another week

i am in shock that tomorrow is Friday.





the kids have gymnastics on Monday afternoons. it makes for a very tiring day for me. even the kids feel tired.

one of the moms turned to me a few weeks ago and says, "have you been in this class all year?" there are only 8 kids in the parent and tot class. yes, we have been in the same class since September. i, on the other hand, do remember talking to her. i also recall the impression that she did not want to socialize with me. but she continues, "man! i feel like i have just walked out of a fog." okay. that needs explanation. she does. "it is like i have finally reached a stage with my kids that i am noticing stuff for the first time ever." ahhhh. that makes sense. i know the fog she speaks of.

it turns into a conversation about how tiring some days can be with young kids. we agreed that we wouldn't trade it for anything, but it was tough.

i told her on Monday that i think gymnastics would be less tiring if i signed the kids up for another day of the week. what is it with Mondays?! i also told her that it only took me 2 years to learn it, but i will not sign the kids up for gymnastics for May and June....even though in April it seems like a completely splendid idea! {May is not bad, it is June that is crazy. nice weather and soccer.} oh, i did not stop there. i also said, perhaps i would give one of the closer gymnastics clubs a try in September. I am driving 30 minutes each week, one way, just to tire myself out further. have you ever gotten two children dressed and into a car without having to rush and listen to at least one meltdown? in an enclosed space?

soooo....guess what happens? Aidan was invited to be part of the 'super-tot" class. which is basically a session that is slightler longer and more challenging. ugh! just when i made up my mind....


Tuesday was awesome. for everybody. Kiara and i got to stay home all day. then Aidan's friend and his mom came over. the boys played. Kiara watched a girl movie twice. we put together scrapbooks for their kindergarten class. nothing fancy. just your ordinary kids scrapbook of their special school work. {Aidan and i agreed that we can't wait until we can keep it at home!}i should also mention that Aidans' "best buddy" has a mom who is....{drum roll please}....a teacher....and a scrapbooker. we are kindred spirits! have i mentioned that they moved into this neighborhood last summer too? did i also mention that we live only 2 blocks from each other? as Aidan says, "AWWEESOME!"

Wednesday was also great. it was the first Wednesday in 2 weeks that we did not have to visit a doctor or deal with yucky colds. AWANA night. i got to be in my element and visit with new people. we had some prep for the weekend to do, and got done early so we had some chat time. fun stuff!

Thursday. today. long story, but when i get my oil changed, the dealership offers me a free latte. i was so excited for that errand today! wouldn't you know it, but it got busy just as i drove in. then somehow my paper work for the 1 hour job got lost. after 90 minutes i went to check on things. a full two hours later, Kiara and i had our fill of coffee and television. thankfully we were finally able to go. after any type of service we always get a call from the head office asking about our experience. i knew i would eventually have to tell someone about the morning. in the past they have always gotten an A+ from me...even without a latte! today i decided to complain. i was nice about it. i just wanted them to know that i would much prefer to be told to make an appointment and come another day than to have to wait for twice as long as i expected...even when they compensate me with more caffeine than i need. i also made sure that they new this was not a typical experience for me at the shop, and i have always been impressed by their speed in the past. i was shocked to near lack of speech when they chose to give me the oil change for free. so i guess the wait was worth it. in the end. good thing i complained?

since we still hadn't finished the class scrapbooks, we got together again today. our boys did not complain about another playdate. Kiara did not complain about another movie. us moms, did not complain about more time to chat.

i ended my day with a trip to my hairdresser. i have had the same hairdresser for nearly 15 years. she is awesome. i have a freshly coloured and cut hair. i can't wait to wake up tomorrow and just be ready to go!

and tomorrow is Friday. Aidan gets to hang out with his best buddy. those boys could live together and still not see enough of one another. although they did get frustrated with each other once today. i think it was their first "fight". it was over wii Star Wars Lego. i don't even bother playing that game...i'd be frustrated most of the time. i have watched Aidan and Kris play, and that is enough frustration for my daily intake.

we are all excited for Saturday. the kids AWANA club is having their "Grand Prix". it is our first. i am sure there will be photos to share! Grandpa Olsen loves racing. sadly they also leave for a cruise the same day. Aidan would have loved to have had Grandpa watch his home made car. pictures will definitely be in order. the kids don't know it yet, but every kid will leave with an award. each car had a small hole drilled into the bottom so that it can sit on top of the stand as an award. cool! i know they will both be thrilled with that.


i hope your week was as enjoyable as mine. now that the sun has brought some warmer weather back, i'm sure the weeks will fly by even more quickly.

feeling

more at home....


we're still exploring our new surroundings. getting to know the area better.



Aidan takes advantage of any opportunity to ride his bike on our adventures. this trail is on the edge of the neighborhood. so cool to look out and see fields and farms.




Aidan refers to his drainage pond as "our lake". this was the first place we brought the kids to when we bought the house. we all had to wait a month before we moved in. Aidan found a rock that night and had wanted to throw it in the lake and make it "skip". he didn't get an opportunity. BUT he kept that very rock and saved it until he could go out and toss it in. that was a huge surprise! he was SO HAPPY to be able to toss it in last weekend. ever since we got the keys he had been asking to do it.



we meet more and more of our neighbors each day. yesterday there was a couple of kids playing ball in the greenspace. Aidan biked over and joined in. then Kiara joined. then another neighbor kid joined. and a few more. then another game started. and then they went into one of the yards and played there. then they moved on to another yard.

today they joined another young neighbor and crashed a hot tub party next door!

i was relieved to find out that Kiara was not the only one who has trespassed into the neighbors houses. one of our young neighbors searched through our house today too.

Kris finished installing our new washer and dryer today. we had to purchase 3 appliances because the previous owners took them. kind of weird appliances to take, but i'm happy with what we got.

the basement is still a zone of boxes...crazy! we've put some of the larger toys down there too. i think the boxes have added to the interest of the kids as well. it was really cute listening to their chatter as they played. they had their "house". and then they went "camping". it has been neat to watch them discover their old toys again.

and one day we'll get some routine back!

and if anyone from the "old 'hood" is reading....we miss you! but you would LOVE it here too!!

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....

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!