Home Work

We have a new addition in the house.

Well, for only the next week. But, she's still a new addition.

Sister dropped by the other day on her way through our area to check up on one of the medics, and she asked if we would babysit for her.

Of course we would.

We're babysitting her cat, Neruda. She's sooo beautiful, but kind of crazy. She hisses at everyone and everything, and has been mostly hiding in the basement or in her carrier at the top of the stairs. Poor thing is probably going nuts wondering where she is and where her mama is. I've tried spending a bit of time with her throughout the day, talking to her and petting her when she lets me, just to make sure she doesn't feel completely abandoned and unloved. Its a bit hairy around here with TWO cats in the house. They haven't figured out who's boss yet. I think both cats are pretty much chickens...I know Gregory doesn't have the courage to show her he's the man. But, I also think she's too chicken to claw him good. She hisses like crazy and she growls like she's possessed, but otherwise she hides behind the couch up here, or she stays hidden somewhere in the basement.

Poor girl.

Phase one of my most recent project is complete. Phase two will hopefully begin tomorrow.

That is???

Painting.

The bathroom feels as though its the bottom of a glorious, warm blue pool. And, what excites me even more is the bright whites that the cabinet and toilet offer against the blue we chose. Its going to be s.t.u.n.n.i.n.g!!!!!! Next, I want to change out the lino that's in there. Its ruined in one spot- it looks like a burn of some kind. One day it will come out, but not for a while. The colour on the walls is so much nicer than the dirty, grungy feeling brown that was on the walls (every.single.wall.in.this.house) before I painted the bathroom. And, sadly (or excitingly) I've already started researching another colour for somewhere in my humble abode. Husband tells me to just go right ahead. Play, he says. Alright. Twist my rubber arm. I'm so thankful for the behr app on my iPhone! Its such a great tool!!

Lesson to remember for next time I go paint shopping: stick.with.behr.paint. At a store that sells behr paint. I don't think the colour matching computers are as accurate as they could be.

We had quite the...adventure...coming up with the correct shade of grey that I wanted for our bedroom. And, we didn't end up with it. Unfortunately. Its in the right colour family that I wanted, just not the right shade. Best part is, it can be changed. Worst part is it can be changed. I love the end result, but could totally do without all the work thats involved! LOL

And, to treat myself for being so industrious and ambitious today, I scrapbooked a little. I didn't get much done, but that's ok. I absolutely love the final product!! Maybe later this week or this weekend I'll get more done!

Next on the agenda: tackle our bedroom. Wish me luck- its going to be a large area to paint!!

Vacate

We are reconnecting, husband and I, while the kids are gone to grammy and grampy's for the week. We're enjoying our time together so much that we're thinking we're going to do it a little more often; every so often, the kids can go and visit their grandparents, and we'll 'vacate' for a couple days. Even if we don't necessarily go away by ourselves, the time alone to rekindle the flame in our relationship- and just strengthen our relationship- is something we both strongly desire.

Day time is definitely quiet, and for the most part I am enjoying it, but I'm finding myself somewhat longing for the chaos every day typically holds. The sun has been shining and its been warm, and I can't help but think to myself that this is perfect weather for the three of us to be spending outside. Not that they aren't experiencing a lot of activity and outdoor fun at their grandparents. I know for a fact they are. I just miss them. Life isn't the same without them, and truthfully, before today, I never thought I'd happily admit that. But there it is. The truth (and, it isn't the 'cold, hard truth'. Just...the truth).

The last two days have been spent scrapbooking my heart out. I am planning to get a few things done while the kids are gone- mainly painting our bedroom and ensuite; but, there are smaller projects I plan to get done: washing out the fridge, clean the house good, relax. Today I am having trouble motivating myself to do just that: wash out the fridge. Part of me wants to do something other than scrapbook, but the other part isn't motivated to do anything other than scrapbook. Oh, life's dilemma's!

So, these are the last few layouts I've made. The top one is of Maren completely undressed at the bottom of the basement stairs. She had just gotten out of the bath and apparently didn't want to be dressed! I love her goofy little grin in the one pic...

The middle one captured their first 'daddy and me' date. Kyle's begun taking the girls out on dates- just them- so that he can spend more quality time with them, and so I can have a little bit of quiet time for myself. And, they definitely DO make his world go round.

This last one is of Maren checking herself out in the window of the fireplace. Kyle and I installed it a few weeks back (meaning, we just secured it to the wall so that the girls couldn't pull it down on themselves). Her curiosity got the better of her, and I caught her sitting there just staring into it. Daddy caught the both of us staring into it after we had it all set up :)

Marvel

I marvel at the kids on a nearly daily basis. I'm sure they're soaking up more information than I could ever imagine, but every once in a while, I get a sneak peek at what's going on in their little brains (or I should say, what has been going on).

From my lap while we sat on the living room couch, Addison counted all the way to 6. With help, but she can do it. I'm pretty impressed with my just-turned-two-year-old. I'll never know how she learned it, or even where she picked it up, but there it is: my baby can count. Isn't that amazing?! I'm just in awe.

And then there is Maren. My little go getter. During the girls' bath tonight, I warned Maren (as she was about to climb out of the tub) that if she came out, she wasn't going back in. I proceeded to ask her if she wanted to come out. She told me no, and she promptly sat back down. Later on, while I was in the girls'  room dressing Addison, I heard Maren fall. She whimpered a bit, and then it got quiet, which I have to admit, kind of scared me, because she was still in the tub. Maren and quiet just don't work- like oil and water. I called and asked if she was ok, and to my relief, a squeaky 'yes' reached my ears. She was probably getting into something she shouldn't when I asked her that, and she thought she'd been caught. That sounds like my daughter.

When she did get caught, I was walking back to the bathroom from the kitchen to fish Maren out of the tub, and here she had already climbed out. As soon as she saw me, she turned back to the tub and tried scrambling in as fast as she could. But, not quick enough. With one leg swung over the edge of the tub, I caught her and reminded her that if I caught her out of the tub again, she wasn't going back in.

She wasn't one bit happy with me for that. I'm still giggling about it...

The 'wow' factor for me in my little Maren episode, is that she's able to answer me- properly- while I talk with her from another room. I just marvel that she understands what I'm saying even though I am not eye level with her, or even in the same room. Its a.maz.ing!

Oh, my children!!

In the Silence...

I've been sitting here for the last hour and a bit, working on another lo for my scrapbook album, and I can't hear any noise (aka snoring) coming from the room next door. Is he asleep or is he still awake? The question has been bouncing off the walls of my brain for just as long as I've been scrapbooking! Now that I'm ready to turn in, I guess my question will be answered!

We got husbands' C-PAP machine today. This is the first time he's using it, and so far, the difference has been quite dramatic. No snoring. Just quiet. Its a bit disconcerting, but kind of nice at the same time. We are hoping that this makes a difference in his quality of life, in the quality of our relationship, and in the quality of our family. I've suspected for quite some time that there's been health issues there, and after some jolts and bumps along the way, it finally got looked into. Sleep apnea was the result. Now the solution is the C-PAP machine.

Me? Things are moving slowly in that area. I'm seeing the dr. again on Wednesday (one of a multitude of visits), but I've been slow getting the necessary blood work done, so my appointment with him is going to be next to pointless. One thing is for sure: the Cipralex isn't working. I suspect it could be hypothyroidism (which is the diagnosis we're working towards) and my hormones are still probably out of whack. Since the kids were born, everything just seems to be abnormal. Its to the point now where I think I'm going crazy. Gaah!

The kids are going on a mini vacation next weekend. They're going to visit their grammy and grampy in Oyen, and I'm getting a week to myself. Its way overdue, and I'm pretty excited about it, but I'm going to miss my little monkey's something fierce. Hopefully during that week, I'll be able to get some of my health questions answered, too. (Fingers, eyes, and toes crossed...)

Project 365 is going awe.some. I'm actually a nut job for it. I take a ton of pictures so I have a lot of variety when it comes to deciding what's going to be scrapped. Some days, there's more than one lo for a particular day; and, the way I'm thinking right now, I may continue this past 2012. We'll see how I feel in another 6 months. (And, speaking of timelines--can you believe that we'll have been in Whitecourt for a year in April?! Cuh-razy!!)

...And, some candy:

 A wicked snow storm blew through our area last month, and after it was done, someone from our neighbourhood came around with his bob cat and cleaned up all the snow- from our sidewalks, off our driveways, even parts of the street. Every.single.house.on.our.block. It was so kind of him! The girls thought it was their daddy. And yes, their daddy is well capable of using a bob cat, but it wasn't him. Unfortunately. I tried telling them that, but naturally I'm wrong and they're right. It did make for a super cute lo though!!

And, dear husband. And his endearing hatred of milk. Every so often he'll help himself to a glass (mostly just a big gulp from the jug constitutes his 'milk drinking'), and I just had to catch it on camera. I think that may even be the first time I've seen him willingly drink a glass of milk. Again, it made for a great page!

...eventful, memorable...

There's just a few random tidbits from today that brought a smile to my face (and the occasional, random giggle, too):

Usually, while I'm cooking supper, something winds up in the garbage can. A baggie, packaging, food that was dropped on the floor- you name it. Any time I throw something in there, the girls need to go and check it out. And, if it looks interesting enough, play with it.

I know. Eeew, right?

As per workplace hazard, Maren walks up to the garbage can after I threw something in there, and she began rummaging around in it. I'm either standing at the stove, or putting something into the sink; either way, I say to her, "Get out of there, please. That's yucky." So she does, my good girl. Addison walks up- either having heard our conversation and completely ignoring it, or disregarding it because it obviously doesn't apply to her, lifts the lid and peers inside. "Addisee! No!" Maren literally shouted at Addison.

Oohhhhh.

It made me laugh.

My bossy little toddler. (And, by the way, when exactly did that happen?!) And, I'm sure in her mind, bossy is ok because she's the oldest, don't you know?

Then, a little later on, the phone rings. Thinking it was husband, I picked up and (thankfully) double checked to see what number showed up. It was my parents. Which was nice, because its been a few weeks since we talked, since they were in Cuba vacationing. (Slightly green with envy...) I had heard in the news that people that were there in the last few days were coming home with flu-like symptoms, and it had me worried that they might be some of those people. (Once again, thankfully not). Mom and I talked for like 30 seconds before Maren literally screamed in my face, "AUNTIE!!!" (She'd been asking for uncle, then auntie, then after some prompting, Oma. I tried Grammy and Grandpa too, but she wouldn't take the bait). So, gently telling her it wasn't auntie, it was Oma, I asked her if she would like to talk with her. She enthusiastically nodded her head yes.

And the conversation she had with Oma!!!

My word- I'm not sure how much of it mom caught; I know I sure didn't catch much of it, but it was sure cute to listen to! There were words here and there, like...oh I don't know anymore- Gregory, surprise, Adisee and Binoo (for example), but everything else was just babble. A total Maren-ism. Mom was laughing so hard at one point, she had to put dad on the phone to have a listen. Mom must have asked Maren if she wanted to talk with Poppa, because I heard Maren answer, "Of course!!!" When I pulled the phone away from her ear, I asked mom if she heard her say "of course", but dad answered instead. Laughing.

Did I mention this was Maren's first ever actual phone conversation?

I've been watching her practicing over the last two days. She's been asking constantly for her 'game, game', and usually its to play SOund Touch on my iPhone. (Its both the girls most favourite thing in the universe). Anyways, while she's playing with it, she'll hold it up to her ear and just start babbling, like someone is on the other end, but there really isn't.

Let the good times roll!

And last, but not least, while the girls and I were sitting at the table eating our supper (daddy got home late from work), Maren turned to me with the most solemn look on her face, and said, "Uh oh. Kiki poopy." Kiki was nowhere to be found. Probably somewhere in the living room, but nonetheless, he'd made a poopy. "Oh? Kiki's poopy?" I asked. "Kiki pee pee" she told me instead. "Oh, my mistake. Kiki's made a pee pee." "Ummm...no. Kiki poopy."

Did I really teach her to say "Ummmm" before starting any kind of sentence? One of my friends pointed it out, and sadly, I have to admit, I'm at fault for saying "ummm" too much. Who knew? (Oh, and by the way, it wasn't Kiki who was poopy. In the end, it was miss Maren herself that was poopy).

All this happened in a two hour window- after waking from their nap (which was ridiculously long this afternoon...it has me on 'eagles eye' watch again for any kind of illness that's looming on the horizon, though I'm hoping with all my fingers crossed it was just a growing day)- till daddy's supper time at 7 tonight. (Like 2.5 hours). What a busy, fun, eventful, memorable afternoon this was!!

Dear Maren

So tonight, Miss Maren, I broke into the archives, and began putting together layouts of your first days. I don't really know why I've been holding out; in some ways its hard looking back at you when you were that little, and in other ways, its so rewarding. The first one I did was a 'then and now' kind of layout, and the changes in you are astonishing- and that's just saying the least.

But, as I flipped through old pictures, the one thing I couldn't get over is there's no mistaking you, either. Your lips, your eyes, the expression on your face- there's all kinds of clues and markers that just shout Maren to me. So, in other ways, you haven't changed much at all. Tonights layout was about just that- unforgettable you. I even titled it that. Because, honey, you are unforgettable.

Unfortunately, there is no album to put your scrapbook pages into just yet. One day there will be one, just not right now. They are in their page protectors, though, and they are being filed in a safe spot until the day they can be lovingly put into your very own scrapbook.

One thought that kept nagging at my brains is what a good baby you were. It was as though you knew; you knew that your sister was a handful for your mama (at the time), and she didn't know what was going on, or how to handle the situation. You would silently watch from your bouncer, then turn back to keep entertaining yourself. You never fussed much, you were always happy, and you quite often put smiles on me and daddy's faces. Baby, you still do. Probably more so now, with all the funny things you say and the way you say them, and the things you do. You're quite a blessing!!

I love you, baby. Of course, of course!!

Excited for Cookies

As promised! Here's more Project 365 pics.

But, before I get to that, I just need to share a little Maren-ism:

"I'm excited!"

"What are you excited about?"

"COOKIES!!!"

Just a little discussion we had while I was changing her dirty diaper...

So, these next few pictures are still whats left of Christmas...

Addison's attempting to feed her little pony in this picture. So cute, right?? "Mimickry is the best form of flattery" and I can't help but think how true that is when I see this picture. Its a little hard to see, but you're feeding your rocking horse. Of course he gets hungry, too! I think its so darned cute when I see you and your sister sharing your meals- with kiki or anything else you feel needs nourishment. It shows how caring and thoughtful you are! ~

Maren- you just love your rocking horse. As soon as daddy had it assembled, you wouldn't get off!

Addison and Chloe- On Boxing Day, Grandma and Grandpa K and Chloe joined us for dinner. We waited until they got here, and then we opened the last two presents under the tree. You got a dolly, stroller, and playpen set (which you and Chloe liked so much, you both began to fight over it!) and you also got a rocking horse. I'd say those presents were a smash hit- between all three of you! Chloe continued playing with it until you woke from your nap. ~ 12/26/12

Oh I wish I could remember the convo Lou and I had about this picture! I just remember telling her that the final product would be worth it! (Notice her loving son in the background...)

Addison- You woke up with a red, irritated looking eye the morning of Christmas Eve. Sometime just didn't feel right, so I watched you closely that day. It didn't go away and on Christmas morning, I began to worry it was pink eye. When your eyes got goopy, Oma and I brought you to the NorthEast Medical Centre and learned it was an infection caused by the cold you were also fighting at the time.

My big teddy bear playing with his little cubs, and the teddy they got from Grammy for Christmas

Maren- "I love you when you're sad and need a kiss and hug...I love you because you're YOU!" ~ Liza Baker; "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always; as long as I'm living, my BABY you'll be" ~ Robert Munsch

When I asked Maren if she was ready to go to Ryan and Jasons' for New Years Eve, she told me "Ready, set, go!"

A two page spread of the bonfire we had at a friends' place for New Years. ~ There may not have been explosives lighting the sky,but we were ready for another kind of light show- a bonfire!

pg. 2

Maren- you sure do enjoy playing with Ryan and Jason. SOmetimes they get a little rough, but that's just boys being boys. I know you're happy and having fun with them when I hear your squealing- they are great energy for you, and they help burn off some of it too!

My New Years Resolutions...and, here begins Project 365 pictures...

January 5- On the day this picture was taken, you had a time out in bed for constant screaming. Instead of a punishment, it became nap time! (Little did I know then that you had a nasty case of tonsillitis.) You slept 2 hours that morning- barely an hour and a half after waking up for the day- and after you woke, you had a fever. You and I cuddled all day on the couch, and spent a few nights sleeping there, too. It was a rough couple days!

January 6- Maren, your new favourite thing to do is to point at the mirror, asking, 'please, please?' then point to the clock behind us- which you call 'cuckoo' and then you point to your self in the mirror and say, 'thats me!'

January 7- You were still feeling pretty rotten today, so no pictures were taken. We just had a relaxing day instead! ~ I just used an extra Christmas picture I had for this layout

January 8- playing under the sofa table. Bath time always seems to energize you. Instead of preparing you for bed time, the warm water makes you extra playful!

January 9- Our daily routine has evolved to include Toopy and Binoo before nap time and bed time. Its your most favourite tv show, next to In the Night Garden an Manon. When it gets close to sleepy time, I begin saying, "its almost time for sleepies!" so there's no surprises!

January 10- At 10 am, Ryan and Jason came over so their mom could make an appointment. Addison, you weren't too crazy about having your toys taken away from you; Maren, you like the boys even if they are sometimes a little rough. Later, after lunch, Randi and Paxxon joined us and we had a fun, big old play date- including a surprise visit from auntie!

In a mothers eyes, there is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby

Oh! How peaceful and beautiful you are as you sleep!

I knew you girls were tired from all the activity today, but I didn't know you were this tired! I wasn't sure Addison would sleep in bed (or at all) without her kiki. But, she did; and Maren, I didn't think you would sleep with anything other than your yellow kiki. Wrong! You both slept fairly well there on the floor with the tv on- at least 40 minutes!

These last three layouts I wanted to do separately because first, we had such a busy day, but secondly, the pictures I got of the girls sleeping on the floor like that were too precious to group together into one layout. I had to do a couple!

Pretty hefty photo post, huh? I know, it was insane. But, I love them, and can't help myself from flipping through them every time I add a new layout to the album. I just ADORE it!