Life with little kids continues to be eventful, full of new and interesting activites. November 1 started out by Charly going to the dentist to get 3 fillings. A little bit of laughing gas helped him out and it wasn't a bad experience for him at all. the next day was Charly's 4th birthday, so supper at my mother-in-law's house. Nov 3 we made another trip to Calgary for a follow-up appointment with Sarah's doctor. She's doing well and now we need to start weaning her off her laxatives - not an easy task. Jeff was away all this first week at his annual conference in Orlando. We were all happy when he returned, especially me since we all had just started to come down with head colds, lots of wiping running noses to be done.
The next week was spent dealing with runny noses, and babysitting Leighton and Koen. By the weekend we were better so I took the kids to Edmonton to visit a friend, stayed overnight Saturday night, returned Sunday. I had just learned that Koen had the flu, and 3/4 of the way home Sarah suddenly threw up all over herself. Thus began a long week. Sarah was sick sun & Monday, Tues Koen & Leighton's mom got the flu so Koen stayed here for a sleepover. Wed I was about to drive Koen back home when Charly started to vomit. He kept nothing down from 5pm until midnight and then was fine. I had a queasy stomach that night, threw up once and felt immediately better. Jeff was unaffected (miracle). Wed night Sarah threw up once again, but then was fine. Thursday I started disinfecting the entire house, and put all the toys in quarantine until they had been washed. Saturday night Leighton and Koen both were here overnight - took 3 hours to get 4 kids bathed and into bed LOL.
We ended up having to evict tenants from our townhouse, so the rest of the month was spent dealing with that - getting them out, getting locks rekeyed, and began the cleaning process. The tenants had done damage to lots of things and it was filthy.
Nov 27 we hosted a joint birthday party for both kids, celebrating Char;y's 4th birthday and Sarah's 2nd. At Charly's insistence, he got another train cake. I had fun making and decorating it, and I think everyone enjoyed it. 7 kids came here and helped devour it.
Charly started his 2nd round of formal unparented swimming lessons, as a Salamander. I'd take both kids, turn Charly over to his swim instructor, and take Sarah into the splash pool. After his lessons, Charly would join us until I finally managed to drag the water bugs out of the pool. The pool is 5 minutes asay, and his lessons were 40 minutes long, but the entire trip would take 3 hours by the time changing and splashing were over!
At playschool Charly was the first in his class to celebrate a birthday for the year, so everyone was excited about that. They sang to him and he got to pick out a small prize (Cat in the Hat magnet), making the event special. Charly continues to enjoy playschool but wishes Mommy would stay with him. Unfortunately I can't. I drop Charly off, race home and put Sarah down for her nap, then I get about an hour to get cleaning and stuff done, then I have to wake Sarah up and go pick up Charly.
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/snowite73/201011##
Videos:
Sarah police hat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N499c0wy8h4
Sarah snow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72lPPFkWTA
Sarah Leighton bathing 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToRppW8-LUM
Sarah Leighton bathing 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxDWOw636cw
birthday party http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_8IaAMkrrM
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
recap of updates (Aug - Sept)
Sent the last update out in an email instead of blogging it - what was I thinking?! Anyways, here is the email update:
Well, life got busy and I haven't been able to get decent updates out. I believe I sent out August's picts but no events. There are a great many of wonderful photos to share. This autumn was so much better than the summer was, weather wise :) there were lots of events and photo ops. Enjoy!
August
Charly went to 2 weeks of summer camp, which he enjoyed. And Sarah and I enjoyed the break from him as we went shopping most mornings. Jeff was in Ottawa for almost a week. I managed to leave the kids behind and go to Edmonton for a night to attend Julie's jewellery party she was hosting. It was so nice to be surrounded by just adults! Third weekend was the Gusek family reunion (Dad's side) - I managed to make it out for a couple hours with the kids, so great to see everyone!
Sarah managed to grow tall enough to climb onto the kitchen chairs by herself. It was a bit of a shock the first time I turned around to find her standing on top of the kitchen table. Sarah's last eyetooth finally broke through. It was so much later than the other 3.
Charly finally weighed in at 30 pounds, when most kids his age are closer to 40. Sarah still under 18 pounds as we continue fighting with her diet and medications. Bought new shoes for Charly - size 9. Last shoes were size 7. Sarah is now in size 4 shoes.
Story: Sarah wandered out of their bedroom one morning, with Charly's shorts on her head and arm stuck up through a hole - she couldn't see where she was going and while struggling to get her arm free, she fell down the stairs to the landing, starts crying and struggles to get u,p but bumps her head on wall getting up because she still couldn't see anything. My tough little girl was okay after 2 minutes of crying, wanting the shorts back!
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/snowite73/201008#
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHeDau7292Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UA2QtB1tMQ&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=ScDu2G6PqgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p7FuavfkGk&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=_mnXGgcmS6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5bBpzGeY4k&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=zcZIe24aMDQ
September
Sept 4th we left for another trip to BC. We drove to Vernon and stayed with Jeff's dad and step-mom for the weekend, then left the kids there and went on to Harrison Hot Springs. This was our vacation away from the kids, and we spent as much time as possible just reading and doing little, enjoying the silence and the bliss of not being interrupted from what you were doing every 2 minutes. We got to visit with Jeff's great aunt Margaret, which was wonderful. Then back to relieve the grandparents of the kids (and they were relieved to see us!), more time at the lake and then back home.
Mon Sept 14 Sarah finally weighed in at 18.2 pounds, after being 17 pounds for what seemed like forever. The next day Charly started playschool at the Collicutt, at the Exalta Gymnastics club. He plays in the activity centre room for an hour and then spends the next hour in the gym. goes twice a week, and the exercise should be good for him throughout the winter. I drop him off and then rush home to put Sarah down for a nap. Then I have just over an hour to accomplish something off my "to do" list. Wake Sarah up and go get Charly. Most of the time we'd stay at the Collicutt and play at the playground there, enjoying the warm weather while it lasted.
Sept 22 Sarah saw her pediatrician. She measured 30.5" long and was 18.2 lb. He had me double her stool softener, and this has helped things a lot! Also that day Charly started swim lessons (Sea Turtle level). This is the first of the non-parented classes, held at the Collicutt. Sarah and I went into the splash pool during his lesson and then he joined us afterwards. Charly is less hesitant around water now, and Sarah just loves it. I make her where a life jacket and this has saved her many times. Sooner or later she'll have to discover life without it... Charly experienced taking a shower at the pool so he then had his first shower at home without screaming.
Sept 23 - Sarah decided to play with the light switch downstairs, couldn't reach it so she thought she'd be clever and put a (toy) water jug on the stair to step onto it to reach the light switch. But of course the jug moved and she fell down and hit her head. That was her 3rd fall in a week but she just keeps on exploring.
Sept 25 - I took the kids by myself to the Calgary Zoo. It was so busy there that day - being a Saturday and beautiful weather, plus if the kids dressed up as a Princess or Prince they got in free. Sarah wore a darling dress. That day was full of adventures for me, and the kids had a ball there.
Jeff - Journeyed to Ottawa and Vancouver, plus trips to Calgary. Celebrated another birthday Sept 28th.
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/snowite73/201009#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IUhkP6SaU0&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=cW39JXgI77g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gnOG-7CTUs&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=dqKXXcnLn9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWcXV6hlg58&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=Bh6CDg7BroM
October
My mom flew out to Alberta for a 3 week visit, and this has turned into a much longer one. After being here/Rocky for 2 weeks my Grandma took a fall and has been in the hospital since then. For a while things were day to day but it looks like we can start looking further into the future - possibly moving my grandma to another lodge. Add in Thanksgiving celebrations, and family get togethers, this has been a busy month.
Over the summer I had started trading kids with Jenni - I'd take her kids sometimes and she'd take mine. So far it has worked out well. Her kids, Koen and Leighton are the same age as mine so it works out well. Leighton turned 2 in August, Koen turned 4 in October, Charly's 4 in November, Sarah 2 in December - what a lot of birthdays to celebrate! On Sept 18 Jeff and I had to be in Edmonton overnight so my Mom looked after the kids, and then the following week we went to Banff for 2 days/1night, and Jenni was so good at looking after both kids (Auntie Sherry took Sarah for that night while Charly stayed at Jenni's) - not sure what I'd do without Jenni and all my relatives!
Jeff's mom and step-dad were away to Europe for 3 weeks, so I was picking up their mail and such. Jeff's dad and step-mom were here for a few weeks so we tried to see them lots. they've now headed to the US for the winter. Charly finished his swim lessons, passing Sea Turtle. I had planned to put him into skating lessons next, but no longer feel that he's ready for it. So I'll try to get him into more swim lessons to keep his confidence up. Next is "Salamander" and he'll likely have to do it a couple times. One of the things they want him to do is to jump into water, well Charly is nervous jumping on land ... so we have some work ahead of us :) I want to keep him swimming once a week for him to get used to it, plus it is great exercise!
Sarah is now into size 18 month clothes. And at 22 months old, she FINALLY started to sleep through the night without waking for a bottle. So nice!! Her language skills are developing well, and her climbing skills are awesome. She isn't learning the meaning of "no" as quickly as Charly did - I keep finding Kleenex tissues everywhere! Charly is a little sponge, soaking up knowledge everywhere. He recently used the word "camouflage" - he was hiding under a blanket and didn't want Sarah to take the blanket away because then he wouldn't be "camouflagued" any more - took us completely by surprise. I assume he learned the word at playschool since their theme the past week was camping.
And October ended with Halloween festivities. He missed the Halloween party at playschool, but then attended 2 other Halloween parties, one as a Fireman and the other as a pirate since the fireman coat was too uncomfortable. On Oct 31 he got quite nervous about going trick or treating but after visiting one house he decided it was all good. Papa Doug and I took the kids out for maybe 45 minutes and they got way too much candy :) Sarah followed Charly's example and quickly knew the ropes of knocking on doors and holding out her container for the treats. She was soo happy when she received her first lollipop! At one house she decided the lady was taking too long so Sarah reached into the candy bowl to help herself! Both kids were very sad when I called an end to trick or treating, but were happy to gobble down a bunch of Smarties. Sarah cried all the way home because she was so tired but didn't want the fun to end. Charly went to bed with a tummy ache from eating so much candy. Both want to go trick or treating again right away!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajvjFT0yvA&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=kgwsabx2Ar8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDegaAM-XkA&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=aELy4ykInX8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQwq-vcuvw&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=9mv1-KCWgTM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX_nkykE4fE&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=u3L3y-b-IbM
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201010#
Well, life got busy and I haven't been able to get decent updates out. I believe I sent out August's picts but no events. There are a great many of wonderful photos to share. This autumn was so much better than the summer was, weather wise :) there were lots of events and photo ops. Enjoy!
August
Charly went to 2 weeks of summer camp, which he enjoyed. And Sarah and I enjoyed the break from him as we went shopping most mornings. Jeff was in Ottawa for almost a week. I managed to leave the kids behind and go to Edmonton for a night to attend Julie's jewellery party she was hosting. It was so nice to be surrounded by just adults! Third weekend was the Gusek family reunion (Dad's side) - I managed to make it out for a couple hours with the kids, so great to see everyone!
Sarah managed to grow tall enough to climb onto the kitchen chairs by herself. It was a bit of a shock the first time I turned around to find her standing on top of the kitchen table. Sarah's last eyetooth finally broke through. It was so much later than the other 3.
Charly finally weighed in at 30 pounds, when most kids his age are closer to 40. Sarah still under 18 pounds as we continue fighting with her diet and medications. Bought new shoes for Charly - size 9. Last shoes were size 7. Sarah is now in size 4 shoes.
Story: Sarah wandered out of their bedroom one morning, with Charly's shorts on her head and arm stuck up through a hole - she couldn't see where she was going and while struggling to get her arm free, she fell down the stairs to the landing, starts crying and struggles to get u,p but bumps her head on wall getting up because she still couldn't see anything. My tough little girl was okay after 2 minutes of crying, wanting the shorts back!
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/snowite73/201008#
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHeDau7292Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UA2QtB1tMQ&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=ScDu2G6PqgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p7FuavfkGk&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=_mnXGgcmS6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5bBpzGeY4k&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=zcZIe24aMDQ
September
Sept 4th we left for another trip to BC. We drove to Vernon and stayed with Jeff's dad and step-mom for the weekend, then left the kids there and went on to Harrison Hot Springs. This was our vacation away from the kids, and we spent as much time as possible just reading and doing little, enjoying the silence and the bliss of not being interrupted from what you were doing every 2 minutes. We got to visit with Jeff's great aunt Margaret, which was wonderful. Then back to relieve the grandparents of the kids (and they were relieved to see us!), more time at the lake and then back home.
Mon Sept 14 Sarah finally weighed in at 18.2 pounds, after being 17 pounds for what seemed like forever. The next day Charly started playschool at the Collicutt, at the Exalta Gymnastics club. He plays in the activity centre room for an hour and then spends the next hour in the gym. goes twice a week, and the exercise should be good for him throughout the winter. I drop him off and then rush home to put Sarah down for a nap. Then I have just over an hour to accomplish something off my "to do" list. Wake Sarah up and go get Charly. Most of the time we'd stay at the Collicutt and play at the playground there, enjoying the warm weather while it lasted.
Sept 22 Sarah saw her pediatrician. She measured 30.5" long and was 18.2 lb. He had me double her stool softener, and this has helped things a lot! Also that day Charly started swim lessons (Sea Turtle level). This is the first of the non-parented classes, held at the Collicutt. Sarah and I went into the splash pool during his lesson and then he joined us afterwards. Charly is less hesitant around water now, and Sarah just loves it. I make her where a life jacket and this has saved her many times. Sooner or later she'll have to discover life without it... Charly experienced taking a shower at the pool so he then had his first shower at home without screaming.
Sept 23 - Sarah decided to play with the light switch downstairs, couldn't reach it so she thought she'd be clever and put a (toy) water jug on the stair to step onto it to reach the light switch. But of course the jug moved and she fell down and hit her head. That was her 3rd fall in a week but she just keeps on exploring.
Sept 25 - I took the kids by myself to the Calgary Zoo. It was so busy there that day - being a Saturday and beautiful weather, plus if the kids dressed up as a Princess or Prince they got in free. Sarah wore a darling dress. That day was full of adventures for me, and the kids had a ball there.
Jeff - Journeyed to Ottawa and Vancouver, plus trips to Calgary. Celebrated another birthday Sept 28th.
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/snowite73/201009#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IUhkP6SaU0&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=cW39JXgI77g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gnOG-7CTUs&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=dqKXXcnLn9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWcXV6hlg58&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=Bh6CDg7BroM
October
My mom flew out to Alberta for a 3 week visit, and this has turned into a much longer one. After being here/Rocky for 2 weeks my Grandma took a fall and has been in the hospital since then. For a while things were day to day but it looks like we can start looking further into the future - possibly moving my grandma to another lodge. Add in Thanksgiving celebrations, and family get togethers, this has been a busy month.
Over the summer I had started trading kids with Jenni - I'd take her kids sometimes and she'd take mine. So far it has worked out well. Her kids, Koen and Leighton are the same age as mine so it works out well. Leighton turned 2 in August, Koen turned 4 in October, Charly's 4 in November, Sarah 2 in December - what a lot of birthdays to celebrate! On Sept 18 Jeff and I had to be in Edmonton overnight so my Mom looked after the kids, and then the following week we went to Banff for 2 days/1night, and Jenni was so good at looking after both kids (Auntie Sherry took Sarah for that night while Charly stayed at Jenni's) - not sure what I'd do without Jenni and all my relatives!
Jeff's mom and step-dad were away to Europe for 3 weeks, so I was picking up their mail and such. Jeff's dad and step-mom were here for a few weeks so we tried to see them lots. they've now headed to the US for the winter. Charly finished his swim lessons, passing Sea Turtle. I had planned to put him into skating lessons next, but no longer feel that he's ready for it. So I'll try to get him into more swim lessons to keep his confidence up. Next is "Salamander" and he'll likely have to do it a couple times. One of the things they want him to do is to jump into water, well Charly is nervous jumping on land ... so we have some work ahead of us :) I want to keep him swimming once a week for him to get used to it, plus it is great exercise!
Sarah is now into size 18 month clothes. And at 22 months old, she FINALLY started to sleep through the night without waking for a bottle. So nice!! Her language skills are developing well, and her climbing skills are awesome. She isn't learning the meaning of "no" as quickly as Charly did - I keep finding Kleenex tissues everywhere! Charly is a little sponge, soaking up knowledge everywhere. He recently used the word "camouflage" - he was hiding under a blanket and didn't want Sarah to take the blanket away because then he wouldn't be "camouflagued" any more - took us completely by surprise. I assume he learned the word at playschool since their theme the past week was camping.
And October ended with Halloween festivities. He missed the Halloween party at playschool, but then attended 2 other Halloween parties, one as a Fireman and the other as a pirate since the fireman coat was too uncomfortable. On Oct 31 he got quite nervous about going trick or treating but after visiting one house he decided it was all good. Papa Doug and I took the kids out for maybe 45 minutes and they got way too much candy :) Sarah followed Charly's example and quickly knew the ropes of knocking on doors and holding out her container for the treats. She was soo happy when she received her first lollipop! At one house she decided the lady was taking too long so Sarah reached into the candy bowl to help herself! Both kids were very sad when I called an end to trick or treating, but were happy to gobble down a bunch of Smarties. Sarah cried all the way home because she was so tired but didn't want the fun to end. Charly went to bed with a tummy ache from eating so much candy. Both want to go trick or treating again right away!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajvjFT0yvA&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=kgwsabx2Ar8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDegaAM-XkA&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=aELy4ykInX8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQwq-vcuvw&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=9mv1-KCWgTM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX_nkykE4fE&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=u3L3y-b-IbM
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201010#
Monday, September 27, 2010
Trip to the Zoo
I'm awake with indigestion so I thought I'd blog my adventures Saturday, before I forget all the details.
Invited lots of people to go, couldn't connect up with anyone. Sarah doesn't like her dress.
Hair cut for Charly at 9:30, not prepared to leave town.
Trip down okay, gloomy skies, Sarah napped.
Drove to zoo but decided to go and get lunch, drove around for a while to find a McDonalds, eventually settled on Denny's. Get in, go to bathroom - never fun with 2 kids. Order food, Sarah needs diaper change, both kids out to van change her there, back inside. Food arrives, try to kep Sarah in one spot finally get high chair but that just makes her mad, Charly not interested in eating. Drink cups for the kids leaked so Sarah made continuous mess. Charly drank his orange juice so waitress offeredto fill his cup (that we got to keep) with water. Back to van. discovered that the waitress hadn't emptied the cup out before adding water so now he had orange-tasting water that he wouldn't drink.
Figured out where we were, drove to zoo, parked in lot D (furthest away), got everything loaded into stroller, start to walk away, decide to check for keys and discover had locked keys, and cell in van, and had slammed the door on my wallet - could see it but could not get it unlodged. Bored cell phone, then had to ask another person for AMA phone number. Walked back to the parking gate to meet AMA guy (pushing kids in double stroller) and direct him to the van, walk back to van. He opened doors in less than a minute. Got stuff and finally went to zoo. Paid for admission (kids free since dressed up) and parking (flat rate).
Charly only wanted to see a giraffe so we went to Africa section of zoo. Place was soo busy with people since such a nice day (finally) and special event day. Get to animals, Charly discovers info stations with 2 speakers that look like a phone on a cord at each, must listen, push buttons, not share with Sarah, Sarah looking at everything, her in harness, Charly running around, trying to keep the stroller with us with so many people around = stress for me. Saw giraffes, red river hogs (not pigs), lions, zebras, ostridges, other birds. Went to jungle section, saw crocodile, gorillas, snake, etc. About 4pm finally went to the playground there (enclosed area thankfully) and spent next 2.5 hours there! 3 stations = one for 0-2 year olds which Sarah loved, another for 3-5 years for Charly, and a third area for 6-12 years that kept enticing Charly. Sarah tried the 3-5 station and discovered she was too short (made her mad) and too many bigger kids.
Add in bathroom break, snack break, diaper change, other kids playing, I wasn't bored.
Finally time to leave, we were one of the last people there, which was nice after all the crowds. Found way out, back to parking lot, all the way across parking lot C to lot D, but there is a bank with shrubs and rocks separating the lots. Started walking toward the lot's exit, discovered Sarah had taken her shoes off and dropped them ... somewhere, not in sight even though the lot was empty! Oh well, continued to exit, finally found a part that was barren and not too steep so pushed stroller down to the van.
Supper time, drive to closest McDonalds but Sarah falls asleep instantly so decide to go to Airdrie's McD instead of waking Sarah to go to the McD in the Walmart. Order at drive-thru, and Sarah wakes up. Charly is demanding to go inside so take our "take-out" and go inside to eat. I had ordered salad with grilled chicken for me, 1 chicken nuggets kids happy meal for Charly. Open bag, had received an extra hamburger and no happy meal toy. Go to counter and return burger, they give me a whole new happy meal which I kept for Sarah :) Get kids eating, open my salad and discovered it was not grilled chicken but crisy, ate it anyways. Bathroom break (had to leave all food on talbe, take both kids to bathroom since couldn't leave either alone, and thankfully no one had cleared our table yet). Back in van, head for home. Both kids awake, until Charly falls asleep near Innisfail and Sarah starts to scream for her bottle which she'd dropped. Finally found a turn-off place, got her the bottle, back on road with silence but Sarah wide awake the entire trip. Beautiful drive with fall colours and then glorious harvest moon.
Home, Jeff takes Sarah to change her, I unload most of the van, put Charly in his bed (still in clothes but they were comfy ones), I collaps on my bed and fall asleep (feet/legs started to ache). woke up an hour later, plugged in baby monitor and changed into PJ and went striaght to sleep. Jeff dealt with putting Sarah to bed (she didn't stay awake long). Somehow I slept through Charly waking up in a terror, screaming in bed until Jeff could get there to calm him down, put him in his PJ and back to sleep. Woke up a couple times because of Sarah's coughing, bottle time, etc. What an exhausting day. But kids had fun, got to see animals and be out in the sunshine. So not too bad of a day overall, just lots of frustrations for me.
OK, an hour and a half has passed, Peto has finally worked enough that I think I can sleep now. Not sure if this was the garlic from caesar salad or the wine, or both, but not a happy tummy. Just the price to pay for all the great food and company at J&M's BBQ tonight.
Invited lots of people to go, couldn't connect up with anyone. Sarah doesn't like her dress.
Hair cut for Charly at 9:30, not prepared to leave town.
Trip down okay, gloomy skies, Sarah napped.
Drove to zoo but decided to go and get lunch, drove around for a while to find a McDonalds, eventually settled on Denny's. Get in, go to bathroom - never fun with 2 kids. Order food, Sarah needs diaper change, both kids out to van change her there, back inside. Food arrives, try to kep Sarah in one spot finally get high chair but that just makes her mad, Charly not interested in eating. Drink cups for the kids leaked so Sarah made continuous mess. Charly drank his orange juice so waitress offeredto fill his cup (that we got to keep) with water. Back to van. discovered that the waitress hadn't emptied the cup out before adding water so now he had orange-tasting water that he wouldn't drink.
Figured out where we were, drove to zoo, parked in lot D (furthest away), got everything loaded into stroller, start to walk away, decide to check for keys and discover had locked keys, and cell in van, and had slammed the door on my wallet - could see it but could not get it unlodged. Bored cell phone, then had to ask another person for AMA phone number. Walked back to the parking gate to meet AMA guy (pushing kids in double stroller) and direct him to the van, walk back to van. He opened doors in less than a minute. Got stuff and finally went to zoo. Paid for admission (kids free since dressed up) and parking (flat rate).
Charly only wanted to see a giraffe so we went to Africa section of zoo. Place was soo busy with people since such a nice day (finally) and special event day. Get to animals, Charly discovers info stations with 2 speakers that look like a phone on a cord at each, must listen, push buttons, not share with Sarah, Sarah looking at everything, her in harness, Charly running around, trying to keep the stroller with us with so many people around = stress for me. Saw giraffes, red river hogs (not pigs), lions, zebras, ostridges, other birds. Went to jungle section, saw crocodile, gorillas, snake, etc. About 4pm finally went to the playground there (enclosed area thankfully) and spent next 2.5 hours there! 3 stations = one for 0-2 year olds which Sarah loved, another for 3-5 years for Charly, and a third area for 6-12 years that kept enticing Charly. Sarah tried the 3-5 station and discovered she was too short (made her mad) and too many bigger kids.
Add in bathroom break, snack break, diaper change, other kids playing, I wasn't bored.
Finally time to leave, we were one of the last people there, which was nice after all the crowds. Found way out, back to parking lot, all the way across parking lot C to lot D, but there is a bank with shrubs and rocks separating the lots. Started walking toward the lot's exit, discovered Sarah had taken her shoes off and dropped them ... somewhere, not in sight even though the lot was empty! Oh well, continued to exit, finally found a part that was barren and not too steep so pushed stroller down to the van.
Supper time, drive to closest McDonalds but Sarah falls asleep instantly so decide to go to Airdrie's McD instead of waking Sarah to go to the McD in the Walmart. Order at drive-thru, and Sarah wakes up. Charly is demanding to go inside so take our "take-out" and go inside to eat. I had ordered salad with grilled chicken for me, 1 chicken nuggets kids happy meal for Charly. Open bag, had received an extra hamburger and no happy meal toy. Go to counter and return burger, they give me a whole new happy meal which I kept for Sarah :) Get kids eating, open my salad and discovered it was not grilled chicken but crisy, ate it anyways. Bathroom break (had to leave all food on talbe, take both kids to bathroom since couldn't leave either alone, and thankfully no one had cleared our table yet). Back in van, head for home. Both kids awake, until Charly falls asleep near Innisfail and Sarah starts to scream for her bottle which she'd dropped. Finally found a turn-off place, got her the bottle, back on road with silence but Sarah wide awake the entire trip. Beautiful drive with fall colours and then glorious harvest moon.
Home, Jeff takes Sarah to change her, I unload most of the van, put Charly in his bed (still in clothes but they were comfy ones), I collaps on my bed and fall asleep (feet/legs started to ache). woke up an hour later, plugged in baby monitor and changed into PJ and went striaght to sleep. Jeff dealt with putting Sarah to bed (she didn't stay awake long). Somehow I slept through Charly waking up in a terror, screaming in bed until Jeff could get there to calm him down, put him in his PJ and back to sleep. Woke up a couple times because of Sarah's coughing, bottle time, etc. What an exhausting day. But kids had fun, got to see animals and be out in the sunshine. So not too bad of a day overall, just lots of frustrations for me.
OK, an hour and a half has passed, Peto has finally worked enough that I think I can sleep now. Not sure if this was the garlic from caesar salad or the wine, or both, but not a happy tummy. Just the price to pay for all the great food and company at J&M's BBQ tonight.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
August 2010 in review
The month past in a blur. Charly attended summer camp (week-long, half a day play groups) for 2 weeks. Jeff was away quite a bit. Managed to make it to the Gusek family reunion for a couple hours - great to see everyone! I can barely remember much of the month, just visions of mosquitos and playgrounds come to mind LOL!
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201008##
Videos:
Sarah in tub http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHeDau7292Y
Sarah in highchair, all done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UA2QtB1tMQ
Sarah in highchair, talking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p7FuavfkGk
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201008##
Videos:
Sarah in tub http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHeDau7292Y
Sarah in highchair, all done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UA2QtB1tMQ
Sarah in highchair, talking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p7FuavfkGk
Kids dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5bBpzGeY4k
Monday, August 9, 2010
July 2010 in review
First week of July - Charly had a gymnastics course, one hour each morning, at the Collicutt (sports facility near our house). I was nervous on how he'd do, being on his own and it being a physical activity. First day Charly stood around with a scowl on his face the entire time, mainly watching. But each class got better and by the end of the week he was just bouncing with excitement at the thought of the course.
Second week of July - spent with Jeff's father and step-mother by Lake Okanagan. Jeff and Charly drove out in the van Saturday, while Sarah and I stayed behind. Monday morning Sarah and I drove to Calgary for Sarah's check-up (no bananas, white rice, cheese for her). We spent the afternoon driving through a thunderstorm and shopping. Then we flew out to Kelowna and joined the guys for a lovely week by the lake. Thurs morning Jeff and Charly went to a science day camp while Sarah and I went with John and Margaret to the farmer's market - such a variety of food! We all drove back Sunday, stopped on Calgary to pick up the CRV that I'd left at the Diamonds house.
Third week - Red Deer parade on Wed. Borrowed a friend's harness for Sarah and liked it so much the next day I bought one - so great for keeping track of my princess. Thurs - shopping, hair cuts for the kids and me - my hair keeps getting a little bit shorter each time, and each haircut makes charly look older and taller. Friday's excitement was the Westerner Expedition (fair). We went after Sarah's nap, met up with Jenni and her 2 boys, and left well after the kids' bedtime. Charly had so much fun and was so sad when we finally left. Sat entered a new phase - she started saying "no" with definite meaning. Antoerh step toward the terrible twos ;)
Fourth week - Charly went to his "Summer Fun" course, weekdays from 10-11:30. It is a weekly course throughout the summer so I have him registered for a couple weeks. Monday Sarah went down 3 steps without hanging on to anything for support. While Charly was in his course Sarah and I went shopping most days. Wed Sarah's top right eye tooth came through, and she's still working on the last eyetooth. Sat we all went to Calgary and had a great visit with the Diamonds.
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201007#
Videos:
Calgary storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirglPOcN5s
Lake Okanagan - Sarah in lake, Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPeeUfKUFOQ
Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ft00Ii2MF4
Bobs and Lolo show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3046P55DuTM
Sarah blowing kisses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5m6AOHyXWg
kids swinging on swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC_4xF9_h0
kids in puddle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiNS9kPrUq0
kids on slide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk-iPD3WpiI
Sarah and food on floor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABRKsByMRI
Second week of July - spent with Jeff's father and step-mother by Lake Okanagan. Jeff and Charly drove out in the van Saturday, while Sarah and I stayed behind. Monday morning Sarah and I drove to Calgary for Sarah's check-up (no bananas, white rice, cheese for her). We spent the afternoon driving through a thunderstorm and shopping. Then we flew out to Kelowna and joined the guys for a lovely week by the lake. Thurs morning Jeff and Charly went to a science day camp while Sarah and I went with John and Margaret to the farmer's market - such a variety of food! We all drove back Sunday, stopped on Calgary to pick up the CRV that I'd left at the Diamonds house.
Third week - Red Deer parade on Wed. Borrowed a friend's harness for Sarah and liked it so much the next day I bought one - so great for keeping track of my princess. Thurs - shopping, hair cuts for the kids and me - my hair keeps getting a little bit shorter each time, and each haircut makes charly look older and taller. Friday's excitement was the Westerner Expedition (fair). We went after Sarah's nap, met up with Jenni and her 2 boys, and left well after the kids' bedtime. Charly had so much fun and was so sad when we finally left. Sat entered a new phase - she started saying "no" with definite meaning. Antoerh step toward the terrible twos ;)
Fourth week - Charly went to his "Summer Fun" course, weekdays from 10-11:30. It is a weekly course throughout the summer so I have him registered for a couple weeks. Monday Sarah went down 3 steps without hanging on to anything for support. While Charly was in his course Sarah and I went shopping most days. Wed Sarah's top right eye tooth came through, and she's still working on the last eyetooth. Sat we all went to Calgary and had a great visit with the Diamonds.
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201007#
Videos:
Calgary storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirglPOcN5s
Lake Okanagan - Sarah in lake, Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPeeUfKUFOQ
Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ft00Ii2MF4
Bobs and Lolo show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3046P55DuTM
Sarah blowing kisses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5m6AOHyXWg
kids swinging on swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC_4xF9_h0
kids in puddle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiNS9kPrUq0
kids on slide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk-iPD3WpiI
Sarah and food on floor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABRKsByMRI
Sunday, July 11, 2010
summer crafts / water
I love this website. Has simple craft ideas that I plan on trying with my son.
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/summer/
Lately the only crafts my son has wanted to do is finger painting and stringing beads to make necklaces. He'd rather be outdoors, blowing bubbles and playing in the sprinkler :) He has shown less interest in playing in the sand than he did yesterday, but I think a couple days at the beach will cure that.
My son has been learning about water. We watched a thunderstorm approach the other day. We sat on the patio, listened to the thunder, watched the lightning, and felt the rain. When the wind picked up we went inside and continued watching through an open window. What a great experience. Other days I've given him the water hose and he's had fun watering the plants, and the sidewalk and the stairs. He is amazed when the water "disappears." Over the winter we did some colour mixing, blending the primary colors to make secondary colours, and he remembers that vividly and occasionally asks to do it again. I followed that with mixing paints, and with Playdo (took lots of mixing but in tiny pieces it worked wonderfully).
My daughter loves water too. Yesterday was a rainy day so we went outside right as the rain was ending. She played with the water falling from the eaves trough, watched me fill a dish up from the trough and water the plants, and then we went for a walk where she was thrilled to play in the mud puddles. Then we went home and she went straight into the bath tub. She discovered that lying down on her back is an interesting experience, especially if the water covers her ears. She'd lay back (while holding my hand so she could get up) and sit up, over and over again. this is something my son would never do. I drained some water out of the tub to make it safe, and she was able to just lie back in the water, very happy. I just need to watch that she doesn't do this again when there is lots of water in the tub.
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/summer/
Lately the only crafts my son has wanted to do is finger painting and stringing beads to make necklaces. He'd rather be outdoors, blowing bubbles and playing in the sprinkler :) He has shown less interest in playing in the sand than he did yesterday, but I think a couple days at the beach will cure that.
My son has been learning about water. We watched a thunderstorm approach the other day. We sat on the patio, listened to the thunder, watched the lightning, and felt the rain. When the wind picked up we went inside and continued watching through an open window. What a great experience. Other days I've given him the water hose and he's had fun watering the plants, and the sidewalk and the stairs. He is amazed when the water "disappears." Over the winter we did some colour mixing, blending the primary colors to make secondary colours, and he remembers that vividly and occasionally asks to do it again. I followed that with mixing paints, and with Playdo (took lots of mixing but in tiny pieces it worked wonderfully).
My daughter loves water too. Yesterday was a rainy day so we went outside right as the rain was ending. She played with the water falling from the eaves trough, watched me fill a dish up from the trough and water the plants, and then we went for a walk where she was thrilled to play in the mud puddles. Then we went home and she went straight into the bath tub. She discovered that lying down on her back is an interesting experience, especially if the water covers her ears. She'd lay back (while holding my hand so she could get up) and sit up, over and over again. this is something my son would never do. I drained some water out of the tub to make it safe, and she was able to just lie back in the water, very happy. I just need to watch that she doesn't do this again when there is lots of water in the tub.
Monday, July 5, 2010
June 2010 update
There were lots of events that happened in June.
-We went to the Children's festival, which the kids enjoyed. There was a pirate ship side, cotton candy, crafts, and other activities, including a fire truck that the kids could climb into.
-The next day was my birthday. Took the kids to Blackfalds parade (so nice of them to throw the parade on my birthday!) and then met up with my friend Cathleen and her mom. Cathleen came back to Red Deer and spent the night, we had a great time catching up.
-Jeff went to Denver for a couple days for business. The business continues to do well. Jeff has spent much of the past week at home with a chest cold, which he's passing onto me. We're not sure if this is the same thing that the kids had earlier this month or something new, either way it sucks.
-Charly's "Terrific Tots" course has ended. Unfortunately for the last week Charly had too bad of a cough so he missed the swimming session. The other weeks he played games, did crafts, sang songs, etc. Next week he goes for gymnastics for an hour each day - I hope he likes it.
-Sarah got 2 eye teeth on the bottom, and started talking lots. Words she says include "all done", ball, balloon, bubbles, up, down, bottle, blankie, Mama, Dada, more, please and animal noises. She has a clear understanding of the words "outside" and "wall" from the trips to the playground.
-Sarah turned 18 months old so she got another round of immunization needles, which she didn't like. she has barely gained any weight, but her height and head are growing okay. This month she demonstrated that she can put on shoes, climbed into tub, take off her PJs, and go down the slide in our back yard all by herself. I can now put her on a swing by herself and doesn't usually fall off.
-My friend Jenni got married so I attended her beautiful wedding while Jeff took the kids out to Gull Lake for the Anderson family get-together. I joined them later that evening and we all slept in the motorhome for this first time this year.
-Lorna and Doug went to Russia
-I took the kids to our old neighbours' kids' (twins) birthday party at Rotary Park.
-We took a trip to Rocky to my brother's to celebrate my Dad's birthday and my nephew's high school graduation. It is funny that it would rain all week but magically clear up for the wedding and parties - can't complain!
-Charly has grasped the concept of reading and is thrilled to be able to start reading books all by himself. It is just amazing watching the literary world open up for him. One day he even tried to read to Sarah - not like she was interested, but it was still cute. Charly is a little sponge, soaking up language skills constantly, and then tries phrases out to see if they are correct, like when he announced one night that supper was "marvelous". He's good at pedaling his tricycle and loves to blow bubbles.
-At the beginning of the month I had started introducing goat's milk into Sarah's diet. After about a week of having it mixed into her bottle, she started having vomiting episodes. Stopped the goat's milk and the vomiting stopped. Waited a few days then started with hemp milk instead. It only took 2 days for the vomiting to return, stopped the hemp milk, but the vomiting continued. She went back to having to strain to poop, her poop turned colors, and she became lethargic and cranky. We've spent the past week wondering each day if she'd need to go back to the hospital or not, but she has gradually become better. Her appetite is now back and so is her energy. We've had to give her enemas all week but they have worked. She has not liked them one bit and is now freaking out at diaper changing time. She has thrown some amazing temper tantrums over the last week, showing off her temper and stubbornness. We've even brought out her old baby swing, which she still fits into, for her to swing in to help soothe her.
-I've spent lots of time weeding the rocks and flowerbeds around the house, and I'm barely half done. I usually only get to do this while Sarah's napping and Charly plays nearby outside, so progress has been slow but stead. Each time I go out I seem to come back inside with new mosquito bites - they are thick and vicious this year! I've also managed to finally find the energy to get the kids' baby books done (first year) and our wedding album. Follow the links below to see them :) I've also done a bit more genealogy work, which I've missed doing, but is hard to get into when the kids are always distracting me.
Albums:
Sarah:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=c67a6d89583574e8f0e3e4089d090410&version=20432 Charly:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=6721259d67bef3a03cd701104944b8f6&version=20431
wedding:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=2017832c00f73a043cddc7ab1f446eac&version=20433
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201006#
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201006AndersonReunion#
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/JenniYogiWedding#
Videos:
Sarah laughs at toy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr1I0FS898o
Charly pushes Sarah on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmPO0slfvk4
Sarah talking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdGY5p0rPIQ
bath time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgqHy_moR7Q
kids at gull lake http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB3sNVR56s8
Kin Kanyon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWiOf1yIoPM
swinging on swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC_4xF9_h0
-We went to the Children's festival, which the kids enjoyed. There was a pirate ship side, cotton candy, crafts, and other activities, including a fire truck that the kids could climb into.
-The next day was my birthday. Took the kids to Blackfalds parade (so nice of them to throw the parade on my birthday!) and then met up with my friend Cathleen and her mom. Cathleen came back to Red Deer and spent the night, we had a great time catching up.
-Jeff went to Denver for a couple days for business. The business continues to do well. Jeff has spent much of the past week at home with a chest cold, which he's passing onto me. We're not sure if this is the same thing that the kids had earlier this month or something new, either way it sucks.
-Charly's "Terrific Tots" course has ended. Unfortunately for the last week Charly had too bad of a cough so he missed the swimming session. The other weeks he played games, did crafts, sang songs, etc. Next week he goes for gymnastics for an hour each day - I hope he likes it.
-Sarah got 2 eye teeth on the bottom, and started talking lots. Words she says include "all done", ball, balloon, bubbles, up, down, bottle, blankie, Mama, Dada, more, please and animal noises. She has a clear understanding of the words "outside" and "wall" from the trips to the playground.
-Sarah turned 18 months old so she got another round of immunization needles, which she didn't like. she has barely gained any weight, but her height and head are growing okay. This month she demonstrated that she can put on shoes, climbed into tub, take off her PJs, and go down the slide in our back yard all by herself. I can now put her on a swing by herself and doesn't usually fall off.
-My friend Jenni got married so I attended her beautiful wedding while Jeff took the kids out to Gull Lake for the Anderson family get-together. I joined them later that evening and we all slept in the motorhome for this first time this year.
-Lorna and Doug went to Russia
-I took the kids to our old neighbours' kids' (twins) birthday party at Rotary Park.
-We took a trip to Rocky to my brother's to celebrate my Dad's birthday and my nephew's high school graduation. It is funny that it would rain all week but magically clear up for the wedding and parties - can't complain!
-Charly has grasped the concept of reading and is thrilled to be able to start reading books all by himself. It is just amazing watching the literary world open up for him. One day he even tried to read to Sarah - not like she was interested, but it was still cute. Charly is a little sponge, soaking up language skills constantly, and then tries phrases out to see if they are correct, like when he announced one night that supper was "marvelous". He's good at pedaling his tricycle and loves to blow bubbles.
-At the beginning of the month I had started introducing goat's milk into Sarah's diet. After about a week of having it mixed into her bottle, she started having vomiting episodes. Stopped the goat's milk and the vomiting stopped. Waited a few days then started with hemp milk instead. It only took 2 days for the vomiting to return, stopped the hemp milk, but the vomiting continued. She went back to having to strain to poop, her poop turned colors, and she became lethargic and cranky. We've spent the past week wondering each day if she'd need to go back to the hospital or not, but she has gradually become better. Her appetite is now back and so is her energy. We've had to give her enemas all week but they have worked. She has not liked them one bit and is now freaking out at diaper changing time. She has thrown some amazing temper tantrums over the last week, showing off her temper and stubbornness. We've even brought out her old baby swing, which she still fits into, for her to swing in to help soothe her.
-I've spent lots of time weeding the rocks and flowerbeds around the house, and I'm barely half done. I usually only get to do this while Sarah's napping and Charly plays nearby outside, so progress has been slow but stead. Each time I go out I seem to come back inside with new mosquito bites - they are thick and vicious this year! I've also managed to finally find the energy to get the kids' baby books done (first year) and our wedding album. Follow the links below to see them :) I've also done a bit more genealogy work, which I've missed doing, but is hard to get into when the kids are always distracting me.
Albums:
Sarah:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=c67a6d89583574e8f0e3e4089d090410&version=20432 Charly:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=6721259d67bef3a03cd701104944b8f6&version=20431
wedding:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=2017832c00f73a043cddc7ab1f446eac&version=20433
Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201006#
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201006AndersonReunion#
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/JenniYogiWedding#
Videos:
Sarah laughs at toy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr1I0FS898o
Charly pushes Sarah on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmPO0slfvk4
Sarah talking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdGY5p0rPIQ
bath time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgqHy_moR7Q
kids at gull lake http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB3sNVR56s8
Kin Kanyon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWiOf1yIoPM
swinging on swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC_4xF9_h0
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