Thursday, August 30, 2007

Surgery, Webkinz and other ramblings

For those that are wondering, I had my surgery yesterday - I haven't really found out anything except that the problems they thought I was having aren't the ones I'm really having and that means starting all over from point A. Clear as mud? Yep, for me too!

WEBKINZ

Have you heard of these "wonderful" little animals?? No? Neither had I until my dear friend, Sonya, introduced my 2 little men to them. For those uninformed, they are these wonderful little stuffy friends that have a special website where you can go, register your animal and play games, make a home, feed and various other things, your animal. The more animals you have, the more "stuff" you can access. Get the trend here? Just 1 webkinz is not enough, you HAVE to have several so that your Webkinz can have "friends". More $$ from mom and dad. UGH. I do have to admit, though, that they are the cutest little animals and they are Ganz - so nice quality. The website is sort of cute, too, I guess, if you pressure me into admitting it. So, Liam currently has a Bulldog named "Guido"

and Conor has a Clydsdale named "Boogee" (don't ask - actually, ask Nicholas because he named his frog that first and Conor stole it. LOL)


Now, take note Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins and friends alike - according to Liam and Conor, "You can never have too many Webkinz" and it now tops their lists for any gift giving reasons. Yes, they even plan to ask Santa and Liam actually asked me if I thought he might get one on Halloween or for Conor's birthday. LOL Can you say addict? I sure can. Check out the Webkinz site if you are still confused.

Oh, and I have to say, "Thanks a lot" to Sonya one more time, because now Nicho has not 1, not 2 or even 3, nope - he's got 4 of these darned things...you know what I heard all evening after they spent the days with Nicho? Yep, I'm sure I don't have to tell you. :(

In case you haven't heard my big news, I have a job now. Yep, I am gainfully employed. I have accepted a position with the local artSpace program and will be teaching 5 different classes for kids 1 - 5 (different classes for different ages). The big bonus for this job is that I make my own hours and I can take Conor and Liam with me when I have to. Right now I am a bit overwhelmed and trying to figure out why I took this job. LOL I know I am going to have a lot of fun, and it's right up my alley, I think it's just overwhelming with everything else going on right now. *sigh* I'll be teaching a Mommy & Me class for parents and their 1 year olds, a Crafty Kids class for 2.5 - 4 year olds, A "Jump up & Move" class for 3-5 year olds, a "boys only" Pirate class for 4&5 year olds and a "Girls Only" Princess Power class for 4&5 year olds. Fun!

*BIG GIGANTIC SIGH* Liam starts preschool on Wednesday. I am not ready. He is. 'nuff said.

I hope you are all doing well - drop me a note and let me know! Love and (((HUGS))) until next time!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Friday, August 24, 2007

It took me a while

But, I finally got the second paper pack done for my Primarily Twisted line. I just love how it all turned out! I'd LOVE some feedback, so if you grab the papers, let me know what you think!



Primarily Twisted Flowered

Friday, August 03, 2007

I've been tagged!

A - Attached or Single: attached
B - Best Friend: Glenn
C - Cake or Pie: Pie
D - Drink of Choice: Iced Tea
E - Essential Item: Camera
F - Favorite Color: Red
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms
H - Hometown: Fort St. John, BC
I – Indulgence(s): Hot Fudge Sunday
J - January or July: July
K - Kids: Liam (4) & Conor (2)
L - Life is incomplete without: My boys - all 3 of them!
M - Marriage Date: July 30, 2000
N - Number of Siblings: 2
O - Oranges or Apples: Fruit salad? LOL Probably oranges
P - Phobias/Fears: Snakes and Frogs
Q - Favorite Quote: “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~Jimmy Dean
R- Reason to smile: My boys
S - Season: In general: Fall - Since moving to the land of snow? Summer
T- Tag Three: Rebecca Lynn, Sonya & Sarah
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I long to be a writer
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Opressor of animals
W - Worst Habit: Good grief - too numerous to list!
X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: ultra sound
Y - Your Favorite Foods: Lasagna
Z- Zodiac: Sagittarius

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

We're back from vacation and my baby turned 4!

Well, we are back from Edmonton - believe me, not voluntarily. LOL Liam, Conor and I all decided we were ready to move there, believe it or not, the boys more than me! They had so much fun going to all the museums and fun places. We hit the WEM (that's West Edmonton Mall, for you non-Canadians) several times, but the boys really loved the water park there - it is HUGE and they had such a blast. We did lots and lots of shopping, went to Chuck E. Cheese, Klondike Days (it's sort of like the State Fair), the Telus World of Science, the Valley Zoo, and Toys R Us (3 of them, some more than once). We all had lots of fun, and it was nice and hot while we were there so we all came home a bit browner (yes, I did say brown - believe it or not, none of us burned!) than when we left. Here are some pictures of all our fun:

Klondike Days:








Chuck E. Cheese (OK, there are only 2 - do you know how hard it is to get pictures at Chuck E. Cheese? They just don't stand still for more than 2 seconds - long enough to waste 1 token):





The Valley Zoo:













Telus World Of Science:










On a different note...Could somebody please tell me where the heck the last 4 years have gone? How, in the name of tarnashen, did Liam get to this point? HOW is it that my sweet little baby boy turned 4 today???? I AM A MOMMY IN DENIAL!!! He had a great birthday and got lots of fun stuff - he was a little "disappointed" in the clothes (OK, Thomas, quit transferring your "Clothes aren't gifts" anthem to my son!;) ) he got...that is, until he saw that they had either Buzz, Lightening or Spiderman on them. LOL Spoiled little bugger. I've got lots of pictures of the day - we got to go down to our friends place and the boys got to ride Shetland Ponies - I got some real cute ones that I will post once I actually upload them to my computer.

Love and (((HUGS)))

Friday, July 13, 2007

I've been playing!

I've been playing with creating new papers and I'm really happy with the new solids I've made! They are my Primarily Twisted solid pack (patterned twisted's are coming!). I hope you enjoy! Please leave a little love if you pick these up!



You can get the papers here.

These papers were made using Rebecca Lynn's AWESOME new textures - you can find those at Oscraps!


Thursday, July 12, 2007

What's wrong with this picture?

It is currently 12:45 AM and I should be tucked nicely into my bed snoozing away. Obviously, that isn't happening. Why? Because, at 12:45 AM it is currently 85 degrees outside. That's outside. In my house it must be 2 degree's before sweltering! I am dying here!! There is absolutely no relief - not even the slightest of breezes coming in the windows. The boys are sleeping and Glenn, of course, is snoring away in the other room - I swear that man could sleep through/in anything. To top off the fact that he's sleeping, he's actually wrapped in our comforter! HUH??? So, since I can't sleep, I came out to see what the bloody temperature was, and on my computer I have the temp here and in Indy side by side so that I can wish I was there (especially in the winter). Do you know that it is only 66 degree's there right now? Again, I say...HUH???? In the land where air conditioners abound, it is 66, but here, where very few houses, especially the older houses, wouldn't even consider air conditioning, we are dying! My blood is too thick for this kind of heat. On top of that, my hormones, which have been thoroughly confused for quite some time now, are wreaking complete and utter havoc right now. And tomorrow it is supposed to be worse! Actually, for the next 3 days it's supposed to be totally unbearable! Tell me again why it is that we don't leave for our vacation until next week? At least in Edmonton the hotel will have air conditioning. With my luck lately, we'll have snow next week. Go figure!

On that very grumpy, sweaty, irritated note, I'll leave you now. Surely sleep will come soon...or I'll pass out from heat exhaustion!

Love and (((HUGS))) until next time!

Friday, July 06, 2007

Chi-Chi-Chi-Chia

That's exactly what my hair looks like at this stage - a silly chia pet. LOL The growing out process is certainly interesting! Get a load of this.



Pretty funny, huh?

We've been really busy around here. The weather has actually been wonderful lately and the boys have been taking full advantage of it! They love going outside to play in the backyard. I'm so thankful that we have such a great play set for them - they love it! The best thing to them, though, is when we go see the ponies - the security guard that works where Glenn works raises Shetland Ponies. The boys love going down to visit them. We usually take carrots or apples with us and they have a ball feeding them. They've even ridden them bareback! LOL Such little adventurers.

Remember how I used to talk about how terrible 2's were a myth and that, with Liam, it was 3-year old hell that really was the bugger? I'm very happy to say that Liam has officially exited that stage. He is at this wonderful stage now - potty trained, helpful, polite. Not 100% of the time, but most of the time, which is a blessing. This age is so much fun! He's so intelligent, and so eager to head to pre-school! I don't know how I will be able to deal with that first day of school! LOL I'm sure Liam will be so excited that it will be "Bye, mommy" and I'll be the one that doesn't want to leave!

Now, having said all of those wonderful things about Liam, let's talk about Conor. He's such a cutie, and so sweet...when he wants to be. Just as Liam has officially left the hellish 3's, Conor has officially entered them. Oh my word - where did this new child come from? Canada day was spent chasing Conor from event to event, having him want to go do one thing only to get there and have him throw a fit because he changed his mind! LOL Glenn asked me how long I thought it would last. My answer was a very hopeful "by Christmas?". Give me strength!

Our most exciting news is that we are the proud owners of a brand new mini van! Although I always said I would never own one, it is the vehicle that makes the most sense with our 2 growing boys. We went out and got a Honda Odyssey - what a sweet little van! The boys love it because they are "smooshed" anymore. LOL

We're also preparing for our first road trip in our van. We are taking the boys to Edmonton for 9 days, we're going to go to Klondike Days. The boys are so excited and have helped us plan the whole trip - a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, the zoo, the waterpark, Fort Edmonton, a ride on a train, a day in the country going to various activities they will be having there - it should be lots of fun!

That's us in a nut shell. I hope that everyone is doing well! Love and (((HUGS)))

Friday, June 22, 2007

Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!! We Love you!!!

Monday, June 18, 2007

It's a Picture Post!









Pictures from Grandpa's visit: (The order is reversed a bit.)









Thursday, June 14, 2007

Here's one for the sport parents...

Whether it's soccer, football, baseball, basketball, _(insert your sport here), OR T-ball, here's a few things you should remember:

1. It's all about the kids. You aren't the one out there playing, so you really should find out if your child is happy BEFORE you go shooting your mouth off!

2. If you are unhappy about how things are going, politely talk to the coach/asst. coaches and tell them, in your kindest voice, what you are unhappy about.

3. If you are going to complain, have a solution to the problem you are complaining about ready to go. You know they are going to ask. Don't be a B___ about it, ok?!

4. When YOUR suggestion is implemented to satisfy YOU because, after all, YOU are the one who complained, please don't start criticizing how it is going. Be happy that the coaches listened and tried their best to satisfy YOUR (yes, YOURs, not your child's) wishes.

5. If you have a complaint about something that is said or done, please go to that person, face to face, rather than sending a "friend" to complain AND go to the administration.

6. When the person you are complaining about swallows her/his pride and tries to apologize for the thing that YOU conceived was "rude", even though he/she does not think so, please don't be a B____ and walk away, saying rude things and not letting that person finish their sentence. Want to talk rude? Looking in the mirror is ALWAYS a good thing.

7. When your opinion is asked for, and you refuse to give any type of opinion because you just want to be a B____, please don't turn around and complain about it....Remember, if you don't vote, you have no right to complain!

And finally...

8. Remember, this is for the children, NOT the parents

Whew, so glad to get that off my chest. So sorry the people that really need to see it never will.

I'll be back later to update on us!

(((HUGS))) and love!

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Let's chat...

Well, really, let me chat. It's virtually impossible for us to have a two-way conversation on my blog, but I figured I'd enlighten you to everything that has been going on in our lives lately. Besides the obvious - bald head - there have been other thing going on here. But, let's talk about the baldness first. I know that this may seem strange, but shaving my head has been a bit empowering. The first day I did it, I was proud of myself for having gone through with it. I didn't really think about how it affected me - it's just hair, right? Well, that changed the next morning. I woke up, went to the bathroom and caught a glimpse of this stranger in the mirror. It changed the way I look - I no longer look like my mom but now I bare a striking resemblance to my dad. How weird is that? The complete change of looks. It seems very strange to me. What also seems strange to me is the way I feel, as if I have a new start, new possibilities, etc. So, in light of that, I've decided to make a pictorial diary for the next year. So last week was week 1. As we go through the year, I hope to discover more about myself - not just me as a wife and mother, but me. Who knows what changes I'll discover or what truths about myself. I hope you don't mind, but you are all going to be along for the ride! LOL

OK, lets move off the hair topic and on to the wonderful time we had when my dad came up to visit. I know we didn't talk as much as we usually do when he comes up, and we didn't get to go many places as we usually would, but I can't tell you how much it meant to me, let alone the boys, to have him up here. To see him, spend time with him and watch him spend time with the boys! They loved having grandpa here, and their favorite thing was having Grandpa "pull" them on the swings. Everyday we hear, "pull us like grandpa did" - it's just not the same without him here now, even Nicho ("adopted" son and the boys best friend and Grandpa's third grandson in Canada! LOL) feels it - he asks every time we see him when Grandpa Ralph is coming back. We miss you daddy! Come back soon!!!

So, the boys have both joined a T-ball team and as of yesterday, I am now the assistant coach! Stop laughing right now, Linda - and yes, I know you are. LOL Liam has become amazingly good at batting and fielding the ball, when he gets the chance. We have a couple of boys on the team that are bigger and older, and a little better coordinated and they like to get the ball...every time. Liam has handled it very well and really looks forward to his T-ball nights. Then there is Conor. He's more interested in digging in the dirt and picking dandelions, but hey - it's getting him out there and he's getting pretty good at batting himself. Most nights he's pretty tired and fussy so we let him do what he decides he will - he's a bit young, but if you'd seen the fit he through the first time we went and he wasn't on the team. Holy cow! So, twice a week, from 6 - 6:45 I am a "T-Ball mom". What fun!

I have also branched out - 2 nights a week I'm now taking a photography class. It's been so much fun and I'm actually learning how to use the beautiful camera Glenn bought me last year! LOL So, you know you can count on seeing some pictures from me in the future! Hopefully some new and improved pictures!

On the really, really personal side, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I've been having a lot of "female" problems, lots of pain and other things going on. I am "scheduled" to go for a laproscopic procedure sometime in the next 2 months to see (hopefully) what is wrong and how to treat it. There is a chance that it could be something that is not treatable, which means I'll be facing this pain basically forever, which I just don't think I know how to handle. So, a few prayers would really help!

Oh yes...and then there's this: (Please knock on wood and cross your fingers before reading the rest) Liam is potty trained! Yay! This is seriously cause for HUGE celebration! We've tried so long and nothing worked, so I was talking to a friend (thank you, Luanna!) who was telling me about a friend that had been as fed up as me and decided to just suck it up and put their child in underwear and deal with things as they came. Well, we did it and within the first 24 hours we had gone through almost all of the underwear and shorts Liam has, but the next day we only had 2 accidents. And the day after that we only had 1. It's been over a week now and he has an occasional mishap, but overall, he's got it down! WAHOO! Now he can go to preschool in the fall and, with any luck, it will rub off on Conor!

Other than that, life is good. It's been really hot up here - in the high 80's and 90's. We've even had a couple of Thunderstorms! Yay! Those are really rare up here and something I love! We are planning our vacation - going to Edmonton for Klondike days and some fun in the big city! The boys are really looking forward to it - Chuckee Cheese, the Zoo, the Waterpark and, best of all (according to Conor), we get to stay in a hotel. LOL The kid is hooked on hotels ever since our trip last year - he even asks if we can stay at one of the local ones here, "Just for tonight". LOL I just love my funny little dudes!

Of course I have tons of pictures to share, from dad being here, T-Ball and general backyard play, but you'll have to come back to see that! It's too late to dig them all out tonight!

Love and (((HUGS))) to everyone - I hope you are all doing well!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Bluey Day






Well everyone, I am proud to say I did it! I honestly thought I was going to chicken out this morning, but I went through with what I said I would do! I am now a very bald chicka!



It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was quite sick to my stomach right before getting it done, but I'm fine with it now - Conor on the other hand is a wee bit upset. LOL He thinks his mommy "isn't a girl anymore" and cried as he said, "Bye-bye mommy's hair, I'll miss you". We'll see how he does tonight - my hair has always been his security blanket!

There is so much news and so many pictures to share, I promise I'll come back later to update, but for right now, I have 2 little boys waiting to play with me! Can't turn down an awesome opportunity like that, now, can I?!

Love and (((HUGS)))!