Picking up after leaving off...

I guess that last bit of the 2012 school year was a doozy.  I didn't get much time to write, and the year just flew by.  I got better at packing lunches, finding library books (& remembering to get Chance to actually bring them to school), teaching Chance how to read and write, planning meals and even at taking the odd breather for myself.  I'm sure the job switch helped out a great deal, I moved away from my old company in June 2012 and started at a new place.  The energy level is different and the people are great. 

OK -- will try to sit down and write 1x a week from now on.  Really, really try. 

Recap photos from this spring: April - I love this photo -- Karin was caught colouring herself with a semi-permanent marker (thank goodness only her hands, not face, furniture or walls).  Chance FINALLY got to play T-ball, he was on the Yellow Leopards team. Cam signed up as a parent coach, so that was pretty cool for Chance.

 "I won't do this again.....for a little while!"

Very excited to go play ball.

Trimming the Tree!

Proud of their accomplishment! I can't say I helped much this year, was laid up with a cold that made me want to curl up and sleep for 400 years, so just sat in the corner with my camera. Kids had a wonderful time and every day there's a few extra ornaments that get created at school or at home that end up on the tree.

October activities...

Making jars and jars of salsa, late into the night....

Watching pots...


Making his own wrapping paper for a birthday gift. We ended up with 3 blue and red Optimus Primes, one red and green, and one all yellow. Added glitter to the belly grills and chest windows & was a much admired present at the birthday party.

Yes...expressing an interest in potty training. Have had several evening tinkles before bath time, but we're not pushing it on her at this point.

Chance has a loose tooth! Could this smile be changing soon???

Catching up with last 3 weeks!

Chance with Canadian Leaf at Fort Calgary Canada Day celebrations. Big hugs!

Karin thoroughly enjoyed the petting zoo. She called all the 4 legged animals (goats, sheep, pigs) "puppies". She called the baby chicks "PEEP PEEP PEEP!!!!"

Karin has been introduced to corn on the cob. There's a good 2 minute squall when you take the chewed up cob away and refuse to give a new one (in this case, we had finished all of them...she was very upset!)

Chance and Karin taking a juice break.

Two of my four kitchens have been finished. The square one has made its way to a home for foster children (our friend works there) - the other I'm hoping to donate through a group that I've volunteered with before.

Poster Painting

At work we have a HUGE printer that prints out posters and maps and cross sections. Lately I've been doing a lot of those, and occasionally I make a mistake. So instead of chucking the paper, I roll it up and bring it home, as long as it doesn't have anything top secret printed on the other side. Chance and I had fun last weekend making a mixed-media poster sized painting of our house. We used crayons, paint, glue and glitter. There is lightning and a tornado, and a Snakit Bear hanging around the baby gate. It left footprints on the wall above the piano. There are ninja stars near the staircase, watch out, they are sharp! This piece of fantastic art is hanging in our front entrance so EVERYONE can see it RIGHT AWAY. And the lighting there is awesome, just like an art gallery, haha.

My first portrait

Chance drew a picture of me, the house, and Grandpa's new boat at playschool. I have some guesses about the others in the picture too. I just howled with laughter and then realized I was crying too because I was touched he had drawn a picture of me!

Play Kitchen

Zee master chef in his keetchen.

Zee milk must be verry cold.

A stainless steel bowl makes a perfect sink.
Sink knobs (which are the most important part,
apparently) are tin foil covered egg carton.



Hugs for Karin. Don't spill the milk, Chance!


We visited IKEA on the weekend and found this cute and cheap little pots & pans set for Chance -- they were also selling an equally cute but expensive play kitchen set (sink and stove). I was not prepared to shell out the $$ on a whim purchase. So I opted for the dishes and came home and fashioned a home-made stove and sink out of a Pampers box and some tin foil. We did pretty good, I think. If Chance plays with it for a decent amount of time we will look at building him a wooden sink and stove.

Rainy Day

It rained pretty much all day today -- even when it did let up, we couldn't go outside because it was windy and the playground equipment would be all wet. So we stayed indoors and got a little artsy. This has been somewhat of a challenge with Chance in the past, perhaps an attention span thing...but today he had a good time. Then again, he had never had his own home-made stamps with him calling the shots before. At first he said he wanted a triangle...then a circle. Then he asked for the letter "H". We also busted out the stencils that Gramma Jo left Chance in January when Karin was born, and a container of buttons...Chance was happy sorting them and then was really impressed when I gave him a needle and thread and let him string them together to his heart's content. I did not, however let him operate my sewing machine as requested. But I did let him help wind a bobbin.

Olympic Nerds

Well, our household certainly caught the Olympic Fever. We had a family project hanging up on the fridge for weeks. It all started with a shopping trip to a craft store for posterboard and medal stickers. Except they didn't have plain, round stickers. No gold, no silver, no bronze. No white. No dots, no circles. Nada. They had everything else under the sun, including race cars, trees, rockets, hearts, shamrocks, ocean waves, letters of the alphabet in every font imaginable. So we went next door to an office supply store, bought some glitter pens and poster board there. $5.27.

Then we started by penciling in our words "VANCOUVER 2010" "GO CANADA". We did it freehand. Afterwards I lamented about the "G" - it looks nothing like a "G".

Cam printed off a skiier and hockey player and maple leaf and Olympic rings from the internet. The colouring was done by grown ups but Chance picked the colours. This is something I've noticed about him - he wants to colour, draw, etc., but gets frustrated when he goes out of the line. We tried to encourage him to colour on the poster but he refused. Something to work on, practice practice!

Each time Canada got a medal it was added to the chart. Even though we did it for Chance's benefit, initially, both Cam and I really had a lot of fun, and found ourselves doodling and enhancing the poster after Chance had gone to bed!

We really are Olympic Nerds.