Today is Brandons last day of vacation.
It has been a nice 3 weeks.
BUT I think Brandons patience with the kids has run dry. He will never be a stay at home dad LOL.
Thats ok I can handle it. I have all the patience in the world.
The last few days he has been at langley airport. He is doing what he needs to, to get his teaching license back for flying.
Yes, on his spare time he will teach flying again.
The owner of the langley flying school has already pre-hired him ($23 a hour to boot!)
Its a win win situation. He gets to fly for free and make $. :)
I think it will make him happy.
And he will need it. He will be on his own with the kids a lot more when I am in school.
Having flying to do as a hobby hopefully will keep him sane.....

I am a little sore today. I went to Mairas survivor bootcamp class yesterday.
Wow, I think I have been working my butt of at the gym, then I do this.
It kicked my butt all over again! hehe
I am really doing well. I think I finally am on the right track for me.
I have lost weight, and inches. I love that something is finally working! hehe
I am hoping by July I can be where I want to be. And for sure by September. I want to look and feel good for my brothers wedding.
it is a sexy black bridesmaid dress, so I want to feel great in it!

No plans for the week as of now.
School just keeps getting closer and closer.
I am reading my anatomy book now. Trying to brush up on my knowledge.

Well better go!
Brandon will be leaving soon to go flying.
Andrea

Surgery

Yup, I am going to see a plastic surgeon who specializes in hands at the surrey hospital on Feb 20th.
I also have some pain relievers to help until then. My left wrist is the bad one.
I am not sure what the surgery involves, and I am not sure if I will be able to have both done right now because of starting school.
We will see.

Had a date night last night. We went to dinner at earls then went to see The Good Shepard. I thought that movie was terrible. I was so bored and did not follow at all. waste!

Today we went to a play date at my friend Jens house. She has a 4 yr old, Ava, home with her. Arianna and her play well.
the best part was they have pet turtles. Arianna loved them! I have some pictures of her holding them I will post later.
James was scared...as usual! hehe

No other big plans for the day. I am a little tired after waking up to our drunk neighbour screaming at 3 in the morning. I had a hard time falling back asleep.

off to put the kids to nap!

Yay things are settled.
I am very happy. I can now relax and wait for school to start!

We have been trying to get James to go on the potty. It is not going well.
He has no desire to do it, and has no control over when he pees.
I really dont think he is ready at all.
I am not going to push him. He will start when he is ready.
He has a nice potty waiting :)

I have been having problems with my wrists again.
I have had a cyst on one of them for a year now, and it doesnt really bother me.
Well, now I have one on the other side, the exact same place. And this one is a painful bugger. It throbs all the time and I cannot bend my hand back.
I am seeing my dr tomorrow.

Not much else planned for the week.
We pulled James out of swimming lessons as he was getting bored. He is not old enough for the next class...but can swim well enough to go in it.
He doenst like being with the baby class, as he can do all that is required. And doenst want to practice jumping in...when he can already swim under water.

I hope to get to the gym today.
And get to the post office (pictures I said I would send out)

Have a good day
Andrea

Things are Great!

I am happy to say we have found a great person to watch the kids while I am in school. We met up with Ashley and her 2 year old Paige yesterday at their home. They live only a couple blocks away.
James was a little shy at first, but in no time he was playing with the toys.
Arianna loved it as well. There is a lot of Dora stuff so she is in heaven!
Ashley is a young mom like me. I really liked her. Someone I could see myself being friends with!
They also have horses out at a farm. She said she would love to take the kids there when the weather is nicer. I guess there is always puppies being born.
I am horse Lover! I have always wanted to own my own so I could ride all the time. I hope she lets me :) hehe
So I will call her today and confirm.
I am so relaxed and happy now. I can be confident my kids will be well taken care of and will have a good time the couple days a week they will be with her. :)

I found out my favorite band is coming to town on March 3rd. Rascal Flatts!
AND I got tickets yesterday!!! AHHHH
I had a presale password and was able to get them before they go on sale to the public. I got good seats too!
YAY! I am soooo happy!

I also found out some friends (Hi Tracy!) will be coming from beaumont to visit the end of march. We will really miss them, so it will be nice to see them. I will be in school, and the first weekend both brandon and I will be away (him to his moms wedding, and Arianna and I are going to a vancouver hotel for the weekend) but we will see them when we can.

I signed Arianna up for the CHAMPS conference at the westin bayshore hotel in Vancouver. this hotel is high class! lol It is soooo nice and right on the water. How could we say no to a free weekend?! James will stay with my parents.
The champs seminar is for kids with limb differences. (Arianna has no fingers on her left hand). we have not been to one in 2 years. So it will be great for her. She can she other special kids. And I will get a chance to talk to them about possible things for her to use. They pay for any prosthetics we may need. They may have something she could use while playing some sports. As she gets older, it may come in handy.
Every year there is so many more advances in technology, that by the time she is a teenager you never know what they will have.
So I am looking forward to that weekend with her :)

Arianna has gone to cooking class and swimming lessons with daddy today.
James and I are going to hit a kidswap today. (used baby sale)
Its a big one that runs once a month. I just go to see if there is any good deals!

No other big plans for the weekend. The kids and I are at the tail end of colds. I just can seem to shake the bit of sore in my throat :(

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Andrea

Cross your fingers!

I am planning on meeting up with a day care provider soon!
Her name is Ashley, she lives 1 block from us, has a 2 year old daughter.
She is very flexible with the days.
I needed that, because of brandons schedule.
They will be going to her around 2 days a week and staying here with my best friend Kelly the other days where Brandon is not around. Things hopefully will work out!!
She lives in a large townhouse, with a small yard. But they have an amenities center with a movie theatre room and kids playroom. Also a park near by.
So if all checks out when I meet her, and if her references check out then I think I will hire her.
She is just so close and convenient. She had 2 other boys but they moved away.
Her prices are great. If they were to go to a larger day care center it would have been around $1400 a month or more. Yikes.
They will still be in YMCA programs on the weekends also to play and socialize with more kids their age.
Brandon said there was a mom with a girl Ariannas age talking to him at the cooking class. So I hope we can find Arianna a little friend.
This has been the most stressful part of going back to school.
I am happy they wont be in daycare full time, and that Brandon is going to be spending more one on one time with them. It will be great.
So once the deal has be sealed I will let you know LOL.

Andrea

Babies

You know what I just realized... I will not be trying to have another baby before the summer of 2008.
That means Arianna will be almost 5 and James will be almost 4. So by the time the baby comes (if we are still super fertile) they will be almost another year older. Sigh.
They most likely will both be in some kind of school. wow.

I guess it will be nice to just have one little one at home.
But that is a large age gap. More then I ever wanted.
I guess I better have 2 more close together so they dont get lonely ;)
I am not sure if Brandon will agree to that. But I want 4.

It makes me a little sad. I know I want more babies but I also know how badly I want to be a nurse. And this is the time to do that.
I am 26 now. Lots of time for more babies right?!?

I need more people around me to have babies so I can get my fix!

On another note, all my paper work is done for school!
Andrea

Sick

It started with James and now has passed on to me.
I am beat.
My throat is all scratchy and annoying.
James is coughing a lot, so we both didnt get a lot of sleep.

Arianna started her cooking class and her next level of swimming on the weekend. She loved it.
In cooking class they made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

James missed his swimming because of the snow. Hopefully he is better by Wednesday.

I have been working HARD at the gym. Been making sure to go at least 3 times a week. But now I am sick and cannot go.
My eating is great too.
I have lost some weight...but not from the place I wanted LOL.
My chest!
Well at least I can buy a bra not in the double letters LOL.

We are looking into planning our trip to Vegas in July. It will be a nice break from school :)

Well I am off to get my criminal record check once brandon gets home. Its my last thing to do for school.
then this week I will find the dayhome! lol

Andrea

SNOW!

Well storm number 14 dumped around 30 CM of snow over us. We had a BLAST yesterday playing in it. The temp was around -1, so perfect to stay outside!
I bought the kids a sled so I was pulling them around the lane. There was tons of kids out. It was great.
the snow was just coming down!
Brandon decided to duct tape the kids gloves on LOL
Otherwise they fall off and James is a little wimpy when it comes to that hehe. It worked like a charm. hehe
I have some great pics again, I will get off the camera soon.

Yesterday I went for my TB test. I got back to get it checked on friday. I have a docs appt today to get my clean bill of health. I need all this for school.
I hate having to go out and drive in this, but I need to get it done.

I am getting VERY nervous. I am happy I am doing it and all, its just going to be such an adjustment!
I think the hardest part is going to be finding a flexible dayhome for the kids that is close to here, and that they will like.... I got my list of places to call but havent attempted to call them. I guess I am waiting to get the testing done and all.

Well project one of the house is done. LOL
Brandon added extra shelving into all the closets! The kids each got 6 more (3 an each side). It has been great to clean it up and organize!

It is date night tonight. My brother is coming to watch the kids. He will only have them for an hour before they go to bed...but its good practice. :)
I think Brandon wants to go see the James bond movie, so we will do that.

Well I hope you are surviving the cold ! (those in BC and edmonton)
I have to say I am super happy to have this snow. AND the best part is it is going to stick around for a few days since the temp is going to stay well below 0!

Andrea

Go Canucks!

7 wins in a row! We have some real fans here :)

Holiday time starts today!
that is 3 weeks home as a family. It will be nice.
I am not sure how much relaxing brandon will be able to do before he goes crazy though.
I am willing to bet something around here will be done...
either some work in the almost completed basement( just cosmetic stuff) or some new furnishings in the house to make it prettier LOL

SO I will update when and if it happens......hehe

I went out to a friends party last night at her place. It was just a few girls. We ate and had some martinis. AND watched some of Jackass2. I have never watched this...
ok some was funny but most was just sick or too painful. why oh why would they do some of these things......

I got to talk to a dear friend from edmonton last night. I miss her so much and dont ever realize it until we actually get on the phone.
She has a new hobby....photography. And her pictures are just so stunning. I really cant wait until I see her again. I want her to capture us through her eyes.
SO if you live in edmonton let me know cause I can give you website. She takes preggo bellys, newborns, kids, families....and they are breathtaking!!!
GREAT job Tammy. I am very proud of you.

Well I better run. I am sure there was more I was going to say...but I am blanking now! lol
I have some pics to put up...will later.

Andrea

No I am not Nesting ; )

I have been going crazy cleaning and organizing my house this week. I took down all the christmas stuff.
So along with that I decided to declutter and rearrange.
I just did the kids rooms today.
James has his LARGE geotrax room set up. I have drawn the train on the wall above it. After nap today I am going to get it painted. I will take a pic when it is done.

Ariannas room is little people world crossed with princess. She has 6 sets in her room LOL including 2 castles. I got her some storage bins and cleaned it up a little. Once day I would like to get her a captains bed so she can have a table underneath it for toys. But for now this will do. I may just get a simple drawing on her wall and paint it. Her large mural is half way done on the board downstairs. there is no way I will get it done for a very long time. And I want her to have something better then just the princess peel n stick decal things. (good ol dollarama)

My house is so clean it looks kinda bare LOL
We need to decorate better and get some nice art. Have to keep my eyes open.

I am on day 2 of my "diet" ya ya, new years resolution. Mostly I need to up my intake of water. I am terrible at drinking it.
So I bought one of those 8 glass jugs from walmart (2.2 litres) and am going to get it done daily. I am peeing ALL day. I hate that part.
I think drinking just the water will help!
I also increased my bran/fiber.
No bad foods so far.
It was hard letting the kids eat McD's while I had an all bran bar! haha
I have many reasons to want to lose they last pounds. I want to be a hot mama in my bridesmaids dress sept. 1.
Vegas in July.

I know being is school will be GREAT. I can take my water with me. And cant be tempted to snack.

Anyways, I hope I can stay on track.

I love my new Kitchenaid! I have made banana bread once and brownies. I have bananas ready to go today again. Brandons loves it, and now that its so easy to do...how can I not?

It is almost holiday time for brandon! He wil be off for close to 3 weeks. It will be nice. Hopefully he is able to handle all the relaxing!

Well I better get to the bathrooms while James is napping and Arianna is having quiet time in her room.
Pat is coming for dinner. Yummy BBQ chicken with Tony Roma BBQ sauce. cant wait!

Andrea

Potty Training

James has a fear of the toilet. And we do not have a potty.
Arianna didnt like the potty. She would only go using a potty seat on the toilet, so we have 2 of those!
James has yet to go pee. He gets scared and says he is all done!

SOOOo I ordered this for him today. It will be here in a couple weeks and then we will get started. I am hoping to have him on his way (if not done) by the end of Feb. It would be one less this to worry about while in school.

I think he will like this! lol
And it will get good use...future kiddies.
Wish us luck.

Happy New Year!

All the best in 2007 !
We had a nice new years. Stayed home and had a friend and her boyfriend over. We ordered pizza and played Cranium. It was sooo much fun!
Highlights were: brandon doing a sylvester stallone impression, the guys doing tai chi, simons lack of animal drawing (couldnt even draw a bunny!). melissa acting out an escalator, and me humming whats love got to do with it.

I love this game and cant wait to play again!!! I have some pictures...LOL will post those when I get a chance!!!
Of course I am oh so tired today.

We are heading over to my parents for the day. Mike is leaving to go back home to calgary tonight. boo hoo. It was so nice to have him here. the kids love him!
we will all miss him. I hope he moves back home again soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful new years!
Talk to you soon
Andrea