where did the weekend go?

I know I'm not the only one that wonders the same thing. Two days off...it's just not enough. This is when I miss being on shift the most. The many extra days off to get exactly what we spent alot of our time doing this weekend - dreaded housework and just work around the house in general. Now, I will say that I think both Johnathon and I feel a sense of accomplishment so this is a plus. We did alot of cleaning, moving furniture all over the house, painting, and more cleaning. And we are not there yet....but getting there. Alot of new faces will be at our home next weekend for our 4th of July party so we want it to be just right. And even though today was a lousy, rainy day....it made it much easier to be indoors getting it done. And with all this lousy rain we have had lately, the yard is looking lush and all my flowers are growing beautifully. And this week, let it rain...rain as much as it wants but NOT next Saturday! Hear that Mother Nature...loud and clear I hope!

A big, BIG thank you to my hubby for all his hard work...moving furniture up and down stairs. I tried to help where I could but apparently, he just wanted us to stay clear. Who knew all I had to do was make a 'honey-do' list. The things you learn along the way. And let me say, I'm really great at making lists...

The boys were happy all weekend....Shanes fussiness stage has dwindled alot. I'm not saying he doesn't have his moments, trust me on that. But the boy was a happy camper this weekend. Happy boys = happy parents!

a short break

Although it is a very hot and sunny day out there, I've committed myself to getting the housework done. How boring is that? Ugh. But for a few moments, I will take a break. The great part about today is that my hubby seems to have committed himself to some household things that needed to be done as well and has already painted the back deck and has now taped and almost finished painting the trim up and down the stairs and down the hall. Yay. The to-do list is forever long and we have exactly one week to get it all done.....for our 4th of July party next Saturday.

Actually, we will get out later and enjoy some sunshine.... The boys have loved running through the sprinkler at daycare so today, we will pick out a fun one for them to use in the backyard as well as a new kiddie pool for the Shane-man.

And then later tonight, as I said to Johnathon the other night...I'm turning on the disco ball, putting on Michael Jackson and doing some dancing!

overdue

Every day the same thought occurs....blog Laura, blog. And then every day new happenings, new laughs, new STUFF. So, behind again....but it wouldn't be me I suppose if I were current with this.

Let's back up a bit. The weekend. A weekend that seemed to have started on Thursday and ended on Monday. My brother, Shawn, celebrated his birthday on Thursday. That led them over here for pizza, cake and poker. As always a good time but ugh, not always the best idea on a work night.

That took us to the weekend. A long one as I booked off Monday to spend time with my Aunt who was visiting from Ottawa. Woke up Saturday to rain....rain that did not end at all. I seriously can't remember such a day in quite some time. Unfortunately, for Johnathon, he had a day of golf in a tournament in that never ending rain. But, like most golfers, it didn't 'dampen' his spirits and enjoyed a great day on the course and apparently did some of his best golfing ever.

While he was off doing that, I packed up Mom (Jeanette) and the boys and headed out for a long, dreary, wet drive to my cousins house in Kingston for little Jax' 2nd birthday party. That is where we met up with my Aunt Tootsie and my other cousin, Krystal, to celebrate and then bring them back to our house for the weekend. Tiffany put on a most wonderful party for Jax and the full house all enjoyed themselves. Take a look at the fabulous cake Tiff made all on her own....a venture that took her 13 hours! Yes, that is not a typo...13 hours! What a good Momma!

And then we hit the road again....in the rain. Finally made it back home...boys were tired out and once they were settled in for the night, we all headed to our bar in the basement and enjoyed some cocktails and laughs.

Sunday, a Happy Fathers Day for Daddy! Nicholas was excited to give Daddy his cards he made at school and the t-shirt he made as well. Perfect. After breakfast we hit the road yet again, this time to Toronto to drive my cousin home. We visited for a bit...saw her new apartment (nice) and back home with a few stops along the way. Later that night, a very yummy steak dinner for the man of the day and another night of chatter and laughs.

So, by Monday, I was pooped! Completely. Exhausted. Drove Aunt Tootsie to the train station, stopped for lunch and then home sweet home. Johnathon even came home early and we got to enjoy some quiet time. Lovely.

So, not sure all the goings on needed to be typed here but it's here...and I'm not re-writing. A great weekend with family....and that made it all wonderful. I did miss my Dad though and he was on my mind alot. Love you Dad...and we will be up to see you soon.

Nicholas had his last day of his first year of school today. He has been dreading school lately...but simply because his MaMa is here and savours every moment. Not to mention, he quite enjoys the later bedtimes when there is no school. But one year has past and he was thrilled when we were all there to pick him up at school and shared his tales from the day. Sounded like a lot of fun...lots of water activities and enjoying this gorgeous, summer weather. We have been waiting a looong time for some of this sunshine. A long time. Let's hope it sticks around for a while. Hard to believe we had to wait until the end of June to turn our A/C on! I asked Nicholas where he would like to go eat to celebrate his first year and we ended up going to Dairy Queen. So, while everyone ate their yummy burgers, dogs, fries, chicken, blizzards and ice cream....I munched on a salad!

Yes, salad. I'm day 3 of working towards a goal...and I'm committed.

And well, that is that.

a great start to a great day

I was actually awake before my children this morning. I woke up with a perfect breeze coming through the window and something so rare...silence. Until the neighbour started up his lawnmower at 730 am...ON A SUNDAY! I snuggled up to the J-man and just enjoyed for just a little bit longer. A perfect start to a day.

I was still able to have time to brush my teeth, throw on some shorts, feed Chrissy, make coffee and was hoping to actually sit here and blog for just a few minutes but the latter did not happen. The boys are eating now so I'm typing away while they have their breakfast.

Update for the past week....hm. Well, not too much happening really. Nicholas' school had their Fun Fair on Thursday. Mom (Jeanette) and Nicholas made a big batch of cupcakes for the fair earlier in the day. After work, we waited on Daddy and then we all loaded into the truck and off to the fair! I have to say it was a bit of a disappointment but nonetheless, we went for some family fun and to support the school. Daddy was a volunteer and ran one of the childrens games - 'Fear Factor'. We finally found him with a lineup of munchkins waiting their turn. NO, they did not need to eat anything gross but instead a big bin was filled with purply water with 'stuff' floating around and they had to stick their hand in to the bottom and find a coloured plastic chip. From Johnathons account of things, some of the children were actually frightened to do this....too funny! I think he had the most fun when he would tell the children...oh, nothing to be worried about - only a couple of kids have been bit today. Some would yank their arm out right out of there! One little girl started screaming....and I guess Mom wasn't too impressed. All in fun, all in fun..

Shane continues with his yelling...yep, we are just LOVING that. Ugh. But then puts on that cute as can be dimple grin and is full of happiness once again. And really, he only does this with Mommy and Daddy. Our own daycare provider, Justyna, doesn't believe that Shaney can be like this. So, one day, Johnathon came home with the boys, Shane pitched his regular fit so he picked up the phone, called Justyna and asked if she recognized this..!! Of course she didn't but she now knows his capabilities.

I dove into my job on Thursday.....my first 'real' day with my client groups. I actually had a couple of mornings where I woke up with butterflies. It's that busy and the variety, although wonderful to have, can be overwhelming. BUT I know that it is only a matter of time and I will be much more confident and organized. I can't wait for that time. Really.

Well, here it is .. Sunday already! Where do the weekends go? And it is an absolutely beautiful Sunday morning. Sun is shining, it is warm....like seasonal for the first time in a while. More gardening to do, play in the yard, and possibly take the family to Ribfest so we can enjoy some good eats and the boys can go on some rides.

Saturday, although we did accomplish much....had us waiting on company that did not show. No phone call. Nothing. I am less than impressed...but sometimes you just need to shake your head and carry on. Lessons learned.

Am off to finish my coffee on the deck with Mom and J. Happy Sunday!

shane-man and our young jedi

Let's see...do I start with the good, bad or the ugly? Okay, the good...of course. The wonderfully good things to say about our boys. Nicholas is fast approaching the end of his first year of school and JK. As much as he loved his school year for the most part, he is deliriously happy that it is ending, I think mostly because his grandmother, MawMaw, is here with us and he loves each and every second he gets to spend with her. He is also super excited about his sister getting here in July. He has been learning to read a little...knows what some words are by seeing them...one of those being Mommy which of course just makes me smile. His printing has greatly improved over the year and his favourite thing to do right now is draw pictures....many, many, MANY pictures. Now, most of those are of Star Wars scenes which doesn't wholly impress me but he does have a great imagination and plays it out in his pictures. We give him nudges though to draw other things and he will happily ask for an idea and once given, will produce a lovely drawing. Our fridge has now become Nicholas' art gallery and Shane, for the most part, will leave them be. Nicholas has always had the gift of gab....yep, just like his Daddy...and it hasn't slowed any. His vocabulary is amazing and we are stunned almost daily with the new words he knows and is almost always used in the right context. Johnathon and I sneak grins daily hearing him talk, especially when it is so nonchalant and these big old words come out of his mouth.

Our boy is also FULL of love. He always, always will stop what he is doing and come over for Mommy and Daddy hugs and smooches and the I love you's are forever flowing....even to his brother which is just the sweetest thing. And my hope is that will last forever and ever. My precious boy

Our little Shane-man...what a joy of a boy. His laughter is contagious and he is so full of energy. He says his favourite words over and over and puts this spin on the end that I could only explain in person. It is priceless. In less than two short months, he will be turning two. TWO! He has turned quite independent...absolutely no way are we allowed to help him on the stairs and he loves getting things for you out of the fridge or wherever things may be. And if you leave the pantry open, he will dig in there until he finally decides on just the perfect snack or food that he wants. He loves feeding Chrissy and is quite excited when I ask him to do so..BUT leave that cupboard open where the dog food bin is and he will continually feed Chrissy! And as much as Chrissy takes joy in that, she takes more joy in Shane sneaking food to him at mealtimes. He tries very hard to put his coat on and his shoes...often with the coat left covering his head...but he is trying! Oh, and though he can't get his shoes on, he has no difficulty putting Mommy's shoes on and trying to walk around in them, heels and all.

Hm...the bad. And I shouldn't really say bad but the 'not so good'. We made the mistake one day of allowing Nicholas to watch a Star Wars (Clone Wars) animated movie....which has now turned him into a Jedi in training. And as funny and cute as it can be, it is also a little worrisome with how involved he is at times. I worry. But I'm good at that. Our little boy who once loved his Thomas and Little Bear and all the wonderful shows on Treehouse now has no time for them. He refuses to even put the station on. He says it is for babies. Thankfully, he will still watch CBC Kids and TVO Kids which has a good variety for all children. He is still amazed with Space and any show he can learn from that way. This is a good. But if he had it his way, it would be Star Wars and Bakugans 24-7. I know, he is a boy. A growing boy and knows what he likes. The best we can figure is to let him be a boy but with guidelines and constant monitoring. And I have to be honest, I like a good light saber battle once in a while! It just thrills him to bits!

Nicholas has also picked up this bad habit of biting and picking at his lips. It drives me absolutely crazy! I've talked to him over and over, I have applied different lip remedies which he can't stand over and over and I've even resorted to bribing. The latter is the only method that worked...temporarily. And now that I held up my end of the 'deal', he is full on back to it. So, today, I gently let him know that this habit is getting bad again and he is not living up to his end of the deal so his Lego Star Wars DS game (that was his 'prize') will need to go away until he can start kicking this habit again. Is that wrong? Bad parenting? Perhaps...but it works!

The funny thing is that when I picked him up at daycare today after school, he immediately came up to me hiding his mouth and let me know that he had a very bad day with his lips or I should say 'wips'. He did not want me to see. The boy is very honest!

Shane's not so good. We...well I for the most part, worry a little about his speech. He is behind a little with his words and like any Mommy, I worry more than I probaly should. It comes with the package. Shane, in total, says about five words really, really well and like I said earlier, says them often and all the time. He tries to say other words but they are not there yet. We spoke with our doctor about this and she said to me "Laura, my one son didn't speak until he was in his two's and he is now borderline genius." She also told me that Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four. I thank her for making me feel a teeny bit better. But truth is, Nicholas was a little 'behind' with talking as well but once he did start talking, it did not stop. At all. Shane's hearing is fine and he totally understands us so we are not worried there. We are believing that in his own time, the words will come. Patience. Not my best virtue at the best of times. In the meantime, we are being set up with a Speech Therapist for down the road for if the time arises and he is not speaking with more clarity, all will be in line for him to begin.

The Ugly. Ugh, the ugly. Ugly is an ugly word, isn't it? But I do believe whining and screaming are good examples. And my boys can be experts on this. Nicholas and the sometimes whine...and Shane with the crying yelling. Now, I do understand that with Shane, he is trying to express himself because the words aren't there yet. Yet. But my goodness, when he gets started, we all want to run for cover! We are very much hoping that this stage will end sooner than later. Please! And Nicholas...grr...when he gets that whine on....well, I think any parent can relate and understand. Another phase we hope ends and quick!

So, in a nutshell, this is my update. My boys. They light up my life like I have never known. Their smiles, giggles and laughter are my biggest blessing.