Smells like Bread...

The kids are finally asleep, Dana went to bed early, and I just finished doing my last chore. The bread is baking, floors washed, dishes done. I'm done. I am listening to my iPod that I got for Valentines' Day for the 2nd time. Sad, I know, but oh so nice. And I am in the mood to write. Can you tell? So, I thought I would give an accurate and complete update of everyone in our home. Including funny anecdotes, new occurrences, and lots of love.

Let's start with Dana. He has been in bed since 4:30pm. No joke. He is not feeling well, and he rarely gets sick, but it always seems when it hits him it hits him hard. So we had soup and buns for dinner, complete with ginger ale and vitamins. He never left the room. But other than that he is doing great and really enjoying work. He is always coming home telling me something about how God used him that day. I have to say I enjoy his enthusiasm, especially at the end of a long day with the kids. He also is in a Men's Bible study that seems to be growing in numbers. They are going through something like "Attributes of a Man". I'm not sure, but they discuss everything from Accountability to Purpose. I usually hide in my room when they are over so I am not sure all of the goings on, but I do know that Dana really likes it. He also sings almost every weekend at church, and sounds quite heavenly if I do say so. I love watching him up on stage, leading others into worship, including me. I am so proud of this man, often runs through my mind. I am so thankful for Dana and all he has been to me. My rock, mt partner, my lover, my everything. Truly everything in the last little while. My back has been so bad, there have been days that he's come home cooked dinner, done laundry, took the kids to the park, bathed them, and given me a message. Slightly pampered, yes I think so. We lean on each other and depend on each other to give us strength when the other doesn't have it. I think of these times as great bonding adhesive. LOL.

As for the kidlets, which is probably who you want to here about, they are mischievous, growing, and determined. They always seem to be on the go, even when we stay at home all day. Always here or there in the house, doing this or that. Kynan is so big and reminds me everyday that he is a Big Boy. He is always saying "I can do it myself" and " Let me try" and "Can I help?" The only time this is frustrating is when you are in a rush, but other than that I welcome the extra help and encourage him to help (even if it makes a little more mess). He also says "I will be 5 soon", which makes me giggle... and choke. What do you mean 5! Where did the time go. Kynan enjoys running through the sprinkler, his water shark, freezies, riding his bike his Daddy sprayed for him (and found in a dumpster... don't ask), monster trucks (Still), puzzles, reading, church, friends, and singing praise songs at the top of his longs. Seriously, all the time, he is singing. I love it.

Ava is a big girl too, complete with a big girl room, big girl underwear and big girl potty. She is just as determined as Kynan, but even more forceful when she demands, "NO! I do it!" and yanks it away (whatever 'it' is). She is still working on the potty thing, but seems to be very interested in it and her new book called 'Once Upon a Potty' which actually shows all the proper parts. Ava now loves pointing out her bum hole. She has fallen madly in love with the book Jillian Jiggs and asks me to read it to her everynight. We even had to go buy our own copy so she would let us return the library's copy. I know the book off my heart now.... "A long time ago when she was quite small, Jillian Jiggs wore nothing at all!" Hay, maybe that's why Ava likes to run around naked! LOL. She loves playing baby, dress up, watching Kynan run through the sprinkler and ride his bike, she loves freezies too, and most food in general. She smiles and says thank you more and more. "Thank you mommy" is enough to melt your heart coming from her sweet lips. And oh, she loves getting her nails painted. And they have to match mine. I secretly love it too. This little girl keeps me on my toes, makes me frustrated one minute and completely melted the next. I'm hooked around her finger, but please don't let her know that.

As for me, I am going and growing. The days seem to blur into each other running after Kynan and Ava, that I sometimes forget about #3 inside. Who has taken to sitting on my tale bone and kicking my groin to get me to slow down. Can you blame them, but still.... COME on! It only seems to kick at night, or that's the only time I am still enough to feel it. My photography class is done and I did a mock photo shoot for some friends and their daughter's graduation night. It was fun, humbling and completely exhausting. I am no professional, for sure. But I will say, on the way home, after feeling completely deflated that things didn't go perfectly as planned or that I didn't have as much control over my camera as I would have liked, I did feel the holy spirit encourage me. Just saying, hang in there, continue to learn and grow and you will succeed. For me, that was big. As I tend to davel in a lot of interests and say I am going to many of them professionally, but I never follow through. I know it's a long LONG ways away, but maybe this is one that will stick. But that's really it. Nothing much else with me. Looking for Dana being home tomorrow and going to the beach with some friends.... that is if Dana is looking less green and more peachy.

Pictures of Ava's room, decorative touches, my somewhat growing garden (yay, I know), photo shoot samples. Coming soon.

Daddy Day

On Daddy's Day we had a fantastic crepe breakfast, complete with whipping cream, peaches and special Summerland Sweets Blueberry Syrup. Kynan was so excited about the "Summerland Syrup", that he kept telling Dan all through breakfast that it came from Baba and Grandma town. Then we cleaned up and went to the park, one with a hill, as we discovered when and Al and Carleen were out that the kids love to roll and run down the hill. We had a fun few hours, then went garage sale'n for all of three seconds before the kids were conking out. Then Dana headed off to the church for the car show for the rest of the day. It was a fun morning, but busy weekend. Good thing for you... I finally have some pictures to liven up this blah blog.

Ice Cream for sale .... that will be 10 Million Dollars!




Daddy Day Portrait... Ava heard the ice cream truck.




Making Dana Work Out...hee hee... (truly playing with Shutter Speed)




The Spiderman Move...




The New Face...

Best Movie Ever!

Okay I don't normally promote movies because everyone has different tastes, but if you live in the prairies OR know someone who does.... you HAVE to watch this movie.

It's a cute little love story starring Rene Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. and it's filmed in Winnipeg, Mn. Dana and I watched the movie and laughed hilariously at all the cold humor. Then we flipped to the special features only to find that it was filmed only 4.5 hours from where we live. Listening to the stars talk about the cold made me pee (I"ll admit it) laughing.

Watch it!

I like Jen W's list idea, so I thought I would finally update in list format:

1. Ava pee'd on the potty 5 times last week, so we got all excited to start the training process. I ran out and got her little chick underwear from George (I hate princess generic girl stuff). She was so excited and wore a pair all morning and never had an accident. Then we went through the sprinkler and put a pull up on for nap time. And for the last several days, we haven't been able to stay at home, so pull ups were used and she digressed. Argh. I'm not frustrated with Ava, more with our schedule and I am trying to revamp it so that we have more lazy days at home. Trying, anyways. But yay for Ava for becoming a big girl potty trainer.

2. Big news in Kynan's world was Baba and Grandpa Al's visit recently. It was actually a wonderful visit and way too short. We had so much fun showing them our city and just spending time with them. Kynan spent two nights "camping" with them. I say that in quotations because Al and Carleen have a pretty sweet RV which I think bumps them out of the "camping" category and into the RVing one. But ever since their visit, he has been bugging Dana and I to go camping again. And counting down to the fall, when the baby comes, so that he can see all his grandparents again. It truly was a great visit and tearful goodbye.

3. Dana is going into an extremely busy weekend, with volunteering at our Church's Burn Out Competition called Holy Smoke. Catchy, eh? He's pretty excited about it. Cool cars, burn out competitions, food, and sun. What more could a boy ask for on Father's Day Weekend??? However, I am not. Looking after the kidlets for two straight days, missing my photography class, and doing it with an incredibly sore back. Not my cup of tea. But I love Dana that much... LOL.

4. Speaking of bad back, yesterday I spent laid up in bed after having shooting pains down my legs and barely being able to walk. Not fun. Dana forced me to stay in bed all day, no TV, no magazines, no books, no internet. Boo. But later in the evening, after seeing me almost cry trying to make dinner for the family (it hurt so bad), he called all around the city and found me a message therapist that could take me in 20 minutes. God bless this man. I had 30 minutes of bliss, after which she gave me some stretches to try at home, which helped even more. What love, eh? I am so thankful for Dana. I don't know what I would do without him.

5. Upcoming... not much. Hopefully a small weekend camping trip, but who knows. And hopefully a picture update. No energy right now to wait the hours it takes to upload photos to blogger.... sorry.

Have a Happy Father's Day Weekend. Hope you get spoiled or get to spoil your own daddy.

Pre-K

Well, a few days ago we toddled over to the local school (which happens to be right behind where we live) to see if they offered a preschool program. We have been trying to find a spot for Kynan somewhere in the city, but would you believe that we have had zero luck. So, someone told me that sometimes elementary schools over such programs. So we walked (Kynan rode his bike) over to the school. As soon as we entered, a flood of memories came roaring back. The smells, the pictures on the wall, the sounds of children laughing and announcements over the PA. This was, of course, not my childhood school, but all these sensations were the same. And then it hit me. That Kynan, my baby, was registering for Pre-Kindergarten.

We met with the teacher, who was about the same age as me and expecting a baby in Oct too. So she explained that someone would be taking her place, but the curriculum would stay the same. She said they would be reinforcing colours and the alphabet, and working on letter recognition, numbers, seasons, and calendars. All the things they cover in Kindergarten, and of course lots of fine motor skills. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Kynan loves his current pre-school, but just isn't being challenged enough (Kynan would also agree with that statement as he is the one coming home asking me to help him with his letters and demanding that we get him a clock for his room).

So come fall, my baby, my first born, my little man. Will be a Pre-K Kid. Three days a week for 4 hours a day. Strangly, I am not sad, but excited for him and all the wonder that awaits him, adventures to be had, skills to be learned, and friends to be made. I know he is going to do great at his new school and I am excited (and a little nervous) for this new chapter in our lives.