Great news!
The dentist was really happy with what she saw :) she said to keep up the good work. She did a bit of cleaning and polishing and AK did really well. She sat on my lap again and kept asking me "I open my mouf now?". I held her hands while she got the cleaning and polishing done and her hands were limp so I don't think she was tense or nervous at all. What a brave girl!
The dentist asked us to come back in six months for another checkup. If we can keep the cavities as they are now, there may not be a need to fill them! That was the best news of all :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Clinton or egg?
Which came first, Bill Clinton or the egg?
I know that doesn't make sense at all but bear with me...
On Sunday morning, I stopped at the gas station to get some gas (5.14 a gallon!!!) and the cashier gave AK a mini creme egg. Am I wrong to be a bit bothered that people do that? I appreciate their generosity but I just wish that some of these people who give AK treats would ask me first - especially at 9am! Anyway... I found out that AK eats the creme eggs the same way I do - although I'm quite sure she's not seen me eat one. She bites the top off, licks the creme out and then eats the rest of the shell. What a smart cookie!
On Monday afternoon, I was wandering around downtown with Christie and Erin when we saw the former President Bill Clinton! He was here for a few days to give a talk yesterday afternoon. I didn't attend the talk as it was $1,500 a plate. Ha. It was quite thrilling to see him... he is quite tall and stood a head above most of his security detail and adoring fans.
So in this case, the egg came first. Then Clinton. :)
I know that doesn't make sense at all but bear with me...
On Sunday morning, I stopped at the gas station to get some gas (5.14 a gallon!!!) and the cashier gave AK a mini creme egg. Am I wrong to be a bit bothered that people do that? I appreciate their generosity but I just wish that some of these people who give AK treats would ask me first - especially at 9am! Anyway... I found out that AK eats the creme eggs the same way I do - although I'm quite sure she's not seen me eat one. She bites the top off, licks the creme out and then eats the rest of the shell. What a smart cookie!
On Monday afternoon, I was wandering around downtown with Christie and Erin when we saw the former President Bill Clinton! He was here for a few days to give a talk yesterday afternoon. I didn't attend the talk as it was $1,500 a plate. Ha. It was quite thrilling to see him... he is quite tall and stood a head above most of his security detail and adoring fans.
So in this case, the egg came first. Then Clinton. :)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Hey, when life is busy - you must live it!
And that's exactly what AK and I have been doing the past few days, living live and loving life!!!
I have so many wonderful stories about the girls but will try to not bore you with too many of them!
After naptime on Saturday, AK and I went back to the Mosers for a swim and supper. We had a great time playing in the pool, but somehow, at one point, of 4 kids and 5 adults, all but one of us ended up in the (not-so) hot tub. Pretty funny. AK and Emily thought it was great to float around on the floaties. We had an amazing supper - Chris and Darren had hit up the fish market first thing and bought an 11lb red snapper. Chris soaked and cleaned it, and then garnished it with onions and butter and stuck it on the BBQ. Christie made garlic bread, green beans and an apple crisp, and I helped her make a potato salad. The fish was amazing, so much that I kept eating it for leftovers up to yesterday!
I helped the girls brush their teeth and changed them into their pyjamas. AK pulled out two books and Christie read one to them. Christie mentioned that AK was doing more of the reading than she was! I guess that's what happens when you read the exact same two books every.single.night. That's two books that AK can recite almost by heart now.
Sunday morning, we headed back to the Mosers to kill time and visit until it was time for brunch! All the girls had pretty dresses on, and I took the girls for a walk for something to do. As soon as we headed down the sidewalk, Emily asked AK "Do you want to hold hands?" which of course she said Yes to! We found the lime tree but there were no limes big enough to pick. We did find a tree with some beautiful yellow/white frangipani flowers. I picked two of them and put them in the girls' hair. So pretty! Erin took some pictures but unfortunately the picture card drive has stopped working on the computer so I haven't been able to download the pictures to share with you.
We went to brunch at the Westin. Erin and Darren very kindly treated us all. AK had a good feed of cheese, fruit and OJ. Oh, and a cookie. She wasn't interested at all in the waffle. Guess she had her fill the previous day. I felt like I lucked out as there was lots of fish and seafood for me to indulge on. I was tempted to have a yorkshire pudding with gravy but figured that the gravy was probably started with beef stock so that went against my Lent sacrifices. I still had plenty to eat... we all did... Mack undid his shorts at the table, he was so full!
There was nothing we could do after brunch except nap... I even laid down for about an hour. I was too antsy so I got up and made a vegetable lasagna for that night's supper. When AK got up, we hit up Smith's Cove Beach with everyone. I had AK in her water wings and finally got her comfortable enough that I could let go and she swam on her own. When Emily saw that, she got enough courage to swim on her own too! The girls played in the sand while Christie and Mack took Erin for a snorkel. I think they saw a parrotfish and a stingray. The stingray freaked Erin out so I hope they didn't get too close! Some local girls started playing with Emily and AK and very kindly helped us rinse everything off and pack up when it was time to go. They were truly the sweetest girls ever - they asked so politely if they could play with the girls and the toys.
After the beach, AK began whining and saying she wanted her sucky and a nap! How odd is that... but she got her second wind when Darren offered to take the girls to the playground. Sounds like the three of them held hands all the way there and back, and had a good playing with another girl who was there. Darren said they spent a lot of time swinging on the tire.
I bathed the girls that night. They were such goofballs. I asked them to sing songs, and AK would belt out "la la la la" and the two of them would completely dissolve in giggles. Or AK would start singing "Frosty the Snowman" for whatever reason. Emily was laughing so hard she started snorting, which set me off! I said to Erin that it doesn't seem like Emily knows her nursery rhyme songs, and Erin said Emily's more likely to know the words to the Top 40 songs. Ha!
AK was quite happy to come home and crawled right into bed. She has done that every night that the company's been here.
Monday morning, we were up bright and early and hit up the grocery store as we were having all the girls (and Baby Johnny) over for breakfast. Mack went to school and Darren and Chris went for a boat ride. AK was quite excited that Emily was coming over. Christie brought over a garden gnome for the girls to paint. AK and I named him Norm today. Norm the Gnome. The little girls played together so nicely and the big girls were able to visit some more. After lunch, we took the girls back to the Mosers and everyone there laid down while us girls went to the spa. My toes look great today and I treated myself to some perfume too.
We then headed down to Camana Bay to play in the fountains. I watched the girls while everyone else looked in the jewelry store. Should have known they were buying something when they took forever! Darren and Erin both bought something, and the salesman ended up giving both girls a turtle pendant. What a special gift... they have something matching to always remind them of this time together. I have to say I'm quite envious of Erin's beautiful new diamond bracelet... Darren's watch not so much... I tried on a John Hardy bracelet myself but didn't buy it... I will probably think about it every day for a while now!
We ended up going to Michael's at Camana Bay for supper. It was my first time eating there and it was pretty good. I think their menu changes a lot to take advantage of local produce that's available. AK asked for noodles and I asked for a bit of both red and white sauce for her. She refused to use the sauce though, but dumped all of her parmesan cheese on the noodles. Funny kid. She and Emily did really well considering they were in high chairs. They colored, read some books, played "I Spy" although both of them pretty much missed the point!
AK fell and skinned her knee right at the end of the evening. Her knee hurt enough that she wasn't agreeable to saying Bye to the visitors. Shame... but they got lots of cuddles and love in the days prior. I told AK that Emily had gotten on a plane today to go home and AK told me she missed her... awww!
The rest of the week is going to be busy. I'm attending a conference at the church being put on by the Peacemakers Ministry from Montana and Wee Care is providing childcare so for the next two nights, AK gets to go back to school in her PJs and watch movies!
Oh, and I asked Christie when we first met - I guess it was that same day that I met Erin. Christie remembers talking to me from either the side or from behind... and I ignored her and she thought I was pretty odd and snobby. But then she saw my hearing aids and it made sense :) not a great first impression, I'll bet! xo
I have so many wonderful stories about the girls but will try to not bore you with too many of them!
After naptime on Saturday, AK and I went back to the Mosers for a swim and supper. We had a great time playing in the pool, but somehow, at one point, of 4 kids and 5 adults, all but one of us ended up in the (not-so) hot tub. Pretty funny. AK and Emily thought it was great to float around on the floaties. We had an amazing supper - Chris and Darren had hit up the fish market first thing and bought an 11lb red snapper. Chris soaked and cleaned it, and then garnished it with onions and butter and stuck it on the BBQ. Christie made garlic bread, green beans and an apple crisp, and I helped her make a potato salad. The fish was amazing, so much that I kept eating it for leftovers up to yesterday!
I helped the girls brush their teeth and changed them into their pyjamas. AK pulled out two books and Christie read one to them. Christie mentioned that AK was doing more of the reading than she was! I guess that's what happens when you read the exact same two books every.single.night. That's two books that AK can recite almost by heart now.
Sunday morning, we headed back to the Mosers to kill time and visit until it was time for brunch! All the girls had pretty dresses on, and I took the girls for a walk for something to do. As soon as we headed down the sidewalk, Emily asked AK "Do you want to hold hands?" which of course she said Yes to! We found the lime tree but there were no limes big enough to pick. We did find a tree with some beautiful yellow/white frangipani flowers. I picked two of them and put them in the girls' hair. So pretty! Erin took some pictures but unfortunately the picture card drive has stopped working on the computer so I haven't been able to download the pictures to share with you.
We went to brunch at the Westin. Erin and Darren very kindly treated us all. AK had a good feed of cheese, fruit and OJ. Oh, and a cookie. She wasn't interested at all in the waffle. Guess she had her fill the previous day. I felt like I lucked out as there was lots of fish and seafood for me to indulge on. I was tempted to have a yorkshire pudding with gravy but figured that the gravy was probably started with beef stock so that went against my Lent sacrifices. I still had plenty to eat... we all did... Mack undid his shorts at the table, he was so full!
There was nothing we could do after brunch except nap... I even laid down for about an hour. I was too antsy so I got up and made a vegetable lasagna for that night's supper. When AK got up, we hit up Smith's Cove Beach with everyone. I had AK in her water wings and finally got her comfortable enough that I could let go and she swam on her own. When Emily saw that, she got enough courage to swim on her own too! The girls played in the sand while Christie and Mack took Erin for a snorkel. I think they saw a parrotfish and a stingray. The stingray freaked Erin out so I hope they didn't get too close! Some local girls started playing with Emily and AK and very kindly helped us rinse everything off and pack up when it was time to go. They were truly the sweetest girls ever - they asked so politely if they could play with the girls and the toys.
After the beach, AK began whining and saying she wanted her sucky and a nap! How odd is that... but she got her second wind when Darren offered to take the girls to the playground. Sounds like the three of them held hands all the way there and back, and had a good playing with another girl who was there. Darren said they spent a lot of time swinging on the tire.
I bathed the girls that night. They were such goofballs. I asked them to sing songs, and AK would belt out "la la la la" and the two of them would completely dissolve in giggles. Or AK would start singing "Frosty the Snowman" for whatever reason. Emily was laughing so hard she started snorting, which set me off! I said to Erin that it doesn't seem like Emily knows her nursery rhyme songs, and Erin said Emily's more likely to know the words to the Top 40 songs. Ha!
AK was quite happy to come home and crawled right into bed. She has done that every night that the company's been here.
Monday morning, we were up bright and early and hit up the grocery store as we were having all the girls (and Baby Johnny) over for breakfast. Mack went to school and Darren and Chris went for a boat ride. AK was quite excited that Emily was coming over. Christie brought over a garden gnome for the girls to paint. AK and I named him Norm today. Norm the Gnome. The little girls played together so nicely and the big girls were able to visit some more. After lunch, we took the girls back to the Mosers and everyone there laid down while us girls went to the spa. My toes look great today and I treated myself to some perfume too.
We then headed down to Camana Bay to play in the fountains. I watched the girls while everyone else looked in the jewelry store. Should have known they were buying something when they took forever! Darren and Erin both bought something, and the salesman ended up giving both girls a turtle pendant. What a special gift... they have something matching to always remind them of this time together. I have to say I'm quite envious of Erin's beautiful new diamond bracelet... Darren's watch not so much... I tried on a John Hardy bracelet myself but didn't buy it... I will probably think about it every day for a while now!
We ended up going to Michael's at Camana Bay for supper. It was my first time eating there and it was pretty good. I think their menu changes a lot to take advantage of local produce that's available. AK asked for noodles and I asked for a bit of both red and white sauce for her. She refused to use the sauce though, but dumped all of her parmesan cheese on the noodles. Funny kid. She and Emily did really well considering they were in high chairs. They colored, read some books, played "I Spy" although both of them pretty much missed the point!
AK fell and skinned her knee right at the end of the evening. Her knee hurt enough that she wasn't agreeable to saying Bye to the visitors. Shame... but they got lots of cuddles and love in the days prior. I told AK that Emily had gotten on a plane today to go home and AK told me she missed her... awww!
The rest of the week is going to be busy. I'm attending a conference at the church being put on by the Peacemakers Ministry from Montana and Wee Care is providing childcare so for the next two nights, AK gets to go back to school in her PJs and watch movies!
Oh, and I asked Christie when we first met - I guess it was that same day that I met Erin. Christie remembers talking to me from either the side or from behind... and I ignored her and she thought I was pretty odd and snobby. But then she saw my hearing aids and it made sense :) not a great first impression, I'll bet! xo
Saturday, March 26, 2011
More stories!
When AK and I were outside this morning for the "quiet time", AK and I were talking about how she's friends with Emily now. I asked her if Emily was her best friend and she said No. I was surprised and asked who her best friend is. Her answer? "Mommy"! What a sweet moment that was for me!
I guess Emily thought AK's soother was pretty funny. She kept saying that AK shouldn't have a soother as she's not a baby! She would pull it out of AK's mouth, they'd both laugh, and then Emily would put it back in AK's mouth.
AK allowed Erin to put pigtails in her hair this morning - just like Emily. AK had to wear a sweater today - just like Emily. AK had to get a glass and get some water out of the cooler herself - just like Emily. She is such a little copycat!
I guess Emily thought AK's soother was pretty funny. She kept saying that AK shouldn't have a soother as she's not a baby! She would pull it out of AK's mouth, they'd both laugh, and then Emily would put it back in AK's mouth.
AK allowed Erin to put pigtails in her hair this morning - just like Emily. AK had to wear a sweater today - just like Emily. AK had to get a glass and get some water out of the cooler herself - just like Emily. She is such a little copycat!
Separated at birth?
Separated at birth?
Emily has brown eyes, whereas AK has blue.
Notice how they're holding hands? So cute!
AK had a sleepover at the Mosers last night so I could go to a movie. It sounds like AK was really good for everyone and had a great time. She slept in Mack's room and didn't get up until 7am!
The wedding was really lovely and I had a great time out last night. I've sure got to love all my amazing friends, they are fun to party with! I had a wee bit of a sore head when I woke up this morning. Oops! Gotta stop doing that.
Chris and Darren came to pick me up this morning, as my truck was at their place, and I spent the morning with the company. AK and Emily are having a GREAT time together, they are best friends and get along so well. They laugh and talk and shriek and run around... there is nothing better than the sound of them having fun together. There was a point when AK was so whiny, I thought I was going to have to bring her home to spare everyone else the misery! We sat outside for a bit, just the two of us, and that seemed to calm her down and cheer her up a bit. She ended up playing until 1pm, and then we headed home so she could nap. She was out like a light in the truck. We plan to hit up the beach a little later this afternoon, as the visitors got a bit of a sunburn yesterday, and we want to make sure they don't burn today!
It is nice and relaxing to sit and chat with old friends... I realized that when I turn 34 later this year, I'll have known Christie and Erin for half of my life... sure makes me feel old... how cool to think back to university, specifically the first day when I moved into residence. My parents had just left to drive back to Dauphin, and I was alternating between excitement of being on my own, and fear of being on my own (ha). Erin knocked on my door, and a friendship was born. I was so grateful that day for a new friend :) I don't recall exactly when I met Christie... I'll have to ask her to see if she remembers.
And here we are 16 years later... lots of good times and happy memories later!
Lentil Recipes
A few people have asked for my lentil recipes that I've mentioned on here, so here goes!
Slowcooker Lentil Soup (I'm sure this could be done on the stovetop as well but I find the slowcooker so easy)
ham bone
2.5 cups dried lentils (I use both red and green)
onion
potato
carrots
celery
salt and pepper
chicken stock
There are no real measurements, but what I do is put in the ham bone, add the lentils and vegetables, and then add enough chicken stock / water to just about cover the bone. You can adjust the level of liquid to make the soup as thick as you like. I put the slowcooker on overnight on low, about 8 hours, and then the meat just falls off the ham bone and shreds apart with a few stirs of the soup.
Baked Lentils with Cheese
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine in a 9x13 dish:
1 3/4 cups dried lentils
2 cups water (I think I used half water, half veg stock)
1 whole bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp each marjoram, sage, thyme (I substituted an italian spice blend)
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned tomatos (I subbed salsa and it was very good)
Cover tightly and bake 30 mins. Uncover and stir in:
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 cup sliced celery
Cover and bake for 40 mins. Stir in:
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Sprinkle on top:
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Bake uncovered for 5 mins until cheese melts.
I halved this recipe and it was a good size still.
Enjoy!!! xo
Slowcooker Lentil Soup (I'm sure this could be done on the stovetop as well but I find the slowcooker so easy)
ham bone
2.5 cups dried lentils (I use both red and green)
onion
potato
carrots
celery
salt and pepper
chicken stock
There are no real measurements, but what I do is put in the ham bone, add the lentils and vegetables, and then add enough chicken stock / water to just about cover the bone. You can adjust the level of liquid to make the soup as thick as you like. I put the slowcooker on overnight on low, about 8 hours, and then the meat just falls off the ham bone and shreds apart with a few stirs of the soup.
Baked Lentils with Cheese
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine in a 9x13 dish:
1 3/4 cups dried lentils
2 cups water (I think I used half water, half veg stock)
1 whole bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp each marjoram, sage, thyme (I substituted an italian spice blend)
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned tomatos (I subbed salsa and it was very good)
Cover tightly and bake 30 mins. Uncover and stir in:
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 cup sliced celery
Cover and bake for 40 mins. Stir in:
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Sprinkle on top:
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Bake uncovered for 5 mins until cheese melts.
I halved this recipe and it was a good size still.
Enjoy!!! xo
Friday, March 25, 2011
Snuggles and cuddles!
AK crawled into bed with me at 5:58am to wake me up. That's okay, as she was full of happiness and cuddles! She kept adjusting my arms around her so that I'd hug her the way she wanted. Too cute.
Now that all we'vedecided how much alike AK and Emily look, I keep looking at AK and wondering how Emily got into my apartment. I keep having to give my head a shake!
AK now melts down every morning as soon as she hears the word "school". She is fine before that but she cries from that moment until the time I leave her in her daycare room. Her teachers say she is very happy at school, and I know she is. The only thing I can think of is that she'd rather stay home with me (and that's what she says "I wanna STAY HOME!"). Somehow I have to get her cleaned up and dressed and shoes on, and hold off on saying the word "school" until it's absolutely necessary.
She wanted to know where Emily was this morning, and if we were going to Emily's house today. She wasn't pleased that she had to wait until after school to see Emily.
Now that all we'vedecided how much alike AK and Emily look, I keep looking at AK and wondering how Emily got into my apartment. I keep having to give my head a shake!
AK now melts down every morning as soon as she hears the word "school". She is fine before that but she cries from that moment until the time I leave her in her daycare room. Her teachers say she is very happy at school, and I know she is. The only thing I can think of is that she'd rather stay home with me (and that's what she says "I wanna STAY HOME!"). Somehow I have to get her cleaned up and dressed and shoes on, and hold off on saying the word "school" until it's absolutely necessary.
She wanted to know where Emily was this morning, and if we were going to Emily's house today. She wasn't pleased that she had to wait until after school to see Emily.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday soundbites
- When I picked up AK from daycare today, Lachlan's mom was there as well. She told me that she complimented AK on her tattoo, and AK told her that it was a "funky monkey". Lachlan's mom said that was good advertising for the Funky Monkey shop!
- Lachlan and his mom walked out at the same time we did and were parked next to us. AK kept pointing at Lachlan and saying his name. I asked her if he was a good friend, and AK said "He's a very good friend!". His mom was quite pleased to hear that!
- I told AK that we were on our way to the Mosers to see Christie (uh huh), Chris (uh huh), Mack (uh huh), Baby Johnny (uh huh), Bubba (uh huh), Emily (uh huh), Darren and Erin (uh huh). I told her that Emily would be wearing a beautiful purple dress with Dora on it. ***huge intake of breath and look of wonderment on AK's face*** it was adorable!
- Erin, Darren and Emily have spoiled AK - a beautiful white dress with flowers on it, and a purple sweater to match. I think we will need to book a photo shoot in order to make best use of this beautiful dress!
- Erin put a sweater on Emily before we went out. AK then came to me saying "I'm cold" and "I want a sweater!". Good thing she had just received one as a gift... LOL.
- Emily and AK could be twins. They have the exact same haircut and look very similar. I look forward to sharing some photos so you can see for yourself!
- Erin also treated me to Coffee Crisp Bites, and AK to a Cinderella doll. The doll comes with the most annoying little plastic clothing, and of course there's several outfits so I now get to spend all my time changing this doll. :)
- We went for supper at Royal Palms. AK wanted to go home pretty much as soon as we got there. Fun times. She mellowed out after a while and ate some pizza and drank some chocolate milk (which she is back to calling "coffee" again.
- AK was up during the night last night again. Luckily I got her back to bed easily and quickly. She was still in bed, but awake, when I got up this morning. I'm hoping for a full night's sleep tonight. Why not?
- I've got to run - need to get stuff ready for me to attend a wedding tomorrow and for AK to go for a sleepover with Emily while I'm at the wedding!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Hop, skip and jump away!
Is the weekend!
The last couple of days have been busy. We had Tanya and her brother Keither over for supper last night. AK was quite taken with Tanya and had a lot of fun playing with her. I was very happy that AK ate the salmon I put on her plate. Tanya kept threatening to eat it, which I think played a part in how much AK ate :) but I think it's great that AK is willing to try new things and gobble them up!
AK was up in the middle of the night, trying to crawl into bed with me. I took her, her blanket, pillow and stuffed animal back to bed, and she went right back to sleep with minimal fuss. Then when I woke up this morning, AK had already been busy with her stepstool getting into stuff. I'm going to have to take a second look at how accessible things are with the stepstool as AK is not afraid to use it!
She was quite happy this morning though, first morning this week that she didn't complain about going to school. I did make it sound like a good deal though, as one of her classmates had a birthday today and there was a party. AK was proud to put on a "party dress" and her "party shoes" for the day. Unfortunately it looks like she had a couple of accidents today... not sure why, as she seems to do so well otherwise. I need to check in with her teachers to make sure there's not something up.
Jess and Hunter ended up popping in for some w(h)ine and cheese (ha!) after daycare today. It was nice to have a little visit and Hunter was quite insistent that he and AK watch Dora. I'm not sure where he got that from as he's never watched Dora here before, nor does he watch it at home. It was cute though. The kids demolished some frozen edamame beans, cheese and crackers for a snack / supper. Sue and Kylie also came over, and we walked with the girls to the duck pond. We fed the ducks from outside the gate, and all my old bread is gone now.
My friend Erin, her husband Darren and their little girl Emily arrive tomorrow for five nights. They are staying at the Mosers but AK and I plan to spend a lot of time with them. I am really excited to see them, and excited for AK and Emily to spend time together, as Emily has just turned three and the two girls are very close in age. I've spent some time getting things together for Emily - beach toys, life jacket, water wings, etc... I get to pick them up at the airport so will see them for a bit around lunchtime.
I am pooped - hopefully off to bed early tonight - the middle of the night waking wasn't my favorite part of last night! xo
The last couple of days have been busy. We had Tanya and her brother Keither over for supper last night. AK was quite taken with Tanya and had a lot of fun playing with her. I was very happy that AK ate the salmon I put on her plate. Tanya kept threatening to eat it, which I think played a part in how much AK ate :) but I think it's great that AK is willing to try new things and gobble them up!
AK was up in the middle of the night, trying to crawl into bed with me. I took her, her blanket, pillow and stuffed animal back to bed, and she went right back to sleep with minimal fuss. Then when I woke up this morning, AK had already been busy with her stepstool getting into stuff. I'm going to have to take a second look at how accessible things are with the stepstool as AK is not afraid to use it!
She was quite happy this morning though, first morning this week that she didn't complain about going to school. I did make it sound like a good deal though, as one of her classmates had a birthday today and there was a party. AK was proud to put on a "party dress" and her "party shoes" for the day. Unfortunately it looks like she had a couple of accidents today... not sure why, as she seems to do so well otherwise. I need to check in with her teachers to make sure there's not something up.
Jess and Hunter ended up popping in for some w(h)ine and cheese (ha!) after daycare today. It was nice to have a little visit and Hunter was quite insistent that he and AK watch Dora. I'm not sure where he got that from as he's never watched Dora here before, nor does he watch it at home. It was cute though. The kids demolished some frozen edamame beans, cheese and crackers for a snack / supper. Sue and Kylie also came over, and we walked with the girls to the duck pond. We fed the ducks from outside the gate, and all my old bread is gone now.
My friend Erin, her husband Darren and their little girl Emily arrive tomorrow for five nights. They are staying at the Mosers but AK and I plan to spend a lot of time with them. I am really excited to see them, and excited for AK and Emily to spend time together, as Emily has just turned three and the two girls are very close in age. I've spent some time getting things together for Emily - beach toys, life jacket, water wings, etc... I get to pick them up at the airport so will see them for a bit around lunchtime.
I am pooped - hopefully off to bed early tonight - the middle of the night waking wasn't my favorite part of last night! xo
Monday, March 21, 2011
D-D-D-D-D-Dora!
AK didn't want to take off her shoes or change out of her clothing into her pyjamas tonight. Because she was watching Dora on TV, I found her Dora pyjamas and brought them into the living room. I told her that that it would be really awesome if she put her Dora PJs on to watch Dora on TV. I got a big "no". So... I decided that I'd put on the Dora PJs! I put my arms through the holes of the shirt and put my head in as far as it would go. I used my hands to pat my hair and cover a "yawn". AK cracked up and said "no, that's MY PJs!". Off came her shirt and on went her PJ top. Next I put the bottoms on my feet and laid back on the couch. Another "No, Mommy, those are MINE!". We left AK's socks and panties on as they were also Dora and she was fully outfitted to watch some Dora before bed! It was so enjoyable to get so many giggles and laughs out of her.
AK did a great job of helping me floss her teeth and then brush them. She insisted that I brush my teeth as well using her toothpaste. Yum... bubble gum flavor. (I much prefer the cinnamon flavor I usually use!)
We read our usual couple of books before bed. AK has an "I Spy" book (thanks, Grandma Z!) that she can pretty much read to me - each page has the following format "I spy a XXX and a YYY" and she can tell me what each thing is. What is amazing is that she'll also "read" the descriptive adjectives (?) that go with each word and picture - it's not "I Spy a car", it's "I Spy a bright blue car". It amazes me what her brain is capable of, I know all the kids do it and it's just wonderful.
Sweet dreams! xo
AK did a great job of helping me floss her teeth and then brush them. She insisted that I brush my teeth as well using her toothpaste. Yum... bubble gum flavor. (I much prefer the cinnamon flavor I usually use!)
We read our usual couple of books before bed. AK has an "I Spy" book (thanks, Grandma Z!) that she can pretty much read to me - each page has the following format "I spy a XXX and a YYY" and she can tell me what each thing is. What is amazing is that she'll also "read" the descriptive adjectives (?) that go with each word and picture - it's not "I Spy a car", it's "I Spy a bright blue car". It amazes me what her brain is capable of, I know all the kids do it and it's just wonderful.
Sweet dreams! xo
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Oh man, I'm tired!
It was a busy busy busy weekend.
Saturday morning, our plans to play with Sue and Kylie were cancelled as Kylie was not well. We decided to do some shopping instead. We hit up a boutique called Funky Monkey where I got a dress and AK got a pretty bathing suit! The owners of the store were captivated by AK and gave her a fake tattoo of a funky monkey. We put it on right away and AK was pretty pleased that it matched her dress! It was a bit of a challenge changing in a dressing room with just a sheet as a door, as AK wanted to go in and out and in and out, which doesn't work too well for me when I'm half disrobed! AK loved shopping for clothing... she walked around touching everything, and I kept telling her to stop touching everything, then realized that she was only copying me flipping through the racks of clothing. She picked out her new bathing suit all by herself... a lovely bikini of pink ruffles and gingham. Pretty!
We headed over to the fountains to play with Molly and Jake. AK put her new bathing suit right away - I had bought a size up for AK to grow into - she definitely has some growing to do. I had to put a swim diaper on her to help keep the bottoms up. We ran to the bathroom in the midst of the fountain play as she had to pee. It was the same bathroom we had used Friday night when we were out for ice cream and - I can't recall exactly what she said but she said something about either ice cream or Matthew when we were leaving the bathroom, which made me realize she remembered it from the previous night. I think maybe she wondered where Matthew was. It just amazes me to see her memory go back a day or two.
When we were playing at the fountains, Jake kept wandering off. I would ask AK to go get Jake and the first time she ran up to him and said "JAKE COME BACK!" Of course that wasn't very effective so I asked her to take his hand and walk him back to where we were. She did that a few times :) and was very gentle and caring with Jake.
I wanted to go the pet store after the fountains but AK very adamantly said "GO HOME" so we did. She had some lunch (the great eating continues through to Sunday night) and she had a wonderful nap. So wonderful that I had to wake her over 2.5 hours later to head over to Molly and Jake's. Cindy and Brent were going to a wedding so I said I'd babysit. Thankfully Jess and Ben came over with Hunter after a couple of hours to give me a hand with supper and bedtime and for adult company! There was only one gong show moment before they showed up - Jake pooped so I needed all the kids to come inside so I could change him. Molly said no and laid down on the grass. I carried her kicking and screaming into the house. After I changed Jake, I convinced Molly to come out from under the table, where she'd been screaming the whole time, and we started to have a chat about why we had to come inside... when Jake came running at me, crying. He'd fallen and hit himself and was okay but startled. I got everyone all sorted out and we went back outside, at which point AK melted down as she didn't want to go back out without a suitcase, which I said had to stay inside. Thank goodness Cindy and Brent had some wine for me to drink :)
Jake went to bed quite easily and we put Peter Pan on for the big kids. It's not as much of a kid movie as I remember it to be... definitely some scary stuff in there! Molly went to bed really well and the Babbs left... unfortunately for me, AK had it in her head that she wanted to go home too, but of course we couldn't go as Cindy and Brent were still out. She was so upset that I couldn't get her to sleep until midnight! Yikes! We watched another movie and some Dora, and she was still upset when I put her down but she was so tired that she finally fell asleep at that point. Thankfully she slept til about 8 today. I think she was up for a bit before she let me know, as the doors to the hallway closet were open, and the stepstool was pushed up to the closet. She was trying to get a juice but wasn't successful and only came to wake me when she needed help. So much for everyone who told me that the first thing AK would do when she woke up was wake me up! I'm debating getting a baby gate for the entrance to the hallway, which would contain AK to the bedrooms and bathrooms at night, and keeping those areas as child-proof as possible. Thoughts? Remember I can't hear anything without my hearing aids - I certainly didn't hear the stepstool being dragged all the way from the kitchen!
Anyway... it was clear that AK was a bit tired today. I reminded myself to have loads of patience for her (I was tired too but I guess I don't have licence to act like a child despite that, ha!) and the day went quite well. There were a few meltdowns, and a few timeouts (both for AK, not me!), but we both came out in one piece!
I made an egg for breakfast and AK could see that it was hot. She was quite concerned about it and wanted me to let her sit on the counter so that she could "blow on your egg" to cool it off. What a great helper. She wouldn't even take a bite of it though.
AK was playing with her St. Patrick's Day stickers from Grandma and Grandpa and wanted me to take one off to put on her finger. She wrapped it right around like a BandAid and that was somehow the most hilarious thing ever (I told you she was tired today!). We went off to church with no problem, I was worried AK may not want me to leave her in the childcare room but she let me go without so much as a peep. AK did have one accident while we were at church but I figure maybe being tired had something to do with that. She made a beautiful butterfly with paint and sparkles on it as the craft today.
I nearly forgot - when I was dressing AK this morning, she was trying to put her panties on backwards. I took them from her and told her that. She turned around and put her feet in the panties that way, instead of just turning the panties around. That was pretty silly but smart! Later on, she was putting some flip flops on the wrong feet... I told her but she wouldn't listen to me. She worked for about a couple of minutes to jam the shoes onto the wrong feet, and kept stopping to pull at the shoes as we walked to the truck. It took all I had to not burst out laughing - mean, I know - but she was being so stubborn and would not give in!
We both had a good rest after church. I was about to take AK to the playground when Jenni called to say I could come to Jon and Erin's for a swim and BBQ. It was perfect and I wish I had just had the foresight to bring a salmon burger with me for the BBQ. According to Jenni and Kevin, I get Sundays as a "day off" during Lent but I have so psyched myself up to not eat meat for Lent that I didn't even want to give in today and have a burger. I was surprised with myself as I did enjoy the smell of the meat cooking and my mouth was watering but my cheese bunwich hit the spot quite nicely.
The kids had a great time playing and swimming. You could tell AK was still tired though as she would get upset at times over the smallest things. She had a great supper, which was good, as she normally doesn't care for hotdogs. She wanted to go home before supper even, but I convinced her to stay by promising she could watch some TV. AK had a good bath and went off to bed a bit early. I was supposed to go to bed early too but here it is nearly 10pm and I'm almost done typing this up!
I'm sure there are other stories I could think of but I think my brain is about ready for bed, and so I will sign off now. Sweet dreams xo
Saturday morning, our plans to play with Sue and Kylie were cancelled as Kylie was not well. We decided to do some shopping instead. We hit up a boutique called Funky Monkey where I got a dress and AK got a pretty bathing suit! The owners of the store were captivated by AK and gave her a fake tattoo of a funky monkey. We put it on right away and AK was pretty pleased that it matched her dress! It was a bit of a challenge changing in a dressing room with just a sheet as a door, as AK wanted to go in and out and in and out, which doesn't work too well for me when I'm half disrobed! AK loved shopping for clothing... she walked around touching everything, and I kept telling her to stop touching everything, then realized that she was only copying me flipping through the racks of clothing. She picked out her new bathing suit all by herself... a lovely bikini of pink ruffles and gingham. Pretty!
We headed over to the fountains to play with Molly and Jake. AK put her new bathing suit right away - I had bought a size up for AK to grow into - she definitely has some growing to do. I had to put a swim diaper on her to help keep the bottoms up. We ran to the bathroom in the midst of the fountain play as she had to pee. It was the same bathroom we had used Friday night when we were out for ice cream and - I can't recall exactly what she said but she said something about either ice cream or Matthew when we were leaving the bathroom, which made me realize she remembered it from the previous night. I think maybe she wondered where Matthew was. It just amazes me to see her memory go back a day or two.
When we were playing at the fountains, Jake kept wandering off. I would ask AK to go get Jake and the first time she ran up to him and said "JAKE COME BACK!" Of course that wasn't very effective so I asked her to take his hand and walk him back to where we were. She did that a few times :) and was very gentle and caring with Jake.
I wanted to go the pet store after the fountains but AK very adamantly said "GO HOME" so we did. She had some lunch (the great eating continues through to Sunday night) and she had a wonderful nap. So wonderful that I had to wake her over 2.5 hours later to head over to Molly and Jake's. Cindy and Brent were going to a wedding so I said I'd babysit. Thankfully Jess and Ben came over with Hunter after a couple of hours to give me a hand with supper and bedtime and for adult company! There was only one gong show moment before they showed up - Jake pooped so I needed all the kids to come inside so I could change him. Molly said no and laid down on the grass. I carried her kicking and screaming into the house. After I changed Jake, I convinced Molly to come out from under the table, where she'd been screaming the whole time, and we started to have a chat about why we had to come inside... when Jake came running at me, crying. He'd fallen and hit himself and was okay but startled. I got everyone all sorted out and we went back outside, at which point AK melted down as she didn't want to go back out without a suitcase, which I said had to stay inside. Thank goodness Cindy and Brent had some wine for me to drink :)
Jake went to bed quite easily and we put Peter Pan on for the big kids. It's not as much of a kid movie as I remember it to be... definitely some scary stuff in there! Molly went to bed really well and the Babbs left... unfortunately for me, AK had it in her head that she wanted to go home too, but of course we couldn't go as Cindy and Brent were still out. She was so upset that I couldn't get her to sleep until midnight! Yikes! We watched another movie and some Dora, and she was still upset when I put her down but she was so tired that she finally fell asleep at that point. Thankfully she slept til about 8 today. I think she was up for a bit before she let me know, as the doors to the hallway closet were open, and the stepstool was pushed up to the closet. She was trying to get a juice but wasn't successful and only came to wake me when she needed help. So much for everyone who told me that the first thing AK would do when she woke up was wake me up! I'm debating getting a baby gate for the entrance to the hallway, which would contain AK to the bedrooms and bathrooms at night, and keeping those areas as child-proof as possible. Thoughts? Remember I can't hear anything without my hearing aids - I certainly didn't hear the stepstool being dragged all the way from the kitchen!
Anyway... it was clear that AK was a bit tired today. I reminded myself to have loads of patience for her (I was tired too but I guess I don't have licence to act like a child despite that, ha!) and the day went quite well. There were a few meltdowns, and a few timeouts (both for AK, not me!), but we both came out in one piece!
I made an egg for breakfast and AK could see that it was hot. She was quite concerned about it and wanted me to let her sit on the counter so that she could "blow on your egg" to cool it off. What a great helper. She wouldn't even take a bite of it though.
AK was playing with her St. Patrick's Day stickers from Grandma and Grandpa and wanted me to take one off to put on her finger. She wrapped it right around like a BandAid and that was somehow the most hilarious thing ever (I told you she was tired today!). We went off to church with no problem, I was worried AK may not want me to leave her in the childcare room but she let me go without so much as a peep. AK did have one accident while we were at church but I figure maybe being tired had something to do with that. She made a beautiful butterfly with paint and sparkles on it as the craft today.
I nearly forgot - when I was dressing AK this morning, she was trying to put her panties on backwards. I took them from her and told her that. She turned around and put her feet in the panties that way, instead of just turning the panties around. That was pretty silly but smart! Later on, she was putting some flip flops on the wrong feet... I told her but she wouldn't listen to me. She worked for about a couple of minutes to jam the shoes onto the wrong feet, and kept stopping to pull at the shoes as we walked to the truck. It took all I had to not burst out laughing - mean, I know - but she was being so stubborn and would not give in!
We both had a good rest after church. I was about to take AK to the playground when Jenni called to say I could come to Jon and Erin's for a swim and BBQ. It was perfect and I wish I had just had the foresight to bring a salmon burger with me for the BBQ. According to Jenni and Kevin, I get Sundays as a "day off" during Lent but I have so psyched myself up to not eat meat for Lent that I didn't even want to give in today and have a burger. I was surprised with myself as I did enjoy the smell of the meat cooking and my mouth was watering but my cheese bunwich hit the spot quite nicely.
The kids had a great time playing and swimming. You could tell AK was still tired though as she would get upset at times over the smallest things. She had a great supper, which was good, as she normally doesn't care for hotdogs. She wanted to go home before supper even, but I convinced her to stay by promising she could watch some TV. AK had a good bath and went off to bed a bit early. I was supposed to go to bed early too but here it is nearly 10pm and I'm almost done typing this up!
I'm sure there are other stories I could think of but I think my brain is about ready for bed, and so I will sign off now. Sweet dreams xo
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday's Funnies
AK and I headed over to the Huys' for supper tonight. Jenni cooked some fish, seashell pasta and spinach salad with blueberries and cucumber. Everything but the spinach was a HUGE hit with AK and she ate a whole plateful of supper! She must have been very hungry!!! Matthew's been going for ice cream after supper lately so Jenni and I took the kids to Haagen Daaz after supper. You can get a pretty good deal if you get only a half scoop of ice cream!
Matthew ate his ice cream much faster than AK did and had to go pee. As soon as he and Jenni walked away to the washroom, AK wanted to go pee too. Do you know how hard it is to help a toddler pee while holding two ice cream cones? No? Well, it's not impossible but it was a bit of a juggling act! Once we finished with that fun, we started to walk back to the truck. AK was still working on her cone but started jumping up and down... and lost her ice cream. Splat on the sidewalk. She wasn't too upset but I could see her eyeing it, trying to figure out if she could somehow get it back into the cone. I got her to walk away before she could attempt that!
We had to park in the parkade as it was so busy at Camana Bay tonight. I parked on the lower level (basement) and when we got back down there, we discovered that it had a wonderful echo! AK thought it was pretty funny to hear her voice echoing, and even funnier to hear her laugh echoing back at her. We played with different words and sounds for a while. AK sang Jingle Bells all the way home for me.
It didn't take long to get AK's face wiped off, teeth brushed (with her new electric toothbrush!) and pyjamas on once we got home. She's already in bed, and I haven't heard a peep from her yet. I think it will be early to bed for me tonight too. I've been dragging my butt a bit all week.
Oh, I forgot to update on the 5K run... I ended up running only the first mile as my running partner didn't want to run much more. I didn't want to leave her behind so I walked the next two miles. I may try to keep running once a week just to keep my activity varied! xo
Matthew ate his ice cream much faster than AK did and had to go pee. As soon as he and Jenni walked away to the washroom, AK wanted to go pee too. Do you know how hard it is to help a toddler pee while holding two ice cream cones? No? Well, it's not impossible but it was a bit of a juggling act! Once we finished with that fun, we started to walk back to the truck. AK was still working on her cone but started jumping up and down... and lost her ice cream. Splat on the sidewalk. She wasn't too upset but I could see her eyeing it, trying to figure out if she could somehow get it back into the cone. I got her to walk away before she could attempt that!
We had to park in the parkade as it was so busy at Camana Bay tonight. I parked on the lower level (basement) and when we got back down there, we discovered that it had a wonderful echo! AK thought it was pretty funny to hear her voice echoing, and even funnier to hear her laugh echoing back at her. We played with different words and sounds for a while. AK sang Jingle Bells all the way home for me.
It didn't take long to get AK's face wiped off, teeth brushed (with her new electric toothbrush!) and pyjamas on once we got home. She's already in bed, and I haven't heard a peep from her yet. I think it will be early to bed for me tonight too. I've been dragging my butt a bit all week.
Oh, I forgot to update on the 5K run... I ended up running only the first mile as my running partner didn't want to run much more. I didn't want to leave her behind so I walked the next two miles. I may try to keep running once a week just to keep my activity varied! xo
Trip to Florida in words :)
Now the words to go along with the photos!
My travels to Florida were quite good. Jess and Hunter picked me up to take me to the airport. I think Hunter was hoping I'd take him on the plane with me! I had plenty of time in Miami to go through customs and change planes, and I made it to Tampa right on time. Connie was waiting for me as soon as I came out of the secure area - what a great sight!!!
We got all 12 of us (Connie and her family, Uncle Bill's mom and dad, and his brother and his family) out of the airport into the parking lot, and off to Costco we went! I got a good lesson in how much food (and booze) 17 people need for a week of spring break. I marvelled over the prices ($5 for 2lbs of cheese!!!) and enjoyed playing "where is everyone else?" at Costco. We hit up Target very quickly too and I managed to get my "essential" shopping done - Hunter needed new shoes, so I got those there, and I think he is quite enjoying them! We made our way to the condo and unpacked everything. It was at this point that Connie realized she was missing a carryon bag... with most of Jon's clothing... Luckily Connie located it at the rental car place and all was good. I'm sure Bill's mom's prayers helped too (she's convinced!).
Saturday night passed in a blur of pizza (veggie for me!) and red wine. I'll admit I had a wee bit of a headache on Sunday morning, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one! Thanks to Connie for kicking Bill out of her bed to allow me to sleep with her, and sorry to Ben for having to sleep with his snoring dad and brother!!! He got some good use out of the couch the two nights I was there.
Connie, Bill, his sister and I hit up the grocery store on Sunday morning to finish up the major grocery shopping. I had a ball looking through everything, all the variety and things we don't have, and the PRICES! Even the expensive stuff was a good deal to me! I picked out a few things for AK (Dora coloring book about being healthy, a Tinkerbell PEZ, a princess sippy cup, and a princess toothbrush) and me (canned salmon). Funny how what you shop for changes as time goes on (and depending what stores you go to!). We hit up the beach for the afternoon - it was a beautiful sunny day with a perfect amount of breeze. Connie and I took a nice long walk and enjoyed seeing all the condos, the people, the birds. The sand on the beach is much finer than what I'm used to here, and the water much colder!!!
Supper on Sunday night was at Crabby Bill's. I'm not referring to Uncle Bill when I say that! It was a unique restaurant where you sit at picnic tables inside, and crab is the main feature. It was a fun meal but a late night for all the kiddies.
Thankfully waking up on Monday morning wasn't painful, there was definitely a lot less red wine involved! I just visited with everyone for the morning and packed up as my shuttle back to the airport came by at 1120am to pick me up. I wasn't really feeling like leaving... I wish I could have had one more day there. That was the beginning of what felt like the longest travel day ever - I didn't realize when I booked the flights that I was looking at a 4.5 hour layover in Miami. Gah. Awful airport to have such a long layover in. We were delayed a bit too, but I still walked in the door at about 9pm, less than an hour later than I expected. Hunter came along with Ben to pick me up. I think he was hoping to get on the plane again at that point... he will have to wait his turn to take a trip!
My day was better than the folks next to me - they sat on the tarmac in Missouri for 6 HOURS before they took off to Miami and then missed their connecting flight. The family of four got split up between two different airlines to make their final flight to Cayman. The two that were sitting next to me were pretty tired by that point!
It was great to pick up AK from daycare on Tuesday for a visit. She was chatty and full of beans. I made a supper of gnocchi with a rose sauce and broccoli. I was impressed that she actually had a good portion of broccoli and a bit of the gnocchi. I will have to make that for her again.
I have been rather light-hearted this week - I think the bit of time away and visit with Connie did me a world of good. She and Bill's family were so good to me and I was truly part of the family (whether or not I wanted to be, as Bill's sister said!). Thank you to every single person who made me feel welcome. xo
My travels to Florida were quite good. Jess and Hunter picked me up to take me to the airport. I think Hunter was hoping I'd take him on the plane with me! I had plenty of time in Miami to go through customs and change planes, and I made it to Tampa right on time. Connie was waiting for me as soon as I came out of the secure area - what a great sight!!!
We got all 12 of us (Connie and her family, Uncle Bill's mom and dad, and his brother and his family) out of the airport into the parking lot, and off to Costco we went! I got a good lesson in how much food (and booze) 17 people need for a week of spring break. I marvelled over the prices ($5 for 2lbs of cheese!!!) and enjoyed playing "where is everyone else?" at Costco. We hit up Target very quickly too and I managed to get my "essential" shopping done - Hunter needed new shoes, so I got those there, and I think he is quite enjoying them! We made our way to the condo and unpacked everything. It was at this point that Connie realized she was missing a carryon bag... with most of Jon's clothing... Luckily Connie located it at the rental car place and all was good. I'm sure Bill's mom's prayers helped too (she's convinced!).
Saturday night passed in a blur of pizza (veggie for me!) and red wine. I'll admit I had a wee bit of a headache on Sunday morning, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one! Thanks to Connie for kicking Bill out of her bed to allow me to sleep with her, and sorry to Ben for having to sleep with his snoring dad and brother!!! He got some good use out of the couch the two nights I was there.
Connie, Bill, his sister and I hit up the grocery store on Sunday morning to finish up the major grocery shopping. I had a ball looking through everything, all the variety and things we don't have, and the PRICES! Even the expensive stuff was a good deal to me! I picked out a few things for AK (Dora coloring book about being healthy, a Tinkerbell PEZ, a princess sippy cup, and a princess toothbrush) and me (canned salmon). Funny how what you shop for changes as time goes on (and depending what stores you go to!). We hit up the beach for the afternoon - it was a beautiful sunny day with a perfect amount of breeze. Connie and I took a nice long walk and enjoyed seeing all the condos, the people, the birds. The sand on the beach is much finer than what I'm used to here, and the water much colder!!!
Supper on Sunday night was at Crabby Bill's. I'm not referring to Uncle Bill when I say that! It was a unique restaurant where you sit at picnic tables inside, and crab is the main feature. It was a fun meal but a late night for all the kiddies.
Thankfully waking up on Monday morning wasn't painful, there was definitely a lot less red wine involved! I just visited with everyone for the morning and packed up as my shuttle back to the airport came by at 1120am to pick me up. I wasn't really feeling like leaving... I wish I could have had one more day there. That was the beginning of what felt like the longest travel day ever - I didn't realize when I booked the flights that I was looking at a 4.5 hour layover in Miami. Gah. Awful airport to have such a long layover in. We were delayed a bit too, but I still walked in the door at about 9pm, less than an hour later than I expected. Hunter came along with Ben to pick me up. I think he was hoping to get on the plane again at that point... he will have to wait his turn to take a trip!
My day was better than the folks next to me - they sat on the tarmac in Missouri for 6 HOURS before they took off to Miami and then missed their connecting flight. The family of four got split up between two different airlines to make their final flight to Cayman. The two that were sitting next to me were pretty tired by that point!
It was great to pick up AK from daycare on Tuesday for a visit. She was chatty and full of beans. I made a supper of gnocchi with a rose sauce and broccoli. I was impressed that she actually had a good portion of broccoli and a bit of the gnocchi. I will have to make that for her again.
I have been rather light-hearted this week - I think the bit of time away and visit with Connie did me a world of good. She and Bill's family were so good to me and I was truly part of the family (whether or not I wanted to be, as Bill's sister said!). Thank you to every single person who made me feel welcome. xo
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Trip to Florida in pictures
Aunt, uncle and cousins!
On the beach with Aunty Connie
Grandma Neilipovitz was a little cold on the beach! In Florida!!
Looking towards the condo - beautiful heron
Heron close-up
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Sweet surprise
Check out these two photos I received today from a friend who was at Katie and Chaz's birthday party. This is pretty special for me as I don't get many photos with AK.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Yay for Friday!!!
It has been a fun week with AK. She is certainly exercising her independence muscles this week though!!!
I am really happy right now :) I found out earlier this week that some family would be in Florida for the next week... so I am flying to Tampa tomorrow to spend a couple of days with them! Finances and logistics kept me from taking AK with me, but there's something to be said about boarding a plane with a carry-on suitcase and a book :) no diaper bag, no toddler! I've just checked in online and so I just have to be at the airport in time to go through security.
Time to get back to work and clear a few more things off of my desk before I leave for the day! xo
I am really happy right now :) I found out earlier this week that some family would be in Florida for the next week... so I am flying to Tampa tomorrow to spend a couple of days with them! Finances and logistics kept me from taking AK with me, but there's something to be said about boarding a plane with a carry-on suitcase and a book :) no diaper bag, no toddler! I've just checked in online and so I just have to be at the airport in time to go through security.
Time to get back to work and clear a few more things off of my desk before I leave for the day! xo
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday!
I picked up AK from daycare yesterday and we had to pop into the grocery store to pick up a couple of things for supper. AK helped me remember my list and also helped me carry things through the store. She carried the lollipop she picked out very carefully!!! It is a huge lollipop and thankfully she seems to have lost interest in it rather quickly.
AK helped me make pancakes for supper last night. Not sure if she was just really hungry, she really loves pancakes or she enjoyed eating something that she helped make but she just downed her supper, and asked for more! It's a rare day she does that!
Today we got up slow and lazy and ended up scrapping our plans to check out the Agricultural Fair and a drive up to Rum Point. We ended up going for breakfast and then to the beach with the Babbs. Much better. I wasn't really feeling like driving to Rum Point and back on my own, and I think the crowds at the Ag Fair would have done me in today as well.
AK was so tired from playing at the beach that she had a mega-nap - three hours long! That gave me plenty of time to make some veggie lasagna, a lentil casserole and caesar salad dressing. Oh, and rest for a bit too :)
Once AK woke up, she had a quick drink and snack and we headed over to the Huys for a swim date. The Babbs joined us too, and Mike and Julie came by for a quick visit too. It was such a beautiful day, and it was wonderful to be outside with friends. Both AK and I got some sun today - she definitely has some tan lines that weren't there before!
We stayed for supper - I brought over the veggie lasagna and fixings for salad. AK picked out all of the noodles from her lasagna and ate them, but pushed the veggies to the side. We've got to work on that!!!
She was tired tonight... she wanted to take her milk to bed and when I said no, she got upset and wouldn't pick out any books to read and went straight to bed without a peep. Guess she was more tired than she was thirsty! I don't really think she's thirsty as she turned down water, all of sudden she seems to want the comfort of the sippy cup?
Anyway... day one of giving up meat for Lent is nearly done (I'm off to bed very soon) and it was a success. How many more days to go? I am in good company - Kevin has given up flour and sugar, and Jenni has given up junk food. It will be good to change things up to inspire me to look for and make new recipes. xo
AK helped me make pancakes for supper last night. Not sure if she was just really hungry, she really loves pancakes or she enjoyed eating something that she helped make but she just downed her supper, and asked for more! It's a rare day she does that!
Today we got up slow and lazy and ended up scrapping our plans to check out the Agricultural Fair and a drive up to Rum Point. We ended up going for breakfast and then to the beach with the Babbs. Much better. I wasn't really feeling like driving to Rum Point and back on my own, and I think the crowds at the Ag Fair would have done me in today as well.
"Baking" at the beach
Ready, set, GO!
WHEEE!
AK was so tired from playing at the beach that she had a mega-nap - three hours long! That gave me plenty of time to make some veggie lasagna, a lentil casserole and caesar salad dressing. Oh, and rest for a bit too :)Once AK woke up, she had a quick drink and snack and we headed over to the Huys for a swim date. The Babbs joined us too, and Mike and Julie came by for a quick visit too. It was such a beautiful day, and it was wonderful to be outside with friends. Both AK and I got some sun today - she definitely has some tan lines that weren't there before!
We stayed for supper - I brought over the veggie lasagna and fixings for salad. AK picked out all of the noodles from her lasagna and ate them, but pushed the veggies to the side. We've got to work on that!!!
She was tired tonight... she wanted to take her milk to bed and when I said no, she got upset and wouldn't pick out any books to read and went straight to bed without a peep. Guess she was more tired than she was thirsty! I don't really think she's thirsty as she turned down water, all of sudden she seems to want the comfort of the sippy cup?
Anyway... day one of giving up meat for Lent is nearly done (I'm off to bed very soon) and it was a success. How many more days to go? I am in good company - Kevin has given up flour and sugar, and Jenni has given up junk food. It will be good to change things up to inspire me to look for and make new recipes. xo
Monday, March 7, 2011
Pets at school
Last Friday, a hamster was brought into AK's classroom. There she is, front and center, with the hamster in a round ball cage of some sort, I'm guessing?
You can just barely see AK on the right of this photo, looking at a parrot in a cage. This was the previous Friday.
You can just barely see AK on the right of this photo, looking at a parrot in a cage. This was the previous Friday.
A couple of little things
When I put AK into the car the other day, she was clapping her hands here and there, like she was trying to catch a mosquito. I couldn't figure it out until she said "Mommy, it's snowing!" and then realized that the truck is dusty and she is trying to catch the dust. Guess that's my cue to get the truck cleaned...
AK asked to floss her teeth this morning and I let her. We do the serious flossing at night so I figure it can't hurt to let her take a turn in the morning. She is doing really great about allowing me to brush and floss properly.
She did a great job this morning picking out an outfit to wear and picked socks to wear too, with her running shoes. She is always happy right up until we walk in the door of her school room... I think she gets a bit overwhelmed as all her friends are happy to see her, but they're quite vocal about that happiness... quite a shock after the relative peace and quiet of home!
AK managed to spill her yogurt this morning - I was in the shower so am not quite sure what happened but I'm sure it was an accident. I said something about being sad to have to clean up a mess and AK burst into tears. She's a sensitive one! A good cuddle took care of those tears though.
xo
AK asked to floss her teeth this morning and I let her. We do the serious flossing at night so I figure it can't hurt to let her take a turn in the morning. She is doing really great about allowing me to brush and floss properly.
She did a great job this morning picking out an outfit to wear and picked socks to wear too, with her running shoes. She is always happy right up until we walk in the door of her school room... I think she gets a bit overwhelmed as all her friends are happy to see her, but they're quite vocal about that happiness... quite a shock after the relative peace and quiet of home!
AK managed to spill her yogurt this morning - I was in the shower so am not quite sure what happened but I'm sure it was an accident. I said something about being sad to have to clean up a mess and AK burst into tears. She's a sensitive one! A good cuddle took care of those tears though.
xo
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Beach time!
Could a beach day really get any better or more beautiful than this?
Baby Gracelyn's first swim in the ocean!
The girls!
Checking to see if Matthew's a girl?
No, I guess he'll sit over there :)
We had a fantastic time at the Dart Beach this afternoon. Matthew and AK had so much fun playing with the water table, and Kevin took the two of them for a paddle-boat ride. When Hunter showed up, the three of them ran races from the sand into the water and splashed around. I think there was a pound of sand in AK's swimsuit by the time we left!!! It was special to share Gracelyn's first swim in the ocean with her! She also swung in a hammock for a while, she really enjoyed looking up at the leaves in the trees too.
Why we don't go to the beach more often, I don't know. It's great! xo
What a weekend!
We had SO much fun this weekend!
Friday night, we headed off to Public Beach to play with Anna and Alex. We had a grand time and it was a perfect evening to be out on the beach. It was warm but not hot, and there was just the perfect breeze to keep things cool. There were no bugs and a beautiful sunset (AK clapped when the sun dipped below the horizon, that's how beautiful it was!). We ordered pizza (did you know Gino's Pizza delivers to the beach?) and I was very impressed that AK ate a half of a huge slice of cheese pizza. We had some cuddles when we got home and AK kept hugging me and saying "I love you Mommy!".
We made a big step this weekend... Mommy sleeps in her own room now! I've slept in the same room as AK for the longest time now out of fear of not hearing her if/when she cries at night. Well, I think the night-waking a couple of weeks ago may have been partly due to my restlessness and it waking AK up. So Friday night was my first night in my room. I was tired enough that I fell asleep easily and didn't wake up to worry about AK. I did wake about 6am and lay in bed, wondering when AK would wake me... and she didn't until 730am! She found me in my bed, no problem.
We headed off to Camana Bay for a coffee date and AK wasn't too interested in the fountains, which was good as the little ones were turned off shortly after we got there. We wandered over to the big ones, and found a bunch of little friends there - Molly, Jake, Hunter and Ethan! AK had some fun playing with them for a while. We headed home for a quick lunch then I dropped AK with Brent while I went to a baby shower.
She was still napping when the shower ended, so I took advantage of it to run some errands for a special event... Christie's surprise birthday party! I picked up a balloon bouquet and some booze :) and then headed over to Brent's to get AK. They all live in the same complex so AK and I were able to just walk over to the party. I think Christie was a little surprised :) but not a lot. It was still good fun. AK was hamming it up near the end of the night. She'd lay her head on my shoulder, pretending to sleep, then she'd pop up shrieking with laughter. She enjoyed looking through the Moser's garden and asking me what everything was. She would crouch down like I was and take it all very seriously!
This morning was the same wakeup as yesterday, except AK wouldn't crawl into bed with me. I think it was because she had a poopy diaper, which I didn't smell right away as my allergies were bugging me. It wasn't bugging AK as she didn't ask me to change it right away. She went straight into her kitchen to make breakfast - hot dogs!!! She was quite pleased with herself. We got ourselves together quickly to go over to Babbs' as Ben agreed to look after the kids while Jess and I went for a run. Turns out we did about 2 miles in 20 mins... much faster than I thought I was capable of going!!! Don't think I could have done another mile at that pace but that's a pretty good start!!! AK and Hunter got into our stretches with us after - it was fun to have the kids imitating us.
AK was quite tired this morning and went down for a nap very easily. She slept for about an hour and a half, and was quite chipper when she got up. We hit up the beach for a while (which I'll do a separate post about) and then went to Mike and Julie's for supper. AK gobbled up some BBQ chicken and Julie's homemade buns. She also had some strawberries for supper. She was very entertaining - singing songs, showing us her yoga moves and just generally being a ham. She was very quiet on the way home - I think the beach and all her showing off tired her out!
She kept saying to me yesterday "Mommy, you have sand!". I couldn't figure out why she was saying that until I realized that she was looking at my armpits and seeing that my deoderant was pilled up into little white balls, which she thought looked like sand. Ha!
She likes to play a game that goes like this:
AK: Mommy?
Me: Yes, dear?
AK: (holding finger up to mouth) SSSHHH!!!
And repeat, over and over again.
She's counting very well, and appropriately. She's eating very well but wants help to eat. She's getting much better at dressing and undressing herself. She tells good stories - she's got quite an imagination - she was telling Julie about the "dolphins and turtles and mermaids and fishies" that she saw at the beach... all made up!!! She loves to take baths and play with the water. She chased a bar of soap in the water forever today.
Friday night, we headed off to Public Beach to play with Anna and Alex. We had a grand time and it was a perfect evening to be out on the beach. It was warm but not hot, and there was just the perfect breeze to keep things cool. There were no bugs and a beautiful sunset (AK clapped when the sun dipped below the horizon, that's how beautiful it was!). We ordered pizza (did you know Gino's Pizza delivers to the beach?) and I was very impressed that AK ate a half of a huge slice of cheese pizza. We had some cuddles when we got home and AK kept hugging me and saying "I love you Mommy!".
We made a big step this weekend... Mommy sleeps in her own room now! I've slept in the same room as AK for the longest time now out of fear of not hearing her if/when she cries at night. Well, I think the night-waking a couple of weeks ago may have been partly due to my restlessness and it waking AK up. So Friday night was my first night in my room. I was tired enough that I fell asleep easily and didn't wake up to worry about AK. I did wake about 6am and lay in bed, wondering when AK would wake me... and she didn't until 730am! She found me in my bed, no problem.
We headed off to Camana Bay for a coffee date and AK wasn't too interested in the fountains, which was good as the little ones were turned off shortly after we got there. We wandered over to the big ones, and found a bunch of little friends there - Molly, Jake, Hunter and Ethan! AK had some fun playing with them for a while. We headed home for a quick lunch then I dropped AK with Brent while I went to a baby shower.
She was still napping when the shower ended, so I took advantage of it to run some errands for a special event... Christie's surprise birthday party! I picked up a balloon bouquet and some booze :) and then headed over to Brent's to get AK. They all live in the same complex so AK and I were able to just walk over to the party. I think Christie was a little surprised :) but not a lot. It was still good fun. AK was hamming it up near the end of the night. She'd lay her head on my shoulder, pretending to sleep, then she'd pop up shrieking with laughter. She enjoyed looking through the Moser's garden and asking me what everything was. She would crouch down like I was and take it all very seriously!
This morning was the same wakeup as yesterday, except AK wouldn't crawl into bed with me. I think it was because she had a poopy diaper, which I didn't smell right away as my allergies were bugging me. It wasn't bugging AK as she didn't ask me to change it right away. She went straight into her kitchen to make breakfast - hot dogs!!! She was quite pleased with herself. We got ourselves together quickly to go over to Babbs' as Ben agreed to look after the kids while Jess and I went for a run. Turns out we did about 2 miles in 20 mins... much faster than I thought I was capable of going!!! Don't think I could have done another mile at that pace but that's a pretty good start!!! AK and Hunter got into our stretches with us after - it was fun to have the kids imitating us.
AK was quite tired this morning and went down for a nap very easily. She slept for about an hour and a half, and was quite chipper when she got up. We hit up the beach for a while (which I'll do a separate post about) and then went to Mike and Julie's for supper. AK gobbled up some BBQ chicken and Julie's homemade buns. She also had some strawberries for supper. She was very entertaining - singing songs, showing us her yoga moves and just generally being a ham. She was very quiet on the way home - I think the beach and all her showing off tired her out!
She kept saying to me yesterday "Mommy, you have sand!". I couldn't figure out why she was saying that until I realized that she was looking at my armpits and seeing that my deoderant was pilled up into little white balls, which she thought looked like sand. Ha!
She likes to play a game that goes like this:
AK: Mommy?
Me: Yes, dear?
AK: (holding finger up to mouth) SSSHHH!!!
And repeat, over and over again.
She's counting very well, and appropriately. She's eating very well but wants help to eat. She's getting much better at dressing and undressing herself. She tells good stories - she's got quite an imagination - she was telling Julie about the "dolphins and turtles and mermaids and fishies" that she saw at the beach... all made up!!! She loves to take baths and play with the water. She chased a bar of soap in the water forever today.
Friday, March 4, 2011
ABC's
There's an ABC game going around the blog-world that looks like fun. To have even more fun, I'm going to do it from AK's point of view so you can get to know her a little bit better :)
A. Age: 2.5 years oldB. Bed size: Toddler bed. But Mommy's is WAY bigger.
C. Chore you dislike: I like 'em all as Mommy does them or else she leaves them for the cleaning lady).
D. Dogs: I don't have any dogs but like to be "gentle" and "pat pat pat" any friendly dogs I meet.
E. Essential start to your day: A caffeinated Mommy, juice and yogurt. Oh, and Sesame Street / cartoons.
F. Favorite color: Probably pink.
G. Gold or silver: Neither. Most of my jewelry is plastic.
H. Height: Somewhere around 3 feet.
I. Instruments you play: Maracas from Cuba, a cheesy guitar, other assorted music-makers
J. Job title: Kid.
K. Kids: See J. above.
L. Live: Grand Cayman
M. Mom’s name: Paula!
N. Nicknames: AK
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only when I was born for 3 nights.
P. Pet peeves: Having my hair brushed.
Q. Quote from a movie: No quotes, but I love to sing the songs from my favorite shows.
R. Righty or lefty: I'm thinking righty.
S. Siblings: None
T. Time you wake up: Anywhere between 6am and 730am most days.
U. Underwear: Yes! Favorites have Ariel the Mermaid on them.
V. Vegetables you don't like: Tomatoes. But tomato sauce is good.
W. What makes you run late: Mommy moving too slowly.
X. X-rays you’ve had: None.
Y. Yummy food you make: I don't cook but my mommy makes a mean cheese stick.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Giraffes!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
I'd better start walking more!
From the Cayman news today:
With world oil prices soaring due to the growing unrest across the Middle East, the international price hikes will be hitting local pumps today. Drivers will soon pay as much as CI$5.25 per gallon, and with oil passing $102 per barrel, they can expect another ten cent increase when the next tanker docks.
ACK! $5.25 a gallon!!!
With world oil prices soaring due to the growing unrest across the Middle East, the international price hikes will be hitting local pumps today. Drivers will soon pay as much as CI$5.25 per gallon, and with oil passing $102 per barrel, they can expect another ten cent increase when the next tanker docks.
ACK! $5.25 a gallon!!!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Leaping Leprechauns!
(notice my last two posts both started with the word "leap" - pretty smart, hey?)
I picked AK up from daycare early yesterday so that we could join some friends for Craft Monday. AK was pretty happy to see her little friends and made the little guy below:
Not bad for minimal help hey?
We ended up staying for supper with Margaret and Isabella (Leo went to bed pretty early) and it was great fun. I guess Isabella was asking for AK this morning :) gotta love those little friendships that just rock!
Went for a run last night and got up to 2.6 miles in 35 mins. Tomorrow morning's goal is 40mins, not sure how far I'll get. I did bump up the speed a bit for a while but I don't know if it's something I can really work on right now - I need to focus on running the 5K without dying, ha!
I was busy this morning getting stuff together for my work permit. I had to get a physical, bloodwork and an x-ray done, and thanks to the doctor I chose, it was all done in 45 mins. That is unheard of in Cayman - I expected to be gone from work for more like two hours!
I picked AK up from daycare early yesterday so that we could join some friends for Craft Monday. AK was pretty happy to see her little friends and made the little guy below:
Not bad for minimal help hey?
We ended up staying for supper with Margaret and Isabella (Leo went to bed pretty early) and it was great fun. I guess Isabella was asking for AK this morning :) gotta love those little friendships that just rock!
Went for a run last night and got up to 2.6 miles in 35 mins. Tomorrow morning's goal is 40mins, not sure how far I'll get. I did bump up the speed a bit for a while but I don't know if it's something I can really work on right now - I need to focus on running the 5K without dying, ha!
I was busy this morning getting stuff together for my work permit. I had to get a physical, bloodwork and an x-ray done, and thanks to the doctor I chose, it was all done in 45 mins. That is unheard of in Cayman - I expected to be gone from work for more like two hours!
Leap Year Birthday Party!
AK's friends Katie and Chaz were born on Feb 29, 2008. So they really only have a birthday every four years but we pretend every year that they were born on the 28th :)
They had a Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse-themed party at their house. Nicole taped together several boxes in the backyard to make a structure / tunnel for the kids to paint! What a great idea. AK thoroughly enjoyed the painting part of it. She was so into it that she started painting herself, and somehow ended up with paint on her bum!!!
She wouldn't go near the bouncy slide though, even though a couple of the guys offered to take her. She would look at the slide, want to go on it, put on her bathing suit, then get scared and want to change back into her clothing. We did this twice. I think we spent more time changing AK's clothing than anything else at this party.
Sunday ended up being a very lazy day for me after the party. I went for a pedicure with a friend and then watched a couple of movies. I was tired and I think I needed the down time.
They had a Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse-themed party at their house. Nicole taped together several boxes in the backyard to make a structure / tunnel for the kids to paint! What a great idea. AK thoroughly enjoyed the painting part of it. She was so into it that she started painting herself, and somehow ended up with paint on her bum!!!
She wouldn't go near the bouncy slide though, even though a couple of the guys offered to take her. She would look at the slide, want to go on it, put on her bathing suit, then get scared and want to change back into her clothing. We did this twice. I think we spent more time changing AK's clothing than anything else at this party.
Sunday ended up being a very lazy day for me after the party. I went for a pedicure with a friend and then watched a couple of movies. I was tired and I think I needed the down time.
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