Sunday was the monthly family supper at church. This meant that we went home immediately after morning services and then came back for dinner and a special evening service. We spent the afternoon at Paul and Amy's house where the boys found a toy paradise. Lewis and Jake had a Thomas train set. Jameson and Stellan literally played for over an hour without any fights or problems. Ah, how lovely. When Stellan went to bed he insisted on taking Thomas to bed with him. Problem, there wasn't an actual Thomas train. I gave him James thinking he didn't actually know what he was talking about, he just wanted a train in general. Uh, sure. He wanted Thomas, no fooling him with silly old James. I thought I might be able to pull it off if I gave him a blue train instead. I came back with Gordon and that seemed to do the trick. Whew. Amy said we could use the train set while we lived here since her boys were no longer interested in it. Jameson and Stellan were ecstatic. They each brought a train into church with them and carried them around the entire time. So cute.
James was able to play his cello at church on Sunday evening. He played beautifully. Too bad the kids were too busy throwing beaded necklaces (Jameson) and running around with toys that they didn't actually get to see Daddy play. They did have special front row seats while James practiced on Saturday though. :)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Mattress Shopping.....again
It was time to buy a new mattress. James's mother was coming in for a visit and we had to get a mattress for her to sleep on. Since our last mattress buying expedition was one filled with much stress and crazy mattress-jumping kids, I decided to venture out on my own. It wasn't so important that we both tried it out since neither of us would be sleeping on it. (Although, if James starts snoring he'll get a good chance to try it out....) Since I had a bit of time I decided to do some shopping for myself as well. Ah, what a nice treat! It was so good to be able to go down the aisles without worrying about what might be pulled down off the shelves. It was such a treat that I decided to go down aisles that didn't even have anything of interest; just enjoyed the peace and quiet. After a few purchases I finally made it back to Sleepy's, the same store where we bought our mattress. The same guy, Rich, was there and he helped me out again. I told him of our mattress drama, he had a good laugh. Yeah, only because he didn't have to sleep on the sagging mattress. Anyway, I picked out a mattress that seemed to be quite suitable and then reminded him of his promise to give me a free Tempurpedic pillow since I gave him more business. In his typical salesman act, he pretended like I was robbing them since I was getting everything for such a good deal. Yeah, whatever, just give me the pillow. Well, I got it and can honestly say that I love it. Not sure if I would spend $125 on it but since it was free I can say it suits me just fine.
I got home and had to make 2 pumpkin pies; one for dinner at a friend's house and one for church the next day. I ended up slicing my middle finger on the cinnamon container. Seems strange but it happened. The kids loved the fact that mommy had to wear a band-aid and insisted on wearing them as well. I knew that the oven was not trustworthy so I had purchased an oven thermometer to see how much it was off. It was off a whopping 75 degrees!!! That's insane!!! No wonder I was left with charred muffins when I tried baking them a few weeks ago! I'm thinking this must be a fire hazard....
We went to Kim and George's where the boys have their friends Hanna (4) and Aida (1). They have a ton of fun playing together, especially with the train set. The three oldest kids were having a blast watching the train go down the hill. They laughed so loudly that it echoed throughout the entire house filled with vaulted ceilings. The volume of their laughter/screaming was quite entertaining in itself so they kept doing it. It was literally impossible to hear another person talking at the dinner table. Whatever, they were having fun.
I got home and had to make 2 pumpkin pies; one for dinner at a friend's house and one for church the next day. I ended up slicing my middle finger on the cinnamon container. Seems strange but it happened. The kids loved the fact that mommy had to wear a band-aid and insisted on wearing them as well. I knew that the oven was not trustworthy so I had purchased an oven thermometer to see how much it was off. It was off a whopping 75 degrees!!! That's insane!!! No wonder I was left with charred muffins when I tried baking them a few weeks ago! I'm thinking this must be a fire hazard....
We went to Kim and George's where the boys have their friends Hanna (4) and Aida (1). They have a ton of fun playing together, especially with the train set. The three oldest kids were having a blast watching the train go down the hill. They laughed so loudly that it echoed throughout the entire house filled with vaulted ceilings. The volume of their laughter/screaming was quite entertaining in itself so they kept doing it. It was literally impossible to hear another person talking at the dinner table. Whatever, they were having fun.
I just remembered....
I just thought of something funny Jameson said a while back. We were discussing Stellan's sore penis and Jameson came up with some thoughtful insight.
"Mommy, does Stellan's penis hurt?"
"Yes sweetie."
"Are we going to get Stellan a new penis?"
WHAT?!?! How do I answer that?!?!
"Uh, no. We can't get Stellan a new penis. Can you take off your penis and switch it for a new one?"
"No."
"Stellan can't either. His medicine will make him feel better."
"OK. Can I have some medicine too?"
"Does your penis hurt?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, my penis hurts mommy."
Strange kid. :)
"Mommy, does Stellan's penis hurt?"
"Yes sweetie."
"Are we going to get Stellan a new penis?"
WHAT?!?! How do I answer that?!?!
"Uh, no. We can't get Stellan a new penis. Can you take off your penis and switch it for a new one?"
"No."
"Stellan can't either. His medicine will make him feel better."
"OK. Can I have some medicine too?"
"Does your penis hurt?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, my penis hurts mommy."
Strange kid. :)
I'm back...
After a very frustrating time when an entire post, quite a lengthy post at that, had been deleted, I decided to get back on the blogging bandwagon and try again. I'll break them up into one day at a time (even though it is from last week) so there will be several new posts at once. That way if anything is deleted I'll only lose one day as opposed to a full week.
FRIDAY:
We decided to have our first house guests over for dinner. We had James' co-workers and their families for an evening of food, drink and games. We had a great time. There was a ton of food and there were tons of drinks so we enjoyed ourselves for many hours. In fact, James and I didn't get to bed until 3 am. I have not been up that late in ages. Unfortunately the kids were in bed on time so that means that they got up at the regular time of 6:30. Sheesh. I realize a day will come when I won't be able to get them out of bed but you think they could make it until the 7 o'clock hour at least. :(
James and I love playing games so we decided to pull out one of the old favourites. Since his co-workers come from such diverse backgrounds and countries, we figured it would be best to play Pictionary; afterall, pictures are universal.
We split up, guys against girls. Us ladies had a bit of a handicap since we were one person short but we definitely made the best of the situation. Actually, we kicked their butts! :) :) I do pride myself in being quite a Pictionary whiz afterall. :) Truth be told, we kicked their butts twice. :) They were two of the best games I have played in quite some time. The guys offered some fierce competition but we were still able to beat them. There were a few cases where our team mates did not understand the word (language barrier) so a quick redraw solved the problem. Overall they did wonderfully considering English is their second language.
We definitely hope to get together again to play some more games, eat some more food and drink some more drinks.
FRIDAY:
We decided to have our first house guests over for dinner. We had James' co-workers and their families for an evening of food, drink and games. We had a great time. There was a ton of food and there were tons of drinks so we enjoyed ourselves for many hours. In fact, James and I didn't get to bed until 3 am. I have not been up that late in ages. Unfortunately the kids were in bed on time so that means that they got up at the regular time of 6:30. Sheesh. I realize a day will come when I won't be able to get them out of bed but you think they could make it until the 7 o'clock hour at least. :(
James and I love playing games so we decided to pull out one of the old favourites. Since his co-workers come from such diverse backgrounds and countries, we figured it would be best to play Pictionary; afterall, pictures are universal.
We split up, guys against girls. Us ladies had a bit of a handicap since we were one person short but we definitely made the best of the situation. Actually, we kicked their butts! :) :) I do pride myself in being quite a Pictionary whiz afterall. :) Truth be told, we kicked their butts twice. :) They were two of the best games I have played in quite some time. The guys offered some fierce competition but we were still able to beat them. There were a few cases where our team mates did not understand the word (language barrier) so a quick redraw solved the problem. Overall they did wonderfully considering English is their second language.
We definitely hope to get together again to play some more games, eat some more food and drink some more drinks.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Catch Up again
I'm about to scream! I just typed for an hour and a half and I lost it all.
I'll be back soon when I work up the nerve to do it again. I'm so angry!!
I'll be back soon when I work up the nerve to do it again. I'm so angry!!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Catch Up
OK, so I realize it has been a while since I last wrote.... Here's the rundown.
Monday
Stellan had a strange swelling in his "nether regions". I was quite worried, freaked out actually. He didn't seem bothered. Bathed him and put on a new diaper. Prayed everything was going to be OK. Didn't want any life long issues; of course I was thinking the worst.
Tuesday
Stellan was better in the morning. Swelling was gone done, now it was only reddish purple. Said he had a bit of pain, not complaining though. His mood was not altered but I was still a bit worried.
Went pumpkin picking. So much fun!! The boys loved the animals and were thrilled with the tractor/hay ride. Jameson was so excited to be there that he didn't want to go to the bathroom. He ended up peeing his pants right outside the porta john. Go figure. Then he insisted on me carrying him to the car (lovely pee residue) to change is clothes. Thankfully I actually, for some strange reason, brought extra clothes. The boys each picked a pumpkin (not physically picked, just picked up a pumpkin that had been placed around a mowed down corn field. Maybe they thought no one would notice?!) and brought it back to the tractor. Jameson must have thought it resembled a basketball because he kept throwing it. Sheesh.
Came home and put the kids to bed and made a call to the local pediatrician's office. I explained the situation to the nurse and she said I could come in at 5. What a novelty, same day visits! I am so impressed!!! I am totally willing to pay the $20 copay for service like that.
James came home to watch Jameson and I took Stellan to see the pediatrician. Stellan was so cute in the waiting room. He brought along his beloved monkey (named "Monkey", what else?) and started giving him a ride in the dump truck. Then he took him to the fish tank and introduced him to the fish. How precious! It was especially cute since he was standing there with his crocs on the wrong feet. What a cute picture.
We got in to see the doctor where I briefly explained the situation. The doctor seemed like such a nice guy and had a great sense of humour. I took of Stellan's diaper and the doctor was relieved that it was the better of two possibilities. The worse case scenario could have resulted in a circumcision. Ouch! He prescribed some oral antibiotics and said he should be better in 48 hours. No known reason why this happened, just did. Poor baby. Glad he didn't seem uncomfortable though. :(
We started him on his antibiotics that night. He loved the medicine. Jameson kept begging to have medicine. So strange!
Wednesday
Stellan was doing much better.
We headed out to Mercer County Park to visit with Trina and Jeremy. The boys love the park, especially the lake where they see Canada Geese and get to throw rocks into the water. The played on the swings for a bit and then decided it was time to throw rocks. Forget the playground equipment; maybe next time I'll just bring them to a nearby pond or something. Anyway, we headed down to the waterfront and realized it was very muddy. Stellan didn't care and just kept mucking his way toward the water. I realized it was just too slippery in that area so we decided to head back up and find a different location. Stellan slipped in the mud on the way up. He thought it was quite funny but didn't like the fact that his hands got dirty. We walked toward the wooded area when Stellan spotted the mother lode, a mud puddle. He looked up at my with his impish grin and said, "Mama, I jump in puddle?". Well, that's exactly what he did. And kept doing. And convinced his brother to do. They were so unbelieveably muddy! Not exactly what I pictured our day turning out like but they were having a ton of fun. Jameson had to pee and I told him he could pee on a tree rather than go in the porta john. He thought this was a great idea. He pulled down his pants and then started looking for a hole in the tree. How priceless. We didn't find one so I told him to aim at the leaf. This was great fun but it took a bit of practice. He was quite pleased with the result.
After a bit more puddle time I took the boys back to the van where I stripped them down to their underwear/diapers. What a mess! I figure it was worth it though because they had a blast! I headed out and drove around trying to find a new way home. Have no idea where I was but I got home!
Jameson and Stellan went to Skipper Club tonight. Jameson always repeats the mantra, "Mommy always comes back". If he says this to himself he has no problem leaving me and going to his group. But then he asked, "Why do you always come back?"
"Because I love you."
"Why do you love me so much mommy?"
Sheesh, why does he need to be so philosophical? Cute though. ;)
Stellan put on quite a show for me. When I dropped him off at his room he started screaming. I know this is all for my sake because I know he loves it and stops as soon as I leave. I put him down and he stomped his feet and screamed, "NO!!". So funny to see. So dramatic. I have no idea where he gets that from. ;)
Thursday
I double booked our day so we had a play date at 10 and a lunch date at 1. No problem. We had a great play date, the two boys are roughly the same ages as Jameson and Stellan. It was so obvious when they had enough, no one wanted to share and the 30 trains that were available to play with just weren't enough. That was our signal to head out.
I headed to the lunch date. I knew where we were going but it was quite difficult to find their apartment. Stellan fell asleep in the van so I put him down when we got inside. He slept the entire time. Ended up peeing through his diaper and literally soaking his pants. Crazy full diaper! Jameson didn't want to eat so he ended up playing the whole time. He was very well behaved so I didn't complain. I enjoyed the Koren food that James' co-workers wife made. So delicious! I had a nice time getting to know the ladies a bit better. So interesting to learn about the different cultures.
Stellan woke up and we headed home where I fed them lunch (at 4:00).
The boys and I have had a great week together and I'm so thankful for their much improved behaviour. I hope this is a trend that continues.
Monday
Stellan had a strange swelling in his "nether regions". I was quite worried, freaked out actually. He didn't seem bothered. Bathed him and put on a new diaper. Prayed everything was going to be OK. Didn't want any life long issues; of course I was thinking the worst.
Tuesday
Stellan was better in the morning. Swelling was gone done, now it was only reddish purple. Said he had a bit of pain, not complaining though. His mood was not altered but I was still a bit worried.
Went pumpkin picking. So much fun!! The boys loved the animals and were thrilled with the tractor/hay ride. Jameson was so excited to be there that he didn't want to go to the bathroom. He ended up peeing his pants right outside the porta john. Go figure. Then he insisted on me carrying him to the car (lovely pee residue) to change is clothes. Thankfully I actually, for some strange reason, brought extra clothes. The boys each picked a pumpkin (not physically picked, just picked up a pumpkin that had been placed around a mowed down corn field. Maybe they thought no one would notice?!) and brought it back to the tractor. Jameson must have thought it resembled a basketball because he kept throwing it. Sheesh.
Came home and put the kids to bed and made a call to the local pediatrician's office. I explained the situation to the nurse and she said I could come in at 5. What a novelty, same day visits! I am so impressed!!! I am totally willing to pay the $20 copay for service like that.
James came home to watch Jameson and I took Stellan to see the pediatrician. Stellan was so cute in the waiting room. He brought along his beloved monkey (named "Monkey", what else?) and started giving him a ride in the dump truck. Then he took him to the fish tank and introduced him to the fish. How precious! It was especially cute since he was standing there with his crocs on the wrong feet. What a cute picture.
We got in to see the doctor where I briefly explained the situation. The doctor seemed like such a nice guy and had a great sense of humour. I took of Stellan's diaper and the doctor was relieved that it was the better of two possibilities. The worse case scenario could have resulted in a circumcision. Ouch! He prescribed some oral antibiotics and said he should be better in 48 hours. No known reason why this happened, just did. Poor baby. Glad he didn't seem uncomfortable though. :(
We started him on his antibiotics that night. He loved the medicine. Jameson kept begging to have medicine. So strange!
Wednesday
Stellan was doing much better.
We headed out to Mercer County Park to visit with Trina and Jeremy. The boys love the park, especially the lake where they see Canada Geese and get to throw rocks into the water. The played on the swings for a bit and then decided it was time to throw rocks. Forget the playground equipment; maybe next time I'll just bring them to a nearby pond or something. Anyway, we headed down to the waterfront and realized it was very muddy. Stellan didn't care and just kept mucking his way toward the water. I realized it was just too slippery in that area so we decided to head back up and find a different location. Stellan slipped in the mud on the way up. He thought it was quite funny but didn't like the fact that his hands got dirty. We walked toward the wooded area when Stellan spotted the mother lode, a mud puddle. He looked up at my with his impish grin and said, "Mama, I jump in puddle?". Well, that's exactly what he did. And kept doing. And convinced his brother to do. They were so unbelieveably muddy! Not exactly what I pictured our day turning out like but they were having a ton of fun. Jameson had to pee and I told him he could pee on a tree rather than go in the porta john. He thought this was a great idea. He pulled down his pants and then started looking for a hole in the tree. How priceless. We didn't find one so I told him to aim at the leaf. This was great fun but it took a bit of practice. He was quite pleased with the result.
After a bit more puddle time I took the boys back to the van where I stripped them down to their underwear/diapers. What a mess! I figure it was worth it though because they had a blast! I headed out and drove around trying to find a new way home. Have no idea where I was but I got home!
Jameson and Stellan went to Skipper Club tonight. Jameson always repeats the mantra, "Mommy always comes back". If he says this to himself he has no problem leaving me and going to his group. But then he asked, "Why do you always come back?"
"Because I love you."
"Why do you love me so much mommy?"
Sheesh, why does he need to be so philosophical? Cute though. ;)
Stellan put on quite a show for me. When I dropped him off at his room he started screaming. I know this is all for my sake because I know he loves it and stops as soon as I leave. I put him down and he stomped his feet and screamed, "NO!!". So funny to see. So dramatic. I have no idea where he gets that from. ;)
Thursday
I double booked our day so we had a play date at 10 and a lunch date at 1. No problem. We had a great play date, the two boys are roughly the same ages as Jameson and Stellan. It was so obvious when they had enough, no one wanted to share and the 30 trains that were available to play with just weren't enough. That was our signal to head out.
I headed to the lunch date. I knew where we were going but it was quite difficult to find their apartment. Stellan fell asleep in the van so I put him down when we got inside. He slept the entire time. Ended up peeing through his diaper and literally soaking his pants. Crazy full diaper! Jameson didn't want to eat so he ended up playing the whole time. He was very well behaved so I didn't complain. I enjoyed the Koren food that James' co-workers wife made. So delicious! I had a nice time getting to know the ladies a bit better. So interesting to learn about the different cultures.
Stellan woke up and we headed home where I fed them lunch (at 4:00).
The boys and I have had a great week together and I'm so thankful for their much improved behaviour. I hope this is a trend that continues.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Fall Outing
Well we decided to head to Syracuse for their annual Fall Outing. We were looking forward to the weekend but we definitely were not looking forward to the drive. Our boys have never been good travellers so we figured it would be torture to travel. Oh well, we knew the end result would be worth it.
The boys were as expected, pretty crazy. If they weren't arguing over who got which blanket, they were arguing about which book to read or which stuffed animal to hold. They did have a lot of fun together but it meant that the noise level was at a maximum in the van. They really needed to sleep but had a difficult time winding down. They eventually gave in and James and I had a much needed break in the craziness. Actually, I think I napped too so James had a very quite ride. :)
We got to our hostess' house and got ready for dinner at church. We got there and had a very nice dinner where we were able to see many people that we hadn't seen in years. The boys were quite charming and had a great time playing with their little friends. Jameson found someone new to hang on to and idolize for the weekend. He tends to do that, he picks a boy, usually someone a few years older than himself, and then he follows him around everywhere. Quite cute to watch but probably pretty annoying if you're that little boy.
We went inside for the evening service but didn't get to hear much seeing as the boys still haven't learned how to sit quiet. They will one day....I hope.
We headed back to our hostess' house for the evening. The boys went to bed quite easily and slept through the night, what a relief. They did get up early but what else is new?
We went to Pratts Falls for the Sunday church service. What a beautiful setting! Fall is my favourite season and this proved why. I took Jameson to Sunday School but he was disappointed that he didn't get to play with playdough immediately, he actually had to listen to a lesson. Much crying and protest followed but I eventually convinced him to stay and colour. Once he was comfortable he looked at me and said, "Mommy, leave now". How cute. :)
Jameson followed his new found friend during lunch, insisting on sitting next to him to eat. Eventually we all ate and his friend was able to slip away. We headed outside where Jameson decided he could immitate his new friend and climb the rock wall too. Minor heart attack. He made it safely to the top and, thankfully, there was someone at the top to help him over. We weren't able to make it to the main attraction, the falls, but the kids didn't mind as soon as we put on the video
We headed home with relatively low expectations for the kids behaviour. We were so thankful when they both fell asleep within the first 10 minutes. I tried to sleep too but no luck. :(
The boys were actually quite well behaved for the majority of the trip. We were stuck in traffic for quite some time which ended up testing their limits. Near the end of the trip Stellan was singing "Down by the Station" while Jameson was singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep". Funny but deafening. I caught some of it on video, priceless. It's next to impossible to understand what Stellan was singing but I hear it enough that I can easily interpret it.
We got home and put the kids to be immediately. James and I were able to sit and relax for a bit and then headed to bed. Despite the less than ideal travel companions, we really enjoyed the weekend and were so thankful to enjoy God's beautiful creation.
The boys were as expected, pretty crazy. If they weren't arguing over who got which blanket, they were arguing about which book to read or which stuffed animal to hold. They did have a lot of fun together but it meant that the noise level was at a maximum in the van. They really needed to sleep but had a difficult time winding down. They eventually gave in and James and I had a much needed break in the craziness. Actually, I think I napped too so James had a very quite ride. :)
We got to our hostess' house and got ready for dinner at church. We got there and had a very nice dinner where we were able to see many people that we hadn't seen in years. The boys were quite charming and had a great time playing with their little friends. Jameson found someone new to hang on to and idolize for the weekend. He tends to do that, he picks a boy, usually someone a few years older than himself, and then he follows him around everywhere. Quite cute to watch but probably pretty annoying if you're that little boy.
We went inside for the evening service but didn't get to hear much seeing as the boys still haven't learned how to sit quiet. They will one day....I hope.
We headed back to our hostess' house for the evening. The boys went to bed quite easily and slept through the night, what a relief. They did get up early but what else is new?
We went to Pratts Falls for the Sunday church service. What a beautiful setting! Fall is my favourite season and this proved why. I took Jameson to Sunday School but he was disappointed that he didn't get to play with playdough immediately, he actually had to listen to a lesson. Much crying and protest followed but I eventually convinced him to stay and colour. Once he was comfortable he looked at me and said, "Mommy, leave now". How cute. :)
Jameson followed his new found friend during lunch, insisting on sitting next to him to eat. Eventually we all ate and his friend was able to slip away. We headed outside where Jameson decided he could immitate his new friend and climb the rock wall too. Minor heart attack. He made it safely to the top and, thankfully, there was someone at the top to help him over. We weren't able to make it to the main attraction, the falls, but the kids didn't mind as soon as we put on the video
We headed home with relatively low expectations for the kids behaviour. We were so thankful when they both fell asleep within the first 10 minutes. I tried to sleep too but no luck. :(
The boys were actually quite well behaved for the majority of the trip. We were stuck in traffic for quite some time which ended up testing their limits. Near the end of the trip Stellan was singing "Down by the Station" while Jameson was singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep". Funny but deafening. I caught some of it on video, priceless. It's next to impossible to understand what Stellan was singing but I hear it enough that I can easily interpret it.
We got home and put the kids to be immediately. James and I were able to sit and relax for a bit and then headed to bed. Despite the less than ideal travel companions, we really enjoyed the weekend and were so thankful to enjoy God's beautiful creation.
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