Happy Birthday Noah

Today is our oldest son's birthday and I can't believe he is three yrs old today. We had a party last weekend b/c this weekend we are going back home to visit family. Three years is really not that long but I really can't believe how fast it is going. I remember his first year still pretty good. He was a pretty good baby in our eyes. The only big trouble we had was probably from 1month old to 3 months when he would cry from 9pm- 12am, besides that he was pretty good. We could take him every where and he would sleep. The time did go fast but nothing like when you add a second one. I don't think I even remember jonas first yr(that went way faster).

Anyhow today is Noah's day.

1.He's pretty quick at learning things and I would say is a head of his friends in lots of ways.
2.He can be shy, especially when he's tired.
3.In new settings he is divided in the since sometime he jumps right in and joins in and others he sits back watches takes it all in and than comes home and repeats it all.
4. He loves his music class and soccer class a lot (just sad we might not be able to continue it for a while since money is now tight and it's not cheap)
5. Loves to be silly
6. gives good hugs and kisses.
7. Loves to help mom bake and cook.

I think we are pretty lucky b/c he is really a good kid, I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday Little man, we love you.

Signing our life away

Tomorrow we do this!!! eeeekkkkk is all I feel at the moment. Hard to believe we have a house, I still don't believe it and I worry about it too. There are so many things that need to be done. Some can wait a few yrs and some sort of need to be dealt with asap, or pretty close to it. So we'll have lots of professionals coming in and getting quotes as to what the cost will be and than decide what we can and can't do. I am not even talking about making things pretty at all. Do to the age of the house things just need to be brought to code. Like the chimney, isn't not attached to the house and hello where to we live but California near a fault line haha, it might not also be up to standers anymore either. So we are trying to think of our option. I think we'll put in a gas fire place....can't believe I said that since I think that is sacrilegious in taking out a wood fireplace. It's really sad and if we lived back home we would not do it at all but since we live here and there are so many spare the air days and no burn days(meaning you can get fined for using your fireplace) gas just makes more since down here. I will shade a tear when doing this or if we can do it. I am not going to go down the list at the things that must be done. It stresses me out just thinking of it all. But we get the key on the 24th woo hoo.

Got some paint samples but I think I am going to go to Home depot and get the kind you can paint on the wall and really look at them. I think my goal is just to do the boys room and than later one accent wall in the kitchen and maybe the bathrooms but we'll see. Than of course when we are able to the whole kitchen will get a face life but that won't happen for about 5 or more yrs down the road. Dreams that one day things will look how I dream they might be.

Anyhow got to get to bed, early morning got to get my pen hand rested. Than back to packing.

It's offical or pretty close as possible to being.

We are excited, nervous and the journey was not fun at all. I really do not want to do it again in a long long time. We will be official poor but will own a house(or well the bank will own most of it) as late as June 29th, when we will get the keys and escrow gives the money to the sellers.

We won't be moving in right away as there are somethings to take care of and well we have to give our apartment 30 days notice, so it won't be to mid July till we move in. We are looking forward to making it our own but that really won't happen for a few yrs since we have no way to make it our own after paying the down payment and closing costs and doing at least some of the few repairs it needs. The rest will just have to wait till we save for awhile so maybe another five yrs down the road we can start on changing a few things.

It's a 3 bdr house with an eat in kitchen(I love that), large living room, and a large family room as well as two small baths(one off the small master bdr) which will be nice so we don't have to shower in the dark b/c we don't want the fan to come on and wake the boys if we are up before them. Good size fenced in backyard which is naked but will have to wait for a yr or more till we can really fix up to what we want it to look like but there is an apricot tree and one other small fruit tree.

It' has been a pretty stress journey dealing with situation that would come up. One min things were good another min things were bad but finally things are straight and the owners are fixing a few things up over the next few weeks which they have to in the contract and when we get back from Canada we might have the keys a little early.

The boys have picked the color of their room and I am hoping to get it painted before we move in officially but we'll see how much I can get done, since there is a lot to over see and do. Hopefully if I take them there they can play in the backyard while I paint or something. Or nothing might not get done, who knows, but time. I just hope I can get in and get the unpacking and at least set things up before late September -early October when baby #3 arrives (yes not very public news and no we aren't posting things on facebook about it so please no posting).

sorry that is all the time I have got to bake a cake for tomorrow and find out what one quiet boy is into.

No words

Well sometimes I would like to blog but there is no time, or I start and never finish again because there is no time and I have to say by the time the kids are down and there is a bit of time I am too tired and just want to relax and do much of nothing. I am trying to keep up with my cross stitching b/c it's easy and doesn't require me to get out a lot of things like my scrapbooking which hasn't been done in over a yr, that is sad to say but it's true.

Still not a lot going on here really, even though at times I feel stressed out. It funny how you might not have major things or extremely serious things going on in your life but how a bunch of little things and lack of quality of sleep/and a decrease in your exercise levels can make you feel stressed out. So that is where I sit as of now. I have to get ready for Noah's birthday party this Saturday. He's having about 4 friends over for a pool/pizza party, it should be a lot of fun for him. He's so excited for his birthday and turning 3. I am glad not to have it in the house since it's a small pace and the packing boxes doesn't help the cramped issues here.

I am still trying to pack some but have trouble if there is a lot of bending over and lifting since my back has not been very good lately, got to love having sciatic nerve issue. But doing the best I can at the moment. We are hoping to move at the beginning of July.

In just a little over a week we'll be flying home for a quick visit to our families and celebrate my grandmother's 100th birthday. It will be a small family thing but really nice to be there with her. As well as seeing our family and meeting two new nephew's too.

As we have been looking into new housing arrangements down here and I have been watch home buying shows on HGTV. We have been shock at how little people put on their down payments on a house like seriously really 10% and even lower and even 10 is crazy low. No wonder people have a lot of mortgage troubles etc. It's crazy how people jump into buying so quickly, we even laugh at the shocked faces of them, when they don't realize all the underlining cost of things that are added on to the price of the home. I shake my head and be like really are you that clueless. You'd think if you really wanted to buy a house you would look into all the cost that are involved into buying a house. As well why would you buy a house before having an inspection of the property done haha that is really crazy when I here people doing. It's like buying a car and not knowing the history of the car if you are buying a used car. Crazy I tell you, people really do crazy stuff with big decision. It really blows my mind. Anyhow we are still looking at our option and figuring things out, which is not a fun process and means to re do our budget which is a bit scary because it won't be in the direction I want it to go. Oh well that is the curve balls life throws at you.

Is it really June...

all ready I mean where did the first half of the yr go, well this is the last month of the first half but really where is it going. This month has so much going on my head is spinning. In two weeks we'll be home in Canada for a week, yup only a week pretty sad really b/c most of the time will be traveling :2 days in the air, and 4 part days on the road and the other part days will be trying to see our families that we miss so much. I think next time we come home. We are going to head to PEI in the summer stay at a cottage and everyone can come to us and either join us or visit. That way we aren't on the road the whole trip and if ppl come and join us for a bit we can see our family longer so you all better think of that idea. I really doubt we'll be home next yr. I have a feeling with us moving to a bigger place things will be stretch thin and 4 plane tickets and a rental car adds up. However you don't really know how things unfold either in the future but we also have to be realistic too, So my PEI dream of a relaxing time at home with our families may never happen but that is one good things about dreaming you are free to do it and it's free. I think it would be pretty cool to get all of our families together on a vacation even if it just a few days at the same time.

We have started the packing processes and I have to say it's a lot harder with the boys around who oh so much want to help pack. I have started working on the book cases, and than will move on to the closet. I hope to move as much as I can into the storage unit we are renting. After I finish packing up those things I will start with things we don't use as much in the kitchen. I have already packed and put in storage, our extra sheets,towels etc. I will leave all our clothes on hangers and in drawers but will remove the drawers from our dress and just take them to our new place where ever that will be. I am going to pack up some of the boys toys that the they don't play with that much. As well put their boxes of clothes in the storage too but those are in the closet so that is back at step on. woo well I got three boxes done this morning so I better get back and continue. Since I need to walk to the grocery store for a few things so I can make pizza dough and pizza for supper tonight. Here is hoping I get a lot done today.

It's booked

Our world wind of a trip that is, I think we have two 24 hour periods where we won't be on the road or on a plane. We are going to be exhausted but what can you do when you don't have much vacation time. We start in Bridgewater for Nannie Nickersons 100th birthday and right after that we drive to Frederiction for a pretty much 24 hour stay till we drive back to Halifax to hop on a plane to come back home. So we get in on the afternoon of the 19th and leave on the 22nd in June. We are really excited to see all you at home, just sorry we won't be able to stay to long and probably won't make it back next yr either so that means you all need to come out to California to see us so start saving some pennies :), hopefully we'll have a bigger place before the yr is out too. but so far not a lot of luck heading our way. We didn't even win the mega million lotto haha I bought 3 tickets(I haven't played in 3 yrs but thought it couldn't hurt LOL now I am out 3 dollars :) )

Well that is all she wrote and since the weekend turned out to be a wash in more than one way I have so much to do it's not funny and I don't feel like doing much but if I don't than nothing will be done so time to drag my but off the chair and get moving.

Weekend is Here

Well it's the weekend here and there is lots of cleaning I need to get done and a bit of running around too, it never seem to end. I hope to get at least half of it done but we'll see. I did get three bags of stuff out to the goodwill this week, and I cleaned the car out a few weeks go, so now I hope to wash the car. I want to take some of our books to the use book store and see if I can sell them. And b/c I am always behind with mail I need to hit the post office and get some mail out. I hope to send Tom out to the storage unit to put some stuff in and take some stuff out. As well it's soccer day for Noah too so we got to get there before supper, and I need to plan something to do for supper that is fast so we can get them to bed after wards. What a relaxing weekend LOL.

Tomorrow we'll take the boys swimming(I promised to take them every weekend till we move), they love it and I would take them more during the week but can't till I get Noah comfortable swimming with water wings on his own. Than if time hit the market before lunch and than finish stuff around the house that didn't get completed on Saturday.

Moving search has seem to slow down this week not much available it seem. We are hoping it picks up soon. If not by the time school is out we hope(been told more things come available when school lets out and ppl can move) fingers crossed because we are on month to month rent now and I don't feel to good about that but oh well. Things have away of working out in the end one way or another.

Not to much else to report, we keep busy with what I am not sure but there never seem to be enough time in the day to complete everything.

soccer fun

Well we are on the fourth week at looking for a bigger place to live now and we go on month to month here starting May 1st. We really hope we have a new place by the end of August, so still a few months of looking left haha. I have to say that I hate the prices here for housing so much and how apartment either don't allow cats or count the patio as living space. We looked at one apartment and it wasn't much bigger than our place now. It was like the cut our living room down to add a small bedroom...ugh. That is mostly what we have been doing lately.

Noah has started soccer and loving every minute of it and it's fun to watch him. Jonas is dying to join but has to wait till Dec when he turns two. The boys still go to music class and loving it as well and it nice to see Jonas singing the song at home. The boys are growing like weeds mentally and physical. I also love watching them play together I have to say most of the time like 90% of the time they play so well together very rarely do they not. It's hard to believe that Noah will be 3 not to long now and hard to believe Jonas will only be 18months b/c he does more and talks more than I think Noah did at 2. That is another thing I love about them how they talk to each other and Noah will sit down and explain things to Jonas. I love it love it love.

Jonas has three teeth coming( two one year molars and one of the top front tooth) in so he hasn't been the happiest boy on the planet. Noah was going through something I don't know what 2 weeks ago and he was horrible to be around but I now have my happy and very love able boy back. I have to say they are pretty great kids.

Well time to bath the boys while dinner is cooking and than it's supper time and bed time and hopefully some quiet time for me and to clean up from the day.

The Beach

Well I finally did it. I drove by myself with the kids up the mountain and down to get to the beach 45min from our house. I have to say the drive wasn't that bad and pretty easy compared to on the weekends. The beach was pretty quite and they had music playing on the board walk. It was so peaceful and wonderful. The boys had a blast at chasing the sea gulls, spinning in circles, we even got a bit wet haha, built sand castle etc. The only thing that was missing was dad.

We were going to take the boys to the aquarium in Monteray on Sunday. Tom is working tomorrow but I think we'll try and save some money and go spend the day at the beach again as a family. The boys loved it. We'll pack some food and just play all day, and maybe on the way home stop at our favorite diner down there. Not sure what the boys and I will do tomorrow. I hope to get to my exercise class early morning and than Tom will go to work. Hopefully I'll find something fun for them to do, beside the laundry I have that needs to be done but it's suppose to start raining any min now. So I think it will have to wait for tomorrow b/c I am tired of doing laundry in the rain...I swear the weather knows when I need to do some.

Well I got Jonas finally down for a nap. I really don't want him to stop napping like Noah, he still gives me one and sometime two but I am so worried that when he hits 18 months he will stop napping like Noah. So I encourage all his naps as long as he still goes to bed at a good hour at night b/c there is no way I am having any kids up after 8pm at the latest which is normally when he goes down. Well time to get some stuff done!

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Congradulations Trevor and Sarah

Is happy that Rowan James Flynn is finally here!!!!! I wish I could meet this little man. He tried to give Jonas his run for his money at birth weight but didn't succed but got close at 8lbs 9oz. Congrats Tervor and Sarah!!!

Victor Emmanuel Flynn

I am happy to report that I am an Aunt for the 12th time now!!!!!

Victor Emmanuel Flynn was born this morning. So happy for you Danny and Genevieve, welcome to the parenting world. It's a lot of fun. I'll try and post a picture when someone sends us one. I would have though Grampie would be on top of that by now :). Mom and baby are doing well and I can't wait to meet the little man.

Now we are just waiting for Trevor and Sarah to have their third son, hopefully soon for her sake and he doesn't stay put too much longer.

Making some changes

Well my fittness group is doing a challenge for the next three months and I signed up. I really need to get on the health wagon not that I am horrible but I do need to do more, but having issues since I exercise outside most of the time and all of Jan was pretty wet. It's suppose to rain tomorrow but I think as long as it not a wash out pour we are going to go running in it. I just hope it doesn't make my cold worst.

So anyhow I am giving up a lot of my favorite foods which may not seem that bad b/c they aren't junk food per-say but still aren't that great for you. So good bye cheese which I love, dried fruit even the ones that aren't sweeten(do you realize the sugar contain in the can be worst than candy etc, and I can just eat a whole package or dried mango which is not sweeten or sulfured), cut my peanut butter consumption down and bread too. I need to cut my snacking down to and up my water consumption, and of course treat that are junk, like I love carrot cake and the grocery store sale is by the slice and tom will pick one up now and than for me it's so good with the cream cheese frosting...yummy sadly good bye and chocolate too. I think I will reward myself with one treat once a week but it will be small. I think those are my small goals right now(there is more I am giving up but just can't remember them all at the moment) and of course try and run twice a week on my own after tom come home and the boys are in bed. Late night runs suck at the beginning but I enjoyed them once so I can do it again. It will have to be at our little gym b/c it's still dark by the time tom gets home. So here is hoping no one is on the one treadmill they have here. Weigh in is tomorrow morning and this month is strength building, I think march is endurance and April is flexibility in the challenge but not sure on that.

Would love to join a gym but not able to at this time do to money. I am hoping I can get some glasses this month but we'll see. However the eye dr said my eyes got a bit better so yay on that, I never thought that could happen especially since they say you eyes can normally get worst through pregnancy's and of course age. but I'll take better eyes any day. However they are still the worst eyes in the astigmatism world he's ever seen haha. But the got better !!!!

well time to figure out what to cook for supper, Oh how I wish someone would cook for me. I managed to clean the kitchen, bathroom, dinning room today, all with the scrubbing etc. and of course the normal tidying up, that I really don't feel like cooking but I guess we need to eat. Here is hoping I find something to make them, maybe a tuna casserole is in order tonight since it's easy and everyone will eat it.

Rain and more Rain

Yup winter is here, a little late but is here. It's pretty cold and damp and wet. But so far the boys have been good about all the indoors stuff. We've been painting, doing puzzles, playing with toys and making some Christmas craft I hope by starting them now I might get them done for Christmas. haha. Tomorrow we have a morning and an late afternoon play date so it will be a busy one.

Exciting news here for us Tom should get a paycheck next month, sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After two months with min of wage pay cheque (it's against the law not to pay someone in the state of California), and paying other expenses that work normally covers, I can't tell you how exciting and better I feel now. It will be nice to finally have a little bit of norm back in the swing here. I really don't know how many family make it work down here when they only make min of wage and have families, it's pretty scary and I am so happy and thankful for what we have.

Well the dishes are done, laundry is folded, the toys will soon be picked up and it's 10pm now and I just sat down to type this up. Everything else is going to have to wait till morning.

night.

Did someone say....

if the music on the blog starts playing just stop it by hitting the pause button, on the music play on the right. You might have to scroll down to find it.

ah the weekend is coming

.....or is it. Probably no weekend hear for us. Tom has a big presentation on Monday so it will be work work work almost all weekend. The only reason I say almost too is because we bought hockey tickets for an oilers game back in October so we are going to that tomorrow, in the afternoon. So no real weekend here. Which is going to make it a long week....I am so ready for a vacation too and really wish we could go somewhere. Our last vacation I was 31 wks pregnant with Jonas, which feels so so long ago. As well we probably won't be able to go anywheres

Well I am relieved that my friend little baby is doing well. She deliver her son Matthew on Wednesday at 34wks. He's doing good but of course is in the NICU and will probably be there for a while, and she gets to go home today which is a little sad because she has to leave him there but she also gets to go see her other son at home since young children aren't allow visiting in the hospital do to all the swine flu stuff. Anyhow I am just happy her new little man is doing well and I can't wait to hold him.

Well I got lots to do today because the kids seem to think I need to do more. They both have been out of sorts lately and I have been pushed to many limits. Leaving feeling very aged. haha

What is new

Not a whole lot in our parts. Tom's work is really starting to becme long hours, and needs the car most days so we can't go anywheres really. I am hoping to maintain my 6:30am workout M and W and than 6:15 am or 9:15am(if I don't make it to the earlier one) Friday and 9:30am Saturday. Reason for the early morning now is I don't have to take the kids with me and I won't be late if I try to drive tom to work. So those are my goals for this yr.

No plans this weekend except I hope to get new glasses since I lost my good pair in BC back in May. Tom has to work most of the weekend though. I would love to steal him in the morning and go for a hike with him and the kids but we'll see. Work is getting busier for him now.

So it's been I think 3 months now that Noah is potty trained, during the day. He goes to bed with water so he still need something on, where he doesn't always wake up. But we are having many tantrums about wearing a diaper at night which is hard on both of us. I just hope by the time his is 3 or 3.5 yrs he'll be able to hold it at night.

Jonas vocabulary is growing and way better than Noah's was at this age and Noah impressed his doctor at 1 age with his vocabulary and understanding, so for Jonas to be even further along is sort of scary. Tom said the other day that he can't always tell which kid is calling him or depending on the word which boy is talking, and it's so true. That boy is way beyond his years and if each additional child advances like this our last one is going to walk out and hand shake the doctor at delivery haha.

Well I think that about it not much to report really. The boys colds are slowly leaving and I mean slowly, we are very much been drippy faucets for like ever. So I hope they stop dripping soon.
night folks.

Happy New Years!!!

Wow where has the year gone I have no idea. I can't believe this is the last day of 2009, craziness. I have to say we had a pretty good 2009, of course it's had it's ups and downs but what year doesn't. I am just hoping that where I sort of feel 2009 has end on a down for me that it means 2010 will come in with a bang of goodness. I would love to say that Tom and I are doing something exciting to bring in the new year like a lot of people we know but we aren't. We are going to stay home with the boys. We will do the tradition that my family has done for yrs of ordering in Chinese food and than watch the fire works on tv and maybe play a board game if Tom is not working from home later. Here is to the 2010 and I hope ours and all of yours dreams come true in the new year and may it be blessed to the fullest.

Happy New Years!!!!

Christmas day

Well we pretty much had a great christmas got to talk to most of our family and even a few viedo chats but if there is more than a few people in them it's very hard to hear or even get a response to questions. It was pretty funny at times b/c we would ask something to the flynn clan and no one would respond haha, made it amusing on our end at least. The boys torn open their stocking and I thought I had the video recording but something happend and it didn't which made me really sad that we didn't get to catch that moment. Jonas came running out and actually grabed his stocking(not sure if it was just a fluke or what but out of 4 he grabed the right and than start running at the tree and grabbing more present and bringing them back to daddy, it was really cute. We took a few breaks opening present b/c they were just so overwhelmed. I also forgot to take pictures of the boys in front of the tree b/c Jonas running at the presents through me off, so that made me a little sad we didn't get a picture but I have the memories I guess. They seem to love all their toys. I have built and play with more trains, sang many songs with noah playing his ukulele which santa brought him(he even slept with it). Jonas got a truck which he can ride and pull so he's in love with that too. We have very happy boys that morning till noon, Jonas wouldn't stay asleep and both boys were still so over the moon that the wouldn't slee p, making dinner not so enjoy able and the turkey ended up being a dry bird, and tom thinks he didn't like the brand of bird I got(can't be choose when you forget to get one and almost didn't have one). Oh well first time ever out of 5-6 birds that didn't turn out right, still makes me a little sad though. However we had a completely PJ day as a family and just played and for me ate too much candy where I found some quality chocolates(they don't sell them down here but I found one little store that imports some UK chocolate!!!!!) So over all even with little blimps here and there, Christmas day was nice. Not sure what is on the go today. Most ppl are out shopping for the deals but I really don't feel like shopping or gragging the kids out, especially since Jonas woke up with a fever and was gagging luckly he didn't get sick. I think it's just because of the verylong day yesterday. We have a dinner thing to go to but we'll see on how he is feeling if we go or not. Well I hope you all are having a good holiday.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Merry Christmas

to all our family and friends!!!!

i'll try and up date later