Tonight's Fortunes

Asr the hubby spent most of his day working on our new retaining wall for our driveway I figured it was a good night for Chinese Smorg. Off to Kim Wah's we went.

My fortune
"Your search for knowledge will lead you to high places"

Little PK had a triple fortune in his cookie - how lucky is that!
"You have an important new venture shaping up"
"Financial security is just around the corner" - good news for a 16 month old :)
"You will soon face something new and exciting"

Reno time again

So now that the upstairs bathroom is complete (almost)

we decided to do a partial reno on the downstairs bathroom.

New paint, new countertop, sink and faucet.

So here are the boys hard at work on the bathroom.

Yes, we are plumbers

And mudders

A bit of handyman

Sanding till it's smooth

And this afternoon we were even painters!

But I'll save that picture until after the second coat.

Sunday morning and all is normal????

So we have croup yet again in our household. You wouldn't know that we were up most of the night judging from our rockin little guy this morning.

This is what he wanted to wear to help Daddy and Uncle Todd with the backyard project - cute eh!

So in order to clear my head and get a handle on my day I started Day 1 of my 14 week training session to run the TC10K. I haven't ran since before I was pregnant with little dude so it will be a good challenge for me. Today I did 5:1 x 3 and I just managed it so I figure so far so good.

And this is what the guys have been up to this weekend.

That would be the run of my chicken coop laying on top of my herb bed. The coop is now located behind the barn and the harb bed will be added to my vegetable garden to make on large garden - yeah!

A Way to Help Those in Haiti

Pass it on, pass it on, Please, Please, Please pass it on.

If you have Air Miles you can donate points to the Red Cross - 200 points gives $25 to them for medical supplies, etc and you even get a tax receipt for your donation.

So if you don't have money to spare at the moment but really want to help here is a way you can do so.

Robert Louis Stevenson says

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Just a smart piece of advice I stumbled upon that made me want to share.

We're Back..

So we just got back from a nice visit down to Arizona, Nevada and California with my parents. I now have the task of sorting through the 1000+ photos taken on the trip to put together our photo album. I did my best and managed to stiffle the fits of laughter when the other half said I should be able to pick the best 50 for our album. I'll let you know how I do on that one.

Anyhow I may or may not post more of the photos up here over the next bit but here are a couple of cute ones of little man that I just can't help but share.

A good time had by all.

Oh how they grow...up!

It really is quite amazing to watch little people as they grow and learn. They push and push and push against the being told no or trying to get on an item that is a little too high or carry an item that is a little too heavy. They absorb everything and quickly put that new knowledge to use. Really the only thing that holds them back is their physical limitations.

Last night ...or rather early, early this morning little PK was in need of a little drink. As I lay him back down in his bed he raised his head. This usually means he wants me to pick him up and hold him until he falls back to sleep but to my amazement he reached out his hand, grabbed his stuffed cow and pig, tucked them into his armpits and put his head back down promptly going back to sleep. Hmmm...I guess I have been replaced - too bad they can't get him a drink in the middle of the night ;)

Last night we also thought it was time to put another mark on PK's growth chart. It had been about 3 months since last we did it. Was I ever amazed at how much he had grown. To give you an idea the space between the lines is three inches.

And just because we know what a monkey our little man is - here is his new favourite play spot.

A funny moment in time

So this morning PK and I get up and go downstairs. PK plays while I put together breakfast. We eat breakfast and then he plays as I clean up. I am almost finished cleaning up when he walks into the center of the family room and bends over and is grabbing at his groin region. As per norm I say Oh, did you just pee He looks at me and grabs again. So I say Òh, are you really wet, okay give mommy a moment and we`ll get you out of that diaper. He grabs again. Òkay, okay, I`m coming. So up the stairs we go and into the bathroom as I was going to throw him in the tub. So off comes his clothes and there he is standing there buck naked - his diaper had fallen off sometime between going down stairs and his standing in the family room and he was trying to tell me the whole time. Poor darling was probably very confused as to why mommy was laughing so hard.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas... the decorations....the baking....the getting together with friends....the well just about everything to do with the festive season. And slowly my house is looking like it belongs to the season. Littlest PK is doing a great job of learning to look and gentle touch only. Lots of reminding....a couple of slightly damaged ornaments but otherwise we are doing fairly well.

Some pics of what our world is looking like right now.

Our stockings are hung

Bannister is decorated

Glass baubles and such in an oversized bowl as our table centerpiece

Santa taking his rightful place in the center of our homemade wreath

A visit with the real live Santa

And a view out our back window

A View out the Office Window

As I wrote the last post I was glancing out the window at the current project being worked on by Andy. He has his buddy over helping. They are both on their winter time off and every year have been helping each other out with projects. It's great catch up time for them as they barely see each other the rest of the year and it sure does make the projects more enjoyable for them.

So here is what they are working on.

Yes indeed, the barn is getting a new roof. The guys are putting on the trim right now. We looked at pictures last night of the barn as it looked when we bought this place. It was a two tone grey and now is this lovely deep green with white trim and now a black roof - so excting.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Littlest PK has been doing a lot of copying and repeating of actions. Some is super cute...others maybe not so much but it's all learning and wonderful memories.

Andy has had PK help with making the fire since he was big enough to walk. PK brings in some of the kindling, scrunches the paper (you can imagine how that translates to other fun stuff), carries the match box to and from the drawer and closes the gate. Anyways to make a long story short, Andy showed PK how to snap in half a piece of kindling that was too long for the fire. Two days later with his new-to-him Xylophone PK picks up one of the mallets and proceeds to snap it in half. Hard to get mad at him when you taught him the action.

But here are some of the super-cute copycat moments of the last week.

Chatting to his girlfriend on his new cell phone

Sharing his bottle with Santa 'cause Santa likes milk don't you know

Clipping his toenails and fingernails

And just cause we like to really get into our projects with our whole body and soul.

When all else fails

I love my child...I really, really love my child...but there are moments when I also really dislike my child. Today we were having a lot of moments. I am sure there is probably something going on for him that means he needs more attention then normal and wants things his way more then normal but that doesn't make it any easier when he is trying to play drums with the glass measuring cups, eat the tinted moisturizer or the cologne that he somehow managed to get out of the top drawers in the vanity (no longer child prrof I guess), or the same with the markers out of the office drawer.

Today the doors are closed, on the office, on the bedroom, on the bathrooms and anything else I can find to close. I don't like feeling like I am always saying no. It doesn't feel like a positive environment but there is also a limit to what can safely be played with and I only have so many shelves that are above reach or behind locked doors.

So after a morning of him getting into everything and then yelling (not crying - yelling) at me when I take it away and whining the moment I am not paying attention to him I finally just put him in his crib, told him that I loved him but that he and I needed to have alone time, and less then ten minutes of crying later he is fast asleep in his crib. Hmmmm, do you think that he maybe just needed the nap that I told him he needed at about 10 o'clock this morning.....maybe just a little.

Anyhow, now that I am done venting and giving away the negative energy I can make room for  a positive and enjoyable afternoon. And to start that off I share some happy thoughts.

PK taking Mr Teddy for a stroll around the house

Breakfast this morning...one of our favourites

French Toast with yogurt for dipping

and a side of sliced banana and kiwi

That I have a healthy, active and curious child

I am grateful

And that I can serve my child such a healthy and filling meal

I am grateful

And that I have a warm and cozy home to play and relax in

I am grateful

That I have these things within my house for him to get into

I am grateful

And a camera to take pictures with to share our lives with others

I am grateful

So when all else fails thinking about all these things will certainly be a wonderful afternoon.

And to know that and be able to re-create the rest of my day..

for that I am VERY grateful.

Tigh-Na-Mara

Andy and I had our Christmas 'staff party' this past weekend. We joined up with my old employer for a joint party to make things a bit more fun. Littlest PK went to his Grandma and Grandpa's for his first sleep-over at their house. He had a great time playing and visiting with their guests and listening to music.

Us parents, well we had a romantic overnighter at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville. This is a lovely resort on the oceanfront. They do an amazing job of a buffet spread for dinner and the rooms are cozy and enjoyable.

A view from our room.

Green thumb

So last night I quietly placed a couple pots in the garage. Pots that held what once were thriving plants but now hosted shrivelled leaves of very dead foliage. So to make myself feel better about the whole cemetary in the garage I am posting this....proof that not only can I keep a plant alive but that I can in fact get an orchid to bloom...yes indeed these blooms are new and on a plant that I received as a 'please babysit this' from my Mother - I guess I'm doing an okay job seeing as it is still in my care.

Recalls, recalls, recalls

So one would think that a crib that is ten years old would be well past the recall stage....right.....WRONG.....yesterday I just happened to have a Times Columnist sitting at the end of the driveway (we don't get it delivered but occasionally it just shows up there) and I actually took the time to read some of it. So what just happens to be in the paper - a story about how Storkcraft has expanded it's recalls all the way back to 1993 on drop-sided cribs and as you can guess that means that little mans crib is part of this.

So on to their website, fill out the form and now we wait like thousands of others for the new conversion kit to arrive in the mail. In the meantime we hope that little man doesn't go crazy in his crib and break the parts that have been breaking......what do you think the chances are....;)

My advice to all.....periodically check the recall listings or even sign up for their email alerts.

Singing, Reading and my happy boy

So the Terri Clark concert was amazing. I saw her in concert several years ago when she opened for Brad Paisley in Vancouver - huge venue - very small person on a very far away stage. Now don't get me wrong - the concert was still great but compared to row F seats (that's right - the letter F is the 6th letter in the alphabet so you know what that means) in the small theatre here in Duncan it is hard to even compare the two. All I know is that I never want to go to a huge concert again after sitting that close to the stage.

On a reading note I have just finished reading Becoming Vegetarian . This great book was just jammed full of facts about food in general. I learnt a lot about vitamins, minerals, food combos, myths about protein amounts in foods to suppliments one needs to be taking at various times in life and why. I eat meat. I like the taste of meat. Not sure if I could entirely give it up but after reading this book I certainly feel like I could eat a lot more vegetarian meals and feel like I was safely fulfilling my families needs for all their nutrients. I borrowed it from Healthy Beginnings but would actually suggest having a copy on the shelf for reference.

And the happy boy.....well he must have gotten a sense of all the rain that has been coming down and was preparing himself because for some odd reason this is what he wanted to wear.

And wear it he did - proudly walking around the house in it for quite awhile - that's my boy!

Cruisin'

Days around here have been relatively quiet. Lots of indoor time due to massive amounts of rain. Littlest dude has been getting around (sort of) on his car. Here he is cruisin his car with his newest favorite "toy" - Daddy's tape measure - neatly stowed in the storage compartment - such a smart boy.

Bad news - he's got that croupy cough going on again - grrrrrrrr
Good news - I'm going to the Terri Clark concert tonight - yeah!!!!!!

Shit Happens

and flows everywhere when one's pump stops working.

We recently had to replace the septic pump for our shop as it burst it's seal and was not fixable. The guys had to tear up and then re-lay the pavers at the front of the shop. It gave Andy the perfect excuse for finishing off the other side though and now we know the tank is empty again so we should be good for a couple of years.

Spraying the dirt and mud off the pavers.

Always happy if it involves being outside and soaking wet.

And this is what I found in our crawl space. Littlest dude has this habit of wandering into the pantry and throwing things down the hole beside the hot water tank. Luckily only the pop cans had leaked. Amazingly no shattered glass bottles and not a drop of syrup oozing out of the blackberry syrup jar. I have re-stuffed the hole in hopes that will prevent him from doing it again....time will tell.

Found in old Day Timer

"Now is the time to enjoy trying something new."

To Love A Person

"When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way."  Fred Rogers