Happy Canada Day!

I guess I only post on holidays!

Today, we went down to see the Bears on Broadway - it's a thing that CancerCare Manitoba has put on. They had local artists paint polar bear sculptures with whatever the artist wanted. There is such a variety - a couple of Aurora Borealis-inspired bears, a Biker Bear, a Blue Bomber Bear (Bombers suck!), a Canada Bear, a Beach Bear, a Hydro Bear...the list goes on. Ben sure liked the people down there - he loves to say "hi" to people who pass him! It is so cute, but that's not a surprise - everything he does is cute!

There hasn't been much happening here, which is why we haven't been posting very often. Gord is now done school for the summer and Ben is done at the babysitter's. So now my boys will be home all day every day without me! This is the first summer I've had to work since 2001 - I don't know how I'll do it! My office building is air-conditioned though and I don't have a cubicle with a window - that way I won't be reminded that it IS summer while I'm slaving away at my computer. And yes, I will be slaving because summer just happens to be one of the busiest times of the year at MTS! What is with that? Why did I take this job again? At my old job, it slows down a bit during the summer and they give you Fridays off. At my new job, there is Quarter 2 reporting to do, profitability analysis, 2006 budgets, regular month-end hoopla, etc. etc. etc. Argh.

But I don't have to work overtime during tax season, or any season for that matter! And I get to come home to my family every night and not feel guilty about leaving the office. And I'm making more money. And I get a gym membership for $15/month. And a discount on our internet and TV. And I get to work at Portage & Main, in the same place all the time (not out at a different client every week). I won't complain anymore!

Ben...what is he doing lately?
Good things: he's giving kisses again (he stopped for a while!), loves to eat his veggies and fruit, still dancing (like Uncle Chris!), trying to repeat everything we say, waves bye-bye, can help to brush his teeth and hair, likes to soap himself up in the bath, can say the following words (in his own way!): Momma, Dadda, kitty, up, vroom vroom, bath, book, knock knock, shoes, penis, and can sign the following words: milk, eat, more.
Bad things: climbs up on the kitchen chairs and then onto the kitchen table, climbs up on our bed/his bed/nightstand/toybox/ride-on-car/glider and/or ottoman, finds the box of Ritz crackers and dumps them everywhere, playing in the dog's water dish, hitting (although this has subsided since Daddy stopped playing "Grand Theft Auto" in front of him, at Mommy's strong insistence!).

We are really looking forward to our upcoming holiday - we're going to fly out to Salmon Arm to see Gord's dad and stepmom! They have only seen Ben when he was little - are they in for a surprise! We're going to stay for a week, if they don't kick us to the curb before we leave! I'm very excited to see the town and surrounding area - I've heard it is beautiful! And of course, we can't wait to see Ken and Wendy too!

That's all for now! Take care everyone, and send anti-mosquito vibes our way!

Carrie