We are horrible, horrible bloggers, aren't we? I honestly think, almost every day, that I should blog something. And then I forget about whatever blog-worthy happening it was that made me think about it. I got a journal in my stocking at Christmas for this very reason. But I haven't pulled it out yet. And now we're just so out of practice blogging, it's hard to get into it.
I will try harder.
Our home renovations are coming along, albeit pretty slowly. Our walls are out, and hardwoods are about 3/4 done. But now we're getting to the more tenuous areas - against the walls where we can't use the nailer and therefore everything has to be nailed in by hand, around registers and corners, etc. And then we have the hallway to do, which will also be very manual. But it's looking awesome! And hopefully now that Charlie's nails are cut, it will be that way for a little longer. Lesson learned!
Ben is getting pretty excited about his birthday - MY BABY IS GOING TO BE FIVE! How did I become the mom of a 5 year old? Oy. He asks how long until his birthday (it's 31 sleeps...), he's thinking about who he wants to invite, and what he wants to do (play fun games!). I guess I should send a birthday list to some people...
I registered Ben for skating lessons - it's a parent & child class. So that means that I had to find some skates for myself - Ben got his for Christmas from Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bill. Last week was our first class, and he did alright. They basically practiced standing up on the ice for the whole class! And I was hunched over holding him up. But it was fun, and I didn't even fall once! ;) He's also still taking swimming lessons. He's a bit of a slow learner with this - he doesn't like the water in his eyes, and he doesn't like doing his floats. But, I hope that once he gets it, he really gets it and he'll be a fish!
Ella is...uh...one in a million! She's doing a pretty good job potty-training, about 60% of the time she'll make it. But when she's having a bad day, she really has a bad day. She's stubborn and saucy too...but can be very sweet the next minute! Ella loves to pretend to be a kitty or a puppy or a beaver and her and Ben will play like that for quite a while. Usually there's a mommy and a baby, sometimes a Grandma and a Sid, and when they play beavers it's a daddy beaver and a honey beaver. They also like to play Wordgirl and Captain Huggyface. When Ben and Ella play together, it's very, very cute to experience! She is also taking gymnastics again, which is a great way for her to burn off some energy.
I think that's it, in a nutshell. I should really post some pictures...I'll see if I can do that tonight!
Showing posts with label daily grind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daily grind. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, July 11, 2008
Repenting...
Sorry folks, we’ve been crazy busy, it feels like. Working, entertaining company, staining decks/fences, riding trains, eating ice cream (JODI!), etc. Excuses, excuses…you’ve heard ‘em all before. We are truly repentant…
Where did we last leave off? Oh yeah…Marble Slab. Good ice cream, that’s for sure. But I was a little disappointed with the cost of my creation. For a couple reasons I won’t delve into here, $6.38, including taxes, was kinda pricey for the amount of ice cream I got. Again, it was yummy, but it’s no Cold Stone. I’ll go back to treating myself at BDI when I’m in the mood for a really good ice cream. And it’s closer. And you can have a nice walk across the bridge while you enjoy your treats. Why yes, you can have more than one. I would.
I bet you didn’t think I could write a whole paragraph on ice cream. Do you KNOW how much I love ice cream? And my son follows in my footsteps…”Ben, what would you like for breakfast today?” “ICE CREAM!” “Sounds good buddy!”
And no, I do not give my children ice cream for breakfast. That’s probably what Grandpa Bill would do, but it doesn’t happen at our house.
Lookie there, now that’s 3 paragraphs on ice cream! I’m on a roll!
At the end of June, we had some wonderful friends come and stay with us – Hi Liz and Logan! They came down for Gord’s friend Ravi’s wedding, and we had such a great time having them here. The wedding was awesome too. We got some great visiting in with Liz and Logan (who’s 3), Garth and Jill, and some other friends that Liz and Gord have in common too. We all took a trip to the zoo on a nice hot day, and were able to work in some Olive Garden salad and breadsticks for Liz! Poor girl doesn’t get there very often! Ben and Ella loved having Logan here to play with, and they all got along so well for not knowing each other at the beginning of their stay. After they left, Ben walked over to me, climbed into my lap, and said that he was going to miss his best friend Logan. Awwwww.
That same weekend as the weddingpalooza, we went to “A Day Out with Thomas” at the Prairie Dog Central. It was great – the weather was awesome – and the kids had fun. They got tattoos, they colored, we rode on “Annie & Clarabel”, saw Sir Topham Hatt, got their picture taken with the big blue guy himself (Thomas), played with some trains, and ate some mini donuts. Whew. It is the same event that we went to 2 years ago in Stillwater, Minnesota. See here.
Now that Gord is done school, he’s at home with the kids all day every day. I am very envious of them…but I’m taking the last two weeks of July off, so we’ll all hang out then. We don’t have a lot of plans for our vacation…we’re instead thinking of doing some renovations…what a way to spoil a vacation, huh?
The kids were at Grandpa Bill & Grandma Joan’s last weekend, and came home on Tuesday. I know they didn’t miss us at all. They both had such a good time that Ella cried her eyes out when they left. If anything lets us know that she had a good time, that’s it!
I should really give an update on each of the kids now…it’s been so long, it seems. Ben is doing really well. He loves to sound out words and hopefully will be reading before long. He likes to write letters – usually they get bigger as he gets farther along in the word, and then when he runs out of room (which usually happens), he will put the letters above, below, at the beginning. Wherever they’ll fit. But the important thing is that he’s writing them. And my perfectionist personality will just have to live with it. ;) Ben also likes to play on the computer – typing in Word, or playing on the Thomas or Nick Jr. websites. While he was “typing” one day, he asked us to help him spell the word “vegetable”, so we helped him sound it all out. That was fun, and he really only had trouble figuring out the “g” (he thought it should be “j”) and the “le”. It is beyond cool to witness him learning this stuff, and to help him along. We’ve already pulled out the “Dick and Jane Treasury” we bought a while ago, and we’ve read some stuff out of that. Ah, the memories…Dick and Jane helped me learn to read…and now we’ve got some Dr. Seuss books to work on too (“Hop on Pop”). Ben loves his bike, especially the horn and bell we’ve recently added to it. He’ll truck up and down the sidewalk, honking and ringing the whole way down and back. I’m sure the neighbors love it! Soccer came and went, and he did alright. I don’t think he really got it until near the end. He would typically complain, after about a minute out on the field, that his legs were tired and he needed to rest and have a drink. It didn’t help that the coaches got them these cool water bottles. All he wanted to do was drink his water, week after week. That and watch his shadow on the field. But he had fun, so that is what matters. And he and Ella have become buddy-buddy with the two kids across the street – the girl is almost 6 and the boy just turned 4. They are fabulous kids and we all have a lot of fun together.
One thing that we’ve come to realize over the last few months is that Ben is no wallflower. He is so un-shy it’s not even funny. He’ll walk right up to someone now and say, “Hi there. I’m Ben. What’s your name?” … “Nice to meet you ___________!” He’ll invite himself into the neighbor’s yard and house, charming his way in every time. What a character. I don’t know where he gets it from. *coughGordcough* *coughcoughChriscoughcough*
And Ella. What can I say about Ella? She’s two.
No, I’ll say more. Ella is getting better at talking. It’s weird though…she has trouble with seemingly simple words, like “Ben” but can whip out “suitcase” no problem. What’s with that? We’ve recently changed the crib into a toddler bed, and she likes that a whole lot. She stays in her bed and room, so far anyways. I hope I didn’t just jinx it all. She does cry a lot though when we say goodnight, after the stories have been read. It’s been not too bad the last two nights, so I hope we’ve turned a corner on that front. It started way before the switch to a bed, so I think it’s just a phase she’s going through. Ella loves to play puppy and kitty, and loves to be outside, playing in bubble solution or getting chalk from head to toe. And she loves to play “Tag”. Ella loves to eat and would eat all day if we let her. I have never seen a kid inhale berries and grapes like her, although Ben and strawberries come a close second. I don’t think they chew them at all. We may try the potty training process with her this summer, but the kid poops so much I may need a potty in each room. It’s probably ‘cause she eats so much!
I will work on getting some photos posted this weekend…it’s supposed to be rainy tomorrow…maybe then?
Where did we last leave off? Oh yeah…Marble Slab. Good ice cream, that’s for sure. But I was a little disappointed with the cost of my creation. For a couple reasons I won’t delve into here, $6.38, including taxes, was kinda pricey for the amount of ice cream I got. Again, it was yummy, but it’s no Cold Stone. I’ll go back to treating myself at BDI when I’m in the mood for a really good ice cream. And it’s closer. And you can have a nice walk across the bridge while you enjoy your treats. Why yes, you can have more than one. I would.
I bet you didn’t think I could write a whole paragraph on ice cream. Do you KNOW how much I love ice cream? And my son follows in my footsteps…”Ben, what would you like for breakfast today?” “ICE CREAM!” “Sounds good buddy!”
And no, I do not give my children ice cream for breakfast. That’s probably what Grandpa Bill would do, but it doesn’t happen at our house.
Lookie there, now that’s 3 paragraphs on ice cream! I’m on a roll!
At the end of June, we had some wonderful friends come and stay with us – Hi Liz and Logan! They came down for Gord’s friend Ravi’s wedding, and we had such a great time having them here. The wedding was awesome too. We got some great visiting in with Liz and Logan (who’s 3), Garth and Jill, and some other friends that Liz and Gord have in common too. We all took a trip to the zoo on a nice hot day, and were able to work in some Olive Garden salad and breadsticks for Liz! Poor girl doesn’t get there very often! Ben and Ella loved having Logan here to play with, and they all got along so well for not knowing each other at the beginning of their stay. After they left, Ben walked over to me, climbed into my lap, and said that he was going to miss his best friend Logan. Awwwww.
That same weekend as the weddingpalooza, we went to “A Day Out with Thomas” at the Prairie Dog Central. It was great – the weather was awesome – and the kids had fun. They got tattoos, they colored, we rode on “Annie & Clarabel”, saw Sir Topham Hatt, got their picture taken with the big blue guy himself (Thomas), played with some trains, and ate some mini donuts. Whew. It is the same event that we went to 2 years ago in Stillwater, Minnesota. See here.
Now that Gord is done school, he’s at home with the kids all day every day. I am very envious of them…but I’m taking the last two weeks of July off, so we’ll all hang out then. We don’t have a lot of plans for our vacation…we’re instead thinking of doing some renovations…what a way to spoil a vacation, huh?
The kids were at Grandpa Bill & Grandma Joan’s last weekend, and came home on Tuesday. I know they didn’t miss us at all. They both had such a good time that Ella cried her eyes out when they left. If anything lets us know that she had a good time, that’s it!
I should really give an update on each of the kids now…it’s been so long, it seems. Ben is doing really well. He loves to sound out words and hopefully will be reading before long. He likes to write letters – usually they get bigger as he gets farther along in the word, and then when he runs out of room (which usually happens), he will put the letters above, below, at the beginning. Wherever they’ll fit. But the important thing is that he’s writing them. And my perfectionist personality will just have to live with it. ;) Ben also likes to play on the computer – typing in Word, or playing on the Thomas or Nick Jr. websites. While he was “typing” one day, he asked us to help him spell the word “vegetable”, so we helped him sound it all out. That was fun, and he really only had trouble figuring out the “g” (he thought it should be “j”) and the “le”. It is beyond cool to witness him learning this stuff, and to help him along. We’ve already pulled out the “Dick and Jane Treasury” we bought a while ago, and we’ve read some stuff out of that. Ah, the memories…Dick and Jane helped me learn to read…and now we’ve got some Dr. Seuss books to work on too (“Hop on Pop”). Ben loves his bike, especially the horn and bell we’ve recently added to it. He’ll truck up and down the sidewalk, honking and ringing the whole way down and back. I’m sure the neighbors love it! Soccer came and went, and he did alright. I don’t think he really got it until near the end. He would typically complain, after about a minute out on the field, that his legs were tired and he needed to rest and have a drink. It didn’t help that the coaches got them these cool water bottles. All he wanted to do was drink his water, week after week. That and watch his shadow on the field. But he had fun, so that is what matters. And he and Ella have become buddy-buddy with the two kids across the street – the girl is almost 6 and the boy just turned 4. They are fabulous kids and we all have a lot of fun together.
One thing that we’ve come to realize over the last few months is that Ben is no wallflower. He is so un-shy it’s not even funny. He’ll walk right up to someone now and say, “Hi there. I’m Ben. What’s your name?” … “Nice to meet you ___________!” He’ll invite himself into the neighbor’s yard and house, charming his way in every time. What a character. I don’t know where he gets it from. *coughGordcough* *coughcoughChriscoughcough*
And Ella. What can I say about Ella? She’s two.
No, I’ll say more. Ella is getting better at talking. It’s weird though…she has trouble with seemingly simple words, like “Ben” but can whip out “suitcase” no problem. What’s with that? We’ve recently changed the crib into a toddler bed, and she likes that a whole lot. She stays in her bed and room, so far anyways. I hope I didn’t just jinx it all. She does cry a lot though when we say goodnight, after the stories have been read. It’s been not too bad the last two nights, so I hope we’ve turned a corner on that front. It started way before the switch to a bed, so I think it’s just a phase she’s going through. Ella loves to play puppy and kitty, and loves to be outside, playing in bubble solution or getting chalk from head to toe. And she loves to play “Tag”. Ella loves to eat and would eat all day if we let her. I have never seen a kid inhale berries and grapes like her, although Ben and strawberries come a close second. I don’t think they chew them at all. We may try the potty training process with her this summer, but the kid poops so much I may need a potty in each room. It’s probably ‘cause she eats so much!
I will work on getting some photos posted this weekend…it’s supposed to be rainy tomorrow…maybe then?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Welcome to germ-central!
We are still alive, in case you're wondering.
Ben got sick at the beginning of May, and we finally got that diagnosed as pneumonia (3 doctor's visits and two weird rashes later); once he started his antibiotics, he quickly got better. Then I got it - stayed home all last week, so now I'm on a round of strong antibiotics. Ella has been coughing, but not running the fever that Ben and I were, so we think she's just got a touch of a chest cold. We're watching her very closely though... Hey, wanna come to our house? ;)
Grandma & Grandpa Potter came to visit two weekends ago and brought an 8' trampoline with them! Thanks a lot, guys! The kids love it and make me sing the same song for them constantly when they're playing on it ('Singing all together, running round and round, bouncy bouncy on the tramp, all fall down!' And the best part? They don't fall down, and then I have to pretend to get annoyed and say it again and again, and they giggle and then finally fall down. It's a clever game, ya know.)
What else should I report on? I don't know. I'm not feeling bloggy today...maybe 'cause I'm at work? I am feeling sassy though...I am wearing my hot red heels today...yowza!
Ben got sick at the beginning of May, and we finally got that diagnosed as pneumonia (3 doctor's visits and two weird rashes later); once he started his antibiotics, he quickly got better. Then I got it - stayed home all last week, so now I'm on a round of strong antibiotics. Ella has been coughing, but not running the fever that Ben and I were, so we think she's just got a touch of a chest cold. We're watching her very closely though... Hey, wanna come to our house? ;)
Grandma & Grandpa Potter came to visit two weekends ago and brought an 8' trampoline with them! Thanks a lot, guys! The kids love it and make me sing the same song for them constantly when they're playing on it ('Singing all together, running round and round, bouncy bouncy on the tramp, all fall down!' And the best part? They don't fall down, and then I have to pretend to get annoyed and say it again and again, and they giggle and then finally fall down. It's a clever game, ya know.)
What else should I report on? I don't know. I'm not feeling bloggy today...maybe 'cause I'm at work? I am feeling sassy though...I am wearing my hot red heels today...yowza!
Friday, November 02, 2007
Funnies!
While I'm thinking about them:
- Ben takes swimming lessons at a pool in the city - right by the pool, there is a big hill that overlooks a man-made lake. After lessons, Ben usually likes to run to or up the hill. Tonight, he and I ran up the hill, looked around, and ran back down. When we stopped running, I asked him to give me a high-5 for a fun run. He looks at me, says, "I'm all tuckered out" and then very weakly gives me the high-5 I asked for. I laughed out loud and said, "Bug, you make me laugh!" and he says, "Mommy, YOU make ME laugh!"
- About a month ago (yeah, yeah, I'm late blogging about it), Ella had been playing with Gord's keys (she loves keys). The next morning, we were running around trying to all get out of the house on time, and Gord can't find his keys anywhere. No biggie, we'll just use mine until we find them. So we looked again that night, no luck. The next day, I decided to actually empty the sinkful of dirty dishes. And in the bottom of the sink, with all the dirty, wet cutlery, under the dirty, wet plates and cups? Gord's keys. The "lock" button is still a little squishy, but we figured out her hiding place.
- Ella does the cutest little signs - for drink, eat, sleep, baby, flower, please, etc. Adorable. Too bad we don't ever videotape her. Ever. Gotta fix that.
Off to bed...zzzzzzzzz...
- Ben takes swimming lessons at a pool in the city - right by the pool, there is a big hill that overlooks a man-made lake. After lessons, Ben usually likes to run to or up the hill. Tonight, he and I ran up the hill, looked around, and ran back down. When we stopped running, I asked him to give me a high-5 for a fun run. He looks at me, says, "I'm all tuckered out" and then very weakly gives me the high-5 I asked for. I laughed out loud and said, "Bug, you make me laugh!" and he says, "Mommy, YOU make ME laugh!"
- About a month ago (yeah, yeah, I'm late blogging about it), Ella had been playing with Gord's keys (she loves keys). The next morning, we were running around trying to all get out of the house on time, and Gord can't find his keys anywhere. No biggie, we'll just use mine until we find them. So we looked again that night, no luck. The next day, I decided to actually empty the sinkful of dirty dishes. And in the bottom of the sink, with all the dirty, wet cutlery, under the dirty, wet plates and cups? Gord's keys. The "lock" button is still a little squishy, but we figured out her hiding place.
- Ella does the cutest little signs - for drink, eat, sleep, baby, flower, please, etc. Adorable. Too bad we don't ever videotape her. Ever. Gotta fix that.
Off to bed...zzzzzzzzz...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Hmmmmmmm. What can I report?
Not a whole bunch of anything. Ooooo - the ice cream truck came down our street tonight, so we hustled out there to buy our dessert. Ben chose this; can you guess what/who it is supposed to be?
We think it's creepy. What do you think?
Other than that, there isn't much excitement going on. Just life. We play. Ella naps. I feed and water the kids. I change diapers. We go outside to play or go for a walk. I do dishes and laundry. We watch Poko and Diego and Happy Feet.
Sadly though, these days are numbered. Four more (after tonight). As usual, I can't really think about it too much, as my chest gets all tight and a lump rises in my throat... I can't believe it's been a year already. I go back to work on Monday. Deep breaths, deep, cleansing breaths...
Here are some pictures of what I get to leave behind...
Gosh, I'm a sap!
I bought Ben a pair of Crocs (in lime) on Monday night. He LOVES them. He wanted to wear them to bed that night, but settled for having them on top of the blankets. Then the next morning, he came out to the living room, stopped and said, "Wait, I need my shoes!" He hustled back to his room and came out with them on. That's one nice thing about them - they are so easy for him to put on. Ben wore them all day yesterday. Inside the house. Outside the house. Methinks they are a hit.
We think it's creepy. What do you think?
Other than that, there isn't much excitement going on. Just life. We play. Ella naps. I feed and water the kids. I change diapers. We go outside to play or go for a walk. I do dishes and laundry. We watch Poko and Diego and Happy Feet.
Sadly though, these days are numbered. Four more (after tonight). As usual, I can't really think about it too much, as my chest gets all tight and a lump rises in my throat... I can't believe it's been a year already. I go back to work on Monday.
Here are some pictures of what I get to leave behind...
Gosh, I'm a sap!
I bought Ben a pair of Crocs (in lime) on Monday night. He LOVES them. He wanted to wear them to bed that night, but settled for having them on top of the blankets. Then the next morning, he came out to the living room, stopped and said, "Wait, I need my shoes!" He hustled back to his room and came out with them on. That's one nice thing about them - they are so easy for him to put on. Ben wore them all day yesterday. Inside the house. Outside the house. Methinks they are a hit.
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