tell the difference between it and a comic book (not that there's anything wrong with comic books :p ). To be able to tell me what happened in the Shakespeare play they read about it school. To be able to re-enact some part of a movie and have me in stitches - much like their Uncle Phil.

I think that's why I so enjoy watching Jericho attempt to take pictures with my camera. It's hilarious as he holds the large contraption in his small hands, shaking steadily... while happily informing his subject they need to 'smile!' Then his look of wonder as he watches on the magical screen as his art comes to life. The digital age is fairly cool that way.

I'm not going to mind whether or not he decides to become a photographer, but if he does it will make the following just a little more valuable.

Haircuts

Today we took Kai for his very first haircut. He hated every single second of it so we didn't get many pictures, but you get the idea.




And by some freak of nature, my husband decided that yes, we would FINALLY cut Jericho's hair! Too bad the lady took off WAY more than he wanted her to. But it turned out alright, and it's only hair... I couldn't get over how well he sat in the chair - all by himself! He had quite the stoic look on his face, but I think he comes by that naturally enough.






I've been asked by Nate to do a post in the next little while all about Jericho's budding photography skills. Stay tuned!

Travelling Adventures and Sickness Woes

To say these last two weeks have been a whirlwind would be a gross understatement. When people who you don't get to see very often come for a visit, you tend to cram in a little too much. We were able to go on two spectacular weekend trips, neither of which I would trade for anything. The first was a four day stint to Grand Mound, Washington to stay at their Great Wolf Lodge. It was impressive! The hotel was set-up very well and if we had chosen to, we could have stayed their the entire time without leaving the grounds once. The water park was perfect for Jericho, a little too overwhelming for Malachi, and tonnes of fun for us oldies!

It had been a hard decision as we had been planning on going to Harrison, but to be honest... I've kinda od'd on Harrison. Don't get me wrong, I love it there! But with kids it's a little harder. I would pick it as a romantic get-a-way, but not entirely a family destination. Great Wolf was aimed completely at families. No romantic get-a-ways allowed :)

We left Thursday night, stopped in Seattle for a trip to Buca de Beppo for supper. Very yummy! Highly recommend! Then we proceeded on to Grand Mound, about an hour further south. I think this hotel is pretty perfect for families, especially ones with kids anywhere from about 4-8. Even though our boys had fun, they were still just a little too young for most things. We'll go back one day I'm sure.

After our weekend trip, my in-laws stayed with us and went on daily trips with the boys while I worked. They went to the Aquarium one day and apparently every child in the Lower Mainland had decided to go that day as well. It was a bit of a zoo, really.

Then on Thursday night again we left for another exursion. This time to Thormanby Island off the Sunshine Coast. My brother in law's family owns a cabin there and it was scary trying to plan for it, but it turned out to be amazing. So amazing in fact that Nate couldn't stop talking about moving there. Um... there's no electricity- hello!!!

But the beach was stellar, the food was amazing and it just felt good to relax and enjoy ourselves. It's good we were able to catch up on some sleep because the Monday night after we were home, we realized the Kai was quite sick. He woke up while we were playing cards with Nate's parents and I could tell something was wrong. He had a shaky way about him, was inconsoloble and screamed like he was in serious pain. I sent Nate for Ambesol and Ovol as I wasn't sure if it was a tummy issue or teething. But I remembered that he had been constipated and as he cried he lifted his feet. I held him until he calmed down and fell asleep, but it took a long time. He woke up again around 2 and had the same issues. I took him to the emergency room and my Mom met me there as I had left a sobbing message on her phone. I don't deal well with my kids being sick and there's something about having my Mom around that is calming in a way.

We saw a doctor around 2:45, but he didn't seem entirely helpful. He explained that constipation is painful- duh! But Kai was also breathing funny and I wasn't sure about it and it seemed to be more than just painful. It seemed excrutiating. But he gave Kai some stuff to help him out and sent us home.

Again, around 5 am he woke up and was screaming, shaking, breathing erratically, and had a high fever. I called my Mom and she came to stay with Jericho as Nate was leaving for the airport and couldn't stay with sleeping Jericho. I took Kai to Children's this time. Good decision. I arrived around 6:30 and waited until 9:30 to be seen. Apparently there was a newborn baby girl who required the entire emerg staff. Heartbreaking. Do you know how hard it is to sit in an emergency room at Children's hospital sitting with your sick son and not to cry? But I saw a wonderful, wonderful doctor who took my seriously and I saw concern on his face. He sent me for an emergency x-ray and came back about an hour later to tell me that Kai had an impacted bowel. Basically he was constipated to the enth degree.

So after some attempts to remove the blockage, he sent me home with plenty of instructions. I'm happy to say that Kai went to bed in a good mood tonight and I was able to see his smile countless times today. He'll still be on plenty of fiber and water over the next little while, but for now he is better.

Now I'm dealing with an older son with a suspected ear infection. I took him to the clinic today and the told me she didn't see any infection, but that maybe I should get him checked on Sunday or Monday?? Meanwhile, he spent the day in pain. I thought I should take him back, but I cuddled him on the couch and made sure to give him Tylenol every 4 hours. If he wakes up still complaining, we're headed to the clinic once again.

It seems that illness comes in waves here. They don't tend to be sick at the exact same time, but there is always some overlap.

Anyway, we had a great few weeks with FIL & MIL and so glad they were able to come! Now let's just hope the sickness bunny leaves us soon!

Long week

Nate comes home tomorrow and for some reason this time it was harder for me. It may have been the fact that I was bombarded with work of my own and didn't get my usual Friday off. Or maybe it was because I didn't schedule any 'me' time? Or it could have been the fact that I missed two of my Curves workouts and now I'm out of the Biggest Loser competition. Boo! The boys have been really good. Almost exceptionally good. I think they realize I'm quite tired and just not able to put up with much.

Some cute things they did this week:

1. Started playing this new game where Jericho asks Kai if he wants to be carried.. then he proceeds to wrap him arms around Kai's neck and they cling to each other so tight and fall over. I hate the game as it stresses me out, but it's pretty adorable watching them hug each other and giggle.

2. Jericho told me on the way to church that he was going to be a very very good boy.

3. Our next door neighbour passed away on Thursday so today we took over a bouquet of flowers to his wife who had tears streaming down her face. Malachi gave her the biggest hug.

4. We went to White Spot for lunch today and as we were leaving Auntie Nina, who works there, took a moment to kneel to the ground and beg the boys to kiss her goodbye in front of about 5 customers. They both ran to her and smothered her with kisses.

5. Friday night we met Lisa at our new favorite park in Langley. We played for awhile before going to East Side Mario's. While we were waiting for a seat, the boys played with the booster seats in the lobby and Kai would turn around and back into the seat. Most of the time he would miss it completely.

6. Lisa also came over for dinner on Tuesday night, but we headed to my parents with her instead. On the way home, both boys were almost catatonic so Lisa asked Jericho to smile really big. It took awhile, but all of a sudden he smiled his huge smile and we laughed and laughed.

There are so many other things that just aren't coming to mind, but they've made me smile a lot during a week that's been hard, long & tiring. I did go to the doctor in regards to my stomach pains and I was sent for an x-ray which showed nothing. I was told to drink more water and eat more fiber, but I still have the pains so I need to go back. They almost feel like hunger pains and have been particularly bad after coffee. Sometimes I wonder if it's just gas, but then I would have to be eating something positively horrendous if it's this bad!

Monday, my in-laws are in town for two weeks. We're taking them somewhere which will remain nameless here for surprise's sake. I'm really excited about it!!

Sundays

Maybe I'll become like Post Secret and only post on Sundays.

It's been a crazy week. I've made July holiday plans, deck for my backyard plans, shopping in Langley plans as well as lots of other non-planning activities. I've been over the new bridge exactly 4 times. I am in love. I'm not much for shopping anymore as I don't enjoy putting myself through the stress of dragging along little boys who haven't inherited the love for malls. I will, however, take my husband and we will share the stress together. But there's something about having Langley so close that makes my pulse quiver a little more. All those new restaurants! It's like having stores sprout up overnight! We have a GPS that Nate uses to get to work and it seemed to think we were driving in the Fraser, but once we were over we noticed that we had shaved off a half hour, which is more than a little lovely. So not only do I feel excited over having new stores, the commute doesn't leave much to be desired... save the traffic... and the tolls. Well.. anyway.

Today was Fathers' Day. We woke up around 8 and since we went to church last night, we mosied with our morning. Jericho gave Daddy his new shirts and socks, which were much appreciated while I made everyone breakfast - Brown Sugar Bacon Breakfast sandwiches with a side of fruit salad (strawberries, kiwi, plums & bananas). Nate liked the bacon and that Tahnee had thought of him : ) We then decided we would go to the Zoo seeing as it is now so much closer - see above. We packed everything up - except, tragically, Kai's jacket! - and ended up having a great time. The double stroller was brought, but remained in the car as we rented a double bike and put the boys in the front instead. It was fun just laughing and pointing at all the animals... did that not come out right? Anyway, we left after our train ride and the boys were devastated.

A trip to McDonalds for apple slices - which Nate said tasted like mold - and some chicken parts and we then headed to the mall to let Nate pick out a new hat. Afterwards we headed to Marks to pick up a Fathers' Day present for my Dad. Nate and I both bought ourselves a little something too : ) During our Mark's trip, Christa called to see if we could make it for dinner at their place for Dad's tribute dinner. hehe. We had been planning to go to Nate's favorite restaurant but seeing as the traffic was terrible it was fairly easy to change plans. We left Mark's at 3:30 knowing we had to be at Matt's at 4:30 and pick up a dessert on the way. No problem - see above.

My Dad is actually cooler than cool so getting together to celebrate him is a pretty big deal in my books. The kids all played together really well and we had a good time. The highlight of the night was watching Matt, Dad and Nate throw Jericho, Kai & Riley in a round. Are you picturing it?

Some pics from the zoo, and oh - today Nate noticed he has a few grays hairs. Let it be known - I didn't see a thing!

Why my husband is wonderful

Last Saturday Nate took the boys to Rona and came home to tell me he'd bought them a playset. We'd talked about it for the last little while and I knew it was something he really wanted to get for them. It had to be specially ordered and he finally arrived on Friday. We went yesterday to pick it up and he spent one of his precious days off assembling it mostly on his own. I helped when needed, but he basically did it on his own. I know it was a lot of work for him, and now the boys are very excited to be able to have their own 'park' in the backyard!

The other reason he's wonderful? Because he has this contract in Whitehorse, he's going to be able to take quite off quite a few days in July. This makes me happy!!!

Thomas the Tank Engine

As you may or may not realize, I live in a family of boys. My boys ALL adore trains. They actually obsess over them. Nate has an entire set downstairs he is dying to assemble somewhere. Jericho has loved Thomas the Tank Engine for a few months now, and Kai - let's just say he takes after those he looks up to. So, because of these three boys in my life, I decided we would go to see Thomas as he was coming to Squamish. We've been counting down now for a solid month or so. (It's truly hard not to get excited about something when EVERYONE else is!).

Originally when I bought the tickets, I figured we would be able to swing the 9:30 am train. Yes, it's a long way to Squamish, but I just thought it would be best to do everything early. It wasn't until I read the small print that I realized they were asking us to be there an hour ahead of time! Nine-thirty on a Saturday is a lot different than 8:30. Nate and I just decided we would make a day of it and if we had to get up early, so be it... maybe the kids would sleep most of the way there anyhow?

I mapquested the directions and we made plans to leave no later than 6:30 am. We weren't going to waste time making breakfast, but stop somewhere along the way. I also brought along a small amount of food: goldfish crackers, teddy grahams, apples, nectarines, cherries, cheese sticks, Spitz, Crispers, Diet Coke, apple juice, and some Babybel. Just in case : )

I stayed up last night packing and tried to be smart about it. Two backpacks, one for each child... wipes in each, change of clothes in each, sunscreen, hats, blah, blah, blah. Basically, we only really left the kitchen sink at home.

We arrived a little ahead of schedule... 8:00 am!! (I do have to make note here that Kai managed to fall asleep just as we were entering the outskirts of Squamish). What are we supposed to do with two babies for an hour and a half! Run around and watch Thomas leave at 8:30 half empty? Nate changed our tickets and we were able to go early! There wasn't very many families around at that time. I actually received kudos from my husband for making an excellent 'time of day' decision. By the time we were ready to leave at 11, the place was a zoo! It was so busy! All you could hear was kids, kids and oh! Some more kids.

We had a pretty good time in the end. I wouldn't recommend the ride with Thomas as it basically just took us backwards and forwards in the train yard. Can we say lame? And while you're riding, it's not like you can see Thomas... but you do hear this loud music playing the entire time. We much preferred the mini-train ride we had right afterwards. Then there was storytime where Malachi wanted to take over from the story lady. It was weird, she wasn't even reading it right! You can't just miss parts - this is Thomas! The kids KNOW the story.

I think the part Kai and Jer loved the most was going into the activity area and just playing with trains, but with tonnes of other kids. Jericho played awesome with a bunch of older kids while Kai was at a smaller table and hung on to two red trains for dear life. Even when a little boy/girl? named Cash tried to take over. It was when we went to the gift shop to see if we could get them a little something that everything came to a screeching halt. I don't know if it was sheer fatigue, or the fact that we had taken them away from the precious trains, but wow. There was even a little tragedy with Jericho trying to run away and tripping over an old train track.

Seeing as it was so early when we high-tailed it out of there, we had time to meet Papa, Matt & his little girl for lunch in Pemberton. After lunch, we went swimming for a bit and I thought it was funny my dad went swimming in his jeans. It was only 4 hours out of our way, but what's time when family's involved?

This may go down as my longest post ever, especially with all the pictures I'm about to add!










Does anyone think that three weeks with stomach pains that are starting to get worse is a big deal? Big enough that I should go to the doctor? They were so bad tonight that I wasn't sure if I should vomit or cry.

Husbandless Adventures

Nate, of course, is back. He has returned from his 5 day journey to the Yukon (Newkon as Jericho calls it). It was a great trip for him and he's considering going more often. What makes that previous statement alright with me is that I had fun too! He had planned to go in March or April and that trip had fallen through, but I had been a little excited and made social engagements for almost every night he was to be gone. Imagine his surprise to end up being wife-less for a few nights! But this time I only made a few plans. Only once did I do something on my own (besides my weekly three visits to the gym) and that was having company over. The one time I went for a big excursion, I took the babies.

A few weeks ago I was talking to my friend Lisa ( I adore her) and we planned to take the boys to White Rock. Little did we know it would turn out to be a gloriously beautiful day. We had a great time and the boys loved it. Jericho was especially fond of the ocean and enjoyed running in and out and splashing and laughing. It's so great to watch happy kids! I wish we could have stayed a lot more into the night, but there is a reason for this thing called bedtime. Most of my readers are my friends on Facebook so you would have seen MY White Rock pictures, but here are some that Lisa took:












Now my plan is to plan a lovely 5th Wedding Anniversary for Nate and I. I have some ideas, but I've decided I'm going to keep what I settle on a secret. If you have an idea, feel free to message me.

Tomorrow night we're headed out for the entire night. I will not need to get up in the middle of the night. I won't need to be putting boys back to bed at 6 am. I am looking forward to it, just a little!