Sara is Smiling

Emily with a Belly full of wine -- I highly recommend it.

Why am I 35 and just now experiencing my sister drunk?? Emily is officially my most favourite drunk person EVER!
We spent the last 2 days on a business trip to our company's facility in Ontario. We were with some of the team the first night and had tons of fun.
I myself was not exactly sober, and one of my favourite drinking games is sending my mormon babysitter (who is also a friend) drunk texts. She teases me incessantly about it :-)
The next morning I was flipping through texts from the night before and remembered that I was sending funny Emily quotes to her. Hilarious! Here's a sampling:
The set up for this one is that her husband had sent her a picture of the waffle he was eating for dinner earlier in the evening, and now Quincey had just sent me a lovey dovey text from across the table.
Emily (slamming her glass down): What?? Allan hasn't sent me SH*T since the waffle!!!

Emily (staring blankly at two guys having a conversation): Are these guys talking gibberish or have I lost my ability to understand English?

Here's the last one I'll share. It was at the end of the night.
Me: Emily is not ok.
Emily: I am FINE. I will do long division problems! Write some down!

Shortly thereafter she puked.

Last week's business trip to Vancouver we were walking to a restaurant downtown. It was Saturday night and the streets were buzzing. There was a guy  sitting against a wall with a cardboard sign that read "Help a Punk Get Drunk". He noticed Quincey - the only guy in downtown Van on a Saturday night in a suit - and yelled out, "Come on, man, I KNOW you got the money!!"
Later on our walk back to the hotel we passed the same guy. He had a different cardboard sign and this time it read "Too drunk to work, too ugly to prostitute". I guess he raised enough money after all :-)

Business trips are the best sigh Good times :-)

Cousins that play together, bathe together..or something like that

About a month ago (still doing some photo downloading catch up :-), Aidan was over to play with Eloise. As has been discussed in great detail before, Aidan and Eloise together are - shall we say...mischievous.
It got quiet and then I heard water running. I know this game.
I go upstairs and as I'm nearing the bathroom I hear this conversation:
Aidan: Hurry up, Peach!
Eloise (whispering): shhhhh! Bowser will hear us, Yoshi!
I walk in and they scream: BOWSER!!!!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Me: Wash the baby while you're at it.

You'd have self esteem issues too..

..if you grew up with these beautiful women.

That's my sister Mary and my cousin Rachel. We had a get together this weekend and Mary came up from the Okanagan, and Rachel came up from Southern Alberta.
It was so nice to see everybody. I wish I had been in better spirits, but unfortunately I was feeling a little under the weather....

I wasn't going to share this story, but it's a gooder so here goes:
Quincey has had a tough week with his mother passing and then he was out of town on business Wed-Fri. He was due to be home around 11pm Friday night. I decided to plan a little "welcome home party for 2" if you know what I mean.
We never get all cheesy romantic, but I went all out with candles all over the room, music, lingerie, wine, yada yada yada.
So it's late, I've got everything ready, I'm waiting, I have a glass of wine.
His flight is delayed and one glass becomes three. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but I'm on medication which - apparently - doesn't react well with alcohol.
Fast forward to Quincey finding me sprawled over the toilet in my sexy little number, hair and make up done, puking my guts out.
I have never been drunk in my life, I've never had a hang over, and I gotta say..just like I said through sobs over the toilet, "It's not worth it!"
Before going to the family reunion I had to take migraine pills and some gravol. Ugh. Nooo thank you. Until I'm off these pills I'll be taking a pass on any future consumption.

Babies, animals, baby animals

Our babysitter got a new kitty and she's been bringing it over with her since it's so young.
Eloise loves the kitty.
On Friday when I came home I walked in the door and saw this:

Little kitty asleep in Elly's doll bed. Head on pillow, tucked under the covers, perfectly content to be there.

Quinn has taken an interest in our cats recently. She gets a big evil grin on her face when she comes across one in her travels. She smacks them with excitment and grabs hold of ears, tails or just handfuls of fur. They're incredibly patient with her as we sit there prying her fist open and teaching her "geeeentle...niiiiiice kitty". My grandmother would not approve. She didn't think cats and kids should mix. One of her last visits to us she kept feeding the cat his food by the spoonful like a baby.

When Quinn came nose to nose with my sister's Saint Bernard last week I admit I was nervous

They assure me he's a "gentle giant". Oh really? Even when his eyes are being gouged out by tiny curious fingers???
I picked her up before she could touch him because I'm a nervous nelly especially around dogs.
My sister's own kids, on the other hand, have clearly defined themselves as Alpha Dog. :-)
Too cute

I was there that day taking little man Tate's 1st birthday photos which turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself ;-P

Everything Green

First of all........awwwwww


So Charlie went all out for St. Patrick's Day this year. While everyone else was dressing in green she was green.
Last night she refused supper because her tummy hurt then a few hours after I put them to bed I heard her crying for me. (Stick with this story, it's a doozy). I went up and she was standing in her doorway crying and saying she felt like she was going to throw up.
I tucked her into my bed. She asked for doggy (her stuffy).
Charlie sleeps in a loft bed. It's higher than a bunk bed because there's room for a desk and dresser underneath. It's a double bed, and a few months ago she and Max mutually decided that they didn't like being in separate bedrooms (even though they're at each other's throats most of the time) and he moved in.
So I'm climbing up the ladder. It's pitch dark since Max and Elly are still asleep. Nearly at the top I start to smell it. She has barfed. Then I reach my hand out for doggy and now my hand is covered in it.
Breathe through your mouth. Breathe through your mouth. Breathe through your mouth.
Max is still asleep, but I need to get him out of there so I can clean this up. I pull him up to a sitting position and discover the nightmare.

He is covered in his sister's vomit.

And when I say covered, I mean every stitch of his clothing is DUR-ENCHED. Charlie, however, was spotless. It's like she opened her mouth up like a firehose and rotated her head back and forth right over top of him.
Hmm..his feet could use a little more..that should do it!
I was mortified. I knew I had to get his clothes off before he completely woke up. The clock was ticking. Pulling his shirt over his head was the worst as it smeared his face with it.
I'm vomiting a little just remembering.

By the time I'm bringing him down the ladder, he's awake and wanting to know what's going on. I didn't want to tell him until we were away from the gruesome mess. His gag reflex is so sensitive he's been known to barf from walking past the bathroom when Quincey's in there.

I put him in Charlie's pink robe and send him downstairs to Quincey for clean up.

I question Charlie about the pukage. She has no recollection.

I clean up the bed in the dark (because Elly is still sleeping) the best I can. There wasn't a pillow, blanket or stuffy that wasn't affected. The rest of my night was laundry, more puke (although much cleaner since she really emptied herself the first time), and of course mine and Little Miss Quinn's midnight rendezvous'.

It reminded me of that time when we were kids and my brother ran down the hall in the middle of the night midpuke to make it to the bathroom. We got up in the morning and it was a warzone. Puke down the hallway and all over the bathroom. It was everywhere. Family Classic :-)

The New Babysitto

Mom is retiring so we need a new babysitter.
While she was away last week Elly and I interviewed and hired someone.
When mom came back after her trip, I asked Elly at the end of her first day if she was happy that Grammie was back.
"Ya! Now I non't need a babysitto!"
I had to explain to her that we were still getting a new babysitter.

This morning Mom is coming in late because of an appointment. Every few minutes Elly checks the window to see if Grammie is here. Grammie is not here yet, but Elly keeps assuring me,
"Grammie is coming. I non't need a babysitto."

Luckily, Grammie isn't moving away just yet. Still close enough for frequent visits so we can wean Elly off her daily Grammie fix. :-)

The next Aidan and Elly

I got this Doo-Dad on Etsy. Can't remember the buyer, but if I figure it out I'll let you know.

If you're crafty, you can probably make something like this yourself. It's essentially a decorated scrunchy.
I am not crafty. I rely on the talents of others :-)

I love it and so do my kids.
It had an undesirable effect, however, when my nephew Tate was visiting yesterday:

He was so cute..he was climbing all over me trying to get it.


He and Quinn are two months apart. They were supposed to be one month apart, but he came early and she came late.

They're just getting to know each other since up to this point they've pretty much been vegetables.


If Quincey and the Micheline Tire man procreated..that's my little Quinn!

Found.

I have 3 hard drives on my computer. At some point one that I use for storage disappeared from my computer. It wasn't a pressing concern until I was looking for some files that I couldn't find. I didn't know they were on there (I rarely used that one), but I was desperate to find them so I asked my brother in law (who is also our company's IT guy) to see if he could fix it.
Hallelujah he did it!
And in the process I found some photos that I forgot existed.
They're of the last visit my grandmother made to see us. She's in advanced stages of Alzheimer's now, and for all intents and purposes is gone. I was very very pleased to find these.

Papa's Birthday

Papa celebrating his birthday with a few of his grandkids. Max, Kenzie, Brooklyn & Charlie.

He and Mum left for Arizona for a week long birthday getaway today, and Quincey left for a weeklong business trip.
Shortly before Quincey left (like..an hour) I suddenly got a migraine. We were sitting at Max's hockey game and it felt like someone picked me up and smashed my head into the cement. I couldn't turn my head or even my eyeballs from side to side. I had a migraine yesterday too.
Please, oh please let this week go by fast!

T-Day

Thanksgiving dinner was at my house, but Emily made the turkey, stuffing, etc and the rest was potluck so I was left with absolutely no leftovers.
It was sad. Thanksgiving leftovers are the best. It's one of the top reasons that I don't mind hosting the big family dinners.
I decided I could do something about it, though. I went to the grocery store and bought a rotisserie chicken, some butter buns, an apple pie, stovetop stuffing, and some easy vegetables.
It's Thanksgiving Dinner part deux!
I know, I'm so clever.

Here's a few pics from the real T-Day. My family, Rob's, Amy's, Em & Allan and Mom & Dad. Oh, can't forget little orphan Andrew.


Charlie was a trouper and helped Emily peel an entire bag of potatoes.


Emily with her enormous turkey. Yum.


The kids minus Aidan, Elly and the babies.


Elly & Aidan. BFF's. So I'm zipping past the kiddie table and they all ask for straws. I grab the bag from the cupboard and toss it on the table. I should've known better. Also, you can see that they have been sniffing smelly markers. Smelly markers are like a bad practical joke we play on kids, aren't they?


The menfolk sat around all zombie-like watching the Oilers game. Quincey was completely oblivious to the fact that Quinn had barfed on herself then fallen asleep.

So what am I thankful for this year? Actually, I can't think of anything in my life that I'd trade in. Except maybe 20 pounds of extra body fat.

Happy Thanksgiving!