Sick

WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS GROSS POOP TALK

Some kind of gastro bug has hit the Martin house. I came down with it on Sunday - usual - achy, skin hurts, hot, cold, upset stomach... I was supposed to be in the church nursery Sunday morning and couldn't reach the coordinator. I went to church and found her and she says don't be silly - go home. I spent the day on the couch. My friend Lisa called from Calgary - she's due Jan 20 with her 1st baby, and we're chatting away about baby stuff and suddenly I threw the phone to Bill and ran off to the bathroom. I felt so bad I couldn't even finish our conversation - but she was very understanding. We chatted again last night.

Yesterday Duncan was starting to show his stomach was a little off too (runny poop). Bill and I are supposed to go to the Tulalip Resort Hotel tonight. So last night just before 1, little Duncan wakes up crying. Go to check on him, more runny poop. Get him settled back down. 2:30 up again with him puking. Got him back down at 3 and he's still asleep (it's 10:30 Am now). So we're not going away tonight. It sounds like he's probably doing better, and Ronnie still said she would take him (bless her, I knew she would, but no, I can't send me sick and probably contaigous child to her house) but we're staying home. Our reservation wasn't supposed to be able to be cancelled, but the nice people down at the hotel are letting us rebook for another night. How nice is that? (Quite I think).

So today we sanitize the house and we hope Bill doesn't come down with it next. We're supposed to have some people over for New years (the Bell's, Theresa, maybe my parents) and we'd like to not have to cancel plans due to people being sick.

I hope the rest of you are healthy!!

A merry and blessed Christmas to you!

Hello friends and family! Merry Christmas to you all. I hope the Lord keeps you safe and well in any travelling - be it near or far, and that we can all enjoy December 25th for what it is - in honour of our Lord's birthday. Believe me, I know how easy it to get caught up in the other aspects of Christmas. I actually enjoy it - I love gift giving, and baking, and spending time with family etc... I love introducing Duncan to Santa Claus - even if Duncan doesn't know who or what Santa is (except that he says Ho ho Ho) and that Duncan didn't even want to see him. But the most important part is our Saviour.

And so here it is Christmas Eve. We got a wicked amount of snow today. We didn't have to be anywhere and so I absolutely love it. And more tonight! Crazy! Church was cancelled tonight (we weren't going tonight anyhow, but still) and we'll need to see in the morning if the Christmas Day service goes through or not. Our church is one of the few that has a Christmas Day service and so it is usually well attended. Not that Duncan would last the service anyhow, but I'm willing to give it a go.

So here is the run down for Christmas with my family. Last year we were blessed with Bill's father and brother being out for Christmas. And they survived :) We hope to bring Bill's Dad out next summer after Bean shows up. Anyhow, Christmas Eve we've often spent with the Bell's. In fact tonight is the 1st night in I think 7 years we haven't! Did you know that Boxing Day is out anniversary with Chris and Ronnie? I'll blog about that another time.

Oh and by the way I am not blogging b/c Tanya told me to. I was going to anyhow and then read hers, but hi Tanya! I love you! I'm glad Andre is okay, although a little sore.

Anyhow, so tonight it's just us, which is just fine too. Tomorrow morning we'll do gifts with the 3 of us, and then to church. After church we go to Mom and Dad's for the rest of the day. Wonderful food and company and just super low key and laid back. It's awesome. I think we'll go a bit earlier tomorrow so Duncan can nap there, or else people will be waiting until 2 or 3 before we show up. This year too my SIL Shelley is taking care of all Christmas Day dinner. She rocks.

But wait! That's not all! Then we have Boxing Day. Most people are done after Christmas Day, but not us! We do our massive family dinner on Boxing Day b/c we find most people can make it out and like to do stuff with their immediate families on Christmas Day. It will be a little smaller this year as we have a few people trapped up in Kelowna - like my brother. But my cousin Kevin and his beautiful wife Nikki and daughters Eva and Scarlette have just flown in from Australia. I hope they aren't too tired to make it out. So that's the big turkey/ham/roast dinner (yes, all 3). Yum!

And then we're done.

In other news. This snow rocks! How cool is this?! Well over 2 feet of snow at our place.
We put Duncan to bed tonight and about 10 minutes later he starts crying and freaking out (not normal for him). So I go up stairs and it turns out Strider was in his room and pounding on the door to get out, and he scared Duncan just silly. Darned cat. It's now 20 minutes later and I think Duncan is finally settling again. He was really scared!
B/c Chris and Ronnie stayed home tonight (we decided earlier today to just tell them to stay home) we're having home made burgers and fries for dinner. Yum 'eh? We were going to do take out with them. We were going to play Bingo! (Iain and Alex were coming too) And we were going to watch a Muppet Christmas Carol. Oh well! Anyhow, I think our dinner will still be yum!

And we'll leave it at that. I love you all (I think, okay even if i don't know you, I love you, why not?) and hope to hear from you after Christmas.

One more time

Alright, it's Friday December 19th, and my last day of work for two weeks. As I was crawling out of bed at 4:50 AM (waaaaaa!!!) I said to Bill "okay, last time" and he replies "well no, you still need to get up every day" to which I replied "hopefully not before 5 Am though!". I appreciate Ronnie giving me rides to the train, but girl, you need to change your hours!

I was in the office by 6:50 AM, but there is so much to do today, that's actually okay. I have that I'm pregnant and worn out from a long week feeling, but usually the best cure for that is to work as it makes the time go fast.

I proposed team coffee this morning. I made an executive decision "hey everyone, we're going to Starbucks at 9:30 for coffee" and not only did everyone say "okay, sure" most of them said "thank you for just telling us and not asking, it avoids all the indecisiveness that comes with working with a big group when you ask opinions 1st". So I'm now the social director of the team.

I'm listening to Josh Groban "Noel". Pick up this CD. Or I guess get it from iTunes. We have the cd - we're old fashioned types. Anyhow, he's just a really talented man and it's just gorgeous music. I mean, come on, Ave Maria at 7 AM? Sweet!!! And his Little Drummer Boy will give you shivers (it's that good!).

Last night was Duncan's hair cut. Oh the trauma! This poor kid screams bloody murder when he get's his hair cut. We go to Great Clips where we found this fantastic lady, Nina, and she handles him so well! His Christmas pictures are tomorrow. We might sit in on a few of them, but we'll see. I'm feeling quite fat *wink*. (I think it's called being pregnant... oh yeah, and enjoying the Christmas goodies in the office a bit too much!).

Tomorrow we also have our 20 week ultrasound in the morning. That will be awesome. Then we're full force into Christmas stuff. I have not been into it at all. I think b/c I'm work focused and all, but I do have a little boy, and so I really want to jump in with both feet once I'm outta here.

So, I had better get to it!

Could it be?

I just got an email from Laura D. and looks like she's got an offer on a job!!! Praise the Lord! They are working out a few final details, but it's looking very positive. Thank you to the people who prayed for her.

In other news I didn't win the Wii/Wii Fit. Figures.

I don't know who all reads my blog, so I can't comment on work. 'Nuff said.

Jennifer - I'm afraid we won't be out on Sunday! I hope you have a wonderful party though!

Back at it.

Prayers for Laura D.

At 9 AM today Laura in Seattle has a 2nd interview. She has been out of work for a bit now, and we're all praying hard that she finds something soon. So even if you read this well after 9, and even if you don't know her, please stop and send a prayer in the direction of both herself and her potential employer that this results in employment for her. It would be a wonderous Christmas gift for her.

Ohhhh..... Ahhhh......

We bought a 46" Plasma screen tv today. It's so pretty. I know some of you are wondering how we afforded it, or are thinking "must be nice". To which I reply - yes it is nice! It was an unexpected gift which means no guilt :)

Set up was a little frustrating. We bought through a local store (shop local) and got a good deal for it. However they sold us the wrong cable to go with it, so I had to go back for the right one, but that still doesn't work proper... So right now we're not actually able to watch true HD (1080p), but it's still really quite amazing. Of course we're watching Cars and we're quite amazed at the difference in colour and detail. We rented Batman:The Dark Knight tonight, so that will be fun to watch again. Oh, and home made pizza...yum!

It's cold out! Hey, it's winter time (not actually winter yet) so it's all good, but the kid of night to stay home all cozy. I'm just sitting with Duncan while he has dinner, and then bath time for him. Tomorrow my parents and I hope to go to The Singing Christmas Tree at Broadway Church in the afternoon.

Other than that... it was a pretty brutal week at work, but 5 more days and then I have a break. Then 3 months and I'm off! 19 weeks along now, and things are going great. Praise the Lord!

Last night Bill was at a LAN party with some buddies, and he was just going to crash on the couch at Roc's place, so I didn't expect him back until this morning. Well at 3:45 AM (okay, technically this morning, but not when I was expecting him!) I wake up with him in the room quietly getting ready for bed. "Um, hello?" "Hi! We were done, I was awake, the roads were good, so I thought it would be nicer to sleep in my own bed." And I'm glad he did, b/c it's nice to have him home, but I asked "Did you not think you were going to totally freak me out?" "Well yes, but I didn't want to call and have the phone wake Duncan." Sweet, but thank goodness I didn't scream or something waking up with someone in my room.

Alright, bath time for the boy. Cars is over (for today).

A kind of contest

Good morning folks.

I’m running a kind of a contest. If I win I will either give you, or share the prize with you.

Our Health and Wellness Committee (H&W) is having a contest. Entries need to be in by December 16, 2008. So the deadline for you is December 15, 2008.

The prize is a Nintendo Wii, a Wii Fit, and a Wii accessory pack. If you give me the winning idea (I can only submit one) will give you the Wii Fit, and if you don’t have a Wii yet, the Wii too. (I want the accessory pack). If you have a Wii, be honest b/c I have someone else I’d like to give it to.

Here is the challenge:

"What would you like to see from your H&W committee in 2009 and describe how your idea would benefit the entire office." Ideas will be judges on the basis of their creativity, practicality, cost-effectiveness and wide-spread impact.

So send me your ideas by December 15, 2008. I can only pick one, and if I win, you do too!

Success!

Well that was excellent! Duncan's party worked really well. It was chaotic as expected, but there were no tears! Jen, we would have both been wrong on the "who cries 1st" game *grin*. Sorry you couldn't make it out! But we totally understand.

I took yesterday off to make Duncan's cake. It certainly tried my patience at times (the back of the engine kept falling over, so I finally propped it up with a shot glass. Things you can do at home that you couldn't get away with if you were a professional). I also had to make 2x the icing it recommended, but still, all in all, it was good. This morning we went out to find Duncan was already trying to get at it to eat it :)

We were very environmentally unfriendly, I admit it. Convenience won. The kids did awesome eating what there was. What's funny is that I thought the veggies would be more for the adults, but the kids really ate a lot too. The Costco pizza was also a good choice.

Thank you for the gifts from those who came. We know Duncan is going to get a lot of enjoyment ouf of them.

Picking from 11 - 1 was a good call too. By 1 the little ones were certainly ready for nap time. Duncan was falling asleep even as Bill was changing him before going down for a nap.

Now we move into Christmas mode. Tomorrow we'll put up the tree. We were going to go to the Santa parade in Maple Ridge tonight, but it's cold and rainy, and I think that would be too much for Duncan at this point. No problem. I also need to go grocery shopping yet. Uhg. And I'm hungry, so I should eat. Love you all!

A wonderful day

December 1, part 2.

I wrote part one this morning from work. I was tired then, I'm even more tired now, but had a wonderful day.

We got home around our normal time from work. Bill went in and got right to work on getting the home made pizza ready for dinner, and I went and grabbed the birthday boy. Apparently they enjoyed the cupcakes I sent along to day care (and Bill's work enjoyed the left overs!). Oma and Opa came over around 5:30.

Bill and I ran off to the maternity appointment. I'm 17 weeks along now, measuring 18.5 cm and heart beat was 145. The clinic also does a mini ultra sound. So we got to see Bean kicking around, and opening and closing his/her mouth, and just being a baby. Very cool. Nice quick appointment. I have my 20 week ultrasound on the 20th. It all goes so quick!

Anyhow, back home. Pizza was ready, so we got dinner on the table quick. We made home made pizza because Duncan has really enjoyed it before. Well tonight he was not interested at all! Oh well, Oma and Opa liked it. Can you believe it was the 1st time they'd had our home made pizza? We've been making this stuff (crust and all!) for years (like since we got married). Glad they liked it.

Anyhow, I popped upstairs to wrap Duncan's presents quick. Oh 1st Theresa had popped by and gave Duncan a gift. A Lightning McQueen lunch box, a Cars t-shirt inside, and a stuffed Lightning. Anyhow, then Oma and Opa gave him their gift. Yes, A Lightning McQueen lunch box, a Cars shirt (yep, 2 of each, although different!) but then 4 new "Cars" to add to his ever growing collection. He now has 11 of that collection, and just loves them. We got him some mega blocks, and we'd bought some Thomas Wooden Railway stuff off of Craigslist a while back. So he got a bunch of new track (well new to him), and a bunch of new trains. We also got him some books, so that was awesome. He was just tickled with it all.

And it ain't over yet! That wasn't even his birthday party! Although we could have just left it at that and he would have been totally content (let's be honest, he doesn't even know it's his birthday, or why he is getting all this stuff), Saturday is going to be fun.

So we got to see Bean, we got to celebrate Duncan's birthday... a wonderful December 1!

And now it is really, really bed time. Good night!

Monday, December 1

Today is my little man's second birthday. Happy Birthday Roo!

I couldn't sleep last night. I don't know why. I don't particularly have anything on my mind, and I know I slept some, but I was awake a lot. Anyhow, around 1:20 AM I thinking "hey, 2 years ago I'd just given birth to Duncan!"

Tonight Mom and Dad (Oma and Opa) are coming over for home made pizza, and then on Saturday we're having a party for him, which is going to be chaotic, but fun.

Then it's go go go for Christmas. We've got it mostly under control (know what we're getting people), so that's cool.

Alright, back to work.

An all new low?

I don't even know the best word to describe this. Despicable? Horrendous? I really, really hope these people are at least ashamed of themselves for being a part of that madness. No, no one person can be blamed, but the fact that even after while they were trying to revive the fellow, people were still walking by to get into the store...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

BY JOE GOULD
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Updated Friday, November 28th 2008, 4:16 PM
Farriella for News

A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old employee, a temporary maintenance worker, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too...I literally had to fight people off my back."

The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.

The cause of death wasn't immediately available pending results of an autopsy.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said. Early witness accounts that the woman suffered a miscarriage were unfounded, police said.

Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.

Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar called the incident a "tragic situation."

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Tovar said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time."

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life.

"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."

Only a few stopped.

"They're savages," said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. "It's sad. It's terrible."

Use of this website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy © Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved.

Donder/Donner

Thanks to my friend Karen who sent me this information:

"Two of the reindeer names, Donner/Donder and Blitzen, are often the source of confusion, misspelling, and misinformation. The short facts are these: Donner/Donder and Blitzen were named ''Dunder'' and ''Blixem'' (the Dutch words for ''thunder'' and ''lightning'') in the original printing of "A Visit From St. Nicholas." In reprints of the poem, the names became ''Donder'' and ''Blixen,'' then ''Donder'' and ''Blitzen'' (the latter being German for ''lightning''). By the time Johnny Marks wrote "Rudolph," it was ''Donner'' and ''Blitzen'' (possibly because ''Donder'' was musically awkward). See Snopes.com for a thorough discussion. "

Christmas version of answer all these questions...

Okay everyone, lets have fun with this!
Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay,
here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just
copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that
you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then
send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that
sent it to you......Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. More fun to open.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial – because the cats like climbing (and knocking over) real ones.

3. When do you put up the tree? Any time after the beginning of December. Could be the 1st. It could be the 15th.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually Jan 2 or 3. Before going back to work.

5. Do you like Egg Nog? It’s alright. I like real eggnog, with rum, but that means no eggnog for this girl this year.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I honestly can’t recall. Sorry Mom.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Duncan.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I will soon! It was Oma’s. And I’m bringing it to work and I’m going to be all politically in correct and shout it out that it’s Christmas at Carole’s desk.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I like receiving them, so it kind of works both ways.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can’t recall any specifically.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Almost any form of a Christmas Carol, except that horrible Vanessa Williams version I saw a few years ago. That was brutal.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I think of it.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Does wine count under the “eating” category?

16. Lights on the tree? Um, duh.

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Whatever it takes to be at home. Some years it meant traveling. I think the question is more “would you go to Hawaii for Christmas” type idea. Although tempting some times, no, I like to be home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I can. In fact we were reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to Duncan last night and I learned that it’s “Donder”. I always thought it was Donner!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Well… stockings and just gifts from us Christmas morning, then to church, then to Mom and Dad’s then we’re working on an afternoon opening.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The fact that my work insists on calling it a “Seasonal Gathering” Give me a break!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Don’t have any. I love it all. If it sparkles, I like it.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? *shrug*

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Just for Duncan to love and enjoy Christmas. I hope he “gets it”.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Laura.

27. Who is least likely to respond to this? Any number of people.

Irksome things and Misc. items

It irks me when a lot of people are getting on the Skytrain and one of the 1st people on decides they want to stand right in front of the door, so everyone else has to squeeze by them. Over all my Skytrain experience isn’t too horrible – not as bad as I thought it would be, and hey, only 4 more months of it. But anyhow, that annoys me.

Another thing that irks me – our company pension plan. I realized the other day that yes, I’m probably a lifer here (unless the 6-49 comes through, but I’m not counting on that). In order to qualify for a full pension I need 35 years of pension contribution (okay, that’s normal) and I need to be age 62. I started working for the company at age 22. Do the math. I will need to work here for 5 extra years beyond my pension contributions in order to get a full pension. Please shoot me if I’m still here at 62. No, don’t bother, I’ll probably be curled up under my desk crying.

Okay, for the record – it is a good company to work for! Don’t get me wrong! I wouldn’t still be here if they didn’t take good care of their employees. However, why can’t it be 35 years service, then full pension? It’s like you’re punished for starting to work for them at a young age. Oh well.

In other news… I think Tara got engaged (she said yes). We’re really happy for you and Chris, Tara. All the best.

Bean is doing well. As far as I can tell at least.

So is Duncan. He turns 2 on Monday! His party is going to be total chaos – yay!

Oh one more thing that irks me. My Wii Fit game does not allow “pregnancy” as a reason why you’ve put on weight. So when I use it, and it weighs me, I feel guilty! That’s not fair! But I’m glad I worked out last night!

The Non-Post

I was going to write, but I really have nothing much to say.
Good night!

Weekend Wrap

Hello! How are you? I'm good thanks! Blogs have been quiet lately, but I haven't been writing much myself, so I can't really fault anyone. It's busy for everyone!

Work is crazy busy. Very much a keep your nose to the grind stone feel right now (sometimes it's a bit lighter), but that's alright. I'm quite keeping on top of things, and that's what's important.

Weekend was good. Friday night my Dad bought us all tickets to go to the Vancouver Giant's game. Ronnie took Duncan for us (thanks Ronnie!) and we had a great time. 1st Giant's game I've ever been to, and they won 6-4 over Kamloops. Anyone who knows me well knows I am not a hockey fan, but it didn't matter. I know when to make all the appropriate "ohhhh"s and of course "Yay!" sounds. Bill said I was convincing :)

And it was a bit stormy that night so poor Ronnie had no power (Chris was at work) and it came on once and the smoke detectors (all hardwired) all went off, scaring Duncan quite silly. He was quiet out of sorts when we got him home and took about 1/2 hour to get him settled back to bed. But he had a good time. I know that.

Saturday was low key. Grocery shopping and Duncan and I went al the way over to Theresa's house for a visit.

Sunday - this afternoon out at Mom and Dad's (it was Dad's 69th birthday on Friday!) and had dinner with the family. Really nice. Really laid back and just a relaxing time.

And back to the grindstone tomorrow!

I haven't heard from anyone if you're able to come to Duncan's birthday party on the 6th. If you can't/don't want to come, no problem, but just let me know so I can plan! Have a good week!

Toddler in the Kitchen

It’s been a lot of fun as Duncan is taking a total interest in helping me in the kitchen. I won’t let him near the stove, but when I’m making other things, he’s right in there. In the morning when we’re making toast and coffee he gets to put the bread in the toaster and push the button down and he gets to turn on the coffee maker. When I’m baking he loves to help me stir it all up.
Our attempts to let him add ingredients hasn’t been too successful. Monday morning he wanted to add the coffee, but while his coordination is getting better it’s not so great yet, so that ended up being a little messy – but that’s okay!
I really want Duncan (and Bean when he/she is old enough) to enjoy being in the kitchen and I totally want to encourage them to get in there, help, and eventually do it on their own. Think back to when you were a kid. At least for me I was baking cookies on my own I’d say from the time I was 8 on up (Mom can correct me on this) and I always knew how to make Kraft Dinner, ramen noodles etc to make my own lunch. By the time I think I was 12 we all took turns one night a week making dinner. Yeah it was often fish sticks and tater tots, or chili, or on Jeff’s night pizza from 222 (he worked there and it was free), but I think it made us all at least a little competent in the kitchen.
I think to my college roomie Julie who I think was making dinner from the time she was 6 years old when Mom and Dad were busy or not home. I think we shy away quite a bit allowing kids to be in the kitchen because a. it can be a dangerous place and b. it’s easier and quicker to do it on our own. I’m really hoping I can keep that from happening in our house.

Pictures of Planets

Okay, so this is cool. It appeals to my geeky side. (which is the left side in case you're wondering). Now how they know those dots are actually planets, I don't know, however I'll leave it up to the people who claim to know a thing or two about it.

Science / Space & Cosmos
Now in Sight: Far-Off Planets
By DENNIS OVERBYE
Published: November 14, 2008
Images released on Thursday are believed to be the first pictures of planets orbiting stars other than the sun.

The Geek Line

I stood in the Geek Line at Future Shop this morning for my husband. How much does he love me? Well lots and lots he says... but I stood in the Geek Line for him! This was to get the new World of Warcraft expansion released today.

Okay, I know he really does enjoy the game, and honestly, I don't mind him playing it. But I'm thinking I should milk this some how. So what do you think I should ask for in return for this huge favour I did him?

And wait! It's not over yet!

I'm talking about the weekend. I took Monday off, and Tuesday is Remembrance Day, so it's a stat. So a nice 4 day weekend. Tuesday we'll go to the cenotaph for Remembrance Day services. We want Duncan to grow up understanding this day, what it's for, and the importance of remembering. Even if they are from wars so long ago.

Weekend so far has been good. Well started off shaky. I went home early Friday from work because I was simply exhausted. Went home, slept... felt a little better, but was still in bed just after 9.

Saturday Duncan and I met Mom and Dad for breakfast (Bill had a dentist appointment) and a bit later in the day Theresa and I braved Metrotown (sorry Tanya!) and I finally got some maternity clothes. I was really disappointed with the Old Navy maternity selection. And that's the reason I went there. But Thyme Maternity had some awesome sales, so we were good.

Sunday (that's today) Bill and I took Duncan to see Thomas Saves the Day at GM Place. What a hoot. Not only was Duncan totally tickled by taking the Skytrain (his 1st time - I take it every day, but we don't have too much reason to ride it otherwise) and then to see Thomas... well the grin on his face said it all. Certainly worth the trip.

Tomorrow we're going to Chris and Ronnie's. Home made pizza and play some games - should be fun. We don'd get over there near as much as we used to.

Anyhow, it's late, but we had late lunch/early dinner, but now I'm hungry so I'll make some soup. Good night!

Good news

We could all use good news right?

Bill saw the doctor today and his iritis is "better". He'll still need a few days before he can return to work, but we're grateful that he is now able to plan on returning to work. Praise the Lord!

Otherwise, not much on the go. Duncan is good, Bean is good, we have a showing for the house this afternoon, but we all know how the markets are, so while I am continually hopeful, I'm not getting my hopes up as it were.

No comments on the US election. Not my country so I don't really have a say now do I? :)Plus, I'd rather keep this a non-political blog.

Ladies, sorry I've farted out on you for Saturday night. I hope you're not mad at me. If you are, let me know and let's talk.

Lunchtime!

Some stuff to think about

This post originated from http://badmommymoments.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/grateful/ which I caught through a link from the Mommy Blog Network. Since mostly Moms read my blog, I am passing this on. Please check out her actual blog. I don't know this woman, but it doesn't matter, does it? The truth is the same.

"
grateful

Four weeks ago today I was obsessing about how to keep from personally disappearing in May when THREE was born. How to get all three kids out of the bigger car that we’d have to buy and somehow make it through the grocery store without melting down myself.

That was the day I found out that I miscarried.

So a lot has changed.

I’ve learned how to accept help. I’ve had wonderful people surrounding me for years, but until four weeks ago, I never asked any of them for help. It was interesting to learn just how proud I was to believe that I could do everything myself. Maybe I can do it all, but I don’t want to anymore.

I’ve reevaluated what I have. I’ve always believed myself to be a lucky girl. Not as in, “boy, I’ve got good luck,” but as in God has blessed me with an amazing family, a home, a passion for writing and outlets to create. But now I understand that I need to take time each day to believe that what I have and who I am is good. That He’s done everything for a reason. That I may never “get” that reason, but that it’s okay.

I’ve realized that it’s too easy to get bored with being home. To look around the house and only see what needs to be cleaned. To trudge into the kitchen to cook something, anything. To think that if I have to play one more game of Candyland or listen to Banana Phone one more time that I’ll really melt away this time. My life, and everything I have is gift. And if I don’t properly maintain myself, it will feel like a weight. But it doesn’t have to.

I’m continuing to learn value of slowing down. When life flips inside-out twice in a span of three weeks, it all blurs together. Everything is dizzy. And suddenly I realized that everything I once considered “a blur,” really wasn’t. And the things that seemed to drag were actually already gone. They are never coming back. I don’t want to remember them only in photographs.

And I’ve learned that I don’t have to entertain guilt. Guilt is impossible to see at first because it’s almost invisible, it’s normal. But when allowed to flow, it seeps out and corrodes what it touches. I know what happened is not my fault. That even though I didn’t want to be a “mother of three,” I know I would have loved THREE and gotten over myself. I also know that it’s okay that I think about THREE less and less. That I shouldn’t feel guilty because I’m not sad all the time anymore. That part of healing is letting go. That doesn’t mean I’ll forget. I’ll never forget.

But it feels good to feel good.

To be happy in the morning when I wake up.

To look at my husband and see him the way I did in college.

To take time each day to focus on how amazing and fascinating my children are.

To meditate on the heart of God. Who I thought He was before and who I believe Him to be now.

To work on the balance between who I am as a mother/wife and who I am as a person.

Because I now have a better understanding of what’s important.

And that it really is okay not to do it all myself."

Yay Bean!

Good evening!

We had our second maternity appointment tonight. I can't believe I'm in the 2nd trimester already. At the last appointment baby was too tiny for the heart beat monitor to pick up and the ultrasound machine (they have a mini one right in the office) to pick anything up.

Well it's amazing how much can change in 4 weeks. Baby is doing awesome (so is mama btw). Heartrate was about 170, we saw her legs, heart, head, face, arms... and she was busy (I like to say she, we have no idea and we're not going to find out). Yesterday after I'd made dinner and was sitting down I was convinced I'd felt her move already. At 1st I thought I was crazy, but then on a board I'm on some other Moms due around the same time said the same thing. Maybe Jennifer would be the best person to answer to that. Anyhow, it was all really cool and makes it that much more real.

Yay Bean! It was nice to see ya kid!

How would you like to win a custom made bag?

Okay, it's kind of complicated, but I'm on an email list for quilters and one of my quilter friends has a friend who makes these really neat bags, and she's going to give one away. So it's not a major contest, but fun none the less. And what's even better is if you win, she'll actually custom make the bag for you!

So check it out at http://threadsoffriendship.blogspot.com/2008/11/it-giveawayyour-choice.html. Have fun!

Time change?

It used to be the time change meant getting an extra hour of sleep. Now all it means is that Duncan will be up at 6:30-7:00 instead of 7:30-8:00 tomorrow. It also means he'll be tired for bed at 6:30, not 7:30. He'll adjust in a bit. But it certainly does not mean more sleep for us!

Weekend if 1/2 done. Halloween was fun. Duncan refused to dress up, so he went as a little boy. People thought that was quite amusing. Now we have more candy than we need, and he doesn't really eat candy. It will literally take months to get through.

Today I was going to go shopping at Metrowtown Old Navy for some maternity clothes (nearest ON that sells them). That's didn't happen. Poor Roo was up a good bit of the night with a fever related to teething. We finally got settled again around 3. He did sleep in, but just was not feeling too well today. So when he went down for a nap, so did I! Then grocery shopping, back home... Theresa came over and we rented The Incredible Hulk. I think we all quite enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we have a showing at 3:30 (only our 4th since going on the market!). So I think in the afternoon we might go swimming and possibly to the library.

Bill is still off work. He doesn't know if he is getting better. He thinks so. They did the needle in the eye thing again last Wednesday. Yep, it's as uncomfortable as it sounds.

And now on a side note. I'm watching the news about Orion Hutchinson's tragic death. As an RCMP office is involved, Tim Shields gave a statement. (I forget if he is still constable or now captain and I don't want to bother researching it). Anyhow, I think Tim has a hard job. I think it sucks that people come down so hard on the police when there are so many hard working good policemen out there. But you do get the odd bad apple - it's going to happen. And having to stand up in front of a camera and acknowledge that... well you're the face people connect with that negativity. I think Tim is doing a good job.

And finally, FINALLY the US elections are next week. I am so looking forward to this all being done.

Good night!

Laura in Seattle needs prayers

She just found out today that she has lost her job.

Please pray that she can find something new quick as we all know these are tight times financially.

I'm letting the world know!

I'm pregnant again! Alright, the 5 of you who read this I think know that already anyhow, but there you have it in writing. I'm due May 10 (so about 12.5 weeks along for those trying to figure it out). Of course we're really happy about this, and no we're not going to find out the sex before the baby is born.

I told my supervisor quite some time ago, but we let the other team managers and then my team know today, so now I'm free to chat about it (you know how they like information to come along in proper order). I told Sheryll (my boss) that I had to let the team know soon b/c I wanted to post it on Facebook and I have coworkers on there :)

So that's our good news!

That makes my day and other stuff

Bill is off work due to his iritis flaring again. You can see his blog post about it here. Anyhow, he normally still sends Duncan to day care - b/c Bill pretty much can't go outside too much as even when it's cloudy it's too bright, and feels bad that Duncan doesn't get to do too much when he keeps him home. Plus Duncan likes his friends at day care. The flip side of this is that we can let Duncan sleep in and we don't need to bring him over to Nikki's until he wakes up on his own - which is normally 7:30 - 8:00 as opposed to the evil 5:45 we normally get him up.

Today Bill decided to keep him home - well heck, he still loves his Duncan time. So I just called to say good morning (I was gone at 5:30 AM - UHG!) and Duncan was just waking up. Bill took the phone upstairs with him and put it on speaker phone. It is the sweetest thing in the world to hear my little boy chit chatting away with his Daddy and saying "Hi mama! Hi Mama!". Every morning he points to the various dinosaur thing in his room "arrr!!" and then we need to go over everything in his crib - Addison, Tinker, Steggie (the Stegosaurus), etc... Tinker and Addison are his favourite's right now, with Tinker totally being in the lead. He's a little beanie bear Mom got him when he was born, and it's getting to the go with him everywhere stage.

Laura - I think it's awesome you can get so much with your Shoppers Points! We don't shop there that often that I think I've got like 2000 points right now.

Andrea - Save-On points have actually gotten us quite a few things over the years. I figure I'm buying groceries anyhow, nice to get something on the side. However 1/2 the time I shop at Superstore (depending on what I need) so I don't earn them as quick as I once did.

This weekend - looks like we're going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow with Oma and Opa and cousins Erik and Katie- should be a hoot. Then to the Bell's Halloween party. Duncan will be tired, but quite happy I think.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Tinker:

Rewards

Tonight I used my Pampers Points To Grow to order some books for Duncan for Christmas. I think it's pretty cool that as a little added bonus for literally throwing hundreds of dollars their way, that I can get a little bonus like this on the side. In addition, we also used some Airmiles to get some free movie tickets. So tonight is get free stuff b/c I spent money somewhere else night. But hey, free is free, and if I'm spending the money anyhow...

Such A Thing As Glory

I’m listening to some Rich Mullins on my iPod. I just love Rich’s music and really encourage you to get your hands on some if you can. You can borrow my cds if you want, but I’d need to find them 1st (you know, everything is in storage). You might recognize some of the praise choruses from church, but his music goes way beyond that.

This song, Such A Thing As Glory, was my first favourite Rich song. I still remember my best friend from high school, Janette, and I going to a mini concert at a little Christian bookstore in Surrey. They played about 5 or 6 songs for us and asked “so is everyone going to the concert tonight?” and I muttered “no, can’t afford it” (I was in high school!) and they gave us free tickets to the show! That was awesome.

The Lord called Rich home in 1997 I believe it was – 11 years already! But his music is as moving as ever.

Such A Thing As Glory (slightly edited)

There is such a thing as glory
And there are hints of it everywhere
And the hints are overwhelming
And its scent is in the air
It's more powerful than morning
Oh the morning can't compare
With such a thing as glory
Such a thing as glory

There was a man named Jesus
And He was God and He was flesh
And He came down here to lead us out
From this burning wilderness
He took upon His shoulders
Our sin, our shame, our death
And there is such a thing as glory
Such a thing as glory

Now Jesus lives in glory
And Jesus reigns as Heaven's King
And the love of God is pouring out
On the earth the sky and sea
We who've come beneath His mercies
Will be compelled to sing
There is such a thing as glory

Ah... Sunday

I love Sundays. But 3 PM Saturday afternoon we'd done everything we needed to do for the weekend - run errands, clean the house, grocery shopping. So the rest of the weekend is ours!.

We rented Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have to say, after hearing from so many people that this movie really sucked - I thoroughly enjoyed it! It everything I'd expect out of an Indy movie - action, bugs, snakes, etc... okay the ending was kind of silly, but still I didn't mind at all. Now, I'm not exactly the most discerning of individuals when it comes to movies - maybe b/c we just don't watch that many, but it seems to me that when people go on about how awesome a move is, I'm let down, and then people say a movie sucked, I quite enjoy it. Maybe b/c I have low expectations. Maybe b/c I'm not a die hard fan of the franchise, or of the comic book series (where is applies) etc... Anyhow, it certainly makes my life easier!

So back to Sunday. Church this morning. Duncan actually made it through the whole service in the nursery! He hasn't made it through in months! We usually get called to get him (they have a subtle number system). So we're really impressed with him. Now he's taking a nap, I got some stew put on in the crock pot for dinner tonight. This afternoon we're going to Kanaka Creek Park to go for a walk with Oma and Opa... everything a Sunday should be - filled with stuff I want to do :)

And I have a flex tomorrow! yay! So I get to bring Duncan to Kindersteps, which will be fun. So enjoy your Sunday!

We're a mess!

Both Bill and I are home from work today.

As you may have read on Bill's blog, his iritis has flared again, which is causing problems with depth perception, causing dizziness, and consequently nausea. Nice 'eh? So while he actually has a flex day today, he's feeling pretty cruddy.

And then I woke up with a nasty headache. So while I wasn't planning on being home today...ta da! Here I am! I actually think I'm going back to bed soon. Might as well. Duncan was up early and he just went back down for a nap, so I'm going to follow. If this headache goes away I might take him out to some thrift shops later to see if we can throw together a Halloween Costume for him. I'm thinking pirate - nice and simple. Black track pants, white shirt, black vest, bandana on the head... voila. Really, we're just taking him around the complex, but it will still be fun.

Well have a good weekend everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving and other stuff

WARNING: this post ended up being long. Sorry! Here is the gist of it: vote tomorrow, weekend was nice, turkey is good, so are friends and family.

Let's take care of the other stuff 1st - don't forget to vote tomorrow! I won't tell you who to vote for, but it is important you do vote. And plus, if you don't, you can't complain. And what fun is a gov't if you can't complain about them? See if you vote for the people who don't get in you can say "if only the people I voted for got in..." and if you vote for the people who get in you can either say "I can't believe the people I voted for did that" or "I can't believe the opposition is going off about that again..." see - the possibilities!

That having been said - Happy Thanksgiving! We had a good but busy weekend. I look forward to next weekend which so far has no plans attached to it.

Saturday we had a mini-Thanksgiving dinner with Chris and Ronnie and the kids. It was a lot of fun, and good food. Ronnie did mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and salad, I did roast chicken, and roast cauliflower, stuffing and dessert. There was plenty left - it was a good test run though b/c we certainly took a lot less on our plates for our actual turkey dinner today. After dinner Duncan sat on the bed with Iain and "helped" him play Sonic. It was so cute - Iain gave him a controller that wasn't connected to the game and D was madly pressing buttons and saying "Whoa!!!" a lot. All 3 of the kids we're awesomely behaved - it was good to spend some time with them. Oh and after we watched "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-long Blog" as we're been going on about it for some time. C&R loved it too (well they acted like they did!).

Oh, and as an aside, David and Genevieve and Caspian came over for a short visit Saturday afternoon! We hadn't seen them since G was still expecting with C, and C is now about 15 months old! Way too long. It was wonderful to see them and we're glad they thought of us.

Today I was in charge of the turkey. Actually this is our normal Thanksgiving thing now. Mom and Dad weren't around until today, so Mom get's all the fixin's, but I actually do the cooking. It turned out well - yay! And it scares me but I now no longer need any direction on how to cook a turkey. I said to Mom "I do this and this and this and this and this, right?" and yep, that was it. So I'm a big girl now - I know how to cook a turkey. LOL! One year I screwed up the stuffing (put way too much salt in it - oops!) and one year the turkey had a blood clot in it (ewww!) so half of it didn't cook! Mom got a refund on that one - so not my fault.

This afternoon we were at Mom and Dad's. Small crowd, Mom and Dad, Jeff and Shell, Sean and us. Duncan was really well behaved and he'd just learned how to say Uncle Sean, Uncle Jeff, and Auntie Shelley the day before, so you could tell they were all tickled by that. And D totally took to Uncle Jeff. No surprise there - Jeff is just awesome with kids - he's the kind of uncle every kid should have. But also when Sean was leaving Duncan went down and gave him a huge hug and a kiss. Sweet! Not bad for an Uncle he doesn't get to see too often (maybe a few times a year).

And now we're home, digesting. Duncan is fast asleep (I just realized, he's not babbling any more), Bill is playing WOW, and I'm deciding what I'm going to do now :) Good night!

I exermacized!

I'm healthy now. I exercised!

I actually managed to drag my bum off to Aquafit last night, just like I said I was going to. It was a really good work out, and I'm really glad I went. They have shortened the class to 45 minutes, which I really like. When I went a few years ago I always found around the 40 minute mark I'd be thinking "20 more minutes!" and now it's "yay, only 5 more minutes". I've also heard from several sources that a good work out actually maximizes at 45 minutes and you're not gaining too much beyond that point in time.

In other news - we got iTunes working! And therefore we got my iPod working! Thank you again Bill who found a web site that gave beautiful step by step instructions as to how to get it working. I think the heart of it was the "repair" choice on Quicktime. So I got it charged, now I need to get some music on there. Bill had been one by one getting our cds converted to iTunes, so I'll take some from that collection, and eventually we'll get them all switched over.

And it's Thursday. Happy Thursday everyone!

This and That

Good morning! We were a little slow getting out the door this morning, but Duncan continues to be awesome going to Nikki's. He danced there this morning :)

Day #2, still no iTunes working on the computer, and this is after Bill had a go at it. Soon I am returning that iPod. Sorry Apple. I realize the problem is probably Vista, but I'm not going to get a new computer just so an iPod will work.

We had an offer! But it wasn't a very good one. $40,000 below asking, so we didn't even counter, we just turned it down. Here is our listing. Pictures should be up soon.

I brought left over chocolate cake to work. It was hard to let go, but I didn't need it in my house, and I can promise the next time I walk by the lunch room it will be gone. I hope other people enjoy!

I'm in training all day today. Hope you all have a good day.

Technologically challenged

Okay, I'm not exactly a slouch when it comes to technology. I know my way around a computer well enough, if something doesn't work I can usually figure out the answers through FAQs or googling it and just putting 2 and 2 together and getting stuff figured out.

But it seems to me that the last few days, technology is against me.

Bill, sweetheart husband that he is, bought me an ipod for my birthday. I'm looking forward to getting all my music on there (and I mean all, b/c there is room on this thing for all of it) and using it at work or on the Skytrain... So last night I sit down after dinner to update my Itunes and sync my new ipod. Itunes has been prompting me to update to v. 8 for a few weeks now but every time I try it hasn't worked. So I thought this would be a good time to figure out the issue and get it all running.

Yeah, not so much. Tanya and Andre, I know you're Apple people. But at this point in time I am sooooo close to returning that Ipod to Future Shop and getting a Zune instead. After one hour, the silly program still wouldn't install - a problem with Quicktime. Quicktime won't uninstall. It won't reinstall. I've been to the Apple site. I've Googled it. It's not working. I finally had to shut it down out of frustration. We'll give it another go again maybe tonight, but if it doesn't work soon, I will return that thing. Are you listening Apple? I don't even like Quicktime! Why don't I like Quicktime? Because it's an insidious program that you can't get out of your computer. That's why.

LOL!!! Okay, vent over. I'm just having fun, but the heart of it is frustrating b/c it shouldn't be that hard.

Otherwise, we had a wonderful weekend. It was wonderful to have our friends over on Saturday night and introduce them to the joys of Wii Fit. Who knew it was such a great party game. And on Sunday we had the joy of meeting Paige Hatch. She's so small!! Was fun to hold her and visit for a bit.

Back to the grind!

Well how about that?

We've got our 1st showing this afternoon at 2!! That was quick. I am praying. I don't expect it to result in a sale, but the Lord may have other plans. Wouldn't that be something?

Happy Birthday to me!

Well it was a happy birthday for me. I just need to say I have the most wonderful husband ever. Bill, being the awesome man that he is, ordered several cd's from Scottish Folk Musician Dougie MacLean, direct from Dougie's web site, and signed and all. I can't recommend Dougie highly enough, and I just think it's awesome Bill thought of such an awesome gift. Thanks again sweetheart.

For dinner last night we made homemade pizza - which I love. So it was the perfect Birthday dinner for me. I had some awesome cuddles from Duncan - it was a good night.

I also have awesome friends and family - from Mom who dropped off a card, beautiful plant arrangement, and chocolate cake, to Ronnie who gave me a Starbucks card - which is allowing me to enjoy a Grande Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte right now - to Theresa who tried to buy me tea yesterday afternoon. I say tried b/c she forgot her wallet at her desk. Convenient? Well get this, Starbucks says "don't worry, we'll get it next time". They see us in there all the time, so I guess they know she's good for it. I told her it was a handy trick though.

Tonight we at Mom and Dad's for dinner. Tomorrow night we've got people coming over! Yay! So it's like a 3 day celebration. And well you know, I'm worth it, so that's okay. LOL!!!! JK!! I'm really not that cocky.

Love you all. Hope you're well.

We've Listed

Alright folks, we've got the wheels in motion to sell our place. I'll post a link once there is something to show on RealtyLink.org or MLS.ca.

If it works for you, please send a prayer our way that this sale might go quick in this really slow market. We're not asking for a miracle (ie that we'll get asking price) but just that we might get something quick and reasonable. We'd love to be in the new place by Christmas, or even Duncan's birthday!

Speaking of which our little Roo is 22 months old. Can you believe this kid is almost 2? He's such an amazingly sweet soul. Oh yeah and he's just loving being back at Nikki's. No more fighting Duncan in the morning! yay!

Love you all! Congratulations Jennifer and Kevin. We're thrilled for you.

Could it be?

Are we actually ready to list? Bill and I took Thursday off, I had a flex day Friday, and then Saturday and Sunday... well we got almost all of it done. Tomorrow my Dad has asked someone to come over and help with the last little bit of cleaning - thanks again Dad! And after that I think we'll actually be ready to go. The place looks good. We're really hapy with it and it's kind of funny that we now have this place looking how we want it, and now we're going to sell and then have to do it all over again in the new house. You know, that's the kind of blessing I'm willing to live with :) We'll let you know when we're ready to list.

Really, doing that took up most of the weekend. Duncan and I had some friends over on Friday, which was very nice. And Duncan is back to Nikki's tomorrow. Will be a bit of an adjustment again, but I think he'll enjoy it. They are going to be going to Kindersteps, which I think he'll love.

I think I'm going to go upstairs and read! Good night all, have a good week, and Jennifer, yep, we're praying for Paige's safe arrival. I still need to get that thing to you :)

Busy day

Bill and I took the day off to get some work done around the house. We're getting closer to listing. We're hoping by the end of this weekend we'll be ready to go. We sent Duncan to day care for the day and just took care of cleaning, repairing, painting, packing, sorting, etc... Dad also came by to help us out with a few things (thanks Dad!). We feel really good about what we got done. Upstairs looks good, now we need to finish up downstairs.

And I have a flex day tomorrow! I'm looking forward to a day with my boy. I think we have some friends coming over for a visit, which will be good.

I have this cold, and whatever, big deal, but it's moved into my chest and that's brutal. I woke up at 4 AM sputtering. So I got up, had some tea, and back in bed around 4:30, but it seriously disturbed my sleep!

And that's about all. Most people HAVE NOT BEEN BLOGGING LATELY, so I'll assume you're all well - that Warren is growing like a weed, and that Paige has not shown up yet, and that everyone else is doing good.

D'oh!

I caught that cold going around. Darnit all. I'm past the sore throat already, so now it's stuffed up runny, foggy head feeling. Oh well, I'll manage. Hot tea anyone?

As for the blue laminate flooring I mentioned in my last post. People seem to be rather skeptical about it, however, as I see it, it's free! What have we to lose? If we don't like it, we pass it on to someone else, and it might even look cool.

Got lots done last night. We're both off Thursday to do what we can to finish things up. We're getting there!! Hope you're all well!

Sweet!

Have I mentioned I love Freecycle? We recently offered a bunch of stuff up, all of which was gratefully received. So today someone posts they have navy blue laminate. It's used, but in good condition. I think that would be great in Duncan's room in the new house. And sure enough they said we can have it. I think that's going to be awesome! Perfect for a little boy. And we have a gallon of blue paint (which ironically matches our current living room colour exactly) which we were going to use in his new room anyhow.

Okay, yes we still need to get our place on the market and sell it, but it's fun to think of the new place. I'm hoping we can be in by Christmas and hold some kind of open house/Christmas party.

Sunday night

After this I'm going to bed. Watching Mythbusters right now, but it's a repeat. Always a fun show though.

Weekend was good but busy. Friday night John and Amy came out for a visit. Wonderful to see them, and little Siena is growing so much! Wow! They not only brought us dinner (yum, greek), but they also brought an ice cream cake! Double yum. Played a few rounds of Settlers and that was that, but it was a great visit.

Saturday morning Bill had a dentist appointment, so Duncan and I did the grocery shopping and went home. Saturday afternoon we were scheduled to head down to Seattle for Jesse's birthday dinner. At the last minute we asked Theresa if she could watch Duncan in the afternoon. My Dad was going to, but it worked much better this way. So we put him down for a nap and headed out. Much easier than him getting upset at us going. Traffic getting down to Jesse and Laura's was miserable! It took us 4.5 hours!! Isn't that insane? Border line up was 1 hour (that was a short one, most were 2 hours), and then the Guide Meridian down to Bellingham was closed due to construction and the detour was insanely out of the way. So we left the house at 2 and didn't get there until 6:30. Dinner and the visit were wonderful. As always Laura presented a phenomenal meal. Was really good to see them. And they plan on coming up in a few weeks to return to favour. But, funnily enough, Laura bought an ice cream cake... 2 nights in a row! Crazy. So I admitted to Bill that although I love them, perhaps I don't need one in a few weeks. I'm thinking I might make a nice tasty double layered chocolate cake. Everyone loves chocolate cake right? Anyhow, we were back on the road at 9:30. Home before 12:30. So going home was much better. It will be even better when that bridge opens next summer. We would have been home in 20 minutes from crossing the border.

I was in nursery at church this morning. 12 kids, which is quite a bit for us. But it went well. I think because it's September and everyone is back into the swing of things. Our church started this 40 days of prayer campaign today. But since I was in the nursery I still don't know anything about it :) This afternoon we popped out to Costco quick, and otherwise just took it easy. After all, it's Sunday. I love Sundays.

I'm thinking of taking a day off work this week to clean the house. I have Friday off, but Duncan will be home, so I might take Thursday and send him anyhow. Daycare is cool with that. But work is insanely busy right now, so I'll need to see what I can squeeze in M-W, and I'd need to make up some time in advance for my flex day. But it would be worth it I think.

Hope you're all well! Good night and good week!

Grumble, grumble, grumble

For the record I'm actually not in a bad mood, but just had one of "those" commutes causing me to be almost 30 minutes late for work. My boss says no worries, but it still bugs me b/c I don't like to be late. Traffic on the Mary Hill was worse than normal, there was a semi-truck pulled off to the side on the freeway causing back up, there was some airhead driving a truck for Sears not paying attention and going far too slow in the lane we were in. I just missed the Skytrain, had to wait at least 5 minutes until the next one, and it was packed. Broadway was even worse and so we waited for the next train and some numb-skull comes and waltzes right up in front of the line, and when he's on the train stands right in the door. Consequently at each stop, when you're near the door you normally, as a courtesy, step off so people getting off have room to move. Well this guy didn't. And he had the look on his face "I dare you to challenge me". Escalator wasn't running in Royal Centre (again) so I take the stairs (I find the spacing on the stairs much more "normal" than escalator steps when they are not moving - so I thought it would be quicker) only to get caught behind some lady taking her really sweet time. *deep breath*. But I'm here! Yay!

Let's see... house is coming along, but not quick! We're getting there though. No way we're listing this week though. Down to Jesse and Laura's on Saturday - Mom and Dad are watching Roo for us. That should be good.

I was going to write about something else, but I need to get working. Oh, Freecycle! Freecycle is awesome. I posted some things yesterday, and of course got some quick replies, which is nice. So I post my "taken" posts, and this morning I have a whole bunch more from people wanting the stuff. Pay attention people! Oh well! I posted taken, so I don't need to reply to them all. Glad we could make some people happy.

How does this happen?

From Reuters

My question is - how does this happen? Who is thinking "yeah we'll just add melamine..."

Probe finds 20 pct of China milk companies in scandal

Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:15pm EDT

Trudging

"Trudging, trudging, trudging..." 10 points to whoever can tell me where that song is from - Bill, you can't play.

We're trudging along! Working at it but getting the place ready to go on the market is taking forever. Consider working full time, and pretty much not much can get done until Duncan is in bed - that's not a lot of extra time. But on Saturday Ronnie took Duncan for the afternoon and we got a whole bunch of stuff done, which was awesome. Thanks again Ronnie! (Well and Chris and the kids).

Sunday morning we had church in the park at Maple Ridge park. It was beautiful! Unfortunately we couldn't stay for the whole service. We took turns letting Duncan play in the park, but there were some kids throwing sand at him and pushing him over and what not. It annoyed me because the Moms were right there, and totally ignoring it all. I wasn't in a mood to say something. That having been said, Duncan was not content to sit through the service.

We had the inspection done on the new house yesterday - nothing major - yay! For a house it's age it's doing well. We know what we'll need to do once we get in - we need a sub-electrical panel if we want a dishwasher added (yes, I want a dishwasher). Fence is #1 priority for Duncan safety. But it was good to be in the house again - feels good. When we go on the market we're praying for a quick sale! We'll see.

Flex day yesterday. Duncan and I went to visit some friends. That was good. Having the library and upstairs bathroom painted, and Dad sent over someone to fix the drywall in the library. So that will all be done today.

Back to work! Have a good day!

Puke

This post is about puke. If you’re one of those people who the talk of puke makes you want to puke – don’t read this.

Our son is a puker. This kid has such a high gag reflex that even the smallest thing makes him throw up. I hope this changes for him as he gets bigger or going to the dentist might cause some grief.

This morning just before 8:00 I get a call from our day care “he’s projectile vomiting – you need to come get him”. So urgent call to Oma and Opa “can one of you go get him? One of us will be home as soon as we can” Yep, Oma would (thanks again Mom!). Call back to daycare “okay his Oma is on her way”. Call to Bill “Duncan is sick”. Now we were both surprised b/c he didn’t eat anything weird, and he was fine this morning. Normal Duncan-y self. But we had witnessed this on our cruise – copious amounts of puke and then he’s fine.

Bill gets family days at work (yay!) so although I would have loved an excuse to go home, it was way easier for him b/c he doesn’t need to take a vacation day and make up time, and he’s that much closer to home. So Bill went home. Before he got there I got a call from my Mom “So let me tell you how sick your little boy is…” Well that is to say not at all. He was happy to have Oma over, he was playing with all his cars (and I mean all of them – this kid is all about cars, trains and planes) and then jumped on the couch “Choo choo Oma?” (That means “Can we please watch Thomas and Friends?”). I talked Mom through pulling it up on Media Centre.

And since then he and Bill have been having a very fine day together. Duncan ate a normal lunch, had a good nap, and they are out for a walk right now.

The End.

Hang ups

Here is my questions. Why do people hang up on your voice mail after the beep? My message at work isn't so short that people are caught by surprise when it suddenly goes beep. But at 2:19 someone left a hang up and again at 2:20. Chances are it was the same person. Please leave a message - I'm sure it even says that - and I will return your call. I'm pretty good about returning calls.

But otherwise we're good. Just silly busy. No down time at all with packing and decluttering and what not. Had painter over Monday night for a quote (eek!), Realtor over last night, going to visit with the people we're buying from tonight. And pack pack pack. Ronnie, bless her, is taking Duncan Saturday afternoon so we can get some stuff done. I've asked Theresa a few favours too - one of which is helping me get my garden in reasonable shape.

And Duncan has a cold, poor Boo. To be expected with back to school with all the kids in day care, but it does not make him a happy camper.

Back to work!

Hey Jenn!

To be honest I can't keep track of which email address to email you at, so I'll do it this way.

I have that thing you'd like to borrow for Paige's arrival. However I don't know how I am going to get it to you on time. We're super swamped in our free time trying to get the house ready to list.

I know Kevin works downtown (Ronnie told me) would it work for me to coordinate with him? Or is there some other way I could work it out to see you before Missy arrives? Let me know!

KERPLEWIE!

That's what our hot water tank did today. Yes, the day after our Realtor was here, Bill got up this morning and smelt an odd burning smell. Turns out it was the hot water tank and the bottom panel had smoke coming out of it. That's not supposed to happen!

He flipped the breaker, and after several calls between Bill, me, my Dad, an electrician ("call a plumber"), Dad "hey Dad do you have the name of a plumber?", the plumber... Thank goodness he was able to make it out pretty quick to Bill, and was able to assess really quick that the tank was shot. Aside from the smoke, aside from the black insulation around it (from smoke), there was also leaking and rust. I've actually been complaining about this thing for years, but it kept working, so don't fix it right?

So $800 later *sigh* we've got a new hot water tank. I'm appreciative to the plumber for getting the whole job done today and not leaving us without hot water for the weekend.

Now on the upside when we list the place we can say it has a new hot water tank, and also when we sell the place the inspector would have discovered it's poor shape and we probably would have had to replace it then anyhow. Or it could have been a deal breaker, so let's hope this helps thing.

I think we're about 2 weeks away from listing.

Oh! Ice cream! shhhh don't tell!

More random thoughts

Alright, I have so much to do here, but I’ll take a minute and say good morning. Tanya commented on my blog yesterday about the house “oh, so you’re going for it?” and I realized I’d never said we actually were. Yes we are! And we’re excited. Bill has been toting stuff off to the storage locker – although there is still lots to tote. I think we’ll be getting together with our Realtor this week, and then once stuff is toted we need to start with minor repairs before painting (such as the multitude of holes in the 3^rd bedroom walls from the shelves that were up there). Our neighbours very kindly said they don’t think we’ll have a problem selling. Let’s hope so!

Lovin’ the Wii Fit! I actually really do enjoy the exercises – and it is a good work out, but it’s fun. I think my favourite so far is the step class – it’s like guitar hero with your feet. I get muddled quite quickly, but it’s fun.

I did get to VV yesterday and spent a whopping $10. Since we’re decluttering it didn’t make sense to bring a whole bunch of new stuff home. So I got a car for Duncan, and this little toy tractor for him, a pair of shoes for him and a shirt for Bill. Duncan was kind of de-compensating at that point so we just paid and left, but it was a nice little walk. Ran into my coworker Jennifer there who is pregnant and I think she is now wondering what she has to look forward to with children having melt downs in the middle of the store.

Okay, lots and lots to do. Have a good day everyone!

Hints of Fall

1st day of school, and we still have 3 weeks of summer left, but the air certainly has that fall smell to it. Crisp and fresh - nice and cool at night (ideal for really good sleep), but beautiful during the day. I love fall! I even like the dark rainy nights and the cozy feeling of it all.

How's everyone doing? Tanya - love the Warren pictures. I love the washcloth on the head pictures.

We're doing good. As Bill will tell you, not a restful weekend - more so for him than me as he was doing tech work at Mom's school all weekend to get everything ready for today, and then also packing boxes off to our storage locker which we rented out on the weekend. And there is still a lot to move! But one of us has to stay home with Duncan, so we're only half as productive as we would be. But you know, I'll take Duncan duty over getting a house ready for sale.

He is such a sweet boy!! And he loves his cars. And he loves trains (especially Thomas - no surprise there - he's such a typical little boy). However we are not falling into the "Duncan needs Thomas the tank engine stuff" trap because it's so freaking expensive. A coworker mentioned to me that Ikea sells a train set, so we'll probably get him one of those b/c it's cheap and he'd like it. He was very unimpressed with me yesterday when he had to stop playing with the train set at Chapters in Coquitlam. "Choo choo Mommy! Choo choo!" And when we were leaving "Noooo!!! Choo choo! Choo choo!" LOL!

For those of you who are not anti-Value Village (I pop in now and then b/c you can find some great deals. I enjoy thrift shop browsing though) they are having a 50% off all used items sale today, and 70% off between 7-9 tonight. Good time to poke around. I've had a few good finds there like my Hamilton Beach Grill which is $79 retail and I got it for $8 (works like a charm), I've found a few PartyLite pieces there for $.50 for a set, and I got the fabric for Duncan's dinosaur curtains there for $2 or something silly. I find their used childrens clother are way over priced - considering you can usually buy it for the same price or cheaper at SuperStore in the "Joe" line.

Alright I supposed I should get some work done. 4 day work week! Yay!

Big News! (No, I'm not pregnant)

So, um, yeah, it looks like we're buying a house!

Soooo... think back... way back to, well, yesterday, when I was posting about wanting to do some touch-ups around the house. Because, after all, let's be honest, not like we were going to get into a house any time in the near future.

Well, my Dad calls me up on Tuesday afternoon - got an interesting phone call. An eldery lady from our church was moving in with her daughter, and her house was one my Dad had built 33 years before. In fact the 1st house he had ever built. He had previously mentioned to her that if she was thinking of selling to please let him know because we might be interested in buying it. Now she is moving in with her daughter (who lives right behind) and is looking to sell the house, are we interested?

Dad popped out to look at the house - pretty decent shape! This afternoon we went and took a look - and we're thrilled! It's a 3 bedroom rancher with a family room and laundry room. It is off of a very busy street (and right across from Tim Hortons!). I took some pictures. Take a look here. I forgot to get a picture of the living room - but it's a nice open floor plan with the kitchen and dining area and living room. And the doors to the family room (right off the living room) close for peace and quiet. It has a huge apple tree in the front yard. And a separate garage with a storage room in the back. We've been pressed for space lately, and with planning for another kid, it was going to get worse.

So the best part of all is that they are selling it to us at a very good price. "After all, with housing prices the way they are these days, how can kids expect to get on their feet?"

This has come at us so fast it's silly, but assuming it passes an inspection, there is no reason not to do it.

Oh, but now we need to sell our townhouse. That's the tricky part. So if you know of someone looking for a nice 3 bedroom townhouse within walking distance of the West Coast Express and two covered parking spots, let us know.

Please pray for us during this whole process that if it is the Lord's will that we buy this house that it all comes together okay.

Oh, and we still need to paint. *grin*

Painting Party

If we had a painting party would you come and help?

We're thinking of doing some touch ups around the house - paint the master bedroom (never been done since we've lived there, 7 years now), and also the 3rd bedroom which will become Duncan's room. I was thinking the best way to get it done in one day (while pawning Duncan off on someone for the day) would be to have a few people over and help us get it done just quick and easy (including ceilings). I don't know when, but I'm just wondering if people are even up to this :) Let me know!

Misc. for Monday

Tanya - I totally forgot all the clothes you had along with you on Saturday to return to me. Sorry! This just means we need to get together again soon so I can take them off your hands.

I got a Wii Fit! Finally. This was actually my Mother's Day gift but we couldn't find one. I got the last one at SuperStore, so quite happy. Now I need to pull it out of the box and, gasp, use it.

Yesterday afternoon we put Duncan down for a nap and so I thought "ah ha, I'll have a few hours to quilt for once!" Yeah, not so much. He did not want to sleep, so I had everything pulled out, iron warmed up, even cut 5 whole strips of fabric, and had to pack it all away b/c there is no quilting when little boys are up.

Speaking of little boys, he was such a trooper this morning. He's been having a hard time adjusting going back to day care after vacation, so when we were ready to go he started to cry. I just said to him "You need to be a big boy and stop crying." And he did! I had to remind him a few times going over there, but with tears in his eyes, and a trembling lip I handed him over with no crying at all. He is such a sweet soul.

Happy Birthday Jeff

One of my big brothers (I have 3) turns 40 today! Happy Birthday Jeff!

Also I missed Tim's birthday b/c we were gone, so happy belated 42nd Tim!

Sean - it's not your turn yet. Not that any of you read my blog anyhow.

I think you're all old farts! ha ha ha ha ha!


Love you brothers!

Hope yet?

From Reuters:

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sci Fi Channel isn't about to let down "Stargate" fans.

The network is set to announce the order of a new series from MGM Television, "Stargate: Universe," that will mark the third entry in Sci Fi's longest-running original series franchise.

The green light comes on the heels of Sci Fi's confirming Thursday that "Stargate: Atlantis" will not receive a sixth-season order. The "Universe" pickup ensures the continuation of the popular "Stargate" franchise, which has been on the air in various incarnations since 1997.

"Universe" -- which will premiere as a two-hour movie in early 2009 and assume a regular hourly slot in the summer -- introduces a team of explorers who find an ancient unmanned ship called the Destiny. Unable to return to Earth, the crew must fend for themselves aboard the ship, which has a preprogrammed mission taking them to the far reaches of the universe.

So that's pretty cool.

How's everyone this morning? I'm riding to the train with Theresa so I get to leave a little later. I was up normal time anyhow and snuck Duncan a fresh bottle in hopes that it will help him sleep a bit longer for Bill. Oh, wait... here's Bill, so obviously that didn't work!

Check out Bill's recent post for goings ons... he pretty much covered life as of late.

Baby shower tomorrow, so that will be fun.

I can't think. I need coffee. Have a good day everyone!

Hi!

I'll post tomorrow. Time for bed! Good grief people, you ask too much of me....

Stargate Atlantis Cancelled

Darnit all! We've become quite big fans of the whole Stargate franchise. We have all of Sg1 on DVD, including the 2 direct to dvd movies, and all but the most recently released Atlantis on DVD. It's a good solid fun show. And now it's ending! There are talks of a 3rd show, but it's only been proposed so far and nothing else has come of it yet. There is also the huge multiplayer game coming out, but that's not quite the same.

I'll miss you Stargate!

Stop canceling all the shows we like Sci-Fi!!

from my MOPS email

I receive weekly emails from the fine people at MOPS - although I haven't gone in quite some time. I just really appreciated this email though. Thank goodness I haven't gone "here" with Duncan (yet?).

On one thing professionals and amateurs agree, mothers can't win.
(Margaret Drabble)

Eating Deodorant

Christy Molnar, Council Coordinator

Yesterday morning I caught my 21-month-old youngest child, Danielle, eating her dad's scented deodorant. Well, actually, when she heard me coming, she ran back into the bathroom and tried to quickly put it away. I saw little, white "crumb-like" pieces all across the floor. As I ran after her, I saw the deodorant and then I caught the full scent. Whew! I grabbed it and saw she had been gnawing on it. The warning on the back said that if swallowed, to contact medical personnel or call Poison Control.

I immediately called my pediatrician's office and they gave me the number for Poison Control. I was in full panic as I waited on hold with Poison Control for what felt like an hour (but was really less than 2 minutes). What has she done? Should I have rushed her to the hospital? WHO eats deodorant? Of course, while I’m panicking, Danielle was over by her toys calmly playing. That was a little reassuring. When I told the operator what happened, she assured me that it would be fine. Thankfully, Danielle didn't get any deodorant in her eyes. And, I was told that if she actually swallowed any of the deodorant, she would probably throw it up and be fine. “Really?” I thought. “You can eat deodorant, throw up and be fine? Ok, thank you.”

What I really appreciated during the phone call was that the operator was very reassuring. I felt so guilty. I felt like a bad mom. Who lets their child get a hold of deodorant and eat it? I defensively told her that I’m the mom of two older boys and have never had to call Poison Control with them. I didn't want her to judge me. She didn't. She said, "Oh, you have a little adventurer on your hands who will certainly continue to be a blessing to you."

Yeah, I have a little adventurer all right. She is taking me on quite the roller coaster ride. In the end, Danielle didn't throw up. As I cleaned all the bits off the carpet and soaked her clothes, it appeared she had really just been chewing it. I don't know, maybe the texture was appealing. Ewwwww....

Prayer From a Mother's Heart

Dear God, help me to understand that your love and validation is not dependent on what I do or don't do so that I can model that love to my child.