BOYS AND THEIR TRUCKS

My sis and I had a date with our boys tonight and took them to the Monster Truck show.  It was awesome!  Here are some pictures.  (Sorry...I know the photos are mostly close ups of the boy's faces but it is because their reactions were so priceless!)

This is "Batman" one of Rocco and Sam's favs from the evening

I mean, of course Sam loved this...a man on fire riding a motorcycle superfast!?

Sorry about the close up sis...but I did photoshop out your pimple (it was a good one by the way)

THANKS FOR A FUN NIGHT

Almost midnight...must go to bed.

A FUTURE IN HOME STAGING?

I stumbled upon this little arrangement that Clara put together a week ago.  The funny thing is, is that it is still there on our bookcase, in the room you first see when you walk in our front door, 8 days later.   (Maybe this is another indication that we need help with the house).

I love her little "scenes".  She is so purposeful when creating them and gives each piece and placement so much thought.  

I didn't even know until recently that people can hire home stagers to "improve, de-clutter and re-arrange their home" prior to putting it up for sale.  That sounds awesome.  I need one of those.  Actually, I did phone my talented friend last week and asked if she could come over and shnick our place.  (OK...I just looked up schnick and it's not what I thought it meant...what the heck?).  She is going to make our empty mantels look pretty for us.  I'll let you know how it goes.

TIME FOR A HAIRCUT

It was pointed out to me last Sunday by several people, including one stranger, that Will had "hockey hair." I generally don't like to cut my boy's hair, and opt for the long shaggy look instead, but it was true...Will had some bad hair.

So today, Will had his first haircut.  The whole family crashed Daddy's 5:00pm hair appointment, and Will got a quick trim from the same woman who has been cutting Jake's hair since he was 3 years old.  

The Daddy and Will (don't they look alike?)

Daddy's turn

Nothing like getting you hair cut with your entire family...

And getting a hand crammed into your mouth while getting your hair washed.

"I'm out of here"

"I'm going to suck on this headband for awhile"

"And then climb this chair"

Clara doing Sam's hair while waiting.

Clara announced that she might want to do hair part time when she is an adult, but still be an artist for the other parts.

Then we had sushi, came home, had a bubble bath and Clara practiced some more on Sam.

THE END

TODAY I'M INSPIRED BY...

In the last couple of months I have discovered blogging and etsy.  Both, very time consuming but also so inspiring.  There are so many talented and interesting people "out there." Sometimes reading these very talented people's blogs and looking at their creations makes me sweaty and anxious....like when I read a Martha Stewart magazine.  But then, I remind myself to focus on one, maybe two things, and be great at them and to just buy the other stuff from other people.

So that is what I did.  My online shopping usually consists of me creating a shopping bag or cart and adding items to it, but never actually ordering anything.  But, I did finally order my first etsy item, from the very talented and sweet Sarah Jane.  It is a print for Clara's room.  You can see it in her very girly room in the top photo.  We went a bit crazy with the glue gun and stuck some pink flowers on a frame.

Here is the print up close:

I bought this one too, for Sam's room:

And I would like to buy this one for Will's room:And this one is waiting for me in my cart:

41 STEPS

Since one of my resolutions for 2009 is to be more grateful, I thought that every Monday I should write about something I'm thankful for.  So, today I'm feeling thankful for living 41 steps from my Mom and Dad's house.  

In November 2007, we moved (me, 38 weeks pregnant) for the 6th time since getting married, to a home 2 doors down from my parents.  Besides the obvious fact that the kids and I get to have unlimited visits in the day with people we like and love, there are also other perks. Like, a latte made for me in the morning, company when I take the dog for a walk, someone to let me know when we have left the garage door open or that it is garbage pick up in the morning, warm cookies and bran muffins brought to the door (just eating one now), a convenient walk home from Sunday dinner (even more convenient if we had wine with dinner), someone to let the carpet cleaner in if I'm out, to take down my outdoor Christmas lights if I haven't got to it yet and to water my neglected plants. 

It is also a place I go to borrow a vacuum (ours broke a year ago), to print things on my mom's really great colour printer, to choose a movie from the DVD library, to read the newspaper or People magazine, to join in on Chinese take out, to borrow a thermometer and ask for advice when someone has a fever, to leave Will if he is napping and I have to pick up one of the other kids at school, or to simply say hello, have a hug, sometimes cry or share some news.

My parent's home is also affectionately known as "Save-On-Smith" (Smith is their last name...no really, it is). This is not to be confused with "Save-On-Foods", the grocery store, although they do have similarities.  Both are a place to get groceries and household supplies for a low (or even free) price. Admittedly, their kitchen has been raided in the early weekend hours for milk, eggs and maple syrup.  And a week rarely goes by when I don't send one of the kids over with a note looking for supplies such as butter, vegetable stock, C batteries, light bulbs, onions and oregano...even wine.

So, thank you Mom and Dad for putting up with us and all our noise and mess and muddy shoes.  I'm sure the neighbourhood was really peaceful before we arrived.  And about that really fancy latte maker you gave us for Christmas this year...I know it was because you are generous and love us and you weren't trying to discourage our morning coffee visits...right?

 

Mom, Dad, sis and Uncle Josh at Christmas...our neighbours...well, except for sis

I can't upload (or is it download?) any new images because my hard drive is FULL.  I need to delete some things, I guess.  I'm not so good at the computer, or anything technical for that matter.  I think this frustrates my husband.  He calls me a luddite.  I just looked it up...it means this.  So this is why I'm posting pictures from Christmas.  My sister doesn't normally wear Santa hats and it is actually sunny in Vancouver today, although our neighbourhood weatherman, Uncle Josh, tells me snow tomorrow!

IF CLARA WAS MY PERSONAL SHOPPER

I took the kids to do some errands at the mall the other day (deposit cheque, drop off big pile of stuff to be altered, buy rear cap for my lens, get a bag of Purdies Valentines hearts, which I admit, have already all been eaten).   Errands, which probably should of taken 12 minutes sans kids, but which took us the bulk of the afternoon.  We did stop for butter chicken and an Orange Julius and went up and down the escalator a few times as well.

Anyway, at some point during our mall adventure we passed the store American Apparel and my kids, sure enough, wanted to stop so they could check out the very flexible mannequins with very triangular shaped breasts wearing a lot of spandex in the window display.  They think mannequins are pretty funny.  Anyway, this is what Clara seriously thought I should buy because it is so beautiful and shiny...just like a "wedding girl":

WOW...sorry Clara, but I think I will save my money.  I wonder when I would wear this outfit? Maybe when I take Kirby out to go pee/poo in the morning?  Or when I drop the kids off at school?  I suppose I could wear it for my morning exercise...a little jog on the treadmill in some high waisted shiny purple pants.  Jake probably would like it if he came home from work and I was serving up some stroganoff in this little gold lame bodysuit.  Good, for at least a chuckle...

THE AMAZING SAM

Sam, Clara and I were reading this book yesterday (actually, it has been every day since Truman gave it to Sam for his birthday).  Me trying to skip over the gruesome and scary parts and Sam eagerly turning the pages and absorbing every word and detail (seriously, this son of mine has an amazing memory, maybe even super power amazing memory).  

Anyway, we were reading the part about Mysterio, one of the many villians...his name is actually Quentin Black...when he was a teenager he moved to Hollywood to look for work as a stuntman...Clara interrupts, "what is a stuntman?".  I think I said something like "a stuntman is a job some people have, you know, where they jump off buildings, or get launched out of cannons while on fire.  They do stuff in a movie that might be too dangerous for actors to do." And of course, Clara thinks this would be great a great career choice for Sam.  "Sam...you could be a stuntman when you are an adult!" she tells him excitedly.  And Sam says in his matter of fact voice "yes, I am."

And here are some pictures to prove that this just might be plausible:

And here is where the Spider-Man obsession all began.  At Truman's 3rd birthday party last summer at Keats.  Spider-Man (a.k.a Sean) made an appearance on the roof of their cabin, did some killer moves that only Spidie can, gave the kids a high five and a box of smarties and disappeared with one last leap (and a pulled groin).

I SPY

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE:

1. 2 used diapers
2. 1 pull up (dry...4th night in a row)
3. a pile of clean laundry that needs to be folded
4. a bed that needs to be made
5. a pair of leopard mary janes, size 13 (she decided on the gold flats)
6. a picture of Pasley that needs to be hung on the wall
7. baby powder that has been emptied onto the floor
8. Sam's baba
9. "The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide"
10. some toys
11. the lid to my Sharpie (the question is...where is the permanent marker?)
12. a stinky baby
13. a stinky dog

And desperately needed: 1 cleaner to help me with this house!

HEAVEN?

Fog has overtaken our city once again.  This is what we saw on our drive to school this morning (see the Lions Gate Bridge peaking out).  Sam wondered aloud if this was Heaven?  Clara explained patiently that we had to die first, but first we will be grandmas.  

And then she thought some more and said she wouldn't be driving to school if this was Heaven, because naturally there is no school in Heaven, and more importantly her brother would definitely not be staying home while she has to go to school (which is the case today since Sam is sick with the cough).  She finds this very unjust, but was reassured when I told her we wouldn't have any fun until she gets home at 3:00pm.  In fact, I told her, I would even put Sam in the dark basement until then.  She liked that.

AGE 13 AND A BIT MONTHS

WILLIAM GOWAN

• wakes up every 60-90 minutes at night (wins worst sleeper prize)
• eats dog food for breakfast
• tips Kirby's water bowl over several times a day (the dog has resorted to toilet water or going next door to YaYa's for refreshment)
• nicknamed "destructo" by the other family members
• throws food across the room/restaurant
• throws toys down the stairs
• pulls out fist fulls of hair (human and dog)
• can say "hot" but not "mama"
• does acrobatics while nursing (not a pretty sight)
• dumps fruit shake onto the carpet
• smears yoghurt into the couch
• crams things into my mouth when I'm least expecting it
• hits me on the head with hard items like tinkertoys and forks
• can do a backward somersault while getting a diaper change (very impressive)
• sucks on batteries
• sucks on marbles
• rides Kirby bare back
• arches back when I try to put down on the floor
• empties cupboards and drawers (and bottles of glitter and baby powder)
• erases files on Daddy's laptop
• goobers up cell phone and then hides it (yes...I found my cell phone far under the couch 5 weeks later)

But look those eyes...that face...those chubby arms and legs! It is impossible to hold a grudge.  

(This post is also an excuse to try out some of the vintage frames I just downloaded from this great site. They also offer free tutorials, photoshop actions, textures and papers, etc.) 

SWIMMING & RACE CAR PARTY

Yesterday we celebrated Sam's 4th birthday by doing and eating and drinking all of Sam's favourite things with most of his favourite people (a few were out sick with a cold).  After the swim portion of the party, our home was turned into one gigantic playroom, and though it was loud and crazy it was also "super fun" (to quote Sam).  Here are just a few pictures mostly taken before the party even started.  Between Will getting his hand smunched in the door, and Maddy slicing her foot on a rock, and cleaning up pizza squished into the carpet, and putting together train tracks, etc, my camera was abandoned for the bulk of the party.

The birthday boy 

(I take a picture of the kids holding up at "Today I am..." sign each birthday.  I love looking back and seeing how much they have changed)

The loot bags

Race car cake made by YaYa (I had 4 pieces)

Sam and a couple of his peeps

EVER?

A few times a day, I find myself discretely googling a word or a question so I can successfully answer my kid's constant questions and basically sound smart.  I don't want to get the reputation that mommy doesn't know much.  I mean, they already think I can't fix anything.  If something breaks or is not working, they immediately tell me we should wait for Daddy to come home, even if it is to install batteries.  Uncle Darren fixed Sam's helicopter toy a few weeks ago so now he has also earned the fixing guy distinction.  And if something is ripped, or needs a button or needs to be glued, etc. they tell me we should take it over to YaYa's.  

So, I have been very thankful for the google.  If you look at my history, you would see that just today I have looked up "what are the continents?" (I totally forgot about Antartica), "earth's rotation" (I need to brush up on my physical geography in general), "womanizer" (I was trying to find a polite and age appropriate way of defining this after Clara and Sam heard Brittany Spear's new song), and just moments ago I looked up "ever" on the online dictionary.  Clara asked me what ever meant driving home from her art class.  I was totally stumped.  (By the way, it means at all times, at any time, in any way, and to a great extent or degree).

So, we stopped by Wholefoods for some chicken soup for my sick husband and some nigiri for Sam and some vanilla roast chicken for Clara.  Clara wanted to buy a $19.99 bouquet of white flowers because they were "so beautiful" and would be perfect for her wedding themed birthday party in April?  I persuaded her to pick out a $4.99 little pot of flowers instead that she could take care of (she takes this very seriously).  While in the check out she tells me that she had better go to YaYa's as soon as we get home because YaYa has so many beautiful plants and flowers and she knows how to take care of them and she knows that they are living and need water and sunshine and food and she would be able to tell her what this specific plant needs...and in the next breath she tells me that I kill all my plants.  I felt immediately defensive and wanted to tell her that the poinsettia Daddy got me in early December is still alive! But alas, it is true.  I don't have a green thumb and you can't kill those poinsettias even if you try. But I do appreciate a lovely garden and thank goodness for YaYa.  What would we ever do without her?

YaYa and Clara planting at Pasley (from the archives)

I stumbled across these on Etsy.  I think something like this would be perfect along my window sill.  No need for water or sunshine, just some crochet cacti:

4 YEARS OLD

Happy Birthday my dear Samuel. 

I love you so much...from here to the moon and back!

And here you are just a few days old, all warm and soft and perfect.  

We had a fun day together.  Birthdays around here are also "yes" days.  Chances are, I will say yes to whatever is requested.  This means you had a chocolate cupcake before lunch and then ate a pickle and cheese sandwich and pickle chips washed down with a tonic water.  We played Spiderman memory and you won even though I really did try, I ran alongside you while you took your green gator for a spin and I chased you around the house with my monster arm for awhile. YaYa made a yummy spaghetti dinner (your request) and Auntie hosted us all at her new home. For dessert we had mint chocolate chip ice cream in sugar cones.  Your favourite gift was probably the remote control helicoptor Daddy picked out for you.

  

Here are some of your accomplishments and other tidbits from the past year.  I want to post this now (it is actually almost midnight), so perhaps I'll add to this list later:

• You learned to swim, above and under water, in the Spring
• Favourite colour is green
• Love all things mint, but not the "spicy" mint
• Love bubbly "adult" drinks
• You have to take off your jacket in order to pee
• Love when I chase you with my monster arm up to the bath, or when Papou or Uncle Josh chases you up their stairs
• Can be won over with a game of chase, a wrestle or a conversation about poop and burps
• Want to be a race car driver or an astronaut when you are "growned up"
• You have "growned" 3 inches and gained 3 pounds this year
• Think milk is actually called "more milk"
• If you had to save 2 things from a house fire it would be your baba and susu
• Not so good with the numbers or letters, but can snap together all your jammie buttons, do up zippers and shirt buttons in a flash, play a mean game of memory and finish a puzzle like no other
• Like going "super fast"
• Use "super" to describe most things, for example that is "super cool" or that is "super hot"
• Can watch the entire Grinch and Snow White movie without losing interest and poking your sister
• You learned to ride your bike in August
• Love to take flying leaps off the couch, or a log, or a cliff...
• Love all foods, except pickled ginger, jujubes and raisons
• Love all things remote control
• Like to read the same book for a 15 day period before switching off.  Currently it is "The Gruffalo" and "I Will Never, Not Ever, Eat a Tomato."