So sick!

I know no posts...

Cali has been super sick.  She has been fevering on and off for three weeks now, sleeping lots, not really eating, no smiles, SUPER cranky...  in the last week she has had a fever non-stop.  So I took her to see the doctor yesterday who put her on some antibiotics.  I am hoping these will turn her back into the the Cali I know and love.

She had her first dose last night and she sleeping still... it is 2:45pm.

On top of that little Tucky has been under the weather too, she just woke up at 1pm.

My poor, poor girls.

In case I do not get the chance...

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS 

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR  

 LOVE, 

ED, MEG, CALI, & LEXI

enough is enough

So  I am back on the weight loss wagon.  I started yesterday.  As it turns out I hadn't gained as much weight as I thought.  So that was good, only thing was that it meant that I lost a WW point per day... boo!  Anyway I am still a breastfeeding baby Lexi so another 5 points are added.  I know starting in mid-December, what was I thinking?  I thought hey might as well get a head start before the holidays hit.  I saved ten points for a party tonight and Cali and I exercised for an hour today.  So back on track are we!

gasp!

You know how after you get married your spouse points out all kinds of things about you?  Well one of my things is that I gasp, quite often.  I don't even notice it.  I tend to do it the most while I am reading, as I get quite involved in a story.

I remember one incident early in our marriage I was reading "Shopaholic Ties the Knot" by Sophie Kinsella.  At the beginning when Suze throws the bouquet at Becky and when she catches it she realizes that is it a proposal from Luke!!!  GASP!  Ed ran in our room to check if I was okay, as he was often doing during those first few years.

That was a couple of years ago now.  It has become apparent that Ed has grown accustom to my gasping. Last night as I was reading "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, there was a lot gasping going on.  Ed would just glance over and casually ask what happened in the story.

Marriage is great.    

As an aside I love to read and I can't wait for Cali to be able to learn to read books on her own.  I found this great little show when I was Utah a year ago.  It's called "Super Why" each super hero has a "power" that is required to tell a story.  It's great!   I just wanted to share it and I am so glad that Cali loves it as well.

Stats

I was reading my friend Marni's blog the other week and discovered that you can check your stats on your blog.  So I found out that we had viewers from Mexico, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Australia, Finland, the UK, US, and of course Canada.  I thought that was so interesting.  I didn't think many other people besides my parents read my blog.  Thanks for the info Marni!

Lexi's First Birthday

Gosh I am hoping that Santa will bring me a new camera this year... *hint, hint*

I have not been able to take pictures of the girls for the last little while since the camera won't completely turn off or on.  It's stuck somewhere in the middle.  Yes, Dad I did change the batteries and it's not helping.

So for that very reason here are Lexi's first birthday photos a month later.  A big thanks to Papa for being our photographer.

Here is Lexi with her cake.  Yes I know it is in a bowl and not professionally decorated.  She doesn't look like she cares though, does she?  Anyway the cake turned out this way due to this little product I picked up.

This is a Pampered Chef "Kitchen Spritzer".  Great idea, saves money and the environment if you are a PAM user like myself.  I was really excited about it and used in the cake pan.  Anyway this first time user didn't realize that you need to spray WAY more than you did with the PAM.  I figured that out after this event when the cake came out in several pieces instead one nice cake.  The spritzer and I are now friends, needless to say we were not on Lexi's birthday.  To reinforce if you ever buy one of these you need to spray until the pan is dripping with oil, then you are good to go.

Anyway like I said Lexi didn't care.  Enough gab more pictures...

Lexi enjoying her cake.

It tastes the same no matter how it looks.

Bath time after the cake.  (I gave Ed a haircut, this is the best picture we have of it.  Again would LOVE a new camera.  And yes I am that cheap, I cut my family's hair.)

Lexi opening her gifts with Grammie.  She got a her own Dolly and The Princess and the Frog movie.  

So that was about it for her first birthday.  I know no theme.  Maybe next year.

Winter Tires

I picked up my van and brought it home!  It is now sitting outside the house waiting for us to use it.  It won't be today... I am not heading out again until this weather improves which should be tomorrow.

The ride was very smooth.  I had them put on new winter tires the van before I took it home, great idea.  Cali and Lexi didn't make a sound until we were just outside of town.  Got to love the DVD player.  Cali can no longer reach my seat with her six foot long legs (or something close to 6 feet).  Everything was great no complaints thus far.  Only advice I have is don't give chocolate to a 13 month-old in a new car... I have a bit of a mess to clean up when it warms up outside.  It was cute though, little chocolate smeared face, hands, snow pants, sweater, car seat, van door...

Anyway as we are deep into winter weather here in Alberta here is a tidbit of info that you might find useful if you don't already know.  I just learned that you should change your tires to winter ones when the average temperature reaches 7 degrees.  I didn't know that.  We had always changed our tires when the first snow flies.  So 7 degrees... we have been waiting much too long.  We will be sure to do that next year.

I Have No Opinion

A Vehicle Purchasing Fairytale

As I posted last week Ed and I began the hunt for a mini-van.  After the afternoon at that dealership we knew what we wanted in our van.

So I went home and hopped on autotrader.ca and kijiji to see what was out there.  So on Monday I found one that I was interested in and contacted the dealer for a test drive.  I set up a time for Thursday evening to come in and take a look.  The dealer called me on Wednesday night to tell me that the van had sold but they had a similar van that I might be interested in.  When I asked for further details about this van he told me that he would call me back.

About an hour later he called me back with details about the van.  Strangely enough this van sounded quite similar, in fact it sounded like the same van, same make, model, mileage, year, colour... only this one was $2,000 more.  What are the chances of that they would have two of the exact same van that I showed interest in?  I believe about zero.  Slimy salesman.  When I checked auto trader the next day the posting was exactly the same only the price had changed.

Enough of those guys.  I searched again and found exactly what Ed and I were looking for for $6,000 less in the other end of town.  We set up an appointment and took a look at it today... lucky we did.  Someone made an offer on it over the phone while we had it out for a test drive.  Lucky for us we were there in person and the manager had our credit card in his hand.  Even after we were got back another couple took the van out for a drive and wanted to make an offer but it was already ours.  Phewf!

So we are the proud new owners of the mini-van you see in the photo above.  The only problem now is waiting until Tuesday.  Cali was pretty mad that she didn't get to drive in it tonight.  Soon enough we will be on the road in a true momma-mobile.

      

The ABC song

Yesterday the girls and I went grocery shopping.  It was Cali's job to hold the eggs and ensure their safe arrival to the car.  Being a typical 3 year-old she dropped them when something better came by.  Two eggs were cracked when we got home.  Being the smart mom that I am, I took those two eggs out and put them in a small bowl in the fridge to remind myself to use them quickly.

This morning as I was moving things around in the fridge being careful not to spill the glass of milk Cali put in the fridge, I knocked the eggs out.  They landed on the floor and cracked on top of our leapfrog fridge phonics toy.  So I wiped up the mess and and rinsed off the toy. (Note to self: leave cracked eggs in egg carton.)  

Today during lunch the toy started singing the ABC song repeatedly.  The ABC song causes Lexi to dance.  So Lexi is dancing and trying to eat at the same time.  As the song played over and over it became faster and faster, so Lexi was dancing faster and faster in her high chair, much to our amusement.  Finally the song became very high pitched and very fast and died midway through.  By this time I think Lexi was getting a bit tired.  

Anyway I disassembled the toy and it is now drying off on the counter.  Hopefully it will have a second chance because watching Lexi dance to the music is just so cute!       

Arranged

A few weeks ago I was on NetfIix and found this movie.  It sounded like something different to watch, something I might like.  It's so nice to watch something besides Hollywood a movie with a message.  Anyway watch the trailer, and try the movie.  I think you might like it.

One Step Closer

Today I am going to be one step closer to being a "real" mom.  Ed and I are going shopping for a "momma-mobile".  That's right a minivan.

Cali's legs are getting too long and and she keeps asking me to move my seat up but my legs are so cramped I can hardly shift.  After a long trip on knees are sore, and so are poor Cali's.  The Jetta maybe a family car in some countries but not in North America.

Cali is sitting at 30 lbs, she has gained 10lbs over the past 2 1/2 years.  I figure it will take another 2 1/2 years for her reach 40 lbs and be able to sit in a booster.  During that time her legs will only get longer.  So it's time for an upgrade.

Wish us luck!

The Library

I have to admit the library is one of most favourite places.  When I was little girl I remember Mom taking me there and allowing me to choose whatever book I wanted.  I remember taking home Raffi and Anne Murray's "There's a Hippo in my Tub" records.  I even remember one special trip when we got to go into the basement and watch "Mary Poppins" on the big screen.

As I grew older it became a place of escape, within its walls I go anywhere.  Books and videos that I checked out could take to me to far away lands, or tell me local folktales.  I still love the library today for that very reason.

Last Spring when the weather was crumby Cali and I made way to the library.  I picked up a few things I had on hold and Cali got out a movie.  Luckily enough one of our favourite staff members was on.  She asked me how I liked the weather and I told her I didn't mind as long as I had the library to go to.  She laughed telling me that earlier that day someone had come in and tore a strip off her about the weather.  I was shocked.  I suppose I assumed that the library was everyone's "getaway", why would you be cranky there?

When Cali turned two I started taking her to the library weekly for "Story time".  She loves it!  Every week we are introduced to new characters in the books we read and after we get to make a great craft that entertains until the following week.

This past Tuesday was no different.  As we were checking out the Librarian approached a woman and asked if he could speak with her very politely and she in turn was very rude.  Once again I was shocked.  I have always thought that working in the library would be a peaceful, pleasant job.  However I suppose dealing with the public is never 100% pleasant.

Anyway this blog post is dedicated to my librarian and everyone who works or has worked in a library.  Thanks for keeping my getaway open, organized, up to date, and full of great activities.  I did find this video on youtube and now I can understand just how stressful a librarian's job can be.

      

Goodbye FB

After reading a few articles in my CARNA magazine about nurses who required discipline after things they had posted on facebook, I decided it was time for me to leave.

I haven't been on facebook for about a month now.  Thus far only two people have noticed my absence. (Friends that have mentioned it anyway).  Two out of 300+ friends.  These two friends I see on a weekly basis, no need for facebook anyway "to keep in touch".

I also didn't trust facebook anymore.  I had my security very high and deleted just about everything from view including pictures and personal info.  A few months ago I had a "friend request"  from a man I had never heard of.  I asked him if I knew who he was and had forgotten our relationship.  He told me that he noticed we were from the same hometown and no we didn't know each other.  I replied to tell him that since I didn't know him I didn't feel it would be appropriate to be facebook friends.  He then informed that facebook was for meeting new people and making friends.  Weird... I'm married with kids why would I want to be facebook friends with a middle-aged man I didn't know?  However my biggest question is how did he know where I was from when I had hidden all that from view?

Anyway enough with facebook.    

Please, please don't think that I deleted you as a friend,  I have only deleted myself.  

Back in Pink

After about a week of wet sheets Cali is back in pull-ups...

So we will try again in a few months.

However she is removed from her pull-ups  first thing in the morning.

To Whom it May Concern

A few weeks ago Cali got into some trouble.  I felt I dealt with it appropriately.  Later that day someone stopped by my house to tell me I was "too harsh"  with Cali.  Over the past weeks it has been tearing me apart because no one knows what happened in the middle of the day.  To get it out there so I can some peace of mind this is it.

After the incident I took Cali to the library where we checked out a few books about safety so she could understand the severity of her actions.  We went home and read these books together and I had Cali explain to me why what she did was so bad.  We cuddled and talked, then had lunch.  Once Lexi went down for a nap, Cali and I started watching her favourite movie together when we were interrupted.

So that's what happened.

I love my kids that's why I give them boundaries.    

The Love Hate Relationship

What I love most about Ed:  He buys me treats.

What I hate most about Ed:  He buys me treats.

Woo-Hoo!

Night one no pull-up, no mess...
Here's hoping for another good night!

That's It!

She sure is cute, however EXTREMELY lazy!

Cali has been potty trained during the day now since March.  However in the morning she uses her pull-ups for as long as she can.  This morning she used it to poop in while she was playing.  She is LAZY.

Effective immediately Cali will no longer be wearing pull-ups at all.

I will keep you posted on the progress.

Lexi is One!

Sunday was a big day at our house.  Our little Lexi turned one!  We celebrated the usual way with cake, presents and grandparents.  Lexi loved the cake I made.  I will have to post pictures later as Papa was the photographer that day.  

We had family pictures done on Thanksgiving and here are a few of little Lexi to share.  All photos were taken by Sarah.

Little Lexi in the Leaves.

Lexi is hard to keep up to these days!

Lexi with her Mommy.

I love her brown eyes!

Lexi with Daddy.

"Lexington Atucky"

 I took Lexi shopping with me on Monday and the moment I put her down to look at something she was off like a shot giggling with her little hands by her ears.  What a little turkey!

She got the nick name "Atucky" from Cali.  Grammie first started to call her "Lexington Kentucky" for a joke then one day after Grammie had been here Cali was getting mad at Lexi for getting into her things and Cali yelled out "Lexington Atucky!!!!"; so it stuck.  Our little "Atucky" she will be.

Lexi is a very "resourceful" baby as Aunt Jean said.  She loves to get into things.  Once day I found her on a shelf in the pantry.  She had used the canisters of flour and sugar as steps and got into the snacks.  She is one smart little baby.

I can't believe the year went by so fast.  I love you Atucky!

What I Found Late One Night...

I know it's been forever.  We got the Mac updated so now I can use it!  So here I am posting again... hurray!   I just have a bunch to catch up on.  So I will do it one day at a time.  Let me begin with a post I wanted to do about a month ago.

So we started a new bedtime approach with Cali.  Fighting with her to go to bed was getting to be tiring and we weren't getting to bed until late.  So we have a rule now that Cali is to be in her room at 8pm for the night.  I don't care what she is doing as long as she is in her room.  It has been going well as a matter of fact but sometimes I am surprized by what I find has gone on in her room.  The other night I walked in and found blankets all over the floor then I realized what was going on.

Cali's purple puppy was nicely tucked in...

...as was her pink puppy...

... elephant...

... Grover...

... Cabbage patch kid...

... and last but not least herself.

   I love my Cali Belle.

Summer Days

I cannot believe how fast the summer flew by!  I knew this would happen as it does every year but this year... I swear it could still be June.  

I would have to say this past summer has been one of the best that we have shared as a family.  Our trip to BC and zoom through Montana the first of July was great.  We actually planning on making that trip again next summer.  

We were home for one week then we were graced with a fabulous offer to make a trip home to Nova Scotia.  We knew that we would never get a deal like that again so jumped on it.  We had a great time visiting with family, the highlight was getting to know my brother's new wife better.  She is simply as wonderful as he describes.  It's too bad that our camera's batteries were dead the entire trip (I know I kept forgetting to buy new ones) I didn't get any pictures.  Luckily Steve and Mary Beth caught a few:

http://librarianpants.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-favorite-nova-scotian-activities-1.html

    

We were gone for two weeks then home for one then Ed's family came to visit.  We had an extra three adults and three kids.  It was a blast!  It was great for Cali to get to know her relatives from Ontario.  Hopefully we will be able to make a trip to visit them next year.

Summer is already over weather wise here in Alberta.  Ed said there was almost frost on his windshield this morning.  So it's time to stock up food for our winter hibernation.  I go back to work next week.  It's been a blast but now it's time for reality.

Camping it Up Yu Style

If anyone knows Ed they know that he and nature don't get on.  After about half an hour of nature exposure Ed's eyes become swollen, red, and itchy, he goes through a box of kleenex, and has difficulty breathing.  (Not to mention his anaphalatic reaction to bee stings, and how he reacts to mosquitoes.)  So when Ed was told that he had to go to scout camp this summer many people had their doubts.

So for all you doubters here a report of our camping trip "Yu style".

We rented a really cute clean little motel room in Elko.  It had a little kitchette, (complete with dishes) which was great since there wasn't anywhere close by to eat and it also saved us a pile of money.  There wasn't a dishwasher so we had to wash the dishes by hand.  (This made it feel more like camping to me.)

This a picture of Lexi hanging out in the bedroom area.  It was great since there was no carpet I let Lexi crawl all over the place.

Here is Cali testing out the quality of the beds.  I did not receive the best sleep on them, but they were decent.  There was a tv with satellite, however our channels were very limited.  (Ed was pretty choked that he couldn't watch Golf TV... I on the other hand was relieved.)

This was our view out the window.  You can see a few orange picnic tables, those are campsites.  So really we were on a campsite.  One day Cali and I were looking out the window and we saw a couple of horses.  Cali was pretty excited.  Oh did I mention that there a BBQ for us to use?  So we did cook outside, also camping-like.  

There was a beach close by and we spent every afternoon there.  It was so nice as the weather was quite hot.  Ed and Cali had a great time building sand castles, and catching crayfish...

...while I tried to prevent Lexi from eating the sand.

So we survived three days "camping".  I also did wash the clothes by hand, that was also camping-like.  We had a great time and I think we should do it again next year!

My Happy Little Girl

Lexi has just been a dream baby from the moment she entered our lives.  I was barely sick during my pregnancy, labour and delivery were a breeze, and she always lets us know what she needed.  I can't believe that she will be nine months old next week.  It's just so nice to have her around while Cali is going through the "dramatic threes".  Lexi wears whatever I want, she doesn't talk back... it's great!  I know that Cali will outgrow this stage but having Lexi around sure makes things easier.

Here is a video of my happy girl.  I love how you can hear her sniffing when she gets excited.

 

Best Video Ever

Quite possibly the best youtube video ever!  If only is was longer!

My friend Theresa took a video when she meant to take a picture of her husband.  This is what happened!  Tack sa mycket!!!

Cali's Third Birthday

I am currently visiting my parents and have access to the pictures from Cali's third birthday which we celebrated at Heritage Park with Thomas.  So here are a few photos from that day.

Here is Cali and her friend after their ride on Thomas.

Cali enjoying brunch at the Wainwright Hotel.

Cali's beautiful "Princess" face.

Lexi had her first taste of chocolate that day!

Little Dancing Cali

I have always been a big fan of dance movies and lately Cali has been watching them with me. Center Stage is by far my favourite movie and when I found out there was a sequel let me tell you I was stoked.

So here is a glimpse of what Cali has been exposed to over the past week:





Here is a glimpse of what Cali has been doing over the past week:

Baby on the Move

Lexi is officially crawling now.  Cali seemed to skip that step, she crawled with one leg straight for about three weeks and then started to walk.  If I had a fully functioning computer I would post a video of it; it was quite funny to watch.

But our Lexi is a crawling baby, up on all fours making her way around and around the island in the kitchen with her big sister chasing after her saying "No, Lexi!  Don't!" as she gets into everything.

It just gets better from here doesn't it?

I got video of Lexi crawling uploaded! Take a look!

The Computer is Dead... Really Dead This Time

We thought that my computer somewhat bounced back a couple of weeks ago but now it is gone.  It won't even turn on anymore.  I am currently using Ed's, so who knows when I will be able to update now.  I will attempt on the old man mac... but I don't know...

My Wonderful Husband

I have had a cold for the past two weeks.  Right when I started feeling it coming I started taking Cold FX.  I thought it was great.  I could feel my cold still but it seemed a lot less intense.  Then my cold really hit on the weekend.  So I don't know whether or not I am a fan of the stuff.

Anyway since I had been sick I have been letting things slide around the house.  I was thinking that getting my rest was more important.  So Ed has been picking up the slack lately.  He has stayed up with the girls, cleaned the house, managed to fulfill his calling, and make it to work.  So yes I think that he deserves a shout out.

I don't know what time he got to bed last night, but this morning I found him asleep on the couch.  (I guess he didn't want to disturb my drug induced slumber.)  The kitchen and living room were sparkling and I saw an empty bottle on the floor, evidence that he took care of as least one Lexi feed last night.

Ed you are the best.  I know I don't tell you that near enough.

I am feeling much better today.  

Aww, Snap!

This message has been recurring on my screen as I attempt to update my blog.  If anyone else uses Google Chrome you may be familiar with it.  Let me tell you I see it about 5 times plus a day.  It gets quite annoying as my computer crashes shortly after and I have start from sratch.

My brother tells me that it's Windows and I need to put linux on my computer.  However I can't because my CD drive is no longer recognized by my computer and I can't find a usb drive big enough in the house.  Grrrr!

So why aren't I using the Mac?  Well Ed got it from the school and it's so old that it can't use flash.  So I can't update my blog on it.  I am hoping someday to own a new Mac that I could use.

So here I am using this Toshiba laptop circa 2004 that is slowly dying.  Cali told me today that she heard the computer say "I'm dying, I'm dying".  I completely believe her.  Oh if only money grew on trees then I would have  a nice new computer that I could load pictures on so I could really update my blog.

So anyway here's the update.  It turns out that the overflow in the bathroom sink that Cali used to flood house was plugged.  The rubber ring had slipped down and completely blocked it off.  So now I feel better knowing that I hadn't left Cali alone for so long with running water.  I didn't think that it was that long.

The other good news is that we were able to dry out the basement enough that we won't have to any major repairs, just touch up a few places with paint.  Yes I was quite happy about that.

So whenever I get a computer that works I will put up some pictures of Cali's birthday. 

A Flood... in the Bathroom

I feel like things have been piling up on me lately and as a result I have let the household chores slide.  So on Wednesday I thought that I would skip play group and stay home and catch up on some cleaning.  

Cali was playing outside with the sidewalk chalk, then decided to come in to wash the chalk off her shoes.  So I plugged the bathroom sink and put a bit of water in the bottom so she could wash off her shoes.  I then went back to the kitchen to finish my cleaning.  A few minutes later I went back to check on Cali...  

Water was pouring everywhere! I immediately shut off the water and threw towels on the floor to sop up the water.  Then I heard water dripping.  I ran downstairs (our newly finished basement) water was pouring out of the smoke detector.  Luckily there was a box right underneath it on the floor (one advantage of not cleaning up) catching the water.  

Then the smoke detector in the basement went off (not only does it buzz it also talks, who knew?).  Of course it scared Lexi, but that was okay because it was only in the basement.  So I attempted to reset it to no avail.  (I guess the water would cause it to continue alarming.)  Like I said it was only alarming in the basement so as long as everyone was upstairs they were happy. 

So I went back to work sopping up the water, then of course the alarm started going off upstairs.  So both girls began to cry.  I did not know what to do.  If I held the girls I couldn't mop up the water and it would continue to leak into the basement.  If I let them cry it would have been horrible.  So I called Ed in a panic at work asking what I should do.  I kept repeating "I just don't know what to do" over and over until he decided he should come home.  It would still be another half and hour until he would get home.  What should I do?  I did not know.  

So I thought that I would call someone who would know.  So I called the fire department  surely they would tell me what to do.  So I called and told them what happened they said they would send someone over shortly.  The joy of living in a small town... I heard the sirens immediately, hoping they weren't for me.  First the fire chief showed up in his car.  I was relieved to know that they didn't send the big fire truck.  He came in and disconnected the smoke detector for me.  What a relief to my ears.  

Then the big fire truck pulled up in front of my house.  How embarrassing!  My visiting teachers were due to show up at this time and actually followed the fire truck to my house.  Anyway the firemen were very nice  gave me a new smoke detector, and Cali some fire dept. tattoos.

Ed came home shortly after and helped me clean up and air out the basement.  The contractor is coming over tonight to let me know the extent of the damage.  Hopefully it's not too bad.  Just another adventure at our home.         

Now if only I could figure out how to use it and make a post. So far I can only make the title of my post and not a complete post. I also don't know how to load pictures onto it. It's also old, from 2004 I believe. But soon I hope to have more on here that just a title to my blog. Today is Cali's 3rd brithday and I hope to be able to post photos and videos from the weekends festivities.

I got a Mac

New Pictures

Last month I got Sarah to take some new pictures of the girls.  Then my CD drive decided to crash on my computer.  So I only have some to share and I am waiting patiently to get a new computer.  There were some really cute ones of Lexi sleeping.  Seriously what's been going on lately?  Everything of mine is crashing!!!

Enjoy.

 

Had a Bad a Day

This was our theme song today. 

I was up late last night with a teething Lexi.
I was woken up early by my Calla Bella Baby.
Cali smeared yogurt all over herself and the floor.  (This was after she was dressed for the day.)
Lexi continued to cry/ scream all morning.
Cali got changed then washed... then peed her pants.
Lexi had a blow-out.
Cali got rewashed and dressed for the third time.
Lexi continued to cry through all of this.
Cali was standing on a chair behind the fridge door drinking milk.
I opened the fridge.
Cali fell off the chair and spilled milk on her baby doll.
I called Ed and I started to cry.
Cali started to cry.
Lexi was still crying.

Half an hour later:

After another half hour I was asleep.

We slept for 4 hours.

Cali wet the bed.

Our Yu Adventure

Yesterday morning was beautiful. Ed went to the driving range for two hours while I prepped for our trip to Edmonton. Ed returned home and we were on our way by about 1:30pm. Since Lexi has to be rear facing for another 6 months we decided to take our Neon as the body is bigger than the Jetta. When we all take the Jetta my knees are cramped against the dash.


Anyway so here we are on our way to the City of Champions when Ed starts complaining about the car. He told me that the car wouldn’t go any faster than 100km/h. Since the Neon is getting old it really doesn’t like to go fast and I will rarely push it past 100, so I suggested that he not drive faster than that. I didn’t understand that he meant the car wouldn’t really go any faster than that. As we continued on Ed couldn’t go any faster than 80 km/h. At this time we felt we should turn around and go home. So we stopped in Olds, filled the tank, and headed back home on the country roads.

As we continued on our way back home our max speed was becoming less and less. We found that we could only go about 50 km/h and we were really struggling to make it up the hills. Finally our max became about 20 km/h and Ed suggested that I call a friend to come get the kids and me as we were only about half an hour from home.

As we putted along I asked Cali to say a prayer that we would get home safe. Not a second after this prayer my cell phone rang and a friend of mine was on her way to rescue us. We continued to putter along and then it started to rain. Then the rain quickly turned to freezing rain and wind began to blow. The freezing rain then turned to snow and Ed decided it was time to pull over and wait to be rescued.

With winds reaching the speed of 100km/h, and wet snow surrounding us, we waited. Due to the white out conditions our rescuer got lost. As I am always prepared for long car trips I had packed cookies, bread, apples, and lots of water to snack on. We also had plenty of blankets, and each other as sat in the car but our poor rescuer was all alone.

As Ed and I worried about our friend Cali filled the time in with wiping the condensation off the windows, singing songs, and eating snacks. To her it was a great adventure filled with cookies. Lexi also was a little trooper for everything she needed was there as well. I am just so glad that Lexi is a breastfed baby otherwise we would have been in trouble.

About an hour into our wait Cali informed us that she had to pee. I suggested putting a pull-up on so she should pee in it. Cali wouldn’t go for it. She was a big now and that was that. Luckily I packed a potty in the trunk… but it was in the trunk. Ed offered to go and retrieve it but he couldn’t open his door because the wind was blowing so hard. So I jumped out in my flip-flops and grabbed the potty. I sat the potty between Ed and me and Cali had a pee. Then a few minutes later she told me she had to poop. So we repeated the process and Cali had success. I opened the car door and flung the poop into the storm. Then a few minutes later Cali informed me that she had to poop again. Once again more poop was subjected to harsh weather outside. I am so glad that I thought to pack the potty.

After about four hours (that actually few by) our friend came to our rescue. The weather remained crumby but we made it home safe at an average speed of 30 km/h.

All in all everything went well. Ed was able to get a ride out to the car today and brought it home safely. Let me tell you that car will be replaced ASAP.

Thank Heaven for answered prayers, good friends, and family that can make you laugh even in the worst weather. With every adventure we are building memories.

A Few Good Ones

Going through my pictures today here are a few from the past couple of months that I simply love! 

Cali's giant " 'tend" spider. 

(She loved her gift by the way Uncle Steve and Auntie Beth.)

Cali passed out reading "The Clown-Arounds".

Cali chilling out in the laundry basket.

Cali and Lexi in their princess dresses.  I just love Lexi's little Sumo hair, and the fact that she lets me do it.

Lexi's retro style by Cali.

 

Our personal "naked chef".

I can't help but pinch those cheeks!

My favourite juniour stylist.

Lexi taking it easy in her swing.

I just love this picture.  I don't know if it is Lexi's expression or Cali's but it makes me giggle.  You can also see the Fountain tongue here.