Powerful Insanity

PNP letters from Santa

2010-12-18T04:33:00.001-08:00

I love these letters from Santa! You can customize them with pictures and details, to the point where Alan, at least, is talking back to the computer and actually believes that Santa is talking directly to him. LOVE IT. You can see Alan's video here, if you want to :)

Christmas Concert

2010-12-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Alan's school Christmas Concert! pics to follow!

Wow I'm horrible at updating this thing.....

2010-06-24T04:16:00.001-07:00

Didn't realize til I logged on just now how long it had been since I updated this :) It's kind of silly, especially since I'm normally home with the two children, going half out of mind trying to find new ways to avoid doing the same old housework. The kids are entertaining, though, I must say. They baby is just shy of four months old (hard to believe!) and Alan is registered for PRESCHOOL in the fall. Yikes. He really needs it though, this kid is a smart freakin' cookie. He scares me sometimes with the stuff he comes out with. I'm also spending a bit of time readying my head for going back to work in September...my colleagues are all focused on leaving school, and I'm starting to panic about going back already! And not panic in the Oh-My-God-How-Will-I-Ever-Leave-My-Kids kinda way (it's not so hard when you have such a FABULOUS babysitter like I do), more in a Holy-Crap-I-Forget-How-To-Do-This kinda way. Throw in the fact that somebody had a great, but poorly executed, idea of screwing a giant SmartBoard over my only Whiteboard (love the smartboard, but I"m going to miss the option of a whiteboard) and there's a whole new learning curve. Oh yeah - and I can't reach the top of it. Which wouldn't be a problem, but if you look at the top of your screen, you'll notice that all the tools you need to edit, open, close, and so on are located where? At the top. Looks like BJ will be building me a platform to stand on....

On another note, Miss Jess has been in and out of the hospital waiting to have her little guy (Carson Edward Carew). She's jjust over 37 weeks, so it's a little early, but she'll likely go anytime now. Don't envy her, don't miss those last few weeks of pregnancy at all.

Anyway, I"m going to post some pics and a video, then go find a new and inventive way of avoiding cleaning the house around me. :)

How to Confuse a Kid in Two Sentences....

2010-04-01T11:30:00.001-07:00

I just had to blog a conversation I had with Alan today. To give a bit of background, my sweet little boy has recently found a whole boatload of saucy. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the new baby and the adjustments we are all making, but it can be a real touchy balance between giving him some leeway and not letting him get away with murder. Currently, my biggest beefs are the attitude and not listening to what he's told to do. He tends to look at me and say "No" in the snottiest voice he can find when asked to do something he doesn't want to, and as you can imagine, I can NOT stand it. Bad enough I have to put up with it from other people's kids when I work, I refuse to put up with it from my own. So the conversation we had today went like this:

Me: "Alan, please (go do something I can't remember right now)"
Alan: "NO"
Me: "Alan, if you say "no" to me again, you are getting a Time Out"
Alan: *shakes head*
Me: "Did you just say "no"?"
Alan: "N...I mean Ye....N.....ummmmmmmm?"

At this point I almost cracked up, as I realized that he knew there was no way to answer the question I had asked him, but was trying to find a way. Eventually he just said " Uh Uh", but the moment was over for me. Leave it to me to ask him a question with no way for him to answer it and not get in trouble :)

More Pics

2010-03-26T05:16:00.001-07:00

Alan and his new Mickey Mouse...Gotta love it!!
Alan's "big brother" present. Where were these when I was a kid?

Almost three weeks old here, having some tummy time

Smiling...sorry for the fuzziness, trying to take a pic with one hand of a baby on my lap is harder than I thought it would be!

My Beautiful Boy

Scott is three weeks old today, hard as it is to believe. We're settling in, although there are definitely adjustments being made on all sides. Alan is dealing fairly well, but the adjustment for him also includes re-learning the rules of our house after being at Grandma's for five weeks, as well as not having his Momma at his beckon call. Go figure - he always needs me at the EXACT same time Scott does (usually while nursing, of course). But we're all learning. Scott is a pretty relaxed baby, and a generally good sleeper, although at times I definitely feel rather Zombie-like, but what new mother doesn't? For now, we are looking forward to the long Easter weekend, and hoping for nice weather so we can go outside (while a good chunk of my family spends a week on the beach in Cuba....grumble).

Just in case anyone hasn't heard.....

2010-03-14T15:59:00.001-07:00

He's here! Finally! After waiting, and waiting, and waiting, 9 days past my due date, Scott Alexander Power has arrived. As of this writing he is just over an hour shy of being exactly nine days old....hard to believe that it's been that long already! I stayed at mom's from the 5th of February until today (the 14th of March), so that I could have him at the IWK. Nobody thought I would end up being induced, especially me! As it was, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension can be thanked for getting me induced at all- the doctors were going to let me wait a little while longer, regardless the effect on my mental health! At any rate, he weighted 8 pounds, 10 ounces at birth, and was 21 inches long; a perfectly healthy little boy. When we left the hospital he had dropped down to 8lbs 4 ozs, but was 8lbs 11 ozs at his 6-day-old appt on Thursday, so he is obviously thriving. He's a great eater and a great sleeper - we've already had a few nights where he slept for four hours or so. At any rate, we're home now (Alan is happy to be here, but I bet it won't be long before he misses Nathan!) and looking forward to getting settled in, but I just need to say a public thank you to the family for all their help and support (and fetching, and carrying, and chauffering, etc etc etc) - it definitely made the process a million times easier!

Maternity Leave!

2010-02-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

you can't see my head, but the belly says it all!
Goofball

loves sledding!!

so does daddy!

eek!

Cutie Pie in his official Vancouver Olympics 2010 outfit he got from Aunt Cindy for Christmas :)

Sooooooo....I'm on maternity leave. I feel like I should be more excited than I am, though. I am glad to not be working, as I was always exhausted, cranky, and stressed out (mostly due to a combination of the job, the mix of kids this year, and the pregnancy, I think). However, I mostly just feel REALLY impatient to get this show on the road. I am 37 weeks pregnant today (I've only gained 23 pounds this time, too. YAY!) and I would gladly take this baby at any time. Alan and I will be home together this week, though he's going to the sitter's probably Wednesday and Friday to get me a chance to rest up and get some "stuff" done around here. On Friday, we'll be heading to Momma's. Lindsay is hosting a baby shower for me on Saturday, so I'm psyched to see everyone. After that, Alan and I will hang out at Mom's until the baby is born. BJ will have to go back home (to his relatively new job at Honda :) ) until the baby is on his way. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Alan reacts to the little guy. He is over the whole "My baby brother is a robot" idea, but he does think that the baby is about an inch long..... Until then, I should probably tidy up the house and whatnot. Maybe we'll have a nap first.......

Sleeping in the Fort....

2010-01-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone, as has New Year's. We had a lot of fun, and there are a lot of pics on Facebook that I will link at a later time. I had to blog about this funny little event, though. Alan got a cool toy for Christmas from our friend Shawn who has been staying with us since August. It's called Crazy Forts, and consists of a bunch of balls and sticks that go together to make a fort in a variety of different shapes that you then throw a sheet over to complete it. We've had it set up in the spare room in the shape of an igloo for a couple of days. Anyway, he decided tonight that he just HAD to sleep in it (and watch his DVD player, of course). After a bit of persuasion/discussion, BJ and I set up a mattress out of pillows, heaped on the blankets, and brought over the night light and monitor. So far he's really enjoying the novelty, and is happily lying down watching his DVD player. Here's hoping he stays all night!

PS - it's 10:30 and he's sound asleep! Who knew?

Baby Pool!

2009-12-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

I found this website online, and thought it would be a lot of fun to try. It's basically an online baby pool, like the ones I remember my family members doing when I was a kid. Of course, there's no money involved, but there's also no arguing over who was closest. When the baby is born, we just enter in the time, date, and other info, and the site will calculate the winner. If you are interested in making a guess, just go to http://expectnet.com and search for BabyPower2 (case sensitive, no spaces). I look forward to seeing your guesses. Just remember - I'm due on February 24th, and so far have had a healthy, normal pregnancy, so the baby should be well into the average range for size and weight :) Have a happy day!

Baby Update!

2009-11-29T06:23:00.001-08:00

Alan giving his baby brother a hug
Baby belly at almost 28 weeks :)

This one's just for fun...Alan as a pirate (though he removed the pirate hat and put on his sunglasses )

UC Baby pic at 24 weeks

Here he's yawning. So cool!

Quick baby update! I'm currently at 28 weeks (12 to go!) and everything is mostly going well. I have to have another ultrasound in a couple weeks to check on the location of my placenta (it was low last time, and started out low again this time. Should migrate up like it did with Alan, and all will be fine). The 3-D ultrasound with UC Baby was awesome, and there is NO denying that we are having a boy. Alan is still excited about having a baby brother, although he does keep telling me that his baby brother is a robot for some unknown reason.... At any rate, things are going well and we're gearing up for Christmas. Alan even sat on Santa's lap yesterday!

Alan's third birthday!

2009-10-12T17:43:00.001-07:00

New haircut and ready to go

We had Alan's third birthday at the Treehouse Cafe this weekend,and he definitely had a blast. There were 9 kids at the party to play on the indoor playground, eat cake, and help Alan open presents. After the party we headed over to Nanny Power's for our first of two Thanksgiving dinners. When all was said and done and we made it back to Grandma's, Alan was so tuckered out he napped in my arms for a most of an hour. It was a great day, and a lovely weekend. Now I am home getting ready for the week and Alan is at Aunt Linny's house for a few more days, since he wasn't willing to come home! Oh...and in case you didn't hear, in another twenty weeks or so Alan will have a baby brother!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-30T16:54:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note to wish a Happy 4th Anniversary to my hubby. I love you more every day. Can't wait to see you with another little baby in your arms! Hugs!!

Alan Playing Wii

2009-07-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Alan always feel left out when Mommy and Daddy are playing on the Wii, so today I let him try the cycling on Wii Sports Resort. All You have to do for this one is move your hands up and down as if you are pedalling, and lean left or right to steer. Oh, and if you go too fast, you run out of breath. He had a great time, even if he did get progressively closer to the tv every time! More pics posted on Facebook here .

9 weeks and 1 day...

2009-07-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Obviously, from the title, I'm just over 9 weeks pregnant now. But let me tell you, I already feel like I'm twice that. When I was pregnant for Alan I didn't even find out until I was farther than this (Ok, so I was a little slow on the uptake), but I sure don't remember feeling like this! Basically, I'm just really really really tired, very queasy, kinda cranky, and I've already got a bit of a bump happening (although how much of that is still from child #1 I don't know :P ). Now to top it off, I am getting a cold. Grumble. Ah well. I know that in a few weeks I should be feeling better. Now if the weather would perk up a little, it would definitely lift my spirits, and getting Alan outside to play would definitely calm him down a little. The little bugger has decided that he will only nap at the sitter's. Think it has something to do with the playpen, since he can't get out of it. Here he just gets out of bed and plays for a while. And toilet training? Forget it. After a few pairs of underwear in a day, I give up (embarassed face). But I try it again the next day :) He'll get the hang of it eventually, I know.

On a brighter note, Tina and Rob and the boys are due home in less than a week for a visit. Soooo excited to see everyone. Now I just have to figure out when we can all get together! Also, on August first, our friend Shawn is coming to stay with us for a while. He's looking to get a job here in Amherst. Alan is super excited, as are we. Should be fun! And, to top it off, we are going to have a huge crew of people here the following weekend (Aug 7 - 10). Two friends of ours from the states (whom we were introduced to through that online game we play) are coming for a visit. As such, the rest of the group we play with are coming as well, to make a party out of it. Tim and Julie are even bringing Al and May's camper! We're pretty psyched, obviously. Right now I'm trying to plan a whole bunch of meal items that I can cook in advance (if possible), will feed a ton of people, and be pleasing to a wide variety of eaters. So far, I've come up with chili, meatballs, turkey (I'll cook it in advance to have the meat for sandwhiches and maybe casserole), lots of cut up veggies, pasta salad, and potato salad. I also think I may make spaghetti one night. I'm also tossing around the idea of making (or begging my mom to make) a seafood chowder, since the guys are coming up from the US, but I don't know. I'll have to see if they like seafood or not. I'd hate to not give them a taste of the maritimes (even if I hate it). Anyway, I'd appreciate any meal ideas anyone has out there! I'm also dropping Alan off at mom's that weekend, since I need his bedroom, and would like to relax with everybody a little.

At any rate, that's my rant for the day. Now off to find another way to avoid all the laundry and housekeeping I really need to be doing!

And three will be four....

2009-07-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

Yep you see it! It looks like the Power family will be growing (again). I am 8 weeks along right now, and due on February 24th. So far I've been feeling really queasy and tired, but hoping that will pass in the next few weeks. I know most of the people that read this probably knew already, but I wanted to wait until after my first offical pre-natal appointment to announce it publicly :) I will definitely keep you all updated as things progress!

New Haircut!

2009-07-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is the Before picture...

During the Haircut...

Look Mommy, all done!
Posing

Side view!

Alan got his hair cut today at a place called Sharkey's...it's really neat because the kids can sit in cars and watch tv while they get their hair cut. Afterwards, he got a tattoo and a balloon, as well. It was a really cool little place and I'm sure we'll go back. I find he's looking even more like Colby now that his hair is short! Should be good for the summer though. I think he's rockin' the spikes, but he wants his hat on all the time. It should be interesting how we work that one out! At any rate, it's time to wrangle Alan and Nathan into their beds for naptime, and get the house ready for BJ's birthday supper (better late than never!).

Summer is here....and I am back!

2009-06-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

Apple blossoms along our driveway
Alan and Nathan

Cool flower in our garden

Peony flower in the garden

Alan showing off his tattoo (or Pattoo as he calls it)

So....I've decided to try to revive my blog this summer. Hopefully I'll be able to update it much more frequently. Except, of course, when I'm at the cottage. After all, I'm expecting there will be lots to keep you updated on (wink wink). For now, I'm watching Super Why with Alan and avoiding the house work I've been putting off for a week or two while school was finishing up. Looking forward to going to the cottage next week and chilling by the lake. Will Post again soon!

Yay for Tractors!

2009-03-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the centimetres and centimetres of falling snow, Carman came over just after supper to plow our driveway (thank you Carman!) with his tractor. As per usual, Alan started running to the window yelling "Carman's here!! Carman's here! With his Tractor!!" as soon as he heard him. Once he was done, Carman popped in to say hi (and snag a loaf of fresh bread, of course), and asked Alan if he wanted to come see the tractor. Normally, Alan won't go near it, and often is a little shy of Carman as well. Today, however, he went right for it. He put his boots and coat on as fast as he could and was in Carman's arms fast as you could blink. He got to steer, raise/lower the bucket, and then Carman took him for a drive to the end of the road and back. What a lucky boy! As Tina observed on facebook, I must be becoming more and more like her, because I was outside, in a snowstorm, in my Pyjamas taking pictures, of course. Thanks again, Carman!

pics

2009-03-27T10:08:00.001-07:00

Trees outside our place after the ice storm

Eating Burger King by candlelight when we had no power

At Church, where a cross was dedicated to Scott's memory

Alan doesn't seem to be a big fan of Grandma's driving
Cody!!

Alan and Nathan after a sleepover. Tight Squeeze!

Crawling through the tube at the Treehouse Cafe. A Super cool place, where we have already booked Alan's birthday party in October!

Me and Alan coming down the slide

With Nanny in one of Daddy's former sweaters

The Whole Story

2009-03-27T05:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say that what I have been through in the last few weeks did nothing to help my previously slow-improving feeling towards dentists. As I stated in the last post, I had my wisdom teeth out on February 5th. I had put it off for about ten years, as I have an extreme phobia of dentists, likely stemming from a bad root canal experience, and a stream of holier-than-thou bad attitude dentists when I was a little younger. But, as I have made a commitment to improve my dental health, this was a step I needed to take.

The initial surgery seemed to go well, and I was slightly swollen on my left side (one tooth out there) but not at all on the right when I went back to work about four days after having them out. The extraction itself was quick and relatively painless, as they gave me some drug that would have made me not care if Adolf Hitler himself was doing the extraction with a pair of pliers. At any rate, things seemed to be going ok, and healing nicely.

A couple weeks after everything had healed, it started to swell and get really sore again, to the point where I was back to living on tylenol and advil every four hours. Around the 5th of March, I went to a family Doctor for some prescription refills, and he had a look. He figured it was an abscess and prescribed antibiotics, but also said I should get to my dentist, pronto. Ok. The next day, I went to see my Dentist (Dr. #2), and he said that the antibiotics should take care of it, but if it didn't get better in two days, or if it got worse, to go straight to the ER. Yay.

That was a Thursday, and the next day we went to Mom's for the weekend (the church was dedicating a cross to Scott's memory). On Sunday, though, I was in agony and went to the ER in Amherst upon returning there. Dr. #3 saw me (after about five hours) and said that he couldn't really tell what was going on without a better way of looking at it, and so scheduled me for a Catscan the next day. The catscan led me to Dr. #4 (incidentally, I have taught two of his sons, and his wife was my doctor and the prenatal clinic), who showed me what looked like Osteomyelitis of the jaw (infection in the bone), but wanted a consult with the Oral Maxillofacial clinic in Halifax where I had the original surgery done. Sigh. Back to Hfx less than 24 hours after leaving.

So. On March 10th, I see Dr. #5 (Much to my dismay. I didn't particularly like this guy), the OMF resident. He told me that they "See this all the time" and just upped my dose of antibiotics, but was nice enough to give me some Tylenol 3 when I burst into tears on the examination table. I'm sorry, but when you're in agony, you don't want to hear "we see this all the time" and "why would they want a catscan?" in equally derisive tones. If they see this all the time, they need a bigger freakin' hospital, let me tell you. But I went home, sore, swollen, and with another appointment to come back in a couple of days.

OK. Thursday, the 12th, next appointment. My face is MORE sore, and MORE swollen. The antibiotics are obviously NOT working. DUH!! (can you sense the frustration? I thought you could....) Enter Dr. #6, whom Jessie refers to as "the cute one" (she's right, he was). He decided to do a surgical drainage. Yay. More surgery (but more happy drugs too!). He also inserted a drain into the infected area. Ready for the super icky part? The drain opened into my mouth with the consistency of a wet noodle, and that's where the infection drained. Well I'm sorry if it sounds gross, it tasted worse. Oh, and more Tylenol 3. And told to come back on Monday to have the drain taken out. Woo freakin Hoo.

So I attempt to put a positive spin on the next round of swelling (By this time, I look like a Klump from the Nutty Professor with Eddy Murphy on the left side of my head), and try to assume that it's from the latest round of surgery. By Saturday, though, when Alan and BJ are back visiting me, I'm in agony, the Tylenol 3 isn't working, and I can't sleep, eat, or open my mouth enough to get my puffer in. So Lindsay calls the OMF resident on call and he agrees to see me. So I"m off to see doctor #7. He takes a look, knows I'm in pain, and is perched atop a fence as to what to do with me. On the one hand there is a LOT of swelling. On the other, its mostly a "soft" swelling and could very well be from the surgery (Infection is usually a firmer swelling and hot to the touch, apparently). He argued back and forth with himself a bit, but decided to prescribe some Dilautid for the pain (yay) and send me back home (sigh). Well. I took 4mg of the stuff right away (and by this time I'm having to convince the pharmacist that Im not a narcotics addict, since I"ve had 3 prescriptions from 3 doctors at 3 different pharmacies) and was marginally better. But I still didn't sleep, and in the morning I was taking 6mg, and still vertical. I guess this was a red flag to Lindsay, though, and she insisted that I come to the ER that night to see another doctor.

Alan went home with BJ, and Momma took me into the ER. Lindsay had me see a wonderful Doctor (#8?), who immediately grasped the seriousness of the problem. The swelling was now hard and warm, and I was almost in constant tears from the pain and pressure, as well as just plain old frustration. So he gets on the phone with the OMF resident on call (dr #7 from the day before) who says that he "almost" admitted me, and would be right there. Finally...some relief in the form of Morphine :P . They had a look at me, took a culture, and admitted me to the hospital. I took a fun little ambulance transfer to the VG site, and put in a dingy little hospital room, but all by myself, thankfully.

The next morning, after a restless night, I met Dr. #9, who appears to be in charge of patients on the OMF floor. He was a nice guy, attended by dr's 5 and 6, as well as a host of students and probably other residents. He decided they would do another surgical drainage and insert a new drain. Surprisingly, it worked very well. That afternoon I was feeling much better, and managing the pain on Tylenol and advil again. They also switched my antibiotics, but since it was a type where people who are allergic to penicillin may react to it, they were a little nervous, and had a nurse with me for the hour the IV was running.

I have been thinking that I must have scared a few of the doctors, because that afternoon I met Dr. #10, the guy "in charge". The nurse said he "never comes to see patients", and yet he knew every single thing that had happened to me over the past week or two. She also told me that 3 or 4 doctors were calling the floor to check on me throughout the day. We see this all the time, though, what?

At any rate, to sum it up a little quicker, they kept me in the hospital until that Thursday (the 19th), and let me out only if I promised to stay in town for another week and come in for frequent checkups. So that's how I had the week before March break off, spent the weekend of in the hospital, and the week after off as well. Now, I'm allowed to go back on Monday, but have to come back in two weeks for a final checkup. With any luck, it's completely done by then. I still have a bit of a lump on my face, but nothing like it was. And that, I think, is the WHOLE story, of ten doctors and a swollen head!

Hello again!

2009-02-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hello again...sorry for the hiatus. Between the wisdom teeth and the winter blahs, I haven't been doing much worth blogging about. I'll try to do better! For now, I've posted some pics on facebook...which you can see if you follow the following links:

1. Alan Cam (all taken by himself)
2. Feb Pics (mostly OF himself!)

I'd put them on here but I've been procrastinating with my marking and should really get to that as opposed to waiting for them to upload here for the second time tonight!

Big Boy Bed!!!!

2009-02-01T05:29:00.000-08:00

Helping daddy put it togetherHe wanted to crawl in before it was completely put together

Before the blankets are on, giving it a shot
"sleeping"

Alan had his first night in his big boy bed last night. After a couple of hours of frustration getting it together (stupid pre-fab furniture. Screw holes never line up.), Alan couldn't even wait to get blankets on it before he tried it out. I was a little worried that he would be out of bed a hundred or so times last night, but after four times up knocking at the door, he did settle in and go to sleep. He took about an hour and a half or so, but he often stays up almost that long talking to himself anyway. We also made sure to put a doorknob cover on the inside of his door so he can't get out in the middle of the night and go wandering around the house while we're sleeping downstairs. Here's hoping that the rest of the next few nights are as easy!

Exam Time!

2009-01-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

As anyone I've been talking to recently already knows, it is exam time again. Today, my Advanced Math 11 kids wrote their exam. They made me promise to bring my camera, and I'm glad I did. I'm calling these kids my "dream team", since they are all done up for the intense workout that is my Math exam. I nearly fell over when I saw them today, and not just because they look like a bad 80's Aerobics video! I love the fact that they are wearing tank tops when it's -25 degrees outside. Finally some people who appreciate my math jokes!

P.S. They all did great on their exams (which are marked already...woo hoo), and I got their express permission to blog this!

Pics from Lately

2009-01-28T16:06:00.001-08:00

Alan (aka Michelin Man Junior) Showing off his muscles before leaving for the sitter's.
Smiling for the camera

Using the stool daddy built to brush his teeth

My Beautiful sleeping baby...After next week he'll be in a bed instead of a crib.

Eating nuggets, watching Cars. This could be any one of five or so days last week!

Christmas in Pictures

2009-01-04T12:22:00.001-08:00

Well. Here I am on the last day of my Christmas vacation trying to complete all the "stuff" I was going to do before now. Oops - again. It always seems to happen that way, doesn't it? Ah well. The last couple of weeks have been insanely busy, with being home for the first week or more and then back here to guests and a New Year's party to prepare. Fun, as always, but I am never quite ready to go back. I really enjoy visiting with people over the holidays, and having more than a day or two to do it. Even though I still don't get to see everyone I want to. Alan took a while to re-adjust to being home, but he is slowly settiling into being my nice, polite, happy boy again, instead of the little hitting devil-child he was for a couple of days. Although, as I'm sure Tina can sympathize with, he has now discovered the Cars movie and wants to watch it 18 times a day. I borrowed Julie and Tim's copy and now I'm going to buy one so he doesn't wear it out. Ah well...it's a break from Diego and Pablo at any rate. Apart from that, my newest obesession is the Twilight series of books that my mom bought for me. I got all four for Christmas and had them read in three days. I'm now reading them for the second time ( and almost done the third one...eesh) and watched the movie a couple times as well!

I haven't made any specific New Year's resolutions, unless it's to try posting a bit more and eating a bit less. But as I said, nothing rock hard. More or less, I just want to try a little harder to do those things I know I should do, and don't quite manage all the time. Well, it's time to make supper. I'll do my best to keep it current. Happy 2009!!!!!

Alan and Daddy eating breakfast on New Year's day
Alan with Auntie Linny

Joey's Christmas presents gave Alan and Nathan hours of fun.

Kisses for Nanny

Me, Alan, BJ, Kass, and Madeleine

Yay for cars! Thank you Nanny!

He's a pro at opening presents now

Look! A Diego Train!

Bruno, Diddy, Alan, Nanny, Nathan

Me and B and my staff Christmas Party

Quick Update

2009-01-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

Hey all...I will be uploading pics tomorrow, but until then, here is a look at the facebook pics : HERE . Sorry it's taken me forever, but that's Christmas! More to come tomorrow!

Funny Story

2008-12-10T02:33:00.001-08:00

So here is another one of those stories that prove how much imagination kids have that adults lost somewhere along the way.

The other morning, we decided to go to the BigStop for breakfast. It's just across the border to New Brunswick, so we just jump on the highway and off we go. After an hour or so of wrapping the waitresses around his finger, Alan was done eating and we got in the car to come back. As we are on the highway, Alan is looking out his window saying "Kitty! Kitty!" Well...unless he has the best eyesight in the world, there is no way the child can spot a cat out on the Tantramar flats. Besides...he was looking at the other side of the highway where there's nothing but electrical towers. Hey! Wait a minute! Do you see what I see?

more pics

2008-12-09T16:27:00.001-08:00

BJ took this picture for my mom since she wanted us to mail her the fresh bread.
Alan wearing my "fweater"

Having a "nap" under the table, after demanding that I "cover me, mom. Cover me!"

Covering Sally while the bear reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Alan using our Singstar microphone to sing the "Boom de yadda" song from Discovery Channel

Showing off his Diego and Alicia Tattoos

Christmas tree before the cat started removing an ornament a night (and Tina's sled)

Alan hiding in the pantry

Alan all bundled up for the Santa Claus parade

My new favourite Recipe

2008-12-09T16:20:00.001-08:00

I found this recipe in an old cookbook of my grandmother's, and I figured everybody would appreciate it:

Elephant Soup

1 Medium Elephant (African is best)
500 gallons hot water
2 pecks onions, finely chopped
1 bushel potatoes, peeled and sliced
5 shovels salt
3 shovels pepper
1 1/2 cases Worcestershire Sauce
10 bottles rum, or more if cooking time is longer or you are expecting more than 8 guests
Coke to taste
5 quarts peanut oil (optional)

Method:

Mix 1 1/2 oz rum with coke. Drink. Wash and dry the elephant (don't use soap as this will spoil the flavour). In back of a 1/2 ton truck, or rented U-Haul, pour hot water. Have another rum and coke and add elephant, spuds, and other ingredients. Allow to simmer. Meanwhile, finish first bottle of rum. Stir mixture using canoe paddle or small outboard motor. When guests arrive, start them off with the remaining rum. **The peanut oil won't really add to the soup, but it is the way the elephant would have wanted it!!!!**

P.S. I don't really approve of cooking elephants.....No elephants were harmed in the writing of this recipe.....

I almost like Dora....

2008-11-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has spent much time with Alan and I probably knows that we spend a lot of time watching the Backyardigans and Diego, but that I hate Dora. I have always hated Dora...I think it stems from when we used to babysit Colby on a fairly regular basis because he loved Dora. Kinda like my cousin Joey and his endless episodes of Barney. I'm not sure if it was the endless repetition or the vacant stare while waiting for the 2-year old audience to respond that turned me off, but I'm definitely not a fan. ANYWAY, after tonight I could learn to like Dora. Thanks to that inane show, ALAN ATE SOMETHING NEW!!!!! He obviously watches it at the sitter's, because he found a can of Dora soup in the soup aisle at the grocery store today. It's basically just vegetable soup with Dora/Backpack/Boots - shaped pasta. At any rate, he said he wanted it and that he would eat it for supper. I figured, what the hell. If not, I wasted under a buck. When we got home and he finished "helping" me put away the groceries, he said he would eat it. Granted, it took bribery, withholding juice and pausing the episode of Backyardigans to get him to eat the first bite, but he did eat it. He ended up eating almost half the can. YAY!!! With any luck, he is turning over a new leaf and may actually try one or two new things. Or so I can hope.

P.S. Funny story: BJ and Alan were dropping me off at work early this morning, before the sun was quite up. As we're driving, Alan starts saying "nana, mom. Nana" (meaning Banana). After a couple of times I looked back and saw that he was staring out the window, at which point I said "that's not a banana, Alan. It's the moon!" Hee hee....To his credit, it did look like a tiny little banana in the sky.

Misc Pics (in reverse order, darn it)

2008-11-16T16:40:00.001-08:00

Helping Daddy with the bread
Carrying it to the oven

Help, daddy?

mmm...apple pie

Apple pie in progress
BJ's first pie crust
Look...a kitty....
Dancing in daddy's boots
Cody/Woody
What happens when Cows lie down on your plants.
Again with the cows
Silly kitty
Nathan the Lion
Alan as Diego

I'm still here! Really!

2008-11-16T16:30:00.001-08:00

Hey all...if anyone actually still reads this. It's been a busy little while, and without my normal PC, and the wireless internet not co-operating with my laptop, updating with pics and whatnot is way less convienient. Since my last post, we have had happy occasions, such as Halloween, and not so happy occasions, such as the anniversary of Brian's death. We have had midnight visitors flattening our plants and bushes, stomping holes in our lawn and leaving large piles of poop all over the place too. Apparently a neighbour is having issues keeping his cows at home >< . Let's see...what else... Alan is coming up with new words and sentences all over the place. He can count to ten without being prompted, and if I call him he is likely to say "ok in a minute mom". School life is nuts...we have midterms coming out tomorrow and parent-teacher at the end of next week. I am going to an inservice tomorrow with my student teacher who starts on Tuesday. Hopefully my kids don't eat her alive :) At any rate, I am going to try to upload some pics and I promise to get back to updating daily (or close to it) now.

Daddy

2008-10-24T11:40:00.001-07:00

Today is the second anniversary of the loss of my father. It's a hard day, but really, so is any day without him. Feelings are very hard to express, so I"ll just copy the memoriam I wrote for the paper:

In loving memory of Alan Cameron, who passed away October 24, 2006. You were
with us for such a short time to have taught us a lifetime of love. Your were
not just a husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. You were a calm voice, a
warm hug, a comforting hand, a happy smile. Our lives are made poorer by the
loss of you, yet infinitely richer for the time we spent together. Your joy and
love for life are your legacy. 52 years was too short, and now two years is
unbearably long. With all the love in our hearts, Debbie, the girls, and family.

Love you Daddy

Cute Video

2008-10-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Birthday/Thanksgiving/Wedding

2008-10-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well. As you can tell since it's been like a month since I posted, life has been a little busy. On the first weekend in October, Madeleine was here, which was great. The next weekend was Alan's birthday party/Thanksgiving, and then last weekend was Mike and Jill's wedding. And of course, in between is time to catch up on schoolwork and housework with little time for anything else. I have about a million pictures, so rather than upload all of them here, I left most of them on the facebook site HERE . Right now I have a TON of marking to catch up on, so I think I will organize my thoughts about the pertinent stuff from the last couple of weeks before I rant about it :)

Quick Update

2008-10-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all. This is just a very quick update saying I'm hoping to update later today. I've barely been near my computer lately and I have tons of pics (thanksgiving, birthday, wedding, etc) to get up here. Sorry I' ve taken so long. Anyway, I'm at school so I can't write long. Until Tonight!

Two Already?????

2008-10-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

Alan at five months (had to swipe these pics of facebook since my PC is toast...sorry about the crappy quality.
Alan at his first birthday party
Alan this morning with his present from Nanny. Please excuse the half asleep, pink pajama wearing mother in the background. It was early.

My little man turns two today. I can't believe it. Where does the time go? On the other hand, I have a very hard time remembering what life was like without him. The only thing I know for sure is that there was a lot more sleep involved! Anyway, we are going to have a small dinner/cake here tonight with just us (and Nanny of course, who arrived last night), and next weekend we will have the birthday bash at grandma's. I can't wait until the party because we bought him the coolest toy ever, and I had to send Cindy for it, so I haven't even seen it.You can see it HERE. Anyway, we're making happy birthday pancakes, and Alan is torturing the cat with the twist ties from his new toy, so I should finish this up. This time two years ago, I was delivered for about an hour, and still couldn't feel my legs, so I'm way better off now over then. And to forestall your questions, it's not quite time for another yet :)

Bittersweet

2008-10-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my Momma and Daddy's 31st Anniversary. I just wanted to say thanks to the people who showed me what a happy marriage and strong partnership looks like. Love you Momma, miss you Daddy.

I hate being cranky.

2008-09-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the title says it all. I hate being cranky. But I can't seem to help it sometimes. Right now I have a first class ticket on the PMS train, and I'm using it to run people 0ver. Add to that the fact that BJ is on nights all week so I never see him and it just gets worse. It means that I have Alan all to myself every minute I'm not at work, and keeping track of him is a full time job in and of itself. So I've been on the go from 6am until 8pm every day before I get a second of time to myself. When he goes to bed, I would love to watch one of the shows I have on DVR, but I currently have 110 assignments and 33 tests in my bag that need to marked ASAP, not to mention the never ending laundry, dishes, sweeping, etc. I am sorry this sounds so whiny, but I'm a little overwhelmed today. I am praying for 8 o'clock to come, and I can't decide if I want to mark, watch tv, go play WoW, or just go to bed. I need the sleep, but I'd like to do something else other than work, clean, and take care of Alan in the evening. Grrrr. I really am cranky. Anybody have some ideas to help me get over it? I was going to workout after school today but I had too much of a headache. I would welcome some suggestions, if anyone has them to offer. Until then, if you see a train coming, jump out of the way.

P.S. in the last hour since I posted this, Alan has figured out how to turn up the volume on the tv via the stereo, open his sippy cups, and climb up on both his high chair and the coffee table. Looks like I'm in for a relaxing night. Sigh.

My Crazy Kid

2008-09-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

I think he gets this from BJ.

Recent Pictures

2008-09-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Alan checking out his new Crocs that Aunt Tina and Uncle Rob sent down
Yay for packages!!!
He LOVES the rubber boots.
Alan carrying Daddy's lunch for him
He had to have my hat...anyone recognize the logo?

I swear I didn't give it to him. Sometimes its a hat and sometimes he puts it over his eyes as "glasses", even if he can't see anything.
Apparently the need to clean is genetic, but skips a generation.
He had to "keen" under everything
He has rediscovered Spiderman. thanks so much Kassie for buying this for his first Christmas. It's costing a small fortune in batteries.
He found a picture of Jessie and Terry. He points at it and names them, then gives then kisses. Too Cute!

If you haven't noticed, Alan now poses for his pictures. He always says "cheese"...hence the number of pictures where he is showing off his teeth!

Things Alan does/says that crack me up

2008-09-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I decided to do this list because I'm sure some day I will forget all these things, and I'm hoping the act of writing it down will help me remember. Or I can always check the blog archives!

1. He sings along with songs on the radio or tv, and sometimes he even manages the right words. I particularly love when he sings "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall..he sings all the "Woo Hoo" parts.

2. He dances like the Bushwackers, if the bushwackers also shook their butts.

3. He says "gook" instead of look, and "weavy" instead of heavy. He also calls Grandma "maama", and Nanny "Ninny". Oh, and Tyrone (from Backyardigans) sounds like "Tylenol".

4. He remembers everybody's names, and randomly asks me about people when we're in the car.

5. He LOVES to torture his father. Nuff said.

6. He knows beer by the sound the bottles make in the trunk. Not kidding...wish I was.

7. He always says excuse me when he makes one rude noise or another, and tells other people when they should say it too. (sounds more like "Mu Me" then excuse me, but it works).

8. He is a phone-a-holic, and when I give him the phone he says "heyo" and then goes and sits in his chair to talk.

9. He says "I love you" kinda like Scooby Doo (I ruv you mom).

10. He says goodbye to everyone, loudly, wherever we are...mentioned this embarassing habit in a previous post, I believe.

11. He recently started huffing at me if he doesn't get what he wants, complete with arms crossed and dirty look on his face.

12. When he gets his diaper changed, he always tells me that the wipe is "coooooold".

13. He will take off his own or someone else's socks to search for elusive Fuzzies.

14. Whenever he sees someone with a Tim Horton's cup he expects a Timbit. Even if that person is walking down the sidewalk and we're driving in the car.

I know there are plenty more things that I wanted to include, so I'll have to edit this post when I remember them. I am just afraid he's going to grow up on me and stop doing all the cute stuff wayyyy too soon. He will be 2 (eek!!) in a couple weeks after all!

Stolen from Tina

2008-09-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Stole this from Tina since I don't have much to say. Again...I'll post more pics when I get a pc that works.

1. What is your occupation right now? High School Math Teacher

2. What color are your socks right now? Black

3. What are you listening to right now? Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Shepherd's Pie that I made for supper...yummy

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Barely...but I can do it.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Momma

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Absolutely...even if she is one of those annoying Early Christmas Shoppers.....

8. How old are you today? 27

9. What is your favourite sport to watch? ummm....I like hockey and golf

10. What is your favourite drink? Probably coffee

12. Favourite food? Steak with Potato Salad (and what happened to #11??)

13. What is the last movie you watched? unless Backyardigans DVD's count...Stargate: Ark of Truth

14. Favourite day of the year? Christmas

15. How do you vent your anger? Killing stuff on WoW or calling Momma

16. What was your favourite toy as a child? Probably a toy keyboard or something...I really don't remember

17. What is your favourite season? Fall

18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries

19. Living arrangements? We have been homeowners for a whole month and a half!

20. When was the last time you cried? The other day when the cat jumped on my foot and stabbed my toe with her claw

21. What is on the floor of your closet? Boxes I haven't bothered unpacking yet

22. What did you do last night? Stacked wood in the basement (and I"m still sore)

23. What inspires you? Love, in it's infinite forms

24. What are you most afraid of? Bugs....any kind. Bleh.

25. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? mmmmm...cheese.....

26. Favourite dog breed? Probably Yorkies. Oh and St Bernards. But I probably wont own either one

27. Favourite day of the week? Has to be Saturday...hello all day PJs!

28. How many states/provinces have you lived in? Just the one

29. Biggest Life lesson: Take every opportunity to spend time with loved ones, it's worth it.

Now Anyone who reads this can post one, or email it to me! I want to see your answers too!

Computers officially suck.

2008-09-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sooooo I'll start off by saying I'm a little cranky right now. I'm sort of stuck at the "oh my god it just never freakin ends" right now. Beyond the hole in the wall and the mountains of laundry I still have to do from our bee legacy (since all our clothes were in the room when he sprayed it), I have been having ridiculous problems with my home computer. I think I've used it a total of 5 times since we moved here, using my school laptop most of the time instead. Just after we moved in, I replaced the main fan. That didn't seem to reduce the overheating/funky smell coming from the computer, which caused it to shut down on it's own. So I stopped using it until we could get a new power supply, which we got last Tuesday. BJ finally got that replaced Wednesday, and it took him some doing to get the thing running, because something was being stubborn. After that, it seemed perfectly fine. I got to play the online game we spend a lot of time on for the first time in about a month over the weekend, and was happy to have it back. So yesterday I decided that I would not bring work home, seeing as I was really tired, and would instead retire to the computer as soon as Alan went to bed. I wanted to spend some time on the game getting caught up on all the stuff I hadn't been doing. Unfortunately when BJ went to turn the computers on, mine wouldn't power up at all. So there I was with no computer, no work to do, and getting crankier by the second. Today we went to exchange the power supply as it seemed it must be the issue. Unfortunately, the people at the store plugged it in and it apparently works. So BJ has spent the last three hours trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with my computer. It looks as though it might be the RAM, the motherboard, and possible my hard drive. And yes, I said AND, not OR. So now I'm supremely cranky. It may be weeks and weeks before we get the necessary components, and if my hard drive is toast I will have a conniption. I did burn off the majority of my pics a few weeks ago, but I'm still NOT happy. Ah well. Maybe the money fairy will stop by our house tonight with the winning numbers for tomorrow's lottery draw so I can just go buy the world's best computer. That would teach 'em.

"Bye-Bye" Muahhhh!

2008-09-10T16:20:00.001-07:00

I would soooo be blogging more if I could post pics, but since I'm still using the laptop and it doesn't have my camera software, I'm S.O.L. for a few more days. On the brighter side of life, someone came and knocked a (very large) hole in my bedroom wall and killed/removed all the bees. Apparently it was one of the largest colonies the exterminator had seen, and some of the bees were the size of HUMMINGBIRDS. No wonder I could hear them at night. Eek. What the guy failed to tell us in advance, however, was that the room would have to be sealed off for a couple of days. Since I've been sleeping on the living room floor for the past couple of weeks I'm not too put out, except for the fact that ALL MY CLOTHES are still in the closet (and now need to be washed). We didn't know he would be spraying deadly bug-killing stuff all over the room and now the room is a disaster. I'm talking Honeycomb and drywall everywhere, and the pesticide leaves a sticky residue behind that kills bees that escaped round one. I have a lot of laundry to do this weekend. Not to mention a wall to replace.

Now on to one of those "Embarassing Kid Moments". Last night I took Alan to the orientation night for parents of students new to our school. It usually lasts about an hour, and then we mingle with parents and chat and answer any questions they have. I planned ahead, and brought dinky cars and snacks, so I could distract him throughout the proceeding. Well...10 minutes in he had already played with the cars, got up and down out of his seat, pointed out all the lights and fans, asked "what's that" to 25 random objects, and was all "funned out" in the theatre. So, I figured I would sneak him out of the theatre into the atrium where he could run around and I could keep an eye on the presentation. So I grabbed my purse, grabbed him by the hand, and start to lead him up the aisle. At this point, he turns around to the person speaking (and all 60 or so people in the theatre) and (loudly) says "Bye-Bye!!", and Muahhh....blows kisses. Well. The entire population of the theatre lost it, and my face was as bright as Rudolph's nose leading my little man out of the theatre. Cute? Sure was. But did he have to do it in front of my principal, both vice principals, and half the other teachers? Oh my. I must say that at least ten people found me today to tell me how funny it was, but I was a tad embarassed. Ah well. He's a wonderful child and I'm really not complaining. Besides, in ten years it will be me embarassing the hell out of him every chance I get!

ummm.....wish I had stuff to blog about...

2008-09-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well...I feel like I should write about something but there really isn't a whole lot for me to say right now. This was the first week of school and the kids started back today. It was pretty busy and my feet are killing me because I'm not used to heels yet this fall (Tina, just for you, I spent my whole summer in fli flops). I'm still with bees, as the exterminator apparently doesn't realize what the "beginning of the week" actually is. So BJ and I are still camping out on the living room floor. I'm starting to get bitter about it, since I have a lovely queen size bed downstairs. Ah well...patience, right? I'm also still using my school laptop at home since I need a new power source on my home computer. It makes this lovely smell (kinda like burning plastic) the whole time it's plugged in right now. Let's see...what else....We're going to get Alan's haircut this weekend...it's desperate and mom keeps threatening to put it in pigtails. It's not that long, but it's definitely WAYYYY longer than it should be. Oh and I'll leave you with a funny fact that I'm not sure everyone knows. My nephew Nathan (Jessie's son) calls me Aunt Cuckoo. ( he was trying to say KelKel and it came out more like CooCoo) So Alan always looks at me and says "Cuckoo Mom" now. Yay. I'm Cuckoo!

Labour Day Weekend! (Pics not in order!)

2008-09-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sociable!
A record breaking 8 guitars!

Monday morning watching Pablo!

Fireworks Lined up all down the side of the cottage
Cameron warming up BJ's guitar!
Boys in the water
Lots O' people on the wharf
Naked Baby dancing to "Wild Thing" as sun by the fish on the wall. Only my kid.

Well. What a weekend. It was a blast, as usual. From the ridiculous amout of fireworks to the huge number of people, it was just an over-the-top great weekend. The weather was pretty decent, with a couple of odd showers and some rain as we were leaving Monday. The kids were awesome, and most of the adults behaved as well! Oh, and no broken bones this time. A couple bonked heads and a few sour stomachs, but that's it. Joey made over 70 dollars as a buck-a-drink bartender. I'm just trying to figure out why none of us figured out that deal...unless it's because we were more interested in drinking the liquour than mixing it...Anyway.

Other than having a fabulous time this weekend, I am now home trying not to think of the bees in my wall, who won't be with us much longer. The exterminator is coming in a day or two to cut out a hole in my bedroom wall and remove the bees. Thank god. And yeah...I start school tomorrow. Dammit.

I know I had a ton of things I wanted to blog about when I got home, but I'm tired and can't remember any of it. With any luck I'll remember tomorrow!

Misc Pics

2008-09-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

BJ and the aforementioned "Beaverbank Flyswatter"
Alan wanted to play but I gave him the non-electric variety
Because Shawn wanted Leet gas
Alan and Nanny
Alan and Nanny saying "Cheese!"

Sorry!

2008-08-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well Well...it's been awhile this time, but I swear it's not my fault! We had visitors all last week and this past weekend. Joey was here for over a week, and on Friday, my mom and Aunt Cindy arrived to stay for a few days and then take JoeJoe home with them. We had a great time, although we weren't exactly party animals. Alan is still missing his JoeJoe, since they went home on Sunday, but we'll see everyone again at the cottage for the long weekend. Can't wait!

The reason I haven't been blogging is because my computer is trying to blow itself up. Grrr. I'm currently at my kitchen table using the wireless internet from our router on my school laptop. I already replaced the cooling system on my PC just to find out that that awesome smell in the computer room is actually the power source. yay. Another piece to replace. But BJ will do that for me next week and it will be up and running. Until then I get to lug this back and forth from that unmentionable place that I am returning to next week. Erg.

And if that wasn't enough....well really it's not much, but anyway...we have Bees. Not cute, flower hopping pollinating honey bees living in some buzzing hive over in a field or somesuch. Big, ugly, wood-burrowing, child-scaring, dive-bombing, FREAKING BEES living in MY WALL. Dammit. It started out that BJ could see some bees going in and out of a hole in the wall. Outside. So we got a big freaking can of killer Raid. And he squirted in the hole. After it was empty and we were pretty sure he got most of them, he sealed the hole with spray foam. So yesterday Alan and I were chilling on the couch when i saw a bee. IN my house. Ok...I figure there has to be a way to get rid of it without freaking out me and him. But not really. This thing kept dive bombing us so I took Alan and we stood behind a big fan I have on high power. Then it went into the bathroom. So I locked it in with my cat and stuffed a blanket under the door. I mean really. You're supposed to be safe from bugs inside your house. At least scary flying, stinging ones (God this makes me feel all girly). Anyway, I made BJ come home on his lunch and kill it, only to find another one in the bathroom shortly thereafter. So I sealed it in the bathroom window, with the cat and the blanket for safe keeping. I am thinking they got in through a tear in the screen, but that night when BJ was outside killing them with an electric flyswatter (which he taped to a hockey stick...yes I have pictures) we could hear them in my bedroom wall. ICK. I spent all of last night dreaming about bees flying around my bedroom. I still have the heebie jeebies. Anyway I called a pest control place and they gave us some suggestions since they can't come out until next week, but I don't know if that's soon enough for me. Maybe I'll just move in to school for the next week. Did I ever mention that I HATE bugs? WEll I do. I hate them. Really.

Tagged by Tina!

2008-08-18T17:23:00.001-07:00

ok....I was tagged by Tina again, so here goes. I will try my best!

My Uncle Once called the head of the education department at my University and gave him a piece of his mind when they screwed up my courses and I couldn't graduate with my class.

When I was five BJ was eight. Lol.

High School Was ....was? Aren't I still in high school??

I will never forget dancing with my daddy on my wedding day.

Once I met Rob Lowe. And he's even hotter in person.

There's this girl I know who remembers every birthday, anniversary, and important date in my life and sends me a card. I'm so jealous of her!

Once at a Bar I met the man who is now my husband.

By noon I'm usually finishing my lunch and/or giving extra help. Unless I'm at home. Then I'm wearing Alan's lunch.

Last night I went to bed early while BJ and Joey played games.

If only I had another month of summer vacation left. Boo.

Next time I go to church I'll congratulate one of the guys on his 97th birthday. Seriously. Mom went to his party on the weekend.

What worries me most is wondering if Alan will turn out like some of the hooligans..I mean students...at school.

When I turn my head left I see Joey watching BJ play guitar. Werewolves of London if you're wondering.

When I turn my head right I see a blank wall. That's it.

You know I'm lying when I can't keep a straight face.

What I miss most about the eighties is Jem. And maybe She-Ra.

By this time next year Alan had better be toilet trained. Or I will cry.

A better name for me would be The Procrastination Queen. Or maybe not. I'll tell you tomorrow.

I have a hard time understanding people who live in a fantasy world. Especially the ones who live in a fantasy world and only watch Reality TV. Think about that for a sec, would ya.

The next time I go back to school I will probably reorganize my desk and make up my course outlines. Since that will probably be tomorrow.

You know I like you if I cook for you. I don't cook for annoying people.

If I ever won an award the first person I would thank would be different depending on what the award was??? If I won the lottery I would thank me for buying the ticket. If not, I would have to thank someone else.

Take my advice, never respond to being tagged if it is going to take you more than ten minutes. That's just ridiculous.

My ideal breakfast is bacon, eggs, and BJ-bread toast, made by BJ, and delivered to me with a full pot of coffee. Or anything I didn't have to make myself.

A song I love but do not have is something I was trying to figure out earlier when I was downloading the song "Believe" by Suzie McNeil.

If you visit my hometown I suggest you don't blink as you drive through. You'll miss it.

Why won't people learn that they have to work to succeed.

If you spend a night at my house expect to be woken up by Alan running around and tickling people. He's a morning person.

I'd stop my wedding for um....a fire? Not much could have made me stop my wedding.

The world could do without bugs, Peeper frogs, peas, and Paris Hilton.

I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than the belly of some other icky bug???

My favourite blondes are my husband and my son, of course!

Paper clips are more useful than eight track machines.

If I do anything well, it's probably something mathematical.

I can't help but give Alan 273 kisses a day. At the very least.

I usually cry when I stub my toe.

My advice to my child/nephew/niece youth: Go for it. Don't believe anyone who says you can't do it. If you work hard and keep your goal in mind you can reach it. No matter what. You are important, and people love you whether you get it the first time or the hundredth. You are worth your best, so don't sell yourself short.

And by the way, Flip Flops rock.

All Done!!!!

Ok A few more house pics....

2008-08-17T10:12:00.001-07:00

Now that I have most of the house done, I am uploading a couple more pictures. It's amazing how different it looks once there are pictures on the walls and stuff is organized.
My hopes are to be able to keep it this tidy and organized. Eesh...that's gonna be hard for me, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
Kitchen looks much the same, except for the mirror I bought (which you can see below) that is on the wall across from the fridge, next to the stove.
Awesome mirror. Got it for a steal at 25 dollars, too!
Other view of the living room, with more pictures hung. Now I have to work on getting them in matching frames, next!

I know I haven't updated in forever, but we've had company on and off since we got here. Joey arrived on Thursday, and will be here until next Sunday. Mom and Cindy are coming on Friday to stay the weekend and then they are taking him home with them. The drive to get Joey was kinda scary, though. We got to Oxford and stopped to get coffee, when the car made a funny noise. Our conversation went as follows:

K: what's that noise??

B: That's not good.

K: Whaddaya mean? What is it??

B: That's really not good.

K: OK! What's not good? What's wrong?? (sounding slightly panicked)

B: Well, it sounds like there is absolutely no oil in it. And that's not good.

K: How the #@!! can it SOUND like there's no oil??? And can you fix it??

Anyway...he was right. there was no oil. And we didn't get a low oil light or anything. AND, we have no idea where the oil went. It didn't look to be leaking, and we have found no conspicuous dark patches in the driveway. So I think some garden gnome or something stole the icky old oil from my car. It's been fine since he put oil in it, and I make him check it pretty much everytime we get in the car. I could do it myself, but I feel better if he does it. At any rate we made it to Truro and back to meet Cindy and pick up Joey with no issues.

Well, Alan is napping. BJ is fixing the seat on the lawn tractor so he can mow the lawn, and Joey is hanging with BJ in the shed. "Guy stuff" probably. I think I'll grab the Terry Goodkind book I was rereading (I am not letting it anywhere near your son, Tina) and something with alcohol in it and go relax. At least until the sound of the lawn tractor wakes up Alan. Sigh. At least tonight we can have more fun playing Rock Band, guitar hero, and Singstar after Alan goes to bed!

Video Time!

2008-08-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

I took this video this morning at breakfast. Alan LOVES to tease his daddy, and will try almost anything he knows his daddy "doesn't" want him to do. Even if it means trying to get his highchair to move across the floor. Please ignore the sharp eating utensil in his hand. As his mom I keep wincing hoping it doesn't poke him....even thoughI know it doesn't.

New House Stuff!

2008-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful Sumac tree on our lawn. It looks amazing in bloom!
BJ made bread...it rose well :)Two of our bestest friends, Tim and Julie came down for the housewarming.
Poor Ken. He had a little too much fun.
Can you find the kitty?
Alan's room.
The guys that moved it are still cursing this piano.
Messy dining room
messy kitchen

Well, it's been an insane week but I'll summarize it as best I can. Moving day was crazy, but everything got here in the same amount of pieces as it left the last place, which is definitely a bonus. I think the guys are still recovering from moving the piano, but nobody was seriously hurt or anything. And, as I mentioned before, it took a few extra days to get our cable and internet and stuff, but we have that now too. We are slowly getting everything set up and making minor changes. I will definitely have better pics once everything is settled in a bit more. Today was our first day in the house where we didn't have company, and although we LOVE having company, it's hard to feel settled. Alan seems to be having a blast, even if he does miss our friend Shawn something terrible. Although he is more accident prone than I remember. Poor kid has slipped and fallen into every piece of furniture but the piano, I think.

We had a little housewarming get together on Saturday night which was a lot of fun. I think Ken had a little more fun than might have been healthy for him, but he should recover over the next few days. It's so nice to be able to have people over and not be crammed into a tiny living room or be worried about whether or not the people next door think we're too loud. I'm definitely loving it. Well....I know there are lots of other things I wanted to blog about...but I can't remember what it was. Oh well. Now that things are settling down I'll be able to get back in the groove. More tomorrow!

All Day appointment my @$$ !

2008-08-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

hey! Just a very quick note to say we are here and FINALLY online again. We were supposed to be reconnected with phone, internet, and cable on wednesday (an "all day" appointment) but for some reason, they didn't show up until this morning. Never fear, I had all kinds of fees and things waived, as I spent many hours on the phone with Eastlink. Everything is going well otherwise, and things are setting up nicely. I will be posting pics and such later today. Yay For Internet!!!

Moving Day!

2008-08-05T02:42:00.001-07:00

YAY!!!!!! Moving Day is finally here! Even though I'm looking around and seeing tons of odds and ends that somehow didnt make it into boxes, I am super excited this mornng (I must be if I'm up at 630 am and Alan is still sleeping). Right now I'm going to wake up BJ (again) and start packing up the last minute things before getting Alan ready to go to the sitter today. We won't have any internet until Wednesday some time, so I will update then. Can't wait!

No one was going to eat this Timbit...

2008-08-03T17:00:00.001-07:00

Some people find Jesus in their Cheesies. This is what Shawn and BJ found in a Timbit. 'Nuff said.

The Many Faces of Alan

2008-08-03T16:52:00.001-07:00

Alan was having fun today making faces, so I just had to post them. The top one he is wearing our friend Shawn's glasses and I think he looks like a mini Harry Potter. We may have to borrow them for Halloween!

More house pics (for Madeleine!)

2008-08-01T16:07:00.001-07:00

This is the master bedroom. It's in the basement.
These are the TWO DOUBLE closets in the master bedroom.
This is the cute door on the tiny downstairs bathroom.
Laundry room
Alan's room (Spare bedroom is pretty much the same on the other side of the hallway)
Living room picture window
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen
Bathroom (obviously)

Just posting these pics of the inside of the house that we took last week. We've been really busy packing stuff up, so there isn't much new to report. Alan was feeling kinda icky this week, but he seems to be doing a little better today. Our friend Shawn is down until the weekend after the move, and Alan is having a blast torturing him. I do want to take a second to say HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY to Rob and Tina. You guys are doing it right! Anyway, gotta go. There are boxes calling my name. More updates to come this weekend!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-07-30T03:33:00.001-07:00

As of today I have been married to an amazing man for three years. Wow! On one hand it seems as if the wedding was only yesterday, while on the other, I can't remember life without him. So although things are a little too crazy right now to celebrate very much as we move into the next stage of our life together, I wanted to say to BJ that I love you a little more than I did then, and a little less than I will tomorrow, for all my tomorrows.

Packing and Puking

2008-07-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

Bleh. That pretty much sums up today. I should have known it would be a blah day when Alan woke up late and felt pretty warm to the touch. But, he often feels warm and since the cat decided to go through his screen onto the roof this weekend, his window has been closed. I figured maybe it was just really warm in his room...At least that's what I figured until he puked his breakfast all over me. yummy. Turns out he ended up running a fairly high fever all day, though I'm hoping it's down by the morning. If not, I'm taking a trip into the hospital first thing in the morning to see what's up.

Other than the sick kid, I did some packing and tidying (although it looks more like I"ve been messing up the house than tidying it). Ken came over after supper to take a load of boxes over, and I think he'll be doing that again tomorrow, which is nice because it gives us a bit of room to maneuver in here. Here's hoping tomorrow is a better, less pukey day!

Conference, Camp, and Cake

2008-07-27T17:26:00.001-07:00

Alan and Nathan in the Wagon that converts to a bench.
Nathan climbed into the storage part of his stroller...broken leg and all
The cutest bowling shoes ever
Dancing is cooler than bowling, apparently
The Birthday Boy!

Well this was a whirlwind few days. The reason I haven't been updating (TINA!) is because I haven't been home. I totally forgot that I had a conference to go to on Thursday and Friday, after being away to the cottage all last weekend. So Wednesday I had to spend the entire day running errands, and then loaded the car, dropped BJ at work and headed to Mom's. I spent all day Thursday and all day Friday at a (very boring) conference that seemed like a good idea when I signed up for it in May. Between the construction going on outside the building and the busted AC, it definitely fell flat for me. Then, instead of going home for the weekend, I figured we may as well head to the cottage until Cody's birthday party Sunday afternoon. Remind me never to have a bowling party. The kids enjoyed it but I think it was a bit too chaotic for me. Even if Alan had the cutest little bowling shoes ever! By the time I put Alan back in the car today I thought he was going to find a way to escape the car seat once and for all. We were on the go here, there, and everywhere all weekend. Someday, I'm going to remember to plan us some down time! We won't be back home now for a few weeks since the move is a week from Tuesday and we're having some visitors over the next couple of weekends. At any rate, that was the last four or five days in a nutshell, so I think I'll go veg and watch a couple of the shows I taped while I was gone. Later!

Nathan

2008-07-22T12:23:00.001-07:00

This is Nathan's cast...poor fella!

eek!

2008-07-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well....I think it is a dangerous week to be a Carew. First Jessica gets her nose broken while at the cottage (as described in a previous post). Now today I get a phone call to be told that poor Nathan tripped over his own PJ's and has a fracture above his ankle. Now he's going to be in a cast. The poor kid is just learning to walk! That's not fair at all! Thank god Jess works at the IWK. I guess he was at the babysitter's when it happened and she (the babysitter) is absolutely beside herself, even though it wasn't her fault. erg. Anyway, I'm waiting to hear more from either mom or Jess after they leave the hospital. If I were Terry, I'd cover myself in bubble wrap for a little while, just to be safe.

BJ and I are off to the Lawyer's to sign some papers (I'm not really sure what for) today. In the end, I'm sure it will be about how much MORE money I have to give them,but I'll survive. Somehow. I guess. This whole house buying thing is confusing and expensive, but I know I'll love it when I'm there. I also have to get my allergy shots today, and I'm hoping those will be going to every month instead of every two weeks soon. At any rate, there are boxes that need to be filled waiting for me downstairs. Sigh. Updates on Nathan to follow!

Thanks Tina!

2008-07-21T17:03:00.001-07:00

Ok....so Tina was nice enough to Tag me in one of her last posts. So apparently I need to do a post telling three things about myself that most people don't know. This has been causing me anxiety all day because I am having a bit of trouble coming up with three things I haven't told the world. Well here goes. I don't know how enlightening this will be, but I'll try.

1. I despise change. It severely stresses me out. As you can imagine, this move has been causing me to feel nauseous for weeks. I know I will be thrilled when it's done and we're all settled in, but until then, I just might throw up at any point. Maybe it's cause I'm a Taurus. Which brings me to my next point.

2. I'm very interested in astrology, mediums, and all that Jazz. I love reading about it. The scientific part of me always says there has to be a rational explanation, while the more romantic part of me tells the scientific part to shut up and have some faith. I would say I have a healthy skepticism, but I think the next time the girls at work go, I'll be going too.

3. This one is probably going to sound kinda dumb, but I wish that I had a less guilty conscience. Mostly because then I could do things like pick up smoking again and to hell with whether or not it's a very stupid idea. I could tell people everything I thought about them and not feel disgustingly terrible later. But that will never happen because my consicience won't even let me contemplate a puff, or a rude word (unless I'm angry to the point of irrationality, which is a different case altogether), dammit.

So there are some of my not so dirty little secrets. Thanks Tina for the soul searching exercise. I'd tag some people but I mostly just cruise the blogs Tina reads, so it would be kinda pointless. Pfpfpfpfpfpfpfpfpfpf.

More pics

2008-07-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

Bruno in Shades!

Nathan!
Cameron looking all handsome!
Just a coffee cup or a statement?

Pretty Pic of the full moon on the lake
Look out daddy!
Alan wants to go SeaDoo ing

So does Maggie!

Seriously!

2008-07-20T16:08:00.001-07:00

This is the new SeaDoo that Mom, Jessie, and Terry bought for the cottage. Her name is Alice.
This is the banana boat that I will probably never ride ever again.
This is Lindsay the night of "the incident"
This is Jessie the morning after "the incident"
This is just a cute picture of Alan :)

Wow. What a weekend. A weekend at the camp always has stories attached to it, although usually they are stories of staying up with guitars around the campfire until the sun comes up or some such. Not this weekend. As a matter of fact, we had a few pretty tame nights, but I think the daytime craziness made up for it.

As I said in the previous pics and posts, there is a new toy at the camp. The SeaDoo has a 150 hp engine in it, and can hold three people. It tows a seabiscuit or waterskiier well. The first night we were down, Terry managed to flip Lindsay and I out of it. Let me tell you, he had to work hard, and it felt like slamming into a wall. But it was fun just the same. As the weekend went on, Terry perfected his technique at towing and I have a feeling he won't have to work so hard to flip us next time. But no harm done. Then, Friday night, our cousins at their cottage up the road said we could borrow their banana boat to tow behind the Sea Doo. We figured it sounded like fun, so why not. Terry drove, BJ spotted, and Lindsay, Jessie, and I went on (in that order from front to back). We knew it would probably flip, but the water was warm so what the heck. Well flip it did. And when we bobbed out of the water, Jessie looks at me and says "I just broke my nose. SERIOUSLY!" At this point, I got worried. She took her hands away and sure enough, it was obviously broken. Well...as it turns out, when we flipped over, Lindsay's elbow connected with Jessie's nose and CRACK! So a trip to the hospital it was. They went to the QEII and saw a doctor friend of Lindsay's and were back by suppertime, but trust me: I won't be going on the banana boat any time soon. Now Jess has a swollen face and two black eyes. But man, she handled it better than I ever would have.

All in all a fun weekend, and more pics to come. Seriously!

To the Camp!!

2008-07-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!! We're going to the camp tomorrow (or maybe tonight if I'm ambitious)! I've been looking forward to getting to the cottage this weekend for two weeks at least, and not only because of the new toy! I mean, of course I want to drive the JetSki...but really it's about just being there. We were supposed to leave when BJ got off of work this afternoon, drive to mom's, and then head to the cottage first thing tomorrow morning. Instead, I felt crappy when he was getting up for work at 430 this morning (on account of not being able to sleep) and so convinced him to stay home and help me. Truth be told it didn't take too much convincing, as this is the second week in a row he's been getting up at 4 or 430 for work. Anyway, after a couple of hours more sleep and a very large cup of coffee, I feel quite restored. It has nothing to do with today being Alan's scheduled day at the sitter...really. Unless you count the fact that I got to drink my whole cup of coffee without being constantly told it is "hop" or having it go the opposite of "hop", but I'm going off topic again. Anyway, at this point I have all our stuff packed up, and am giving serious consideration to some new beach towels, ours look decidedly shabby. BJ is finishing up the dishes downstairs, and I'm trying to decide what important bit of stuff I am forgetting. Ah well. It's all good. I'll post tons of pics on Sunday. To the Camp!

What's so wrong with a routine???

2008-07-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well there wasn't very much going on here today. Alan slept in past 8 (woo hoo) which rarely happens these days. I really appreciated it since I went to bed feeling kinda crappy and woke up when BJ got up for work this morning. But I have a feeling it really messed up his daily routine. That or he was just messing with my head. See, Alan is a one-nap-a-day kinda kid, and for the last few weeks that nap has been just after lunch. I like this routine. It allows me to have a couple of hours to eat my lunch, tidy up the disaster zone he was playing in, and maybe read a chapter of my book or catch up on some blogs/facebook news. Not to mention that he really does NEED the nap. If he doesn't nap, my adorable, funny, well-behaved child turns into this cranky, whiny hellian who either wants to be attached to my leg or throwing hard things at other things that should not have stuff thrown at them. Like the CAT! At any rate, he would not nap today. Instead, he stood up in his crib screaming like I was torturing the poor child. I can only handle this for so long. I tried the usual techniques - rocking, letting him up for a few minutes, soothing talk, begging, pleading. Nada. Ah well. I think, in all honesty, it's me that needs the routine more than he does. As soon as Daddy got home, he was all smiles and fun again (I'm trying to write that without bitterness....not sure if I succeeded). Ah well. I don't know what's so wrong with a routine, but I can tell you one thing. It's a good thing he's cute.

Introducing Captain SquarePants

2008-07-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Captain SquarePants!
Alan kissing me....he will keep this pose for minutes at a time if BJ is there to make him "jealous"
The TickleMonster!
Alan and Shawn
This Child Sweats Like his father!

Well it's been a fun day in the Power household...and by fun I mean crazy as usual. BJ is on the day shift again this week, so he works 6am to 430 pm Monday to Thursday. It could be a worse shift, but if Mr. Man is cranky it can be a long day. But at least we can take off for the weekend on Thursday night so we can get to the camp bright and early on Friday.

Alan and I had a fairly lazy day in the morning, which basically means he destroyed the house and ate every bit of food he could lay hands on. I think he must be going through some crazy growth spurt because he can currently pack away more food than I can. After his nap this afternoon, Ken (BJ's friend) brought his kids (Allison is four and Shawn is 2) over to play for a while. Alan and Shawn are a blast to watch together, but the three of them are exhausting to keep track of. And we're thinking of taking them all to the beach tomorrow! After supper, Alan went into his "Captain SquarePants" routine, where he runs around with a SpongeBob SquarePants blanket on like a cape....it's hilarious. It's especially funny when the cat is attached to the blanket. Alas, I wasn't able to get a picture with the cat. She's too quick!

Thanks for the encouragement from everyone on starting the blog. Make sure you harass me if I don't post!

Pictures!

2008-07-15T03:26:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how OLD he looks in this picture!
Here we are walking at the beach in a very "Tina-esque" picture!

This is one of my favourite new pics of Alan.

This is the front of the new house. Moving Day is August 5th!

First Post!!!!

2008-07-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well I have been reading Tina's blog religiously for so long now, that I think I shall once more give it a shot. With Alan growing like a weed and learning new things every day, as well as buying our first house, there is just so much going on that it's hard to keep everyone up to date. I'm hoping this will work. Maybe if enough people get on my case I'll keep it up. But for now, I should probably go to bed. Tomorrow I'll figure out how to post pictures and send everyone the new address!