Day with Buppa

On Mondays and Fridays Smudge goes to daycare so we just have Jboy to contend with on those days. I go over to the kid's house with AC on those mornings to help with breakfast and to get Smudge ready for school, but once she is out the door, I usually head out too and go home to tend to laundry, beds, bathrooms and assorted dust bunnies hiding here there and everywhere. When housework is done I run errands, or meet my friends for coffee and a chat. AC manages Jboy alone just fine on those days, and I am a much happier camper being able to keep my own house in order while also helping the kid's with babysitting.

Here we have some shots of Jboy's day with Buppa. Breakfast is done and the boy is ready to hit the floor running.
He leads Buppa on a merry chase most days, but...
lots of happy memories are being made.
Here's looking at you Buppa!

BD Breakfast

OK, this is the last of the pics about BD celebrations. On the weekend we went out for a BD breakfast at a local restaurant. Smudge did not want to have her picture taken that morning. This was the best one of the whole lot. Such a scamp she is.
Jboy on the other hand didn't mind having the camera pointed at him at all. You can see Daddy and Smudge in the distance but Jboy is running full force toward the camera.

BD Presents 2010

After we had re-lit the candles numerous times so Smudge could blow them out over and over again, we feasted on cake and ice cream then opened presents. What fun!

You can't see it here, but Smudge had added her artistic touch to the card and her delightful artwork made the card very special.
I was given a huge bag with this little box peeking out the top of it. In the box was this card that had me puzzled at first and it had to be explained to me. I will get back to it in a minute.
Under all the tissue paper in the bag was another huge surprise...
...a jewel box that I had seen at Christmas, and loved, but didn't dare buy for myself. I mentioned it in passing to the Thesha, and wouldn't you know she went to the store and got it for me and tucked it away for my BD.
Smudge helped me open the box and I think she loved it too.
Inside the box we found a beautiful necklace and earring set with a story attached to it -
This beaded item was designed and made by an Ottawa street youth or volunteer at "Beadworks", a project of "Operation Go Home". OGH provides services to prevent street youth from becoming street adults.
What a beautiful and thoughtful gift.

Smudge thought the mirror in the lid of the box was pretty neat.
Jboy wasn't impressed at all.
The following two pictures were taken three days after the party, but they show another present I received. You can see the gift clearly as I explain the card that puzzled me earlier - a gift subscription to "O" magazine.

You can also see the gift clearly in this photo along with the jewel case. Can you guess what it is?
A gift certificate for a set of gel-nails! Oh Puff, won't you have fun decorating them?

Since we started babysitting my nails had taken a nosedive. They were all broken and ripped and so short they were sore. I couldn't seem to keep them out of harm's way and was bemoaning the fact to AC that I needed help. He took it upon himself to ask Thesha for help in finding a nail salon that I would like, and then he went and got a gift certificate for me for my BD. You gotta love that man! So, on Saturday, Thesha and I went and had our nails done. She got a set of acrylic nails and a French manicure and I got gel nails, finished off with a bright red polish job. Hopefully my own nails will have a break and be a bit stronger by the time the gel grows off. In the meantime I am lovin' the new look.

Birthday Party 2010

What a quiet but wonderful BD I enjoyed this year. The day started with the most wonderful gift of unexpected free time dropped into my lap just after the alarm went off. I rolled over and hit the snooze button for seven more minutes of slumber before placing my feet on the cold floor to race headlong into the rest of the day. I could feel AC stirring beside me and he gave me a hug and wished me a HB. Then he told me that Thesha was taking the day off, and therefore so was I! Yahoo!

I had the whole day stretching out before me to do with what I liked. I luxuriated in bed while AC got up and went to Tim's for coffee and breakfast sandwiches and brought them back home to me. How decadent is that? I puttered the morning away doing whatever my little ol' heart desired and then we went out for the afternoon. It was too cold and windy to do anything outdoors, so we headed into the big city for lunch and a visit to a couple of favorite stores - Chapters being one of them. I picked up a copy of Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser and once we got back home I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and sipping tea. What a treat.

Come supper time we headed out the door to the kid's place for a BD dinner. Jboy wasn't sure what was going on...
but Smudge was ready to party!
After dinner tbe girls Skyped in from Vancouver so we all gathered round the computer to visit with them. Puff was away working but she phoned while we were on Skype and shared HB wishes across the miles.
Smudge was more than ready to get these candles on the cake and start singing.
but had to wait a few more minutes while we chatted with the girls in Vancouver. She spent the time practising her deep breathing exercises to get ready for the big event.
Finally the candles were lit and Happy BD was sung.


We re-lit the candles a number of times so she could put her candle-blowing-out skills to good use and then we cut into the cake.
MMMMMM delicious!
More BD fun pics tomorrow. Stay tuned.

I loved it!

She's growing up.

How neat that she could sing Happy Birthday to me. Jboy was still silent, but I am sure he will join right in next year.

Kids in the hood

Oh the March winds were blowing fiercely at times this past week so we had to make sure hoods were firmly in place.

Jboy seems to have a hat off quicker than I can put it on, but doesn't mind a hood at all. Should be an interesting summer trying to keep sun hats on the munchkins!

Ready to burn rubber

Can't you just see him in about 15 years?
Can I have the keys to the car dad?

Sometimes!

Sometimes he does sit quietly and entertain himself. AC caught these precious few minutes of non-climbing calm the other day. Enjoy!

What fun he was having with his reflection in the window, a piece of paper and an old shoe.

Such a difference

As active as Smudge was when she was one, she never gave us the conniptions Jboy has been giving us these days. He is faster than lightening and is on top of everything and anything before we can register how he got from being right in front of us to over there taking a nose dive off the chair!!!!!
Smudge finds a creative spot to make some music...
While Jboy find a higher stool to climb on...
or table to sit on.
Oh dear, I can feel the gray hairs growing. I think I should ask my hairdresser to order my hair colour in in bulk!

Tired baby

Oh dear, poor little Smudge was not feeling at all well the other day. I put her down for a little nap and when I went in an hour later to check on her, she hadn't moved a muscle. She was one tired baby.
Mommy doesn't like her to sleep more than an hour during the day, so after an hour I opened her door and pulled up the blinds but she still didn't move. Buppa went in and took this picture and the flash didn't even cause her to stir. I didn't have the heart to give her a shake, so I puttered around in her room putting laundry away and eventually she woke up.

Amazing weather

I cannot believe how glorious the weather has been for the past week. It was too warm on the side deck for us to wear coats, and I had to hunt up sunscreen and sunhats for the kids. Amazing weather for March in this area, absolutely amazing.

I think snow is forecast for next week, but we won't worry about that now.

This sure helps...

We have been struggling to keep the tears at bay the past couple of days, and these two little rays of sunshine sure help brighten any dark day of the heart.

Ahhhh, keep those smiles coming guys. Amma and Buppa need a lot right now

Sad Day

Lots of tears were shed today as we said good bye to our beloved Rockster!

He always managed to find the sunniest spot for his naps and knew how to relax to the max.


He was also quite talented in his ability to make an old box look like the comfiest spot...
to catch some rays.

We're gonna miss you old guy.

From Raindrops

Indoor fun on a rainy day

It really was nice to be able to get outside and play in the sunshine every day last week, but the kids use their imaginations to turn the bed into a magic carpet and go for a merry ride on rainy days.
Lots of time is spent at the bedroom window checking out the swing set, or what is happening to Frosty the Snowman...
But then attention is turned inward again...
and the toys from the toy box get a workout.
Looks like sunshine and mild temps are called for all this week so the toys in the toy box will gather dust while we explore the great out doors. Fun, fun, fun!

Glorious Sunny Days

Yes, we have been treated to some glorious sunny days this past week, and the kids have been out to play on the deck every day. Here we see Smudge having a blast on the bike while Jboy checks out the contents of the play fridge. Actually, it's just like the real fridge- I can't open it without him showing up right behind me wanting to get his sticky little fingers into things.
Oh, oh, he sees the camera and toddles over to see what I am doing. Looks like he is ready for a fight doesn't it?
No, he just wants to play peek-a-boo with me.
What a pair of cuties.

I'm glad we got out in the sunshine every day this week because rain is called for ALL weekend. Sigh! Oh well, at least the rain will take a lot of the remaining snow away and freshen up the gardens a bit. Enjoy the weekend, and I will talk to you all again next week