Monday, January 31, 2011

Leo and Lizzie

So on Saturday afternoon we headed off to the SPCA for their adopt a cat day.  For $20.11 we could choose a cat to share our home with us.  I had been thinking about getting another cat and thought that it would be better if got two rather than just one so that they would have a friend. 

Now Ed was not really excited about the prospect of getting another cat.  he was humming and hawing about going, not really sure that he wanted to add anything to our house.  He had been enjoying the cat hair free zone that we had.  And of course the sleeping through the night.  Kitty would come in and out of our bed numerous times a night and she would meow until I picked her up and brought her in to the bed.  I guess as she got older it was harder to get up in to the bed, we even took the frame off of our bed so that she could get in and out easier.  Oh the things we do for love!  So when I announce in the car on the way to the SPCA that I thought two was better than one he was not convinced.

It was overwhelming when we got there!  So many cats and how could we possibly choose?  But they chose us, Leo, who was originally named Guillermo, came up on my lap and gave Adam and I lots of loves.  Then we saw Lizzie, who used to be Candy, she reminded us so much of Kitty.  She got up on Isla’s lap first and gave her a kiss and purred for her, and Ed and then me too.  So we were sold.  It took us a while to chose but once this happened we knew what to do.

We got ourselves all signed up and then the waiting began.  We had to wait until Sunday to pick them up.  It was hard to wait!

Here they are as we brought them home.

 

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Saying hello to each other.

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Leo spent most of his time under the couchIMG_4923

But Adam was so super patient and quiet and Leo would come out for a quick cuddle and then he would go back underneath again.

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Lizzie explored, she toured each level of the house, every room, every closet that was open, every open cupboard, every box, basket, nook and cranny.  A very curious kitty!

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Look at the cat tower, scratching post that Ed built yesterday.  He acts like a curmudgeon about the cats trying to be the bad guy but deep down I know he was excited as the rest of us.  He spent about three hours in the garage building this lovely cat structure.  And for his efforts he was rewarded.  As night fell, Leo came out to explore and found his spot. 

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Lizzie found the top of the book case early on and has really taken to this spot.  Then she can be close to all the action without being in the middle of it.  Then Leo found it up there too.  Check them out in the video.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Kitty

I haven’t written about this yet as it has just been a bit too hard.  On Dec 20th I had to put my 15 year old cat down.

Kitty

My sister got her for me from a farm.  Funny story actually, she had called to ask if I wanted a kitten.  She had a friend who had  kittens and was going to have to put them down if they could not find homes for them.  I was living on my own in a little apartment at the time so with some reluctance I said yes.  When she arrived there was no cat, they had already gotten rid of them all.  I, started to cry, who knew, I didn’t know I wanted a cat that badly but apparently I did.  So my sister found an ad in the paper for free kittens on got her for me, bless her heart.

So Kitty and I settled in to my apartment, just her and I.  I tried other names, for over a month I tried so think of something good, something creative, something suitable, something that would stick but after a month and the only name that I consistently used was Kitty, I gave in.  So she was Kitty.

She definitely was a one person cat and I was her person.  She made it very apparent that Ed was not welcome, and she really did not warm up to anyone.  But me she loved, she would come on my lap, reach her arms around my neck and start to purr.  She slept across my neck at night and followed me around the house and talked to me.  It was comforting. 

When the kids came she really took a back seat in our family.  And really she did pretty well with the kids.  Adam just ignored her and she him and they got along fine.  Isla on the other hand just wanted to love her, and she got bit a few times enough to make her a bit more cautious.  Kitty always gave you lots of warning of when she had had enough and Isla learned this and they got a long fine.  In the last few years they had even struck up a cautious friendship. 

This fall I really noticed that she had slowed down, she didn’t always come upstairs to bed, and she started to cough.  A weird cough that made me worry.  I knew I needed to take her to the vet but i suspected that I was not going to get good news so I waited. Isla would say to me every time she coughed that I really needed to take her to the vet.   But just before Christmas it was getting worse and I knew we were going away for Christmas and I did not want something to happen to her while we were away so I finally took her in.

It was much harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be.  It was so hard to come home without her.  The empty house was, well, empty and quiet.  She always waited for me outside the shower, not having her there was hard.

So I really just wanted to get a kitten to fill up my house again but I decided to wait.  We talked about it often with the kids.  Ed has always really wanted a dog and with Kitty that was not possible, she was just too ornery.  So this opened up that door too.  We kept saying not yet, it isn’t time yet.

Then,  today was adopt a cat weekend.  Yep, we went to the SPCA and guess what we are getting, not one but two cats!  I will introduce you tomorrow.  I can’t wipe the big grin off of my face!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hockey Tournament

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We had a great time last weekend at the Winfield hockey Tournament.  We were completely shalacked in all of our games.  Each game the other team scored over 10 goals against us and we scored two goals in the entire tournament.  But it was fun for the kids to hang out together and have a little fun.

The games on Sat were at 2:00 and then at 5:45 so that meant we ate at the rink.  The kids thought that was awesome to eat onion rings, chicken fingers, french fries and hamburgers.  Ed and I endured.

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Adam’s biggest fan.  Isla sat in the stands and watched movies, did work books, played a little Leapster and ate snacks.  Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Hard to see him but he is number 12.

 

The last game of the tournament again we were just destroyed, no goals and they were scoring and scoring and scoring.  They have a rule that if there is a team up by more than 5 goals they will not show more than 5 goals on the score board.  What a relief as I think that it would have been very disheartening for the kids. IMG_4905

With 13 seconds left on the clock we finally scored a goal.  You would have thought that we won the Stanley Cup, every parent was on their feet and cheering so loud.  All of a sudden it didn’t seem so bad.  The kids all left that day on a high, which is just what we want.

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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Highland dance

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Yesterday was Isla’s first Highland Dance competition. It was a very small competition with only the members of our regional dance association invited to it.  We went up to a school in Lacombe and with one judge she got to try out this experience

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I was so nervous for her!  She had a bit of a sore tummy in the morning which I think was nerves, poor thing.  But once she got going she was fine.  She watched a movie on the way to Lacombe and was ready once we got there.

It was a long wait until it was her turn, the piper had a hole in his bag and a cold so he ended up taking frequent breaks which made it a longer process.

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Finally it was her turn, here she is lined up with her class ready to go.  And she was so excellent!

Isla’s first Pas de Basques

We have been preparing lots for her first competition and talking about what happens at a competition.  We decided to pretend that since this was our first competition we would make it a practice one.  We knew we were bound to make mistakes but that didn’t matter since it was our first try and we would have lots of time to get it right.  For our first try it was very successful.  She got two medals in her first competition.  In the above dance she got a fourth place.

And in this one she tied for 3rd.  One of the little girls in her class didn’t get any medals and was very sad, she thought that the judge didn’t like her dancing.  Poor little thing, I know that our time will come for this lesson as well, sure not looking forward to that!

After she danced at the Festival of Trees I asked Isla if she enjoyed it or not.  She said,”Mom, I got this feeling inside, that is like all warm and cozy kind of like I am in my bed.”  I was so happy.  I want her to like dance and want to do it and not push her in to something that I did as a girl that she doesn’t really enjoy.  But she likes it, she actually likes it!  After her first dance yesterday I asked how it was and she said,”Mom, I got that feeling again.”  Whew, I was so relieved to hear it.  So all in all it was a very successful day.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Sushi

Isla got her dad a sushi making kit that we found at Chapters.  So over the holidays we decided to try it out.  Lots of fun. 

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Ed even went and spent some of his Christmas money on a rice cooker that worked splendidly.   But do you think that I can remember to use it myself for an everyday meal.  I have made rice a couple of times and keep using the microwave, and each time I get in to trouble from Ed,  “Why didn’t you use the rice maker?”  Next time for sure!

We had smoked salmon, shrimp and crab with cucumbers and avocado for our sushi.

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We all thought they were good but there is a bit of room for improvement.  Somehow the rice was a bit vinegary tasting so next time we will try something a bit different.

See Adam’s Lego on the table.  While Ed and Isla went all over the city looking for sushi supplies and Adam and I built his Star Wars Lego he got for Christmas.  I had a great time and he is getting so good at following the instructions.

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Look at this roll.  Not quite right but lots of fun.  Can you tell that Adam got some pop, man, that kid can not keep his face clean. 

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Playdough party

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Isla got the playdough cake making kit and it was a big hit.  I think that Ed had a great time!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Doctors House

Ed’s dad has spen the last couple of years working on this house.  It is absolutely incredible.  His workmanship combined with the two doctors purchasing prowess and the power of the internet has resulted in a stunning home.

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This is the doctor’s mom and she is also very proud of the house and was happy to show us all of the little details.  She showed us the pantry and you could smell the spices in there.  She told us that she washes, roasts and then grinds her own spices.  The curry she showed us had 14 different different spices and smelled divine!  I think she should market it.  I know I would buy it.

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The top appliance on the top is a steamer.  They haven’t even had a chance to use it yet.

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Laurie made the built in cabinet to match the existing dining room table.  Perfection.

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Check out the stair case, it is a masterpiece.

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We took the liberty to take some family pictures in front of the fireplace.

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He keeps trying to retire but is getting many requests for projects.