ancient

....had to start with a photo of Kris....only because he just celebrated his birthday! wink!




doesn't it look like this dinosaur is about to nibble on Kris' ear?

a brand new dinosaur exhibit just opened north of the city this summer. we finally made it out! maybe one of the last "nice" summer days?

it was worth the trip. the only drawback to the day is that hundreds of other Albertans had the same idea. it definitely became quieter as the afternoon went on.



long necks?



there is no exaggeration when i say that the kids spent HOURS trying to dig up this artifact. they plan to bring shovels next time. ha!



the dinosaurs are attached to motion sensors. with the crowds, it was impossible to know when or where you have to be to start them. however, they are on set cycles. you could visit every day and see different movements each time.



the dinosaurs inspired the kids to act like dinosaurs themselves. complete with roaring and claws.

there was no tricking the kids that the dinosaurs would eat them! they assured us that it was impossible for them to be alive, and that it was just a fun park.



we did find some live creatures. i was too slow, but a little wood mouse ran out from under this bench when the kids took a break. it came out....stopped.....took a look...and ran back to it's hiding place. no chance that it took a second look! not that the roaring and yelling helped either.



baby dinosaurs!



clever. Kiara enjoyed this the most.



this was entertaining for all the ages of kids!



the only moment for a group shot. at least all the faces are visible.


it was a fabulous afternoon. everyone slept well that night! with happy thoughts. love nights like that.


i had read that it was intended to stay open throughout the winter as well. i am very curious as to what their hours will be and what their exhibits will do. i could see us heading back out in the spring for a fun day outside. however i think the summer months will be amazing. it isn't limited to just dinosaurs....they have combined the trail to also include fabulous information about the Boreal Forest. a good surprise.

i had heard good and bad reviews of the park. when it came to the negative comments, i had to wonder what it was being compared to. i simply could not agree. in fact i wonder if they went to the same place. anyone remember what the Tyrrell museum in Drumheller started out like? exactly. besides, this park allows the kids to interact at a level that they are at. we did not do it that day, but there is even a dinosaur the kids could ride! our only complaint...and this may be in the works...it would have been awesome to have a cafe with 'dinosaur bones' or 'terradactyl eggs' or 'long neck fries'.


too bad our city playgrounds and parks could be more creative in including interesting sculptures to climb, i think it would be very inspiring to many kids.

time

just keeps ticking away.

why do the fun moments speed by so quick? while the not-so-fun times take their sweet time?

i love those fun days with my family, like we had today. i was having a rough morning getting myself organized for the fall. it didn't help when princess kiara decided to host a royal tantrum at the public library. {seriously...every time i have gone to the library this summer, someone has been crying. no joke.} then i met up with some friends at a splash park. huge improvement. came home and had great community time with our neighbors.

our yard has now been titled "craft yard". just because the kids end up doing some kind of project when they visit! it started out with Aidan and his buddy making a transformer out of a cardboard box. Kiara and her friend painted a mural on another box. their mom and i visited and enjoyed the slow pace. now they know i have paint. and they ask for it. like today. the boys had been wanting to build a second transformer for a few weeks now. i finally replenished my paint supply. in total i had TEN children painting at one time. i know! {at least i'm getting smart with the clean-up!} i'm not sure if i should be more surprised over the number of kids in our yard at one time, or over the fact that i actually had enough paintbrushes and such to provide the opportunity. wow.





i cannot get over how much this boy has grown this year. he will soon be FIVE. one of those memorable years.

next week he and i will spend a few hours in his classroom learning his new routines. have i mentioned how thrilled i am with his teacher? i used to be one of her regular subs before Aidan was born. she IS amazing. I learned a lot from her! so. thrilled.

my only mama-sadness-reality moment is that he will be taking the yellow school bus. he is excited. i am excited for him. but hoping that he gets off at the right stop! which really should not be a concern because his sense of direction is already better than his own daddys'. i guess it is a mommy thing.



then there is little miss sunshine. she really is a barrel of fun most of the time. communication and understanding still have huge gaps for her. there are daily arguments over minor decisions. only because she sometimes confuses words like: open/close, up/down, in/out..... sigh. the THREE's are a pain at times.

yet i know that my baby girl will be so mature by this time next year. i'll miss those little disagreements over prepositions. last night she did her typical routine....coming out of her room with her list of excuses. finally she fell asleep. i didn't check on her until i went to bed. i found her in one of her princess gowns, sleeping. which was definitely not what we put her in to wear to bed. interesting. i would have left it one her, but she still has the odd night-time accident....and this was a brand new dress.

another night, i was chatting with a friend when i realized that she was in the bathroom. i opened the door to find her legs smothered in lotion. i was speechless. she looked at me, then closed the door slowly and politely. i hung up {after a shared chuckle}, opened the door again and carried her to her bed. what is a non-attentive mom to say? "well, Kiara, i think your legs will be very smooth in the morning." smart. she went right to sleep and slept soundly unti morning.

she will be in playschool. after two years of dragging her out of Aidan's classroom, she finally gets to stay. there is no exaggeration in that sentence. trust me.



yesterday they had their first official playdate without me. it was just a few doors down the path. Kiara got to play with another friend and do girly stuff. Aidan got to do his boy stuff....lego, video games, shoot 'em. they came home so happy. i think we should try and do this once a month. it makes more mess for one mom, while the other one gets a break {if you call cleaning and laundry a break?!}. however the kids are totally happy.

party's over

the kids have had a total blast living with their babysitter and her siblings. i am not completely sure they could say the same about my kids! they have discovered the strain of being treated like a celebrity. not always a joy when you have a couple of shadows following you everywhere.

i think it was day three and the teens were still sleeping. Aidan was still in his pajamas and reluctant to get dressed just in case he missed something {i think!?} he then told me that he was bored because he had no one to "play with". oh dear. life at home is going to be rough for this lil' guy.

anyways...our extended sleepover has been enjoyable. kind of like a vacation, but not! does that make sense? it has been nice to get away from our house for a little while...stare at other walls and floors...drive down different streets....shop at other grocery stores....listen to other noises...

my darlings have done quite well. no yogurt has been spilled anywhere besides the table!!! but, four more bodies---especially when two of them are the very little kind---add more debris. Aidan let his guard down last night at supper and left a gigantic mess of crumbs below his chair.

i have gone to "visit" our house a few times this week. it usually involved picking something up or dropping something off. it is messy!! i'll have a bit of work to do this weekend cleaning up. but the walls and ceilings are going to look amazing. well...the walls will look better once they are painted! the large cracks will be gone. we called them our "character cracks". much like the "character squeaks" we used to have in our floor before Kristian installed the new subfloor. yes, that little old house has A LOT of character in places!

i'll have to share photos of our mess....

finer details

there is a little bit of catch up going on here these days.

a few things to share that have finally made it to the top of the "to do" list.

Monday took us to get the oil changed in the "kid car". {as opposed to the other car which is "Daddy's going to work car"}



while we were waiting the kids enjoyed themselves in the play area. i had to laugh at the scene. every teddy bear in the joint was sitting while Kiara and Aidan read to them from one of the dealership brochures. i had to put up a fight to keep my chair from being taken over by a teddy bear. thankfully teddy bears can comfortably sit with more than one to a single chair...without a fight.

this was taken a few weeks ago. one day she will get me back for this. i'll deserve it! but isn't she sweet?

and speaking of sweets....

i went out for supper with some friends i hadn't seen in a long time. so good to gab and visit. i had lost my voice....ugh...so they had the good fortune of having me do more listening than talking! lol. it was a fun restaurant with some variety in their menu too. i had the nasi goreng. it was very tasty, but there were some chunks of meat that i could have ate less of. other dishes that were yummy was the house salad and something with huge prawns. the presentation was also really amazing. we all agreed that it would be a good "date" restaurant...as the four of us girls chatted while our hubbies were at home with our children!

i don't know how the girls did it, but they managed room for dessert! i was tempted...but knew Halloween candy would be floating around....hate it when i stand up against temptation! maybe i could twist their arms to go out for "coffee" and dessert one night....hmmmm....

this is partly why....

simple. butter cake. oh and there was a fruit sauce. totally healthy.

this was a bomb of chocolate and raspberries. see? still fruit involved.

this was not sinful at all. bernard callebault white chocolate. with raspberries.



i already know what i'm going to order. they have a chocolate caramel cake that shouldn't disappoint.

{keep in mind that photos taken in dimlight with a flash don't do justice to what your eyes actually see....yes, these look even yummier in real life! so glad that one of us had a camera! i can thank my job for that....since it was what got me into the practice of putting it in my purse each day}

do you think they might have specials for Christmas? or maybe even pre-Christmas?

cooling down

hot hot hot days

finally!!

it has been nice to enjoy the hot weather. got the waterslide out. water "shooters" were busier. and lived in our swimsuits.

some of the cousins came over to cool off too.

i love this. they were so focused.

filling the water bottles for the shooters is so exciting! apparently.

Aidan finished off his daycamp week. he was pretty tired. and we think he is still getting back his rest. they had a jumpy thing for the last day, so that was a huge hit.

the olympics started. great excuse to watch tv in a cool basement.

i went to see Mama Mia again. still good. still laughing from it.

we also spent yesterday moving into the garage. well mostly. at least a few irritating jobs got done. the playhouse is now back to being a playhouse. we are all thrilled. the kids have had so much fun reclaiming it. Kris is moving and setting up his work area in the new garage. not exactly his favourite job, but i think he is happy enough deciding how he wants it all set up. he had stuff in the basement, shed/playhouse and the garage up until now. always fun when you are trying to find something...i am in shock that it did not occur to me earlier that he was taking all the basement tool stuff away. you have no idea how thrilled i am about this. in fact i'm in a bit of shock over it! not that my laundry/storage/furnace room is all that exciting to begin with....but the laundry and the tools don't have to share space anymore.

he has to do the elecrical, siding and other finishing work yet. but at least his tools will be set up and ready for him to go. we still can't park our cars in there. even if the garage was complete. the water pipes have now been replaced in the alley. and now they have begun work to resurface the entire alley. our little hooray has been that the company doing the work is going to do us a favour. we have a ton (at least!) of concrete waiting for disposal. we wanted to get a bin to help dispose of it all, but the alley access is blocked. the favour? they will load it into one of their dump trucks and take care of it. it is almost as thrilling as my new space in the basement....

once the fence is built, i will be ecstatic.

the kids picked some radishes from the garden today.

and washed them off.

and had a taste.

not quite what they had expected!

we had a good rainfall last night and noticed bright yellow flowers on our squash and pumpkin vines.

we had an overnight guest last night. we'll take him anytime!! our fourteen month old friend, Will, came over in the evening. all three of the kids were very happy. it was cute actually. Aidan slept in his room and never joined us in bed...."he wasn't scared because he knew Will would take care of him." isn't that cute?! Kiara had a rough night. she finally fell asleep at 11:30. only to wake up at 6:30am. UGH!! and she was grumpy. which made me grumpy too. Aidan and Will woke up just after 8am, and that was the same time Kiara became happy again. lucky them. Aidan later asked if we could trade Kiara or Daddy for Will. hmmmm....interesting sense of humour.

who would read them good bedtime stories?

ahhhhhh.....

lets just hope we all literally have a good night sleep.

pleeeeeaaaaase......

the fun

never
stops!!


i think that it is time for a day to veg.

i'm looking around at my house and trying to figure out the last time i did dishes, swept the floor, cooked a meal.....

and i think it might have been Monday?!

and now it's Friday.



we met Stacey and Taylor in Red Deer. we had lunch and then let the kids wander. i love this photo of the three of them. Aidan was born October 14 and Taylor October 31. these two have known each other a long time. but Taylor moved to Calgary almost a year later. it was a very sad time for me. thankfully Stacey and i got together and hung out a lot. and we have lots of photos to prove it. she has lots of energy!

Aidan noticed the duck was standing on one leg. so he is copying. and this is quite a feat for him. he was asked to hop on one foot at the library last week. it was part of the summer reading program. not sure what hopping and reading have in common....it caused him a great deal of stress, which is not enjoyable for him nor anyone around him. given the history of balance, it was great to see him try this and succeed.

Kiara is two years younger (and a month!) than these two. Aidan and Taylor ran ahead. Kiara lagged behind. with Stacey and i.

then our three year olds came running back, yelling to come, come, come....

they loved that this mark on the trail looked like a hand. Stacey asked them to count how many fingers it had...and they had. obviously they weren't aware of the different number!

Taylor thought it would be fun to blow bubbles, so that is what they brought. i meant to bring the stomp rockets...and completely forgot. which was okay. they had fun. i love this photo of them. the last visit we had with Taylor, Aidan scared the living tar out of her! just being a boy and doing boy things. poor girl didn't know what to think. it was fun to see them both yelling and running and enjoying each other.

Kiara enjoyed "aunt" Stacey. and Stacey enjoyed Kiara. no surprise there.


the main purpose of the trip was to go and see the RCMP dog training facility. we went in 2005. i want to do a search of the photos from that trip. it would be fun to have a comparison from then and now.

they have demonstrations every Wednesday at 2pm during the summer months.

both times we have gone it has rained. oddly, every other day of the week had no rain forecasted this time. we had a good laugh over that. we were more prepared for the rain this time. but we did say that if it rains the next time we attend.....that might be the last! crazy.

they explain the program very well. the first demo they brought out dogs that will be ready for sevice in the local detachment (of the police officer they are assigned to) in two weeks. the average age of these dogs are 18 months.

they also demo the dogs attacking a bad guy. part of the training is encouraging the bite of the dogs. they want the full mouth and strong hold. pretty much the opposite of what you teach the family pet!

then the three officers bring their dogs closer to the fence. can't pet them. they are working dogs, not pets. chance to ask questions and see the dogs closer up.

there is a wait to get into this program. one requirement is to train them from seven weeks, for the first year. this officer is demonstrating how they train the young pups. they stole the show.

i believe that this is the only RCMP dog training facility. officers from across Canada come here. so cool to have it nearby. recently they have begun their own breeding program. the dogs are actually bred through IVF. the moms take care of their pups for the first seven weeks.

they brought out some of the mommy dogs....but we were a little distracted to hear much and take photos. at that point a thunderstorm (with lightning) came through. i ran to the car to get Aidan's coat....which he refused when we were leaving the parking area....and i can't believe i left it....but now had to run through the rain to get it for him. when i returned the rain really poured. complete with small hailstones. some people left which made space for us under the tent. we survived the first rain out in the open.

again Aidan wanted to take photos. not too bad. this is after the rain.
he also took this one. impressive. definitely something i'll print and give to Stacey.

yesterday Kris came home early from work and we took the kids to WEM waterpark. huge highlight for all of us!

i don't like taking my camera in the park. i spend too much time worrying about it and not having fun. so i just have to be content to enjoy the memories in my memory! haha.

they have a new water play area now. it was the first time we've visited since it was opened this spring. two water slides. lots of action.

it was meant for kids...but certainly a lot of teenagers enjoyed it. not pleasant for the toddlers though. my "teacher" face needed to be used a few times. yeah, the same "mommy-not-happy" look my own kids get. they have water guns, hoses, buckets and scoops to have water wars with others. which is fine. unless it is a fourteen year old aiming at a one year old. that is what i'm talking about. get a life kid. fortunately that area doesn't keep the teens happy for a long period of time, so eventually the kids had fun.

Aidan's all time favourite slide was the Blue Bullet. that is all we have heard about. we actually got the tickets last summer. and the day we planned to go, we learned that the blue bullet was getting painted. we decided to go in the winter instead. then they said the slide was getting repaired for mechanical problems or something. that made us feel better. or not. we're still waiting. yesterday we took him over to show him that it was going to be a long time before it would be working. if ever. the entire thing is dismantled and gone. with an empty concrete pit. marked to show more demolition will be happening. i wonder if the Blue Bullet will be coming back at all.

this visit he actually loved the wave pool the most. he strikes fear in a lot of other people because he loves to spend more time UNDER the water! someone gave us their tube as they left the park, and that was fun for awhile. Kiara is not thrilled with the wave pool right now. i remember Aidan being the same way at her age. and with Aidan being the way he is, i'm sure this stage will be temporary. the cute part was seeing her enjoy the lounge chairs on the beach. can't you just see us in ten years. daddy and Aidan scuba diving. mommy and Kiara soaking up rays on the beach.

for my fun i saw Mamma Mia with some friends the same day i took the kids to Red Deer. long day for me. that movie was great. one of my aunts' loved ABBA. i think she had all of the albums. i remember a few times playing her records on the stereo and dancing. or looking at their costumes on the albums. for me it was like the albums coming to life on the screen. great costumes for some of the scenes. i think Kris owes me big thanks for not asking him to take me to this one. definitely one for the girls.

and today. i just need a day to catch up. i think we'll stick close to home. maybe head to a park for fun.

more fun

thinking back to what i did this week.

and what i did not do.

that stinkin' cold took too much time and life from us....i have decided. we're still not totally over it. at least we have our energy and enthusiasm for life back.

Aidan has been crawling into our bed during the night. don't hear or feel him come and join us. but wake up to have him right there! i guess we're good company? seems like it is me that has been waking up first and having to carry him back to bed. thursday night - or early friday morning - i could not get back to sleep after carrying the sleeping boy into his own bed. of course i was exhausted by morning. and you can picture me trying to drink my coffee and wake up. and convince myself that it will be a good day....yeah we've all had those!

so friday morning i was on my third cup and still not fully awake. successfully managed to knock my full cup onto my lap...and allowing my laptop to catch some of the spill as well. it was HOT!!! the kids had been playing nicely....until i jumped up and screamed. that stopped play really fast. Aidan took one quick look at me and saw my now coffee coloured nightgown....legs...floor....laptop....and he starts to cry. i believe that i woke up suddenly at this point. can't figure out why.

well. the ol' laptop seems to have survived. i hope that it isn't leading me on. i have my files backed up. just in case.

i think friday was one of those never ending days.

at least it ended much better than it began.

Kris' parents ate supper and watched the kids for us friday night. we have been able to get out once a week for a date night this past month. we still find that we are trying to recover from his previous job. we are just thankful that his current job is much better, and that they understand Kristian is only human and that there are only 24 hours in a day....truly that statement is not an exaggeration as it sounds. if you only knew....

saturday was much better. not that it was difficult to top!


the kids were happy to see grandpa again. funny...Kiara was hoping to see uncle John too. she has already figured out that when there is work to be done he should be around too.

this is one of Aidan's photos. his perspective. the two of them did get the large automatic garage door installed (minus the electricity!) by the end of the day.

this was funny when i came across it. oh Aidan. my budding photographer.

i guess this is how i look in the morning. at least i showered!

last night we had a friend-neighbour party at "the other Aiden's" house. yes we have an Aiden H. and an Aidan O. Aidan also took photos at the party. he was responsible for this photo of Erin's flower. i was impressed. i had just taught him why and when and how to use the macro setting. wish i learned stuff this quick!

and here is little Marcella. her mom is Jenny (on the left). Eliza is on the right. this is where pictures get frustrating. Eliza was making Marcella laugh....you can see that Marcella is watching and ready for the next giggle.

Kiara had a blast! i think this was her third popsicle? oh well. she did have a few chips to eat too.

this is Aiden H. and his daddy, Hamish. he just loves his boys. and all of the kids loved him! he was the official popsicle patrol.

can't see it. but Oliver is eating a popsicle. it looks like Erin is trying to see if he'll share?! and Jen has a hopeful look too. poor kid...having to face such pressure! we also have two Olivers. Oliver H. and Oliver L. Oliver L. is sitting on his daddy's lap. definitely daddy's boy!
there is a negative to Aidan "borrowing" my camera. like you hadn't guessed. i think he has touched my lens. there were a few cute photos but a little blurry. like this one. isn't this adorble of Oliver H. and his mom, Erin?

here is one of the group shots.
and the other side of the deck.

perfect size for hanging out. so fun to just walk over. kids got to play. adults got to enjoy ourselves. it was a win-win.

although i think any playdates will now have to be at Erins.....and i'm only half joking. man it was a kids' paradise!

Aidan and Ethan totally loved this racetrack. i never knew car racing could be so funny! they both shared quite well....still amazed....and each had a car. they took turns....again, totally amazing....and were shocked every time the car flew through the loop. i'm not surprised about these two boys specifically getting along...both good kids....but they are still preschoolers....

cute.

they had a rollercoaster track and a train track. i'd never seen anything like it. as you can see the boys loved it.

that is Ben in the background. he has an adorable and infectious laugh.

this is the one laugh i got from Kiara while she was riding it. she had a blast. even without popsicles or chips in her hand!

we may need to contribute to the battery fund......

another one of Aidan's photos. i think the blur here is due to a shaky hand. or a moving subject. i like this simply because it is a photo of Aiden taken by Aidan. did you catch that?!

the only person missing is Connor. crazy. he is so sweet and perfect for photos. i thought i got some of him with Kiara. (Kiara adores him and he is always very kind to her.)

so nice to have neighbors who are fun. and we all have kids the same age. love it!! it is so difficult to get all of us together at once. but we do manage to meet at the park or on the sidewalk. or even plan time to meet!

and maybe i'll take better photos next time. actualy have everyone. get the whole face. have a clean camera....just to name a few!

this is Aidan. watching.

yeah. who would have guessed?!

Kristian is anxious to get the shingles on the garage. and the doors and windows installed. my desire is to have a fence again. i hope that is near the top of the list....

well. i have a little girl who is grumpier than anything and refuses to nap today. and a son who is also tired but insistent on "helping" his daddy. and another trip to Costco needed.

our friend, Ray, is here giving Kris a hand with the shingles. i'm thinking they may be able to finish one side of the roof today. that would be great. Aidan also loves Ray. i can hear him talking to both of the guys like he's one of them....very cute. for awhile.

i wonder if i dare take both of them to Costco? the kids get cookies as a treat. i wish they had something for the adults. can you tell i'm "excited" about just the thought of the shopping trip?

i think i'll make a margarita and think about it some more. and if you're in the neighborhood {wink}....stop by and join me. and bring your kids. just keep them away from the margaritas!