Quick Update

We are here in Toronto. Things are fairly good. CJ and I have gotten to go out for dinner without kids. It was delicious. We ate escargo.... ha!!!

The kids have been fairlly good, although Kenzie is a bit clingy. But I understand that. She's been meeting lots of new people and there has been lots going on. Right now she is at the library with Omi. They have a great kids library here.

I've enjoyed hanging out with Andrea and Chris. We always have good laughs. I like him. I approve. :) I also went with Andrea to pick up her wedding dress. She looks stunning. She really does. I am excited about saturday but on the other hand I don't want it to come too soon because after that it's time to go home again.

Mum got mad at CJ (implied that he was being lazy and not helping me with the kids). It wasn't the case at all and more importantly it wasn't her place to say anything to him or accuse him of anything. So that's caused a bit of stress for us. Poor CJ is walking on eggshells and I'm not sure how tough of a stand I should take with my mum. I got very upset with her and she apologized to me profusely... key phrase "to me". She still hasn't apologized to CJ.... ah, family stresses.

Anyhow. That's life.

I met up with my good friend Ewa yesterday. It was wonderful to see her. We've been friends for 17 years now. She's been through a lot since we last saw each other... she was a SAHM living with her husband and two kids last time we met up. Now she's divorced, finished getting her early childhood education degree, living with her parents (and her kids) and has a job as a preschool director. I am proud of her. She's a tough cookie!

On Wednesday night I am meeting up with one of my "board friends", (you know... the freaky internet people) Kat. It's a ladies night out and I am excited!

So, that's it for now. I'll leave you with some recent pictures. Kenzie has become addicted to pool. I fully support it. She can become a pool shark and pay her way through college. :) BTW, excuse the dust on the lamp. This is my old pool table in my mum's house. She never uses it and hardly ever goes into the "game room".





Here's a cute picture of mum and Kenzie. :)

RIOT

I've been emailing with my sister, Andrea, today, talking about her wedding. I asked her where we'd be sitting. This was the email correspondence that followed.

Andrea: "You're unfortunately stuck with me! It will be me, Chris, Isaac, you, CJ, Mackenzie, Mom, Dad, and Chris' parents... "

Me: "Oh My God! You and Chris are sitting with the kids, the parents and the in-laws? Are you insane??!!! Your wedding is supposed to be fun for you! ha ha ha. I'm excited. This is going to be a riot!"

Andrea: "Definitions of riot (I hope the riot you are referring to falls into category 5 and 6 (and not 1 or 2)! ) :

1. A wild or turbulent disturbance created by a large number of people.
2. Law. A violent disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled for a common purpose.
3. An unrestrained outbreak, as of laughter or passions.
4. A profusion: The garden was a riot of colors in August.
5. Unrestrained merrymaking; revelry.
6. Debauchery."

good start to Monday

Saturday is my favourite day, Friday my second favourite and Monday is my LEAST favourite. It's always a downer to come back to work after a fun weekend with my family. I'm also usually pretty exhausted from our weekend festivities.

Today however, I'm in a pretty good mood. This morning I was ready for work on time... even 10 minutes early. I went into Kenzie's room to say goodbye. She was a little bit sad that mummy was going to work, but we talked about things and I think she felt better by the time I left. We talked about all our grand adventures starting in just two days... a big plane ride, 14 days with no work, seeing Omi and Andrea and being in a wedding. She knows that she and I are going to walk down the aisle together. This morning she asked me if we could dance down the aisle and I could twirl her around. I thought that was adorable. I know that when the time comes, she'll be terrified and I'll be lucky to carry her down the aisle... but her excitement and enthusiasm made me smile.

Another good thing that brightened my mood. Liberia has elected a new president. A woman!! WOMEN RULE! After 13 years of civil war, they have elected a new president that I believe (not that I am an expert)... I guess I should say, I have heard and read that if anyone can pull Liberia out of it's depressed situation, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the person for the job. She is an economist and seems very well qualified. I hope to see great things happening in that country.

On another note... my friend Karen came over yesterday with her brood - Ethan and Kalena. It was a bit hectic and messy but we had fun.

Here's a pic of Seb and his girlfriend Kalena. Look at the height difference - Can you believe they are the same age? Kalena is a little peanut. She is so darn cute.




Here she is again with her big brother.

The Perfect Day

Today was a pretty great day. Let me start from the end...

The Wheelers came over tonight. The Wheelers are our best friends. Darwin was the best man at our wedding, Dawn and Darwin are God parents to our kids, they live 4 houses down from us, and they are just wonderful people.

The Wheelers and us Ingrams have gone through alot together. We know alot about each other and we still love each other ;-) Dawn and Darwin, you guys are wonderful. You are both awesome, strong, loving people, and I am so proud and glad that we are family! :)

The girls had a blast tonight, and Dawn... thanks for getting tipsy with me. It's been a long time since we did this and I really miss it! Gregory was an absolute angel. I hope he sleeps well for you tonight. Here are some pics...

The girls...


Gabby, the monkey.



okay, I'm sleepy and we did a heck of a lot today so ... here's a brief summary of our day.

AT 11:00 Sam and Charles dropped off Jess. we spent the morning hanging out, blowing bubbles and just ... well not doing anything special.

Jess and Kenzie blowing bubbles for Seb.


Then, at 1:00, we all took naps. CJ snuck off at 2:00 to go to his race. He did a 5 mile trail run/race today. It was pouring rain and the trail must have been a mess of mud and horse poop, but he did it anyway.

At 3:00 Jess helped me get the kids ready and we headed out to watch CJ finish the race and cheer him across the finish line. It was pretty fun to watch him finish. He sure looks sexy all wet, muddy and sweaty. Can I brag about my husband? He came in 17th in the 5 mile run. I don't know how many people ran it but I do know that there were plenty of runners crossing the finish line after CJ who looked like they ran 20 miles every day and were very "seasoned" runners. My hubby is a hottie!

Here he is crossing the finish line.


and after meeting up with us.


here's me and Seb under the umbrella.


CJ was a bit muddy, so we sent him home to clean up while I took the kids to Phoebe's birthday party.


Now let's talk about this birthday party. Our buddy Phoebe turned 4. I have never seen a 4 year old's birthday party with quite so many people. I would guess that there were 40 kids (and their affiliated parental units). It was held at Georges restaraunt. What an amazing party. The kids all loved Bubbles the clown. And everyone had an absolute blast!



The birthday girl had a fun....




and all the guests had a great time too. Pete and Hadley... THANK YOU! We had so much fun! Happy Birthday Phoebe! Here are some of my favorite pictures...

Deb and Gregory


CJ and Seb


Andrew and Jackson


Check out this party!!!!!


Birthday Dad and little sister


So, after that we came home, the Wheelers came over and we stayed up far to late, let the kids stay up too late, and now it's time for bed.

Good Night and Sleep tight!

My daughter, the teenager

On Friday's CJ usually drives me to work and picks me up. it's a nice treat (we get to use the HOV lanes and I don't have to battle traffic).

This morning Kenzie slept in later than usual. At 7:00 I went to her room to get her up. I asked her if she wanted to drive me to work (thinking she'd choose this option) or stay in bed. She told me that she'd rather stay in bed.

As I walked out saying goodbye, she said "Can you ask Daddy to wake me up when he gets home?".

HA! it took me a few seconds to realize she fully expected CJ to take me anyways and leave her in bed sleeping. Goof.

current thoughts

1. Thank GOD I got my greencard stuff sorted out. I went back there yesterday, paid my $5 for parking, went through security, waited in line, only to find out that the USCIS have changed their procedures so that you now need to schedule an appointment for basically.... everything. So I went home, got on-line and scheduled an appointment for 7:20 am this morning. Got up super early for the 3rd day in a row, paid ANOTHER $5 for parking (the parking attendant even recognized me today "You back again?!" he asked) and went through all the hoopla (signatures, pictures, finger prints etc), but walked out with a new stamp in my passport and new greencard supposedly on it's way to me in 3 to 6 months. So I can now legally come back into the US after my trip to Canada for Andrea's wedding.

2. I had a nice time last nice with the ladies, but missed Nabila, Dawn and Christy. I hope they are all doing well.

3. My mood swings these days are terrible. I mean I have moments when I am so depressed and others when I have not a care in the world. I really need to speak to a professional. I am seriously starting to wonder if I'm bi-polar. I'll add this to my list of misc things to research next time I am surfing the web.

4. Work is going well. There is a task that I was procrastinating on because I was scared to look like an idiot, but I am trying to stick to my "grey philosophy", so I just dove in and started making phone calls. The people I spoke to have been really helpful and I'm making progress. It feels good.

5. I am looking forward to the weekend and to our trip to Toronto next week. I am excited about spending time with Andrea, mum, my friends and seeing a whole bunch of relatives.

6. I am stressed about the work I have to get done before I leave.

Here are some pics I took last night.

HOP ON POP!


ME and THE BOO

the good, the bad and the ugly

the good: I was able to pull the hair out of my chin without using tweezers! WOOT! I am now chin-hair free

the bad: my 11:00 meeting was rescheduled to 1:00 and which conflicts with my 1:00 and my 2:00 scheduled meetings.

the ugly: I finally got the initiative to get up early this morning and go to the USCIS office (which was really hard to find in the darkness and pouring rain). I pulled in there at 6:58 am, only to find out that they charge $5 for parking, but (GET THIS) they don't accept debit or credit cards. I drove around until I finally found a 7/11 with an ATM machine and tried to get some cash out but it didn't work so I had to come to the office without getting my new greencard which I need to have before I leave for Toronto next week. Now I have to do it all again tomorrow morning. Tomorrow I will bring $5 CASH with me. grrrrrr

wow

do I ever miss my family today! :(

Honey, it's 4:00 - I'm coming home NOW!

Sledding

We went...

We sledded...

We came home...

It was good.

driving there


at the "venue"


Sledding!!!!!!!

Kristin, Montana, Kenzie


Sam and Jess


CJ and the girls


Me and Seb (someone should have told me that Kenzie's hat really didn't suit me)


Sebby


Hot chocolate afterwards


On the way home

Scott and Kristin

So we have these friends, Scott and Kristin. We met them through Sarah. Sarah used to watch all our kids when Kenzie was younger. Every time I have met with Scott and Kristin I feel happy. They are warmth and love wrapped up in people. I feel so exceptionally lucky to have them as friends. In the last year we have started getting to know them... becoming friends. To the point where I will call them up on a Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm and say "hey, come over and join us for some wine, conversation and a playdate" and an hour later they will be at the door, with a a bag of cheese, salami, avocado and other goodies. The girls will go off and play and let us adults hang out and talk about life. We'll talk about how what really matters is FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

I gotta say.. how many guys can pull of a kilt. Scott can. That's impressive.





This afternoon we talked about Kristin's friend who finally decided to do something to make herself happy, we talked about renovating our house so that we'd have an extra large kitchen and no dining room, we talked about friends, and music and talking and being ourselves. It was so good. Scott and Kristin, you are truly awesome people. Thanks for being our friends.

The girls





p.s. Sebby's walking :)



p.s.s. Tomorrow we are meeting up with Scott/Kristin/Montana, the Wheelers and Andrew/Christy/Jackson for some fun in the snow. I can't wait!

There is something to be said about grey

I'm usually the type of person that is pretty "black or white". I love something or I hate it. I'm great at something or terrible. I CAN do something or I won't even try. I like someone or I hate them. I am a success or a complete failure.

I've decided to try to adopt a new philosophy that I will apply to many areas of my life. I's called the "grey philosophy". It will be okay to do things in moderation. It will be okay to do something 'adequately'. It will be okay not to be perfect.

I'm hoping that this new philosophy will reduce self-induced stress and lead to a greater sense of contentment.

dieting and other misc ramblings

why is it so hard to diet? When I was younger it seemed easier. I'd just stop eating for a while, the pounds would fall off and before I knew it I could fit into my size 6 jeans again. Not now. I have started a diet/cleanse/new way of eating about 15 times since Seb was born. I haven't been able to stick to it for more than 3 days. And lately, I can't seem to stick to it past 2:00 pm on the first day. I feel even worse about myself because CJ is so thin and healthy now, and Dawn and Nabila who both had babies much later than me are stick thin again. I suck :( When will the "secret pill" be hitting the market. I will be one of the first customers.

On another note, JL... I don't know if you'll read this, but I heard what 'Safari Joy' said to you and Ben last weekend and I am horrified. I am so sorry. I hate her. I think I will complain.

The weekend starts tomorrow. We had a management meeting this morning and one of my coworkers came up with the brilliant idea to start up our Friday afternoon drinking sessions again. We used to do this every Friday in our office, but then the economy hit rock bottom, no one had work and he had to lay people off, so no one was in the mood for socializing. Now the economy is doing great, we are swamped and we decided we needed some morale boosting... I am looking forward to a glass of wine and some laughs starting at 4:00.

pizza with the ladies

Last night the boys (CJ included) went out to watch the National football championship game! I invited all the ladies over to keep me company. Nabila and Dawn came over with the kids. What a hoot - 6 kids (3 and under) climbing all over each other and playing, while we ladies attemped to have a conversation.

I was sad when they all left.

Dawn, Nabila, it was Sebby's stinky poo that made you guys leave, wasn't it?

so hurtful

You know what really hurts? When you share one of your deepest, most private secrets with someone. Someone you trust. You share something that has impacted you significantly in your life. Something that you are somewhat ashamed of. Then this person completely disregards what you told them. They act like it isn't important and that it really shouldn't bother you and that you are overreacting.

That hurts more than any names or lies or any other nasty act I can think of.

on a happier note.... look at this darling face. I can't be sad when I see his smile. :)

My sister, Andrea

Andrea is my sister. I love her dearly. I even loved her when she tricked me into drinking creek water when I was 6. I loved her even when she hit me with a brush at sailing school resulting in 200 little bleeding holes in my arm. I loved her when she challenged me to eat my ice cream as fast as I could, only to tease me by eating hers as slowly as possible in front of me once I was done.

I must admit to one thing. It has been bothering me for years. When Andrea was in grade 5 and I was in grade 3, her class went on a two-day field trip. I cried when she left that morning. My mother thought it was because I was going to miss Andrea but really it was because I wanted to go. I never told Mum this because mum said I could skip school and spend the day with her instead.... being how I missed my sister so much!

When we were in high school, I idolized Andrea. She worked at Ontario Place in the summer, so I applied to work at Ontario Place. She had a crush on some guy, so I had a crush that same guy (I can't even remember his name... but I went to that Peter Gabriel concert with him). She joined the choir so I joined the choir.

I always wanted to be friends with her friends. I always wanted to do what she was doing, but I wanted to do it better. I so much wanted her to love me. I was the peskiest little sister ever.

When Andrea went to college she invited me to come and visit her. I was a bratty little 16 year old. I went to visit Andrea, drank too much and ended up being sick outside a big college party. Andrea took care of me. She brought me back to her dorm room, gave me water, got me to eat and stayed with me. After that weekend was over, she even invited me to come back.

We used to travel together. Once a year we would take a vacation together. We went to Portugal together, to the Canyon Ranch Spa in Arizona (Andrea snuck in several bottles of wine), to Italy, to the Caymen Islands. Ah... our trip to Caymen Island. I had developed an eating disorder since I had last seen her. I was feeling pretty proud of my 103 lbs body that would excercise 3 hours a day and eat nothing but lettuce and yogurt. When Andrea saw me she started to cry. We fought... she was so angry. She forced me to eat that week. I truly think that her forcefulness was the beginning of my recovery.

Andrea and I talk regularly. I can tell her things about being depressed or anxious for no reason, and she tells me she knows exactly how I feel and makes me feel like I am not a freak. I talked to her about the possibility of CJ being a stay at home dad... she was so supportive and positive. Only the two of us know our family history. Only we understand the idiosynchrocies of our family. Andrea has helped me to deal with things when my mother drives me batty, or when my dad does something (unintentionally) that is thoughtless.

Andrea is generous. Andrea bought my mum a car for Christmas when mum was too proud to accept financial help for car repairs. Andrea has flown out to Seattle when her work schedule was crazy, so that she could be here for Kenzie's and Sebby's baptisms. She is Godmother to both my children.

Andrea is loving. She cried for months when our family dog died. She adores Mackenzie and is so amazing with her. When Mackenzie was colicky and I was a walking zombie, Andrea held her and walked with her until she fell asleep in her arms. Andrea will get into bed with Mackenzie and read to her for 45 minutes before Kenzie falls asleep. In Andrea's corporate attorney's office with a view of the Toronto skyline, on the mahogany desk among the corporate files and important business cards is a finger painting that Mackenzie made for her when M was 1.

Andrea waited 36 years to find the man of her dreams. They say that good things come to those who wait. I am so glad Andrea did. Chris is a wonderful man who absolutely adores Andrea. I know he loves her and I know she loves him. In 4 weeks they will be married.

Congratulations Andrea and Chris. I wish you years and years of happiness together.

Love your little sister.

p.s. Here is a picture of Kenzie modeling her flower girl dress.

Mackenzie turns 3

Mackenzie, Happy Birthday. I can't believe you are three already. My little baby with the bald head, big cheeks and rolls on her thighs is growing up. You will be starting school on Tuesday. Oh my heart aches. You are growing up too fast. I am excited for you... for everything the world has to offer you. I look forward to watching you grow and develop confidence. I love watching you interact with your friends. I love your sense of humor and your giggle. I love the fact that you are a princess. Who would have thougt that me, the most ungirly person, could have such a girly daughter. I love that. I love it because it sets you apart. You are your own person. With your own likes and dislikes. You have your moods, good and bad. Mackenzie, I love you with all my heart. I wish that you will grow up being happy. I hope you know that you will always be loved. Hugs and Kisses my princess.

Love mum.

Thanks to Steve for these fabulous photos!