I'm walkin', yes indeed I'm talkin'

Ahem.

This is important so I need to clear my throat, er, keyboard.

Lillian (aka Lily, Lilu, Lu-Lu, and Jiggly Butt) has officially taken her first steps. And they were to reach a phone. Holy crap, we're in trouble.

She was playing with my cousin's cell phone last night at Thanksgiving dinner and all of a sudden she took her first two steps. I was thrilled but figured it was a one-shot deal and that would be the end of it for a few more weeks. In typical Lily fashion, though, she proved me wrong and went on to take a few more steps here and there during the next half hour, many of them accompanied by an entire room full of people cheering. We're not setting her expectations high at all are we?!

I'm proud of the Lil for not only reaching this milestone while Liam was around, but also for doing so in the same room where Nick took his first steps five years ago. It's all kind of creepy. Trevor has informed us that he'll place some shackles on Trina's feet until they make it back out next summer.

The scene of the walking incident. Note the giant crowd of various family members.

The proud parents of the little angel at her baptism.

Two beauties once again.

The long-awaited blog entry

Yes, it's been ages. Due to problems loading pictures on Blogger as well as lots of stuff going on around here I've neglected my blog terribly. Tsk.

First, as you can see, the West Coast MacPhersons made their way out today. Trina is unbelievably adorable. Her cheeks are gigantic, her eyes are beautiful, and her gurgling noises make my heart turn to goo. And she still smells like a milky angel. I'm smitten. Lily, by the way, has never looked so huge (and white!). We had a great time and they're still in town for another 6 days!

In other news...not too much has been happening around here other than unpacking, cleaning, and people being sick. Multiple colds and stomach bugs in the month of September set us back three school days, two work days, two birthday parties, and one girl's night out. I guess it's just a typical September around here but I'm sure tired of it.

What else. Hhmm. Lily's not quite walking but is still managing to get into everything in sight. The more mobile she gets the more attitude she has. Lots of fun. Her favourite things to do these days include "talking" on anything that remotely resembles a telephone, using Jack as a stool/squeaky toy, riding in the wagon, and eating dirt out of the vegetable garden.

On the Nick front, he's into the swing of things with school. His teacher is a really dear woman who has been teaching grade 1 for 26 years. He's made a few new friends and has only been sent to the office (for an ice pack after a "play" fight) once. Beavers and Tae Kwon Do have also resumed so he's a busy little man.

As for Liam and I, we're old and boring so there's nothing new to report.

Happy birthday Lu-Lu!

Summertime pictures

My kids are beautiful.

Give me the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Today has been one of those days of which summer is made. It's as if the sun warmed up time and the hours became longer, sweeter, and brighter. The entire day was filled with many satisfying moments and our family enjoying time together was at the center of it all.

At the end of a summer which has been filled with countless hours scurrying around open houses, packing, and (literally) worrying myself sick, I truly appreciated the beauty that filled my day. As the four Edmontonian Johnstones sat on our new deck drinking smoothies a la Mom and basking in the morning sunshine, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction knowing that all the work had been worth where it has brought our family.

When I was younger, I used to think that the bumps and difficulties got in the way of the good times. As time goes on, however, I've learned to expect less than perfection and to enjoy the truly blissful moments which come along if you wait patiently. When days such as today come along I think to myself “This, this is what sustains me.”

When the house is a mess and I'm scattered and stressed I can look back at today and know that there will be other days like it. Life isn't about sunshine and lollipops, it's about maintaining an inner focus throughout the rough patches and basking in the joy of the good times.

Help!!!

Ok, so I was a bad Mommy and I failed to pre-order school supplies from the school in June like I was advised to do. I figured I'd possibly save a few bucks and do the shopping myself.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a Kanga Pouch. Can anyone offer me any advice on where to look? A Kanga Pouch, by the way, is like a nylon sack large enough to fit a binder with a flap that velcro's shut and a clear plastic sleeve on the front. I've seen them before, but I have no clue on where to get one.

Help??! Anyone?

Home sweet new home!

We're here! We're actually living in our new home. Yeehaw!!

After 12 nights of living at my parents' house, one long day of packing and unpacking a U-Haul, and a last-minute wrangling of friends for help, we've moved us and all our stuff into the house. Today was spent unpacking and making paths through the piles of boxes. The kitchen is slowly coming together (after I unpacked and arranged for about 5 hours!) and the rest of the house is insane. Fortunately, Liam got the laptop hooked up and I'm now sitting in the middle of our living room floor with a small plastic bin as my desk. It's so sad to be this desperate to get online.

Big highlights so far:

• I discovered a small herb garden and some rasperry bushes in the back yard.
• I've been able to get my gardening "fix" by weeding the various flower beds. Lily weeds with me, only her version includes sitting her butt in the middle of the flowers and eating rocks. Just because you're named like a flower...
• Nick and Lily's room doesn't have a closet. It really threw me for a loop. Just ask Liam.
• I'm falling more and more in love with my kitchen. It's so freaking cool.
• I met a neighbour at a garage sale. She seemed really nice and I detected...an east coast accent!
• Janine the super Telus geek hooked up my phone jacks in the kitchen. Geek friends are the best.

I'll update as things progress. Hopefully I'll get my life straigtened out enough that I can re-create a social life!!

Life in a trailer

For anyone who doesn't know yet, my family has moved out of our home and into my parents' trailer. Woot! There's nothing quite like living out of boxes waiting for idiots to pay you for your home three or more days after they were supposed to...but that's a long story in itself and I'm not in the mood.

If you're trying to phone us, don't. You'll get a message that our phone number doesn't exist. If you need to get in touch with us, phone my cell or my parents' house (which I won't post on here) or e-mail us.

I'm very much looking forward to moving into our new home partly because I'm excited about the house, but largely because I'm growing frustrated with spending my days in a non-baby-proofed home. I can't put Lily on the floor for more than a minute before she's pulling things down or headed for the stairs or slamming her fingers in the kitchen drawers. I knew that there were going to be frustrations with living here for 10 days, but I hadn't counted on this being one of them.

Other than the small bumps, we're all alive and well. Liam managed to bike all the way in to work and back yesterday without dying on the road. Nick is in his glory, spending days on end at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He loves the space out here and I can certainly see why. He goes off on his own for long periods of time and quite often I'm really not sure where he is.

A week until we take posession of our new house and one day after that til we move in!

New baby pictures!

Does it not look like Mina poked her in the eye just before the picture was taken??!
A baby on a beach. Doesn't look like they're trying to get her tanned yet.
A classic baby in the tub shot. Extra cute points for the curled up arms!
Family photo!
Mina looking beautiful as always. I think motherhood suits her.
"I love you Mummy! Can I have some milk now?"

Folk Fest 2006

Yet another year of Folk Fest has wrapped up. Well, technically I guess it's still going for another 30 minutes or so, but our family is home and both kids are asleep so it's over for us. Much fun was had by all, and I learned a few things along the way I felt like sharing.

Everything I needed to know I learned at Folk Fest

If you follow Liam into the woods, bad things can happen. Babies can get grumpy, families can get lost, and small boys can fall flat on their faces in the mud.

Sunscreen is good for babies. It would probably also be good for moms if they remembered to put it on.

If a mom who happens not to be wearing sunscreen wears an unusually low-cut shirt, the top half of her boobs can sunburn.

Everything tastes better when eaten outdoors, and it gets extra points when it's eaten in front of a stage.

Seeing an old heart-throb six years, two kids, and a husband later can make a girl feel old, especially when she remembers how naive she was when she used to swoon over him.

Port-a-potties which have been sitting in the sun for four days stink. A lot.

Children, given nothing but a hill covered in grass and a bunch of other children, can entertain themselves for hours and hours and hours...

Hawksley Workman is a pretty cool drummer.

A workshop which includes Hawksley Workman and Feist on the same stage is very cool.

Although it's so very different each and every year, Folk Fest is a sure way to fill four days with enough sunshine and music for at least six months.

My 101 in 1001

I've come across this idea on a few blogs and I thought it would be interesting to give it a go myself. Here are my 101 goals to be achieved in the next 1001 days, which would bring me to May 6 2009. I'll likely set up a separate blog to track progress, but for tonight I'm going to leave it with just posting my list. Voila.


101 in 1001

1.Buy wooden kitchen table and chairs for my new kitchen.
2.Buy furniture for basement.
3.Complete Leader Applicant work and officially become a LLL Leader.
4.Incorporate FlyLady principals into organizing my home (at least zones, routines, and weekly plan).
5.Buy a nursing bra that fits (preferably while I'm still breastfeeding).
6.Have Liam and Nick's lunches prepared before I go to bed.
7.Extend meal-planning to include lunches and snacks.
8.Regularly wash my face and brush my teeth before bed instead of collapsing into bed at the end of the night.
9.Write up Lily's birth story.
10.Plant a herb garden and use it while cooking.
11.Plant a vegetable garden with Nick.
12.Keep my flowers alive for an entire summer.
13.Get some indoor plants (and keep them alive too of course).
14.Make sushi.
15.Do a family fondue night.
16.Have a girl's night dinner party at my house.
17.Have a housewarming party.
18.Complete a scrapbook.
19.Regularly back up my digital photos onto disc.
20.Get professional family photos done.
21.Get professional photos of the kids done.
22.Frame and hang up all of my pictures.
23.Go through proofs of wedding pictures and get prints made.
24.Decide if kiddo #3 is going to become a reality or send Liam to get snipped.
25.Meet my niece Trina.
26.Enroll Lily in swimming lessons.
27.Run regularly for an entire summer.
28.Exercise in some form 3 times each week.
29.Teach Nicholas how to tie his shoes.
30.Start keeping a journal in which I write at least once each week.
31.Go for 5 massages.
32.Give 10 Reiki sessions.
33.Receive 5 Reiki or reflexology sessions.
34.Write Liam a love letter.
35.Go on a family vacation.
36.Weigh 170 lbs.
37.Have all the boxes unpacked in our new home before Christmas.
38.Have a “home” for everything we own.
39.Start a compost.
40.Enroll Lily in a preschool class.
41.Breastfeed Lily until she's at least two years old.
42.Volunteer at Nick's school.
43.Read 2 classic novels.
44.Read 5 non-fiction books from my bookcase.
45.Have a Christmas party at our home.
46.Write up a will.
47.Make a new friend.
48.Keep a written inventory of the deep freeze and pantry.
49.Paint the kitchen.
50.Create a Body Clutter control journal and fill it in fully and honestly for two months.
51.Meet with Financial Dude and set up RESP's for Lily.
52.Meet with Financial Dude and set up monthly deposits into Nick and Lily's RESP's.
53.Take part in a Bible study, either in person or online.
54.Make prayer a structured part of my daily life.
55.Visit Jo's home.
56.Take a class of some sort by myself for myself.
57.Begin a written journal for Lily and continue to update the one I've started for Nick.
58.Find a meat dish Nick will like that isn't hot dogs, meatballs or chicken nuggets.
59.Make a soup from scratch.
60.Fill and deliver a Christmas hamper.
61.Go out for a fancy dinner with Liam.
62.Buy myself something at Lush.
63.Take dancing lessons with Liam.
64.Complete my 100 things about me list.
65.Make plans to build bathroom in basement, including jacuzzi tub.
66.Watch Ghostbusters with Nick.
67.Regularly put laundry away after folding it instead of leaving it all over the couch/recliner.
68.Make bread...without using my breadmaker.
69.Write an article and attempt to have it published, either in print or online.
70.Buy something that makes me happy and is not practical in the least.
71.Fill a blank book with poetry.
72.Complete a cross-stitch project.
73.Lean how to make a new (alcoholic) drink, then make and drink it.
74.Return all the books I've borrowed from people.
75.Take a picture a day for two months.
76.Walk barefoot on a beach holding hands with Liam.
77.Memorize a reading from the Bible that is significant to me.
78.Make Playdough with my kids.
79.Write my brother an e-mail at least once a month.
80.Bake a cake from scratch that isn't for a special occasion.
81.Get a pedicure.
82.Play baseball.
83.Go to a batting cage.
84.Do all four yoga videos in my box set at least once each.
85.Paint a picture.
86.Buy something at Linens 'n' Things.
87.Take my kids to Whyte Ave on a Saturday afternoon.
88.Make puppets with my kids and put on a puppet play for Liam.
89.Plan a celebration for our 5th wedding anniversary (August 21 2009!)
90.Get my and Nick's health care cards switched from my maiden name.
91.Make a soufflé.
92.Frame and hang my diploma and certificates.
93.Write a short story.
94.Learn how to play poker.
95.Get another tattoo, or add to the one I have.
96.Grow a vine of some sort on the lattice in the back yard.
97.Take Nicholas to a live sporting event.
98.Teach Lily to count to ten.
99.Make something out of clay.
100.Buy some nice pyjamas.
101.Sleep in until noon.

Gharg.

To the cashier at Safeway,

Surely, if two school-aged children and one baby can keep from smooshing my bag of apricots during our grocery trip, you could have managed to do the same. I bought three apricots specifically for my baby, so when I found them crushed underneath a bag of apples I was more than just a little bit frustrated. Don't they teach you how to bag groceries properly in Cashier 101?

Signed,
The not-so-satisfied customer


Dear Lily,

Cheer the heck up.

Sure you're cute, but looks will only get you so many hours of whining time. Two days straight is more than enough.

Much love,

The Mom who's sick of all the complaining

P.S. Peeing all over me today when I was running your bath was a trick I'd rather not see you repeat again, thanks.



Dear milk,

I'm very afraid that you're bad for me. While it would be nice to find out that my recent ill health is thanks to you so I could quickly get better, I'm going to be sad if we have to part ways completely. Sure, I'm not the kind of girl to chug down tall glasses of your frothy goodness (unless I'm pregnant of course), but life won't be the same without my double-doubles or my crackers and cheese. The rice milk makes me feel like I'm cheating on you, but what's a girl to do?

Signed,
Not sure if I love you or if I hate you.


Oh, and I almost forgot...

Dear Liam,

Thank you for taking the kids to the playground this evening. Being in the house alone listening to really loud Guess Who is the equivilant of drinking daiquiris on a patio, without the inconvenience of drunken breastfeeding.

Giant kisses to you,

Your wife who is ALL ALONE in the house!!!!

Injury upon injury

Talking to my Mom on the phone today, I learned that my Dad had an accident while biking home from work yesterday. Something happened to his chain and before he could get his foot underneath him he took a tumble off the side of the road, which had a shoulder 12 inches high. He ended up re-injuring the shoulder on which he had surgery this winter.

At his doctor's appointment today, he was unable to get a definite answer as to the extent of the injury, but there's a possibility that the tear that the surgery repaired has been torn again. Ugh. He's to go back in a few weeks when the inflamation has gone down and he'll have an MRI done. Ugh ugh.

While I'm extremely grateful that nothing worse happened (like falling under the wheels of a vehicle) I'm still worried.

Childish moments

I've been having a lot of fun with my kids this summer, so I feel the need to share some of the more amusing moments.

Nick quotes:
"You shouldn't pick at your scabs because it's a waste of platelets."

Me - "Nick, what are you doing?"
Nick (from behind a chair) - "Hiding from Istanbul!"

"But how does the dad fertilize the egg?" (Just the conversation every Mom wants to have with her 5-year-old.)

"When I'm a farmer and I have a farm, people in Africa who don't have any money can come work for me. They can live there and have chickens instead of money."

And now for some Lily moments. Since she doesn't say much besides Mama and Da, there aren't any good quotes but there are still cute moments to share.

- Every single time she or anyone around her farts loud enough to hear, she yells "Aaah!" with a very satisfied look on her face.

- Yesterday, she thought that me sticking my toungue out at her was funny enough that she giggled furiously for ten minutes straight.

- Her favourite exercise is yoga. She pops up into Downward Dog about a million times a day and enjoys peering at the world from between her legs.

We did it!

Minchau...is ours!

The various obstacles and paperwork have all been sorted out, and we've signed all the dotted lines. Our condo is sold. The Minchau house is ours. The date is still up in the air a bit, but it's going to be somewhere between the 15th and the 24th of August. Really freaking soon!

It's been an intense three weeks of playing the real estate game and I'm so happy to be done with it. The ups and downs of falling in love with homes and losing out on (some of) them was more than enough for me. There were a couple of points where we came really close to buying a place in Sherwood Park but neither house ended up working out for us.

I'm really looking forward to moving now. Leddy-ites and a few others aside, I'm more than ready to be out of this complex. I can't wait to have double the amount of living space either, and for BBQ's on the new BBQ! We'll have to have a housewarming party before it gets too cold so we can take advantage of the patio off of the kitchen.

Aaaah, Minchau.

More baby pictures!!!

My brother...the new dad. I'm still trying to get my brain wrapped around that idea.

I just want to squish those cheeks!!
So cool and so pretty all at the same time.
This is the face of a kid ready to take on life.
The new family!
There are few things cuter than a baby yawning.
Yet again with that "Here I am world" kind of look. I can't wait to meet this kid.

Pretty Momma with the pretty babe.

I'm an Aunt!!!

We arrived home from camping just a little while ago. When I checked my e-mail, I was thrilled to see a letter from my big brother Trevor announcing that his wife has given birth to their little girl!!!

They've named her Trina (Trevor and Mina combined) and she's 7 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. Here are the pictures I've been sent. Check out those chubby little cheeks!!!

I'm done

We've sold our home. We don't necessarily have another one to move into.

My solution? Drink a beer and take off camping for the weekend. If it doesn't fix anything, it'll at least keep me from looking at homes online.

Adios amigos!!

This morning's quote

"If God closes a door in your life, get your face out of the way and it won't hurt so much."

- Sherri Rose Shepherd


Also: As of this morning, our condo is officially sold. Weehaw!!!

Updates updates!!

So, here is a condensed version of what's new in our world of real estate.

The house in Sherwood Park is not happening. After looking at a number of substantial drawbacks and listening to our gut feelings, we walked away from it. Whew.

The sale of our house is pending. The only thing left is the inspection, which isn't a real concern since we had it inspected only two years ago when we purchased. Chances are this sale will go through, but until Thursday nothing is set in stone. We're preparing a virtual tour just in case.

About two hours ago, we made an offer on a house we've fallen in love with. It's in Millwoods (Minchau in specific) so Nick stays at the same school and Liam can still bike to work. It's got a big beautiful kitchen, four bedrooms, three levels, and a nice big yard. I'm trying to hold myself back in case the details don't work out and we don't get it, but I've really got my heart set on this place.

And there you have it. Big changes have been the name of the game during the past week, but hopefully things this week will settle down and we'll have some closure next week at this time. I know Liam and I could use a break from the stress!!

Morning thoughts

Some random thoughts to share...

Nothing says "I love you Mom" like puking up chunks of unchewed grapes all over said Mom. Or at least this is what Lily thinks.

Real estate is the key to weight loss. In 8 days, Liam and I have lost a combined total of 17 lbs.

Never mind suffocation, laying over or falling out of bed. The true hidden danger in co-sleeping is Dad. Lily spent a good portion of yesterday smelling of Liam's armpit. Poor child.

Packing up half of your posessions and knowing you won't see them for at least a month is a good lesson on what is truly important in life.

Paint is difficult to get out of dried paintbrushes, harder yet to get off of lino, and impossible to get off of a baby's skin.

Stress? What stres?

I think we're moving to Sherwood Park.

Yikes.

Liam and I keep asking each other if we're really doing this. A week ago, we were still toying with the idea of moving. Today, the sale of our condo is pending, our purchase of a house is pending as well, and half of our belongings are in boxes behind my parents' garage.

Everything came together so quickly that our condo didn't even make it onto the market. In the unlikely event that this deal falls through, we'll have it listed by the weekend, but as things stand right now we'll be out of here on August 15. Holy crap.

Back I go to painting and cleaning!! I'll update as things progress.

A day to remember

The past 24 hours have been, to say the least, quite unprecedented. For your literary pleasure, here is a brief synopsis of the many events.

1:30 am: Liam and I finally crawl into bed after a late night of watching "Walk the Line". (I really enjoyed this movie, by the way, even though "Johnny" made a lot of creepy faces when he was singing.

5:45 am: Lillian wakes up and starts playing and laughing in bed. I refuse to acknowledge that my night might be over after only 4 hours of sleep and I do my best to ignore her.

6:30 am: Lily finally decides to go back to sleep. The world is a good place.

9:30 am: Lily and I finally get out of bed. The world is a really good place.

10:30 am: Mortgage Dude (aka Jamie) phones to discuss our request for a mortgage for a new home.

10:40 am: I hang up the phone, convinced that we're bound to be condo dwellers for at least another six months.

11:15 am: Liam gets off the phone with Mortgage Dude with the news that his number crunching and proposed shuffling of monies has ensured us an adequate mortgage for a real house. I realize what a brilliant man I married.

12 noon: We phone my cousin, our realator from our last endeavour in the world of real estate, to discuss the possibility of putting our house for sale. He tells us he's in the neighbourhood and will stop by to talk to us.

12:15 pm: We have a quick meeting with Realtor Dude and get a more accurate idea of what the sale of our condo and the purchase of a new house will involve.

1:00 pm: We drive to H&R Block to (finally) do our 2005 taxes.

3:00 pm: We finally get to submit our paper work.

3:45 pm: We leave H&R with a paper that says we'll have $3400 deposited into our account within 10 business days. The world is getting better by the moment.

4:00 pm: We make a stop at KFC for some much-needed foodstuffs.

4:05 pm: While scarfing down my food, I completely fail to notice a gigantic pothole. As Liam gives me crap for hitting it square on, I watch our hubcap roll across 75th street through my rear view mirror.

4:06 pm: Liam goes running down 75th to retrieve the lost hubcap. This is the reason why women marry men.

6:30 pm: Liam returns from his box-hunting expedition with 4 boxes and we beging clearing out closets of "extras" that we can store at my parents' place to make the condo look roomier.

8:30 pm: We stand back and look at the pile of boxes and bags sitting by the stairs. It dawns on me just how much stuff we own that we really don't use.

10:45 pm: After going for a walk and getting Lily bundled off in bed, I sit down with a wannabe screwdriver (Mango Five Alive with vodka...not bad, actually) and blog about the insanity that was our day. (I'm noticing, by the way, a direct relationship between my drinking and blogging. I swear I really don't drink all that often!)

Snapshots of a lifetime

Tonight, I'm preparing a Father's Day gift for my Dad. I've been going through all my pictures, paper and digital, in search of the nine perfect photos to put in the frame I've bought him. It's so easy to forget how many pictures I have stashed away in my picture box and in various folders on the computer, but so many vivid memories are re-awoken when I flip through them.

There are a few small photographs of me as a young child which have been handed down from my mother. My small chubby cheeks so full of life show glimmers of the gleeful grins of my children years away from existence. Life was so simple then. Summers were so bright, my brother was my hero, and my parents knew all the secrets to life.

Another section shows my life during high school with friends long gone and some still dear to me. I want to step into those pictures and say "Stop being so scared of looking stupid and just enjoy yourself. You're young and brilliant and you can do anything".

After the high school pictures come the pregnancy pictures. I laugh now at how huge I thought I was. Six months pregnant and you can't even see that bump under that huge t-shirt! Just wait til the next baby, chick, that'll show you what a big belly looks like. I was so young, so unaware of all the changes that were about to come into my life with the entrance of such a small beautiful boy. I had no idea what it meant to be a mother and how many lessons I would learn deep within my heart, many of them during the darkest hours of night as my babe and I nestled together.

The stack of Nicholas' baby and early childhood pictures is huge. We took shot after shot of that daring grin and those dancing eyes. I'm blown away at how quickly those chubby little legs grew long and lean, and I still can't quite figure out where those cheeks I used to kiss for hours on end went.

As life continued there are the pictures of such happy times: the night I met Liam, Jo and Graeme's wedding, my wedding and honeymoon. As I look back on these pictures I know I am truly blessed to have had a life filled with so many loving people who have borought me such joy.

Now I have another pile of baby pictures growing, though these are almost exclusively digital. Lillian's babyhood is such a part of my life right now that I can't imagine looking back and saying "She was such a beautiful baby and look what a big girl she is now". I love how soft and sweet she is and I cannot imagine her ever changing.

As much as I may try to hang on to the present, though, all these pictures have reminded me of just how quickly change sweeps through everything. My interests change, new friends come into my life, and my children grow up more quickly than I can keep track of. I love my life exactly as it is right now. I would give so much to freeze everything just as it is right now so I could enjoy these moments forever...The deep and fulfilling love I have found with Liam, Nicholas' bright and curious spirit, and the deliciousness of Lillian. I know, though, that new joys and experiences await me, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for my family. I'll just make sure to take lots of pictures so I don't forget what today has been.

Open letters once more

I apologize to my poor blog and those poor people who read it. I've rather neglected my blogging duties lately, and although I've been crazy busy these past few weeks there's no good reason for ignoring a perfectly fun blog.

To break the recent silence, here are some open letters.

To Intuit,

I want my freaking husband back. Sure, you may have given him a job that he loves so much that work is like play, but you're going to kill him if he doesn't get some sleep soon. Not to mention the kids barely recognize him anymore. Today, I sat at the computer and Nick looked around and asked "Where's Liam?". It's a sign. Leave him alone for a few hours now and then would you?

To my neighbour's mom,

I'm sure Neighbour Chick appreciates that you're house-sitting for her, but the rest of us would appreciate it if you'd tone down your porn-like escapades. When my baby wakes up at 4 am because you're literally screaming your little head off, you're making too much noise. It's nice and all that you're getting so much enjoyment out of your sex life this late in life, but the rest of the world really don't need to hear about it once or twice every night. Shut the hell up.

To Nicholas,

Please erase the phrase "Stop telling me what to do!" from your brain. You can also lump in "He-LLO?" with it too. You're not a teenager yet so stop talking like one.

Sad news

For those of you who recall my entry requesting prayers for a young woman a few months ago, I wanted to share the sad news of her passing. I'm shocked by the sudden downward turn her health took and I still don't quite have my brain wrapped around it. I can only hope that her family is able to find some some comfort in this time of sorrow.

The following is her obituary.


Tanya Kilkenny


KILKENNY, Tanya Marie (nee Sundlie) 1975-2006 It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Tanya Kilkenny, our beloved "T" on Thursday, June 1, 2006 at the age of 30 years. Tanya leaves to mourn her loving husband, Clint and her five month old daughter Trinity; her parents Gordon and Sandria Sundlie; her sister Shawna (Keven) McGhan and their children Ethan and Julia; her brother David Sundlie. Also surviving are her mother-in-law Myra Kilkenny and brothers-in-law Brad (Jamie) and Tyler. Four days after Tanya was diagnosed with cancer, she had a healthy baby girl, Trinity, by emergency c-section and had surgery to remove the tumor. Always upbeat and positive throughout an aggressive chemotherapy and radiation regimen, Tanya was an inspiration to many. Sadly one month after a clear bill of health, the aggressive cancer returned and she passed away surrounded by family and friends. Tanya grew up on acreage in Sherwood Park and from a young age loved horses. The free and wild yet gentle spirit of horses exemplified her life. She graduated with distinction from University of Alberta with a commerce degree. Tanya made her passion for people and horses her livelihood which was evident in everything that she did. Her riding students, friends and families meant the world to her. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at the Cross Cancer Clinic and Royal Alexandra Hospital for their loving care during her illness. A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, 205 Fir Street, Sherwood Park. Friends who so wish may make donations to the "Trinity Kilkenny Trust" fund. This may be done at any Alberta Treasury Branch. South Side Memorial Chapel. Patterson, Mittelstadt & Justik. 432-1601. To send condolences visit, www.southsidememorial.com

Recent Reviews

Discalimer: Any typos or non-sense phrases are a direct result of the yummy mango peach coolers and I accept no reponsibility whatsoever. Nyah.

I felt like sharing my thoughts on the following book and movies which I have recently watched or read.

Ahem.

The Notebook: Liam and I really enjoyed this movie, so he bought the novel for me (birthday, Christmas...? I dunno). Anyhow, it's amazing. If you haven't seen the movie yet, rent it and sit at home with a box of kleenex. If you've watched the movie, buy (0r borrow from me) the book. As is typical of books, it offers far more depth in the characters and the sorrow conveyed by the narrator is much more intense. I came away from it thinking "I'm so glad to have found my true love" , "I hope I never take a day for granted" and "I can't wait to be looking back on a lifetime of shared memories". A must-read for married folk who want to appreciate the golden days of marriage.

War of the Worlds: I wish someone had told me it would be such a waste of time. It really did seem like it was going somewhere for a long time, and I even liked Tom Cruise in it, but what's with leaving so many questions unanswered in the terrible terrible ending? I give it a big fat raspberry. Screw you for wasting my evening.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Fun! Pretty much exactly what I'd expected. Quick and entertaining without a whole lot of substance, but things blew up and Brad Pitt was in it. I even managed to get past my dislike of Angeline Jolie enough to not be irritated by her. The best part (and the part I showed Nick) was when they shot the crap out of their house. (The house, by the way, made me insanely jealous, and not because of how huge it was but because of how clean and toy-free it was. Oh, but to have a house without toys and craft supplies everywhere...)

Fantastic Four: Another fun one. There were a few moments where it was necessary to turn off logic and remind oneself "It's based on a comic book", but all it all it was good. It made me laugh out loud several times, and that's never a bad thing. Mostly-naked dude wrapped in a pink jacket was amusing. I was also thrilled to see Commish playing a part. He's so cool.

Camp Haikus take two

Spring camp was this weekend and in light of that, here are some haikus a la spring camp.

Lily's pearly whites
Finally edged through her gums
Are there one or two?

Last camp they drank wine
We did juice and garlic shots
Well, maybe just me

How much corn was popped
By Akela late at night?
Enough to stuff us

Pit stop at Esso
Chunky puke in plastic bag
Nick felt much better

Sunshine in the morn
Sudden hail storm drenches kids
Look, the sun is back

Highlight of the fire
Was my kid telling his jokes
And others' punchlines

A fun run

Here's a photo from the recent Bay to Breakers race. Something about it made me think of Krista and I felt the need to post it. (sorry Liam!)

Happy morning to you!

Laughing babies

Click on this to instantly make your day happier. Make sure your volume is turned up. Lily gives it two drooly thumbs up.

Noooooo!

"As Spears has confirmed, she's pregnant with another child, rumored to be a girl.
Federline wants to name the baby Julia after his mom, according to In Touch Weekly, but Britney would rather name the baby Lillian after her own maternal grandmother. “She also likes the names Emily and Lola,” says a friend."


If Britney Spears names her kid Lillian I'll beat her (Britney, of course, not the baby).

Sick, sick, sick, and sick

Somebody either make me healthy and give me a real night's sleep or shoot me. Seriously.

I'm knocked out with my second cold since Easter. Nick gave it to me and he's still hacking away day and night. We're both exhausted and barely able to drag our butts through the day.

Oh, and Lillian came down with a stomach bug yesterday. Between 8 am and 1 pm she threw up about 20 times and started having diarrhea. I had her either in my arms or in the CuddlyWrap for 11 freaking hours yesterday. I finally got her settled for the night around 11, then she was up every hour until 4:30 when she threw up all over the bed. Yum.

And if that weren't enough, Liam also has this stomach thing. The poor guy had to bike home in the heat yesterday when he felt quite ill because I wasn't comfortable taking the puke-monster into the car. He's been pretty much camped out in the bathroom since yesterday.

I think there should be a few rules in place when it comes to families and illnesses.

1) Only one parent can be sick at a time.

2) If both kids are sick at the same time, only one of them is allowed to wake multiple times at night.

3) Mom should be allowed to sleep for more than 1 hour at a time when she's sick.

4) Nobody is allowed to get sick twice in a one-month period.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms! Thanks for doing the job that nobody else in the world could do!

A quickie

I thought this was too cute not to share.

Two for two

I ran both yesterday and today. Yay me!

Yesterday I went for 45 minutes and picked Nicholas up from school on the way back. Today Lily, Jack, and I headed out and I ran/walked a total of 35 minutes. I was originally going to just walk today and run tomorrow instead but I was feeling really good and Liam convinced me to go for it.

My ankle is holding out pretty well though it's kind of sore right now. I've already iced it once and I'll ice it at least once more tonight. I'd be very bummed out if I messed it up and set myself back again.

I'm pretty happy with the running I'm able to do. I thought I'd have to take things a lot more slowly than I am, but I guess that the regular walking I'd been doing combined with being pretty busy throughout the day have kept me in better shape than I'd anticipated.

After talking with Chantal last night (who is currently doing a Running Room clinic), I started thinking about doing the run/walk ratio Running Room suggests. After a number of weeks, you work up to 5 minutes of running to 1 minute of walking, then in the long term 10 running to 1 walking. They suggest running entire half-marathons in this manner. (When I did my half-marathon in 2002 my training didn't involve any type of walking breaks)

Anyhow, today I paid attention to my stopwatch and aimed for a 2:1 ratio. Unfortunately, the mental part of paying such close attention to my time caused me some grief and I'd shoot myself down or get too anxious to push for as long as I could really go. Next run, I'll tune out the watch and just focus on how I feel. Maybe I'll try incorporating a 5:1 when I'm more into the swing of things.

And that is the end of my mental ramblings on running.

You're called a parent because that's what you're supposed to do

I am growing increasingly disgusted with the parents in my area. (No, this is not aimed at anyone with the last name of Leddy!) Here’s warning that this is nothing but a rant because I’m very ticked off.

On Friday, I saw a little boy wandering around alone in our parking lot. He followed my neighbour up the stairs to her house and I offered to take him back home. This cute little boy was maybe 3 1/2 years old, couldn't tell me where his home was, and trustingly took my hand and followed me as we tried to find his Mom. As grateful as I was to be able to help him out, it scared me how easily he followed me, a total stranger, around. We eventually found a man (Dad, Uncle, random guy??) who said he was looking for him. He very nonchalantly explained that the boy had taken the garbage out and walked off with him.

Today, a little boy (about 4 years old) a few doors down played outside from 10-1:30 and Nick played with him from about 10:30-11 and when the little boy went to ask his mom if he could come over to our house, she was nowhere to be found. He called and called her but nobody answered. After Nicholas was gone to school, the boy continued to play outside of our yard and teased Jack by yelling at him, poking his fingers through the fence, and putting sticks over the fence. I asked him FIVE times to stop teasing the dog and then I went outside and very loudly (are you hearing this Mom??) told him to stop it immediately.

A full half hour later, I heard his mom asking him “Are you still playing with your friend? If he’s not outside anymore come back in the yard”. Sorry, lady, but my kid has been gone for almost an hour and a half. Maybe you’d have noticed if you were actually properly supervising your kid.

I’m sad to see how little supervision these young kids seem to have. When did kids stop being important?? My kids are the most precious things in the world to me and I can't imagine letting them wander around without anyone keeping an eye on them. It takes all of two seconds for some sicko to make off with them, or for them to get hurt.

Just parent your children already.

I did it!!

So, I made the plunge and went for my first run in over a year and a half. Woohoo!! It was only a short one (about 25 minutes) but I ran more than I walked, I had fun, and I felt great at the end of it.

My lungs are a little bit angry at me right now (I'm still hacking from that cold last week) but at least my ankle feels fine. I took the advice of the Running Room Dude and I iced it for 15 minutes when I got home, so hopefully it will still feel fine tomorrow.

I knew that I missed running but I didn't realize just how much until I actually got out there again. Here's hoping I remember how good it feels so that I stick to my goal of three runs each week!!

Eegad!

The wonky Johnstone lip has successfully been handed down another generation.

Photo credits to Krista. Thanks for being the party photographer!

Happy B-day!!!

Umm...yeah, so I can use Paint but not Photoshop, so I just fixed up a nice picture. The kid looks enough like you that I figured I could just leave it.

So happy 30th old fella! I hope that today will be at least half as good as yesterday's non-birthday-day-birthday-party. I didn't hear any creaking joints when you got out of bed this morning so apparantly the jump in your age hasn't quite caught up with you yet.

I hope your day is filled with lots of annoying people wishing you a happy birthday and I can't wait to be at your side when you're blowing out the candles on your 60th.

Happy Easter!!

Hip-Hop-Happy Easter everyone!!!

Ah crap

So...I twisted my ankle today and fell again. Yup. It was the one that was still sore from my fall eight weeks ago.

I stepped in a dip at the dog park and rolled it. Lily and I crashed. Stupid freaking ground.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't re-damaged it too much. I just want to be able to walk like everyone else!!

Yeehaw!

Liam's home.

Life is good.

That's all.

Wow

The things I find online scare me...

Lactating wanted woman for fun and freindship


Would like to spend some quality time with a woman who is or will be lactating. Good sex and fun guaranteed.


And it's a local ad too. Hhhmmm...when will you be back Liam?

Being alone is lonely

So, Liam has been gone for 51 hours and will be back in...another 63ish. Not that I'm counting or anything.

I feel like a big sap for missing him so much. I actually cried after he gave me a goodbye kiss and headed outside to wait for the cab. I knew I would miss him, but I didn't count on feeling so outright lonely. I've been trying to find ways to make the time pass by whereas when he's home time seems to just fly by.

I guess that this says good things about our marriage at least. When I say that he's my best friend and that I love spending time with him I'm not just paying him lip service. In the almost two years that we've been married he's become the core of my life and I really like it that way.

Anyhow, here's a picture he sent me. I called dibs on posting it first. Nyaha.

Does it make me a bad person?

I really want to find a new home for Fingers.

She (who I actually suspect is a he) is driving me nutty. Between waking me up more than the baby does, the constant meowing and begging to go outside, and trying to keep her and Nick from killing each other, I'm about done. For this cat not being mine I sure do spend a lot of time with her.

Liam, even Nick wants the cat gone. It's a sign. Can I offer her up on Freecycle (or maybe to Mr. Woods??!)?

Mini-goal update

So, April first was the date I was to reach my first mini-goal of losing a total of 25 lbs. Due to technical difficulties (aka the new digital scale that gives random readings within about 5 lbs of the truth) I know that I am somewhere close but not exactly certain of the numbers. I'm guesstimating that I'm about 5 lbs away from my goal but I'm quite happy with the progress I've made.

The biggest factor in not reaching my goal was the setback I had with my sprained ankle. I'd been planning on getting back into running around a month ago but the inability to even walk kind of put a damper on that. Considering I'd been counting on the running to shave off a few pounds, not even going for a decent walk for 5 weeks didn't allow for that.

The best thing I've noticed lately, and the key to not gaining or stalling out completely despite my lack of exercise, has been my gradual shift in thinking about food. Having read Body Clutter, I was able to gain some insight into my eating habits and I began to eat more consciously. I'll fully admit that I am still an emotional eater (add a bit of stress and watch me go!!) but the instances of mindless munching has gone down considerably.

Now that I've got some substantial change happening, I find my attitude changing. Rather than "Ugh, losing 55 lbs is going to be a lot of work" it's more "Ok, I've chipped away at 20 lbs, now I've got only 35 to go". It certainly helps that I'm fitting back into some pre-pregnancy clothes (like my denim skirt that I really really missed!!) and able to pick out clothing based on what looks nice not just what I'll fit into. Beginning to feel good about my body fuels my determination to keep going.

And so, my next mini-goal will be to make it back to my pre-pregnancy weight (10 lbs from where I am now) by June first. That's 10 lbs in 8 weeks, but I think I can do it safely and easily with increased exercise. The sunshine and warm air are making me itch to get out and walk or run. Lillian loves being in the CuddlyWrap when we go out and Jack never says no, so they're some really good incentives as well.

What am I turning into??

It's official. I've become trendy.

No, not in the way that everyone will want to become me, but more in the way that I've followed the cell phone trend and have purchased a Motorola Razr. And it's pink. PINK!!!

The best (or worst) part is that it matches my new pink diaper bag. The diaper bag, by the way, is satin brocade fabric with a cherry blossom design. It's all so pink.

I'm overwhelmed by an urge to buy pink nailpolish and fluffy earmuffs. Someone hold me.

Parenting, Liam style

A couple of weeks ago, I looked into the living room to see Liam bouncing Lily up and down and repeating over and over again in a girly-esque voice "I'm a pretty princess! I'm a pretty princess!!". My manly man is no more.

This morning while brushing my teeth, I overheard Liam saying to Nicholas "Even Spiderman does it that way.". I believe they were discussing Nick's web-shooter.

Princesses and superheroes apparantly make for good role models.

Heh

So there are very few things quite as entertaining as watching a baby trying repeatedly to catch an avocado pit as it rolls away. It's level of funny had absolutely nothing to do with my incredible lack of sleep lately. Nope. Just because I giggled so hard when the cereal attacked me that Liam asked if I was high isn't a sign of anything. Nope nope.

I need some freaking sleep.

Lilliam

Lillian is very much like her Dad. We've joked that the name Lillian actually sounds a lot like L'il Liam, which isn't too far from the truth. Here is further proof that Lillian is just a smaller, cuter, more girly version of Pappa John.

1. The scalp-to-hair ratio. In Lily's defense, though, she's gaining ground rapidly.

2. She's happy just hanging out and can amuse herself for extended periods of time with a plastic cup. (For Liam, think coffee mug.)

3. She speaks in grunts and nonsense chatter.

4. She's got that cute pudgy belly.

5. Her life revolves around my boobs.

6. She loves my hair more than I do.

7. She can fall asleep anywhere, anytime.

8. She gets very cranky when she lacks food or sleep.

9. She really likes books (more in the way of trying to chew on them when I'm feeding her, but close enough).

10. Watching her trying to roll over is a source of great amusement.

Humph!

So does everyone remember my beautiful new bedspread I purchased only a couple of months ago? The one that I was so excited about because it meant that I didn't have to use the ratty Walmart one any longer?

Yeah. It's in the wash. Jack PEED on it!!

He jumped into the bed and when I told him to get down (he almost landed on the Lilybird) he went to the foot of the bed and lifted his leg. And peed. A lot.

I'm so completely unimpressed right now. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it comes out of the wash in one piece. I put it on delicate just in case.

Officially official

Since Helen has been demanding a foot update (such a demanding woman that Helen!) here is my official foot update.

My foot is much better than it was but it's still frustratingly far from normal. The last of the bruising around my toes is finally fading but the swelling below my ankle bone seems to be sticking around.

My range of motion is pretty good except for pointing my toes down and in. I still gimp down the stairs a bit and I've discovered, quite painfully, that I can't go up on my tiptoes yet. Oh, and wiggling on my shoes is bad. Bad bad bad.

The biggest frustration for me right now is how little I can walk. A shopping trip makes me ache since I'm using my muscles wrong and I haven't gone for a decent walk outside in three weeks. Ugh.

Anyhow, hopefully Liam's right and I'll be pain-free in a couple of weeks. Since my plan of running in March has been squashed, I'm now hoping to get on the running bandwagon around the start of April.

Wow!

I fell asleep with the kids last night around 9:30 and my house was a disaster. I woke up at 7 this morning to find that my entire downstairs was spotless and there was a fresh pot of coffee made.

Either the cleaning and coffee fairies were here or I truly do have the best husband in the world.

Cutie cuties

Anyone who knows me well knows I don't do mornings. Well, because I was especially tired yesterday, Lily stayed up til 11:45 last night and the cat woke Nicholas up at 5:45 this morning.

In an attempt to cheer the heck up, I'm sharing these ultra-cute photos, courtesy of Cute Overlaod. I'll actually add them to my blog links someday.

Enjoy.

My Coffee!!!

A little while ago, I made my morning coffee as usual. Usual, by the way, is filling the water line to just above 4 cups and adding 3 Tablespoons of grounds to the basket in case anyone is interested.

Anyhow, I came upstairs to get dressed then remembered that my pants were down in the dryer. Following Kim logic, I decided to sit at the computer for a bit since I was upstairs anyhow.

By the time I went back down 10 minutes or so later, I smelled my coffee and thought "Hot diggity, I can start my first cup while I'm getting dressed!!" and proceeded to enter the kitchen to fulfill my fantasy.

Instead of a beautiful dark-brown lake of coffee steaming away in the pot, I found coffee-ground soup. Euch!! I forgot to push the pot in all the way and the sometimes-faulty Pour-a-cup feature had kept most of the coffee up in the basket.

I dumped the entire thing into the sink and phoned Liam, repeating over and over again "My coffee, my coffee!!!". He understood.

My coffee maker has now had a bath and a new pot is (hopefully) successfully brewing. I don't know how much more trauma I can handle this morning.