Oh Dear!

Averi: Mom, I want a baby sister

Me: That's not going to happen Sweetie. I can't have another baby.

Averi: That's okay, I'll have the baby

Me: Do you know where babies come from?

Averi: Yeah, we grow them in a pot

That kid says the funniest things :)

Christmas 2010

This was another 1st Christmas in our house. Too bad Brad was sleeping while the rest of us opened presents.
Rick and Carolyn came down for the festivities on Christmas eve and after tracking Santa all day on the 24th through NORAD, I thought Averi was going to burst with excitement. This is the first year she has really understood that she gets presents on Christmas, AND BOY DID SHE GETS PRESENTS! Chad and had bought the kids a train table for xmas a few months ago but had been using it as a coffee table as you just can't hide something like that. The train pieces were hidden in the basement and Averi was clueless.




Brad awoke in the morning after all the presents had been opened and just played with the ribbons and the paper. Averi played with his toys. After that we all had a nice brunch and the turkey was thrown in the oven. Jim and Matt joined us for afternoon festivities and fun was had by all. Christmas 2010 is now over but it was sure fun while it lasted.

Austin joined us for a few days after Christmas and him and I had a blast. Who knew that Auntie Ali could be considered cool? Turns out that through the eyes of a 6 year old, cool is knowing how to play Mario on Nintendo :)

The big reveal

So I had posted about the present I made for Carolyn. I had ordered one off Etsy for her and it just didn't show up in time for Christmas (in fact, it hasn't shown up yet.) I decided to make something else just in case and I'm glad I did.

I made coasters of all Carolyn's grandkids. I didn't have many pictures of Austin but I stole a couple off Facebook and made these. They were not hard to do but I have never used Mod Podge before and the bristles kept falling out of my brush. I will use the sponge brushes next time. I was a little worried when I put the first coat on that I was just ruining some really good pictures but as they started to dry I was getting more and more excited.
Thay turned out just like I hoped and Carolyn loved them. Now to figure out what to attempt next.

Christmas

I am SOOOOOO excited. I made a Christmas present for Carolyn and am excited to see what she thinks of it. I learned what to do on a blog and will share what it is after she sees it. I can't wait so stay posted!!

Mexico 2010

So many know that Brad and I were in Mexico with Neile in September, but him and I got to go again last week, this time with Chad and Averi. On the 14th we left the bitter cold of Calgary for the sunny beaches of Manzanillo, Mexico.

The flight was uneventful and we were very excited to reach the hotel and hit the pool. With a kiddy pool alongside the adult pool it was great for Averi to splash around all week and go from one pool to the next. Always with her Strawberry Daiquiri (Virgin of course) in hand. Always the social butterfly, Averi had no problem making friends, young and old, who wanted to swim and play in the sand with her. I learned a very early lesson about when to say no to Averi and when there is no harm in letting her be like her friends. She came home with braids in her hair, a butterfly tattoo on her arm, and a huge smile on her face. Good, cheap fun made her very happy :) Chad and I had some fun meeting people of our own. One of those people was Shauna from Calgary. We hit it off right away and made many memories during the week.

Chad and I set sail on a sunset cruise
after getting a sitter for the kids, and later in the week we all ventured off into the waters again for a snorkeling adventure. The water was murky due to a red tide and the snorkeling wasn't great, but getting to hold a puffer fish and spider starfish was pretty neat.

The food at the resort was not the greatest but a few times we ventured from the hotel into Santiago for meals. Some wonderful meals were found at little restaurants on the side of the road and sometimes we even had escorts to do the ordering for us.

Brad had a rough go this week with several new teeth making an appearance. He had a fever we battled for a few days, but once he got through the worst, he was a real trooper. The pool was a favorite spot for him when he wasn't sleeping, and even sometimes when he was ;)

It was a wonderful holiday for the family and we definitely want to try and make this a yearly event.

out of Averi's mouth

Averi is so innocent and sooooo funny.

Averi: We went shopping today mom

Me: did you have fun shopping with dad?

Averi: yeah, we got you a present...a sweater

Me: ROFL...So Chad, you got me a sweater for christmas?

Chad: Averi, tell mom your joking

Averi: I joking you mom, get out of town :)

When it rains it pours...

When I got up this morning I thought it should be a good day. Averi slept long and Brad slept from 6pm -8am. GREAT NIGHT!

Kickboxing started at 9:30 so I got the kids packed up and off to the gym we went. I struggled through the warm up with my knee throbbing and decided it wasn't going to happen, so I grabbed the kids and left. We went for a coffee with Jim and found he is doing well. Averi had gym and swim in the afternoon so we went back to the Trico Center. Brad and I went for a swim while we were waiting for Averi's lesson to be over, but before we could enjoy it Brad puked in the pool! Not just a little bit, but enough that I felt I should say something to the lifeguard. He rolled his eyes and promptly directed everyone to get out of pool. They had to cancel lessons and decontaminate the water. OOPS :( We get back to the change room where I take Brad's diaper off only to find it has broken open and all the crystals are stuck to him. I race him off to the shower all the while he is peeing on me....I love you too son!

Now we are home and I'm afraid after the day we have had to make dinner, so I think I'll save that for Chad!

Oops!

I didn't think I was having an emotional night....Turns out I am!

Bradley

Brad is the quietest, happiest little boy. If he has something to see, he could sit in the same spot for hours on end. He eats a lot, he smiles a lot and he is more than happy to let the dog french kiss him. When Brad is sitting on the floor playing, you can always count on Susie to be there too. As Averi says, fuffy is hers and Susie is Brad's. They play together, well , mostly Brad pulls the dogs hair, and they have some kind of respect for each other. I guess it's because they are the same size. When Brad is upset or wakes from a nap, Susie practically climbs on me to let me know. It's pretty awesome to know that Brad will grow up with a friend like Susie.

Averi

Averi is going to be 3 years old on the 29th and she is becoming quite the little person. Ever since she went to a birthday party next door she has been asking for her birthday so she can be a princess. She started school and they must sing for the birthday boy/girl because she has half the song figured out. When someone asks her what her name is she says 2 or free :) She knows her day is coming fast so she has been singing to herself. I hope she isn't disappointed when it's my birthday first.

Halloween

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Snack had to be made for Averi's class so this is what mummy made :)

Costumes were cute and plenty for Averi!

My ladybug and Cow made quite the impression while out for the day and when Averi dressed the same as her doll for a day at the zoo, she looked as cute as ever with red yarn in her ponytails just like Raggedy Ann!

The weather was beautiful for a change so we decided to head to the zoo with Neile for the afternoon.

Chad and Averi carved the pumpkins when we got home and Averi was so excited she couldn't wait to light the candles!
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings for my little ones!

Friends Again

So it was brought to my attention that my last post was too harsh. Sometimes I just need to vent and this is where it is going to happen.

I was saddened, upset and angry at the way things were going and after having some time to think about it and having had a chance to talk to Chad, I feel better. I do feel that some people need to take a second and think about something other than themselves. And I do think that some step on others' toes and never apologize when it happens. But I also feel that friends are a necessity in life. Without them who would we complain to about our spouses? and who would we turn to when needing a shoulder to cry upon? And wouldn't we have to plan our own birthday, wedding/baby showers and funerals otherwise? Of course, because we know our friends always step up to the plate when it comes down to it. That being said, I can forgive and forget when it is unintentional and when the friend is someone I truly want in my life. Otherwise, I will choose to walk away!

Friends

So I like to think I am a good friend. I am honest, forth coming, and would give you the shirt off my back. I am willing to drop anything when you need someone to talk to and would get up in the middle of the night if you were stranded. When I call my best friend, I know she will come and save my day...she has left work to take me to the hospital, she has come and rescued my kids so I could get my hair done and she knows I would do the same. Isn't his what friends are for??

Lately there have been 2 specific instances that have made me second guess what friendship is. When you tell a friend something do you expect it to be in confidence? When you spend just as much time worrying about their well being as you do yours, isn't this when you know it's a friendship?? I feel I put myself out there for the people I care about and for some reason am being taken advantage of. Do I have high expectations? Is asking people to think about something besides themselves too much to ask?

From here on out I am going to spend more time thinking about myself and my family than I am my "friends," and just maybe those that are too busy wrapped up in themselves to think about others will see that there is more to life than selfishness!

I did it!!

It has been a really hard weekend. 2 weeks ago I decided to join Weight Watchers again. Why I chose right before thanksgiving and my favorite foods is beyond me! I went to my meeting last week and learned what all the value for turkey dinner and was quickly disappointed. I L-O-V-E LOVE turkey dinner. The Turkey, the mashed potatoes with a huge smothering of gravy, the veggies, and all the fixings. Thank god for small miracles and the fact I don't like stuffing. I managed to only have a little turkey, and a little bit of potato but I had lots of gravy. That's okay though because I never had any pumpkin pie!!! This may seem like no big deal to most but to those who know me, it was huge. I never got fat by eating salad, it was pumpkin pie and eggnog, and I avoided the two of them for the whole weekend. Oh, and I exercised. My abs, legs and arms are aching and I'm glad they do, this means the Jillian Michaels workout was worth it. I'm hoping this means a new leaf has been turned over and my willpower has returned, but I think I'll give it a few weeks and see what the scale has to say. Here's to hoping!!

Family Weekend

What started out to be a trip to Canmore became a trip to Heritage Park, which became a trip to the Glenmore Reservoir for a picnic. We never ended up doing what was planned but had so much fun at the park. The Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. All the trees are turning colour but the weather has been great. Big piles of leaves were all over the park near the reservoir and we took the opportunity to take some pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!!!

Toopy and Binoo

Today is the day all Averi's dreams came true...she got to see Toopy and Binoo LIVE!

Chad and I managed to keep it a secret from her until last night when we asked what she would say if she got to meet Binoo in person. She didn't seem to understand but when she got up this morning the first thing out of her mouth was "I meet Dinoo now??" Guess she was paying attention :)

Off to the mall we went. It was packed, people were rude, but Averi was in heaven! The anticipation was crazy and when they finally showed up she was elated.
Averi danced and clapped and had a great time. Made facing the mob a little easier.

Calgary Corn Maze

It's Sunday, we have nothing to do, so as a family we decided to go to the Corn Maze which is just east of us on Highway 22x. IT WAS AWESOME!!
Averi had so much fun on the slides, the moo train, as she called it, the petting zoo and the pumpkin patch. Chad and I let her lead the way through the maze and just watched where it took us. Turns out Averi has a pretty good sense of direction...just don't try and figure out where she got that from :)

Fashion Sense

She gets her fashion sense from her dad :)

The old and the new

From this...to this.
Today is Averi's first day of preschool!!

Averi was so excited she wanted to wear her feefy(butterfly) shirt to show all her new friends but it was dirty. Way to go mom! It's pouring rain outside so dressed in her skirt and a different butterfly shirt, on go the rubber boots for a complete fashion statement. I sure hope she enjoys her time today! I'm proud of you baby girl!

Dance class- Day 1

Averi started dance class today and it was awesome!! She was so excited to be getting into her tutu that I'm a little bit surprised she didn't sleep with it on last night. She didn't quite understand the idea of leg warmers though, because she had them pulled right up to her bum! The black leotard I got her was absolutely adorable with it's black rhinestones and tendency to ride up her bum. Throughout the class I was actually laughing with the other moms because Averi didn't seem to notice the wedgie and the rest of us couldn't believe she could even walk with it :)

As I was watching the end of class the kids started filing in to get ready for the ballet class that was after. A little girl came to talk to me and Brad who was laying on a blanket on the floor. This was the ensuing conversation with the 3 year old.

Her: What's the baby name?

Me: Brad

Her: hmmm, that's what I have for breakfast. I like mine with Honey. Do you like yours with honey?

She thought I said his name was bread! We all laughed so hard. She was so innocent and didn't understand what the mistake was. Kids really do say the darnedest things!! Can't wait to see what stories Averi has after she is settled into preschool and has more dance classes.

The past and present and future

Sitting this weekend around my inlaws place we have been having a good laugh about the past. In 1992 Chad had the craziest twirl thing going on the side of his head and a fashionably awesome colour block shirt. Turns out I still havent seen the stage where all he wore was black sweatpants and a black tshirt.

We then went for a quad ride and were reminiscing about the time we went quading in Meadow Lake and I tried to drive for the first time. I got scared, let go of the handlebars, and drove straight into a tree. Now, I wasn't going very fast when I hit it but Chad was my passenger and I think I scared the daylights out of him. We couldn't stop laughing. Chad ended up driving the rest of that day but I spent some time trying to throw him into the slough when we got stuck and he was trying to attach the winch. Was a great time.

We laughed lots about the way Averi talks and how she is coming into her own person with her own language. About how Matt scared the beegeeses out of me in the middle of the night by knocking over the lamp in his room, then tripping over a picture that fell. I thought it was one of my kids falling out of bed.

This weekend Neile and I booked a trip for 3 weeks from now. We are going to stay at the Royal DeCameron Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico from Sept 23-30. I am going to take Bradley with us and leave Averi with Grandma Carolyn so she can still go to school and dance class. I can't wait to go away for a vacation with Neile. She speaks Spanish so it could be a lot of fun if we venture out into the city one day. I will post pics when we return.

Ladies Night

Several weeks ago it was decided a night out was in order for me without the kids. So over to Adi's house I went. She had prepared a lovely dinner and had poured what turned out to be our new favorite drink, a Chocolate Martini. After dinner and an introduction to our tasty friend "Martin" we sat down to watch some smut TV. Now, I don't mean a little smut, I mean the type of trash that shouldn't be allowed to be shown. We watched The Bachelorette. Now that is over and we are hooked on Bachelor Pad, and inevitably the train wreck of Dating in the Dark that has to be seen too. Since our "dates" have begun we have missed most of what has been said on our shows as we are too busy talking. It's almost like our weekly therapy session where we take turns being the one on the couch and the one with all the wisdom. We laugh, we cry, we criticize, we judge, and we have so much fun doing it. This is what a good friendship is for! No matter how long, stressful, or crazy the week is, or if we have to sway from Monday nights because life has gotten in the way, I know that our next night together will be just as fun and entertaining as the last. I always look forward to the trash we are going to watch, the Martin we are going to meet and the company we keep. Thanks for being such a great friend Adriana!

The Cottage

Grandpa promised Averi there were snails at the cottage so she took him to find them in the apple tree. No luck but they had fun looking. Why not go for a swing on the tire instead?! I used to get pushes on the tire swing as a child and am glad it's still there for my kids. Connor came down to the beach for the day and played with the kids. Averi was more than happy to take her tot he beach to show her all the cool things there. We even had Grandma and Grandpa sitting in the water it was so HOT there.



Brad, Averi and Suzy spent many hours in the shade on the grass trying to get out of the sun.
Averi wasn't too fond of the rocks and seaweed in the water but she could have spent all day playing with the rocks on the beach.
We spent the morning one day watching the ferry boats come and go from Vancouver and the Salt Spring islands. Averi would get really excited with the waves washing up on shore. Suzy spent her time exploring all the new scents.

Of course we had to spend a day in Bellingham doing some shopping. We got some great deals and the kids have some new clothes to show for it.


The beach on the other side of Point Roberts from us is littered with Starfish. They are just lying on the sand, and there are so many of them clinging to the rocks. Some are Purple, some are Orange, all are incredible.

Shannon paid us a visit down at the cottage. After 23 years she finally got to see where we went to spend our summers. It was so awesome to visit all my friends and to spend some time with my parents down at the cottage again. I just wish there were more days in the summer. We will do our best to spend the rest of the summer camping and enjoying whatever sunshine is left.