overdue

i can't believe my last post was over a month ago! i find the days seem to be speeding up as the kids are getting older. when i started this blog, the days were on the long side. Kiara had just turned one and Aidan was three years old. Aidan was in playschool two mornings a week and Kiara was not walking. Aidan was at the age where he was more independent, but still it was not a good idea for us to turn our back on him for too long! Kiara still relied on us for her entertainment during her short awake hours. many people told me how quickly those days pass, and i took their advice to enjoy them as much as i could (even those super long days).

here we are in another phase. so nice to have more time for myself with Aidan in school all day and Kiara in playschool three mornings a week. i have time to run errands without having to factor in bribes for the short attention spans of my fan crew. cleaning and laundry can sometimes get done more quickly without anyone taking advantage of mom's lack of eyesight....yes, all the big messes seemed to happen on laundry day! phone calls get made without having to be interrupted by screams or "mommy-can-i's". not to mention an hour of uninterrupted time for me to actually put more than a thought or two together!!

March had the kids busy finishing up their racing cars for the AWANA Grand Prix. a huge thrill for them. i had the incredible thrill of attending the local scrapbook retailers event. i'm still in disbelief of how amazing that weekend was. taking classes from very talented people. my idol being one of them! enjoying supper and then having them visit the store where i work. seriously had so much fun that i could barely sleep! one of those events in my life that seemed to good to be true. i find myself having to remind myself it all really happened....not just a happy dream.

we also finalized the details for a trip to heat and sunshine! which meant passports and other traveling preparations. which is a story in itself.

the bad timing of computer issues and breakdowns. which gained me a brand new computer that i really hope does not give me issues.

it was not possible for us to conveniently leave town to coordinate with the school spring break. that last week was spent packing and keeping the kids active and happy. they are good for entertaining themselves. however a week solid of mom also busy doing "boring stuff" was not on their top ten list. to keep a balance we spent a few days on the town. the local science centre was fun for a day, and the kids got to try wall climbing too. {you could say the kids are experts at wall climbing....or so i expected. apparently they were a little nervous climbing past a certain point even when they were harnessed. or perhaps it was their fear of me dropping them?! ha! not all days with them were peaceful and relaxing that week.}

then off we flew to Maui....



other beach holidays Kris and i have taken mean clear blue skies. our holiday started out on the overcast side. high clouds, but still not clear blue. despite the appearance each day was very hot! flip flops every day. sunglasses were a necessity. bathing suits rotated each day because they took a few days to dry in the humidity. we also learned that sunscreen was needed even with the clouds! i think the clouds added to the humidity levels.

there is not a bad beach to be found on Maui. each one was different and had something unique to offer.

the one outside our condo was great for finding seashells and coral.

the one in the above picture would have been fun for exploring if the tide were lower.

we found several sandy beaches. some small and with few crowds. others large and busy. some had lava rocks to explore at some point.

some were calmer for the kids, while others had waves strong enough to take Kris and i off our feet!



we realized that we should have stayed longer. Kiara was asking to go home every few days, but it was hard to know if she was serious. she seemed to have fun and enjoyed the trip. Kristian figured the island could benefit from another engineer and decided that he wanted us to move immediately. one of the flyers advertised a local scrapbook store, and he wasted no time in driving me to it. you know what he was thinking!! it was nothing like Urban Scrapbook. i don't honestly know how this store has stayed in business. if Pat and Lori ever want to start a new store.... well..... i think Maui needs them. desperately. i told Aidan one morning that when we retired, we would move here....and he and Kiara can bring their families here for vacations. he looked stunned and wasted no time to say that he would also be moving with us!!! he cried when we got home because he already missed Maui.

it was a perfect vacation. we did a few touristy and fun trips. we relaxed by the pool and the beach every day. we drove up to the volcanic crater one day. i have a fear of heights that has improved, but still lingers. the drive to the crater was tough for me....the passenger! i know for fact that i could never have safely driven myself....not when i had to close my eyes from time to time! for Aidan and Kristian it was a highlight. it is a shock to myself that i am already thinking ahead to the next trip up the crater...apparently the sunrise is spectacular {as well as the night view.} with the four hour time change, all 4 of us were awake at 4am the first morning. the exact time we would need to leave the condo to catch the sunrise. {there's a travel tip i did not read...but it should be published!}

the kids traveled well. even with the exhausting return trip. having movies and tv shows at their fingertips helped all of us. i told Kiara that she was not allowed to act "silly" on the airplane. and left it at that. there have been enough times both of the kids have been goofy while we're driving. this time i let the "i wonder what they would do if i acted silly" question get answered without my ideas. this time my strategy worked. phew! turns out they were both a delight.

the fact that truly surprised all of us was the size of the island. in a matter of 30 minutes drive, you go from beach to desert to mountain.

every day was hot. as the week progressed the clouds disappeared.

now we are home. tired from the trip home. and jet-lagged. basically we each had 2 hours of sleep last night. sleep in airports and on planes is not in our genes. it was not fun to look around at other lucky people who were happily sound asleep! a long afternoon nap and late bedtime is our present plan. fortunately we all slept the afternoon away...now if we can get a solid 8 hours sleep tonight but be awake by 9am.

mini break

it was a welcome break to have Teachers' Convention this week. two days of a break from most of our daily routines.

but we were busy!

we started out the break by making a visit to our dentist. he really is the best. i taught 2 of his 4 kids. he or his wife (usually him) came to the school every Friday morning to help out. as personality goes, he is fantastic. i got along great with all of his kids and enjoyed my years involved with their family. really crazy to think that i taught his 2 oldest kids GRADE FOUR.....and they have now graduated from high school. yup! it is official. i am getting old. haha!!

anyways.

my kids are very lucky to have a family dentist who doesn't want to make his "millions" off of us! know what i mean? they enjoy going. they care about our teeth. we don't get scolded for not flossing 50 times a day.

no cavities.



to celebrate i made a stop at the Duchess Bakery. i know. the irony.

i think working in a bakery would either heal me or kill me. i am a sucker for all baked goods!

they sell these little macarons. this visit we tried Salty Caramel, Lemon and Coconut. they weren't the only treats we bought....so i chopped them into 3. being sneaky i gave myself the biggest pieces. one day i know that right will be snapped away from me. so for now, life is a dictatorship. as it turns out we each liked a different flavor than the other. next time we won't need to do any sharing. yahoo!!


we also have some passports to get, so that also added some more running around. everything is ready to be taken in on Monday and start the process.

a play-date at the new indoor playground. the kids enjoyed the chance to run around and play. to me a play-date means the kids get to play and the "other mom" and i can visit mostly uninterrupted. our kids are older, so we were looking forward to a nice coffee while we chatted. however this was not the design of this new facility. i guess they want you to actually actively play with your kids. we were disappointed there was no seating for us. couldn't bring our coffee into the room. had to sit on the floor while the kids played.

we had gone to the pool area and loved that part. all of it. except the change rooms. who is designing this stuff these days? we had thought it would be more like Millenium Place or the Tri-Leisure Centre. or even better. not so.

however it is the best facility within 15 minutes, so we will most likely be going back.

in other news....

next weekend is a BIG weekend for ALL of us. for the kids, it is their second annual AWANA Grand Prix car race. i wish i could say that they spent a lot of time on their cars. but between sickness, catching up on missed stuff and trying to keep up with the schedule....this got pushed to the side. i ended up doing most of the painting on their cars this year. the kids designed them. i just got to be the one to get my hands dirty!



this boy cannot make up his mind. it was going to be red. then blue. then both. ugh!! yes, this project was left to the last possible minute. i painted while he was at school, then he came home to plan where the decals went. he was not happy about the painting. apparently i used too much red. fortunately he got over his disappointment with me quickly.

yeah. don't look too close at the paint job. i have already made a note to have GOOD QUALITY paint brushes for next year.

i also used some black stickles (scrapbook glitter glue) for the windows. i was very proud of myself. until Aidan saw it and wondered why they were not white. talk about a communication breakdown.

this one was better.



i did the base coat over several days. she decided purple and never changed her mind. last year she would paint the entire car, then add a layer of stickers. then she painted some more! and then added more stickers. i think they had to remove more weight after all her stickers were added!

this year i painted and she supervised.

i had an idea to cover the entire car in Prima paper flowers. i had the perfect colour. then i realized that any chance it had for speed would be quickly removed if i did that. i asked her if she wanted a "pretty" car or a "fast" car. sadly, she said fast. left alone to my own ideas and wishes i knew i had a very good chance to create a pretty car. i even commented at one point that it would be easier to cover it in paper. i think that got her worried..."please don't!!" she cried.

Purple and Tiara Stickles came into play. as well as rhinestones and sparkly stars. then we added the crocodiles. only my daughter. sigh. but it is a very sparkly car.



i'm not sure if they stand much chance of their cars being fast either. they will compete. those wheels are not exactly even....

i am hopeful that these years will be learning years for all of us. i hope that the year that they are old enough to remember the cars, we will be smart enough to know what we are doing.

apparently it will help if they know what they are doing too.

i commented to Kristian that the wheels needed help. he did some fixing on them. only minutes later, Aidan picked up both cars and smacked their wheels against each other.

at least they can't blame EVERYTHING on us! ha!!

Kristian is on duty to be parent to both kids that morning. i'd love to see them too, but i have some fabulous plans of my own. yippeee!!! i will get the ENTIRE weekend to be an adult. on my own. with friends. scrapbooking adult with scrapbooking friends. oh. yeah. with some fabulous classes learning new techniques. from people i have "blog-stalked" for years....and now get to meet in real life. specifically one i am very excited to meet. and learn any tips possible in that short amount of time!

i think the kids understand.

they have been my side-kicks in my blog-stalking all these years. they know exactly who creates their favourite things!


yes. an exciting week all around.


i am partially happy to return to our daily routine. however it is nice to not have such a tight schedule too.


now if we can only do something about this snow and cold weather....

Happy Valentines Day!

Kiara was a busy girl this past week.....






also a MESSY little worker!

she loved adding lots of details to her cards.

is she the only one who takes a week to make cards? i thought we made them as simple as possible....


our HAPPY valentine's day began earlier than expected. poor Aidan went to bed with a stomach ache....you can guess how that story ends. it was not how Kristian and i wanted to begin our day, nor as early as we wanted. it was also most definitely not in Aidan's top plans either. at least he got to enjoy a fabulous and fun day with his Dad yesterday. in full health.


this has been a brutal year! someone commented once that they seem to have a healthy year, but it is followed by an unhealthy one. so far, i think that is turning out to be our story too. December 2008 to March 2009 was the last time we had one illness after another. by March i just threw my hands up in the air and gave up! i'm at that same point now too. i can only remind myself that the kids are just developing their immune systems. as babies and toddlers, they did stay quite healthy. especially in comparison!!


we have a trip booked to Maui in a few months time. i'm praying we stay healthy for that.


in the grand scheme of things....we do have it good. it isn't not fun at the moment. but flus and cold do end. others are not so lucky. in some aspects, it is good to have normal problems and hurdles. sometimes it is a challenge to keep life in perspective.