confused

i taught another class on Saturday. it was a pretty busy day. i also kept myself up late on Friday night. and Thursday night. by 5pm Saturday i was exhausted! the good kind of exhausted.

i also hadn't eaten much that day, so it was a treat to eat my supper in front of the television. it is a rare treat. then i promptly closed my eyes and had cat naps for the next 2 hours. by the time my down-time was done i felt so much better. a little reminder to relax at times like that and not worry about the work that should have been getting done.

when i started my little rest time it was cold and rainy outside. 3 hour south of us was already on their second day of snow.

when i rose from my fabulous quiet time i learned that the air turned even colder and the rain turned to snow. as Aidan put it, "there is snow falling and getting mixed up with the rain."



May 29. snow. it was just a few weeks ago that we hit 30 degrees Celsius and we had the air conditioning turned on. we smelled like sunscreen. we were enjoying any and every meal we could eat of hamburgers, steak and grilled suppers.



this is what it looked like this morning.

yuck.

our "plan" was to do some major yard work this week. the "weather" plans to rain. rain. with a few days of sun.

que sera?

something

we're nearing the first year anniversary of being in our new home.

we are celebrating by giving the yard an much needed makeover.

you see, when we were looking for homes we really wanted one that was landscaped. "landscaped" in a new build area means about the same thing as "finished basement" in an older neighbourhood. we wanted to do nothing more than enjoy someone else' hard work, with the biggest chore requiring the lawn mower.

we learned a new lesson.

many people who love to live in new homes have learned that "landscaped" yards sell better. these same people lack any care of what they plant, instead they buy from the sale rack and pay no attention to planting directions.

we now also know that there are others out there that use a hand shovel to dig the hole for a sapling. or at least can't dig a hole larger than the bucket it was sold in.

sigh.

i guess we can be thankful the topsoil and sod is in?




time to break out the old garden shovel.

we consulted with another neighbour who happens to be an experienced and trained landscaper. he got our vision started and now we are EXCITED!!!

Kristian will rent a rototiller next week and we will have some awesome garden beds. we went a little shopping crazy at the greenhouses this weekend. the weather was awful, so the yard work and sweat had to be delayed.



i brought 4 of these little spruce saplings from our old home last summer. 3 did not survive the winter. this one is doing very well. it was just a single stem last year. this was a total surprise. our guess is that it is a baby blue spruce. but that could be completely wrong.



we planted the apple tree. of course it had blooms when we bought it, but now they are done. it is doubtful we will get any apples this year, but all four of us are excited about having a brand new apple tree. quite funny, really.



this is a new one for us. Coppertina Ninebark. so far, it is my favourite.

we also have a Tannenbaum Pine tree. it is tiny and cute! we finally bought some cranberry bushes. Kristian has some blueberry bushes and i have a rose bush. a plot of daylillies and irises will be planted too. i bought another clematis vine too. did i mention the couple who bought our old house chopped down my HEALTHY and full clematis? it broke my heart. i would have gladly dug it up and moved it with me had i known.

anyways. it is awesome to see the old, dying trees gone and slowly being replaced with our choices. i think it is all good in the end. it feels like a fresh start. the kids are at a perfect age where they care and enjoy choosing with us. Kiara wants a purple tree with pink flowers. Aidan thinks it is awesome we will have a tree with real maple leaves on it.

we also had a few days this winter that saw the temperature reach -50 below. i've never felt it that cold. sadly it was brutal on some of the trees as well. even though we would probably get reimbursed for it, i'm glad we didn't plant anything in the fall.

there you have it. the season of yardwork has now begun.

farvel vinter!

did i mention that soccer season started on May 1? it was a nice day. it was still cool enough that Kiara had to wear a sweater under her soccer jersey....but warm enough to not be freezing if you were standing still. we were spoiled royally by a burst of summer in the middle of April. it is hard to believe that it was hot enough for water fights just less than a month ago.

Aidan had his first game on Monday. we nearly froze! we all let the kids play because we knew they were excited, but after 30 minutes they were done too. a perfect excuse to visit Starbucks and treat ourselves to a hot drink.

Tuesday morning we woke up to this:




i heard Aidan comment about enjoying winter, but hoping spring would be back tomorrow. nothing like being an optimist!

later that day they enjoyed a perfect snowball fight with the neighbours.



they played like this for at least 15 minutes solid. considering their ages, that was impressive! you know what else was amazing? not a single tear or complaint.

on Wednesday, the snow was still here. Aidan and his kindergarten buddy played in the snow with his rescue heros. on one side of our house we still don't have a fence....so you could see their tracks into the neighbours yard. when i looked closer it looked like they were even in the next yard...but i can't be sure! the next morning the largest snowman i have ever seen was sitting on their deck. i need to take a photo of that sight. soccer was cancelled. obviously. but it was the first day of their swimming lessons, so it was nice to kind of get accustomed to the new schedule gradually and see how much time we will really have between swimming and soccer.

on Thursday Aidan and Kiara decided to build a snowman. i think they both still need some help with this. it appears that the snowman is laying down and watching tv. interesting. while they worked i stayed in the house and worked on a project i had started earlier, and made supper, and got ready for an evening out...never a slack moment? one of the times i checked on them i saw a lone snowball fly from another yard. and another. and another. i can't remember how many landed before they looked up! our other neighbour was in his hot tub and chucking snowballs at them. i did not get a photo. ha!

as i mentioned i had been working on a project. i have a class coming up at the end of the month, so i need to get the layout prepared as soon as possible. i was hoping to get it done by Friday so that i can bring it to work with me and move on to the next project! i am such a slow scrapbooker. it has been a challenge to find time to work on it this time around too. finally i got to the point where i could see my "plan" for the pages and just needed to put it together. to my relief and joy the kids allowed me the time to do this during the day! they played in the basement for at least 2 and a half hours. happily. not a single disagreement or fight. i couldn't believe how much i got accomplished.

at one point i had to take something to the basement and spotted them in the craft area. suspicious looks on their faces. "hi mommy. don't look!!! please" greeted me. all week Aidan has told me that he has a secret, and how special Sunday will be. i had some guesses what they were up to. then they started to make trips upstairs to borrow paper punches and pop dots. he came to me and his eyes were huge. "are you really excited for Sunday, Mommy? you only have 3 more sleeps."

so, i'm not sure how much of the special Sunday plans involve their dad. i've tried to find out from them, but they are being very secretive.

today the snow is still here. some green grass and leaves poking through the drifts.

tomorrow they have soccer photos scheduled. hmmm... the weatherman says warmer weather will be with us for the weekend. but soon enough for it to melt and dry the ground?

i've always stuck to the "put out your plants on the May long weekend" advice. so nice that we are getting closer to that date. let's hope that we can finally put the snowpants, mittens and shovels away until November.

a sign of spring

we went out for a bike ride after supper yesterday. we were thrilled to view the fountain that had been missed over the winter!


everything is so brown and yucky. dust is everywhere. thankfully the snow is pretty much gone. that is important! as we went around our duck pond, i spotted a little rainbow. very cool.


my wish is for the wind to stop completely and instead have warm rain for a few days. we would gladly exchange the dust for some sprouts of green. even a walk in calm and soaking rain would be welcome. just leave out the wind. and the cold!

looking for spring

we had a couple of beautiful days last week. on Thursday it all went downhill! the kids and i literally enjoyed the spring weather right up until "the big wind" blew. we knew it was coming, but it was still hard to believe the snow that blew in too. the wind was ferocious. it slowed down on Saturday, but it finally stopped today. Aidan asked me where the sun was today. and it was Kiara who responded, "it is in the clouds!" a correct answer. however i think Aidan was wondering when the sun would shine again. preschool grammar.

the gist of the whole frustration is that we are simply ready for spring.

on Book-Face i commented that i "thought i had said good-bye to winter". one of our cousins suggested that perhaps i didn't say it loud enough, and another suggested Danish would be the language to use. so i am now shouting - along with my children who are anxious to leave their coats and shoes inside and trade them for swimsuits - am shouting at the tops of our lungs....farvel vinter!!!!!



on another note. i have decided to plant numerous spring bulbs this fall. there is no colour anywhere on this property. ugh! i would have done it last fall, but i knew i would just be digging them up again when we move some trees and flowerbeds around this summer. after a decade of watching the little tips of the tulips appear i realize that i really miss that part of the spring ritual.



even when the bulbs are as old as the earth and don't last for more than a few days or get their petals blown off in a gust of wind! these old things were once dug up and replanted. i had bought a package of new bulbs and only ever had a few of them appear the following spring. whatever i decide to plant this fall i must be patient, follow the instructions implicitly and buy good bulbs! most certainly a few will be red. but i think some yellows or pinks would be excellent too.




my neighbour had a flowerbed filled with these beautiful forget-me-nots. i also discovered that they grow very easily from seed. to my relief, they also are very unobtrusive. {unlike the lily of the valley. they look so innocent and cute....kind of like 2 year olds.} love those pretty little flowers. so did the kids.



we will have blooms from the 2 fruit trees in our yard. that will be nice. i do miss the huge, old apple tree. it really looked spectacular in the spring with it's full coat of white blooms.

we were discussing the future of our new yard one day. Aidan informed Kristian that i wanted lots of roses. hmmm.... i'm not sure if i commented on roses specifically. it was not until last year that i realized my need for summer colour outside my windows. when we discussed our yard with the landscape designer we also requested trees that have some kind of colour in the winter. like evergreens or junipers. or the lovely red or yellow bark of leafy shrubs.


my trial version of CS4 expires in a few days. has it really been that long? there are still a ton of things to figure out and learn!


oh, and if you see "Spring"....could you send it over here to help us wait for summer? thanks so much!

blast off!

the answer is:


both!
  
{read yesterdays' post if you missed the question}


one: we celebrated Grandpa Olsen's 70th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday. 


the kids loved that he had his party here. not that it was his pick. Grandma had a bit to do with that decision. not that he complained. 


Uncle John decided that it was a bit like a nightclub for kids. hmmm... except Grandpa had to produce ID to buy a beer and was only allowed to purchase two glasses. which he offered to his sons. 


only Kiara didn't completely take the ticket winning seriously. it did, however, matter when it came to retrieving the tickets from the machine. adding the tickets to the "ticket calculator". or choosing a prize. which i could really say a whole essay on that part of the visit. {i think even the kids dread that part. the prize is never worth the work.} 


needless to say, we arrived with excited kids and left with happy and exhausted kids. 



two: we took the kids to a nearby Japanese restaurant after church on Sunday. the kids loved it. 


when we walked in they saw the water wall at the front. they decided we should have one in our house. 


then they were really curious when we had to take off our shoes and go into a little room. they were super excited when they saw the table and the chairs on the floor. had Kristian and i known it would be enjoyed so well, we would have taken them long ago!


they both love sushi. we ordered a special dish of sashimi for the kids, thinking it was the type that was fully cooked. oops! although it was a good experience for Kristian and i to extend our palate further! 


Kiara is proving to be more adventurous with food as she is getting older. Aidan is more cautious, but tends to try new foods with some minor bribing. i do expect they will want to go back soon. 



another successful weekend. as much fun as it is at ChuckE.Cheese....it is not a place i like for the food.

Aidan was invited to a birthday part at Kidz Quarterz in Sherwood Park a few months ago. we didn't go the token route, so can't comment on that. however it has an amazing indoor playground. as well as pizza that is much healthier and tastier. 



i was teaching a scrapbook class on Saturday morning and ended up not leaving until mid afternoon. fun times with the class and then got chatting. typical me. i didn't realize i missed out on such a beautiful day!



the snow is mostly melted in our backyard. even rather dry compared to Saturday. this poor Stomp Rocket is a few years old now. apparently it needed to be adjusted slightly. usually you attach the rocket to the yellow stand that is visible in the background. i love the expressions on their faces!



cute kids we have. they look so innocent and fun in this photo.

yes, still having fun with CS4. actions. and our iMac.

it wasn't until yesterday that Aidan made a comment about his opinion over having AppleTV. we had all gotten accustomed to the kids turning on the television at various times and watching TreeHouse or YTV for 15 to 30 minutes during the day. for them it was mostly just a break. it has been an adjustment for all of us to learn new ways to take a break during the day. with AppleTV, you can connect to iTunes, YouTube or a million satellite radio stations. it is also beyond their computer skills for the moment. we are not rushing into teaching them how to use it either!


here is the big news of the day!
Monday is our gymnastics day. the kids are quite natural at this sport. it is almost disgusting how flexible and strong they both are. Aidan did a "pull-over" on his own today. his coach was really impressed {and so was Kiara's!} apparently it is very rare for a child Aidan's age to be coordinated and strong enough to do that maneuver individually. Aidan was thrilled. so was i. and shocked too. this boy is surprising me every day. so we called Daddy at work, then stopped by Tim Horton's for a 6-pack of donuts. on the way to the club, he counted to 100. on the way home, he spelled words he figured out on his own. 

overall, i'd say we had an awesome start to the Spring Break. let's hope we can finish as strong as we started!

for real

we had a beautiful weekend. it was sunny. fairly warm.

the snow finally diminished enough to allow the dead grass to poke through. the kids have had their fair share of splashing through puddles. it took their boots nearly 3 days to dry after their last romp!


then we awoke to THIS on Monday morning.






you can see that a bunny enjoyed making tracks all over the yard. when our darlings saw the footprints, they decided it was "the Easter Bunny". it was definitely a busy bunny.



on Sunday afternoon we decided to get the bikes out and test out the paths. it is our first spring in the community and so nice for all of us to walk out the door and have the path right there. i still am in disbelief that just a year ago many nice spring weekends were spent going from show home to driving the streets looking for "good" areas. we all agree that the bike ride was the best way to spend an afternoon!



Kiara is willing to try anything new. love her adventurous spirit! i am crossing my fingers that we have left the uglyness of the 3's behind and can embrace the entertaining aspects of the 3's. there were so many days when we really wondered if that sweet girl would ever return to us.



Aidan was drenched.

what normal boy could resist the deep puddles?! the raincoat came in  quite handy. i also have photos of him with the puddle water dripping from his face.

he too had some pretty terrible days when he was 3. like any healthy kid, he still has his own challenges!! he and his buddy from school have been excited for weeks now because of a field trip to study dinosaurs at the museum. yesterday they even decided to wear dinosaur t-shirts so that they would match. cute! then my dear child discovered this morning that i would not be going on the field trip with him. given his already tough morning, the fact pushed him over the edge. apparently he had visions of he and his buddy, together with their mommy's having a grand ol' ball of a time. it is a wonder they didn't decide our wardrobe as well. so, yes. still some days that are challenging.


well, Kiara and i have enjoyed a relaxing remainder of our morning. we both have the sniffles and have quite the chorus of sniffs and coughs going on. lovely.

i am nearly done prepping for my class on Thursday. the busy patterns of the papers was a challenge to me and stumped me on how to combine them in a pleasing way. as a result i ended up using all but a few scraps of paper. the back of the layout is interesting as it is taped together to be held into place! it stumped me even further when i thought about how i was ever going to teach it and make sure that the cuts were described properly. enter my thoughtful boss....with the suggestion that i pre-cut as much as i can. it was more work, but i think it will make the class run much more smoothly! now just to hope and keep my fingers crossed that i made the right cuts!!

i have the montly dt layout on my desk ready to be glued into place. i can't wait to see how it looks when it is done. beautiful, beautiful papers and embellishments.

then i can start the fun of creating the next monthly layout class. it has been tough to do my other work. i know i say this every month...but this one is going to be so awesome! fun and messy. i am soooo lucky!


now to just stop the snow and bring on consistent warm sunshine and air!

puddle jumping

mission accomplished.

they splashed in puddles like nobody's business.

Kiara slipped on some ice at the bottom of one pool. after 45 minutes of puddle jumping, that was not a bad record! despite the record, she was not impressed. at. all.

Aidan continued to splash until he had successfully gathered enough water in his boots to house a fish. he was quite thrilled.

neither of them were joyous once we were at home and i had to pry the dripping clothes off of their bodies. suddenly the frigid water they were drenched with hit their senses. i really enjoyed their cries as their skin warmed up again. no. not exactly.

the snow will continue to melt and the puddles will continue to grow. i am sure they will be back in the puddles tomorrow. i hope they remember the fun they had, and think the temporary cold was worth it. for now we are all in agreement that we are excited for spring to arrive. only Aidan has voiced that although he is excited for the warmer weather, he is still a bit sad that winter is over.

is it coming?

spring is around the corner. i know this partly due to how the air "feels". we all got to wear spring jackets this week. yay! i also know it is coming because of the date on the calendar. ha!

i caught the weather in the news a few days ago and they compared the weather in March this year with the weather last year. in my memory, i do recall that the weather was not great and the snow was very slow in melting. especially the last week when the kids were on spring break and i was hoping for warm weather to hang out in parks and playgrounds. we had a few days of -20C!! i really hope we do not repeat that pattern this year. it is hard enough to take -10C after a long winter.



we went out this week to check on our pond. it is melting.

snow pants and snow boots are no match for melting snow and puddles!

hooray for this!!

real life

take a deep breath.

breath out.

slow.

that is our motto these days!

how many of you can boast a box and coat covered bed AND a shop vac in your bedroom? i know. i'm making you jealous!!

not so many toys around. they are learning to play with certain toys in a new way. Aidan's little laptop also has a music option. they scroll through the music and dance to the different songs. and with all the furniture pushed out of the way and boxes stored away....they had a great dance floor last week. (and i got some really cute and fun photos) i'm sharing this one because it shows you what we got to look at since last Thursday until Wednesday. i will not miss the plaster patches!! i can promise you that. (unless it means we get another power vac to decorate our bedroom...)

this is what our living room has looked like since Monday night. except the walls were not finished.

at about 4 pm i swept, vacuumed, dusted and mopped. then i moved the furniture back. aside from a few extra boxes to sort and the pile of paint paraphernalia in the corner...it looks normal again! well...actually better than normal. i think i need to do a before-after of the living room.

it is so unfortunate that you can't see the amazing ceiling treatment in the photo. or get a feel for the difference the colour makes. i will just say for now that we would not have had THIS colour if i had not been a scrapbooker who keeps a messy desk with lots of unnecessary paper scraps! that is a story i think i need to share one day.

the challenge for me has been to "clean-up" the house each morning. and by "clean-up" i mean to make sure everything is picked up off the floor and furniture is moved back into the centre of the room again. the next challenge has been to get the kids out of the house and enjoying themselves. this morning we were at the library. but the afternoon was beautiful and the kids seemed more than happy to play together in the backyard. bliss to be at home and be out of the way of the painter.

Kiara spotted the bird. i LOVE this photo! {almost as much as i love my Nikon!!}

yay for bike riding!! Kiara has a way to go before she will actually enjoy herself. Aidan loves to "go fast", so i am sure it is just a matter of time before Kiara catches on. the plan is for them to ride down the sidewalk - avoiding people - from one landmark to another. all within sight for me. and they are thrilled. i get to sit down. or take photos of children who are happy to pose and show off. our little slice of heaven...

the colour of our bedroom walls are Marlboro Blue by Benjamin Moore. it feels so serene and peaceful. what's your favourite wall colour?

better

we survived terrible "two's"day.

we even made it through Wednesday...which i learned was the day of the full moon.

coincidence?

today the sun was shining. brightly. warmly. but better yet...the air was warm enough to get that snow melting!!

bring on spring! we are ready!!

Aidan was invited to a birthday party today of a classmate from playschool.

they partied at a nearby pool with waterslides, river and splash area.

Kiara and i crashed the party. the group of boys needed some estrogen in the air, i'm sure!

needless to say, we all had bundles of energy to burn and i think we succeeded. no exaggeration -- i think i saw all the boys vibrate with excitement at the start of the party. after the second hour, you could see they were moving a little more slowly!

i think we will all fall asleep quickly and sleep well tonight. at least i hope!

photo

frenzy


just having fun taking some photos.


it was a big surprise to download my photos tonight and actually have only 38 photos. a few of only 4 "scenes". and i just cropped these. no touch ups. yes i believe that is a record. and i should celebrate.


Aidan is fascinated by dandilions. the yellow ones. and the "fluffy" ones. i managed to snag a photo of this one before it was blown to smithereens. (is that even a word?) a part of me is repulsed by dandilions because they are an annoying weed. but there is a part of me that is amazed by them. they are the first flower in springtime....other than tulips that is!

and since "bug" as my lovely babies named it got some attention....these dutiful and hardworking ants should have their moment of fame too. again, i have a love-hate relationship with these creatures. as long as they don't ruin my garden and stay out of my house, they can stay. and i have a special place in my heart for those that eat aphids. saves me the time and trouble.

and this was the scene inside and outside of my kitchen yesterday. as Aidan calls them, "the worker mens" were here. these two were entertained by two fellows digging a big hole just under the window. then they were just as delighted to see the "digger machine" make the hole even deeper and larger. they came just in time for me to make supper. and i wish they would come every day at that time. free babysitting. sort of! it was the first night i have made supper without being bothered. Kiara had her moments of boredom and got curious about all kinds of things around the sink that she had never seen before....but the view outside of the window still ended up being more interesting all around. there were a few groups or teams of workers that came during various stages. they seemed to all enjoy the extra attention they recieved. i caught one of them smiling at Kiara and jumping up and down on our deck. and of course Kiara trying to imitate him. you get the idea that most of these guys were pretty rough and could care less about children...but then you have an experience like this. rough guy jumping up and down to make a little girl giggle....not the picture that i had in mind!

just a great example that appearances are not always as they seem. good life lesson! i read another similar story yesterday on this blog. well not quite. it was much deeper!

today we had the second part of the gasline job completed. the hole was dug yesterday. today they moved our meter and lines from the basement to the outside of our house. so yes more excitement for the kids. fortunately they were able to delay the work until after gymnastics. but the unfortunate part was that it took longer than they expected and the kids missed a birthday party. thankfully they checked all of our gas lines. and found a line we had closed off---it was connected to an archaic heater in the basement which we removed a few years ago. they put a "cap" on the end. apparently it is code and was somehow missed by the company we hired to close off the line. just one of those things...if the gas line were to leak, or the valve turned....the house would have blown up...potentially. not liking to hear that! this house is so old. codes have changed a lot. everytime we get some work done we learn more about how dangerous the situation was. but we also hear that they see homes a lot worse. it is a miracle that so many of them are still standing!

tomorrow Kris and his brother are ripping down our old garage. i'm sure that someone could create a list of broken rules with that garage! like the integrity of the structure when they installed the automatic garage door for starters. i'm so glad that i just get to watch...have i ever mentioned how much i dread home renovations. no? i used to watch the home improvement shows and get tired. and go figure we buy a home that has needed home renos. i've survived so far....

and last night someone ran into our garbage bin shed. pulled it away from the fence. last summer someone backed into our fence. it's a pretty good guess who was responsible for both incidents. and a huge relief to learn that they are moving tomorrow. happy dancing.....

photos

at last!


i've always loved spring blossoms. and then i started getting allergies. my love for spring blossoms is now bitter-sweet.

this will be the last year our spring blossoms will have our run down garage as a backdrop.

rather sad. it is so shabby that it has an odd appeal about it!

the old original apple tree is closest, on the right. the pear tree is on the left into the distance. the siberian larch is in the middle, straight ahead. the year we moved in, the top of the tree could barely be seen above the fence.

this is what you see when you come around the corner of our house. the maple tree on the left hides the new playhouse quite nicely.

here you can see the top of the siberan larch. well....barely!

the blossoms on the new apple tree. some are still needing to get to full bloom.

the rain has put some bruises on these blossoms....

interesting how apple blossoms kind of curl up and pear blossoms spread out.

today a swift breeze blew, and you could see the blossoms in the breeze...like out of place snowflakes...one of those times you wish you had a camera....knowing if you ran for it, then you would miss the photo and the sight for your eyes...

the needles on our siberian larch are nearly grown now. last year for you buddy....

i cannot believe how awesome this vine is! tons of new shoots. ready to bloom already. was it only a few weeks ago i noticed the first leaf?

pretty soon we'll have irises and daylilies. they always bloom right before Father's Day. i used to have a gorgeous red oriental poppy. i plan to add one or two of these when i get the chance. it took a few years to get to a good size, but i think it is a sensitive plant....we did some rearranging one spring, added better soil and raised the flower bed it was in...it never forgave us.

the shed/playhouse is getting there. this is what it looked like before the weekend. the boys were busy at work today, so now it has osb walls!

the gable will have a little window eventually.

isn't it adorable? maybe Kris will have to quit his day job and just make playhouses?! hahaha many, many years ago - maybe ten years - his brother was involved in a competition for Kid's Cottage i think. there were three or four teams of apprentices that designed and built a kids playhouse. then there were competitions for specific aspects like the colours, overall design, etc.
i think they were auctioned off with the money going to support Kid's Cottage. and i think John's team came in second. they were all so cute! lucky kids that got to play in those.

we want to make our playhouse look similar to a cabin we stayed in two years ago. we'll see how well the ocean look will transfer to our prairie playhouse! we looked up some old photos today to remind ourselves of specifics we had forgotten. it was tough to stay focused. i was pregnant with Kiara. very pregnant! and Aidan was sooo little. we had some videos too. those were fun. i just wish they had been longer. he was just a little older than Kiara at the time. he enjoyed watching himself too. a good reminder to keep taking regular photos and documenting these fast growing lives.

i've also been doing some top secret research...trying to come up with a little something for Father's Day. if you have ideas for me. or if you want to take advantage of my ideas, leave a comment. or e-mail me! i have one idea at the moment that i'm trying to "tweak" in my head....hopefully it will work out as well in real life?!

still waiting

for those answers!!!


any idea how difficult it is to get macro photos on a windy day? possible. but a little more tricky. or maybe it is just me?

here is our huge Siberian Larch. the needles come in brand new and soft in the spring. really not a nice tree to look at during the winter months...but it redeems itself in the spring.

apparently the family farm had a larch or tamarack. {the family farm was not something that had been passed down from generation to generation. my grandpa had sold his tractor business and moved his nearly grown family north.} along the east side of the home property were a row of conifers. by the time i came along these trees were monstrous. and within this row of pine trees grew a larch or tamarack tree. so all winter the tree must have stood out like a sore thumb. before it had a chance to redeem itself my grandpa chopped it down thinking it was dead. keep in mind that the majority of his life was spent in southern Alberta. where a tree is rare. and apparently not a place to grow these special conifers. i never did hear the part of the story where he learned what kind of tree it actually was. given it was a small farming community....it was probably coffee news that week at the community store.

and our Golden Spice Pear tree. the year we moved in (planted by the previous owners) it had about a dozen blooms. now it is covered in blooms each spring. and actually produces a large quantity of pears. not very large. but in time we've learned more about when to pick these pears and when to start eating them. they aren't worth using for cooking....unless you have A LOT of free time!!

and our little newest apple tree Kris and Aidan planted last spring. hmmm...wonder what name it has? can't believe that i can't remember that. add that to my 'to do' list.

we do have an old apple tree. but we think it is at the end of it's life. it has had some issues with its health the past few years. last year it grew apples, but dropped them all. in the past we've had more than enough apples for us and lots to share with friends and family. they are great for cooking and juice. but visitors have enjoyed eating them fresh as well.


so the date is nearing for our garage to be torn down.

still amazed that the original owners never put a stucco on it.

i was on a walk with Kiara last night and noticed another garage built recently in our neighborood. like in the last twenty years. and it has also never had siding or stucco on it either. it is still covered with OSB. and i would bet it will still be like that in another twenty years.

little itty bitty garage. can just fit a single vehicle. and then a few yard and bike stuff. we still chuckle at the shabbiness of it....and it has these pristine automatic garage door. ironic. of course the red paint was added just after Aidan was born. it still looks great. thanks Benjamin Moore!

so the new garage just over twice as wide. wow we'll be able to fit both of our cars inside! and off the street away from those punks that get bored at 2 a.m. see the wacky sidewalk in our backyard. that will also be gone. the new garage will end at about where the sidewalk is. did that make sense? hmmmm..... anyways. new fence. new sidewalk. new garage. and yes we bought siding with the package. no way we're going to allow it to sit for fifty years naked! oh yes and a concrete parking pad behind the garage. and it means our siberian larch has to go as well. but the fruit trees will be saved. even old man apple. he may be saved this year....but his time is coming!

i am so glad that i'm not doing any of this labour. Kris has his brother and dad lined up to help. the plan is to get it completed over the course of three weekends. compared to the house his brother just built, this will be like a cracker box project.

we did have a slight problem. our garage has a lot of stuff in it that we don't want to leave in the backyard. like my bike. lawnmower. shovels. saws. anything that may get stolen or injure kids.

the idea of a small shed was born. so for the month that it takes to build the new building, we'll have a shed to hold the small stuff.

then when the garage is done....back it all goes.

and the small shed?

it gets turned into a playhouse for the kids!

the boys {aka Daddy and Aidan} have been hard at work this weekend. hammers. saws. the works! Aidan is in heaven. i think Kristian is somewhere not too far behind.....

yay

for me!

i am so excited because i will be teaching my first class at my favourite scrapbook store. so happy!! the date is not set yet. but i posted some pics of the project on my projects blog. that kept me busy last week!

still weird this week. tonight is the third night that Kris has worked from 4pm to 4am. kids and i are handling it surprisingly well. i'm sure his previous job prepared us for this. he sleeps during the morning and then is awake for part of the afternoon. not much time to spend with him. i'm hoping he'll be feeling more rested tomorrow. he slept until about 2:30pm today, so we only got to see him for an hour before he left. two or three more nights of this and then back to daytime hours. and some time off in lieu will help. this is just part of a rotation he's doing with the new company. thankfully this won't be a regular thing! at least this is what he's been told.

and we're still sick with this spring cold. it seems like everyone managed to get it. hopefully a few more days and then the coughing can stop! except for me. i have spring allergies. and they are always preceded by a cold. once July is here, i'm feeling much better. all the more reason for summer to get here quickly!

Kiara has been changing so much these past few months. it is amazing to see what she is actually comprehending these days. Aidan is quite a verbal kid. but Kiara kicks his but with talking. and singing. she is already trying to recite the alphabet. and she knows her animal sounds! Aidan would never cooperate when we asked him to tell us what cows say. and we never even attempted to have Kiara do it. nope, she just did it on her own.

she also has this amazing power to make a shopping trip an entirely delightful experience. or an incredibly awful one. speaking of shopping....i realized this week that they are both ready for more responsibility on our grocery days. i had them load grocery bags. the help was awesome. and Kiara didn't try to climb out of the cart. and Aidan was too busy to figure out new ways to annoy everyone.

lots of side notes here....man my brain is having trouble sticking to one topic!

last week, on a trip to the "W" store...hadn't gone in months. she squirmed her way out of the seatbelt. their new carts are dual leveled. she decided to sit on the upper level. great. nearly fell out twice. gave a couple of the clerks near heart attacks one of the times. on the other hand, she put herself into greater danger squirming out of the seat she was supposed to be in. i could not get that belt tighter. who designs these things anyway?! so that little princess somehow forgot where she was or something....ended up falling and fortunately landing on the lower level of the cart. on the diaper bag. miracle. one of those moments where you are unsure whether to cry, scream or fall to your knees in gratitude that she is not hurt.

she is starting to have more moments where she stays close to us when we let her have freedom. and i'm saying more moments. not every moment.

stopped by PayLess to get running shoes for Aidan. ($7 for one of them!) by the time we left, i think the manager/?owner was ready to pay us to leave. Aidan was great. Kiara had other plans. and to make the trip even more enjoyable. i had to change a diaper. yes. one of those. and i had changed one just before we left the house. can she not do it all at once?! then she wanted to run up and down the aisles. that was when i saw the manager/owner guy get a little antsy. well a lot antsy. he made a comment about the "number of children who have injured themselves on the merchandise hooks." hmmm.... apparently he was unaware of the good luck that seems to follow this girl. i'm just hoping her luck does not run out. [the day before she thought the wire racks at Urban looked fun to climb....eeeeek! thank goodness i happened to be right beside her when she took that first test step. i could just picture all the racks going down like dominoes...and my daughter on top of the pile - if she was lucky.]

so days when you are left wondering why you bothered....you come across a scene like this...

notice the correct hand position on the mouse? notice her hands are no where near my screen? nothing is getting thrown? yeah. why can't those moments last all day? all week? all month?


so spring seems to have arrived. although the afternoon sure turned ugly fast. i snapped these while the sun was still shining. after we had our lunch in the backyard. for the second time this week.


amazing what two days can do!

and the spider has not been seen for two days. but the buds are sure opening. i predict we could have some blooms in a week. this is the apple tree that Kris and Aidan planted last year.

and the larch. not a pretty tree during the winter. spring is so unique. those needles are so soft. and stay soft all winter. then they turn colour in the fall. i hope i have photos of that season. this tree will be gone in a month. at the most.

and the pear tree. aren't those buds crazy?!

and the clematis. two days ago i saw no signs of this. if you need a vine that takes care of itself, get one of these. it never needs to be cut down. pruned, nope! it literally takes care of itself. and it is gorgeous. kind of makes me feel guilty. it is probably the one plant that i get the most compliments on...and i've totally done nothing to it. just planted it. okay maybe admiration counts for something. but i admire my irises....and no compliments.

oh the psychology of plants. certainly not a career for me! i took one botany class at university. my one science option for my degree. i think i would have flunked if my lab partner had not been a science major.

and yes i was raised on a farm. a grain farm. and we had a garden. somehow the green thumb didn't stick to me.

now maybe had they had me make paper from the dead plants.....there's a life lesson!

yup. definitely time to go back to my corner and do something not related to green. or people. and perhaps i should stay a safe distance from journalling for awhile too.

or sleep. that actually might be a smart choice.

in the meantime still waiting for my fat...oops!...i mean prego sister to have her baby! {wink} it is still over a week. but this girl seems to be liking the present nest. she is hearing things now. she may be hearing stuff her big brother is up to....really makes you wonder. two friends just gave birth to girls a few weeks ago. seems to be the season to have a daughter.

sigh. babies are so nice.