Our `New' Van!!!!

We are very excited to have decided on a van. I'm not very good at making big decisions quickly, but, here she is...our Honda Odyssey! We'll have to get a better picture at some point (no offense Jaclyn, you did a good job!). We looked at a Sienna yesterday and it was nice. It had lower mileage and was a newer van. It was also $1000.00 more. I was leaning towards the Sienna and Gary was leaning towards the Honda. Last night, we called the Honday Odyssey guy again to take another peek at 9pm! Gary really loves the stow and go back seat and he likes the way the Honda drives bettter. So, here is our 1999 Honda Odyssey. We were hoping for a 2000 or newer but this works well for us. We are going to get it detailed on Saturday (don't we sound fancy?!) because it def. has the remnants of the 4 kids that had been in the van for 6 years! Also, not sure if you remember our deal,but, with the car, insurance for the year, and a few touchups we need to make on it, it def. came in under $10,000 so it looks like Gary may be getting a 5D Canon:) Hey, maybe that's why Gary wanted the cheaper van?! It feels so strange to have 2 vehicles and I def. recognize how blessed we are to do so. Hope you are all pumped for `The Office' tonight, I LOVE IT! *Grrr...realized that its not on tonight:(*

Sick

Kai and I are kind of struggling with a cold here. Not a big deal but for Kai, it has made him a little more irrational and crazy. For me, it has exhausted me beyond belief. All my symptoms are quite minor because I think my body is working so hard to fight it. I feel like I have no brain in my head, maybe a rock instead? You know when your head feels full and it seems like a good cry would help? I had a mini cry yesterday but it didn't to much to help:) Kai cried hard at daycare when I left yesterday which he never does. He's been clingy with me but also mean at the same time. A couple days ago, I was feeling the baby kick and Kai came and pulled my shirt back down over my belly and hit it. Then he said `I don't want a baby anymore. I'm going to put it back!'. Oh boy. At least last night he was nicer again saying hi to the baby and introducing himself.

Here's a picture of Kai cleaning the spatula after helping me make Moosewood Fudge Brownies...so yummy! We love our new Moosewood cookbook and would recommend it to everyone! Last night we went to look at our first van...a Honda Odyssey. We have been searching craigslist and doing checks on vans etc. Anyway, I was disappointed. I expected it to be in better condition. I wanted the first one that we saw to be `the one'. It is still an option but we are going to look at a Toyota Sienna tonight to compare. It appears to be in excellent condition so I'm hoping that this is it! It is a bit of a pain taking Kai with us but we both want to be there. Also, a lot of them are over the bridge so today we are off to Burnaby...I just know that with our house, we knew right away that this was the house for us. No question. I hope that the same thing happens with a van for us. For some people it may not be a big deal but i have only bought one car in my life and I've had it for 7 years so buying a new vehicle seems like a huge decision to me:)

This is apparently what the baby should look like at 25 weeks. I have noticed that the baby has def. elongated these past few weeks. I think we'll have another long baby! I'm pretty sure its a girl now and I'll just go with that. Obviously a boy would be terrific too and we have his name all ready to go so that would be easy. The girl name is stressing me out and I don't want to spend a billion hours finding a name unless it is a girl, ya know? A good friend of ours had their 2nd by planned C-section this morning so I can't wait to hear how it was. She has the same surgeon/obstetrician that we will have....

(My mom with the one grandchild she did meet...Ani)

Finally, a friend of ours last his dad suddenly this week. I feel so bad for their family. Loss in any way is difficult whether it is sudden or whether you see your loved one struggle for some time before they pass away. I do have to say that time has helped me a lot but I know with my hormones and the upcoming birth of our baby, it will be difficult again. I remember thinking when I was pregnant with Kai, that God was taking my mom away and giving me Kai in her place. I know this isn't really what He was doing but I just thought that He thought that might help. I didn't want to trade one for the other. If one person mentioned `circle of life' to me, I would've freaked out so good thing no one did. When Kai was born, I remember thinking that I'd rather have my mom than him. I know that is not what He was doing, but its how I felt. Over the months I did fall madly in love with Kai but it was sure hard at first. Loss is hard in so many ways. Holidays and celebrations are different. Reminders are everywhere. The word `mom' comes up a milloion times a day. Different feelings arise when mother like figures are in your life. I miss my mom. She was a true listener which is something I truly miss. No one loved me as deep as she did. Uh oh, tears are coming...maybe it will make my head feel lighter.

BC Lions

It's been a busy weekend, but a good one. Kai has been very excited the past few days and to everyone he saw, he said `I'm going to the BC Lions!'. He carried around a fake ticket stub that I gave him and was so excited. He thought he was going to play football with them but I cleared that up a bit.

Gary and I had won 2 tickets back in June and so we have been trying to find a day that worked because we have just been so busy. Saturday evening worked. We decided to take Kai with us as we couldn't find a sitter at the time and besides, he was free and when would he get a chance again?

In the morning, Gary helped a friend move. In the afternoon we went to Gary's cousins wedding reception. They had gotten married 4 months ago overseas so this was an opportunity for all the family to be together to celebrate. We don't get together with that side of the family very often so it was fun to see all of the kids growing up. There was also very good food there. Yum. Then we head out to the game and got there with just 10 minutes to spare which meant that we ended up parking in the closest and most expensive lot: $30!!!! Are you joking me? Who pays $30 for a parking spot for 3 hours? Apparently we do. I asked them how much a parking ticket would cost if we didn't pay and they said $82.50 plus towing. We paid. When I asked them, I prefaced it with `I'm just curious....'. Later Kai said, `Mommy, you're curious?'.

We had great seats along the 50 yard line and Kai was very good at the dancing and cheering. He yelled at the top of his voice `Go Lions go!'. Most people thought it was really cute but I'm not sure how the men in front of us felt when he leaned right in between their heads to scream it at the field. The first quarter, Kai was really, really good. The second quarter, he started walking down the row counting chair and eating some snacks. It was 8:30pm by that time and he had enough. I was also exhausted beyond belief and so we head home halfway (they won 40-10). We gave someone our parking stub so at least someone else saved $30. That felt nice. Maybe it would've felt nicer if they offered us $10 for it? How un-altruistic am I?:)

On the way home, Kai said `That was so fun mommy'. His verbal skills astound me. I love it. We may try potting training on Friday. Might. We'll see. I bought him some new sporty underwear so we'll see if the basketballs and soccer balls entice him. Talking about sports...you should've seen him! I brought him to the end of Gary's basketball practice on Friday and he stood there stunned for 15 minutes but then grabbed a ball and tried to dribble and pass etc. He helped Gary clean up afterwards by carrying water bottles and basketballs and he was in heaven! `Mommy, I'm helping daddy clean up!'.

Kai woke up this morning at 4:40am and I was already up because the baby usually starts his/her karate routine in utero around 4am and goes til about 5:30am. Anyway, Kai was crying so I took him into our bed and he actually attempted to sleep (using my pillow..great!). Gary put him back in his bed around 5:15. I had to babysit in nursery this morning but I went alone as Kai has come down with a cold. Great, he was getting sick (I had no idea) and then we kept him up til 9pm. He made it all the way through September without getting sick so maybe that's not bad? Poor little guy.

On another note; we are looking seriously for a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. 2000 or newer. By November. Well, I should say Gary is. I have alotted $10,000 for the van and one year insurance. So much money. Anyway, if Gary is able to do it for less (getting a good van in the process obviously), he is `allowed' to sell his 20D Canon and get a 5D (second hand). I don't think Gary thought I would ever give the okay on that but you know, I'm nice. And supportive:) At least I share the enjoyment of photography so I guess I benefit there too! Hmmmm...maybe you aren't supposed to talk about financial stuff on blogs. Oh well. If you're not, sorry! Well, Kai is coughing away so I better check on him...adios.

Good Friends

Gary and Andrey making some curry sauces which were sooooooo yummy. Andrey and Gary have been great friends for about 14 years. Andrey and Jen stayed with us for a few days this week and have actually been our first overnight guests that were not family so that was fun:)

They were making food for all of these guys below! The various stuffed animals are meant to stand for the other Nerdy friends that couldn't make it out. I just realized that Riley is hidden by Melisssa's head but just so you know, there's a really cute baby on Brent's lap!

Just the girls...

Kai was soooooo pumped to have 4 other boys in the house and boy oh boy, those boys were all over the place (Well, besides Riley who is just 6 weeks old):)

This is Kai's buddy Bennett. Bennett is setting a good example for Kai by using the toilet!

This is a terrible picture but this is what you get when you set the timer and hope for the best:) I had a doctor appt today and all looks good. My uterus is measuring 23cm and I've gained 11lbs so far. The baby's heart rate was 150 bpm. My BP was 106/60. I talked over C-section vs. natural delivery again with my doctor and have decided that I most def. want a C-section. I think that I was feeling pressure from society, wondering if I would regret not trying etc but when we read over the report of Kai's birth (so interesting to read since I forgot a lot of the details/times due to complete and utter exhaustion), I really recognized that it would most likely be a repeat situation since we really did all we could last time to get him out. I have been referred to the same doctor that did my last C-section so hopefully she'll be able to do it again since I really thought she did a great job. My regular doctor (who is fantastic) will still be doing all my prenatal and postnatal care. Just have to have the glucose test in the next week or so, hopefully all is well in that department. In 2 weeks I will reach 26 weeks which is where I was at when my mom passed away when i was pregnant with Kai. I've already been thinking about it a lot and will post some thoughts on that later. Have a great evening all!

The Office!

Will have a post on the last couple days once Gary comes back from his hike in the rain with my camera....until then, we (Gary and I) are so pumped for our favourite comedy tonight; The Office season premiere!

The past few days...

Friday night I had dinner with my sisters and dad. My dad gave us all the book `The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands' which I read on Saturday and Sunday. She had some good tidbits in there and it is def my goal to be a better wife so if you have any other books to recommend please do so. The two things I really got from that book are not new but always a good reminder:

1. Your husband is not your best girlfriend. Sounds obvious but his responses and feelings will not match what you'd expect your best girlfriend to say or feel:) Gary does not vent. Ever. I try to make him and he comes up with nothing. Sometimes (often) he is thinking about nothing.

2. I need to cut down on `stuff' so that I have more energy. Energy=patience=calmer/nicer mommy. I feel too busy right now. Gary gets my leftovers which is basically nothing. Saturday was the best day in months. We relaxed and read around the house and I needed that more than anything. So ya, my family is my priority. Gary is my priority. When the kids are all grown up and moved out, it will just be me and him so it better be good!

Saturday/Sunday/Monday we visited friends, went to church, had a photo shoot, had care group and worked.

This morning we met Jen and Andrey (friends from the Philippines) at Campbell Valley Park for a little walk (Kai called it a hike). It was chilly but refreshing. Kai was hoping to see giraffes and elephants but had to settle for squirrels and birds.

Kai was quite taken with Andrey and had him read a bunch of his favourite books. He loves having friends over and always wants to know what Andrey and Jen are doing.

Gary, Jen and I made some ravioli with our pasta rolling machine...we had smoked salmon ones and butternut squash. Gary made a creamy cheese sauce and a tomato basil one. Andrey contributed by taking pictures:) Yummy stuff. Kay, time to relax!

Pearl On The Rock

(A picture before we left....Kai did not come with us! We are going to get nice family photos at some point...that's the problem with always being the ones behind the camera! Pam V, if you are reading this, I'm wearing your shirt!)

On Wednesday night, Gary and I went out for dinner. This fancy dinner was a gift from my sister Jackie and brother-in-law Tyler as appreciation for doing their wedding pictures and whatever else we did to help out with the wedding. We were treated to the tasting menu. It was some amazing food and excellent service. They have actually won or achieved the 4 diamond status which only 13 restaurants in BC have. We had two appetizers and 4 courses and then 2 desserts. It was amazing. Each time a course was done, they cleared out our cultery and brought new cutlery depending on what the new course was. They cleared the crumbs off our table with a little scoopula (no idea what its called but it looked like a scoopula that we use in chemistry). When we had a napkin on the table, they refolded it. My favourite food was def. the halibut and short ribs. I have never had such moist and tender meat....YUMMY! I also liked the proscuitto dust on one of the dishes as I've never had that before:) Gary enjoyed the scallop on the Quinoa salad and will probably be making his own rendition soon. The whole dinner took about 2 hours (when is the last time we sat and ate for two hours by ourselves???) and Jackie and Tyler babysat for us. We never would've treated ourselves to such a meal so we are very thankful.

It has been a busy week as I have gone out 4 out of the 5 nights. Wow. Tired. Today Kai and I brought a pair of pants the the tailor (awesome at home business in our neighbourhood) and went to Extra Foods. The bike trailer/stroller is way easier to push with him and all the groceries so I think I'll be using that for the next 3 months.

This is Kai's idea of hiding. If you ask `Where's Kai?', he says...

`I found me!'.

This is Kai and his beaver, Bubba. Kai finds it very interesting that beavers will slap their tails on the water if they are scared and likes to talk about it several times a day. Bubba has been his fav. stuffed animal for the last 3 weeks. We are starting to talk to him about strangers and how he should only talk to strangers if mommy or daddy are with him. I think this is def. a stage where he will start to understand. I have been asking him everyday if he's ready to use the toilet and this morning he woke up and said `Mommy, Kai use the toilet today!'. Unfortunately, he meant well but has not made any use of it yet. I don't think stickers or m+m's are going to do it for him. I think we are going to have to have a really exciting, big gift that he will be able to have if he tries for a week or something. I know there is no rush but my back does not enjoy changing his dirty diapers.

I have had some crazy dreams lately, here is a quick summary of 3:

1. I rode a riding vacuum cleaner to a concert (yes, vacuum cleaner). I found a parking spot in an abandoned elevator. When I came back to retrieve it, I had recieved a $300 parking ticket. My name was on the ticket because I had labelled my vacuum cleaner.

2. I had a bunch of mackeral (fish) placed in my abdomen for storage. They moved around so much and painfully that I reopened my stitches and the fish poured out (I also tore outside of my stitches). I remember thinking that pain wasn't that great and maybe I could have a natural delivery.

3. A HUGE black horse was terrorizing a town and trampling people. It could climb ladders etc. I was able to calm the horse by singing the `Dora the Explorer' song over and over again.

Well, Kai put himself to bed (woohoo, could be a nap day!) so I better get a ton of school work done!

Best Dinner Ever

I will post on our dinner at `Pearl' tomorrow. We went there for dinner last night. I wish I had a picture of Gary and I at White Rock last night, the lighting at 6pm was perfect and I thought I looked pretty nice. I'm so tired right now, I feel like I'm asleep. What would I do right now without Gary to help me with Kai? Wow. We may have eaten dinner at Costco tonight, I'm so embarrassed. Again, I'm so tired. And my bee sting is so itchy. I need a new book to read. One more thing; I'm so proud of my littlest sis!! She has been working hard and had a tough interview process (with many applicants) and got her dream job. I'm so proud of her, she's all grown up:)

Crescent Beach

Gary took the bike to work today so I got to use the car! Kai and I went to Crescent beach this morning with Maria (sister), Ani, and Isabelle (neices). On the way there, Kai said, `Ani is my favourite. Ani is so funny. Ani is so nice!'. He also rubbed his belly and said, `Mommy, the baby is kicking me!'. Oh boy. I thought he was understanding the baby was just in my belly!

I got a bee sting while kneeling down to get the above picture. Great. I haven't been stung in years so it was interesting to remind myself of what it feels like. Kind of like getting your ear pierced I guess.

I can't believe that leaves are already changing colours and starting to fall! I love this season!

What is better than throwing rocks in the water?

Kai was really hoping to see an octopus or an alligator. Unfortunately, we just found seaweed, crabs, and clam shells:)

Toothy grin...

Kai is starting to find B-belle a little more amusing

Kai and Ani are in the `I do it' stage. So, here's Kai pushing the stroller the whole time

And Ani trying to put her coat on by herself:)

We just got a bunch of plums from a friend and she had made this amazing plum pudding with it so I think I'm going to make some now too. My fav. dessert in the world is a warmed fruit dessert with vanilla icecream. Gary and I have a fancy dinner date tonight so I hope I don't eat too much before I go, I want to savour every bite!

More comments

Me: Gary, look at my blisters! (grr...I wish I could wear runners to work!)
Kai: Mommy got an owie?
Me: Yes, Kai, I have an owie.
Kai: Mommy need an ambulance?