Mi casa

Se acabo! C'est fini! It's over! We are home. After 5 weeks of living out of suitcases and 6 plane rides with 2 kids (which included an overnight flight with no sleep) it is so nice to be home. We did have a great time in Houston and the moments we spent there will be remembered. But I am sad too because I will miss my family out West. It was so wonderful to spend time with them all and for my kids to get to spend time with their great-grandparents and all my uncles, aunts and cousins. Coming from a big family is nice, I always love those moments when we all get together and hang out. But for now, we return to our home sweet home and our friends and the life and routines we have created here, which I surely did miss! I did not, however, miss the darn winter cold. We left beautiful springtime for cold, windy winter. Oh well, soon enough spring will be here too.

(Recent pictures to come soon, I promise...)

Zoo with the Grandmas

We went to the zoo...again!!! Nana came with us today and we all had lots of fun. On our way home we even got to visit with two horseback riding policemen. The day was warm and sunny too...the icing on the cake! Days like today that are the kind you remember forever...



Watch Maddie as she does what she calls her "Funny Walk"...

More pictures...

A hodgepodge of our latests adventures. Places to note are The Houston Zoo, The Hermann Park Railroad Express, the Children's Museum and the Museum of Natural Science.

Houston in pictures...

I have discovered Picasa! Now I can show you many, many pictures easily!

Anyways, here's our time in Houston so far...
(You can also see how Isaac's eczema on his face is getting better!)

Adventures in Texas Part II

I can't believe we've been here for a week already! I guess we must be having fun because time sure is flying by. For not really doing a whole lot, this week has sure been interesting. Since my last post a few things have happened that I thought I'd share...

Friday: We needed to buy a stroller, but hadn't had a chance to go searching for one yet. Ken happened to come home for lunch and so we planned to go for a little walk to get the kids out and get some fresh air. As we were getting ready, Ken happened to look out of the living room windows and saw that across the street at a little thrift store named "Angel's Thrift Shop" there were 2 strollers out in front on display. Pretty good we thought, so we went to check it out. The stroller we had our eye on was a little Combi umbrella stroller that looked brand-spanking new, but had no price tag. So we went inside to inquire. You'd have to see the shop owner to believe me, but he is the nicest, friendliest, most well dressed eccentric guy I've met. If you've ever watched True Blood (a name that is quite fitting for our experience there, as you will see next), Laffayette would be the closest I could come to describing him. We had a nice little chat about Canada, snow and the array of punch bowls he had for sale perfect for Superbowl Sunday. He said the stroller was $5. Nice! Sure beat the $20 we would have spent at Target. We bought it and off we went. Because I am a clean freak and obsessed with hand cleanliness, I had my travel bottle of sanitizer with me. So I cleaned off the handles and the buckle, good for the moment, and the rest would get cleaned when we got back home. It wasn't until later, once Maddie had already sat in it for a bit that we noticed a small, odd stain on the back part of the fabric. Ummmm...what was it? On closer inspection I was shocked and disgusted to see that it really looked like blood. Yep...blood? What the? Where did that come from? OK, well, I didn't really want to go down that train of thought, but I did, and what I found there wasn't too pleasing so I stopped thinking about it. Anyways, I know many would have thrown it away, but ummm, we didn't. I mean it only looked like blood, maybe it really wasn't. And it was too good a steal! I mean, the wheels didn't even have a speck of dirt on them! Back at the apartment, I cleaned it really well with my oxygen bleach and my awesome Seventh Generation Disinfectant Wipes (which I am ticked I have not yet seen back home!!!). I'm happy to say it looks brand new and no more stains resembling blood appear anywhere. From this point onward I give you permission to make fun of this event...and you may call the stroller by it's name, "O Neg".

Saturday: Our first weekend day here was also the first sunny day we've had. At 7am when we woke up, the sky was so clear. Maddie, unfortunately, had been up super late (I gave her some kiddie decongestant and I think it made her hyper!), so she was a bit groggy. But she was still determined to go to the zoo, as we had said we were going to go. So we packed snacks, water and dressed in layers (it was still cool, but we knew it would warm up) and headed out. The Houston Zoo is walking distance from here and we now had a stroller to help us out. Ken carried Isaac and I pushed Maddie so we got there pretty quick. What a place! I hadn't been to a zoo in such a long time, I think I was just as excited as Maddie! We saw sea lions, elephants, giraffes, tigers, lions, meerkats, tropical birds and cheetahs...not even half of the animals that live there! The sea lions did a show and Maddie and Isaac were enthralled! I was too! We also got to see the baby elephant (not so little though) get a bath. Maddie and I also rode on the carousel and boy oh boy it truly was magical to see her little face! She was so excited and had so much fun. By noon we were all pooped and we headed back home for lunch and a nap. But we are going back because we bought a pass and are going to take full advantage of it!

Sunday: The day dawned cloudy and cold. Booo. Maddie also woke up coughing more and her voice half gone. So we decided to stay in and recoup. I took the opportunity to clean the apartment. It really does feel weird to be "on vacation" but still have to do laundry, clean bathrooms and cook. Hahaha! But at least we are away from the cold and snow. On a sidenote, Isaac's eczema is MUCH better, whether it be because of the warmish temperatures or partly due to it, I am so happy. I also have to send a shout-out major THANK YOU to my friend Taryn for telling me about Rocky Mountain Soap Company's Body Butter. It really has done wonders for his dry, rashy skin. OK, back to Sunday. Well, being Superbowl Sunday and all, we decided to go out and finally make it to Whole Foods to buy some snacks and other foodstuffs. The cab we called for took forever, and it was only after a second call that one came (we're not having too much luck with cabs so far!). The driver was super friendly though and made the ride pleasant. Isaac slept in his carseat and stayed asleep when we arrived (Maddie stayed home with my mom). My first impression of Whole Foods was that it looked a lot like Pete's Frootique, but with more stuff. Needless to say I loved it and wanted to buy everything we can't/don't get back home! But I resisted and we got only what we needed, well mostly (we did splurge on some treats...). All the staff were amazingly helpful and friendly and the cab they called for us arrived within 5 minutes. Back at home we didn't do too much in the afternoon. Ken and the kids watched the pre-game show for a while and then it was bath/bedtime. I fell in love with Ken all over again because when bath time arrived, he promptly got them ready and in the tub. When my mom offered to bathe them (I was cleaning the kitchen...in case you were wondering..hehehe) he said, "It's only a game, I would much rather spend time with my chillins!" Oooh yah, that's the man I married! (Love ya babe!)

Well, as I am typing, the Saints are celebrating and I can't say how happy I am that they won! After everything they've been through, it's nice to see New Orleans get a win like this. The Patriots are our team, but well, they didn't make it, so well, there you go.

Well, I'm off to get ready for bed. If tonight's going to be anything like the last few nights, I am going to appreciate going to bed early to get what sleep I can get.

Hope everyone had a fun Superbowl Sunday (sorry Colts' fans, but don't feel too bad, I'm sure they haven't forgotten their sweet superbowl victory from not too long ago)!!!

Adventures in Texas Part I

We must have brought the rain with us to Houston! Since we got here it's been overcast, rainy and according to the locals, it's cold. But we don't mind it! For us it's spring-like weather! The sun is supposed to break through this weekend, so hopefully we can go to the zoo then! Ken will be home and it will be nice to visit the zoo together.



So far we have had a couple of exploring adventures. On Tuesday my mom the kids and I decided to venture out to Whole Foods and get some groceries. Google maps gave us exact directions on how to get there, but we still managed to get lost! It didn't help that no one knew where Whole Foods was and what bus would take us there. After riding on a shuttle, a bus and finally a taxi, we ended up seeing a Kroeger's on the way and just decided to stop there. After 1.5 hours we were well-stocked up and called a cab. After about 10 min we saw a taxi van pull in to the parking lot, but as soon as he saw us, instead of slowing down he sped up and left! After another 15 min of waiting we clued in and realized he had refused to pick us up. How rude!!! Well, I went back in and called another cab, this time he was there in 3 min and begrudgingly helped us load the groceries into the trunk. I had given Maddie a piece of bread, as she was starving after walking around all morning. Well as soon as Mr. Taxi driver saw her eating, he had a fit. He started huffing and puffing about how she couldn't eat in his cab. I calmly said, "OK. And don't worry there are no crumbs." Well he must have thought I was saying she could continue to eat, and again went on and on yelling about not eating in the cab. At that point I'd had it. I firmly told him, "Don't be rude to me, she is no longer eating and I was just telling you not to worry because she had not made a mess!" Geez. After that he was silent, luckily it only took about 7 min to get back. When he dropped us off he again hesitantly helped us unload the bags. I shouldn't have tipped him at all, but I did give him about $2. It's all about Karma. Needless to say we were exhausted after all that walking and carrying (which included me carrying Isaac in the Mei Tai for the entire outing). But at least we had yummy food!

Yesterday we had a different kind of adventure. This time it was pleasant. We walked to the Children's Museum and spent a couple hours there, watching Maddie have a blast! Even Isaac enjoyed himself and behaved very well. We will need to go back though, there is so much to see and do we didn't get a chance to finish it all. There is even a little library there, so we signed up for a card and will be able to go there and get books for Miss Maddie Bookworm!

When it comes to how the kids are doing, well lets just say it's been an adjustment. Maddie is having a hard time falling asleep at night. She hears us still awake and doing things and it keeps her awake. But each night has been getting better. Once she's asleep though she sleeps all night. Fortunately the 2 hour time difference hasn't been too bad. Ken was convinced she would be up at 5am every day, but she has adjusted nicely and is waking up between 7-8am. Isaac on the other hand has been sleeping terribly. It has spiralled out of control and on Tuesday night we were at our wits end! He wouldn't sleep in our bed or in his crib, he just cried and cried, even when we held him. He wouldn't even nurse. He was just so tired but couldn't relax. Ken knelt down beside his crib and shushed and rubbed his belly, back and head and after about 30 min he finally was able to relax and fell asleep. I was so moved by his gentle fathering, it made me cry. He refused to leave him alone and was so patient and kept saying, "It's OK little Isaac, just go to sleep...relax...we love you..."

We have been trying to get him to sleep in his crib more and more and I think he's showing signs he's ready. He sleeps so deeply and for longer when he's in there. When he's in bed with us he wakes up every hour and when he is asleep, he's restless and squirmy. So we will see how this transition to the crib goes. We had started a bit at home, but were hesitant because we knew when we got here he would still be in our room and any progress we made would go out the window. But thankfully, true to the stereotype of everything being huge in Texas, the walk-in closet in our bedroom is like a small bedroom. So we have turned it into a nursery! Don't worry, it's not a horribly dark, scary closet. It's nice and spacious and has lots of light coming in from the bedroom. So it's perfect, we can start the transition and hopefully make some progress. I do not do well on little sleep. I have been starting to feel very cranky and impatient and well, not like myself...so hopefully, everyone will start getting some sleep now.

Well today it's rainy again, so we decided to stay in. Next, we need to go buy an umbrella stroller (we forgot ours in the foyer at home!), so I see a trip to Target in the near future.

Details of our next adventure coming soon!

P.S. Just wanted to add that even though we did not travel to an extremely far and foreign place, life here is very different from home. My few experiences and conversations with local people have made me realize some things and have me thinking a lot...more on this later too...

Safe and sound (but not very sane)...

Phew. We made it. But we lost our minds a little on the way. Isaac didn't sleep very well, so we didn't either. Finally at 3am I decided it was pointless to try to sleep so I got up and finished up the last few things. Then we got the kids ready to go and were on the road at 4:30am. Yuck.



Anyways, we made it to the airport on time (amazing for us!) and were checked-in and ready to go right away. The flight to Montreal went smoothly. I got a little cat-nap and Isaac did too. Maddie did not. When we arrived in Montreal we got to go through the "family" line-up and got to skip the huge line-up to go through customs. I had a "Kat-ism" while the customs guy was asking us questions. It went something like this:

Me (to a cranky Maddie):  "Maddie, just be quiet for a minute, we'll be done in a minute and then you can have a snack."

Customs guy: "Umm speaking of snacks, do you have any food with you?"

Me: Yeah, we have cookies, cheese sticks, milk and freeze dried bananas."

Customs guy: "Well, next time make sure you check-off you have food on the customs form".

Me:  "Oh I'm sorry, I misunderstood the question. I thought it applied to fresh food." I really did, plus I wasn't really thinking with having only 3 hours of sleep. Ooops. Guess I got lucky that time!

After customs we only had to wait a little while to board again. The next plane was smaller and it was a longer trip. Isaac was pretty cranky and cried for a while and didn't sleep too well. We dicovered that he is cutting 2 teeth, and possibly a third. That explains a lot. I hope they come through quickly so we can all get some relief! He did manage to have 2 little naps, "little" being the key word. Maddie also managed to have a little nap laying her little head on my lap (too cute!). I'm sure everyone on the plane shared our relief when we touched down!

We didn't have to wait too long for our baggage and then we got a minivan taxi to fit everything and everyone in. I was very pleased with how efficient and friendly everyone has been so far.

Our apartment is beautiful and cozy. We are already having a great time! Can't wait to start exploring the surrounding area in the days to come.

The only downside of the day was that Isaac's carseat was damaged en route. The handle of his infant carseat doesn't lock anymore. Well, I guess Air Canada will be getting a call from me soon.

Well, I am off to get these kids to bed. We are 2 hours ahead and they are tired from being up so early. I hope they sleep well tonight!

Texas here we come!

We will be touching down in Texas tomorrow afternoon and staying for a month. Ken has to do a course and we are tagging along for the ride! We are excited to be getting away from the -20C weather!!!

Needless to say getting ready for this trip has been exhausting. Planning what to take has been tricky, but I think we've done a good enough job. We are even being adventurous and bringing our cloth diapers with us!

I hope the kids (well, mostly Isaac) do well on the planes.