For more frequent updates on what's going on in our lives, visit our twitter pages. Alicia's can be found here. Mine can be found here. |
posted Jul 3, 2010 10:23 AM by Jim Kirk
I've really enjoyed my vacation over the last couple of weeks... it was a long time coming. What did we do?
Myself, Alicia and the kids had a great trip to the East Coast (Nova Scotia) to spend some time with my family in beautiful, relaxing Port Bickerton. It was great for my kids to get to spend lots of time with not only their grandparents but their great-grandparents! I think Nana, Papa, Nanny & Bampy loved having the kids around. :)
In addition to spending time with the family, we did take a couple of days in Halifax to see the sites. We spent a lot of time driving around, getting reacquainted with the area. We ended up spending most of our time in Bedford shopping and playing with the kids. It's beautiful over there... it seems very similar to where we live now - quaint. While in Bedford we also found some time to connect with my Aunt Velma for a few minutes at the mall. It was nice to quickly catch up with her!
In terms of drama from the vacation, the only thing I can point to would be that I did get a chip in the windshield of our rental van. The moment the Nova Scotia Power truck threw the rock that hit the windshield, my mind flashed back to the moment when the gentlemen at Budget offered me the no fault insurance and I said no... Hindsight is 20/20, I guess. I still don't think anyone in their right mind would pay 26 dollars a day for that insurance... especially on an 8-day rental. Crazy. I ended up getting the crack filled at Admiral Auto Glass in Antigonish and the ladies who received the vehicle seemed happy with that... although I'm still expecting to see a $200-300 charge hit my VISA in the next couple of weeks for a full window replacement. C'est la vie.
We did take a lot of pictures while on vacation and they are available here in our image gallery... although you'll need to have access to view them... which essentially limits the viewers to family. If you're a friend or family member who doesn't have access to our full gallery, just e-mail me and I'll sort it out.
Back to work on Monday!
Cheers. |
posted Jun 20, 2010 6:02 PM by Jim Kirk
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updated Jun 20, 2010 6:19 PM
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I thought I'd take a moment to post on my newly acquired iPad. What do I think thus far? It's quite a device with a tremendous amount of potential.
if you want something thin and light for surfing the web, writing personal e-mail, viewing video, etc... It's now the way to go. The browsing experience is incredible! I get what apple was saying when they said using the iPad was like "holding the Internet in your hands".
It's also an awesome platform for kids. We've already found several educational apps that Drew loves. The touch based user interface makes it incredibly easy for a young child to interact with. Much more natural than a keyboard and mouse. The downside? Grimey kid fingerprints! :)
I look forward to sharing more after a month of using the iPad. After the honeymoon period is over. I may even try to see how I could incorporate it into a more productive setting like work... Maybe. :)
Standby for more... |
posted May 25, 2010 6:43 PM by Jim Kirk
Okay I was going to post a big long update tonight, as I anticipated having allllll kinds of time before bedtime. But of course my housework, fussy babies, a couple phone calls, etc got in the way and now I'm exhausted. But I'll try to get a couple tidbits in before I pass out...
Kids are good. Drew continues to learn at least 2-3 new words every day (today he surprised me with "tiger" and "horsey")..he's just a riot. He really loves Bob the Builder and Mighty Machines. He also loves to watch birds outside...alllllll day I hear "hi birdy...bye birdy...hi birdy...bye birdy"...very cute! He seems to have a bit of a cold maybe later..he does have his first 2nd molar coming up, but the past week he's been a little feverish, sniffly, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, miserable. Thought we were over the circle of infection for this year..but guess not!
Emma is about the same. Growing up quickly though! She's getting a couple more teeth (and not handling it well..ugh today was a day..) and is very nearly crawling! She has the hand movement down, just can't get her legs to cooperate yet. Soon!!! She's very determined, I think it really frustrates her that she can't move like Drew does. My hope is that when she's mobile, her temperament will improve. We'll see! She's got a darling smile. I want to see more of it, less screaming. The girl is SOOOO loud...it's remarkable. Even when she's making happy sounds, she's just earth-shatteringly loud. She seems to be very impressed by it too, likes the sound of her own voice. This does not bode well for the teenage years! Oh well. She also is very fluent with "mama"...she says it clear, often, and knows what it means! Cute :-)
We're finally taking a much needed vacation. At the end of June we're going to head out east to Nova Scotia. Spend a couple days in Halifax with the kiddies before we scamper off to the secluded beach village to hang out with Jim's family for a week. It'll be nice to get away...but all the things I have to think about to travel with the kids...wow! I think it'll be interesting..haha..and really I think we won't come home feeling very rested...I have no illusions about traveling with two babies! BUT we cannot wait to see family a just get away for a bit! Yay!!
In other news, today is the 3 year mark of my Mom's passing. It's hard to believe. But somewhere along the line it has gone from feeling like it was just yesterday to feeling like an eternity ago. I think it happened (for me) around the time Emma was born and my life just got thrown topsy turvy. Last year on this day I was still very emotional. Today I was more just...mellow. Thought about her a lot, and of course the sadness is still there. But it's not as fresh feeling, I guess. Time marches on...but she's always on my mind, I know she's always with me, and I so wish my children could have known her. I have to say that Emma often reminds me of her, I don't know what it is. There's a certain look or mannerism that makes me think of Mom, I can't quite pinpoint it...it's funny, and great! I hope it never goes away.
Anyhow, time for this mama to get some rest! Emma will be up bright and early at the crack of 5:45am like clockwork...ugh! Cruel, right?! Night night now! |
posted May 8, 2010 10:40 AM by Jim Kirk
I thought I'd take a moment to post *something* up on the blog given that it's been awhile for me... slightly over a month in fact.
So what's new? The kids continue to grow very very quickly. Drew is babbling constantly now... stringing words together. It's a really fun time with him. Just last night I came home and Alicia had taught him to count all the way to 10! Unbelievable. This morning he and I went out together to run a few errands... zipped into St. Catharines to get the tires changed on my car. We stopped for some Breakfast at McDonald's and even went out to buy Mommy some flowers. It was nice. He's very easy that way... might have to become a Saturday morning tradition!
Emma is still Emma. She's definitely growing up but she's still a challenge. Now she's teething hardcore and she's not dealing with it very well. Lots of baby tylenol and anbesol. Emma does love her big brother an awful lot, though. He regularly makes her giggle and laugh like crazy. She just watches him constantly and when he plops down beside her, she's always reaching for him and grabbing him. It's cute.
On the work front, it's still rather crazy. I'm still doing two jobs right now but it does look like that won't go on for much longer. My boss is working on it and we hope to have me back to my 'day job' at some point in the next couple of months.
On the technology front, I really want an iPad... but I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon. It might benefit me to be more patient than usual... maybe the second generation will come out with the integrated webcam I'm pining for! We shall see.
Take care everyone. |
posted Apr 13, 2010 10:01 AM by Alicia Kirk
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updated Apr 13, 2010 11:37 AM
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Time for another update! Where to begin.... as you know we've been dealing with a vicious few months of musical infections. Drew has been sick seemingly nonstop since starting daycare (no big shock). More recently he has dealt with pink eye and strep throat. I thought he was turning around when I got a call from daycare today saying he was crying all morning, nose leaking like mad, coughing sneezing. Might have to go pick him up early. Emma caught his pink eye last week but is doing better. She FINALLY cut two little teeth on the bottom. All that work finally paid off! I thought I had a sinus infection as I've had a crushing headache for a few days and my nose hasn't stopped running since February, but I think it ran its course. I still have a wicked cough (along with Drew) that I just can't shake. Hopefully soon. Even Jim had a bout with the flu a couple weeks ago. We're exhausted!
HOWEVER.....the past couple weeks Emma has slept through the night (even with the traveling we've done!) so that's awesome. The days are easier to get through, even sick, when you're well rested. Her mood has really improved in the past week or so...we're seeing some great changes. Maybe she's finally finally turning a corner! She giggles and smiles a lot more now. We're enjoying that a lot. Seeing her and Drew play together is so great, too. He likes to hug and kiss her, tickle her, and steal toys from her! It's a riot.
Anyhow it seems like Em has finally settled into a routine (one nap in the morning, shorter one in the afternoon) and is sleeping so much more consistently. She's eating like a pig lately too so that helps. She is awake a lot more than Drew was at this age, so keeping her busy is a challenge. Looking forward to more warm sunny weather, it helps when we can go outside and play! She's a busy girl, and strong. She can stand up on her own (not great at balance yet!) and you can just tell she wants to crawl like crazy. I think she will progress in these areas quicker than Drew did. We'll see if I'm right!
Drew continues to amaze us each and every day. You can now say almost any word to him and he'll try to say it...he's so bright! I must list his recent achievements... -Big vocabulary...at least two dozen words. Learning one or two new ones every day. My favorite recent additions are "please" "more" "yes" "no no no!" "love" "Grandpa" "bye" "baby"...there are so many more! -Continues to learn more animal sounds..his newest one is "baaaaa!" for a sheep -Knows almost half the alphabet, and is starting on numbers....he knows "2"...every number he sees is "tewww" but yesterday he caught on to "3" a bit.."frweee"...so cute -Is just starting to string words together...so awesome! Can say "apple juice" quite clearly -So affectionate still...loves hugs and kisses. He always kisses us goodnight (Emma too!) and blows kisses as well. -He's getting more independent....will try to refuse to hold our hand if we're out on the street for a walk, runs away screaming from diaper changes, etc...such a little 'tude! -On that note, he seems to be showing signs of potty training readiness. I'm really surprised, I think it's quite early for a little boy. He now comes to us holding himself when he poops and sometimes when he pees, he understands what it means to go potty, he can sit on it, he can pull down his pants, and he doesn't like to walk around with a dirty diaper for long anymore. Maybe we'll give it a shot this weekend and see how he reacts. Getting one kid out of diapers would rock!!!!!
That's about it anyhow. Nothing much new with Jim and I. He's busy at the office, as always. Life at home is crazy but fun. I am finding that I have a strong urge to get a job. I don't know if it's because I feel cooped up from the winter, or if I just want us to be more comfortable financially, or a combination of those things, or what! I'm enjoying the kids like crazy, and I think going back to work would be really hard. Who knows. I think I do really miss just being around adults (I'm a people person, what can I say)...talking to two babies all day can be kind of mind-numbing. But that's just part of the job! We'll see where the wind blows me..
Time to fold laundry, clean the kitchen, etc etc! Watch for more videos. I took a cute one today of Emma in the bathtub, soaking the entire room with her splashes. |
posted Apr 4, 2010 6:17 AM by Jim Kirk
Here's a quick video of Andrew and I playing in the back yard. Unseasonably warm weather this weekend!
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posted Apr 3, 2010 6:36 PM by Jim Kirk
Unless you hid under a rock today and didn't turn on either your TV, computer or radio you probably know that today was the day Apple's new tablet computer, the iPad was released in the United States. Needless to say, lots of fanfare.
Here's a video review of the iPad from PC Magazine:
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posted Mar 21, 2010 6:44 AM by Jim Kirk
Drew's at that stage where he's learning multiple words per day. It's really fun! He'll even take a shot at anything you ask him to say... occasionally the results can be pretty comical. Here's a video Alicia shot this morning that has him running the parental gauntlet of 20 questions.
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posted Mar 3, 2010 7:17 AM by Alicia Kirk
I don't do this enough. Just stop and think about all the interesting things both the kiddos are doing. I think with Emma, since we've been through all of the "milestones" so recently with Drew the little things kind of go forgotten. Which is too bad, because for her they are a big deal! So here's what they're up to....
Emma: -Almost sitting up...can sit up for a few seconds, reach for toys, look around, then kind of topple over. -Loves to bounce in the jumperoo...especially if Drew is standing nearby pointing to things and interacting. -Was sleeping through the night for a while, but then when she got sick (lung infection from the mega-cold Drew gave her) she seemed to reset a little and we're now getting up 1-2 times every night again. Yawn. -Found her feet and toes and loves to play with them! -Is very busy...Emma needs constant stimulation...I have to move her from one thing to the next constantly and give her my full attention. She is starting to get bored with "baby" toys and now enjoys looking at some of Drews toys, ones with lights and sounds. -Eats wonderfully! She has fruits, veggies, and cereal every day. Will soon start in on some meats. She's a little hoover! -Challenges me every day...sometimes that's good, sometimes bad. She's so much more demanding than Drew was, which in of itself is not a bad thing but it's a constant battle for my attention around here. She is making me a better mom...teaching me to have more patience...etc. -She still cries a lot...has big time separation anxiety for me too. It's weird too because I think I hold her less and give her less attention than I did Drew (because obviously someone else needs my attention too!) so I'm just surprised that she's SO attached to me. -Is absolutely adorable. Love to listen to her babble and squeal, and laugh at Drew.
Drew: -This kid is such a sponge now. He learns a new word every day...some of the fun new words are "apple" and "happy"...he knows many animal sounds, can point to parts of his body, and recognizes some letters and their sounds, particularly "m." -Is LOVING daycare. He goes two days a week. Now he's excited to get dropped off, and cries when it's time to leave! I love the way he is learning to play with other kids...it'll be great for his interaction with Emma. The girls there just love him, and always tell me how fun and adorable he is. -He loves animals. I'm super excited about taking him to the zoo this summer..it'll blow his mind! -Have I ever mentioned how great he sleeps? I'll probably jinx it. He's awesome though. Never any fights at naptime or bedtime, and he always sleeps great. Love it. -He's cuddley now, and knows how to give hugs and kisses. When he gives a kiss, he says "bwah"...adorable! -He can be tough on his little sister, and she actually doesn't seem to mind. She usually just squeals and giggles when he's crawling all over her or is in her face. He can also be super sweet...he brings her toys, blankies, and pats her when she's crying. -Likes to blow spit bubbles. I'd like to figure out how to make him stop! -Eats primarily with a fork now, not his hands. He's really growing up! Definitely a more picky eater now than when he first started with solids and finger foods, though. Some days he'll eat very little, and other days he's just a little hoover! He's healthy and strong though! Loves his veggies.
Our kids are so different from each other. It will be fun to watch them grow together, bump heads (Drew is tough, but Emma is stubborn and seems to have a temper), and be best buddies. What an adventure! |
posted Feb 26, 2010 10:23 AM by Jim Kirk
It's Friday and I'm not at work. Niceeeee.
Alicia's pal Amy flew in today from the D.C. area for the weekend, so I was asked to stay home to take care of the kids while Alicia drove to the airport to pick her up (in Buffalo). The kids actually behaved pretty well for their old man this morning... no real fits. Emma was great - she even took a nap for an hour!
Now I'm just sitting relaxing while they're both sleeping... I don't get to just sit and enjoy my beautiful 24" Apple iMac very often... it goes great with a cup of coffee!
Cheers. |
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