LadyBug Journals

We Have A New Corner ......

2009-10-10T18:08:00.007-04:00

Hello Everyone :)

Well, after almost 4 years and over 400 posts of blogging under LadyBug Journals we've decided it is time for a change.

You see "cheese" in our house is not just for when you dig out the wine and grapes ......

This Mommy is never far from her camera ..... kinda like the

papparazzi minus the "Papa" ....

Heck, the first step is admitting it right??

Hope you enjoy our new blog and our brand spanking new corner of cyberspace :)

Come on over and visit us at Mammarazzi Madness

2009-09-26T07:31:00.004-04:00

A few fall pics .....

Love this time of the year. Crisp , cool and beautiful. The leaves have just begun to turn. The kids have both settled back into their routine. Ben loves his teacher and Alycat have taken command of her "school" again.
Let's see ....what's on the agenda this week ......
I see apple picking, turkey roasting ( going to try our luck at roasting a few turkey's on the pig roaster today) and pickling in our future .....
Sure sounds like fall to me .....and you know what comes next .......ok , after Halloween that is .......
Santa Claus ......woo hoo !

Scenes From A Trampoline ....

2009-09-13T13:00:00.003-04:00

Pig Roast 2009

2009-09-12T10:24:00.006-04:00

Pig Roast 2009' went off without a hitch .....

The weather was lovely, the food was great and the friends were, as always .....fantastic .....

We are very lucky to have such great people in our lives ..... ( sorry we missed you George and your entourage of 40 people or so .......haha)

We started off mid afternoon and were still going strong well into the middle of the night.

Cheers to all that made this day one of the best piggie roasts ever .......

Goodbye Summer ......

2009-09-12T09:06:00.011-04:00

It's been so long .....

Time just seems to get away from me these days.

Well, the summer has drawn to a close and the kids have begun an new year of adventure and learning. Ben's in Grade 4 now .....gosh, where does the time go? Seems like yesterday he was a babe in my arms. Now, he is almost to my shoulder blades and growing more mature and more handsome every day. He is a great little man- funny, smart and active ....

Alycat's hit preschool and sure has grown over the summer. She thinks she wants to a be a princess when she grows up that, or a "trampoline people". Friends of ours gave the kids a trampoline a few weeks ago and the kids leap, hop and twist and their hearts delight most nights ( well until they get sick of one another and Mommy or Dad has to separate them).

I'm going to post a hodge podge of summer pics now , you know, to kinda to make up for missing scads of post over the past several weeks.

I've thought of closing off this blog but my honey thinks that it's a great way to journal about our family and a great keep sake for the kids as they grow.

Enjoy ( if any of our friends and family are still keeping tabs that is ....).

Froggin'

Exploring ....

Celebrating ...

Swimming ...

Canoeing .....

Creating .....

Exploring .....

Discovering ....

Swimming .....

Camping .....

Shelling ....

Gaming .....

Tubing .....

Clowning ....

Playing .....

Visting .....

Fishing .....

and then it all came to an end ......... :)

First day of School ..Grade 4 .........

So long summer ......and hello to Fall 2009, Bring on the pumpkins and corn on the cob. Bring on the apple picking, colorful leaves and crisp cool nights ......

Bring it on ....and let's enjoy :)

Lovin' Summah .....

2009-08-16T11:40:00.002-04:00

Beautiful summer weather these days ( bout' time). Few snaps of the last few weeks ....

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ....

2009-08-01T08:32:00.001-04:00

To my best friend and love of my life ( 17 yrs and counting ....)

We're expanding once again :)

2009-07-31T22:53:00.008-04:00

Yes, baby chicks- 20 to be exact ...... ( you guessed it Diane) !

This was Alyana's view of the new chicks :)

......and this was the baby's chicks view .....lol

( Oh my gosh, just noticed her dirty fingernails-

Time to dig out the scrub brush !!

It's THAT time again .......

2009-07-29T15:18:00.003-04:00

Care to wager a guess at what Missy is peeking at ??

Summer Vacation 2009-

2009-07-24T21:55:00.009-04:00

Just a few snapshots of our summer vacation.

Between raindrops we did manage to get away and do a little camping, swimming and sightseeing and realized what a beautiful little province we live in ......

See for yourself :)

Roughin' It ( In The Rain)

2009-07-18T08:39:00.010-04:00

All The Fixin's For A Great Treat :)

Been ages since we've been to our camp so we decided to pack up and head there for a few days

( yes, in spite of the yucky weather).

On the bright side ( no pun intended), we did get our "s'more fix" and listened to the bon fire crackle ....( surely the tastes and sounds of summer).

Now we just have to wait for the sun to come out .......

I wonder what it's waiting for ??

View In Front Of Our Camp

1 part boy .....3 parts monkey .....

Daddy teaching Alycat how to roast marshmallows

Awhhhhh .....I Just Love These Kiddies :)

2009-07-13T20:15:00.003-04:00

Great weekend spent with friends ......
Finally a nice day without gobs of rain !

It's been three weeks of the wet stuff ......
We hit the beach and spent a few hours on Saturday.

The kids hit the water and built a few sandcastles on the beach and ......
Miss Alyana found out the hard way that gum stuck in hair is not that much fun .....
Luckily our friends told us that peanut butter will remove gum from hair ( and to think Momma was going to cut it right on out ...lol )

(Phew .....thanks Crystal and Heather ! from Alyana)

Handsome Little Man ......he's growing up way too fast ......

Post peanut butter operation ....

Beautiful Little Aly ......

2009-07-05T17:31:00.004-04:00

Some fun shots that I took today of this little monkey from the deck of Grammy and Papa's camp :)

Bugsy's Adventures In The Rain .......

2009-07-05T17:25:00.001-04:00

it captures his maiden voyage on our zipline that stretches across our backyard .....

Ben is a natural that is for sure :)

2009-07-03T12:40:00.002-04:00

I have a new love in my life .........:)

Now I just have to figure out all the wonderful things that it can do .......

2009-07-02T18:26:00.004-04:00

Happy Canada Day Everyone ( even though we are a day late).

Yesterday, we ventured out even though the weatherman called for rain ( yeah, what a SHOCK, eh ? )

It's been raining for days ....
The way we figure it, if it continues on this rain streak by the time we head off for vacation ( in a few weeks), the sun will have to come out ....

Wonder if this is wishful thinking ???? lol

Hope you all enjoyed your celebrations and for our friends in the USA- your turn is coming-we hope you celebrate it with in fine style :)

Woo Hoo ..It's here .....

2009-06-21T07:48:00.009-04:00

Summer ......

Don't you just love it ??

Sunshine, flowers, yummy ice cream, end of school year picnics, reports cards and the excitement of what's to come ......

It's good .....

It is very, very good ......

Ben's awesome report card !!
Way to go, Bud.

Ben and Aly enjoying a spin on the garden cart.

Daddy and Alyana at Ben's picnic

Peace

Enjoy summer my friends ......and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way :)

2009-05-30T08:18:00.003-04:00

I'm a shameful blogger these days.
Tsk ..tsk ....tsk .....
Need to get back in the saddle again .....
Here's a little something that I witnessed last weekend ....
I hate to admit it but I'm thinking that a singing career is not in Miss A's future .
We doubt she cares though since she's been telling us all along that she wants to be Tinkerbell when she grows up ....haha
Hmmmm ....does Tink sing ??

2009-05-16T16:05:00.002-04:00

It's Friday Fashion challenge with the Salsa twins over at Do They Have Salsa In China ? and here is Alycat's submission.
I swear I did not have anything to do with her choice ....she found it all on her own, in the big bag of clothing that she has outgrown ...........
Too funny :)

2009-05-10T17:04:00.002-04:00

Happy Mama's Day Everyone !
Sure hope it was a great one !
I spent it exactly where I wanted to be ......with these two sweet little faces .....
I'm such a lucky Mommy .....
They both took a long time to finally come into my life but it was sooooo worth the wait ....
Love you lots Bugs and Alycat !

2009-05-02T19:23:00.007-04:00

It's Friday Fashion challenge with the Salsa twins over at Do They Have Salsa In China ? and Miss Aly joined in for a 2nd time .....

Here she is .....

Drum roll please ....

PJ bottoms, a GAP sweatshirt and heeled shiny princess shoes :)

Very stylish indeed !

2009-04-18T08:57:00.005-04:00

It's Friday Fashion challenge with the Salsa twins over at Do They Have Salsa In China ? and Miss Aly decided to join in ......

So, without further adieu ....here she is, Miss Alycat, in all her sweetness and glory .....

Awwhhhhh ......

Take a peek at her tootsies .....

Stylin' chick, huh ??

Our household is quite smitten with this little diva .....

2009-04-13T15:36:00.008-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone !!

We had a GREAT holiday and spent it with family .....
We ate mountains of ham with all the fixins' , devoured several chocolate bunnies ( we're not proud of this ....haha) and gobs birthday cake ( Papa's 77nd). I think there were 21 for dinner .....
You can imagine the noise level ....
Back to the daily grind tomorrow .......
Long weekends go waaay to quickly :)

Easter artists at work .....
Sshhhhh ....Do Not Disturb !

Ben discovering his goodies !
( Hmmm .....Jingles doesn't look too amused)

Wow ...the Easter bunny was good to me !

Hey Mom- look here, I found MORE Easter eggs !

Happy Birthday Papa!

The Easter Wall ... ( just before the annual Easter egg hunt)

A cold little Easter Egg Hunter !

2009-04-06T17:15:00.004-04:00

Nine years ago today, we became parents for the very first time :)
Yes, we had the call that would change our lives forever and 7 days later we found ourselves at the hospital with a beautiful baby boy in our arms.
What a wonderful gift from his Birth Mom!
We send her good thoughts today and hope she is doing well .....
Here are some pics of the last day or so ....
Ben's choice was to go the climbing wall ....
As you can see we did just that with 10 of his pals ....
Bunch of monkeys!
They all did very very well! ( Miss Aly included).

2009-03-22T19:15:00.006-04:00

Just a few more winter activities before we bid old man winter goodbye!

This weekend we went tubing with some terrific friends. The weather was fantastic, the sun bright and tubing hill sleek. For three hours the kids raced up and down the hill ( parents in tow).

Fun times ...

Even better memories :)

Thank goodness for Daddy

Love this smile !

Boys turn !

Miss Aly's maiden voyage

Action shot !

These pics were taken a few weeks ago after our last big snow storm!

This snowman was a family affair ( even Miss Aly tried out her big muscles in rolling the snow).

Here she is with Daddy :)

2009-03-15T12:59:00.003-04:00

Guess who got into some lipstick ??

2009-03-08T12:48:00.004-04:00

Alyana recently reunited with her cousin , Miss Ella Grace ....
Together these two little girls are a force to be reckoned with ...lol
In a matter of moments they trashed Grammy and Papa's livingroom and discovered that diving from Papa's chair was superb entertainment ....
I caught the whole thing on film ..hehe
Gosh, these little ones sure have changed since they first met in the summer of 2007!
See for yourself .....
Can't wait to see you again Miss Ella :)

2009-03-02T19:01:00.004-05:00

This is Miss Aly with her sweet little friend Cali.
As you can see, she is smitten with her.
We went away for a "girls" trip this weekend, we hit the malls, the pool and just relaxed.
Can't wait to do it again ....
This time though I'll head south of the border for lots of deals.
Aly cat is in need of a new wardrobe :)
It's true Daddy !
Alyana has grown so much ( on her way to a size 4 shirt , size 7 shoe and size 3 pants).
Where did my 14 pound baby ( her gotcha day weight) go ??

We got dumped on again .....and again .....

2009-02-23T18:15:00.005-05:00

and again ......

Man, that was A LOT of snow ....

18 inches to be exact .......

Less than a month until spring .......

Who would believe ??

2009-02-16T19:44:00.006-05:00

????

Hmmmmmm ....now what could this be ??

I'll give you four hints ......

Time for these 4 characters to get moving and shaking ......

Let the fun begin ......:)

2009-02-14T11:46:00.014-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone !
Here's a pic of our valentines breakfast ....pancakes with chocolate chips .....
Yummy :)
What's v-day without chocolate for breakie ??
Speaking of chocolate,
Fletcher managed to devour the first lot of chocolate that I had purchased for the kids at the beginning of the week.
He lived to tell about it too ....with lots of tummy gurgling !!
I didn't realize that dogs should NOT have chocolate as it is dangerous.
Poor guy!
The good news if that he's back to his ole' self ....
See for yourself ....
He doesn't look so bad .....
So far in his 6 short years, he has fought off a beaver gone berserk, wrestled with a moving car (only to sustain a pretty bad break), came home with a nose full of porcupine quills to gorging his guts on 20 bucks of chocolate a couple of days ago.
God bless his pancreas!
This pic was taken a few minutes ago .....looks like he's resting for his next adventure , huh ??
Hmmmmmm .........I wonder what he'll do next ?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :)
"May your bellies be full of chocolate and your hearts filled with love!" as quoted by yours truly.

2009-02-09T20:32:00.004-05:00

We hit the sliding hills on Sunday and tried our new tubes out.
This was a maiden voyage for Alyana and she told her Dad several times on the way down the hill " Daddy, me never did this before".
She LOVED it !!
Bugsy tried out his snowboard and did soooo well too. Personally, I would have been on my rump ......
We topped it off with a steamy hot cuppa hot chocolate ....
MMMmmmmmmmmmmm .......
( I also added a couple pics of Chinese New Year )!
Hope you are all staying warm with this weather ( I see spring on the horizon which means the blackflies will soon buzzing soon).

2009-02-06T18:12:00.007-05:00

A few of my favorite pics :)
( minus the pic of the first time I held my baby boy)
I think I'll scan that pic and post it !

Snow Angels

Run chicken run

Hello Sweet Girl !

Number One Catch!

Vacation Sandels

Quiet Moments

Ocean Surf

Time To Climb

Family of Four

High School Sweeties

Special Moments

Mom and Babe

Vacation Tootsies

2009-02-01T16:47:00.003-05:00

I'm getting behind a bit ......
Here are a few pics in our Chinese New Year's celebration outfits ...
We attended a gathering last pm with all the parents and kids of Alyana's playgroup.
Great food, conversation and fun .....
I'll post some pics soon ....

Check Out My New Do .....

2009-01-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER

What do you think ??

More Snow Pics

2009-01-25T14:40:00.005-05:00

What a lovely day !

A Beautiful, crisp and CCCCCCCold today .....

We're tough though,we can handle it !

Our house borders on the woods and it makes for great adventures.

Today, we dusted off our snowshoes and headed out for our maiden voyage of 2009.....

It was great .....CCCCCCold ......but GREAT :)

2009-01-19T18:57:00.005-05:00

It snowed lots last night and school was cancelled today.

We bundled up, headed out into the fluffy white stuff and made the best of it .....

Snow days are pretty awesome :)

2009-01-18T19:01:00.013-05:00

On Friday we celebrated Alyana's third birthday ( actually that's a lie, this was her third cake this week).

She spent it with her favorite friends ( her China sisters and brother).
It's really awesome to see the kids play together and communicate in words.
They are growing and changing so fast .....

Alyana and I enjoyed spending time with each and everyone of them ( and of course with their Ah-mazing Mama's too!).

Thanks so much for making Aly's party so special.

A special thanks to Diane and her Mom for coming too .....

Diane, please tell your Mom that Aly sends her a big smooch ! She was quite smitten with her , wasn't she ?

Can't wait to see you all again ( Chinese New Year is coming up :)
Gotten figure out how to make spring rolls that won't kill you all ...haha

Ooops ....almost forgot ......

Here is a slideshow of the pics:)

Happy Anniversary Sweet Girl !

2009-01-08T19:17:00.011-05:00

January 8th/2009

January 8th/2008

April 2007

Dear Alyana,

Two years ago today our lives became even richer!
We met you and our family of three grew once again.
It was a magical day and a moment we will never forget. Both you and Bugsy will understand this amazing feeling one day when you first hold your own child in your arms.

Happy Anniversary Miss Aly ......
We love you and Ben sooooooo much and we are so proud to be your Mommy and Daddy!

Hangin' With Old Man Winter ( and Daddy too! )

2009-01-05T19:58:00.003-05:00

2009-01-03T17:20:00.004-05:00

Baby, it's COLD outside ...... BBrrrrrr .......

We braved it though......

Alycat, Bugs and I bundled up warmly this afternoon and went out and had fun ( minus Daddy)and we had a great time.

We played in the snow, drank hot chocolate and found an ice hole to try our skating skills on .....

Alyana had so much fun, she crashed out on the way back to the car ....

Then my sweet little chefs whipped up a batch of cookies:)

Yup, Daddy ....you missed it .....( we'll save you a cookie though) !

2009-01-01T19:07:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year .....

Last night we went out with family and friends ....great food, conversation and lots of laughs ....

A great way to begin a new year :)

2008-12-31T10:30:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone !

We hope 2009 brings you health, happiness and peace :)

Love

JP, Andrea, Bugsy and Alycat

2008-12-27T13:34:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone ....
We trust that the big fella found you all and that you are enjoying time at home with family/friends and lots of Christmas treats .....
We had, yet again, another terrific holiday ( and it's not over yet).
Alyana was thrilled with all of her Dora toys and Ben, well, he can't wait to try out his new wheels .....
Here are a few pics that we took over the holidays ....
Peace to all ....
Andrea

2008-12-22T20:03:00.002-05:00

We're ready ......ready for it to begin ...

The kids are wound up on sugar, thrilled with all of this snow and waiting for the man with the big white beard to make his debut ......

Can't wait .....

Merry Christmas from our home to yours ........

Andrea, JP and the kids

2008-12-14T06:59:00.006-05:00

We head north today. Back to cool temps and snow!
We are sure looking forward to getting back home ....
Time to trim the tree and finish wrapping the presents .......
Time to crank up the Christmas music and write Santa a letter .....
Time to be reflect on the goodness of this year and make wishes for the year to come .....
In my opinion, it's much easier to do this surrounded by snow, jack frost and fir trees :)
( although it was nice to have summer just one more time this year).
Happy Holidays Everyone.
Here are a few more pics of our vacation 2008!

My three favorite people .....

Yes, back to Barney again .... ( although Alyana went back to see Baby Bop only)

Ssssshhhhhhhhh .....Alyana is hiding under the coffee table playing Ben's DS .......
( he'd have a stroke if he knew that )

A scene you will not find at home ....poinsettias and shrubs .....

2008-12-12T19:30:00.006-05:00

We spent another SUPERB day at Universal Studios.

This time we wandered through Whoville, met the Grinch, fought our way through Jurassic Park, frolicked in Splash town ( well, not really frolicked, more like, dropped 100 feet in a barrell into a river of white water) and then topped it off with the The Grinch That Stole Christmas production and took in the Macy's Parade.

Awesome, just awesome .......

I had to add Alyana's reaction when she first spotted Doe Doe ( in one of the floats).
She spotted her long before JP, Ben and I .....
Little Hawk eye ....

2008-12-11T17:16:00.004-05:00

Today we planned to visit Universal again but Mother Nature had different plans for us that involved indoor activities.
It rained most of the AM so we hit the outlets and then onto Ripley's Museum.
It was actually quite a relaxing day and now we are home, settled, bbq'ing and about to dip in pool :)
Hard to believe that in a week we'll be home and trimming the Christmas tree ...
Ahhhh ...a gal could get used to this life ....haha

Ben shrunk .....Oh No .....

Alyana standing in front of a pc of the Berlin Wall

Our family portrait ( it would bring a tear to a glass eye, huh ?)

It's my 40th birthday today and I have to tell you that it was the best birthdays ever.
We started the day with cheesecake in bed and it went uphill from that.....
Thanks JP, Bugsy and Miss Alycat- you are the best :)

2008-12-10T20:10:00.005-05:00

Today we hopped into the car and instead of visiting another mammoth Theme Park, we headed east to Daytona Beach to dip out tootsies in the ocean.

I was able to take a lot of pics of Bugsy (my little surf loving young man).
He skipped in and out of the waves and searched for lost treasures on the beach.
As for Miss Aly, she did a "face plant" in the first 30 seconds on the beach. After that she decided that that was just about enough of her beach combing and headed back to the car with Daddy to change.
For the rest of the visit, she gave the ocean a very very wide birth .....haha

2008-12-09T18:02:00.003-05:00

Tom Tom took us on another great adventure today. This time to Universal Studios.

We skipped from one ride to the other in no time ( I think the max wait time was around 15 minutes). We visited Terminator, ET, Men in Black, Twister, Disaster ( Ben was chosen from the crowd in this one to be a child stunt actor and starred in his own movie with THE ROCK).

I see an Oscar in his future .....

We then ventured onto ........drum roll please .....

the Barney show ......

to heck with you Micky Mouse .......

Alyana has a new favorite now. One that shows himself when SHE enters the park ......haha

Great day .......

I hope all is well at home with everyone :)

Miss you all :)

2008-12-08T18:46:00.006-05:00

Before I post .....

I'd like to introduce you to our new best friend ( Tom Tom). We would have never found our way around without this little fella.

Tom delivered us safely to Disney today and we enjoyed the best day !

Ok ....now onto bigger and better things.

Yes, we have just spent 9 hrs at Disney ......

We saw everything except Micky Mouse!)
Can you believe it ?? haha

It was awesome to see this magical place through the eyes of our two kids.

Miss Alyana's favorite was the chocolate covered Micky Mouse ice cream and Ben was smitten with Space Mountain.

As for me, I loved all the Christmas decorations ( and of course the chocolate covered Micky Mouse ice cream too ).

Another terrific day :)

2008-12-07T16:44:00.006-05:00

Greetings from sunny Florida .....

We have just had a fabulous day at Sea World.

Amazing !!

The weather is lovely .....( sorry to hear that it snowing at home ;)!!

We are now back at home base and just getting settled in with a cool beverage of choice and cooking on the BBQ.

Yup, we are kinda diggin' summer in the winter ( although the Christmas music and the temperature don't really seem to match).

Tomorrow we visit the "king" ie: The Magic Kingdom.

Can't wait .....

No, your eyes are not deceiving you in one of the pics.
ALYANA IS CHEWING ON HER TOES!
( Silly Girl)

2008-12-04T18:55:00.004-05:00

We are packed and ready to head to the magical land of Micky Mouse.

Alyana cannot wait to finally meet Goosey Dog ( Goofy Dog), Minnie, Donald Duck and yes, even Melmo ( Elmo- at Seaworld).

JP's got his heart set on all the fishing stores ...

Ben's got his eyes on Universal Studios ......and me, well, have I mentioned all the factory outlets that exisit in Orlando?? lol

2008-11-30T18:26:00.004-05:00

Quite a masterpiece, huh ?

Our two little budding artists managed to make this gingerbread house without one disagreement, loss of limb or heaven forbid, loss of life ....

Yes, we have offically entered into the TT's ....( a year later).

Our sweet little angel has been flexing her muscles these days and her brother will have none of it ....

I guess he's not ready to give up the throne yet :) Say a prayer that this "phase" won't last too long.

We have been decorating, wrapping presents and cranking the Christmas tunes this week. Love, Love , Love this time of the year .....

Enjoy the pics of the gingerbread construction zone. Alyana must have eaten 100 gum drops ......

2008-11-23T19:37:00.003-05:00

Gosh , I cannot believe that it's been over a month since my last post !

I really don't think that I've ever gone this long without at least posting something.

Where to begin ....

The fall ended and now we are settling in for winter. We spent a quiet fall, celebrated Halloween in sweet syrupy style and coasted into November with our eyes set upon our upcoming trip to Orlando.

It has been very busy this month. Work has especially been challenging (probably the most challenging of my entire 18+ career). I've really come to realize over the past month that I'm blessed to work with amazing, compassionate and nurturing people. I've really depended on them this month.

As for the four of us, we are doing well. We are healthy and busy and getting things ready for the holidays. I always decorate early as I have tons of decorations and it takes me weeks to get the house in tip top shape for Santa.

Today we headed off into the snow to find ( and tag) that perfect tree. Once again, we found one that will fit nicely in our living room ( all 10.5-11 feet of it ...lol). Can't wait to fill it with snowflakes and snowmen .....

In a few weels we head to Orlando. Yes, I can't believe that I'm finally going to meet Mr. Mickey Mouse himself. Even more importantly, I can't wait to see the kids expressions when we visit Walt Disney World. I'll be sure to take lots of pics.

Hope all is well in cyberland ....

May you enter the holiday season surrounded by family, friends and in good health ...

Andrea

2008-11-21T17:09:00.001-05:00

Ok .....I'm not doing well in the bloggin' department ......
I'll post very soon :)
with lots of pics ...
Andrea

2008-10-30T19:15:00.009-04:00

Last Friday Alyana and her China sisters ( and newest brother) got together for a Halloween party.
It has been awhile since we've all been together.
It was wonderful seeing everyone.
I just can't say that enough :)
Wow .....the kids sure have grown. They are all so special and amazingly beautiful.

Krista over at Parenting Cubed shared a terrific story with us (one in which has stayed with me since our last visit). I hope you don't mind me sharing it Krista :)

Krista said that over the past few weeks, her daughter Lily kept asking her when she was going to see "the girls" again ....

At first Krista said she didn't quite know who Lily was referring to and then when she finally asked her " Lily,what girls are you talking about?".

Lily reply was this .....

" the girls like me Mommy".

Neat, huh ?

When we get together on play dates, the kids generally hit the playroom and the adults sit back and sip coffee and chat ..... we talk about our lives, China , what books are a great read , how school is going, shopping and anything else that comes up ....

I didn't think it would be until much later that our children would begin to notice how unique our get togethers are and how special their group really is.

Lily's words have stayed with me because they echo one of my greatest hopes for my Chinese daughter.

You see, that in remaining apart of this group, my hope is that Alyana will never feel alone. I want her to always know that she has a group of friends that share a similar story to hers and that these special friends are , in Lily's words " girls just like me Mommy".

2008-10-19T18:27:00.002-04:00

It's over .....

the baby stage , that is .....

Our little girl is growing up ....

This week she bid farewell to her crib and uttered the following words:

" Take dat big bed downstairs Daddy"

( It was her first long sentence too :)

She has taken up space in the middle of the room on her floor- no crib, just a pull out Dora and Explorer toddler couch, a binky in hand and a smile .....

Wanna know something though ??

She sleeps soooooooo well.

Here she is in her " Doe Doe" pull out couch .....

Silly girl :)

2008-10-17T18:05:00.003-04:00

Guess where Bugsy and Miss Alycat are heading soon ??

I'll give you a big earred hint ....

( it's only taking their Mommy 40 years to finally visit the big guy ....haha).

Can't wait ....

I think we're more excited than the kiddies ...

2008-10-14T19:42:00.005-04:00

Happy Halloween ( well .....almost)
Here are a few pics of my little artists at work ....
I think they did a GREAT job !!
( and no blood or tears were shed).

2008-10-11T14:13:00.009-04:00

Wow .....BEAUTIFUL weather today :)

Today was a first for us ......our first apple picking adventure as a family of 4.

It was great ....the apples plump, shiny and ready to nibble.

The farm house in the picture is several generations old .....

What a lovely spot and an awesome view of the river valley and all the colors of old man fall ....

Lovely day .....just perfect for apple picking , pumpkin plucking, decorating and ......oh yeah, did I mention decorating ??

2008-10-05T09:27:00.004-04:00

Happy Fall .....

Here is Alyana's first visit to the pumpkin patch for 2008 ( minus Ben).
His social calendar was waaaaaaay to busy this weekend for pumpkins).

It'll soon be time for baked turkies with all the fixin's and of course,pumpkin pie.

Yuuuummy !

THEN .....

You all know what lies ahead ??

Yup, that's right ....

Christmas ...haha!

I've just started to a bit of shopping and am finding it very very difficult to resist this little fella.

Alyana loves this guy ! ( she calls him Mel Mo)

as for Bugsy , well ...he's into this:

and this ..

Yup....soon it'll be here ......

Can't wait ....( it's my favorite time of the year)

Apple Crisp with Grammy :)

2008-09-27T17:56:00.003-04:00

Cha Cha Ching .....

2008-09-16T19:20:00.007-04:00

This picture is worth 1000's of dollars ...

Yup, Bugsy needs braces ....

By the way, I think I'm in the wrong profession ....I should have been a orthodontist ....

Here are the beginning pics of this expensive endeavor .....

But won't he be even more handsome when we're through ? :)

On a different note, we celebrated our annual pig roast with our family and friends on the weekend. I think there was at least 70-80 people here.

It was such a fun time, music, laughter and great food! We celebrated into the night .....( under an almost full autumn moon).

Can't wait til next year to do it all over again .....

This is Meredith ( our mascot).
JP talked a woman up the road into selling it to him.
She thought he was crazy when he asked he could buy it!
Meredith was a big hit ...

Quick ....all of you non meat eaters .......
Turn away now .....

Two hard working chefs

2008-09-09T19:18:00.006-04:00

Just a few pics taken over the last week.

Has it only been a week since school resumed ?

Man, summer went fast.

We're back to the grind ( Ben in school and Alycat back in daycare).

The kids have settled in nicely ....and homework has begun ....much to Bugsy's delight ..lol

2008-09-01T18:50:00.009-04:00

Wow .....tomorrow is the big day.

Grade 3 .....

Summer holidays have "left the building"......

Busy, busy , busy weekend ....

We did leave some time for fun though !

After ironing school clothes, labeling and jamming about 50 pounds of school supplies into Ben's book bag ( I swear he'll pull a back muscle if I don't help him tomorrow), we sat down with some special friends and devoured some yummy in the tummy chocolate fondue.

What a great way to celebrate going back to school!!

Oh, I almost forgot- my friend Krista is on her way right now to China to meet her son.

You can follow her journey to her handsome little fella here at Parenting Cubed.

Safe travels, my friend.

Can't wait to visit China again through your eyes :)

2008-08-30T14:15:00.005-04:00

Just got back from a "visit" to the local pet shop and 90 bucks later emerged with a few new additions to our brood.

Yup, things are smellin' fishy around here. One lucky finned fella has been given the name George ( after Alyana's godfather). George and Dough-Dough ( Dora) share a watery habitat upon Alyana's dresser.

The other 5 share a spot in Ben's.

Pray for them , please :)

Man, they can market anything to kids.

See the "pirate aquarium" picture ?

They "had" Ben at pirate .....haha!

2008-08-26T20:00:00.004-04:00

Ok .....just where the #%&* did summer go ?

A Little of This ( and That)

2008-08-21T19:47:00.010-04:00

" I like dat baby" .....

Alyana meeting her new friend .......Miss Cali ...as you can see .....see is smitten with her ... ( come to think about it ...so does JP). Gee ....I wonder if I should hit him up to go back to China ??

Speaking of China ...here is Miss Alycat modeling her silk pants and jacket that we bought in China ...

Size 4 .....wow ....can't believe it ......

Seems like yesterday that we bought this outfit ......

On a different note,

My coworkers and I went out last week for dinner and ended up at a paint and pottery shop.
We spent hours letting our creative juices flow .....

Look what I brought home ......

Here's the BEFORE ....

and here's the AFTER .....
Notice the theme ??

I know ...I know ....don't quit my day job ....;)

PS: Bugsy comes home tomorrow ....
Woo Hoo ! Can't wait to see that boy .....it's been a looooong week !

Gone Camping .....

2008-08-17T18:30:00.010-04:00

A few hours ago we dropped Bugsy off to summer camp.

This is my boy's first time away from home.

At this moment, he's probably just finished his dinner and he's about to change into some warm clothes and head to a bon fire with 89 other kids and camp counselors.

He handled the goodbye like a big boy .....and of course, refused to hug mommy in front of the "boys".

That's right ....big boys don't hug in public ....*lol* ( I forgot )

Can't wait til Friday :) I miss him so much already !

Getting ready .......for the big adventure !

Ben's home for the week

Checking out the surrounding area with his camp counselor

Waiting for the ferry

A few "love you" notes tucked into his bag :)

2008-08-16T10:53:00.004-04:00

Oh my .....

Did you see that yesterday ??

A whole entire day filled with sun sun sunny shine .....

I know .....unbelievable, huh ?

Time to dig out the boat .......dust it off and have some fun in the sun .....

even Alyana gave the trip a thumbs up !

Go Ahead .....

2008-08-11T17:33:00.007-04:00

Dance like noone is watching :)

2008-08-10T16:26:00.004-04:00

Went for Sunday sketti today ( as usual it was delicious).
Snapped a few pics of Grammy n' Papa's camp with my new Nikon D80.
It's a fun little number with lots of bells and whistles.
Look out world .....
I'm about to snap your picture ....lol

I've also uploaded a few more pics of vacation.

Let it Rain .....

2008-08-09T12:03:00.009-04:00

A common view from our car this week!

Hi All !

We're just about 3/4 of the way through our vacation and thought we'd take a moment to post a few pictures.

We are having a blast, despite the relentless grey (and sometimes) rainy skies. We figure that we might as well suck it up and enjoy whatever Mother Nature decides to throw our way since summer vacation won't happen for another year :)

During the past 7 days we have visited Splashtown, Old Orchard Beach, Freeport, and then spent some time boating on a lake near our home . Sometimes, only for a brief moment, the sun peeked at us through the clouds ...

We sat by the bonfire, splashed in the pool, ate smore ( yes , smore pancakes), slid on giant waterslides , water tubed and laughed with family and friends ....

All under grey clouds .....

What can you do ? Hey, if you look on the "bright" side ( no pun intended) , we have saved a fortune on sunblock this vacation ...;)

2008-07-23T17:34:00.002-04:00

Man ..... summer is just flying by !!

Can't believe it's almost the end of July.

That much closer to vacation ....

Woo Hoo !

We FINALLY got out in our boat this week and spent some time on our new tube. Ben made the maiden voyage and almost disappeared outta site into the river.
Yikes!
He got the hang of it quickly and talked his Mom into jumping on with him.
I really don't like water, can't swim and hate to get dunked ....however, I didn't want my boy to think I was a big wimp so I hopped on!!

It was sooooo much fun .....

Alyana played "watch man" to make sure we didn't fall into the river ...

Can't wait to go again :)

Check out the pics !

IceCream shots first though ....:)

2008-07-13T20:38:00.008-04:00

Spent yet another busy weekend ... ( but I'm not complaining)

I think I took at least 100 pictures :)

Pool parties, spending time with Grammy and Papa at the lake and building gardens and tree houses in the yard.

We even had the pleasure of bumping into Jackie and spent a few moments chatting with her and her little beauty Miss Hannah. ( I think she is from the same province as Miss Meaghan, Dianne).

I've included a pic of the girls and two very proud Mommies :)

I've also included some pics of our backyard project ....

JP ..you are the best !

Awesome weather .....not too hot, not too cool .....just right ....

Can't wait for it to start all over again !

Come on Friday !!

2008-07-07T18:03:00.006-04:00

We spent a fantastic weekend with the kids.

We swam, canoed and kayaked, ate smores, sat by a crackling campfire and hung out with family.
Yes, summer 2008 is starting out just fine indeed !
The weather was perfect and Miss Alyana handled an 5 hour canoe ride really well! She even braved the water with her Mommy on a inner tube!
Ben and his favorite cousin Camilla spent a good chunk of their time floating in the water as well ( that is when they weren't swimming or fishing).

2008-07-02T20:56:00.007-04:00

Hope your Canada day was filled with friends, family and fun.

We decided to celebrate Canada's number one holiday at the local fair.
Cotton candy, candy apples,hotdogs and RIDES ( in that order).

Tell me something ....why do I subject myself to rides that fill my heart with fear and tie my stomach in knots ??
JP kindly snapped a photo of me " enjoying" the SEA OF TERROR with Bugsy ....
Dear God ....you do not want to know what I was thinking at that exact moment ....
Just between you and me, I prefer the speed of Miss Aly's rides and from the look on her face she does too !

Gosh ,two is a fun age !

Ben and his best pal enjoyed the rides as well.
The bounched between tilt a worlds to spider rides to rifle games and the cotton candy booth!
Everything a young lad could want!

Check out the pics below !

I've also included some action shots of Ben " practicing his gymnastics moves off the downstairs couch".
I would break my hip if I did something like that ....lol

Also, there is a picture of Ben with his new "do" ( On Sunday,he whipped up a batch of homemade hair dye and snuck away to experiment). Thank goodness it washes out.

2008-06-29T09:19:00.002-04:00

Hip Hip Hooray for Summer ...

2008-06-22T20:27:00.008-04:00

Well, it's the end of the school year ( yet again) and our little man will now be heading into Grade three.

Gosh, where does the time go ?

It seems like yesterday that he was a babe !

I did something this week that I have never done.

I went on a school trip with his class.

It was so much fun!

I can't believe that I hadn't done it before .....

The kids roasted marshmallows, hiked in the woods, searched for bugs , swan, ran, rough housed and laughed .......

It was the BEST !!!

On Saturday ....Alyana and I went to a birthday party at Angela and Rachel's. Miss Rachel turned three ! It was lovely and all of the little ones ( along with the the China sisters) were dressed in black and white ....

Panda's surrounded the room ....yes, panda cookies, panda teddy bears and of course, Angela famous yummy panda cakes ...

Just the best ...

We finished off the day with attending our nephew, Nick's, GRAD party ....

For some reason, I didn't snap a picture of Nick ...tsk ..tsk ....

I did get a picutre of Alyana hangin ' out at the snack table ....

Notice the tip toes ?? That girl knows how to get to the food ...:)

I think summer is here folks .....

What the heck took it so long ??

2008-06-17T20:18:00.004-04:00

A little of this ....a little of that ....

That is what we've been up to around here.

Well, it appears that summer is finally beginning to show its true colors .....flowers are blossoming, the grass is becoming greener with each passing day, the hummingbirds have begun to visit the feeders and the BUGS ....(yes, that damned bugs have hit our town) and they love the taste of Miss Aly and Bugsy

( so much in fact, that a few people have asked if Alyana has the chicken pox .....

Nope, ( we say) NOT since China !)

Can't believe that Bugsy will be going into Grade three ....my boy is growing right before my eyes .....

Where does the time go ??

2008-06-07T21:09:00.003-04:00

I found this video of Steven Curtis Chapman.
It's called Cinderella. It's beautiful.

2008-06-03T18:56:00.003-04:00

Just playing around with my scrapbooking program tonight.
Not sure how I made the image at the bottom blue but thought I'd post it anyway ...
It's kinda neat ..
JP, the kids and I hit the walking trail last evening ( and walked about 2 1/2 km's around a lake)
Miss Aly walked most of it (while Ben ran). Her her little legs were trying awfully hard to keep up with her big brother.
Beautiful night .....beautiful breeze and a beautiful memory .....
Gosh, I'm a lucky gal .....

This is Alyana's "CHEESE" face !

Ben stopping for a break !

Awhhhh .......he has my heart in the palm of his hand !

Springtime in N.B

Don't ask me how I did this ! (lol)

2008-06-01T19:25:00.006-04:00

My little gardener is growing !

Today Alyana and I were left to fend for ourselves ( yes, the boys in our family went fishing).
So , we did what girls do best! We hit the garden centre and spent some cold hard cash .....*hehe*

Aly helped me pick out some beautiful phlox and some baby's breath and a few other pretties for our patio basket .....

Then we came back home to roll up our sleeves and get creative .....

Step aside Mommy !

Pretty awesome, huh ?

I love this picture.

Aly hates to have her hands dirty .......

Ben , on the other hand, just can't get enough of it .....

This "ready for the bath tub" picture was taken last weekend !

Yup, that's our boy :)

2008-05-25T09:14:00.006-04:00

I just found out that one of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter's ( whom he adopted from China) was killed tragically a few days ago.

Everyone in the adoption community I'm sure has felt the upset of this story.

So sad .....

She is the little beauty sitting on her Daddy's knee ....

Here is a posting of one of the news article ......

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles

Gone Fishin'

2008-05-20T20:13:00.005-04:00

We hit the brook on Sunday to try our luck with some fishin'.

Ben caught two fish and couldn't have been prouder.

Miss Aly ,on the other hand, had no time for the reel and rod and instead set her mind to rock throwing in the fishing hole !

Not a good combination for catching the "big one" ....lol

Caught in the bushes .....

Proud Fisherman

Rock Throwing Champ :)

2008-05-18T13:50:00.004-04:00

Ok, I don't know about you but his weather is killing me !

It's half way through May and it's still chilly. Brrrrr ......

Regardless of the cool temps...Ben, one of his favorite gal pals and "Her Highness" braved the cool winds and ventured to the park today to feed the ducks, play on the monkey trees and have some lunch.

Chilly ...... but great to get out and run .....

Come on summer .......we need a visit ....... ( or else I'm heading back to Cuba ) ...

Every girl needs a lift from her big brother .....

Hmmmmm ......I think I spot a duck over there Mommy !

Two monkeys in the monkey trees ....

Oh wait .....and here's the third little monkey :)

2008-05-14T19:17:00.003-04:00

I'm falling down on the blogging job here .....

I've been so busy trying to get myself back into the "swing of things" that I've neglected my page ...

Tsk ....Tsk ....Tsk .....

What's new here with our family ??

Well, we have expanded yet again ....( see for yourself) ..........

Might be time to build on ......hehe

....... and I couldn't post without a few sweet pics of my babes :)

I know ....crazy hair ....but I love it !!

Hola My Friends .....

2008-05-06T10:14:00.014-04:00

Well, I'm back and have to tell you that CUBA was ...............A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

The most difficult decision that had to be made was this:

" Shall we have a drink by the ocean or the bar today?"

There are so many highlights of the trip that I cannot pinpoint just one.

We swam with dolphins, took carriage rides into the villages to meet some of the locals, shopped at the artists markets, ate really really great food ( and some NOT so great - isn't that right Heather ?? ), took the hobie cat out into the ocean, flew over the resort in a flying boat and then spent time relaxing in the sun by ocean or pool ...

We drank in every sight , sound and moment of beautiful CUBA ( not to mention sampled a good variety of the many rum drinks on the menu) .

The people that we met in Cuba were friendly and so accommodating. They love to sing, dance and always have a willing smile to share with you. As we travelled through some of the villages I could easily see that many families do not have materials items that we take for granted here in Canada and yet, despite their obvious lack of wealth, I believe that they are richer than us in so many ways.
I cannot wait to return to share once again in the beauty of the country with Bugsy, Aly and JP.

If you are reading this post Judy, Gaily, Sandy, Crystal and "Flower", I want to say thank you for a great vacation. It was really fun to spending time with you all.

I can't wait for the post Cuba bash and the exchange of 2000 photos we took ....;)

Relaxing after dinner

The Artist Market

We watched some beach volleyball (ha ha)

We relaxed by pool

and by ocean .....

Our last picture before dispersing .....

2008-04-27T19:55:00.004-04:00

Well , my bags are packed and in a matter of hours, I'll be hitting the sky with dreams of white sand and palm trees dancing in my head.

Cuba , here I come.

I'm sure going to miss these little faces .....

Be good for Daddy you two !

2008-04-21T19:56:00.006-04:00

A week from tonight .... yours truly ( along with some of my favorite gal pals) will be in Cuba sitting under a palm tree with beverage of choice in hand !!

Yes, a week of lying on the beach, drinking in the sun , sights and whatever else lands in our glassess ;)

The only down side is that my three favorite people will be home here in Canada! I miss them already ! ( but I promise lots of presents and a very relaxed Mommy upon my return !)

To kick off our impending trip, we got together on the weekend for a bit of food, fun and conversation about all of the activities that we will likely take part in !

6 sleeps and counting ,,,,,

2008-04-16T20:45:00.002-04:00

This video cracks me up .....

2008-04-12T15:34:00.007-04:00

Another month and another terrific China sister birthday !

This week we celebrated sweet Lily's 2ND birthday. It was a Panda theme and the girls had the best time ( as usual).

They even made their own Chinese lanterns.

What fun !

Thanks Mary Ellen and Lily! Your gift bags were so thoughtful !

Alyana leaving the party (with a handful of treats, a fistful of balloons and a gift bag over her arm)

No wonder she is smiling !

Alyana's gift bag :)

What a lucky little girl !

See you all again soon :)

Andrea

PS: Angela if you are reading this, I have included a picture of the cake after we "got our hands on it".

I titled the picture below " THE AFTERMATH" ( quite appropriately).

As always, it was tummy yummy! You are a GREAT cook !

2008-04-10T19:46:00.007-04:00

Love this age .....

Everyday there is a new discovery.....

Miss Aly discovered that she will never be alone in life now that she has met a new "friend".

She was even trying to teach her new friend how to jump the other day.

He didn't say a word .....

He just followed her lead :)

2008-04-07T19:50:00.007-04:00

CAUTION

Toddler Driver

I'll whisper so I won't jinx it .....
But you wanna know something ?
This is day number 2 ( yes ... 2 in a ROW ) of

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L weather ......
Dare I say it out loud ?
Has Spring FINALLY sprung ?? Is winter a distant memory ?
Whatever is happening the kids sure are enjoying the sunshine .....
Here are a few pics ...
Check out Miss Aly's new wheels ( now all she needs to do is learn to steer)

2008-04-06T06:02:00.007-04:00

Someone very special in our home celebrated his "big day" yesterday.

Yes, Bugsy turned lucky number 8 !

We decided to try something different this year with Ben's party and offer his favorite pals something fun and interactive. So, yesterday we loaded up the car and ventured off to HOME DEPOT to spend the afternoon!

Hammers in hand and imaginations soaring the kids went to work on their projects and in the end, each one wonderful, unique and colorful.

It was really realy great. The kids had so much fun and they left with smiles,their artwork, a craft apron and of course bellies topped full of pizza and cake and sky high blood sugar levels!( I said a small prayer for their parents as they departed )

So, if you have a young fella ( or little lady) who likes to build. I highly reccomend a birthday party like this !

You won't be disappointed :)

2008-04-02T20:42:00.002-04:00

Tub Time .....

2008-03-28T08:03:00.001-04:00

Last Monday hubby and I dropped the kids off to daycare and we went out and had some fun off the beaten track.

Helmets, four wheeler and blue skies overhead .....

Ahhhhhh .....

Beautiful day and a great time.

Can't wait to do it again :)

PS: Sssshhhhhh ....don't tell Bugsy and Alycat ....

2008-03-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

Here we go ......

Wish us lots of luck :)

2008-03-23T18:15:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone !

I hope the bunny found you happy and well this year. He sure found us ...

We have spent a great weekend with the kids and it's not over yet.

Hooray ! (I've been soooo ready for a vacation).

Today we spent the day with the family ( yes ...with 19 of our most favorite people in the whole wide world). We kicked off the Easter festivities with the annual easter egg hunt.

Snow covered hills and all ....