Spring Break is coming... SOON!

Its amazing how fast things are flying by these days. Lots of work, projects and stuff to keep my feet racing but I got to be lazy today... I sat on the couch with my cross stitch and watched episodes of Parenthood I taped ages ago and hadn't watched. It was heaven... and after a rough weekend I needed it.

I don't want to go into too much on here, but long story short I had a 'unhappy' customer who no matter what I did was going to be happy. It made for a sad Saturday with tears and confusion. Come Sunday and a wonderful message from Pastor Lee (did I say how blessed we are to have him!) I felt much better. We had Lee and his family over following the service for lunch and a visit. We really hit it off well with them, and the kids have a great time together.

The big news in the house is Ariel has FINALLY got a loose tooth! It is one of her top front ones and its getting quite wiggly. I was asking some of the other moms what the going rate for teeth was with the 'tooth fairy' - these kids get it far too good. However, the first one is going to be special, especially with the fact she has waited so long... at least for her. I am looking for a pattern to make a tooth pillow, so I need to get that together asap the way that tooth is shaking.

We went to an Oscar party downtown, enjoyed ourselves with yummy food and won some fun prizes - a $50 gift certificate for dinner at the Stonegrill and a hotel stay downtown Vancouver. Hoping we can use it when we go to our concert... if we can convince someone to take the kids over night. They are both toilet trained haha, so that should help right?

Spring break is around the corner and we are set with swimming lessons for both kids and I let Ariel do some special things at gymnastics. They were offering cheap special classes in learning to perfect cartwheels, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline etc. We are also hosting Ariel's classmates, the 3 other gals, over for a 'late over' - basically the fun things about a sleepover, pjs, making pizza, ice cream and a movie, only they get picked up by their parents to go home to bed. Needless to say they are all thrilled and its something fun to look forward to.

Well I am done, ready for bed. Zzzzz

Spring is Coming

The weather has been all over the place, one day super beautiful and the next dumping rain... so it must be Spring! 

I packed up the valentines stuff and unloaded our Easter things. With the starting of Lent I wanted to get our 'Resurrection Eggs' out since they were packed and we missed doing them last year. Which means we are getting closer to our house anniversary! Eek, almost a year, hard to believe!!!

Xander and I went out to look for a few new things to add to my decor since I wanted to do something with my cool glass jar thingys. We picked up some naturally colored eggs and a nest that Xander really liked. 

While out we decided to hit Ikea and Xander finally was tall enough for the play room!!! By a hair, seriously, a hair. He didn't care, he had been told so many times he was too short so it was a big day for him. I think he did a cannonball into the ball pit from pure joy. He waved goodbye and I got a nice hour to myself just wandering around. In that time I actually found a really cute carpet for our living room, AND it was cheap! Gosh I love Ikea!!!

I picked Xander up who was happy to see me and we went to have meatballs for lunch. We sat near the window and watched the cars go by. It was nice to spend some downtime with him, feels like I have been so busy that I don't get these moments like I did with Ariel.

After lunch we stopped at Home Depot as I wanted a light switch plate for our bedroom, yeah I kept forgetting to get one. While there I found some spray paint that could work in fixing up our vanity in our bathroom. The vanity itself will need to be replaced at some point when we redo the bathroom, but this helps make it more tolerable in the meantime.

The next day while both kids were in school, I went up to the Point for a mail run and decided to look for these beauties. All I see on Facebook right now is people talking about 'Chicken & Waffle' chips. Simply out of curiosity I managed to find one of the last few bags and brought it home for testing, haha. Strangely, both Ken and I were pleasantly surprised at how good they were. Tasted kinda like honey chicken, better than I expected. Would I get them again, the girl who prefers plain flavored chips, yes I would! Gasp!!! Would I get them soon... no, because I am 20lbs down and rather keep it going down vs up, ha!

Ever seen ducks sitting in trees? This was a new sight for me, but I guess this is a normal wood duck thing I am told!

I got a last minute order for a cake this weekend and I took it on since its an easy design and a friend from high school. Looking forward to it since its kinda weird not to be working this week.

I hung the kid's Easter bags, I just need to sew up our family one, maybe this weekend. Its super cute with bunnies and duckies. Speaking of my cross stitching projects, I finished my stocking (still needs to be sewed) and will be starting Ken's, and at this rate we will both have real stockings next Christmas. Did I mention how great it is to stitch again. I love having the kids older and able to understand not to touch my projects like that.

Today Ariel had an American Girl doll play date with some friends from church. It was pretty cute that the 3 girls arrived with their dolls in matching carrying cases... I wish I had taken a photo. They had a great time and somehow all ended up wearing Ariel's pajamas... also wishing I got a photo of that but it was just too funny to see them come down and show us their silliness.

Well, Ken should be home soon and I need to get to bed, have a cake to decorate in the morning.

Valentines and Painting

 Happy Friday! Also known as professional day for Ariel. Yes, the princess is home today and it has been a nice relaxing day. After all the craziness on Valentines Day its always good to have a quiet one. Yesterday was a blur. Both kids had school and valentines for their friends. We started off the morning by getting the kids in their shirts and Ariel with a heart in her hair.

 We had a simple breakfast since the kids never eat much, but I had some cute cups and plates for them with a small treat.

 Ken left for work and I got the kids to school. Ariel first with her treats for her friends, cards we made with new photos I took last week and some bubbles. I was on a quest for non candy treats this year. Ariel did all her own writing again this year and got her whole class done in record time.

Then off to Xander's school and his first valentines experience with classmates. With the size of the class they wanted the cards just to be made out to 'my friend'. I helped Xander write his name on a separate piece of paper and scanned it so we could add it to the cards. With his, we made heart shaped crayons which I totally loved.

They look so pretty all together. Thanks Pinterest!

Since it was my friend's day for picking Xander up I got to come home and wash the floors and tidy up for our dinner later that evening. Xander came home with a full bag of treasure and got a really kick out of looking through the colorful cards and treats. He gobbled up anything that was candy pretty quickly. 

We picked up Ariel later and she too had a good collection of treats. Most of the big ones had been eaten in class already (I saw at least 2 kids bring cupcakes). 

The kids helped prepare dinner, we made soup and little heart shaped pizzas topped with chicken and asparagus. Yum. They were proud of their cheese adding abilities. Haha.

Daddy finally got home and he had brought some roses home for us girls, pink roses for Ariel and red for me. Very sweet!

Dinner table was all set up and had some candles and our family photo. 

Dessert was chocolate covered strawberries, ooh... and there might have been twinkies... I promised Ariel she could try some, she didn't like them but Xander did. Haha.

Now today I was hoping everyone would sleep in, not so lucky, Xander was up in our bed at 7ish and Ariel followed at 8ish. The kids played until it was time for Xander's gymnastics class. We got his photos back today, so cute! Won't share the class one since its other kids, but this one of him on the trampoline is priceless.

We had a treat of Subway for lunch and then had some painting time. Ariel had a acylic paint kit she got back for her birthday that I dug up and gave her some help in painting something special. 

Its tricky trying to break the 'it should look perfect' idea kids learn in school. It drives me nuts actually. The idea that organic shapes can be beautiful is hard to explain. After some practice Ariel started to get the hang of it and had this great piece finished. 

We also did some watercolor, and Ariel really started to get it then. We did some abstracts and some fun techniques I knew she could try.

I am working on an order for our church this weekend. Lots of cake but simple design, trying to think of what I might like to try... guess we will see what strikes me tomorrow.

Pageant Party Weekend

Last week around this time we were just finishing our first day at our weekend pageant. My body is still recouping, haha. Following dance class last Saturday, because we can't miss a competition class, Ariel and I piled into the car at noon and drove to Abbotsford, a first for me on my own. Keeping with my stellar driving record in new areas I missed the turn to get on to the highway and took a brief detour and got stuck behind a train crossing, typical... bah!

I called from the car that we were coming, as the event started at 2pm and it was just 1 o'clock and we still had about 20minutes of driving left. Thankfully once on the highway I made up time and got us to the hotel and check in with 25 minutes to spare. Got Ariel dressed into her natural wear, thank heavens not much is needed except a quick brush in her hair, haha. Ariel was excited to see her friends and I was able to somewhat relax. 

Ariel has been practicing a lot lately and has really improved. Next was natural causal wear...

Then sports wear and runway, which she loved her dress for, super cute!

We finished up for the night and the girls were eager to go to Castle Fun Park. Here is Ariel and her 'twin' friend Emma. They are so similar that Megan their coach can't tell them apart when their backs are to her. All decked out in their team shirts from their coach.

They played hard for about an hour and we then headed back for dinner and bed. The hotel was attached to a White Spot so we got take out to our room. It was then I realized I forgot to submit Ariel's photos for judging and thankfully managed to get a hold of the pageant director so we could submit them. Gack! 

We went to bed and slept well and woke up at 5am... yes you read that right! We had to get the rollers in Ariel's hair to make it to the hair and make up people by 6am. Its those early mornings that make you realize how much these girls love this, no complaints, smiling and friendly, its rather amazing actually. Slowly her friends arrived too and they chatted getting all fancy. Kinda bummed I was too close to the window taking this photo on my phone since it is such a cute picture of the 3 of them. In case you are wondering, they don't wear much more makeup than they would for dance recitals or competitions.

Ariel's glitz beauty routine was her biggest improvement. Even Eve the photographer who shoots every pageant told me how much better she has gotten. I loved her hair this time too, lots of curls!

After beauty was the last event and always the most fun, dollwear. Ariel did Mary Poppins again and it was a crowd favorite. Its just so super cute and she just charms everyone.

The hard part is the long break till crowning. The girls hung out with coloring books and Emma's dad picked up McDonalds for them. Us moms chatted and made our predictions for what could happen in crowning. When it was time to head down we saw a surprise, a list posted stating the top 10 and all 3 girls had made it!!!

Emma ended up winning the overall award, Double Ultimate Supreme! She started to cry on stage she was so excited! Marley won Grand Supreme and Ariel won Level 3 Supreme, so all girls got a supreme title and that was fantastic for all their hard work! Ariel also won an award for each of the 4 photos we submitted. She loved the beautiful hairclip she won! It was around dinnertime at this point, and very dark. I decided to leave quickly since I didn't really want to get lost in the dark so we drove slowly until I made it to a spot I knew well. Time for a GPS, haha.

Daddy and Xander we excited to see us home again, and we were happy to go to bed early! We won't see everyone again till summer since dance takes over springtime.

Then this week Ariel finished up her latest swimming lessons and passed level 4! She is signed up for 5 over spring break, although I think she may need to do that one more than once, depending on how she does with the new stroke introduced in that level. Either way, she is on swimming hiatus until spring break, which is nice for Mommy to have a driving break haha.

This past week Xander was a model for the photo students at Ken's workplace. Nothing funnier than young people work with kids who have no prior experience. As a parent I had to sit and let them go to it, and Xander was giving them a challenge for sure. They finally got the hang of it and I am excited to see the photos, we get one print free as a thank you, yay! They want him back in 6 months for the next class, so I guess they liked his mellow behaviour. 

I also did photos this week of the kids for their valentines cards. This one isn't the one we picked but it was too cute not to share. Xander also had his gymnatics photos this week, so he is done with cameras for awhile I think.

This week I have some time off from orders but its a nice break since its a short school week with the holiday and pro-d day. Lots of fun coming with Valentines day, whee!

On a side note, our new pastor is AWESOME! Every time I have a meeting with him I get so inspired and excited. With being an artist himself he really is in touch with our creative church family. Its a blessing and I just am eager for things to unfold. So thankful... 

First 'REAL' Post of 2013

Gosh, its nearly the end of January and I haven't been on here. I must say I find the 'net' is my last thing these days with all the things I have going on. The moment we finished Christmas vacation, er even before that, the emails were flooding in for booking orders. January has been pretty full, I do have a few moments while I wait for the 80 monkey cookies are drying, haha.

Its a new year! Wow, we had an amazing 2012, we moved into our home, and I can't believe it will almost be a year since we did. Every time we come home we fall more in love with it. It truly was our answer to prayer and we are thankful everyday for it. Over the holidays we finally had our open house, and got to share our place with friends and family. We also got a new car and said goodbye to the volvo, we love our Kia!

The circle of life continues too, we sadly were shocked with the sudden passing of Ken's aunt Ginny. We are still processing the loss and it comes and goes in waves. We were sad not to be close enough to attend the funeral that happened just this past weekend. However with death comes life, and a huge baby boom with lots of my friends but the most exciting is that I will be an 'Auntie' again this coming summer!!! The kids are so in love with their cousin that to have another one is fantastic! Eek!

With the new year we are looking ahead to some firsts, coming up in April is Ariel's first dance competition! She is very excited and the costumes they are getting are so amazing! They will be doing 3 competitions and now I am officially ready as a 'Dance Mom', haha. Although I am sure I won't be the same drama force like the tv show, hee.

Another big first is this summer Ariel and I will be going to a concert together. We are going to see Taylor Swift and we finally told her the big secret last week. She is SOOOO excited and what she doesn't know yet is her friend from school and her mom is also going. We are going to take the girls to dinner and then the concert, so much fun!!!

Ariel has been continuing with her swimming after school and is in swim kids 4 currently and doing well. This spring break Xander will be starting his own lessons in turtle, so we will see how that goes.

We got back to Sparks last week and have lots of fun things planned. Its hard to believe she finishes this year and we look to see if Brownies will work for us next year. I hope so, but we will see what happens.

In Xander news, the winter break proved to be a huge time of growth of our little man. He has gone back to school as happy as a clam. They are learning about bears and numbers right now and he is in his glory. Love dropping him off and picking him up with him having a smile on his face. December had been rough and I am so thankful to see he is over that 'bump' in the road. He also started his first extra curricular activity with gymnastics! He loves it and I so happy to have finally found something that he can use some of that energy up in. His buddy from school is in the same class so that is fun too.

While shopping on Monday up in South Surrey we hit the Gap Kids outlet store and he found a Superman shirt with an attachable cape... to say he is in heaven is an understatement.

We are starting to get the ball rolling on the upcoming Imagine That Summer Arts camp. It will be our 4th year, which is crazy but we are finding each year gets easier to organize and have people commit to teaching.

I have been on a huge cleaning and purging phase lately. I think with knowing that we will have been here a year that its a good indication of what we don't use and what we do. Either way, feels good. Also on a huge purge on my eating habits. Watching more closely what I eat, and making smarter choices, lost 15lb and counting so far, and feel good about that. Made some goals for summer, so we will see how it goes.

We are scheduled for interviews for our Nexus cards in June, and eager to make border travel that much easier. Plus the kids are free, bonus! It will be a help for Ken too when traveling for work. Speaking of travel, he has lots of things in the planning stages, the biggest one being Australia and New Zealand. Very cool!!!

Speaking of travel we made the hard decision to hold off on Disneyland for another year. We learned of the size requirements for the 'Cars Land' rides and our sweet boy wouldn't be tall enough, even by fall. So we are tentatively planning for the year Xander starts kindergarten. I was really wanting to go and see my friends too, but an extra year will make our trip that much better with their ages.

Our new pastor started last week!!! We are so excited and blessed to have him join our church family. I will be meeting with him later today about the Children's Ministry. Very excited for the new phase of our church.

Well, I think I just about covered everything happening, I will try and keep this updated more... promise :)