The Secret Smile

Today, I met him. You know .... the naked neighbor. Remember him? I won't deny that I managed to exhale with happy thoughts in knowing that he doesn't exactly look like an ogre up close. From a distance at night on an overworked, exhausted mind? Totally different story ....

The funniest part? I managed to not to burst out laughing when he introduced me to his significant other ...... who happens to be 6 months pregnant with twins. Why? Well my warped sense of humour was just itching to come out with a comment about moonlight lovin.

Heaven and Angels

I have mentioned it before; I am not an overly religious person. I did not grow up with religious mentoring, instead my family choose to make Sundays a family day. It was a day where everything was put aside and we focused on our family for the entire day. I won't deny that I am curious about all of the types of religion that is out there, but I have never felt the pull to join a particular parish or congregation. I have a healthy respect for all religions and may one day pursue going further with it but just haven't found anything that I whole heartily feel inspired by yet. My husband grew up in a Catholic environment and while he still to some level believes, he does not have the desire to continue following that path at the moment. Nor does he wish for our children to be pushed into it but rather wait and let them decide if and when they are ready. There are those that don't understand our ambivalence regarding religion and instead choose to judge us on our actions. That is okay though for in the big picture, I don't want them in our lives then.

But, I feel that we are doing a tremendous job raising our children, teaching them about morals and to respect all that is around them. Respect those differences from others, learn to ask questions and then make their decision upon how to act. And no matter if they agree or not, regardless of outcome, that it doesn't make any one person right or wrong.

Today, about an hour ago, I happened upon this conversation occurring in our driveway with Kaelen and two of his friends. The three boys were riding their bikes in a big circle talking amongst one another:

Friend #1: When people die, they go to heaven.
Friend #2: Well God is dead too you know.
Friend #1: No he isn't. He rules heaven and he decides who goes to heaven.
Friend #2: No, God is dead just like everybody else who is in heaven.
Kaelen: Guys. You ever heard of angels?
Friend #2: Angels are just pretend.
Friend #1: No they aren't. They live in heaven too.
Kaelen: Guys. Angels are God's helpers. They help look over people in the good and bad times when God can't.
Friend #1: How do you know?
Kaelen: Because ..... well, I have to tell you something but I have to tell you quietly.
Friend #2: Okay, what is it?
Kaelen: Weeelllllll ..... I know this because Mommy's dad's heart like just stopped working when she was little. He's dead. But he loves me and takes care of me all of the time. He can see what I am doing and if I am sad or scared, he watches out for me.
Friend #1: Wow. Really? What does he do?
Kaelen: Yep. Well, Mommy's dad like helps me and makes sure that I am always okay. He just like makes me feel better. Plus, I am really lucky because I have even more angels cause Mommy lost some babies so I have a Grandpa and some brothers or sisters who love me and watch me everyday.
Friend #1: Wow. You are lucky. I don't think that I have any angels.
Friend #2: Me neither.
Kaelen: Yep you do. Everyone has angels and they will always love you.

After that I got busted for eavesdropping on this very enlightening conversation, so sadly it ended.

Little does Kaelen know that he is my angel. My precious, endearing, beautiful angel. I can't tell you how much I love him and how he constantly amazes me with his thoughtful logic.

Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

He is my miracle; a child that was meant to bless our lives,

A precious boy who defeated the odds and is healthy as healthy can be.

He has changed my life and filled my world with purpose and love;
His smile will light up a room and his laughter is so pure and infectious that you can't help but laugh along with him,
His sense of adventure is contagious; whether it is catching frogs,

Or butterflies,

Talking to chickens or capturing Mr. Nobody, the imaginary ghost.

And before you realize it, you are living those exciting moments with him.

He is sensitive, caring and very affectionate,

Always concerned and ensuring that all around him are included and happy.

He is driven to succeed in hockey, soccer and golf,

And any other sport that he is given an opportunity to try.

He is perfection and all that a Mom could ask for in a son.

In just over a month, he will be five and heading off to school.

How am I ever going to survive each day without having my little man, my best buddy by my side .........

Caving

I have finally done the unthinkable and jumped on board with all of the hype and have joined Facebook. Yep - I am thinking the same thing too. How on Earth am I going to manage that seeing as I can barely blog consistently. And am I on glue or something, but it seems to me that Facebook requires TOO MUCH ENERGY just to set up and figure it out.

So ..... send me an invite if you are on Facebook. I will be your friend. It just may take me a bit to respond as I figure out how to do it all.

Swinging The Club And A Frog

We have made it through the week and only have one more day to go with golf camp. It has been busy and truthfully, a little hard to manage two kids in golf camp, yet care for three young ones simultaneously. And, to answer Goofball's comment on my previous camp post: these are day camps that last only two hours in the morning and parent participation is at times required because the kids range from the age of 4 - 6. Soccer was relatively easy as the young ones could join in if necessary, however, that can not be the case when one is swinging a club. It is scary enough watching the participants swing their clubs and forgetting that their neighbor is too ......

Luckily though, Kaelen doesn't require a lot of effort because well .... he has inherited his Daddy's natural ability and has not only wowed the other parents with his club prowess, but that of his teacher. And, truth be told, has humbled this Mommy because at the tender age of 4, he is already better at playing golf than I will ever be. Seriously folks, Kaelen is impressive. And, if he continues to just go out, hit the ball and enjoy the game, then he could have a serious future ahead of him. I just hope that he maintains that innocent quality about playing sports where he is competitive in the sense of always trying to do his best, yet is okay if he doesn't win and keeps up his cheerful attitude while doing so.

One more day of camp to go and then we are on a three week hiatus. After that comes a learn to skate camp as he is adamant on playing hockey this fall and possibly another golf camp because he really wants to do it again.

So it begins .... the challenge of multi tasking an active family life. And they told me it started when kids hit the age of 8 ........

Did I forget to mention that we found a bazillion frogs at the golf course too? Yep ... we happen to have a couple of new pets too ....

Aren't they cute little stinkers? And, when I say bazillion I mean a bazillion! To the point where you have to watch where to you step or else you may find something a little squishy beneath your shoe. Unless of course you were like Masyn and you actually try to do that on purpose. Yes ... she is the serial frog killer that we managed to contain .... for a bit.

And this is perhaps the next Mike Weir. He has never had formal coaching as we feel that he is too young, so he is raw natural talent. Eventually he will be taught things like grip and stance, but that will come once he is old enough to focus on what is being shown to him.

Adventures With A Puddle

It poured out today, and at times it was akin to monsoon down pour. Those were the moments that were of immense fun as we took a few strolls around the neighborhood in search for the ultimate puddle. Though, one must make mental note to self that when you live at the top end of the subdivision, puddles are a little hard to come by. Now ... if I were to live say five blocks down the road from my house, now that would have made for some seriously wicked puddles to splash around in.

We managed to find a bit of a puddle that was collecting is someones driveway. We of course had to test out the splash factor. It only ranked a 5/10.

We also had to check out the storm drains to see where all of our puddle water was flowing to.

And of course there was the attempts to be beavers. Building a damn with thy feet doesn't work.

Flight of a Bumble Bee

One week ago today I thought that I was dying. Okay, well that is a slight embellishment but there were a few poignant points in that day that I was praying to just put me out of my misery. Seven days later and I am still not 100% however there has been a drastic improvement in my ability to consume food and not have it spew out of some orifice of my body. Although, I do have to say that it is a great way to shed a few inches and/or pounds if you like to torture yourself. And miraculously, I have managed to keep up with the yardwork, housework, part time job at the golf course, full time job with the daycare and provide relative quality care for my kids. Oh yes, I also made it through week one of soccer camp and am about to go onto week two: golf camp.

That in itself is enough to make me sick again when I think about all of the hassles it is to haul around the daycare kids and listen to them whine because they don't want to watch Kaelen (can you imagine?). I do however have a bit of respite because the older child in my daycare is also in the golf camp with the little man. So, that means I will only have to entertain three children out of one eye and watch the other two children perform and learn how to swing a golf club. Kaelen has the advantage though of already knowing how to play the game, swing the club and own a set of junior Pings. It pays to have a Daddy in the business. Oh ya, and the golf camp is providing a great opportunity to check out my hubby's competition within the area. This course just opened up on July 1st and word has it that while the view is breath taking, the course itself is too hard for the average, "normal" golfer.

Now ... onto the bumble bee. The weekend was hot. Too hot to hang out at our house so the kids and I took off to a provincial park both days located 10 minutes from town. While the beach could use a little work, the overall area is spectacular and perfect to camp or just spend the day hanging out on the lake. On Saturday I got bit by a horsefly. Damn those things hurt and swell like a bugger. Yesterday, Masyn's biggest fear came true: she got stung by a bee. Yep. Her fear of them was already borderline unhealthy, especially seeing what the horsefly bite did to my wrist and now it has just escalated to full blown phobia and instantaneous meltdown from the sight or sound of any flying insect. Thankfully sweet justice prevailed and that stupid bee died after the sting, or at least I am sure they do don't they? Today she is sporting a nice purple welt on the side of her face and is telling the world around who will listen that a bee bit her, followed by big crocodile tears that remain precariously perched upon the eyelashes and the quivering lower lip. And while she will do anything for attention, I am pretty sure that this isn't an act and that we are about to embark on a journey of fear for all that flies.

Hugging The Throne

Funny how I go on vacation and I end up blogging every day. Okay, it is sad really. Sad because I was busier on my vacation yet when I am at home, I tend to get distracted a little more and OCD about dirt, yards, chores etc that need to get done. I am not one of those people who can just sit down and kick back to relax. A long list of things that need to get done are constantly swirling around in my head and while a part of me knows that the world won't end if these things don't get done, the other part of me obsesses about it until it gets done.

This week was an especially difficult conversation going on in my head as I have been ill. And, when I say ill, I mean puking my guts out, achy joints, pooping machine kind of ill. I can honestly say that I can't remember being this sick in a very long time. It is day four now and I am still not able to eat much and am weaker than you can imagine due to a lack of sustenance in my system. And believe me, it is not from a lack of trying. My body just is not ready to except food at this point. Other than the eating issue, I am feeling quite fine. I rearranged the house yesterday, dusted the place, managed a few loads of laundry and have a long list of MUST GET DONES today as we have company coming tomorrow. Heavens forbid if we have guests in this house without the house being spotless - heck no - that would give me nightmares to last a lifetime.

Truthfully, I have never been this anal; it seems to get worse with age. I always thought that one was supposed to mellow with age but perhaps as usual, I will end up doing things backwards ... as always.

A Full Bag

The shopping expedition was successful and ideal. We managed to only hit two stores and blew the allotted amount of money within an hour. Sigh ... I love that kind of shopping. I am NOT a shopper and get easily bored. I detest purchasing clothing for myself and trying them on, well lets not even go there. Like many women out there, once I get into a change room, the circus mirror doubles my ass and makes it impossible to squeeze into those adorable little jeans or shorts that look so cute on the 20 something sales girl. However, we shopped at Old Navy and I was actually successful in purchasing 2 pairs of long capri pants and a pair of longer shorts. And the best part - I actually had to buy them in a size 10. Can I get a whoot whoot?

Once the shopping was done we hit the beach that I never made it to a few days before. There we spent the afternoon catching waves, flinging sand and fighting off an invasion of those pain in the ass Canada goose. Why they are protected is beyond my comprehension as they are worse than rodents, multiply just by looking at each other and are messier than my daycare kids. But then again, I am not a bird gal at all so rolling over and finding myself face to face with one wasn't at the top of my list of great experiences either.

Kaelen's idea of a stick for a draw bridge for the sandcastle that we were attempting to build.

The kids trying to catch a wave.

The diva fashionista who would not take off her hoodie because the wind would blow her hair around.

Kaelen chasing off our uninvited visitors.

This is the friendly goose who actually came onto our blanket between my sister and I and was about to start rooting in my hair when Kaelen excitedly got my sister's attention. She thought he was about to tell her a bug was on her and freaked out when she looked up only to see the large goose beside her head. It was then that she calmly ... okay ... in a panic voice told me to watch out. I will leave my reaction up to your imagination.

After the afternoon at the beach, we hit home for a shower and nap and then it was off to Red Robins for dinner and a ride on the Sea Bus for a little evening entertainment. We walked along the Pan Pacific waterfront for about an hour admiring the view of North Vancouver.

Our trip has come to an end and tomorrow we pack up the truck and begin our journey back to Cranbrook. We will be making a quick stop in Nelson to drop off Auntie Tee Tee at Nana's house as she is spending a week with my mom for a little vacation. Sigh .... it has been so much fun that we don't really want to go back ... except of course for Daddy.

Oh Canada!

I really couldn't ask for a better Canada Day really .... except for maybe my hubby to have joined us ... but then again, he would have never been able to keep up to us for the entire day. Sorry honey ...


The weather was hot, the laughs and smiles were plentiful and the company fabulous. We couldn't get our act together enough to make it for the pancake breakfast, but we did climb the equivalent of Mt. Everest to attend the parade. With 45 lbs of boy on my back I might add because the hills were too steep for him after 3 LONG CITY BLOCKS, so lucky Mommy the Mule packed him up the remainder 11 LONG CITY BLOCKS. Thank gosh Auntie Tee Tee took sympathy on me and pushed Masyn up the mountain in the stroller that I bought at Walmart for $10. I had to break down and buy a stroller during this trip because it was getting too much to be packing a kid on my back in the Ergo and holding the other in my arms as we have been on the go so much and the kids are getting physically exhausted. So is Mommy I might add but I keep telling myself that my ass is needing the work out.

The view halfway up the mountain climb to the parade. Remember folks, we are down at water level.

The Whittingham Family minus poor Daddy who is slaving away back at home to allow the three of us to go on trips like this. We love you honey!

Masyn cheering loudly and excitedly for the fire trucks and HOT firemen. And let me tell you, she has good taste ......

I digress (again). The parade was long; as in two hours long. It was enjoyable and we fried our butts off in the sun while clapping enthusiastically and loudly. After the parade, we scaled down the steep hills of Everest for a quick lunch, a nap for the munchkins and a beer for the big people. Shortly thereafter, we were off to the festivities at my favourite market where we ate birthday cupcakes, participated in games for cheap, tacky prizes, danced to music and walked around.

Masyn relaxing, soaking in the festivities at the market park area.

Kaelen winning a prize for answering an environment friendly question about how to save on power.

After the festivities were done, it was off to home for us where we proceeded to BBQ ourselves a fabulous steak dinner. And because we stuffed ourselves full and the day was still so nice, we went back to my favourite market for a walk along the docks to help us unwind for the day. Lots of exercise today (my ass is screaming so), lots of sun today, lots of pictures today but most of all, lots of giggles and smiles throughout the entire day.

The three of us on the dock with downtown Vancouver in the background.

Ahoy Mateys!

Peeping Tom #1 ....

Peeping Tom #2, highly encouraged by her Auntie Tee Tee

Tomorrow is sadly, our last full day in the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC. On the docket is: shopping in the morning, beaching in the afternoon and sailing on the sea bus for the evening. Sigh ... we are truly having so much fun, sore butts and all.