Saturday, June 16, 2012

A Few Fun Things

Hello again my neglected blog!

Next week Katriny is going to be here and we are heading on a grand adventure to the mountains. So before that has already happened, I need to update you on the last few months.

In the last 2 months and 2 days...

- I have continued to look after three super cute boys (& also sometimes, like today, the girls across the street). They are so fun! I really love hanging with them!
Mr Almost 8 can talk about animals, angry birds or lemmings (remember that game from the early 90s? yep I got them addicted) endlessly. Like literally endlessly.
It's been fun to watch him play baseball this season. His team made it to the grand final & came in as the silver medalists. Sport here seems pretty intense - for baseball he would usually have 2 practices and 2 games a week, sometimes more & in hockey season he even has 6am practices. Is that normal at a 7 year old level? I'm not a mum so maybe it is, just seems like a lot.

Mr 5 is getting ready for Kindy. He has 2 weeks left of pre-school and then starts Kindergarten in September. I'm so impressed with the preschool he goes to. The stuff he gets taught there is amazing! Preschool here is half-days & Kindergarten used to be too - this September will be the first time all BC schools have full-day kindy! It's interesting to see parents' reactions to that, when it's been normal at home for...well I don't know how long, longer than my life.
A few weeks ago E and I went on an adventure to the Vancouver Aquarium & Grouse Mountain for the day. It was so fun! I mean I went to the same places with my family and really enjoyed it, but when you have a five year old who is so excited to see frogs and fish and hagfish (look these up. they are grossssss!) that he can't stop bouncing, it makes the day feel like Christmas! I even surprised him with a trip on the Miniature train & lunch at Subway. Best. Nanny. Ever. ha not really. but it was so fun! 

Mr 2 is learning to use the potty. It's exciting times.
He is super smart. It amazes me the connections he makes between things! (Which of course I can't think of any off the top of my head... but just trust me) He has a crazy big vocabulary & so much energy. He is also super cute. If you ask him how old he is he will tell you he's 5. I'm pretty sure he thinks he's one of the big boys. He is learning to ride on one of those balance bikes. Sooo cute! He is pretty fast when he's focused. The problem with being two, though, is that life is never about the destination, but rather the journey. (not always a problem, unless you have a deadline, dinner to cook, 2 big brothers waiting or it's raining) Any flower, leaf, bug, sign, car, drain, um those metal box things that have cables in them, puppy, person, driveway, piece of garbage or other interesting thing must be stopped for, admired & discussed before moving on (and there seems to be no rushing this process).

Other things of significance:

Mum, Dad and Lauren stopped by a month a go (a month tomorrow actually). It was really lovely to see them & spend some time in Vancouver with them!
We checked out Gastown and Chinatown, went to Grouse Mountain to see the bears & the view of Vancouver, visited the belugas at the aquarium (& Jack the Harbour Porpoise. He is my favourite).
We spent a day in Langley, so I could show off where I live & the Fort. And my families got to meet.
Mum & dad are heaps more posh these days after their Fairmont, 5 star treatment adventure. I hope they are coping back in normal life.

After mum and dad left, Lauren and I spent a few more days in downtown, we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge & did the seawall bike ride around Stanley Park. The weather was strangely really good while they were here! It was so nice to explore Canada with them all!




I went to Seattle.
I got to hang with the lovely Mindy again for a weekend. I'm sad that Mindy is moving to Mexico, because it's been so fun to have someone to visit in Seattle! We watched Men in Black 1 & 3. Ate at a drive IN restaurant (oh that was fun!). Got our toe nails painted really pretty (mine still look cute!), saw a waterfall & watched a baseball game! America was REALLY American that weekend, it was Memorial Day weekend. They were even more patriotic than usual. AND at the baseball game they actually sang "take me out to the ball game!" ha! I seriously felt like I was in a movie that weekend!
I guess I may have to pop down to Mexico before I go home...


Aunty Nel & Uncle Pete came to visit.
Last weekend Aunty Nel & Uncle Pete were driving through Langley so they popped by for some Tim Bits and Nanaimo bars (& weird vanilla flavoured coffee I found in the cupboard) on their way past. It was so good to catch up with them and hear about their adventure to the far north!

It's Birthday Month.
As a countdown to turning 30 (eeeeek!) my twin and I are celebrating the thirty days between our birthdays with thirty presents! It was so exciting to get a really pretty box of presents in the post (or mail as they say here... people think it's weird when I say post. but I like saying post. like when I say "you got a message!" and they say "you mean a text?" um yes, it means the same thing.)! I get to open a present a day! The boys are really helpful with this. I like that they say "Kaye, it's day 4 today! Which means it's 26 days till your birthday!" (fyi it's actually day 7 today) See, inbuilt birthday countdown! Also fyi I am not turning 30 until it's July 9 in Canada. This was part of my sneaky plan for getting an extra day (well 17 hours) of being 29. It doesn't quite make up for being away from my friends on my birthday though. I was sad about that the other day. But I am in Canada! Oh I like Canada! AND I have a twin. If you are going to turn 30 it's best to have a twin so that you can celebrate together even when you are far away!



So that's a wrap up of the last few months... It is nearly half way day. Argh I can't believe how fast this year is going!!!!
I miss you guys!

Also. Do you like my photo montages? I can't take credit for all the pictures. I stole a few from mum, Lauren & my twin.