2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

YAY!!! 2008 is almost over

I hate to admit it, but I'll be glad to see the end!!!

oVERALL i THINK 2008 HaS KINDA SUCKED for us at least.

I don't want to complain, but I had to sell and leave the house that I absolutely loved.

We had all these misadventures in moving,

sad things like getting rid of Kaylee.

and to avoid a pityfest

I have HIGH HIGH Hopes for 2009!

I mean we have big plans for buying an acreage

My resolution is to find more of me! whether that means going back to work part time or doing more paintings or a least something creative and selling it.- but something to regain more of me!!! I mean I love being Nathan's Mommy- but I'm starting to feel like that's all I am- and my one and only true resolution is to find myself again.

But with only a few hours left,

Nathan and I are Watching Shrek 2,

while I run around and try to get some cleaning done.

There's nothing more depressing that doing Laundry that is from LAST YEAR.

So I'm hoping to have the laundry and dishes done before we ring in a new year.

and that's how exciting my life is now!

I spend New Year's EVE watching a kids movie

and doing Laundry.

Elmo is like a God in our house

Nathan Has taken on a total attachment to Elmo, I can't take him into any store without him pointing out every Elmo he sees...Considering he has so few words...but ELMO is very clear, and he has to make sure you noticed his best buddy too.

For his 2nd Birthday we bought him the New Elmo Live. The box says that its age appropriate for 18 months plus. But honestly Elmo has so many moving parts, and is so mechanical that I'm worried that an over zealous 2 year old...who enjoys dragging Elmo by his arms will break poor old Elmo.
I actually returned the first Elmo doll,
Because not even a month after we bought Elmo his price dropped like 12 dollars. So our first Elmo got "re-wired"*see my post note about toy wiring into his box and I took him back and re bought one for 12 dollars less. But the new Elmo is still sitting in the closet, because Like I said before I'm worried that all the dragging around will just break Elmo.
So I thought that just getting Nathan a plush stuffed elmo might be more age appropriate- which brings me to my Elmo Conspiracy theory...
I spent all of December looking for any stuffed Elmo, but I swear they have been pulled off the shelf. There wasn't one anywhere. I think that Sesame Street has pulled all Elmo dolls off the shelves in order to up the sales of the New Elmo Live. I'm serious they are no other Elmo dolls, and I think its a conspiracy to make parents buy the new doll, by not giving them any other "elmo options". I mean when have you not seen Elmo dolls in every toy department, and yet now there's none except the expensive elmo live doll. I think it's honestly to prevent people from buying a "cheaper version" for kids like Nathan who wouldn't know the difference and just need an Elmo.
So that's my Sesame Street Conspiracy theory.

So being the manipulative parent, since everything centres around Elmo...We bought Elmo Potty Time DVD to try and getting potty training rolling around here.

I figure since I get the remote brought to me with the demand "ELMO" several times a day, that I'll just put on Elmo Potty every time I get the Elmo request...So It seems like a constant loop of Elmo singing about his potty and hand washing or the names for pee and poo in our house. But hopefully Elmo being the god like figure that he is right now will be able to convince someone that the potty is cool!

**aside***
nothing drives me more crazy than the stupid wires used to secure every child's toy you buy now! The wires are usually around each foot and each arm as well as the neck and usually another place or two. And not only is it frustrating to try and de-tangle all these wires in front of an anxious child...I mean the kid sees the new toy they want it, right then not after 20 minutes of mom wrestling the stupid thing. But the other thing that completely makes me mad about these wires is they are almost always secured in a second layer of packaging- almost always insuring that you need to rip the box apart completely to access them- and therefore making an nonworking toy next to impossible to return!!!!

fustration

I'm desperately trying to figure out how to upload a new template to change my blog page layout...and I'm ready to scream trying to get it to work!!!!

If this doesn't work soon I'm going to have to try and find my HTML book and write my own code...but I have a funny feeling it probably in a box, and most likely still in Calgary
blah

Greasy Monkey

Vaseline

Everywhere- Everywhere-Everywhere

Nathan went to bed tonight, Or a least I thought he did!

I went to check on him and...

I Guess he can reach the top of his dresser now...

He pulled the diaper basket down...

which also Contained

VASELINE

WHICH got put by the handful into his hair,

on his face, legs, hands, pj's all over him

not to mention the wall, the carpet, the dresser the diaper basket, a book everything

I threw him in the tub...

scrubbed his hair twice with dish soap, and it was still so stiff that it was standing up in spikes like this without anything in it.

I washed it again with shampoo and stuff , but it still feels nasty greasy.

but I couldn't help myself from giving him little devil horns with the shampoo

Crazy Chicken Lady

So my newest Brain Wave-
slight obsession
is to become a Crazy Chicken Lady


Seriously



By this spring our plan is to find an acreage (hopefully close to Chris' work)

and my next plan is to build a chicken coop and start trying to raise a "FLOCK"
I found a great website http://www.gatewaytovermont.com/thefarm/chickens.htm
which reminded me of all the things I guess I knew some where deep down
Like baby Chicks would need a heat lamp, and also provided info that I had no idea about like each chicken actually requires 4 square feet per bird, or dipping a chicks beak in water so it understands the concept of the drinking bowl.

Anyways this is my newest little project because I'm bound and determined to try raising chicken- although being a city girl my whole life I'm sure you could make a reality TV show out of this idea that would probably rival Simple Life!!!
But it's my newest plan, and I hope with a lot of research before hand that I may be able to start at least constructing a coop and giving it a go as soon as we find a place~

Candy Cane Lane

To Finish Off our Christmas Events we took in Candy Cane Lane that Night...

Apparently Candy Cane Lane has been a 30 year tradition
It's even been a whole show about it on HGTV


And over 200 house participate

http://www.candycanelane.ca/

christmas is over for another year

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already!!!

We spent it, just the 3 of us in Edmonton...

yeah a few things have changed (AGAIN)

Christmas was fun- Nathan is finally to the point were he loves ripping open the presents...although the whole day was about CANDY CANES...apparently they should never go in a 2 year olds stocking!!!

He was in Love with Thomas the Train and really happy with all the Hot Wheels cars he got in his stocking...both can Actually get him to sit still and play quietly.

I got a little spoiled,

a locket

scarf and hat

2 seasons of Sex and the City

and a purse that perfectly matches my new coat.

Poor Chris was more than a little tired, he got off work at 6am and we started Christmas at about 11.

so between, the sugar and the lack of sleep everyone needed a nap that afternoon.

Wow
I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I wrote anything...
In my defence I've technically been computerless since late August.

I spent the first 2 weeks of this month living "in the middle of nowhere" with the in-laws,
but after coming to Calgary this weekend to see Chris' brother and the new (10month old) Baby. I insisted we find an apartment or something and basically get back together.
It's been exactly 4 months we've "been living apart" and things are starting to get pretty rough.

Happily we found a place, signed a Lease and managed to start moving stuff in all in one day...
so our happy little family is back together!
Minus a dog...but that's a little raw since that just happened tonight so I mention it later.

In happier news it was my birthday just over a week ago and I got spoiled with a new Sony SLR that I'm in love with.
I've got some great pics of the middle of nowhere that I'll post as soon as I can upload them...
but setting up a new place- I don't expect I'll have a lot of blogging time again, since the place is much dirtier than I originally thought. It took my hours this afternoon just to do one cupboard!!!

Moth Dust and moth "gross"ness

I've had a couple of discussions lately about moths.

Chris thinks that its stupid to be scared of Moths but like Butterflies. My response to this is that Moths are gross because they run into you and get "Moth Dust" on you.

(which is actually SCALES of their wings coming off, and butterflies have it too. But Butterflies don't crash into me repeatedly)

I mentioned this conversation to my Dad who accused me of making up "Moth Dust" until he looked online and all the articles refering to "moth Dust"

Chris' argugment is still that I wouldn't be afraid of Moths if they were pretty like butterflies...and to tell you the truth...I found this photo on Flickr tonight, and honestly if all moths looked like this I'd at least be curious about them...

This guy is apparently called a Rosy Maple moth, which according to wikipedia actually exists (I was thinking it must have been photoshopped. but...

The rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda ) is a North American moth in the Saturniidae family. Males have a wingspan of 32-44 mm; females of 40-50 mm. They have reddish-to-pink legs and antennae, yellow bodies and hindwings, and pink forewings with a triangular yellow band across the middle. Males have bushier antennae than females. As the name implies, rosy maple moths mainly feed on Maples, particularly Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Sugar Maple. Sometimes these moths become pests on maple trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryocampa_rubicunda

I've created a small monster

For obvious reasons I've spent a lot of time cleaning in the last few weeks...and Nathan has picked up on this. The other morning I spent his breakfast wiping down the kitchen counters, as soon as he was let down from the highchair he grabbed a sponge and started wiping the window and the table, it was pretty cute...
but tonight was a whole new phenomenon.
At a showing last week some idiot broke the child lock on the cabinet under the sink, its caused other issues like a monkey being able to hit the garborator switch...but... tonight I was washing something in the sink and Nathan zip past me pulled open the side with the broken lock and reached across to flip open the garbage lid on the other door and slipped something in.
I was quite proud of him to know where garbage goes...
but then I realized the whole house shouldn't have any garbage we'd had a showing only a few hours ago...
curious to see what he was throwing out I opened the garbage...
he'd thrown out a seasoning package...the problem is he'd pulled it out of the spice cupboard himself, and then after he'd crumpled it he decided it was garbage and threw it out unused.
I looked through the rest of the garbage thinking it shouldn't be as full as it was, since I emptied the bag just this morning...apparently he's been doing this all day...

Jilted bride gets national TV attention

Jilted bride gets national TV attention
This story seems to be getting a lot of attention right now, I watched it on the news last night, and people were making comments that "it's scary that an engagement can be seen as a legal contract that you can get sued for"
- but I have to totally side with the Bride here. I think she deserved some compensation. She gave up a lucrative career to move to the state of her fiance and took a job paying 50 thousand less a year. Then he dumps her??? It's not like she sued him for an outrageous amount to me that seems like a fair settlement for disrupting her life and not following through on the commitment. I mean she gives up everything to move and go be with him because she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. He changes his mind, and she's making 50 thou a year less and is in another state???
I'd be a little more skeptical if she'd been awarded millions for this...but 150 seems fair for the hardship and the loss of wage.

JuLy 25th, 2008 THE BEST ANNIVERSARY OF ALL TIMES!!!

iT'S dOnE!

It'S DoNe!!!!

iT's FiNaLLy, fINaLy DoNE!!!!!

YaY

tHE DIVORCE is finally offically SIGNED, dATED AND dONE AS of TODAY!!!!!<>

oops

oops?!?

I was pretty sad about this guy tonight. He's been sitting on the wooden shelf that divides the kitchen from the living room since we moved in. And I've had him for years before that, I bought him because he reminded me of a figurine that my great grandmother had in her kitchen for all the years I can remember...but it turns out Nathan's highchair is slightly to close to the shelves, and when I lifted him up to put him in the chair tonight he lunged for this guy. and the results...

Other than that, Nathan makes me think I'm raising a child that's part monkey sometimes. As I was cooking dinner tonight I watched him put his feet on the bottom of the high chair- chair part and pull himself up into the seat. Then he turned around and sat in the chair like he's suppose to. Apparently he wanted dinner right then and there. When he realized he wasn't getting it, he turned back around and climbed down. I really don't think he should be able to do these sorts of things yet? should he?

awwww too cute...

Time for some parent gushing...
I was so amused with Nathan tonight.
He was dancing (which consists of stomping his feet really fast) and spinning in circles till he got dizzy and fell down.
So I went over and took his hands. The I started singing ring around the rosie, while slowly spinning with him. At husha husha they all fall down, I'd fall on my back and kick my arms and legs in the air. It took two rounds for him to see the game in this...and then that was it! We must have done it 50 times tonight. and everytime I'd fall down he'd giggle and get up, come over and take my hands to get me up to do it again.
I'm so excited he's getting to a stage where he wants to play actual games with me!!!

This is how hot Atlanta is!! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

This is how hot Atlanta is!! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I just love this photo- what a creative way of expressing the heat- way cool idea!

Pretty sky

I took these right in the driveway last night- I love it whenever you get such soft pink hues in the sky.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

It was kinda sad we didn't get to spend Daddy's Birthday with him, but in honor of his Birthday we went out and got Sundae's at McDonalds- Nathan really enjoyed his!mmmm...sticky!

In the backyard with the "3 Kids"

Kaylee is quite proud of herself for this~ she'll drop the ball on the end of the lounge chair to make sure you see it. Nathan is really trying to learn to play with Kaylee...but he hasn't quite mastered the concept of throw the ball for her NOT AT HER. (notice her half cower?)


Giving the ball to Mags
Everyone has to babysit Nathan
Fetch (quick before someone else gets it)
More babysitting
Just checking

what a difference a year makes

July 2007

July 2008

She's looking at me like that because he's actually sitting on her tail.

Haircut

Since we were kicked out of the house for a showing this morning, I thought I'd slide into to BEANERS and see if they had space to cut some one's hair

In the Truck Before the haircut- all nice and sticky from our doughnut breakfast

Waiting for the next appointment in the Ball Pit
Ball Pits are too much fun!!!!
We decided to sit on some weird dog/ chipmunk/bear dude for our haircut

"HEY, They left me on the weird dude by myself"

Snip Snip

They Had to Give Nathan a paintbrush to play with so he'd give them back the comb- he always thinks he should be allowed to comb/brush his hair himself.

The After shot- with a sucker back in the truck