...and they're off!

I bet nobody is up reading this .... but who would be at 3:42am? Not me normally. But today Mike and the bigger kids are going north to go ice-fishing. They left about 15 minutes ago. I'm such a sucky baby... I hate it when they go away. I have to admit that I did SO much better this time than in years past. I used to be sad for days before departure. This year, I cried a bit last night at bedtime for the kids, and kept it in check till just JA and Mike were walking out the door.

JA is taking a journal from school that she will write in daily, so she can report back to her class on Monday! She is thrilled to be doing that special activity assigned by her teacher (I hope they let US keep it when she returns!).

Zachary was just sad to leave the cat. LOL It's his first trip. They have to be four to go. He made it by just over a week!

So, I'm home alone with Sophia (and the cat). I do have plans to help fill my time while they are gone. I am wall papering the girls bedroom, I'm going to the church ladies meeting tonite (if my Dad will babysit!), tomorrow, more wallpapering I suspect. Tomorrow evening I'm going to the USA with my mom and her 2 friends, and Sophia. Saturday... finish papering LOL (do you sense a theme?!)... Mom and I are going out for lunch with a long time friend. I'm also hosting an online crop/challenge weekend at a yahoogroup (I say that loosely, it's just something to help me get some of my own scrapping done LOL!)... Sunday is church and then they come home!!! It's only Thursday... but Sunday is a comin'!!

Zachary was funny yesterday... we were talking about them going up north, and he thought they were going to the North Pole! Sorry bud, not this time! LOL! It has been a week of "are we going ice-fishing today!?" Zachary wanted to know if they were going to go float out on the ice and fish. What a hoot. Sorry Zach-a-doo... there had better not be floating ice! :)

I made the kids each a card, just a simple white card with their names stamped on the front. I included a bunch of Tootsie pops for them to share with their cousins. I baked a huge amount of chocolate chip cookies for them to take with them too. Mike has the DVD player, I figured out how to hang the darned thing so that everyone can see! The kid have several books, their favourite blankets, sleeping buddies, and pillows. New long underwear was purchased just for this event! :)

Well, as per Mike's request, I should head back to bed. Sophia will be up before I know it... and there's no resting when she's up! I"m sure I'll have more to report as the day goes by :)

Zachary is FOUR today!

Happy Birthday Zachary!! Wow... hard to believe that my wee boy is four years old today. Altho if you ask HIM... he will insist that he is SIX! LOL! What a guy. We had a party for him at the bowling alley on Saturday afternoon. He had 5 of his friends from church and pre-school there, plus JA and Sophia. The kids bowled for an hour or so, then zipped to the party room for supper, presents, and Lightening McQueen and Mater cupcakes! They all had a blast, and so did I because I didn't have to clean up after the party! LOL! Sunday we took the last of the cupcakes to church, as Zachary was promoting to the next class. Mike's folks came over for cake in the evening, while his one brother and two kids came over in the afternoon for a birthday visit. Today I took ice-cream to the pre-school for their snack (I was duty parent), and they sang Happy Birthday to him. :) This evening my folks took us to dinner at Eastside Mario's and bonus, kids eat free on Monday's! Zachary got to spin the wheel that earned him a free Frizbee, and the staff sang to him. He was on top of the world in there!!

I can't believe that my wee boy is 4. Soon he'll be heading to JK... they grow so fast!

Coaster Boxes

My friend and I (hello April!) made these cool boxes out of chipboard coasters this week. They are fun and addictive! LOL! Here's what we made :)

We bought a desk!

We set out yesterday to buy a bed rail for Sophia's big girl bed, and a vinyl mattress protector. We came home without either of those things! The price wasn't what I was willing to pay!

So... we browsed the furniture department. I have been wanting a REAL computer desk for years... and this one was just what I was looking for, and bonus, it was on clearance, so saved us 30$! (plus taxes!). It's not going to be put together until tomorrow sometime, but I"m savouring it already!

Here's a photo -

It's by Sauder, and it's solid wood, which is excellent!! :D

Coaster Boxes

My friend and I (hello April!) made these cool boxes out of chipboard coasters this week. They are fun and addictive! LOL! Here's what we made :)

[IMG]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/Kristi-Anna/Nook/100_6339.jpg[/IMG]

Ok, so it snowed... and snowed.... and snowed!

making burrows


more burrows- including the kitchen


in the burrow


my little shovelers :)


JA was sledding Sophia around, with a few spills into the snow along the way!


Cheese Mommy!!


Zachary just hanging in the snow


Holy drifting Batman!!


These are the photos I took today during the snow storm. It was a snow day from school, Mike went to work late... it snowed and snowed, and blew all over! The kids were just itching to get outside. So we bundled up, and went outside. Sophia had a hard time, and didn't enjoy herself for the first little while. The snow was up to her waist, or more, if she could get past getting INTO the snow! LOL! JA and Zachary were making 'burrows' like bunnies, and JA even had a kitchen, bedroom and living room burrow! I decided to make the most of my time outside, and shoveled the sidewalk to our driveway. I then shoveled just enough to get the van into the driveway (provided it could make it down our street!!). I saw that the neighbours had not been out to shovel yet, so I zipped over there, and in the spirit of Random Acts of Kindness week, I decided to shovel for them. The husband had heart surgery 2 years ago March, and is still on oxygen, his wife is close to retirment age. I tried to get in, shovel, and get out before they noticed, but with a giant picture window... well, needless to say she came out to thank me profusely! Turns out the husband is in the hospital with pneumonia, and he had just called to ask if she was going up to see him. I feel good that she could get out of her driveway to go there!!

When Mike finally got home from work, we all bundled up again, and walked over to the local park. The kids did some tobogganing, and played on the slides (wow, do they ever zip down when they are wearing snowpants!!), and came home.

It was a wonderful Valentine's Day spent with the children, and each other. It's extending to tomorrow as JA's class party will be tomorrow in light of the snow day today.

I love snow... but come on SPRING!!!

Ugh, van troubles, and the Children's Discovery Centre

So we head out yesterday to get some 4x6 bags for my kids valentine class that was to start at 7pm. Then we zip to Jumbo to get the kids regular Friday night movie. Last stop - Sobey's for pepperoni and milk. I head in to get the few grocery items, Mike and the kids wait in the van. I come out, and I hear "click click click" as Mike tries to start the van. Having had this same issue in cars I've owned before, I know it's not the battery. Mike insists the battery needs a jump. My dad comes. Jump the battery... click click click... not the battery. So after some phoning around, we get a tow truck to tow the van home. Mike stays with the van, I head home with Dad and the kids. I get home, stressed. I have a little more than half an hour to make pizzas, and get the class stuff set up. Thankfully I was prepared ahead!! Ugh... forgot kids movie in the van, they are wingy, wanting to watch Over the Hedge. So I get pizza in the oven, second pizza made. Mike rolls in at 6:55, and my kids and the one adult arrive on the nose of 7pm. I'm on the verge of completely stressed out!! Good thing the class kids/mom are a fun bunch!! (waving to Tracey!) JA and I eat our supper downstairs while the class goes on.

So... today we figure it's probably the starter. A friend tells us to tap the starter with a hammer and that could start the van. Nope, no dice. So we borrow my dad's car and take the kids to the Children's Discovery Centre for about 1.5 hours. They had a cool exhibit of reptiles and animals and pets there. We got to pet a Python!! We saw a tonne of reptiles, lots of pets (dogs, cats, birds, lizards, hamsters, etc). We also saw TEARS (the exotic animal rescue society) and they had a puma kitten, and a baby ape (I forget the name now tho!). Very cute. There's soooo much to do at the Children's Discovery Centre


. The kids got to do an archeaological dig for dinasours, play with a real water working canal, made some crafts, and there was still so much more to do! We are considering a family membership. We only have to go 3 times for it to be more than worth our cost!

So that's our day in a nutshell... tomorrow is another day... and we will be getting a new starter for the van, and hopefully it's not too complicated for Mike to install. We don't usually shop or work on Sunday... but it's like the ox has fallen into the well. It was too late by the time we figured out the starter and got a good price etc to get it today :( Pray it goes well!!

Ok, off to watch The Devil's Own and do some scrapbooking :)