1 more sleep!

Well we're off on vacation starting tomorrow! Our bags are packed, our kids are asleep! I am goofing around on the computer! I am finding it hard to stop my mind from racing trying to make sure we havn't forgotten anything. Goodness me we have to bring a lot of stuff for the baby!! And he's the smallest one of us! lol. I hope it all fits into the rental car on the other end!
I still need to put together some page kits to play with in the evenings... they're probably going to be pretty quiet. Heather is organizing some for herself too, should be fun to do together. The guys will likely play cards... I am sure the kids will pass out from pure exhaustion.
Praying for a safe trip and return. I'm so glad my brother is going to be staying at our place to keep an eye on things while we're away.

see ya on the flip side! we may check in down there, apparently our condo has highspeed wireless network...
1 more sleep!

One more week!

I can't wait... one week until we go... ok so a week and a day, but who's counting? I am ready ready ready! I have been working on a list so I dont' forget things. I am absolutely amazed at how much stuff we need just because we have kids... more specifically a baby! Goodness he needs a lot of stuff!! Considering he's the smallest one, it struck me as funny!

And I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve such an incredible gift, but my beloved hubby told me I could buy myself a digital SLR!!! And so I did! I found a great price on one through amazon.com and they won't deliver it to Canada... so I'm getting it sent to a friend who lives in Buffalo and we're going to swing by and pick it up on the way to the airport next week.
Could I be any happier? I have had a regular film SLR in my hand since I was 16 years old. I have travelled the globe with one and was absolutely devastated when it broke about a month after Brianna was born, so 4 years ago. Having a new baby then, new house and all the expenses that go wtih it, we couldn't afford to get a new camera for me.... I have had a nifty handheld digi camera since then, but my heart has Yearned for the slr ever since. We just hadn't found the one we could afford. Until now! So excited to have it to take on our trip!!!
*big happy sigh* Man I love him!

Morning at the lake

I have been so slacking at blogging lately! Life
has gotten busy with the arrival of spring apparently! I have been fighting off colds with both kids for the past 3 weeks!! Goodness me I'm tired of sneezing, coughing and wiping away snotty noses!! I just hope and pray that they are healthy before our trip!! We're all booked and ready to roll for our trip to florida! I can't wait.
It was such a lovely morning this morning so we decided to go down to the lake and go for a walk. Of course me being me I had to bring my camera! Here are some of my favourite photos from today!



Oh and here are a couple of the boy, red nose and all!! (did I mention he was a bit of a drippy nose factory this past week??)

TGIF

so glad it's Friday! Havn't had much sleep this eek and I'm wiped out! It's a bit of a dull and dreary one today, but yesterday was gorgeous and my crocus' were out in all of their spendor! I seem to feel the need to snap some mandatory photos of them each spring. Almost as evidence that spring indeed has sprung!
Our Florida trip planning is coming along swimmingly... hotels/condos/flights/car rentals booked!! woohoo! I am happy as can be! Bring on the sunshine! Chrisopher has arranged for me to borrow a 1 gig memory card for my camera...lol he knows me so well! I will likely be a bit snap happy. Apparently the 300 pictures I could take on my own memory card wouldn't be enough lol! Now I can truly photograph each seashell I see! (I am kidding!!!)

Well mr grumpypants is refusing to nap today... must be the cold he has!
ttfn!

My hopes

Just read a Tuesday blogger challenge:

Tuesday's Challenge: Use your blog to write about YOUR HOPES AND WISHES for YOU. No one else. Not your kids. Not your better half. Not friends and family. But your hopes and wishes for YOU and you alone. What are they? Do you have any? What are YOUR hopes and wishes? YOUR dreams? Elaborate as you wish. Remember, this one is all about YOU. You matter. How you feel counts. What your deepest dreams, passions are. Write them down. Get specific. Imagine.

What a great thing to write about... I think it's so easy as a mom to have your own needs, hopes & dreams get shoved to the back burner.
What are my hopes & dreams, good question. I would love to find work that I am completely satisfied and tickled pink to go to everyday that pays me. (otherwise I could happily be a SAHM, I love the job, too bad the pay sucks! ;) ) That is a big struggle for me, as I have always wanted to be the one who stayed home with her kids. I loved that my mom was able to do that for us when we were growing up. That she was there for us when we got home from school and we coudl share all of our excitement and news with her the second we burst through the door. I am not sure how this can work, as we need my income too. But this post is about hopes, not about how its actually goign to happen. I do enjoy my job that I'm currently on maternity leave from however, I just dread returnign in July and leaving my baby. *sniff*
I would love to have a "real" house. Right now we're in a townhouse, although I lvoe it and it's a good size, I would love to have my own 4 walls, not sharing them with neighbours who like to do bathroom reno's for months at a time on the wall that they share with Ian's bedroom!!! I would lvoe to have a fenced in good sized yard for themt o play in and that I could really make some nice gardens. ONe that we could just call home and stay there until we retire and need to downsize.
I also dream of gonig back to Australia. I feel like it is a second home for me. Even though I have lived the majority of my life here in Canada, I definitely have a connection there. I want so much for my kids to meet their other grandparents while they're still young enough to enjoy our kids. I have also always wanted to live on the ocean. Somewhere warm and hurricane free!!

I would love to have a housekeeper, or even someone who can help me come in and give me a "clean sweep" I have too much stuff for our little home. I find it so overwelming. I would lvoe to do what they do on the show, take it all outside and then half it and have a garage sale... hmmm that's almost crazy enough it might work!! Neighbours might think we're insane to have all our stuff outside though! lol
I secretly would love to have another baby, but not sure if this is a wise idea financially or mentally for me. Ian, love him, but he has been a very high maintenance little boy. Not keen on teh sleeping thing... thank goodness I don't ahve to make a final decision on this one at this moment.
I could go on and on, but my time is up! Thank you for this challenge!!