aaahhhh...

All's right in my world. Why? Because my MIL is healthy enough to take my kids this week! Whoop Whoop!!! No, really, I'm so glad she's feeling better for HER sake and hoping/praying the doctor actually figures out what exactly is going on.

But the bonus to her feeling better, is of course, date night is back on this week! Booyah! to that.

I had a little getaway this weekend for a day and a half and a night. Went up to Edmonton w/ a girlfriend and met another girlfriend who lives there as well. We stayed at the WEM (West Edmonton Mall) and it was dreamy, delightful, relaxing, refreshing...just plain fun. Who wouldn't enjoy a weekend away without kids and with girlfriends? Loved it...love those girls. Forgot my camera though, so that stinks.

I shopped a fair amount and didn't do too badly at all. I bought a few books at Scott's Parable Christian book store in Red Deer. That was nice - to browse around a bookstore without a time limit! Bought a few items at Sephora. Mascara and eye shadow.

Then I bought this lovely jacket at Lululemon. Yes, expensive. But considering I've worn the same Lululemon jacket for 7 years now, and it still looks pretty darn good, I feel it was entirely justifiable.

And I bought this. Another jacket-y type item. I love it. Almost makes me wish for coldish weather so I can wear it! And...get this...its water repellant! Crazy huh?

Anyshways...it was a grand time had by all. I feel pretty darn blessed to have such wonderful friends and a husband that doesn't mind if I go away for a day or two for girl time.

re-designed...

So my friend called me out on the header "Sweet Mother of Pearl" saying it was HER signature phrase! Fair enough (I know she was kidding!)...it was hers for sure, but I adopted it as my own. And i do say it an awful lot around here especially when I'm frustrated w/ my chillun. But I wasn't married to it by any means.

So when I lay in bed last night..thinking...you know, at 2 am, after Max woke up and called me into his room for a snuggle...what would I name my blog that would capture me and my life and the stuff I will document on here? It felt awfully challenging to come up with something creative and somewhat original that captured ME. So after mulling around a few ideas, I came up with "i heart..." As in "I heart yellow." Or I heart ice cream. And to me, it fits me and my blog perfectly. Yes, I know I've renamed it a thousand times it seems, but this one, I really LOVE. Because on my blog I document the stuff I love - clothes, interiors, my kids, thoughts, etc. Get it? The stuff...i heart...!!!!

I so clever.

Here are the kids i heart...

See that? He's climbing up the wall by himself...this year, at the park, I can actually bring a book and they ALL play by themselves (for the most part). It is pretty delightful!

This is before we got her hair chopped off later that day. Will post that later. Looks super cute on her.

Isn't she pretty? I think she's one gorgeous girl.

3

-he is 3 years old and one month.

-he doesn't play with toys. instead he wanders around the house and picks up random objects. Like keys. Or loose change. Or a flash light. Keys are one of his favorite things. He's really good at losing them too...especially if they are important ones.

-he is so stinkin' cute I can't believe it. Seriously. Each day I look at him and wonder how he possibly got cuter than the day before.

-he loves to snuggle in bed with me. he's usually up by 5:30 - 6:30 am and falls back asleep in bed with me for at least another hour. i have to be facing him, he will NOT let me turn my back. he also has to be either touching my face or holding onto one of my ears. super cute? yes. easy to fall back asleep when he's doing that? nope.

-he appears to be growing even though he isn't a great eater. he's pretty good with the snacks but not so much with the meals. no, wait, not true. good with breakfast and lunch, usually. but not so good with dinner. i don't sweat it.

-he is still in a crib. yes, he's three. my husbands co-workers bug him about this be/c all their kids who are three, are in a bed. we're getting closer.but he's not trying to climb OUT at this point, so really, why rush it?

-he has the cutest way of talking. EV-ER. he drops the first part of the word in a lot of cases. the neighbors dog, Ramone, is "Mone". pretending is "tending", Rapunzel is "Punzel". I. love. it.

-he loves to be outside. lately, with all the rain, he is fascinated by worms. he has the cutest way of jumping on the trampoline - totally straight legged, which is hilarious to watch.

-he has far too big of a sweet tooth. we've finally gotten to the point where he isn't asking for gum at 7 am. or a "polly-pop". its taken time and a lot of tears, but its getting better.



-he LOVES his sisters. loves playing with them. but also loves to tease them. he's definitely learning how to be a pesky little brother.

-he dresses himself quite often. in fact he is very opinionated about his clothing. he wears his clothes (including underwear) backwards on a regular basis.

-he is LOVED beyond belief. we are crazy about this kid.

I'm alive.

I seriously thought I'd be a big time blogger this year. For realz. I even got totally inspired a few weeks ago (again) when I looked thru my friends blog books. I thought "Yes! Start blogging again! Then get it all printed out so that at the end of that year you have recorded all of your thoughts, experiences, day to day life, etc.! That would be fabulous! That will be a great memento to have!" And since then...I haven't blogged once. I haven't even thought about it. Whatevs.

I find I get all nervous on here. Like I need to write differently, more funny, more interesting, more like other people. The funny girl that I am just doesn't translate onto the blog. I think I'd prefer it if NO ONE read my blog. Cuz then I wouldn't edit myself and I'd just write whatever was on my mind - random stuff that occurs in my head thru the day. So if YOU are reading this...stop it. Now. Just kidding. I'm actually just going to warn you that this isn't for you, to entertain you or make you laugh. Or to even show you pics of my cute kids. I might not even mention them on here at all. This is MY blog. And I'm taking it back! (Not that anyone told me I had to write or blog for others...it was my own stupid thinking)

Random stuff...
1. I am really looking forward to Oprah being over. There I said it. Why? Because her last few shows have been nothing but other people (and herself a bit) glorifying her. And that bugs me. You went to school be/c of Oprah? You started your dream job be/c of Oprah? Your life changed be/c of Oprah? Seriously. Yes, she's done a lot of good. But lets not leave God (THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE I MIGHT ADD) out of the equation.

2. My in-laws are out of town. Which means my kids are NOT having their weekly sleep-over at their house tonight. And my Mum is back in Anacortes. And that also means that my hubs and I are NOT having date night tonight. Lame. I had a reservation for this restaurant...NOtaBLE. Had to cancel it. I love our weekly date night! It has done wonders for our marriage. We are not only enjoying new restaurants (we take turns surprising each other each week with a different, and possibly new restaurant) we have to spend time chatting. Which is great. Be/c at home we rarely spend time together (too pooped after the kids are in bed) and if we get take-out we often sack out in front of the TV and don't talk. So going out, although expensive, is super good for us. So, my point being, that I greatly appreciate both my MIL and my Mum. Like more than they know.


3. I'm reading a GREAT book. I didn't think I'd love it that much, but I am really enjoying it. So much so that I sat at the kitchen table for 2 hours this morning reading while the kids played. It is called everyone is beautiful. It's about a SAHM and there are quite a few laugh out loud moments that pretty much every mom can relate to. Not sure what I'll read next, but I hope to read a lot this summer. I LOVE to read. Like it makes me so ridiculously happy. I remember when I fell hard for reading. It wasn't until Grade 9 when my mom lent me a Danielle Steel book. We were cycling thru Germany and France when I was 14 and I probably didn't bring a book so I read hers. After that I loved to read. Once I had kids I didn't read a whole lot and then finally, as they got a bit older, I had a bit more time to read again. I hope I don't ever forget how much I love to read. And I hope my kids love to read for pleasure one day too. So far so good with Gabrielle.

4. We will probably get Maxy-Max into his big boy bed soon. We have the bed, all we need is the mattress. I am hoping it goes well...hoping he doesn't come into our room too often (at all) in the middle of the night. He often wakes up in the middle of the night...as though he were having bad dreams or night terrors. One of us goes in there at least once a night and then he's typically in our bed by 5:30 am. I am going to try the big boy bed and then after that, maybe, just maybe have him and Lily share a room. Maybe if he sees his sister lying in her bed asleep he won't be freaked out? He doesn't wake up in the wee hours at Grandma's or Grammy's. I wonder if its because he shares a room with one of his sisters?

5. I went through all three kids drawers and closets today and removed all the small stuff from their wardrobes. It always amazes me a)how many clothes my kids have and b)how big they are getting. It feels so good to purge all those clothes!

6. That said however, I basically chased my tail all day. What do I mean? It means even though I was in purging/organizing mode...my kids had other plans. While I tidied and sorted their rooms, they were busy making messes in every other room. Greg always asks me "Will we ever catch our tails?" And the answer is always NO. Not with small kids. Not for at least another 15 years.


7. I want some of these boots. But I'm not entirely sure I can justify spending $125 US on them. All the girls in New York were wearing them. I love them. They'd sure come in handy with all the rain we've been having.

8. I got my hairs cut last week. Even though I've been wanting to grow it out, the hairdresser was forced to cut a good chunk of it off be/c of all the dead ends. I just can't seem to get it past a certain point without it getting so dry. So the length is kind of between a shorter bob and long. What I just discovered today is that it is called a "demi bob" and it is the hot new length. See?





So now that I see this hair on these cute girls, I may keep it and just try to figure out how exactly to style it so I look that cute. Because I'm not loving this length or style yet but hoping it is just growing pains of getting a new cut and it will take a bit of time to learn how to style it. Because what I'm really tempted to do is cut it shorter. Like hers...


Chelsea Kane's hair on DWTS. Super cute hey? Loving it. Might be fun for summer? Or like this? (love the highlights on the blonde too BTW)





For now I'll work w/ what I've got...and attempt the waving or curling the HD showed me with the flat iron. And then if I just don't love it, I'll chop it like Chelsea's. If only I could achieve her washboard abs too!



Did you see those last night? Seriously. To.Die.For. When I see abs like that I so desperately want them. But yet...I'm so not willing to give up wine, chocolate, sweets, etc. to get them. Wish I were. Maybe one day? Not tonight anyhow! After the kids are in bed, I'm going to read my book, have a glass of wine and yes, there maybe be chocolate involved.

Embrace the Camera

me and miss lily going for dinner in Mexico...sigh. Wish I were there.


Me and Miss G.

How could i not post this one? Such a handsome little dude even with his cheezy smile!
Will attempt to post more later on the Mexico trip...did I mention I wish I were still there?

iRun...

Well, I used to. See?







I really want to start up again. I am debating setting a goal. A pretty BIG goal that I never thought I'd even consider.

This...

Yes, that is right....a half marathon. 13.1 miles or 21.08 kilometers. Yikes! The reason it is still up for debate is because it scares the CRAP out of me. But I thought, maybe if its sweetened w/ a vacay at Disney, it wouldn't be so bad. You know, thoughts of having a fun family getaway at Epcot after would be a great incentive too.

Mostly the incentive is to get out there and run again. Be active. Feel good. Trim down. Eat better. I like the way I looked when I was running! I want to feel trim and fit again instead of dumpy and fat. I have gained only 4.5 pounds since fall but I can REALLY feel it. It feels gross in case you're wondering. I need a motivator, an incentive, a goal. I was running last year and I actually LOVED it. When I did this 10K (above) I quit nearly right after, because at the time I didn't really enjoy running. Also I had insane pain shooting from my ankle to my hip. (Shoes?) But this last time, just barely a year ago, I was enjoying it. I felt good...I think I might have actually experienced a "runner's high" at one point.

So, I will contemplate training for a half marathon, either somewhere near by or at Disney. There are also other shorter runs I should likely consider before hand...or maybe start back at a Learn to Run program??

For now, I need to get over this cold and take the first run towards that goal.

On a side note...I see that I have followers on this blog. Including TWO whole people I don't even know!!! So my apologies for being insanely boring of late and never updating this here blog. I clearly will NOT be hitting my goal of blogging every day this year (that goal was set after watching the movie Julie & Julia...which inspired me for about 2.7 seconds to try to blog every day. She makes it look so easy!). Work is at an all time high for me (which is good seeing as I'm self-employed) but it is leaving zero energy for anything else. Trust me. My house is proof. It's disgusting. I will attempt to update more frequently. But cannot promise anything!

Goodness ME!!!!!

Three weeks!? Which apparently means I am not capable of blogging every day this year. Crap. And oh well.

In a nutshell...WORK. Work up to my eyeballs. Cramming 5 days of work into 4. Work that wakes me up at 3 am and makes me anxious. Work that I am not overly enjoying. Work. A love hate relationship at this point.

However...soon...I will be here. In 4 1/2 short weeks we will surprise our children in the wee hours of the morning and take them to the airport to have a week in the sun together. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!! I get all giddy thinking about it and can't wait to tell our kids. We need this little holiday together so badly. It is so very important to have time away with your little fam...away from work, away from chores, away from school. Away.

This weekend we celebrated Miss G's birthday...the party part. A cooking class at Superstore - FAB.U.LOUS. They made their own dough from scratch, had a photo shoot in the studio, decorated chef's hats and their own 8" birthday cake to take home. It was grand. Then a bazillion (okay, 5) girlies slept over and they had a movie night and treats. They played, and played, and played. She loved it.



This here...



it is on her birthday wish list. Did I mention she's turning NINE...not EIGHTY-NINE? Seriously. She asked for his. She LOVES birds. I went to pick it up for her today and it is $26.95 and I thought "Uh-uh!" $10 maybe, but nearly $30 bucks? I will look for a less expensive old lady bird bible for her!

I got her these though...and she's going to freak! She's been bugging to wear mine nearly every day all winter. Can't wait to give them to her.