From the Mouths of Babes...

So, there is this questionnaire going around on Facebook right now and I thought that I'd give it a try, but post my answers here.  You are supposed to ask your child these questions and then record their EXACT answers.  No cheating!  So, here are the questions with the answers straight from the mouths of my babes - all about what they think about their mommy . . .

EMMA, Age 8
1. What is something I always say to you?
That you love me

2. What makes me happy?
When I listen

3. What makes me sad?
When I move away to college

4. How do I make you laugh?
by tickling me

5. What do you think I was like as a child?
you liked riding horseback

6. How old am I?
i don't know - um - 45

7. How tall am I?
3 meters tall

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
be with me!

9. What do I do when you're not around?
clean, work, eat

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
loving me

11. What am I really good at?
being nice to me

12. What am I not really good at?
being mean to me

13. What is my job?
teaching MYC

14. What is my favorite food?
chocolate!!!

15. What makes you proud of me?
everything

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
the hero

17. What do you and I do together?
we play together

18. How are we the same?
we're both girls

19. How are you and I different?
you're older than me

20. How do you know that I love you
in everyway

22. Where is my favorite place to go?
to gramma and grampa mcgifford's

23. If I had a magic power what would it be?
making people happy

KALEB, Age 6

1. What is something I always say to you?
I love you

2. What makes me happy?
Me being good at school

3. What makes me sad?
Me hitting you

4. How do I make you laugh?
tickling - that was an easy one!!!

5. What do you think I was like as a child?
a girl - cute and pretty girl

6. How old am I?
thirty-four

7. How tall am I?
38 inches

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
making me laugh

9. What do I do when you're not around?
make food

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
because you do all that stuff for me

11. What am I really good at?
making food - it's true, you are, you're really good at that.  you make the tastiest food in the world - it's so tasty

12. What am I not really good at?
fixing stuff

13. What is my job?
making food

14. What is my favorite food?
pasta

15. What makes you proud of me?
when you tickle me - you make me laugh

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
D.W.  (Arthur's little sister on "Arthur")

17. What do you and I do together?
cuddle

18. How are we the same?
our noses?

19. How are you and I different?
our shirt, pants, hair and even teeth, like mine (he is missing his front two teeth)

20. How do you know that I love you
you always say that, that's why, you always say "I Love You"

22. Where is my favorite place to go?
Black Dog (a restaurant that Braden took me to on a date)

23. If I had a magic power what would it be?

the power to stop kissing me

NAVIA, Age 3
1. What is something I always say to you?
Eat your food

2. What makes me happy?
standing still - see, watch me

3. What makes me sad?
getting into stuff

4. How do I make you laugh?
tickling me

5. What do you think I was like as a child?
a baby

6. How old am I?
six

7. How tall am I?
from your toes to your hair (actually she showed me by pointing to my toes and then following me all the way up to the top of my hair - cute)

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
cleaning up

9. What do I do when you're not around?
be alone

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
cuz you love me 

11. What am I really good at?
cleaning up

12. What am I not really good at?
cleaning jello

13. What is my job?
to clean up and to cook

14. What is my favorite food?
chili

15. What makes you proud of me?
watching me do somersaults, see, watch me

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
Princess Snow White and Princess Barbie with a crown

17. What do you and I do together?
paint

18. How are we the same?
jumping

19. How are you and I different?
cuz we have different princess dresses

20. How do you know that I love you
cuz i get hugs and kisses

22. Where is my favorite place to go?
to McDonald's

23. If I had a magic power what would it be?
disappearing me and making me come back

March Break - Day Two - Ouch!

Today Brade needed the van so geocaching was out - even though we had just gone yesterday it was the request for today - oh well.  So instead a friend and her kids (a good friend of Emma's and a boy a year younger than Kaleb) and her 5 year old daycare kid came over in the morning, bringing a Timmy's hot chocolate.  The kids played outside for a LONG while (it was +11 today) while the mom and I got to hang out in the nice warm living room, and then they needed to leave.  

Emma then had Victoria and Katrina come over (immediately after the first set of guests left) and they hung out for a while until we all needed to jump on our bikes and bike to the doctor's.  Navia had an appointment for her immunization, but I guess I've been kinda behind in the whole thing and found out that her last one was at NINE MONTHS!!!  OOPS!!!  So, today she had 2 shots, in 8 weeks she'll have another 2 and in 8 weeks after that she'll have her last one.  Needless to say - big oops on mommy's part.  The first needle she didn't really say anything, but the next one - she started sobbing - the "breaking mommy's heart" sobbing.  

So then it was bike back home and play for a bit longer.  Then Emma got picked up by her friend's family from the morning and taken to a Senator's Game and I biked the twins back to their house, as their dad was now finished work.  

So now it's just Kaleb, Navia and I - oh ya - Brade is at that same Senator's game, just with different people (a friend from our last church in Ottawa) - watching Thumbelina and having Kaleb's choice of supper - Pogo's.

Oh - and now I think it's official . . . Emma has more of a life than me!!!  In this last week she has . . . gone to an Avalon concert, gone to Cosmic Adventures and now gone to a Senator's game - and that is just the last 5 days!!!  And all this time - me - well - I've been at home doing laundry, cleaning, watching kids, washing floors . . . and the list goes on.  Not fair!!!

March Break - Day One - Geocaching

This morning Katrina was dropped off as Brade was picked up and we got to hang out together for the day.  We started off the day watching "Barbie in Thumblina" while Mommy had a shower and got ready and then we took off for the day - GEOCACHING!!! 

The first find was one that we needed to walk through the bush and try not to get poked, but it was fun.  Katrina was proud because she found the very first cache of the morning - first time ever doing this - good job Katrina!!!

We then stopped for a cupcake snack (that Katrina and her sisters had made the night before and brought to our place) and then it was off to the next one.

As you can see, we found it.  Katrina manuvered the GPS and Emma discovered it up the tree - great teamwork!

We were only a bit from McDonald's so we stopped there for lunch (a bit before the rush would be there) and had a bite to eat and some playtime and then off again to the last cache of the day - it was in Manotick, on our way home.  

We parked, followed the GPS, but alas, it wasn't to be.

I even called Brade for him to check the website and see if I entered something wrong, but nope - it just wasn't to be.  The kids didn't want to give up the search, but with the promise that we'd come back when the snow had melted a big more they agreed to not give up, but rather say "we'll be back!" - lol!  So we went to the bridge and watched the ducks and then it was back to the van and by the time we got home it was almost 2:30 - pretty good for a day not really going anywhere, but having a blast doing it!!!

Notice the ducks in the background - the kids wanted the pic done because of them!

(yep - Kaleb's face is kinda not at a full smile, but not at a frown either - hehehe!)

A Little Girl Left Alone =

So, I go upstairs to fold laundry . . . I come downstairs after I was done and this is what I found on my kitchen island . . . 

Do you think Navia likes bananas???  But then why did she only peel one of them to leave it there, or just smush it so that no one else could eat it???  ARRRRR!!!

I now know that God gave me Navia to teach me patience - so please God . . . help me learn fast!!!

Babies in Saskatchewan

The past weekend my parents flew me home to meet my new nephew and niece - and they are adorable!!!!

Avery Jordyn Campbell & Riley James Larry Spratt with Auntie Carrie

I got into Regina late Thursday night and then went to the farm early Friday afternoon (after taking Avery to a massage appointment with her mommy).  Coralie and her kids met us at the farm where we just hung out for a couple days until I left on Sunday afternoon back to Regina to hang out with the Bailey gang until bedtime (for some later than others, hey Jen!)

It was a very short trip, but such a good one.  It was kinda nice only being us girls (no husbands - sorry boys) and kids, but not mine:)  I was able to just enjoy my nieces and new nephew without worrying about what my kids were getting into and not having Navia jealous because I was always holding another baby.  

It almost felt like I had just been gone a few weeks instead of 6 months - wow - it's been a while!!!  

Meanwhile, Daddy was at home with a 4 page list of how to look after our children while I was gone - okay, so he knows how to, but the likes and dislikes and childcare that I had arranged for the 3 weekdays that he was working and I was gone.  He did good and the kids loved hanging out with him.  In fact, once I got home and had to work on my lesson plans Navia climbed up behind me, gave me a big hug and said, "I miss Daddy now" - awwww!

So - I forgot to take pictures in Regina - yep, can't believe that one - but here are a few of my stay in Imperial.  My new babies are cute!!!

Charlene and Avery

Aaliyah, Grampa, Avery, Robyn, Gramma & Riley

Sisters - Coralie, Carrie & Charlene

The McGifford Family - "The Originals" (no hubbies or kids)

psst - Aaliyah took this picture - pretty good for a 4 year old!!!

Riley smiling up at his favorite Auntie (sorry Charlene!)

My kids - Riley, Robyn, Aaliyah & Avery

(just missing my own!)

MRI Results

Well - I'm back from the doctor's and it looks like my little "episodes" that led me to the MRI came back that my brain is normal - yay! (whatever normal really means)  The episodes were probably a new extreme migraine or could be stress related.  But, it also led them to find that I have "Klippel-Feil Syndrome" - my C2 and C3 vertebrae are joined together and I guess this only happens to 1 in 42,000 people - so I'm special - I always knew I was!!!

Anyways, now I'm going for a bunch of tests to make sure that the inside of me is working as it should and I don't have any abnormalities in my kidneys or heart or other parts that they'll be looking at through all the tests - fun! (that was sarcastic, in case you didn't get it!).

Oh - and so when the chiropractor said that I had "Tractor Neck" when I was a teenager, I guess it was a bit mis-diagnosed because my vertebrae were joined together and my motion is lessened because of it. . . oops!  Oh, . . . and . . . those 'twist your head quickly to make it crack' thing . . . well . . . that could have killed me . . . another "oops" on the doctor's behalf . . . 

So now it's to live my life like I've always done because I've always had this and just never been officially diagnosed.  If only they could have said that I shouldn't ever do housework again in my life and laundry was a danger to my health . . .  if only!!!

Emma's First Sewing Machine Project

Emma came home this morning from a sleepover with something in an envelope - A TOOTH!!!  Is losing teeth contagious???  She was so excited because now she could get money from the Tooth Fairy (as Kaleb has been really cleaning up with 4 teeth gone).  She put it under her pillow, but was wanting something special to put it in.  She has some shirts that have become too small and have a few stains/holes in them, so we went through the pile and came up with this one.  She wanted a "rock and roll" tooth pillow and thought that this would be perfect for it (her words - hee hee)!  So, here is our 8 year old in action - she's good - I think I see another sewer coming up!!!

First we start with a shirt that doesn't fit Emma anymore and has some holes in the bottom of it.

Then we cut it to the shape we wanted.

We then cut the arm cuff to use as a pocket and pinned it where we wanted it.

Ta- da . . . The pocket is now sewn on.

Now to pin the front to the back to create the pillow!

Sewing time!!!  This is Emma's first time using the sewing machine - she did very well!

All ready to stuff...

And stuff . . .

and stuff . . .

And the finished pillow - complete with pocket for teeth or notes!!!

She loves it because it has a double pocket - there is one behind each other due to sewing on a complete cuff - which she thinks is soooo cool!  I love my little girl - she makes you see things in the way that you used to.  Yep - she's a keeper!