Tag Archive | Betrayal at House on the Hill

Ending the Week With Friends and Family

Ending a week that begun with so much excitement and visitors is always a bit of a tough one for the kids. Ken and I took some extra time late last night to catch up on the newest season of Haven and have some together time. We have not had much these past two weeks with company over and Ken working so much. So I was up WAY past my bedtime and Ken was kind enough to let me sleep in. Though I woke up to Gavin and Ken having a VERY intense discussion about the necessity of trying to get someone into worse trouble over something  they had already had a time out in. While Zander seems to be rather unworried about getting into trouble for doing as he pleases sometimes (though improving by leaps and bounds), Gavin tends to start chatting himself up in comparison as being so well behaved and generally good. Neither behaviour is very helpful most of the time and so we are trying to work with both of them to realize a middle ground. 

Now back to those boats I mentioned at the end of the previous entry… well while Cousin Veronika and I were waiting for Karyn to get off work the kids were getting rather bored. So I told them to go through our craft supplies and make something, anything that they like. Gavin found a pie plate and decided he was going to make a boat. Well that had Zander interested so he decided to do the same using popsicle sticks and masking tape (interesting choice on his binding agent). Emanuel wanted one too so we tried popsicle sticks with hot glue to attach them (properly decorated of course). This morning Trinity also wanted a boat so we knocked one together that matches Emanuel’s.

The boats

We talked about how it had to be able to float and how there was a possibility that the tape on Zander’s would not work – after all what happens to masking tape when it is wet? And how boats often have masts and sails and how the sail is a triangle. Gavin included pictures of some necessary boat things on the inside of his – a captain, the ship’s wheel and of course a life preserver. Zander named his boat – ON – because everyone had to get ON it. 

Close up of Gavin's

Outside and ready to test our boats

That leaves the most important question – CAN THEY FLOAT? A very serious debate between Gavin and Zander as Gavin was SURE Zander’s wouldn’t work. The end result was that Zander’s tape DID fail… it just took a while… of course Gavin’s pie plate did the best and we did realize that felt sails were NOT the best choice but it was fun! 

Cousin Veronika was there to lend her expertise.

We are planning on taking what we have learned and make NEW boats tomorrow or perhaps later in the week depending on what supplies we can find here at home. 

I snuck Echo out in her new dress (from Victoria) to take another set of pictures in the front yard. I am still trying different clothing and days to try and get her 1 year photo. Of course the box of the photos that go on the wall has still not been hunted down but Ken is optimistic. That is the last step to settling in really – getting those photos back up on the wall! 

So happy!

Tonight was a fun night – game night! BOARDgame night. Kristen and Fydo brought their game Betrayal at House on the Hill and after Veronika finished her hair appointment we played Settlers… with Fat Sheep!! Sheep and wood jokes did ensue. Talk about a terrific ending to a week. Friends, popcorn, slurpees and gaming. 

Fat Sheep and Settlers

Settlers with friends and family

Now to face the weekend – paintballing bachelor party for Ken and church on the Sunday. Then the final countdown to the wedding (next Saturday) and a VERY busy week. Don’t forget Monday is GENETIC TESTING (Ken called to confirm). 

Hmm not sure about this face but CUTE

This entry was posted on 20/08/2011, in Uncategorized. 2 Comments

Life Getting Back to Normal… For Us

So reality is coming to roost and the questions are starting to form in my mind… how will this whole heart issue play out with Echo? Will it be easy for her to have to go to a cardiologist every year for basically the rest of her life? Is the entire procedure as simple as it was explained? Can I work it out so Ken can be with me while we wait for our Echo to get through surgery? How long do we wait for the surgery to be scheduled?

Sweet as always

Thankfully yesterday I was blessed with visits from friends. Kathy came into the city to hang out and take me on a walk around Costcoto peek at the pricing of items we buy often. I picked up two items – a large flat of water for only 5.00 and a big box of Arrowroot cookies for only 10.00 (they are a favourite of EVERY member of our family from the oldest to the youngest, though Echo does do the best job at wearing them).

A quick story with Aunty Kathy

We also stopped off at one of the malls to get my favourite face soap from The Body Shop. I finally ran out completely. I haven’t found anything that works better on my face than their tea tree oil products.

I now have ALL the things I need for Echo’s birthday tutu dress. I was even able to get my hands on an affordable strand of the marabou, in black of course. I had a 25% off entire purchase coupon at Michaels so I picked up some 12X12 sheets of purple and one of white cardstock until I can price out the 8 1/2 by 11 at Staples. I do use the white for a lot of the boys’ school activities.

Ken on the other hand, stayed home. Jeff was here until after an early supper and gone before Kathy and I returned. Someone had to stay home with the kids and there was a lady coming by to pick up one of my scrapbook related Kijijiitems. Lucky we had someone home as Karyn came over after work to join in on the fun. That had us 3 (Karyn, Kathy and myself) off to Macs for a snack before settling down for some visiting. Again, all this possible due to our move to this new place… a good reminder of how good things are compared to the old place.

He's surrounded!

I am still brainstorming what to stitch for the lovely family that assisted us on Wednesday… it needs to be something special. In the meantime I have moved onto the characters on the stocking. I am hoping to get one done tonight… if I can focus on that and not the tutu dress, it is a toss up!

The boys spent most of yesterday working on math and then moving onto pictures of things that happened on our adventurous two days… one drew a picture of playing at the den Otter’s and the other the waiting room at the hospital. I tried to explain to them about the surgery their baby sister is going to have to have… that she has to go in and have a sleep while they fix something in her heart and that Mommy would go with her. I think I have some more explaining to do but they did seem to understand that there was something important we had to do for Echo.

Art AND working on words

Today was a pretty quiet day… until Ken ran up the stairs while on the phone and broke one of his toes (or at least mangled it horribly)… he is still able to walk and it is not his driving foot but I am told it hurts BADLY (I won’t repeat the words HE used)… most of the day was actually spent with Ken working as he had to make up for Wednesday and Thursday. 

I spent my time catching up on dishes, laundry and cleaning… our bedroom is still not done BUT the kitchen is all clean, banana cookies and bread were baked and the floor swept and mopped. 

Ken did take the twins out with him before supper to run some errands… my sunglasses are officially returned… and the boys managed to get us some groceries and Ken some pharmaceutical advice (pain killers). I needed butter… we have soft bananas and needed to bake – cookies AND bread! YUM.

I filled the little pool, mowed the front lawn and some of the back and drug all 5 kids outside today as well. The weed wacker isn’t working yet but the owners sprayed for weeds last weekend so some of the nasty ones to mow were totally fried. It was a nice dry day at least. I even brought Echo out to sit on her blanket in the shade by the fence. (in her bunny themed overalls of course) She is still not overly interested in touching the grass but was quite happy to crawl all over her blanket and watch the other 4 running around.

Fun in the sun

Sunshine baby

I decided against putting the kids into swimsuits since we had plans to go out later in the day. So Trinity had a bit of a temper tantrum about not having her swim clothes. She got over it in time.

In fact, while Ken and the twins were gone the rest of us set out to the convenience store for a slurpee (brown) and nickel candies (2 each). Trinity was a bit disobedient on the way home and refused to STOP when I told her to… luckily there is one road to cross (we already had) and then just down the street. Though there ARE driveways. 

Eating a candy on the bench

Echo was in her peapod baby carrier. And going solo it was impossible to get a good picture. She seemed to enjoy it.

Best picture I have

In the evening Kristen and Fydo came over with a new boardgame to try out. We played twice and had a nice visit. We are working on planning some boardgame time on the 30th while the guys have their LAN party. Tonight’s game was Betrayal at House on the Hill. It is partially cooperative, well at least until a certain point.

Boardgame time

So with today’s successful van driving and a laundry list of contact numbers the plan tomorrow is to go collect my nephew and bring him here until Wednesday when my mom will pick him up for the remainder of the week. I even found a babysitter so Echo and I can go with. We have a phone Adam gave us since his blackberry was replaced so if we buy minutes we WILL have a phone for emergencies. Lauralee is the sweetheart who has agreed to watch our 4 big kids. She may regret it later…Now to get back to the cross stitching and tv watching – Red Dwarf… I am onto season 6.

Attempting to figure away AROUND the grass with no luck

This entry was posted on 24/07/2011, in Uncategorized. 1 Comment