Temptation

Oh man, it's hot and I don't feel like cooking, yet my kiddos do need to be fed. On days like this I wish I had
a little stash of money. When I went upstairs to decide what to make them for lunch I was faced with a fridge that looks like this. Mmmmmmm... Temptation. The mac & cheese I decided on was actually well recieved by the kiddos. Hooray for me!
The problem is that now I realllllly want an Arctic Circle shake. And pizza. For some reason the brownies don't look all that appealing to me. Crazy, I know.

This boy

Elijah made my day today.
With a horrid headache and the tail end of a head cold I didn't feel like doing much at all. Elijah decided to be my buddy and we cuddled and giggled and enjoyed a quiet day inside while my other kiddos had their own version of fun going on outside. (It involved water, bathing suits and a LOT of noise.)


Thanks Elijah, for being my sweet little teddy bear today.

I spy...

With my little eye...
These five things while sitting at my desk:

1. A bottle of Excedrin. The only thing that works on my headaches.
2. A half full glass of diet coke with lime. (It was on sale, and it's actually tasty.)
3. A cute little pair of green slippers that no longer fit Elijah.
4. My camera. It's battery-less at the moment. Sadness.
5. Kirsten and little Vern having a picnic outside my window. (They're still soaked from the slip 'n slide and not allowed to come in just yet.)

I need to head out for a walk. Have a great day!

Getting Wet

I can't think of anything more fun than getting wet on a hot summer day.

Q & A

Sophia had this questionnaire as a challenge on her blog. After a long walk on a hot day it was the perfect idea for an easy blog entry. Now if dinner were so easy...
1. FIRST NAME? April
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. And no, my birthday is not in April.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? A few days ago. A hurt feelings moment with Vern.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sure.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Shaved turkey. Mmmmmm...
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep. Four cute ones!
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure. The problem is I don't know that either of us would be making the first move. lol
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I don't write in it often enough, but yes.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I should probably say yes to this one.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No. That's a long story.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe. I used to really want to. I'm not sure I still have it in me.
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. I rarely wear shoes that lace up anyway.
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? In some ways I am. In others, not so much.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Hmmmm... Dreyers Swiss Orange sherbet is an all time favorite. It has yummy chocolate chips in it - so good.
15. SHOE SIZE? 7.5
16. RED OR PINK? Both. I've been on a pink binge lately though.
17. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I wish I wasn't so self conscious.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. I wish we lived closer together.
19. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Toronto, 1972
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Faded jeans & bare feet.
21. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Frosted shredded wheat for breakfast. I should probably eat again soon. The day has slipped by.
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? No Rain by Blind Melon just played. Insensitive by Jann Arden is starting as I type.
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? After my walk today, tan. Ha! (Fighting the urge to say PINK!)
24. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh bread, babies, pumpkin pie.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? My cute hubby.
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? Eyes/face. How they hold themselves.
27. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I was blanking (well, I was trying to think of something non-photography related) and asked my B. He says "cameras/photography, photoshop, scrapbooking, video games & farming." lol Not traditional farming. It has to do with said video games.
28. FAVORITE DRINK? Pepsi
29. FAVORITE SPORT? Swimming & volleyball.
30. HAIR COLOR? Brown. I used to be blonde, it got progressively darker with age.
31. EYE COLOR? Light brown/hazel
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, but I should. I have glasses that I never wear. Maybe I'd be better with contacts.
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Just one thing? Can I blanket it and say things involving melted cheese? Then it can include all of the Italian & Mexican foods I love, and even include perogies & poutine.
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy please!
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Saint. B put it on the other night.
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue.
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
38. HUGS OR KISSES? Lots of both.
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake or lemon merigue pie.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My mouse? The mouse pad is black.
42. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Rushing water, my kiddos' giggles & laughter, falling rain.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles.
44. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? San Fransisco.
45. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD THEY BE? My mom & my brother. It's been way too long since I last saw either of them.

In good company

These two kiddos are my walking companions. They make it even more fun to be out and walking. Elijah loves the stroller ride and Kirsten loves the one-on-one time to talk.


I'm so lucky to have such cute kiddos to keep me company. :)

Lost and Found

I'm so glad that I had a moment to spare today and decided to browse through my blog a bit. I stumbled across a comment that I missed in May. It was from my friend Denise.

Denise was my neighbor and one of my best friends growing up. Her mom was my second mom. I used to get on my knees as a teenager and knock on their door and ask for cookies. I went to Nova Scotia with Denise to visit some of her family there. Over the years there were sleepovers, dances - you name it. I was there when she met her husband, but that is not a pretty story. (I'm still so sorry about that night!) She is family. They are family.
I had lost track of them.
My mom still talks to her mom. My brother went to her brother's wedding. Last I had heard she was expecting a baby. It's been long enough that the baby could be a toddler by now. My mom has always been great about keeping me up to date when we talk. Sadly, it's been months since I last talked to my mom.

Anyhow, in May Denise commented on my blog and I almost missed it! I have no e-mail address or anything, but just in case she ever peeks here again I'm hoping she'll see this and we can change that. I want info! lol Oh, and thank you Robin for telling her about my blog. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to be in better contact with her again. That'd be so cool.

Oh man, I wish I had a working scanner. The pictures I have to go with this entry would be so much fun. Pictures of us as teenagers on a train to Nova Scotia, as little kids playing on a blanket in front of our houses, from swim meets, camping and Youth Center dances. Oh my. Good times.

Daddy's Day

I will do my best today to make sure that Vern has a fabulous day. Hopefully he'll feel loved and appreciated. He deserves it. He's an awesome daddy

I don't have a recent pic of my sweet hubby, but I will share a shot I took of my dad the last time he came to visit.
Happy Father's Day to dads everywhere.

Two steps behind.

Awww man. Know what I realized today? That I've been blogging for a year! I totally missed my anniversary on the 3rd. I'm so glad I had a reason to go back and check out that first month's entries (looking for the date of the first post.) It made me smile to see what I was writing about back then. I ended up reading the whole blog. Now that was fun! It would have been cool to have realized the anniversary on time, but that just isn't me.

I'm not fabulous when it comes to remembering and acting on things like that. I'm horrible at getting birthday cards in the mail. I think about people all of the time. I'll note that a bithday is coming up, then I miss it completely when it arrives and they don't hear from me. I had planned to do something for my nephew Tyler for his birthday (May 27th) and have to admit that I missed it. Again. Same goes for April 5th. Every year leading up to Vivian's birthday I think of her and how much I'd like to do something nice. Then I write about it on my blog a couple months later when I'm admitting that even though I have good intentions I tend to forget and miss things. It is not on purpose. I'm not sure why I tend to fall two steps behind, but that is where I tend to be. Something to work on.

Anyway, in the past year thousands of people have read my blog, with 1584 individuals & 5566 total hits since I put the counter in. (I forget when I added the counter - I'm thinking Winter? There's that memory again. It was January, I just checked. Yay - I was right!) Anywhere from 5-30 people peek per day. A handful of you have posted replies. I have made new friends and kept old ones up to date on the happenings of my life. I've shared lots of pictures (completely filling up a photobucket account along the way.) I've written about everything from mommyhood to American Idol & snorkeling puppies on toilet paper. Sometimes I didn't write much at all.

It's been fun. Imagine that. :)

So happy (belated) blogging anniversary to me.

Babies and a Father's Day Shoot

Four of Vern's five brothers are expecting babies in the next 9 months. The latest pregnancy announcement came from Ben & Wendy. So much fun!

Ben told Wendy that all he wanted for Father's Day was a picture of her and their daughter Abby. So Wendy, Abby & I had a quick little secret photo shoot in my front yard yesterday. (It was cut short by hail and an error 99.) They're so cute that all we needed was a few minutes anyway.

Happy Monday

As I struggled to get out of bed this morning (last night was a late night) I was greeted by sweet, smiling kiddos. Generally, my fresh-out-of-bed disposition is not all that sunny. Okay, so I'm a grump first thing in the morning. Anyhow, I've noticed that my family is capable of changing that rather quickly. Little Vern has this knack of being extra cute and cuddly right when I need him to be and I think he's been teaching Elijah his tricks. Even Vern was in a good mood after work today and made me smile. The poor man is on some heavy duty pain meds for his back - it might have cheered him up a little to be in less pain than usual. For his part though, he brought some cheer to my day too.

These were 5 of today's happy moments:
1. Elijah's was the first face I saw this morning, and he was smiling, cuddly and chattering away.
2. Little Vern was such a big helper today. I love how he does what he's asked without whining. I wish that all of my kiddos were like that.
3. Brandon took some pictures of me this weekend. Thanks B! Needed a new shot for on here. I love that B can work my big old camera for me. :) I have to admit that I hate how when I'm this tired it shows and makes me look like 50 years older. Ugh. Oh well, I'll use these shots until I have something new to work with. (Preferrably taken on a day when I'm not so tired. :p)
*pic removed-space issues on photobucket*
4. Kirsten fed Elijah lunch and played with him so that I could close my eyes and try to nap away a headache. It worked and I was grateful for the help.
5. Vern let me finish his ice cream tonight. (It was the only chocolate in the house.) Yummy! He was in a good (albeit loopy) mood, and when he's happy I'm happy.

I...

Saw this on Becky's blog and wanted to give it a whirl.

I AM: always stubborn, usually optimistic and never 100% sure of myself.

I WANT: a new camera. Actually two - one for me and one for Vern. And a few new lenses. And... and...

I HAVE: a good husband, beautiful kiddos and some chocolate ice cream in the freezer.

I WISH: that we could afford the dental and orthodontic work our kiddos need.

I HATE: phone calls from bill collectors.

I MISS: My family. Toronto. Jamaican patties.

I HEAR: Kirsten reading out loud. LV singing. Some birds.

I WONDER: how Nina and Lauren are doing on their trip to the Holy land (They were planning on being at the garden of Gethsemane today) how Kenyon is doing in England and if Elijah is asleep enough to put him down.

I REGRET: leaving Toronto without first making amends with my mom, visiting more family members and taking more pictures.

I AM NOT: a morning person.

I DANCE: with Kirsten, LV and Elijah.

I SING: all of the time. I make up songs and sing 'em to my kiddos. I sing along with almost anything that plays on the radio. I love to sing.

I CRY: at movies, when sad songs play, when other people cry, and when my feelings are hurt.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: patient.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: food for my family, photographs... Not as many things as I used to...

I WRITE: often. It's my favorite form of communication. I express myself much better in writing. If I could hand out notes to people I come in contact with and limit the need for speaking I would be much more comfortable.

I CONFUSE: easily. Ha!

I NEED: a vacation. It's been a long and stressful year.

I SHOULD: finish getting ready for church.

I START: to get overwhelmed and then I shut down. That's what my therapist says. I'm trying to get a handle on things so that I don't shut down so often. (Apparantly it isn't healthy to cease to funtion.) It starts with learning how to not let things overwhelm me. If you know me and the particulars of my life then you can say "HA!" along with me now... (Though I am trying. Wish me luck!)

I FINISH: this blog entry with a challenge to those who read it. Your turn to finish these sentences!

Hooray!

I have been without a computer for days. Oh man do I rely on this baby for so many things. Now I have a new video card and all is right in my little world again.
Hooray!

It's true.

I've always said that Elijah is beautiful. These days this is is constantly confirmed by strangers. Whenever I take him on my walks people stop and tell me what a beautiful baby boy he is. He's always smiling and happy. Such a sweetie.

Even covered in his toddler bonks and bruises he is a beautiful little guy.

This Boy

Only little Vern would learn how to play baseball with a lightsaber and a pingpong-like ball. He was walking around the house hitting it around. (And with great aim, I might add.) So, we got him playing (outside) with a bat and ball.
Yep, the boy is a natural.

Memory Lane

I love how passing thoughts or comments can snowball into trips down memory lane.
A conversation about high school, bass players and how skinny Vern used to be had me wanting to find an older pic of my hubby. With no working scanner, and nothing on my hard drive I decided to check my stuff in the old 2ps gallery.
Voila! I haven't posted anything there in years, but since I wasn't looking for recent it worked. The kids and I had fun looking at old layouts and pictures. What a blast! Man, my kiddos have grown. So have Vern & I, but not in the same way. Ha!
Anyway, I did find me some 10 year old pictures of Vern & I that show that Vern really did used to be too skinny for his own good. He's filled out in such a good way over the years.

I'm so glad I ended up looking through that old gallery. What a fun way to spend a part of my day. :)