BIRDMAN'S NEST

Father and Daughter

2008-09-22T13:04:00.004-04:00

Bryan and Selena out for a walk on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Happy Birthday Selena

2008-09-17T22:32:00.003-04:00

Today was Selena's 2nd birthday! We had a small party for her at home... for supper, her favourite- pizza and for dessert- vanilla cupcakes. I can't believe that she's 2 already! She's growing up before my very eyes, no baby anymore.... 100% terrible two... ooops, I mean toddler!

This weekend we will celebrate with aunts, uncles and cousins.... I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Selena! We love you so much!

Bree at 2 months old

2008-09-12T14:04:00.003-04:00

Yes, somehow she is 2 months old already.... and she's getting pretty chubby! At her 8 week check-up she weighed in at 12lbs 9oz.... not bad for starting out at 6lbs 14oz and being breastfed!

Back to School

2008-09-12T13:11:00.003-04:00

Athena, James and Bryssa are all now in full-time school!

Athena is in Grade 2, James in Grade 1 and Bryssa in Senior Kindergarten. They were ready to go back, the girls especially, since they were missing their friends. James, however, was ready to be done after the first day.... He came home and asked if the next day was a PA Day!!!

So, these days it's just Mommy and Selena and Bree hanging out at home. And to think... if we had stopped having kids after Bryssa (we said we were done then) all our children would officially be in school! Thank goodness I don't have to think about it for another 4 years!

Summer '08

2008-09-12T12:51:00.006-04:00

June was like this.....

Then July followed like this....

Then August which was like this... but felt more like September temperatures!

What a strange summer! I can't believe it's over!

As I was looking back through all the summer photos, a picture Bryan took while we were in Napanee stood out.... I just love this photo and thought I would share it with everyone.

Home Sweet Home!

2008-09-12T12:45:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update for all those who didn't know..... everything went through fine and Bryan and I were able to obtain financing to buy the house we have been living in for the past 6 years. It was quite a happy and scarey time for us, but we didn't really want to move. Athena was 1 1/2 when we moved in to this house, James arrived in December of that same year... then Bryssa followed in October of the following year and both Selena and Bree were born here- so there are tons of special memories in this house. They will always know it as HOME.

A new (little) man....

2008-08-28T21:20:00.004-04:00

After weeks of begging and pleading, James finally got his wish. Since he was born he has been mistaken for a girl, but it has been happening more and more frequently due to his long hair. We tried explain about him being native and the importance of his long hair, but he found it hard to understand and was tired of being teased. So we let him cut his gorgeous locks. The barber originally gave him a longer boy's cut, but he wouldn't have it- he wanted it shorter. He knew exactly how he wanted to look and he wanted a short haircut. I was worried that he would regret it later, but he was ready. I think this was harder on his Dad and I.

So this is what our little man looks like now....

I think it suits him and he looks cute.... it really makes his big eyes and chubby cheeks stand out more....

And he even looks a lot like his Dad at about the same age. Check out the picture of Bryan below, who is around 4 1/2 at the time. I think they look pretty similar!

Lovin Our Camera!

2008-08-18T10:35:00.005-04:00

Earlier this year, Bryan and I decided to get a new digital camera and retire the old one. The old one had served us well, but it had seen better days and we needed something with better quality pictures. We chose the Canon PowerShot S515.

I love this new camera! I love everything about it! Yesterday on our way to Belleville there was a deer standing right behind the fence of the CFB Mountainview detachment. We turned around to get pictures of her and except for the fence, when I zoomed in, I felt like I could almost touch her. Our other camera couldn't do this. Now we're even thinking of buying the other lenses to get some even better pics!

Video- Bree 1 Month Old

2008-07-30T15:38:00.002-04:00

1 Month Old!

2008-07-30T15:35:00.002-04:00

Bree is 1 month old today!

She's growing like a weed... at her check-up on Monday she was up to 9lbs 9oz!

Miss Bree

2008-07-26T09:02:00.003-04:00

Our little baby is changing a lot everyday. Her little cheeks are filling out and she has 2 chins! She still prefers to sleep a lot and when she's not sleeping she's eating. Bree doesn't really like her soother, but she's still pretty quiet overall and still really cuddly!

Brother and Sisters

2008-07-26T08:58:00.004-04:00

Theres often a lot of fighting, but I'm happy that they really do all love each other in the end!

First Bath

2008-07-26T08:54:00.002-04:00

Heres some pics of Bree's first bath on July 19! It went a lot better than I thought!

5 Years!

2008-07-20T11:18:00.003-04:00

Yesterday marked our 5 Year wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe that this fall we will have been together for 9 years and married for 5 of those amazing years! We didn't really do anything special since with Bree being so small a babysitter would have been impossible. But after the older kids went to bed we lit the candle, picked up a late night snack and celebrated with some oranges and cream cake.

It also got me to thinking back about how life was 5 years ago.....

I was only 31 and Bryan was 33!
James was the baby... he was about 7 months old
Athena was just over 2 years old
Bryssa was "the bun in the oven"
I was on maternity leave with James
We were still living in the same house... but I think our living room was still pink (the original colour it was when we moved in)
I had only been employed with Northern Lights for about 2 years

So, who would have thought that 5 years later that we would have added another 2 kids to our family, that we would be in the process of trying to buy this house, and that I would still be working in the same place at the same awesome job!

I guess all I can say is that the last 5 years have been wonderful.... the "ups" always seem to outnumber the "downs" and we're happy together.... now who would have thought this is where we would have ended up when Bryan asked me out for coffee?

Going Back In Time- SK Graduation

2008-07-15T08:52:00.003-04:00

With all the preparation and anticipation of Bree's birth, along with all the other things going on with our family, I somehow forgot to post James' Senior Kindergarten Graduation. So, for this one post, I will momentarily take you back in time to June 26!

Congratulations James on your graduation from SK.... I can't believe that you are so grown up now and heading off to Grade 1 in September. We love you so much Cubby and we are so proud of you!

My Dad is....

2008-07-15T08:49:00.003-04:00

A SUPER HERO!

(If you look closely, you will see that's what it says on Bree's outfit!)

2 Weeks

2008-07-15T08:32:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe, but as of yesterday, baby Bree is already 2 weeks old. My how time flies!

She had her check-up yesterday and she weighed in at 7lbs 11oz, so she's gained almost a pound over her birth weight, which is awesome. I'm not surprised though, she nurses more often and longer than any of my other kids, which has earned her the nickname "my little piglet"!

We still haven't found a routine yet.... I'm hoping that comes soon. She's still pretty sleepy, but does tend to have some wakeful periods in the morning and around 9pm at night. Some nights she sleeps pretty good, but others, well.... not so good. She doesn't cry at night, she just has trouble getting her burps to come up- which means I have to sit in bed and hold her upright against my chest..... she loves to sleep in this position, but it's harder for Mommy to get rest like that.

She still seems small and thats fine with me- I'm in no hurry for her to grow up!

First Haircut

2008-07-07T13:50:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday, we took Selena for her first haircut. We just wanted a trim for the back. Since she had several different layers and very fine hair, we were hoping the trim might help thicken it up....

The hairdresser asked "Do you want the top cut?"

I replied "No, I don't want her to have bangs"

She must have asked me the same question 3 times..... then I decided it might be good to trim the ends on the front too, so I said to her "Just a TINY bit, I don't want bangs"

And, in one snip of the scissors, my daughter had bangs.... the hairdresser wanted to cut them some more, but I quickly said "NOOOO, because now I have to grow these out!" I think she knew I wasn't happy!

Bryan likes her bangs, he thinks she looks cute. I think she's adorable and she can see better without all that wispy hair in her eyes, but I still don't like bangs.

Thank goodness the haircut only cost $2

Baby Bree

2008-07-05T14:48:00.006-04:00

Today our little Bree is already 5 days old.... wow- it feels as though time is flying by. So, I thought it was time that I shared with everyone the details of her "birth" day.

My labour started Monday morning around 5:50am

At about 6:15am, I knew the contractions were regular and getting stronger, so I woke up Bryan and told him that I was in labour and we needed to call Jeannette, our midwife.

Jeannette arrived about an hour later, with our back-up midwife Stephanie arriving a few minutes after her.

At this point I was 7cm dilated.

A little bit later, my midwife broke my water, in our hopes that labour would speed up, but Bree moved out of position after this and it would make for a longer labour to get her head back into the proper position for birth

My contractions were very irregular now- due to her position.... I would have 3 hard, long contractions back to back, then nothing for about 10 minutes and then a couple mild ones.... it just never seemed to get into a regular pattern until the end

Around 9:15am I started feeling like I needed to push.... finally I had hit 10cms!

I started pushing at 9:18am and she was born at 9:20am, after about 3 1/2 hrs of labour.... (1 1/2 hrs longer than my normal labours... but she is totally worth it!)

Bryan had wanted to catch her, but Selena had stayed upstairs with us for everything and she was feeling a bit scared, so she just wanted to be in Daddy's arms... Poor Selena, when she looked over to see Bree being born, she screamed! I'll be able to tell both of them that story when they're older!

So, once again, we were able to have an amazing homebirth experience!

At 3 days old Bree weighed in at 6lbs 12oz and now at 5 days old she's back to her birth weight of 6lbs 14oz and her umbilical cord stump fell off too. She nurses like a barracuda, so I don't think it's going to take long for her to put on some weight. Overall, she's a very quiet and cuddly baby, she sleeps well, and I have my fingers crossed that this continues.

Bryan has been home this week so that we can have time as a family to bond with our new little girl and to help with everything around the house, but he goes back to work for 3 days on Monday- so wish me luck having all of these kids on my own!

Baby Bree has arrived!!

2008-06-30T13:44:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that baby Sabryna ("Bree") Jeanne Cannon arrived this morning at 9:20am, weighing 6lbs 14oz.

We had another successful homebirth!

We will post more details later, but everyone is healthy and doing fine!

Ch-Ch-Changes

2008-06-24T11:37:00.003-04:00

Well, with all the craziness going on around here, I find it hard to write to my blog. It's not that I don't have anything new to report, I just find that I really lack the motivation (and energy) to, well, .... git 'r done!

So, I thought I would write a small blog to let everyone out there know that we are still alive and breathing...

Father's Day- Treated my wonderful husband Bryan to breakfast at Denny's and then the rest of the day consisted of playing around in the new pool!
Baby Bree- At my last appointment my midwife thinks that little Bree may have turned around into a breech position (not good) but we weren't able to get into Picton hospital for an ultrasound to confirm it. So, at my next check-up this Thursday we will check again and hope she's head down!
Farewell Lucky- Last Sunday we said "farewell" to our dog Lucky who went to be with a new family. After my ankle injury she was proving to just be too much dog for me to handle and the chances re-injuring myself anytime I was around her was extremely high. So since I was unable to take her for walks or spend much time with her, and with Bryan working full-time, we looked around for a new home and found a loving vet tech in Peterborough who is going to give her an amazing home with lots of attention (and treats!)
Sick.... AGAIN!- I thought we should have been past the "sickies", I mean, come on, it's June right? But no- James was sick with cough and fever for about a week, next was Bryssa and now guess who? Yes, me.... I have the head cold, congestion, fatigue and cough. I can't believe it... I just got over the last virus I had... and it took 8 weeks to finally conquer!

I guess thats all folks... I promise "I'll be back" :))

And life goes on.....

2008-06-08T17:06:00.003-04:00

It's said that bad things come in 3's.... if thats true, then I'm way overdue for this aweful nonsense to stop....

First there was my broken ankle back in late February....

Second was the bad virus/flu that I got in April, which I am still suffering the effects of....

Third is the bad luck we are having trying to find financing to buy the house we are in....

Then, last week, we had one of the most heartbreaking things come to light to ever happen to our family...

And, lastly, in trying to get away for a day to escape what our family is currently going through, we had someone back into our van and dent the back panel.....

Will this ever stop?

Our family feels so fractured right now- and my heart has literally been broken in two, that I can't imagine how we can ever heal from this. Because of the nature of what has happened, I cannot discuss anything about it in my blog, except to say that it is one of the worst things that Bryan and I have ever had to go through and may take up to a year or more going through the courts.... I would not wish this hell on any parent.

If you believe in the Creator, or God, please offer some tobacco, or pray according to however you believe, that our family will find the strength to get through this...

Super Cute!

2008-06-02T16:46:00.004-04:00

The other night we noticed Selena's sleeping position and just had to take a picture! I wonder why babies and toddlers find it comfortable to sleep like this? Ahh, who cares... it's too cute!

34 Weeks and Counting Down!

2008-05-31T20:16:00.001-04:00

This is my belly at 34 weeks. I think I might be finally starting to look pregnant! I think I look like I swallowed a beach ball- WHOLE !

Raccoon Rescue

2008-05-20T15:05:00.003-04:00

My husband Bryan and my brother Ryan found an orphaned baby raccoon at work last week. It was taken to a wildlife rescue, but before it left, it made a brief visit at our house. I think it's so cute... those little hands and masked face! Hopefully the rescue can get it back on track and released into the wild so it can come back and get into our garbage! (Just kidding about the garbage!)

May 17th/08- Happy Birthday Bryan!

2008-05-20T14:52:00.006-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN aka "Daddy"!

Love, Tammy, Athena, James, Bryssa, Selena, Rem

You are the most wonderful husband and father in the world!

We've been together almost 9 years and I am so happy I found someone so wonderful to share my life and raise a family with.

Hope you enjoyed your special day!

Bubble Bath

2008-05-16T16:03:00.003-04:00

Rub-a-dub-dub, my 3 girls in the tub.... and they all wanted bubbles so they could make bubble beards. But, Bryssa accidentally snuffed bubbles up her nose.... look at her poor little face!

Whats in Your Cupboards?

2008-05-16T15:58:00.001-04:00

Class Trip to the Toronto Zoo

2008-05-14T19:07:00.009-04:00

This year, Athena's class trip was to the Toronto Zoo. Athena is very shy and timid, so I decided that I should volunteer to go, so that she didn't miss out on the experience. I had to mention to the teacher that even though I was willing to help out, I really couldn't manage a big group of kids, considering my ankle and my pregnant belly. She was very accommodating, and in the end, my little group consisted only of Athena and I and her friend Cassidy. It was nice and we really enjoyed our day. We only got to go to the "Americas" and "African" indoor/outdoor pavilions, but the weather was great and the animals were active and alert, so we got some good photos. But, by the end of the day I had VERY sore belly muscles and a VERY swollen and aching ankle! (Thank goodness I remembered to bring the Tylenol) It was worth it though, to see the excitement on the kid's faces as they looked at the animals and to watch them pick out souvenirs in the gift shop. We had a wonderful day!

Mother's Day

2008-05-14T18:52:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day could have come early this year.... if my kids had anything to do with it! They all brought their Mother's Day creations home from school and wanted to give them to me right away! But, I kept holding them off, telling them that I wanted it to be a surprise for Sunday..... It was so hard for them to wait, but they managed, even though they let it slip a few times about what it was that was made specially for Mommy.

Sunday started with an early morning drive over to Belleville for breakfast at Denny's. It's a good thing that Denny's serves their full menu at any time of day, because James and Bryssa had their minds set on having chicken nuggets and fries for breakfast..... how embarassing, but at least they ate. Next we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get Remington a new pair of shoes and headed home.

The afternoon consisted of grocery shopping, lunch, cleaning, a cat-nap for Selena, gift drop-off for my Aunt and Grandmother and then we were back out again, this time for a BBQ Picnic supper at the park in Wellington. By the time we got there, the wind off the lake was cold, so we only stayed long enough for the kids to play while Bryan cooked, then ate our dinner and packed up. Still, by that time it was almost 6:30pm! We made it home in time to get the kids bathed and lunches packed for back to school Monday.

I ended my day with a nice warm bath and went straight to bed- I was SO tired!

It was a busy day, but I got to spend it with the most important people in my life....my husband and kids.... And to top it off, I received the most beautiful handmade cards from my children and a cute little pot of flowers from my husband. And the best thing is- they came from the heart and are more precious than any gift of jewelry could ever be!

I love you guys, thank you so much for making my Mother's Day so special!

Head Down!

2008-05-02T09:31:00.004-04:00

With everything that has happened to me over the last little while, mainly the fractured ankle and everything that came with that, it's been hard to think about anything else.

So, I've been feeling a little "robbed" over this pregnancy. It seems like I went from "just pregnant" and beginning to feel those first little kicks to almost 30 weeks and in the homestretch! Everything else inbetween was totally overshadowed by my injury that I feel like I somehow missed the best part of pregnancy.

Not too long ago, Bree was lying sideways, but after feeling a LOT of downward pressure over the last couple of weeks, I suspected she had changed position. My midwife confirmed at our last prenatal appointment on Wednesday that she is indeed head down...... way down.... low!

I can't believe that in another 10 weeks (or less) that she will be here!

Where did all the time go?

Major Milestone

2008-04-29T21:10:00.002-04:00

Today was a major milestone for me.... today marked my last visit with the orthopaedic surgeon (unless of course, I start having some problems over the next little while) I remember the first few days after the surgery I couldn't comprehend how my ankle would ever feel better, much less strong enough to walk on ever again. And yet, here I am - I can go up and down the stairs now without crutches and I can go for walks with the stroller! Don't get me wrong, my ankle is by no means back to normal, but my range of motion is improving, my muscles are getting stronger and the swelling is starting to slowly subside.

But, I still can't flex my foot down and forward, which causes some problems coming down a flight of stairs and I still can't stand on one foot..... or run, but I have learned to take it one day at a time. I'm still in physiotherapy and will be for a while yet, so I'm still hopeful that I can one day regain the majority of my mobility back in that ankle.

Yes, small sucesses and one day at a time..... easy does it!

Our Terrific Kid

2008-04-18T12:21:00.003-04:00

Last night we got a surprise phone call from Athena's teacher.... but it was a good thing!

She had chosen Athena to receive the "Terrific Kids" award for their class this month!

It was based on her quiet, but helpful and caring nature, as well as a heartfelt poem she wrote about her baby sister....

I was so glad that Bryan and I were able to be at the awards ceremony this morning and get some nice pictures of our "terrific" kid receiving her award!

Way to go Athena!

Full Steam Ahead

2008-04-08T15:25:00.002-04:00

Today was my 6 1/2 post-op check-up with the surgeon and everything went much better than I could even imagine. I thought for sure I would have at least another 2 weeks with the cast, although I did have some "suspicions" that I would be allowed to give up the crutches!

But low and behold, I was given a green light for full weight bearing with NO aids! No more cast! No more crutches! I am (almost) like everyone else! I still limp, it's going to take a little time for the muscles to stretch and adjust to being "castless", but I'm wearing a light ankle brace for a bit of support, so I don't feel totally vulnerable.

I want to try to return to work, but I'm facing a few obstacles there, so I don't know if it will be possible in the end. So, Bryan has begun to get ready to go back to the lumber yard in the event that it doesn't work out on my end. That would mean I would be flying solo with all the household duties and childcare as of Monday, which would almost certainly be more work than going back to work. But, we can't live lean for much longer.

So, I guess whatever happens, happens!

3D Ultrasound Video- Bree's Feet Kicking Me!

2008-03-31T08:29:00.002-04:00

Here's a little video clip from our 3D ultrasound. If you watch closely, you will see Bree's legs and feet kicking me! It was amazing to be feeling it while watching exactly what her tiny body was doing inside me!

3D Ultrasound at 25 weeks

2008-03-29T16:09:00.008-04:00

These are some of the pictures from our 3D ultrasound today at UC Baby in Whitby. Needless to say she (yes, it's definately confirmed as a SHE) was just a bit uncooperative! She's so laid back and quiet that it was really hard for the technician to get her to move around and do anything. We did catch her smiling and sticking out her tongue, but for the most part she just wanted to sleep! Theres a few pics of her legs and feet, and yes, thats a hand underneath her bum.... the other one she likes to have near her face all the time. I think we may go back in 8-10 weeks and see how much she has changed. She will also be more filled out then and will look more like she will when she's born... But we are already noticing resemblences between her and the others, they all have the "Cannon nose". Geez, even the technican mentioned how much our little Bree looked like Selena!

5 Weeks Post-Op

2008-03-28T09:22:00.003-04:00

Well, today is officially 5 weeks since my surgery. It seems like a very long time to me and yet in the grand scheme of things, it's but a mere moment in time. The first 3 weeks were the hardest- the pain and swelling were so bad and so unbearable that I couldn't even imagine how there would be a day when I might actually start to feel better.

And yet, here I am and I am feeling better. The swelling has gone down considerably and I have started putting weight on the leg with the use of crutches (James calls them stilts....!!) My foot is still swollen, particularly around the toes and ankle, and I still have some bruising around there too, but it is looking better. See for yourself..... hahahaha! If you have a weak stomach, you might not want to look!

Pic #1 is of the incision on the inside of my ankle and Pic#2 is the outside, just in case my swollen foot caused any confusion.

Up and at 'em

2008-03-25T15:01:00.002-04:00

Well, it's official.... I can now use my foot. Today is the day that the surgeon gave me the official go ahead to start weight bearing on my leg! I have to admit though, that I was cheating and had been using the foot on and off since last Friday.

But today, I literally gave up my walker for the crutches and never looked back! Who would have thought that today could have felt like such freedom, but it did! I was able to get out of the house much easier and I even went grocery shopping to No Frills with my husband, Bryssa and Selena. Hard to believe this is the first time I have been in the grocery store for over a month. We also made a stop through Timmy's for a coffee (I have missed my Timmy's) and then we made a quick stop in Giant Tiger.

It felt so good to get out and be in the real world once again.

Now I am looking forward to the next month or so, and being able to throw away my crutches and cast. I'm pretty sure I will have to wear an ankle brace for most of the spring and summer, but I can live with that!

I feel so good today.... now all I need is some sunshine and warm weather.

IT'S A GIRL!

2008-03-20T12:50:00.004-04:00

Today was our ultrasound..... FINALLY!

With my injury and everything, this ultrasound was a long time coming!

Everything went well and we got to see our little pea in the pod. The tech was pretty sure about the gender and it looks as though we will be adding another little GIRL to our family this summer!

I kind of suspected we were having a girl, but there's always that ounce of doubt that comes in.... and Bryan and I even had a boy's name picked out this time, which is a first for us... we ALWAYS have a hard time with boy's names.

The pictures are a little blurry and we didn't get as many as with the other kids, but it's still nice to see the little portrait of the baby. Next week is our 3D ultrasound in Whitby, so hopefully I'll have nicer pics to post once we get back.

And, yes we have a name already picked out for her! Sabryna Jeanne ("Bree" for short)

Fourteen!

2008-03-20T12:36:00.003-04:00

Wednesday March 19, 2008 and at 5:06am my man Remington turned 14 years old. I thought I felt old at the thought of Athena turning 7, but now I really feel old. And, I felt even older when he brought home the proofs for his Grade 8 Graduation photos. How did this happen? How did he get so grown up so fast?

Remington's request this year was for a cheesecake for his birthday, but since I wasn't up to baking, we had to buy one from M&M's.... it was good though. Bryan also made cupcakes for the little kids....

Happy Birthday Rem! We love you! (You can stop growing up so fast now!)

Spaghetti Night at the Cannon House

2008-03-17T15:56:00.002-04:00

Every Monday is always spaghetti night at our house..... and while the other kids will only eat plain noodles, Little Miss Selena loves her's with the sauce. It was okay when she let Bryan and I feed her, but now she insists on doing it herself!

Oh what a mess!

It's spaghetti night again tonight and Bryan went out and bought her a plastic artist's smock in the hopes of saving her clothes.... Cross your fingers that it works!

Canada's Next Top Model?

2008-03-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Athena loves her new clothes!

After her birthday, she had to "model" almost every outfit she received and insisted that we take a picture of each one!

(This isn't the full "new" wardrobe.... I think her Auntie Janet spoils her!!!)

March 15, 2008- Happy 7th Birthday Athena!

2008-03-16T11:48:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Athena Brianne's 7th birthday! My how time flies..... she's growing up on us so fast these days!!

We had a little party for her on March 12, with Aunty Janet, Johnny, Lucas, Uncle Dan, Aunt Joanna, Hannah, Caleb and Emily (as well as all of our gang).

She received lots of clothes for spring, some crafts, and lots of stuff to colour and be creative with!!!

Due to my injury, there was no fancy cake this year and no big party with friends, but the guilt will get to me and hopefully she can have something special to make up for it, once I am back up and around again.

Happy Birthday Athena! We love you so much!!

Sidelined

2008-03-11T15:59:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago last Thursday I had a wee bit of an accident. As I was preparing to go to work and take the kids to school, I went slip-sliding on the ice and ended up hurting myself badly. I was walking around to the side of the van, carrying Selena, when all of a sudden I slipped on a patch of black ice. I knew I was going to fall and my first instincts were to protect my daughter from hitting the ground hard. But, in doing so, I fell in weird position and ended up injuring my ankle. When I looked down, I saw that my foot wasn't pointing in a normal position for a foot and the first thing that came into my mind was "This can't be good...!!" And it wasn't.

My husband had to call the ambulance and they were there almost right away. The paramedic said he was pretty certain it was dislocated and possibly fractured. He also commented that I must have a high pain tolerance, because he said he would be screaming right now..... I just wanted to get to the hospital and get it fixed!!!

When I arrived at Picton hospital, the doctor and nurses were wonderful. We have such a great bunch at our local hospital! Everyone was hoping that it was just a dislocation, but the x-rays didn't lie and not only was it out of joint, but it was badly fractured on both sides and would require surgery to repair it.

The doctor in Picton put the dislocated ankle back in place, but the fracture needed to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon in Belleville. So, that afternoon I was off to Belleville General by ambulance, to have surgery that same afternoon.

But that never happened and in fact I never got into surgery for a full 24 hours! Because I was 19 weeks pregnant, they also didn't want to put me "out" during the surgery. So I got a spinal. I could hear everyone talking and I could feel the vibration of the drill as they put the plates and screws in place to hold my broken bones back together. All I could think to myself during the whole process was "Just breathe.... don't puke..... just breathe! It was quite the experience!

Afterwards I was put in a cast and taken back up to the surgical wing for recovery. That night, my foot swelled up so bad that they had to cut the cast. The pain was AWEFUL.

I was allowed to go home about 24 hours post-op and was recasted and sent on my way. However, 2 days later, my foot swelled again and I had to make a trip to Picton Emergency to have the cast cut once again and an ultrasound done to check my leg for blood clots. So, the past 2 weeks, I have had only the bottom half of the cast and a tensor, as the swelling just kept persisting.

The last 2 weeks have, no doubt, been the most painful and depressing of my life...... but I have come through it and today I can actually say that I might be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Today was my 2 week post-op check-up with the surgeon, they took out my staples (they were SO painful) and told me that I have another 2 weeks of non-weight bearing on the leg and after that I am good to go ahead and start using the leg with the assistance of crutches or a walker. I also have an Aircast (thanks so much to my sister in law for getting this for me... you are a lifesaver!) which allows me to remove the cast for showering/bathing, and to have physio begin as soon as possible on the ankle, which makes recovery that much faster!

I am on the (slow) road to recovery and it will be spring by the time my healing is all said and done, but at least things are looking up.... which is way more than I could say 2 weeks ago.

Thanks to all my family and friends who have helped us to get through this.... we have appreciated your help much more than you know! I love you all!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T19:19:00.002-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

Counting Down the Days

2008-02-14T18:20:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited..... I'm literally counting down the days until my ultrasound, which is on Feb. 22. I can't wait to see this little one and hopefully find out if we're having a girl or a boy (pending cooperation from the baby of course..!)

I have another ultrasound scheduled for Mar. 1st, but this ones a 3D ultrasound, so we'll get to see the baby's features and movements more clearly. Included in this ultrasound is gender determination, so hopefully between the two, we'll be pretty sure!

I can't wait to have an ultrasound picture of this baby more detailed than the one I currently have. The baby is only 7 weeks here and just a little pea in the pod....!

Boy, a week is going to see like a very, very, long time...

So watch for a blog posting on Feb. 22, maybe, just maybe, we'll have some news!

For All the Mothers Out There!

2008-02-11T16:12:00.000-05:00

Heres a little story someone emailed me a long time ago... it still brings a smile to my face! I know sometimes that being a Mom isn't a role thats given a lot of credit in today's society, so thats what make this little article so inspiring!

A woman named Emily renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a .....? "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself inthe same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it, I do not know... The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and lookedup as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't), in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out).I'm working for my Masters, (the whole darned family), and already have four credits, (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree)? and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom.

"Motherhood.....What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. This makes grandmothers "Senior Research Associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations", great-grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates" and Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".

My Good Excuses

2008-02-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

So remember in my last post I said that I really DO have good excuses for not updating my blog as often as I should? Well, I really only have one good excuse, for which I have been keeping a little secret, that is now threatening to make itself known unless I tell first....

And so, I would rather have everyone hear it (or read it I guess...) directly from the horse's mouth than find out through the grapevine.... Can you tell that I am beating around the bush? Okay! Okay! Enough already, I'm sure you all must be totally frustrated with me by now....

Since early November, we have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride, good days, bad days, sick days, and at times wondering how in the world we could (or would) survive it all....

Just out of curiousity.....

Remember my diet? I lost over 20lbs and my goal was to have lost 35lbs by my birthday in February? Yeah, thats not going to happen.....

Did anyone notice that there was a few months there where I seemed overtired and like a zombie at work? Well, I think I was a bit preoccupied.....

Did anyone clue in when this coffee addict was suddenly sick at the thought of drinking my beloved cup of Timmy's? That was soooo hard.....

Have you guessed it yet? I'm sure you have an idea by now......

I'll just answer the question......

Am I pregnant? YES

HA! HA! Okay, so I'll give you all a moment to recover from that information and when you are ready, you can continue reading.

So, heres the need-to-know particulars:

We found out in early November

I suffered aweful morning-noon-evening sickness for about 2 months

My due date is July 14th, 2008, so that makes me about 17 1/2 weeks along

I have been feeling movement since 14 weeks

For a little while we were worried it was twins- as I was measuring big for dates, but we were recently able to confirm that there is only 1 in there!

My ultrasound is booked for Feb. 22, so we should know then if its a girl or boy

We have a 3D ultrasound scheduled for Mar 1 in Whitby (weather permitting) This should be fun! We get 30 minutes of viewing time, 2 pictures, a CD of all the photos and a DVD of the whole session

The kids are excited- James is really hoping for a little brother this time, but I'm thinking that a girl would be easier, as I already have all the "girlie" stuff!

I figured that I really needed to starting telling everyone, as my growing belly is tired of being stuffed into pants that are way too tight and wearing my maternity wardrobe would almost certainly give me away!

Even I'm still in disbelief that I'm having baby #6! But here we go.......

Sorry To All My Loyal Readers Out There....

2008-02-01T15:55:00.000-05:00

So, I want to apologize to all my loyal readers out there, who hang onto my blog, just waiting for my next posting (hehehehe, ya right eh?)

Seriously though, I do want to say "I'm sorry" for not updating my blog as often as I should, especially since it took me about 3 weeks to post anything new....

It's just life seems so crazy right now..... theres always laundry to do, cooking, cleaning, shopping and then more laundry, the kids, the dog, and then more laundry..... and don't forget about work..... you probably get the picture....

I know it sounds like a lame excuse, but really, I DO have some good excuses, really I DO!

Monster on the Loose!

2008-02-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

Anyone seen this monster before?

It is small, speaks in a language I don't understand and has purple fuzzy hands that get into everything....

It's kind of cute, but boy does it ever make a mess!

Something New

2008-02-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

Every day Selena learns something new, or shows us something we never knew she was capable of....

Her latest "thing" is taking off her clothes! As you can see, her shirt is giving her a bit of trouble, but she usually wins!

Visit to St. Catharines

2008-02-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

On January 19 we visited with Bryan's parents and sister who live in the St. Catharines area. We started out the day not knowing if we could go, since Picton was a total white-out. Bryan called around to all the cab companies from here to Brighton and determined that the snow squalls were only happening in town, so around 9am, we packed up the kids and the dog and headed out, about an hour or so behind schedule!

We dropped Lucky-dog off to spend the day with Louisa and Bill, who so graciously offerred to take care of her for the day, so we could go away. Then from there we headed out on the highway for the 3 hour drive..... The highway was clear and the traffic wasn't bad, but it still seemed to take a long time to get there.

We got to St. Catharines around 1pm and stayed until about 7:30pm. We had a blast playing (and watching everyone else play) the Wii and the kids had fun playing with their cousins. It's so nice to see everyone again, it seems like a long time since we last got together, even though it was only last July. Hard to believe that Selena was still a little baby then, not even walking!

Singing "The Back To School Blues"

2008-01-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

All week my poor kids have been suffering with a bad case of the "back to school blues"!

Remington has been pretty good, no crying from him, but he has been giving me a really difficult time getting up in the morning, and he never looks too overly enthusiastic to be going out the door in the morning

Athena has been pretty good too, shes been missing her friends, but for the most part, she has been a slow as a snail to get ready in the morning. She's in no rush and if she had the choice, she would probably choose to stay home and play barbies.

But Bryssa and James have had it rough. Bryssa cried on the first day because she missed her Mommy, then we found out that James has been crying at school for his Dad. This morning James tried to fake sick so he didn't have to go.... then when that didn't work- he went into full blown tears and aguish "Please Daddy, don't make me go, I want to stay home". On the way to school (they missed the bus) he seemed okay, until the school came into view and then he started all over again....

It's so hard, part of me really wanted to let him stay home, it would be so easy. But at the same time, we can't just let him stay home whenever he wants..... sometimes life can be so unfair! Especially when you have to go back to school after 2 weeks Christmas break!

Back to the Routine

2008-01-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

Today is the official "end" to the Christmas break and the start back into our regular routine. Even though I have been back to work for 3 days now, the kids have still been at home, enjoying the time off from school. But, it's back to "normal" tomorrow....

Last year I found it really hard to put Athena back on the bus to school at the end of the Christmas break.... it had been so nice having her home. Now I'm going through the same thing about sending all 3 of them off tomorrow. It's going to seem very quiet to Bryan, as it will only be him and Selena at home.

I'm looking forward to the March break....hard to believe by then, Athena's 7th birthday will be upon us, Rem's 14th birthday right around the corner..... okay, okay, now I'm getting ahead of myself! I don't want to think about that just yet!

Janet and the Boys

2008-01-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

Bryan's sister Janet and her boys, Alex, Johnny and Lucas came down for a "Christmas" visit over the weekend. We opened presents, enjoyed each other's company, ate LOTS of food and had fun watching the cousins play together. The "Cannons" got to spend this New Year's together and rang in 2008! We don't seem to get together as often as we did before, so it's nice when they can come down and we're always a little sad to see them go......

Thank you to my Husband

2008-01-02T11:50:00.000-05:00

This year at work we had from Dec. 24 until Jan. 1 off. It was so nice to be at home with Bryan and the kids, to take time to enjoy being with them and stay at home relaxing. I have to admit, there were some days where I didn't want to get out of my pajamas.

For the past month, I haven't been feeling very well, mostly sick and run-down. I don't get much sleep, since Selena still wakes up at night and have also been battling a cold that just won't seem to go away.

For these past 10 days, my husband was so kind as to let me sleep in. Around 4am-5am in the morning he would take over getting up with Selena, who was usually up for the day around 6am. Most of these mornings I was able to stay in bed until 8am (Yes, that is sleeping in at my house) and even get a nap around 2pm when Selena would take her afternoon siesta.

So, thanks to my husband, I am feeling better, not 100% yet, but I do feel rested and overall, less sick. Thank you Bryan for pampering me over the holiday..... I love you lots and I really, really appreciate it!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2007 was quiet and relaxed at the Cannon house. Christmas Eve we celebrated at my brother Dan's house... a dinner of Chinese food (for the adults) and McDonald's (for the kids). The kids also got to FINALLy eat the gingerbread house that we made the week earlier. They got to open presents from the aunts and uncles and spend time playing with their cousins Hannah, Caleb and Emily.

When we got home later that night, there was a package waiting for the kids from a little elf, who had left gifts for them earlier that day. So, they opened these gifts, which were a special pair of PJ's for each one of them to wear that night. Everyone looked so cute in their new sleepwear!

Christmas morning started around 6:30am.... the first ones awake were Mom and Dad with Selena, followed by Athena, then James, then Bryssa and finally (after waking him up) Remington. There was lots of tearing and ripping and wrapping paper everywhere! I had wanted the kids to slow down, but it didn't seem to happen! Selena on the other hand, really didn't want to open anything, she was more interested in looking at everyone else's gifts and scouting the floor for dropped chocolates!

This year the kids received:

Athena: dollhouse, hat and mittens, clothes, snow shovel, My Little Pony, Barbie, candy, plush cat, Fairytopia book

Bryssa: dollhouse, hat and mittens, clothes, snow shovel, My Little Pony, Barbie, candy, Dora teaset, Dora book

James: Thomas the Tank wooden playset, Thomas hat and mittens, snow shovel, HotWheels cars, candy, Thomas book, Thomas train ...

Selena: Little Tikes Shopping Cart, Peek-A-Blocks Musical Elephant, clothes, Robeez Boots, Book, mitts ...

Remington: 2 computer games, computer chair, clothes, candy, remote control helicopter, gift card to the Quinte Mall, book ...

Later that day, we had our usual family Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings......

It was a beautiful day, full of smiles, laughter and love. We even had snow for Christmas this year!

5 Years Old!

2007-12-16T19:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, December 15, 2007, our little (or not so little) man James officially turned 5 years old! I'm finding that so hard to believe. He has grown up so much! He is still Daddy's little man, we still call him "Cubby", but he's interested in everything "boy stuff" like trains and cars and he even likes going to school now! He's starting to read and can even read words off signs and billboards too.....

We celebrated his birthday last weekend (we were supposed to be going away this weekend to visit family, however, the snow put an end to those plans) and Auntie Janet and Mike and Shay and Donald came over to celebrate with us and having James' choice of supper (McDonald's) and a Thomas the Tank birthday cake. Uncle Dan and Aunt Joanna, and cousins Hannah, Caleb and Emily came over this weekend for cake #2 and a little party as well.

This year's birthday loot consisted of 2 race tracks, 2 outfits, spiderman underwear and socks, a thomas train and binoculars!

Happy 5th Birthday Cubby! We love you so much our little man!

Christmas Concert

2007-12-16T14:48:00.001-05:00

This past Wednesday was the much anticipated Christmas concert for the primary grades at our school. It was also the night of a staff meeting at work, which I missed so I could watch the kids perform.

But, after I got home from work, it almost looked as though I would have to end up staying home with 2 sick kids, while Bryan took Athena. James had got off the bus that afternoon running a fever and not feeling well, Bryssa too, looked like she was under the weather. But, after some medication, they both said they felt well enough to go, and off we went to be there for 6:30pm.

When we arrived at the school, we got the kids off to their classrooms to get ready. While in the JK room, Bryssa's teacher informed me that Bryssa had turned down the part of Mary because she wanted to wear the special angel wings her Dad had made for her....... I was a little disappointed, but at the same time, it was nice that the wings were special to her!

James' class was all angels as well.... He was supposed to wear a white shirt and pants (what kind of 5 year old boy owns a white pair of pants?), but since he didn't have white pants, we had to settle for beige.... he still looked really cute!

Athena's class were elves...... so she had to wear a green shirt, red pants and an elf hat! She didn't want the ears though.... what a sweetie!

Heres some pics of my angels and elf.... hope you enjoy!

Meet Suzy....

2007-12-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

This is my sister Becky's dog Suzy....

Suzy is a Great Dane and I am always AMAZED by the size of her when I see her. But, she's as gentle and loving as them come. She also listens very well, which is great for my sister, since she lives in an apartment!

Don't you think Suzy looks pretty much like Scooby-Doo, minus the black spots ?

"Roooobeeee-Doooooo"

(See how tall Suzy is compared to my table?)

James' 5th Birthday Party

2007-12-13T21:39:00.001-05:00

Decorating the Tree

2007-12-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since my last blog posting.... I don't know where all the time has gone.

The first week of December we put up our Christmas tree. After James was born, we always said that we would never put up our Christmas decorations before his birthday, so that the holidays didn't overshadow his special day.

But this year, Bryan and I caved in to begging from our children, to PLEASE, put up the tree....

It was lots of fun, although Selena took off as many decorations as the others put on!

Piano Movers

2007-11-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

For quite some time now, I have wanted one of my children to take piano lessons. My sister played the piano and I remember how nice to was to hear her play, especially at Christmas time. Last weekend, as I was browsing through Kijiji.ca, I came across an ad where someone was giving away a piano.... and in Picton no less! The piano is an antique upright grand, made in Listowel (Mennonite country).

So tomorrow, around 5pm we are taking a U-Haul, 4 strong men, and moving this beautiful piano to our house. And the nice thing is, other than the cost of moving it and tuning it, it's totally free! Now, it's just convincing one of the kid's to learn to play! Music has always been an important part of my life.... I was in band in elementary and highschool (I played the clarinet, bass clarinet, saxaphone and a bit on the flute).... maybe I should take piano lessons too!

But for now, I guess I'm gonna have to settle for my kid's banging on the keys until a tune comes to mind.....

Wish us luck tomorrow.... we've never moved anything this size before, it should be fun!

Selena's Hangout

2007-11-11T14:21:00.000-05:00

Selena has a favourite hangout..... the cereal cupboard.....

Everyday, many times a day, she empties the cupboard and crawls inside.

It's so cute to see her little face peeking at me from in there.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

This Halloween we were all sick, but somehow managed to get out trick-or-treating and have a good time. James was a firefighter, Athena was Erika from Princess & the Pauper, Bryssa was a Barbie princess and Selena was "the great pumpkin" (an honor we bestow on our littlest trick or treater for their first night out) Remington stayed home and handed out candy, which was a little bitter-sweet, because this was the first year he didn't go out for loot. It made me feel old that he's so grown up now! With the kids feeling sick, we didn't go far before they were asking to go home. But it all turned out well, they handed out candy and had just as much fun as if they were trick-or-treating themselves. It was nice to see them as excited about giving as receiving!

Back To Work

2007-10-23T09:07:00.000-04:00

Last week, after much discussion, Bryan decided to return to work at Cooper Lumber. He's going to be on the night shift and that way he can still be home with the kids during the day. So, last night was his first night back and I think he was really looking forward to it! He did admit that he had been missing the "guys" and the "guy talk" and all the "guy humor".... He was pretty tired when he got home (and still fighting strep throat). We'll see how it goes.... if it works out, then that would be great for our finances, but I did miss having him at home in the evening. This schedule will mean that we will only see each other for a couple hours in the morning and a couple of hours around dinner time.... Boo-Hoo, I miss my husband!

Bryssa's 4th Birthday Party

2007-10-21T08:35:00.001-04:00

At 2:53am this morning, Bryssa officially turned 4 years old!

We celebrated yesterday with family, including a BBQ supper, a cute Sheep cake (as requested by Bryssa, made with love by Mom and Dad, and LOADED with marshmallows!) and of course.. birthday presents!

It was a great party.... lots of family.... lots of cousins to play with.... good food.... sweet cake.... and beautiful presents given in love to a very special birthday girl.

Now Bryssa is officially the same age as James (for 2 months), so I just can't wait for the fighting to start over this!

It doesn't seem possible that Bryssa can be 4 already..... it really doesn't seem like so long ago that SHE was the baby of the family. Now she's a vibrant and lively little girl, who loves dirt and "princess dresses" (yes, at the same time!). She's cuddly, shes fun, she's FULL of DRAMA, and I'm so glad that she's my little girl.

I love you Bryssa! Happy 4th Birthday!

Sick as a Dog

2007-10-16T10:57:00.000-04:00

It's started.... cold and flu season is in full swing at the Cannon house!

Ever since Bryan came back from Kenora, he has been fighting a nasty chest and head cold.... then Bryssa and Selena got it..... now Remington is down for the count and home from school today.

James and Athena are holding their own and here's hoping that they don't catch it!

I was sick before Bryan left and I'm crossing my fingers that it dooesn't come back around to bite me in the butt!

Maybe we will get all the "sickies" over and done with early and have nothing but smooth sailing the rest of the winter...

Yeah, right, who am I kidding?

Mommy's Midnight Song

2007-10-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that Selena doesn't do nights well.....

She wakes every 2 hours like clockwork, in fact, I don't even need to set an alarm in the morning because she's so reliable....

Lately we have been trying to take a tougher approach with her at night, in the hopes that we can get more than a couple hours of straight sleep. She is the toughest on me (I think she knows I will cave in and pick her up)

Part way through the night Bryan and I trade, so that I can get some sleep. The strange thing is, the minute Selena sees her Dad coming, she goes quiet and usually falls right back to sleep.

But last night, instead of sleep, she decided to tug at my heartstrings....

Once Daddy was there, she laid down in her crib and starting saying "ma-ma-ma, mum-mum-mum" in the cutest little voice EVER. It sounded like she was singing to me and her adorable little voice, soft and sweet, in the middle of the night had me wanting to rush right in and pick her up!

I resisted the urge, but boy was it hard and I'm so thankful for my husband who reassuringly placed his hand on me, knowing how hard it must be to listen to that and not feel TOTALLY guilty, especially when her singing carried on for a good 5 minutes or more (which felt like a lifetime)

It's these times that are so touching (and yet so difficult) to me as a mother...

MOHJIBWE- My Super Hero

2007-10-09T14:48:00.000-04:00

I found this neat site where you can make your own super hero.

And, yes, I made one in case you are wondering.

I couldn't decide on his powers though, so I made 3 of him (The more the merrier, eh?)

#1- Mohjibwe ~Silver Bow~

#2- Mohjibwe ~The Thunderer~

#3- Mohjibwe ~Keeper of Fire~

But, he's HOT, he's NATIVE (Mohawk/Ojibwe) and he bears a bit of a resemblence to my husband (without his glasses). Mmmm, he can rescue me any day, hehehe!

If you want to make your own, go to http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heroMachine2/?ref=iy

Heres some pics !!

Slide Show of Pictures From Bryan's Trip

2007-10-08T12:54:00.001-04:00

And now, for the rest of the story.....

2007-10-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a little while since my last post. Yes, we survived the week and my husband is home safe and sound. I'm so glad he's back!

It was quite an adventure to get him home though!

He called from Kenora on Monday to tell me that he had done all he felt he could do and wanted to head home on Tuesday. The Greyhound was scheduled to leave at 10:15am and he would arrive home on Wednesday night around 9pm.

I'm not sure why I thought about his ticket, but a little light-bulb went off in my head and I asked him what his return ticket home said..... where are the major stops? According to the Greyhound website, the only itinerary to Belleville travelled the route that went "Kenora-Sudbury-Toronto-Belleville"...... But his ticket said "Kenora-Sudbury-Ottawa-Belleville" This was going to be a problem, since the bus that leaves Ottawa for Belleville would depart 30 minutes before his arrival in Ottawa..... and the next bus wouldn't leave until 4:30pm the next day.

So I went back to the Greyhound website to see what could be done. Luckily there was a bus leaving Kenora that night at 1am and would get him into Ottawa at 7am. That would mean only an 8 hr wait for the bus to Belleville.

I have to admit I was a little ("little" is a understatement") ANGRY that Greyhound would sell him a ticket for an itinerary that technically didn't exist and definatetly didn't connect. Then I did what I normally do, I started making calls.... someone had to be responsible and someone needed to fix it!

Luckily after talking to a lot of people, a nice man at the Sudbury Station changed Bryan's ticket to get him to Toronto. He arrived at 6am and headed for Union Station to catch the VIA train to Belleville. He arrived at 9am in Belleville, where my sister-in-law, so kindly picked him up and brought him home.

Who knew that 5 days away could feel so long.... It felt like a lifetime that he had been away!

At least now we have the rest of the week and a long weekend to get over everything and just spend some much needed time with each other.

Grandma Jean

2007-09-30T09:05:00.000-04:00

Sadly, yesterday evening, Bryan's Mom, Jean passed away at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. Her funeral and burial will be held in Whitedog this week.

"Don't think of her as gone away -her journey's just begun,

life holds so many facets -this earth is only one.
Just think of her as resting from the sorrows and the tears,

in a place of warmth and comfort where there are no days and years.
Think how she must be wishing that we could know today

how nothing but our sadness can really pass away.
And think of her as living

In the hearts of those she touched

For nothing loved is ever lost

-And she was loved so much."

(Her Journey's Just Begun- By Ellen Brenneman)

I Need A Laugh....

2007-09-29T13:01:00.000-04:00

It's been a BAD day!

I need a chuckle....

Found these on the net, they brought a smile to my face! Aren't they just the cutest little smurf's?

1st Night of Single Parenthood

2007-09-29T07:50:00.000-04:00

I used to be a single parent at one time.... but I only had one child and it really wasn't all that bad. But, let me tell you, my first night of single parenthood with 4 kids and a dog did not go well. My hat is really off to every single parent out there! My evening/night kind of went like this...

8:30pm- Take the dog out to pee (This is usually my husband's job and he assured me that taking the dog out between 8:30pm and 9pm would mean she wouldn't be whining in the middle of the night to go)

9pm- So tired, lay down on the couch to catch some Zzzz's

9pm-11pm- Phone and baby (In this 2 hour span the phone rings 4 times and the baby wakes up twice, so much for the Zzzzz's)

11pm- Head to bed (After the last phone call, I decide just to put Selena in her crib and head to bed, but no sooner than she got in the crib, she woke up again, so I gave her a bottle and she finally went back to sleep)

11:45pm- Try sleep again....

12:30am - Selena wakes up crying and is restless... finally get her back into bed, but now I need to hold her hand through the crib rails to get her to stay asleep

1:30am- The dog is whining (So much for Bryan's theory) so I head down to take the dog outside for a pee

2am- Selena wakes again, filled her belly with milk and she's once again out

2:30am- The dog's whining again.... This time I am not entertaining her and come downstairs to tell her lay down, but she continues to whine until 3:15am

3:30am- All is finally quiet, manage to get a few minutes of sleep

4:30am- Selena is crying and won't sleep. At this point I'm feeling like I got hit by a bus and decide to just bring her in bed with me, hoping she'll go back to bed

5am- Athena wakes up and tells me she's got to pee but is scared to be in the bathroom alone

5:15am- Athena has woke up Bryssa for company in the bathroom, their talking and giggling wakes up James

5:30am- Athena, James and Bryssa are awake and playing noisily in their rooms, I tell them to be quiet, but they can't hear me

6am- Selena is in a light sleep and can hear the other kids, she starts to get restless, so I cuddle her into the blankets and hope

6:30am- Trying to sleep is pointless now.... EVERYONE IS AWAKE!

I'm crossing my fingers that this is not how the rest of the week is going to be!

I'll be sure to post more about my 1 week adventure into single parenthood.... let's hope I survive!

Lonely Week

2007-09-28T18:03:00.000-04:00

This week we received some bad news that Bryan's biological mother was ill and not doing well. The hospital had called in the family, not feeling that her condition was very good. We were back and forth for a couple of days..... do we go and take the whole family?.... or would Bryan make the trip alone and I would take the week off and stay back with the kids?

After looking at everything involved; the 30+ hour bus ride from Belleville, an arrival time of 5am in Kenora, the cost of eating out for the week and the fact that we had no transportation or place to stay once there, we decided that it would be best if I stayed here with the kids.

So tonight at 7:30pm, Bryan will be heading out to catch the 9pm bus to Kenora. He will be gone for a week. It's going to be so hard to watch him go. This will be the first time in 8 years and the first time since we were first together, that we will have been that far apart or away from each other for that length of time.

I know he needs to do this.... to say good-bye to his mother. It's a very hard time for everyone right now and even harder having to do this apart from each other.

All I Want For Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth

2007-09-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

Athena hates losing her teeth. After her first one fell out, she was horrified to learn that there would be more. Earlier this summer, her top front tooth fell out, but not after a long fight to hang in there. Her second top front has been wiggly for a while now, but yesterday it was just hanging and was so loose that it had become turned backwards. Athena didn't want her Dad or I to touch it. My brave little princess got herself a cloth and after a couple wiggles, out it came in her hand. Now if those teeth have not grown in by Christmas, we'll get to sing the song.... you know how it goes ... "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY 2 FRONT TEETH...."

Selena's First Ice Cream Cone

2007-09-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Selena got her very first ice cream cone.... she's had ice cream before, but never her very own! Yum Yum!

Welcome Autumn!

2007-09-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

My favourite time of year!

On To Week #2

2007-09-23T18:25:00.000-04:00

Here it is Sunday already! I had forgotten how fast the weekends go by when I was at home on maternity leave. So, back to work tomorrow. I have survived my first week and here I am ready to face week #2!

My first week just felt like a blur. You know, like one of those dreams that you keep hoping will come to an end, but it doesn't... It really wasn't that bad, but I have to admit, that my mind and my heart were at home most of the time and not really on my job. I'm sure that once I get back into the swing of things, everything will be alright.

I do miss my kids.... I miss getting them ready in the morning and taking them to the bus, I miss going for walks to check the mail with Selena, I miss feeding her lunch and going to get the kids off the bus in the afternoon. I really miss the little naps that Selena and I would have and notice that I get a little drowsy at work right around 1:30pm. I think my body is still needing that nap!!!

Too bad they wouldn't extend paid maternity/parental leave to 18 months... but then I'd wish for 2 years, geez, what the heck, they should pay Moms and Dads to stay at home until the child starts school. Wouldn't that be nice?

So Hard To Say Never....

2007-09-23T12:58:00.000-04:00

This past week my cousin and his wife had their second child, a very sweet (and tiny) baby girl!

Today we stopped at their house to drop off a card and gift and I got to hold the baby...

No one was sure if they should let me hold the baby, since last time when I held their first child, I ended up pregnant with Selena soon after)

As I gazed at the very little person in my arms, with her small and perfect little fingers and toes and her beautiful little face.... I realized why my husband and I have such a hard time saying that we are done having babies!