Girls on the town!

Today was gymbucks day at Gymboree (obsession, yes I know - enjoy our summer fashion show during the post), so Ariel and I were up and out the door at 9am. The plan was to be there when the store opened at 930am... at least so I thought. When we hit the main road out of town, we suddenly realized we weren't moving... at all!


If the traffic was backed up all the way into our little town, I could just imagine how bad it was on the highway. Crap...er cow. Yes, the traffic was a cow. Mooooooooo! Making my language kid friendly proves to be challenging and yet funny. I had Ariel mooing in the car along with me. I am sure it looked weird to others, oh well.


When we hit the highway, 30 minutes later (usually a 5 minute thing for those who don't know) we managed to get over to the HOV lane. Thank heavens for that, as we made up plenty of time. I don't even want to think about how long we would have had to wait otherwise. We got to the tunnel and then things slowed again. We spent 10 minutes in the tunnel (usually a few minutes drive). I must also stress my great dislike of this, since its not only a dark small space, but also under water. Yikes. I have seen way too many disaster movies in my day to make me feel comfortable in there. I was so happy to see the light of day, and Ariel was happy the radio songs were back on.


We got to the mall at quarter to 10am, so not too bad in the long run. However, the store was just snaky busy in there at that point. Its nice to know I am not the only one with an obsession. Haha. Ariel had her snack and happily watched the tv for the most part while I shopped. While I was checking out she was ready to go, I think its because Barney was on the tv, he is just creepy. After her shopping we did some for me. Can I say how much I love shopping for myself now! Its fun finding things that fit and look good. Plus I love summer fashion, the skirts and tops. Everything out these days is very much my arty style. I got a cute couple of tops, and some casual shorts for around the house. I also found a top to wear for our pictures on Friday. Stay tune for the proofs to see it.


Then it was time to come home, and the drive was uneventful, which was good. We stopped by Nana's to visit Rose who was staying for a few days. Nana made some yummy tuna casserole, very tasty. I got to see the info package for the place her and Papa will be moving to in a few months. They are on a wait list at this point that can take about 3-6 months, so its exciting and sad at the same time.


I basically explained it to Ken as the end of an era. But this new situation is going to give them so much in the way of help, that I know its going to keep them with us longer. Thats huge to me. Plus taking Ariel to a place like that I am sure will brighten the day of so many others. Maybe that will be our new mission.


Bible study was canceled tonight at the last minute, so Ken is home with us. Ariel is happy to have him here... and me too.


So I hope you enjoyed our little fashion show during tonights post. I am off to watch ANTM and Ken has to work on the computer so good night!

Was it a fluke... who cares!!!!!!!

Had to stop in and blog about our exciting event! Ariel used her potty at lunchtime today!!!


As you know, we have been starting to introduce the idea of the potty, without having too many expectations. I have been hearing more and more of my friends sharing of their successes with potty training, and figured I would encourage Ariel a bit more than I had been.

So the past few days at particular times, I have put Ariel on her potty. She has some toys, a drink and books to keep her entertained. She was up to about 30 minutes of sitting with no action. I figured she get annoyed and want to get up, but she seemed somewhat determined herself.

This morning while making the bed, Ariel started saying poo poo. I ran for the chair and for 35 minutes we waited.... nothing. Oh well. We went about our day, had some food, played etc.

When I came upstairs to sort some stuff in the computer room I brought in the chair again, since this was the usual time the princess filled her pants. (She is very regular - hee.) I put her on and we played some music on itunes, actually one song over and over... she is loving that new Madonna song.


Every so often I check to see if she did anything, but it was always empty. Then she started crying, I figured that was it for the chair. When I came over, I got a huge surprise! Both poo and pee! I was very excited and started hugging her. Ariel of course was freaked out...


...and kept shutting the potty lid. She seemed rather grossed out by the whole thing. I don't blame her, that was quite a big 'deposit' for such a little girl.


I pulled out the camera to take the first potty success picture. I am so proud, fluke or not. Ariel then got some very yummy chocolate chip cookies as a reward, that was a hit. After our snack, Ariel flushed the potty bits down the big potty. She has now gone down for a nap, and I am the ever proud Mommy blogger, sharing with you all.... just be thankful I edited the pictures. Ariel was right, ewe!

Artist Ariel

I woke up this morning to the drumming of rain outside. Blah. It woke Ariel up earlier than usual, and after a night where she woke up at 3am, I wasn't terribly impressed. Oh well. Its part of the process of teething. Sigh. Speaking of which, my poor daughter was sporting a huge rash on her face and under arm from the teething pain. Ugh. I am glad that this morning it was gone again.

Our weekend was pretty busy with meetings and visiting. On Saturday afternoon, once Ken got home from teaching, I headed out to Surrey for a chat with Maria. She shared her presentation for expanding her business and I am so excited to be apart of it. We were having such a great time with brainstorming I totally lost track of time... until the phone rang from my hungry hubby. Sorry hon!

I scooted off and picked up some White Spot chicken burgers for dinner on the way home as a special treat. Over dinner I was overwhelmed with what a wonderful blessing this new opportunity was. I have been itching to expand my portfolio and yet nothing that will totally take me away from my first job as mommy. Ken was very excited for me as always, and we spent the rest of the evening keeping Ariel out of trouble.

Ariel decided that she needed to use real toilet paper when playing potty. There was a huge trail from the bathroom to the hallway where she had moved it to. I am taking this as a good sign for things to come.


The next day we had church in the morning. The Ten Thousand Villages stuff was out and we got some goodies. Ken picked up some more coffee, good for those late night writing sessions. I got 2 new necklaces, perfect for summer.

After church we met up with the family for lunch. Ariel was totally thrilled to be surrounded by so many people who wanted to talk to her. (See her little red cheek. Dumb teeth).


Afterwards we hung out at Nana and Papa's for a bit. Ariel spent much of the time spinning in circles and walking around like she was drunk. Thats when it was time to pack up and head home for a nap... it didn't really happen but the attempt was there. Haha.


After a quiet dinner, I pulled out a fun surprise...


I wanted one of these so badly as a kid. Ken thought it was hilarious and Ariel just wanted to eat the snow cone. This was a fun reward as I hit the 40lb lost mark on Saturday morning. Woot, I am thrilled. Yay!

Later we spent a good majority of the evening sorting things out for the church garage sale. Our hallway is filled with many boxes. Ack! I also got my first promo piece done up for Maria and will get to see the printed one this week when we go up for our photo session.

This morning, the postman brought Ariel a package! She was eager to open it as it was from her Grammy.


Of course she turned to the fastest method of getting the contents out.


Inside was all sorts of fun art supplies for our little artist. The best part was the fact everything was those new sets that don't make a mess! This is huge for us because Ariel really hates being dirty, so to paint with brushes and not worry is fantastic.


So while I did some work this morning, Ariel happily sat and did some creating of her own. It was great to get lots of work done while she was so occupied with coloring.


We will be sending some of her first pieces of art off as a thank you to Grammy this week! Yes, a huge thank you to Grammy!!! From all of us!


Tonight I am meeting up with Christy, Cindy and Gwen in the evening. Gwen is heading off to Saskatchewan next month for school and so this is a little good bye for her. Hope she has a fantastic experience in the great flat lands.... I should have her go to Corner Gas for me. Lol.

Strawberry Shortcake

That was one of my favorite toys growing up. Although, I was born in the late 70's, I am primarily a child of the 80's. Love my Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids and of course Strawberry Shortcake. Today, my child is having to live through my old obsessions. I would like to introduce my own little Strawberry Shortcake! Mommy is loving this, soooooooooo much. Hee.


This morning, Ariel woke up at 5am due to some serious pain with her teeth. I finally saw that the first eye tooth is breaking though on the top gum. YAY! She came to our bed and stayed till morning. She was still sleeping when I got up at 830am. Since we didn't need to be at the coffee party till 10am, I let her sleep late. Poor girl needed it. We got dressed and ready to go. Ariel wanted to try and put on her shoes this morning. She did pretty good.


It was totally dumping rain outside today! Pretty nasty and cold, glad we were busy with inside activities. Irene was hosting the party this month and had made up a special waffle for Ariel. She was quite thrilled!


It was nice to visit with those who were able to come, although we were missing a good handful of people. Nana was able to attend thanks to Brad taking Papa out for coffee, thank you! We had to duck out early to head over to the pool for our swim class! Ariel was all ready to go.


Our class is really great, and I am so happy it finally came together. There are 5 other kids, all ranging in ages. The oldest is 2.5 and the youngest is a 1 month old. Ariel is right in the middle age wise. I must say she did take a liking to the older boy with the blond curls. She was totally taken with him, and wanted to give him a high five after they did back floats. Too cute.

Our teacher is a guy this time, and he was sooo wonderful with the kids. I noticed that this time around, Ariel was really getting more into the songs. After everyone game or song she said 'AGAIN'. She also amazed me with her lack of fear. The kids were to stand on the edge (those who could stand) and jump to us in the water. Ariel didn't want my hand and jumped in without a care in the world. We had to keep doing this since she would howl with laughter and kept saying 'again'. Teacher was impressed with my little fish, I am a proud momma. After class, and a few tears that it was over, we got changed and had some fish crackers.


As we were leaving, we saw Jen and talked to her briefly. Ariel was getting hungry for lunch and tried to take off towards the snack stand. I guess maybe one day we will have lunch as a treat. Maybe on the last class, or if we invite someone to come watch.

We piled back into the car, the rain was still dumping, blah. Ariel was happy to see puppy again, but still traded him for the remaining fish crackers. Talked to the travel agent and picked our flight times. She is now booking everything and by next week we should have everything all together. They have a great deal for 5 days at Disneyland for the price of 3, gotta love that. I hope the next few months go fast, I can't wait to go!!!!


Ariel had a nice good nap today, which was great since yesterday she didn't sleep at all, ugh. I am choosing to put her down later and wake her up sooner to see if that helps with her night time sleeping. I must say it was nice having a calmer playtime before she went down. She was such a little sweetie playing with her pig car. She even helped clean up the toys, and didn't re-dump the basket afterwards, always a plus!


After the nap, we walked down to the close grocery store and picked up a tomato for our burgers. Yes, we were having my favorite ' the almost fast food burger' and sweet potato fries. Both recipes from my Biggest Loser cookbook. Yummy.


I always add more veggies with tomato, lettuce, mushrooms and red onion, soo good. Since Ariel hates red meat, I cooked her some chicken. She had it with some fries, mushrooms and a little salad. She went right for the salad first! Sometimes she just surprises me. That wouldn't have been my choice at that age. Hee.


Not sure what I have planned for tomorrow morning yet. I guess it depends on the weather. I do have a meeting in the afternoon with Maria, once Ken gets home. Uncle Bill and Aunt Penny are also coming out this weekend at some point. So, thats all from me! Hope you all have a good weekend!

Walking Our Cares Away

The past few days the sun has been shining and Ariel and I have been able to walk all over town. Its nice to walk and just let all the daily stress float away. Ahhh. I must say I am starting to feel like myself again, and it feels good. Thank you everyone who left such lovely comments. Friends rock!

Yesterday, Ariel and I ended up getting some new sunglasses! She was really intrigued with me picking out a pair, so I had to let her join in. After showing her the rack of kid glasses, she promptly picked the pink ones. The girl likes pink! She was totally loving people stopped to say how cute she looked in them, and that she actually was keeping them on her face. Thats my little accessory queen. Anyhoo, we had to take a picture with them on the deck when we got home. I am now calling her Bono.


The rest of the day we hung out at home. Ariel napped well and I tried out my new 100 calorie popcorn. I however burnt the first bag, since our microwave apparently is super hot, and it only took bearly half the time it said on the box. So the house stunk of burnt popcorn the rest of the day. Yuck.

Today I woke up and the clock was flashing. Doh, power outage. The question was, what time was it. Ariel wasn't up, so either that was a good thing or a bad one. I rebooted the computer and saw it was only 830am. So we got up and had a quick breakfast so we could go out walking again.

Since there were no chores to be done, we went to the park to play. When we arrived, there was a couple training their pugs to do jumps. Ariel was TOTALLY taken with this, and we watched them for quite awhile until she realized there was toys close by. She took off in full pursued of the swings.


Ariel loves to go back...


...and forth!


Then on to some teeter-totter time!


Then came the slide, this was too cute. She might be a big girl most of the time, but I am glad she still wants my help too.



Since I wanted to stop by Nana and Papa's, I had to start convincing Ariel that we had to go. This is never fun, and usually ends with tears. Today, we managed to do better. At first she was really upset, but when we walked through the empty water park, she got really happy again. So we played here for a bit and then moved on, and there weren't any tears, yay.

This was by far the cutest thing that happened. There is a little bridge and I think she thought it was something else. There she goes...


So far, its going well...


Then on the other side, she starts holding on to the edge and crouching low to the ground. After seeing her do this several times I realized that she thinks its another slide!


YAY! I did it myself!


Just a few more cute pictures.



We stopped for a visit with Nana and Papa. His leg is REALLY sore, and it doesn't seem to be improving. You start to wonder if they missed something on the x-ray. He was very happy to see Ariel, and she shared her cookies with him.

On the way home we stopped at the post office and grocery store. I found some corn on the cob, Ken's fav, so we shall see if its any good. Might not be quite ready yet, but for 40 cents a cob, its kinda worth a try. I also found some discount goodies for next Easter for Ariel. I found an Easter bunny Mr Potato Head for $4. Score! She is really starting to like the potato head toy, so it will be a big hit come next year.

Ariel was quite mellow as she has all the comforts of home in her stroller. Here she is getting annoyed with the paparazzi, aka Mommy. She doesn't always want her picture taken...


...but it doesn't last long and she is extending the cracker treaty of peace.


So tomorrow we have a full day. In the morning we have April's coffee party. That will be lots of fun. Then we have to scoot off early so we can go to Ariel's first swimming class! Yes, we finally didn't get canceled! Woot! Afterwards, we will stop at the travel agents office to officially book our Disneyland trip!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! Yes, I am sooooo excited and it will be great to finally have it marked on the calendar. I guess that means I will have to start those princess dresses for Ariel. Hee.

Eight Years

Vickie Lynn Worth

1955-2000

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Today we came out to visit it you mom. It was a beautiful day and on the drive over I saw the eagle like I always do. Its always good to see them on days like this. I think this is what the weather was like 8 years ago when you left, but the details seem to get fuzzy as time go by. I often wonder how to hold on to those, since there is so much I want to share with Ariel.

Stella has been good for our family since you have been gone. I really don't know what my life would be like without her here. Thank you mom for leaving me your friend, who in turn is mine too.


Nana is always trying to be strong for us all, but I know how much this time of year hurts. We all still hurt, and I don't think that will ever go away. She is so amazing, and I wish that one day I could be half the woman that she is. She will always be Nana to everyone.


There is so much I could say about everyone, but I will just say that we are all happy. Regardless of the struggles in life, we are all so blessed.

Ariel wanted to wear blue today for you, and we brought you some of your favorite white roses. I had to run all over town this morning to find those, but I had to have some for you. I didn't cry this morning... but I am now. There is something about writing you that makes me weep openly. I guess I just miss you...


I love you Mom! I miss you so much... we all miss you. That will never change.