Go Team Go

          The other night while my husband and I were enjoying dinner out, in an actual restaurant, I made a bet.  I bet my husband $50 that the Edmonton Oilers would make it to the second round of playoffs this season.  On what basis?  My logic is that you can't lose forever.  Our baseball team did crappy, our football team isn't doing well, and the Oilers hockey club has been on a down streak for a few years.  It makes sense to me, you just can't lose forever.  So I made this bet, which Jon accepted. 

           While I am not a die-hard hockey fan, I grew up with it.  When I was little Saturday night, a.k.a. Hockey Night In Canada, was always background noise for me.  It bored me, while keeping my Dad and brothers glued to the screen.  As I grew up though the sounds of Hockey Night In Canada were music to my ears.  When I make comments to my brothers, father, or husband, like "so-and-so is playing well" they come back at me with stats, figures, charts and trade possibilities.  I don't understand any of it, but I love the 'music'. 

           It's back.  Preseason games, but still that background music that feels like home and puts a warm smile in my heart is back.  I may not understand the intricacies of hockey clubs, but I understand the basics of the game. And I have bet my husband.  So Oilers, you better deliver!  We are due a cup, and I want my fifty bucks.

Killing Time...

                       Well I made it through the first 2 days okay.  Those of you who read my last post know that my boys are with their grandma for 2 weeks.  The first couple of mornings waking up without those smiles were rough but I'm pulling through!  (chuckle)

                        While my wonderful mother-in-law was here she purchased a bunk-bed set for my boys as their birthday present.  The past few days I have been cleaning out their room to get ready for the delivery of the beds.  Down came the cribs, which without front rails served very well as toddler beds.  I wasn't even emotional (unusual for me) while I dismantled the cribs, only reflective on the past 3 years.  I thought of when the boys were so tiny I had them sleep in the same crib, then as they grew separating them (which for some reason was tough to do), and finally when the rails came down and the boys were free to come and go as they pleased (boy was THAT fun!). 

                        After the cribs were out it was organizing toys and clothes - I had a lot of pants and shirts in regular circulation that were too small for them.  This, with toys and clothes organized in the closet, left an empty room save for their basketball net.  It's so strange to not only have a very, VERY quiet house but also an empty boys room!  I just finished vacuuming and washing the walls.  Ready for the new bunks to come!  That will be a fun job, assembly....  haha.  Then it won't be a toddler room anymore but a Big Boy Room!

                        So for once in my life I got my work done before I played, and now I have a few days to do the fun stuff!  Meeting up with friends, shopping, and decorating the walls in the boys room.  Yay! 

                         On a separate topic, thank you to those who've inquired about my parents.  They are doing well, really enjoying their mission to Nauvoo.  When they aren't working in the temple they have been bike riding around the countryside and working a garden.  Their mission ends on Nov. 1st and they will be returning shortly thereafter.  :)

                             

Vacation

In a week & a half my boys will be 3.  It's really hard to believe how fast time flies;  I know it's only three and those of you with older kids are probably rolling your eyes at that last sentence... but it really does fly.  Seems like they were only born last week, just started crawling last week, spoke their first word last week... and now they will be three. 

           The point of this post is not to reminisce over the past 3 years;  the point of this is ....  drum roll please...   when Grandma Cindy leaves a day or two after the birthday party she's taking my boys with her for about 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!     !!!!!!!!!!     This post is a celebration of my first real vacation  in 3 years.  

           I did take a weekend off when the boys were 8 months, Jon and I went with some friends to Banff and Grandpa Ron & Grandma Terry watched our boys for the weekend.  But they were so young that even though I had fun in Banff my thoughts were mostly on David and JD.  This will be a real vacation in that I have time ..  time for a bubble bath, time to actually get walls washed, baseboards scrubbed, carpets cleaned (doesn't sound like a vacation, does it? But when none of that gets done uninterrupted, it will be so nice to take on a project I can actually finish!) , heck, I'll have time to go to the bathroom without hearing "MOM!  MOM, WHERE ARE YOU?" .  

            I am so excited.  And not in the least worried.  Grandma Cindy has this in the bag!  Plus if in any way it is a problem, or the boys are homesick, or I miss them too much we just have to cut the visit short.  My mother-in-law is so excited since she only gets to see the boys once, maybe twice a year.  They know her and miss her, talk on the phone with her a lot, so I am not worried- they will have a great time. 

            And all the stuff I can do!!!!!  This house needs an overhaul, and I can sleep in and still get tons of cleaning done.  Maybe I'll wax the floors.  Maybe I'll meet friends for lunch.  Maybe I'll cook my husband a gourmet meal to be ready when he gets home from work.  Maybe I'll .....  the possibilities are endless!  

Last year, Grandma Cindy reading to the crazy-hair boys!

My Firefighters

                 I want to send a big THANK YOU out to the New York City Fire Department for realizing that kids love fire trucks and making a video about the job of being a hero. 


                 My boys are crazy about firefighters (or fighterfighters, as David calls them) and while in Walmart the other day I found a video.  It's called 'All About Big Red Fire Engines' or something like that... sounded about perfect so I bought it.  David and JD LOVE it!! 


                 The FDNY made this video 15 years ago; firefighters go through every tool on the truck and explain how it works and what it's used for (including the saws and Jaws of Life, which at first I thought would scare them but it didn't), then does the same for all the gear the firefighters wear and why, finally showing the trucks and firefighters in action going to a fire scene.  HOW INCREDIBLY AWESOME!!! 


                  Now the boys run around putting on imaginary gear and jump in their firetrucks and race to a scene.  David will put his hand up to his ear and say "Oh no! I hear a fire!  I better go!" and then take off running to the rescue.  It's so adorable, I love it.  As a birthday present I want to find them firefighter costumes, they would freak out!!

                 

Got Junk?

It is a rainy, cool day today, and while I have to get the boys outside later to burn off energy (let's face it, that's a necessity with children!) for now we are organizing.  It doesn't take long for clutter to appear in day-to-day life, unless you are one of those excessively tidy people.  (I have dropped in on a friend or two to return an item, only to find a SPOTLESS home behind their front door - that is NOT me!)  In our household clutter gathers at a speedy rate and grows, finding a comfortable habitat.  So we are organizing. 


       As I am organizing I realize that what I am organizing is... junk.  Yup, junk that we do not use, or no longer use at least.  Coats that no longer fit the boys which they love to free from the closet and fling around the room.  Blankets used primarily for tents and forts, which have holes and/or are so old they haven't been used in the capacity they were made for for quite some time.  Baby toys which I have confiscated, but not given/thrown away, have been found repeatedly and strewn around the house.  Trinkets.  Old suitcases. Flyers I save for Jon to read, which he doesn't get around to, and even though they are now out-of-date I still save for him to read...   you get the idea. 


     So this is my fall project.  Get rid of the junk!  And it's not garage-sale material, even the baby toys which I will give to good will instead.  It's mainly junk!  Toys and coats will be given to good will or the annual Coats for Kids drive.  Everything else?  TO THE DUMP!!!!   I look around and speculate on how much nicer our house will feel, how much more like a HOME it will feel, once the junk is not spread around like pixie dust.  I could breathe again.... 

Newsreel

***This just in:  I am so proud of my boys!  Today was a very successful potty day!  I have been pulling teeth to get my boys to use the potty, which isn't good because the more you push the less they want to try.  All it took was a bag of bite-size chocolate bars for incentive (my husband is a genius!) - one bar for doing the deed and an extra bar if they go in totally on their own without me telling them.  It worked!  The candy is even long gone yet they still are excited about being big boys who use the potty, and continue to try their best. 


***Funny comments I hear:  Our computer is in the basement, along with Daddy's tools and boxes and things.  The boys always want play down in the basement and get into everything!  JD has started telling me "you have to check your email!" whenever he wants to come down.  Today he tried that one over and over, to no avail, when finally he said in his most persuasive voice "Mommy, you have to check your blog!!"   I laughed so hard!  I had only mentioned my blog one time, a long time ago, when he asked what I was doing and I replied "just posting on my blog".  


***Deed of the day:  I mowed the lawn today.  Yup, couldn't stand it anymore and said to myself TOO BAD JONNY (he loves to take care of his lawn), and I went and mowed it.  Looks so much better now!  He's working for another 6 days and it would've been a jungle by then.  Oh, and I killed two gigantic spiders.


***Oops I did it again:  yes, I tried a new recipe today and it bombed.  I have this potato cook book packed full of yummy recipes but whenever I try one it mysteriously doesn't work out.  Tonight it was potato & ground beef meatballs.  They looked good in the pan, my perfect meatballs, until I swirled the pan like I do to turn regular meatballs and they just MUSHED.  I can't even describe it, other than saying they just mushed.  I was sad.  Again. 

To Serve or Not To Serve

I have this friend, a wonderful friend, the kind of friend who is always there when I need someone to talk to or laugh with.  She is amazing, helping any one of her friends or family members who need it, very giving and understanding.  We have children close in age and our husbands work together, so we have much in common, and get together often. 

The other night my friend and I got our families together for dinner as we do sometimes.  When dinner was ready I did what I always do, which was load up a plate for Jonny.  My friend looked at me and said "What are you doing? You aren't serving your husband, are you?!?!"  

She has on other such occasions seen me serve Jon and always has the same outburst.  Also at her birthday party she was talking with her work friends about how they never serve their husbands, how their husbands have 2 hands  and can dish themselves...  their words weren't as nice as that though.  I stayed silent.  Every time the subject is brought up I stay silent because ladies with that opinion just do not understand ladies with my opinion. 

Anyway on this night I decided I wasn't going to just be the butt of the joke anymore.  I replied, "Yes, I always serve my husband."  To which she said "Why?  It's not like they deserve being waited on hand and foot." 

My answer?  I said that I feel it's a token of love and respect to serve my husband dinner.  Can he get his own plate?  Of course.  Does it debase me to get his dinner for him?  No.  I do it out of love and respect, and I don't feel it makes me a slave, or demoralized.  I actually think it shows strength in a woman, to lovingly serve her husband.  By the way, he doesn't demand it of me either, even after being served his dinner for so many years.  He accepts my caring gesture just as graciously as it is offered. 

My friend stared at me like I was an alien.  Then stated that she doesn't, and will never, serve her husband.  My heart-felt explanations fell on deaf ears. 

I ask you, whoever might read this rambling blog, what is your opinion on the subject?  Leave a comment, let me know. 

McWonderful

An amazing thing happened yesterday.  Jon decided to shake up routine for the boys and take us all to McDonalds for supper, so the boys could play in the playplace.  When I say shake up routine, I mean actually go inside the restaurant.  We don't eat near as much fast food anymore, but when we do it's the drive-thru for us. 

         This is the amazing part: the playplace was EMPTY.  That's right, empty!  I couldn't believe it.  David and JD had only been there once before, and they were too little to climb the shelves inside the tubes, not to mention overwhelmed by the swarm of children rushing over them.  This visit they were tall enough to climb, and had the whole place to themselves.  Jon and I ate our supper to the excited cries of "Look at me Mom, Dad, I'm way up here!"  

          I don't know if I don't plan enough new, exciting experiences for the boys or not... probably not.  But this simple meal out was so wonderful in that we were able to see pure joy on our boys' faces.  I haven't seen them that excited about something in a long, long time.  JD even overcame his fear of tunnel slides;  he avoided the slide over and over, then finally very bravely went down the slide.  He found it wasn't as bad as he thought and then frequented the slide until we left. 

           It made me so happy, and I'm sure Jonny too, to hear and see our boys so elated and joyful.  Now I have a goal to create more new, exciting adventures for the boys, instead of letting the rut of routine rule our lives.

I Love the 'Landing'

We live on the edge of town in a new(er) development, only 3 years old, with a small shopping area. You know those ones with names like (insert name of neighborhood here) Point, or (again, name of neighborhood) Crossing. Ours is called the Landing. How trendy!

It has one of everything important - a drugstore (Shoppers, my fave), a gas station (Petro, which is Jonny's fave), a Tim Hortons (of course!) and our bank. Actually, it has 3 banks, luckily one of which is ours. I didn't say grocery store, because there wasn't one, but the Shoppers is the one with the food essentials area, so we did ok. I wonder why they call it Food Essentials when they don't have any fresh vegetables or fruits? Regardless, it worked for us in a pinch.

Then they started building a Sobey's! I waited, and waited, and waited for this store to open because it would then mean we have everything we need within walking distance to our house. With only one vehicle which goes to work with Jonny, this was pretty exciting news. Then it opened. Just when I didn't think my excitement could possibly grow any fuller, I saw the sign. Sobey's. Open 24 Hours.

WOOO HOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me??? Forget milk? No problem. Sick kids need medicine? No worries. No need to drive into the city to areas of questionable safety at 3:30 AM, just a 2 minute drive down the street. I LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!

One Great Summer

I have to say this is the best summer of my life to date. Better than the summer of '94, which was one of the greatest; that bridge-jumping, movie-going, pre-grade 12 carefree summer with a close gang of buddies was certainly one of the most memorable. This summer was even better than the great summer of '04, in which I planned and enjoyed my wedding and honeymoon! This summer has been the summer I watched my boys grow from babyish toddlers into little guys.

I look at their bodies which are taller, less pudgy, running, jumping, fun-finding machines, and wonder where the cuddly little babies went. These guys go, go, GO constantly and their motor-mouths never stop moving. What imaginations they have, too! At any given point in the day they are putting out fires, driving race cars to Grandma's house, talking on the (imaginary) phone to a loved one, or going to 'work'. They put gas in a car, hook up a tow truck, or escape from crocodiles just in time. Any item I need can be found in David's 'packpack', and should I wish for a treat they will zoom off to the store to get one.

I pretty much have to hold them down to give hugs and kisses, at which point I long for my cuddly little babies who would snuggle right up for as long as I wanted. Other than missing that closeness I totally love the stage David and JD are at. It is so much fun! I have been 'Firefighter Mommy', a ghost hunter, a pirate fighter, a race car driver (though I have yet to win a race), a shark catcher, and of course a tickle monster. The games they come up with are endless and amusing. For example, I walked upstairs the other day to find them quickly jumping into a foxhole to find treasure.

My little guys didn't get into preschool this fall, since the only affordable one for us had a long waiting list. I wonder if that will set them back, since every other child we know of the same age will be going to preschool, but instead I will focus on the extra year I get to have my sweetie-pies at home with me. I'll enjoy every minute of firefighting, exploring, hunting and driving, another wonderful summer, and when they are four I will share them with the world of public education.

Here She Goes Again

Summer is almost over, and I must say I can't wait. Sure, I enjoy hot weather and endless summer days, when I am on vacation. Day to day real life, however, is not enjoyable in suffocating heat, humidity plastering me with a slimy second skin. I do not like hauling laundry up stairs and needing a shower after. Laying in bed at night tossing and turning, trying to sleep, needing to sleep, but its too damn hot to sleep. Bugs? No thank you. I wasn't made for summer heat.

I was made for autumn! I have posted before on my love for that season, so I shall spare you this time. But I will say that yesterday I saw the first yellow leaves and my heartbeat quickened. It's coming! With this autumn my boys will turn 3. With this autumn we hope to make another trip over the mountains to visit family, and I won't even get started on the beauty of that fall drive! With this coming autumn we will be greeting the 3rd baby into our family. HA - that is so not true, I just wanted to make sure you were awake. I do tend to ramble on about my favorite time of year.

This autumn I will have a car! Yes, as soon as we get the out-of-province inspection done I will have my own vehicle. Woo Hoo!! I am so excited. After years of sharing my husbands car, waiting until he was off work, asking to borrow it.... well no more. I have my own! The first plan I have is to head south to visit my brothers, and some friends I haven't seen for years and years. I am really looking forward to this trip.

As I bake in the heat and marinade in the humidity, I think of this coming autumn and all the fun and beauty that lie in store. For all of you who worship summer, heat and everything that goes with it, I understand your point of view... when I am on holidays. :)

(I hope this will post; I haven't been able to post on my blog for almost two months ... this computer just keeps asking me to save it first and I don't know how to fix this! but I'll try again anyway... )

Happy Happy Happy!

I can't believe how much I have accomplished in the last 2 days! Usually I put off the cleaning - not general tidying but actual cleaning - until my boys are asleep or off with Daddy. Well, let me be honest; when the boys are asleep I don't feel like lifting even my pinky! Are you kidding?! So needless to say the work piles up and causes me much embarrassment and stress.



However, yesterday I just started DOING it, and so much got done! It was awesome! I cleaned the whole upstairs, organizing toys and vacuuming, then cleaning the carpets. Now when I walk up the stairs instead of swallowing a giant guilt pill, I breathe in, exhale, all with an enormous smile on my face. It feels so good!



These bursts of energy don't go unnoticed though; the day before yesterday I attacked a huge laundry pile and in return my boys spread cottage cheese all over our couches and livingroom floor. Yesterday, while overhauling the upstairs, mushrooms were scattered haphazardly through the main floor and an onion died on the floor in front of our fridge. I do consider this destruction minor compared to the work I have done, though. Silly boys! Sometimes I wonder if I had only one 2 and a half year old, would such sneaky acts happen? Then I wonder, if I had MORE than 2 boys, perhaps older and wiser boys, what on earth would THEY come up with??? Hmmmmmm......



Today I have done more laundry and organized my room, where piles of books and clothes have grown at alarming rates. I swear to myself I will keep up with all this, so in the future it won't be such a huge project!! In the past, though, I have sworn the same thing. :))))

I LOVE A CLEAN HOUSE!!!! YAY!!!!

Change and Family

Grandpa and Grandma Surry came for a visit today!! Yay! We had a great time even for such a short visit. David and JD were a little shy at first, but overcame it quickly and had fun. Soon their Grandma & Grandpa will be moving 'to the mountains', as the boys say. We will miss having them so close after they move to BC!

Speaking of change, my parents will be leaving soon on their mission. They will be heading to Nauvoo the second their visas come in. Grandpa and Grandma Haynes seem very excited for this adventure, and I am excited for them. What a wonderful experience!

I cannot believe how fast the days fly. I don't really notice how much has changed until I read our family journal, or my personal journal. Then I realize just how much has happened in such a short period of time. Remember when you were young and summer seemed to last for ever?? Now the two months zip by in the wink of an eye! There doesn't ever seem to be enough hours in a day or days in a week to get everything accomplished.
Thinking of this, and of the boys grandparents leaving, moving - leaves me with a renewed goal to get together with extended family more often. I want my boys to know their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, which they won't if they only see them once a year. Last year my New Year's resolution was to see my family more - and I did it; I loved it. I miss my far-away family so much! Now even more of our family will be 'far away'. It makes me sad! So I shall make another resolution to see our far-away relations --- for the boys, and for myself. I love you all!!

Garden Spot

SO we finally did it! My husband, boys and I put in a little garden. It's tiny, very tiny, but it's awesome and we had a great time doing it. So much hard work though... we outlined the plot, then peeled back the grass like sod, dug up the earth and mixed in topsoil. Now we have 6 potato hills (or they will be hills, hopefully!), a small row of carrots, a small row of cucumber, and three small rows of peas. One more row to go, as yet undecided on what to plant. I love it!! The boys had a great time helping and planting... it was a wonderful family project. Fingers crossed we did it right and that eventually we will get to reap the rewards!!


****Pictures to come

This is not me. This person sitting here at the computer, listening to her children getting into Daddy's tools and creating new uses for them, is not me.

I am carefree, independant, wealthy and happy. I am someone who never loses their temper at the kids. I have a perfectly spotless home, smelling of fresh flowers and delicious dinner that will be ready at precisely the moment my husband walks through the door. I enjoy reading, writing, and I never ever yell at my dog. I do not have an eye twitch. Under no circumstances do I feel a crushing weight in my chest when I feel I cannot take another minute, because I never ever feel like I cannot take another minute. Everything I need is in exactly the spot I need it so I can always find it. I always have a stocked pantry and freezer because I am well organized and ahead of the needs of my family. I most certainly am not the woman sitting here, with hardly any food in the house and a headache from telling the kids repeatedly to not play with the printer. I am not this girl, who feels like she is the only girl on the planet to not have it all together. I am not this person sitting here, typing this, on the verge of tears because for the 4th time this week everything is coming apart at the seams, feeling like a failure as a mother yet again. I'm not her.


I don't know who she is.

Heroes

Hero seems to be the theme of my life the past few days. First of all, I have been reading for the 4th time 'In the Company of Heroes' by Michael Durant. If you haven't heard of this book then google it or something, check out your local Coles or library. It is an amazing true story about survival in Somalia... if you have seen Blackhawk Down then you already have the background for this book. Michael Durant is the pilot of the second blackhawk to be shot down; he was the one who, after being savagely beaten by the mob, was carried off and held captive. An amazing story!!!!! I love it. My husband bought it for me shortly after we watched Blackhawk Down.


Yesterday while grocery shopping with my crew we came into contact with some heroes of the local variety. My usual grocery store was packed which forced me to park far from the doors, which was ok. I saw a fire truck so I parked near it, knowing my boys LOVE fire trucks and firemen, and anything to do with them. After our shopping was complete and I had David in the car, the firefighters returned to their rig and I pointed them out to JD. He gaped at them in awe while they smiled and waved at my little guy. One fireman even retrieved a fire safety mag from the truck, the ones they give out at schools and such, and gave it to JD. I asked for a second book, pleading 'twin brother in the car' and was graciously given one. With a final goodbye these firefighters jumped in the truck and drove away, all with four little eager eyes watching. It totally made my day to see my boys so excited and happy about seeing a real firetruck and firefighters, up close and personal. Thank you to these heroes who took a minute out of their busy day to make my sons happy!!


Finally, the last brush with heroes comes from my own family. This morning I made a batch of muffins and put them in the oven. Being a mother and homemaker, my mind was immediately drawn to other tasks needing to be done, and I raced upstairs to my room to organize a couple of laundry piles. I completely forgot my muffins in the oven!!!! Which is so crazy because anyone who knows me well knows how much I love muffins and I count the minutes until they are done. Well this time I forgot and was planning out my day while sorting laundry. I could hear my boys chattering outside the door and didn't really pay attention.... HEY it happens. Suddenly JD's words broke through my thoughts and I realized with a panic what he was saying!! "DON'T GO TO THE BASEMENT MOMMY, THE MUFFINS ARE DONE!!" I gasped and opened my door; sure enough I could hear the oven timer and the smell of muffins had swept through the house. I hugged my boy hard and thanked him over and over for being such a good boy and letting me know the muffins were done. His smile made my day. I ran downstairs and they were luckily not burned, just done perfect. Thanks to my son, the hero of the day!!!

What is this again???

My first post of the year!! Finally. I have missed this creative outlet. Time may be harder to find for this than for my hand-written journals, but only because our computer is in an unfinished basement that we do not allow our boys to frequent.

Things are rolling so fast! Our boys talk my ears off and I love it, most of the time. JD has developed - in tone and in choice of words - a rudeness that escapes at any given time. Since I am the primary care giver around nearly 24/7, I can only believe he acquired this from me. YIKES!!!!! David is still a sweet little guy, but watches his brother closely and learns all he can from him. I give it 2 months, 3 at the outside, before sweet little angelic David picks up his younger brothers' attitude changes.

Most of the time these two are very loving, very active and excited little men who are an absolute joy to mother.

Spring is coming!! Perhaps this time it will arrive for REAL, instead of more snow and chilly days more attributed to late autumn.

Well my boys have abandoned Diego for this frigid basement where the allure of Daddy's tools is impossible to resist so I must drag them back upstairs to the land of the living. I hope that with this long absence I may get some readers again.... I will try my utmost to post regularly, if only for my sister-in-law. :) LOVE YOU ALL!