K Is For Kindergarten

Bella made it through her gradual entry week of Junior Kindergarten with flying colours! I think the real deal will be on Monday when she takes the school bus for the first time. I'm sure a few tears will be shed (mine, not hers sniff sniff).

Easter Monday

The kids are home from school today but Steve had to work so it has been a pretty relaxing Easter Monday.

I managed to pull all the moss out from between the patio stones and sweep the patio with patio sand before the rain started.

Bella has had an art-filled day

Lucas was playing with a friend and is now lounging on the sofa playing his DS with his best friend, Tiger

Bella finished her painting

and then remembered her big chocolate Ariel...YUM!

How was your Easter?

MS Walk

Yesterday was the MS Walk in our area. Did anyone get a chance to make it out or, if it hasn't happened in your area yet, will you be walking this year?

I'm a little disappointed that we didn't participate this year but it has been a busy few months. Our friend was diagnosed with Leukemia back in October and has been doing rounds of chemo while waiting for a bone marrow match, which was recently found -- YAY! He and his wife have two young children, one of which is Luke's friend, so we've been helping with having him play over here and making dinners to send over. Friends and family held a fundraiser last month to help keep them going. The turnout was phenomenal and the support to help their family has been overwhelmingly wonderful! I've met a lot of great people along the way.

I've had a flare-up going on for the last few weeks and my back hasn't been in great shape either so I'm not sure walking 5k right now would have been the best idea. I've been going to a chiropractor since the beginning of March. It's helping a bit but not as much as I had hoped. I'm going to give it a bit more time and see how it goes.

I'm hoping to bring Team Keep On S'myelin! together again next year. We did a great job last year by raising over $3000!

I am truly thankful for all the support I have.

Here are some pictures from the 2010 MS Walk...

Team Keep On S'myelin! shirts

Bella ready to go

and we're off!

A little stop along the way

Sheba and I with her family and my hubby

My amazing team -- Team Keep On S'myelin!

Missing You

Missing you today, dad xox

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you,
I could walk forever in my garden.
[Claudia Ghandi]

June 22, 1940 - April 1, 1993

You Sunk My Battleship!

My little man was home from school yesterday with a sore tummy. We snuggled and played a few board games, and that's when I caught him in the act....

Gotcha!

Sleepover Time!

I've been sitting on the sofa today fighting off a cold and drinking lots of fluids. Thankfully the kids are at school and daycare so I have some quiet time.

This past weekend, the kids had a sleepover at my mom's house. Lucas was excited to go because he and my mom have this tradition where they go out for pizza and then stop by the ice cream shop after. He loves it and I love that he will always have fond memories of this time spent with grandma. Isabella finally joined this tradition too and had a great time!

My mom sent me an email with pictures of their weekend...

Isabella finally consented to sleep over for the first time at Grandma Barb's last night. She and Lucas were very very good. They watched a movie and TV, did crafts, including making necklaces they were sure Mommy would LOVE, played games and went out with Grandma for pizza and ice cream. Grandma had a good time.

Craft time!

Playing house

A fierce round of Hungry Hippo

Ice cream after pizza

Snack before bedtime

Time for bed
(Bella wanted to sleep with her big brother)

When we went to pick them up, Lucas came up to me with his hands behind his back and asked me to pick a hand. Of course I picked the wrong one at first but when I pointed to the other hand he presented me with a colourful necklace he made for me. Isabella quickly remember the ine she had made for me as well and ran to get it. They are both so beautiful and I've been wearing them with pride. I love my kids!

The necklace Lucas made is the longer one
and Bella's is the shorter one

A Gift From Shutterfly: Free Holiday Cards

My friend, Sheba, has made some wonderful cards for a few different occasions online at Shutterfly. When she posted on her blog about receiving 50 free Christmas Photo Cards from Shutterfly just by blogging, I had to join in! Thankfully, I haven't done my Christmas cards yet.


I've already started playing around with creating my own holiday cards. It's real easy, fast and fun! There are so many beautiful cards to choose from with tons of different layouts and options to add your own pictures and personal message. I'm having a hard time narrowing down my choice to just one! Shutterfly has some other great things you can make as well such as photo books and photo calendars -- both wonderful ideas for gifts for the grandparents!

If you're a fellow blogger and want to join in the fun of creating your own holiday greetings, sign up here to get 50 free cards for yourself! This offer is the perfect way to get started on sending out holiday cards to your all the wonderful people in your life!

Coconut M&M's

I just finished off the last of the Coconut M&M's my friend, Sheba, graciously gave to me. YUM! Now if only they would sell them in Canada.

Boo! Halloween 2010

Halloween was quite the event this year!

Lucas really got into the excitement of ghouls and goblins, even requesting the house be decked out in scary decorations. I've never been big on Halloween decorating but I seem to be getting more and more into it as well (oh, Dollarama, how I love thee). The things we do for our kids! He also discovered if you hit the townhomes, you can cover more homes faster. Oh Lucas!

This was the first year Bella made a costume request -- Hannah Montana, of course. I knew one day we would have the best of both worlds.

And I got to wear my wedding dress princess costume again.

Hope everyone else had a spooktacular Halloween!

I am...

back from ice skating with the family -- our Wednesday night ritual.

Picture Wall

I finally got around to adding some pictures to the wall going up the stairs. No nails this time. I found a new love - 3M Picture Hanging Strips. They are awesome! Make sure to use the proper amount of strips for your frame. I found out the hard way. Thankfully there was no broken glass.

[pictures from our trip to Punta Cana in January 2010]

I am...

home from watching the movie The Killers with my girlfriends and full from wavy Lay chips with French Onion dip, a glass of white wine, Balsmic Vinegar and Sweet Onion Miss Vickie's, Junior Caramels, another glass of wine, Sweet Chili Crispie Minis, more Lay chips but with Helluva Good Dip because we finished the first dip and then finished the night off with my last sip of wine. Oy, my belly! Can I just say, what a waste of two hours....the movie that is, not the food or the great company. Hmmm, just realized we forgot to eat the cupcakes.

Smile!

[sharing a smile at Tim Horton's for lunch]

17 years together. 17 years apart.

We were together for 17 years and now it's been 17 years since we've been apart.

So fitting that you passed away on April Fool's Day! Everyone still remembers your jokes and silly ways. We reminisce often and always get a good chuckle. You still have a way of putting a smile on every one's face.

Miss you, daddy!

xoxo

The Sweetness Of Snail Mail

I had to run some errands today and on my way back I stopped at the mailbox. Mixed in with the junk and bills was this beautifully decorated envelope from my dear friend Sheba -- a wonderful birthday treat that I promise I won't open until the day comes! I can't wait!

Six

January 15, 2004

Today I had a doctor’s appointment. Dr. El Tayeb said that you haven’t gotten any bigger and I am starting to dilate, about one centimeter so far. She said that it might be better if you came sooner than later so she suggested that I be induced. I said that I would be fine with that if it was better for you to be out in the world rather than in my tummy. The doctor suggested that I be induced tomorrow and an instant smile came on my face. I am still in shock. I am to be at the hospital for 7:30am tomorrow morning and that it might take a little while for you to come. I called daddy as soon as my doctor appointment was over. He is so excited…we all are! I can’t believe that you could be here as soon as tomorrow. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

......

That was the last entry in my pregnancy journal before Lucas, my first child, was born. A child who would change my world for the better and who would teach me how important it is to enjoy every moment of life, to be patient and not take everything so seriously. He gave my life a new meaning, a new purpose, a new vocabulary. Now I had to get used to the words mommy, daddy, son, grandparents, uncle, grandson, diaper, 3am, poop (and every word you could think of to describe it).

January 16th, 2004 is still so clear in my mind. I remember the noises in the hall at the hospital, when the grandparents arrived, how cold it was outside that day -- I think a snow storm was brewing. I remember being induced at 8:30am thinking I would be hanging around for awhile only to find out I was dilating faster than expected. I asked for an epidural when I was about six centimeters but I think I was closer to eight centimeters by the time I actually got it. I remember telling them that the epidural didn't seem to be working so they pumped it up more. Heaven! That was between noon and 12:30pm. At 1:30pm I was checked again and fully dilated. Wow, that was fast! What happened to this process taking time? The grandparents arrived with little time to spare and made their way to the waiting room. They didn't have to wait long. After three simple pushes Lucas Carter was born at 1:52pm. "That's it?" I recall saying as the nurses and doctors chuckled. I guess I was expecting more. A lot of the shows on TV make labour out to be so dramatic and I guess I thought that should be me too. I'm thankful everything happened the way it did. I had a great pregnancy, a wonderful labour and a beautiful, healthy boy. The next day we brought our son home.

[Lucas at one day old getting ready to leave the hospital]

It's hard to believe that was six years ago. There are days I still can't believe I'm a mom but I can't imagine my world any other way.

Happy Birthday, Lucas!
I love you higher than the moon, deeper than the ocean,
more than there are stars shining above.
Forever and always, I love you xo

[Lucas getting ready to blow out his candles]

I Have A Dream

Have you ever wished you could turn back time -- that you could go back and choose a different path, do it all over again, or maybe just change a few things?

I must admit, I have a pretty wonderful life surrounded by many beautiful things including my family and friends, but I wish I could go back and make a few changes here and there. I wish I would have applied myself more, pushed myself to work harder, traveled more, reached higher, volunteered more, been on school/community councils, and so many other things -- things that I never thought were important to me at the time and only realize now that I look back. And while I have added a few of these items to my life now, it's just not the same as if I would have started earlier in life. At least I still have the chance to do some catching up.

I was thinking the other day about what makes me happy. Happiness to me is watching joy rise on other peoples faces. The thought was sparked by recent articles in the newspaper called The Secret Life Of Girls and 2010's People to Watch. They talked about people following their dreams, their passion, about making a difference in the world. It made me think of my hopes and dreams for the future -- a vision of what I would love to be doing, a dream so big that it just seems so far fetched but I know not impossible. I wish so much that I could make that dream come true, but for now it's just a dream -- a dream that would help others, a dream to work together to make a change. A change that needs to happen. A change to better the lives of others and the world around them, around us.

I have known one of my dearest friends since she was born. I have a picture of me holding her when she came home from the hospital some 32 years ago. She is like a little sister to me, so much so that I even call her my little sister at times. She has a caring heart and a beautiful sole. The thing is, she has been battling health issues for more than half of her life. It has been a difficult road for her, her family, her friends, myself included, but a road that we will all travel with her until it's difficult no more.

I tear up every time I think about what she has to deal with, what she shouldn't have to deal with. I want to make her better but I know I can't, not on my own. It is a battle she has yet to win but not a battle that can't be won. It is something I will help her overcome -- a journey that I have been on with her (and will continue to take with her) every step of the way. I have been there since day one and will always be by her side.

My dear friend is the inspiration for my dream, my vision -- a hope for change that I know others hope for too.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi

Family Photos by Alana McClure

In October we spent a wonderful morning on the shores of Lake Ontario with Alana McClure, a very talented lifestyle photographer in the Durham Region area. She has a way of capturing each moment so perfectly -- moments we will cherish forever.