This is my life.

Home 2

The day we took possession of the house, I ran into Cranbrook to pick up my sister in law, who had thankfully offered to come and help us move. We got back to town, picked up the kids from school, picked up Chris from work (as we had been without a second vehicle since Christmas... Oh Christmas you were a doozy), picked up the keys for the house and went to inspect. Full of bugs, dust and cobwebs, but all ours. We sat in the kitchen and ate pizza at the island (I kid you not, we've been in this house for 4 months? now, and have not eaten at our beautiful dining room table once. Not ONCE. That damn island is SO nice).

The next few days were insane. Trip after trip, cleaning every nook and cranny. Finally renting a small truck to get the last of it. Lots of laughs, a few tears, a few dents in the walls, good times. 

Leah eventually went home, Susan came for a visit a short few weeks later to see her new home, and then Chris's dad passed away. The months that have passed living in this house, this town have been pretty great. We love, love LOVE the house. And we love where we have chosen to live our lives just as much. As spring has sprung, everything in the valley has come alive with amazing color and depth. It's truely beautiful. I'll get to all this valley has to offer in another post, there's so much.

The last 4 months (already? where has the time gone?) in this house have been busy to say the least. We have taken out at least 2 dozen (we stopped counting at 19) huge garbage bags full of brush, debris and garbage, mostly from the backyard. Lots of visitors, finding our new normal, getting into a routine.

It is 3 weeks to summer vacation for the girls, and lots of things going on this summer. Most importantly, Nana will finally be joining us. Chris has 2 weeks vacation booked in July, and we are having a hard time trying to find somewhere to go, so we may just stick around and work at all the gazillion projects we have in th works. I keep meaning to take before pictures of things we are doing/have done, but keep forgetting until the jobs done. Whoops. Will start updating with some "after" pics soon. 

Home (Alternately titled, Oops, this post sat in my drafts for a few months)

So we follow our realtor into a very nice, well established neighborhood. With big fancy nice looking houses. We pull into the driveway of this house he wants us to look at, and the kids immediately start oohing and aahing. I must admit it is an impressive looking house. Chris and I both went in knowing full well that we couldn't afford it, but the house had been empty for over a year and a half, so we weren't putting anyone out by looking at it..

And look we did. And laughed with our realtor about it. Don't be discouraged, he told us, it's been emtpy for a looong time. They may accept a much lower offer. Sure, sure. So, we went back to our little rental house. And decided that no, although it was a gorgeous house with just enough land to give us some room, they were just asking too much.

So we kept looking. Online, driving around, calling the realtor for any new listings. Nothing. We knew that Nana was interested in coming to live with us, and we were looking at both types of houses. Nothing in our price range was coming up. We kept telling ourselves to give it time. The new year would bring many more listings for us to look at. The little house was small, yes, but we were managing just fine there. 

And then one day we decided to go and have another look at "the" house. And then we decided to go for it, and give them a low ball offer, and see if they laughed. Chris was at work, and I was back and forth with the realtor all afternoon. They didn't laugh, but didn't really come down enough either. So we went back and forth, back and forth, until they accepted. ACCEPTED. Accepted. We bought a house. 

Oh crap. Instant buyers remorse. We bought a house that we now need to pay for. HAHAHAHA. Anyhow. We were excited. Did a hundred drive by's in the month and a half between purchase and close. We got an inspection. We dealt with the bank. We had Christmas (oh boy, now THAT's a post for another time), and then we waited. Sat in our little rental house and waited. 

God's Country

So we arrived intact. So exciting driving into a place we've never been, knowing that it was our new home, hopefully forever. We spent the rest of the first week here trying to organize our tiny house to make it comfortable, and exploring the town. Lots of little drives, already looking for a more permanent home. 

Monday morning came quickly, the kids starting at their new school (together, yay!) and Chris starting a new job. Looking back now, I am really surprised at how well the girls have adjusted to a new school, new rules, new friends, etc. I was worried about Isabella more so, but if anyone had any problems (which they really didn't), I would say Sydney had a bit more of a tough time.

They've made friends, been invited to sleepovers and birthday parties, and overall love living here. There is so much to see and do. They occasionally say they do miss High Level (their friends..), and I have to admit I feel the same way sometimes. I miss my bestest friend so, so much, and I do miss the feeling of knowing. People, places, things. I realize that I am already feeling so much more comfortable here, and the other things will come with time. Chris is happy, that we got out when we did, and that we moved to such a beautiful part of the country. Jackson probably had the biggest adjustment of us all, as he went from seeing his best little buddy everyday, to spending his days with his mother. We spent alot of time those first few weeks playing lego's, cars, etc. 

We didn't plan on looking seriously for a house so quickly, but we did. Looking online at houses and seeing them in person got our list down to about half instantly. Then halved again once we sat down with our realtor and discussed them in detail. We looked at our first house a few weeks after we arrived. I loved, loved the house alot. It was huge inside, and had tons of potential (read, needed some work). But. And this is a huge but. It had NO yard, (really, we weren't even sure we'd get the trampoline up), and little to no parking, or outside storage for our many vehicles. So we kept looking, keeping the house in the back of our minds.

Right before Christmas we went to see another house. It was on the West side of the valley (out of town), with about 4 acres of land. The pictures online of the house were amazing. So we went, and realized that yes the house had 4 acres, on the side of a mountain that were completely unusable. Strike out again. Then our realtor showed us a listing for a house we thought we should take a look at. No pressure, I remember him saying, just thought you might want to have a look. As soon as I saw the price on the listing, I knew right away that it was WAY out of our price range and that we shouldn't even look at it. But we jumped in our vehicles anyhow, and followed him back to town....

It's been a long time friends

So, we moved. We did it. We packed up our house, our life, and left. Everything fell into place for us so nicely, that it was hard not to think that it was meant to be. I didn't want to jinx us and say too much at the time, but wow. The economy in High Level was just as dismal if not worse than the rest of the country. We had initially gotten some bleak and depressing numbers from the Real Estate company. So much so, that we did question our plan. Maybe we should wait, and try to get out again once the market picks back up. Maybe the Mill will start up again. Maybe it won't. Maybe another job opportunity will come. Maybe not.

Then one day, before we had even listed the house, we got a call. Friend of a friend is looking for a house. And like that, (well not QUITE like that, but you know), our house was sold. For a reasonable price. To put it in perspective... A family in High Level has had their house on the market now for over a year, with multiple price reductions. Can you imagine? I am so grateful, and so is Chris that it worked out the way it did. In fact it still comes up almost daily how grateful we are. We all got to move together. No desperate phone calls from my husband thousands of miles away, wondering about the last showing. If we should lower our price. 

Those last few days in High Level were crazy and hectic. Last minute packing, disassembling furniture, cleaning. And saying some sad goodbyes. It was tough. My Dad showed up to give us a hand and drive us down here. We needed him!! Pulling out of town was hard and easier than I expected. We had 3 vehicles, all towing something behind. 3 days on the road, some scary crapola weather, some beautiful driving, a few wrong turns, and we made it!

We drove right through town and found our little (little, little) rental house. Cute, but did I mention little? 2 bedrooms, one bathroom. The kids all in one room. But, a huge open basement to store our many, many boxes. And a carport for the mustang. And a fenced backyard for the dog. Perfect temporary accommodations. We offloaded as fast as we could, drove all the rentals away, and Dad left us the following morning to head home. Thanks again Dad, we couldn't have done it alone.

It's beautiful here. Simply breathtaking some times. We are in a valley, surrounded by mountains. We have gone hiking several times, and discovered amazing views. Everyone keeps telling us we came at the wrong time of year, but I feel the opposite. We get to see the valley come alive this spring, and it's amazing. We love it here, we truly do. 

Next up: How things have been the last 5 months...

The post I didn't want to write

I know I am long overdue for a post, and I wrote one. Or at least, I started to write one. But. It just doesn't feel right. As I was writing, I felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over me. One that I just can't ignore. So instead of playing catch up (I will put that one up in a few days), I've decided to skip right ahead to the very early hours of February 14th, when my father in law, Chris's dad, my kids grandfather had his first stroke. And then a few days later, his second stroke. And then, on the 19th of February, when he passed away.

My father in law was a wonderful, kind human being. He really didn't have any boundaries, would tell you what he thought whether you like it or not, always had an opinion on everything, especially if he thought you were doing it wrong. But. He was generous. He was a hard worker. He had the most amazing laugh. He was an incredible artist, something he has passed down to his son, and his granddaughter. He loved motorcycles, and dreamt of one day owning a boat to travel around the world.

I remember an incident when I was pregnant with Jackson. We were set to leave on a trip in a day, and I couldn't find the truck keys anywhere. We tore the house upside down looking for them. Finally, admitting defeat, I tried to get another key cut. But the truck is American, and everyone I called seemed to me making it difficult for me to get the code. I was frustrated. I was pregnant and emotional.

Rick just happened to call at the wrong time. I started blubbering on the phone, my sad tale of everyone being against me, making things so hard. He listened for a few minutes, and then tore me a new one. I was shocked. How dare he tell me to calm the hell down! That I was overreacting! Wait! He's never talked to me like this before! This means... I'm family now. I calmed down, and it all worked out just fine. Although... I never DID find those keys.

I'm not naive. I know that Death sucks. It's hard. All the cliche's are out there for a reason. I'm watching my husband grieve for his father. And my sister in law, who has a huge job on her shoulders. And my children, Sydney especially. She is so proud that she has his gift as an artist. Has been working almost non stop on drawing and coloring since he passed. And Jackson, who at 4 just doesn't quite understand what it all means. What he is missing out on. When I told the kids that Grampa had passed away, Sydney immediately started crying. Jackson tried comforting her, giving her a hug and telling her, "that's ok Sydney, we have another one Grampa"..

We talk about him alot. Especially Chris and I. I know how hard it hits me sometimes, how quickly things can change. There one day, and gone the next. I can't imagine what he is going through. Something we all go through I guess at some point. I know there's been more than a few times that something has happened, and Chris's first thought was to call his Dad to tell him a story, or ask for his advice. 

I am thankful and grateful that Rick considered me a part of his family. That Chris was able to be with his Dad when he needed him most. That my mother in law Susan just happened to be here that week. It's been two months since he passed, which seems so incredibly long ago, and yet feels like yesterday. 

I wish I had a smart and tidy way to finish up this post, but I just don't. In fact, this post has sat in my drafts now for almost a month. No quotes seem appropriate, no final words seem to fit. Rick was loved by many, and will be missed.

 

News, bigtime

We moved here, to High Level 5 years ago on October 21st. We said, five years. Five years and then we will go somewhere more.. permanent.

Like I mentioned in the last post, our trip west this summer made us... itchy. To get out. I have one (really, really great) friend here, and Chris doesn't really. There isn't alot to do, yada yada. Chris has been casually applying on jobs here and there over the last six months or so, with only one "close" Oh my God we could move Interview, which didn't pan out. We were pretty disappointed. Then.

So we come back from Holidays, and get back into our routines. The kids went back to school, I started sitting again for the same family, Chris goes back to work, I start another course. Sydney starts Dance (ballet and jazz). Chris comes home one day from work, and shows me a list of postings for his position, scattered throughout the Okanagan and Kooteney area. We laugh. We dream. He throws his resume in. 

I'd likely bore you with the last few months of ups and downs, the Interview process, the hope, the dissapointment etc. But here we are... 5 years after our 5 year plan. Moving. Our house is sold and mostly packed. We leave in 1 week, 5 days. We have a rental house lined up, with room to store all our unpacked boxes until we find our new home. Help coming to for the long drive (20 or so hours) down. Things have been sold and given away, a small pile remains downstairs. Everything is in place, organized (well, in my head anyway) and ready to go.

The kids are half excited, half sad to leave their friends. I am really excited, and starting to get anxious to go, and really, really sad to leave my friend. And my house. I loved this house. Such great memories were made here. Chris, well, what can I say. This is a dream for us. Everything, down to the last detail since day 1 of this process has gone our way. We know that we are doing the right thing. We know what we have to look forward to. Thank God he didn't get the "close" one. 

I could go on and on about how grateful I am, how lucky I feel. I truly, truly do. I am a big believer of everything happens for a reason. I am SO excited to start our new life. I am SO excited to be closer to family. I am SO excited. Can you tell?

Moving here was exciting. We were young and didn't know what to expect. I feel like we have grown so much these last 5 years, and I wouldn't change a thing. This is the way things were meant to be, they were meant to work out. 

I've been thinking alot the last few days about how I am going to feel when we pull out of town. Will I cry so hard I'll have to pull over? How am I going to say goodbye to one of the best friends I've ever had? So long? See you soon? Stay tuned for more emotional incoherent ramblings...

Backtracking

Well hello there Internet peeps! It's been awhile, I know. I've been busy, ok? So... 

We went on a grand West Coast holiday. We really had a great time. I traveled with the kiddies to Calgary, which really wasn't bad at all. Isabella is old enough to dole ot drinks, pick up lost toys, etc. So in other words she is a huge help, my co-pilot. We made it to Calgary in 11 hours, not too shabby all things considered. We had a great time there visiting Auntie Leah. We shopped, we dined, we parked (er, we took the kids to the park lots...), we laughed, it was great times.

Chris met up with us on the motorcycle the next weekend. We hung out for a day, then took off by OURSELVES to the Rockies. There is no better way, none, than traveling through the mountains on the back of a bike. We skipped the main highway for the old back-roads from Banff up to Lake Louise, and it was heavenly. Winding roads, beautiful scenery. Awesome. We spent the night in Banff and had some good food, good drinks, good times. 

Then, we were off to Vancouver. We took it easy, and had lots of rest stops. It was HOT, and Chris was in Heaven on the bike. We stopped In Salmon Arm for a swim at the lake, and some dinner, and then off to Kamloops for the night. The next morning we took off to Vancouver and arrived in time for lunch. We made it! 

We had such a great time this year in Vancouver. The kids are at such a great age. No naps or bottles to worry about, and Jackson was old enough to really enjoy doing some things, instead of being left at home with Nana, or sleeping through. They loved going to Playland this year! We did so much... Took the new Canada Line a few times, went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Londsdale Quay on the sea-bus, shopped, ate, played at the park, Steveston, we bought a really cool kite, visited some with the relations, not to mention all the fun Chris and I had having the bike there! We went downtown a few times, walked and walked and walked. We went to White Rock for the very first time (I feel like Nana was holding out on us, it was amazing there!!!), Chris and I took a walking tour of downtown Vancouver and learned some history, went for dinner alone several times. We had such a good time. Thank you Nana.

Then, we were off to the Okanagon to see Mimi, and the progress on the new house they are building just outside of Penticton. Wow. Cannot wait to go back and stay there!! We got a couple visits in with some of Chris's family as well, swam in the pool, had some great dinners, a weenie roast, the beach (oh... the beach..). We stayed with Mimi in a one bedroom apartment for 2 nights, and managed to make it work, haha. Still can't believe that. We had such a great time. 

I am sure I am forgetting something about this trip. It really was the best trip West we've had so far. Even the drive home (which is usually long boring and depressing) was fun. Lots of singing, and laughing with the kids. We stopped in to see Papa in Grande Cache for a night, and then we came home. 

I've said it so many times, and really still mean it. It's always nice to get home, no matter where home is. We got in, unpacked, and then headed over to our neighbors for a few drinks and a fire. It was nice. That being said...

Home. To me, home is where my family is. As long as I have my husband, my children, and of course the dog, I am happy. Truly. But.. something really stuck with us this trip West. Driving through the Okanagan, Chris on his bike in the heat, the lakes, the mountains, the beauty. Although we were happy to get "home" to our house, and our things, it was different this time.

We are starting to see all the things we are missing out on. All the things the children are missing out on. After being happy to get home to our house, and our handful of friends, it was slightly... depressing. We want to be closer to our family. We want our children to experience more beauty, warmer weather, more opportunity. We've always talked about "when we retire", where we want to be. 

If you think this is a cliffhanger, then you'd be right. Stay tuned for my next update... Whahahaha. 

Summer so far...

It has been an... interesting summer. Between our grasshopper infestation (omg. they are HUGE and UGLY, and EVERYWHERE) and popping my back out for the second time in my life 2 weeks ago (wow, that's what I call pain!!!!), things definitely have not turned out as planned. But. Pain medication has helped, and the grasshoppers have semi disappeared enough for us to at least get outside and enjoy the gorgeous hot weather.

I know the kids are bored sometimes, friends have been away, I could barely move for the first week after my "incident" etc., but I know the next month will be filled with so much activity that I am trying to get them to enjoy being bored alittle right now. Not working. Sydney finished her second round of swimming lessons, and sadly (for her) she didn't pass this level. She was super disappointed, but I reassured her that she just needs to work on her endurance alittle bit and she will do fine redoing it in the fall. Poor girl.

We leave for Calgary in a few days, and then move on to Vancouver once Chris meets up with us on his motorcycle. I will be driving solo this summer with the 3 kids. Wish me luck. We are all super excited! Chris and I will be taking off for 2 whole days by ourselves in the Rockies on the Harley, let's hope Auntie Leah survives, hahaha hohoho.

So ya. A few days to go, and that's it for our summer at home. When we return, we will only have a week and a bit before school resumes, so I keep reminding everyone to go and play outside and enjoy the heat now...

We brought Maggie to the vet the other day to get some doggie "nerve" pills. She will be at the Kennel this year for almost an entire month, and we don't want to run into any frantic calls that our dog is sick, or worse this year. We think she misses us so much that she gets herself worked up and gets really ill. Hopefully our $58 pills will do the trick.

Yesterday was my Birthday, and Isabella suprised me with cupcakes, bought, made and decorated all by herself. She did an awesome job. She has really grown up this summer, being an enormous help to me with the little ones, taking care of a friends flowers and bunnies when they were away, generally just starting to show some great maturity.

So ya. Pretty boring summer so far. Pretty boring post too I suppose. I don't even have any new pictures to put on. Hopefully our adventures over the next while will make for some better blog fodder in a month or so. See you then!!

All about Ramona

I've been calling Sydney "Ramona Quimby" the last few weeks. For those of you that live "sans children", or perhaps live under a rock, Ramona Quimby is a popular children's series from years and years ago (aka, when I was a kid), which Hollywood has recently transformed into their latest kids must see movie.. We've watched it, a few dozen or so times, and it's cute, and funny, and full of all the good things about watching a movie with your kids should be.

 
So. I have this theory. Stay with me on this one. Ever since my little peanut was born, she had these "problems". She didn't grow very well, or very fast, she didn't breath very well, coughed a lot, etc. She was also shy, quiet, sweet and dainty. Don't think they are related? Hang on a sec.

It took us a few good years of figuring things out for her. Different meds, steroids, etc. Finally, (I think I wrote about this already but am too busy lazy to check) we got the right combination about a year and a half ago. She was put on a new Med called Singulair, and with the proper dosage of pill and inhalers, seemed to almost instantly improve, almost overnight it seemed. No more coughing spells, throwing up at night, her weight and height put her back on the growth chart since she was little, little. When she got a cold, it was simply a cold. No more panic attacks for Mommy about possible late night visits to the ER for breathing treatments.

 
A few months ago, I started reading some of the side effects of this wonder drug she was on. It is a relatively new drug for kids, so they really don't know all the long term side effects yet, especially for kids under 5. Let me express now, my sincere gratitude that this drug even exists and what it has done for my little girl. But, after reading some of the things other parents have started to encounter, I made the decision to wean her off of it to see how she would do. She still had her twice daily dose of inhaler, and a "rescue" inhaler in case of any shortness of breath etc. So, over a period of over a month or so, she weaned.

 
Once she had safely been off the drug for about another month, I started weaning her off the inhaler as well. Today, she is completely free of any and all drugs in her system. She is not coughing, short of breath, or throwing up, and her appetite has maintained as it was months ago.

 
Now. One of the reasons I wanted to wean her of the pill, was one particular side effect that was becoming apparent. Singulair is a steroid, which can cause irritability, mood swings, aggressive behavior, etc. I had started to notice that maybe Sydney was showing some of these symptoms. It was so gradual, and could have easily been attributed to changes such as starting school, meeting new friends, etc., but I thought it was worth trying to get her off the meds to make sure.

 
Now let me bring this looooong explanation full circle. I don't think Sydney was shy, quiet and dainty at all. And I don't think Singulair caused all these changes to occur either. In fact, I think it's just the opposite. My new theory is this... Sydney was.. sickly since birth. Her shy, quiet behavior, combined with her tiny frame, gave us all the impression that she was dainty and sweet. What Singulair has done, in perhaps making her lungs catch up to where they should have been all along, has released her true inner personality. Given her the confidence to do, and be the little person she was meant to be all along.

 
I let go of the theory that taking her off the pill would return her to the sweet little girl I thought she was before, and stopped getting annoyed by her constant crazy little attitude. Instead, I've had to adjust my attitude to match hers. Now I see her as spirited, with a ton of personality and confidence. This does come with a need for a different discipline style which we are still working on, but overall I think my middle child is finally blossoming into the girl she was always meant to be.

 
Her hair is almost always un-brushed, and you are unlikely to catch her with a clean face, she changes her clothes a hundred times a day to suit her mood/weather/need to be fit for public eyes. But she has so much spunk. And a gleam in her eye that I've never seen before. To see her run playing soccer, or get out of the pool after swimming without being short of breath or coughing is nothing short of a miracle to me. She's beautiful, and I am so happy and thankful that she is here to teach me so much about life and being a parent.

Swimming Finale

I guess I haven't mentioned it, as I haven't mentioned much lately, ahem, but Sydney started swimming lessons 5 weeks ago. She went and watched her friend in her lessons, and decided that she wanted to do it too.

I haven't ever considered putting her in before now, as she has always been so tiny (no body fat AT ALL) and would instantly start to shiver, get blue lips, etc. Seeing as she has put on a good 10 pounds this past year and hasn't really grown vertically too much (read, getting a little chub chub, yay!) I figured we'd give it a go.

Her first lesson, my heart hurt for her. Little thing, sitting with her class. The other kids all knew the instructors, the rules, each other. This was all new to her. I was so worried that she would want to drop out. About 10 minutes in, she came over to the viewing area. This is it, I thought. She's done already. Uh no. She had to pee. As I struggled in the stall to get her wet bottoms off, I asked her if she was ok?

I'm FINE! I LOVE IT! And she was. And she does. 5 weeks later,and she can do this. Amazing.

 

She passed her level 1, and is starting level 2 in July. She is already counting down to her first day. Who knew?