So the boys and I are here in Raymond having lots of fun with Grammie and Grandpa. Both of them have decided to throw out their old morning schedule and we have been getting up at 6:30 in the morning....sigh. I'm really not a morning person and this has been a little rough on me. I'm afraid that the first couple of mornings I was less than gracious for the first 10 or 15 minutes of sunlight meeting my eyes. However, seeing as we're all up anyways and Grammie and myself are both working on losing some unwanted pounds, we've been throwing the boys into the stroller and going for a fabulous 1 hour walk every morning this week. It's been a lot of fun - for us girls - the boys have been a little bored and a couple of mornings it was pretty chilly but they're troopers! Who would have ever guessed that I would have to put a toque on my kids in June! Oh yeah - anyone who's ever lived in southern Alberta and experienced wind!
Of course we don't just sit around for the rest of the day either. Every day we've had quite the extensive list of things to get done and so far we've accomplished all of them. We've played at the park with cousins (Colton, Daxon, Tyson and Bryson), gone to the library, gone to Taber, surprised Grandma Johnson, gone to Lethbridge twice, hit a park every day, had a picnic, read books, watered flowers, played soccer....and believe me the list goes on. It's been so much fun. I think I will always remember the night that Grammie and Grandpa turned their living room into a soccer field for Zane and Grandpa to have a soccer match (the wind was very cold)! Grammie, Rhett and I sat on one of the couches and cheered and laughed and had a good time.
So basically we're having a lot of fun and have lots more planned...hopefully we'll be able to get it all in! Sorry I have no new pics on this one - I can't upload them here! You'll have to wait for the next couple of posts!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Date Night!
It's official: Cliff and I have been out on a date two weekends in a row! Yep, I know. This kind of thing just doesn't happen in our world very often. It's not that we don't spend time together...it's just that we generally do all of our "going out" stuff with the kids and our "dates" consist of watching a movie or our favorite TV shows together with the kids tucked in bed. (And I kinda like it that way!) So what may you ask prompted two dates on two consecutive Fridays? Movies of course! Last week we went to Pirates 3 with Dave and Leslie and had soooo much fun. The movie theater itself was a little scary, ok a lot scary, but the company and movie and laughs we had made it all worth it. And tonight we saw Ocean's 13. If you're an Ocean's fan you'll like it. If you're not, you probably won't watch it anyways so it doesn't matter. And of course we have to give a huge thank you to Auntie Kizzy for coming to babysit our boys (and Auntie Jenna for being willing if we could ever get our schedules to collide!) We love and appreciate both of you so much!
A few posts ago I mentioned that we were counting sleeps until we went to Raymond....we still are but they have gotten considerably shorter. The new plan is for me and the boys to go home this Sunday (yep, 2 sleeps) and Cliff will follow on Friday. My dad is going to meet us in Calgary and we'll swap vehicles so Cliff isn't walking to work every day. (In case you're wondering it's a 15 minute drive up and down hills so walking would take a lot longer.) We're looking forward to being in Raymond and enjoying the sunshine - at least that's what the weather network is forecasting today.
Rhett has slept through the night almost every day this week....I say this as I'm knocking on wood. I know that there are lots of you moms who are blessed with children who start sleeping through the night as mere babes...my kids are not of that batch. You know when you look at parenting books or those info sheets that you get at the health unit and they give you the kids age and then say that at this age they should be sleeping blank amount of hours? And it's always a range, say from 12 to 16 hours a day. My kids have always been on the low end of that scale, if not under. Apparently they are afraid that they will miss something. However, Rhett seems to have mastered the one nap a day thing and is sleeping much better at night. Please, for my sanity, pray that it will continue! He has also finally cut one of his molars! My poor child has the roughest time with cutting teeth. Zane was hardly ever bothered by them so it's been kind of a sucker punch with Rhett and teething. We have also given up the soother. I say we because we both liked it. I should probably say it was hard and that we had a big strategy in place and all of that....but really I think he just out grew it. I'd noticed for a couple of weeks that he really didn't look for it but would suck on it if I offered it. Then he just started chucking it wherever he wanted and really didn't want it. So, I gathered them all up - yes there were multiples - and I threw them away. And that was that. I got a break on something!
Zane continues to love everything pirate. We went to the farmer's market in Innisfail with Leslie, the kids, and her mom, and I bought him some Usborne books about pirates. He loves them. One of them is kinda a "Where's Waldo" type thing where you have to find a pirate on every page and then there's all these different things for you to find as well. Supposedly there's 1001 things to find in all...and I think we're just over half way there. He's also decided that he likes being artistic again. For awhile he's shown no interest in all of his art stuff (and we have a lot!) but this week we made flowers out of egg cartons, a caterpillar out of egg cartons and he painted some great masterpieces. We've also been preparing for his first talk in primary. I asked the primary president what they wanted out of the Sunbeams and she said if all he wanted to do was get up there and say " I love Jesus" that was good with them. Basically it's just for the experience. So, I came up with the plan to read a story with him. It's this great board book that we got at the Cardston Book Store called "No Dinosaurs at Church" and is a story about a little boy with an active imagination and wrestling with being reverent in church. It's really quite cute and Zane's really familiar with it so it's been going great - so far. I'm hoping that having me involved in the story will take some of the pressure off of him when we get up there and he won't be as nervous. We'll see. And if I end up reading the whole story while he stands there with me....well that's ok to. I remember crying through my first talk sitting on my teacher's knee while mom read it at the pulpit.
I've been a real slacker at taking pictures lately - I keep meaning to bring my camera to the park with us...and then I forget. Rhett loves the swing and hates to get out and half the time I only know where Zane is because I can find his red hat!
Did I forget to mention that Grandpa Dooley got to visit us this week? We had lots of fun playing with Grandpa....and I've got the pics to prove it. Enjoy!
A few posts ago I mentioned that we were counting sleeps until we went to Raymond....we still are but they have gotten considerably shorter. The new plan is for me and the boys to go home this Sunday (yep, 2 sleeps) and Cliff will follow on Friday. My dad is going to meet us in Calgary and we'll swap vehicles so Cliff isn't walking to work every day. (In case you're wondering it's a 15 minute drive up and down hills so walking would take a lot longer.) We're looking forward to being in Raymond and enjoying the sunshine - at least that's what the weather network is forecasting today.
Rhett has slept through the night almost every day this week....I say this as I'm knocking on wood. I know that there are lots of you moms who are blessed with children who start sleeping through the night as mere babes...my kids are not of that batch. You know when you look at parenting books or those info sheets that you get at the health unit and they give you the kids age and then say that at this age they should be sleeping blank amount of hours? And it's always a range, say from 12 to 16 hours a day. My kids have always been on the low end of that scale, if not under. Apparently they are afraid that they will miss something. However, Rhett seems to have mastered the one nap a day thing and is sleeping much better at night. Please, for my sanity, pray that it will continue! He has also finally cut one of his molars! My poor child has the roughest time with cutting teeth. Zane was hardly ever bothered by them so it's been kind of a sucker punch with Rhett and teething. We have also given up the soother. I say we because we both liked it. I should probably say it was hard and that we had a big strategy in place and all of that....but really I think he just out grew it. I'd noticed for a couple of weeks that he really didn't look for it but would suck on it if I offered it. Then he just started chucking it wherever he wanted and really didn't want it. So, I gathered them all up - yes there were multiples - and I threw them away. And that was that. I got a break on something!
Zane continues to love everything pirate. We went to the farmer's market in Innisfail with Leslie, the kids, and her mom, and I bought him some Usborne books about pirates. He loves them. One of them is kinda a "Where's Waldo" type thing where you have to find a pirate on every page and then there's all these different things for you to find as well. Supposedly there's 1001 things to find in all...and I think we're just over half way there. He's also decided that he likes being artistic again. For awhile he's shown no interest in all of his art stuff (and we have a lot!) but this week we made flowers out of egg cartons, a caterpillar out of egg cartons and he painted some great masterpieces. We've also been preparing for his first talk in primary. I asked the primary president what they wanted out of the Sunbeams and she said if all he wanted to do was get up there and say " I love Jesus" that was good with them. Basically it's just for the experience. So, I came up with the plan to read a story with him. It's this great board book that we got at the Cardston Book Store called "No Dinosaurs at Church" and is a story about a little boy with an active imagination and wrestling with being reverent in church. It's really quite cute and Zane's really familiar with it so it's been going great - so far. I'm hoping that having me involved in the story will take some of the pressure off of him when we get up there and he won't be as nervous. We'll see. And if I end up reading the whole story while he stands there with me....well that's ok to. I remember crying through my first talk sitting on my teacher's knee while mom read it at the pulpit.
I've been a real slacker at taking pictures lately - I keep meaning to bring my camera to the park with us...and then I forget. Rhett loves the swing and hates to get out and half the time I only know where Zane is because I can find his red hat!
Did I forget to mention that Grandpa Dooley got to visit us this week? We had lots of fun playing with Grandpa....and I've got the pics to prove it. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Father's Day
Today is a special day because it is the day that we get to say Thanks to all the father's in our lives. I'm very lucky to have several in mine....
First of all my hubby, Cliff:
He is an awesome daddy! He loves his boys so much and does everything he can to make our lives great. I love to watch him play with Zane and Rhett and see how their relationships are developing. What more can a girl ask for than a wonderful husband who loves her and their kids and puts them first? 
Of course we both think the world of our dad as well....we had good teachers! We appreciate everything that they did, and of course continue to do.
My brain is churning with lots to say....but nothing that is coming to a good point when I type it. So, I guess what I'll say is HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dad's out there and thank them for the awesome job that they do!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Lots of Little Thoughts
So this past week was hard but good. I worked really hard on changing my eating habits and incorporating more activity into my day...and it paid off! I lost 6.2 lbs in a week! When the lady told me this morning I just about started to cry from happiness. There were a few times during the week that I thought it couldn't possibly be worth it and it would be better just to stay where I am...but now that I know the changes are actually making a difference it will make those moments eaiser to get through. Plus I have felt a lot better physically. I haven't had a headache in over a week - and that's really good for me, my energy level is a lot better, and my clothes fit a bit better!
Apparently here in Red Deer we have entered Monsoon season! It seems like it is raining every other day, if not every day. I'm itching to get out with the kids and my stroller today but I have to wait for the rain to stop. It's been thundering and lightning for over an hour now! Crazy weather. I might have to settle for dancing crazily to some fun music with the kids. Rhett is so funny - as soon as I head for the CD player his whole face just lights up and he poses there ready and waiting for the music to start. If it has a good beat he just starts bopping and popping his little body along. It's so cute. Really I need to plan it so that I have my video camera close on hand so I can get it on tape.
Last night I actually got to sleep through the night - something that hasn't happened in awhile. I couldn't believe that the clock said 6:53 when Zane came in and not some insane time like 2:34. It seems like the boys have been taking turns waking up in the night and of course that means I'm up too. Hopefully this will be the start of a long stretch of sleeping through the night. Is it too much to ask for?
We are currently counting sleeps until we go to Grammie and Grandpa Dooley's house for the July 1 weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing all our family and friends and Rhonda Steed is going to take pictures of our little family and our big family. I'm really excited. It's long past due as we don't have a picture on our wall with all four of us in it. Sad really, I know. I LOVE Rhonda's work so I know that they will look fabulous!
We are also enjoying Cliff's Father's day gift - Zane begs me every day to play Cars with him. We're actually both starting to get a lot better. It's fun to just spend time with him doing something that he likes to do. I couldn't ask for better kids then I have. Here's some pictures of the boys and Cliff hanging out together!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Timely Answers and Bling
One of my worst nightmares came true today - no I didn't lose a child - a little less drastic, but nonetheless it still really shook me. A random glance at my hand earlier today revealed to me a big hole in my wedding ring where my diamond usually resides. Yep - no diamond. It was an awful feeling! I immediately prayed and asked for help finding it, then got up and went back to where I had been a few minutes earlier - the garbage, throwing little crumbs and rocks away. After a quick glance I knew I'd never find anything in there and sat down on my entry way carpet to have a good cry. (Rhett was sitting in his chair having a snack and found this hilarious) I finally pulled myself together and put my hand on the floor to brace my ascent, and noticed that right next to my hand was my diamond! I profusely thanked my Heavenly Father for His help and quickly put both the ring and the diamond into a ziploc bag. We'll be sending it to our jewler in Lethbridge in the next couple of days to get fixed, and in the meantime we bought me a $10 replacement at Walmart. I'm going to put a picture up here because it's a lot of bling for me! I keep staring at my finger even though I know it's not real!
The rest of the day passed just fine. I got a softball glove that's pink and black (mostly black) and is apparently for a child but I like how it fits and handles and it's not like i"m going pro anyways. Cliff got his Father's day gift early - a new XBOX 360 and a couple of games. And we took the kids out for supper at AppleBees. Not bad - Rhett was a crank and didn't want much but his bottle. I can't figure out if he has a cold and is cutting molars or if it's just the molars - but he sure doesn't want much but a cold bottle in his mouth! Zane bought his first toy gun today with some of his money - a new stage that we've entered? It came with a sheriff's badge and a black mask for the bad guy and he's just dying to try it out. Cliff promised to play with him tomorrow after work but i"m sure my day is going to be filled with cops and robbers. Sigh - the things our second children get exposed to when they have older siblings. Zane wasn't even allowed to have a sword until this past halloween, let alone a gun.
Oh, and I have done really well today with my program - we went to a park that's about 30 mins away and I jogged almost half of it - couple mins walking and then 1 minute jogging. I'm quite surprised by how much I like jogging with the stroller. And eating went well - need to sit down and do some planning so prep doesn't take so long, but all in all a good day!
The rest of the day passed just fine. I got a softball glove that's pink and black (mostly black) and is apparently for a child but I like how it fits and handles and it's not like i"m going pro anyways. Cliff got his Father's day gift early - a new XBOX 360 and a couple of games. And we took the kids out for supper at AppleBees. Not bad - Rhett was a crank and didn't want much but his bottle. I can't figure out if he has a cold and is cutting molars or if it's just the molars - but he sure doesn't want much but a cold bottle in his mouth! Zane bought his first toy gun today with some of his money - a new stage that we've entered? It came with a sheriff's badge and a black mask for the bad guy and he's just dying to try it out. Cliff promised to play with him tomorrow after work but i"m sure my day is going to be filled with cops and robbers. Sigh - the things our second children get exposed to when they have older siblings. Zane wasn't even allowed to have a sword until this past halloween, let alone a gun.
Oh, and I have done really well today with my program - we went to a park that's about 30 mins away and I jogged almost half of it - couple mins walking and then 1 minute jogging. I'm quite surprised by how much I like jogging with the stroller. And eating went well - need to sit down and do some planning so prep doesn't take so long, but all in all a good day!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Nothing Tastes Better than Thin Feels!
For those of you who know me well you either know or can guess that I have not been successful in the battle of weight loss thus far. I LOVE food, and of course it's not the really good food for you that I usually reach for. That said, I took my first step forward today and renewed my battle - and yes, I do believe that it is a battle. I joined Weight Watchers today and I'm really glad that I did. I really feel that having the accountability and the knowledge they provide will help me to be successful this time.
Today included my first weigh in - scary but not as scary as I thought it was going to be, setting my first weight loss goal, and hearing my new favorite saying - Nothing tastes better than being thin! I chanted that to myself as I passed all my favorites with a hungry tummy at the grocery store and I did great!
I also have to pat myslef on the back tonight because I have exercised 4 times this week - very good for me!
Another first this week - I played softball last night - something that I haven't done since highschool! I really enjoyed it and now the team is short a girl so I'm going to play for the last couple of games and then continue on .
No pics today - I'll post some of me along the way as I lose my weight!
Today included my first weigh in - scary but not as scary as I thought it was going to be, setting my first weight loss goal, and hearing my new favorite saying - Nothing tastes better than being thin! I chanted that to myself as I passed all my favorites with a hungry tummy at the grocery store and I did great!
I also have to pat myslef on the back tonight because I have exercised 4 times this week - very good for me!
Another first this week - I played softball last night - something that I haven't done since highschool! I really enjoyed it and now the team is short a girl so I'm going to play for the last couple of games and then continue on .
No pics today - I'll post some of me along the way as I lose my weight!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
I'm a Mom!
This line was a little funny to me a couple of weeks ago when I was reading a blog from a parenting site. The woman's point was that with her first baby she always had the guilty thought of 'playing' the part of mommy but not actually fitting the concept and position. Now, almost a year after her second child she described a night that a lot of us have had - wrenched from a dead sleep by the sound of a child puking. What once would have thrown the whole night turned into what she describes as 'clean pajamas, sheets and pillows flowing from her arms and a kiss and reasurrance allowing her daughter to go right back to sleep. She started the laundry on the way back to bed and slept the rest of the night instead of staying awake listening for awful gagging noises.' She said it was at this time that she realized that she had actually acheived 'mom' status. And yes, I do have a point. Although I don't think I've ever felt like I was faking it, this story quickly came to mind in the middle of last night when we discovered that Rhett had a fairly high temperature. Instead of rushing to the hospital which would have been my first reaction a few years ago, I called Cliff, he gave Rhett a blessing, we gave him some tylenol, and after some cuddles I tucked him back in bed. I definitely felt like a seasoned mom as I crawled into bed and went back to sleep. His fever seems to have broken now and we're pretty sure he's just cutting molars.
I've had a lot of thoughts running through my head today - how quickly my kids are growing, how blessed we are to be where we are, and how much I miss being close to our families. Mostly though, I'm just happy to be with my family and to have my precious boys and husband. Some new pics of my boys - Zane was a little miffed that I didn't have any of just him so I made sure to take some today. What a kid!
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