A day in the life...

so first I stand and get my balance, all the while, looking VERY stylish.....
then I try hard to not laugh, dance, play Simon Says, and concentrate on moving my feet...
one should ALWAYS stretch before any exercise, so I will touch my toes a few times...

but really where I want to be is right here, in my Papa Don's arms. I just know that he will give me a horsey ride later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINNERS!!! I cannot believe that you have been around for a year, in our lives and in our hearts. Who knew that my heart would mimic the Grinch's and grew and grew and grew. I love you more and more each day.

Sometimes change IS good

Like when you change your hair (stuck in the 80's is not a fashion statement people), change your mind (chicken or fish??? hmmm), change your undies (car accident with dirty undies, not following your mom's rules), or simply change your blog template. Who knew that when I look at my OWN blog the pink is so sunny, spring-like and charming. No wonder Hayley is in love with the color. Makes one feel alive.

Sometimes change is not good either. Like when I have to rearrange the girls' room to make a dresser fit, or when my highlights come out uneven, or when Roger is working a different shift. I am really a creature of habit for those of you that do not know that. I border on obsessive compulsive in some of my habits. I have to shower every day, I have to fold all the laundry right way in, arms tucked in the center and so the fold is NOT down the middle, I have to read every night before I go to sleep (even after sex, I have to read one page - just one I promise...- sorry mom!!!), and I have to have all the cupboards closed in the kitchen at all times. I even scrapbooked the same for a long time before I could change that as well. Technology eludes me, I now have tried unsuccessfully to add my favorite other blogs to my links and only to get an empty page. My MP3 player holds a LOT of songs, but only 16 of them play. Cannot figure out how to stop and start a DVD without it going to the beginning again. HMMM, the list is big. One change I am very good at is throwing away my old clothes and starting fresh again. Holding on to nothing that I have not worn in one season, or jeans that I "one day might fit into", or the flashdance outfit that looked so good on in 1983. Not me. New clothes here - sometimes too many.

Something else I have not changed is my very good friend in Quesnel. We have weathered high school, peer pressure, numerous boyfriends (although we never had the same ones), marriage, babies, divorce, custody issues, second relationships, new babies, and blended families. We share a passion for good tea, great scrapbooking, and like nothing better than a well maintained home. (ha, you just read that we both have babies...). My long distance, kindred spirit, girl who makes me laugh, downhome, Starbucks free, lovable friend, Annamarie. Thinking of you today darling, and wish we were closer. Somethings never change eh?

Just some things on my mind. Not much mind you, as my house might be well maintained but my brain is not!!! One more sleep until my parent's arrive from Arizona for a visit. Can't wait.

QUINN TOOK TWO STEPS!

Hayley at her birthday party - mouth full of cake and having a blast with her friends!!
Quinn looking mischievious as always. She really has her own sense of humour!

Just wanted to let everyone know that QUINN TOOK TWO STEPS ON HER OWN ON FRIDAY!!! She has been standing and wiggling forever, and she did it, all on her own, pivoted and took two steps. Now ALL she wants to do is stand, but is less than keen to walk again. Which, let me get the record straight, I am not too sad about. STAY LITTLE, that is my mantra.

(Secret is out, I am VERY proud of her, before her first birthday and everything...) sniff sniff

Can someone say GROUCHY??

Ok, someone, somewhere, put something in my girls drinks today. They have rotated their heads all the way around, spewed out green pea soup and become absolute monsters. I literally almost lost it on them. But instead, I restrained myself, and put them both in the tub, filled it full of bubbles and let them have at it. Now it is 8pm and they are asleep. Well, that might be pushing it, they are BOTH in BED, NO NOISE and I am quite content with that. The dishwasher is running in my ear, so really, they could be making noise and I would be none the wiser. I don't think I am missing much. So I will vent here on what a hellish day it has been around here, await for the kettle to boil, make tea and veg out in front of the telly with Roger.

EEk, no one wants to hear me rant and rave, so I will sign off and make the world well again tomorrow. Do I have to do my things to be thankful for??? Ok, hmmmm, thankful that Roger's ring arrived in the mail today, after 10 days in customs, it is really honking huge and he loves it. I am thankful that both girls usually sleep through the night, and I am really thankful that my mom and dad are arriving Tuesday of next week and so I can have my mommy here to cry in her arms............Sucky as that sounds, makes me happy......

Scrapbooking kind of day

Big thunk in the mailbox only means one thing according to my friend Annamarie. Scrapbook magazines arriving!! Yahoo. I am also awaiting a HUGE lot of stuff from eBay, including a album kit to do Roger's baby album, 50 assorted papers and vellum, stickers, embellishments, and 4 idea books. All for the mere price of $40 including shipping. Yah, I am shopping in my jammy pants in my kitchen, drinking coffee and watching kids. This is the life. I am almost finished my first ever black and white album as well. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I love it. Black and white photos are so crisp and clean looking, nothing to distract you, just photos.

Boring to all you "not yet scrapbookers" that read my blog, but in my small world, VERY exciting. Now to find the time to do all I want to do to exercise my creative side and still plan a birthday party for little Quinners. Our baby will be turning one on the 30th. As my friend Liz' boys say "yah, she is only zero right now". How fitting.

Can't wait for Annamarie to get her computer up and running again. I miss reading about the queen in training and what is going on in Quesnel. Come on techies - fix it!!

Things to be thankful for - turning 35 was not as bad as I thought, my ring arrived from Roger and it is beautiful (aquamarine stone with 5 small diamonds all set in white gold), and both girls seem to have bypassed the cold that is running rampant around the schools. Yippy for small victories.

The best birthday EVER!!!

Officially the best birthday. Bar none. I woke up with my favorite 6 year old and snuggled in bed watching Scooby Doo, then to the musical sounds of Quinn's jibber jabbing in her crib, proceeded to get up and have a yummy coffee. Birthday cards on the table waiting for me!!! Mom not only made me a beautiful table runner and sent me grandma's ring, she also gave me some money for a new spring running jacket. It will be great for all the "running" I plan to do. Yah, like running back and forth to school, running in and out of the grocery store, running in and out of the skating rink. All the while in the comfort of my minivan. Oh well, the intention is there.

Spent the morning with my friend Jen and her three kids here. They play so well together, and Naomi and Quinn just wrestle for the toy of the day. I admire her, so much patience and love, and expecting #4 soon.

My friend Lisa gave me a hoard of relaxation stuff - for the bath, candles, mini CD, etc. Gonna use that fore sure! After picking up Roger we went into the mall, and unbeknownst to me, picked up my pressie from him. It is a beautiful aquamarine stone, with 4 diamonds, all set in on a white gold ring. Our family ring. I won't lie to you, shed a tear in the jewelry store!!! Then proceeded to hand it back to the saleswoman so it can be sized. Evidently I am a size 5.5!! Baby fingers. He took us out for dinner, had a yummy glass of red wine and a great steak and prawn dinner, then home. When we pulled up to the house there was presents for me on the porch!! Jen bought me a gift certificate to LaSenza and my friend Eden bought me a great summer beach bag, some scratch and wins, and a copy of the Jack Johnson "Curious George" soundtrack. I absolutely love Jack Johnson. Then.............The icing on the "cake" of a day came when my other friend Jen stopped by after her yoga class with her old video camera for Roger and I to use indefinitely!!! I know that I am going to have fun with that toy!! Watch out kids, mommy has got the movie fever now!!! I went to bed very happy and honored to have such great friends in my life. Blessed seems like an understatement.

Just some photos

Baby Goats and Shllamas to see

Spent the day at Beacon Hill Park with the girls, my friends Jen (both have the same name) and all the kids. It was so fun. The best part was when a goat jumped right over Quinn's head! She laughed and laughed! Hayley really wanted to see the llamas, but we could not find them, so we went to see the sheep instead. The looked really funny, long hair, beards and one was so fuzzy it looked like it had a hump. We called them shllamas (sheep-llamas). Then we started calling animals by funny names and one of the Jen's said that female peacocks are called peaginas! I thought I was going to pee my pants. Then I would have some explaining to do...............It was so fun, will definitely do it again. Especially to see the peaginas.

It is my last official day of being 34. I received a package from my mom today and in it was my grandma Tish's family ring that was willed to me. She actually passed away in December of 1990, and although I always knew that the ring was mine, it sat in my mom and dad's safety deposit box. I thought it a fitting gift to recieve again for my birthday. I also got a very beautiful table runner in an oriental pattern, very light and spring colors that she handmade. I love table runners, and with our "all wood decor" it really adds some color and warmth. I am feeling spoiled.

Drinking a chamomile tea and finishing this up. Then off to bed with the latest scrapbook magazine I received today. Me and my friend Annamarie definitely think alike as she also bought one today as well. Until next time my friends. Oh ya, Got snow on Friday, wore capri pants today. How is that for crazy west coast weather????? (for those of you that did not get the peaginas joke, think rhymes with Regina and would accompany pea-cock...)

Snow is in the forecast....But for HERE????

Well it is official....We got snow. Or as my friend Annamarie says, " we had a blizzard last night and not the kind you get at Dairy Queen". We are a white winter wonderland out here on the Island. I am not impressed.....

The kids however, are over the moon. Hayley has NEVER wanted to walk to school, and today, she asks. Quinn keeps crawling over to the window in the back door and looking outside. It does make for good photos!

Quinn did her first sign last night - she signed more! I almost cried, and then was unmercifully teased by Roger for being a softy. She has only said one word, mama (she knows!!!), and now signed one, so that actually means she DOUBLED her vocabulary! My little girl, almost one.

Hayley had Student Led Conference yesterday, and she did so well. I am so proud of her, she is really learning a lot in kindy. Her journal is funny. Her on the beach, me and her on the beach, building a sand castle on the beach, the ocean......Maybe we should spend more time there this summer. Then she skated on her new skates after that. She was a bit stiff, they just were sharpened and the picks are really close compared to her other ones. She did relax and have fun after the initial breaking in period though.

Just gonna curl up with Harry Potter (5th book) and drink tea today. I may even have to wear long pants and not capris today. Maybe.

Things to be thankful for......In Victoria you don't have to shovel it, it makes everything look clean, and it really is a freak of nature here. Might as well enjoy it while it is here....

The party is over, only cake crumbs left....

The party was a success. Now if all my endeavors in life were judged by 5 and 6 year olds I would be famous! We had a ton of fun, with everyone enjoying themselves. It was a bit frantic, with doing the constant head counts to ensure that I still had all the kids that somehow I was entrusted with. Ten kids and not one "incident". If you don't count the fact that Hayley and her dad were late, he did not pack her underwear ( party dress fiasco saved with tights I had in my diaper bag), and she had to rent a towel. Who in their right mind comes swimming with no towel? Leave it to her dad. Hayley sure has a great outlook on life, and I was so proud of how she incudes everyone. She did shove all her friends aside for about 10 minutes to play with Quinn, which always does my heart proud to see how in love she is with her sister. That will change when Quinn is into everything!!!

Speaking of Quinners - she HATED the pool. She cried if I was out of her sight for the first half an hour. In Roger's arms was obviously not good enough for her. She did, however, warm up to the idea, and once left to her own adventures did just fine. She looks so cute in a bathing suit. How come rolls and big tummys only look good on kids under one year of age?

I am exhausted though. We spent the morning buying a new receiver and speaker set as we finally sold our HUGE tower speakers. It is nice and has great sound. We will have to test them out with Top Gun, it is the movie that I can appreciate with surround sound and a subwoofer. Roger on the other hand......Some Star Wars thing I bet. Boring.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! As all of you can see, I will NOT be posting a photo of me in a bathing suit....hahaha for those of you that waited to see one. You are out of luck! Things I am thankful for : I have great friends who also donned a bathing suit today with me, the party was a success, and I now have the night to have a baileys and milk and spend it with Roger instead of working at Moxies. Night all.

I AM A MOM OF A SIX YEAR OLD!!

As my friend Jen would say....HOLY CARP! Hayley is six today! I cannot believe it, it seems like not very long ago that we brought her home from the hospital. Now it is official. She has lived longer with separated mom and dad than she did when her dad and I were together. Oh well, life could have worse repercussions.

She opened up my mom's gift this morning, first thing. The poor girl, everytime she saw inside my closet it was taunting her. It has been here since the end of January!! It turns out that my mom bought her a beautiful Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) music box. I have heard the damn song about 25 times already, I am good. It is a Bradford Exchange, numbered and everything. Everytime she wants to wind it up I get my "paranoid hat" on. That's all we need to do is break it after mom put all the time, effort and love into getting it from Quesnel to Victoria in one piece. It is very nice, and I will clear some room on her dresser for it. Maybe we should put it on a really high shelf, so no little hands will touch it....

Our present came in second, we bought her real figure skates (but for those of you that are not up to speed on the price of skates, these are "new to her" and actually 3rd hand), new glitter pink guards, the Harry Potter #3 (4th comes out on the 7th), and scooby doo stickers. Then she got to choose where to go for birthday dinner,,,,,,, and lo and behold she chose the Chinese Buffet just in the Thrifty Foods complex. All the restaurants and she chose that one. I think it is reputable....Although I do know for sure that I cannot eat anything there, so looks like I'll have soup before we go. It is her day, and she can do what she wants. Even cry.

Things to be thankful for (easy today) got to wear a skirt and no tights because it is sunny enough, my darling first born is six, healthy, and a joy to be around, and one birthday down - three more to go in March- in our family alone. Cheers friends!