Waking Sleeping Beauty ... or not so much !!!

This is often how it goes in the afternoons if Amber oversleeps and we have to get going somewhere else and Jade happily goes to wake Amber up (hehehe).

Here still in dreamland.



She always wakes up happy, wish I could open my eyes and smile like that :-)





Quite happy until she sees Jade ... oh yeah there are days that Amber wants nothing to do with Jade and on those days Jade knows just how to tease and push her buttons as you see here :-)





But thankfully wasn't long and she had sweet talked her into loving her again ... but that too didn't last long because guess what Jade did next ?



Can you see the shock and horror in Ambers Face (hehehe) well I won't post the pics of Amber throwing an absolute fit but Jade will give you an idea of what it looked like (hehehe) oh golly ... I am sure there will be many of these tiffs to come in the future.

Pre And Post St Paddy's Day Pics !!!

Jade had an International Day at school we we decided to dress up to support Ireland that day since I had already bought stuff for St Paddy's Day to represent my Brother and Gigi in Ireland :-) These were such cute pics ...

Figured I would put one or two of Jade up since lately there are way more pics of Amber and Jade has voiced her dislike of that !!!





This was before we went outside, I was trying to get Amber to put shoes on and she wanted to put Jade slops on but Jade was killing herself laughing at how ticklish Amber was when she was trying to put them on. Either way we went onto the deck with no shoes ... not sure how that happened.



As of late, Amber likes Jade carrying her around and often will just go to her and say 'up up' and of course Jade loves carrying her around even though Amber is so heavy I don't like her doing it.





It was so funny, I took so many pics here but didn't want to post too many it takes too long but Amber was copying everything Jade did which was so cute :-) I have to tell Jade to be careful though coz Amber wants to copy her and when Jade does hand stands and whatever I am worried that Amber will break her neck but one has to keep a constant watch coz obviously I cannot rely on Jade always remembering that but she's a good kid and looks out for her sister most of the time.



I love these lying down ones :-) they just look so natural.







Later after running around a bit, Amber showed Jade to come sit again ... can't wait till she can talk and tell her sister what to do for real :-)



And then she showed Jade to lie down again and you can see, she is trying to copy the way Jade was folding her hands, was so cute to see.



Then this was actual St Paddy's Day but late in the afternoon so a sweaty Jade from school still doing the pose though (hehehe) and this a head shot of Amber.





Anyway, that's it for St Paddy's Day this year, wonder if it will be the last one I will represent for my brother or whether by next year they have moved to Canada by then yet ... now what do you wear on Canada Day ... golly it would be so much easier if he just moved to the States but hey ... I am not complaining, Canada is way closer, I am very excited about that !!!

REMEMBER TO SCROLL UP AND DOWN TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED OK :-)

Thank God She Was Contained ...

One morning after breakfast while Amber was still in her PJ's I decided it was a good day to play with some finger paint which I had bought over the weekend. I always say my kids are very deprived coz I hate doing crafts at home, I also say how thankful I am that my best friend Tina and my neighbor Colleen are very crafty and always include Jade in their stuff so hopefully she gets her fill there :-)

Anyway I figured she better get used to fingerpaint before she goes to preschool in the Fall and has no idea what to do with it so ... here you go, this is how it went.



She didn't quite know what to do with it and I had to help her a bit ...



But as you can see once she got into it, she knew exactly what to do and getting it away from her when we or I was done was a mission (hehehe) yeah I laugh now but it wasn't so funny then.



Thankfully it's all washable and nothing a good bath couldn't fix.

My Birthday ... Oh Lord 50 here I come !!!

I had a great birthday weekend, Jade and I went out on the Saturday and had a girls day out at Concord Mills, lots of shopping, oh my golly I have created a monster, a monster with a new found opinion on fashion, all I can say is Dave you best start saving NOW !!! We did lunch and a movie too, we had a good time and got home late the afternoon but the weather was so good that the kids were all still playing outside so she had the best of both worlds, she got spoilt and still got to play outside with the kids.

Then Sunday morning we all got to sleep in a bit which was a nice treat, lucky for me, Amber slept late. Then Jade brought me breakfast in bed (hehehe) I think Dave got it easy, before he could do anything Jade had brought me a bowl of cereal and well that was breakfast !!! Then I got to open all my lovely cards and gifts, more Pandora charms, just what I wanted :-) I love my bracelet and now I have three to fill, Dave got lucky again or I did I guess, he bought on a weekend when then were running a promotion, spend said amount and get a bracelet free ... I am so excited.

Then I got showered and done and then it was time for some pics with the cake, these are not great pics, I was hot and bothered and rushed but anyway it's better than nothing and a rare occasion to have a family pic too :-) This was my cake which Jade helped me chose, I thought it was pretty, don't you think so ?



Here's that rare pic, only Amber was in no mood to smile and I think Jade wanted cake so bad she was done with smiling sooner than later as well.



One more of the girls and I.



Then the afternoon I was spoilt too, I arranged for my neighbor Colleen to come and watch the girls so Dave and I could go out for lunch and a movie, we had such a nice afternoon, thank you Colleen, that is always such a good treat. Then when we got back all the neighbors were outside, hanging out since it was such an amazing day so I spent the rest of the afternoon outside with them. I had a wonderful birthday weekend, I think one of my best.

Thank you all for all the card, phone calls, especially my brother that made the effort while vacationing in Malta :-) all the wonderful emails and facebook messages, a special thank you to Leanda and her family that spoilt me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, golly now that was a treat, one I enjoyed for almost two weeks, thank you thank you thank you !!! And last but not least, thank you David, Jade and Amber for making my birthday so perfect.

THERE IS A LOT MORE TO GO, PICTURES MAINLY BUT FOR NOW I AM GOING TO TAKE A BREAK, I WILL SEE HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE LATER IN THE WEEK TO KEEP GOING ... REMEMBER TO SCROLL UP AND DOWN TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING. I KNOW I SOUND LIKE A STUCK RECORD.

Leanda's Visit !!!

Ok this is a story you will not almost believe but here goes. When I grew up in the Garfield Road house my very best friend in junior school was Leanda, she lived just up the road from my house and we were inseparable. Due to circumstances beyond our control when she was in standard 3 or so her parents moved and I lost track of here, being so young and all, what did I know right ?

Anyway over the years I tried to locate her online and even when I still lived in SA, I spoke to her once around my 21st birthday and then spoke to her brother one day in Tableview but that was it ... but somehow I never gave up on her, every now and again I would google her online or look for her on facebook but still nothing ever came up till last Summer when we were on vacation in Florida, I one day got a message from her on facebook, she has seen my name on a mutual friends page, oh my golly, I get goosebumps when I think it about it now.

As soon as I got back to North Carolina we called each other and oh golly I can't even tell you how long we spoke but the weirdest thing is that even though we were only close as little kids, it was like no time has passed and we were just as comfortable now as we were with each other back then, is that not just the weirdest and yet the most amazing this ever ? What was even more crazy is she was living in Toronto Canada and had moved there like 16 years ago ? So right then she said, I have to come see you, I don't know how but we will make this happen and you know what, she did !!!

So in February she came to visit and after 32 years we were together again, can you believe that the last time I saw her, she was Jades age, ok here's a crazy thing, not only has our life taken so many similar paths but she has a 7 year old daughter named Jadyn, how crazy is that ? She also has a son that is 11 named Ethan. She is married to a Canadian though so at least there is something different (hehehe).

I probably am rambling on here but gosh I just cannot tell you how amazing these few days were with her, she almost lost her voice we spoke so much, we didn't stop, we laughed so much and well even cried together, I am not sure I ever believed in having a soul mate but you know, I think she is it, this is what it is all about. I still cannot believe it all but I know something for sure, we will never lose touch again. In fact they are coming down in August to spend a week with us, hubby Elliot and the kids are all coming and I cannot wait to meet the rest of the family. Our kids are going to have a ball together, now our husbands well we had to laugh at that, but I think as long as Elliot brings his laptop, him and Dave can sit in the same room and play together (hehehe) these men will never understand what this is all about.

Thank you so very much Leanda for coming and stepping into my life again, oh my gosh, I am so very thankful for the time we spent together and well I am just grateful to have you in my life again, still all totally amazing.

Oh one more thing I forgot, she came with so many gifts but for me, she wasn't sure what to buy but she wanted to get me something that she and I could collect together so she surprised me with a Pandora Bracelet, not knowing I already collect Pandora, yet another weird moment, so anyway we did the juvenile thing and bought a charm which she has half and I have half and it says 'friends forever' (hehehe) I have to giggle coz it's so teenager like but you know seeing her made me feel like a kid again so it probably was the right thing to do :-) Thank you so much Leanda.

Anyway we spoke so much we never took pictures, she took a few on our last day but here is one we took on my cellphone one night when we were out together.



Sorry if I rambled on so much but this was just one of those moments in life that blows your mind.

DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL UP AND DOWN TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED !!!

Becoming A United States Citizen !!!

Golly, after 10 years and starting this process over a scary couple of times and with so much happening it finally happened for us, David and I finally became United States Citizens, I can hardly believe it is true.

I will spare you the details of the run up to it all but the final bit was going in for a verbal exam which if anyone knows me exams scare the you know what out of me ... but we had lots of time to learn the gazillion questions we had to learn, I tell you something I think we know a lot more than the average American now but anyway yeah, Dave and I went into separate rooms and had to answer questions about who we were and why we wanted to become citizens and what it meant to us and well they asked us a couple of questions which felt like forever but really it was over pretty fast. Then we got given a date for the ceremony, I thought I would be a lot more emotional than I was but it was just really touching and well we had to sing the anthem which I guess I now have to learn :-) and got to say the pledge to the flag for the first time as Americans, wow that brought tears to my eyes, all these years of saying it with Jade and now finally I could say it with just as much pride as she does, I think that was a big deal to me. We also got to stand up and represent the country we were from and it really blew my mind that in the small room we were in, of the little over 100 of us, there were 51 countries represented, isn't that amazing. There was one other guy there from SA which we said hi to in the end, he is married to an American so I am sure his process was a lot easier than ours.

Anyway so that's it really, I should have done this a lot earlier but as I said I just didn't have time so I am sorry if it is all a little foggy for me now and I can't give you too many more details.

I am so glad this picture came out well considering the room was so crowded and we didn't have much time to get a picture taken and well you never know how good the person that offered to take the picture will be and well it was on our old camera so that all being said, it's not to clear but I am glad it's a good picture all the same. It's up in the house already but I guess we need to have our certificates framed too ... is that what people do, I don't know.



DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL UP AND DOWN TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED OK !!!

Wow has it really been that long ?

I know I know it's been that long, I am sorry I just don't get time to sit and do this at the moment, it's not so much all the writing but it's all the pictures that take so long to update and really life is just busy, busy, busy, soon it will be Summer break and I would say then I will have more time but the truth of the matter is if I don't keep myself busy then golly ... I am just going to go insane so we will see what will can do here ok.

Usual story, you will have to look from the bottom up or you are going to miss something ok ?

Here goes ...

Day 3 Of Snow Break January 2011

Day three of snow break, thank God David has gone back to work and I go to work tonight, a little nervous to drive in all this but the main roads seem fine, just the neighborhood roads and back roads that might be a challenge, pray all goes well please.

Anyway those that know me know I am so not a nature girl but my gosh to look out my back windows this morning was quite magical, these pics really don't do it any justice but the branches were covered in ice, it was so pretty and with the sun shining down on it, as I said just magical :-)



Don't laugh don't often get these moments but here you go, this is one of them :-)



Hopefully schools are back in session tomorrow and hopefully with not much of a delay as I need to be at work bright and early again, bundled up for sure, it's cold out there.

Second Snow Fall In A Month !!!

Second snow fall in a month ... this time January 10th resulting in no school, Dave used to love to go to work in the snow, one of the scrazy ones but in his new car, not so much (hehehe) !!! So he has been home too, not to be seen though, in the study all day only to have Amber in tears every time she caught a glimse of him and then he was gone again, enough to agrovate me but oh well what can you do right ???

The only difference from the last snowfall was that it covered the road this time around. I actually think the Christmas snow fall was way prettier either that or I am done with the snow already which I think can also be the case, don't know how people live with this for months !!!



About as much as last time ...



Now this was cool, it didn't last long though, it snowed all day but not like this, Dave and I think this is about the most snow we have seen fall at one time :-) Jade called it a blizzard (hehehe)



Maddie, Erin and Jade playing in the snow, Jade really needs some decent snow stuff though but it is such a waste to spend money on it though when it's a day here and there maybe and then she will be grown out of it. She has a snow jacket and snow boots thank Heavens but I don't know how she plays out there when her legs are wet through to the bone, it's crazy !!!

I have a childhood friend coming to visit from Canada in February, I am so excited, anyway I asked her to bring Jade some decent snow gloves since the ones I have have thankfully lasted and done their thing but really they are not decent ones and with them playing with the snow all the time, they need to be good.



Now Erin has no snow boots so that leaves her cold all the time poor thing :-(



A few neighbors had these ATV's are were zooting around on them, that's the way to do it. Must have been cool doing all the trails on them.



Now this is why she needs decent snow clothes, even though she is tough and says she can handle the cold (hehehe) oh to be young again.



Sent Dave to the store, of course he took my car ... but he said the roads were not too bad at all.



That's about as much as we got all day ... not much more than the morning considering it snowed on and off all day.



Picture from my bedroom window, through the glass so not clear but just really pretty, Jade and I lay on my bed half way through the day just watching all the squirrels and birds out there, was amazed how much activity there was, woodpeckers galor !!!



This was day two of snow day, no more snow falling but lot's of ice, again schools were closes and Dave is home which he decided I think last minute when we overslept. That being said the roads were really icy, glad he decided to work from home instead, even if it drives poor little Amber and I mad.

My CSI brain keeps saying, be careful that will kill you (hehehe) yeah clearly I watch too much TV. Very pretty though.



Jade wishing she had ice skates, golly Dave and I laughed at her slipping her way down the driveway, what a mess today, golly !!!



Its a long walk to Erins house on this ice, her house is the yellow one on the other end of the trees, Jade fell a couple of times but made it there, only to work their way back here for hot chocolate. Erins boots are in my dryer driving Dave mad but oh well life goes on here at home even if he is working from home ... put your bloody headphones on (hehehe). Anyway the kids are upstairs watching a movie, Amber is napping and oh, she has been fighting a fever which is why there were no snow pics of her, but she seems better today.



Hoping it's back to normal tomorrow, although I think the ice is going to hang round for a bit ... That's it for now.

Happy New Year Everyone - 2011 Wow !!!

Hi There

Happy New Year to one and all :-) Dave and I actually spent New Years Eve at home although there were two parties going on that we were invited to, we knew we were going to a party on New Years Day so with the kids, I figured just one would be good ... golly this neighborhood is so very sociable, I love it but golly one knows you are getting old when you can hardly keep up (hehehe).

Said I wasn't going to update for a long time but quickly just wanted to add these 5 pics I took of Amber this morning. Enjoy !!!

I said to Amber let's sit down and take some pics of you in your pretty dress and right there she sat down and here you go ... golly a Jade in the making right ?



We are almost out of all the dresses that Tiana handed down to Jade but here is one of the last ones, I think maybe there are two or three still packed away for later but anyway here you go.



Ok I know it's time to take down the Christmas stuff, this weekend I promise.



Sometimes she just looks so grown up.



Now I know people say she looks like me but I always just think it is hair and eye color or something but I have so few pics of me that who knows but this one I made black and white because it does remind me of an old black and white pic of myself my parent gave me way back when :-) Only Amber is WAY prettier oh and WAY cuter !!!



That's all for now folks.