Our Family & Our Life

Isla doesn't watch alot of Barney but I like it when she does because they sing alot of the 'old' kid songs that I knew as a child. The one song she loves from Barney and that we've started singing every night before bed is the 'Barney Song'.  I don't know the real song name but that's what we call it. She sounds a bit gravelly as she's had a bad cold and cough for the last few weeks so trust me when I say it's not a Larne accent as so many Facebook tried to tell me!!  :-) She's our little performer and will never disappoint an audience!

Kaiaboa. It kinda sounds like a Hawaiian word. It's an Isla word. Don't ask me (or her) what it means.  It could be used a noun, verb, adjective.  It doesn't matter.  Use it whenever you want too. She started saying it about a month ago and it's been heard more frequently everday since.  She'll speak "Isla" when we're trying to have a conversation and then she'll say all this gobbli-gook with alot of 'kaiaboa's' mixed in.  She loves to have the last word.  I wonder where she gets it from. Colin. 

My 2nd blog post of the day! Our spring storm is still adding to the already 2 feet of snow that fell this morning.... Looks like another 2.5 hour drive home for Colin today!

As I write this, a spring snow storm is blowing outside.  It's hard to watch, I'm so tired of snow but in light of what is happening in Japan and other countries around the world, it's nothing.  Besides, it'll probably be gone tomorrow.  At least Isla was excited to see it this morning and has plans to go make snow angels this afternoon after her nap. Colin has started his new job. He works out of two locations which he wasn't counting on but so be it.  Despite the long commute it's a much better job than the first one.  Normally his drive is about 1 hr 10 mins. each way but the snow slowed even the hardiest Canadian drivers down this morning.  I think my longest commute was 3 hours when I lived in Waterdown and worked in Mississauga.  Overall he's adjusting and learning new things everyday.  The current manager is retiring in June and he'll be taking over so he has the responsibility of picking this guys brain before he leaves and do...

As I say, another year older, another year wiser, another year healthy and another year to be thankful! It's bittersweet for me to think that in three short years, Colin is taking me to Tahiti for my 40th!  Yeah, right, in my dreams but I keep reminding him just in case we win the lottery in the meantime.... Do you like Colin's birthday annoucement for the neighbourhood? It snowed again on Sunday (my birthday) so he was outside shovelling the driveway and sidewalks and found a bit of spare time to create this 'birthday cake'.  I didn't go out to see it until later that night because it was cold outside ... brrr... but my family came over in the evening for cake and coffee and kept talking about it so I had to go out and take a peek for myself... It was still cold btw...  What a sweet guy I have?!?  LOL Anyways, it wouldn'be a birthday without cake, right? Colin baked it and decorated it and Isla helped me blow out the candles as she is now a pro at it....

Our 'baby' turned 3 yesterday!  This is the first year she knew what it meant to have a birthday and wanted to wear her birthday hat.  She knew she was going to be 3 and knew her birthday was in February.  She really wanted..... ... a 'bue buttefly' birthday cake!  We celebrated on the 16th rather than the 17th as Colin wasn't going to be home yesterday.  He didn't get to see her until 10:00 pm when he came home and was able to give her a kiss on the cheek while she slept. We made our Wednesday coffee day into a little party for her  and she had such a good time there was no time to nap.  Oma with 'her birthday girl' A rare photo of me with 'my birthday girl' She loved blowing out candles!  I think we lit it and turned off the lights about eight times, literally.  More to come on Saturday when Aunt Lynne and Uncle Jim come to celebrate with us if she can hold out for 'bue buttefly' cake a bit longer. Happy Birth...

It's been too long since my last post but by now I'm sure everybody who reads this blog has caught on that I'm just not as diligent in posting as I have been in the past. There have been a number of 'YAY' moments since December: 1. Isla is fully toilet trained; 2. Colin has a full time job; and 3. He has "officially" become a Permanent Resident (PR) as he now has his PR card! Isla ~~ Well, what can I say about the madam.  She's the boss lady of the house  ;-) She'll be 3 next week!  Yes, THREE years old.  Where has my baby gone?  She is now fully toilet trained although we still have the odd accident but they are few and far between.  She usually goes on her own but I like to 'assist' her just so I know she's fully cleaned up, if you know what I mean.  Also, if she gets a bit preoccupied with what she is doing, I may need to remind her but overall she's done excellent.  Thanks to Oma!  Even at night time, no prob...

Merry Christmas to our friends and family!  I apologize for the lack of Christmas cards this year but we wish  you all God's continued blessings this season and in 2011. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I suppose most of our blog readers are probaby fed up looking at my African Violet but you'll be glad to know it is still blooming and lovely.  More importantly, Colin is home!  YAY!  After almost 3 months away, he came home on December 3rd and managed to avoid any Heathrow airport disasters or delays. Almost as soon as he was home, he also had a job interview and since then a second interview for the same position.  He felt the interviews went well and we both hope and pray (and ask you to do the same) that this position will be offered to him and he will be able to stay home with us in January.  In the perfect world he would've had the offer before Christmas but no word as of yet.  We remain optimistic he will hear before the end of the week. While he's...

.... but thought I would show off my African Violet.  Isn't it pretty?  I can't believe how many blooms it has! Not too shabby for a plant I bought 5 months ago as a $3.99 grocery store special, eh?