6pm bedtime???!!

Yes, you read the title correct--6pm bedtime!! Picture this--the ideal mom has dinner waiting on the table at 5pm--both kids are in their chairs eating homemade macaroni and cheese and caesor salad..working man walks in and just sits down to eat. After dinner around 5:25ish--working man plays with children up in the playroom attic for 20 minutes while mom cleans up. 5:55 mom calls out the time--6:05-both kids in bed and by 6:15 the yelling and cursing has stopped and only the sounds of snoring can be heard from both rooms.

Just an illusion? Normally YES--of course thats an illusion silly--but tonight, in this household---a reality.

Sigh....and this calm, happy mommy still sees daylight outside, so she heads out to do some puttering in the yard while hard working man gets ready for the Canucks game.

The End.

FINALLY.................

sigh.....its been a great day! I have realized something quite profound about myself this weekend. I can feel good about being in this house, on this property and not leaving....if my house is clean. My biggest and most constant obstacle is physically being able to stay on top of my game! Living in this house is literally LIVING IN THIS HOUSE!! And it never ends.....at this moment, the house is CLEAN! and i feel Calm. Do i need to work on trying to be content whether or not my house is tidy? i realize its an uphill battle, and one that is normally only won when the kids are asleep---but how i feel right now seems to make it worth it.....

It really was a great day though--we all went to victoria with chris so he could play his field hockey game...while he was doing that, i sold my sit n stand stroller to a girl who used to know me from qwanoes and only asked since my name on my email address looked familliar--so..she bought that stroller (she doesn't even have that 2nd baby yet---some people are such keeners!). And i bought a double jogger since i really missed that other one i sold a few weeks ago---didn't know what i was buying til i got there and it turned out to be a double Chariot jogger--had a few spotty mold parts that have scrubbed mostly off..but i picked it up for $40--so i am thrilled.

Life feels good tonight...calm, healthy, happy, content..and i can smell my bread baking....what could be better?

what now.......

It's been a long week with Chris working the last 13 days straight and i have been out almost every single night....so my life is feeling a little out of balance at the moment.

The weather has also turned....not as sunny,hence neither am i!! What am i doing? Well, let me answer that with : cooking and housekeeping! ugh--and lately, when we do get out for a walk and elliot sees chris--there is no consoling him until he is in chris's arms and when we leave, i am Cruella deVille stealing him away as he desperatly waves his arms back to daddy screaming. I remember this stage with Isaac, i don't remember being as annoyed.

Well, my mantra these days is "this too shall pass....."

I am just bored with the routine of life this last week and every other option available to me is just alot more work....know what i mean? Easier to stay where you are in the comforts of routine, however mundane, than to branch out on another adventure where naps and snacks are not at your disposal...what do do, what to do? i will always choose the adventure...eventually anyways!!

I love that i have 2 boys who love to entertain eachother since it sort of takes the attention off me..until they get hungry again! ;-)

Gabriola.....

As i sit here this morning, Isaac is happily playing a word game on the computer next to me, Elliot is sleeping and i am recovering from a great night away on Gabriola Island with my old friend Kim from Junior High. I just finished reading my friend Megs blog and she was recently chatting about this: We always knew how important girlfriends were in our lives, but how much more vital they are to us since our kids have arrived. And its so true--when else in your life will you give every ounce of your energy to somebody else without asking for or needing anything in return and unless you find ways to refresh-how utterly exhausting that actually is.

So....back to the Gabriola story----me and kim....we met at summer camp and were instant friends back in the summer heading into grade 8 at that infamous private girls school we both started. last night, she made an amazing dinner (i swear i sat there and ate slowly at my leisure for 1 whole hour!!, cheesecake for dessert, hot chocolate in front of the fire and then we crawled into bed (her hubby was gone) around 11:30 since we were both so tired and ended up chatting and giggling until before 2....there is nothing like a giggle with an old friend over memories when you were younger like that random huge winnipeg wind that picked us up and literally blew us into that bank window! I still wouldn't have believed that happened if it hadn't happened to me!! But we had some great times, and there is nothing like laughing about those old stories to remind you that you were once young and carefree......

So-i am home now, i feel like i had a mini vacation--that island is a whole other world and her home is almost magical-yes, i will be back!! So, this morning being so refreshed and happy--we have had a wonderful morning of reading stories, playing playdoh (which by the way, is totally overrated), rolled around with them, colored.....we have 2 offers on the table for the Youbou house, Chris was so excited (and confident apparently) that he went out with the boys last night and bought another flat screen tv since our last one bites). So, assuming is all goes through...debt free!! Life is good..i know-i know--boring post-no drama to write about.....well, chris is home and has lunch ready--so later gater!! leave comments!!!

Maiden Voyage!!

The last few days...

we've had some good times since the sun has been shining the last few days....since the ambulance incident, elliot hasn't fully recovered--but he is still trying to be a sweet little guy.
This is chris and elliot on the tractor today doing some yard work together. Elliot is still a rookie on the tractor unlike his older brother, hence the totally stunned face

This shot below is chris and i rolling out carpet from cristins house (they are getting hardwood--so we got their carpet for our room up in the attic where the kids play)....so this is us rolling it all out on our front lawn at 10 at night! We are currently in the process of cutting it to fit and laying it upstairs--and it looks awesome

And this is it almost done!!!! These are my 3 favorite boys playing with my latest thrift store find--MarbleWorks!

And this shot is thrown in just for giggles of my man in earlier, younger days!

oh isaac.....

Setting the scene: i am sitting on the bed with elliot while chris is getting dressed..we are just chilling out, enjoying the morning..when:
in runs isaac with BOTH hands full of his snotty kleenex's....throws them at chris and yells "BOOGER FIGHT"...and runs away. His adaptation of their pillow fights..how creative, i guess.

Elliot and the Ambulance

elliot woke up last night around midnight with his airway closing up enough to scare chris and i. We rushed him outside and watched him for a few minutes in the cold air but at some points he had some real trouble breathing in air - and chris was noticing that Elliot kept pointing to the van which he took to mean 'i need help, lets go!'....so we buckled him into the van and while chris was grabbing his keys and wallet from inside, elliot started just freaking out...enough to make me realize i was not equipped to make this long drive with a baby with respiratory problems! I know about croup and that being outside is good and we were outside for awhile, but twice elliot couldn't take in air--so i unbuckled him and went to call 911. Cristin and I had been playing nintendo til about 11:30 and as she was about to leave - this all happened! So, in a hurry, we were trying to figure out what to do with sleeping isaac - and its amazing how quick everything can happen-too quick for even a 'quick thinker' like me! ;-)

Within 5 long minutes both mesachie lake first responders and the paramedics arrived. So we got a fun ride in an ambulance (not really since i was the one sucking on the oxygen by the time we got to the hospital -- i was feeling so nauseous from the ride). I thought it was pretty funny that i was the one with the oxygen mask on as they opened the ambulance door at the hospital and to have Cristin standing there when the door open....what a nice sight! my friend!!

Unexpected as i thought she went home....but there she was...in my fearful (and sick) moment as a parent-she always seems to be the one there...and as a side note i was thinking earlier--she has always been one step ahead of me on many things--getting a van, announcing pregnancy, going through labor, sick kids at the hospial, cool strollers.....and now-standing by me as i go through it.

Elliot was calm but still with labored breathing. They gave him some steam medicine (twice) which threw him over the edge having the mask against his face (chris held him still and had trouble--that kid is strong!) but they kept him (and me) overnight to see how he was in the morning...so, he and i slept from about 4 til 8am and he was up to old tricks pulling on all the instruments on the wall, sucking apple juice through a syringe (he loved that game)..happy as can be. ......

Parenting sure can be scary --- to see my little baby not be able to breath was the most fearful moments of my life....honestly.

it got me.....

the bug that has been going around and the one i was so proud to keep missing while everyone around me got it...finally got me. i have become a shell of a woman! You really don't know how much you do in your life until you get hit! Seriously....a little tidying up this morning brought me crashing to the couch out of breath with a wicked pulse increase! whats with that?? i am happy that elliot sleeps the afternoon away and that Isaac is only too happy to lie on the couch watching mickey mouse.....i could have 2 little guys who don't sleep and need constant entertainment and THEN what would i DO???? Luckily-on a normal day these days, both boys are down by 6:30 and the rest of the day is MINE!! Mwhahah!! ah-who am i fooling, i just lie on the couch after that and re-coup from the day! as my mom always says after we visit 'mothering is for the young....' and i wonder 'is that me? is this is how i am supposed to feel as young?' cause i feel old and boring and tired all the time....yet-somehow i get a burst of energy after the kids go to sleep!! Why is that?? Perhaps its just that its the middle of winter in the sticks and i am sick and bored....and its going to get better soon when we can play on the beach again all day long! That, my friends, is the end goal! the finish line, so to speak, to get me through this long winter!! at least then we won't have to play with diapers on our heads to have some fun around here!!

i love chris....

truth be told, i am sick today. i am sick thus everything seems to be bigger and harder to do today (hence my ranting dinner post).

my man walked in at 4 today enstead of 4:30--seriously 3 seconds after i looked at the clock at 4 and said 'lord, i don't think i can do another half an hour', and in he walks.......with that light shining from behind him and from the top like 'touched from an angel' when they reveal they are angels and the music is playing in the background..you get the jest....



i just watched him put elliot to bed all teeth brushed and everything and am currently listening to him sing isaac to sleep...and its 6:26. i love it.....when i can't, he does...how lucky does that make me? and i wonder if he would kill me if he saw the pic i chose for this post! but isn't this how we all see our men when they help us in such big ways that save us? ;-)

Dinner Nightmares.....

I am a good cook, i am!! But the past few years has challenged my confidence in this department big time!! Especially lately-dinner times suck...lets be totally honest here....i hate dinnertime around here. Unless i am on the ball with the crock pot or something that is ready for 5 o'clock (even this has no bearing on whether or not they will eat it!), this is a normal scenerio: elliot hanging off my legs wanting up or something incomprehensible and unattainable at that very moment-oh, did i mention he is also shrieking during this time too? I tried the babygate at the kitchen door like Jon and Kate plus 8--thought that was a sneaky way to work faster....but for some reason, elliot could often throw his body weight against the gate and come tumbling into the kitchen -- to his surprise and mine! so, that didn't last long......ok, but moving on, so i make dinner-whatever it is-today was chicken strips rolled in crushed corn flakes, steamed carrots and herb rice...yum right? Chris and i liked it, elliot ate most of it (which is weird since as of lately, he turns his nose up at everything!!!!) and Isaac is currently still sitting at the table, alone..eating like a turtle--slow as can be???!! sigh....i get so sad about this part of my day--no matter how long i plan what the meal is going to be (which is supposed to be the hardest part of the day) nevermind getting the kids to eat it.....and how maybe its just my negative energy towards the whole process....is just so unenjoyable! There is no 'standby' either--you know, like for when me and my sis were little, the old standby was bbq chicken, corn and potatoes..boring, but definatly will be eaten. Even my old stand-by of eggs is starting to get a run for its money! sigh.....so-this is what i have....

and this is what i want.....even with the deceptively delicius cookbook on my side, its still the hardest part of my day to have that (annoying) desire to put good food to into their bellies and have them eat it! Well, Isaac just arrived with an empty plate..maybe not all is lost, it just takes longer with no distractions and nobody to negotiate how many carrots he has to eat!!

Awesome Week.....

The story of my life has always been that it will be better tommorow....and this week has been no exception. We have some pretty great friends.....here are some shots of Isaac and Elliots friends from baby group and meg and olivia. Amanda and I have been seeing alot of eachother and i love that! We laugh alot together and that is so important to me in this stage of life. This guy LOVES being buzz lightyear....he brings it to me every single time he sees it hanging around....he wears it to playschool and sleeps in it sometimes too. Pretty adorable.
Found a new favorite activity!

Here is a shot of isaac 'feeding the women' at babygroup--they learn at an early age that little girls like to chase, and little boys love to run away from them!


Chris is back into playing field hockey at U of Vic...he loves it. Me and the boys normally pull the van up to the fence and watch from there---we like to support him from comfortable warm places!
Little Elliot watching his favorite man play!
Isaac Froze....



The camp looks gorgeous all covered in snow. Life is good...we are so blessed, i just need to be sure i have my priorities and my perceptions in order. Like yesterday playing in the snow with my boys, laughing and throwing snowballs at eachother in the middle of the day. If i was working, i would have missed ALL that! How lucky am I????

January Blahs

...yup Niki--i am plagerizing your blog title since it is so fitting to mine. It has been a tough week with cabin fever and fighting all the sickness that has been surrounding us lately--we lost the battle a few days ago when Elliot and i both came down with sore throats and runny noses. I guess we can be thankful it wasn't the flu??? But it still sucks to be sick while keeping up the endurance it takes to get through January out in the country with two busy little guys!! I have been sad, mad, miserable, happy, thankful, raging mad...mostly all in one day lately...seriously, i can squeeze all those emotions into one day! I think its been a harder week than usual because Elliot has not been happy--he walks around for much of the day (if we are at home) whining and he has developed this pitch that i swear would attract dogs if we lived in the city!! But that is how my kids take me to the brink of my sanity and back again and funny enough, it is ME that feels bad, and not them!! Aren't they the reason i am going through all this work???? But then, i take a look at these pictures, and i get my perspective back again at how lucky i am.

I think it all started with an amazing visit with my great friend Meg....we were both kid-less for the afternoon while she was at a Young Life Conference in cowichan bay...we had lunch (yes, we sat through the ENTIRE thing..i didn't have to get up or cut anyones food, or feed anyone!) actually, that last part isn't true--i fed Meg her first Dynamite Roll! She threatened to plug her nose...but she ended up being won over......but i digress...after lunch, we shopped (nothing fun really, just some fruits and veggies--but the point is that it was alone!!!)-and then we went back to the hotel for a quick 4 minute burst of 'sunshine' for her first tan ever!!

To be able to actually talk with someone i love who has history with me and has known me for over 10 years (before kids!!) without being interupted was pure bliss....But can i just tell you.....the next 4 days after that have been so hard since i had a small taste of what that freedom tasted like and how much i really really miss it!!!!
So, i am working on changing my perspective and staying positive.....though on the flip side, i wouldn't trade what i have for the whole world!! Pretty whacked out eh? So, we had a really nice weekend together...here are some shots Chris and I have taken with our new camera.

So....this is a new week, and it WILL be better!!


This is a shot i caught in the van on the way home....Isaac holding his brothers hand while he slept...it was the sweetest thing.

In our history at being at camp...the lake has never frozen!! It was quite momentous!

..this week

Its been a good week...we've had alot of visits with friends, been cooking a few new things, trying to keep up with the housework.....normal week-but today has sort of loomed ahead of me as we have no plans. I hate having no plans - well, i guess i like it better than having too many plans because then i get tired and overwhelmed--so life is a fine balance isn't it?

I was so proud of isaac yesturday morning as we headed to his playschool - he decided he wanted to wear his buzz lightyear costume to show all his friends at school. I admired him...didn't care at ALL that nobody else does this - he marches to his own drum thats for sure--i need to take lessons on that.
And as for Elliot--i figure his first year of perfect baby syndrome has caught up...no parent is allowed to just have a perfectly textbook baby who is content unless he is hungry or tired...things will change and they have!! Elliot is officially trying my patience these days...he walks around shrieking, or crying because he is frustrated since he can't communicate his wants. He has signs and he uses them as best he can....but arg!! He drives me nuts these days...and its Isaac who is the easier one lately. (man, i hate to 'label' but how else can you sort of describe how things are going with their characters?)
So, as i said - its been a good week - this is life....my life

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Well, its 2008! I have a one year old and a three year old--both of which are amazing little guys and a husband i adore who just brought us back from California because we had time on our hands and wanted an adventure with our boys! I may post pics of that trip later, but probably not--as i am onto the new year now! Whats on my mind now is last nights party and how amazing it was that at one point of the evening some of my most favorite people in my life were in the same room....some of my girlfriends with their families, my in-laws, my husband and my babies......just playing! Here is a pic of us playing......too bad i didn't get any shots of the rollerskating routine me and my Diva friend amanda thought up---maybe you will see it on youtube in the next while!


But seriously---this last year has been so full of blessings, i can hardly keep count. God has been so good.....i feel so humbled when i think about it. So--Happy New Year---may this next year be as amazing as the last.

It's that time again.......

Camp is done for Chris for the month of December and we are thirsting for some good old adventure!! Since time is plenty and money is not....we figured the most bang for our 'solid dollar' would be to head South via (ahem..sniff) our VAN!! Ah, a fine day it would be to be rich and have a huge luxury motorhome to cruise the interstate in....but perhaps another time....for our kids our little and this is what memories are made of!
We have sort of been dreading the actual driving part of the trip, but the boys seem to travel well on a whole, and we are looking forward to seeing some family and meeting some new people and just seeing where the road takes us. We have a real loose itinerary of traveling down the oregon coast. But first we are staying with some family in Mt Vernon, Washington, then down to Oregon to visit Aunt Betty on Chris's side then down to California to see family on my side. We are sketchy on whether or not we will make it all the way down to cali---but we have left the option open to turn around at any time or change our route at a moments notice!

We will be packing puzzles, movies, stories on tape....we have a whole system prepared for the back of the van to make it the most space efficient along with a roof top carrier that looks like a big mac container that chris scooped from the free store last summer, powerwashed it and voila-good as new! It was initially going to be a usedvictoria sale item, but we never got around to it--good thing eh? This big mac container will be holding our red jogging stroller since its the most comfy for elliot on those long hikes and isaac can sit on it when he gets tired...so the umbrella stroller didn't make the cut this time round!!

Chris and i have been waivering back and forth on why are we doing this crazy drive--and 2 night ago was his turn to waiver--we both just want to go somewhere warm where there will be no risk of black outs (we've already had one a few days ago to remind us how much they suck!!) - so yesturday morning, i spent 3 hours searching, calling, emailing etc to find us a hot destination that didn't require passports and was within our $2000 budget. Punta Cana was the place, no passports needed, within budget..but when it came time to put a deposit with the credit card i had been holding all morning (since i had called in for my avion points to redeem)--do you think i could find that lousy card????? nope! i searched high and low for an hour! This house isn't that big....but nope. Chris and i finally decided that it was silly to spend all that money for only 1 week, and so many things have just fallen into place for this trip, that we said 'ok....road trip back on'. And the moment we decided that, i walked into the office to sit down and email the travel agent at the desk i had scowered 3 times prior for that card.....ta-daa--there was the card almost right on top of the keyboard under one little piece of paper. So--there you had it folks.....more confirmation--sniff-no beach, just road.

I'll tell you one thing though--those points are being saved for a wicked trip to somewhere hot with white beaches for september 13, 2008 for our 10 year anniversary with no kids!! Tell you that much!!!!

ADIOS!!!

a night away??? you don't SAY......

Yup--its true...i was away with no KIDS!!! For a whole 17 hours with my fellow 'friend in the trenches' Cristin Smith. We ate way too much junk food, watched some chick flicks, dipped our hands in wax, laughed, drank wine.....everything that a sleepover consists of except gossip--we don't really have too much exciting to gossip about now that we're moms with different sets of friends pretty much. But it was glorious!! I was so giddy by the time she came to pick me up and the time flew by...seriously--way too fast.

Her folks have a house on the lake in youbou...here is a pic of the view from my room.

Fort Rod Hill

It was a good day out--finally a really nice day aside from a tiny bit of rain! But the boys had such a great day and i was thrilled to be out of the house!! It was a bit of a preview to what December is going to be like with Chris off for the month! He had hosted last weekend, so he had monday, tuesday and wednesday off and he has this weekend off--so it feels good to have him around a little more to play! However, for some reason, i find we spend more money when he is off...not sure why-but maybe its because i hang out at home more when he works hence moolah stays in the pocket!!

Fall.....

We love the fall--this morning while isaac was at playschool, Elliot and i were playing out on the deck. He was inspecting a leaf while i was cleaning off a toy and suddenly there was a huge gush of wind and a whole whack of leaves from the tree in our front yard came floating down. It was stunning--it was like god just bent down and gave a little puff for us to enjoy all the colors and sudden whirlwind of leaves.



Chris and i are doing some deep thinking about traveling and vacations etc...and i think we are deciding that when we truly think about traveling with these boys while they are so young--maybe it will be harder than its worth? To traipse them all over the states whether we fly or drive, it would be way more fun when they are older. We are thinking maybe we will save all our avion points for a really hot, relaxing vacation for our 10 year anniversary next fall for just Chris and i.....sigh!!!!

My dads cousin who lives an hour from Seattle has invited us to come and stay at their home while they vacation in florida...so i think that would be a fun opportunity--not too long in the van, financially a good idea, and still gives us the chance to make some really great memories.....so, thats the process so far!!

My friend Niki had her baby finally last night-i have been checking her blog 4 times a day at least for any updates..and yesturday she had a baby that weighed almost 11 pounds!!! I can't wait to hear the whole story! ok--signing off--need to make a grocery list and pick isaac up from playschool! Ciao!!

Bob the Builder, Superman and a Little Bear!!

Including a costume change on Elliots part, he was Superman indoors, and a warm little bear when heading outdoors! Isaac decided moments before leaving the house that he wanted to be Bob the Builder!! Such sweet little souls....aren't they adorable!?