A life of Riley & Keegan

It's Friday Night!

2011-05-06T21:36:00.001-07:00

It's Friday night!!! Woot :)

After a long week, I'm do enjoying the cuddles with the boys, and Myles. And even more so, this weekend is Mother's Day, and we're going out tomorrow to celebrate a friends' birthday, and... Mom and Dad are taking the boys overnight!! Bliss!!

Two years...

2010-10-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I was impatient.

Two years ago today, I was a mom to one amazing little boy.

Two years ago today, I was three days past my due date.

Two years ago today, I ate lots of spicy sushi and went for a 5k walk.

Two years ago today, I had my first contractions.

Two years ago today, I was scared, excited, and ready.

Two years ago tomorrow, my beautiful baby boy was born.

Happy Birthday Riley! We love you, and the amazing little man you have become.

XOXOXO

Goals and Guilt

2010-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I was in Langley for the DT Kick Off! It was amazing, I learned so much, and came away totally empowered to go for my goals. But I also came away with huge "mommy guilt"! I love my boys so So SO much! And when I saw their smiling, screeching faces as I pulled up to the house yesterday, it was great! I realized how much I had missed them, and also realized that I had a stamping class tonight, so I was going to miss another evening with them - ugh. And then this morning, Keegan was almost in tears getting ready for daycare, because he was just not feeling great, a little sad, and just wanted more time to cuddle. But we were busy, and late, and had. to. go. So as I drove away (Keegan with Myles, Riley with me) I felt awful and so guilty. Do I really need to go tonight, do I? I know I could miss it, and it would be okay, but this is my night that I get once a month, with other moms, to connect and feel like me. Does this make me a bad mom? Is it wrong that I need a night out in adult company once in a while... While I keep wrestling with this, I will share my goals with you all.

At Kick Off, we all had to make our "dream boards" which take our dreams, and make them visual goals. We also had to email our leaders with our goals this morning, and doing that was SO scary! Wow, when I wrote them out, they became real! I know that I can achieve them, but now I'm accountable, and I HAVE to do it. So here we go:

January 1st 2011, I will be an Educational Leader with Discovery Toys (this means more sales needed and new team members needed)
July 1st I will be a Team Leader with Discovery Toys - this will be just in time for our convention in Las Vegas, so I will get to walk across the stage as a new TL!!!
On that note, lose weight (healthily) so that I can get a new size 14 dress for convention
And my biggest goal: I will be home with Keegan after school - so September 1st 2011, I will be working at least 10 hours less per week.

Whew...

Questions, questions...

2010-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm frantically working on putting together a game right now for the DT kick off I'm heading down to this weekend. I'm trying to think up good questions, and answers, and am now procrastinating :)

Now, a question for you (whoever you may be)... I need help to get a dinner - evening - bedtime routine down and easy! Every dinner is a struggle to get the boys to eat, or at least try something new. Then after dinner they both get wound up like two tazmanian devils, then come bedtime, they are bouncing off the ceiling, and screaming to get out of bed. UGH. It is so draining, that by the time they are both asleep (Riley is usually up until at least 10:30) we're totally done. HELP!

Look what I can do!

2010-09-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Riley is growing so much every day! And with only 23 days until he turns 2 (yes, I'm counting down), he can now reach the light switch without a stool, go up the stairs like a big boy, and climb in and out of the truck by himself! At least when he's sleeping, he's still (and always will be) my baby :)

And this one, I just have to share... Keegan went to the library with daycare yesterday, and can't get enough of his Transformers book! He takes it everywhere...

2010-09-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm not feeling like myself. I'm a little down, and feeling very disconnected. It sucks. M is back to working lots of evenings, and I am getting busier with DT. I still feel like something is missing - balance. Last night I was on a DT conference call all about balancing family, work and life in general. I thought I was doing okay, but have realized I have a long way to go, and a lot to fit in. Friends, exercise, me, us, kids, us, life, cleaning, cooking... the list goes on. And friends is striking a sad spot with me right now - I had a great visit and coffee with a new friend tonigh, and realize how little I see my friends. Does this make me a bad friend? Am I still a friend? Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Another thing is that in the spring, I set myself a goal with DT, and have not come close to acheiving it, and this is also getting me down. Blergh - yes, blergh. And to top it off, I'm fat and not happy about it. I know I need to work out, but there is so much else I have to do, and it keeps getting put off. At least I am eating much, much healthier. I planned meals for two weeks, and have only strayed from my plan once!

Okay, my pity party is done, and I feel a little better (and slightly silly) after my venting. Now for some funny stuff.

Last night Keegan had a nightmare - he said it was about aliens. So I pictured alien attacks, scary aliens, zombies... no, not even close! My darling boy said he was scared and sad because the door on the aliens ship was stuck so they couldn't get out. Ha! I love my darling boy.

Now I'm going to head upstairs and cuddle my baby boy, who I'm hoping is sleeping, and not having a party in my bed!

** And on that note, a cuddle with my sleeping boy made me feel so much better about everything **

Goodnight all :)

Our Olympic Experience

2010-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

First off, WOW!!!

We had an amazing four days in Vancouver for the Olympics. I started sorting throught the pictures, but after I realized I had over 100 in my "keep" pile, I just uploaded the entire album. Click here to see most of them.

Note - I had totally forgotten that I hadn't finished this blog post, so I am finishing it now (only four months later). And now it is six months later... so I'm posting it as is, and maybe will follow up soon, but at least here are the pics!

He will be missed.

2010-09-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

This morning my grandpa passed away, and I am realizing how lucky both I was, and my kids are. I grew up with my grandparents no more than a five minute drive away, and saw them no less than once a week, usually much more.

** I started this post months ago, and am just finishing it now **

Yesterday it would have been Grandpa's 82nd birthday! 82 - wow! I am amazed by his life, although I am still saddened by his passing and I know it will be a long time until the pain totally goes away. Even the day he passed, I knew I was so happy to have had him in my life, and in my boys lives.

Grandpa was never a big hugger or cuddler - until he saw my boys! He loved them so much, and would sit and listen to Keegan talk about anything and tell him about trains and logging trucks. They would also sit and look out the front window in my grandparents condo and watch out across the whole city, downtown, trains, and the hospital.

** I know my thoughts are jumping, but I'm trying to be coherent and write this more for me and the kids than anyone else **

In the end, his body gave out, though his mind was always there. I am so happy that my aunt took me with her to visit him one quiet afternoon at work. I got to give him a hug, have a good visit and say goodbye.

I love you Grandpa. Happy Birthday.

Bears, babes and boo-hoo

2010-09-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

We have a new visitor - he is large, black, about three, and very camera shy. Yes, a bear has been loving our apple tree, and leaving us thank you presents for all the apples.

Our street is backed by a ravine, and the end of the street meets up with Peterson Creek Park, and almost every home has a fruit tree - it's a bear street. No, I am not actually complaining about the bear, just about not having seen the bear! Really, he's here often enough, I just want to see him rather than hearing about him from the neighbors. This bear has been a visitor here for the past month, and I'm sure will hang out until the snow flies.

The boys also want to see the bear. The boys, yes, boys. I don't have babes any more, they are both boys...

Riley is a month away from turning two! I don't feel like it's been two years since he was back in my belly. He is growing so much every day, and lately I feel as though I have been missing so much! I turn around and he is saying or doing somethign new (including climing our new kitchen chairs onto the counter). He has lost his babyness, and is a boy.

Keegan is two months and ten days away from turning four. He is also only one year away from starting kindergarten! That means I have 365 days to get ready - I know he will do fine, but even thinking about it reduces me to tears. Keegan is outgrowing all of his clothes and playing soccer. Yes, playing, not just running around a ball, but dribbling, kicking and actually playing!

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Parksville, and I have tons of pictures to sort through, so for tonight, I'm off, but I will be back - and this time it won't be six months.

...

2010-03-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have thoroughly neglected my blog. The past few weeks have been crazy. We got back from the Olympics to one sick boy, poor Keegan had an ear infection. This in turn lead to another very sick boy, Riley ended up with bronchial pneumonia, and both Myles and I got colds. Ugh! Once that was all calmed down, work and life just got crazy. During all of this, our fish got into a fight with eachother, and both ended up losing and taking a ride on the porcelain express. Funny enough, the kids haven't noticed!

This past week, my Grandpa Jack passed away, so I really needed some time away, not to mention spend lots of time with all the family who was here. Seeing all of my family was so amazing, and was definitely a much needed lift during a very sad time.

And now, the boys are asleep, Myles is at the radio station for his show, and I am home alone! Yay! But, I really want to finish my book and curl up with another cup of tea and enjoy my quiet night. So, more will come, tomorrow hopefully, but until then, 'night.

It's coming...

2010-03-02T21:50:00.001-08:00

Sorry, I know you all want to see some pictures from our trip... Well, they're coming. But not tonight - sorry. Soon though!

Something I never thought I would see

2010-02-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

My husband, in an Vancouver 2010 Olympic hockey jersey, with a Coca-Cola scarf that says "Canada" on it, drinking a coke :) If you know him, you'll know why this is funny.

Also, we just saw Canada win a silver medal in the women's 3000 metre relay - amazing!!!

Olympics - Day One

2010-02-23T23:24:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to do a quick rundown of our trip so far...

We arrived in Vancouver Monday morning. Funny enough, it was our first flight together, and Myles' first non-work flight.

After we landed, we met the rest of the Coca-Cola winners and headed to the Granville Island hotel. We got all checked in and got a ton of swag, which was all created from recycled pop bottles. Our jackets are made from 25 bottles and our scarves are made from one - a pretty cool way to inspire recycling.

We had a little time so we wandered around Granville Island and checked out the children's market - something that would be very different with the boys!

Then, after lunch, we headed up to Cypress mountain to watch the Men's Aerial Freestyle qualifications - AMAZING! And not just the actual event, but everything involved. Our transportation is all provided by Coke, and is part of a very extensive transportation system to and from events. There were over 100 buses (that we could see) in use to and from the mountain. We were in the general admission area, so we stood in front of the stands to watch. Luckily it was a gorgeous night, clear, and not too cold. We had a clear view of the jumps and the 50' high tv where they replayed the jumps.

Once we returned to the hotel, we met up with Meg and watched the fireworks over False Creek. They were beautiful, even though I was freezing. Then it was off to bed after a long and fun day.

It's so quiet!

2010-02-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am currently trying to enjoy the quiet of our house - the boys are at mom & dad's until Thursday because we're heading to the Olympics tomorrow. It's almost too quiet... This is our first night in the house without the boys, can you tell?

Okay, done dwelling on that, now I have to finish my laundry and pack! I'm on vacation!

A week of first's

2010-02-21T00:10:00.000-08:00

Last week, M and I were watching the boys ~~beating on each other~~ playing together, and were discussing how lucky we were that we had yet to make a trip to the ER with either of the boys for anything other than asthma/bronchitis/pneumonia... well, we spoke too soon!

Friday morning, while I was tending to a sick Riley (poor boy had a fever and was feeling pretty rotten), Keegan was jumping on the bed watching "Elmo's World" and went flying off the bed.Luckily, he was okay, no broken bones, just crying because he had scared himself pretty badly. Then I cuddled his into me and realized he was bleeding from the back of his head - panic set in! Thank goodness once I checked him over, I could see that it was a fairly small gash and figured he hit the back of his head on our dresser on his way to the floor. After a minute of debating, I got dressed and we headed for the ER. I knew it was a small cut, but being that it was on his head, and that he had bonked himself pretty good, I had better be safe than sorry.

As we headed to the ER, Keegan was crying from the back seat. When I asked him if his head hurt, he said no, but he was sorry for jumping on the bed. This was the first indication that it would be an interesting trip...

So flash forward to checking in with the triage nurse...

Nurse: So, what happened?

Keegan: I was jumping and flying on the bed like the birds on Elmo (he's now also demonstrating his flapping ablility) and then, I fell off the bed and went boom and hit my head then I cried. Now Mommy said I have to see a doctor.

Nurse: (laughing) Are you three years old?

Keegan: Yes! I am three!

So, imagine this continuing with every nurse and doctor - luckily my boy is entertaining and gave them all a laugh!

Here he is showing me his bracelet while we waited.

In the end, he didn't need stitches. The doc decided that since the scar wouldn't show, and should heal okay on it's own, we wouldn't put him (and me) through the trauma of stitches. Keegan is healthy, and happy, and apparently has a short memory since I caught him jumping on my bed earlier! Live and learn.

Also, he is lucky, since I had been planning to get his hair cut this weekend, since it's well into that stage of being an unruly mop, but unfortunately, he can't have his hair washed for a few days, so I have to wait! Next weekend it is.

And M and I are off to the Olympics on Monday, so I will try to do some mobile posts if I can, if not, I will have tons of pictures and fun to go up next week :)

An evening with the boys

2010-02-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

Today M went to Vernon for work, so I got to have an evening with my (little) boys. Now, normally, I am home in the evenings, and do spend time with them, but it's not the one-on-one time that I cherish so much. So tonight was all Mommy and kiddo time! Yay!

We played, we snacked, we read, we cuddled... it wasn't anything special, but the boys and I definitely thought it was! By far though, the best part was earlier, when Keegan and I were talking about dinner plans...

Keegan: Mommy, can we have pizza for dinner?

Me: Sure kiddo (I was just happy he wasn't asking for chicken nuggets and fries)

Keegan: Oh thanks Mommy, can it be the pizza I ate last time when Daddy was so proud of me for eating it?

I love that boy!

Later on, I got to cuddle with Riley and watch the Biggest Loser. He has also started talking more, he now says "caaw" for car, "tuck" for truck, up, down and we have had a few words that could have been Keegan - although these are usually screamed.

Tap troubles...

2010-02-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

So recently, the cold water tap in our bathtub has been dripping, well, it started as a little drip, then progressed to a slow trickle. So today, I decided I'd had enough and we took them apart so that we would know what parts to get at the hardware store. Now let it be know, neither M nor I are very handy. I can do things, but not that well, and get frustrated. M is good with instructions, but I usually get impatient and just want to go.

So off we all went, and got the washers that we needed (the old washers were essentially completely ruined) and then headed home, in a rush because M had hockey. So we get everything put back together, and turn on the main water valve, and water is pouring out of the tap, which is off! Seriously!?!? So we shut it all off, take it all apart and try again... repeat x 3, with me getting frustrated and skipping ahead at one point and removing the part from the handle and getting soaked in the process. Finally, we figure out that the cold water tap piece is not working, it's stuck in an open position. So M rushes out to the hardware store again, gets the parts, and rushes back home, with only minutes to spare before hockey. I get it all put back together, and IT WORKS!!! Yay! No more dripping.

Now I'm off to clean the bathtub with my snazzy new Norwex bathroom scrub mitt! So far it's great. Then I'm going to clean the oven! Domestic goddess... no, just excited about new cleaning products (that are eco-friendly and don't use chemicals).

An awesome opportunity

2010-02-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I found out about an amazing contest through TRU-OL, the distance education portion of Thompson Rivers University. If I win this contest, I could get tuition to finish my degree! It would be an awesome opportunity... So, if you're a "facebooker", please join my group (the more people who join, the more entries I get) - Ali's "TRU-OL Compete to Complete Contest" Group.

Wish me luck! Thanks!

Is it really February?

2010-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

Seriously, it's February?

Where has the time gone? It could be that there is no snow left in my yard, and unlike many others, I'm really missing it. I don't like being cold, but I love winter. Even Keegan loves winter, and is asking when he is going to get to shovel again. We even got a new sled for Keegan to pull Riley around in, and so far we haven't had a chance to use it.

Oh well, hopefully it will snow a little bit before winter heads out. And the countdown is on - only 20 days until we head to Vancouver for the Olympics!

On another note, I think that (knocking wood) Riley is sleep trained! Every night for over a week, he has gone to sleep on his own, and been able to comfort himself when he wakes up.

Just have to share

2010-01-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

Today Keegan made my day. After having a wonderful family nap, which is very rare now, we were watching Wall-E. Keegan narrates the entire movie for us, and was at this point saying how Eve is Wall-E's girlfriend. So...

Me: Keegan, do you have a girlfriend?

Keegan: Yes.

Me: Who is it? (At this point I'm thinking one of the girls at daycare)

Keegan: My Mommy!

... And then my heart melted

I was going to bed but...

2010-01-30T22:22:00.000-08:00

** Whoops, thought I posted this the other day, but I just saved it **

I know I was planning on heading to bed, but I had forgotten about this, which happened a few days ago. Keegan and Riley were playing just outside of my line of sight, and I overheard this:

Keegan: Riley, watch me shoot this (his McD's missile toy which I really dislike)

Me: Keegan, please remember that we don't shoot at people

Keegan: It's okay Mommy, I'm not shooting people, I'm shooting brothers

Me: Brothers are people too (trying hard not to laugh)

Keegan: Oh, thanks.

An update on "My update on our walking, talking, sleeping baby!"

2010-01-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

Yay! Woohoo! Wowee!

Tonight there was a grand total of thirty seconds of fussing, not even real crying, before the little man fell asleep! He cuddled up to his monkey and fell asleep on his own! I am so happy!

He also slept through the night last night, clutching monkey all night long.

On another note, we went to watch the Olympic torch relay as it passed near our house. It was great. We hadn't realized that there was going to be a passing of the torch right where we were standing! The boys loved it (although they didn't really know what was going on).

Okay, that't it for tonight! I'm going to relax and do a little work before heading off to bed.

My update on our walking, talking, sleeping baby!

2010-01-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

Some highs, lows and woes...

So Riley is walking everywhere now! He went from a step here or there, to fully walking (most of the time). I am so proud of him and definitely get that warm feeling of complete pride and joy watching him walk. He has also started talking more, or at least letting us know what he wants with means other than screaming. He nods his head, and says "mo" for more.

Also, tonight he went to sleep on his own tonight! There was only half an hour of screaming, which was pretty hard for me, but he eventually curled up with his monkey and fell asleep. I have made a goal of getting him to go to sleep on his own at night, by the end of this week. That way, when the boys stay with my parents when we go to the Olympics (I'll post more about the trip later), he will go to sleep much more easily.

Tomorrow the Olympic Torch relay is passing right by our house so we're going to walk out to see it. I know that Myles isn't that excited, but I am because I remember when we went to watch the torch relay when it came through Kamloops on the way to Calgary (in '88). I guess this means that I had better go find some red and white clothes for us to wear in support!

On a slightly low and woeful note, our brand new Rav4 has a recall on it, and at this point we don't know what that means. We're hoping it won't mean that we won't have our truck any more... but who knows.

My new baby!

2010-01-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I should say OUR new baby!

We bought a new vehicle! YAY! Okay, so I'm a little excited. On Saturday, we bought a new Toyota Rav4! I love it, not only is it super fuel efficient (impressive because of the size), but I can put a stroller, groceries, and my Discovery Toys stuff in the back! Have I used enough exclamation points?!?!

And, yes, it is ours, but I am primarily going to be driving it, as we kept the Cavalier for Myles to use.

Walking and talking

2010-01-11T23:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Riley is now 15 months old! The time has flown by since he was born, well, even since Keegan was born. So I figured it was time for an update on our lives:

Riley is now taking a few steps here and there (he made it across the room tonight) and finally started saying a few words. I am pretty sure he could walk a lot more than he does, but in order to stay even with Keegan, he crawls, he crawls fast! The little man is also developing quite a personality. He really enjoys bugging his brother (well, I think it's pretty 50-50), but he also loves to cuddle. He has started babbling stories to us, and pointing out things he likes (lights, fish), and definitely makes it known when he wants something (usually by screaming). He still has his soother, and I don't think I will be getting it away from him any time soon, but at least there is no bottle to wean him from since he went straight to cups of milk and skipped the bottles all together. Riley is still being breastfed before bed, and hopefully will keep going for a bit. When he is ready for bed he lifts up my shirt, as if to say "I'm ready, where are they". He also loves being tickled, and tickling others. I love my baby boy!

Keegan is my bright boy - his name means "ball of fire" and that he is! K is a wonderfully inquisitive boy, who is also sometimes too smart for his own good. He definitely has a temper, but is also very loving and sensitive. Lately, he is getting me into trouble because he is repeating words he has heard from me (mostly in the car), and has also become a great backseat driver. The worst thing, is that even though he is not always using the correct word (yesterday it was buck... not too far off of the real word) he is using it in the correct situation (he broke a lego tractor). So I think that we're going to implement a swear jar... for me! On a good note, he is finally completely potty trained during the day! Most nights he is staying dry all night too. Once he is moved into his own room, we'll try a few nights without a pull-up, but he's still young so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully we will be getting his bedroom painted and him all moved in over the next few weeks.

Myles and I don't really have too much news. We're both excited and looking forward to our FREE trip I won, to the olympics! We had absolutely no plans to head down during the olympics (who would, it will be crazy) so when I won the trip, all expenses paid, for three nights and three events, we jumped at it! Mostly because it will be a nice way to spend our 6th wedding anniversary (well, a few days late). Myles has also started his own blog about his radio show, Broken Glass.

Also, I just got my hair coloured the other day - I love it! I was in need of a change, especially something that would cover the grey hairs popping up everywhere. I don't have a picture yet (and I'm in my jammies) so I'll put one up soon.

Blegh, blog, blog

2010-01-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

So now that I have finally remembered to email all of my out of town family the link for my blog so they can all keep up to date on the boys and our lives, I wanted to put up some videos too. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how, so I'm just going to post the link to my Picasa web album, where I have our videos and quite a few more pictures than just on my blog or on facebook.

So my Picasa web album is here and it's currently really poorly organized, but I am going to reorganize it so it will be easier to navigate through.

I'm off to bed, as I just finished a Discovery Toys conference call, and then worked on a bunch more DT stuff, and Riley is super restless so I'll probably end up with him in our bed for most of the night!

And, I just have to say, I'm super excited that I am getting my hair died tomorrow... I'll post some pics!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!

2010-01-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

** I started this last week, but hadn't put my pictures onto the computer, so I'm just posting now **

Okay, so I'm a little late... I've actually been ignoring my computer and emails other than popping into work occasionally. The boys have all been home since the 21st (Myles too) and I haven't wanted to do anything other than enjoy the time with them, the time that has gone by way too fast, as I am back to regular work tomorrow. So here are some pictures and a quick summary of our holidays!

Myles & Keegan on the Christmas Train

Riley & I on the Christmas Train

Last year we went on the train with my parents, and it was -26! Waaayyyy too cold, not much fun, and Santa didn't even say hi to Keegan. Well this year was way better. So much fun (it also helped that it was only -5). We could see out the windows, Keegan got to talk to all the characters on the train (his favorite was Mr. Scrooge) and we all had a blast!

Christmas Eve we went to my Grandparents house for seafood chowder - we had hoped to make it to the Christmas Eve Service at the Wildlife Park, but the boys naps ran late - and had a wonderful visit with family. After we headed home, we got some pictures of the boys, well, we tried, and then we read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Riley dancing, I think...

The boys in their Christmas outfits

Getting goofy

And this is what happened when we put out cookies, milk and carrots... snack time!

After this the boys went off to bed, and Myles and I finished the wrapping and watched "White Christmas" and "D3" and then followed the boys to bed. In the morning, we finally had to wake Keegan up at 8:30 (he slept in every day during the holidays). Then, after the sticky buns were baking and the coffee was going, we headed out to open the presents.

The stockings waiting to be opened (all made by Myles' mom Judy)

Riley's first present, and also the first to disappear

Keegan's "MIGHTY MACHINES LEGO" which he screeched with joy.

After all was done, we headed up to my parents house for a wonderful dinner of turkey and prime rib and my favorite - Turnips & Apples (so yummy). Linds & Chris were there, and so was Grandma Joan, and we all had a great night.

The next few days were very lazy, but much enjoyed. We took the boys to the Wildlife Park to see the Wildlights display. It was pretty chilly, but still fun, and after a ride on the train, we headed back into town. Then my parents called and we ended up at their house to help them set up their new TV & surround sound system (their Christmas present). So we had some more great visiting time!

For New Year's the boys had a great night with my Mom & Dad, and Myles and I spent the evening with our friends Kim & Mike. Martinis, food, wii and fun! We had a great time.

So, now as I sit here finishing this post, Myles and I are back to work and the boys are back to daycare, and we're wishing we were all still enjoying the time at home together. Already, I'm looking forward to next year, especially since we have invited all of Myles' family here for Christmas (that means a minimum 15 of us here for dinner and most of us staying here)... good thing I have a year to prepare!

I hope you all have a great 2010! Happy New Years everyone!

Lilo & Stitch

2010-01-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest members of our family! Keegan and Riley got to pick out their fish today (we had bought the aquarium this summer, but didn't set it up until now). Keegan named them Lilo and Stitch after one of his favorite movies.

A sad, yet funny realisation

2010-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

I'm a little sad today, not to mention sick with a bad cold, and it's kind of funny why...

It's because I have realised that this year I am not going to get pregnant or have a baby. Four years ago, I got pregnant and had Keegan. Two years ago, I got pregnant and had Riley. This year... nothing! Of course, this is completely by choice, and although I would LOVE to be pregnant, and have another baby, I'm just not ready yet. Even with morning sickness, high blood pressure and all the other joys of pregnancy, I love it. I love the nudges, the kicks, the rolls (baby's and mine), and if I keep going with these thoughts, I'm not going to follow my plan... My plan (haha, I laugh because I know I'm not the only one with a say) is to try to get pregnant in two years or so, when Riley is turning 4 and will be heading off to kindergarten soon. I also plan to wait, because I know that my body needs a break and I need to get into shape in order to handle being pregnant and chasing after two busy, busy boys.

So now, after putting my thoughts to page, I am seeing how funny it is, especially knowing that I haven't reached the end of my "baby" years, I'm just taking a break!

Time flies...

2009-12-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

When you're busy! I've been working this week, and M is off with the boys. Today they are putting lights on our tree, that has been sitting, very lonely, in the corner of the living room. After work I/we have a few things to do...

1. Decorate the tree

2. Bake... shortbread, sugar cookies, molasses crinkles, and hopefully gingerbread

3. Wrap all the presents

4. Finish grocery and Christmas shopping (I have 3 gifts to buy and only the last few food items to buy)

5. Clean up my house which looks like a tornado went through it

6. Cuddle with my boys and enjoy the time off (wait, this should be #1)

7. Make my casserole for Christmas dinner (mmmm.... turnips & apples)

Forgot one...
8. Write and mail all my Christmas cards (although I don't think this will happen before Christmas)

Luckily I have two little helpers and one big one!

Also, we went and finally got pictures with Santa yesterday - so cute! Keegan was so excited that he could barely wait for the kids before us to get off Santa's lap. Riley however, was no impressed, so he is sitting on my lap with me leaning out of the pictures! Leith (my cousin) also joined us for the pictures since his older brother and sister didn't want pictures with Santa this year.

Snow day

2009-12-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

The other day was Riley's first "real" snow day. Last year doesn't really count since he was never outside in the snow, he was always bundled and either in my mai-tei or in the stroller. Well, he LOVED it! I was so shocked, since at the same age, Keegan did not like snow, or anything cold or wet. Riley on the other hand, thought it was great, and even though he's not walking yet, he crawled all over the yard.

After a little while of playing, I went and found Keegan's sled, which is big enough for both boys, and started pulling him around the yard. Again, he LOVED it!

Keegan jumped on shortly after, and although there were a few tumbles out by both boys when I took the corners too fast (it's a small yard), there were no tears, just lots of happy screams. I then decided to try out the little hill next to the apple tree... well, both boys thought that was great too!

Myles took a break from shoveling to come play too.

Riley and I finished outside soon afterwards, since Keegan flipped Riley headfirst out of the sled.

Once the shoveling was done, we all enjoyed some hot chocolate, and are definitely looking forward to the next snow fall!

Some time off... and a return.

2009-12-15T13:06:00.001-08:00

So I haven't blogged (obviously) since the end of June... and really, it's just a combination of the need for a rest and some sleep weighing over doing other things. Life has been busy, hectic, and wonderful over the past few months.

We are happily settled into our house, although we still haven't painted Keegan's room - this is my big "to-do" for the weekend, and love it! It is so nice to be in our own place. We have now updated the basement with a family/rec room, with a fun tv area and a huge play area for the kids toys. We also splurged over the summer and bought our first "new to us" tv! We also added a swing set (thanks John!) and a climber to the back yard, which the kids love and will get a lot of use out of over the coming years. More recently, we have gotten our bedroom looking like a bedroom - Keegan is temporarily sleeping in Riley's room, and we have our new bedroom suite and bed. I LOVE IT - I have been sleeping so well, and it is so comfy.

Sleeping also brings me to the topic of Riley, who is finally sleeping through the night (well, most nights anyways) and is out of our bed. I really didn't mind having him sleeping with us, except that he was expecting to nurse through the night, and at 14 months, he doesn't need that! He still nurses before bed, and occasionally during the day, and I am not at all ready to give that up yet. And now, because Riley is sleeping well, I am sleeping well. Keegan blessed us by sleeping through the night at five weeks, and being a good sleeper ever since, so Riley was proving to be a bit of a challenge to my poor sleep deprived body. But thanks to some sleep, and a new med to help raise my seratonin levels, I am feeling like myself! So nice!

The past few months have also brought three birthdays - Riley turned 1 on October 9th, Keegan turned 3 on November 19th and Myles just turned 30 yesterday! So we have had our share of cakes and gifts and fun recently. Both boys are wonderful and make me so happy to be a mom. I will post a video of Keegan singing his Christmas carols tonight - so cute! And Riley is almost walking... almost!

I am going to run, but am happy to be back (even if this is being written just for me, myself and I to see) and am going to keep up my blog this time... I promise.

A Night At The Park

2009-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

After a long day, we figured a walk to the park would be fun - and a good opportunity to try out the new double stroller that recently purchased out of necessity.

The boys arriving at the park

Riley clapping in the new double stroller - he approves

Keegan climbing in the playground

A great picture - so happy I brought the camera

The big boys heading down the slide

The big boys

Looking pensive

Keegan yelling at the troll under the bridge (me)

Poor Riley conked out after the walk

What a great night!

Up!

2009-06-19T23:09:00.001-07:00

So we took Keegan (and Riley) to see the movie Up on Wednesday night. It was great! Luckily there were quite a few families there with younger kids, so no one minded the occasional loud comments coming from Keegan - usually, he timed it so that no one else was talking and got a good laugh out of everyone. It's funny that we now have more fun doing a family movie nite than getting a sitter and heading out with just the two of us - of course, it's still nice, and sometimes necessary for sanity reasons. Our next big night out will be for the next Harry Potter movie - I am slightly fanatical about Harry Potter, and am re-reading all the books in preparation to watch the sixth installment in the series.

More and more, I am amazed at how much Keegan retains from what he sees on tv and in movies. We used to not worry about what he watched, and essentially, he watched what we watch. Lately though, we have stopped watching some of our favorite movies and tv shows when he's awake - namely, Family Guy (is it bad if your 2 1/2 year old can name all the characters). Of course, he has his favorites anyways - Dora, Thomas, and (in moderation) Transformers (the original cartoon). I love watching him talk to the characters, and get so excited, even if he knows the episode by heart. Recently a friend was mentioning that her son loves Wall-E and she knows it by heart - Keegan overheard me mention this to M, and within minutes, he found his dvd and was watching it (yes, he knows how to use the dvd player - no one taught him, he just picked it up on his own). He loves that movie, and know it by heart. He tells Wall-E what to do throughout the movie, and will play along with his toy.

Riley has also amazed me over the last few days. So far, he's not been too interested in moving around - no crawling, scooting or rolling - until last week. All of a sudden, he's discovered he can get pretty much any toys within reach if he rolls (Keegan's trains are the primary target), and now he's doing a belly crawl backwards, with the occasional forward movement. I know that it won't be long until he's fully mobile - we're all in trouble then. He's also discovered how to squirm himself down out of my arms when we're sitting on the couch, to work himself until he's happily standing at the couch. And so far there have only been a few tumbles, although I'm sure that many, many, many more will follow as he starts cruising.

Oh, I love my boys! I love watching them grow and learn new things, but at the same time, I want to keep holding them in my arms as babies!

Getting going

2009-06-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

This blog is two years in the making. I have been planning to do this ever since our first son, Keegan, was born (in November 2006), as a way to keep a journal of sorts of our lives. Since it kept getting put off by life, here I am now, doing this while Keegan's little brother Riley (born in October 2008) is having a nice long nap (of course, as I write this, he will probably wake up). So let's get on with the introductions.

I am Ali, and am absolutely blessed with two amazing little boys, Keegan and Riley, and a wonderful husband, Myles (or just M). This is where the name of my blog comes from. Some time, in the distant future, there may be another added to the mix, maybe. We live in Kamloops, where we are lucky to have many family and friends. We definitely keep busy, most days ending with more on the to-do list then it started with, especially with just having moved into a new house...

Myles & I

Myles & Riley

Riley & Keegan

Keegan's first birthday

Ah, the house. We rented for years, and finally had an opportunity to buy into a house we were going to rent from family (we could never afford to buy a house like this on our own). Great! Well, except that the previous tenants left the house in absolute disrepair and since we had given notice at our old house, we ended up in here, with much work still to be done. So as we slowly get there, and renovations are completed and the house is wholly livable - and all the massive spiders are gone - I will post updated pictures. But all in all, I am so happy to be in our own house.

Our little house

Riley is now awake and calling, so I will run, but I will add more of our lives soon.