A trip to Van

We went to visit Aunty Kinza in Vancouver this weekend and had some family fun. We ate, shopped, swam, and went to Science World and the Vancouver Aquarium. The aquarium was definitely a highlight for me - I hadn't been since I was small. Plus, when I finally figured out how to use the various modes of the camera, I was able to take some pretty neat pictures.

How can this be comfortable??

The coolest exhibit

Some bottom feeders hanging out with the jellyfish

Overall a great weekend, although we didn't get to see Aunty as much as we would've liked. She is a busy lady! Now that she has moved to the west coast we look forward to many more visits with her.

Halloweeeeen

What a busy Halloween we had this year! We carved three pumpkins (which took us nearly three hours because poor Mommy had to do most of the work) . . .

. . . and we dressed up in various costumes for our Halloweeny activities!

It was a fun and safe Halloween. Now we are counting down the days until Christmas!!

Tummy troubles

So, those of you who know me well know that I have been having tummy troubles since my teens. I have tried cutting out various food groups and while I have had minimal success, the problem still remains. I was inspired recently to go see a Naturopath about my ongoing battle with the lining of my stomach. At this point I am willing to try just about anything to get this little problem fixed. After very expensive treatments and blood work, I am now drinking a revolting sludge every morning that consists of flax seeds, fish oils, probiotics, and acidophilus. I am also off wheat and dairy for now. As a person who subsists on bread and cheese, I am finding this extremely difficult. I have lost 5 pounds in the last week and am feeling ravenous most of the time.

A few tips on how to get along with me over the next few weeks:

-hide any pastries you happen to be eating when I approach
-don't say "cheese", and please please please don't mention the word "fondue"
-don't tell me I'm looking too thin
-don't tell me there are "great dairy alternatives"
-don't ask me why I'm not eating your meal
-don't tell me all about the things you are allergic to
-don't relay your favourite colonoscopy stories to me

If you really love me, you will give me sympathy and then cook me something delectable that I can eat.

Meet Molly

On Friday Mom and I went to the mainland to pick up her puppy, a beautiful Australian Shepherd named Tessa. Neil and I had talked about getting a puppy for a long time because Hallie is petrified of dogs. So, I decided to do something spontaneous and get a puppy too!! Her name is Molly and she is a 9 week old golden retriever. The two pups are already the best of friends and whimper whenever they are parted. So far we have had a few nights of interrupted sleep but she is so worth it. Her fur smells wonderful and she loves to dig her wet nose into my neck when I pick her up. Why did I wait so long to get a dog??

Mickey Mouse and other creatures

Well, we made it back safely from our Disneyland road trip and although there were some pitfalls along the way, we generally had a good time.










Highlights:

*being able to chat with Neil about our 5-year plan while listening to "Peter Pan" play on the DVD player 8 times in a row . . . "Mista Smee!!"
*getting to spend quality time with my kids
*hearing James yell "Wee-hah! This is fun!!" while careening around the corners on the Matterhorn
*watching James flirt with the Disney Princesses
*sneaking into the DoubleTree Hotel's pool, aptly named "The Oasis," for two glorious afternoons
*watching a fantastic conductor, Andre Thomas, work with the California all-state honor choir
*watching the Disneyland fireworks display from our campsite
*visiting with my Californian relatives and Grandpa T
*eating copious amounts of Yoplait Original Harvest Peach yogurt
*discovering large pink marshmallows
*seeing Hallie's joy at meeting the beautiful princesses she idolizes






















Lowlights:

*sitting down on the Port Angeles ferry early that first morning thinking smugly to myself how well this is going . . . followed by Hallie throwing-up all over me and continuing to be sick for the rest of the day
*discovering at the end of this very long and trying first day that Neil's driver's license had expired in November
*coming to grips with the fact that I would have to do the remainder of the driving on the trip
*waking up in the middle of the night to the sounds of heavy rainfall on our tent trailer
*sitting in a freezing cold air-conditioned conference center with my jacket wrapped tightly around me knowing that Neil and the kids were outside playing in the blazing hot sun
*arriving at Ariel's Grotto with smiles on our faces only to watch her disappear into her cave
*seeing Hallie's face and hearing her sobs at Ariel's disappearance
*standing in line for an hour and half while Neil and the kids went on rides just so that Hallie wouldn't miss the opportunity to meet Ariel in her grotty grotto
*leaving the happiest place on earth


Ah, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times!!

Complete and utter nonsense

I had forgotten that children at around age 3 often go through a stage of making up completely new words and using them in full sentences. Much to my amusement, the following are some of the delightful conversations and situations I have found myself in over the last few days. . .

1. As James is charging at me dressed up as a knight, and wielding a sword, he yells "You're a pleat in the roscious!" (Is that even how you spell roscious?)

2. When discussing the days of the week, a hot topic at preschool these days, he asks "What is after Saturday?" (I answer) "What is after Sunday?" (I answer again) "What is after Mansickus?" Pardon!? What are they teaching you at that preschool anyway??

3. As I am sitting at the computer writing emails, he approaches me with a very serious look on his face and says "When's the bunkabumpa?" I answer "The bunkabumpa?" "Nooooo!" says he with great indignation, "The backadenta!" Oh, right. My mistake.


I'm not worried, though, this does run in the family. Auntie K used to do this when she was small and, strangely enough, it turns out she is now a diction expert. Perhaps James will invent a new language or something.

Ready, aim, fire . . .

The James potty training saga continues. . .

So just as James is getting comfortable with his whole potty training regime (fully trained day and night for several weeks now - yay!), he starts to get performance anxiety. First he struggles to produce at preschool and then he has an accident while the babysitter is over. Something about wanting them to "do it" (ie. hold his whatsit down while he sits down to go) and them not knowing quite what to do. The preschool teachers inform me that it's time to teach him to do it himself, so I embark on the mission of training him to hold his own whatsit down. This is met with much resistance and takes some seriously clever Mommy manipulating to convince him that he will be such a big boy if he does it himself. The first result? A perfect arch from his little body into the radiator directly across the bathroom. The second result? Don't even ask.

Suffice it to say he is now standing to go and is thrilled to be able to "give it a shake" which he says with delight each time he does it.

Ah James, how dull our lives would be without you . . .