So Sorry

I am so confuzed right now. I guess I figured most people want honesty, and of course we are all entitled to our own opinions. I have lost some dear friends in my lifetime because I gave my honest opinion of whatever current situation there was at the time. This confuzes me because if I wasn't a real friend, wouldn't I just state whatever was expected of one to say in agreement?? Isn't a true friend someone who can honestly state their own opinion, aside from the friendship?

Perhaps I am WAY off base though. Maybe it was and is a question of tact, and concern for others' feelings that I should have given heed to. Perhaps stating an honest opinion isn't what is always needed, but consideration for the others' position. It is possible to disagree and remain friends.

With that said, I want to sincerely apologize to my friend. I was trying to give an honest opinion, but now realize it wasn't what was needed. I lost sight of the emotions conveyed while I was given to the shock of the chosen words. Reading over my comment I can see it as accusatory now. I, however, do NOT accuse my friend of something that aweful. I know she is not!! I understand where you are coming from, and I can appreciate your position on this. Please accept my apology.

Random thoughts of a Saturday

I couldn't sleep very well last night...my mind just wouldn't turn off. Here are some random thoughts that kept me up and occupied my mind this morning too.

~will the snow ever melt? I know it's only January, but for the first time ever I am already turning my mind to spring. I'm ready for tulups, grass, birds and warm rain.

~is David's mean streak something I need to seriously worry about? Or will it pass? When told "no" or having something taken from him, he will hit himself. Recently he has started hitting others as well. I don't know how to deal with this...

~next week. Tests for a loved one and the results could be drastic. Do I have the strength to help others through a rough time? While dealing with my own heartache? Do I have what it takes? For that matter, what am I made of? No wait, that is a dangerous worry; one should never wonder what they are made of. There's only one way to find out.

~weight loss. I need to shape up!! Just quit whining about it already and DO SOMETHING about it! For me that is the hardest part. But with two active boys who will be running this summer, let's face it. I need to be able to run. Fast.

~Cultivating family relationships. I miss my family! I definately need to make more of an effort to see them.

~heat vents.....I wonder if there is a special adhesive for these covers. They are giving me an eye twitch!! Well, not the covers, the amount of times I have to replace them after the boys remove them. I place the cover over the vent, deeply hoping that an object hasn't been carefully stashed away down there in the minute the cover was off. I don't want to permanently fix them, for cleaning reasons, but any kind of tape is out. The boys peel it and eat it.

~nutrition. Please eat little babies, please eat!! I worry so much with this picky eating, dumping on the floor phase. Articles read that I'm not supposed to overcompensate with milk because they won't be hungry next mealtime. But HELLO!! Their little bellies need SOMETHING!!!! So does my sanity. I need to know they are not hungry. You know, there really SHOULD be a manual for motherhood!!!!

There are many more, which details I shall spare you, and the circle just keeps going round. For now, a hot shower and housework. Later, friends!

My Husband Rocks Fridays

This week the inspiration for My Husband Rocks is a questionnaire....some questions were easier than others to answer and some were harder. Some answers I'm not sure I want to share!! But I will.



1. Where did you meet? We met on a blind date, set up by our friends.



2. How long did you date before you were married? We dated for 4 years before we married. And by 'dated', I mean lived together (to be totally honest...)



3. What does he do that surprises you? watches a girlie movie with me when I know he'd rather be watching Ultimate Fighting. It surprises me because it only happens out of the blue when I least expect it, then doesn't happen again for a long, long time. That's what makes it so sweet!



4. What is your favorite quality of his? Definately his gentleness. He has a gentle soul.



5. What is your favorite feature of his? His striking blue eyes, and his smile. His eyes draw me in, and his smile pales the sun.



6. Does he have a nickname for you? yes, he sure does. :)



7. What is his favorite food? meat and potatoes.



8. What is his favorite sport? Hockey. Specifically the NHL.



9. When and where was your first kiss? it was in a crowded pub, but we might have been the only 2 people in there



10. What do you like to do together? watch great movies, watch people, and talk about our kids (in no particular order). Before we had kids, our favorite thing to do was take last minute, all night drives to visit his family one province over. It was amazing to just pack a bag and go, then drive through the mountains all night.



11. Do you have any children? yes, we have 2 terrific little boys



12. Does he have a hidden talent? I believe so; I tasted a delicious lasagna that he made, and if I knew he could cook I would have handed him that job a LONG time ago!!



13. Who said "I love you" first? I said it first.



14. What is his favorite type of music? He likes rock, especially 80's & 90's.



15. What do you admire most about him? The thing I admire most about him is his work ethic. And his honesty.



16. Do you think he will read this? he might read it eventually....



So there it is... questions answered. Thinking of his faves is bringing a smile to my face!! I love this man so much. He is my partner, my best friend, my confidant, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.

Bedhead and Bananas

These pictures were taken after their nap, when JD had the cutest bedhead ever.

The rate infants change while becoming toddlers is INSANE!! It seems every day there is something new with one or both boys. JD is an excellent little walker now, which is a blast. They have fun walking around the house. I have fun chasing them! We started a form of Hide 'n Seek....I make sure they see me take off in some direction, then crouch down somewhere. They love to come and find me, and squeal with delight when I jump out and scare them. The boys also like corners for some reason...they like to find little nooks and sit in them.

Books are an increasing hit with the boys. Now they will actually listen to me read and point to the pictures. I get them involved more, like pointing to a dog and saying "what does a doggy say?". I constantly ask them if they can say different words. David likes to answer...sometimes his rendition actually sounds like the word!! JD rarely answers, and I am trying very, VERY hard to not be concerned by this. He has always taken to new things in his own time, so I will have patience for now.

David just started to follow me to the bathroom a couple of days ago...he will sit outside until I am finished. After JD sees him sitting there waiting for me, he will sit down too. I seriously thought I had another 6 months before THAT started!!! I should be used to it. The dog has been doing it for 4 years. :l

After weeks of giving them toast with different meals, the boys finally ate some today. I had no idea it takes that long for toddlers to try certain foods....I guess I figured as soon as they were given solids it would be like "oh YEah!!" but no. It's not. Their fave foods include yogurt, bananas, oatmeal, cream of wheat, muffins (especially bran), cheese, lasagna, and hamburgers. Of course, like all toddlers, they love to make a mess. And I love to watch them investigate textures and tastes! I just wish they would eat more...

Back Again

Wow, it has been awhile!! I have missed reading my favorite blogs! I don't know what happened; I tried to log on one day and the computer wouldn't let me..... but the problem is fixed now and YAY, I can go on blogger again!!

We had a great Christmas as expected. Family, food, fun....it was wonderful to see our loved ones and celebrate Christmas. New Years Eve was not great; we spent the evening in Emergency. To make a long story short, it wasn't as bad as it could have been (as bad as we thought it was), and David seems to be much better now. My poor little guy. Now I have seen both my boys with an IV splint on their wrists before the age of 16 months. I really don't care to see it again!!

Time is sure flying by. This new year brings new possibilities and new adventures! LET'S GO, I'm ready!!

My Husband Rocks - 1st Christmas

This is my father-in-law, my stepmother-in-law, and my husband's grandfather with my little boys...last Christmas


Here is my rockin' husband, his dad, and the boys last year.

This week the inspiration for My Husband Rocks Friday is our first Christmas spent together. Obviously the pictures above are NOT of our first Christmas, but in them are the people (minus the babies) that we spent our first Christmas together with.

The first Christmas we shared was 8 years ago (already??!?!). One of the main reasons I fell in love with my husband was his dedication and love for his family. It's hard for him because his parents live in seperate provinces and he rarely sees them together. Christmases we almost always spend with his dad, who loves the holiday and does it up right. This particular Christmas, the first ever with the Surrys, was full of love, family, food and joy. I have since learned that this is how every Christmas is for them.

Jon's dad is married to a wonderful woman who does her best to make everyone feel welcome and loved, accepted. She did that for me that first year, and every year since. Also with us were my husbands grandparents, who he loves very much. I could easily see that when he spent hours playing cards, visiting, and generally enjoying their company. Jon's grandmother has since passed on to a better place, leaving her family to remember her loving spirit and missing her still. I miss her so much.

So there we are, enjoying eachothers company and listening to music of the season, eating endless delicious dishes and treats. The holiday was filled with cards (canasta to be specific), food, and loved ones. It was wonderful. Jonny gave me a huge star-shaped vanilla candle (which I still have to this day, only half-burned up) and some chapstick, of which I am extremely addicted.

I loved our first Christmas together. I have loved every Christmas since. It is a joy to be around my husband and his family!! I am really looking forward to this Christmas, which will find me in the midst of laughter, loving family, and a few extra pounds to shed next year :) .

Youth

I have never really felt my age... I usually feel like I am still in my late-teens, early twenties. This feeling about myself brings on the shock when I see actual teens and young adults; I think to myself "but they are BABIES!!!" and "did I look that young??" . How can it be? How can time do that to us, where inside we feel young, vibrant and as though a day hasn't gone by since the world was at our feet? In another decade or so, will I still feel young, and look at people in their late-twenties, early thirties and think "but they are just BABIES!!" ??????

Giving birth to my boys did a number on my body; I have aches and pains where I didn't before, my joints are incredibly stiff after sitting for any length of time (which is embarrassing while trying to get out of the car after a short trip). I probably look like an old woman affected by arthrytis most of the time!! But in my heart, I am young. I am a fresh, myself-against-the-world, ready-for-anything young adult. Part of me loves that I feel that way!! But the rest of me is, because I feel that way, taken aback when reality comes crashing to a halt in front of me and my body insists on reminding me of all it's been through, for all these years.

I realize I am still young; please don't leave a comment for me saying that I am still young and what am I complaining for? Because if that is what you take from this post, then it wasn't communicated effectively.

Time is a funny thing. When I actually was young, the school year was F O R E V E R!!!!! Summer was short. I remember playing all day outside, to be a touch frustrated when that call came "SUPPER'S READY!!!", reluctant to leave that game of tag, touch-football or hide-and-seek to go in and eat. Then once the food was shovelled in, rushing right back out and playing until dark. Now, the days go by so fast. It is already nearly Christmas, and another year will begin. Where does the time go? I still feel like that young adult and the years are flying by at a rapid rate. "SLOW DOWN!!!" I want to shout at the top of my lungs. Just slow down and let me catch up!!

I don't feel I change, yet I look at loved ones all around me. My parents, my aunts and uncles; time seems to have caught up with them. They don't look how I remember them looking when I was young. Is that how I look to nieces and nephews?? Where does time go?? Where?

Progress

It has been awhile since I last wrote...consequently this will be a catch-up post. I have been busy with the boys lately! They are learning and growing at a rapid rate, and some days (weeks) it seems I can't keep up.

Sometimes I look at my sons and wonder where the time has gone; it seems only yesterday that those two were tiny babies and I was up 4 times a night with them. Now they are big boys. Sort of. Yesterday David used the Big Boy Potty, and it was so exciting! My husband and I just decided to start putting the boys on 15 minutes or so after they eat. Another new thing in their world!

They communicate more, wanting to know the names of objects around them. JD will point to something, and we will say the name of whatever it is, and the function. I will also ask them "where is the light?" and they will look at it or point to it. It is amazing to watch them make progress and communicate; they may not be able to talk yet, but it's easy to see they know what we say and understand certain things. They listen to everything.

David is walking like a pro; he keeps his balance and is now working on speed. JD is walking more every day, and while he still has trouble with balance, he keeps at it and soon will be faster. Some moments I watch them and just feel amazed and overwhelmed at their progress...it's like they want to grow and learn. The will to do and experience new things is so strong in those two. I'm sure it is that way with all kids...but these boys are my frame of reference. It's INCREDIBLE watching them process new and exciting things!!! I can almost see the wheels turning inside their heads. I find it fascinating the differences in them; David started walking before JD, and JD shows an interest in objects around him quicker than David. They are two different little minds and personalities.

When they were tiny babies, often they would hold eachothers little hand. Now that they are bigger they don't hold hands, but hug eachother. Such little sweeties! My days are now spent chasing after them, cleaning up after them, teaching them and enjoying them. When the day seems too much and I am down to taking things minute by minute, getting frustrated and fatigued, I'll see them hug eachother and my heart goes to mush. They remind me to slow down and not sweat the small stuff.

The bottom line of all this: I have been busy and I love my job. More later!!

Pictures

My boys are feeling better, and consequently my kitchen received a makeover. It was pretty tame while the camera was out. Once the camera disappeared, though, I was wading through pots, pans and bowls! So much fun, and soooo cute.


David loves to walk and is getting very good at it; JD prefers to crawl still. I assumed once one walked the other would; I was wrong. My sweet JD is taking his time, once he is ready he will be a walking man.

They like the stove because they can see their reflection. Same with the dishwasher! I was trying to get JD to smile, but no luck.

As I type this, I can hear these two up in their crib, NOT taking a nap. They have so much fun together. After these pictures were taken and the pots came out and back in again, David and JD were pushing around a kitchen chair and giggling like crazy. It was so cute, my husband and I just watched and smiled at them and eachother. They discover games with eachother that only they understand. I am sure they both have big imaginations too.

My baby David, always ready with a smile for the camera.

Our New Place!

The livingroom! That is our new sectional, which I love!


My sick little babies managed to crack small smiles for this one.....poor guys are under the weather.



Here's my kitchen...a little messy but not for long... I really like the lighting, and I LOVE having a dishwasher now!!!!! We still need to buy stools for our little breakfast bar.

Obviously the front...this pic was supposed to be first but I haven't figured out yet how to move them around. I love this place!!! Usually I have decorated for Christmas by now...but with the two little explorers I am holding off for a bit longer. Even though it's killing me!! I do have Christmas carols playing though.... can't help it.....