Fall

Fall is beautiful and wonderful, and I love it. I've always thought I was a summer person, but this year I realized that I HATE being hot!! You see, the thing is, I am a face sweater. Seriously. My FACE sweats. Not my armpits or other parts of my body, just my face. Awesome. Aren't I lucky? This summer on a particularly hot day, I was doing a photo shoot in someone's apartment and of course my face was dripping like nobody's business. I kept wiping and wiping it, and was getting quite frustrated with the constant need for it! After a little while of going through that, I actually had the client ask me if I was ok and if I needed a glass of water or to sit down!! Did I seem that bad?? Apparently so! Since that incident I've been thinking about what I could do to help me with my little 'problem'.... smear anti-persperant on my forehead? No, I think I might get zits or some kind of forehead cancer from it.... wear a sweatband? I do remember going to a friend's wedding where their photographer wore a sweat band, but he was an old guy with a grey beard and pot belly, so it kind of worked for him. For me? Not so much. So I think I'm going to start exercising.... does being in shape mean that you sweat less? Ethan is 3 and has quite obviously inherited the sweating head gene because his hair gets soaking wet just from jumping on the bed.... so after all this thought and study, I have come to the conclusion that yes, I should be in better shape because although it won't make me stop sweating, it will make me have less body fat, which in turn will keep me cooler. Cheers.

Praying

We always sing a little prayer song at the playgroup we go to, and Anthony LOVES singing it. I just had to get it on video because I want to remember his sweet little voice forever. Just last night I was watching videos of Ethan at this age, and I couldn't believe that was my big 3 year old boy! He was so little and used mis-pronounce words; it's amazing how quickly they learn and grow up. I've been trying to get Ethan on video lately, but he just doesn't want to, and won't really do anything for it, so I might have quite a few videos of Anthony over the next little while. Oh well, I'll keep trying :D

More?

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted four kids. I only have one sister, and while growing up I always wished I'd had more siblings. My mom came from a family with 4 kids, and that made Christmas and holidays SO fun because there were so many cousins and lots going on. Seriously, one of the biggest highlights of my childhood was playing with my cousins, and to this day I still love them so much and am very close with them. Part of me feels sad for my kids that they'll never have experiences like I did since my one sister is possibly not having anymore kids, and Chris' one brother is single.
SO, this is the basis for my longing to have a big family, coupled with my love of kids. For as long as I can remember, I ALWAYS played with kids younger than me, and could spend countless hours playing things that most kids my age wouldn't dream of playing because it was 'below' us. BUT, and here's where the dilemma comes; being a parent is a lot more work than I ever thought it would be. It's not just playing for hours with cute little characters that make you laugh...
As I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts, I put so much pressure on myself (and Chris) in the area of parenting. I am constantly aware of the fact that the way we treat our kids, talk to them, nurture them, discipline them, etc etc... shapes who they become, how they view themselves, and how they relate to other people. So when I lose my patience or don't give my kids the attention I think they should have, don't do the activities that I think I should be doing with them, don't give them enough one-on-one time, etc... it makes me think that I shouldn't have 4 kids anymore because I don't know how I would do. Three kids seems like a good number because it's more than 2, but not 4, ha ha ha! But then if we would have another one, it would be quite a bit younger than the boys, and if it ended up being another boy, he would probably be tagging along with his brothers, forever living in their shadow... so then I would want to have another kid, but what would that do to my other kids? Would it be hard to spread my love equally? I don't believe in having 'favourites' and feel horrified when families have them, but I can see how the younger babies/kids can steal the show just because of their age. So then would the older ones feel resentful? And part of me just feels sad that my babies (my boys) wouldn't forever be the centre of our worlds (not that our lives revolve around them, but you know what I mean) Ack! All these things to think about, and now that we're getting closer to the point where we need to make the decision about #3, I find myself thinking about it more and more.
And here's one more thing that I barely even know if I want to say.... but I find myself feeling happy with my 2 boys. Content actually... and that scares me. It honestly brings me to tears because I've always wanted more kids and I feel like I would forever regret it if we didn't have at least one more. I feel like I would actually have to grieve if we decided we were don. I love my boys so much, and I feel like there's someone missing who is so special and that I'll love as much as them, like our family just isn't complete... but then I look at my boys' beautiful smiling faces as we're hiding in our 'tent' or tickling each other before bed, and I feel so happy and content, like they're enough.... so there is this battle within me that is constantly going on. With both boys, we didn't 'decide' to have kids, as they were both 'oopsie babies' (that were welcomed with open arms!!) :D So we have never ever had to be the ones to decide when to have kids..... and I suppose I'm hoping in my heart of hearts that we won't have to, that God will place his mighty hand on this situation, and once again decide for us. His plans far surpass my plans anyways <3

Life Lately

I often think about blogging, but when I think about what to write about, I draw a blank. The thing is, I really don't feel like I have anything interesting to write about. Why would people care to read about us playing outside or going to the zoo, or going on playdates? Because that's pretty much all there is to my life these days. I think the reason I feel this way is because I am always (or at least want to be) pretty socially aware, and hate to talk when other people aren't interested. I think this is why I often ask people so many questions, and also because I genuinely care about other people's lives, and love to hear their stories. I don't mean that to sound vain in saying that, if anything, it's probably rooted in insecurity because I don't feel like the things I have to say will interest others. Now those of you who hang out with me are probably thinking "yeah right, you can out-talk anyone!" Ha ha, I definitely CAN talk, but I often have to make a conscious effort, and also like to keep conversation flowing. Have you ever met people who are SO socially 'illiterate' that they just keep talking and talking about completely useless information that no one cares about?? I sure have, and I'm sure I've judged them, so that's probably where the issue comes from as well.
ANYWAYS, enough of that! As for our 'life lately,' we of course have been outside, outside, outside! Between Tinkertown, the zoo, playdates, gardening, and lounging in the kiddie pool (or just throwing rocks and cars in it, ahem...boys), we are all getting a wee bit of colour! (but not a lot because we all have see-through skin, so have to load on the SPF 50) :p
Here are a few recent pictures of some outings. (It's been a long time since I've posted any pictures on here, and they're not in any particular order, just the order they were in the folder, which was all mixed up for some reason)


I am SO thankful for the indoor play areas at the malls. They are my saving grace on days with bad weather when Chris is gone from morning til night. And the kids love it too, so win-win for everyone!


I am very close with my family, including my cousins. We spend quite a bit of time with them, and I love them like they were my own siblings. I'm so thankful they're part of our lives <3


When we were at Tinkertown the other day, I looked over at Chris buying the tickets to see Anthony with his shorts down at his ankles. Chris had no idea, so Anthony was just waddling alongside him. It was SO cute and funny!


We eat every single meal outside in the spring/summer/fall (weather permitting), that way I don't have to sweep or wash the floor nearly as much! It has turned Anthony into a bit of a neanderthal when it comes to eating, since I'm not telling him to eat nicely, but I don't mind because I just have to spray him off and we're good to go! :D




Ethan and Anthony LOVE their cousin, Logan! He is 2 weeks older than Ethan (he is my 1st cousin's son), and I have become so close to his mom, Janice. Again, I'm just so thankful for them :D


My sweet and loveable little Ethan :o) He tends to be testing his boundaries lately, and I'm needing to be very consistent with discipline because he is way too clever....


And then there's my sister <3 I love her so much, and Naveed is Ethan's BEST FRIEND. Today we were looking at picture on the computer, and a really cute picture of Naveed came up. Ethan got a HUGE grin on his face, sighed, then said "Aw, I just love Naveed! She's so cute" Ha ha :D


I don't know why, and I don't know what to do about it, but Ethan is CONSTANTLY furrowing his eyebrows these days! He gets very pensive, furrows them, then talks. I always tell him to raise his eyebrows and smile when he talks, and I do it when I look at him, so he will then, but for some reason, furrowing is his 'thing' lately :p


Anthony LOVED the rides at Tinkertown, and made his presence very known! We figured he wouldn't notice if Ethan and Logan went on a ride without him, but oh no, watch out! He noticed! That's totally ok, but he just has such a different personality than Ethan at his age, so we're not used to it, ha ha! He is also a total daddy's boy. He loves his daddy, and asks about him all day when he's at work.


And last but not least, my beautiful momma! She loves my kids as much as I do, I'm sure, and they love her! We spend a lot of time at their house, and even have sleepovers. Of course Anthony wanted to sleep in 'nana's bed' the last time we were there :o)

If You're Looking For Fun....

then you really need to buy "The Game Of Things." We just had some friends over for supper tonight, then brought out my favouritest game ever - here's a link: http://www.thingsthegame.com/
The way it works is that the reader reads a card. Eg. "Things you shouldn't laugh at." Then everyone writes down an answer and hands it in to the reader, who then reads them out loud. Everyone guesses whose answer belongs to who, and IT IS A HOOT!! Here were some funny ones we had tonight:

Things you shouldn't laugh at:
- your friends dog on fire
- someone with half a face due to surgery

Things you shouldn't say to the police officer when pulled over for speeding:
- I'm so sorry sir. Oops, I mean mam!
- I'm just super baked right now, officer
- wanna have sex??

Things you shouldn't say to break an awkward silence:
-want a mint?
- my dogs kisses taste good

Things that cause accidents:
- seeing a dog lit on fire!
- too much ex-lax

Things you shouldn't advertise on a billboard:
- Hitler was my great great uncle
- geriatric strip club

Things that jiggle:
- your mom
- your aunts double chin

Ok, some of those might sound immature and lame, but in the moment, they are just so funny. There were so many more that became inside jokes, and it is just such a great game to play especially if you are just getting to know people. It breaks the ice, and makes everyone comfortable. That being said, you need to play with people that like to have fun. It can be pretty dry if people don't get creative with their answers. I realize this is a random post, but if someone got a little chuckle out of some of those answers, it's worth it :D

Random Tuesday

I'm watching Tiger Woods on the TV right now. What a dink. As I watch him walk with a smug look on his face, I can't help but be sickened (because of all his affairs). Do you think it's possible to be so famous and sought after, yet still remain humble and not let it get to your head? I wonder what it's like to be famous.... so many people seem to want it, but I don't understand why. The money? The recognition? The pride in fame? Although I never want to be in that situation, I'm curious what it would be like to live your life in the public eye. Even people like Jon and Kate, who aren't actors or have 'talent' per-see, are now famous and can't go in public without being flagged down and talked to by their fans. I think I'd find that exhausting, and I wonder if any stars ever regret their choice of career.

Having the stomach flu really sucks. As most of my FB friends know, we got hit with it over the Easter weekend. We didn't even do our easter egg hunt until yesterday because I was in bed all day Easter Sunday. Chris took the boys to Steinbach to church, then to my parents' house to have a hunt and dinner with my family, which I was really thankful for. They had a really great day.... and I got a lot of sleep :p

Sometimes I consider calling 'College Pro Painters' (I always see their signs in the spring) to come paint my house (inside). Having kids, keeping a house, doing photography, and everything else is so all-consuming, that tasks like painting just don't happen. I would love almost every room of the house re-painted in a different colour. The colours we have right now are the ones the previous owners picked, and although they're nice and neutral, they just aren't what I love. I often dream of the colours I'd choose, and have on more than one occasion (ok, actually on 4 occasions) gone and picked out paint chips.... only to not do anything about it. I seriously don't have time or energy to paint with kids around, and by the time it's evening, I'm too tired. I wonder if we ever will get any walls painted here. I even bought new really nice towel rods and TP roll holder, hooks etc. for the bathroom, but they still sit in their boxes under my dresser.... sigh. I also bought a new shower curtain that I LOVE so much.... it's up, and doesn't match a thing in our bathroom. One day the bathrooms will at least get done. And our bedroom. Yeah, I better hire someone because I can't see it happening on anyone's initiative around here (but I never will hire anyone because I can't justify it!!).

I've lost ten pounds in two weeks. It feels pretty awesome, and I'm still going strong. The secret to my success is pre-making and portioning meals so that when I'm hungry I can pull out a container, heat it up, and eat. The other secret to my success is eating my pre-portioned frozen grapes (1 cup). They take a while to eat, and fill my craving for something sweet :D

I don't have a strong desire to travel to far off lands at this point in my life. If I could have any vacation right now, it would just be an all inclusive 5 star resort on a beach where Chris and I could go and do nothing. I would love to go somewhere with zip lines through the jungle, and I'd love to swim with dolphins and scuba dive. Cruises seem pretty cool too, but I'd like to do a Disney cruise with the kids when they're older. I like dreaming of vacations (like decorating). But isn't it sad that they're over SO quickly after you've spent so much money?? Or isn't it sad when people go somewhere like Mexico for one week, then get that crazy stomach bug from the water, and end up spending 4 days out of 7 in bed?? That would really suck! I have friends who had that happen to them on their honeymoon. Ouch.

I should tell the rest of my dinner story from when my grandpa and his wife came over for dinner. There's not a whole lot more to it, only that on two separate occasions, each of them went to the washroom (which is right beside the dining room), and had some gas issues..... Chris and I were sitting across from each other, and it seriously felt like we were in elementary school again. Eye-yi-yi!! We couldn't make eye contact, and I kept having to look down or I'd burst out laughing. So lame, but so funny at the time!

Not a very entertaining Random Tuesday, but a post nonetheless :D

Procrastination

I invited my grandpa and his new wife, Esther over for dinner tonight because I had to give them their wedding pictures. But first, a little history: I am a procrastinator. Always have been, always.....won't be?? I'm hoping! Usually when we have people over, I am praying they'll be late because I'm NEVER ready on time. Ever. No matter how good my intentions, I just can't seem to get my crap together and produce on time! This actually rolls over into many areas of my life because I'm also always late arriving places. What's up with that? How do other people actually succeed at being on time?? I prepare things in advance, I wake up early (or intend to at least, that's gotta count for something), I plan..... but to no avail. I'm always late. But that's not the point, that's the history.
So, in my attempts to be prepared and not be rushing at the last minute, I sent all the pictures to the photo lab on Friday, assuming I would have the pictures by the next day like I have in the past. Saturday rolled by.... no phone call saying the pictures are done. Sunday rolled by... no phone call. Monday is the big day of picture delivery, they MUST be ready THREE days later, so I didn't wait for a phone call, I called them. It ends up the photo lab is closed on weekends, so ALL orders received over the weekend have to be processed on Monday, which means they often aren't all filled until Tuesday. "You've gotta be kidding me!!" But thankfully since my order was placed on Friday, I was close to the top of the list. Woohoo! But still, my plans were wrecked. I had wanted to get the pictures in the morning, giving me plenty of time to put them in albums, play with the kids, clean the bathroom and wash the floors while the boys slept, prepare the dinner during lunch so I wouldn't be flustered at the last minute - all the details that a wonderful hostess unlike myself would do. If the pictures weren't done until mid afternoon, that would be nap time and I don't have anyone to come over to stay with the boys while they sleep so I can run out. If it was after nap time, that would be cutting it very close since the lab is 20 minutes away. So I did what every married woman does - called my husband for help! Oh how I love my husband.... so he agreed to pick up the pictures on his way home from the course for work he was at today, saying he'd call when he left.
The rest of my day did go pretty smoothly, I prepped for supper during lunch, cleaned the bathroom as planned, Anthony fell asleep great, Ethan didn't sleep and woke up Anthony... not so great... so I washed the floors with the boys awake. What is it with kids needing to be right under your feet each step of the way?? It's cute and all that they want to 'help' but come on! Sometimes you just need to 'git er done!' without worrying about redoing the work you just did because of those little feet! So yes, I patiently, very patiently, since I'm very patient.... coaxed the boys not to walk where it was wet.... pffft, try coaxing a 19 month old not to walk on a wet floor? How could you? Nope, so I got out the gate and locked them in the downstairs :D
They actually didn't mind because I gave them a snack, don't call CFS ;p
Then just as I was looking forward to Chris' arrival with my pictures, with just one hour until my eager guests arrival, he called to say he hadn't picked up the pictures because when he'd called to tell me he was leaving, I didn't answer the phone. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? He was. Jerk.
But finally, finally for once in my life I had done it. I had thought of all the details and would accomplish a successful dinner party. All I had to do was mix a couple ingredients to spread on my casserole, pop it in the oven, and I would have a whole glorious hour to focus on the pictures. Uh no.
To make a long story short, I didn't pull it off because I didn't have oregano. Oregano of all things, a key ingredient in what I was making, so I had to drive to the store (where I realized I hadn't planned dessert so I had to buy stuff for that too), which took 20 minutes, go home, mix it up, pop it in the oven, then had a whopping 15 minutes of flustered, frantic picture putting-in (??) while my cranky one year old dumped a bag of blocks all over the clean living room, and then my ever-so-early grandpa arrived 15 minutes early. Who does that?? My kids were both wearing pyjama shirts with no pants, I had a shirt on that was too small, the casserole wasn't done cooking, the once clean living room was a mess, and best of all I had NO PICTURE album to hand to them! Awesome.
I explained to the circumstance, and they very graciously waited for me to finish, and I must say, their reaction was worth all the chaos. They sat and laughed and talked about every picture and the day. It was very cute and I was just happy to have it done. My next post will be about what happened around the dinner table. Stay tuned :D