seeing dots

Double Decker

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

This was the day we put up the vinyl decals which were such a pain in the neck that they are never coming down. We'll have to paint around them!

Jacob has bunk beds! When we moved Jacob from the crib to a big boy bed we purchased a bunk bed used from a friend, but only put up the bottom bunk. That was a couple of years ago (he's 4 1/2) and recently he's been asking about his bunk beds. "When can I have bunk beds. Where are my bunk beds. Who will build my bunk beds?" So, this weekend we built the bunk beds! He was so excited and decided immediately that he was going to sleep in the top bunk.I was a little nervous about letting him, but both bunks have a full rail and the chances of him falling out while he sleeps are basically nil, so the top bunk it was! We're on night 5 and he's still in the top bunk. I love that he loves it so much, but I have to admit to being a teeny bit sad as he's growing up right in front of me. And ... hugs and cuddles are tricky in a top bunk! I can't reach without climbing up the ladder!

We have bunk beds!

Other plans for this room are to repaint, recarpet and add new shelving or something. We created a story corner a few weeks ago with some cushions that I made from some fun black, red & white fabric ... and yes, the books need to be purged! I have a hard time getting rid of books ... even bad books (is there such a thing?).

He has requested a dinosaur theme for the room, so I'm on the hunt for fun dinosaur fabric for a new duvet cover. And I'm planning to scan some pages from one of his favourite books, Dino Trux, to frame and hang.

After looking at these pictures I've realized just how bare his walls are! Any suggestions as to what I could put on the walls over the bed?

I'm linking up with the William Morris project over at Pancakes & French Fries.

Home Goals 2012

2012-01-19T22:38:00.006-08:00

Back in October, Jules of Pancakes & French Fries, inspired by the William Morris quote above, embarked on a one month project to declutter, organize and beautify her living space. I watched enviously as she hung photos, organized closets, declutter side boards, painted trim and purged books, and I looked around our space and thought, "I could do that". Emphasis on could! Well, January is upon us, Jules has decided to commit to a year of "William Morrising" (is that a word?) and has invited her followers and lurkers (me) to join in. So, here we go! We moved into this house ten years ago and have done very little to improve it's livability. Don't get me wrong, it's a very liveable house ... in fact, it looks quite lived in, which is the problem. I'm tired of looking for gloves and books and tape and lego instructions, because the house isn't organized. I'd like to sit in our family room at night and not look around at the mess that isn't tidied because it doesn't have anywhere to go.

Jules started with a list, which inspired me to start with a list. A big list. I had no idea the list would be this big! Many items on the list are long term and lofty (very long term and very lofty) goals, but you never know. One day we may hit the jackpot, or receive a mystery inheritance, both of which are highly unlikely and I'd never wish anyone to pass in order for me to get a new kitchen.

I will attempt to do something from the list, or related to something on the list weekly!

Here's my list!

Master Bedroom:

1. Paint master bedroom a calming colour (maybe …)
2. Purge ~~closet~~ and dressers
3. Install closet organizer
4. Replace carpet in master bedroom
5. Clear surfaces of clutter
6. New window treatments (any window treatments)
7. New blinds
8. New duvet cover (maybe - http://pinterest.com/pin/123989795960722676 )
9. Art over bed
10. Hang art on window wall and over dresser
11. New carpet

Ensuite Bathroom:

1. Demolition (a year ago)
2. New floor
3. New shower
4. New toilet
5. New sink and vanity
6. Paint calming blue … spa like
7. New mirror
8. Buy new, matching towels

Main Bathroom:

1. Paint
2. Re-tile tub & shower
3. New sink & vanity
4. New toilet
5. New flooring
6. Buy new, matching towels

Powder Room:

1. Paint
2. New flooring
3. New toilet
4. New sink (maybe …)
5. New mirror
7. Buy new matching towels

Laundry Room:

1. Move stacking washer/dryer to be side by side
2. Install counter over top washer/dryer
3. Remove old sink/cabinet
4. Install shelving on east facing wall
5. Clear room of things that don't belong there (stroller … J. is 5!)
6. Organize shallow (but wide) closet … sporting gear, ironing board, vacuum, summer shoes, hiking boots.
7. Paint cheery colour
8. Hang fun "laundry" artwork
9. Install rack/bar for drying laundry (a task currently assigned to the office)

Linen closet:

1. Empty and organize
2. Buy baskets for soaps, shower gels

Office:

1. Paint relaxing colour
2. New carpet
3. Create filing system
4. Organize desk top and loose paper
5. Organize bookshelves … craft supplies, computer supplies
6. New artwork

Family Room:

1. Carpet
2. New sectional sofa
3. Mount tv on wall
4. Construct built-in shelves, etc on tv wall (like ...)
5. Build shelves on back wall ??
6. Paint
7. Update family gallery wall
8. New art

Kitchen

1. Complete remodel - new cabinets, countertops, floors
2. Take down wall between kitchen & dining room
3. Close in sliding glass door to back yard.
3. New oven & cook top
4. New dishwasher

And, as I'm anticipating that this kitchen remodel won't happen anytime soon ...

1. Empty and clean all cupboards & drawers
2. Put loose items (sugar, oats, tea, rice, etc) in jars from IKEA.
3. Purge spices and put in new spice jars with labels
4. Make spice jar labels
5. Organize Tupperware cupboard ... If there isn't a matching lid & bottom it goes.
6. Organize loose utensil drawers
7. Move Jacob's cups down low so that he can get his own glass of water!

Dining Room

1. New dining room set
2. New hutch ... or?
3. Tear up carpet ... install hardwood.
4. Replace sliding glass door with French doors

Living Room

1. Tear up carpet ... install hardwood
2. Find starburst mirror for above fireplace
3. Style piano top display

Jacob's room

1. Paint ... Blue (grey) with red stripe
2. New duvet cover (dinosaurs)
3. Clean out toys & books
4. New carpet
5. New shelves (IKEA?) for books, toys, etc.
~~6. Put up the bunk bed.~~

Spare room

1. New carpet
2. Purge, purge, purge
3. Reorganize closet

Pantry

1. Empty and purge items no longer being used.
2. Buy large containers for flour, sugar, oats, etc.
3. Buy wire shelves & under shelf baskets
4. Buy small deep freeze
5. Organize shelves
6. Put healthy snacks on a low shelf for Jacob

Crawl Space
This space takes up the entire space under our kitchen and dining room and it is FULL! A lot of the things under here belong there, like Christmas decorations, baby stuff (we may have another), suitcases, camping gear. And a lot of the things don't belong there, like my sister-in-law's old stuff, broken toys, old books.

1. PURGE AND ORGANIZE

Linking up to the William Morris Project at Pancakes and French Fries!

Snow Day

2012-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Today we are enjoying the elusive Vancouver snow day! Once or twice a year it snows in our area, and as we live quite high up we tend to get more than elsewhere in the city! Today was extra special as it snowed over night and today the sun is shining! Fingers crossed our snowman will make it through the day. I know a 4 1/2 year old that will be very upset if Frosty doesn't make it!

Things on Pinterest I've actually made!

2011-11-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

Just like everyone else I have spent ~~a little~~ a lot of time on Pinterest happily pinning away! And I'm happy to report that I've actually tried a few of the things I've pinned! I'll post pics later, but these were my inspiration pics.

Source: lafujimama.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

This bread is so easy and so delicious! I mixed a little bit of whole wheat flour (about 16 grams all purpose and 4 grams whole wheat).

Source: marthastewart.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

Oatmeal in a smoothie ... who knew?

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

Jacob and I did this on a VERY small scale ... 7 crayons on an 8x10 canvas!

Source: sarahsprojects.blogspot.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

Really easy ... I made the mistake of modge podging over top and tore the tissue a bit ... won't do that next time!

Source: inchmark.squarespace.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

I'm using this idea to keep track of all things that Jacob says that make us laugh!

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

On the wall in our spare room ... I loved this project!

Source: mommysavers.wordpress.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

Jacob was excited about this until he realized that the ice cubes would melt in the bath. Boo.

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Mary Ann on Pinterest

So simple and yet so brilliant!

Birthday ...

2011-09-30T15:39:00.002-07:00

Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me. I'm 42 years old today and can't quite wrap my head around that number. I don't feel 42 ... whatever 42 is supposed to feel like! I got a lovely birthday hug ... "and don't forget your birthday kiss" ... this morning from my favourite four year old. And an awesome card that he drew himself of the three of us. Tonight we're going out for crab fest. Yum! And tomorrow I head to Whistler with some girlfriends for a weekend of spa, massage, wine and dancing! The weekend is not in celebration of my birthday ... but I'm pretending it is!

2011-08-28T08:20:00.001-07:00

Summer concerts

2011-07-16T07:41:00.004-07:00

I don't think we're going to get a real summer here this year. Boo. So far, the warm & sunny days have been few and far between, so when we get them we have to make the most of them!

Last weekend was the first of our community summer concert series. the band was a Blues Brother Revue and they were awesome! We've been going to these Friday night concerts since they started 2 years ago and we typically head down to the Village early, grab some dinner and then set up our camp chairs and mat.

The boys had a blast. They danced and ran around and drew with chalk.
It was a great night.

Because Diego is awesome!

2011-02-25T16:10:00.004-08:00

Tuesday was kind of an emotional day at Jacob's school. Jacob started at this school (daycare) at 15 months old (he's 3-1/2) now) when I went back to work part-time. He attends twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. One of the little boys who started at about the same time is named Diego. It was obvious right away on that Diego wasn't well. He was very small, not walking yet, being fed via feeding tube and the whites of his eyes were yellow. Diego was born with a diseased liver. Despite the challenges Diego faced every day, this little boy became the heart and soul of this group of little people. Over the past couple of years we have watched Diego learn to walk, start to speak, laugh and, most excitingly, begin to eat without the aid of the feeding tube. With cautious optimism some of the other parents and I speculated that the treatment that Diego's parents had chosen for him must be working. Unfortunately we found out a few months ago that, in actuality, the treatment wasn't working and he needed a liver transplant. On Monday, Diego and his family are flying to another city for that transplant. Last Tuesday was his last day at school and the teachers threw a party! Those parents that were able to, attended and the kids painted a picture for him of their hand prints. His teachers, and in particular, his care worker, made touching speeches and a few tears were shed.

On the Monday before the party I asked Jacob if anything special was going on at school the next day. He told me that there was going to be a party. When I asked him who the party was for he told me it was for Diego. When I asked him if he knew why they were having a party for Diego, this little boy of mine paused, thought for a minute and then said, "Because Diego is awesome."

Our thoughts and prayers are with Diego and his family! We hope to see them again soon.

Edited - Unfortunately, just one week after Diego left, he was back in school. The family flew to Toronto and when the donor was operated on it was determined, for a reason that I don't understand, that the liver was not a good match and the surgery would be too risky for Diego. We were thrilled to see him in school, but heartbroken that he still needs a transplant.

Valentine Cards

2011-02-11T15:52:00.005-08:00

We have been very busy here making Valentine cards for school. For the past 2 years we have managed to avoid the school Valentine exchange as Jacob only attends on Mondays and Tuesdays. But guess what? This year, Valentines Day is on a Monday. Crap. There are 22 kids in his room at daycare and even though they're not all there on Monday's, they all still get a Valentine!

This idea came from a couple of different places - here and here. I knew that Jacob would get a kick out of spraying watercolours on the paper ... and I was right. I kept the "spraying station" out for a few days as his attention span lasts, oh about 5 minutes! And we need more than 5 minutes to got 22 valentines done! Before he sprayed the pages, I cut a bunch of hearts out of old christmas cards and taped them to the paper. After we sprayed the pages and let them dry, we (I) cut out rectangles and pulled out the alphabet stamps and the heart stickers (and the robot stamps and the dinosaur stamps ... this is a little boy after all) and then Jacob went to town. I let him do whatever he wanted with the stamps ...though I wrote out the word "Love" for him to copy and told him that "XO" meant kisses & hugs. Next we'll pop some stickers and a treat in little favour bags and staple the cards to the bags.

I love the little "spike" in his hair! He'd had his hair cut that morning!

This one is for a teacher.

And this one is for a "school friend".

I love them ... and I think they're super cute.

2011

2011-01-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking (lots of thinking ... not a lot of doing) a lot about resolutions. Every year I make the same ones… lose weight … be more organized … manage my money better … and every year, my resolve fizzles right around the 3rd week of January!

So, as inspired by Blair at wise craft, here is what I've been thinking about for 2011!

I will take a photo every day. So many of my favourite bloggers take photos of their everyday lives to document the beautiful in the ordinary. I love this idea. (I wrote this post almost 2 weeks ago and have barely touched my camera since ... )

I will finish the two quilts that I started … last summer! They are for my sisters and they really should have them before the summer when they won't need them! And anyway … I can't buy any more fabric until they are done! (quilt #1 is pinned!)

I will make a quilt for myself. With all the knitting and sewing, I very rarely make anything for myself.

I plan to blog more consistently. More consistent with time and purpose. Is it an on-line journal, if you will, or what. What's the point if there's no purpose?

I will be more organized. I know, I'm setting myself up for failure. But I really want this one to happen. More organized at work, with my time, at home.

I will do more crafts with Jacob. The above mentioned "be more organized" will help this! I'd love to do more crafts … but by the time I get organized, he has lost interest!

I will have something on my knitting needles at all times. Even if it's just a silly hat or scarf. There is a lot (I repeat … a lot) of yarn in the cupboard upstairs begging to be knit! This one has started off really well … I have this fun scarf on the go at the moment!

I will plan our meals for the week on the weekend and ensure that I have all of the necessary ingredients on hand. Again, the above mentioned "be more organized" will help here! I've had a good start here as well … this week is all planned and has been executed so far!

I will start sorting my photobook photos monthly. Every December I panic and spend WAY too long looking for, and uploading photos to Shutterfly. It's not going to happen again. (ha!)

I will clean my kitchen and wash the dishes before going to bed each night. I know lots of you can't imagine not doing this. Not me … I don't do this. I want to do it … I just don't. Maybe I can change!

Lego is a craft ... right?

Vintage Sheet Music Wreath

2011-01-06T23:00:00.004-08:00

When my parents moved into their current house they didn't have room for the piano. We took it and the piano bench and discovered books of old sheet music from the 40's that had belonged to my mother and my grandmother. The pages were yellowed and a little tattered ... pretty!! So I jumped on the vintage sheet music wreath bandwagon and made a gorgeous (in my completely unbiased opinion) wreath for over the piano. I love it and the fact that the sheet music was my mom's and grandmother's makes it all the more special!

I followed a most excellent tutorial from {Primp}. I bought a foam wreath form from Michael's, wrapped it with ivory ribbon (I didn't have enough ribbon to completely cover the form ... doesn't matter ... you can't see it anyway), rolled lots and lots and lots of sheet music cones, hot glued them to the form and then hung it over the piano with a length of ribbon. I really like how some of the pages from a child's music book had illustrations on them.

Love, love, love!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T01:24:00.003-08:00

It's not a party until someone's wearing a funny hat!!

These days ...

2010-12-30T14:21:00.006-08:00

... we have been visiting my family in Kelowna. We fly home tonight and it has been a visit full of playing in the snow, masterful games of Clue, swordfights, eating & drinking!

Jacob's favourite part of the sledding was the dogpiling ... usually on top of mommy!

My sisters and I.

The best cousins a little boy could ever have!

They might look sweet, but they're plotting to bash this gingerbread house to bits.

I love this shot. He looks like he's deep in conversation with someone.

Soon we'll be back to reality. But hopefully we can eke out a few more days of relaxation and fun!

Book Clubs

2010-11-20T16:32:00.006-08:00

Book clubs. I’ve been in a variety of different book clubs over the years. Some with very good friends and others with women I’d met through co-workers. All were based on the same premise … someone picks a book, we read the book (sometimes even finish it), we get together to “discuss” said book, drink some wine, eat some treats, drink more wine and invariably the evening ends with a rousing gossip session. The best book club is one with no pressure. No expectations to finish the book and most of all … no theme. The last book club I belonged to had pressure … and book finishing expectations and … a theme. Each meeting everyone was asked to bring a dish based on the book, which always seemed like such a great idea until the night before, when I was scrambling to figure out a dish to suit the theme. One of my more memorable dishes was for Paulo Cohelo’s Eleven Minutes, a book about a Brazilian prostitute. The dish, Feijoada (Brazilian Black Beans) is apparently the national dish of Brazil, and was delicious. Made with black beans, cured beef, sausage, bacon and rice, it is a meat-eaters’ dream come true. Unfortunately the hostess of that evenings’ book club meeting was decidedly not a meat eater … in fact she was vegan. Not just vegetarian, but vegan. By the end of the evening I had noticed that my dish had migrated from the table to the kitchen. I think the smell of meat was too much for her. Oh well. That book club fizzled out pretty quickly after the “meat” incident and I’ve just recently jumped back into the book club world. My new book club is with a group of women who I met when my son was born 3 years ago. Together we are moving through this joyful minefield of child-rearing and as a happy bonus have discovered that we really, really like each other! We take every opportunity to get together with and without children (and husbands) and our new book club is a new reason to get together … much like our now defunct “knitting club”. It is a book club of very low expectations. Read the book if you choose … or not! At the last meeting our hostess wrote down discussion points on little slips of paper. We didn’t read them! Our first book was Lawrence Hill’s “The Book of Negroes” (published in the US and Australia as “Someone Knows My Name”, and it was a beautiful story of strength, courage and hopefulness. In fact, the book was so good that we actually discussed it at book club! Our next book is “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows. It looks interesting … I might even read it!

Food + Foto No. 2: Peanut Butter Oatmeal-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2010-11-19T15:29:00.010-08:00

Best. Chocolate Chip Cookie. Ever! According to me anyhow! I know that everyone either has their favourite recipe or is constantly on the hunt for the best one. I know that many of you are big fans of the New York Times Chocolate Chip cookie recipe and I'm sure that they are delightful. But they don't have peanut butter in them. And peanut butter, my friends, is what makes this cookie yumilicious. This was my week two submission to Food + Foto ... I'm pretty pleased with the composition and the lighting!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
From kraftcanada.com

1-1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
8 oz dark chocolate chips (the original recipe calls for Bakers semi-sweet squares, chopped)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Beat peanut butter and butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugars; beat until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Mix oats, flour and baking soda. Add to peanut butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 mins. or just until centres are set (my favourite batch was baked for 13 mins). Cool on baking sheets 3 mins. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
_____________

While I was setting this shot up and taking a ridiculous number of photos, J. wanted in on the action as well. So I gave him my point & shoot and he set up his own shoot ... of a mini smartie's box!

Food + Foto No. 1: Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

2010-11-14T14:53:00.004-08:00

In an effort to learn more about my camera ... and perhaps venture into taking it off the automatic settings (aaackk) ... I have signed up for a session of Souvenir Foto School. The photo above was my first submission and although I'm relatively pleased with it I have been fighting gloomy, dark, rainy weather and a very, very busy schedule! The session runs for six weeks and my plan each week is to bake something out the Martha Stewart 2010 Holiday Cookies magazine.

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares
From Martha Stewart 2010 Holiday Cookies Magazine

Tasty little treat ... but do not be tempted to oversalt. Too much salt = not so much tasty little treats! Mine are too salty.

13 graham crackers
1 bag (8 ounces) toffee bits
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted natural almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and salt over graham crackers. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

An evening out

2010-11-13T22:56:00.003-08:00

I've just come in from a night out with 4 of the loveliest ladies I know. We all have young children and very rarely are able to coordinate an evening out ... though, funnily enough, our husbands' seem to be able to schedule a pub night every month. We went to Fishworks, a fabulous restaurant celebrating its first anniversary. We all live in same neighbourhood, a "suburb" of a major city, and tonight, although the restaurant was on "our side" of the water, it felt like we were downtown. It felt like the old days ... you know ... pre-kids ... and pre-sleepless nights ... and pre-clean cars. Our occasion for being out was to celebrate the spectacular news that one of these lovely ladies is officially cancer free! This amazing friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago and has made it through this awful journey with poise and grace and a kick-cancer's-butt attitude. She is truly an inspiration and someone who's strength I will remember when I'm whining about my day being stressful, or the fact that I've gained 1.5 lbs.

Tonight I will kiss my son and my husband and be thankful for good health!

The remnants of a good night!

It could have gone either way ...

2010-11-09T07:53:00.005-08:00

The day that is! Yesterday had the potential of going to you-know-what in a handbasket but ended up being quite pleasant! We started out rough when, all bundled up and ready to go, but late (strike 1), J. and I jumped in the car, strapped our seatbelts on, turned the key and .... nothing! Well, not nothing exactly, a click-click-click sound (strike 2). In confusion I looked at J. and he looked at me ... then I looked at the interior light that was shining in my face! Grrrrr! I called BCAA (roadside assistance) and was told that it would be a 45 minute wait ... not bad, considering where we live. Now we'd be even later getting J. to school. Miraculously my phone rang 5 minutes later to let me know that the driver was close ... and then lo and behold, there he was! 8 minutes from call to arrival. Impressive. With the car now started, and me terrified to turn it off, I attempt to move J. away from the "Magic School Bus" episode I had parked him in front of. Riiiggghhhttt! No chance! Now we're even later (strike 3)! Finally I get him to school, grab a well deserved Grande NF Latte (aahhh) and head for Ikea ... alone. See how my day is about to get better?! In addition to being a wonderful place to visit, it is a decent drive on the highway and should adequately charge the battery ... obviously the REAL reason that I went! 2 hours later I was in post-Ikea bliss and remembering how nice it was to shop ALONE! Next, off to Costo ... not quite so blissful but still ... ALONE! Here we purchase, among other things, a shiny new, decidedly unsexy, car battery! Next stop, Bosa Foods. Bosa is an Italian supermarket. Aisles and aisles of olive oil, vinegars, olives, pasta (so much pasta) and cheese ... oh the cheese! Last stop, SuperStore ... just boring groceries ... but again .. ALONE! Once I got home I puttered around the kitchen and made these lovely lemon bars before heading out in the glorious sunshine for a run!

The sun was shining through the maple in the backyard and was so pretty! I used my iphone (my new favourite toy) to snap this pic before the wind blows all the leaves down!

A glimpse at our Halloween

2010-11-03T07:57:00.004-07:00

It's funny how Halloween has turned into a house-decorating, crazy costume making, fireworks kind of event! When we were kids I think we each carved a pumpkin, dressed up as a punk rocker, princess or a hobo (one year my sister was a robot!) and called it a night. I do remember watching fireworks in a friends back yard. Now we decorate the front entrance with pumpkins (6 this year), a spider web (complete with spider), skeletons, ghosties and tombstones. I love it! Jacob asked to be a kangaroo this year ... you will note below that he was a giraffe. I couldn't find a kangaroo costume, and I was not going to make a costume. He was the cutest giraffe on the block! We met up with our favourite gang of three year olds and tricked and treated our way around the neighbourhood! Our night culminated with a "spectacular" fireworks show in a friends backyard ... just like back in the day. We had a great evening ... and must remember next year to visit the house that gave out B-52 hot chocolate to the parents! Best ... house ... ever!

Good Folks Quilt

2010-09-12T23:07:00.004-07:00

I bought Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks collection way back in May and have finally pulled it out and during naptime (Jacob's, not mine) over the past few days have cut and sorted and pieced a gorgeous quilt top. Gorgeous because of the fabric ... definitely not because of my sewing skill. I love this fabric. That's one of the reasons it took me so long to start ... I couldn't bear to cut any of the fat quarters. But now that's it's all pieced together I love it even more. Too bad the plan is to give it away. I bought the fabric with my sister in mind. It's definitely her style and I'm sure that she'll love it. But if she doesn't then it will have a happy home right here. That is, if I ever get around to quilting it!

I had a helper!

DIY Sunshine

2010-09-12T17:13:00.004-07:00

Today it was raining ... a lot. So we decided to stay inside and make our own sunshine!

Ensuite Renovations

2010-09-05T16:01:00.004-07:00

Over 4 years ago we stopped using the shower in our ensuite bathroom because it leaked into our family room. Instead of fixing it we simply decided to stop using it. Not a big deal really as we have another bathroom on the same level with a working shower. We'd fix it ... soon. Since then we have celebrated many occasions, including the birth and 1st, 2nd and 3rd birthdays of our son! Well, I am happy to report that the time has come! We are fixing the shower. And as an added bonus we are going to completely gut the bathroom and make it all shiny and new!

This is what it looks like now:
1st round of demolition ... all 3 walls are out.
We think that these are wasp holes. Mark found a small wasp's nest in the wall.
When it's finished there will be no black and white tile, only shiny white subway tile. There will be a lovely, soothing colour on the walls. There will be a dark wood vanity ... a huge wall mirror ... and charcoal tiles on the floor.

When will it be finished? Well ... hopefully before we've celebrated the 4th, 5th and 6th birthdays!

Homemade Yogurt

2010-09-03T16:32:00.007-07:00

I love smooth, creamy vanilla yogurt, but hate not being able to buy a low-fat yogurt with a texture that I like that isn't sweetened with sucralose. So, I have successfully weaned myself off of commercial flavoured yogurts. It was hard. Now I'm eating low fat, plain yogurt, but I don't like the texture of regular yogurt and I am unwilling to spend the money to buy organic greek yogurt! Enter ... homemade yogurt! I remember my mom making yogurt when I was a teenager. I also distinctly remember refusing to eat it! Why would you eat plain yogurt? Ick! After reading this post from JCasa, I was inspired to give it a try and am in awe! Who knew that it was this easy? I pretty much followed her directions, except I let my milk boil (wasn't paying attention). I used 2% milk and Astro plain yogurt.

Scalding milk ... you can see the skin forming

All wrapped up and waiting:

8 hours later ... yogurt!

Cheesecloth blanket to whick some of the moisture out (I changed it 4 or 5 times):

Stored, in the fridge, in a mason jar:

Mmmm ... drizzled with local honey:

Young love!

2010-08-23T23:04:00.003-07:00

One of my favourite series of photos from this summer is this one of Jacob and one of his little friends. I love their innocence and playfulness. I love their giggles and sweetness. You could just eat them up!

Knitting for the smalls

2010-08-21T22:58:00.003-07:00

It seems that there are pregnant women and babies everywhere and I have been knitting up a storm. My stash has been enhanced lately by the amazing deals at Dressew in Vancouver where, if you're lucky, you can pick up balls of Rowan Organic Cotton for $1.99! That's right ... $1.99 Canadian!

A few of the finished objects:

Easy Baby Cardigan from Diane Soucy.

Saartje's Booties by Saartje de Bruijn.

Not for the smalls ... for me! Angee by Cookie A.

Exhausted ...

2010-08-16T23:38:00.007-07:00

After 2 weeks of being off preschool and on vacation, tonight Jacob finally hit the wall. Bedtime was over an hour of crying, whining and yelling (both by him and me) in a desperate attempt to stay awake. He breaks my heart. He's so obviously tired, yet can't settle. Over the past 2 weeks he's had the best time of his little life. A week at Grandma & Grandpa's with his cousins and his Aunties ... and the dog and the cat ... and the pool. And then a weekend with great friends at their gorgeous new cottage at Cultus Lake. With the fishing and the swimming and the mini golf and the wildlife park it's a wonder this little 3 year old's brain hasn't gone into overdrive with all the stimulation a whole lot sooner. It's been a great summer so far. I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring us.

A few snaps from the summer so far:

And now he is three!

2010-06-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday sweet boy!

More funny words ...

2010-05-29T15:49:00.002-07:00

Pomputer = computer
dork = fork
Elephant sounds like "idiot" ... ed-ee-yat
na-ma-na-ma-neep = his word for YouTube videos ... originated from watching the Muppets do "Mahna Mahna".

Steveston Village - Stamps 1 and 2

2010-04-18T23:29:00.003-07:00

Yesterday morning we took a drive out to Steveston Village to begin the enjoyable task of collecting stamps for the Vancouver Attractions Tourism Passport Challenge. Once we collect 15 stamps we qualify for an annual pass for free access to many of the attractions in Metro Vancouver. Anyone who works in the tourism industry who gets this opportunity should take advantage of it! It's the best deal ever! Stamps one and two belong to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. The cannery was in operation from 1894 to 1979. It was known as the "Monster Cannery", packing more than 2.5 million cans of salmon in 1897! In 1979 when they ceased operations the owners literally locked the doors and walked away. In 1988 (I think) restoration of the site began and can you imagine the stink of almost 10 years of rotting herring and salmon? Yuck! It's all clean now ... no stink at all ... and is a very enjoyable visit! There are lots of exhibits ... moving parts for little fingers ... and even a craft corner where the kids can make their own salmon!

Steveston Village is always a treat! We wandered the board walk, visited the boats selling their fish and shrimp on the dock, and enjoyed fish & chips from Pajos in easy chairs on the wharf!

Starfish and beach glass and herons ... oh my!

2010-04-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday was quite possibly the perfect day. The sun was shining AND it was warm! We spent the morning at Whytecliffe Park in West Vancouver. We go to Whytecliffe often and really enjoy searching for beach glass, interesting rocks and shells, and watching the scuba divers emerge from the deep. I've started putting our treasures in a little bowl to remind us of our adventures ... and Jacob delights in dumping the contents all over the table and sorting through everything This past Sunday we were delighted to find small tidal pools with starfish and clams and mussels! The starfish were such amazing shades of purple and orange. Jacob was very adventurous and touched one of the starfish. "Feels like an octopus mommy!" He is constantly making us laugh! How does he know what an octopus feels like? Oh ... we get the opportunity to touch octopus all the time .. don't you??!! While we were taking a beachcombing break to have a snack and try to get a family photo, we noticed a heron perched on a rock at the shore. He let us get quite close to him so we stood quietly and watched while he hunted for his own snack in the tidal pools. It was truly amazing!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T18:17:00.003-07:00

In case we forget ...

2010-04-01T23:23:00.002-07:00

I want to make sure that we write down some of the funny things that Jacob says before we forget. I'm sure we've already forgotten some of them ... but I'll keep adding as he discovers new words! So darn cute!!

Octo-pickle = Octopus
Yun = One
Door = Four

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Quilt ... Finally!

2010-03-19T14:08:00.005-07:00

A year has passed since I started working on this quilt and I am relieved to announce that it is finally finished! I love how it turned out and it looks great in Jacob's room. The fabric is by Andover Fabrics and is, obviously, inspired by the Eric Carle book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This was my very first quilt and I had tons of fun learning how (thanks Michelle!). I've already ordered the fabric for my next project ... hopefully it won't take a year!

Favourite time of the day

2010-03-11T15:39:00.002-08:00

My favourite time of the day is naptime! A cup of tea, hand sewing the binding on Jacob's quilt and total silence! I love it! It won't last long though ... any minute I'll hear rustling from upstairs and a little voice will call ... "Mommy ... I'm ready to get out now!"

These things make me smile

2010-02-11T20:45:00.003-08:00

Jacob's little voice when he says "here you go mommy" and hands me something!

The way he calls the computer and youtube the "mahna mahna meep".

That he was "too biddy" (busy) to help me finish a project we had started together!

That if Mark and I are both holding his hands he starts to count, "one ... two ... three ... and lifts his feet up".

That he'll randomly say, "I like you mommy (or daddy)" and give a hug.

That his hug & kiss routine, whether it be bedtime or drop-off time at daycare is ... a hug on each side (European style), a kiss, an eskimo kiss and an raspberry on your cheek!

That he'd rather have grapes than a cupcake! (Despite my best efforts ... I try and try to get him to eat the cake ... he just doesn't want it).

When he says "you wanna pick me up mommy ... you DO wanna pick me up" .. when he doesn't want to walk.

That he adamantly refuses to wear the one item of clothing that I have knit for him! A very cool green and black baseball shirt style sweater. Apparently it is too soft and has buttons and therefore is unwearable!! Actually ... this makes me crazy!

Needle felted hearts

2010-01-30T22:52:00.004-08:00

I pulled my needle felting kit out last week after I saw these lovelies over at Lil Fish Studios and I've been making these teeny tiny hearts every since! I'm addicted and can't stop making them! I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet ... probably put them in a little bowl and admire their cuteness! Jacob took one look at them and said "I want them Mommy". He then proceeded to take them out of the bowl, line them up and count them. Then he grouped them according to colour and counted them again. And again. And again.

The perfect Christmas Tree

2010-01-18T12:37:00.004-08:00

2 years ago we decided that it would be fun to go out to a Christmas tree farm, select a tree and cut it down. Last year, J. was too little to really get what was going on but we still had fun. This year he knew exactly what was happening! We wandered around the tree farm looking at all the different trees with the plan of selecting a nice basic (read cheap) Douglas Fir. J. had a blast running up and down the rows of trees, pointing out the funny looking trees and playing hide-n-seek. At one point he stopped beside a beautiful tree, looked at it closely and said, "How 'bout dis one?". We agreed, it was a lovely tree ... possibly a perfect tree! We cut it down, walked it back to the entrance, discovered it was a Fraser Fir (not cheap) and stuffed (literally) it in the hatch of the car. All the way home, J. would look back at his tree and say with a huge smile on his face, "Mommy, I picked the perfect tree!" Truer words have never been spoken!

One of my reasons for keeping this blog is to record those events in our lives that at the time don't seem that important but I want to be able to remember. Things like J.'s funny stories, a nature walk, a fun craft afternoon or a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa.

Christmas Craft Round-Up

2010-01-03T18:59:00.004-08:00

Santa success!

2009-12-13T14:41:00.005-08:00

The first year we took Jacob to visit Santa was a great success! Our 6 month old bouncing baby boy laughed and giggled and happily sat on Santa's knee! The next year ... not so much. He was not interested and as you can see from the photo below, not happy! This year I was expecting much the same as last year. We've been talking about Santa and had visited him in his village at the mall a few times, but I was still pretty sure that when it came down to photo time he was going to bolt! But much to my surprise, he calmly walked up to Santa, took his hand and walked with him to the chair. He then proceeded to happily chat and answer questions while having his photo taken! My handsome grown-up boy!

2007

2008

2009

Wanna do some art!

2009-11-15T15:13:00.002-08:00

Most weekday afternoons I try to sit down with Jacob to do an art project! Sometimes it's as simple as putting stickers on paper or colouring, but every so often we find a great project that looks great and is easy for him to do! I subscribe to Kids Craft Weekly (if you have kids so should you) and about a month ago we made their paper bag owl project!

Nature walk

2009-11-12T23:36:00.006-08:00

Where we live is surrounded by forest and there a little patches of forest and park scattered around the neighbourhood. One such patch has a large duck pond that we have visited once or twice. I don't know the name of the park ... we call it the duck pond!

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Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T22:23:00.001-07:00

More pics to come!

Jacob's many faces

2009-10-30T14:40:00.001-07:00

Performance anxiety

2009-07-22T23:16:00.003-07:00

Last week we spent the morning at Lynn Canyon park with some buddies. The plan was to play in the forest for a little while then head into the Ecology Centre for storytime. (I know, I know ... it's a glamorous life we lead!). They boys (and a couple girls) were having so much fun picking up sticks and examining pine cones and picking huckleberries that we decided to skip story time and head across the suspension bridge for an adventure! So off we went ... 6 adults and 6 toddlers ... on a wobbly bridge suspended 166 feet above the river. Smart right? Well, by the time we got to the bridge we were down one toddler. Her mother decided that crossing the bridge was not something that she needed to do. Jacob insisted on being carried across the bridge, until we had crossed and come back. Then he decided that he wanted to walk across ... by himself! I think he suffers from performance anxiety. If there are other kids on the slide ... he can't go down. Other kids in the pool? No thanks. Other people on the bridge? Can't do it! Empty bridge? Let's go!

Berry goodness!

2009-07-09T16:03:00.006-07:00

Summer time in BC is berry time and every year I plan to buy berries and make jam and every year I end up missing the boat. Well, not this year! This year we made a day of it and went to Westham Island with some friends. We spent the morning at the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary and then had lunch at Emma Lea Farms where we bought strawberries (that taste like strawberries) and tayberries (a tasty cross between a raspberry and a blackberry) and even managed to entertain the boys long enough to pick a small crate of raspberries! It was a wonderful day of sunshine, ducks, berries, tractors, wagons and strawberry milkshakes! And, the best part ... now we have jam! Lots of jam! I can't wait for more raspberries and the blackberries!

More pictures

These flats of yumminess made ...

... this jar of yumminess (plus about 30 more!).

Happiness is ...

2009-07-04T14:35:00.001-07:00

... a paddling pool in the back yard on a hot sunny day!

Cousins are for ...

2009-07-02T19:41:00.008-07:00

... jumping on and reading stories and snuggling and squishing! My nephews, and Jacob's cousins, stayed with us for a few days. It was so nice to see the boys playing together and the older boys taking care of Jacob.

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

The best $2.50 I spend each week

2009-06-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, Jacob and I go to an open play group that's operated by our local rec centre. They have small scale gym equipment, ride-on cars and trikes and puzzles. Cara, the organizer, even makes her own playdough and does story-time. Jacob loves it can't wait to get to "Cara's place"! And once there, we're usually the last to leave. I'm able to sit back and watch him play with other kids and interact with other adults. I love watching him when he's trying to figure out how to do something and the look of pride when he has accomplished it is priceless. I especially love when he looks to show me what he's learned! He's so proud!

Sad face

2009-06-25T21:26:00.005-07:00

I have a new camera! You probably can't tell, but I'm doing a happy dance! A very happy dance! I splurged (well sort of ... it wasn't my money) and bought the new Canon Rebel T1I. I love, love, love it! This was one of the first images that I captured ... do you think he's done having his photo taken? I can't help it ... he's such a gorgeous subject!

More pictures with my happy new camera!

Fun with the fishes!

2009-06-22T19:14:00.006-07:00

This past weekend we visited one of our favourite spots in the city ... the Vancouver Aquarium! The aquarium is one of the reasons I worked so hard to earn the Tourism Passport ... free access to the fishes! Jacob loves it there and we saw the newest addition ... the baby beluga! It was amazing to see 3 generations of a beluga whale family all swimming together. We also enjoyed what seemed like a private dolphin show! We had the good fortune to be walking by while they were doing some training. So much fun!

2 years old

2009-06-14T22:29:00.007-07:00

My baby boy turned two years old today! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were coaxing him to crawl and now we're watching him climb in the playground!

4 days old

Do not let ...

2009-06-10T22:06:00.002-07:00

your toddler carry the pizza box from the door to the kitchen! I'm not sure what possessed me to let J. pick up the fresh pizza box except that I like to encourage him to help. Well, he helped alright! Helped our pizza slide out of the box and onto the carpet ... cheese side down! Poor little guy ... he was devastated and started to sob! Bad mommy.

Hello Daddy

2009-05-28T23:06:00.004-07:00

J. and I enjoyed a very nice afternoon recently drawing on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. At the moment he would prefer to direct my drawings and chooses what I should draw and where I should draw it! This particular chalk session included the ABC's, a yellow duck, dog, horse, cow, a brown bear and a sign to welcome Daddy home!

Eagles and Wolves and Bears ... oh my!

2009-05-23T22:48:00.011-07:00

Stamp #10 was earned with a trip up Grouse Mountain. The big attraction for this journey was the 2 resident grizzly bears. Both orphaned, the bears live (and hibernate) on Grouse in a refuge that was built for them. J. loved the "brown bears" and decided that instead of carrots they should eat hot dogs! We're looking forward to more visits with the "hot-dog eating brown bears" throughout the summer! Grouse is also home to 3 timberwolves who as far as we can tell do a lot of sleeping!

Tourism Challenge - Stamps 7, 8 and 9

2009-05-18T00:18:00.011-07:00

This morning we headed downtown to visit 3 more tourism challenge participants. We took a ride up a glass elevator at the Lookout! at Harbour Centre, wandered around the tranquil Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden and enjoyed the spectacular art at the Bill Reid Gallery.

The garden was the highlight for J! There are resident turtles and huge koi fish which J. delighted in searching for! We visited both the admission garden and the free garden which is right next door. Both are beautiful and filled with sculptural stone and amazing trees and shrubs.

More photos

The Tourism Challenge - Stamp 6

2009-05-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the Burnaby Village Museum. A replica village of a 1920's tram stop community, the Burnaby Village Museum is a step back in time! We walked around the grounds, visited a print shop, went to school and watched the blacksmith do his demonstration where J. was the proud recipient of a brand new hook!

Daddy's Shoes

2009-05-14T23:35:00.002-07:00

His face says it all! Daddy's shoes are fun, fun, fun!

You can't help but smile!!

2009-05-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday fun! Stamp #1

2009-05-07T16:02:00.005-07:00

Last weekend we spent a wonderful morning at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. While J. didn't want to walk across the bridge (too bouncy), he was more than happy to run around the park and walk on the Treetops Adventure (really high ... but not bouncy). The weather was perfect and we had lots of fun looking at trees, birds and the river.

More pics

Our new neighbour!

2009-05-02T19:09:00.006-07:00

This morning we heard a strange noise coming from the backyard and looked out to see Woody the Woodpecker intently pecking at a dead tree stump! The strength of his beak is remarkable ... and the pile of wood chips at the base of the tree is very impressive! I hope he comes back.

The Tourism Challenge

2009-05-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

One of the perk's of my job in tourism is the annual Tourism Challenge. Every April & May, tourism attractions and hotels open their doors to employees of the tourism industry for free. Each attraction invites employees in to tour their facility, answer a "skill-testing' question(s) and in exchange you receive a stamp in your passport. Earn 15 stamps and you earn a free annual pass for 2 adults to all the challenge participants. A worthwhile endeavour? Definitely! Every year we run around and collect our stamps, but this year we've slowed down a little bit and are choosing attractions that we either haven't seen before or that we think J. might enjoy! We have until May 31 to complete our task!

The snow melted ...

2009-04-24T14:46:00.005-07:00

... a few weeks ago. The fact that it's worth noting is something, as we live in a city that doesn't get snow. That being said ... the last few years we've been getting just enough snow for it to be fun for a couple of days and then it melts. Except this year. This year we had snow on our lawn for 3 straight months. Every time we thought that the snow was finished ... it would snow again! Let's just say that after 2 months of snow we were done. Now that we are full swing into Spring (fingers crossed) the reality of the snow on a west coast garden is coming into full light. At last count we had lost 3 hebes, half a miniature maple tree, half an azalea, half of a huge tree in the front, a clematis, a big bush (don't know what it is), 3 massive shrubs under our front window (don't know what they are either), an awesome yew (I call it the Dr. Seuss tree) and our lawn is flat and brown. It needs a lot of work. Oh and did I mention that I don't really like to garden? I like the idea of gardening, and I like to read gardening magazines and websites I just don't have much follow through. This year will be different. J's 2nd birthday is in less than 8 weeks and we want to have the party in the yard ... wish me luck!

Spring time in Vancouver

2009-04-19T09:00:00.003-07:00

Finally!

2008-10-31T22:08:00.009-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-14T22:59:00.006-07:00

Over the past few days Jacob's vocabulary has really started to explode! We still don't know what he's saying half the time, but he sure talks a lot! Up until now his words included dog, duck and mum mum. He has recently added mama, dada, down, up, cat (dat) and our personal favourite ... mana mana! In addition to talking he is able to sign a few things to help him communicate. He has mastered he signs for more, all done, stars, book, bath, toothbrush and ball. It's amazing to me that this little creature can communicate so effectively with so few words.

There are more videos at www.vimeo.com/maireaine

2008-09-21T21:42:00.004-07:00

I made the grave error of introducing Jacob to the Muppets on YouTube! Now we can't even walk near the computer without him running towards it like a crazy man pointing and laughing. In the morning after he wakes up and we come downstairs, he heads for the office! We've created a monster!

His current favourite clip:

2008-09-11T20:00:00.004-07:00

Wow ... I've been very delinquent in posting to the blog. My apologies! It's amazing how busy I have been while on maternity leave ... which, sadly is coming to an end on Monday. I've already delayed and then delayed again as I was supposed to return to work the first week of July. I've loved my time off with Jacob. I can't think of a better person to get to hang out with every day.

I've uploaded some new videos ... which you can find HERE. And here's a peek at one of them ...

2008-05-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

2008-05-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T08:59:00.001-07:00

Here we are outside Delaney's practicing our walking! Jacob can walk using objects for support for hours it seems!

2008-03-11T16:56:00.001-07:00

Kicking the highchair on Vimeo.

When Jacob is happy and enjoying himself in the highchair he kicks the tray! He has been known to kick with enough force to send the sippy cup flying!

2008-03-06T10:30:00.001-08:00

Here comes the bus!

One of Jacob's favourite activities is watching the bus go by the front of the house! He also enjoys watching cars, but his face lights up when the bus goes by!

New photos have been uploaded

2008-02-14T09:45:00.004-08:00

Jacob "Crawling"

Jacob Crawling on Vimeo.

Jacob has recently started to "crawl". It is his own interpretation of crawling and he's really very speedy when motivated! His favourite destinations are under the piano and in beside toilets!! Unfortunately he has a tendency to get stuck and it has reinforced the need to be extra vigilant when cleaning the bathroom!! He always makes the grunting noise ... it must propel him forward!!

2008-01-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

7 months old!

Already Jacob is 7 months old! This past week he cut two teeth and started to "crawl" by dragging himself along the ground pushing with his feet. He hasn't quite figured out yet that if you lift your belly off the ground you'll move a whole lot faster!

New photos have been uploaded

2007-12-15T10:08:00.001-08:00

All bundled up!

2007-12-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

First visit with Santa

I wonder what he asked for!?

2007-10-17T16:26:00.001-07:00

New photos ....

2007-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's Mark. We think that there's a pretty close resemblance.

Me: Except maybe for the unusually large forehead.
Mark: It's for all the brains.
Me: Of course!

2007-09-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last week Jacob officially doubled his birth weight and it's all head and drool!!

Everyday he's doing something new, it's really quite remarkable! Smiles are commonplace, though some have to work for them harder than others. Mark has a hard time getting a consistent smile while Helen just has to coo at him and his face almost cracks with the size of the smile!! Flirt! He's holding his head up when he's on his tummy, though he also spends a lot of time doing face plants! And he has discovered his hands. Apparently they are these remarkable things on the ends of his arms and he'll spend long periods of time staring at them or stuffing them in his mouth! We've also discovered that he loves to have his feet rubbed and will actually fall asleep mid massage.

New photos here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/maireaine/sets/72157601283777115/

and here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/maireaine/sets/72157601818652774/

2007-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Jacob is already 2 months old ... actually he's almost 9 weeks old! Where has the time gone? When we brought him home from the hospital he was such a small, skinny creature. All he did was sleep and eat, and we weren't sure that we were ever going to sleep again. Just 2 short months later he weighs in at 12 lbs, and still eats and sleeps alot, but has added crying, screaming, smiling and looking around to his repertoire! He is trying with all his might to hold his head up, and takes advantage of every opportunity to "stand". His favourite thing to look at is the mobile in his crib! It has 4 creatures on arms that move up and down. He loves it and would watch it for ages! I think that he believes that they are his first friends as he smiles and talks to them in his baby babble. On Tuesdays we look forward to going to the public health drop-in where Jacob is starting to focus on the other babies and often reacts to a smiling face. Up to this week he was the youngest baby there (and I was the oldest mom), but on Tuesday there were a couple of 7 week olds and one 12 day old! I'm still the oldest mom!

We are finally getting more sleep as he is starting to settle into, dare I say it, something of a routine! He sleeps for 4 or 5 hours from the time we put him down and then only wakes a couple of times to eat. I never thought that I would think that 4 hours of consecutive sleep was a luxury!

I hope the next 2 months don't go as fast as these past ones!

2007-08-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

... but they don't fall down!

A weekend full of fun! We went to the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver, walked the Sea Wall, did some shopping and went to Stanley Park! Jacob is starting to prefer to be out of the stroller and facing forward to look around. Unfortunately he can't yet control his neck so he tends to wobble ... like a weeble!

2007-07-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of days Jacob has started to smile! There is some debate as to whether these are genuine smiles or simply a reaction to gas! The smiles are hard to catch so many of the photos are blurry! We're also truly amazed at his ability to go from hysterical screaming to being dead asleep within 30 seconds. It's almost as if he has narcolepsy.

The last few nights have been wonderful, he's been sleeping in his bassinet and only wakes when he's hungry (3 1/2 hours last night).

New photos have been uploaded to Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/maireaine/

2007-07-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

He's official and he even has a social insurance number!! We can send him out to work!

2007-07-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

The incredible growing baby now weighs in at a whopping 10 lbs! We're going to have to stop feeding this kid! That's a pound a week. If I was gaining weight that fast I'd ... well let's just say that drastic action would be required! We went to the community health drop-in clinic to have him weighed and to meet some other new mothers in the neighbourhood. Jacob was the best looking baby there ... naturally!

When do we stop applauding every time he belches or farts? I'm envisioning us with a 10 year old who lets one rip and then looks around for someone to say "good job"!! Hmmm ... sounds suspiciously like a young man I know named Simon!!!

2007-07-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had a quick visit to the doctor this morning and Jacob is weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs - .9 oz!! Needless to say ... he is not lacking for food! You can see the weight on him ... double chin, roly poly legs! It's amazing how much he's changed in the last 4 weeks.

It's quite hot here, so we've been spending most of our day hanging out in just a diaper ... well, Jacob's in a diaper ... everyone else is wearing clothes! He's beginning to sleep a little longer at night. He still won't stay in the bassinet or chair for very long, but at least we're both sleeping. We did have a small victory this morning ... 20 minutes asleep in the bassinet.

We're starting to see what we think is the beginning of a smile. We're pretty sure that it's gas, but will take what we can get!

A rare photo of the 3 cousins together!

2007-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesdays, the public health nurses in our region hold drop-in clinics for new moms who want to have their babies weighed, listen to an educational seminar and eat cookies! We dropped in yesterday to have him weighed ... I didn't know about the cookies, we'll do that next week! He weighs a whopping 8 lbs 1-1/2 oz ... which means that he's gained 2 lbs since he was born (6lb 7oz at birth, then dropped to 6lb 1oz). I guess he's getting enough to eat!!

To commemorate the occasion he peed all over the scale, the paperwork and grandma!

2007-07-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Jacob is almost 3 weeks old and is starting to settle into a bit of a routine. And when I say routine, I mean ... asleep during the day and awake during the night! Actually that's not entirely true ... he'll sleep at night, as long as he's all cuddled up on my chest. The lovely, expensive, bassinet, is being used to hold blankets and diapers, and the wonderful new vibrating chair is being used during the day!

Grandma French is in town, so we've been enjoying ourselves on outings around town! Lunch at Edgemont Village, a visit to the office (where he was oohed & cooed over by the girls), brunch at the Golf Course and a stroll to the corner cafe for ice cream! Today we're going to a public health drop-in clinic to see how much weight this guzzle guts boy has put on!!

Yesterday, my mom and sister picked up a CuddlyWrap at a shop on Commercial Drive. Upon first glance it looks like you need an engineering degree to put this thing on (not far from the truth), but with the assistance of the instructional DVD, Jacob is now snuggled into this contraption and snoring his little heart out!!

http://www.peapodcreations.ca/

2007-07-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this very cool new flickr feature!!

2007-06-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

11 days old!

So tired!

Stylin' hair after bath time!

Jacob is 11 days old today and eats and sleeps like a champ! Well ... most of the time. It seems that the whole sleeping at night thing is a little over-rated! At birth he weighed 6 lb 7 oz, and the last time we weighed him he was at 6 lb 14 oz. I'm sure by now that he's easily over 7 lbs.

Grandma & Grandpa Bell and the Bell aunties have all been over for visits and their cuddle time ... which Jacob really enjoys! And Auntie Jeanne risked her life and flew to Vancouver with Grandpa French just for a quick look at him before having to jump back in the plane and head back for Kelowna. The things these aunties will do to spend time with such a little guy!?

Well ... while he's sleeping, I should be sleeping, so I'm off for a nap!

More photos

2007-06-21T06:57:00.001-07:00

Announcing the arrival of ... Jacob Mark!

After a couple of false starts, Jacob was born on Thursday, June 14 at 3:36 pm. 8 days early, he weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz. Everyone is healthy, happy and sleep deprived! Well we're all sleep deprived, except Jacob! He sleeps like a champion ... just not in his bassinet!

Pictures can be found here ... and I'll post more details very, very soon!

2007-05-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

... and counting!

The baby's due date is June 22 and we've decided that we should probably get ready! Part of the reason for that is a friend of mine, who was due at the same time as me, just had her baby 7 weeks early! So, needless to say, I'm thinking that I should pack a bag or something!

The nursery is painted in this colour by Benjamin Moore

We will be picking up a crib from a friend this evening and hopefully within the next couple of weeks, we'll have the room finished!

Now that all of the guest room items are out of the nursery, we have come to the conclusion that we have too much stuff! We're moving the guest room bed into my sewing room and everything else is going into our crawl space! Next room to paint is the sewing / guest room.

2007-02-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

I've been derelict in posting a couple of completed projects!

Baby Kimono.

From the Mason Dixon "Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono" pattern. Knit in Patons Grace (mercerized cotton). The colour is a little girly, so if we have a boy I might give it to someone else. The kimono, not the baby!

Larger picture here.

Tea Cozy.

When we were little, my mom had a tea cozy (from Ireland I think) that was made to look like a thatched cottage. It was in pretty bad shape and no longer being used, so I pinched it and created a new one for her for Christmas. I used an old sweater, a pair of worn-out linen cargo pants and some left over upholstery fabric! I think it turned out pretty nice!

2007-01-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Soft trees made from left-over upholstery fabric. Made using the pattern from http://littlebirds.typepad.com.

Photo here.

2007-01-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2006-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Exploding paint commercial.

2006-10-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

Just back from a week long vacation in NYC! I went with 7 girlfriends to celebrate one of our 40th birthdays ... not mine though, I'm not there yet! We stayed at 51st & Lexington in mid-Manhattan and had a great time! There was lots of shopping and sightseeing and fabulous dining. We even managed to get tickets to see a sold-out Saturday matinee of Wicked!

More photos here

2006-10-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! The Canadian Thanksgiving was yesterday and we converged on Kelowna to celebrate with family. For the first time ever we had four generations of our family sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner. My Great Uncle Don, my dad & his brothers, me & my sisters, and my nephews! We spanned 83 years! This weekend also spawned a French Family tradition ... apple juicing. My uncle has been making his own apple juice for years, but the last couple of years the whole family has got into the act. And as reward for our labour, we get pure unpasteurized apple juice to enjoy for the whole year (if we're stingy with our share)! The juice tastes truly amazing! Pictures of the apple juicing process!

We also went to a great pumpkin patch!

2006-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Taekwondo, actually! This is Shamus and he's a white belt in Taekwondo! This is where he will further develop his innate superhero fighting powers!

2006-10-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today was the 28th Annual Vancouver Christmas Toy Run, and the first time that we participated! We met in Coquitlam at 10 am and proceeded to ride with thousands of other riders to the PNE! I have never seen so much black leather in my life! Toys are collected by the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. A great cause and lots of fun!

Click here for more photos!