Long Weekend Baby!

AAAAHHHHH YYYEEEAAAAHHHHHH! I had to work the May long weekend and we have never had the chance to "visit" the Okanagan on a long weekend and just relax, so this time we are extending it and leaving tomorrow night.

It's gonna be sweet.

So, I went and saw X-men 3 last night with Jay Fisher and it was really good. The movie was good, the popcorn was good, and the company was good. Thanks for coming along Jay.

Tonight, Vicki gets her nails done while the kids and I run some errands, and then we're going to take Megan somewhere special because today was her last day of Kindergarten! It absolutely blows my mind that I have a child that will be a full-time student. I mean, I still feel like I should be a full-time student. Weird.

Anyway, that's today's update. Vicki is feeling large, but looking fantastic and the weather has cooled down so it's comfortable in the house again.

Peace Out!

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

Tomorrow the days start getting shorter. It's all downhill from here.

Hey, look who's back...

Me. Yup, I'm still alive. I worked my arse off for the past 6 weeks and met my first deadline. I've been too busy to do much else besides working and trying to get reaquainted with my family. Still more deadlines looming, but the relentless overtime is done for now.

So, now we are in baby mode, in a big way. I've done some painting, some staining, we've put up a mirror and pictures, and this weekend we're buying some baby furniture and painting the baby's room. Wow, you'd think that by the third kid, there might be a little less prep, but no.

I can't even describe just how stoked I am about this baby. I cannot wait for it to come out. This will be the first time we've had a baby and actually had our own house to bring it home to! With Megan, we were living at Nanny's and with Kayla we were living with my parents. (what the heck was I thinking back then!?)

So, this time we are going to get the full experience. Get the nursery ready, bring the baby home to our own house with it's own room. It is going to kick some serious ass.

So, we are busy getting prepped and Vicki is just trying to find a little piece of comfort anywhere throughout the day. The baby never seems to stop moving, and moving violently almost. It really looks like it's trying to get out sometimes. And when I say that it never seems to stop moving, I really mean it. With Megan and Kayla I would have to sit with my hand on Vicki's tummy for 15 mins at least before I felt something. With this baby I can put my hand there at any given time and feel strong movements within 10 seconds. Seriously, it's crazy. Do they make baby's that truly don't require sleep? I sure hope not.

So, that's us for now. I'll try to update again soon, but don't hold your breath.

Mmm, Sweet Sweet Deadlines

Nothing can take the fun and creative enjoyment out of my job quicker than a frickin looming deadline.

I've quickly gone from enjoying the challenge of creating something that will do what it is supposed to in the most intelligent, eloquent way possible, to my current state; make it work and make it work fast, because you have half the time you need and a deadline extension is easily attainable right after hell freezes over.

I just checked the Weather Network, and no such luck.

So, for the next few weeks I may get to see my family from time to time and all my enjoyment of my job will be sucked right of me.

Isn't being an adult great.

My Bachelor Week

Oh yeah! It's one of the best things a married man with kids can look forward to, the wife goes away with the kids! Nothing but kicking back, relaxing, no rules, and no one to answer to. It's like when you were in high school and your parents went away for the weekend!

But wait, I don't remember missing my parents when they were gone. And I certainly don't remember this feeling of loneliness and emptiness in my heart. So, no, the wife goes away with the kids is not like when you were in high school and your parents went away. It's more like a 20-pack of Timbits. Let me explain.

Y'know when you're feeling a little hungry in the afternoon and you're craving something sweet and then it dawns on you, "Timbits would be great right now". It seems like the greatest idea in the world and you know it will just rock! So, you get yourself in the car and you make your way to Timmy's, and every moment you get closer to those bits the idea seems better and better. Finally you're back at home and you sit down, ready to enjoy the splendor that is, your own box of Timbits. At first, the reality seems just as good as the fantasy, but slowly, Timbit after Timbit you start to enjoy them less and less. You keep going and try to convince yourself that it really does rock just like you thought it would. But eventually you have to admit that it doesn't rock, and it was actually not a good idea. Sure, a Timbit here and there is good, but a whole box to yourself just leaves you feeling brutal and hurting a little.

That's what this week is for me. Vicki went with the kids back to Summerland to visit til Friday. I had a whole week of sweet bachelorhood in front of me and I thought it would rock. It's only Wednesday, and it hasn't rocked, at all.

The fact is, I love my wife and kids, and I don't like being without them. As soon as I knew that they were on the road on Monday I started to miss them. I don't even like going home at night, the house feels absolutely empty. I know most people will laugh at this and think I am totally crazy not to enjoy a little time alone, but I don't really care. I like spending time with my family, LOTS of time.

So it's Wednesday night of my bachelor week, and I can't wait for my family to come home.

Get It While You Can

I finally got Vicki in the right mood and got the green light for posting some pictures of her belly. She's always so camera shy so I'm going to post them while I can.

This is from our trip to Vegas - March 21/06

__________________________

And this is now - May 01/06

I know it's hard to see the belly in that second one, but it's what I've got so don't complain. I'll try to get more soon. I'm like the 'Baby Belly Paparazzi' now.

Peace out

What Have We Done!

It may just be a case of denial or just not really paying attention(if you know me, you're money is on not paying attention), but I swear my wife did not have a noticable baby bump last week. And last night I see her in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and it's like, BOOM! there's a pregnant tummy! Suddenly it occurred to me, we're having a freakin' baby! We are way past the point of no return here and whether we're ready or not, that little sucker is coming out in a few months and it is going to expect someone to take care of it. And last time I checked, we don't have a nanny on staff.

In related news, hindsight is still 20/20.

So, once I got past that(all the previous thoughts took about 0.8 secs to go through my head), you know what I realized? My wife is BEAUTIFUL when she is pregnant! This is one of the best things about having kids, being able to watch her grow and feel the baby in there and just experience the whole thing. We're having a baby and I am absolutely STOKED!

I love my life.

And seriously, my wife is the cutest pregnant woman you'll ever see, I definitely married-up a step or two.

Back To The Old Grind

It's always so hard to get back to work after a long weekend. Of course, since my "grind" consists of sitting in front of a computer all day and making numerous walks to the office kitchen for more coffee, I can't really complain too much.

We had an alright weekend, but there is still lots of sickness flowing through the household. I got sick last week and it turned into strep-throat so I'm just having my first good day today. Vicki fought it off til Saturday night and then got taken down in a big way by a sinus cold/headache/cough with a little fever thrown in for good measure. And she's so lucky, because being pregnant means she gets to use the cure-all medicine for everything that ails her, Tylenol! And if you're wondering, no, Tylenol does NOT relieve any of the symptoms I just mentioned. I'm so glad I'm a man.

The kids have done pretty well with only some runny noses, but the sickness sure limited what we could do over the weekend. Still, we spent time together and had some fun.

So, here I sit, trying to get some inspiration to write some amazing code that will change the world as you know it. Either that or it will run the station processors of our new battery analyzer, I haven't decided which way to go with it yet.

Hmm...I Wonder If These Cold Meats Are Still Good

Ya, they'll be fine.

That was my mental dialogue when I decided to make my lunch. And in the words of the old dude in the cave in the 3rd Indiana Jones movie,

"You chose...poorly"

I am hating life right now. I was woken up a few times between 3am and 5am by stomach cramps, and have been writhing in pain with cramps and diarrhea ever since. Ok, maybe that's a little over-dramatic, but seriously, this sucks ass.

So, if your cold meats were packaged 7 days ago but they still smell fine, throw them in the garbage, it's not worth it.

Oh, and Pepto-Bismol caplets are one of the best inventions science has every had.

Hmm...Is there anything worth posting about?

Ummm, not really. We're very close to completely settled in and unpacked. I love PVR. Vicki's finally starting to get a noticable tummy. Oh, Megan lost both her front teeth on Saturday, that was cool. She's fun to listen to now because she has trouble talking sometimes.

Pretty much, our life is boring, and I like it that way right now.

Snap Back to Reality

It's Monday, we're back from Vegas, the weekend is over, the house is almost unpacked, and it's Megan's first day at her new school. We are officially back into the real world.
But it's kind of a good feeling too, getting into a routine and getting settled into our new life here. We had a great weekend of shopping and spending time with the kids and we got to visit with Jason and Lise and Alyssa and Kaden yesterday, that was great.
So, I'm a little nervous for Megan today, new school and all. I really hope things go well and she doesn't feel too uncomfortable or sad. Having kids is hard sometimes.

Anyway, we're back into real life and looking forward to Spring. We'll see how it goes.

The Crisis is Over, Everyone Can Relax

We have TV again. After weeks, maybe months, of uncertainty and countless sleepless nights, the satellite TV was installed last night and everything is up and running smoothly.

Thank you for all you calls, emails, and words of support, it really helped us get through this tough time. I know there will be times like this throughout our lives where we are pushed to the edge and put to the test, but we'll stick together through it and be stronger for it in the end.

Thank you.

The Final Countdown

(insert Europe song here) So, it's here. Moving weekend has arrived. I have been looking forward to this for months, and now that it is here I only have 1 overwhelming feeling...fear.

The amount of work that will HAVE to be done between now and Sunday afternoon is daunting and somewhat depressing. And now that moving day is so close, the reality of us leaving Summerland and living down here is really hitting, and I'm feeling a little apprehensive and sad.

But, looking at the next few days and everything that will be involved in them, there is only one thing to do, suck it up.

I can sleep again next month, I'm sure of it.

It was all going so well...

Sunday night and last night were both so successful at the new house. I finished the drywall work and got the new room painted and cleaned out. I finished painting the living room and I'm ready to paint the girls' room. Today was supposed to be a great day, the satellite was getting installed and the carpet in the new room was getting installed.

It wasn't meant to be.

The satellite installer was even nice enough to show up extra early to accomodate my schedule, he was there by 6:35am, ouch! We figured everything out in terms of where the dish would go and how the wires would be run, but then he couldn't get into the cable box in the garage to hook up the wires. Apparently only Shaw Cable has access to that box and the satellite guy wasn't allowed to break into it. So, the satellite did not get installed. We will try again tomorrow morning.

Even after stopping at the carpet place to double check the install, when I phoned to find out how it went, I found that the installer was not given or able to find the garage door opener that I had left with the sales guy. So, the carpet did not get installed. He will try again tomorrow.

So, tonight I will paint the girls' room, assemble the bunk beds, and cut the baseboards/door trim to size. That way, tomorrow night will only be installing the baseboards/door trim, cleaning up all the garbage, cleaning the house, doing some laundry, and getting prepared to fly back on Thursday for the big move.

Piece of cake. (sleep is over-rated anyway)

Never again...

I can't remember if I ever said to anyone that doing the drywall myself shouldn't be too tough or too much trouble. I sure hope I didn't say that. But in case I did I will say right now publicly, I was wrong and I shouldn't have said that.

I will never work with drywall again.

This tiny little project has sucked the life right out of me. Just thinking about that room puts me in foul mood.But don't worry Vicki, I will make sure that the end product is a good looking playroom, ripe for resale.

Maybe I'll post again later when I'm not so tired and bitter.

Who's the Idiot...

...that invented mudding and taping? I swear, there is a good chance our kids will be playing in a playroom with an upainted, half-finished wall. At best, the wall is going to have a lot of "imperfections" that will most likely show through the paint. Ah, it's a playroom anyway, right? I just hope Vicki shares my sentiment.

So, tonight's agenda: Pickup a bunch of stuff at Rona, 2nd coat of mud on wall, install microwave over the range, 1st coat of paint on living room, and maybe the bunk beds. Fun, fun, fun.

Then, tomorrow it's back to Summerland for two birthday parties, a bunch of packing, and maybe even some family time. Man, when this is done, Vicki and I are seriously going to need a vacation.

Which brings to mind, my birthday gift for Vicki that I gave her last weekend. Two words:

Vegas Baby!

Vicki has the details.

Peace out homies!

Hey, Look What I Made!

It's a wall. Yup, there is now offically a wall in our garage. We got all the drywall up and the insulation in, AND we even got the door moved over and installed.

Go Dono, It's Your Birthday, Go Dono, It's Your Birthday

Everything went very well, with only one mistake that cost some time. And at the heart of that mistake was...Me. You've heard "Measure twice, cut once" but with me involved it's a little different, more like "Don't let Donovan do the measuring.". No big deal, Jer was there to help save the day and in the end the night was a complete success.

So, I'm a little tired and my hands are sore and bothering me (don't touch fibreglass insulation without gloves) but I am looking forward to banging out some good coding here at work and heading back home to start the mudding and taping. It will be interesting.

I'm looking at my list of things to do at the new house before moving day and comparing it to the available time left and I'm thinking maybe some of the painting will have to be put off til later.

Or I could just not sleep because I mean that's a good 6 hours per night that I am simply just wasting being lazy.

OMG, Who Let Him Near The Power Tools!

Yes, it's true, I am using power tools. Anyone who knows me also knows that I am quite possible the most useless human when it comes to anything "handy". I know how to fill the vehicles with gas, and I know how to replace the light bulbs. Other than that, I'm tragic. Here's the problem:

I refuse to accept my limitations, so any chance I get I will try to do it myself. Usually, it ends in damage and a half-assed finished product that needs to be fixed by a professional. But this time it's different, so far at least.

I am putting up a wall in our new house to create a playroom for the kids. So far, the wall is framed. Not much, but for me it's huge. And last night I took a trip into the world of electrical when I cut open the drywall and moved wall switches around. So, now I have moved the switches to their new happy homes and patched up the drywall around them.

Tonight, Jeremy and I will be putting up drywall and attempting the 'mudding and taping' of the new wall.

Generally, most of my past problems have come from trying to do a task without actually having the proper tools, so tonight I am renting the proper 'drywall screwdriver' and I think it's going to go well.

Even if it doesn't go well, there will be beer, and that's a good thing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICKI!

It's Vicki's 28th birthday today! Woo Hoo!

Have a fantastic day, sweetheart, I love you soooooo much!

Richmond is Bad

I don't like going into Richmond. I just had to go there to get some paperwork for buying our house and again I realized, I do not like Richmond. The layout is a mess, it's got zero curb-appeal, and I ALWAYS get lost when I go there. Today's 30 min trip took 55 min, due simply to the suckage of Richmond.

I don't want to go there anymore.

Except maybe for the casino.