Our Reptilian Celebration

We held Kamryn’s 5th birthday party yesterday. It had been planned for 6 weeks. We rented a bouncy house and had all the arrangements set. I figured it wouldn’t matter all that much how many kids we invited since all I had to do was supervise them bouncing to their hearts content. When she wanted to invite her entire kindergarten class and all her friends from the street I didn’t flinch. It’s summer – half the kids we invite can never make it anyways. We invited 25. 6 declined. That made 21 kids incl. Kamryn and her brother. It was sunny and hot all week. The only day they called for rain … you guessed it. And not just a little rain. “Rain heavy at times”; possibility of thunderstorms” Ya.

So 24 hours before the party I pannicked. I cancelled the bouncy house and then freaked that I had 21 kids under 6 and NOTHING for them to do. Oh I had a pin the tail on the donkey. Ya. So I called a local Reptile Zoo and asked if they could accommodate me on 24 hours notice; oh and their presenter had to be bilingual because the majority of the kids didn’t speak english. Lo and behold they could help – I am forever beholden to this company. The party guest all arrived amid a torrential downpour – there were puddles a foot deep in the street. We took all the furniture out of our family room and stored it in the garage to make extra room. The kids had a blast. There was a python crawling around my family room. Lol

Some pics of Kamryn who I must admit was one of the most fearless kids in the room (braver by far than her mother)

With her cake before the party



Pre-party once again. This wasn’t posed but looked like such an ideal shot I took it and wonders of wonders got a “not-goofy” smile that is so rare these days.



Holding a blue gecko thing named aptly Blue:



Holding a Scorpion (Sam, after asking to hold it screamed his little head off when doing the same):



Holding a Pink-toed Tarantula:




Like her necklace? I can't remember what it's called.



The Python and the kids:



Blowing out the candle. She has a crush on the goofy (very goofy) little boy standing immediately behind her. I don't think he knows girls exist. Then again I don't think Kamryn knows that she's a girl and there perhaps lies the attraction. She doesn't by the way realize this is a crush (thank god!). But she goes on and on and on about him constantly. It's quite cute. She was devestated at not being invited to his birthday party in January. The problem with having friends of the opposite sex at this age. Ah well.

Totally aimless Vent written while steam was still shooting from my ears.

Just wanted to vent about the joys of having three children. But you say I only have two ... To this I laugh heartily. Today is my first day of vacation. Daniel is working and started his shift at 1 pm. He will be home around 11. He's very lucky.

There is a 3 X 5 foot space between the stairs to our deck and the house. Pre-deck, I'd had a little garden there and as a result it is a well fertilized, very fertile patch of dirt perfect for the copious weeds that I had taken root and some fugitive mint that I have been pulling up for years now. It was unsightly. It bothered me. So yesterday, I went to Home Depot. I bought some landscaping felt. I bought some 250 lbs of River rocks. I came home and I pulled the 3 foot tall weeds up completely by hand because Daniel informed me the weed whacker was out of string. *shrug* I lay down the landscaping felt and covered it with rocks. I looked neat. I looked nice. I was pleased.

There is a 6 x 8 hole in our basement where Daniel and my father have been putting in some plumbing for the bathroom we are putting in down there. Next to the hole is a huge pile of rubble that once was in the hole. I've been nagging (gently since I know it really serves NO PURPOSE) Daniel to get the rubble out of the basement so we can finish working on the basement for weeks.

I'm off work for two weeks and we're not going anywhere. The kids are in camp this week so no family activities at the moment. I refuse to let Daniel waste time this week and have projects that I'm "encouraging" him to make progress on. This morning I went out to run some errands and collect Sam from preschool. I left Daniel working on finishing the privacy panels for the deck (that he has been working on finishing since LAST summer). I came home and he proudly told me that he ran out of some particular type of screw so he had to wait until tomorrow to finish BUT that he had got started hauling the debris out of the basement. I got a warm loving feeling in my heart. He was working so hard. Isn't that special?

I drove him to work because he was late (as always lol).

Later in the afternoon the kids go to play in the backyard while I make dinner. I look out into the yard to check on them and they are in the process of transferring all the sand in the sand box from the box to the tent that I so kindly put up for them. I go down the deck stairs to yell at them (if I had a dime for every time I said "sand belongs IN the sand box -- I'm going to get rid of the blasted thing) and I look over to admire my handiwork from yesterday...

Sigh.

Now that the weeds are gone what a perfect place to store tons of yucky old broken up concrete!!!!

He's lucky I'll be asleep when he gets home from work.

My shoulders are killing me from hauling it all into the wheelbarrow and an empty garbage can (that is now to heavy for me to move). I have cuts all over my right hand because I did it with only one glove because wonder of wonders he didn't put the garden gloves back where they should be an I could only find one old glove and not its pair.

He's lucky he's working late.

So I cleaned up the yard. It's NOT a pretty yard but for once it looked relatively neat and tidy if not prosperous. Why ruin it? Next he'll be wanting to park an old car back there.

Kamryn's Card

Hum drum...

So its mid-summer and everyone is away on vacation and I’m acting boss. :) I’m actually acting boss + ½ since my boss’s, boss is also away and the colleague that is covering for the boss’s boss is only working half days – weird and long boring story. So I’m also doing a teeny bit of work on his behalf and skipping that entire level of responsibility whenever I need to get anything approved (okay I’m a career bureaucrat so don’t laugh when I tell you how MUCH I enjoy that lol). Did all that make any sense?

Anyway, last week was extremely busy. I felt very efficient and competent and finished each day rather disappointed that there was nobody there to point out how amazing I was. This week it’s really dead and I’m just bored.

So what have a done this week:

Work wise, there hasn’t been much. Not even enough to fill a complete morning and it’s Wednesday now so stretched over three days – pretty painful. I like to busy – run off my feet busy. This is torturous. I started a new project where I meant to scan our library of old archived speeches into the computer and after one speech decided that we should hire a summer student to do this – next year. I’ve also compiled a handbook for the new employees we will get in the fall on everything you need to do this job. Yup. Oh and I’ve supervised my staff of … um… two – one of whom has been home sick for two days now. The other is a near genius who could easily supervise me. She’s cool though and I enjoy at least hanging out with her. All my efforts still didn’t fill an entire morning.

So what else have I been up to:

- I helped a colleague (the near genius) apply for a promotion.

- I’ve made birthday invitations for Kamryn’s 5th birthday party. Really cool invitations in my humble opinion – I’ll post a picture. :)

- I planned our summer vacation. To save money for Disney World in February 2008 we are having a “local vacation” this year. There are tons of things to do in the “National Capital Region” we just never do them. So I’ve planned a rollicking week – Parc Omega, Mont Cascade Waterpark, Storyland, Upper Canada Village, Museum of Nature. And the ability to sleep in my own bed each night – bonus! I’m actually looking forward to it. The challenge is to keep Daniel from accepting any work during that time.

- Oh and I’ve played a lot of Sims (I’m an addict.)

- Today I decided that I should write in my blog.

So I am filling my days – or a least trying to – but not in a way that would thrill the Canadian taxpayer. I’m trying though I really am and I would work if I had anything to do. Whine, whine, whine.

Just thought I’d let everyone in on my exciting days.

Thursday, Kamryn and Sam have been invited to a birthday party. It’s for the neighbours son who will be turning 6. This is the third year they have invited us. This is the first year the kids will go. My neighbours ALWAYS have this party in the middle of the week and they ALWAYS seem to think that everyone can drop everything and drive an hour to the cottage to enjoy the party. I’m going to be at work – doing nothing – so I can’t go. This has been our reason for not going for three years. This year I suggested Daniel take the kids on his own. If he was working and I was home that’s what I would do… I don’t know why I always try to make things easier for him but martyr myself. So he’s taking them. Another neighbour who went last year ran on ad naseum last night about how much fun it is so they should all have a good time. Me, I’m secretly thrilled. The party starts at 3. I should be home from work by 5. They won’t be home until at least 8; maybe even later. I’ll have the house ALL TO MYSELF! That never happens.

I have a whole relaxing night planned. I’m going to drink alone. There is wine in the fridge already opened lol. I’m going to order Pizza. I’m going to rent a chick flick. I’m going to take a bath – without a companion who likes to play with rubber bath toys (and no I don’t mean Daniel).

Guilty pleasure. Bear with me I’m not a horribly ungrateful mother. It’s just that I haven’t had any appreciable time at home alone in longer than I can remember (maybe never?). It just never happens. Sometimes no kids, often no husband but never just me. A little mini-vacation. Maybe I’ll leave work a little early. Lol But not too early I don’t want to make the party (I’m not a huge fan of Cottage life as it is). Shhhhh…. our little secret.