Monthly posts aren't too bad right?

Okay - it's been about a month since I last posted so I figured I should update everyone! Things are okay here - just getting over a bout of the stomach flu - both kids were puking yesterday - good times! Cam and I have both been fighting a cold for over a week now - Cam is on week 3 I think. He just finished a forced outage so I think the long hours have been keeping the bug in the lead.

We are in full Christmas gear here! Tree has been up for weeks now, cards have been sent, most gifts wrapped and we are planning on hosting Boxing Day dinner. Cam's family and mine will come to our place for a feast. It will most likely be our last big hurrah with everyone here as we will be moving in the spring. My parents bought that house in Florida and they want to spend some time there so we are expediating our move to Port Perry. I'm really excited to move - bigger house, volunteers to look after the pool and garden (mom and dad) and lots of my friends willing to help us use the pool this summer! The drive to work will be longer, however, it's worth it - more property for Cam - he can go sledding from our front yard!

My trip to Florida was awesome! The weather was so beautiful everyday. We went shopping every morning and then hung out by the pool in the afternoon - had some cocktails and then had dinner. When we arrived there has just been a huge gas line explosion so the first two days saw us eating in....but we managed to survive. The place is gorgeous and the "secret" beach my parents told me about was heaven! I can't wait to go back with the whole family in January! Let the countdown begin! We got a great deal flying out of the Detroit - yes, we have to actually drive to Detroit, but the price is worth the hassle!

Here are some new pictures that I've added to FB recently, but are too cute not to share!

Cheers,
Alicia

Movember

While I'm keeping my mustache in check, I believe that Cam has let his grown in - not so much to support prostate cancer (which Movember is dedicated to) but because it's hunting season - well the end now, but still! So Cam has been gone 3 of the last 4 weeks hunting. One week of moose (no bodies) and deer (many casualities)! He had a great time and he's had great weather. Today is 13 degrees here! Pretty nice for November. However, it's not as nice as what the weather will be in Florida when I arrive in 1.5 sleeps!

I'm shipping out with Jenn to my parents place in Fort Myers and then on Monday my friend Cheryl is coming and then on Wednesday - Sara comes! The 4 of us will do some shopping, tanning and probably a bit of eating and drinking. No kids! This will both the first time that Sara and I are away from teh kids for a whole week! I will miss them for sure, but the bliss of having some alone time will be greatly appreciated!

So by now, most people have heard that Charlie was hospitalized last week (Nov 1-2). He had a nasty stomach bug that got out of control - he was admitted with gastroenteritis and dehydration. After 30 hours of IV fluids and careful montioring of his stomach and bowel sounds, he was released. I think the worst part of teh whole experience was when Charlie got his IV removed - not because of the needle, but because of the tape! He screamed bloody murder when the student nurse took all the tape off. I think I saw tears welling in her eyes!
I took Charlie to emergency at 8:30am, by 10:30 he had his IV and was waiting for the pediatrican to see him. The pediatrican admitted him immediately and while waiting to be transferred up - Charlie slept. My mom was with me which was a huge help - mostly to allow me to leave the room without feeling guilty. Cam arrived at 7pm and stayed the night with Charlie while I went home and showered, got food, etc.
I arrived back at 8am and Charlie was a different kid! By noon we were home and he was having a proper lunch. He dealt with some "runs" afterwards for about 4 days which kept him home from school for the whole week. He's back to normal now - thank goodness no one else got it!

So we have celebrated Sam's and Charlie's birthday since last update. Our computer finally got fixed so we will be able to upload pictures soon. We have been taking them - just slow to upload and share.

Ciao,
Alicia

September

Hey,
It's the 24th of September today. One day before my 6th Wedding Anniversary and 4 days before my "baby" turns 2 years old! We have been settling into our new routine of Charlie being at school every day and we are adjusting to the fact that summer is over. The pool is closed up and hunting trips are being planned. Not me - I don't hunt - it's slightly barbaric if you ask me, but you didn't ask! Okay - so Sam is currently getting his 2 year molars - man it's been the hardest teeth for him to cut. He's constantly jamming his fingers in his throat and his demeanor has been "challenging" lately. He's pushing the boundaries and authority and mommy is tired! Cam is currently in Florida with my dad doing some tiling in their new home. Dad will be staying down there until November with Mom visiting for 3 weeks in October. I'm going down for a girl's week in November - very excited! My trip will be the tail end of absentee parents! Cam is hunting one week in October and two weeks in November - I will be due for my vacation!

Wow - that paragraph was packed with information....let's digest....

Okay - so we are doing Sam's birthday dinner on the 29th - just a small family thing - he will help Charlie party on Oct 25th when we do Charlie's bowling party! Charlie has been asking for a bowling party for two years now. Sam can't really bowl but I know he would have been heartbroken if he didnt' get to try so we held Charlie off until this year. It should be fun!!

So my friend Fisher is getting married tomorrow! I'm excited to be going to her wedding on my anniversary - I will be alone, but it will be fun! I will come home to an empty house and I'll get to sleep in. The simple things in life really are my fave right now!

Charlie is super excited today too - his school fun fair is tonight! "He" has donated mint chocolate brownies to the kinderbake sale - hopefully they are too repulsive! LOL!! I'm not a baker at all!

No new pictures - Cam and I have been slacking....we are in the midst of our bathroom renovation. Lavender purple tub, sink and toilet are gone (shed a little tear, I know you want to)! However, I've decided to pay homage to the bathroom and my accent colour now is eggplant - in the purple family realm! I'm excited for the finished product - just some cosmetic work to do yet. I'll be putting Cam back to work when he gets home from his working vacation! ;)

Okay - Hope everyone is well!

Cheers,
Alicia

Summer of Fun!

It seems like a lot has been going on - time to update the blog. We have some new pictures that have been sent via email and posted on various media social tools, but a little story to go with the pictures is always nice!

So we have been keeping ourselves busy at the cottage. Grant, Cam and Scott have been plowing away on the shoreline and the basement getting things all fixed up. The shoreline at the cottage looks great - new grassy area and huge beach area for the kiddies to play. I'll get some pictures this weekend to share. The two extra bedrooms being built in the basement are almost done. The guys have been adding the finishing touches. A homey pine ceiling makes the rooms look so cozy.

Charlie started school last week on August 10th. He now goes everyday for the morning. He is having to make some adjustments and has been a little emotional about it, but he is great in school and the teacher said he is a pleasure. He is in a modified school year program which means that instead of 8 weeks of summer holidays they get 4 weeks and the other 4 weeks are spread out throughout the school year. Much easier on the working family! It was a little sad driving him to school though when Cam and Sammy were at the cottage on holidays! Hopefully he keeps adjusting well!

First day of school

Sam has been growing like a weed this summer and loving spending time with everyone! He loves his brother and is a little sad that he is in school but I think he likes the extra attention he gets! Cam finished his outage in late July so he had a couple weeks off and spent most of his time at the cottage. Sam grew a little too accustomed to daddy being in charge....don't worry - I got him all sorted out now!

Wearing his brother's new sunglasses

In early August I went on a little trip to New Orleans with my friend Jenn. It was an impromptu trip that was very enjoyable despite the horrifically humid and hot weather. I'm not quite sure what I actually expected going to a sub-tropical state in a heat wave, but the good food and good company made up for the heat.

Exciting news! My sister-in-law Ally and her hubby Scott had a baby on Tuesday morning! Owen Scott as 8lbs 9oz and 22 inches long. He is a cutie! They went home from the hospital today so we will see how his big brother Andrew likes the new kid in the house!

Owen

Some pictures:

Scott and his fish - heard it was delish!

Charlie, Sam and Andrew - Three Muskateers!


Sam wearing the coyote!

"Do I get a treat if I'm cute Daddy?"

Cuddle Time

Sam can swim!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcNHq0d6wG0

This kid is unreal! Oh - by the way - it's my kid!

June is birthday month for the Cullen's!

Today is Bizzy's birthday! My grandma (known as Bizzy to the kids) celebrates her 85th birthday today. We celebrated last night with dinner at my parents place. Mike and Mirella are visiting which is great! We have not seen Mirella since Christmas! The boys happily sang her "Happy Birthday" and then eagerly ate her birthday cake. My cousin Angela and her bf Neal will be heading to see Bizzy tomorrow to celebrate her birthday.
It was my dad's birthday on the 9th and even though we celebrated 4 days after the fact, it was still a great meal! We just did a low key BBQ at our place.

This weekend is my "Mommy time" weekend. I'm so stoked. I will be staying home by myself for the weekend and attending a Jack & Jill for Bill and Fisher on Saturday. I have an exciting day of cleaning, laundry and gardening and then I'll head out to meet Baby Sadie - our friend's Kevin & Melissa had a baby a week ago and I am going to meet the babe before heading to Port Perry. I will go to my parents place and meet Neal for the first time too - see if he passes the "cousin" test! LOL!! Cam is taking the computer and camera with him to the cottage this weekend so we will have new pictures to post after this weekend.

The boys are doing well. I've started my part time job now and I'm working Wed-Fri - it's awesome. We have started the routine of going to the Toronto Zoo on Monday's and then Charlie has soccer on Monday nights. It's been a slow start for the soccer player, but he gets easilhy frustrated. he is like his mommy and daddy - he expects to excel at everything the first time he does it and it's frustrating him that there is a learning curve!

Sammy is talking up a storm - he is already starting to put 3-4 words together - my current favorite saying "see ya later dudes" - he is a lover of "Finding Nemo" and that is a direct quote from Squirt the turtle! He's starting to assert some attitude and now had temper tantrums if things don't go his way. We are quickly trying to nip that in the bud - I can't stand the whining!

Charlie attended his Junior Kindergarten orientation night on June 2nd with mommy and daddy in tow. He was pretty shy at first (shocking - not) but once we got settled and he got a feel for the school he was pretty excited to be there. He met his teacher and actually talked to her. He is super shy around people and will often ignore them when they ask what his name is - however, Mrs. Reid (his teacher) managed to get his name from him and he even spoke to her! He was sad the next day that he had to go to daycare, he was all ready to start school the next day. I think he will enjoy going and I look forward to him learning new things!

So...I hope to have some new pictures for everyone next week - until then....Cheers!

Wearing their "space helmets"

Playing on the beach at the cottage

Chasing Bubbles in the backyard

Goofy grin - I could just eat his cheeks!

End of May

It’s the end of May and we have been busy so it’s time to update everyone! We have been spending as much time at the cottage as possible despite Cam still working 60+ hours a week. In the next couple weeks or so he might actually be able to take two days off in row – honestly people, that’s big news! I’m not as worn out as I sound, just missing Cam being around as much as he usually is!
So – we have been cottaging! The boys resemble lepers on Sunday night when we drive home (or to Nonna’s) as the mosquitoes love the fresh meat! I’m trying to teach them to smack mosquitoes cause they don’t know and they are getting feasted on! The biggest surprise, Charlie reacts more negatively to the bites than my fair-skinned red head! Who knew! Charlie now knows when to ask for Benadryl making his “itchies” less annoying! The lake has been warming up and it was up to 80 degrees this past weekend! Needless to say it was hard to keep them out the lake! A bunch of fishes they are! Allison is currently cooking up baby #2 and if the weather stays as warm as it has – it’s going to be a hot one for her! Luckily she can float or swim around when needed – 80 is comfortable for swimming.
So tonight is Charlie’s first night of soccer and as I write this I realize that we forgot the camera at the cottage – or actually, I forgot it! YIKES! Better ask for back-up….OK – got back up….now I’ll be able to look at the pictures after I cry my eyes out! I’m a sober…it’s true…everything special and new the boys do I cry! It’s hereditary actually…my mom is bawler too!
I’ve started my part time job now! I’m doing a rotation with my company and until March I will be working three days a week. I’m hoping to enjoy more time with the kids and more time at the cottage. If all goes well I will try to job share once this rotation is up.
So I’ll post some new pictures soon – just wanted to update everyone…we are busy as usual, but really, who isn’t?
Cheers!

60 Hour work weeks and cottage time?

Cam has been so busy with the latest outage at work that he is working the 60 hours a week - the rest of us (boys and me) have been enjoying the cottage, and Cam when he can squeeze a day off. The weather is getting nice and the boys are pretty much able to spend all day outside at the cottage. We got our first taste of swarming black flies this past weekend and we have been warned that the next couple weeks they will start biting...so...we may hang around home for the next couple weeks! I can imagine how lucious and juicy my red-headed babe would be to the blood thirty savages! We have lots on the go right now. Starting in June I will be doing a part-time rotation with the Public Affairs manager at OPG. I will be working Wednesday to Friday until March of next year. I'm really excited to have some extra time off with the boys and get to spend some extra time at the cottage. Charlie starts JK in August so it will be a great time to be off with them. Cam's outage is on until the middle of July so he is hoping to take most of August off...it will be a well deserved break for him indeed!

This weekend we are celebrating my dad's retirement with a friend's part at his golf club Wyndance! It should be a great night and he is looking forward to seeing some friends he hasn't seen in a while. Since my brother and I are already married, they don't get to plan big parties anymore - I think mom might be more excited than my dad (well maybe not...but they are both excited).

Here are some pictures of the boys from the past weekend at the cottage and a couple from "mornings with dad" - that would be from 6-8am when mommy gets to sleep in!




The view from our porch window at the cottage - gorgeous!

They are besties - best friends and best enemies - but mostly they are just adorable!

My "baby" is getting so big! 19 months on April 28!

They loved playing "superman" on the neighbour's jungle gym!



It's nice to see Sammy still looking small - he has to be next to his dad to see it, but he is still my baby!

Just a quickie!

I don't have a lot of time for an update but wanted to share that the boys are good. I took the kiddies to Florida in February for a week to stay with my parents and although the weather wasn't nice - it was still great to have a holiday. Here are a couple pictures of us from our holiday!

Charlie has now completed swimming lessons, I'm still waiting on one more skating competition in April and then I'm done - spending lots of time at the cottage and generally keeping ourselves really busy!

Cheers!