Mom And Martha

My mom and martha came to stay overnight on monday (yes, this house has been like a B&B this week!!). Martha took the train from winnipeg and had stayed in kelowna with mom and dad for a week before coming here - it rained for the day - so Martha folded piles and piles of laundry...she's happy to stay busy- and her and Isaac played and played.

Janet the Dancer

My old friend from high school came through duncan a few weeks ago and i hadn't gotten any pics to post-so here we are!! THIS is JANET!! World traveler, Dancer, Friend!! When i picked her up from the theatre at 7 in the morning (unheard of to get me out of bed before 8:30!!) we went for breakfast before heading back to the lake to hang out with isaac - then we mainly walked around the property laughing about old times, funny things Isaac would do, and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to catch up with a girlfriend that i had so much history with. Janet was a wonderful friend....it was like old times to just walk and talk - though this time, we are both married and i have 2 little ones to chase..but other than that - much has stayed the same!!

Kari and Griffin

So two very tired moms got together last night and giggled until 11pm! Unheard of in this stage of life these days! Kari and Griffin came to stay overnight last night and it was so great to re-group with my old 'roomie'....we really miss doing laundry and making our meals together--the most mudane things are never too bad when you have a friend to do them with hey? So great to see you Kari and hang with baby Griffin - such a sweet little baby! Good job!

To Dance or not to Dance?

So i have been invited by my good friend Katrina to fulfill a wish of mine - to learn how to dance! She says to me this afternoon ' it'll be SO fun!! We'll drive down every monday night together, meet up with a great group of girls, dance, and then head out afterwards"...so, the concept is awesome! (the class is hip-hop btw) I have wanted something like this in my life for ages: girlfriends, dancing, food-all in one night!......this is how the end of the conversation went:

Katrina: So, what d'ya think!!??

Sharon: Sounds FUN! But i don't really know how to dance! Could be a disaster....

Katrina: Well, i haven't danced since highschool, but i loved it

Sharon: Yeah, me too--let me think about it--when does this monday class start?

Katrina: "umm...tommorow"

Sharon: ....gulp

Go Canucks...

Could that game have been any longer?? I didn't know they could play for over 5 hours! i lost my husband for a whole night!

Baby Mozart...oop honey...you are facing the wrong way!

My new screen saver.....

.....and Isaac's future wedding slide picture!

Fun with Boys....

Last night we were pulling out all the things we needed to take to Victoria this morning as i have sold many things and today was our 'drop-off' day! Much fun was had in the pillaging of 'stuff' last night..including the little rocking horse that both boys took turn having a little yee-haw!

Todays New Developments....

Isaac is learning self restraint....he has been carrying around a plastic purple egg filled with chocolate that he is not allowed to eat because of the monstrosity of a 7inch long jelly sucker that our neighbors gave him this morning that he polished off in 5km (yup, from mesachie lake to lake cowichan--all done!). Once in awhile he pulls it out and asks "How about now?"

Elliot has learned this morning to stand in his crib! He yells and sings until i come in since he hasn't learned how to get down..but he sure is mighty pleased with himself.

Chris has been building the fort! Today, its pouring with rain and he is out there putting it together for his little guys!

Me? Well, i am exhausted and no-fun mommy the last few days........poor guys....oh well, thats life eh? As my mom used to tell me, "if you can put up with your family, you can put up with anything"...so, maybe i am teaching them character.

Baby Elliot...

9 months old yesturday! What a little character-he makes me laugh every day!

Good Friday

It was a beautiful day in the cowichan valley today....finally some nice weather to be outside in. We planned to just enjoy being together today, and we had a toddler who was well rested and was in need of a very good run !!

We went for a long walk near the river in duncan and threw rocks in the water for awhile, then walked up to town for fish and chips for lunch (yay baby fell asleep by then! so that made it extra great), then began the process of getting isaac a little sandbox today. Chris has many great memories as a boy spending hours in a sandbox.

So, we started looking around at toy sandboxes which we decided were way too pricey and not big enough for OUR kid, which lead to chris wanting to just build him a 6x6 box (yikes at $5 per little bag of sand would be a small fortune), which increased to lets make him a big wood play structure with a built in sandbox - to the wood structure just being a very cool fort!! So, after running around town and going through this whole process - we went home around 2 and i was totally exhausted...but it all started with 'lets get our little guy his own sandbox.

I have been recouperating this last week from doing too much the weeks prior-which when i think about it, has just been fun stuff - like visiting with friends, trips to victoria, etc...but my body has lately told me to stop and i have honestly been feeling like i have been running on coping mode this last week. I have a cold and a rash and by 2pm everyday i am a corpse! Which leads me to putting the kids down for naps around 2ish - isaac can sleep for hours and then won't sleep until sometimes 11!! Which i figure 'ah-who cares, chris is home.....'.....but seriously, a toddler after 8pm is no fun.

So, here we are at Easter weekend already and we had big plans (and even savings!!) to go and do something really fun as a family - our thoughts were a road trip up to Cape Scott at the top of the island! but chris and i are just SO tired!! so tired......so, we are hanging at home - playing together, seeing friends and just trying to relax. Happy Easter.

...where's that bunny?

It was a happy early easter today! Very busy day starting with church where Wren and Ava were over for the weekend and were very excited to see Isaac...so they played and played. Then we had an early easter egg hunt while the girls were here---see pics below! AND.....as you can see from the great pics-chris and i bought a new camera with the 'earnings' from usedvictoria!!

Chris's Dream came to fruition......

...last night, after work, Chris comes home and sits down with me at the kitchen table and puts his fist on the table (gently, of course..) but says 'Sharon, i want the Hi-Def box from Shaw, and i want it now for the canucks game tommorow night'. I scoff inside thinking 'you are nuts wanting to spend all that money on TV!!! but.....apparently he has been dreaming about it since the beginning of the hockey season, saying to himself 'if the canucks make the play-offs...i AM getting hi-def". This has been a point of contention for awhile between us, but i have my own vices which lately is usedvictoria.com and i am driving him nuts with all my deals and flipping things we own.....so i figured we are even-though his vice costs us WAY more!! So...here he is in his glory......and at the moment Canucks are losing 0-3 - poor guy.

whoooosh....

Where did this week go? Its really been an amazing week, so great actually, that me and the boys just hung out at home today to relax and catch up on chores and sleep.

Its really been a week for friends and i am feeling so refreshed and downright thankful.

Wednesday, one of my best friends from high school, janet, who is a dancer, came to duncan to perform and we had connected a few weeks prior and wednesday was to be our day to hang out. It turned out to be one of those really special days - we had a quiet breakfast in duncan when i picked her up at 7:30am and then came back to the lake for the rest of the day until her rehearsal at 4. We walked and talked and she played with the boys (Isaac loved her so much that when she left, he asked "where did my janet go"?) It was just such a great day - ahh-old friends.

Yesterday, which was thursday, was a busy day in victoria and Kari was coming to the island and some of the "girls" were getting together at Jennie-Lynnes's house for a little party for her and griffin. What a beautiful baby! Both Griffin and Elliot were wearing yellow sleepers-so we took some funny shots--i definatly had the goliath of the babies yesturday! But it was so nice to sit and chat with everyone and catch up a little - motherhood seems to really agree with kari as she seems quite radiant, jennie-lynne seems very happy in her new little home-though overtired from school (as she gave me her address and i am driving up and down mckenzie looking for the number, called her back totally stressed as she apologetically tells me she gave me the last 4 digits of her phone number enstead of her address!!! I told her unless she was pregnant or nursing there was no excuse!! ;-), Kristin is now subbing and managing a starbucks in whistler and curiously still getting text messages from an old boyfriend, Court is low key and easy to be around as always and she is taking all the self pictures that she can which is endearing in itself! Alanna came in late from work and seemed very tired and pretty quiet, but it was so great to see everyone and catch up with our busy lives.

I will attach some pics from yesterdays adventures...........but really...where did the week go?

Fun Day

I am borrowing a chariot from a friend of mine to 'test' drive for a few days to see if i like it. I loved it for the walk last night-and the boys seemed happy to be in their little own world under the dome....but last night-i couldn't store it anywhere but outside since i would have to break the whole thing down and apart to get it into the house...hmm-so is this something i want in my life? We don't really have outdoor storage and it won't fit through the door....so this is the latest on the chariot idea.

A good friend of mine and i decided it was time to catch up again and go for a walk yesturday. So, i let her choose the hike trail - she chose a trail like a married girl with no kids! ;-) The stroller wouldn't fit through the entrance of the hike (which should have tipped us off of things to come), the entrance had a railway tie-type entrance, so the stroller was half on the walkway and half in the mud off the side, huge mud puddles and muddy path (i admit that part wasn't her fault)....my poor ugg-type boots!! Isaac fell flat on his stomach in a mud puddle - that was sort of funny, but a not so much for him......we ended up hiding the stroller in the bushes along the way to make some kind of walk out of the day. So-it was eventful-we didn't get too much catching up in due to the kids (mr. mud puddle and mr. 'i know you are busy with your friend but i want to nurse' was no fun either) - but i think we all had fun and made a memory. i have always loved kim very much, so it was fun to just be out together.

Anybody out there?

The 2 things that i enjoy most about writing in this blog is keeping the 'peeps' in my life updated on my fam, and the 2nd thing is reading the comments on what i have written....so, i am not encouraged lately at seeing no comments-so if you are here and reading, drop a line-let me know you are here and i will keep writing, otherwise-i think i may just go back to writing privately in my journal! xox

.....do you hear that?

its quietness!!! ahhh..let me just enjoy it for one second.......its 9am and he just left--but let me backtrack a little - so in the last little while isaac has turned yet another corner and is talking on a consistent basis--let me repeat that "CONSISTENT"...example: couple days ago, driving to amanda's for a visit - she lives 6 minutes away...i said not a word - as i couldn't get one in edgewise from my toddler--seriously, he chatted the entire way, on his own to himself!! so, its thursday morning and i didn't think i could take another day-so he is off spending the day with grandma - sigh-grandma is babysitting......lovelier words a tired mom has ever said.

So, now it is 6:30pm and the day has whooshed by - i have cleaned up, done laundry and other boring chores, watched a movie, painted part of my room and played with Elliot-and yes, i can say that i am very ready for the chatty toddler to come home......its too quiet.

Toddler Bowling Night!

Our first bowling night and the toddler did quite well-actually only lost to daddy by 20 points! Not bad for a rookie!!

Our little Mechanic

Isaac is s a real helper these days - his 2 constant statements: "Wazzhat?" and "Me do it!!" Both can get very tiring hearing over and over in the day, but i remind myself this is how he learns..this too will pass and i am sure i will miss it. So, this morning chris is working on the fence in the yard and i tell isaac "daddy is working outside on the fence" and isaac runs to his room to grab his tool box with his hammer and saw and beats me to the door yelling ' i'm going to help daddy with the fence!!!'...so off he went with his little orange tool box--daddy was quite proud to see him marching towards him with his tools in hand.

The pics posted are of isaac and ryan fixing ryans car - we were leaving for town tonight and were held up by isaacs need to 'help' ryan with his car--he ran to find his hammer and yes, again ran to ryans side - (he runs everywhere now)......but he helped with the motor and the tires - i am sure ryan was quite grateful for the help!! ;-)

I can feel the weight melting away.......

So-my vision of having an amazing treamill in the little room off the kitchen has finally come to fruition today! There are 2 nice open windows right where i am walking on this treadmill, so its just like walking outside--wonderful! Its a great story--this sweet little family in duncan was getting rid of this treadmill and put it on usedvictoria as a last ditch effort before pretty much tossing it.....they wanted $50 for it-so i figured it would be worth just checking out. So, turns out to be a barely used gorgeous treadmill worth $1000 10 years ago used by the girls mom who bought it new and wouldn't let "heavy people" or anyone other than a walker on it--so the tread is awesome and it has all the bells and whistles including a heart monitor that attaches to your thumb!!

I was only planning on putting a deposit on it until chris went with the truck tommorow and only had $30 cash on me and chris was going to bring the balance. Well--we ended up getting it into my van and they said they would be happy with $30 but more happy just to get it out of their home--so everyone is happy--even baby elliot looks happy eh?

Almost 8 months....

The exciting life of a domestic goddess who watches over 2 little angels all day--today was marked by a whole nights sleep!! Elliot went to sleep around 8 last night and woke up around 8 this morning for a feed and then i was still tired, so i put him back in his crib and he surprised me by sleeping until almost 9:30!! lucky me!!

Isaac and Elliot had their first bath together (sans maman), so they both seemed quite excited by that - Elliot is a total tank weighing in at almost 20 pounds!! So, not much exciting news to report, but i have had comments that i haven't been posting and it has been checked by a few friends--so here you go friends!!

Enjoy--sorry there is no drama-there is some news though-isaac has had dry underwear for a while now (disclosure: except for a little 'nap' incident where his door was shut all the way and he was in his room for quiet time and only Court knows that whole story, but it ended in a bath!)

Remember your first friend?

Visiting our friends Amanda and Alex this last week - this was my crazy boy who came out of Alex's room looking like a nut--but a creative one-so i applaud him that.There were many captions for this shot, but maybe no caption is funnier- they are such sweet little friends.

BonFire!

After dinner tonight me and all my boys (Caleb included) went out to the bonfire that chris had built today and roasted marshmallows!