Life with Alexis: The Walk

One morning, we were having difficulty getting baby girl down for her nap, so I suggested a walk.  It was beautiful out, and it seemed a shame to spend it inside.  So we bundled up baby, and ourselves and drove to the park.

Within 5 minutes of getting to the park, baby girl was out cold.  Just to make sure however, we decided to walk for about 20 minutes.

Along the way, we chatted.

Pretended to be walking the tight rope.

Saw the scenery.

And the local wildlife.

Finally, we decided to head back to the truck and go home.

Of course, guess who woke up.

We made a pitstop on the way home.

Unfortunately, I had an incident with an iced cap.  I recommend holding the drink tray with both hands while the vehicle is moving (and ignore the camera).  Tim Horton's saw us a second time in less than 5 minutes. 

It's going to be a long day.

At last, we make it home, and I sit and enjoy breakfast.

We did not accomplish what we set out to do. 

Baby girl was still awake, but Timmy's made it all better.

Life with Alexis

Last Wednesday, hubby's daughter, Alexis, arrived. We weren't sure she was going to be able to come visit us during spring break due to work, but she managed to get the time off. Yay!!!!!

We drove 2 hours to the Greyhound Station.  Why the station 2 hours away?  Well, it is a long boring story but basically it is a 1/2 way point between us and Alexis.

Of course, Mike wants to make sure we are there on time, so we leave at 9:30 am for a 1:45 pm pickup.  Needless to say, we arrived with plently of time to go shopping first!  After spending some retail therapy, we are off the the bus station to wait for the bus.

And then it happens, the moment arrives and so does ALEXIS.

"We had Joy, We had Fun, We had Seasons in the Sun (Terry Jacks)."

We spent many hours playing Monopoly and Scene It on the XBox, and bowling on the Wii. 

We played on the floor, we played by the door (my inner Dr. Seuss coming out).

Neeko came to visit us for a little bit.

We read a little.  I read "Blogging for Dummies", and Alexis read "Dirty Little Secret".

We went for a walk (post about that will be up soon) and we went to the movies (a review of Alice in Wonderland will also be up soon).  We took Kiera to her swimming lessons.

We went to see grandma for the night (another 2 hour drive each way).

We slept very little.

And then it was time for her to go home.  So after a week and a day, we made the 2 hours trek back to the bus station.  This time we left at 10:30 am for the 1:45 pm bus.  We stopped for lunch at Subway.

Then it was time to say goodbye.

And Alexis was gone again as quickly as she came.  We will miss her, and we await her return this summer.

 

Life as Kiera Sees It: Video Games

My daddy spends many hours playing on the XBox 360, and I love sitting on his lap helping him.  His current game is Saboteur (which is a violent game, probably not suitable for me).  So naturally, I want to play it.  I often tell daddy where the nazi outposts are and the best way to blow them up.  Sometimes he lets me push the buttons on the controller. 

I would have a lot more fun if daddy wasn't greedy and let me push more buttons.  On days he is being particularily greedy, I turn my attention to the TV remote.  If I have the remote, then I can show him that I have the POWER.

Unfortunately, he just takes that away from me as well.  Mean Daddy.

One day I will get that remote, and I will yell...

"Victory is Mine!"

* Mommy's note: I have to stop letting Kiera playing/watching Saboteur, I just love that daddy and baby girl are spending time together.

Blogging for Dummies

I have been going through a blogging crisis over the past couple of weeks.  I am creatively challenged, so writing posts is not an easy task for me.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to carry on my endevour.  Sometimes it feels like I am talking to myself.  I already do that enough in my everyday life so I don't need to write it too.  Let me just say however; I do realize I have readers out there, and I love you all for visiting and reading my attempts at humour.

Then it happens.  We are wandering through one of my favourite stores, Chapters, and like a shining beacon it calls to me...

It took me just 3 days to read it from cover to cover (well, I did skip a couple of chapters, but I read most of it).  For anyone interested in trying their hand at blogging, I would highly recommend this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The chapters are setup well and progressively make sense.  You don't feel as though you are jumping from topic to topic, or that the topics are unrelated.  Chapters 1 to 3 start with the basic of idea of what a blog is and how they work. 

Chapter 4 specifically discusses Blogger (the host of this blog) and how to setup a blog here.  The thing that sets a blog apart from a website is that people can leave their comments (which I love to read - hint hinit nudge nudge).  Chapter 8 and 9 are about how to encourage comments from your readers.  You will see some of their advice put into practise in the near future.

I enjoy taking pictures, and I like that I can display them here.  Chapter 10 talks about working with photos in your blog.  They compare the different types of cameras.  Once you are posting on your blog, chapters 14 and 15 shows you have to connect it with other social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.  Each time I post here, it updates both my Twitter account and Facebook account.

I have to say that this book saves the best to last.  My favourite chapter, Chapter 20, gives you tricks for pimping out your blog with widgets and such.

If you are a tech savy person or if you are looking to blog professionally, then this is not the book for you.  But if you are like me, and are just looking for a blogger block breakthru, then this is the book for you.

For more information, check out the Dummies website.

Earth Hour

 On March 27th at 8:30 pm, the world will be turning out their lights for Earth Hour. What is Earth Hour you might ask.  I know I did the first time I heard about it.  Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia 3 years ago when the city decided to take a stand on climate change.  Over 2 million homes and business turned their light off for 1 hour.  Since then, it has grown to a global phenomenon.  Last year over 4000 cities in 88 countries participated. I have decided to host a murder mystery party.  Candles will light our house, and the TV and computers will be off.  We will be able to spend our time with our friends.  I am really looking forward to it.  If you would like to join us, please let me know. Are you going to participate?  If so, what are your plans?  Share some of your ideas.   If you are looking for ideas, check out the Earth Hour website for some great ideas.  As well, join the Earth Hour Canada blog and share your plans there. 

 
 

What ever you do, don't sleep!!

Why do Children hate sleep?

After being sent to bed at the designated bed time predetermined by my parents (how did they decide on the time anyway), I would sneak to the top of the stairs where I could stack out the living room below to see what parents did when children were in bed. I would listen and watch, so afraid I was going to miss something important.

If I stayed really, really quiet, my parents wouldn't notice me, and I could stay up as long as I wanted. Of course, my parents always knew I was there, but generally would leave me there as long as I didn't disturb them.

Oh the things I would witness.

When it got late, they would "suddenly" notice me, and send me to bed. By that time, I would happily go thinking I had pulled the wool over my parent’s eyes. I was so proud of myself. I hadn't learnt anything except that my parents were boring, but I'd be out there the next night.

Because that is the night that something exciting will happen.

Finding a New Balance

Let me preface this post by saying it is currently after 11:00 pm, and my mind is a whirling dervish.  I apologize in advance for the verbal jumble about to ensue.

Before Kiera, when I thought about having children, I thought I had a clear idea of how it would go.  Little did I know that there are so much to teach, that it is not possible to have all the answers in the beginning.  It really is about making it up as you go along.

Thinking about what I want Kiera to learn has made me think about my life and the role model I will be to her.  It has made me change my priorities, and made me realize that there are things I want to improve.

Life Balance - isn't that the ultimate goal.  How does one find the perfect balance between work, home, partner, children, family and friends, and myself?  I am not sure that it is attainable.  I  do know that I generally put myself last.  Actually, to be honest, the house comes last, but that's a whole other topic.

Although I do not want Kiera to be selfish, I do want her to know that it is alright to take care of herself.  By taking care of herself, she will be better equipped to take care of others.  To teach her, I need to work on finding balance in my life.  It may never be perfect, but by making the effort, I showing her I value myself.

So how do I find balance?  Any suggestions?

We Celebrate Your Life

We Celebrate Your Life

Of all the men in the whole wide world,

Whose praises are sung out loud,

There is no man whom I respect more,

Or of whom I am more proud.

Throughout the years, you’ve worked so hard

To provide us a happy life;

You’ve been there to help and give advice,

And you did it all without strife.

That is why on this day each year,

I pray all your wishes come true;

Today we celebrate your life,

So Dad, Happy Birthday to you.

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs

It was my dad's 60th birthday on March 3rd, so this weekend we treked down to the Lower Mainland to celebrate with him. There was a wonderful party held had the clubhouse in his community. Most of his biggest fans were there to share the momentous occasion. He shared the day with his younger brother who's 50th birthday was just before his.

It is hard to believe that he is 60 already. When did my parents start to age? My dad has always been my role model. He is the reason I am interested in business, he taught me to play pool and he encouraged me to be independant. I may not look like him, but apparently, we get the same look on our face when we concentrate. I can't imagine life without him.

In Kiera, a little part him will always be with me. I am thrilled that she is going to know her granddad, and I hope they have a close relationship. When he looks at her, you can see how much he loves his grandchildren. I only hope that I can teach her as much as he has taught me.

Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!

Mother Goose

Yesterday was a sad day.

Mother Goose has ended.

For those who might not know, Mother Goose is a Parent-Child Group where you spend an hour singing songs with your child.  But it is so much more than that.  Baby Girl is able to interact with other children.  She is better able to understand language and sounds, and she responds to her favourite songs.  I am able to meet other mothers with children close to her age, and I learn another way to dealing with stressful situations with Kiera.

Already the some of the songs we have learnt have come in handy.  There are many a time where I have sung "Roly Poly" and "The Wheels on the Bus" while in the car to calm Baby down.  I am sure that I have entertained many people at stop lights.

Everyday, Kiera and I sit on the couch and sing at least one of her favourite songs, like "What Do We Do with a Tiny Baby."  I love to tickle her and hear her laugh.  One of the best things in the world is the sound of a child's laughter. 

I absolutely love this program and would strongly recommend it to any parent.  I can't wait until it starts again in April.

Check out Mother Goose for more information on the program and check out KELLI - Kamloops Early Language and Literacy Initiative for the schedule and other programs.

Our Little Hockey Fan

First of all...

OUR BABY GIRL IS 7 MONTHS

20 lbs

28 1/2 ozs

Now about our Little Hockey Fan.

Ever since her birth, Daddy has been working extremely hard to ensure his baby girl is a hockey fan.  And not just a hockey fan, but a Canuck's fan. 

Every televised Canuck game, there is Daddy, in his jersey, sitting in the big brown comfy chair, a diet cola and the remote on the table beside him, and our little bundle of joy on his lap in her little pink Canucks jersey.  Lately, of course, it's more of a juggling act for him as she can't sit still for too long.

With the Olympics taking over the airwaves over the past 2 weeks, their attentions turned to the Canadian Olympic Team.  They watched all the games, cheering on their loved players. 

Given their devotion to the game, you can imagine where they were at noon on February 28th.  Kiera in her Canada shrit, and Daddy in his Canucks jersey in support of Luongo. 

It was a great game.  Either team could have taken the gold, but early on it looked like Canada had it.  That is until the third period when the US tied the game.  From then on they were on the edge of their seats.

Canada fought hard but was unable to score.  The game goes into overtime.  From then on, it was a nail biter.  Any goal would determine a winner.

Then it happens...

GOAL!

Sydney Crosby scores the game winnner.

Canada gets the Gold!!!

There was a party in our house after the game and as we watched the closing ceremonies.  I know baby girl won't remember this, but I hope we have begun to install pride in our great nation.  I do know that as we get back to the regular hockey season, the bond between Mike and Kiera will continue to grow.

I swear Kiera's first word will be "LOUUUUUUUUUUU."