Excuse me if i'm a bit emotional today

Today is Kenzie's last day of Junior Kindergarten. I am so proud of our little girl. She started school last September only 2 weeks after moving into a new house in a new neighbourhood in a new county. She left behind all her friends in Seattle.

She was the youngest in her class (just making the end of year age cut-off). On her first day my shy little girl was so brave - holding her head up, getting into line and marching into "big girl" school with the other little kids. She constantly amazed me. From the things she learned academically to the way she blossomed socially. She truly earned her “student of the month award” with her determination and perseverance in all areas of school life.

I know that she came across many challenges - from taking the bus to daycare (where she was very intimated by the bigger/louder kids), to the first time another child said they didn't want to be her friend.

She has been courageous, well behaved, eager to learn, and has gone into this whole experience with an amazingly positive attitude.

This morning as we were walking to school she heard the bell ring. She started running for school, her little backpack covering half her body. She arrived at the school door in the knick of time just as the kindergarteners were lining up. She quickly joined her friends in line and was chatting away excitedly (last day of school) as they started walking in. When she turned around to wave to Sebby and I, and blow us kisses, she had the biggest smile on her face. It occurred to me that my little baby is growing up.

Mackenzie I am so proud of you.

Kenzie's first day of school




Getting her Student of the Month Award


My little lady now.

Happy Birthday to me!

Oh my God. Let me start by saying that nothing annoys me more than when my computer acts up. I booted up my computer about 15 minutes ago and outlook is still not open yet. I am going to scream…

Anyways, besides that. It’s my birthday today! WOOT! I’m not expecting today to be a very great day cause I am swamped at work. But I had a really nice weekend. On Saturday CJ and I took the kids to Home Depot where I got to choose a tree. Our backyard is currently a small square piece of grass surrounded by a wooden fence. It has no landscaping – nothing. Very bare, no character. So I had asked CJ for a tree for my birthday. I chose a pear tree. It’s supposed to have beautiful flowers in the spring. CJ spent Saturday morning planting the tree. When CJ does something he does it properly. He took all the grass away, dug down and put down a weed screen and then planted the tree with a ton of good soil. It looks fabulous!

In the afternoon Andrea, Chris and Isaac came over for a birthday barbeque. CJ’s mom came too. It was a good afternoon and evening. Andrea and Chris also brought all of us gifts from their trip to France. I have to laugh at Andrea though… she brought Seb this adorable little T-shirt from a French boutique. It has that “pre-worn” look and has paint splatters on it. I bet she paid about $80 for it!! It just makes me shake my head and laugh.

The food by the way was so yummy. Andrea and Chris brought these spicy sausages from the market. CJ also grilled asparagus and portobello mushrooms. Mmm mmm mmm Here are some pics from the afternoon.











Yesterday was a nice day… except for when we went back to Home Depot (this time to buy some flowers). Both kids were tired and had complete meltdowns while we were there. When we left the two kids were sitting in the back seat screaming and crying and yelling at each other to “BE QUIET!”. Ahhhh isn’t it great to have kids. The rest of the day got better – after we FINALLY got the kids to bed for naps. CJ finished the flower bed and we planted the flowers and it looks AMAING! It makes the whole backyard look nicer. It was a wonderful birthday present! Thank honey. I love you.







So that was the fun part - now for the not so fun part. CJ is leaving tomorrow WAAAAH! I am stressed at work. and I just feel really anxious in general :(

my peeps

I'm committed

okay so I registered and scheduled my LEED NC exam. I won't tell you when it is so that i don't have to admit it if i don't pass.

But wish me luck. If I pass I'll let you know.

Btw, it's some time before the end of the summer. When the heck am I going to be able to study for this? I'm already super stressed!

the fair

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I were hanging out and playing outside. They were being very good. Kenzie said that she really wanted to see her friends Shannon, Jenna and Rachel. I told Kenzie that she couldn’t see then because Jenna had a soccer game and they wouldn’t be home. So Kenzie very astutely suggested that we go watch the game. So I called Sue and asked if we could join them. We gathered our blanket, water bottles, apples and crackers and packed up the chariot. The kids jumped in and we headed to the park. We had fun watching Jenna play soccer (she scored a goal – yay Jenna!!). Seb, Kenzie and Rachel also had a fun time at the playground. CJ and Brian also joined us at the park when they were finished work.

By the time the game was over we were having too much fun and didn’t want it to end. So we invited the Woocks over to our place for an evening drink (& popsicles for the kids). It was a very fun evening with some very funny moments.

So the kids went to bed way too late (it was adorable when Kenzie, Rachel and Jenna all sang songs to Seb when he went to bed). This morning they were little hellions – very moody and whiny. We put them to bed for naps extremely early today – before noon. Luckily they had good naps. While they were napping CJ went to play guitar with his music buds.

Later this afternoon Nana (CJ’s mom) arrived and CJ came back home. Once the kids woke up we decided to hit the Oak Ridges Fair. It was actually really fun. The kids went on rides, ate cotton candy and snow cones, and played games. We had a really good time. I was actually pretty impressed by the kids and all the rides they went on. They even went on the giant Ferris wheel with CJ and they did great!

That’s CJ giving me the 143 sign up there.




Kenzie got a basket and won a Care Bear.








We came home, had dinner and now are watching cartoons before bedtime.

I am looking forward to another fun day tomorrow. Happy father’s Day to all the dad’s out there… but especially to my honey. CJ, I love you with all my heart. You are an amazing dad and our kids are so lucky to have you – so am I!

faces

what I needed

this morning I woke up feeling like hell again. I decided to stay home and sleep so that I could get rid of this bug once and for all. I was amazed at how tired I was. I went to bed at about 11:00 and was just dozing off when I heard the front door open. It was my mom.... she decided that I needed some mothering. I was both annoyed (I didn't want any of her "you need to take better care of yourself" lectures) and relieved (sometime you just need your mom to take care of you when you're sick).

So I fell asleep and ended up sleeping for about 4 hours. When I woke up my mom told me that she was going to get the kids from daycare and take them back to her house for the night. At first I argued (rather pathetically) but then I graciously accepted.

After she left I went downstairs and found out that she had done all our laundry, filled the freezer with a bunch of frozen meals and made CJ and I an eggplant bake for dinner tonight. She rocks!

anyhow, so I was feeling kinda shitty... guilty for missing work and guilty for not seeing the kids this evening. But I have to admit I am starting to feel better. I think I really needed a day of rest. and now I am actually very excited about seeing the kids tomorrow and having fun with them. I am surprised at what a difference one day of rest makes, but now I am thinking that I should have done this last week.

help me get better

I've had a cold/sinus infection now for 2 weeks and i am TIRED of it. I am congested and have a cough & irritated/sore throat.

I am on antibiotics but they don't seem to be doing much. I usually swear by my mom's chicken soup so I had that for dinner last night and brought some for lunch....

what are some other home-remedies. I'm willing to try anything about now! Please help.

and here is some cuteness. This is after the kids played in the sprinkler yesterday. I made them take all their soaking clothes off on the deck so they wouldn't traipse through the house dripping water all over. I bundled them up in towels and put them in the chir swing to warm up / dry.

June 8th weekend in review

So it’s Monday again. The weekend went by much too quickly. It was filled with many ups and downs. First, the downs… I am still sick and feeling crappy. I finally went to the doctor today and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I have been given anti-biotics and nasal spray to help relieve the symptoms. I am not sure if I will be going to Seattle tomorrow or not. The way my head feels now I think it might just explode on the plane. But I told the Project Manager that if he couldn’t postpone my meetings that I’d be there. I am hoping he can postpone them though because I’d like to go when I’m feeling better – not only for the flight and work stuff but also so that I could enjoy seeing my friends more.

Also CJ is having a hell of a time with his allergies. I mean they are BAD. Poor guy sounds like a whistle and I know he feels like crap. Now to add to all of this, the kids are still not 100%. Both kiddos are still coughing and now Seb has an upset stomach. Ugh… when will it end?!

Okay, now for the good stuff…. On Saturday we went to the Woock’s house for a barbeque. We met most of the people who will be camping with us in July. It was a blast. I mean the adults are all great and CJ and I met some wonderful people who I hope to get to know better. CJ and I hardly saw the kids. The kids in this group range from 2 ½ (Seb and Nolan are both the same age) up to 13. The older girls seem to love taking care of the little kids – especially seb. Here is a picture of him with his “older women”



And Kenzie and Seb love all the bigger kids. Kenzie also made friends with a little girl Sofie who goes to her school and is also in kindergarten but in a different class. They were inseparable the entire afternoon.





The afternoon made me really look forward to our camping trip!






After we came home and got the kids to bed CJ went to meet up with some folks that he met through a Craigslist ad. They are starting up a band and needed a bassist. CJ is primarily a guitarist but went ahead and responded anyhow. He played bass with these folks on Saturday night and he said he had a really good time. I am so glad. I know it is really important to him to have music in his life. Now, although he’s not playing guitar, he can at least have fun jamming and playing music. I hope this works out for him.

Yesterday morning Kenzie and I went to get our nails done. When we got home we picked up the boys and headed out for lunch. We found a great spot that has a wonderful outdoor patio – we were able to enjoy some lunch and sun. CJ and I enjoyed a nice summer cocktail as well.

When we came home we all went down for naps and then after naps the kids played in the backyard with their new sprinkler toy. It’s actually a pretty cool toy. CJ amazed them with his magical abilities.







So there you have it. A Brief (or perhaps not so brief) summary of our weekend. And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

pity me

Woe is me.

Come and join me in my self-pity party.

It’s 2:11 am on Friday morning. I am in the guest room wishing that someone would shoot me with a tranquilizer. It’s been a week of kids being sick – Seb with bronchitis, Kenzie with pink eye and a cold, and now yesterday Seb got a stomach virus and has been throwing up. I have been fighting a cold since Monday and it just keeps getting worse. Right now my throat and lungs feel like they are raw and bleeding. But I can’t stop coughing and everytime I cough it hurts like hell. I am so nauseous right now… I haven’t eaten anything more than a bite of chicken soup, 3 rice cakes and an unlimited amount of tea in the last 3 days. The nausea could be a result of taking cough medicine about half an hour ago on an empty stomach. Could be because I’m exhausted. Between getting up with sick kids and being sick myself I haven’t had much sleep.

And to top it off I have a big meeting tomorrow – well I guess that’s actually “later today”. It’s the kick-off meeting for a project I just brought in (woot… yay me… note sarcasm). New client, several managers from his organization …. and I have to lead this 3 hour meeting and I’m not even prepared for it.

I think I have a fever right now. I’m sweating and freezing.

Next week I am off to Seattle. Although I am looking forward to seeing my friends – the thought of the almost full day of travel, followed by a series of meetings and ending with a red eye flight back home is NOT appealing.

Let me end this pity party by saying that I wish my mum had booked her trip to Europe any other time but when CJ is in Montana for a week. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, the kids are at a very trying age right now and I am dreading trying to deal with them by myself for a week.

OMG I think I am going to throw up…..

darn!

Kenzie has pink eye.... i guess I'll have to stay home with her.... sigh. ;-)

We've decided to get some goggles and go swimming! WOOT. It should be fun.

new topic - can I just say AGAIN how happy i am that we live in front of this park. It is so convenient to go there whenever we want. I love how there is the playground, a huge field for running, the pond to feed ducks and catch tadpoles and minnows, a baseball field (Kenzie wants to join a team now), tennis courts and then of course Kenzie's school. It couldn't be better.

Both kids have turned into little climbers.

two little monkeys jumping on the bed....

The best-laid plans of mice and men....

Things don’t always work out as planned. We had plans for a fantastic weekend. Omi offered to take the kids from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. CJ and I were going to go out one or both nights; we were going to get the kids closets sorted, the garage purged and sorted and the basement purged and organized…. Well it didn’t work out that way.

On Thursday night Seb had a rough night. He was coughing a lot. He woke up at 3:00 am and neither CJ nor I could get him back to sleep. So on Friday morning I left work early so I could pick him up from daycare before naptime so he could have a good sleep at home. Well I got to daycare at noon and while all the other kids were eating lunch, Seb had told his teacher he was tired and had gone to lie down already. When I walked over to get him from his cot he looked up and I could tell right away that he had a fever… you can see it in the eyes. I brought him home, gave him Tylenol and put him to bed. I called Sue to ask her to pick up Kenzie from school so I could let Sebastian sleep. So at about 2:45 Sue showed up with Kenzie and a gaggle of kids… two of her own (Rachel and Jenna), Jenna’s friend and Vicki and Greg’s son. Kenzie as in heaven having all these big kids to play with. They were easily amused with some Mr. Freezies and went out back to play. When Seb woke up from his nap he looked terrible… and I could tell he felt like crap.

Sue took the kids to the park, mum showed up and I took Seb to the doctor. I’m glad I did cause it turned out he has bronchitis. The doc sent us home with 2 inhalers, antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. I obviously didn’t want mum to take the kids with Seb being so sick. But she stayed over so she could help out in the morning. Luckily the meds seemed to help pretty quickly and he had a fairly good sleep.

He didn’t cough at all last night (which made me panic at 1:00 am when I woke up… I stood in his doorway and watched his chest rise and fall for about 5 minutes before I could relax) but he did wake at 4:30 ready to play.

Anyhow.. so this morning we all got down to business…..CJ went grocery shopping and then hit the garage (you did an awesome job honey – thanks). Mum and I watched the kids, sorted out the craft stuff, went through both their closets, and did laundry. At 10:30 mum took kenzie to meet Andrea and Isaac and the 4 of them hit a ceramics place to make something for Father’s Day.

CJ put Seb to bed at 11:30 and then headed out to meet some new folks who are looking for some bandmates. He and a couple guys spent a couple hours noodling around on their guitars. I’m glad CJ got a chance to meet some new musicians and play some music.

I took some time to make some cards that I am behind on making for a card exchange. I wasn’t feeling very inspired and now I feel a bit embarrassed by the final product but here it is….



As soon as I finished the cards I started to feel really crappy.. it was one of those situations when you go from feeling good to terrible in about 30 minutes. I can hardly swallow now and my ears are also killing me. Luckily, mum called to say that she had taken Kenzie back to Oakville and they were going swimming at a friend’s house. She also suggested that she keep Kenzie overnight (am I going to argue with that?? Hell no!)

Sebastian was in a good mood and pretty mellow when he woke up. We hung out until CJ came home. Then we took a quick trip to the park and shortly thereafter I went to bed (where I am now). Here are some pics from the park – as you can tell Sebastian is feeling much better now.













So it wasn’t the fun, productive, carefree weekend that we had hoped for but it could have been worse. Anyhow. I am still feeling like crap so I think I’ll go to sleep now. Fingers crossed that tomorrow is a decent day.