Me at 47

On Wednesday, I celebrated 47 years on this wonderful planet - seems so surreal to me!  I got spoiled with flowers, dinner at Mamo Burger and… an iPad Air!

A photo posted by Sue Sykes (@suesykes) on Jul 7, 2014 at 2:21pm PDT

Do you remember when I interviewed Connor and Aili on their birthdays last year?  I thought it'd be fun to continue the tradition and interview myself... with a few alterations! :)

1. What is your favourite colour? Orange
2. What is your favourite song?  Currently, it's Stay With Me by Sam Smith
3. How do you get to school work?  Lola, the Mustang convertible - she's a beautiful thing in the summer!  Not so much in the winter...
4. What chore did you do last?  Folded laundry
5. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Writer
6. What is your favourite TV show?  Orange Is The New Black and 24
7. Who is your best friend?  I have many, but I'd have to say Amanda is my closest bestie (but probably furthest, geographically!)
8. What is your favourite cereal?  Crispix
9. What makes you mad?  Injustice
10. What's under your bed?  New bedroom set - so it's just been vacuumed!
11. If you could have any pet, what would it be?  A horse
12. What do you like best about yourself?  My sense of humour
13. What's your favourite joke?  Q: What's a nosey pepper do?  A: Gets jalapeño business!
14. What is your favourite holiday?  Christmas
15. What vegetable do you like best?  Red peppers
16. How tall are you?  5'2"
17. What size shoe do you wear?  Usually 8
18. What's your favourite subject in school part of your job?  Payroll
19. What's your favourite sport?  Football.  As a spectator, of course!
20. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  Teleportation - no commuting time!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the challenges on my blog for a chance to win:
July 2014 Sketchy Challenge (deadline July 31st, 2014)
Leave Your Legacy challenge - Don't Stop Believing (deadline Nov 30th, 2014)

Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions, along with my own and came up with my own list. 

20 Questions with Connor | 2013

On Friday, this little cheeky monkey..

turned 14!

You may remember that a few years ago, I started interviewing the kids on their birthdays (or close to... :))   Here are Connor's answers, at 14 years old (ad verbatim, full of sarcasm and wit!):

1. What is your favourite colour?  green

2. What is your favourite song?  Demons by Imagine Dragons

3.  How do you get to school?  Well, I walk... outside and wait for the AC-130 that comes swooping by with a lowered hook that catches me and I'm hooked into the air.  I'm hauled into the plane.  I quickly slip on a parachute, say hi to my Navy SEAL buddies and head to the cargo door.  I jump out and release my parachute, directing myself so I'm aiming at the window that my friend has opened.  I detach myself from the parachute as I reach the window, then I tumble through, landing on my seat as class starts.

4.  What chore did you do last?  shovel the snow

5.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  I have no idea.

6.  What is your favourite TV show?  Sunday Night Football

7.  Who is your best friend?  Bailey

8.  What is your favourite cereal?  any and all

9.  What makes you mad?  failing

10.  What's under your bed?  I have no idea.

11.  If you could have any pet, what would it be?  shark

12.  What do you like best about yourself?  my sense of humour

13.  What's your favourite joke?  two guys walk into a bar.  The third one ducks.

14.  What is your favourite holiday?  Christmas

15.  What vegetable do you like best?  broccoli

16.  How tall are you?  5'8"

17.  What size shoe do you wear?  9

18.  What's your favourite subject in school?  geography

19.  What's your favourite sport?  football

20.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  to control time

You can find Connor's 2012 answers here.  As you can see, he's grown nearly 6 inches and 2 shoe sizes!  And he has his father's odd sense of humour... :D

Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions, along with my own and came up with my own list. 


Cheers,

20 Questions with Aili | 2013

Today, the princess of the house turned NINE!!

What happened to this adorable baby!?

Er, I mean THIS adorable baby:

You may remember that I interviewed Aili on her 8th birthday.  Here are her answers*, verbatim, for 2013, at 9 years old:

1. What is your favourite colour?  pink
2. What is your favourite song?  what makes you Beutifel by 1D
3. How do you get to school?  school bus
4. What chore did you do last?  emptyd x loded Dishwasher
5. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Don't know yet
6. What is your favourite TV show?  fech with ruf rumen + wild crats
7. Who is your best friend?  Ashley + Amira
8. What is your favourite cereal?  chireoos
9. What makes you mad?  connor
10. What's under your bed?  puzzel
11. If you could have any pet, what would it be?  Bird or ginny pig
12. What do you like best about yourself?  i have celly hair (Mom note:  I think she means curly...)
13. What's your favourite joke?  nothing
14. What is your favourite holiday?  Chistmas
15. What vegetable do you like best?  cucumber
16. How tall are you?  3 ft + 5 in (Mom note:  not even close, but closer than last year's answer!)
17. What size shoe do you wear?  3
18. What's your favourite subject in school?  liBrary
19. What's your favourite sport?  gimnastics
20. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  to change the wether

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the giveaways/challenges on my blog for a chance to win:
August 2013 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  Aug 31/13)
Leave Your Legacy: Pet Peeves (deadline:  Aug 31/13)

*Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions, along with my own and came up with my own list. 

Me at 46

Today, I start the downhill roll towards the big 5-0!! LOL!

I've always been a firm believer that age is just a number - and that you're only as old as you act!  (see above) :)  But over the last few months, I've had so many aches and pains pop up that I'm starting to feel every one of my years!

A lot of it is due to weight gain, which in turn is due to the busy lifestyle we lead.  And while I've said it before, I think I have come to realize that it's become a main priority for all of us to simplify and slow down and prioritize a healthier lifestyle.  I'm slowly working on a plan to do this and hope to have it in place by the fall.

Do you remember when I interviewed Connor and Aili on their birthdays?  I thought it'd be fun to continue the tradition and interview myself... with a few alterations! :)

1. What is your favourite colour? Orange
2. What is your favourite song?  Currently, it's Madness by Muse
3. How do you get to school work?  Lately, I've been driving the Caravan instead of the Mustang - I'm not quite sure that happened?  But today, it's Lola and I!
4. What chore did you do last?  Washed the dishes
5. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Independently wealthy, so I can paint and create all day
6. What is your favourite TV show?  It's a toss-up between The Big Bang Theory and Castle
7. Who is your best friend?  I don't think I have ONE best friend - but if I had to name one, it'd have to be Amanda
8. What is your favourite cereal?  Crispix
9. What makes you mad?  Ignorant, small-minded people
10. What's under your bed?  Nothing - we purposely bought this bed frame so I couldn't lose anything under it!
11. If you could have any pet, what would it be?  A horse
12. What do you like best about yourself?  My sense of humour
13. What's your favourite joke?  How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?  Ten tickles!
14. What is your favourite holiday?  Christmas
15. What vegetable do you like best?  Red peppers
16. How tall are you?  5'2"
17. What size shoe do you wear?  Depends on the footwear!
18. What's your favourite subject in school part of your job?  Account reconciliation
19. What's your favourite sport?  To play?  Hahahahahahahahahaha
20. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  To be able to go back in time.

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the giveaways/challenges on my blog for a chance to win:
1,000th Blog Post giveaway (deadline:  June 30/13 EXTENDED TO JULY 15,2013)
July 2013 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  Jul 31/13)
Leave Your Legacy: Pet Peeves (deadline:  Aug 31/13)

Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions, along with my own and came up with my own list. 

Happy Birthday, Gary

Wishing this sweet little charmer a very happy, happy birthday today!

231 days ago, I wasn't sure I'd see you again after they whisked you away to Detroit, but I held faith.  You are here to do so much more on this earth, yet.

Here's to 43, and the next 50+ years... !

Love you,
S

20 Questions, 2012 - Connor

[photo credit:  Gabe Clerici]

Last week, Connor celebrated his "Golden" birthday - 13 on the 13th.  You may remember that I interviewed Aili on her birthday (okay, so it was a month after - go ahead and judge... ;))

Here are Connor's answers, at 13 years old:

1. What is your favourite colour?  Green

2. What is your favourite song?  Misty Mountain Cold by Howard Shore (from The Hobbit soundtrack)

3.  How do you get to school?  Bus

4.  What chore did you do last?  Dishes

5.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Weapons Engineering Technician

6.  What is your favourite TV show?  The Big Bang Theory

7.  Who is your best friend?  Bailey Robert

8.  What is your favourite cereal?  Cheerios

9.  What makes you mad?  My sister

10.  What's under your bed?  Everything

11.  If you could have any pet, what would it be?  A hedgehog

12.  What do you like best about yourself?  My caringness (I think he means compassion...)

13.  What's your favourite joke?  An egg, some bacon and a piece of toast walk into a bar.  The bartender looks at them and says, "Sorry, we don't serve breakfast here..."

14.  What is your favourite holiday?  Summer vacation

15.  What vegetable do you like best?  Broccoli

16.  How tall are you?  5'2" or 5'3"

17.  What size shoe do you wear?  7

18.  What's your favourite subject in school?  English

19.  What's your favourite sport?  Volleyball

20.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  To control time.

Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions, along with my own and came up with my own list. 

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win:
It's a Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  Dec 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy: What You Fear Most (deadline:  Feb 28/13)

20 Questions, 2012 - Aili

Inspired by an interview that Nicole conducts with each of her children every year on their birthday, I decided that it was the perfect way to document the ever-changing personalities and tastes of my kids.  I just wish I had started earlier...

I used a combination of Nicole's questions, questions from a special issue from Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions (so old that it's not even available at amazon.com!),  along with my own and came up with my own list. 

Here are Aili's answers, at 8 years (and 38 days) old:

1. What is your favourite colour?  Gold

2. What is your favourite song?  What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

3.  How do you get to school?  On the bus

4.  What chore did you do last?  Put my knapsack away

5.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  I wanna be a scientist!

6.  What is your favourite TV show?  Fetch with Ruff Ruffman

7.  Who is your best friend?  Ashley

8.  What is your favourite cereal?  Cheerios

9.  What makes you mad?  When I can't go out to play with my friends

10.  What's under your bed?  Nothing

11.  If you could have any pet, what would it be?  A snake

12.  What do you like best about yourself?  That I'm special!

13.  What's your favourite joke?  I don't know.

14.  What is your favourite holiday?  Hallowe'en.  And Christmas.

15.  What vegetable do you like best?  Carrots!

16.  How tall are you?  6 feet  

17.  What size shoe do you wear?  12.  I mean size 2!

18.  What's your favourite subject in school?  Art

19.  What's your favourite sport?  Gymnastics

20.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be?  To fly!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Sept 30/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

She Would Have...

Mom would have been 82 today.

Mom, circa 1951

And 8 years ago, she would have:

• Not looked a day over 62.  Seriously.
• Risen early and headed out to the Sports Complex for a morning walk and Aquafit.
• Met her "Domino ladies" for coffee at Tim Horton's and shared stories of her grandchildren's and children's accomplishments.
• Called me before I even got a chance to call her to wish her a Happy Birthday, because she called, every day, without fail.
• Dragged my dad out of the house and would have popped in with homemade spaghetti sauce or a bone for Simon.
• Worked on the hand-crocheted bedspread for Aili, because she had completed one for every grandchild before.
• Started planning our next family vacation, because we all had so much fun the year before in Mexico.
• Come to each and every one of Connor's local swim meets, because her grandkids meant the world to her.
• Dropped everything to spend the day with one of the kids if they had to stay home from school, so that we would not have had to miss work.
• Made city chicken, despite the effort and cost, because it was Gary's favourite.
• Proudly shown everyone she knows my published articles and layouts.
• Made sure that our entire family still met on Sunday afternoons for a family dinner at their house.  Without fail.
• Booked a trip to Italy, without even asking my dad, because she knew how important it was to make sure you remember from where you came.
• Made handmade pizzelles because they are Connor's favourites.
• Taught my kids Italian, because your heritage is what shapes you into who you are.
• Made sure that we were going to church every Sunday.
• Never forgotten one birthday or anniversary.
• Been the first one at the hospital when Gary had his heart attack.  Not only for support but out of concern for her "son".

She would have... if she had beaten cancer.

Happy Birthday, Mom - I can't believe it's been eight years.  I miss you today more than ever.

Meaningful Mondays: Aug 13

[source]

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; 

they just make the most of everything that comes their way.

And speaking of something coming our way, it was 8 years ago today that our little princess came into our lives, blue and not breathing.  Luckily, our medical team resolves that quickly and handed our wrinkled, red beauty to me.  It was love at first sight.

And oh, how you've grown so quickly!

Happy birthday, baby girl - we love you lots!!

A Weekend of Celebration

Another birthday for Canada and me this weekend.

Although she's 100 years older than I am.  So that makes me feel a little bit better...

Know what else makes me feel pretty good?

THIS:

[source]

It's official - I have left the dark side Blackberry world and have become a Apple-ite.  Not a far stretch, since we already have an iMac, MacBookPro, 2 iPods and an iPad2.  So we're long-time converts from PC.

Needless to say, I love my little toy.  There's a bit of a learning curve, but nothing that some playing around won't fix!  We picked it up on Saturday morning and just like my Blackberry before, it has not left my side for long.

My favourite app so far has to be Instagram.  Love taking quick snaps with a quality camera on my phone.  Although, I fear I may never bring my new D300S anywhere anymore, except for actual photo shoots! :(  The quality, of course, doesn't compare, but you know what they say... the best camera is the one that's with you!  Now I just have to figure out how to view them from the web so I can share them here...

For Canada Day, we headed to my sister's place for a BBQ, some swimming and fireworks, later on.  And of course, dessert!  Raspberry shortcake and birthday cake.  No, I didn't make my own cupcakes...

Not for lack of trying on Gary's part, of course. :)

Happy Canada Day, to my Canadian friends and family - and Happy Fourth of July this week to our American friends and family!

Spitfires Birthday Party

Because Connor's birthday is so close to Christmas, in the last few years we have only had close family and friends over for cake.  It's always hectic enough around here, but this year he REALLY wanted a birthday party so we make plans to have one for him in January.  And because we didn't have one for a few years, we decided to spoil him and grant his wish for a Spitfires birthday party.

However, that was a great idea in theory - in reality, between his swim meets and our other commitments, we were unable to coincide one of our free weekends with a home game, until this past Sunday, March 6th, when the Spits played against the Guelph Storm.

We had 9 kids, including Connor.  Gary went early to meet the kids in the concourse prior to the game, while I dropped Aili off at a friend's for the day.  That chore in itself turned out to be a comedy of errors, for reasons that I won't share just because of the pure insanity of it all!  

Suffice it to say that I got to the game late, and because I had the camera, we missed the photo opp when the PR rep took the kids down before the game to high five all of the players... :(

We had become accustomed to the VIP tickets that were available to us during Gary's days with Wireless Ronin Canada, so as I made our way to our nosebleed seats, I longed wistfully for the Section 114 Platinum tickets.  

Especially when I sat down, wheezing like an old woman.  Note to self:  Treadmill, first thing every morning!

We were actually up even higher but the PR rep moved us down five or six rows and spread us out over 3 rows so the kids could interact better.

Bomber, the Spitfires mascot, came up for a visit late in the second period and signed autographs.  Earlier in the period, they announced the birthdays on the JumboTron, but Connor was at the concession stand, helping Gary bring back the sodas and popcorn! :(

It was an exciting game.  The Spits started out strong with a 2-0 lead but late in the second period, Guelph scored and came back to lead 3-2 early in the third period  It ended up a 3-3 tie and the game went into an unresolved overtime, leading to a shootout.

Everyone cheered madly!!  And the kids were all pumped up because they were featured EIGHT times on the JumboTron! :)  After the game, we made our way down to the players bench to get autographs - Connor managed to get almost all of them to sign his jersey.  We'll probably buy him another and frame this one for his room.

We shuttled the kids over to Pizza hut for pizza and cake after the game.  Sorry for the blurry photo, but it was quite rushed because of the overtime game.  I literally just passed by Gary with the cake and said, "Camera" and then we were singing!

We took some group shots but to respect the other children's privacy, I won't them here.  In addition to the t-shirt and a birthday card, signed by all of the players, the PR rep for the Spitfires also took a group shot of the kids when they went down to meet the players and Connor received a birthday card in the mail yesterday with the photo included.

Of course, there was one child who had to ruin in by making the "bunny ears" sign behind Connor's head... {sigh}

Another Year

passes and I get to say Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband!

You are an amazing husband to me and and even better father to our children.  You are my shelter from the storm, my voice of reason in times of madness.  You love me unconditionally, even when I act quite unlovable!

Or when I posted these photos last year. :D

Our life has been one crazy roller coaster ride, with incredible highs and devastating lows.  But we've weathered them together and I think we're even stronger than before.

Wishing you many happy blessings today and always...  Love you lots, sweetie.

ETA:  As much as I hate to write a post without a photo, I'm forced to, since I don't have any photos of Gary!  Unless, of course, you count this one:

Sorry, hon... but it really never gets old! :)

This cracks me up

We took Connor to Kelsey's for his birthday dinner (his choice!) and his eyes lit up when he saw me show up with his birthday gift.

However, we teased him saying that he couldn't open it until after dinner.  But Gary dared him to eat a lime, saying that if he did, he could open his gift after we ordered.

He didn't tell him that we were going to let him open it then, anyways... :)

Here's his reaction (click on photo to view animation):

Cracks me up, every time.  Love this kid so much!

Happy Birthday, Connor!

Photo:  April 2000

It's hard to believe that 11 years have gone by.

I'm so proud of you, Connor.  You are kind, compassionate and caring of others in need.  You fight like the devil with your sister, but you are the first to defend her, unless of course it's to me or Dad... :)

At 11, you love to swim.  You just finished another Dash for Cash in Guelph and place in the top ten in all six of your races.  You are competitive and loyal to your teammates.  You keep reminding me to start saving my money because you will be old enough to try out for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.  I hope you keep this passion for this sport because you are truly a little fish.

You have recently discovered a love of the bass guitar and want to begin taking lessons.  You're quite good, too, according to the guitar players in the family:  Dad and Granddad.  I love the concentration you get when you are learning new chords and how you love music!

Thanksgiving 2010

You love Calvin & Hobbes.  What was once (and still is) your father's and my favourite comic characters in university are now yours.  How cool is that?  Of course, it is ironic that at six, you definitely reminded us of Calvin!! :)



You are, in fact, a voracious reader.  You get that from me!  Frustrating for your dad is that fact that you also inherited my uncanny ability to tune EVERYTHING out when I am reading.  Your dad has held entire conversations with me, only to have me look up and ask, "Are you talking to ME?" :)  So I try not to get upset when you do it to me...  You love Harry Potter, Peter Jackson, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bone... and you have just finished the 3 books in the Eragon series.  You have a fantastic imagination and love to write as well.

At 11, you are about 4' 9" - only a few inches shorter than I am!  You clock in at about 95 lbs and are solid muscle, with broad swimmer's shoulders and strong legs.  You have gorgeous brown eyes with long eyelashes and an adorable little beauty mark near your eye:

And OH MY HECK!! Is that peach fuzz I see?  Looks like you're growing up, baby - much too fast for your mom's liking.

Love you forever,

xox Mom.

Happy Birthday, Aili!!

Six years ago, almost to the minute, my baby came into the world - fast and furious, blue and not breathing.  Whisked away to the neonatal cart in the room and after agonizing seconds, I heard a lusty wail.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I looked at my husband and said, "Thank GOD, I never have to do that again!"

Six years later, and I still feel the same, although my heart tugs when I see newborn photos.  I love teeny tiny babies, with their fresh scent, their teeny bums, their inability to hold up that wobbly head.

Like this:

So precious and beautiful, full of wonder and love.

You know what?  Not much changes.

Still beautiful, still full of love and wonder.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl - may you dream big dreams, wish upon stars, laugh with abandon and love beyond measure.  I love you.

Randomness on a Tuesday...

Just a quick post before heading to bed to catch up on my ramblings...

* More photos to follow of Ocean City - this time of the fantastic boardwalk! - but I don't want to overwhelm all of you, my 28 lovely readers... ;)

And because no post is complete without a photo, here's one of my favourite photos from the beach:

Don't you love the tanline, from his shorts that are threatening to fall off with the next wave?

* I have been making new friends (and seeing some old ones!) over in the WeScrap! forum - it's nice to be a part of a forum again.  If you haven't checked it out - come on over and say hello!  It reminds me of the Just Cre8 forum - warm and friendly... makes me kinda nostalgic!

* I went back to work today after NINETEEN glorious days off... Of course, I came back to 3 weeks of work piled on my desk, 62 emails and a handful of notes from employees with questions for me.  Only 3 phone calls though - guess that's a sign of the times...  I worked until about 7:30pm tonight and will probably put in another full day tomorrow. :s

* Still working with Melissa Buhler on trying to find a location for a Hands On! photography/Photoshop workshop in Saskatoon in November (November 14th, 2010).  Please message me on Facebook if you are interested in this so we can find a suitable location!

* My studio/office is ALMOST DONE!!!  Gary finished the lights last night and put the remaining ceiling tiles up today.  Just have to add and paint the trim and quarter round, and paint the closet (only because I think I may leave it open).  Hoping to have it ready to move furniture in by the weekend, although we won't be able to do anything this weekend because...

* My baby is turning SIX on Friday!  We have planned a pool party out at my sister's place for Saturday so we are frantically trying to organize for that.  I am wracking my brain trying to come up with good loot bag ideas.  I want to avoid the bag full of candy and dollar store toys, since I always end up spending too much anyways.  I'm thinking movie passes to the local theatres - anyone have any good ideas? 

* Connor is away for his second week with his grandparents in Erin (near Guelph).  He was in a competitive swim camp last week, coached by the staff of the Guelph Marlins (swim team) and the coaching staff of University of Guelph varsity swim team.  They did a lot of dry-land training and stretching, paired with swimming training.  Personal assessments were included, too, so I'm anxious to hear how he did - from his grandparents.  My phone call with him was typical of a 10 year old:

Me:  So, how was camp?  Did you have fun?!?
Connor: Yep.
Me:  *pause*  Just... yep?  What did you do?  Did you make some new friends?
Connor:  Yep.
Me:  *longer pause - thinking he will elaborate* So.... did you learn anything new?
Connor:  *pause*  Not really.
Me:  What?!?  What about the video work and the personal assessments?
Connor:  Weeeellll, the video equipment wasn't working...
Me:  *silently groaning, thinking of the $$ this camp cost...*
Connor:  But they said that I swam good.
Me: Well.
Connor:  Well what?
Me: You swam well.
Connor:  yeah, how'd you know?
Me:  Know what?
Connor:  That I swam good.
Me:  You swam WELL.
Connor:  I KNOW!
Me:  Who's on first?
Connor:  What??
Me: Nothing - never mind.
Connor:  Mom, I love you... but sometimes you're weird.

To My Wonderful Husband

 

We have been together for so long that I can't imagine my life without you.  You are an incredibly supportive husband, dedicated father and my best friend.  I can't believe that we've been together for almost half of your life!  (That in itself, makes me feel REALLY old - and a bit of a cradle robber, too...)

Thank you for making me laugh each and every day.  I know you're going to kill me for posting this, but I found them on our hard drive, taken with your Blackberry, so as far as I'm concerned - they're fair game, baby!!

Happy 40th birthday, my love!! 

Now to delete all the unflattering photos of ME on our hard drive, lest you take revenge...

Birthday Celebration

In December, Connor competed in the Dash for Cash meet in Guelph, Ontario - just 25-30 minutes away from his grandparents' home.  This was his first 3 day event - and the last one that he would be competing in the 9 and Under age category!  On the last day of the event, he turned 10!

On the Saturday after his swims, we, along with Gary's family and our friends, Holly, Stephen and crew, went to Swiss Chalet for a birthday celebratory dinner.  It was a noisy affair and we had to wait too long for our food, but the kids were well behaved and had fun!

I snapped this photo of Connor and Aili, entertaining themselves while waiting for the other kids to arrive.  I know I may complain how they are spirited and fiesty, but overall, I am thankful that we are blessed with good kids!

Note the writing on Connor's arm - it's a standard for the kids to write their event and lane numbers on their arms so they can keep track of their events - their coaches do not babysit them at all, making them responsible to get to the marshalling in time.  Marshalling is when they call an event number (i.e. Marshalling for event #54, 9 and Under 100m IM) and all kids in that event head over to the marshalling area.  They then have officials that call out the kids by heat number, then lane number so that when it's time to race, they just cycle them through - like cattle! LOL!  It's a well-oiled machine and needs to be, especially when there are 300-400 kids all there to swim in an 8-lane, 25m pool!

Scott, Gary's younger brother, came down for the weekend to watch Connor swim and to celebrate his birthday with us.  The kids adore Uncle Scott, as he always rolls up his sleeves and plays with them, or just makes these goofy faces...  God love 'im, - must be the actor in him... :D

I'm not really happy with any the quality of the following photos, since I only had my little Coolpix on me - and I turned the flash off because I was sitting in front of the window!  Holly, if you got any good photos, please send me some!  Thank goodness, my Nikon D70 is going in for servicing at the end of the month - and maybe I will have to officially retire it!

Here, the partners in crime pose - I'm not sure who they are looking at?  Maybe Holly?  (L to R: Aili, Connor, Evan, Vanessa and Alicia)

I KNOW, I know - it's blurry!!  And he moved his hand up so I missed the reaction on his face... but here is Connor opening his gift from Gary and I - a new Nintendo DSi!!

He's been asking for a DS for the last 3 Christmases - and since it's usually a LONG time in between swims at the meets, everyone and their brother has them at all the meets!!

This smile was worth the price tag.

And I managed to snag one from work and use all of my points so it was basically FREE!  Love Shoppers Optimum points...

As an aside, did you know that the Shoppers Optimum logo was what inspired this stamp set??

Once we got home after dinner, it was late - nearly 9:30pm, but Gary's parents had cake and presents for Connor and since we were going to be out the door early the next day for his swim meet, and then heading home directly after, we let the kids stay up a bit later.

Grandma and Granddad gave Connor some new Lego:

And the much coveted MarioCart for his new DSi!

Scott works for Chapters, downtown Toronto, so for an avid 10 year old reader, this means some pretty awesome gifts, like Book Five in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series:

Or a t-shirt and autographed copy of the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, Dog Days:

Hmm... this photo reminds me of another photo.... Oh!  Now I remember...