Sunday, October 31, 2010

Fall Pics

apple butter group shot

cousins playing

Robert working the apple corer/peeler

Mary and her scarecrow

Robert and his scarecrow

Halloween!




all dressed up!

to infinity and beyond



afterwards...
Rapunzel

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Pumpkin pancakes, fall cleaning and a Mary update :)

I know, it sounds long just by reading the title!

Last weekend was fabulous.  We took Caleb (our 3 year old nephew) with us to the pumpkin patch complete with fenced in play yard and we had such a great time.  It was very fun.  We packed a picnic, played, took a hayride, ate, picked pumpkins (we let each kid pick a tiny pumpkin-turns out they are only 50 c each!), and generally had a good time.  It was nice family time.  And nice to bond a little more with Caleb. 

So I made it through another week.  Work is still busy (crazy busy actually!) and I worked an extra 4 hours on Sun night for double pay.  Then came home and slept a few hours, got the kids off to school and sat down with my netbook and a cup of tea (I had a sore throat).  Dumped the tea all over the poor netbook :(  Somehow by the grace of God and the skill of Wesley it is fully functional.  For a day or so the R key didn't work but it's back!  Whew!  Wesley had just warned me the other day about that but I didn't listen.  So I had a 2 day time out (no netbook!) to teach me my lesson!

But the big news of the week was the birth of our second nephew, Jacob on Wed.. He is such a sweetie.  It's so nice to have a newborn in the family!  (and so nice that it isn't mine!).  I wondered if I would have baby lust when he was born but I think (OK know) that I am happy to be an adoring aunt to two cute boys!  And hopefully some more if Rob and Kavitha have kids!

I actually made it to the gym 3 days this week, and managed to keep the house picked up and meals (mostly) made.  They've been un-impressive to say the least.  And Thursday I had to be back at work at 5 pm and so I gave up entirely and told Wesley he could pick up BK or something.  I didn't manage to get the weekly housework done but somehow the kids were cooperative and I was able to get the basics PLUS a whole lot more done today. 

The kids' clothes are sorted out, the old stuff is out, the fall stuff is in (with plenty of short sleeve shirts for the interim weather), their room is cleaned up even more (it really wasn't bad).  The diapers are gone (all we have left is pull ups that they wear at night and I think we are almost done with them as well!)-RMH is doing a diaper drive for united way so they are in the car ready to be donated tomorrow when I work.  Wesley did a detailed vacuuming of the carpeted areas-even upstairs and the stairs.  I did a detailed sweeping/moping/dusting of the rest and then finished the bathrooms tonight.  Earlier in the week I had bought new storage containers for the toys so we could put them away easier.  One for matchobox cars and the car mat, one for pirate stuff, one for tractors and loader/dumpers etc, one for Thomas trains (take along) and its track, one for snap n style dolls.... It looks a lot better! 

I decorated last weekend so the house looks clean and cozy and decorated for fall.  Ahh.  The kids have been coming home with crafts galore recently, so the picture window is covered in leaves, acorns, pumpkins... and they even made toddler sized scarecrows this week.  They are soooooo cute.  If anyone is looking for a good preschool daycare, I recommend Kidzone!

The kids are so crazy together.  They really love each other and play together... and fight.  Moooooooom he took my stroller and my baby doll.  Moooooom, she has my space rocket.  But over all they love each other and that is cool!  Today they played dress up and trains and baby dolls and ball on the stairs (not sure what that was all about-Wesley was watching them while I made supper.  Ah yes, supper.  Pumpkin pancakes.  Wow, I am in love.  They were so delicious.  Especially with pure maple syrup.  Yum, yum, yum!  Here is the recipes I sort of followed.  Of course I used mixed spice for baking instead of measuring out all of those spices, lol

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/pumpkin-pancakes/Detail.aspx

Now for the Mary update
Well for one thing, I'm calling her potty trained !!!!!!She has been dry day and night recently (as has Robert) so I'm hoping that I am seeing the end of diapers....that would be fabulous.

For another thing her scars are looking better and better every day.  I am so happy. Here is the latest pic, it had been a long time since we had done a chest shot and it blew me away...

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fall!

Somewhere over the weekend away I caught up on my sleep and have had more energy to get stuff done.  I'm still trying to find the balance between work/house/gym/sleep.  Sleep is def a priority!  Work has been busy so it takes a lot out of me. 

Monday I got the yard cleaned out.  I took out the tomato plants, cut down the giant sunflowers and cleaned out the peach tree area.  It's nice to have those done.  I also got groceries and met Wesley for lunch.  The kids and I made pumpkin muffins :) Yesterday I slept pretty much all day.  I made PB playdough for the kids which they loved.  After nanny night I indulged in a couple episodes of Bewitched as I folded the 4-5 loads of clothes.  I stayed up some last night watching the Chilean miners get rescued and cleaned the kitchen up some.  There is still so much to do.  More cleaning, more exercising, more work, more sleep.  I work the nex t 2 nights so I'll nap some today.  I'm looking forward to staying home this weekend.  I'm hoping the weather will be good so we can go to the pumpkin patch as a family on Sat. 

We had a good weekend camping.  It was a little strange-we were planning on going to Todd lake but at the last minute Wesley needed to be on call for work so we had to be within cell phone range.  His boss' mother died on Friday morning so he needed to be the one on call.  So we went to Natural Chimneys.  We got engaged there so it holds a fond place in my heart.  The kids did well.  We were across the road from Charlie (Wesley's long time barber) who was there with all his kids and grandkids including a boy about 5.  But they were all doing family stuff and the kids kept wanting to go over there and it was just awkward, Robert was practically stalking the boy and it was strange.  We did end up taking a hike to the top and I was really surprised that Mary made it all the way to the top.  I did have to carry her down.  Of course I hadn't planned on hiking so I didn't have the ergo with us!  Roger and Peggy came over for supper on Sat (Peggy's b-day).  Robert spent a lot of time riding his bike.  We worked some on riding without training wheels but he isn't ready yet.  He is going to need a new bike soon-his is getting really small.  He is really getting tall and big.  My kids are really growing up!  Wesley also worked with Mary on her bike, she is getting there-slowly but surely.  I imagine that next year we will be spending a lot of time riding.  Wesley and I are going to need to start taking our bikes with us-Robert is getting faster and faster!

Sunday we came home after lunch.  I got the camper cleared out and then cleaned thoroughly and stuff unpacked and laundry started.  Robert is already talking about camping again, lol.  He does not like the idea that it will be spring before we camp again!

Mary has also been dry even at night recently.  We actually made it through the camping trip without any wet or poopy diapers.  What a change from the last trip (just last month) where she was in diapers pretty much the whole time because she wouldn't pee or poop in the potty!  She still has a couple pee accidents a week when she gets excited or doesn't make it fast enough but over all she is doing great.  Robert is mostly dry at night too so this is great :)  I haven't bought diapers or pull ups in a long time!

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Ah the quiet bliss.  There is a sunbeam falling across a sleeping dog on the floor, another sleeping dog next to me and I am snuggled in supreme comfort on the couch with a blanket and my netbook (I love my netbook!).  In the white chair is a butterfly cage wherein resides a sleeping caterpillar and thankfully Robert fell for my suggestion that the caterpillar NEEDED to watch the bug movie so he is sitting on the couch eating his toenails and watching with her(him/it?).  Mary is sleeping in her bed and laundry is going thump thump in the dryer.  Wesley is sitting up at his computer.  He evidently has not fallen for the bliss of being on the computer while reclined as I have.  I'm thinking I should just get rid of my desktop as little as I use it anymore!  I do use it to pull pictures off and to do powerpoint but that's about it.

We had a nice but too short time with mom and dad.  We made Robert some buzz lightyear wings and then each of them play wings for home.  Grandma came for supper.  Wesley and dad mowed.  The kids played outside. Mom and I took the kids to the Dr for their flu mist appointments.  Robert had to be talked out of eating the whole veggie tray and into eating some of his hamburger.  Simple, good times.

I'm back to work tomorrow night and we're thinking about going camping next weekend if the weather is good.  That will be our last trip and then it will be time to winterize the camper and hunker down.  It's been cold today and I can really tell that fall is here.