Winter blahs...winter FUN!!

It's getting to be that time of year...the holidays are over. The hustle and bustle of keeping busy over Xmas and New Year's has died down and what's left but the dreariness of a frigid winter with nothing much to do unless you're an avid winter outdoorsman...which we are not! The girls had yesterday off in honor of Martin Luther King, jr. So we decided to make a weekend of it and find something fun for us all to do. I did some online searching and leaned toward an indoor waterpark. I checked Lake George and Niagara Falls, but due to the last minute planning, the prices were too exhorbitant to justify. So I changed directions and looked north...of the border, that is! I found a hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that boasted it had "Ottawa's Only Indoor Water Park!" So we decided to make it a 2-night stay and we intended on leaving on Saturday. Unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate and it started snowing. Dean plows snow in the winter and he couldn't leave his customers unplowed, so we nixed one night and left on Sunday instead, which actually worked out to our benefit! We arrived at the hotel and had a few hours to kill before the pool area opened, so Dean and the girls had a wrestling match in the room!

A little bed jumping is always fun...as long as it's not on the beds at home! Ha ha!!

Interesting story on the bathing suit Luci is wearing...I bought this suit about 9 years ago while Dean and I were waiting to adopt Drew. I saw it in a store and it reminded me of one my mother used to wear in the 70's, except that my mother's was made out of real denim and this one is just denim-colored spandex. I absolutely love this suit and couldn't wait until Drew would fit into it. Fast forward 8 years, Drew is finally big enough to fit into it and she hates it! Luci, on the other hand, loves it...so I guess the investment was worth it after-all! Ha ha!! If only I could look this great in a bathing suit!! (I'm getting there, slowly but surely!! I'm down 36 pounds from the summer of '09!)

Finally, the time arrived and we headed down to the pool area. There was a small kiddie pool that the girls headed to first. Initially, the fountain was not on, and just as I snapped this picture, it started and drenched a very surprised Drew as she waded underneath it!

After a few minutes playing under the fountain, the girls wanted to go in the wave pool.

Here's the view of the whole pool area from the wave pool.

And high above, the water slide! The battery on my camera decided to die before I got any shots of us all on the slide, so I didn't get any of those, but we all had a lot of fun sliding down many times.

I LOVE owning a waterproof camera!

Luci started getting cold and Drew complained of a tummy ache after about an hour of water fun, so we got out, got dressed and walked across the road to Rockin' Johnnys, a 50's themed diner restaurant (certainly a Canadian knock-off of Johnny Rockets!) Mid-way thru dinner, Drew informed us that she wasn't feeling well at all. So, after dinner, we headed back to the hotel to take it easy and watch movies on tv. Drew deposited what dinner she ate into the toilet a couple of times and we all went to bed. Here's the girls just as they nodded off to sleep.

At about midnight, Dean and I awoke to the sounds of wretching. By the light of the tv, I looked over and saw Drew leaned directly over her sleeping sister and vomitting right on her head! Ahhhh!!!! Luci never even stirred! We ran Drew to the bathroom, I grabbed some towels and wiped Luci up and still she didn't wake up! I literally had to pull her out of bed and physically walk her to the bathroom to wash her up and remove her jammies...but I still don't think she was quite awake! After everyone was clean and feeling better, back to bed they went and the rest of the night was uneventful! Thank goodness!! Ha ha! In the morning, Drew announced she felt much better and she wanted to continue with the day's events. Luci woke up and wondered where her jammies went to...I knew she wasn't awake! She laughed when we told what had transpired the night before!

Dean and I, on the otherhand, weren't quite as chipper as a combination of cleaning up the girls and tossing and turning in rock-hard hotel beds made the night's sleep not so wonderful! As evidenced by this shot...ha ha!

Luci lounges in bed eating her breakfast of champions, cheddar popcorn!

Since Drew was feeling great, we decided to go ahead with the plan and hit the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This museum had a lot of different exhibits and sections, but the main gist of the whole place is the history of Canada's people. Here's the first section we viewed, a history of Canadian natives.

There was a set of four huge paintings on the wall, all part of a set called, "Seasons". They were painted by a contemporary Canadian artist whose name escapes me at the moment, but my favorite, seen here, is ironically titled Winter, considering I have such a dislike for the actual season of winter!

Lunch time in the museum.

Here is the view from the wall of windows of the museum cafeteria. The building is the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa. The museum itself is located in Gatineau, Quebec just over the river.

Just playing around with the camera...close-up of my handsome husband! I love his pretty eyes!

Drew plays peekaboo!

And Luci shows us what her teeth look like after eating a chicken burger and brownie. Yum!

After lunch, we headed back into the exhibits. Drew is shown in a replica of a school house called Toles School. The school was specifically for black students in the early to mid 1800's.

Luci practices some writing.

Something you hardly ever see anymore...payphones!

Luci loved the "elevator stairs".

Much of the place was decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year. The museum was located very near Ottawa's Chinatown.

There was a very impressive Children's museum in the main museum as well. I used to be impressed with The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY until I saw this place! IT WAS AWESOME!!! Here, the girls try on costumes and make their stage debut!

This costume fits Luci's personality perfectly!

There were several places where the kids could stop and make arts and crafts. Here, they make jewelry.

Why even bother with the afety glasses?! Ha ha!

Drew models her new bracelet.

And Luci shows off her necklace.

A very colorful bus, I think representative of the kind you'd see in India. Drew mans the wheel.

I don't think Dean's ready for Drew's driving yet!

This form of transportation is a little safer, I think!

The girls each received a "passport" upon entering and they had to stamp each page as they went through at different stamping stations.

Luci makes a tin butterfly in Mexico.

Drew's...donkey?

Dean reveled in this part...since he works at the locks back at home. He sees this stuff at work in real life, so when he saw this boat crane, he got right into it with the girls!

Swabbin' the deck!

Drew tries out the typical bed in ancient Egypt. This little room, among others, was in a huge pyramid replica that was too big for my camera to to get!

Camel rides, anyone?

My third child plays some sort of middle eastern instrument.

Puppet show!

And who's behind the screen making shadows???

Luci's a girl after my own heart!

Kimonos and a zen garden...in Japan!

More arts and crafts!

Drew's creation.

And Luci's little guy.

Well, we spent a little bit of money, but it was all worth it! The girls had a blast...even with the unfortunate 24 hour belly bug incident! I'm so glad the girls are finally at an age to really start appreciating museums, I absolutely love them and to be able to go on a semi-regular basis really excites me! During next month's break, we intend to go to another museum in Ottawa with the girls, The Museum of Natural History. That one has dinosaurs in it, which the girls are really excited about! It's been many many years since I've been there and I confess I'm excited, too!

Today's Quote:

Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once. ~Audrey Hepburn

Mr. Darcy is now Dapper Dan!

I'm not the only one with a new haircut...Mr. Darcy had his very first trip to the groomer yesterday! I was just so used to seeing him all fluffly and scruffy, that I wasn't sure I would really like the outcome of a haircut for him! But, being a poodle, NOT getting groomed is NOT an option!! Matted hair can be painful and the hair that grows in their ears can cause ear infections! So off he went! Here's Mr. Scruffy before.


And here's the result...SO adorable!! He weighs somewhere between 3 and a half to 4 pounds, but it looks like the groomer took 5 pounds of hair off of him!!

I can't believe I was worried that I wouldn't like the new haircut!! He's so cute now!

Friends of ours, Jody and Dallas, have a female toy poodle named Five-O who is just one week older than Darcy. I was telling her that the two of them would make beautiful puppies together!! The only problems with that scenario: 1.) They're both too young yet. Mr. Darcy's umm, equipment hasn't even developed yet!! (And as soon as he's old enough, he's getting snipped!) 2.) Mr. Darcy isn't registered. 3.) Five-O lives in Maryland and Darcy is in NY. 4.)The bulk of the work would be on Jody and Dallas as they're the ones with the female!! I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate that one little bit!! Ha ha!! But it's a fun thought anyway!!

He was in my lap and was looking at himself in the mirror.

The next 2 shots are very blurry because he was in my lap and I was just too close with the camera, but they were cute, so I included them.

And of course, Drew loves him to pieces no matter what he looks like!

Going in for the wet kiss on her cheek!

Today's quotes:

Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching. ~Rudyard Kipling

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Bern Williams

New year, new hair style!

Anyone who knows me well knows I get bored with my hair frequently. I change the color and style so often that the people I see only a few times a year are usually surprised at how different I look everytime they see me again! Well, it was that time again! I made an appointment with my hairstylist, Marc, the ONLY person allowed to touch my hair, yesterday and when I sat down in his chair, I said, "I don't care what color or style you do, just make it different. You have free reign, don't even tell me, just do it!" Obviously, I trust him!! And for good reason because here is the result.


In the shot below, the flash was once again too strong so my face is washed out, but it's a better shot of the front of my hair, so I included it. The style isn't much different than what I had. Marc says he wanted to keep it somewhat long because when I walked in the salon yesterday, he really liked my hair longer...it's way longer than I usually have! (Try to avert your eyes from my messy sewing/computer room! Actually, this is MUCH less messy than it usually is! Normally you cannot even SEE my table top! Ha ha!)

And the back view. I LOVE this color combo!! I have had my hair entirely black with candy apple red streaks, black with bright blue streaks, completely blonde, bright auburn and every combination in between! My inner "artiste" dictates how I want to express myself on the outside, so it has been pretty wild in the past! The current color and cut is relatively tame compared to past hair styles! I just love my hairstylist, Marc!!

Today's Quotes:

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like. ~Author Unknown

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices. ~Shana Alexander

I'm not offended by all the dumb-blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde. ~Dolly Parton

Luci gets another Tooth Fairy visit!

Lost tooth #3 for Luci! She lost this one on 1/1/11! Say, "Cheese!"

Today's Quotes:

Other than a dimple in a cute little chin,What's more adorable than a toothless grin?~Azu "Betty" Espezia

In this pocket you will find, A teensy, tiny tooth of mine. So while I sleep where dreams are made, Let's see if you can make a trade.~Author Unknown

2011!!!!! Out with the old (garbage), in with the new (life!)

An old year has departed...thank goodness, and a new one has begun! Before we commence with the new year party pictures, I just had to show off my new BLING!!!! I admit, I'm a bit obsessed with it right now, it's so pretty! And I cruise the Pandora website frequently making my mental list of what charms to add next! I just love it!

Last night, we packed up some food, beverages and the girls and headed over to the house of our good friends, Scott and Sue. (Sue, you might remember from previous posts is not only a camping buddy but also my workout partner!) Dan and Tina met us there and we geared up to ring in the new year together! The kids were on hyper-speed the entire evening! Occassionally, they would settle down long enough to sit in front of the tv for a movie, but never for more than 10 minutes or so at a time! Sue made up some beds on the floor for them, popped them some popcorn and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, they not only didn't last long, they had a popcorn war and it went EVERYWHERE!!! At least they had fun!

Max and Sonja napped earlier, so they were in good spirits!

Mine didn't nap, so I thought they'd crash early...boy, was I wrong!! Luci practices for the big countdown. (Note the popcorn-covered floor behind her!)

The adults drank responsibly the whole evening, which we are thankful for this morning!! But we had as much fun as the kids! We joked, played games, Scott dug out a big box of old pictures and we laughed til our sides hurt!! Scott is a childhood friend of Dean's, they've been friends since Kindergarten!! He had some great shots of Dean from the 80's!!! All I'll say is hair and acid wash jeans!! Woo hoo! Sue and I have been friends since I was in 9th or 10th grade...she's a few years younger than me, but we became friends when I started dating her older brother way back when!

And as usual, wherever Drew goes, she's doing cartwheels.

Just before the big countdown, Dean and I pose for a shot! Happy new year, honey!! Here's hoping our 2011 is stronger, better and even happier than 2010 was!!

3, 2, 1......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

MUAH!!!

Drew toasts the new year with a sparkling glass of "champagne"! Actually just sparkling grape juice, but they loved it!

No, Sue...don't do it!!!!

After the celebration of midnight died down a little, we put the kids to work cleaning up their mess! Actually, Luci INSISTED on helping, and soon after the others joined in!

There's no denying they had fun!!

Dean actually made it to midnight with very few snoring episodes...but as soon as he sat down, all bets were off! GOING...........

GOING.............

GONE!!

Followed shortly thereafter by his brother, Dan!!

The kids, however, discovered a second wind and started a dance party!

Jeb does a mean robot!

Drew's isn't quite as convincing! Ha ha!

Darien looks like she's cheering on the whole group in this shot!

And where was Luci during the dance party? Off in the other room drawing!

But she finished up shortly and joined the others!

She shows off her split skills!

The video clip below is of Dean and Luci doing the Just Dance 2 game on the Wii.

I am SOOO glad to see the end of 2010!! Although 2010 was WAYYYYY better than 2009, it had it's share of ups and downs. The garbage I thought I had disposed of at the end of 2009 kept resurfacing in one form or another a few times throughout the year. And though my outlook about the whole thing remained surprisingly strong, it wasn't without it's lion's share of unwanted stress and painful reminders! I find it extremely bizarre that a person who hurt and scarred myself and my family...my ENTIRE family, grandparents included, would think that sending a Xmas card to said grandparents would think this a rational thing to do! It's actually kind of scary considering her mentally unstable state of mind...kind of like a Fatal Attraction scenario where the psycho keeps doing things to maintain some kind of a link to the family she nearly destroyed! Ah well, I learned last year that trying to understand psychopathic people is akin to banging your head against a brick wall! The best thing to do is just smile and move on!! (Although I am not against obtaining an order of protection should the unwanted contact continue!) At least now, these grandparents have a better understanding of just how much of a pathetic freak-show this person is! Probably not the "feel sorry for me" response she was hoping for by sending it in the first place. Almost sad, really....note I said ALMOST! At least she holds some entertainment value, if nothing else.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the new year and all it promises! My motivation to keep going to the gym has inspired me to seek the services of a personal trainer who works at the gym where I'm a member. John has created a customized workout for Sue and I and also recommended books and diet advice as well...his mom is a nutritionist, so he knows a thing or two! He has watched the usual workout we do and has promised that as long as we follow his advice, we should lose weight twice as fast (or faster!) than with what we're doing now. I am super excited, inspired and very motivated...and I think Sue is as well!!

I'm also excited about my photography business! This past Xmas season was my busiest to date! Normally, after senior picture season died down, I'd get a few Xmas pictures cutomers, but not many. This year I was getting calls left and right for Xmas pics! So, though I WILL slow down for the rest of winter and spring, I actually look forward to the break!! Dean and I have again started working on the inside of the house trying to get all the little jobs done, especially that back bedroom that has yet to be mudded! Once we get that done, we still plan on moving forward with the foster care/adoption process we started last year! Little by little, this house is becoming the one I always dreamed of! (Well, if it were located in some place with year-round warm weather, it wouldn't matter what it looked like...it would automatically be my dream home!! Ha ha!!) And come hell or high water....the house WILL be sided THIS year!! We nixed the Disney trip we were supposed to take in December for this very reason...so it had better get done!!!!!!

Yep...2011 promises to be a GREAT year!!!

Today's Quotes:

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! ~Edward Payson Powell

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past. ~Henry Ward Beecher