my so-called charmed life

Mickey Mouse Please

I’m not great at remembering to sit down and record things the kids say/do that I think are cute, so I’m going to try to do this more often.

Here’s a few of my River faves: 

- says “Taho” for Tambo & “Naho” for Nacho

- says “oh man” when something doesn’t go his way

- he pretends to be different animals….cats are his favourite at the moment.  He will walk up to us and “meow” and cuddle…I love that he’s a cuddly kitty (oh, and he’s not just any cat…he’s usually a yellow kitty, or blue, and sometimes red).

- at bedtime, he pretends to be every animal he knows, so I have to say goodnight to them all….dog, cat, horse, elephant, cow, tweet tweet bird, monkey, chicken, frog

- he said “bye lady” to a lady as she got out of an elevator we were waiting to get on

- says“I died” in a cute playful voice, and laughs (not sure where this came from)

- When Indie asked him to say the magic word (meaning “please”) River said “Mickey Mouse”…this is now the magic word at our house (yes, my kids will still know “please”).

- He climbs ON the counter to eat any fresh baking Kassi or I do

There are many more cute things, but this is what comes to mind at the moment.  I hope I always remember how cute my kids were when they were little….they are seriously way.too.cute. for words.  

- AK 

Snakes!

Yikes.  

My neighbour yelled over the fence to me while I was hanging the laundry on the line this morning.  

He told me to put the dogs inside because there was a Coral Snake in his yard (our “fence” is big wire squares…different than chainlink, but it’s not a solid fence….and it’s covered in honeysuckle vines.  Perfect for privacy, and perfect for critters to hide in).  So, I threw the dogs inside, and kept the boys on the deck with me while I finished hanging the laundry.  

A few minutes later, my neighbour knocked at my door and informed me the snake was in my backyard…somewhere by the swingset. 

Coral snakes are bright and beautiful.  They are also very venomous.  

- the photo below is not my picture…it’s a photo from the internet, although my neighbour did get a picture with his phone

I know that they are a very shy snake, so this guy will try to avoid us the best he can.  Even if we ended up face to face with him, he’s going to try and get away as fast as possible.

My biggest concern is with the dogs.  They love to chase critters…squirrels, birds, lizards, frogs, butterfly’s, and I have a feeling they would chase snakes too.  And as much as they are a part of the family, they are still dogs, and I can’t sit down and explain to them that Coral Snakes are deadly, please don’t chase them. 

I think we’ll be doing leashed potty brakes for a few days.  

And the kids will only be out in the yard with D or me present…just incase.

Anyway, just the joys of living in Texas.  :)  

- AK 

Today I am actually thankful the Coral Snake escaped to my yard, as my neighbour was trying to kill him….now he’ll have a chance to live peacefully (hopefully somewhere other than my yard though).  

Torn

Indie’s favorite song of the moment is “We Are Young” by Fun.  It’s a catchy song.  Different from most songs on the radio.  

BUT when we’re at the playground and I hear Indie singing (very loudly) “My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State”, it makes me cringe and question what I let him listen to.  

He is obviously singing this very innocently…but I feel so torn.  Do I continue to let him listen to (and sing) this song (and really any song with lyrics that are not totally innocent)?  Or do I explain that the lyrics are not really appropriate for his age?  

But if I do explain that the lyrics are not appropriate, I really don’t want to have to explain why. 

Anyway, just my pondering of the day.  

- AK 

P.S.  I absolutely LOVE the fact that Indie is always singing…at home…in the car…at the park…whenever & wherever…he loves music and loves to sing. 

Oh, What a Day!

Today has been one of the most perfect days ever. 

I might say that a lot, but it really has. 

Once again, we started our morning off at the lake.  We made some new friends.  Played in the sand.  Collected shells. 

The kids jumped off the dock (Kassi was fully clothed and River was naked, as we weren’t planning on playing in the water). 

…and I’m pretty sure that this dragonfly gave me some good luck today…he landed on me and didn’t seem to want to leave.

I loved him. 

We did had one little negative incident when a German Shepard puppy jumped on River, knocked him to the ground, and kept jumping on him (this is the same dog that knocked him down in the water…he had JUST gotten over his fear of dogs from that incident).  

My poor little man.  He had scratches covering his little body.  

He’s fine, but is scared of dogs again.  

After our awesome morning at the lake, I put River for a nap and went grocery shopping all.by.myself.  It was awesome (although apparently I spent too much $$…but it was all healthy foods…like very healthy…can you really put a price on feeding your family good foods??  I guess so.). 

Kassi stayed home and made lunch for her & Indie (she’s becoming an awesome cook & baker).  

When I got home from groceries, D took Indie on a date to Chuck E Cheese, and Kassi, River and I stayed home and cooked. 

We roasted red peppers for a yummy Red Pepper Coulis.  Made Basil & Garlic Pita Chips.  And Collard Green Chips (like Kale chips).  And last buy not least, we made grandma’s yummy warm bean dip (which I didn’t take a picture of). 

It turned out to be a delicious dinner…eclectic & healthy.  

I think I’m addicted to trying new things…and the kids are loving it.  

- AK 

Tonight I am thankful for all the positive vibes around my house.  Encouraging words.  Helping each other.  Loving hugs & kisses.  Teaching.  Listening.  Dancing.  Singing.  Harmonica playing.  I love it all. 

Chuy’s

There is a constant line-up of cars and trains everywhere around my house.

….like on our tv stand

….and window cills.

…and many other interesting places.

It doesn’t matter how often they get cleaned up….they will be put right back in their “spots” around the house.  

And according to River, they are all at Chuy’s….maybe waiting for their dinner?  I love his little obsession with Chuy’s (I might have a little obsession with Chuy’s  too). 

- AK

Today, my sweet little ballerina had her dance recital.  

She did amazing, and loved being back on a big stage.

We all loved watching her, but it was so cute to see how much River loved it.  He was waving and saying “hi deedee” (very quietly) the whole time she was dancing.  

After the show was over, we got to greet our dancers on stage…Rivs jumped into Kassi’s arms for the biggest.hug.ever.  He so loves his sissy.  

I didn’t get any pictures at the recital, as we were not supposed to bring cameras…but we snapped a couple at home.  

Very proud of my baby girl today. 

- AK 

Today I am thankful that D found videos of Kassi from when we lived in St. Kitts…she had the cutest little accent that she could turn on and off….too.cute. 

Hot. Hot. Hot.

34 degrees celsius….at 6:30pm.  

I am now a sweaty mess throughout most of the day.

We’ve been spending our mornings at different parks / playgrounds close by.  This morning was one of most favorite adventures so far.

The kids and I started off at a park.  Walked the trails to the Musical park.  Played fun games with chalk rocks.  Walked more trails to small park.  Met new friends.  I loved on every dog I spied.  Kassi skateboarded (she’s really good).  The boys played pretend.  

I loved every minute.  

With the heat, I prefer to spend the afternoon indoors (eventually, I’ll be used to it and we will play outside).  Indie, Kassi and I played Rummy while River napped.  Then a trip to Costco for a few items.  

We ended the day with a nice dinner outside (as usual), a skype chat with family (it’s cute to see River interested in talking on there…he prefers talking on the ipad over the phone), and a musical performance by Indie.

I have the best.family.ever. 

- AK 

Tonight I am thankful that D put his work aside and joined us at the park yesterday…he gave the kids his time and full attention, and I know that meant the world to them 

Worth it?

The kids and I had 4 hours of driving to visit friends in Bryan, TX today (2 hours each way)

….and it was totally worth it.

Lots of fun was had by all.

The kids played so well together. 

Courtney and I got in a nice visit. 

The kids and I were spoiled with a delicious lunch & snacks.

And we managed to take tons of pictures (and Liza, if you’re reading, I will totally edit our pictures soon….I’m terrible, but I swear I will).  

Fantastic day, but happy to be home and I can’t wait to crawl into my bed tonight (I’m still a little tired from the San Antonio trip). 

- AK 

Tonight I am just so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life…I am truly so fortunate.  

I Got Your Back

We’re back from a beautiful weekend in San Antonio.  It was nice to stay downtown and not touch the car for over 2 days….I LOVED being able to walk everywhere.  

Tambo was a huge hit with everyone, from 90 year old ladies, to tough looking tattooed dudes, to homeless people. 

The kids explored the hotel (and I have a feeling they might have pressed a few too many elevator buttons).

The River Walk is always nice, as was the boat tour. 

And once again, 3 days without computer, phone or tv.

We also got to find out that Kassi has her bother’s back, when she was faced with a negative run-in with an adult authority figure.  D & I are so proud of our tough young lady. 

We missed Nacho…he stayed home, as he tends to get stressed in crowds and with loud noises. I’m so thankful we chose to leave him with our neighbours, as there was a dog staying a few rooms away from ours and it barked the whole time the owners were away from the room.  I know Nacho had a much better time getting to play with his buddies, Scruffy & Kyro.  

All in all, an awesome weekend.  

- AK 

Tonight I am thankful for Darryl…I might not show him enough, but he really is one amazing man that lives for his family (and maybe his bike too)….and I’m thankful for that! 

And We’re Off….Again!

Today we’ll be leaving to go to San Antonio for a few days.  Another short little getaway with no computer….should be fun! :) 

- AK 

OUCH!!

After I put River to bed tonight, I decided to take the big kids for a spin around the neighbourhood on our bikes.  

We were over half way through, and Indie took a big spill.

He was trying to be cool like his sister, and touch the leaves of a tree with his head…this caused him to not pay attention to what he was doing…his front tire rubbed a curb, he flipped and rolled and rolled and rolled.

I stay behind the kids when we’re biking, so I watched everything happen in slow motion.

I watched his bike land on him.

I watched his head hit the ground and bounce back up. 

I watched him roll, not able to stop himself.  

It felt like a year before I got to him.  

There was blood everywhere, and Indie was screaming…I yelled for Kassi to ride home and get Dad to pick us up.  

I noticed right away that he lost a tooth, and once he noticed, the crying stopped instantly….he was only concerned about searching for the missing tooth so he could put it under his pillow.  Kassi came back to join us in the search (we never did find it), and Indie ended up riding the rest of the way home.

It was actually a really good fall that looked worse than it was.  His helmet saved his head (which bounced off the road)…the tooth he lost was a baby one…his elbow got a nice scrape when he rolled…but his swim shorts protected his knees.  

All in all, Indie is just fine, and thankfully not scared to ride his bike again.  

And it just so happens that earlier today we got a package of Chinese Lanterns in the mail (we bought them through a groupon a long time ago), so we lit a couple up tonight. 

I’m not sure who liked them more….the kids, or D?  

I’ll admit, they were pretty cool…bigger than I was expecting, and they floated forever! 

I am now totally pooped…besides the bike ride & crash, we had a full day…we spent a rainy morning playing cards…the afternoon at the Children’s Museum…the early evening taking Kassi to dance, and I walked to Petsmart to get the dogs nails trimmed…and then of course the bike ride & lanterns. 

Time for bed! 

- AK 

Tonight I am thankful for the sweet old lady at the Children’s Museum that told me I looked 19 (even if she happened to have bad eyesight). 

The Help

…so today, Kassi made Indie breakfast, lunch, made the whole family supper & made black bottom cupcakes!!  She also did all the dishes.  

Who needs to hire help when you have a 13 year old to do all the work?  

- AK 

Tonight I am thankful to my family for putting up with a grumpy mama….

me + a bottle of wine = no fun for my family the next day