Christmas fun!

We had a crazy Christmas, with lots of visiting, lots of dinners, and lots of gifts! Ryken got totally spoiled, and got more toys than he knew what to do with. I packed up half of them, and I'll save them for a rainy day. His favorite gift is his rocking horse, from Pa & Grandma D. Ride'em cowboy!
We're planning on going to a New Years Eve party tomorrow night. Hopefully Ryken, will go to bed and stay sleeping. My cousin and her husband are coming over to babysit. Have a great evening, all!

my ABC's

Alright Erin, here you go!


A- Available or single? Neither - Married

B- Best Friend? My man

C- Cake or pie? Pie...strawberry rhubarb please

D- Drink of choice? coffee, lattes...anything caffeinated

E- Essential item I use every day- blush

F- Favorite color: chocolate brown

G- Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? bears

H- Hometown? Somewhere in BC

I- Indulgence: a new lipstick

J- January or February? Feb. Valentines day, right?

K- Kids and names: 1 son - Ryken

L- Life is incomplete without? My family

M- Marriage date: Oct.6 2001

N- Number of siblings: 1 sister - Monica

O- Oranges or apples? apples

P- Phobias or fears? not a huge fan of insects, but will deal with'em if necessary.

Q- Favorite quote? To be or not to be...

R- Reasons to smile: when Ryken looks at me and says "uv-ooo" (love you)

S- Season: Summer

T- Tag 3 or 4 people. Darla, Danna, Jaime

U- Unknown fact about me: I studied for 2 years and practised 3 hours a day for my ARCT exam, but didn't make the required 70% to pass. I do intend to do it again, and pass!

V- Vegetable you don’t like: brussel sprouts

W- Worst habit: cracking my neck

X- X-Rays: mouth(dentist) , fallopian tubes/uterus, left wrist when I broke it in gr.7

Y- Your favorite food? chicken souvlaki

Z- Zodiac - not interested

We've moved!

We're in! The move went really smooth, and we had tons of help from our family. It's starting to feel like home. Most of the boxes are unpacked, the pictures are on the wall, and we love the location. It's so quiet! Hope you all have a great Christmas!

Puppies!

My parents lab had puppies! They're absolutely adorable and for sale! They wanted me to send out a post letting everyone know. They're asking $350 each, and they'll be ready by Dec.13th. If you or anyone you know are interested, leave me a comment and we'll get in touch!

Snowy days

What's with the snow! We've been snowed in forever, and on top of it all Ryken's been sick! I dressed him all up just for pictures sake. We had to at least go see the snow, even if we weren't going to play in it. Eddie loves it though, he runs around like a maniac!
We're moving in 2 weeks, and the house is starting to get packed up. So much to do.

Finally some pics!

These pictures were taken along the river. Ryken loves walking and exploring, just about as much as Eddie does!

sweet music

Ryken and I have been taking lessons at a Kindermusik studio. He absolutely loves it! The first lesson he was a little bit clingy, but now he runs around the room, laughing his head off. He's definately one of the most active kids in the class. A lot of the kids are a bit younger and more laid back. The instructor keeps telling everyone that once the gross motor skills kick in, toddlers just don't sit still. How true! We play the songs at home and it's cool to see how much he's actually paying attention to the music. Whenever he's fussy or throwing me attitude, I start to sing, and he usually stops to listen to me. I've even started to sing three notes at a time, pausing to let him copy me. The pitch is obviously not there, but he does sing! O.K. so now I sound like one of those crazy mothers who is obsessed with getting her kid to do things quickly. But really, we need to find stuff to fill up our days, right? (Not that I don't have things going on.) A bit of a tangent...so bye for now!

Our new place!

O.K. so I know it's been forever since I've left a post. The problem, as some of you may know, is that I'm without a computer, or internet access. I'm at my parents house right now, trying to reconnect with the blog life. Anyway, we found a place! It' close to where we are now, and it's only 2 years old. It's a beautiful cul-de-sac, with a little park, practically in our front yard. The basement is unfinished, so we got it for a pretty good deal. We're starting to pack, and getting excited to be in our new place for Christmas!
Ryken's doing great, and learning a new word every day. Rob taught him to hold up one finger, when you ask him how old he is. Too cute!

Got grapes?

We have this great vineyard on the side of our house, and decided to pick a few grapes. Ryken was a great help, but very few ended up in the basket! We made some grape juice and grape jelly, and it turned out pretty good. In other news...we sold our house! It took a little while, but we finally put up the sold sign, on Thurs. night. Now we have to find a new house. We have to be out on Dec.16th! We've been on mls every night. During the day, Ryken & I go for drives, looking for our new home. Anyone know of a good house for sale?

Got the giggles

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Me & Eddie

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I love my dada because....

...he tickles me & makes me laugh

...he takes me & Eddie to play at the park

...he sometimes wakes up early with me, and lets mom sleep in

...he reads me stories before bed

...he always has my baba ready for me in the morning (and mom's coffee)

...he's the best dada ever!

I love you !

looong weekend.

Rob's left me to fend for myself this weekend. He played in a golf tournament with his brothers yesterday, then stayed for the dinner afterwards. Today, he left the house at 7:30 am to go to a football game in Seattle, again, with all of his brothers. So Ryken and I hung out with the sister in laws and all the cousins yesterday. We went to a new park. It's pretty cool, and suitable for all ages. Both my sister in laws now have three kids each. I'm tellin' ya, it's crazy!!!! The kids are like 4, 2, and newborn. I've always said that I wanted my kids 2 years apart, but I am seriosly having second thoughts about this. 2 seems like such a crazy age. My little nephew is all over the place, and I know Ryken will be like that. He already is! I just can't see how I'd be able to equally divide my time between 2 kids. I guess I'll just figure it out when the time comes.

Anyway, Ryken's finally having his nap, and I thought I'd test out this whole bega-blogger thing. Not bad!

already working it.

The other day, I went to scope out the dollar store. At the entrance, they had a container of balls. Ryken didn't have one, so I told him that we' d buy one before we left the store. After taking a look around, we walked out the front door, when I said to Ryken, " Oh, were we going to buy a ball? " I had totally forgot to get one. He leans into me, gives me a huge, wet kiss, points to the ball, and signs please. How could I say no to that? 

Mmmm...that's good!

Ryken enjoyed his birthday cake a day after his party. He was so upset at his birthday, with everybody staring at him that he didn't want any cake. But boy, when he was ready to go again, he couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough! It was his first piece of cake, and I think he got his daddy's sweet tooth! 

best friends

Ryken & Eddie, really get along together. Like peas in a pod. It's neat to see Ryken learning how to share, and be gentle with animals. In the beginning, when Ryken was 10 months old, and Eddie was 10 weeks old, there were days when I thought I would lose my mind. Between the two of them whining and crying, there wasn't a lot of quiet time around my place. But now that they're older, it's gotten a lot easier, and all our hard work is paying off. We walk together every day, and play together too. The other morning I was reading a story to both of them: Ryken on my lap, and Eddie with his head on my knee. It was really cute. They sure keep me on my toes, though. 

My sweet boy

 

Photo shoot

So these pictures were taken right before bed. He doesn't look too tired, does he. He was running all over the deck, waving to all the cars, and shouting to the people across the street. He's such a happy boy. 

A Beautiful Day!

Well, I don't have much time to post 'cause Rob's laptop is low on battery. Anyway, Monica is married! It was a beautiful wedding, that ran very smooth. Rob was the DJ and we had a great dance. The food was good, music was good, the bride was gorgeous, and we had a great time! Now the couple is in Mexico enjoying their newly wedded bliss. Congrats you two!

Open House!

So we did it. Our house is FSBO ( For sale by owner). We looked at the houses that are for sale in our area, and the listing prices are crazy! The homes around us are selling for 80-100 grand more than they were in Dec. If we could make that kind of money in 8 months, we'd totally make the move! I know what you're thinking, sell high but you still have to buy high, right? Well, we'd probably look for a bit of a fixer upper, with good potential, and try to flip that house too. Our dream is to build oneday, and if we flip a few more houses, hopefully we'll have enough equity to do that. So all we've done this weekend is clean, organize, and fix up the flower beds. We've had about 6 calls so far, and one couple came to look at it. We're not in a rush, we thought we'd just play with it, and see what we can get. Tomorrow we're just going to take it easy and do nothing.

Elena

Elena stayed with us for one month. She was a great friend for Ryken, and totally fit in with our family. It was a great experience for us, and I'm so glad we met her. She went back to Spain today, and I made a small srapbook for her to remeber us by. She was so touched and she started crying it was so sweet. She didn't want to leave, and was so sad to say goodbye to Ryken. We're going to keep in touch through e-mail, and blogs. Elena, if you read this, we'll miss you!
Elena and Ryken at his birthday. The best of friends! 

Riding the waves with Grandpa!

Grandpa showed me how to drive the boat when I was in Oroville. It was so much fun, that whenever that boat was moving I had to be in it! 

My first luau!

 

My baby's one!

Hi everyone,
I know it's been forever, but my computer is dead. I can't even start it anymore. I'm at my parents house, and thought I'd leave a quick post for you all. Today we had a luau for Ryken-He's one today! I can't believe it went so fast. He's saying a few more words, and can take about 6 steps in a row now. He's got a fun personality coming through, and he's definately keeping me on my toes. We had a great Hawaiian party, and he got totally spoiled. Now he's partied out, and it's time for bed. My sister-in-law had a baby boy this morning! He and Ryken will be sharing birthdays from now on I guess. She beat me too... Hudson was 9lbs, 12 oz! It was a little freaky going to the hospital to visit her, exactly one year from when we were there with Ryken. It all seems so fresh in my memory still, but then again it seems likes he's been here so long. My baby! Sigh... getting so big, but still so small... I love him so.

Good while it lasted

So, I think I was at Earls for 3 weeks. I've decided to hand in my apron. The serving was fun, and the money was O.K., but it was just way too inconvenient to find a babysitter. I though I could rely on family to help out with Ryken, but with these warm sunny days, everyone is on vacation. Both my sister-in-laws are due with their 3rd baby in a few weeks, so I couldn't really ask them to do it. I worked yesterday, and was totally stressed because I couldn't find anyone to take him! I finally got my aunt to take him for the day, which was a huge help. So to get ready to take him there, I had to pack up all his food, bottles, clothes, swimmers, highchair, stroller, carseat, playpen, toys...AGHHH!!! It took me forever to get everything ready, drop him off, unload and set everything up. Then I went to work from 11:00-4:30. Then I had to go get my baby, pack up everything bring him home, and set it all up again! For the $50 bucks in tips, it so wasn't worth it. So I'm happy to say, that my Earls days are over, and my full time job is my son. Nothing else. Well, I guess I shouldn't say nothing else. We picked up our Spanish exchange student last night. Her name is Elena, and she's 17. She's from Spain, and she's so sweet. She adores Ryken, and is so polite. We're going to Oroville with her, for the long weekend. My parents have a cabin on the lake, and we're going to do some water-skiing. Fun, Fun!!

Havin' fun with Papa!

Riding the tractor, was so much fun! I really liked holding on to the steering wheel. My Papa always makes me laugh, and he loves to play with me.

Ryken & Eddie

The happy couple- Monica & Justin

Halellujah!!!

Finally, my sister is engaged! A week and a half ago, Justin proposed to her. They' ve been dating for almost 5 years, so I guess it makes sense that their engagement will only be 2 months long. But it will be a very crazy 2 months! I've been helping a lot, since I am the Matron of Honor (sounds so matronly). We've booked the church, reception, caterer. Monica found her wedding dress. We made all the invitations, and half of them are already sent out. I took some engagement pictures of them, and things are running smoothly. Now they're looking to buy a condo. Busy, Busy! We're so excited for her, and looking forward to having a new brother-in-law.

Say Please!

I'm excited to announce, we have success in some form of communication, with Ryken. I've been doing a bit of sign language for awhile now. More, Thank you, Drink, All done, and lately, I've added Please. We've only been doing "Please" for a few days now, and he just did it by himself! With no sign on my part, I told him to say please for more peaches, and he did the sign! What a smart boy. I can't believe he caught on so quickly. ( I know I'm bragging, but it's just so flippin' exciting !) Anyway, I just had to share.

Earls Girls

O.K. so I'm going back. They say it's the Earls cult. Once you start, you never leave. When did I start there? 6 years ago. Yahh. And my first shift back, since my mat. leave, is next week. It'll be nice to socialize with adults for a change, but I'm a little wary of my fellow servers. With mandatory heels and halter tops, many of them leave little to the imagination. I admit, it's not my uniform of choice, but you can do it right, without looking trashy. Unfortunately, not many of these girls realize this. Oh well, it's now up to me to serve customers with class, and not make the women feel uncomfortable. It is a fun job, and you sure can't complain about the tips. I'll keep you posted!

Hi everyone!

You should see all the things I can do! Wave hello, clap my hands, give you five, kick my feet, shake my head: no, no, no, stand by myself (sometimes) and I'm even learning to walk with my Fisher Price walker...thing that makes music...toy. Pretty soon I'll be running everywhere!

Having fun with my big Cousin Joey!

Ryken absolutely loved going down the slide with Johannah. She would climb back up, he would follow. And back down they slid. Over and over and over....
I think it'll be great for Ryken to grow up with cousins around his age.

Eddie

Sorry about the lack of bloggage lately. It's because of Eddie, our new German short-haired pointer. He's a 10 week old puppy, and has trouble written all over him. He loves Ryken, wants to be with you all the time, and it's kinda like having another baby in the house. Our trainer really recommended this breed. They're supposed to be great with kids, and loyal and protective of their family. He'll probably be the size of a Dalmation. Anyway, we're really busy, but having tons o' fun! He can already sit, stay, stand and down. We're seeing the results, and hoping he'll turn into the perfect family dog.

Puppy troubles

So most of you know we recently brought home a rottie puppy. I haven't posted anything about him, because he was so boring!!!! At first I thought this dog was super calm and gentle (which he was), but it turned into total apathy, and I couldn't get him to do anything. If I went outside to play with him, he would just turn the other way, and lay down in a corner by himself. He literally layed on our deck all day and did nothing. No amount of treats, toys or anything else could get him excited. And ths is a 5 month old puppy, aren't they supposed to be excitable? We had a trainer come assess him, and she tried to put a leash on this dog. Big Mistake. He growled and whined and barked and got so mad he started biting his tongue. Not exactly the tempermant you want in a rottie. Needless to say, this morning I took Hugo back to the farm where I got him. The owner was nice enough to take him back. At the farm, Hugo got out of the car and hid in the shrubs until his little brother came around the corner. They had a face off, as if they were checking each other out. Then with tails high and wagging they ran to meet each other. His mom and other brother came to see him, playing and licking him all over. Hugo came to life, and started play fighting with his brothers. It was like a totally different dog. I think he'll definately be happier there. We're still going to look for another dog, but maybe a different breed. Our trainer is going to help us this time, and maybe she can spot the right kind of dog for our family.

Palm Springs pics.

We had the valet guy take this picture of us, at the Mexican restaurant we went to. Can you say chimichanga?





Here's my little sailor. We had to buy him a new hat, because the one we brought didn't fit anymore. He cut 2 new teeth on our trip, so he wasn't the most pleasant to be around. We did get in a few good days though. This picture of the pool, was taken from the deck off our hotel room. It was a great trip.

Palm Springs pics

Having fun in the sun, with mommy & daddy. Ryken absolutely loved the water. I think he's going to be a quick learner. He was already trying to blow bubbles and put his face in the water.

We're Baaack!

Hey Everyone! We had a great trip but it's so good to be home. Ryken was absolutely amazing on the plane (thanks to a little doctor approved Gravol). Everyone said how good he was, and we just smiled and nodded...knowing he had a bit of help. When we landed the heat just hit you. I think it got up to 99 ºf. Our room at the hotel was huge, with a great poolside view. We had wanted to do a lot of tanning, but you couldn't sit outside for more than 15 min. without completely withering from the heat. And the shopping!!!! Great deals at the outlets. All in all, we had a great time, and good old fashioned family fun. Pictures will be coming!

hanging with Daddy

We like to go for lots of walks, and usually take the stroller. When we walk with Ryken in the backpack he usually stays awake. Oh, well, guess it was too close to bedtime. So we're going to Palm Desert on Fri. for a whole week! I'm starting to get excited, but somewhat dreading the amount of stuff we're going to have to pack around. Ryken's coming too, and it should be a relaxing time for us. Nothing but shopping and lounging by the pool. As if we needed to throw another thing on the pile, we're stopping to look at some puppies on Thurs. night, before we drive to Seattle. ( We're staying the night there, because we're flying out in the morning.) There's 2 males left, and they're about 4 months old. 3/4 rottweiler. I know, I know. Everyone thinks they're super scary. But really if you raise a dog from puppy, I think you will have a reliable dog, no matter what the breed. The one we're looking at is the runt of the litter, and very gentle and sweet. I want a dog that will protect me and my baby. Or at least look like he could protect me!

10 simple pleasures

Jaime tagged me, so here goes:

1. holding my sleeping baby

2. reading a good book

3. puppies

4. waking up to singing birds, knowing summer is just around the corner

5. having the sunroof open while I drive, feeling the sun on my face

6. hearing Ryken laugh

7. when Rob takes care of Ryken on Sat. mornings and lets me sleep in

8. watching Rob play and be silly with Ryken

9. having my coffee and reading the paper in peace, while Ryken watches Dora

10. when Ryken sleeps through the night!

I tag Darla and Sarah.

Like my shades?

Grandma D. bought me these sunglasses at the Gap. I liked them so much, I wore them all through the mall. Everbody said how cool I was!

The things that amuse me

No matter what toy I put in front of Ryken, it seems to be that the most mundane things are the most fun. I guess when everything is new you'd want to check it out. (and be sure to taste it!) He always suprises me. Yesterday, he crawled over to the oven, stood up against it and reached his little hands up as high as he could to grab the handle. He was literally hanging by his hands with his feet off the floor! Went to Canadian Tire with Erin on Fri. and Ryken, even though contained in his stroller, was pulling everything off the shelves, including the shelves! This kid is a little monkey, and I now realize those peaceful, pre-baby days, are definately gone for good. Even though he's a handful, we always end the day with a good cuddle and lullabies before bed. It's one of my favorite times with him.

Swapmeet

I guess there are some conflicting events happening on Tues. Sorry, Leah, I should have thought about this earlier. Unfortunately, I think we'll have to keep it as planned, because my sister has told some people, her friend has also invited some people, and with all my people, this thing is going to be huge! Everyone's planned it for the 25th, so the 25th it is. If you need directions to my place, I think you can e-mail me through my blog. It might be a good idea to car-pool as there is limited parking at my place. It should be lotsa fun! Leave me a comment to confirm if you'll be coming. Looking forward to seeing all of you!

Technical difficulties.

O.K. Seriously, it probably takes 5 attempts in order to write a new post. My computer keeps crashing and it's driving me nuts! Now Picasa isn't working either, so I won't be posting a picture. Not that I have any new ones anyway. Well of course I have new ones I'm just not able to post them. The reason? Our computer doesn't have the brains to accept a USB cord, so I can't upload my pictures directly from my camera. I have to take the memory card out of the camera, go to the Superstore, save them to disk, come home, upload the pictures and go from there. Sounds fun, right? I think it's time to start saving my piano money.
In other news, my baby boy has mastered crawling and is now pulling himself up and standing with the help of any piece of furniture that he can get his hands on. He's also been a bit cranky 'cause his two front teeth are coming through. He's getting so big so quickly, and it's unreal to think he'll be one year old in just three months. They say the first year goes fast, but this fast?

Who me?

 
Arghhh! This kid is getting into everything! Standing against the baby gates, pulling DVD's out of our entertainment unit, opening cupboards, pulling out the floor vents, climbing up chairs, and sliding/crawling everywhere! (Rob calls it the sniper crawl, 'cause he only uses his arms) I guess I need to baby proof a little better, in order to keep my sanity. Finding things to entertain him in one spot is getting harder and harder. He is always on the move. My sister found a Little Tykes slide for him at a garage sale, and he absolutely loves it. Now that it's getting sunnier, we will be spending lots of afternoons outside. Hooray, let springtime begin!!! 

Ouch part 2 - Details

O.K. so I joined Leah at her kickboxing class this week, but the class we went to was intermediate/advanced. We knew this going in, and debated whether or not we could handle it, but decided to give it a shot. Our plan was to blend in and be as close to the door as possible in case we were in over our heads. This instructor is hard-core! Pushups, uppercuts, hooks and jabs, he was all businesss. For our first time in an intermediate class, I think we did quite a good job. Our hands were still shaking as we signed up for the class and debated which gloves to buy. Leah ended up getting the mother of all boxing gloves, so of course I had to too! Thanks for the motivation, Leah. Bring it on!

Swapmeet anyone?

O.K. Ladies, mark it on your calenders. April 25th, 7:00. I'd like to invite anyone & everyone to a swapmeet at my place. Bring everything from clothing to home decor, purses to shoes. My sister and her friend traded some stuff today, and we got the bright idea to invite a few more people out and have a huge trading night. I thought it sounded like fun! Out with the old and in with the new (new to you at least :)
Everyone could bring a small appy, and it'd be a night out. So clean out your closets and let me know if you're in!

"Ma-ma"

 
Ryken's been saying mama since he was about 5 months old. Obviously, he wasn't associating me with the word yet, but it still counts as his first word right? So the other day I look at him and say "Ma-ma. Say Ma-ma." He looks at me with his big eyes, smiles and says "da-da." That's the thanks I get? Spending time with him 24/7, giving him undivided attention (except when blogging, of course) and he now insists on saying dada? I guess I shouldn't complain. He loves it when Rob comes home and that gives me a break. We have this little ride on car thing that sounds like a fire truck, and yesterday Rob sat Ryken on it and pushed him all around the house. He was having so much fun, and always loves spending time with his daddy. 

A cat named Versace

 
Meet Versace. He was our first pet, and he used to be extremely spoiled. Obviously not so much now, with Ryken around, although he still gets in the odd nap on this chair. He has a thing for hair elastics, and I'm always running out of them, because he bats them all over the house and under the furniture. He even plays fetch, and comes back to you with it. I think his record was 8 times in a row. Ryken absolutely loves this cat, and his little face lites up whenever Versace is in view. Even though Ryken's not exactly gentle, Versace is ever patient, and loves any attention he can get. My parents are going to breed their lab/retriever this spring, and said we could have pick of the litter. I think I've convinced Rob, and we'll hopefully be adding to the madness with a puppy in July!