Thankful

Yesterday was rough. I was just a zombie by the time bedtime rolled around.

But today I am feeling thankful.

That we caught this early, and Spud should have no lasting effects from his hearing loss.

That I live close to the Stollery, so my son can be seen by the best of the best.

That it is "only" day surgery.

That it isn't something worse.

That he is otherwise healthy.

That we have family that will help and support us.

That he is my son.

That I am blessed to be his mom.

D.O.N.E

I am officially done this evening.
Done, as in burnt out.
Exhausted.
Emotionally drained.
Spud had his appointment
With the Ear/Nose/Throat Doc today.
And it was exhausting.
Worrying.
Waiting...for 1.5 hrs
Realizing he is having trouble hearing.
Being told surgery is in his future.
More worrying,
Stress,
Sadness,
Relief knowing this will help him.
The mix of emotions
Has left me...
D.O.N.E

I did it!!

I managed to wrangle all the kids into coats, and shoes, out to the van, into carseats, and Sweeter to playschool on time!

Then, I managed to entertain the other 4 for the hour and a half, in the indoor playground, and with cookies and juice.

I also made it through the dreaded chaotic pick up time, without losing anyone, or losing my temper.


Yay me!!!

Oh and Sweeter had a great day at playschool. The fireman came to visit. They did a fire drill and went into the "freezing" (Sweeter says) and then under the "huge tree" (Sweeter again.) I loooove that she is having such a great time, learning, and gaining independence from me and Cody. She is such a special little girl!

Photo course

I had my photo course on portrait lighting today. It was good. Slightly overwhelming, as obviously, I haven't really got any experience in the area. However, I can see now the difference that good lighting would have made in the newborn pictures I took a couple weeks ago.

Unfortunately, I also learned what a major investment all this photography equipment will be....one step at a time I suppose!!!

Newest Trick

My kids have a new trick, and I don't want to forget how cute it is so I thought I would write about it here!

Every night we do bath time, one of us bathes/washes the kids, the other lays out jammies, and then after the kids are clean, we sit outside the open bathroom door and visit about our day while the kids play for a bit.

Well, for the last couple days, we will be visiting and all the sudden with no warning, we see a wet, slippery, naked, baby boy zoom past us after somehow sneaking out of the tub unheard (and uninjured!) not far behind him is a wet naked girl! They run by us into their rooms giggling, and then Cody and I chase after them towels in hand. They are so proud of themselves, and have such a great time being chased.

Tonight, Spud was soooo excited to have snuck out that he stopped in front of us and did a little excited dance with a huge grin on his face. I don't ever want to forget the expression on his face and his little dance. It was priceless.

Sweeter loves the game so much, that she had to get back in the tub a couple times so she could run past us giggling again. Again, priceless!

I am thinking that I will have to break out the video camera to try and catch them in action tomorrow!

Random pictures

I don't have a whole lot to say today...but I do have some pictures to share...I was feeling a little bit of withdrawal, as I hadn't taken or edited any pictures all week. No worries, I made up for it yesterday!! Here are a few favourites!

Ahhhh. Addiction satisfied! Have a great weekend!

Best Family EVER

I must have the bestest family ever. Really. Thank you for giving me an early birthday present that allows me to follow my dreams. I don't really think it gets much better than that, gift wise. I cannot thank you all enough for this!

Love you all!!!!

Beautiful Days!

We have had a couple of beeeauuutiful days here! I wouldn't even call them fall days, these are summer days! The kids have basically spent all day outside, which makes for a nice day for me, and some tired out little ones come evening!

I haven't even taken any pictures the last few days, I think I am just lazing around enjoying the last rays of summer...goodness knows winter will be here much to quickly.

Miss Sweeter has her 2nd dance class today, so I am excited to take her and see how it goes!

Hoping you are enjoying this weather while it lasts too!

If money were no object....

Completely random post here...thinking about what I would do if money wasn't an issue:

Take my kids to Disneyland, tomorrow. I know Sweeter would LOOOOOVE it, the princesses, the rides, the characters. She would have a blast. Spud....meh. He'd survive! I just wish we could go while she was this little, and excitable...

Take a bazillion photography courses. I want to take this one, that starts next month, http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=122 , but the funds just aren't in the budget right now.

Buy a bigger house....love the one I have, but I just want one more bedroom....

Take a trip to somewhere warm...with just my husband. We had planned on doing this in January, but it just won't work out. Someday.....

Be a Stay-At-Home-Mom, to just my kids. Love my dayhome kids. But with I had more one on one time with my own 2.

Pay off my student loans!!! Can you believe we have been out of college for 6 years (me) and 7 years (Cody) and they still aren't gone??? They seem to be never ending.

Hire a house cleaner....ooooh that would be complete bliss. While I am at it, maybe I should hire a chef too, and a personal trainer....live like the stars!!!

All things considered...I wouldn't change a whole lot. It would just be amazing to not have to think about $$ for awhile....a girl can dream :)

Nervous

I am feeling a little nervous about my Photo course that is coming up.....maybe I am just kidding myself, and I am not good enough to be taking courses like this...I don't want to end up looking like a fool....

Uggh, I hate feeling like this!!

Not me Monday

It seems as much as I wish it away, Monday keeps on arriving, and so I will trudge on with another Not Me Monday. Please head on over to http://www.mckmama.com/ to check out what everyone else has not been up to this week.

This week I did not end up having to wash orange creamsicle dribble off my living room wall. First off, my children only eat healthily, and they never eat in the living room.

I most certainly did not allow my child to strip down to her undies in the middle of the day, because she simply did not want to wear clothes...nor does my son run pantless around my house so often that people tend to wonder if he owns pants. (For the record, yes, he does.)

I most certainly did not give up on trying to get the "Not Me Monday" button to show up at the top of my post. I most certainly am not so computer challenged that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get my new laptop to paste the.....AH HA!! Just as I was writing this...all became clear, crisis averted, and my computer can no longer be labeled "terrible"....

Must have been a slooow week around here, either that or I have no energy left to think, as I really cant remember anything else that I didn't do this week....

In any case, have a fantastic week!

Uneventful Weekend

We had a fairly uneventful weekend here in Vogelville, and stuck pretty close to home the whole time. It was actually pretty nice to have a couple relaxing days, and we ended up getting the whole house cleaned, and ready for the week.

Right now we are having "movie night", and I am listening to Spud say "woooooah", and "woooo", because of Barbie in the Three Musketeers...something tells me he won't be nearly this excited over anything Barbie in a couple years. For the record Sweeter is also excited about the show...in fact she has been utterly silent and still throughout the whole thing....so it must be good!!

That about sums up my weekend!

Tune in for Not Me Monday tomorrow....

Why is it?

That on the nights that my small boy chooses to miraculously sleep through the night, my small girl chooses to wake up multiple times???

I just can't win this sleep battle.

They will be sleeping through the night before they are 10....right????

Excited!

In case you haven't figured out by my posts that include a bazillion pictures, I have a love for photography. It isn't something I have seriously pursued, other than taking lots of pics, and investing in a nice camera and lens.



That is until now! I recently did a "photo shoot" with a friends 2 week old. It was pretty informal, but I am excited with how they turned out...see?




Anyway, this has got me thinking, again, about my dream of opening an in home photography studio. I know I would love it, and I think I could do a pretty good job. I have been kinda stuck as to how exactly to make it all happen though.


Until today!


I found a course offered about Portrait Lighting, and setting up your own studio with lights etc. Could it be more perfect???


I didn't think so either! I am so excited about this. I can't say that I ever really had a job in mind that would be perfect for me, until I started really getting into taking pictures. I know for sure that this is something I reeeally want to do...and I am soooo excited to be taking the next step to achieving my dream!!! Anyone need some pics done???

Tiny dancer

We have a dancer in the house! The little miss had her very first ballet class today!

She was so, so, so excited!!!

And looked super cute. They didn't allow us to watch very much of the class, as that many proud mama's can be a little distracting, but trust me when I say there really isn't a whole lot cuter than a pack of pink-tutued 3 yr olds flitting around like butterflies. Later this evening, she gave me a huge hug and whispered in my ear, "I really had fun at dance class, Mommy." Ahhh...bliss. For both of us :)

We also had a blissful boy in our house today! You see, they are paving the road in front of our house....

And I happen to have one small boy that is in looove with anything that has wheels.

Particularly big, loud trucks!

All I have to say is "Look at the big trucks, Levi!" and he races to the window as fast as his chubby legs can carry him. He and I spent a good 10 minutes sitting at the window watching the trucks today, all the while he was babbling in his own language, and pointing excitedly. Life doesn't get much better for the 2 kiddos in my house!

Lucky one

Some days I think it is much too easy for me to overlook how truly lucky I am.



Yes, my days are ca-razy insane with 5 kids 4 and under here on a regular basis. But, I get to watch my own kids grow. I have been home with Sweeter for well over a year now, almost as long as she was in daycare total! And, I have never had to drop Spud off for someone else to care for. And for that I am a lucky one.



I have 2 beautiful healthy, happy children. At one point in my pregnancy with Spud, a healthy baby was not a guarantee, so I know that I am a lucky one.



I have a house that we can afford, and that is a wonderful home to raise our kids. And for that, I am a lucky one.



We have great families, who love and support us, and most of all love our kids to pieces. And for that, I am a lucky one.



I have a husband who has stuck by me through good, and bad. And yes, there has been bad. And for that, I am a lucky one.

Truly,I am most definitely, a lucky one.

First Day!

Today was Sweeter's very first day of Preschool, and in case you cant tell by the picture....

She was very excited!

I, on the other hand was a little emotional.

I knew she would do amazing.

She is, after all, my little social butterfly.

It was just hard for me to walk out of that classroom and leave her.

She was totally cool with it.

With a quick bye, and a little hug, she was off to play.

Another wonderful milestone for my sweet baby girl.

She hasn't told me much about today.

She played in the sand.

They have 2 shovels.

A girl had brown hair.

She played with blocks.

The potty is in the bathroom.

The teachers name is Nancynalee (??????)

But she has already asked to go back.

So I guess it went well!

Maze Craze!

We took the kids to the nearby Corn maze today. Sweeter had a great time, running from spot to spot, counting the numbers, choosing paths...

Spud, had fun too, at first. He was running along the paths, trying to keep up with his big sister. However, as nap time approached, he was less and less thrilled with all things corn, and just wanted to go home.

Regardless, we all had a great time, and plan to return later in October, to pick out Halloween pumpkins.

And I still managed to get some great (I think) pics to share! Enjoy!

(These pictures are in absolutely no order...I couldn't get them to cooperate, so I gave up.....)

Mmm mmm good!

Look what Spudder learned today!!!

He is always very upset when I give the big kids juice boxes, and he cant have one. Today I remembered I had bought these "Dwink Box" holders when we were on holidays. So I plunked a juice box in there and handed it to him, lo and behold, he figured it out, and now knows how to drink through a straw!

I think he looks darn cute doing it too!

Oh and as far as Mission: Scrap the bottle goes, he slept through the night last night! I am not naive enough to think this is a permanent thing, but we all sure enjoyed the rest :)

Mission Scrap the bottle: Night 2

Last night was not nearly as successful as the night before. Spud was up a fair amount...I lost count as to how many times! In any case, he took the water like a champ again., so I am proud of him for that! I think the multiple wake ups are due to a combo of teething (stinkin' molars!!!!!) and perhaps his back being out. Spud took a pretty good header down our basement stairs the other day. Seems he was under the impression that he is big enough to do stairs standing up like a "big boy". The rug burn on his little nose is a good reminder that this is not the case! He is off to the Chiropractors today with Daddy, and we will give him some Motrin before bed tonight. Hopefully this will help us all get a better sleep!!

Misson scrap the bottle: Night 1

Went relatively well! He was up at 11, cried for a suckie. Pretty normal. Up @ 2:30, again, normal, we would have given him milk at this time, but he got a bottle of water, and took it NO PROBLEM! Drained the whole thing too! He was grumbling at 3:30 again, but basically put himself to sleep, and up for the day at 6:30 ish.

I am hoping he will stop waking for the bottle entirely if we just keep giving water. We shall see what the next few nights hold, though!

Changes

There are some changes goin' down here in Vogelville. Directly related to one small man, fondly known as Spud.

We made a trip to the Dental Hygienist at the Health Unit today, as I had noticed some white spots on his teeth.

The prognosis? No good. Could be the onset of tooth decay. The good news is we caught it early. The bad news is, it was our fault that it happened. Somewhere along the way we got suckered into the "putting baby to sleep with bottle" routine. I know better. But it was easy and he went to sleep so well, and so I just sorta gave up, and gave in.

So here we are on night one of no bottles. He went to sleep very well with out it at bedtime tonight. I figured we would be OK there, its the middle of the night wake ups that worry me. It has been so easy to get up and throw a bottle of milk in there, guaranteeing a relatively peaceful return to slumber for all involved. Alas, this will no longer be occurring in Vogelville. I have 2 bottles of water prepped in the fridge for the middle of the night. I am anticipating that they will go over much like a lead balloon. Should be a great time.

I am hopeful that by the end of the week, things will be better, and we have all adjusted to this new normal. A girl can hope...right?

Then and now....

Just felt inspired to share pictures of my little rascals, then and now!

Sweeter, brand spankin' new, July 28 06

And now, 3 yrs, being a cowgirl:

Spud , brand spankin' new, June 14 08

And now, earlier this Summer in the pool:

I love the newborn "squishyness" in the first pics, but every single stage they go through I love them evrn more. I am so proud of my kids, and the wonderful little people they are becoming.

Not Me Monday!

Again!

Time for my weekly "confession" of things I obviously would never do!

For instance, I did not neglect cleaning my floors so badly this week, that by today, my husband was begging me to scub them. There was most certainly not enough food ground into the lino that we could have had a gameshow titled "Guess that Food Stain", in our very own kitchen. Not here, no way. My house is always immaculate, regardless of the fact that I have 5 kids running around here.

And it was not me who went to Costco last week for ONE ITEM and came home with multiple items...and an extremely hefty bill. This is not the case every single time I go to Costco. I do have self control, people!

Well.. that felt good! Have a great short week everyone!

Growing up

My kids are growing up. As evidenced by their outfits yesterday.

Spud looks like such a little man in his baseball cap,

We went shopping for Sweeter's outfit for her Ballet class last night, and its all I can do to get it off of her. She looks incredibly cute and grown up. I have a feeling I will be buying another set before dance starts...at this rate this outfit could be worn out before she even sets foot in class!

The long awaited...Holidays Part 3!

The last few days of our trip were spent with my whole family in Fairmont. Mom and Dad rented a big house for us all to stay in (THANK YOU!), and we were able to have our 1st family vacation in forever!

Kim & Cale went down to the Hot Springs the day we got there, and were able to find a natural hot springs and water fall that we could swim in. It was a little chilly, but amazing to be swimming under a water fall! plus, look at that clear blue mountain water....

( I cant even take credit for the last shot...its really good, and it was all Cody!)


We did some relaxing....

And some goofing....

(Sweeter is modeling her new goggles...upside down!)


...We took a trip to a petting zoo (with no actual animals you could pet???) ....

....And had a wonderful afternoon at the Lake...

.....Where Levi modeled the newest fashion in head gear.... (and so did Auntie Kim, but I figured if I posted the pic of her with a bucket on her head she'd kill me....)...

...And Kayla was a little Waterbug, as per usual. (In fact on our trip, because she was swimming so much, she learned to swim on her own, and was going down waterslides head first! NO FEAR in that kid!)

....We took in the scenery

...and did some wading, and all in all had a great time!

We even managed to get some great family pics! ...

....And Kayla and Daddy had time to stop and smell the roses!

...Too soon it was time to say goodbye....

....And after a stop or 2 for scenic reasons.....

...And bathroom reasons....


We made it home in one piece, with some great memories!

No, I didn't forget!

I know, I know, I promised a 3rd, and final, holiday post. And I promise its coming, in fact I have BIG PLANS to edit the photos during nap/quiet time, and post them tonight. Lets hope my plans materialize!

In other news...September is a very big, and busy month for us! In addition to Cody being swamped at work, Sweeter also starts Ballet this month, and Playschool. She is thrilled to be starting dance. We haven't really discussed starting school. More of my hang up than hers. I am positive she will love it. But I am a little sad. I just cannot believe my little girl has grown up so fast. Really? I have to think about school fees, and backpacks, indoor shoes and new clothes? Really? It feels like yesterday she was born....

It really is true that they grow up too fast.