...and she's back!

Uh huh! My first scrap LO since my old computer died. I gotta say, it feels pretty good.

...cool picture.

Hi guys, just another cool picture, taken by Aislinn, that I wanted to post.

I just love the composition of this image.

...three weeks.

"Wha??? Wha???"

Just recently, Kong kong came and stayed with us, while my parents took a three week trip down to Utah. Don't tell my Mom, but he was really quite easy to live with. He had a routine, a simple one, that mostly revolved around meal times, that once we figured out, was easy to accommodate.

What we learned about Kong kong in those two weeks was that he really liked to eat out. We ate so much Chinese take-out in those three weeks! Even Aislinn, by the end of his stay, was saying, "No more Chinese food!" It was quite silly, but a local Chinese restaurant came to know us so well, that we could walk in, sit down, and the waitress would say, "you want the usual?", but in Cantonese.

At the end of those three weeks, we were sad to say goodbye to Kong kong. The girls absolutely loved having him here.

Also, at the end of those three weeks, Darren and Auria came back from their six month long trip to China and Southeast Asia. It was great to have everyone back together again.

To celebrate, we ate Chinese food! Of course. A huge hot pot feast! OMG! We eat so much!

I'm not even kidding when I say that Frank and I each put on about 10 pounds during those three weeks.

Other than the need for more stretchy pants, spending time with my grandfather was lovely.

Now we just need to go on a diet before we head up for Christmas in Prince George!

Love Tanya

...Halloween 2010

Wasn't it weird having Halloween on a Sunday?

I had all weekend to get everything ready. Yet, somehow, I was still all stressed out and almost late when the time came to actually head out trick or treating.

So, check out the pictures this year...

Aislinn did this entire pumpkin herself this year. I didn't even touch it! She picked a really complicated pattern, but it turned out pretty amazing.

Can you see what it is?

Mackendra proceeded to scare everyone by carving most of her own pumpkin as well. A seven year old stabbing a gourd was certainly spooky. I think Auria was having a mild panic attack watching Mackendra handling that knife.

Mackendra did a great job as well.

Then it was costume time. Not to brag or anything, but my kids always look awesome for Halloween. And this year was no exception.

Aislinn went as a gothic rag doll. She definitely had the best costume I saw.

She looked beautiful, yet creepy. You like her little voodoo doll? She made it herself out of socks.

Here's a closeup of her face.

Mackendra went as a vampire. She looked pretty creepy as well. Her hair was awesome!

And then, there was Auria and I. I went as a googly-eyed alien. Auria went as a Chinese/Japanese character.

Aislinn went out with her friend and Auria and I took Mackendra out to meet her little friend and we all went walking around her school neighborhood.

It was cold, but fun, and we caught a fireworks display that was better than we expected.

All in all, a pretty successful night.

I can't wait to see everyone else's costumes!

Love Tanya

...imparting wisdom to my children.

Being a parent is a tough job, its all day, every day, and believe me, you don't get time off when your sick, and when you get a vacation, guess who expects to go with you?

Being a parent also means that you are ultimately responsible for your child's education. Who else is going to teach them about the real world? The school are doing their best when it comes to reading and writing and math, but what about the lessons that they really need to learn?

Well, sometimes opportunities to teach just arise, and I seize those opportunities with both hands.

Take for instance this conversation that happened in the car yesterday.

I'll set the scene.

I had just picked up the kids from their respective schools and we were on our way home. We had stopped at a red light and this guy was parked beside us. He was talking on his cell phone, which is now illegal! Right after the light the road narrowed to a single lane, I easily settled into place behind him. One block further along, I watched in disgust as the guy on the phone sped through a school zone. I shook my head.

Then, the guy did one final thing that prompted my teaching moment. He actually rolled down his window and tossed out a styrofoam food container! Seriously! That did it for me.

"Holy crap! What a Prick!" I muttered under my breath.

Aislinn, sitting beside me in the passenger seat, looked at me confused and said, "you mean, he's a 'Dick' right?"

"No," (and here it is...) "He's a 'Prick'!" I paused, "Its the same thing."

Aislinn nodded and I swear I could see her filing that nugget of wisdom away in her brain.

Mission Accomplished! Thank you! Thank you! I'm here...all day, every day.

...goodbye Apple, Hello PC!

I'm all giddy! Say hello to my new toy!

I think the only one more excited about this purchase is Frank. Actually, I think the better word to describe his emotion is "envy".

I've made it through 4 months of no laptop and as a reward, Frank and I went out the other day and picked up this beauty! We grabbed it at the local Futureshop, and it was $200 cheaper than anywhere else, even on the web. Score!!!!

Now I just have to get used to the new keypad and the uber sensitive touchpad. Its not as bad as trying to type on a computer in France, but it will take some time to get used to the new keyboard configurations.

It will also take time to transfer all the necessary files. But, yah! I get to scrapbook again.

...about torture.

If there was anything in life that would make me want to stab myself in the eye...

it is watching grade seven girls play volleyball! Its truly an inhumane form of torture.

I swear I was never that awkward looking.

Love you, Aislinn. Let Mom give you some pointers sometime, okay? For her own sanity.