Canning Cherries

Joel helping Dan remove the cherry stems and putting the cherries in a bowl. He did keep putting all the good cherries into the discard pile. For an organizer and cleaner like him, we expected better. Just kidding!

The patented McCrimmon jar ring holder. In a small kitchen, you need to do whatever you can to preserve space. So the paper towel holder makes a good ring holder. No more jar rings taking up excessive room on my counter!

Yes, we use both a canner and pressure canner (as a canner) to make things go faster.

Dan immersed in cherries...sorting the good from the bad for dehydrating and canning.

The finished product. Yummy!

Stanley Park

(Reposting since the pictures didn't load the last time)

We went to Stanley Park this past Thursday to walk to the seawall.
We learnt a few lessons throughout the day.

#1. Not really a lesson, but rather an interesting fact. Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers from Wendys smell like baby poop when you first open them. We don't understand why, but after a double butt sniff test, we realized that it was our burgers. We ate them anyways.

#2. Do not wear a skirt on a hot day to go for a long walk. This will result in pain.

Micah's "I'm hungry momma" face...too cute!

 
 #3. A receiving blanket folded up and shoved between your legs will help alleviate the pain. But you may get a few stares. Also, when the sweat drys, the blanket will proceed to fall out or migrate away from the intended area. This will result in adjustments on your part and numerous stares from strangers.

#4. Do not trust my mom for directions (sorry mom!) especially when she is in the backseat and distracted by two lovely boys. This will result in an extended tour of downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New West.

#5. Hold gassy baby at arms length when burping to avoid the "BARF-aggedon!"


#6. Bathroom Sinks make great receptacles for puke covered babies

 

Down the front and back....on the carpet and dripping onto the floor.

"Mommy, I don't feel too well!"

Joel Sleeping

Almost every night, no matter how you put him down, or which way he was facing, he seems to end up in this position. With his giraffe head birthed out of his bum. And for those of you who really know our son, yes, we are aware of what was happening BEFORE he fell asleep. We're working on it, we promise!

Look-a-likes

Grumpy Face...just like his momma 

 

Supermom

Some days you feel like Supermom! Plowing through laundry in a single bound. Emptying the dishwasher in less time than it takes to reheat Chef Boyardee. Wiping bums and faces, faster than the kids can dirty them (okay, not quite).

There are some days that you feel pretty good about what you can accomplish in a day. You feel like Supermom! You're organized and you get more things done in a day than should be humanly possible. And then there are other days that you are counting down the minutes until nap time, just because you need a few seconds to yourself. The stress of raising children has gotten to you.

Right now, I'm sitting at Starbucks having some mom time. No wait...personal time. Away from the kids. Away from the house. I'm taking a break. Doing something for myself. Its not like today was particularly hard. But I feel like the weeks have added up and I'm tired. I just need a break. Some time where I can go to the bathroom without a child taking a peek at my every move. Some time away from the child who sucks the life out of me while the other one climbs all over me. Some time away from the laundry, the dishes, cooking and cleaning. Some time with a nice smoothie, a lovely cheesecake (from After thoughts) and live music. I can finally hear myself think. Its been nice to get some thoughts out on paper.

Most days I feel like Supermom. Some days I feel super cranky and like one more incident will result in my temper being lost and the children's lives being at stake. (I mean who doesn't really want to run away at one time or another? Or want to just throw them out the window? Not that I ever would, you just feel like you might.)

But part of being a good mom is realizing when you need some time away from the kids to refresh yourself. Its taking time to sit down (without a nursing child in your arms). Enjoying a drink, without having to share or mop up a mess. Its nice. I needed this. The only thing that could make it better? Turning it into a girls night out. But since the girls are in short supply at the moment, a night out on my own will have to do. (I guess a date night would be nice as well).

Being a supermom is hard work. And we all need to be able to take off the mom mask and be ourselves for a while, sans kids. Just another lesson I'm learning as time goes on. That and delegating. Just ask Dan who is at home with the kids and a list of things to do. What a nice change. Puts a smile on this teary face! Today we cry, tomorrow, its back to being a SUPERMOM!

Smiles

Micah has started to smile and boy is it ever cute!

 

Probably my favorite picture of him smiling yet! Such a big smile!

Love that tongue

Brotherly "love." Joel is just showing us that he knows where "eyes" are.

Hugging Micah...the next picture that I took you actually can't see Micah because Joel was covering him.

40 minutes

40 minutes
4 poops (2 being poo-namis)
4 wraps down
Are you trying to set a new world record Micah? Couldn't have spread them out over the last 4 days when you didn't go at all, could ya?

Joel's Adventures

Playing at Mill Lake

Look at that determined face!

Fort Langley Railway Station
 

Rockos

After a long afternoon at Harrison, what's a family to do for dinner??? Rocko's of course!!!!
Rockos is a greasy truck stop diner in Mission, BC that has long history with my family. My family used to hit up this place at least once a year, after camping in Harrison Mills.  Since its open 24/7 it makes for great late night eats. So when Dan and I were dating, I took him here often. We'd laugh at
outrageous characters that we would meet (Richard Simmons lookalike?!) and enjoy our "usual," poutine and the Hi-Lite burger with a milkshake on the side.

When Dan and I got married, we had a bit of unexpected time between the ceremony and reception, so we hit up Rockos. Someone in our bridal party order fries while we spent a few minutes getting photos taken. When it came time to pay, the owner said that if we brought in a photo for them, the fries would be free. Not being one to pass up free, we took them up on the offer. A few months later, we brought in a photo. They've displayed it about the cash register ever since.

When Joel was about 3 months old, we brought him in for a visit. We took some pictures to commemorate the occasion. Again a free meal was exchanged for photos.

So it seemed fitting that when Micah was born, a trip to Rockos would be a big deal. So, at just 6 weeks old, Micah made his first of many trips to Rockos.

He seemed rather indifferent about the whole thing. Perhaps because he was tired and hot from the beach.

But he did make an attempt at sampling the poutine. He must be our kid!!

 

Photo Shoot---Six Weeks

6 weeks has never looked so good

Smile

 

Kisses from big brother

Sears Portrait Studio circa 1986