Withdrawal, Day 7

They say the first week is the hardest....

Or is it the first two weeks? I don't think I can make it two weeks without...

(deep breaths... deep breaths...)

But she ate corn on the cob two days ago - it was SO freakin cute!

There were pony rides today (TWICE!)... a petting zoo and the HUGE slide bouncer she conquered - I can't believe what a climber she is!

My son's first dancing shoes... his big brother's football game (and the bandage he sported proudly after his wrist got stepped on)

GAAAAAAH! I can't handle this...

(help me... I was sitting here this evening fondling the battery charger for my MIA camera)

Outgown it....

My son has outgrown my favorite kids clothing store! I can't believe it. Shopping at please mum has been a mainstay for me for so long... I've known that my older son takes their XL, my younger son their L - or prior to that the Large & Medium.... or prior to that (well, you get the drift)....OMG, now what?

I guess I have a bit of time... it's not their clothing he's outgrown - just their outer-wear. But I know the clock is ticking now....

I was so proud of myself: hadn't been to the store in ages then pop in when they're having a 4-day only sale... which included winter wear for $20 off each piece - so $40 off a complete winter jacket & snow pants set... woo hoo! Picked the one I liked, grabbed the XL and carted my prize home... only to find that it's a better fit on my younger son :( It just didn't have the room I like for outwear on my firstborn. And please mum doesn't go any bigger than XL :(

Every time I turn around there something bringing home the fact that they're growing up on me... it's all going so fast!

Reasons you can not sleep in when your toddler is awake:

1. You will have to jump out of bed at least once because you can hear water running - again.

2. You will wake up to find that, while being a good "parent" and protecting her babydoll with SPF 45, your delightful toddler will have also (thoughtfully) sunscreened the hardwood floor in the hall...

3. And yes, you will learn that it is possible to eat every stick of juicy fruit in a pack for breakfast.... and in fact, the enormous pile of scattered wrappers are fun to decorate the living room floor with.....

(good morning!)

(((Hugs)))

Out to my cousin and her new baby... who, I'm sure, aren't living the idyllic newborn experience she imagined. It sounds like the hospital will be discharging her today despite the fact that her little man has to stay in the NICU.

Callous Bastards. (well, at least that's my opinion - and this is my blog so I can damn well voice it if I want to). I can't believe, in this day & age, that anyone with any type of degree in health care can honestly believe it's ever OK to separate a mother and newborn....

Any how, I hope I get to see her (or at least get our gift to her) sometime soon - I spent a small fortune on preemie sleeper/outfits for my Mom & I to give her... I'd love to get them in her hands before she rushes out to do the same....

Grrrrrr!

I hate Hate HATE not having a camera!! And I can't believe what an intrusion this seems to be in my life - I'm damn near as attached to my digital camera as I am to my cell phone it seems... like I don't leave home without it.

Or maybe it's just the fact that I can't take or share pictures that's making me notice all the moments I'm missing....

(it should have been here TUESDAY - it's already Thursdays for crying out loud!)

One month early....

My cousin had her baby today!! She wasn't due until early October! The newest little man in our extended family weighs in at only "just over four pounds". I'll definately be visiting tomorrow sometime for the full scoop! Apparently he's doing perfectly despite being tiny and early - thank goodness.

OMG, is there anything more exciting than a new baby? I can't wait!

Crazy Kids!

But what can beat those childhood memories of jumping off the dock?

She did it!

I missed it - but she did it! My girl jumped off the dock for the first time. I can swallow that it was into the waiting arms of my cousin instead of me... but I'm SO glad my Dad caught the pics of it - she must've been so proud of herself! (and there she is, just like one of the "big" kids again ;)

Taking a "beach" break

(it's like a picture of paradise... the beach in my mom's front yard - on the canals, just off the lake)

A visitor hopped in....

... and landed right on my boy's head. He still giggles recounting the story of how the grasshopper jumped onto his head.... and stuck around for a nice long visit, lol...

Thank you....

To my mother for all these memories to share...

I'm so glad to have these photo momentos of the time my children spent at her home this summer - they had a blast and loved every minute at Grandma's house...

(and if I ever retrieve the camera that my bozo husband left behind on the road, I'll have some pics of my own to share soon too ;)

Chillin'

Taking a break after a hard day's work :)

Child Labour con't

You remember how excited I was that my 9 year old was finally big enough to start doing some yard chores?? That was nothing... take a page out of my mother's book - she's got the two year old started already ;)

Soft Water + Soap + A Jet Tub =

Holy Bubbles, oh my!

Looks like fun times at Grandma's

Be careful what you wish for....

We drove through the night on Saturday to return to our children as soon as possible - we picked them up at their grandparents' early Sunday morning and the whole family was happily home and together before noon.

We were exhausted however.... Oz crashed out on the couch during the girl's nap while I took the boys out for haircuts and a few errands.... then it was my turn. I laid down on the couch with D watching Dora for the zillionth time and quickly dozed off too. Daddy left us there like that while he ran to the store to buy some new work boots.

Well I was dead to the world. The boys were busy playing downstairs and the princess didn't stay watching Dora.... oh no.

The princess, heavily into a water-obsession phase, toddled off to the bathroom to play in the sink.... and play she did. To the tune of about 60 gallons of water sloshing over the counters and out of the bathroom over the hardwood floors when she managed to plug the sink somehow!

There was water EVERYWHERE.

The bathroom, the hall, her bedroom..... and downstairs - through the floor and soaking the boys' bathroom and part of their bedroom carpet. Several boxes we'd stored in the laundry/furnace room also got doused. Not a pretty sight when Daddy came home from shopping and woke Mommy up off the couch.

Thank God she didn't have more than the 30 minutes she did.

And thank God our insurance covers two-year-olds.

I have been longing for a while to redo the upstairs bathroom, bring it into the 21st century - now we may have no choice.... maybe some new floors too.

I guess the moral of my story is to be careful what you wish for - because you never know how that wish may be delivered!!

Present!

I'm back! It feels like forever since I've posted rather than just the 10 days of vacay with two days of recovery tacked on ;) We'll have tons of pics and updates shortly.... can't wait to share the journey while it's still fresh in my mind.

But first a story courtesy of my stinker two-year-old....

Never enough

There just aren't enough hours in a day! It doesn't seem to matter how far in advance I start my planning or preparations.... I can NEVER get ahead of what I need to accomplish on a daily basis!

(and NO, now would not be the time to point out that spending time blogging about my lack of time isn't helping matters - not everyone likes having the obvious thrust in their face ;)

I'm just racing... I need a minute to take a deep breath (well a nap is what I really need but we know that's not happening!)..... there's so much to do still to get ready. I can see how the end of this day will play out already.....

I will pick up my children soon. The next several hours will be filled with feeding them, packing for them, getting them to football practice and making sure we haven't forgot anything they'll need over the next 10 days before heading out on the hour long drive to Grandma's house to drop them off - all the while trying to entertain them so they don't drive me over the brink (which is likely to happen at some point today regardless).

I'm positive that it will be at least 11:00pm before I stumble back through the door and get to start all over again.... packing for myself.

If I'm lucky, I might get 6 hours of sleep before heading out in the wee hours tomorrow morning.

But there is a bright side! I'm not travelling alone this time.... so I can definitely sleep while he drives (hell, who even needs the 6 hours?? ;)

Freak

OK, I just had to show you this dog.....

I'm trying to decide how this happened.... I mean, I've heard of cross-breeding but tell me how you get the head of one dog onto the body of another??

This thing is just a freak of nature... or some genetic experiment gone wrong, lol....it would have impressed you so much more if I could have snapped a pic of him standing; not only does his head not match his body, it also seems too small....weird.

What's up with that?

I'm about to leave on a 10 day trip. 10 days with my husband, away from our kids. Now this is technically a business trip. I'm seeing clients in one city on the way to Banff, then partaking in a four day industry-related educational "school" in Banff before stopping off to see clients in another city on the way home. But I'm dragging my husband along this time ;)

Normally I don't take my husband along on business trips.... but I couldn't resist the chance to carve out a bit of time for ourselves in such a gorgeous venue - mixing a little pleasure with business. And I have to admit it will be nice to have some company on a very, very long drive. We've got a couple of golf dates planned in the mountains, probably take a little tour one evening to some waterfalls not too far off - or the hot springs maybe? Oh! And a half-day ride through some of the most scenic countryside on the planet. I've been waiting over 20 years to do that one..... (but the childhood disappointments of a horse-loving child born to decidedly earth-bound parents is the subject for another post some other time ;)

I am really looking forward to this trip!

Time to recharge (I hope), take a break from the mundane and perhaps a chance to reconnect with my husband. We just never seem to find the time for us in the chaos that is our day to day life....

I know that finding couple time is important. It can only do good for the entire family....

.... and yet I still feel it.

Muted, held in the background but still naggingly present all the same.... that parental guilt. Guilt! Why do I do this to myself? I should not feel guilty for leaving my children behind. It's not like I'm locking them in the house to fend for themselves until the neighbors call CFS or anything.... they will be quite safe and even have fun, I'm sure, staying with their grandparents while we're away (we won't discuss the grandparents' perspective on this marathon visit - that's a subject for another post ;)

But still, it's there. I don't feel nearly as bad leaving the boys as I do leaving my baby girl. They're so much bigger and more self-sufficient (and I've left them so many times before - ha!).... but my girl, she's only two. I've never left her for this long.... certainly my husband and I have never left her together. I think I'll need to do deep breathing exercises as we drive away after I drop them off tomorrow. I feel silly admitting it - but there it is.... I'm a sap when it comes to my baby...

I'm gonna have to get over it.

I know they'll be fine, I know they'll have fun and I know I'm going to have a blast.... just let me know the recipe for ignoring the nagging guilt and we're good to go ;)

They're naturals....

I can't decide if my boys' love of all things hotwheels or racing or race car related has more to do with just being boys - or their father's *mild* Nascar obsession. Maybe it's a bit of both.....

But I do know that they both LOVE driving go-carts .... and they both seem to have quite the knack for it! It doesn't take them long after getting out on the track to weasel their way to the front and take the lead.

No idea where they got that competitive drive :P

This scares me.

Not the look on his face.... although he is doing his best to look fierce like a football player should (?). But the fact that I have a son playing football. I'm not going to lie. I hate football. I don't understand it, I don't like watching it and I've never understood the attraction. My kids were never going to play.

But HE loves it. His friends play, he wanted to try.... and he comes off the field - even after two hours of grueling practice, with a mile-wide grin on his face.... chattering a mile a minute about everything he loved out there. I've never seen him so jazzed about anything else he's tried.

So here I am, with a smile on my face, on the sidelines trying to make sense of this game... and hoping my son doesn't get creamed out there!

Here we go!

Out on the field to assume the position.

He loves this.... "especially the crunching part Mom, that's the best"

Oh my.

How a toddler watches football

Need I say more?

Thank goodness there was a playground next to the field!

Yeah, my 7 year old got the camera.

(about the only way pictures of me get taken ;)

Heaven...

.... for a monkey like this, is a fresh playground to explore :)

Stickin' the landing

I guess every 7 year old needs to let his inner super-hero out sometime ;)

Big kid swinging

She has officially boycotted the "baby" swings in favour of the ones her brothers use. At two. Jeez, First borns aren't in this kind of hurry.....

Not sure what happened here?

I only looked away for a second.... he even blew his shoes...

Cheering for the home team

WOO HOO.... I LOVE OLYMPICS!!

I'm not sure if my oldest shares my fervor or just copped onto the fact that I'd let him stay up past bedtime during these special events if he expressed an interest.... but never the less, I found myself watching the events with him way past bedtime last night.

"Go Canada!" He'd cheer at the start of every race.....

"Umm honey? Canada's not in this race"

"Oh. Is the States in this race? We could cheer for the States Mom - cuz they're like Canada's best friend.... aren't they?"

"Pretty much, yep"

"Or Mexico. Let's just cheer for North America, OK?"

"OK ;)"

Reality in advertizing....

So have you seen the new Charmin commercial? "kids always take too much...." and goes on to compare 3 squares of Charmin toilet paper to 4 squares of the competition.

3 squares?? Who on Earth would only be using 3-4 squares?? That's just gross.... or maybe I've just never gotten over my childish tendancy to use way too much?

Ever been a jerk?

I have to admit, I'm a "grumpy" driver *sometimes*. I don't road rage on people or anything but I get easily annoyed by the little, stupid things (IMO) that other drivers do.... I don't very often cut people some slack. And I really should. I'm going to try.

Although I'm polite enough to let people in when I see they're hung up etc, I'm also the first to curse a blue streak (or an age-appropriate version of one when my kids are with me) over another driver's perceived infraction against me..... great example I'm setting, I know - my kid's think "jerk" is just the common term for other vehicles on the road....

But today I was a jerk - unintentionally albeit, but still. I need to remember this morning the next time I think someone is being deliberately asinine.... sometimes people just have an "oops" moment....I'm going to try really hard.

I'm driving a rental until I get my van back today. I made a stop on my way into the office this morning and as I was pulling back out onto the road I was still trying to do up my seatbelt..... my hand pressed the wrong way on the obviously-too-sensitive steering wheel and I let out a long loud blast of the horn by accident.

At the exact moment that I was crossing the path of a car who'd just quickly pulled up to the stop-sign at a cross-road waiting to pull on after I passed. Ooops.

I'm sure he must've thought I was honking at him.

If it were me I would have thought the car was honking at me.... in a paranoid "omg-what-the-hell-are-you-doing-pulling-out-past-the-stop-sign-you-looked-like-you-were-going-to-swerve-out-in-front-of-me-and-cause-an-accident" type of honk.

I'd have sworn at the honker and been annoyed with them for the remainder of the drive. Probably shot them a dirty look when we met up at the next stop light or in passing.
Never once considering that they may not have meant to do that, kwim?

He did neither.

Guess I'm lucky not everyone is as much of a jerk as me ;)

So pissed.

I can't stand how inconsiderate some people are. It feels like nobody bothers to think about how their actions affect others. I'm completely pissed at my dealer's shuttle right now.

I was supposed to be picked up around 3:45 - 4:00. The driver phones at 4:05 to say they're running behind and won't be here for another 20-30 minutes. Un-freakin-believable.

I'm not mad that she's running late.... I get that shit happens to everyone all day long and most of it is out of our control. What I'm completely PISSED about is that she didn't bother to call until AFTER the time she was already supposed to be here.

If I'd been told that there wouldn't be a shuttle until 4:30 or later, I may have made other arrangements.... called my SIL or even booked a cab ... but that's way late for me when I have kids to pick up and supper to make before my son's first football game - that he can NOT be late for!!

The driver had to know they were running late long before it was time to get me..... why the hell wait until you're already late to call? At 3:45 I could have done something else even....

Oh I'm going to have a hard time biting my tongue when they get here.

And I'm DEFINITELY talking to the service manager.

Inconsiderate Jerk.

P.S.

(OK, I'm big enough and ugly enough to admit when I've been a little too bitchy.... it was the girl's 4th day on the job driving the shuttle. She was a little overwhelmed. And we made it to football with time to spare - so no harm done.)

(and no... I didn't bother the service manager)

BLING!

Or at least the toddler version.....

No, she's not hurt (unless you consider a perhaps-slightly-redder-than-the-surrounding-skin to be harm). But you'd swear she thinks she needs band-aids to hold herself together some days.

She's OBSESSED with band-aids. Addicted.

She thinks they're pretty... right up there with toe nail polish and way ahead of necklaces or bracelets. Maybe I need to start buying ugly band-aids ;)

All the colors

Oh yeah.

See this guy?

This is the stranger that my girl adopted for the evening last weekend.

Yep, just ran over to this random Dad and family and joined right in.

She has no shame I tell ya....

(people are going to think we're horrible parents who only let the kids out of their cages for show once in a while or something)

(I promise we're not. They're out most of the time ;)

See my girl?

She completely attached herself to this strange Dad.... maybe she can already read.... he was wearing a "Best Dad" T-shirt - going for an upgrade perhaps?? It was just too funny though.... and he was such a good sport about it. He let her sit with him for a large part of the evening and even let her play with his sunglasses...

She got along really well with her new siblings too - they seemed to like her very much.

It wasn't until a little later that he mentioned we'd have to pay him back by watching his brood for a while ;)

(and his wife threatened me.... if this little "visit" made him want another, lol)

My travelling circus

They kill me....

Lovely picture of my Grandmother with the hooligans... but what's with the hand gestures??? Seriously - they're in EVERY freakin picture I take of these kids lately! And I swear they're not known gang members. I don't thing they know what a gang is? Just bozos.... thinking they're all that. Boys!

Packed

How much fun can you stuff into a Grand Caravan? Let's just say that between my grandparents, our hooligans, the dog and all our gear, the bus was full! (and honest, the grandparents were happier than they look here ;)

Oh... and if you look carefully you can see my hubby through the back window... he's out checking the load on the trailer behind us ;)

Crank Call...

So my phone rang at 11:30 last night. Kinda late but no bother really - we'd had company that just left and we were still up.... didn't recognize the name on the call display but I answered it anyway.

Only no one answered my "Hello?", so I said it again "Hello??"

And was answered with some teenage girl's best attempt at a blood-curdling scream before they hung up.

Yeah, you're cool.

So I called them back - couldn't resist... I mean, seriously? You have nothing better to do with your time than this? (and it was a lame attempt to boot).

And the girl actually answered my call..... I had pictured maybe getting parents on the other end or something but no, it was a girl (with other girls' voices in the background) - how goofy can you get... I mean, if you were crank calling people would you answer an unfamiliar number?? Not the brightest bulbs there...

But I was very nice and restrained. I told her it was kinda stupid to do crank calls when everyone has call display these days.... she didn't really have anything to say to that (surprise).

I mean seriously, do you not know about reverse look-up? What if you crank called and really pissed someone off enough that they showed up at your door? Twits.

At least I got the pleasure of hanging up on them in return ;)

He wants more babies

Ha.

Betcha thought my husband was off his rocker, hey?

But no, it's not him.... and it's definitely not me, lol.... it's our dear, sweet 7 year old son.

He asked me when we were driving this weekend; "mom, are you going to have another baby?"

To which I replied: "No honey, I'm not having any more babies.... I have three and that's enough."

"Awww, I want you to have another baby - you should have two"

hahahahahahahaha..... yeah, right!

So I comfortably defected that..... told him that his newly married uncle and aunt could have babies one day and then he'll have new cousins.

He seemed pleased with that.

And then we picked up my grandparents to give them a ride home from the lake and I overheard my little man talking to his great-grandma: ".... and uncle Scott and auntie Cara are going to have a baby and it will be my new cousin....."

That's not exactly what I said to him.... but it should get some tongues wagging, rofl.....

It's all her fault!

So the verdict is in. It's all my daughter's fault. She's the one who put me in the hospital for two days. Damn. I knew kids could be rough on a person, but jeez.....

A little background you say?

Remember last week (and a bit) when I was complaining about my jaw? No? Dartboard medicine and all? Yeah... that's the one.... well I never did get an answer as to what's going on with my jaw - until today. Yes the antibiotics helped, and perhaps there was an infection along with the jaw problem but the pain has never really subsided completely so my Dr & I have been crossing things off the list. One thing to check was "temporomandibular joint disorder" - quite the handle, eh? "but it's something I'll have to go to a dentist for because it's kind of outside of the scope of doctors". OK so off to the dentist I went....

Well did you know that we actually have a DISK (similar to the ones in the spine) where our jaws meet our skulls?? I didn't....

And did you know that this disk can be "slipped".... just like the ones in the back.... and that this can be caused by some relatively minor blow if it's lined up just so..... ?? Something seemingly harmless like an overly enthusiastic two year old girl smacking her head sideways into mommy's instead of just continuing the tickling/nuzzling game they were playing?? News to me too.....

But there you have it.

My toddler head-butted me, caught me "just so" on the side of the jaw and slipped my temporomandibular disk (or whatever it's called). Yay. Now on to my insanely high continuous doses of anti-inflammatories and into a shnazzy new mouthguard for sleeping over the next month while things "hopefully" fall back into place and I can avoid surgery on my face to repair it.

Here's hoping. I guess it came out easy enough - it should go back in just as quick, right?

Streeeeeeeeak!

My girl is turning into a dedicated streaker.

What is it with toddlers and not wanting to wear clothes??

Every time I turn around she's peeled off everything she's wearing. Too funny.

At least it's only at home.

So far.

Back to reality....

Boy I love long weekends. But I hate coming back.....

I didn't take any pictures to share this time though, so you're stuck with just boring text for now ;)

I'm starting to really like our cottage.... I love that my kids can go for the weekend (or long weekend) and never once think to miss their TV or video games.... I love that we play with the kids more - family walks, swimming, fishing, board games.... and I love that we found a nice sand beach just a five minute walk from our lot - it was the only thing missing for me :)

Next weekend I'll stay home so more work can get done. Floors will be laid and cupboards installed (does this mean the frame walls will get covered first too?). It's just coming together so nicely! But when we're there with the kids we're too busy with them to work on it.... so home I'll stay...

Kiss a Fish!

You ever notice how some men never give up all the "boy" in them.... they still think it's funny to show a dead spider to their wife after the rescue (rather than just discarding it), or they still get a kick out of pretending to make their kids kiss the fish they just caught?? Yes? No?? hmmm..... maybe it's just me. yay. Ah well......

We were sitting down to a board game with boys the other night after the girl had gone to bed for the evening... and there had been an "incident" earlier that evening as mentioned above (Dad chasing the boys with a fresh fish...ewww)

We were playing Sorry. Good family game in the 6-10 set ;)

The boys love Sorry.... especially my younger son.... and especially the "sorry-ing" part.

When his turn came and he had a chance to Sorry someone he picked Dad.... laughing all the while. So my husband turned to him, scrunched up his face and pointed his finger in mock-threat asking "Do you want me to make you kiss a fish?!"

my boy thought this was just hilarious.... "Nooooooo...." he squealed.

(But he must have thought this was the most clever retaliation/threat he'd ever heard....)

When my husband's next turn came and HE had a chance to sorry someone, he of course took the chance to get even with our boy..... who's most clever response was to scrunch up his face, point his finger at Dad in mock-threat and say "Do you want me to kiss a fish?!"

It was one of those moments where you just stop for a sec before everyone bursts into laughter.

OMG I love what comes out of kids' mouths sometimes.

(we don't need to talk about other times right now ;)