Time

Remember this little baby? You know, the one who was so teeny tiny we had to go and buy preemie-sized clothes so something would fit?
She's growing.
It's funny how it happens so quickly. She still seems so little to me. And she's still so tiny compared to her big brother.
But, she's growing.

Actually, in this picture she's still small, but it won't delete!

But, she's officially outgrown her bathtub!

What parent puts their baby on her tummy for a bath? Not me. Don't worry. But, she flips, and she has decided that she much prefers swimming to being bathed.

She has also discovered the joy of food.
We're all about the organic brown rice cereal around here. Yummy! (or not so much). Carrots aren't the hit I was hoping. But, bananas seem to somewhat of a hit. I forgot what a pain trying to get babies to eat is. She is a much neater eater than her brother.

And Matthew. Well, he's growing too. It's not quite as evident on a daily basis. But, having a kid in school. Wow! I am amazed every day by him. It's been an adjustment, but it amazes me to find out what he learned. In a week he's memorized a snake poem, learned the letter S and knows to say "here" when the teacher calls his name.
And, like a typical elementary school boy, he's learning to pose for pictures. Smiles are for wimps! It's all about the crazy faces these days.

In some ways I'm a bit sad about them growing up. But, every day I learn something new. I love that Chloe recognizes us and smiles so much. I love watching her recognize her big brother. I love that Matt's learning and growing and stretching his vocabulary. And, yet, every day I know I need to hold them close because these days fly by way too quickly!

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

I won't say Chloe is crawling yet, but she's getting around.
Last night during dinner we put her on her play mat (see it in the background?) while we all ate dinner. She made her way off of the mat and saw one of Matt's toys. It's a fake transformer - dubbed Optimus Joe* . So, she sort of scooted over to Joe and was playing with him.
Matt was so focused on his meal that he didn't see her. So I said "look! she's playing with your toy!" Matt hopped of his chair and ran over. I thought he was about to take it away. But, no. He wanted to show her how it worked.
Chloe just laid there watching him. In awe of her big brother.
I love those moments.
Yesterday also happened to be Matt's first FULL day of school. That meant I had an entire day to fill with Chloe. I was at a bit of a loss because it was so quiet. I know some people would have done stuff like tidy or nap or stay home, but I didn't. Oh no. I went out.
The church we attend (on a not-so-regular basis) has a moms and tots group. I got an e-mail from another mom inviting me. So I decided to go. I was surprised because I really enjoyed it, and relaxed. I didn't have my usual "moms are judging me" anxiety. I was chatting to the mom who invited me, and it turns out that our kids are in the same jk class, we just didn't know each other. And, when I went and looked at the pictures I took her daughter is actually in pictures with Matt.
So, it was nice to find a group of women to get to know. And it was also nice to meet another mom to say hi to in the playground.
Of course I also went to the mall - just because I could!
I've been trying to find Halloween costumes. The one I was going to get for Chloe was at Gymboree. It looked so cute online, but I decided against it because when you added in all the accessories the outfit was about $100. And, even if I was considering it, I wasn't about to spend all that money on a costume that you can't even wear outside.
But, I did find some great deals. And got a gym buck. Yippee!
The best part of the visit? The coolest pj's for Matt

He is obsessed with the human body and skeletons. I loved these pj's becase they are skeletons without all the scary and gross stuff that usually accompanies skeletons. He was sooooo excited, and he rarely gets excited by clothes.

* Optimus Joe was purchased at a garage sale. Matt asked his name, and since he's clearly a Transformers rip off, I said he was the cousin of Optimus Prime and his name is Joe. Joe Prime. Somehow that translated to Optimus Joe.

First Day of School ... Well Kind of!

Today marks the first day of school for Matthew. Kind of. He's starting JK which means that at his school we have graduated entry.
Today we go as a family to meet the teacher.
Thursday he goes for a half day with half of his class.
And Tuesday he gets to start full time (every other day).
So, I'm not quite sure which day is technically his first day of school. We're going with today since it's the first time he got to wear his fancy new shoes, try on his backpack and we will be walking over.
This graduated entry thing poses a lot of problems! I mean, he has a special first day t-shirt, but he has decided to wear it on the first day he meets the other kids. That shirt is the shirt that his Uncle Steve picked out for him. It's Transformers. Very cool!
So for today we decided that we would just wear clothes that match his new shoes.
Truthfully, I just can't believe he is already in JK!!! When he was born the thought was so far from our minds. I couldn't imagine that one day my little baby would be big enough to be going to school. But here he is, very independent and very ready to see all the toys that he will see in the classroom.
I'm hoping he'll learn a lot too. I know that he likes his numbers. He loves to figure out what different numbers add up to. He's definitely a number guy. My attempts at teaching him the alphabet haven't really gotten very far. So, I'm hoping that this teacher will work some magic and show him how exciting learning is.
So, we're off. We've arranged to have Miss Paige babysit Chloe (accompanied by Aunt Becky) and Mike is coming home for our first visit.
We're so excited!!!

Girls Night Out

Before Matt came along I bonded with a lovely lady named Kyla, who happens to be my niece. The very first thing that we discovered we have in common ... a love of shoes!
So, before long we started shoe shopping. I really did take an infant to try on baby shoes. And as she got older kids shoes. When she turned 3 she enrolled in ballet class and my gift to her was ballet shoes. This year her sister turned 3 and she is also enrolled in baby ballet. So I promised to take her ballet shoe shopping also.
This week turned into a girls' night out week because how could I take Paige shoe shopping one evening and not continue the tradition with Kyla.

First we measured her feet



Then we danced around the store

















And then we donned an apron to get ice cream...






Things started off well. Then ...








OOPS!!!!
























Phew. Aunt Laural always carries wipes and a tide to go pen. We cleaned up the chocolate and did some more ballet before buying a "Sleeping Nudie" nightgown and leaving.
















Since Kyla isn't taking dance this year she decided she needed school shoes. We also decided that we were far too mature for Laura Secord and went to East Side Marios. (that's Princess Power Punch... yum.)
We did some rocking out to Hannah Montana and ended up buying Polly Pocket shoes. I didn't take enough pictures because we were having too much fun! But, all in all it was a lot of fun.
And, while all this was going on, Matt was having fun too. The first night he stayed home with Daddy and watched Spy Kids (we're loving spies lately) and the second night he had a playdate with Paige. As he pointed out to me when I told him about the girls' nights ... "I hate princesses but I hate shoe shopping even more. I'm a boy." So, he had no problem with me shopping with my nieces!

Organized

Here's a newsflash. I suck at organization. I have never been a tidy person. Growing up my parents and I had numerous fights over the state of my room. At school I could never keep my desk or locker clean. And, at work I'm constantly reminded to tidy my office or tidy my desk.

So, it comes as no surprise that I can't organize my house.

Don't misunderstand. My house is clean. Our dishes are washed and our bathrooms are clean. But when it comes to organization ... we suck!

I hate a messy house, but I just can't get it together. It drives Mike and I nuts. And his issue - he microorganizes. So, he'll have every single dish lined up in the right direction but step over piles of clothes. Really, it's a huge battle for us. And, the battle gets worse since I'm home from work right now and see the mess all day.

My big fear is passing this disorganization gene on to our children. It seems as though we have. Matt has no interest in tidying up. He loves having his toys spread out. It's been annoying me though, so off I went to Ikea to get an organization system. And I put it together (which took me 2.5 hours). Both Matt and I were dreading the cleaning. But can I tell you how much fun it has been? Seriously.

We've been sorting through all the toys and sorting has led to all sorts of discoveries. We found the complete train set! We found all his Cars toys! We found missing trucks! Life has been great. And, through it all we've been getting organized. Slowly organized, because every time we find a long lost toy a new game begins. But, I'm trying to remember that this is the whole point. I'm trying to teach Matt that it can be FUN to have a place for everything (and everything in its place).

And who knows, maybe it will spur me on to organize my stuff or come up with some great system for sorting all my kitchen containers. My real hope in life is that since I didn't manage to find a husband who likes organizing nor did I manage to have a child who likes organzing, perhaps the nanny we've hired will have some sort of organizing gene and whip our family into shape!

She Rolls!

Chloe has been trying really hard these days to flip over. She grunts and groans and reaches and then gets stuck. It's been comical and frustrating to watch. And so cute.
Unlike Matt, Chloe doesn't scream and cry and get frustrated. She just kind of lets it go and smiles at us.
But yesterday, with much encouraging from Mike and I, and the dangling of her favourite little octopus, Chloe rolled. It was adorable. I loved the look on her face - total pride. Of course I got out the video camera to film my Olympic gymnast in training and she wouldn't do it for me. I turned off the camera, and over she went.
This happened several times. And she would look coyly up at the camera and smile. It cracks me up. I tried again this morning. Same thing. What can you do?
Because she accomplished this Olympic feat at about 10pm last night, Matt was in bed. So, when he got up this morning we put her on her little playmat and let her perform. Matt was pretty excited, and then decided he should teach her to crawl. So, he sat right next to her and kept showing her how to get from her tummy to a crawling position. The scary part? She watched and copied. She couldn't get going, but she did manage to get into position and she managed to move backwards a bit.
As cute as this is, I'm most definitely NOT ready for 2 mobile children. Matt is whirlwind enough. But 2? Scary.
So, after attempting the crawling we went out and got a baby gate. We need several, but we started with a gate for the top of the stairs. Next we need to do the bottom of the stairs and we also want to gate off the kitchen. I'm pretty sure we have a little time. And I'm also pretty sure that I am TOTALLY SCREWED.
But, yay for milestones.
Gymnastics here we come.

If You Can't Beat 'Em ... Join 'Em

Last year when I was running Matt was really interested. By the time spring rolled around he'd follow me for a couple of blocks (with Mike walking) and then they'd go to the park, I'd do my run and meet them at the park. It worked nicely.
Now that Matt is a year older, and wiser, he has decided it's not fair that Mommy gets to go for a run while he stays home. In some ways he's adopted an attitude that Chloe is the baby so he should do grown up things ... like go for a run.
In all honesty, what I enjoy about running is the solidarity. I love listening to music, tuning out any concerns I have and just enjoying the run. Sometimes I plan things in my head. Sometimes not. But, I kind of enjoy the kid break, especially now that I'm around them 24/7. So I wasn't totally keen on Matt joining me.
However, after watching Bob Greene on the Rachael Ray show, and thinking I should encourage this desire to run, I got changed into a running outfit, left my ipod on the table and invited Matt to join me.
He was so excited! (I wish I had that kind of enthusiasm for running)
Instead of my normal running route we went to the local highschool and went to the track. It's a wonderful track. It's springy and new and pretty easy to run on. My rationale was that a) if Matt fell it would be a softer landing than pavement and 2) you can pick your distance. I had visions of getting a kilometre in and Matt wanting me to carry him home. So, the track was perfect.
To be honest, I wasn't terribly hopeful that it would be a fun time. Was I ever wrong. We had a blast.
First of all, Matt is a serious runner. He's 4 years old and has endurance. We both ran 3 laps which is about 1.2 kilometres. So, for me it was a pretty short run. But, he ran the whole time. And he wasn't tired after. No heavy breathing. He was just bored of it.
The whole thing was fun though. We were racing each other and changing lanes. And skipping. Backwards! Of course we had the moment where we had to yell jokes to each other as loud as we could. And we did a lap while singing "It's a Small World." Fun.
I can't say it was the best workout ever. But, the time was good. We chatted on our walk over and back. And I realized all over again that I have a pretty cool kid.
And I'm guessing if we keep this up he'll have no problem going for real runs for me (as long as I don't make them too boring)!

Ahhhh ... summer

It's summer.
It's busy around here.
The wonderful thing about being on maternity leave during the summer is that we can enjoy the lazy summer days I miss at work. So, granted 90% of the days aren't lazy with a 4 year old and 4 month old. But then there are days like today.
Chloe is napping on the couch (she's not rolling yet) and Matthew is curled up in my room watching cartoons. And I finally get some quiet for a few minutes. Ahhhh ... blissful lazy quiet. Quiet time in which I should probably be doing laundry or cleaning. And instead I'm going between reading blogs and watching Regis and Kelly.
I think that this is the first time I have watched my own morning shows since Matt's been home.
So what have we been up to?
We went on an amazing trip to Disney World. Oh how I loved it. Oh how I want to go back. Oh how I am completely obsessed with the Disney message boards, planning another trip and deciding where we will stay. (we're going next May).
There's not enough I can say about our trip. I loved it though. I think I loved it because I am a kid at heart and seeing princesses and characters was amazing. What's not to love about lunching with Cinderella and having breakfast with Mickey? I'd love to say it was all about the kids, but honestly it was also about me. I loved it. I loved standing in line and singing "It's a Small World" to my heart's content with very few strange looks. Love love love.
Matt was totally engrossed. He loved it.
And now, despite the fact that this summer is nice it's dragging. I want to go back. TOMORROW. We're not. But I want to.
In order to pass the time, and get in shape, I've gone back to running. It's slow and it's hard, and I can't push it a lot. Last year I developed 2 running routes that I did regularly - a short route and a long route. I'd just alternate them every day. So far I'm at the short route and I can do it about every other day. So, as I said, a slow start. But manageable. And, I'm not pushing myself. I'm trying to enjoy it and relax into it and not worry so much about time.
And in between all of that we're redoing parts of our house. We're laying a new kitchen/bathroom/hallway floor and putting in a new kitchen. Well, kind of new. We're sanding and painting. I hope it all works out.
I've also discovered the joys od Modge Podge and decoupaging. I've already refinished a bookshelf and 2 shelves for Chloe's Princess room. They are adorned in princesses and sparkles. I love it!
So ... what are you up to?

Noooooooobody!

Yesterday was the grand opening of a Bad Boy Store not too far away from our home. The ads said there was free breakfast and fun stuff, so I thought I would bring Matt to see a store opening.
What I expected was a short line up and a quick wander around the store. What we got - an hour long line up and a packed store. Having said that, we had a really good time. Chloe slept through the whole thing, and Matt loved that they had professional pillow fighters, a mascot (we think it is a squirrel) and lots of cool furniture. He loved being allowed to shout the word "NOOOOOBODY" as loud as he possibly could.
He also really loved Mel Lastman who asked him his name and then shouted "who's better than Matthew? Noooooooooobody." It was cute.
The local newspaper photographers went a little crazy over the moment (it was like Papparazzi!) and I pulled out my camera too.

The other crazy part of the event is that they had these giant bad boy dolls all over the store. They were pretty cool because they are super sized beanie babies that say "nooooobody". Thanks to Matt's newfound popularity the store manager gave him one of these dolls. It was a very kind gesture. But the doll is bigger than Matt. And Matt loves this doll. It's his favourite toy and goes everywhere. Including the doctor. Oy. And, since it's a collector's item ... no garage sales for us.

The only bad part of the day was when Matt was dancing to the music, tripped and fell and got a giant goose egg on his head. I felt pretty bad, but he's a trooper and it didn't ruin his day at all.

Pickles, Anyone?

Matthew is obsessed with pickles. I have no idea why. He loves to eat them and talk about them. His idea of a great gift is a pickle. And, the other day when we went to see a balloon-making clown and she asked what he would like he said "A pickle" (and he was delighted when she made it).
But this pickle obsession has been going on for weeks. Today at the grocery store we spent a good 5 minutes choosing which jar of pickles he wanted to get. It's a little insane.
And I made the mistake of telling him you can make pickles!
We have a good friend who is an organic gardner and sometimes makes pickles out of his cucumbers. So, I told Matt that our friend makes pickles. You would think I'd told him I'm friends with SuperMan. And, Matt has now decided that he would like to make pickles. In fact, he now wants to make pickles for presents.
How weird will it be when everyone we know gets pickles for Christmas. From a 4 year old.
Actually, I'm pretty sure our friend has given us pickles for Christmas and I never thought it was weird. But he's not 4. And he makes lots of gifts from his garden.
Now that I think about it, I think I may call him up and plan out some pickle making adventures.
And here I thought we may try making Jam.

Dance Recital

Yesterday was my niece's Irish Dance Recital.
I realized this is the 3rd year we have gone to a year-end show. It's amazing how times change. The first dance recital we were taking turns keeping baby Paige happy and content during the show. This year Paige was an almost-3 year old dancing along in her seat while we were passing baby Chloe back and forth to keep her happy. (Paige got a flower too!)

As usual, as soon as Kyla hit the stage I had to hold back tears. I'm such a proud aunt.
The show was really fun. We all got into it (though I have had a more than enough Irish jig music to last me awhile).
All the excitement tires a little princess out!

Dentist

Yesterday I took Matt for his first visit to the dentist.
I'll admit that I don't particularly enjoy going to the dentist, so I was quite anxious to find a fn dentist that Matt would like. We built it up a bit and he was so excited to go.
The place where we went has a child-life specialist who takes the kids through the visit to the dentist using puppets and pictures.
Matt, of course, had a bazillion questions and was fascinated by it all. She told him about the "sugar bugs" on his teeth and explained brushing to him. Then he got a purple disolving tablet that showed all the "sugar bugs" on his teeth. Anything that turned purple was a "sugar bug".
He was pretty excited to put the camera in his mouth to check out those sugar bugs and look for cavities.

But the best part of the visit had to be the chair. He went for a ride, got to wear suglasses and shockingly let the dentist not only check and count his teeth, but also do the flouride treatment.
This was cool. When we got there Matt got to choose a tooth brush and then he tried it out and had a "spitting contest" (to see how close he could get his spit to the drain) getting used to his new toothbrush. So when the dentist came in he did a very basic cleaning and check of his teeth using the toothbrush. That's also how he did the flouride treatment. Matt was so comfortable with it all.
The highlight for Matt was learning about "Mr.Thirsty" - the thing that sucks out saliva. He loved it. I was impressed. And, I learned about all sorts of stuff that I didn't know.
Matt got a clean bill of health. His jaw is in good shape, his teeth are straight and he has no cavities! We even got a report card!!!!
I'm guessing he was happy with his experience because when I asked him what he would like to do today his answer was "let's go back to the dentist to get rid of my sugar bugs!"

Kindergarten

Matthew starts school in September and tonight was kindergarten parents' night.
I cannot believe my child is starting school. When I went to the school tonight my heart was pounding. I had that mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement and disbelief that my child will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
Most of the parents were pretty friendly.
I had to laugh because you can totally peg the parents the moment they come in. There are the aggressive parents who must sign their kids up for the best spots for the 1/2 hour and 1/2 day visits. These are the same parents who ask the questions in the presentation that are phrased so that all of us other parents know how plugged-in they are to the education system.
Then there are the been-there-done-that parents who had to announce that they were leaving because they had "heard the spiel" already.
There are the deer-in-the-headlights parents who haven't been in an elementary school since grade 8 grad and can't believe how small the desks are and need to be pointed to the classroom.
I somehow gravitated to the daycare parents. I'm not quite sure how that happened. But, the few people I talked to somehow clued in right away that I'd been doing the daycare thing and we got on the topic of some of the best daycares.
But all in all it was a good evening. I met Matt's teacher and she is really nice. And I met the principal who was a little long winded. Seriously, as interested as I am in the jk/sk curriculum (and I am) I really didn't think it was terribly interesting to see it on a PowerPoint presentation. At this point, as a parent, I'm more interested in what I should be packing for my child's "nutrition breaks" (no longer called lunch and snack) than I am about what the curriculum says about jk/sk splits.
Regardless, it was an interesting evening and I am pretty excited for Matthew. I love his teacher, I know he will too. And there is a water fountain in Matt's classroom. Does life get any better than that? (when you are 4 - not really!)

SURPRISE!

A week ago my sister and my friends surprised me with the most amazing surprise party for my 30th birthday.
To say I was surprised is an understatement!
We were supposed to be going to a restaurant for dinner with a couple of friends. When I got to my sister's house she had me come in for a minute. When I walked in there was a roomful of people there for a fondue party.

Ginny (holding Chloe) me and My Sister Becky

It was pretty special to me. I was shocked to see some of the people who were there. It seems like as we get older and lives get busier it's really hard to get together, and knowing that everyone there had to make some sort of special arrangement (i.e. childcare, changing weekend plans) to make it there made the evening all the more special. And, the fact that nobody spilled the beans (including my 2 & 5 year old nieces) is just a little shocking.
The pictures say it best.

Me (looking shocked) and Susie

(from left) My wondermommies Kerry & Ketly, Ginny, Me & Susie

After dinner we had chocolate fondue. The plan was that we were going to watch Sex & the City on DVD, but we ended up chatting till past midnight and never turned on the DVD. The other people in the picture (who came a little after the surprise part) are my friend Natalie and my cousin Lisa.

A quiet moment with Chloe

Hapy Birthday To Me

Thirty

Today I turn 30!
Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But, it is kind of funny to now check a different box off when I'm doing surveys, and to say "I'm in my thirties." Yep. Pretty much otherwise no different.
I was thinking today about the difference that 10 years makes. You know, because it has been a decade since my last significant birthday.
A lot has happened since I turned 20. On that birthday I'd been with my boyfriend for a few weeks. That was the first birthday I spent with him. Today is the 10th. When I turned 20 I had a party with a bunch of friends, and that's when he realized he loved me (I already kind of knew). It was a birthday where we couldn't stop saying we loved each other. This year, the I love you was demonstrated by a hot cup of coffee being freshly made just the way I like it, with him changing the baby so I could get dressed.
At twenty I was trying so hard to define myself. I felt that I needed a signature drink, a signature look, a signature lipstick. A signature hairstyle.
At thirty I'm learning that I don't want all of those things set in stone.
Who wants to order the same thing when they go for a drink? I'd much rather try a new girlie drink than have the same boring vodka-cranberry over and over and over.
As for a look? I am pretty particular about well groomed eye brows, but other than that, I want to mix it up. I don't want to have a "mom" look or a "career woman" look. I just want to be me. Somedays that means a killer pair of heels and a tailored skirt. Recently it's meant jeans and flip flops. Whatever. As long as I don't consider crocs a fashion statement I figure I'm doing pretty well.
But most of the stuff about me. It hasn't changed. I'm still the same old person I was. So bring on 30! I'm loving it :)

My Mother's Day Gifts

I love Mother's Day. Mike made mine extra special with some special surprises that were incredible.

And, I loved every minute of it. But, looking back at the pictures, I realized that the best gifts are right here with me.

My Boy

My Girl

Yoga

Tonight I finally made the trek back to the gym.
It's been a long time. Because of a scare early in my pregnancy I took several months off of the gym. (I did walk a lot).
But since I've passed the six week mark and I'm not exactly loving my body, I decided to go back to the gym. I thought I'd get off to an easy start with a yoga class. I debated boot camp, but thought I'd wait a few weeks.
It was wonderful.
This is the first time I've taken an hour away from Chloe, and the class was exactly what I needed. The instructor was fantastic, and when I told her it was my first class since having a baby she made sure I didn't do certain things and that I was okay. By the end of the class my body felt fantastic. It was a pretty mellow yoga class, and it was all about listening to your body, etc. I think this is the first time I really have listened to my body in yoga and not just tried to get everything right.
And the 5 minute part where you just lie on the floor and do nothing. Golden.
For me the hardest part of going to the gym is getting back into a routine. I don't mind being there. In fact I kind of enjoy working out. It's just the initial visit, and sorting out the timing and getting comfortable again.
So going there tonight was important to me. I'm not so anxious about it. Actually, with the exception of a few more dance classes nothing has changed. That's not true. They added some "fun" dance classes. There's one class where each week you learn a new style of dance like salsa or tango and get your workout that way. I can honestly say that kind of a class would be a nightmare for me. Bellydance flashbacks, anyone?
So, for now I'll stick with the easy classes and and see how it goes.

The Birds ... The Shock

This morning a met a couple of WonderMommies and their children at a play place so the kids could run off some steam while we enjoyed coffee.
It was a wonderful morning. There were no calamaties. We had a nice chat. It was a good day.
And then it was time to go.
It was one of those easy departures. Matt was tired and looking forward to a break in the van. Chloe was asleep. We got in the van and got settled when we saw a hoard of seagulls flying toward us. I think there were 5. For some reason it caught my attention and suddenly ..
BANG.
Something slammed into my windshield.
Logically it was a seagull. There was a big gob of red right on my windshield. It was horrifying.
And then suddenly I heard it. Major noise on top of my van.
I almost had a nervous breakdown. There I was, in my van, with a half-dead bird on my roof.
I didn't want to roll down the window for fear of a half dead, or potentially dead bird, falling or flying in my window.
Matthew was in the back seat asking what the noise was and where the birds went. I didn't quite know how to explain to him that a bird was dying on our roof racks. What if the bird got stuck in our roof racks?
By this point I had tried to call my sister (who was across the small parking lot) to solicit her help, but she was in conversation with our friend.
And then two teenaged boys walked past. They looked like nice kids. The kind I hung out with in school. The kind I'd like Matt to grow up to be like. They didn't seem vicious or crazy. But, they suddenly looked at my van, pointed and LAUGHED. I was horrified. Kids these days. Laughing at a dying seagull on my roof.
I tried to ask them about it, but when I refused to roll down my window and I pointed at my roof they almost fell over laughing.
And then I realized I could just drive to Becky and Kerry. Maybe they could help.
Instead. They laughed. They both started laughing.
Finally Kerry convinced me to roll down my window so she could explain. I did. A bit. Just enough that I could hear her and yet no birds could get in my van. (by this point I was actually shaking).
It turns out there was no flailing dead bird on my van.
What happened was a group of seagulls had found a half piece of pizza and were fighting over it when they dropped it on my van window.
One of the seagulls retrieved it and it somehow ended up stuck in my roof racks where the pigeons were fighting with each other - hence the banging noise.
When I drove over to Becky the seagulls followed me and were again attacking the pizza.
That's why everyone was laughing.
I chose not to get out and look.
But halfway home a piece of pizza went flying from my roof.
Is it any wonder I'm a little tired these days?

Who Needs a Personal Trainer?

Really.
I have a four year old.
One of the promises that I made Matthew was that when we stayed home I would take him to the local playgrounds. One of the great joys of our neighbourhood is that we are surrounded by playgrounds.
I did a drive around the area, and discovered 5 playgrounds that are various walking distances away. And we also have one in our townhouse complex (though it's just okay).
So, today Matt got on his trike and I put Chloe in her stroller and we went to one of the parks. It was about a 20 minute walk. A twenty minute FAST walk because Matt can ride that trike. Half the time I was practically running to keep up with him.
And, unlike when you're working out with a trainer, you can't exactly just say "no more. I've had it" with the realization you're paying. No way. If I don't keep up there is the distinct possibility that he could ride on to the street or run into a pedestrian.
Of course, before we even left for the park we had to eat a healthy lunch. Forget about the junk I may have eaten, Matt dictated a lunch of yogurt parfaits - strawberries, vanilla yogurt and granola. And, when I asked what he'd like for dinner he told me "salad would be nice." Seriously.
I have to admit though, I really enjoyed our trip to the playground. We met my mom there, and Matt played for quite awhile. Between the walk (about 20 minutes both ways) and the playing and our little picnic (apples and muffins) we were gone 2 hours. Matt was thrilled to see Grandma, and the child needs to run off his energy.
The only problem is that now his energy is returning and I'm ready for a nap!