More time

Wow, so this is what happens when you have kids. One minute you are thinking "yep I'll do a great set of blogs" and the next minute it's 6 years later and your kids are now both in school and you finally have time. Jade I don't know how you keep doing it and you got more than double my crew! So, in the meantime. What has happened? After working on and off for the last half decade (sounds so much cooler than 5 years) I am again doing something I really love: Working for Success by Six. I have had a heart for kids and teens most of my adult life. Have worked as a special needs worker in the daycare and pre-school here in Tumbler Ridge, have volunteered on the Teen Centre board, have worked at summer camp with teens, have taught junior high sunday school. And now I work with adults and kids, helping the adults and their organizations reach kids and meet their needs better. Representing the needs of families and the importance of early years. And I get to be home with MY kids after school, be a mom again and do the creative stuff I love. I just had my second article published in Tumbler Ridge News - all about the importance of books and in time for Canadian Library Month. You can check it out at http://tumblerridgenews.com Meanwhile, I may or may not remember to blog here, as I follow another passion: Virgin Drink Recipes. So onward and upward, just like everything that I do, sometime fully engrossed in the idea and sometime dropping it for a while (or in this case a long while)!

A Tale of a Tail...and the little guy attached.

When I first met Trent I was a softy!

A bug flew in the house, a spider crawled in... and I was all for trapping it and putting it back outside where it "belonged". Now that I have kids... not a chance! All vermin die!

Recently we had an unexpected visitor to our basement, and my desire to maintain my "death to vermin" rule was tested. Mr. Mouse had found a way in, and was living in our workshop. Trent, during a midnight bout of stomach sickness was playing X-box and Mr Mouse decide to go for a stroll out to the laundry room. Failed attempts at catching it by box throwing - not really a very effective way to catch something fast and about 3 inches across - resulted in borrowing a mouse trap from Jerrilyn the next day.

After the dog licked off the peanut butter - narrowly missing getting his tongue trapped - the trap was set in Mr. Mouse's home: the workshop. That night we watched a movie after the kids were asleep. Mr. Mouse decided to pay us a visit - probably smelled the popcorn - and ran out of said workshop. We tried to corner it with no success. Too bad for Mr. Mouse.

If we had cornered it: He would be alive today, outside in the snow, and able to raise a little mousey family. But due to his misunderstanding of our intentions he was not captured alive, and passed during the night as he had less success than our dog in getting the peanut butter off the trap without springing it.

Good bye Mr. Mouse. May you rest in peace.

row row row your boat gently in the kitchen?

bree loves playing with her sister...

Zoe is an amazing helper in keeping Bree entertained. Way to go Zoe!

Lost tooth

Zoe lost her first tooth about two weeks ago (when I lost my camera...) here is a picture of her showing off a beautiful smile!

Bree at play

cuddling on the couch

We the adults thought that two kids cuddling on the couch would be so very sweet an image. Ah so adorable


Except it seems Bree had a different idea and voices her objections.


Hearing no sympathy from mom she turns to tell big sister that this plan ain't all that great!

Found My Camera!!!

Now comes the barrage of pictures! From May 3rd onward, almost two months worth.
Don't worry, I misplaced my camera about 2-3 weeks ago so there are fewer pictures than one would expect, and I am only posting the great ones.

So here goes: Group one. Dillon's grad. These are not of dillon, just of the girls. Boy that was a day! Bree puked in her fancy dress, Trent was sick that weekend, Zoe was sick on the trip there, We got dillon sick as his graduation present. yep good times!

Here bree, after puke, happy and in pj's for the rest of the party.




And then Zoe. Not sick but silly, at least at first.

Lost my camera

so I can't find my camera.

Why does this matter? because if I actually had time to blog, which I am finding I may these days actually have time again... I would want to post pictures of the kids.

But, I can't find my camera.

Sigh.

What has happened that is camera worthy? Zoe has lost a tooth. Bree has 6 (teeth). Bree looks funny eating corn on the cob with her six teeth, she love to eat fruit and is learning how to eat with a spoon. All this makes great pictures.

trent is home, he has a camera, but if he takes the picture I never see it. That's why I got my own camera.

I misplaced it.

have you seen it?

Goldie Locks gets a real hair cut

Zoe loves her locks, but her mommy was desperate. So a while ago there was a chopping of locks in the kitchen. But a real hair appointment was needed. Well zoe had her first real hair cut!

Images of Peace

Enough said.

Hairy Business

Well it was bound to happen, eventually the tangles, tugs and tears of having long curly hair were going to result in somebody breaking down. It is with much mixed feelings that Zoe was convinced to allow her mommy to cut some of her hair off. About 3 inches or so, and truely I want/need to get her to a real hair specialist, but at least it's a start.

Hopefully there will be less tangles, tugs and tears in the future.

Bree loves her Sister Zoe

It's got to be love, and trust too, that our new baby Bree will fall asleep on her sisters tummy. Trent put her there because, well Zoe loves her Sister Bree, but what is amazing is that Trent put Bree on Zoe's tummy awake. And as you can see from this wonderful shot, she fell sound asleep. That's trust.

Strange Sleepers

Well strange things are afoot! Sleeping habits of newborns are hard to predict. We thought we had it figured: swaddled up, something to suck on, head half covered and cuddled close to the body. So here's the question: Why then does Bree fall asleep uncovered and alone lying on our bed? Strange things to wonder about!


And Zoe, what's up with that? My little Girl, either wants to be like her Daddy and not wear a shirt to bed, or... more funny, take a look at this picture. What is she wearing on her head do you think? Yep, you guessed it, her PJ pants! And if you peeked under the blanket you would see that she put her PJ top on upside down with her legs in the arm holes. Sigh. Kids are weird.

My own live doll

When Bree arrived in this world, her mommy and daddy said, "ooh aah! What a sweet little baby." Ok, so neither of us did really, I cryed and laughed and Trent tells me I looked like the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes (and probably because that's what happens to moms when they see their new born). I don't recall what trent said...

But here's the thing, Bree came into this world at 8 lbs 1 oz (alot smaller then her sister was at 9 lbs 10 oz). So most of my clothes I had saved and ready were the 0-3 month size and she was swimming in them. Freinds came to the rescue, but the sweetest gift was from her cousin Dante who offered up a beautiful doll dress from her own dolly. And it fit, ain't it the cutest! My own live dolly!


Three weeks later I am packing up the newborn clothes and Bree is fitting into the 0-3 month clothes!!! This is my favorite item, her Grandma and Papa gave her: a warm, soft, fuzzy, snuggy ducky pj's with matching bib. Oh to be that little and have such wonderful clothes to wear...

Bree meets her family

Minutes after Bree is born—around 9:40 pm on August 27, 2007— the most important call is made: Daddy (Trent) phones Zoe (who is staying with her aunty Jerrilyn) to tell her she has a baby sister!

Here is how the conversation went: Daddy: "Hi Zoe you have a baby sister." Zoe: "What?" Daddy: "A baby sister" Zoe: "What?" Daddy: "A baby sister" Zoe: "A brother or a sister?" Daddy: "A baby sister" — line goes dead. Jael picks up phone: " Zoe has gone to the front door to get her shoes and coat on to come see her sister."

Zoe had to wait until the afternoon of the next day to see her, and she has been the proud sister ever since.

Introducing Bree

It has been 3 weeks today since Bree Rachel Ester Ernst was born and I am just now finding time between feedings, diaper changes and whatnot to get her pictures up. Trent has been much better, getting them on facebook right away. Well he doesn't have the same demands on his time (or didn't).

Here is Bree.

What's the focus here?

So we are taking pregnancy shots in the back yard. Husband Trent (the greatest living photographer... seriously, Google it!) is in charge, and here is what he comes up with! Great shots but what's the focus exactly, pregnancy or...

9 months and counting

Some pictures Trent took of Zoe and I in our back yard, me with my pregnant tummy! Zoe asks often "how long until the baby comes?" and I say soon I hope!

Zoe gets her own computer!!!

Ok so this is cool for her, but if you saw the computer you may be less than amazed. Zoe turned FOUR, on Monday and so I gave her room an overhaul. She now has a first generation imac sitting on a little zoe sized desk that will play a whole swack of preschool games that no newer computer will play. Games are still great, just no one thought to update them in the last 5 years or so... So we took an old computer, and gave it a new home!

She loves it. Hasn't watched a bit of TV all day. When given the choice all she wants to do is play games. (Don't worry, the majority are educational and helping her learn her numbers and letters).

The great thing is I have been letting her use my computer to play games on-line for the last two months, She has to do small detail work for 2-4 hours a day to help strengthen her weak eye, and so when I started doing this I lost access to my own favorite toy! And you may have noticed not blogs!

Well I have my computer back and now I can blog! I also joined facebook, so now I can keep updated ... for the next 5 or so weeks until baby comes and I haven't got any time left! But for now! I'm back and zoe is soo happy!

Soccer mom

I read on line that my womb was the size of a soccer ball at 26-27 weeks and got this idea. Fortunately with a Pro photographer for a husband and a friend who is an amazing artist I was able to accomplish my "goal" and it's a SCORE!!!!!