The Change Factor

A random Story

2011-12-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

Almost two months since I posted anything! Crazy! Here is a random story. Since Andrew is now working locally (hurray) and on night shift (less of a hurray) I do not get a chance to sleep in. This is not a super big deal but there are times when I would just like an extra little bit of sleep so I came up with a brilliant plan! Abi is really into being independent and showing us what a big girl and helper she is. So I showed her how to turn on the tv (she already knew how to find her shows) and the night before the big sleep in, I left cereal and bowls and juice on the table for them. I told Abi she could get Sophie up and they could be big girls and eat their breakfast and watch a show all by themselves. Abigail was so very thrilled at this idea. She could not wait. The next morning Sophie got up (at 6:30) and Abi quickly got out of her room and her and Sophie headed downstairs. Everything seemed to be going smoothly and I was about to go to sleep when I heard: "meow, meow, meow" right outside my door. Mr. Collins!!!!! I got up and he started purring and rubbing and then he ran downstairs. I wondered if he was hungry. So I said hello to the girls, who told me to go back to bed, quickly fed the cat and ran back upstairs. Ten minutes later: "meow, meow, meow". AGAIN?!? This time I knew it was over. No more sleep for me. So I got up and told the girls what a wonderful job they did but next time to leave the cat in his room because, apparently, he does not trust the girls alone or he just misses me too much. So I think we may try this again tomorrow, hopefully it will go better.
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are anticipating a wonderful New Year. We are headed to Kelowna for a wee bit of visiting. I will post holiday stuff when I return!

Silly Pictures

2011-11-09T16:12:00.003-07:00

So I needed to send my sister some pictures (eight!) for a gift she's getting done for my Dad at Christmas and as it turns out, I didn't have very many good ones. So I thought I would take some random ones and hope a few would work out. Here are some whether they were good or not!

The girls hugging. Sister love!

Not too sure why she was covering her ears.

Sophie loves her big sister!

Being not too lady like on the floor

Silly hug!

Silly faces!

So there they are. Nothing to professional but still lot's of fun!

Guilt

2011-11-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

I was gently reminded today that I haven't posted in awhile. Sorry! Sometimes I just feel like I have nothing to say. There has, however, been something I've been thinking about and now I'm going to rant about it here. It is getting close to Christmas time and there have been lot's of charities looking for donations. I have no issue with charities asking for money, whether they call me, send me pamphlets or approach me in a mall. It may not be convenient for me but I always try to be polite to them and donate when I can and feel moved to. Here's what bothers me...when they use guilt to try to get me to donate. I am talking about the little packages filled with Christmas cards, label, bags, pens, notepads and whatever else. They call it a "gift" for past donations but really (I think) they are trying to get me to pay for the stuff they've sent me. It drives me crazy! Every year it happens I am torn about what to do about it. Should I send it back? Throw it out? Use it? Never do I entertain the idea of sending them money. In the past I have thrown (or recycled) the stuff. Andrew thinks I should send it back. This year I am going to use it all. Maybe I am just being cynical and they really are just sending me a gift. (For the record I always read what they say in case they do want me to pay for the stuff.) But it really just feels like guilt. This year I am going to try to accept it gracefully and use it all! So everyone can expect Christmas cards from various charities this year! Maybe I'm going about it wrong but there it is. I don't have all the answers (despite what Andrew thinks!)
Here are some Halloween pictures to enjoy!

Here is Andrew tying up his "pets", ready for their walk.

Sophie wanted a Mickey Mouse pumpkin.

Abi chose Mike from Monster's Inc. (That's about as scary as we get!)

My little Scooby Doo. How cute is she?

My little kitty cat! She's so excited!

Halloween was super fun and the girls loved it! Andrew was home and that was great too!
Now life is just going on as we prepare for what's going to happen in the next few months with work and Christmas.
Have a lovely week!

All grown up now

2011-10-24T21:56:00.001-06:00

Guess what? About two weeks ago I turned 30!! 30!!! I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? I still feel like I am only a few weeks out of high school and still in the days of University and youth. I am still young. But boy do I remember thinking 30 was old!! But I am still young with a lot of life ahead of me.
So much has happened in my twenties, it's hard to believe that much will ever be crammed into one decade again. My twenties were good to me. So many many good things happened.
And now my 30's! I hope my 30's will be good to me also. So far they have been really good. The most notable thing to happen since leaving my twenties is I got a driver's license! That's right, after years of not driving and being scared of driving and thinking about doing it, I took the leap and took some lessons and then did the test (twice) and I am now licensed! Wow! I have NO IDEA what took me so long! I am enjoying driving very much. I still get nervous but I think it's ok.
My favorite things about being able to drive are no longer having to walk for three hours just to drop off and pick up Abi from school (although I do miss the exercise!), being able to get as many groceries as we need and not just the stuff I can fit in a stroller and not having to rely on other people. It's great. I have noticed that my life has gotten busier since this occurred. I'm cool with it though. We are having fun now!
So that's about the big news in my world right now. I would like to say more, or share some amazing story but I've got nothing and it's almost 10 and I'm getting sleepy. So good night and I will try to be more faithful and write more soon.

Life and Death

2011-09-23T19:37:00.001-06:00

I think, so far, I have experienced a good amount of "life". I had a prettty good childhood. There were some tough and questionable events but I was surrounded by love so that's postive. My high school experience was pretty average. I wasn't super popular but I was liked well enough. There were kids who picked on me but there were those who stuck up for me too. I moved away to go to University. I made friends, aced classes and failed classes. I learned how to pay bills and I got my first job. I lived with many girls, made friends, enemies and explored dating sort of. Later on I struggled with what to do with my life, career wise and I fell in love. I made my own decisions for myself and I met God and fell in love with Him. I got married, had children, travelled. I moved a few times and I had struggles with an alcoholic parent, money, jobs, churches, my weight, my husband and being a parent. My life has not been perfect but it hasn't been a horrror story either. I think I've experienced life. There is one part of life I have yet to experience, death. The closest I have come to death is when my uncle was killed in a plane crash when I was in Grade Eleven. I was sad about it, for sure, but it didn't impact my life too much as he lived quite far away and we didn't see him often. Otherwise I have stood by heartbroken, as I watched friends lose their parents, their grandparents or other friends. I have had my friends and my sister miscarry while I could do nothing or even understand their heartbreak. I have prayed for them, hugged them and cried for them but never for the one they lost. I don't and can't understand their grief because I have never grieved. I still have both my parents plus a stepmom. I have four wonderful and alive grandparents and I have been blessed with two pregnancys that resulted in two healthy children. I am not trying to brag or rub it in at all. I am merely trying to express that I don't know what to do or how to act or how to mend anyones grieving heart. I know my time will come. There's no way my family and friends will live forever and the only way I won't experience death is if I die before anyone else does. (this is a very sad thought too). I am not looking forward to this experience, I don't think anyone does and I hope I handle it with the amazing strength I have seen friends and family handle theirs. I guess that's all I wanted to say. I am sorry for your loss.

Kindergarten

2011-09-09T15:00:00.000-06:00

Thursday was Abigail's first day of school. I have been thinking about and dreading this day for the last six months. Multiple times, when I would think of it, I would tear up, get a pit of worms in my stomach and my throat would clench. Many thoughts would run through my head: my baby's too young to be in school, she is so tiny no one would see her, who is good enough to teach her, and mostly I just didn't want to give her up. I love spending everyday with my girls and soon I wouldn't get to.
A week before her first day, there was an orientation. The evening before, Abi started crying and saying she didn't want to go. "I'm too scared" she said. So I told her: "I'm scared too but we'll go together and see what it's like". After that orientation she barely stopped asking when she could go back.

Finally Thursday September 8th came and we were up early and ready for school. I was feeling nervous. I have never seen Abi so happy about anything in her entire life. Her whole face radiated pure joy. She, literally, sang the whole time it took us to get to school. By the time we reached the school my nervousness was gone and I was almost as happy as she was. It's hard to be sad when she was so happy.
As Abi was led down the hallway I was really proud and enjoying the moment until Sophie started bawling because she couldn't go with her. So I spent the next 10 minutes comforting Sophie before heading home.
Abi loved her first day, I enjoyed my time with Sophie and I'm learning to let go. They aren't mine forever.

Sophie trying to get in on the picture action.

Summer time!

2011-07-11T16:45:00.004-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have posted anything. The summer sure does get busy! We have had lot's of company and I even have some pictures. So here we go!!!

Here is Sophie enjoying the Canada Day parade. It was a very impressive parade. We got the usual haul of candy plus a book and DVD. Amazing!

After the parade we headed to the petting zoo. The girls had a great time with all the animals. And the goat seemed to have a good time too.

For about a week the rain stopped and it was nice and warm so we played in the pool. Abi enjoyed it a lot.

My sister Cassandra came to visit with her little one Gaby. The girls had such fun playing, it was really great to see.

And the Fort Saskatchewan sheep. What is summertime without seeing the sheep?

This next week is busy too. The girls are going to stay with their aunt and uncle while I go to Kelowna to spend two nights at Sparkling Hill Resort!! Ahhhh two days of hanging at the pool, getting massages and manicures and eating very good food. And seeing three movies in two weeks!! This is something I hardly do. I am so looking forward to this. I will have pictures to post and stories to tell when I return!!
Until then have a lovely week.

Sophie's Birthday

2011-06-19T17:15:00.003-06:00

Today Sophie turns 2!!! Wow!!! Hard to believe. She is such fun to have around. She is so social and she loves to play with dolls and yes, she is a little monster but I love her so much. She has been a great addition to our family and often reminds us of the funny things in life.
Here are some pictures from her party.

This is her Charlie and Lola cake. It didn't turn out as super as I wanted but she loved it and it tasted awesome!

Opening presents. She loved her bunny and Minnie Mouse.

Here she is enjoying her cake. She just destroyed it!! It was great fun.

After everyone had gone home, she lined up her new buddies and grabbed some of her new stories to read to them. It was so cute!

We made party masks decorated with stickers. It was good times.

It was a great time made even more special by having my Dad and Jackie celebrate with us.
Happy birthday Sophie pants!!

A day with MaMere

2011-06-10T18:35:00.002-06:00

Today we went and spent the day with Andrew's mom (whom the girls call Ma mere because she is sorta French but none of her kids are and she actually doesn't like being called ma mere but her sons encourage it because that's how sons are). Anyway after we hit up Costco we went for a walk around a park near her house.
Here is Abi with a goose feather she found. (We didn't have the heart to tell her that given the amount of feather in the particular area it probably came from a goose that was eaten by a coyote).

Sophie checking out all the geese. There were four separate families. They came pretty close to us and they sure were hissing.

This was the family with the youngest goslings.

I tried to get a better picture of this little duck family with seven baby duckings but they never came too close.

Sophie hanging with Duchess.

It was a nice day and we had lot's of fun. Now we are all tired.

I do not have a green thumb

2011-06-10T18:21:00.002-06:00

I am the world's worst gardener. Well at least I am very horrible at it. Now to be fair to myself, I have neither tried nor practiced at being a good one. I just don't feel like I have the time right now (or the inclination) to put effort in...but I hope to soon. Two years ago when we got our grass my mom was out visiting (she does have a green thumb). She bought us some roses and we planted them along the driveway. I wasn't too keen on the rose idea since they take a lot of work (so I've heard) and I wasn't sure I could handle it. Mom said "no problem, these roses take care of themselves". Turns out, they didn't and now they are dead, whether from my lack of doing anything or because they weren't hardy enough to handle the weather, I'm not sure.
So this is what are little patch looked like. Not too pretty. You can't even see the roses. Just weeds.

Last year I had won a giftcard to a greenhouse so this week we went and bought new roses (where the nice lady told me what I would have to do to them), dug up the old ones, spread two sheets of that weed stuff and planted the new roses.
Here they are.

We have two pink and one white bush. They are pavement roses and so can handle the salt and whatever. Here's hoping I don't kill these ones!

I also planted some planters. Hopefully these will last through the summer as well. I tend to forget to water them but as I got two of the three for free, it won't be a big loss. I sure am going to try to keep them alive and maybe even have them grow a bit! (See our little ladybug friend?)

Here are the other two. I think I have to repot the one with the purple flowers, I think the pot is too small.

So now our front looks much better and hopefully I can keep it that way!

Cupcakes

2011-05-25T18:56:00.003-06:00

There is a cupcake recipe I have been dying to try, it's for S'more cupcakes. However I haven't been able to find one of the ingredients but I finally found it and tried making them tonight. I would say they were a failed success. I made a few mistakes but they still look ok (not as pretty as the picture) and they taste yummy so points for that!

There are the cupcake, followed by a glaze of chocolate ganache and marshmallow topping, nicely browned.

I may have singed some of the wrappers in the browning process. Oh well!

T

Just some pictures

2011-05-23T08:52:00.003-06:00

May has been really busy so far with much company. I don't have many pictures to show of the company we have but just pictures of the family, being weird.
It has been very warm this last week with lot's of sunshine. The cat likes the sun, he does not like me taking pictures of him.

We also indulged in some ice cream because of the warm weather. Sophie had to have a bath immediately afterwards.

She enjoyed it so much though!

I'm sure the rest of the summer months will be just as busy as May. Hopefully I'll have more pictures to show for it.

Why you can't trust an (almost) 2 yr old.

2011-05-15T19:13:00.002-06:00

I generally try not to compare my children. It's not fair to them or me but having Abi first has lulled me into a false sense of security when it comes to my very curious little monster. Earlier today I went up to the computer room to look up something, leaving Abi playing downstairs and Sophie drinking her water, both said they would come up right away. Abi came up and Sophie remained downstairs, quiet. A couple of minutes went by and I was about to go get her when she came bouncing up the stairs covered in butter.

She promptly started dancing and singing: "I'm so pretty, I'm a princess"

It goes quite well with her dress.

Look at this face! How could you be mad?

A good part of the floor and table also resembled her hair. I had forgotten to put away the butter after dinner.

I have now learned my lesson. And despite a bath and hair washing, Sophie still smells like butter. But I love her!

The Royal Wedding!

2011-05-03T09:12:00.002-06:00

I love the Royals. I'll admit it. I was super excited to watch the wedding and sucked up everything I could beforehand. There were many souvenirs I was tempted to buy (I actually didn't buy any though). I would have watched the wedding live except for two reasons. One, my girls are really young and there is no way I could get through the day with staying up all night and two, my awesome friend Sharon wanted to watch with me so I PVR'd it. I sure did plan an awesome tea party though. Here are some pics!
Here are our fancy tea cups. They were my Mom's. Do you see the two little sheep? They are from Ireland!!

I made scones with lemon curd and clotted cream. It was super yummy!

I also made chocolate covered strawberries and treacle tart! It was pretty good. (You may remember this being one of Harry Potter's favorite desserts. And yes, that is the whole reason I made it.)

My Brown Betty! Which we made copious amounts of sticky toffee pudding tea in!

So we watched and ate and talked and laughed and may have shed a tear or two because I am dorky that way. It was such good times though!!

And here is my silly cat hiding in our "Jump to Conclusions" mat. He almost looks like a little kitten here.
Hope you all have a great week!

Cake Making

2011-04-26T09:15:00.003-06:00

My sister in law is getting married this fall. They are having a do it yourself wedding and she was going to make their wedding cake. I thought she'd probably have enough to worry about so I offered to make it for them, if they would like me too. They showed me what they wanted and told me what kind of cake (cheesecake) and since they were here for Easter I did a practice one.
Here are my fondant flowers drying. This was my second time with fondant and first time making flowers.

Next I painted them with some shimmer dust. The orange and yellow didn't turn out so great but the purple dust was nice and since purple was one of their colours, I'm glad it worked out!

Also for Easter dessert I made a carrot cake so I thought I'd practice decorating on it.

Here is the finished cheesecake.

And here too.

I made a couple of mistakes on the cakes (it's a double layer) and the icing but I know how to fix it so it should go well for the real cake. I'd like to practice one more time before the wedding just to make sure.
It was a lot of fun to do and it tasted pretty good. My sister in law and brother in law to be thought it was nice and that's what matters!
Have a great week!

Easter

2011-04-26T08:58:00.002-06:00

Here are some of our Easter adventures.
The local pet store was having an anniversary celebration on Saturday so Andrew took the girls to it so I could get some work done at home.
Sophie made friends with a duck.

Kids under 11 were allowed to fish for their own goldfish so...now we have two fish. Abi has named them Miga and MukMuk.

Sophie checking out her basket before church.

After church lot's of Andrew's family came for dinner and we had an Easter Egg hunt. It was good times.

This is the girls in their new pj's from Papa and OG. The picture taken before this one Abi is crying (she was very tired) but thankfully, Sophie stuck her finger up Andrew's nose and all was happy again!

We had a lovely Easter and attended amazing services at our church. I hope you all had a blessed Easter as well!

Abi's Birthday

2011-04-11T10:16:00.002-06:00

This weekend we celebrated Abigail's birthday early. On her actual birthday Andrew and I are heading to Banff for a conference so we celebrated with our little family this weekend. Andrew took Abi to see a movie and then we had pizza and cake. Unfortunately I got a nasty cold/flu which meant I didn't quite enjoy the festivities as I ought to have. It also meant I couldn't devote the time and energy to Abi's cake that I wanted to and so it turned out not great. Here are some pictures.

For some reason as soon as we brought out the cake and started singing, Abi started crying. She wanted us to not look at her while she blew out the candles.

We finally convinced her it was okay to let us watch.

I forgot to get candles but we had a couple on hand so it worked out okay. She didn't notice that there should have been five.

This is my Spongebob cake. Yes he is missing arms but I was sick!! I think it turned out okayish.

Soon it will be her real birthday. I can't believe she is turning 5!! It will be great.
Hopefully I can shake my cold and neither of the girls will get sick.
Have a great week!

New Dance Moves

2011-04-06T17:50:00.002-06:00

Here are the girls showing off some new dance moves. Hopefully you enjoy them!

6 Years

2011-04-02T09:48:00.002-06:00

Yay!! Today is our 6th year anniversary. What a fast six years it has been. In previous years I have said which celebrity marriages we have outlasted, finally at 6 years we have outlasted them all!!! Just kidding. I am going to look forward to people whose marriages I would like to outlast, namely my grandparents. I'm not sure how long my Opa and Oma have been married for but I'm sure it's more than 40. My Grama and Papa have been married for over 50! I am very blessed to have such wonderful examples to look up to. They are really great people who haven't given up when it's easier than pushing through the hard times. I am very proud to have them in my life. I hope to one day be that kind of example for my children, grand children and great grandchildren. What a wonderful legacy to leave. So while I am happy to have outlasted Britney Spears, I hope one day to outlast my grandparents!
We have nothing too special planned today but in two weeks we are headed to the Banff Springs Hotel for a weekend away at a marriage conference! I am super excited!
Have a great week!

Changes....

2011-03-22T14:19:00.004-06:00

Ahhh how life constantly changes. Some are good, some are bad but all teach us and help us grow. Here are some upcoming or already happened changes in our life.
First Andrew has quit his job so he can come home!! So happy about this one! It has been a hard 6 months having him gone so much. Our family just wasn't quite right. So now he will be home. We are praying a new local job will be found quickly but we know that his coming home was the best decision for us!

Second, Abigail will be turning 5 next month! This means kindergarten in September! Seriously how'd that happen? Life really does go fast when you have kids. We have a meeting with her principal this week so hopefully that goes well and the school doesn't reject us! (I can't see how they would. We are pretty darn awesome!)

I was trying to find a nice current picture of her but this was the best I could do. Here she is tickling Sophie.

Third, I have lost (or more accurately worked really hard to get rid of!) thirty pounds!! Yay! It has been slow this winter since I haven't made it to the gym very often (or at all) but I have heard rumours that spring should be coming soon and then hopefully the next milestone will be hit a lot faster! I also got me a new haircut which I super love and makes me feel good!
Here is a picture of me from two years ago. This would have been shortly after Sophie was born so I was really close to my heaviest weight. (Pardon the not so awesome hair)

Here I am today! (Literally today. I just took the picture!) Clearly the shirt is a bit looser and my face looks at bit different! So YAY! (As a side not I would have thought that losing thirty pounds would have meant going down a size or two but not yet! I am still the same pant size, although I have gone down a shirt size and in some cases two sizes. So I am losing from the top down. I am really hoping to get some new clothes soon)

Also our 6th year anniversary is coming up and for once we are doing something very special! We have booked a weekend at the Banff Springs Fairmont where will be attending a marriage conference!! (Our marriage is not in trouble, as so many people believe when you tell them you are doing something like this. We just felt after spending so much time apart this would be a good way to strengthen our marriage!) I am super looking forward to it! I haven't been to Banff since I was a kid so I'm pretty excited.
And that is our life in a nutshell now.
Here is a bonus picture of Sophie. She is wearing my new pj pants. Looks good!

A Perfect Moment

2011-02-27T17:03:00.002-07:00

I had a perfect moment today. It lasted a little longer than a moment but it passed too quickly, all the same. The girls were on their nap. It was crazy blowing snow outside. I grabbed a blanket, a ginger cookie, a mug of hot chocolate (or ho cho, if you prefer), a book and sat on my favorite leather chair. I read the book which actually captivated me from page one (which not all good books do) and enjoyed the next ten minutes of perfectness.
Now I just have to keep that feeling going strong when my girls are cranky, my cat is loud and I am having a bad day.
But I am truly thankful for that perfect little moment.

My Girls are Growing Up

2011-02-22T14:19:00.003-07:00

And I think I am having a crisis.
When I turned 20 my mom was about to turn 40. People asked her if she was feeling weird about turning 40 and she said it felt weirder to have a 20 year old daughter. That's how I feel. I am turning 30 this year. I am kind of excited about it. I want to do something awesome for it. More nerve wracking for me is the fact that Abi will be going to kindergarten in the fall. KINDERGARTEN!! Seriously how did that happen?? That got me to thinking that soon Sophie will be going to school and then what? What will I do when my children are in school? Do I need to grow up and get a job? Does it make me look lazy if I just want to stay home and be there for my girls when they get home and make a nice dinner for my husband? Does it matter? What do I want to do? I (at this point anyhow) just want to stay home. I want to be the mom that bakes the cookies and takes her kids to dance or soccer or hockey. I want to help with the homework and teach them how to bake and cook and clean because these are life skills that don't always come naturally. I had to learn these things on my own, and I like doing most of them (not so fond of the cleaning) but I want to teach my children how to do it these things.
I have never really had a crisis, I didn't worry (too much) about what to do after University things just kind of fell into place I really hope that happens here. I have about 3 or 4 more years until Sophie is in full time school so perhaps I am prematurely freaking out. It happens.

On another note, here are some pictures.
Sophie, being her awesome godzilla self, and unravelling my tinfoil.

Abi and Sophie in glasses, just like their Mommy. Please excuse the mess, it's out playroom and it almost always looks like that.

After a day of skating with Daddy, it was time to relax and enjoy a happy meal!

Dancing with a monkey.

I wish I had more to say or something funny to tell but I am under the influence of a cold and can't think clearly.
Enjoy your week!

I'm Being Forced to Potty Train

2011-02-20T11:50:00.005-07:00

And I don't like it. It may seem silly that I am being forced but I am. Here is a recent picture of Sophie. .

Do you see she is not wearing pants? This is because she has decided that pants and diapers are for suckers and babies. She refuses to wear them. The only reason she is not naked in the picture is because the shirt has buttons on the bottom and she hasn't figured out how to undo them yet. This morning I went to get her out of her crib and she had taken off her pjs and diaper. So I figured we are in potty training mode.
I don't think anyone really looks forward to potty training but I am dreading potty training even more than I did with Abi, probably because it took years to train her. No really, years! She was out of diapers after a couple of months but we went through a couple of years with daily accidents. It was awful. I know all kids are different and I am praying Sophie learns faster.
I had planned on training Sophie when she turned two. I was mentally preparing myself for it. But now it seems we are starting. And I am so not prepared. So far I have spent most of the morning cleaning up pee. Good times. I don't have any underwear or treats for her. We will be taking a trip tomorrow. Hopefully this will all go well and I won't lose my mind in the process. What a stubborn, independent child I have. Wish us luck, and lot's of sanity for me.

Snow Fort Part Two

2011-01-29T08:25:00.004-07:00

So as awesome as our snow castle was, we decided to make it even more awesome!! So here are some pictures of more of our outdoor adventures. (The pictures are a little blue as the sun was setting while we were playing and picture taking)

Here is our completed castle with a flag. We also took a spray bottle with purple water in it and sprayed our castle purple. It was awesome.

Here is the flag Abi and Andrew created.

Abi super excited to sit and spray the inside of the castle. (Although she is having a good time in this picture, I'm pretty sure Andrew and I had more fun building it than the girls had playing in it!)

Here is Sophie on the swing. The snow is right up to the bottom of the swing. (We had to dig out under the swing and clear around it)

Now it has gotten way cold again so we won't be playing outside for a few days. It sure was fun while we had the chance though!

SNOW FORT!

2011-01-19T11:10:00.002-07:00

So we finally had a nice day, not minus 20, and as Andrew was home, Abi and I went out to build a snow fort!!
Here I am digging the moat. Abi wanted to try to find an alligator to go in it but no such luck.

The snow was so deep that I had to shovel paths for Abi to walk. She still got stuck sometimes.

Here she is tucked away in the snowfort.

She wanted to go in after that. I didn't!! So I dug it out a wee bit more and hopefully they will play in it again.

And, of course, the post outside hot chocolate. Yummm!

Abi Singing

2011-01-18T09:05:00.002-07:00

Here is a video of Abi singing. It takes her a few seconds to warm up but then you can hear her. She doesn't like to be watched when she sings so she can sing better than what you hear but I still think it's pretty good. You can also see Sophie and her baby hoarding tendencies, Enjoy!

Sophie eating Rice

2011-01-11T10:22:00.003-07:00

If only all of us ate with such enthusiasm, what fun meal times would be!

Snow

2011-01-09T08:30:00.002-07:00

Okay I realize that you all deserve a longer post than this but it is Sunday morning and I am waiting to go to church so this will be quick and hopefully this week I will do a longer post.
We got snow. And snow. And more snow. As a BC girl I can't remember the last time I saw so much snow. It was unfortunate that all the shovelling was left to me.
Here is one picture.

And if you remember our snowman from a few posts ago, here he is now.

Poor guy! Well the drifts are up to my hips in some places and we would for sure lose the girls if we let them on the lawn. And after these pictures were taken another four inches fell. Good times!

Well that didn't work.

2010-12-06T11:42:00.003-07:00

While at Wal-Mart the other day I saw the cutest kit for making a Princess Castle instead of a Gingerbread house and the girls loved it and I thought "why not? It could be fun". So we set it all up and got ready to decorate. About 15 minutes into it, it was clear we were not going to have a beautiful castle to show off.
Here they are after having pulled the castle apart and broke the pieces.

Abi enjoying scraping the icing off and enjoying the taste. (I'm not sure how she could stand to eat it, I tried it and it was GROSS! Beyond the normal gross storebought type stuff.)

Sophie, after dumping all the candy pieces onto the floor, decided to break the castle and eat it. Her face and hands were just covered in icing. Very sticky!

And the completed product. Beautiful isn't it? A piece of art that will be around for a long time.

I should have realized that it was not going to go well with my little monster involved. Yesterday she pulled the entire Christmas tree down and was very proud of herself for doing so. I have no pictures of it as I was quite upset and ready to pack the tree up and deprive my children of Christmas. However I cooled down and re decorated the tree and then blocked it off so that won't happen again.

In a few weeks Andrew will be on holidays and we will head to Kelowna for Christmas. Should be good times!

Snowmen!

2010-12-06T11:34:00.003-07:00

So one day it was nice out and the snow was right so we went and built a snowman. Sophie does not love the snow and it took her a bit to get used to but we had a lot of fun.

Here is our awesome snowman with top hat, whistle and a gummy worm mouth.

Andrew and Sophie with the finished product. (As I am typing this Sophie is saying "Daddy Daddy" and reaching out for him to hold her. So sad)

Abigail holding hands with Mr. Snowman. She loves the snow and winter which she did not get from me but her dad!

And later Abi decided to recreate the wonderful moment on her chalkboard. She is such a wonderful artist. She loves to draw so much. I get really excited to see her little creations.

So that was fun and the snowman is still around, minus his candy face which the magpies (Abi's favorite bird) probably ate.

Craft Time

2010-11-20T09:20:00.003-07:00

Since it is now cold out, I have to come up with ways to entertain the girls. One day I made salt dough ornaments and let the girls paint them. These are the pictures.
I'm not sure why Abi looks scared but I know I was!!

Sophie thought of it as finger paint, and food.

Abi painting her gingerbreadman.

See my hands!

They had fun and it passed the afternoon away.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-07T10:01:00.004-07:00

Today we took some family pictures so we can get Christmas cards done. Here are some shots that didn't make the cut. (I am not a very good photographer and while I know a lot of fabulous ones, none of them live in the area so these are just taken using a timer.)
Here is Sophie after I finished her hair. (It took a few seconds)

Abi, after I finished her hair. (I am also not a hairdresser). It took me 1 and 1/2 episodes of SpongeBob.

My handsome husband and my little girls.

The "I don't want to do this anymore" shot.

And one that turned out not too bad, however it is missing an important member of our family.

Halloween

2010-11-01T09:18:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Halloween and while Abi (and I'm sure Andrew) was upset that Daddy didn't take them trick or treating, I think they still had fun.
Here are our pumpkins.

Mine is the one on the left. It's supposed to be "surprised". Abi's is the happy one. She doesn't like the scary pumpkins. (Which is weird because she seems to like scary everything else. That she gets from Andrew because I do not like scary things at all!!)

Abigail and Sophie checking out our candy.

Abi spreading her wings as a unicorn. She loves her costume!!

Sophie as a little duck, or chick. She loved trick or treating, although she couldn't understand why we couldn't go into everyone's house. Silly girl.

Here they are all ready to go out!! They had lot's of fun and got a good deal of candy. Even some full sized chocolate bars which I confiscated immediately.

Just random stuff

2010-10-30T10:24:00.002-06:00

So Andrew got a job up north. We are very happy he has a job, not so happy that he has to go away for two weeks at a time. But we will get used to it and hopefully it won't be for too long. We are almost done our first set of two weeks. The first week went by really fast as we had two different sets of company. The first my AWESOMEST friend Sharon and her kids. We got to drink tea, eat popcorn and watch Jane Austen movies. Pretty much the perfect evening. Then my Oma and friend Annie came to visit. Oma is a very clean lady whereas my housekeeping skills are adequate at best. I always try really really hard to clean up so she doesn't have to when she comes over. This time was made difficult by our previous company leaving half a day before she came. So I kind of gave up. And so her and Annie cleaned and rearranged under my sink and my cutlery drawer. (She always finds the most random things to clean too. Once it was the inside of my dishwasher) But I love having her visit. Plus she made my croquettes for me!! Yumm!! So it was a very good visit and I was very happy for the distraction.
I wanted to give a picture of the girls to Andrew before he left so he wouldn't miss them too much. Here are some samples of our photoshoot. It was hard to get a good one of the two of them.
Here is little Sophie. This is her "I want to get into something I shouldn't" face. It is a very common face around here.

Abi! This is her "smiling for the camera" face. She is the silliest little thing. Man I love my girls!

And the picture I sent with Andrew. (Red eyes and all as I forgot to fix it before we printed it off and we were in a hurry). Sophie is tickling Abi and they are both laughing themselves silly!!

Such funny girls. I miss Andrew so much and am sad he misses out on the girls but I am very thankful for a husband who will do anything for his family. He will miss out on Halloween but I'll take pictures for him (and you!)
On a separate (and happy) note, I have lost 20 pounds!!! YAY!!! I'm pretty excited. It's been awesome. I love the gym and it is helping so much. I'm a bit nervous for the next couple of weeks as I have a pinched nerve and can't go to the gym until it's healed but hopefully that won't take long. Until then I have been going on the treadmill and watching what I eat. I'll post a picture soonish of me.
Have a super great week!!!

Chaos

2010-10-24T10:08:00.003-06:00

Last night I was hosting a dinner with some friends and there were lot's of kids and everything was busy and then I noticed Sophie was missing. And then I found her!

FALL

2010-09-27T15:36:00.002-06:00

Fall is here and after some really yucky weather we have had some really beautiful weather. Here are pictures from our fall escapades.
On one such beautiful day Andrew and the girls and I met our friend and her boys for a picnic. Here is Abi with a bug. She is like a bug whisperer. She loves them and can catch them so fast! Crazy.

Sophie enjoying the swing!

Sophie up a tree. She may have had some help getting up there!

Hello Abi! See the beautiful sky? It was super nice.

We brought Mr.Collins out. Here he is being ferocious and stalking bugs.

The weather has been lovely, nice for Andrew who has been laid off and is home with us now. We are hoping and praying that he will get a job soon until then the girls love having their Daddy around!

30!

2010-09-14T12:35:00.002-06:00

Last week my super awesome husband turned 30!!! Yes I am now married to a 30 year old. I think (and I know not everyone agrees with me) but I think that 30 is a big deal and so I planned two awesome surprises for Andrew. The first was that I was flying his friend whom he hasn't seen in three years out for the weekend. This surprise did not end up being a surprise as I got too stressed out with some of the arrangements and being the sensitive guy he is Andrew could tell something was wrong and I ended up telling him they were coming. He was surprised and as an added bonus thought that that was his birthday present and so his IPAD was going to come as a total and complete shock to him! At least this was the idea until one day I was joking with Andrew about something and I said: "guess what I'm getting you for your birthday?" and ABI SAID: "An Ipad!". Oh was I bummed out!!! Thankfully Andrew was tuning her out at that particular moment and so he didn't hear. So on his birthday I set up a little scavenger hunt for him to find his gifts and the last was the ipad and boy was he surprised and super excited. Perhaps a little too excited as now he says good night to ipad before going to sleep and asks me to check on ipad during the day so it doesn't get lonely! Silly boys! We had a great weekend with Paul and Heidi and their girls got along super well with our girls and it was all around super fun. I do not have any pictures as I tend to forget to take pictures but it was good. And now to prepare for the next birthday...mine!! Yay! I'm not turning 30 so it won't be quite so exciting.
As a side note about two weeks ago I joined a gym and it is going super good. In the last couple of weeks I have lost 7 pounds and am super excited about it. So yay for me!
Have a good week!

The Girls Dancing to Glee

2010-08-25T14:01:00.003-06:00

I have never posted a video before so I hope this works. Here is a video of the girls dancing. They love to dance so much!!! They always have lot's of fun! Enjoy!!

5 Celebrities who Should be Friends with ME

2010-08-24T12:28:00.003-06:00

Wow! I didn't think it had been so long since I wrote anything. I was in Kelowna visiting my sisters for two weeks so I guess that is part of it. The picture is of my girls plus my niece in the beautiful skirts Jody got them. Also I haven't really had any funny stories or anything to tell. (I say this as moments ago I turned around to discover Sophie had found a marker and bit the tip off. She now has raspberry coloured lips and fingers.) Anyway here are 5 celebrities whose lives would be enriched from the awesomeness of me!
1. Lauren Graham
~She is sooo funny and I, too, am quite witty and so we would have the greatest time together and we would be laughing and laughing the whole time but I sense from her (you know from watching her on tv and in interviews) that we could be serious together and really bond. So hopefully she'll read this and call me up and we can start hanging out.
2. Katie Holmes
~Katie Holmes could do with some real normal friends. I'm real normal!! Or normalish or at least not famous and out of touch with reality. Plus her daughter is the same age as Abigail and I think Suri could use a normal friend too.
3. Jennifer Garner
~ Doesn't she seem like the most normal celebrity mom? I think she would be super good to hang out with. Her girls could play with my girls while we chatted about the book we just read and why tea is way better than coffee. It would be a very nice friendship.
4. Kate Middleton
~This is only because I really want a friend who lives in England and who better than the gf of the future King? Plus she wears cool hats and probably drinks tea and knows where to get the good stuff. So kind of selfish of me really but oh well. It's not like she'll ever read this and if she does: Kate I'm really nice, and not at all stalkery. I just really like England.
5. Emma Watson
~She's British and super cute and she took a break to go to school. We could have nice little chats together and I could be like an older sister to her. I'm good at being an older sister. It would be awesome.
So there you go. Don't worry I won't spend my time actually wishing I was friends with these people. I have really awesome super friends and family. I really have too many friends already so even if they wanted to be friends with me, I really am too busy and popular.
Have a great week!

Miracles

2010-07-21T14:58:00.003-06:00

I know that miracles happen everyday and that everyday things are miracles. Like it's a miracle that I get through some days without selling my kids to whoever will take them. (Just kidding) But you know there are those little things that you think "wow that could have been a lot worse" like when you turn your back on your one year old for a minute and she manages to not fall off the tree house ladder she managed to climb up, a talent you were unaware she had. (you know, just as a random example...not that that has ever happened to me...maybe it happened to a "friend" of mine once) But there are also times you get smacked in the face with a big miracle. This is one of those miracles.

This is baby Mila. Mila is my niece and she was born eight weeks early when her mom, Tiffany (my sister in law) developed pre-eclampsia. Mila was 2 lbs 11 oz and other than being small she is doing so well!!!

She was even moved to a different hospital to be closer to her mom and dad. Andrew and I got to visit her a couple of weekends ago. I was too scared to hold her. She just looked so little and there were tubes and wires everywhere. But she yawned and opened her eyes and seemed content to be held by her mommy.
I was just reminded how fragile life is and how blessed I am that everyone in my little family is fine and healthy and now how blessed we are that Mila, though little, is doing so well and getting so strong.
So keep an eye out for those little miracles and be thankful for them when they come along.

My other secret project

2010-07-13T14:41:00.003-06:00

Okay so awhile back I mentioned that my new secret project was to make our bedroom all pretty like. I haven't really had the ideas or money to do anything about it until the other day when I decided to MAKE my own duvet cover and pillows etc. Liane and I headed off to Fabricland where we had a grand adventure and finally after agonizing over fabric, picked some pretty ones. I started on the cover yesterday and finished it all this afternoon!!! I am so proud and excited. Here are some pictures.

Here it is. I love the colours and they match with our lovely paintings!

The pillows!

The whole bed.

I still have other things I want to do in our room. Like getting matching end tables and lamps and paint. But this is a good start!

Chef Abi

2010-07-12T09:03:00.003-06:00

The other night Abi invited us to dine in her restaurant. She had moved the stool and chair and cat house to create her restaurant. She gave us menus' and food. (Little bowls of popcorn). She also had us call her "Chef Abi". It was darn cute.

Here is Sophie dining.

Abi and Sophie dining together on water and Oreos.

Abi is playing with the light here. She even put a light at the table to make it nice.

This was one of the cutest things she has ever done!! It was awesome!

Canada Day

2010-07-05T08:52:00.003-06:00

So Canada Day came (HURRAY!!) and while Andrew took the girls to parade, I got to clean the house because we had company coming (not so exciting). A friend of mine was kind enough to take some pictures for me though. So here are the girls at the parade!

Sophie with her flag.

Sophie with her sucker which she got everywhere. She was literally sticky from head to toe! Shelly later told me she would indeed, stick the sucker in between her toes.

Abi, jumping for joy!

Burning off all the sugar they consumed.

Abi and her buddies!!

They had a good time and I got all my cleaning done so I guess it worked out well for everyone!

Sophie's Birthday

2010-06-21T08:33:00.002-06:00

Here are pictures from Sophie's birthday.
These are the cupcakes I made. They are little birdies in a nest. They were quite yummy.

This is our clown toss and fishing duck game. It was fun!

Andrew and the girls on the swing. What a cute little family I have!

And the Sophie eating a cupcake pictures.

She really managed to get it everywhere. But at least she enjoyed it!

Happy birthday little Sophie pants!!!

Summertime

2010-06-16T12:35:00.002-06:00

Here are some summertime photos. Since Sophie's first birthday is a few days away I thought I would take her for a haircut. Here she is before.

Here she is after. I think it went well! She is also eating her first ice cream cone. Yumm.

Here is Abigail playing on the new playset in our backyard. She loves the swing.

Here she is looking through her telescope. Spying on the neighbours like all good neighbours do!

Here is Sophie by the tree. She says "bree bree" to the tree now. It also reminded me of the photos my Grama used to take of us when we were younger. She would make us hold branches to our faces. Oh Grama!

Well in a few days Sophie turns one and we are having a party! YAY!

Our Cat

2010-06-08T08:43:00.003-06:00

Here are some special pictures of Mr.Collins.
Story time. He loves Curious George. (Pardon my awful hair!)

Perched up high on our entertainment unit. He jumped down and knocked over a vase and broke it. I was not so happy.

Abi playing doctor with Mr.Collins. He was sooo excited.

There you go!

The Zoo

2010-06-08T08:29:00.003-06:00

My awesome sisters were in Calgary one weekend and so we drove down to meet them and decided to hit up the zoo. Just before we arrived the clouds opened up and rained down on us. We were not going to let that stop us. (I should also say I am a terrible picture taker. I often forget to take photos and the ones I do take are very random. Oh well). So here is Abi and Sophie all outfitted for the rain.

Our party ready to party!

Alex and Abi checking out the tortoise (or is it a turtle?) who was surprisingly active.

Abi, hanging out in the kangaroo pouch. She was not so interested in the actual kangaroos but...

Abi feeding the birds. I think this was her favorite part of the zoo. She liked it almost as much as the flies on the glass of the animals cages. Silly kids!

We had a lovely time at the zoo. It was great to see my sisters and hang out. We didn't get to see the dinosaurs or the Canadian Wildlife but we had fun all the same!

Blanket Monster

2010-05-31T11:59:00.002-06:00

Sophie has a new game she likes to play. We call it Blanket Monster. She throws her blanket on her head and walks around growling and laughing and shrieking.

This game usually ends in her running into a wall as she is just about to do here.

But don't worry she's okay! She loves this game and the constant banging into things does not discourage her in any way.

This weekend I also attempted a Beef Wellington, as seen on Hell's Kitchen. And here it is fresh from the oven.

And our beautifully laid table with our dinner! Doesn't it look pretty? It didn't quite taste so pretty. I find with the Ramsey cookbooks that a lot of his recipes actually take longer than he says and I forgot that with this recipe so the Wellington was underdone but it tasted good the next day and the potatoes were also slightly underdone. Perhaps this is why Andrew asked me last night if I would like to take cooking classes?

Ahhh well, you try and you learn right? On Friday my sisters are coming to Calgary!!!! YAY!!!! We are going to meet them and go to the mall and zoo and have lot's of fun!!!

Fear

2010-05-18T21:34:00.003-06:00

Okay you know how you are supposed to face your fear and conquer it and stuff? People hold spiders and get put in tiny spaces and hang out with clowns for an afternoon to help get over their fears, well I have figured out the best way to get over a fear. Have a child, because nothing makes you want to stand up to that little black spider that's making your heart beat a mile minute than your four year old mocking you.
I don't know when I became so icked out and scared of bugs. I mean sure I've always been scared of spiders and yes I got nervous when that bee or wasp flew by but now all bugs (with the exception of ladybugs and maybe one or two others) just creep me out. But I try to put on a brave face because Abigail has no fear at all of bugs. She just picks them right up and brings them to me to show me. I don't mind the beetles and ants but the spiders. Ewww the spiders. But when she starts laughing at me and mocking me because I'm scared and she knows it, well that just makes me want to stand up to that little crawly thing and call over the cat to eat it. So I do. I also try not to freak out (like I did before in wussy girl fashion) when the bee or wasp flies by because I don't want Abi to freak out when they fly by, I also want her to think I'm brave.
So I feel a wee bit braver when it comes to the bugs because I really don't need her to make fun of me. Andrew does that enough.
Also that picture is Pickles my mother's day gnome. When the flowers die I am going to put him in my yard and hope he doesn't get stolen like Pierpont.

I've Changed my Mind

2010-05-10T08:35:00.002-06:00

Okay I don't know how many of you have ever the experience of sitting in church listening to a message and thought "Wow it's like God and the Pastor teamed up to say 'This message is just for you, pay attention.'" I've often heard my friends tell me about this happening to them and I've never related to it because it had never happened to me until yesterday. Our pastor's wife, Shelly, was giving a message and in it she shared how she didn't have a great relationship with her mom and always wondered why she couldn't have one. She shared she would often cry and lament over this, ignoring all the other good things in her life. She realized that nothing will satisfy that hole except God. So often we try to fill the hole in our life with something and even when we get it we are still not satisfied. She prayed that God would take away her bitterness and heal the relationship with her mom and eventually, He did. And you know what I realized? I'm so tired of being angry and bitter about my mom and what she has done to me. I have so many other wonderful things and people in my life that I should focus on and be thankful for. I'm sure there will still come times when I wish I had a mom to turn to but I'll turn to someone else, someone who has always looked after me, always loved me, is always there for me and has never let me down and in Him I will find comfort and strength. And when Mother's day comes around next year I will look forward to celebrating it with my husband and girls and other family.
So I take back the negative things I said in my last post and instead look forward to next years Mother's Day!
Have a super week.

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T16:36:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I am not looking forward to it. Not because of me or my little ones, I think that way will be very nice. Andrew is planning to make breakfast and dinner tomorrow and currently him and Abi are on a mission of some sort. So that's nice. I'm glad they love me. But just as Mother's Day is about them celebrating me so should it be about me celebrating my mom. And this I'm not going to do and I don't want to celebrate her. I'm tired of commercial after contest and contest after commercial telling about the great things you should do, buy, win for your awesome mom. I don't have an awesome mom, I don't even have a very good Mom. For 27 years Mother's Day has been about celebrating her and this is the first year I'm not going to do anything for her, maybe a phone call, if she'll even answer, if her phone isn't disconnected. And do you want to know how I feel about this? Not liberated or free but guilty. Like somehow I'm the bad child when I'm not. I am a good daughter. But I sure don't feel that way. My sisters and I sent flowers to our Grama, our Oma and our stepmom. These women are something to us. They are all great grandmothers who care about us and our children, they deserve to be celebrated, Mom does not. And so tomorrow I will do my best to enjoy and relax with my family knowing and try to always be a mother worth celebrating and not feel guilty about not celebrating my own mom.
So if you have a great mom then celebrate her and if you don't try to ignore the hoopla around you and don't feel guilty.

Books I am currently Reading

2010-05-02T09:18:00.002-06:00

Okay normally this would say book I am currently reading because I generally don't like to read more than one book at a time. I like to give myself completely to one book and devote my time to it but I'm currently "reading" three books. Let me tell about them.
The first one is "The Rebel Diet" by Dr. Melissa Hershberg. As I am still struggling with losing weight I thought this would be a good way to jump start. The thing I like about this book is that it is not about dieting but about learning about different foods and portion control and those kinds of things. Not restricting yourself so that when you have lost the weight you gain it all back because you are so excited to be able to eat chocolate again that you devour 5 bars of Reese Cups a night. It's also written in informal language so it sounds like you are having a conversation with her which is nice, unfortunately this conversation has swearing which I don't like. I really don't think it's necessary for her to swear in the book but perhaps it's a cool thing to do, calling the reader's the B word but I find it annoying and detracting. But hey if it teaches me good things then perhaps I'll let it slide.
The second one I am reading is "The Book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha. It really is a book of awesomeness. It's little random things that make life awesome. It's currently residing in the bathroom so when I run in there for a quick escape from the girls, I can pee and read something awesome at the same time. He also has a blog for which the link should be posted on the side.
The third one I haven't started yet. I am waiting for the perfect time to start it because I tend to get caught up and rush through these books. It's "The 9th Judgement" by James Patterson. It is one of his Women's Murder Club books and I love them! I love James Patterson. It's so hard to not read his books. If I devote myself I can usually finish it off in a couple of hours. So sometimes I read the couple preceding the new (as in number 7 and 8) just to delay the moment or I wait until I have the perfect time to start it like tonight when the girls are in bed and I am in a nice warm bath. Then I will start and savour the moment. I'm pretty excited about it.
So those are the books I'm reading now. I'm waiting for some others to be released soon and then I will have more to look forward too.
Have a lovely week!

Defining Yourself

2010-04-23T22:16:00.002-06:00

I have recently signed up for a game called Akoha. It's this mission style game where you choose things to do like send someone flowers, place a dollar in a weird place and take a picture, make a vegan meal. Just random things to make you feel good and make others feel good. Like most online things (Facebook, Blogger, etc) they ask you to create a profile and describe yourself. I have trouble doing that. Most of the time I put down that I'm a mom. It is my primary role right now, it's my job, my privilege, a gift, a hardship, a joy and I love it and it drives me crazy. I worry though that I'm losing the other part of me, the Christi part of me. There are only two people in this world who call me Mom (and usually it's Mommy or Mama (ewww) or even sometimes Mother, which I kinda like in a weird way) and yet it seems to take over my life. I worry when I am out with my friends that I only talk about the girls and not enough about what my friends are up to or even what I'm up to apart from the girls. And to be honest there isn't a lot that I do apart from them. I'm a lot of other things. But I sometimes forget that and I'm trying in little tiny ways to find me again. Andrew and I are planning a weekend away from the girls. This is something I have said I desperately want and need but have resisted doing because it means two things, first I would have to ask someone for help. I hate asking for help and I hate to place a burden on anybody. And the second reason is that I'm scared. I'm scared I'll be boring and forget how to be Christi. I'm scared Andrew and I will talk of nothing except the girls and that all I'll do is worry about how they are and not enjoy the specialness of being able to hang out with Andrew and sleep in and go shopping and stuff. But we are going to do it and maybe I'll find a bit of who I am.
So I don't know how to define me, I'm still kind of looking for who I am and who I was and who I will be. I know that parts of who I am will change because life changes you and the people around you change you (just ask any of my old roommates who all claim they were normal until I lived with them!) but there's got to be bits of me that are encoded and won't change and I wish I knew what they were so when I'm asked to describe myself I would know what to say.
It's getting late and there's no sleeping in for me tomorrow so I'm going to bed. Maybe none of this will make sense to anyone but how often do feelings and late night ramblings make sense?

Sophie's Dedication

2010-04-19T08:43:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Sophie's dedication. It went well. We were asked to choose a prayer verse to give to Sophie and we chose Joshua 1:9 which is a verse that meant a lot to me growing up. Afterwards we had a BBQ with our small group and Liane and John which was super nice. I forgot to get pictures of Sophie but here are some other pictures of other things.
These are the ladybug cupcakes I made for the BBQ. The first batch of ladybugs did not go so well but these seemed to turn out well and tasty!

This is Abi at the BBQ in the cutest dress ever!!

This morning while I was getting dressed I put Sophie in her crib to play, Abi thought she needed some toy and proceeded to bring every animal she could fine. At least they had fun!

The weather her is beautiful and so I plan to take much advantage of it and go for many walks and perhaps teach Abi to ride her bike.
Have a most awesome week!

Abigail's Birthday

2010-04-16T14:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Abigail turned 4!!! Hard to believe she's already four and also hard to believe she isn't 13 yet. Everything goes by fast and yet it's hard to believe she hasn't been with us forever!

I took her to Safeway to get a birthday cupcake (because I didn't want to make another cake!) but instead she wanted a birthday doughnut. Well it's her birthday!

We have a little area in our living room that Sophie cannot get to and so Abigail has made this her little getaway to play away from Sophie's grabbing hands. She was in there colouring for awhile when she popped out and had her hands behind her back, grinning at me like she had a secret and the kind of secret that could get her into a little trouble. So I asked her to show me what she had.

She had coloured the palms of both her hands blue. I was not so happy and when she realized she was in a bit of trouble, neither was she.

Sophie is a walking baby. This is her taking tentative steps. Babies are funny when they just learn how to walk. She is doing very well with and is very determined.

One day I did a million loads of laundry and there was only one left to be put away but I had to leave it and so I stuck the basket out of the reach of babies. I put it on a stool under our island counter. Someone thought this was a good place to sleep.

He was also not impressed I was taking pictures.

Oh well!

For Janessa

2010-04-13T12:58:00.001-06:00

So hockey season is about over. At least for my team. But also for Andrew's team. He lost our bet!! I still haven't figured out what I want for my something good but I've got a few days. I have, however, lost the bet to Janessa. So Janessa my culinary skills are yours and you may request of me whatever you like and I will do my best to figure out how in the world to get it to you in a timely manner!!
I will have stuff to post shortly after Abigail's birthday.
Enjoy your week!

Random Pictures again

2010-04-08T08:42:00.002-06:00

Okay so I know I should have more pictures to post, especially of our tip, but I guess I am not a very faithful picture taker. So here are some pictures that I like that may or may not be related to our trip.
So here is the "new" handle to my oven. On our first night gone Andrew broke the handle off. Oh Andrew! I just noticed you can see my sexy legs in the reflection!

Pretty much the only picture I took of my girls (and it's only one) with their cousins (again only one). Sorry Cassandra and Gabs. This is Sophie and Riley. I'll try to steal my sisters pictures to post as well.

One of Abi's two birthday cakes.

Sophie with her Olympics spirit showing!

Mr.Collins! He was chasing a necklace with Abi and may have gotten a wee bit stuck. Doesn't he look so excited! You can see his paw in the hole. Silly cat. Abi was laughing so hard, it was so funny!!

So that's all for now. Soon I will try to do more.

Small story

2010-04-04T16:08:00.001-06:00

Okay I know I should have more to say or more pictures to post given that I was away for two weeks but perhaps the lack of sleep is clouding my brain because I can't think of anything. Anything, except this one small story (sorry two). While out visiting my friend came over with her son who is just over 18 months. She needed to change his diaper and did so on the floor with Abi looking on. Abi has never really seen boy parts before and when she saw his she asked my friend "Why is Brendan's bum so silly?" Why indeed Abi! Also when she was watching my dad's wife, Jackie, take off her makeup after work and put on cream she asked what the cream was for and Jackie said to get rid of the wrinkles on her face and make her look younger, to which Abi replied: "I think you should put more on!"
Oh Abi!

Sophie

2010-03-14T11:00:00.003-06:00

So Sophie has started screeching when she is displeased. I'm not so fond of this new behaviour. It gets particularly bad around dinnertime. She sits at my feet and screeches until it's time to eat. So the other day, as she was screeching and I was beginning to lose my mind, I thought I would give her something to chew on to keep her entertained. I happened to be cutting lemons while this thought occurred. I gave her the lemon.

Ohhhh yummy lemons!

Perhaps she is not so fond of the lemon.

Okay just to be clear, I was not giving her the lemon to be cruel. When Abi was around Sophie's age my dad gave her a lemon and she loved it a lot! So I just wanted to see if Sophie liked them. Also when I took the lemon away she cried. But I replaced it with an orange and she was much happier.

This is a picture of a jungle train Abi drew. I'm just a proud mom.

And my two beautiful girls.
Later this week we head to Kelowna for two weeks!!! Hurray. I'm sure I will have lot's of pictures to post of our trip plus we have birthdays and dedications and such coming up as well.
I must now attend to my screeching baby.

My Cat has an Attitude

2010-03-10T08:19:00.002-07:00

Anyone who has met my cat knows he has attitude. Or more politely, personality. Here are some pictures to demonstrate.
At night, while I am minding my own business reading or watching tv, this is what he does. He stares at me. Just staring. Sometimes for an hour or so. Just staring. Thanks Mr.Collins, way to make me feel uncomfortable.

Can you see the fear in his eyes here? He's getting nervous because Sophie is getting closer and closer to him.

And she's there so he's not!

And we get visually accosted by scenes like this one. Thanks Mr.Collins, we shower where no one else has to witness it but not you. No, you must do it wherever you please and not care about our feeling.

This is my favorite picture. As I came walking down the stairs the other day I saw him jumping on the couch. Seriously jumping like little kids do. Now I may have been mistaken, he may have been trying to jump onto the back of the couch, slipped and bounced a little but still. He is clearly ashamed of being caught either of jumping or falling.

I do love him though. He's so much fun.

Baby School

2010-03-09T10:11:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures of Abi playing baby school with Sophie.
This is the school room. Notice all the things (carseat etc.) blocking the door so as the baby won't escape.

Abi teaching stuff to Sophie.

Sophie smiling. She did have fun in the school. Abi was not so excited when she managed to get through all the blockades and escape though.

Oh well! They still had fun!

5 Reality Shows I would be on

2010-03-08T21:49:00.002-07:00

Okay here are my top choices if I were forced or lucky enough to be on a reality show.
1. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
~Okay I know I said I didn't want to own a restaurant but let's say I did have one, or I finally got to open my Inn with Sharon and it wasn't doing so hot (which would never happen because everyone would want to come to our Inn and the food would be pretty good and the desserts even better!) but for the sake of argument let's say I did, I would LOVE to have Gordon Ramsay come help. He is much less scary in this show and only yells at you if you are stupid enough not to listen to what he has to say and I would not be that stupid because I obviously recognize his brilliance!
2. The Biggest Loser
~Given my current weight struggle, this would be a great one for me. I know it would be really tough but what an opportunity. Plus I wouldn't feel too bad about getting kicked off because they help you when you leave so it's like a win-win!
3. America's/Canada's Next Top Model
~Clearly this is the obvious choice for me given my astounding beauty. Plus how fun would Jay and Nigel be??? The only downside would be living with a bunch of girls who catfight and listening to Tyra blather on but still... (also for anyone who watches ANTM, a new cycle starts this week!)
4. American Idol
~Another obvious choice given my beautiful singing voice. The American Idol Wii game thinks I'm awesome and I usually win 83% of time so really I should just try out! I think though that I wouldn't want to win but come in second or third and be one of the ones who really shouldn't have been voted off because they seem to do better in most cases. So yeah American Idol here I come!
My top choice of reality show would be
5. What Not to Wear
~I love this show!! I have considered nominating myself just to get on. $5000 wardrobe with people who tell you what looks the best, plus an awesome new haircut and makeup tips? Seriously the best show! I hate trying to pick stuff out and this way they tell you what looks the best!! I am lousy with makeup and to have someone show me what to do would be super awesome!! So this would be my number one top pick!! Woooo hoooo!!
And now you have learned a little bit more about me!

Some pictures

2010-03-06T08:40:00.003-07:00

Here are some random pictures because I am bored this Saturday morning waiting for Andrew to get up so we can go shopping. Not really exciting shopping, we need a new carseat for Sophie who is getting too tall for the baby one. But we do get to go to Michael's where I will have to show great restraint but...anyway pictures!
This is a drawing Abi made on her MagnaDoodle. Her pictures are starting to become more detailed. This is a picture of her with ears and antennae and eyebrows. She also got the letters in her name in the correct order, in a straightish line.

This is her with her dog Harrod. She loves her puppy and loves getting her picture taken.

And this is Sophie in her usual position. Standing up and grabbing onto whatever is nearby. I don't think it will be too much longer until she is walking. She already thinks she can walk and lets go of whatever she is holding onto but then falls pretty quickly.

I hope you all have a LOVELY weekend!

Reality shows I would NOT go on

2010-03-01T11:51:00.002-07:00

There is something trainwreckish about watching reality tv. You see "real" people in strange or "real" situations and I find once I start watching, I just can't stop no matter how awful it is to witness. I don't watch much reality tv, I get too emotionally involved but I do catch the odd one. I am watching Survivor this season. I haven't watched in a few years but as usual I get caught up in the teams, I'm also watch The Biggest Loser and yes I cry. But here are a list of 5 reality (and I'm going with the game type shows rather than the life ones) shows I would not be on.
1. Survivor
~ I am WAY to picky of an eater to be on this show. I would starve and ended up being the weakest player and they would vote me off soooo quick. I think I would be a great team member because I can take direction well and work but I am not strong so I would be gone quick!
2. The Apprentice
~ I haven't actually watched this show but I'm sure I would not do well. I am not business minded in any way!
3. Hell's Kitchen
~ I LOVE Gordon Ramsay. I think he's super great but no way would I ever be on this show. I love cooking but I don't think I would like to own a restaurant plus he's so scary I would be like that crying guy on whatever season it was. I would breakdown and cry all the time. So no thanks.
4. The Bachelor/Bachelorette
~ Besides the obvious fact that I am married I wouldn't go on these shows even if I weren't. I would not like the idea of having to kiss (or feel the pressure of it) many guys or knowing many girls were kissing a guy I was interested in. Plus I couldn't handle living with sooo many girls. All the backstabbing and such. I would be terrible on these shows.
5. The Amazing Race
~I am not adventurous enough for this show. I like to see the places they go and perhaps one day go there myself but the lack of sleep they endure would be really bad for me. Andrew would be a good contestant for this show but he'd have to find a different partner because it's not gonna be me!
Next week I'll share which shows I would be on because there are some I think would be fun!

Perspective

2010-02-22T09:21:00.003-07:00

Everyone, I'm fairly confident, goes through some not so good times in their life. Some people go through more than others. Lately I feel as though I have had my fair share of not so good stuff going on. I know that God never gives you more than you can handle and that the bad stuff can make you stronger but I was thinking I'd be okay with being happy and weak. Then I took a long look around and realized that my life really isn't that bad and that there are others who go through much worse than me. So I will list everybody else's bad stuff so I can feel better about myself....Just kidding.
Instead I will list the awesomeness that is in my life.

First is Andrew. What a good husband I have. His willingness to provide for his family is great, he loves all his girls and he watches Jane Austen with me. Lovely.

My funny little girls. Sometimes they drive me crazy, especially on days when I'm tired and Abi's energy seems to double but I love them very much. They are so smart and silly. The silliness they come by honestly.

Cheesecake? I'm thankful for chocolate? Well yes I am but also this cheesecake represents my sisters because I could not find a nice picture of the two of them together. I had a picture with both of them sticking their tongues out but they don't like it when I put those pictures up. I love my sisters. They are amazing girls that I can talk to about problems and happy things and weird questions. I get to spent two weeks with them next month and I am sooo excited.

This picture represents my friends. This is just one awesome friend in a group of 4 or 5 awesome friends that I have. You don't need a lot of friends just a couple of good quality ones and mine are of the highest quality.
I also have lot's of family that loves me and a house to live in and a Father who takes care of me. Really I am so blessed. So I'm going to try to keep those things in mind when the not so good days happen.
And on those not so good days, I will eat chocolate!

My Secret Project

2010-02-10T10:18:00.003-07:00

Here is something silly...I have never decorated a room before. I have put stuff in a room so it doesn't look bare but I have never consciously thought about what I was doing. Until recently. I HATE the colour of our house. It is a boring beige and it is in EVERY room. Not different shades but the exact same colour. I have now painted the girls rooms which makes it easier but I decided to decorate our bathroom to help with this problem. Our bathroom was very bare and we had this plastic on the windows to let light in but not peepers eyes. This was our bathroom.

Pretty boring and uninspiring. So I had some pictures that I loved and wanted to hang somewhere and so I got to work.
I changed the stuff in the fishbowls and added new candles.

I hung my pictures from England of London and in the very top of the picture you can see words I painted along the top. I spent a lot of time trying to decide what I wanted to say and this was the quote I chose: "I love you the more in that I believe you had liked me for my own sake and for nothing else" John Keats. I thought this was a good one to put in a bathroom because I don't always feel pretty and this was a good reminder someone loves me for who I am and nothing else. So I was pretty happy with the progress thus far.

Then came phase two. In our previous house there was a window that appeared to be stained glass but was actually window paint. I got a hold of the lady who did it and asked her about it and she said it was so easy so I thought I would try it. This would solve our falling down plastic problem and the disagreement Andrew and I would have over wanting light in the bathroom (me) but not wanting people to see in (Andrew). (I also did not want people looking in but I did not want curtains). So I found a pattern and got supplies and went to work. It was not easy. In fact it was horrible. The paint would run down and the first coat of the blue (which was supposed to be identical to the paint I used for the quote) looked like grey and it looked awful. I tried to fix it by doing another coat which made it a bit more tolerable. (I also discovered that if I had used a sponge brush the first time, I would not have had any of these problems!) The second coat made everything a lot more darker which was not what I wanted.

This is it currently. I do not like it. I am seriously considering redoing the whole thing. I think I can take the paint off as I haven't sealed it yet. So hopefully it will come off well and I can redo it and have it not look horrible. But there is my secret project.
Next I want to redo our bedroom. I have been secretly saving money for it and just need to convince Andrew to take the girls somewhere one weekend when I have enough money so I can do it all and surprise him.

A small confession

2010-02-04T15:54:00.002-07:00

So here are some random pictures again because life is pretty random isn't it sometimes? First are some pictures of my latest culinary attempt. These are Honey butter cookies with little bumblebees on them. They turned out okay. I should have let the icing cool a bit more (yes the icing not the cookies). But they still look cute I think!

As I was about to post these pictures I heard Abigail say: "I'm playing baby with Mr.Collins. I gave him a bottle because he is a baby." How can you not take a picture especially since Mr.Collins looks so thrilled to be a baby!

Now Abi keeps referring to Mr.Collins as her walking baby brother. She can be so funny sometimes, it's just awesome!

Little Sophie has cut a tooth. I'm thankful it is through and she looks pretty pleased with herself. Well she generally looks pleased with herself!

This is what the girls tend to look like if I know no one is coming over and we aren't going out. Sometimes we spend the whole day in pjs and sometimes we spend most of the day in pjs until just before Andrew gets home and then I dress everyone quickly. Sometimes I feel guilty about this and sometimes not. Oh well. They are happy girls so it really shouldn't matter if they are dressed and presentable at all times right??

So I am looking forward to this weekend and perhaps the completion of my secret project!!! Here's hoping!

Why I can't leave the room for 10 Seconds

2010-02-01T13:02:00.003-07:00

I left the room to come back and see Sophie had crawled over the stool and pulled herself up!! She is too young to be doing stuff like this!! She is soo determined to be a big girl though!! And look how proud of herself she is!
Funny kids!
Also funny when Abi says stuff like "hey there big fella!"
Goodness!!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-01T12:56:00.003-07:00

Ahhh yes. The big V-Day is approaching. Normally about this time I start to get worried and nervous about what will happen. Andrew and I normally take turns for planning these things and if I am planning I worry about it not going the way I want it to etc and if Andrew is planning it I worry about nothing getting done. As much I love Andrew he has big intentions and then tends to get distracted and not follow through. But this year I am not worried at all!!! This is because we aren't going to do ANYTHING!! No plans, no gifts, no cards, nothing! We will pick up a little thing for the girls and I will use V-day as an excuse for making a Carmel pecan cheesecake but otherwise it is business as usual. Why we did not think of this earlier I don't know. It is sooo freeing!! So this year I have no particular feeling one way or the other!!
Hurray!!!

Cousins!!!

2010-01-21T15:23:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures from the visit with my sisters. Sad we didn't actually get a picture of us together. It was a fun, loud, overwhelming, tiring, awesome visit!! I can't wait to see them again in a few months. Jody and Cassandra are responsible for the matching outfits!
Little man Riley. Such a cutie!
Gaby! She looks so much like Cassandra. Beautiful!
Since Sophie was the oldest and only mobile baby she kept going after the wee ones and crawling over them. Plus Sophie growls and breathes quite loudly so this earned her the nickname Godzilla. Little 'Zilla for short.
And my two lovelies.
We had a great time together and can't wait until March when we will be able to visit a lot more!

Our Tat Family

2010-01-12T15:37:00.003-07:00

Ohh two in one day! Abi has always been fascinated with Andrew's tattoo. Mine she could care less about but oh well. Anyway when we found Dora tattoo's she was super thrilled. So here is our tattooed family. I got Boots because I guess my other one isn't cool enough.
Sophie's been branded with Backpack.
And Abi got Dora. She was so excited! So now we are a stylin family.
As a side not these tattoo's do not come off easily. The girls are still on and mine has faded slightly thanks to an hour long bath.

Abi's Zoo

2010-01-12T15:14:00.003-07:00

So the other day while we were semi-bored on a cold day Abi decided to gather all her animals, (and some of Sophie's) and make a zoo. Welcome to Abi's zoo. Above is the sea animals cage. Our celebrity sea creatures include Ming Ming and Nemo. There are three turtles named Burtle, Curdle and Murdle. Plus one very big shark.
Next we have the kitties and puppies living in harmony. Plus on rabbit. Celebrities here include Marie and Simba plus Harrod who came all the way from England.
This section is always Andrews favorite. The monkey's. They are located next to the plant because everyone knows monkeys live in jungles.
The bug exhibit. Here Jimminy Cricket plans with the mice that like to run around. Also a large turtle calls this section his home.
And finally, hard to see, the most prized animal in Abi's zoo, Mr.Collins. He is contained in our laundry hamper. I think the flash is reflecting off his eye. He was super excited to be caged like the ferocious beast he is.
Thank you for visiting Abi's Zoo!

A New Year

2010-01-06T20:17:00.002-07:00

Well it is a New Year! How exciting. January doesn't very often feel like the beginning of a new year to me. September usually does, this is probably from all those years of school. But this year does feel new to me. It's going to be a fun year. I am already anticipating the things to come. Abigail will be 4!! Crazy. In a year or so she will start school. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Sophie will be one. She is crawling already. They do grow fast as everyone said they would. Andrew and I will celebrate our 5th Anniversary. We were planning to do a trip to celebrate but due to some work stuff we will have to postpone until September or so. We are hoping to go to Las Vegas! I think it'll be super fun. Andrew will be 30 this year. I still feel as though I am in University but it's been a few years now that I've been out. Oh well. What an exciting year to look forward too and who knows what else God will bring.
I am super looking forward to a visit from Jody and Riley and Cassandra and Gaby!!!!!! They are coming in 10 days!!! How much fun we are going to have all together with the babies!!!!! Yay!!!! I will hopefully remember to take lot's of pictures of everyone together. I really do love my sisters a lot. Not just because they are my sisters and I'm supposed to but because they are awesome girls and really good friends. I do wish we lived closer together. Perhaps on their visit they will realize the awesomeness of the Fort and decide to move here. (The silly cat really wants to cuddle with me at the moment and is pacing back and forth on the keyboard trying to find a comfortable place). I really hope that Abigail and Sophie will be good friends too!
(The cat has given up and is sitting on a table giving me dirty looks. Why can't he just cuddle on the couch with me???)
So those are my thoughts this evening.
Have a super week!

Snuggies and Mushrooms

2009-12-29T21:02:00.003-07:00

Here, very quickly, are random Christmas pictures. Here is my Yule Log. It didn't turn out great but the meringue mushrooms were awesome. They went well.

Sophie in a bag.
Abi on her new bike. She was pretty excited!
Sharon and I snugging together. Nothing like a movie, popcorn and a snuggie.
I will write more soon but it has been a busy week and I need some sleep.

I got nothing

2009-12-18T08:51:00.002-07:00

So I know it's been awhile but there really wasn't anything exciting or even mildly interesting to say so here are some random pictures from our random life. Above are some Santa cookies I made for our awesome neighbours who snowblowed (snow blew?) our driveway for us. Cute eh?
I forgot how much Mr.Collins liked baby food. He always tries (and sometimes succeeds) to jump up on the highchair during feeding time. Silly cat! Sophie figures if the cat is going to eat her food, she's going to eat him.The other day we left the house in a hurry and I forgot to scrape Abi's dinner plate so I expected that the cat would eat the pork that was left on the plate. And when we got home the cat was running around and acting like he did something bad and sure enough he had eaten the meat. But he also ate the bok choy. BOK CHOY!! What a crazy cat. At least he didn't get sick.

Abi has taken to wearing sunglasses which is awesome. Here she is in her "Elton John" sunglasses. She is so funny!

I'm pretty sure she was singing and dancing in this photo. What a girl!
Soon it will be Christmas. Yay! I'm really excited for this Christmas. It will be the first Christmas where we spend Christmas morning with just us, the first Christmas to attend church at our home church and the first Christmas where we made our own Christmas crackers!!! It will be good times!
So happy Christmas everyone!! And remember to spread the love that the Father has given us!

Decorating

2009-12-07T09:22:00.003-07:00

I am a terrible decorator. I really wish that I was better at it, however unlike my baking skills in which I can just keep practicing, my decorating skills never get better. There are people in my family who have these skills, Oma, Auntie Sylvia, Jody and Cassandra but not me. So when Andrew took a look around our living room and kitchen area and said "we should decorate this more", I replied "I'm taping a Martha Stewart show on Christmas decorating so maybe that will help". But one thing you need no skill to decorate is the Christmas tree. So here are pictures of ours. And it may not be as beautiful as a Greidanus tree (which are always so GORGEOUS), ours is ours and was decorated by a three year old so... Our tree is lacking in lights since we discovered that one string burnt out. But oh well.
There wasn't many places Abi could reach as the tree is trapped in a corner between our two couches so this little area got the decorations pretty good.
And here is our stockings hung by our fireplace. We got a baby's first Christmas one for Sophie and didn't realize until we got home that it is the French version. Oh well Andrew's side is French. Also notice our wooden shoes for Sinter Klaas! And our cat partially covered in toys because Andrew was playing "See how many things we can put on kitty before he moves" Good game.

So that is our tree and partial decorating job. We'll see how this Martha Stewart show goes and maybe we'll have more pictures to put up.

Gingerbread

2009-12-01T13:44:00.003-07:00

This year I made gingerbread houses for us and my nieces and nephews to decorate while they were over here for Grey Cup. Here are pictures of the fun times we had. My sister in law asked me where I found houses so little, which means she thought I bought them!! And that they weren't as awful as I thought they might look. Yay! Above is our gingerbread village!
This is Abi's first house.
These are a few of the decorated ones. Sorry the picture is sideways. I would fix it but I'm too lazy!
Abi decorating her second house. We had a few left over.
And my house. We had lot's of fun hanging out together! Yay for family time!

My Family

2009-11-28T16:40:00.001-07:00

As I was finishing doing some dishes and cleaning the kitchen I turned around to see this. My family, all snuggled together watching a movie. How blessed am I?

Adventures in Eating

2009-11-23T08:41:00.004-07:00

Yesterday both girls experienced something new with food. Sophie tried "solids" for the first time. (And by solids I mean really runny rice cereal that does not resemble a solid in anyway). Abi got to try sushi for the first time. Sophie was really excited about the spoon. She seemed to enjoy it though.
Andrew has been learning how to make sushi and made dinner for us last night. I'm not a sushi fan but it was still good. Abi was very excited about the little tables and chopsticks.
First stab sushi.
Dip in soy sauce.
Put in mouth. Yum!! She ate quite a bit so that was good.
As for my adventures in eating, I'm still struggling to lose weight. I keep waiting to announce that I've lost 10 pounds but every time I get close I seem to gain a bit. So I am currently at -8 lbs. Hopefully soon.

Hats!

2009-11-16T09:20:00.002-07:00

My awesome! Auntie Sonya and Uncle Martin and cousins Janessa and Michael thought of us on their recent trip into the US and brought back lovely hats for the girls. (As a side note I am jealous of their awesome hats and wish I had one!) So here they are! Above and below Abi is "hugging" Sophie and fixing her hat for her. What a good big sister!
Abi was so excited about her hat she wore it to church with huge Elton John sunglasses and people thought she was in disguise. It was so funny!

Sophie with her strawberry hat.
And together! So great!
So thank you so much to my awesome family. The girls (and I) LOVE them!

**As I was perusing this post and making sure there were no spelling mistakes I noticed my prolific use of exclamation marks. I must be really excited about these hats.

Halloween

2009-11-02T08:06:00.003-07:00

Here are pictures from our Halloweening adventure. Abi was a unicorn. She was so excited and has worn her costume multiple times. That was her happy pumpkin. She did not want a scary one.
This is my BEAutiful family ready for the evening. It is so hard to get a good picture of them.
My creation!! Bats and stars and moon. Andrew says my bat didn't look like one but I disagree!
This is Andrew's pumpkin. I don't even know what it is. Oh no he told me it was a scary French pumpkin. I'm pretty sure mine was more awesome.
And here is our little ladybug Sophie. So cute! This picture landed her in the paper not once but TWICE last week.
So Abi had lot's of fun trick or treating and I had lot's of fun eating her candy! I had to eat some of hers because we RAN OUT this year. Crazy!!! Last year we have WAY too much and this year too little. Oh well. It was good times.
Next week we are heading to Kelowna. Sooo excited!!!!
Enjoy your week!

Contests

2009-10-28T07:59:00.002-06:00

So lately I have been a wee bit obsessed with entering contests. I don't know why, to ease my boredom perhaps, to have something to look forward too and daydream about. Anyway I've entered contests to win a WestJet vacation. (This one I'm really hoping for because it would mean an awesome anniversary trip for Andrew and I). I love the Safeway contests and since we go there so often it only increases my excitement. I'm always looking for more to entertain me. However I don't understand how people can actually make a living doing this. I am not that obsessed with it! But it is something fun to distract myself with so here's hoping!
Soon I'll put up pictures of the girls in their costumes.

Random News and Pictures

2009-10-18T09:45:00.003-06:00

This past week I have not been feeling good about myself so I did a few things to help me feel better. I got a haircut and clothes that fit. Hurray!! I'm feeling much better. Here are some random pictures from our week. Andrew got a new punching game for Wii so him and Abi had to practice beforehand. At least they are wearing "safety" equipment.
Abi got Andrew pretty good here.
Sophie was confused by all the excitement.

And me and the girls hanging out.
Have an awesome week!

Thanksgiving

2009-10-05T14:44:00.003-06:00

I love Thanksgiving. I love the fall. I love the colours. I love the big family dinners. I'm so looking forward to this weekend when lot's of Andrew's family will be coming over for a turkey dinner and some ice cream cake and probably other desserts as well. And chocolate turkeys. I'm very excited by the chocolate turkeys. Does anyone understand the chocolate turkeys? Also exciting my old boss Doug and his family are coming up for a visit. I'm really excited to see them. So this week should be good and a lot more happy than last week.
Here are some random pictures of my random (and very good looking) family. The first picture is Abi's creation. It is a picture of her grandma in crayon and doughnut form.
Sophie saying hello. (Janessa do you recognize what she's wearing?)
Watching a 3-D movie.
Sophie again.
Watching the movie and eating Kernels popcorn. We were watching BOB's big escape from Monsters vs Aliens. Abi was scared of MVA but she liked the little sketch. It was a nice time.
Andrew was thrilled because he could wear the 3-D glasses now that he has had laser eye surgery.
As an update I have lost a total of 7 lbs. I'm not too thrilled because there was a week where I lost nothing and one where I gained a bit. It's a lot harder the second time around so I am trying to be strong. Hopefully this week will go well although the weekend will pose a bit of a challenge.
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Brokenhearted

2009-09-28T14:11:00.002-06:00

These last couple of weeks have left me brokenhearted. The things my mom does to herself and her family make me so sad. I can't imagine hurting Sophie and Abigail the way my mom has hurt her daughters. Someone asked me the other day how her actions make me feel as a daughter and I said that I don't feel like a daughter. She is not a mother anymore. She has been lost to an addiction and disease and I pray that one day she comes back to be a mom to her girls and a grandma to her granddaughters.
I also have some friends going through tough stuff. I hate it when my friends hurt. I hurt for them and I so desperately want to fix them and make it all better. I can't but I wish I could.
And lastly someone close to me has hurt me in a way no one should be hurt. I'm so sad and broken right now.
Please God help me heal.

Rockin the baby mullet

2009-09-21T16:44:00.002-06:00

Pretty sure these pictures speak for themselves.

Pretty sure these pictures speak for themselves.

A household divided

2009-09-19T13:28:00.002-06:00

Fall always brings a little tension to our house. There is an issue that Andrew and I generally ignore during the summer that rears it's head come fall. I am, of course, talking about the fact that Andrew is an Edmonton fan and I am a Calgary fan. This is a big issue in our house. There are two sports where this is important, the CFL and the NHL.
I am not a huge sports fan, I do enjoy hockey but not a huge football fan but for the sake of my town I cheer for the Stamps. I know enough about them to know that Henry Burris is the QB and one of the best in the league. I also know the name of the Edmonton one but... Andrew and I have a permanent bet that my teams (Flames and Stamps) will do better than his. The winner gets "something good". (In my case it's usually a blizzard or making Andrew watch one of my movies that he secretly enjoys). Last year the Stamps won the Grey Cup and the Flames made it into the playoffs so clearly I make the better choices!
We have a Flames jersey and one of the Edmonton ones (okay I do know the name of the Edmonton teams and actually quite a bit of what goes on on their hockey team because I read the papers but I don't want to write them out and spoil my blog) for Abigail and we let her choose which she wants to wear when the two teams play each other. She usually picks the Flames one. I think this is because she knows they are the better team but she probably just likes the logo better.
So now that fall is here there is a lot of sport watching and a little fun competition. So in conclusion I would like to say "Go Flames" and "Go Stamps!"

A Confession

2009-09-14T14:03:00.002-06:00

I have a confession to make. I am scared of eating in public. I worry about what the people I'm with, the people around me, everyone is thinking about what I am eating. I worry that they are judging me and thinking "She's so fat she shouldn't be eating that". This is fairly egocentric of me because I am sure not everyone is thinking that but I worry that they are and so I try to avoid eating in public or with public for that matter. If people come over to my house for dinner or whatever if I'm not super comfortable with them I am very careful to not eat very much around them. Then when they leave I eat. If I have to eat in public I will try to share with someone so no one can tell how much I've eaten or I only eat a little bit. Our new life group has a pot luck once a month with another life group and we have never gone because I don't want to eat in front of them. This fear is kind of good in that it makes me conscious of what I am eating but then I just eat whatever when they are gone. So that is my confession for the day.

Week 2

2009-09-09T06:54:00.006-06:00

I probably won't update every week but since I had stuff to say here's week 2. I lost 2 lbs! Yay! This is despite having spent the weekend in Airdrie eating out and hanging out and stuff so I was pretty excited about that. Here is a picture of me. I wanted to include a photo that shows me at my current weight. I figured if I can admit how much I weigh I can show a picture of it too. So here I am. (The photos on this blog were taken by a very talented lady called Vanessa Day. I will have a link to her website with all the others. She takes awesome photos! Okay I tried and couldn't put her in for some reason so here's the link http://www.vanessadayphotography.com )
I also got to try two cupcake recipes while in Airdrie. And by try I mean make because I didn't actually eat them. Perhaps that is why I managed to lose weight. Anyway I made Stout Cupcakes from Guinness beer. These were very popular at poker night. So that's good to know, there are manly cupcakes out there. And I made Devils Food ones to look like baseballs for Alex's birthday party. Yummy. Here is Abigail enjoying them. They were baseballs.
And here are a couple of shots of Sophie Vanessa got. Amazing the difference that pro photographers do eh?
So this week is Andrews birthday and I have a couple of really good recipes I want to try so yay for that! We are also going to be having lot's of company which I look forward to.
Also a BIG congratulations to Cassandra and David and their new little one Gabriella. I can't wait to see her!

The First Week

2009-09-01T09:03:00.003-06:00

So I have finished my first week on WW. It went pretty well. The hardest part was not grabbing something when I felt like it or not cheating little bits. Having done WW before it was hard to not fudge a little here or there. Not that I really needed to, the amount of points they gave me was shocking. More than when I was heavier before but it's because I am breastfeeding. Strangely as the week went on I started to feel heavier and heavier and I was sure that come Monday morning I was going to weigh more than the week before. But Monday morning I stepped on the scale to find I was at 230 lbs, which is 4 lbs lighter!!! So yay for that! I wish I would continue to lose like that but I know the first week one starts a diet they lose more because the eating habits change. I'll be happy to lose 2 lbs a week after this. These next two weeks are going to be a bit challenging as we are going to Airdrie for visits which will mean going out and stuff but I'm going to try to be strong and hopefully it won't be too bad. We'll see. One nice thing about WW is they actually have point values for restaurants so I'll try to plan ahead of time.
It's been awhile since I have baked some cupcakes though. I did a couple of recipes in Kelowna but nothing since then. This weekend though when we go to Airdrie I plan on trying one recipe that uses Guinness beer in it. I can then feed it to the boys on poker night and see how they like it because beer cupcakes (especially Guinness) just doesn't sound like a good time. Maybe I'll get to try two recipes if Sharon wants cupcakes for her son's birthday. We'll see. And then the next week is Andrews birthday so there will be more cupcakes made then.

Another project

2009-08-24T12:28:00.002-06:00

Well we have returned from a week in Kelowna. It was fun and stressful all at the same time. I love visiting my family but it was hard with the girls. We got to go to the beach once and just have a nice time. I wish I had pictures but when I got there I looked for the camera and couldn't find it, assuming that I had forgotten it. Then on the last day as I was repacking I found it at the very bottom of the suitcase. So no pictures. While in Kelowna I made two more cupcake recipes, a coconut and a malt chocolate. Both were very good. Much more successful than others I have tried. I am finding that I am enjoying making a variety of frostings more than the cupcakes. I didn't realize how diverse the frosting could be. Yummm!
Now we are home and trying to readjust and do lot's of laundry!
But I now have a new project, one that is a bit at odds with my cupcake one. I am back on Weightwatchers trying to lose weight. I'm not sure exactly how much I want to lose, I'll stop when I feel comfortable. I currently weigh....234 lbs. This is not the heaviest I have been so that's good. I'm going to work hard and hopefully feel comfortable around our 5th Anniversary (April 2010)(7 months) so when we do something special I can really enjoy it. I'm not sure what that something special is yet but it will be a trip of some kind without our two girls so I'm really excited about that!!
So there you go I am a girl of many projects at the moment and I'll let you know how they all go!

I'm not bragging...

2009-08-07T14:20:00.003-06:00

I know I am blessed with two very cute little girls. When Abi was a baby we were constantly being stopped wherever we went by people wanting to look at her. We are stopped often with Sophie too. If we are lucky enough to make it through a store without being stopped we are just pointed and smiled at by other people. This always makes me feel awkward. Do I stop and chat with these people? And what do I say when people make the comment "she has so much hair!"? I usually say "thanks" or "yes, she does". I just don't like the attention. Today the girls and I headed to Safeway to pick up a few things and while we were there Abi wanted to bring home some sunflowers. Abi loves flowers and she loves to pick out bouquets to bring home. So we bought our stuff and left. We must have been stopped 5 times by people commenting on Abi. One lady thought she should be on a greeting card. At least Abi is old enough now that I can get her to say "thank you" instead of me. So while it is nice to hear I really find it awkward. So here are some pictures of the two girlies for others to enjoy.
Sophie wearing the new hat that Sharon got her. It hides her hair so maybe we should have her wear that when we go out. It will look super cute though when her hair is a bit longer and sticking out of the hat.
Abigail goofing off on the bed. She loves to have her picture taken!

And Abi with the flowers that caused so much commotion. (Well maybe not commotion...)

The First Attempt

2009-08-03T18:11:00.000-06:00

So the first recipe I tried was for Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. It was a lot more involved than other recipes I have tried. There was sifting and beating and folding and separating. It was a lot of work and I was expecting a fabulous cupcake. Ummm not so much. It was okay. Not light and airy as promised. Abi said it was the best cupcake she's ever had. (She's three though so I don't put much stock in what she says). Andrew gave it a seven and when I said "really?" he said "six?". I think 6 is better. He brought them camping with him and his family and they all ate them so that's good. I liked the icing though. It was nice and shiny. So it wasn't as super as I was expecting it to be but perhaps I folded too long, or beat it too hard. Hopefully the next cupcakes will turn out better.
At least they looked pretty!!

My Secret Desire

2009-07-26T17:21:00.002-06:00

So I have this secret desire to be a super awesome cook and baker. My talent at the moment, is alright. Good enough for Andrew anyway! But I want to be a very good cook and baker. I have even considered taking one of those at home study courses in baking or catering or whatever just to get better. So after reading "Julie and Julia" I have been inspired to try to better my skills. I am not going to cook every recipe in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" like she did but I have decided to try a new recipe every week from one of the three or four cookbooks I own. To better my baking skills I bought Martha Stewart cupcakes and hope to try one of those recipes every Wednesday. (Wednesday is the day our life group meets so I can try all the recipes out on them without having to eat all the cupcakes myself!). So hopefully this will help improve my skills. I'll let you know!
Otherwise things are busy with the last of our July company leaving tomorrow. Sophie is getting big and Abi is having lot's of fun being a big sister. In August we travel to Kelowna to see my family which should be fun.
I'll post new pictures and baking adventures soon!

Just a few pictures

2009-07-09T15:11:00.002-06:00

Well I've had many things I wanted to post and say (all really witty of course!) but with a newborn, a three year old and a fair amount of company I haven't really had the time. So I just thought I'd post a few pictures real quick. Above and below are Sophie just hanging out. She's a pretty good baby other than it takes me a couple of hours to get to her to go to sleep and stay asleep. This is very frustrating at 3 in the morning!
Her little gassy smile. I forget how old they are when they smile for real.
One day it was raining and I wanted to do something special with Abi so I asked her what she wanted and she said a kitty cake. Here is my lovely kitty cake.
Andrew snuggling with Sophie. He loves this stage. Sophie seems to be a cuddler whereas Abi really wasn't.
So I wish I had more to say or more time to say it but there is a bunch of dirty dishes I should get to before the girls wake up!

Sophie Rae

2009-06-25T15:31:00.004-06:00

Well, after waiting and waiting the time finally came and baby Sophie has joined us!!! After a couple of false starts Sophie Rae was born June 19th at 12:37pm. She weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and was 54 cm. Everything went really well, quite a bit different from Abigail's birth. We were able to come home the next day and have enjoyed getting to know each other. So far she is a very good baby who sleeps and eats well. Abi seems to like her although she doesn't understand why Sophie can't play Hungry Hungry Hippos with her. Soon enough they will be playing together.
At the hospital Abi was happy to sing her sister the alphabet song, something she promised she would do if Sophie would come out.

My mom with her second grandchild. (2 more are expected for her this year!)
Andrew's mom with her 8th grandchild.
We are all happy to be together and some of us are a little cranky due to lack of sleep. (That would be me!) but I know it won't last forever!
Right now my mom is out helping and I am very thankful for that! Soon we will be accosted with lot's of company but it should be lot's of fun!
Yay Sophie!

The Cat Parade

2009-06-16T21:37:00.002-06:00

Today while we hung out inside watching the men put sod down Abi was playing nicely by herself when she discovered a piece of plastic. She ran around with the plastic and Mr.Collins chased after her thinking it was a game. When he caught the plastic he clamped onto it and Abi thought this was a great opportunity to have a cat parade. She led him around and around the island, singing about the cat parade she was having. Below is a picture of her singing. (She is half naked because it was quite hot out).

At some point Mr.Collins got fed up with the parade and singing and started to meow and resist. Below is him beginning to resist being pulled around. There were various times when he led her around too. It sure was super funny to watch!!

So my mom and I had a good laugh at the parade.
The sod is now down and we have a lawn which I will show pictures of after we (and by we I mean Mom) plant the roses we bought.
It is now 5 days until my due date and nothing exciting is happening yet but hopefully it will happen soon.

Being Humbled

2009-06-12T15:17:00.002-06:00

So lately I've been feeling really crappy. I realize that many pregnant women feel this way at the end of their pregnancy and that there are crazy hormones ripping through my body but that does not give me a valid excuse for my behaviour. I have lost my temper and neglected both Andrew and Abigail and they do not deserve that. One day as I was feeling low and sorry for myself I realized how selfish I have been lately and was hit with a few examples of people much better than I.
First was my amazing cousin Janessa who recently came back from China and after posting about the things that had happened to her she took them down realizing it wasn't fair to the people she was talking about. For a young woman like her to have the maturity and thoughtfulness not to post other peoples business was amazing, I thought.
Second was the amazing story of Tim and Christa. Every post of theirs I read (and recommend others read by following my link) I am humbled at their spirit. Instead of whining about how hard their life is they are full of positive thoughts and ideas and joy. Truly they have God in their lives and are an inspiration.
So now I am trying to do better. I am trying to spent my time with Abi well because soon enough I will have to share her. I am trying to not lose my temper. And I am trying to realize that there is a miracle going on inside of me and to appreciate it. (Although I still find that difficult as I am very uncomfortable and am praying that this little one comes soon.) But I'm trying to have a better attitude.
On happier notes we have found some one to do soil and sod at our house and by Monday should have a lawn!!! Yay!!! And my Mom is here for a visit and so I am planning to enjoy watching her clean my house!! Hahha

The Sheep Festival

2009-06-07T09:58:00.004-06:00

You will notice that although we were at the Sheep Festival there are no pictures of sheep. I think we didn't stay long enough to see them. Also I don't think it was called the Sheep Festival, that's just what I called it. Anyway here are pictures from our day.
There was a cute little petting zoo which Abi loved. Above she is a petting a wee little goat. They were pretty cute. (There is also a big goat next to her)
She really liked the little bunnies. They were so little and cute and fuzzy.

Probably the most exciting animal was the wallaby. Andrew is petting it but Abi preferred the cute little animals.
She wanted to check out the water buckets because she sure loves playing in water but got a bit nervous with the duck there. She was worried the duck would bite her.
Then she got to go in the "bouncy thingy" (that is what they called it not me. I could clearly see it was a castle) for like 3 minutes. She was pretty excited. I was pretty annoyed that it was for such a short time.
Then we tried to get her face painted but as soon as the girl tried to paint Abigail ran away. Then we wandered around the little booths and saw the firetruck and went home. It was a little disappointing but maybe next year we will have more fun when Abigail can do some of the older stuff she couldn't do this year.
We had a bit of a scare afterwards when the baby wasn't moving and we ended up going to the hospital to get everything checked out but thankfully, we are all okay. I'm just praying this baby comes soon so I can stop worrying about everything.
We are also looking forward to my mom coming out on Thursday.

The Baby's Room

2009-05-29T09:50:00.002-06:00

Last week when we had our doctor's appointment the doctor was concerned that I had high blood pressure and headaches and sent me to the hospital and talked about me going on bed rest and having to be induced early and though everything turned out to be okay it made me feel very unprepared. So I spent the next few days getting out all the old baby stuff and cleaning it and putting the baby's room together so that everything is now ready.
Here is the baby's crib and dresser.
And here is my nursing chair. I was a little bit sad to give it up to the baby's room because it is soooo comfortable and I really liked sitting and watching tv or reading in it but it should make nighttime feedings a little nicer!
So now the baby's room is done, the guest area downstairs is almost done and I feel a bit more ready for the baby. On Sunday we will be three weeks until the due date which puts us at full term and the baby could come anytime. Here's praying it comes sooner rather than later.
Otherwise life is pretty normal although we are still waiting for someone to bring us soil so we can plant the grass and have a normal backyard. Next Saturday we are going to go to the Ft. Sask summer festival with sheep and a petting zoo, so hopefully I'll remember the camera and have some good pictures to show!
Have a lovely weekend!!!