Lalaine

We love her!

1st

First Tooth!
It has been a long time coming!
Avalina finally has her first tooth!
Yipee!
She is almost 6 months old now!
Our family is so blessed!

Ist Tooth!

{Swamped

I just haven't had time to sit down at the computer lately but here's a quick run down of my life lately.
Avalina is almost 6 months and has started grabbing very quickly at the table especially so we gave her some brown rice mush a few days ago.
Maybe I am totally crazy but i find it so exciting even though i was determined to be moved out this little apartment with cream carpeting before I allowed her to eat. So much for that plan, I didn't account for her own ideas. A high chair and baby food and carpet will be challenging as if the whole introduction to food thing isn't time consuming and messy enough!

My mom Abby's leg is still broken but it seems to be healing up nicely. She is still in plenty of pain depending on her daytime activities. She is trying to retire but loves to keep herself busy so that gets in the way of total relaxation. I love and admire her very much.

Anastasia now 3 years old is still being her sweet self one minute and a tornado of anger the next depending on how full her tummy is and how rested her body is as well. Just like her daddy except he doesn't turn into a tornado. Pat is always happier when he is well rested and well fed. The rest part being scarce lately for both of us. Back to Anastasia...She started Ballet for the first time on Friday and the class was large but all the little girls looked so cute! I am enjoying this chance to relive the preschool years through the eyes of a girl this time and forgot what it was like.

Marvin has just started grade 2 and has a wonderful new teacher and plenty of grade 3 classmates in his classroom. He really missed his best friends from the last few years when everybody fit into one class so he is a bit bummed about that. He seems to think he is missing out on everything fun by going to school. He will be participating in gymnastics again and also trampoline. He is still loving to read and just can't keep his nose out of the books. We aren't complaining.

Pat is working so hard and is very tired! He is longing to spend more time feeling rested and pain free and listening to music instead of putting out fires.

I am happy to be walking quite a bit more, getting more fresh air as well as exercise and eating more healthy foods. We are thrilled to have Patrick's cousin Lalaine with us since labour day. She came from HK and loves our children. She is a particular about the foods she eats but willing to be adventurous with so many other things. She has been a Godsend to me as far as helping with the children, husband, organizing, meals, house keeping and my mom. This gives me more time not being stressed and enables me to find what I need quickly. It is difficult to be overwhelmed when you have an extra pair of hands. She has a sweet spirit and is full of faith. She has brought more laughter into our home.
I am working hard to be more punctual! A wise man once said, "If you can't be on time, then be early."
I started doing some yoga again and am still Stampin'Up! a storm when I have time.
Lucky's health is declining slowly.
Our children are growing and we will grow old! It's so exciting.

coming soon...

Holiday Mini 2008 valid October 1st - January 18th

Avalina! She's 4 months!

Three's company...

We are so out numbered by children now and tired but it's all {almost} good. These children are beautiful, healthy and intelligent teachers and very precious to us but they didn't come with instruction manuals so we are winging it. I had absolutely no idea how much of an adventure it is to have this size family. There are so many things I love about being an only child but now as a mother to more than one I get a chance to experience a family life where there is more love, more fighting, more fun, more frustration, and more laughs between mom and dad than ever. All my wildest dreams have come true because we have to buy 8 litres of milk when we shop! If I knew myself and I was myself as someone else I would think I was crazy and then go take a nap. Remember Mr. Roper saying, "Two girls, (with super wide eyes) You live with two girls?!",] as he smiles a big wide smile. Some days Pat walks around saying "Two girls, you have two girls!" eagerly attempting his often done Mr. Roper imitation. Remember everyone assumed Jack must be tired from trying to keep up with two women. Ok now this is sounding perverted but he doesn't mean it that way at all and it doesn't come off that way.

Sixty Five !

My mom turned 65! We had Root Beer Floats at Queen's Park with Dogs and Friends and balloons. She loved it! What a great day! We are SO glad we kept it simple! Thank-you Carol for taking these photos with my camera!

Memory

I remember as a child I liked to think I had a very good memory, like a trap. I was convinced I could remember everything. Well since I have started having children it seems my memory power has drastically decreased. I think maybe my brain became so filled up there wasn't room for much else and that I had a lot of clutter in there that got in the way to let in the new information. I wasn't sure how to clean it. I tried some yoga and stretching and meditation and prayer but I am not sure how helpful that was. I am still trying those things anyway. I don't mean to brag and say my head is full of so much knowledge that there isn't room for more. On the contrary I would love to fill it with only wise things and leave all the junk out of it but with the world the way it is and the exposure to so many types of things these days we do not always control what we see and what we hear. Perhaps I can work on what is significant and meaningful and sweep out the rest. It is funny to me how a memory can swirl around to the front and I suddenly remember some person or place or time I thought escaped me before having little recollection of previously remembering it. That may not make too much sense to the rest of you. I am really terrible at remembering things and my husband always teases me about it. I forget dates, appointments, names, where I put things, to lock the doors and have disappointed myself remembering things just a bit too late too often. A giant calendar of the whole month we made for the refrigerator is helping me as is a date book. We seem to have so many appointments and there are more than just ourselves to worry about these days that frequently I can't keep it all straight. Sometimes I show up on the wrong day at the wrong time for things but most often I am late because I just cannot get a grasp on the concept of time and I am spreading myself so thin. I came across a passage in a book I am reading that I found interesting. The book is called After Dark by Haruki Murakami and was given to me by my husband for an fourth wedding anniversary.
from page 205...
"...All of a sudden out of nowhere I can bring back things I haven't thought about for years. It's pretty interesting. Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile, all the really important things we just keep forgetting, one after the other."

quote

"Sometimes the bitter things in life render the sweetest tastes."
- Tracy Winger

I promised me...

...but it's all about her right now!

Summer Fun

She's growing so fast!

Avalina is almost 4 months old now!

Wow time flies when you are having fun! My daughter Avalina is smiling and cooing and so responsive to our voices now. She's also swiping and grabbing and biting. I think she is an early teether! There is drool galore and all the other signs too. How exciting! Anastasia will be turning three years old shortly and is becoming more and more of a high maintenance gal. She loves the playground and trying to push her brother's buttons. I think this two bedroom apartment is getting way too small for our growing family! Those children really need an outside to play in and their own rooms. Every time I get busy with baby they are fighting like cats and dogs. Marvin's hair is getting really long because he refuses to get a haircut and I choose my battles. It looks kind of cute actually and I am sure it drives certain mothers crazy . He signed up for the summer reading program and started helping his dad at work on Fridays. It's a great experience for him. My mom turned 65 and wants to retire. Pat's dad just turned 69 and moved in with Uncle Rudy.

Scrapbookers Garage Sale

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou

25 LIVE CONCERT

I just came home from a phenomenal concert at GM place! George Michael was amazing and so was the stage! I just loved it and had a great time with my friend Dunja! Even though we were both exhausted from running our homes and raising our children today we had a great time dancing, singing, and yelling.

Still no photos of me...

I have been trying to get others to take photos of me so I will have some but I have not been too successful. Those children are just so cute so I keep taking photos of them. We celebrated my mom's 65th birthday on the weekend at Queen's Park with Root Beer Floats. That part was so easy! We just got a huge bucket of ice cream at Costco along with cups, straws and the A&W Rootbeer. We had some of her friends, neighbors, clients come by with their dogs close to the off lease area. It wasn't huge but it was really nice and my mom definitely had a good time. I didn't realize how many dogs that I knew so well but didn't really know their 'people' if that makes sense. Most of the dogs had hung out with each other at her house. We brought a tablecloth, balloons, an ice cream scoop a few signs and were so glad we kept it simple! I can't believe she's 65! I hope she really retires! That way I will get to spend more time with her.

Where's me?

Wow it's hard to find photos with me in them. Here's some photos of Marvin playing baseball, Anastasia at the playground, my niece Jessica with Avalina just before I backed into the van at church, and all the children when they met for the first time almost three months ago. I guess I need to give someone else the camera for a change. Last night I attended a class at the church given by Doreen Kennedy. She is a super neat lady, good speaker, interesting and a retired English Literature teacher. Her class was on writing fascinating personal stories. She gave us a variety of exercises and it was really fun. I am not sure I could write a fascinating story of my experience but it got me to thinking and reminded me that I may not be the only one reading my journal especially when I am dead. I have not been keeping my journal up to date recently. It is so much easier and faster to do this and I can include photos for myself and others to see along with the text. However it is not as private so I am less likely to share all my feelings and inner most thoughts. I don't want to say that my father in law is causing trouble or how my mother and I are getting on each others nerves sometimes. I am hesitant to share details of Anastasia and Marvin fighting although not as bad as Cain and Abel or Laman and Lemuel. I don't want the whole world to know I just can't keep up with my laundry. I have no problem washing it just folding and putting it away. As if the whole world really cares or pays attention to me anyway. Right now the baby is asleep in the stroller and Marvin is at baseball while Anastasia is at Lola's playing with her cousins Fayth and Yasmin. Patrick is working with Josip so I feel like I am all alone for just a few minutes. I really miss being alone and spending time with myself. Being an only child I do enjoy doing things with just me and not having anyone else around. I don't ever feel lonely just alone. Right now the only times I get are usually in the car or at the grocery store just before midnight. I guess I had my chance to be in my room reading or listen to music or napping as long as i liked with no interuptions or company. I guess I won't be doing anymore trips to Vancouver Island or even the library with just me and my own thoughts. I guess I don't really mind that if i want to be alone it has to be in the bathroom with the door locked. One day when my husband is dead I will be alone again because in my mind I am planning to outlive him even though he is healthier than me I think. I always imagine myself living longer than him, not in a morbid way but just because. I see my grandmother who is 97 now and see how she spends so much of her time content, staring out the window, listening to the radio, wishing she could do more but feeling too tired and old. I know she is pleased when she receives a phone call or a visit. I know she feels useful and isn't tired or bored much. I had better think about getting over there to keep her company, turn her world upside down with noise and children, wear her out, see how she is doing and if we can do anything for her. One day she won't be there anymore and then I will miss her even when she's cranky.

Mather's Cousins Lunch

Today was the potluck picnic at Eda's house on 'the mountain' Sumas to be exact. Unfortunately the weather wasn't ideal so it wasn't as large as usual and it seemed weird to be in the house. Anastasia fell asleep in the car just before we arrived so she slept for most of it. Marvin was in his glory exercising his corpus callosum and running outside with his cousins, climbing on gravel piles and chopped up trees, picking up chains, jumping on the trampoline, digging up leeks, and eating way too many cookies and then freezies. Marvin just loves hanging out with Eda's sons and their sons. Avalina was passed around and introduced. Too bad my mom couldn't make it this year, there wasn't anyone for me to ask people's names if I couldn't remember and my memory isn't too good. It was such a delight to see so many relatives I had not seen for so long, most of them I had not seen since last June. The food was plentiful, varied and great as usual. We brought the Sex in the Pan and it was gobbled down pretty quickly. By the time we arrived everyone was ready for desert! I really missed being outside and wandering and exploring her yard but I got to do a lot more visiting with people being inside this time. Usually it's very sunny and hot. We hung around until dinner time because we wanted to see Steven and he was on his way home from Scotland arriving with coffee in hand and jet lagged around dinnertime. Eda told us how she used to milk the cows two times a day. They had 18 of them and it was her job to milk 7 with her father doing the remaining 11. She said cows are smelly especially when you have your face right next to them and after a while your arms get sore. They didn't have a refrigerator in those days either. They grew a lot of their own food and nobody had any money at that time. After we noticed that mostly everyone had left or was leaving, we got back in the car for the long drive home, filled up the gas tank at the super deal of $1.29 per litre, and got those children of ours into the bath, pajamas and bed as soon as we could. It was like a mini family reunion and so much fun. Those Mathers are a pretty nice bunch!

hit from behind again

Oh no! My husband was rear ended again for the second time in just over a year on his return commute. Fortunately his car wasn't damaged much but his body is another story. He'll be back to the doctors, massages, physiotherapy, chiropractor and we are getting out the ice pack and heating pad more than before. He has no choice but to work through and with the pain.

if it isn't one thing it's another isn't it?

Well we are having a rough time of it lately. I somehow hurt my back and can barely move! The pain is excrutiating. I visited Dr. Deni Cortese, my Italian Chiropractor this morning and that helped some. He advised me to ice it 5 times a day. Wish me luck with that. Anastasia and Avalina and myself have ubersore throats and fevers developing into a cough and congestion AGAIN!
She's only 8 weeks old for goodness sakes. Marvin is on a strict improved handwashing program inflicted upon him by his father. Here's a photograph of my beautiful sister in law Yhong who came here from the Phillipines in December. Her hair is blowing in the wind at the baseball field. Also dad came home yesterday and he is looking well. He didn't go home but he's planning to roam the streets of New Westminster with his Ipod and broccoli until the weather turns cool again when he will again cross the Pacific.

it's all about avalina