Happy Birthday Rachel!

My friends up in Yellowknife, Vanessa and Shane, have a daughter who's one year old today! I want to wish her all the best and a great day. Please visit www.livinginyellowknife.blogspot.com for photos of the birthday girl from birth and through her first year.

All my love to you Rileys,
Jennifer

Happy Half Birthday Hayden!

Today is June 24th, and Hayden's half-birthday. Due to the holiday hubub around his true birthday, Jake and I decided to celebrate his half-ones too. We'll give him his presents at his true birthday, but if we have a day solely focussed on him every year on June 24th, he might not get that "not so special as Christmas" feeling I've heard people with Christmas-time birthdays can get. So this year to celebrate, Jake and I are going out to dinner and a movie without the kids. LOL Actually that was just a coincidence. Jake secretly arranged with Fionna (cousin extraordinaire) to come babysit while we go out and view Evan Almighty. But before you protest too much, Hayden LOVES Fionna, and there's a chance that her sister Alicia might be coming as well, and Hayden loves her just as much. They're just so good with kids! This is actually a great treat for him. Also, my friend Cindy from college is coming by this afternoon, and I heard she's got gifts for the kids cuz we haven't seen each other in 3 years. SO THERE YA GO HAYDEN. The only thing missing is cake, and I've got some really ripe bananas in the kitchen and I'm thinking about trying my hand at a banana cream pie. Everything's covered! I hope your days will be as full of love and happiness as mine.

oh and I dreamt last night that my mom hadn't really died. She was just doing some really serious relaxation techniques trying to recover. She could walk and everything. I even asked myself if I was dreaming, and pinched my arm. I asked her why I saw her in a box and why did they sign the death certificate, and WHY did she let it go on so long? We had had her funeral! She was explaining that the doctor who'd pronounced her dead was really old and had gotten it wrong. I was so happy that when I woke up and remembered that it wasn't real, of course I cried and cried. So that and a stiff and sore neck has put a damper on the morning, but I am determined not to let it affect my wonderful afternoon's plans!

Solstace anyone?

Today is the longest day of the year. It's 10:20pm as I write this, and there is still light in the sky. I tried to take a picture of it, but it didn't turn out. You'll just have to trust me. I wonder what those Yellowknifers are doing to celebrate the solstace?

As promised, here are the pictures of our visit to the Nerpin's last week, including Jake in a Haystack.

Jake said "Don't throw me the camera, cuz I could drop it between the bales and it would be like trying to find a camera in a haystack." and also when Chris threw a bale of hay at him, Jake said "Careful! I have a family to think of! I could lose a shoe..." Both of which I thought were enormously funny.

And now, video footage of part of our day today:



This evening, Thursday, Hayden saw the opening to that pirate reality show and started reciting this poem he heard on Four Square on TUESDAY. I had no idea he'd learned it, he hadn't mentioned it or recited it before UNTIL he saw the pirate ship! I was amazed. After an hour of trying to remember, I recalled all the words to the poem and helped fill out the parts he was leaving out. Way to be smart Hayden!

Some Videos of the Kids

Here's Sage and the dark film of him crawling.



Here's Hayden playing with Chris and Sabrina's dog Ellie at their house. We had a bbq over there last week. Pictures of Jake on a haystack to follow.

Crawling

Oh and Sage started crawling on Monday, after we got back to my dad's house from the funeral. It was great to have a little bright spot on that day. He'd been passed around from person to person at the reception, and once we got settled in at my dad's we put him on the floor. He just took off! Five little wobbly crawling steps all in a row. And I was staring right at him at the time too. We tried to video it but it was very late afternoon and the sun was bright, but not shining on the floor any more. The vids are dark and you can hardly see anything. I'll post some others I took later, I haven't felt like it yet.

Father's Day and Bits and Pieces

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

Also some other things. My pea plants have flowers and the flowers are turning into peas! I didn't know that's how that happened, but it makes sense now that I think about it. They're about a foot high, and I didn't expect peas until they were loads taller. My petunia plant has had 3 blooms and has 3 or 4 more buds. They're purple with white, but sometimes they're white with purple. I wonder how they decide? I've got two other flower plants but they haven't yet bloomed. Three morning glories have sprouted. I planted those at the very end of May. I also strew Forget-me-nots in front of the peas, and now there's something growing there, but I can't tell if they're weeds or the seeds. They were from my cousin Rob's wedding 2 summers ago, so I wasn't sure if the seeds would still grow. My tomato is very leafy and growing great! I needs to get a bigger cage for it, cuz the leaves are touching the walls of the existing one.

Our pool is a wonderful thing. It's been so hot the past couple weeks we've been extremely thankful that our friends gave it to us.

Kitty is proving to be good at catching small moving things. Just today she brought home a little birdy. Jake saw her drop it off on the front porch, and it was still peeping and moving so we tried to catch it and move it up the lawn to recover, but it ran under the car to hide. I was sad she hurt a little bird, but I'm glad she's good at catching.

Recovery

Slowly getting used to the idea that my mom's gone. Wait. nope. not yet.

sorry I can't blog about the service.

Here are some photos of us in the backyard at my dad's afterwards.

Adjustment

Small change of itinerary at the funeral home: There's visitation with the family from noon to 1pm, then the service is from 1 till 2pm or so, following that will be the reception with sandwiches till approximately 3pm. The plan to continue things at my dad's place is unchanged.

Thanks.

Memorial for my Mother

There's a memorial service for my mom at Jackson and Barnard on Monday June 11th at noon, and then visitation with the family from 1-3 at the funeral home. Afterwards and into the evening tea and coffee will be served at my dad's house for those unable to make it to J & B but who still want to visit and pay respects. The address is 1250 Lillian Blvd. Turn left off Barrydowne at the lights after the Lasalle/Barrydowne intersection. Go all the way to the end of the street, follow the road around the corner and his is the second house after the empty lot on the right.

Hope to see you there.

My Mother

My mother passed away early this morning from kidney, lung, and heart problems. She went peacefully in her sleep. She'd been in the hospital since March 21st. She was 65.

I don't know what else to say. I'm very sad and I'm going to miss her fiercely.

Carol's Birthday!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy Birthday To You!

Happy BIRTHDAY dear Caaaarolll,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Congrats on turning 34! Good Job.

heh heh now you're 2 years older than me again.

Adventures in Single Parenting

Today Jake is helping Chris and Sabrina move. They picked him up, so I have the car. Woo hoo! The freedom! (and like the ants in space on that Simpson's episode, I'm scared.) We needed milk and burgers for the bbq tonight and some fruit, so I decided to Take Both Kids To The Store, By Myself, For The First Time. I decided to go to the Independant grocery store on Lasalle, because I know they have carts with two seats for kids. Their prices are a little higher than our regular Food Basics, but I was willing to pay for the two seats.

I was concerned that upon our trundly exit from the house Lacey (dog) might take the oportunity to bolt out the door. But I forgot that when Jake's not around, she listens to me very well. She started towards the door when she heard me get my keys. I was holding 23+ lb Sage (more now for sure because his last weigh in was 2 months ago) and my purse and Hayden's hand, and I just looked at Lacey and said NO. WAIT OVER THERE. And she did! I opened the door, we went out, I closed it behind me, and only then did I hear her approach the door and look out at us. Well, I didn't hear her looking, I turned around and saw her. Geeze you're so picky.

I opened the back doors of the car to let out some of the muggy hot air.. not much help because it's a muggy hot day to begin with. Hayden climbed into his carseat while I strapped Sage in, then went back to Hayden to do up his buckle. I got in, turned on the air conditioning, and away we went to the store! I had a bit of a time concern because it was 11:30 and Sage would be needing lunch soon. But he seemed to be happy enough, and I'd given him part of a banana as a snack. Plus with my short list, I figured we wouldn't take very long. When we got to the parking lot of the new and improved store (they just finished a million-dollar makeover) I saw that they had SPORTSCAR SHOPPING CARTS! I was so excited that there was one available to use, and it didn't cost anything either! I checked it out before I put the boys in, cuz I thought for sure there would've been a slot for the $5 bill. They charge you for the sportscar stroller at the mall. But this one was free! I strapped the boys in and away we went! The side-by-side seats face forwards and both kids have their own steering wheel. It was blue moulded plastic and there was a handy place for my purse behind their heads. The cart part of the car was full-sized and in front of their knees. It was lots longer than a regular shopping cart, and kinda hard to steer in tight places, but the aisles were large and the only time I had a problem was when a little old lady cut me and another little old lady off. I tried to lift the car to move it over some, but it was so heavy I couldn't lift it. Oh well! I just wish I'd had my camera, cuz the boys were so cute in that thing.

Both kids were really good while I got milk, asparagus, batteries, and a couple other things. I used the self-serve checkout which I love (boop! boop!) and we went back to the car. Hayden started to get nervous that his ride might be coming to an end when I put the groceries in the car, and after I we got back to the cart depot in the parking lot and I undid his seatbelt, he was in a full baby panic attack. He's such a little monkey! From the ground he held my arm and the handlebar of the cart and stuck one long leg up in the air to try and climb back in. I think if I'd let him, he would've made it too! I got Sage out and took Hayden firmly by the hand and we went back to the car. He cried until we were about 1/3 of the way home. He's gotten a cough from somewhere yesterday so his little voice was raspy and sad sounding. He was also very tired cuz we were all up early.

All in all, I had an ok time, even tho the end was tearful for Hayden. I hadn't expected HIM to be the upset one. I gave them both lunch and now they're having their afternoon naps. I think I could do that again sometime! Maybe.