The New House

Yes, we bought the one in the fantastic neighborhood with the kids running around and the private park and nature walk. It's in such a beautiful area of the city too, and only a few minutes from the Oshawa Zoo and stuff. It's torture to wait almost 5 months to live there.

Pretty nice, eh?
We bought all of the furniture as well.
There are two dining rooms and two living rooms
Nice big kitchen
The dining room we'll really use

The family room
This is just one part of the big, bright basment It has a great big patio and a little garden and a tree. I can't wait to buy the kids a playhouse for the yard.

I REALLY DISLIKE MOVING....

Hello everyone. Just a quick note on what's been going on here in K-Town.

Hummm....where to start.....I Got Engaged on Sept 20th! Wedding Date, TBA. Probably a year or so. We bought a house Last Wednesday, and are moving in this weekend! Soooo exciting, Soooo tiring. But very rewarding to know we are home owners. I have some pictures posted on a new blog site that i have just created for Rob and I, so check it out!

http://erinrobzuest.blogspot.com/

Congrats Sam and Lee on FINALLY moving in together! i'm soo excited for you guys and your soon to be new addition to the family....cant wait to see pictures of the little puppy!

Congrats Keira and Matt on the purchase of the townhouse. I know exactly what you are goinig through with paper signing and lawyers. I had to deal with the faxing and scanning as well, as our Mortgage Broker is from Armstrong. What a Pain. Also, i had to drive around the country (kelowna) to rob's different job sites to get him to sign things. A very stressfull few weeks. I hope all is well with the hospital situation as well.

Oh Angela Mann, took engagement photos of Rob and I yesterday out in Oyama at Kaloya (spelling) park. Such a gorgouse day. We had a lot of fun! hopefully rob smiled enough and the pictures turn out great! i have no doubt. So those pictures will be posted soon!

Anyways i have just taken a little break from packing up the last min stuff, so i shall get back to the grind....ahhhh....ok, take care everyone, hope all is well!!!

New Pad and No Dad

Congratualtions Sam, it's so exciting that you guys are making the big move! Wow, twice the size. And you can do your laundry more often than once a month if you want!

We have a new place too! We bought a beautiful townhouse. It's so weird being here and buying there; the realtor will scan and email me a form, then I have to print it, sign it, scan it, and email it to Matt. Then he has to print it, sign it, scan it, and email it back to the realtor. And this stuff goes on all the time. There will be a fresh new batch of stuff to scan and sign and send once we get a lawyer involved this week.

I am completely swamped. In addition to the usual craziness of a gifted toddler and a recovering baby, Matt is out of town both weekdays and weekends, there is family stuff going on on both sides, I'm doing all this real estate stuff, and I'm finally making some real progress on another project of mine. When Roman was in the NICU shortly after he was born, his treatment there was absolutely abysmal. I have been working to get the hospital's attention ever since. Now, after my getting the ministry of health involved, there will be a meeting at the hospital with my story being a case study for what not to do and I may or may not go there to talk to them myself. I can't tell you how good it feels to be effecting such an important change!

Roman is finally, slowly getting better and has been doing well the last few days with little or no medicine. He and Angelina are getting along even better lately and play together like the best of friends. He even climbs up on her and snuggles and kisses her, and she no longer moves away. Oh, they are so sweet!

We're Moving!!

Hey guys & gals!! Good news Lee and I found an awesome basement suite and are finally moving in together on October 31st. So excited!!! For those who have seen the place I live in now, the new one is more the double the size. It has shared laundry, dishwasher, gas fireplace, 2 bedrooms, shared backyard and we're allowed to get our puppy in February!!

Key - So happy that your trip to Ontario went so well! March 1st isn't that far off, we'll have to try to come up to see you, or you guys come down before then. Is Kal-Tire still taking care of selling your condo and moving everything for you?? So did you buy the place you mentioned, just put an offer on it or just went looking??
Love Angelina's princess costume she looks adorable...are you going to go around your building?? the mall? or out with the lil cousins?? Glad to hear Roman is doing better also, poor little guy. I can't believe he's almost 1 years old already less than 2 months (haha sorry for the reminder!). You're little munchkins are simply adorable thanks for posting pics, I love the update.

Sammi - Nice to hear from you! Glad things are going well, although busy, for you. You coming down here anytime soon?? I think we need another Foggy Dew pub night and another "Sam"wich!

Overall...hope everyone is enjoying life, getting ready for the Fall/Winter and I'll try to keep in touch and post some recent pics soon (although facebook is the easiest to keep caught up on).

Hello, Hello

I love the pictures of the kids. What is the Roman update; is he feeling much better? I will have to stop in one Friday after my Kelowna class. I have Business Ethics in Kelowna until 4:30pm, but I have group meetings after class for the next couple of weeks.

School is so busy; I have Strategic Management which takes up way too much of my time. I heard that a student is suppose to put in 20 hours a week (not including class time), and that estimate sounds about right. I have already had two presentations, four assignments, two mid-terms (on the same day), and it's only the first month of school.

I really enjoy my classes, but I wish I had a better professor for Strategic Management. I wanted to throw my pen at the front of the classroom yesterday while the professor was talking. I'm sure he is a great business man (very smart man), but he is a so-so teacher.

Anyway, how was the trip to Ontario? Did everyone have a great time? Toronto is a fun city.
I'll check back for more updates,

Sammi

Think Think Think

We're back from a whilwind trip. We went to see Oshawa, house-hunt, and go to the zoo and stuff. We had an adventure the last day when we missed our flight home! Fortunately, Westjet has this program where if that happens, you pay $50 per ticket and catch the next flight on standby. The kids, as usual, loved staying in a hotel and Angelina looooved househunting.

Yes, we are moving to Oshawa! March 1st. I would seriously advise any of you to do the same. Seriously, for $250 thousand you can buy a big beautiful new 3- bedroom brick house with a huge patio and yard and grand entranceways and in a fancy award-winning family neighbourhood. No bullshit, we saw them.

We found the neighbourhood we want to live in. It has its own private nature trail and park, and every time we went there the streets were full of kids running around playing with each other outside, something that seems so rare these days. We found a townhouse there that is really great, but it's not quite perfect so we're agonizing over whether to buy it or wait and hope something super comes up in that subdivision in the next few months. Is it worth the risk? What a tough decision!

Roman, Oshawa and some New (old) Pictures

Roman has been in a lot of pain since the surgery and has not been himself. But we switched his medicine on Friday and there has been a remarkable difference! He is back to only getting up 2-3 times a night, which for anyone else is terrible but for him is excellent. And as long as he gets his medicine, he is a happy, adventuresome little guy again.

His motor skills are quite amazing. He can feed himself (and me) with a spoon and put lids on to baby food jars and stuff. He also likes to play baby hockey: he pushes one thing across the floor using another thing. Or takes a long object and hooks it into a toy to pick it up. I made a little video of him eating an apple (a whole one, like how we would eat it). It's from my new camara so as soon as I figure out the software and stuff I will post the video.

We are going to Oshawa on Thursday, and I will see it (and Toronto!) for the first time. Here are the last of the fuzzy pictures from my broken old dinosaur camara. I bought a really great new one so I'll be posting more and better pictures in the future.

Here's your answer about Halloween, Sam! No costume for Roman yet though.

Clapping along with the baby Einstein movie. How freaking cute is my son?

Angelina liked Avery's red and orange butterfly on her right cheek, so she grabbed some markers and made her own. How resourceful and independent!

Feeding himself some messy baby food. His aim is almost perfect.

Snuggling up on the couch. These two love each other so much! They are the cutest little munchkins in the world. They are almost total opposites though, so they're like a funny little odd couple.

Hello from Vancouver

Hello everyone hope things are going well!!

Key - Omigosh, I hope Roman is doing alright since his emergency surgery. Has he improved at all since? More happy, hungry etc? I sure hope so....Lee and I send him hugs and kisses.

I'm doing well, my project I'm on right now for work (the Casino in Burnaby) is 6 weeks until the Opening date to the general public so I'm super busy right now to say the least. Other than that Lee and I set our moving date again and this one is set in stone. We'll be officially moving in together on November 1st. SO EXCITED!!! Then even more exciting news....we're going to get a puppy the weekend after....a daschund. I've got the names picked out already....if it's a boy doggy we're naming him Jalepeno Fromage and if it's a girl doggy the name will be Martini Bizzle. Such a dork, I know!! LOL

Other updates...Lee and I went to Mexico at the end of August and had a great time, I posted a ton of pictures on facebook if anyone wants to see. We have also become God-parents to my friends son, Joshua, the ceremony was on September 7th and it was a great day and honour. That's about it for now.

Hope you all had a great summer, and are ready for the Fall weather and festivities (any one who has kids do you know what they are going to be for Halloween yet??)

Cheers!! xoxox

Another Hospital Visit...

...that place is getting to be like a second home. We took Roman into the ER yesterday for emergency surgery.

Poor Roman has had a hernia for so long now and has been having more and more frequent episodes of crying, vomiting and refusing to eat. Yesterday it was finally bad enough to do the emergency surgery, thank God! Who knows how much longer we would have had to wait for a surgery date.

There were complications becuase his little guts were all twisted and the surgery took awhile. The surgeon also had to remove his appendix just to make room. Then we had to stay overnight and Roman had an IV until he pulled it out (Good job, baby!)

My little guy is remarkably resilient and mostly back to normal. Once he is healed, he will have no more pain! I am so happy this is over. It may happen again on the other side, but it could take years and maybe not at all.

Angelina was a little angel through the whole thing. From impressing the nurses in the ER to playing in the children's ward, she thought the hospital was great!

What wonderful kids I have.

Another Wedding

My camara has really had it; now the pictures are all blurry. Can anyone recomend a good user-friendly, quality-picture camara?

Angelina and her cousin KaileaAwww, these two get along so well
Dancing with Grandpa (I know, he looks just like Matt!)
This wasn't at the wedding, obviously! Just a little picture of my creative genius/comedian

Happy Birthday Sam!

Purple Mama

What's new? Tonnes of stuff. We've been living life to the fullest with lots of outdoor and family stuff. Roman hasn't had his surgery yet, so he's still got a huge hernia on the bottom of his little tummy. He is getting lots of teeth, so he's looking more and more grown up. I smell his breath deeply whenever I remember. Babies have the most wonderful, sweet breath. That's why they named a flower after it I guess. But when they get teeth it goes away forever.

Angelina is amazing as usual. She invented this game called "purple mama" and has been playing it all summer. She makes up a whole imaginary world and we have to ask her questions about it and she tells us who is there and what they are wearing and doing and stuff. She hums now, which is so cute! She has been having so much fun at the pool, and she actually jumps in and we have to catch her.

We are all going to Oshawa in the next couple of weeks (depending on when Roman's surgery happens) and Matt will meet the partner who he hasn't met yet at J&M. I'll talk more about that later.

Chew chew chew, what else is new
We went camping in Salmon Arm, and we didn't forget the beer
Just like daddy
Did I say camping? Actually we stayed in a hotel. The kids loved it! Angelina slept in a grown-up bed and Roman slept in Angelina's travel bed
This is the picture of Matt that I took for OUC. They're going to use his picture and story on their promotional material. Like, "Come to OUC, you can be successful and handsome like this guy".

Pictures

Sleeping with Merry and Pippin. When she first saw Merry (the doll that looks like a ladybug) in the store, she fell in love. The following week I would ask her in the morning, "what do you want to do today?" and she would say, "Go to the store and buy the ladybug doll!" How could I refuse?
My handsome, smiley guy.
We were at the beach and it got cold, so I put Matt's shirt on Angelina for the walk home. She loved it. She made us call her "little daddy" and wore it the rest of the evening.
Little daddy again
My guys having fun at cousin Andrea's wedding.

Great Summer

Hello Everyone,

I love the pictures of the family...Gina and Roman are such beautiful children. I was shocked to hear Roman has to have surgery; keep us updated on his surgery dates. Poor little man.

I quit Reitmans at the beginning of August and plan to help Dad build a fence in the front of the property. I am also cleaning out the loads of crap collected through the years of moving. It's taking a lot longer than I had planned, since I have to go through the stuff and decide if the item is recyclable, garbage, garage sale, or a keeper item. I have many rooms to go through, so I have now given myself a couple of weeks to go through the house. Ang and I are having a garage sale Saturday, Sept 6th at my place (8045 Old Kamloops Road) from 8:00am until 4:00pm. Shameless Plug!

My neighbour had a Stanley Cup party for Chris Osgood a couple of weeks ago. Here are some pictures of that night. The event was catered by Richardo's...Richardo was actually there. Very nice guy.

Chris Osgood and I with the Stanley Cup

Dad and Chris with the Cup

Cam, Dave & I
(Cam & Dave crashed the Stanley Cup party with my help)

Brent Gilchrist's Stanley Cup Ring and I
(Soooo many diamonds and rubys)

I also went to a wedding in Vancouver. The wedding was designed around the celebration of light since Randy and Pam met four years ago at the fireworks. Here are a couple pictures...

My friend Sarah and I at the wedding of our highschool friend

This picture shows the people in English Bay waiting for the fireworks to start.

Sam - Your summer sounds busy. I wish I could have seen you while you were at the family cabin. I was working a crazy week and then headed to Sugar Lake for a night of camping.

Does anyone know how Kristen's 'bun in the oven' is going?

Everyone else, enjoy the rest of the summer...I know I will. I would love to see the family; I'm pretty much open for anything at anytime.
- Sammi

Poor Baby

Roman has to get surgery. I can't believe it; hasn't my poor baby been through enough? I have to meet with a surgeon soon and then he will have hernia surgery. My poor baby.

Yawning with my cousin Krista
This is what Roman looks like next to other babies his age. Way bigger but way thinner. Other mamas are amazed by his giant hands too.
I love that squishy little baby face.
A family gathering a few weeks ago
This is the beach right next door. I'm going to miss this place. I haven't told you about Matt's new job yet becuase it's only like 95% for sure and I don't want to look like an a-hole by saying "we're moving, we're moving" and then we don't. It's taken a rediculously long time, but it will be finalized for sure next Thursday.

Hello Everyone

Brunch sounds great, wish I could be there but I will be in Kamloops for the weekend. I will try to make it to the next one.
Take care, hope to see everyone soon.

Brunch

Let's do Turtle Bay at 10:00 out on the patio; I think Angelina would like it out there. Lindsay said she'll be out of town.

This sat.

Hey Keira..

We still up for brunch this sat?? have you decided where and when you want to get together?? k well just let me know.... Lindsay wants to come too... Sammi is off to the coast this weekend. :( Have you taken Angelina to the turtle bay yet to see if she is okay with it? the food there is so good.... We are up for anywhere you want to go though and that is easy for the kids.... if you are going out to the cabin that day...( I saw Sam was coming up) then we could always meet in Vernon too. Just let me know...
Can't wait to see you guys!

Coming up to the Okanagan!!

Hey Key - wow sounds like the kids are doing absolutely awesome!! So happy for you.

To All:
Lee and I are coming up to Vernon/Kelowna and if possible would like to see you guys!! We arrive at the Keough family cabin (vernon) early Saturday morning (July 26) and leave be leaving a week later on Sunday Aug 3 morning. We'll be in Kelowna for day not exactly sure when, will be in Vernon on Aug 2 for a family thing etc etc. Hope to see all or some of you!!

Other than that just busy working and enjoying this awesome summer weather! Rainy Vancouver is far from rainy lately, I love it!! Went to playland yesterday for a work event so much fun! I even went on the old rollercoaster which I hate, but it wasn't as bad as I remember plus if I went on the coaster, Lee would go on a ride he hates, called Hells Gate. So in the end it all worked out.
Lee and I are going to Mexico for my birthday, going to a town called Puerto Morelos it's abut 20 minutes from Cancun at the beginning of the Mayan Riveria. We're very excited!! It'll be lee's first time to Mexico and it'll my first time to this part. We're going for 7 days and will spend 5 of those relaxing at the resort, 1 day in the village shopping and observing and 1 day on a 2.5 tour of the Mayn ruins. We're going to the Chichen Itza ruins and can't wait we're both very interested in the history and artifacts.

Anywho I should get offline we're going to attempt to see Batman, The Dark Knight tonight...wish us luck that it's not all sold out!!

Baby Stuff

Roman started crawling on the weekend. Now he travels all around, climbing up on stuff and finding all kinds of shit to put in his mouth... he's such a boy!

He is very perceptive. He likes to feel everything and see everything. I have to take him into a quiet dark room to feed him because otherwise he is too distracted to eat!

Angelina is reading actual books now, so I took her to the library and got her a stack of those grade one readers. Stuff like, "Dad says it is bedtime. Goodnight little cow, it's time to sleep." She motors through those things all on her own. At first it was so weird, but now I'm pretty used to it.

She has started acting more like me and even saying the same phrases. One thing she says all the time is 'oh my goodness', only what she really says is "oh my gooeys!"

Oh my gooeys, all of these pictures are from back in June.

Yay, braids!

Roman found a blue marker on the ground

Ready for the pool

My little summer beauty

Outside with their friend Issac

Coolio

Thanks Dave. What a great picture of you and Jeffrey! My legs are always covered in bruises from wrestling around with the babies anyway, so a few scratches fit right in. Hey, did we leave Mr Shark at your house?

Angelina is naming all of her dolls and toys now. Some of them are pretty funny, like Perpetua and Mr. Tickles. She also pretends she is different animals. Also she is so funny! She likes to walk all funny and say, "are you walking funny?" It's funnier than it sounds, I think.

Roman with Bill and her boyfriend Joe.

I was trying to get them to practice sitting together so I can go and get their picture taken.

I love this one!

This was in her prize bag at Kal Tire Family Day at Predator Ridge. We had lots of fun there. Angelina even fed the goats all on her own. One bit her and she didn't get upset; she just said, "why?"

Angelina can do a whole puzzle. When she got this one for her birthday, I said, "look, Angelina, it's a puzzle with a little girl on it", and Angelina said "Mommy, she's called Dora!" She has never seen the show, but we see Dora stuff all the time.

Yay!

Sounds good... I think we should book it in.... does the 19th still sound good? Brunch is always nice. Is 11 am good for you? I will let Sammi know too.

Great to see you guys!

Jeffery says he's sorry for scratching your legs. He was just so excited to meet you!

Sunday

Wow, the kids are doing so much stuff. Angelina can now really read. She reads whole sentences whether they are typed or written. It's amazing. She also can do a whole kid-size puzzle by herself and talks more like a little grown-up than ever, with words like "probably" and "actually".

The other side of her genious is extreme sensitivity. A traumatic event involving her aunty made her afraid of babies for awhile. We've been working on it, and yesterday Angelina finally had a blast the whole time at baby group. I am so proud of her! Raising a gifted child is hard, but extra rewarding.

Ang, the first weekend in July we are busy, and you're busy on the 12th, but the following three weekends are free. We could do brunch again or go swimming in the pool or lake.

The babies' room is almost done, so I'll have pictures of that soon. I also have news about Matt's job but I'll have to get back to that. Here are the last of our vacation pictures.

Playing with Daddy's Father's Day presents

Roman and the giraffes

I didn't post this one before but so many people like it that now I will.

Oops

So sorry Keira... I missed that post about getting together havn't been online too much been so busy... how does your first weekend in July look?? As of July I have every Fri night, Sat, Sat night off... we should do something... let me know what works... I will check on here :) I have a wedding to do the weekend of the 12th though.

Lovin the pics of the kids... do you have the new room set up yet??