Saturday, December 30, 2006

Stuff I've looked at the past couple days

1. My dad's crazy red eyes. Why were they red? He took his Seadoo from Crescent Beach to Victoria and back. It was pretty stormy and he was without a GPS but don't worry, he just followed a ferry back. His goal is to take it up to Alaska. Oh boy. Does this mean getting his pilot's liscence is on the side burner? I hope so!

2. The calendar. We took out our new calendar and I flipped through the past year to see what we were up to and whether we were really as busy as I thought, yup, we were. Last year at this time I was 9 weeks pregnant. Crazy stuff.

3. Our computer room. Gary and I went nuts yesterday (or was it plum crazy? That's a saying isn't it? You'll see that my pun makes sense in a second) and put up moulding/chair rail/whatever you call it and painted the wall `Spiced Plum'. We wanted to make the first room you see in our house a little more fun and organized. Now, we just have to put up all the black and white photos. I was very impressed with Gary's knowledge of the mitre box and saw:) I was also impressed with our team work; go Team Chapman!


4. The scale. Wow...so, not going on my daily walks and not going to the gym in the past week and oh ya, eating TONS of chocolate really adds up. It adds up to about 5 lbs. Gary and I may be signing up for a 1/2 marathon and full one for him...may being the operative word. Not sure. Do we have time to train? Do I have any energy to spare? I went for a simple 4km last week and it wiped me out for 2 days...feeding our `little' guy really takes a lot out of me.

5. Lotsa friends. So many of our friends have been out here from Thailand, Ontario, and Walnut Grove(:)) so it was fun to catch up and hang out. Mexico next Christmas? Oh ya, a friend of mine was up from California and she got to meet the lovely Mr. Kai, great to see her again too.

6. Gary wanted me to add that I've looked at us hugging in the mirror. Good old hugs, can't get enough. You know when I was single, I didn't realize how long I would go without any physical contact whatsoever. I used to make my little sisters hug me. Yes, make them. It's important to have some physical contact if you ask me.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Christmas Day



Here are some pictures of Kai opening his presents, playing with his new favourite toy while being held by uncle Todd, and his new big boy `car' which is supposed to be one year and up but you know, he's advanced and all....

Mommy and Kai


Here's a fun shot that Gary took on Christmas Eve

Also, here's our cute little thumbsucker...it's so nice that he can soothe himself (most of the time) in his crib.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Christmas Eve


My dad and the appetizers. He went wild at M and M Meats and also made the chicken for Jackie's bday and the Turkey for Xmas. Good job dad!

Jackie and Tyler (her boyfriend). Tyler was sandwiched between Trisha, Jackie and Jan on the couch this year and he did really well with it considering all of the uh, interesting and slightly awkward gifts we always give eachother:)

Me and my sister Nut (Trish) trying to make Annika smile.
Wow, I'm exhuasted and we still have all tomorrow to get through! So, on Saturday it was Jackie's 22nd birthday and we had a big dinner and then we all went bowling. I usually don't like bowling but I had a great time! The music, the lights, the company..fun times (I need to get out more!!). Then today we had another huge dinner (my dad made the turkey and it was great) as well as church and Christmas presents. Kai seemed to like his cloth dinasour book the best as he could chew on it. We had a great time with family and I think it will be great in the years to come, watching the little kids open their gifts.
I'll have a picture tomorrow of Kai in his new nifty sled. We couldn't get pictures of Kai and Annika together as she is super sick and I was a crazy paranoid mom keeping them as far apart as possible for the past two days.
Good night. Merry Christmas.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Dessert and Letters

The other night I made a pear and walnut crumble...so yummy all warm from the oven with some vanilla icecream. Wow, I love dessert. A lot. I just went through all my letters from when I was in Kenya. Now, I just have to organize them all in a binder or something. It was 2 years ago that I just had a few weeks before coming back to Canada and seeing Gary, (oh, and my family) and boy was I excited. I was climibing Kilimanjaro with Lynette and we were continuously checking our heart rates making sure all was good:) (We made it to the top by the way, no problemo. The couple we were with made it as well although it wasn't so pretty for them with vomitting and asthma attacks etc)
Did I mention that I love dessert? Especially when there is a hot/cold combo. Gary made me a chocolate pudding cake when he proposed...my taste buds couldn't really concentrate on how good it was because I was so excited.

Teething???

What are the symptoms of teething?
Irritability
Drooling.
Coughing
Biting & gnawing
Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc)

He's been doing the first 4 for about a month now but suddenly his nose is super runny. Either he's getting his first cold or first tooth. What's better? I don't know.

The senior boys bball team won again last night and Kai and I went to watch. Kai fell asleep in Leah's arms which was a nice break for me and a good work out for her:) Great to see so many fans there and to see them pull off another win.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

What are the Chapman's up to on a Sat night?

So, let's see. Today we went to JYSK (10X better service than the Brick...and by better service, I just mean faster service, I get a little impatient sometimes) and got a buffet thingy which we have wanted since we've moved in. It matches our table perfectly and will take out some of the clutter from our kitchen. Here's a picture of Gary in the 3rd hour of putting it together while watching the hockey game. Kai and I encouraged him with some singing which included how wonderful and manly he was putting together the buffet.
Well, I got a slow cooker for Christmas and I'm `accidentally' using it already. So far I've made cheesecake brownies in it as well as a tuna lasagne (not at the same time, dont' worry!). It's pretty fun and I look forward to many more meals in it. You see, sometimes Kai is best in the morning so I'd love to make meals at that time and then have a perfectly warm meal when Gary comes home from work. Such a great housewife
I am.

What else? Hmmmm...I've been reading a bit more lately. A little Maeve Binchy and Karen Kingsbury...good times:)

Tomorrow my sisters and I are getting together to make croquettes and oliebolen (spelling is prob. off)...good old Dutch Christmas tradition...

That's about it! Kai is doing so wonderfully, he goes down for his naps and night time sleep so well now. He's discovered his thumb which took a lot of work on his part because he was always so jerky with his movements. I think he's so cute when he's sucking it and I think that I will prob. have tears of joy in my eyes every time he reaches a new stage. He is sitting on his own for a few seconds and should be able to do it longer very soon. I can't imagine him talking or walking or playing sports or instruments...I don't know how I'm going to be able to hold in the tears from being so proud of him.


Tuesday, December 12, 2006


He's either sucking on his fingers or sticking out his tongue. Either way, he's always drooling. Apparently he could start teething any time but he's been drooling for months so I don't think it will be any time soon.

Ahh...nap time

Not for me, for him! Today I waited until he was really tired, then I read him a story and put the music on and left him in the crib. He only cried for about 8 minutes. He must have been so tired. Usually he would cry for a lot longer so I often rock him to sleep. I hope this is the beginning of a new routine. Those of you who do not have kids...just you wait:) Who do you listen to for baby advice? baby wise? the baby whisperer? the internet? your dad? husband? sister? mother-in-law? your gut? You want to do what's best but I want to make sure I'm doing the best for him and me. I'm such the researcher type which actually just makes it a lot more difficult because which source is the most reliable and up-to-date and works for Kai? Anyway, I feel bad writing about baby stuff all the time because most people who read this don't even have kids. But hey, is this for you? For me? For kai when he grows up? I have no idea.
This morning we walked to Shoppers Drug mart instead of Extra Foods. I tried on a perfume but the more I smell it on me, perhaps it was cologne...I think I smell like a guy. Gary is coming home on time today for the first time in weeks (he's had bball practice/games)! Kai and I are excited to have dinner with daddy. Then, I think we may go watch the bball game...although, then I'll miss `House'....hmmm...dilemma...

Sunday, December 10, 2006

This weekend



These pictures are from my sisters blog and they were taken at lunch today as mentioned below.
So this weekend Kai and I went to watch Gary's bball team in their first tournament. Kai loved watching every minute of it and didn't mind missing a nap. My sister Jantina also came to a game and is quite sure that Gary would love to have her taking stats. On Saturday night, we celebrated 4 birthdays in the extended Chapman family. Today, the whole Dekens clan went to the Beacher Street Cafe at Crescent Beach to remember my mom as this would have been her 54th birthday. My mom and dad LOVED walking there, I think our whole family loves the ocean as we grew up boating/fishing every summer (by the way, Kai's name means ocean). A couple of us went to the Langley Hospice society this week as they had a evening to remember those that had lost loved ones recently and I thought they did a wonderful job. One of the techniques they taught us to get through grief is to take a deep breathe in and out and then hug someone for 3 whole breaths in and out. This makes you really think and feel about the person you are hugging, recognizing how precious they are to you. Gary gets lots of long hugs now. Oh ya, tonight I went to a cookie exchange. You know, you bring 6 dozen cookies and exchange them with others and then you get a whole huge assortment...I better get back to running again!


Tuesday, December 05, 2006

4 months old


So today Kai had his 4 month shots and he did wonderfully! Wow, he is seriously such a pleasure (now). For all the other mom types out there, here are his stats:
Height: 27inches Weight: 18lbs 3oz Head Cirucmference: 44cm
All of these are in the 97th percentile. This past week he has really enjoyed sticking his tongue out. Tongue length must be genetic because both Gary and I are able to touch our tongues to our noses and I bet Kai will be able to as well.


So this week I was slightly impulsive. Usually I'm super Ms. Cheapo but I bought a brand new recliner! I saw the Brick had 50% off this recliner so I just bought it. It doesn't match super well but it is nice to curl up in and Kai loves to rock in it with me.
We set up our Christmas tree this weekend. We decided to go with a fake tree from Costco. It is normally a huge tree but we took out the whole bottom section because when we had the whole tree up, we really didn't have much room in our house. Anyone who knows that I grew up on a Chrismtas tree farm may be shocked but we decided that its probably best to not kill a tree and in the end we'll prob. save some $:) Gary and I got to set up all the decorations that we bought last boxing day! Wow, this whole blog makes me seem cheap but I guess that's not the worst thing to be!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Do I look like him?



Here's me and my dad when I was 3 months old (on the left)...on the right we have Kai, do I look like him at all?

Below is a picture of me at Kai's age with my mom. It's weird to think of my mom being a mother to me when I was his age...did she blow on my belly and cheeks to make me laugh? Did she bake cookies while I was in the jolly jumper? Did I like to watch tv? Did I like to be moving all the time or was I fine just cuddling? How did she do cloth diapers all the time (I use about 50% of the time)?, When did I sit up by myself? When did I start solids? When did I sleep through the night? It's been 6 1/2 months since mom's been gone and I miss her. I wish I could've asked her about motherhood.



















Here's a picture of me and mom was I was 3 years old.

Snow Day!


Teachers love snow days too!! Gary is wearing a toque because its cold and uh, someone gave him a haircut...um ya...it'll grow back:)
So what did we do? We braved a walk in the snow on Sunday but on Monday, it was too cold for the little guy so we hung out inside the house. Gary actually did a bunch of school work (go daddy go!) and Kai and I did our usual routine.

Attack of the Mommy! This guarantees the best giggles EVER!
Cooking with daddy...Kai just likes to be where the action is. This probably isn't the safest thing in the world but I don't want to be a `reflective vest' type person like my dad:) No offense dad, you always kept us very safe...and paranoid...

Smiles for daddy
PS I'm starting to feel ready to go back to work. I know I have 8 more months but you know...just how I'm feeling. I was wondering when that feeling would hit me or if it ever would and I think being trapped in a house (I miss my daily walks soooooo much) is helping me get there.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Ultrasaucer and Super Crepes



Kai is loving his `Ultrasaucer'...I know he prob. shouldn't be in it yet but we pack him in well to support his back. He loves jumping around and being on his feet all the time. The power outage last weekend lasted 3 whole days...a lot of family bonding time that's for sure!


I just bought a fancy crepe maker today (regular price $49.99 and I got it for $18.99) and we are making enchaladas with it tonight and then crepes for dessert. By `we', I mean Gary...I do cook half the time you know. Crepes...yummy:)

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Santa hats already?!



Kai and Annika...opa was dressing them up.
They are actually santa hats but they just look like crazy white wigs.

Annika and Kai


Annika came by (picture above) today to say hi and lend us her exersaucer...Kai is excited to have a new toy!

So people are still saying he's a mini Gary but I think I kind of looked like him when I was a baby..maybe i should find a 3 month old picture to compare:)

Monday, November 13, 2006

Mmmmm...cookies!


Kai's already getting some experience in the kitchen so he can be a super chef like daddy. Notice that his hand is helping to guide mine...kind of:) Today `we' practiced some math while we doubled a recipe. Good times.

Ahhhhh..fresh air!



So today Gary came on our daily walk. Every day, Kai and I walk to Extra Foods. We sometimes will buy just one item like milk, or maybe we'll browse the Clearance rack, but, it is the perfect length walk...about 30 minutes. Today Gary carried him in the Baby Bjorn and he fell asleep on the way home. So, here's a couple pictures of my boys. I love it when guys wear toques and hats so here are my cuties!

Friday, November 10, 2006

Rain, Rain, Go away!


He has now discovered his face in the mirror (that's what he's looking at on the top right corner). Look at all the toys kids have these days...when I was his age...He is now able to hit them with his hands and I'd say he has great hand/eye coordination. Of course I'd say that, I'm his mom.






Oh boy...being trapped in the house all day is not so fun. Today I put on my rainboots, rain jacket and rain pants and ventured outside. What have we been up to this week? Well, this is what I've realized:
1. When something finally works to calm Kai down, it only lasts a week or two. This week it is looking in the mirror or being attacked by the `Kissy MOnster'...oh boy, sometimes I wonder if everyone is as silly behind closed doors!
2. To clip a baby's nails you practically have to be a brain surgeon.
3. There's no greater feeling than him practically hyperventilating seconds before I pick him up because he's so excited!
4. He really doesn't listen to me when I tell him to stop crying, even if I use a firm voice:) I keep thinking that he should understand me by now...ya, not quite.
5. So, since I'm missing out on teaching science I've developed a highly sophisticated experiment on diaper covers (we use cloth diapers). We have about 5 different kinds and todays is looking pretty good so far(its the cheapest and the least high tech of all the ones we have). Besides being absolutely disgusting to clean the diapers in the toilet, the other drawback is that the diaper gets so wet that the cover can't hold it all in and we've had leakage. Anyway, I"m trying to determine if its the size of the cover or the type...I'll keep you posted:)
6. The most exciting thing of my day is that I found a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies and I got a coupon for $1 off of crunchy peanut butter...times have changed.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Our little couch potato is 3 months old today!


Doesn't this look like the `Excellent' from Mr. Burns? Buddy loves eating his whole fist...actually, both of them at the same time. I wish you could see him laughing and smiling, he is absolutely adorable and I just stare at him for hours!

So, our little guy is a little more like Gary every day. He loves tv. At first I thought it was the Baby Mozart movies that he was loving, but no, he really loves watching sports. I hope its not bad for his eyes!!! Here Gary's showing him all the important buttons on the remote as they watch a basketball game.

SLEEP!

Last night, Kai slept from 11pm until 7:30am this morning. This is really wonderful for him in case you are wondering. I got up at 5am just to check up on him and then by 6am, I couldn't sleep anymore (I think I'm used to little amounts of sleep)! That's all. Nothing exciting. My sister Jantina is moving to Brookswood today...I have to say she is the worst packer I've ever seen. She lent me her car the other day (thanks Jan) and i felt a little awkward with the steering wheel cover that said `hottie' among other crazy things in that car. Hmmm...talking about my sisters, I'll attach one of my favourite photos of 4 of us. Maria wasn't in it because she was
pregnant but I just want to point out that I'm the strongest:)

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Our Flag Football Team


So, our season ends this Saturday with the playoffs. We are currently 3rd in our league which isn't bad. We've been playing together for 4 seasons and have come together withall different connections. Initially, it was people that I knew from residence advising at UBC and then a couple friends that teach with me at FVC, but, it has grown since then. It's just a lot of fun to get out there every Saturday to socialize and get a work out. I had to miss last season due to being 6 months pregnant, but, this season I made it just in time and was able to start playing 6 weeks after he was born! It's also nice because on Saturday's Gary and Kai get to have some father-son bonding time for about 4 hours (and I get some me time!!) This was Kai's second time seeing me play (as if he actually sees anything but a big blur out there). I think Gary will have to, oh I mean `get to', come to the playoffs this weekend, so he can take care of our little guy and cheer us on.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Grrrrr....



Happy Halloween everyone...love, our cute little teddy bear (who'd rather eat his costume than any candy out there)!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Chapman Family Photos


Today we headed to Gardner Park in Abbotsford to get some family photos with all the Chapmans.

Just our family

Gramma and Grampa and all the grandkids.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Little Thumb Sucker




Kai likes sucking on his whole fist or any finger that may be available. I have yet to get a nice picture of me and Kai...*cough cough*(does Gary get that hint?). He's always super adorable when I'm holding him and I tried the other day to get a picture in the mirror but that was a disaster...one day...