Weekend in Vic

Thursday was a long day between running after Quinny and then working late. Our life is full steam ahead these days, and I am tired. We aren't even in the "busy" season of spring and summer yet! At least once that season comes, I don't work as much and can just be with my girl and not have worry about balancing who has her, working, and taking care of our home. Anyways! Quinny and I went to gymnastics Friday and then the three of us headed to Victoria after lunch.

Luke came in and we went for a walk - the girls were so cute together, excited to see each other and played so well. Quinny reached to hold Madi's hand and Madi actually let her! Oh girls, you are so adorable and your love for each other is important and strong.

Their little hands are little so toddler-like, chubby with little knuckles just starting to show. They are so big in so many ways, but their hands are still so small... I love watching them hold hands.

I've been struggling with headaches again the past little while... I was so good for a while there! But I've had a persistent one that I haven't been able to fully shake. I hide it quite well, because I don't always want everyone to know when my head hurts, and I get sick of missing out on stuff because it's hurting. So when the pain isn't blinding and knocking me out flat, I do my best to just go on as normal. But then I see pictures like this of myself and it makes sense to me why I can never pull one past Jon :) He is so understanding and kind, never resenting me, and he never seems to tire of taking care of me. He is one of a kind.

Keep taking care of each other girls - these relationships you have with each other have the potential to be the best ones you will form in life. Makenna makes the perfect older cousin/sister, so attentive, patient and sweet.

Everyone's face here makes me laugh, remembering how hard I was laughing when I took this. Q had just sneezed and said "Daddy my hands so gross" and Jon is trying to tell her to wipe them on her vest, and Luke is talking over Jon, telling her to wipe them on Jon's head. Q starts giggling and does what Luke says, and wipes her hands on Jon's head and Jon was so grossed out! Oh man I was laughing!

What a bunch of cuties! Pretty cool that brothers who are best friends are raising cousins who are best friends. I love them all so much!

That night Jon was annoucing for UVic Vikes basketball playoff games so we went to cheer! I don't care one bit about Vikes basketball, but I do love hearing him in action. It always amazes me just how talented he is. He has the perfect voice for annoucing, and tons of people after the game told him so.

Too funny! Madi is so good at smiling so sweetly for the camera, whereas Q rarely smiles nicely, instead often opting to be a goofball. (although the picture above where Madi is sticking her tongue out is pure gold!!). These two are so vastly different and both so cute! Madi is rounded and soft and has more a sweet baby-like face, whereas Q's features are more defined and makes her look older. Watching these two grow is really such a delight. I love seeing them change and learn and just grow. Such sweet little ones.

She was really into the cheering, which was cute. Makenna had a friend show up, so soon her and Madi were playing with the friend and Q mostly stayed with me and cheered along. She did get sad and upset at one point and cried because the friend told her she wasn't allowed to play with them and then ignored her. Those situations are hard for me, because I do think that Q needs to learn that sometimes people aren't going to want to play with her and that is just life. But at the same time, she is little and doesn't understand and the friend didn't have a parent around to talk to. Thankfully she bounced back quick from her sadness and was happy to sit with me and eat snacks and then play with Madi when she came back!

There he is! Way to go!

Yet another sleeping picture... her curls in her face like that, all cozy and sleeping (without any clothes on of course), she is small and pure and perfect. Her lips, they are amazing.

Saturday morning Q spent some quality time with Nannie and Papa and even got to go in the hot tub with Daddy and Papa! Then we got ready and headed out to Luke and Care's for brunch. We don't spend enough time with them out in Brentwood - we need to go out there more often. It was a fun morning

I sent this to my mom - after 28 years I have finally learned how to curl my hair and MAKE IT STAY! the story of my life has been that I curl it and within the hour NO JOKE it goes flat. Even Jenna has done my hair and had a hard time making the curls stay in! But I finally got it to work and it held all day long... the trick? Tons of dry shampoo. I don't know why I didn't try that sooner, I use dry shampoo all the time. My mom knows my struggle and cheered when she saw this haha!

And after I sent it, this little one beside me says "Me send picture to Gramma too!"  So she smiled and sent it to Grandma, who was thrilled to see her girl :)

We went to the Mazda dealership and looked at Mazda 5's... we've been to a few dealerships now, and we are leaning towards a Mazda 5. We need something that is going to be bigger (I've talked before about how we are just majorly outgrowing our Kia... Q's legs take up so much room in the back seat, and her carseat doesn't fit in the middle) but also something that isn't too pricey, but still quality. Hard to find! Mazda's are highly rated and quality made, and the 5's are affordable because they aren't fancy by any means. We will see! Then I went shopping with Lois and Jon's sisters and Jon and Tim took Q downtown to a hockey event they were having.

It was a good visit and so nice to see everyone! We won't see Tim and Lois now for a month - they are off to Hawaii at the end of this week! We had planned to stay until Sunday so that Q could have as much time as possible with her Grandparents, but my head has slowly starting to hurt more and more and I knew I needed to get home to my own bed and pillows... and also, I had forgotten my medication. So we packed up after dinner and went home. Nice to visit, but nice to get home. Oh! Also! I bought a bike this weekend! It's "used" but brand new, never ridden! Sweet deal! And I picked up a used bike trailer for Q to sit in so I can pull her - hopefully there will be many bike rides in our future! Now I'm sitting at work, working a long, boring shift (12-5:30) reading a magazine and I'm starving and can't wait to get home! (also there's no kids in here, which is why I'm able to blog... this place really needs some love and TLC!)

Food Sale!

Chemainus Foods is closing and they were having a "closing out sale" and everything was at least 40% off, some things upward of 80%. I decided to go Wednesday to check it out when the store opened at 9:30. We had to be at Tiny Tumblers at 10:30 in Crofton, so I figured we had tons of time to go quick and look around and pick up some deals. I was FLOORED when I got there and there was a line!! Q and I got in line, and really quickly tons of people were in line behind us! I figured once the doors opened at 9:30 the line would move quickly (it was currently 9:28)....however we soon found out that the store actually opened its doors at 9, since there was a line up starting at 7:30!!! Come on people! That is insane!!! So they were letting people in as other people left the store. I debated leaving, but I figured the drive out should be at least for something...

We got in around 9:45 and realized that there was no carts. This whole situation just made me laugh - typical small town. There's a deal happening, so we all have to gather! I at least brought a few of our reusable grocery bags and was able to snag a bin that I could carry. The deals were pretty decent! I was able to stock up on lots of dry goods. I was actually so nervous while I was shopping that I was sweating (those that know me, know that I rarely really sweat, so this shows just how nervous I was). We never ever just go grocery shopping and randomly spend money. It's always very calculated and with a list in a hand, and everything we buy is for a specific meal and gets eaten. We don't often have extra or excess food stocked up in our cupboards. We knew that we would be spending extra because of the deals and budgeted for it, knowing it will pay off next month... but I was SO nervous. It felt weird! But Q was awesome, keeping close to me and helping me carry bags. The last aisle we went down was the cereal one... I grabbed us Cheerios, and kept walking. I hear her running behind me and then I hear her little voice say "Mama! You forgot something! I got it!" And she was carrying a big box of Fruit Loops! Too funny!! We don't usually buy sugar cereal unless it's Christmas, or a really special treat, but how could I say no to that?! My hands were VERY full, so I told her she could get it, but she had to carry it to the till. The box was huge and awkward for her, but she carried it the whole way and did not complain once. Funny how she can become so determined when its something she really wants... haha!

We made it to Tiny Tumblers, just a little bit late. She loves this class. Easy, laid-back and lots for her to do and skills to show off. It's actually really awesome to see her in a class like this, because I see lots of her gymnastics skills coming out, and you can really see how strong she is when she's with other kids her age. She is also really good at waiting her turn, and knows that when someone is on a piece of equipment she has to wait until they are fully off. All things that gymnastics has taught her!

It's amazing to see the difference just a few months can make! Here she is tackling the balance beam like a champ

We unloaded all the food once we got home and I took a picture of it all before putting it away to send to Jon! I was so proud. Despite being so anxious and feeling really uncomfortable with just randomly shopping, I was able to do it and we got a good haul! All this, and I spent barely over $100. Awesome!! Jon was actually sad that he missed out, he is so funny like that. He wanted to go back the next day, so we went and got a few more things - this time we looked in our pantry to see what we were low on and had more of a list. We are now so fully stocked!!!!

Playing Hide and Seek... can you see her little legs? She constantly wants to "hide" and asks to play all the time... even if she hears someone coming into the room, she will yell "HIDE!" and then dive her head under a blanket/pillow. So funny! I love that she is totally unaware that we can see her body.

Funny story about the Fruit Loops - the next morning Jon was getting her breakfast and she asked for that cereal. He says sure, and then says to her something to the effect of "You sure are a lucky girl that Mommy got these for you as special treat" to which she responds with "No Dad, I got them myself. Mommy not buy them". So because she picked it up and carried it to the till, that means she bought them herself, not me. What a funny kid! Her brain is the best. 

Play Dates and FaceTime Dates

Quinny put on her Elsa dress last night and asked us to " come have a dance party guys!" So Jon was twirling her and dancing around and taught her how to dip. She loved dipping and thought it was hilarious!

Today we went to Mary's for the morning and these cuties had a great time playing. Their friendship is so very sweet. At one point they were dancing around together holding hands and Q tried to "dip" Ady. Yikes haha! They are both very strong willed but they are also both so tender and kind-hearted and they really do well together. Love it!

Q's cold seems way better today but mine is not, I'm still so stuffy and feeling gross. I had to work and after I picked Q up from church where she was with Jon. We didn't stay for youth group tonight because I felt like we needed to be home to rest. When we got home I told Quinny that we should call Grandma - she was instantly excited and dominated the whole conversation. My mom just loves it and laughs at all Q's stories. It was good to check in

Once we hung up, she was still excited and yelled "Call Nannie now pease Mama!" So we called Lois and Quinny was being so silly and giddy. She said hi to Papa too and was so smiley. This girl loves all her Grandparents so much! It was good to check in with them too

Jon sent this - marshmallow wars, senior high vs junior high. This was one of the teams. I can't believe some of these kids are graduating this year. We've been with them all through their high school years! Jon is so good at what he does, so much and energetic. These kids love him.

After our FaceTime dates, she wanted to watch a bit of Frozen, so I let watch it for a bit. I was actually surprised because it's been a while since she has watched it. I was kinda missing it! (Kidding!)

When Let It Go started, she started running around trying to find a "princess dress!" Yelling "WAIT FOR ME ELSA!" I helped her put a dress on and re-wound the song for her :) She copied all of Elsa's moves and sang to all the words. I have the video of it. Totally adorable! Now she's sleeping after bedtime went really well, and I'm watching old episodes of Full House waiting for Jon to get home from work :)

Sunday

I woke up on Sunday with a headcold - gross. Q also still has a runny nose and a bit of a cough also. We just can't seem to get all the way healthy in our house this month! Tim had four Canucks tickets to the game that night and a week ago called and asked if Jon would want to go with him and Luke and one other person. Of course he said yes. They asked Nate to go with but he couldn't so Trevor went instead. I decided last minute to go to Victoria and spend time with Lois for the day/night. So after church we headed down and Jon left to go with the boys over to Vancouver. Quinny and I hung out at the house with Lois all day. She had just gotten some new make-up and Q was eager to try it out for herself, so Lois being the awesome Nannie that she is, put some on her. Q sat so still and was so proud. Pretty cute!

                              

The boys sent a few pics - looks like they were having a great time!

                              

Calea and Aimee came over for dinner and left afterwards to go swimming. It was a quiet, easy day, which was so good since I was feeling pretty stuffed up and gross. Lois read to Quinny and then she asked me if she could go to bed - a clear sign that she was exhausted! She went down really easily and fell asleep fast, which I was happy for. Lois and I spent the evening talking. I love talking with her. I can share my heart, and know she isn't judging me, and we can be honest and challenge each other. I feel very lucky that I have such a good relationship with my mother in law. How could you not? She's the nicest person, always so kind and gentle.

                              

We picked Jon up from the ferry the next morning and headed home so that he could get to work. He said his Dad was being hilarious, and everyone was just in a really good mood. The Canucks even won! I'm so glad he was able to get away and do something light-hearted and fun with his Dad and brother (and Trevor too! Who is like another brother). Sounds fun! Now back home for another normal week :)

                              

Saturday

She was being wild and hyper and jumping around as we were trying to get ready, so I told her to go to her room and get dressed. She said "OKAY MOM!" And ran off... Seeing as how she can't reach her shirts and can't put her own pants on very well, I was interested to see what happened next. After being quiet for a long time, she comes running back in, telling us that she's ready to go! She was wearing this bathing suit top (it's on backwards) and two pairs of undies! LOL!!! Oh man we laughed hard!!

I told her she did great, but that a bathing suit is only okay to wear outside when we are going swimming or playing in water... Not for cold winter days. She happily let me take it off and put real clothes on her. Man this girl is such a character. For his birthday, Jon got cash and Canadian Tire money. He also had Canadian Tire money saved up from Christmas - he really wanted a new BBQ. Ours was literally falling apart. The new house has a natural gas BBQ hook up so that is what he wanting to get. Yay for him, BBQs were on sale - getting rid of last years models before summer, so he got a sweet deal!!! He was pretty pumped about it!

I napped on the couch and Q ran around and played with her toys while he was in his happy place outside setting it up. Win for everyone. This is her giant size stuffed Princess Sofia, who she loves dearly

A bit out of order, opps! But once we got the BBQ we realized how big it was, and how teeny tiny our car is! We are seriously outgrowing the Kia... so Jon had to drive us home, and then take Q's car seat out, lay the seats down, and go back for it! It took up the entire back!

He's in love

He made us an amazing dinner of steak and grilled veggies, with homemade marinade on the steak. So delicious! After dinner and bathtime, we made popcorn (kettle corn, so good!) and played games all together. She loves this Sofia matching board game. The squirrel game and dominos all made an appearance. She loves playing games, and I find that awesome! Best way to spend time together!

After bedtime, we pulled out the puzzle and the new puzzle mat that we bought. Does that make us total nerds?! Owning a puzzle mat?! We are okay with that... it's so fun to sit and work on a puzzle together and just have everything unplugged and turned off, and spend time together. I love it. His face looks like this because the start of the puzzle is the worst and he really hates sorting pieces haha! So I sort and he starts to build. Its a Hardy Boys puzzle. Should be fun! Good, easy day.

Time with Daddy

Jon took her to gymnastics (which she is still loving and excelling at), and when they got home, he went into the office to work and we went to Chemainus to go to the library. We took back the one she had checked out earlier in the week and I let her pick a few more. She sat happily in the corner and looked at her books while I went and picked one out for myself. I love libraries and book stores... All those beautiful books, just waiting to be read. In today's world of books being so easily assessible online, I want her to appreciate real books. She seems to love the library! So glad Jon thought of it last week! She read her books the whole way home

Mary and Andrew bought Jon KD and Hot Dogs as a birthday present. He said that was the best present because "it's so thoughtful and shows that they know what I like" which cracked me up! They do know how much he loves it and how much I hate that meal and refuse to buy it for my family haha! So what a treat! And these two were definitely loving it!

I left later that afternoon for work, and since it was a Friday it was a long shift! Worst! I just want to be home Friday evenings! But work is good, I know that. These two went on a fun adventure. He pulled her in her wagon down to the beach and let her take an umbrella since it was raining a bit. He said she was really excited about the "huge purple umbrella"

Just free a bird! What a cute kid.

Leading the way!

Look at this town we live in! Crofton has a negative reputation, but I love to see that changing, because it really is a gorgeous place!!

Rain or shine, this girl loves the beach and playing. She has so much of her Daddy's love for nature in her, and I love seeing that come out!

And washing her hands right away because being dirty stresses her out! Haha!! 

They sent this to me before bed - all bathed and clean and ready to read stories before bed. The daddy/daughter bond between them is just so sweet.