What a Croc!

Informative - for those of you who don't know.

"Don't kill me!" shouts the creepy little bug from the leave of my chives. "I am a baby ladybug. I like to eat lots and lots of bugs - more now than when I turn into a cute little ladybug. I know I look bad but I'm not!"

Okay, enough of the story telling. I hope you can see the picture. We have so many of these little guys around, I just thought I'd let you all know what they were. I am kind of fascinated with them.

Moving on

Well, I am moving on from my career as a top model. It was fun while it lasted. It was pretty cool. The guy that did our hair used to do the hair for that show City Line from Toronto and the girl that did our makeup does makeup for actors! We're practically famous! The clothes we modelled were from the store YZZA which I always thought was a little old for me but I will be showing off theirs fashions quite often once I pick up a few outfits tomorrow that I absolutely love! Anyway, back to reality, I should go spend some time with Brad since I have hardly seen him this week and now I have to work the next 3 days. Blah.

Weather

It is hard to believe that just a few days ago we were outside in our shorts and tanktops and playing in the pool. Today is dreary, cold and wet. I am wearing a fleece jacket and am still cold. Maybe that's why I have a headache. Blame it on the rain.... not Lorraine (inside joke - likely only Naegeli's will get it). Anyway, I have heard that the pressure changes in the air can cause headaches. I have a busy week this week. I just worked the past 3 days and tonight I have to rehearse for my role as a supermodel - yep, finally, Canada's Nex Top Model is making her debut at the annual Bethany ladies tea. I get to strut my stuff on Thurs and Fri nights and I just found out that almost 300 ladies will be there on Thursday and another 200 on Friday. I'm a little anxious about strutting in front of that many people!!! Oh well, I'll have fun, right?

Summer fun - in the carport.

I think it's kind of sad that this is all I have to offer the little guy, but he had fun anyway. At least he doesn't really know what he's missing and it's easy to keep him in the shade. We are dreaming of a greener future....

Helping

Here you can see that Joel and Cooper had lots of fun helping Brad and me with the planting this year. Who needs dinner? A little dirt will do for Joel and the grass was just fine for Cooper - who normally remains inside all day long, so this was a super special treat for him. Yeah, we had fun, now they just need to get our railings up on our deck so we can actually enjoy it all!!! Click on the picture to enlarge it and take a good look at Joel's mouth....

Whoa horsey!!!

Ready for bed.

A first for everything

If you look closely at our darling little boy you may see that his right eye looks a little black. That's what happens when a dad on crutches takes a little boy to the park while mom is at work. Hey, at least he takes him to the park!! No really, Brad's been a great help despite the disability. He even had dinner made when I got home from work today!!! Oh, also Joel got his first molar (bottom left) last Tuesday for all you dental people out there!!!

Steveston

A couple of weeks ago we went for dinner in Steveston with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a great meal and Joel was such a good boy! Good thing he likes to eat!

4 years, 11 months and 1 day later....

Well, another soccer injury can go down in Brad's book. Last night he broke his leg again - the fibula (small bone) in the same place it was broken before. Feel free to talk to him about it!

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa

What an awesome cat.

Our cat is insane. He has suddenly decided that he is able to jump on top of the door. The funniest is when he gives the door some momentum and it closes on him, forcing him to the ground!! Isn't he so amazing how he balances up there. I'm considering having him join a circus or at least that cat and dog show at Disneyworld.
What has gotten into him?????

At work

Here are a couple more pictures from when I took Joel in to see everyone at work. He had lots of fun there climbing on stepstools and hanging out with my co-workers. He was a little shy at first but quickly warmed up to the people there!

"Paging Dr. Breedvel to the OR please."

The future looks bright for this young chap. Doesn't he look good in his hat from Dr. Martin??
No, it wasn't take your kid to work day, although that would make for a REALLY interesting day in the radiology department.

Facebook

Whoever started this is someone I am not very happy with. It is so addictive. If anyone tries to suck you in say no. Sorry about the lack of posts. I have been working a lot lately and I have been on Facebook in my spare time. Just say no.

Cousins

Josh, Ethan, Joel, Hannah and Maren.
Just wanted to say hi to you all! Joel misses you very much!

Some more bad habits

So much fun!!

The park is so much fun when you're little or even a little grown-up like the 2 guys on the swings. Everything is so new for Joel. He loves the swings, he learned to love the slide and now always tries to climb them. What a nice day and a nice way to spend some time with family!

Spring in PG

See, it can be nice in PG! Unfortunately the grass and other greenery is lagging a little behind what we are used to here BUT it wasn't raining and we were out in T-shirts. We had a great time there over Easter. Joel misses his crazy cousins! By the way, he is riding on Herbie. I can't remember which of us kids got him but he is OLD for a plastic toy. If was made these days he wouldn't have lasted through one child let alone Mike and his friends, Matthew, Adam, Hannah, Ethan, Josh, Maren etc...

Here Kitty, Kitty...

At least the basket is getting some use! See Pippi how comfortable it could be! Why do cats never like the stuff you buy just for them???

Creepy

I just Googled myself and 2 things come up that are actually me. I'm not so sure how I feel about that. At least I didn't find out I'd been missing or something crazy like that.

That's Amore!

First kiss? Actually not - they kissed twice prior to this! The little girl is Joel's friend Keira from Moms and Tots.

At the park

It was a beautiful day so we took a nice walk to the park with Katie and Isabella and their moms. It was Katie's and Isabella's first time on the swings! We had a great time and we're looking forward to doing it again. Can't wait until the waterpark opens there! Doesn't Katie look cool in her shades? She's getting to be such a big girl!

Mmmm

Hanging out at the local Starbucks with Isabella (in the background) and Katie (not shown). Is this the start of a bad habit?? Don't worry - it's just a non-fat red tea latte and it's empty thanks to me. Mmmm. I love red tea lattes.

Soul II Soul

I know that title sounds cheesy but it's going to be awesome! We are going to the Tim and Faith concert in June!! I am so excited!! Can't say much else is new - I just finished 3 days of work and am tired. I need to get some pics of Joel outside again now that we have sun! We are not taking it for granted and we are trying hard to get outside, however it did snow in a bunch of areas down here last night. Maybe now the temperatures could turn a little more spring-like?? Hope you all are well. We'll be in PG by Thursday night if all goes well on the roads! See you then!

See ya soon

I am so happy to let you (in PG) know that we are coming up for Easter!! So we'll see you soon! Joel can't wait to see you all and to play with Hannah, Ethan, Josh and Maren!! They'll have so much fun together!!

Doctor visit

I took Joel to the doctor today because of this cough that he has. She checked him out and it seems that he is wheezy in both lungs and now we have started him on a ventolin inhaler because she seems to think it may be asthma. I thought it would be no big deal but trying to keep that mask on his face is so hard! You'd think I was torturing him! Anyway, I ask for your prayers that it wouldn't be asthma and that he'll get over this soon. Thanks!

Yay!!

I am so thrilled to tell everyone that I am going to be an Auntie again!!! Congrats Mike and Julie! It's so weird though to think of my little brother as a dad. Weird. But he is a great uncle and being a dad is kind of like being an uncle. Still weird that he's all grown up. Sorry Mike. It's just weird. Do you think I could find another adjective other than weird?

Singin' in the rain...

So, maybe he's not singing but he was having fun, I think, even though his little hands were soooo cold! Here's the proof that it's been raining too much here! The puddle Joel is standing in got so big that it met the puddle on the other side of the road and they joined up in the middle! This is the 3rd Saturday in a row that we have had torrential downpours. But who's complaining? EVERYBODY!! (not just me).

Rain, Rain...

Go away!!! Why won't it stop??? This weather is really getting depressing. It's been so lovely to see the flowers blooming and the trees budding but lately we haven't been able to see anything because we don't leave the house. Actually I did go out last night and I bought some rubber boots. Now I can splash in the puddles with Joel! We went for a walk to get the mail yesterday and he was covered head to toe in his dinosaur rain gear. He looked so cute! What i would really like to do is go for nice walks during the day with friends and let Joel walk around at the park. This weather is just so blah.
On a positive note, Joel has a sound/word for kitty now too. He says the same thing when he sees Cooper and when he sees the Royale bathroom tissue commercials with the white kitties. I thought that was kind of cute.

Stinky toes and first words

Well, some thanks to Auntie Frances for starting the "stinky toes" game with Joel. It doesn't matter how tired he is or how cranky, it always makes him laugh if you smell his toes and then he sticks out his little feet right in your face. A result of this game has been what a few of us have heard as Joel's first word - stinky. He just doesn't say it that clearly but it's definitely what he's trying to get across! He's such a silly boy!

Raincoats, Aunties and Smiles

So, grids are the only way I can post pictures. I just tried posting 2 pictures separately and it didn't work again!! Drives me crazy!! Anyway, Joel had a great visit with Auntie Frances last week. Doesn't he look cute in his rain gear??

So, things do not look good for us to go up to PG for Easter. They seem unable to cover my Saturday shift because, like me, no one wants to work the Saturday in the middle of the long weekend. I've decided to try to let it go and if it's in God's plan for us to go, then He'll help us out and if not, then we'll just stay here and I'll have to go to work on the Saturday. Have I mentioned yet that I am not happy to be back at work? I will now. I am not happy to back at work.

Sometimes...

Do you ever wish you had a rewind function on your life or maybe just an eraser? Sometimes I say such stupid things and I just replay them over and over in my head wishing that I hadn't said it or wishing that I had said it differently. Maybe I'm too hard on myself but sometimes I just need to think a little more before I open my yapper.
I know I have no recent pictures of Joel up. I just worked 2 days again and Brad is away and I am just so tired. I think I should just go to bed and deal with everything tomorrow. I'm so glad my kitty sleeps with me.

March showers

It is pouring. I can't wait for nice weather. Rain goes on for way too long down here. I remember learning about the "rainy seasons" of tropical countries and thinking how much I would dislike that but living here is no different, just colder and maybe not as pretty. I'm ready for summer.

I've spent the past 3 days back at work. So much has changed there. My co-workers have shuffled into different jobs (one of the many joys of working in a union), there are many new people in the department, people have left and a whole bunch of renos have been done - new OR, new angio, new CT. And yet, it's the same. Same job, same politics. It was surprisingly easy to fall back into work. I guess it is like riding a bike or like skiing!! I'd rather be skiing.

Birthday Week the Finale - Finally

Yay, we can get on with normal life for another year! Our birthdays are all wrapped up! We had a little party for Joel and Brad last night at the clubhouse across the street. Joel was spoiled again but we all had lots of fun! The cake was awesome - made by Auntie Karen. Thank you, thank you, thank you - the cutest cake ever!

Birthday week continues

The top 6 pictures were actually taken on Joel's 1st birthday. He had fun with his gifts, the toybox being one and REALLY enjoyed the wacky cake I made him. The green chair is from Auntie Karen, Uncle Ty, Duncan, Ethan and Rachel and the wooden chair (with a matching table and 2nd chair) are from Grandma and Grandpa. The Dutch hat is straight from Holland from Pauline and Leen. Thank you all very much!!

Part of Birthday Week

Here's lucky little Joel celebrating his birthday at Big White. Uncle Mike started something called Birthday week a few years ago, but I think Joel is celebrating Birthday 2 Weeks!! I feel like the parties are never ending! Last night we were at Brad's parents/sister's house to celebrate Brad's birthday and to see Uncle Brent again and of course, Joel got to open more presents!! This is the 4th time I've attempted to post these pictures so I hope it works this time.