Yates-Laberge Family Site

Everyone ALWAYS give me crap about being TOO over protective with the boys. I never want them to see violence, shooting, horrible fits of anger…etc… I GET CRAP ALL THE TIME!!
This weekend while at a Yard Sale, Claire finds “Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark”….rated PG. I was hesitant about it, but, I remember seeing it in 8th gradish…and do not remember being scarred from it…so, I let them watch it. They watched it 4 times since Saturday!!! That is essentially ALL they have watched!

SOOO…today, Adam comes screaming and crying….holding the back of his head……AND TELLS ME!!!!!!!!!!! ANDREW WAS PLAYING INDIANA JONES AND THREW WOOD AT MY HEAD!! A HUGE BLOCK OF SOLID WOOD!!! They were his “stones”!!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING!!!???

Call me overprotective……..but, these boys are in some SERIOUS media lock down! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING???

FREAKING INDIANA JONES!!

Mother’s day is a pretty big deal to our family. We chose to be moms…went across the world to find our babies….and now we celebrate the holiday together.

The gift that Andrew gave us today was very touching for me. He wrote in his little first grade handwriting little reasons that he loved us. They put them in a decorated tin and included two “gems”.  Given his lack of love for writing,….I knew it was a true labor of love.

Adam has been studying flowers and they made a window that looks out to a flower garden….and it was himself represented as a flower….it is REALLY REALLY cute.

I can only imagine the pressure that teachers feel to come up with the perfect Mother’s day gift…..this year was a homerun x 2! Pretty neat ….

Andrew has a baseball game today!! WHO SCHEDULES GAMES ON MOTHER’S DAY????? ANYWAY…..we will go out and sit there from 12:15-2:15 with a smile on our faces!! Imagine the wonderful lunch that we could be enjoying….the perfectly prepared gourmet occasion…..oh yeah…we don’t know how to cook!! We will probably BBQ and have hamburgers!

Yesterday was a PERFECT yard sale day and we got a lot of great stuff that we really NEEDED. Awesome AWESOME yard sale day!

I am off to celebrate further by cleaning!

Anne

My little Andrew hit a TRIPLE today! and would have had a in the park HOME RUN if they would have allowed it…A TRIPLE!! I almost FLIPPED OUT!!! He SLAMMED THE BALL! SLAMMED IT! I just stood there with a smile in my heart as my little one ran to first…then second….then third….and then HOME…I WAS FLIPPING FLIPPING OUT…then they sent him back to 3rd…but, it was OK…he has come SO SO SO SO FAR. It was just AWESOME!

Andrew has ALWAYS wanted to be a catcher and today…first inning…first game….opening day…he was chosen to be the catcher!! HE was beyond excited in his little mask, shin guards, and little chest protector!! He could BARELY move, but, my GOD…it was so precious!!!

Adam put his little Tball uniform on for team photos and is just ITCHING to get out and play! He has his first game next Tuesday and he is PUMPED up for it! I can’t wait to see it either!!

I love my little boys in uniform….they are just so proud…..so free….and doing what the LOVE!

You will NOT guess what we got on the way home from baseball!! We stopped at a yard sale (surprise!!) and they each got HOCKEY STICKS!!! The man actually sawed the handles down to their size and retaped them !! It was so so so CUTE to see them so excited about REALLY old and worn out sticks.. They play with a tennis ball here in the summer…so, he got them each a tennis ball and gave it to them. IT WAS AN AWESOME DAY!

Anne

Seriously…the SUN came out today!! NO KIDDING!! It has been snowing for a WEEK….every SINGLE day….SNOW…and then today……..NO SNOW…and the SUN!! It was GLORIOUS! So, we took FULL advantage of the day….NOT!!! We TRIED to go and finish up helping move Claire’s friend from work. But, we could not FIND them…..and when you move….you unplug PHONES…..and she does not have a CELL PHONE yet…..so, needless to say…..after not finding the people we were supposed to be helping…..and missing out on prime yard sale times….I WAS NOT IN A PRETTY MOOD! Seriously, there are only 4 hours during an ENTIRE week that really are great for yard sales! 9-1pm on Saturday!! JUST 4 hours that I really want NOTHING else planned….and I want to be able to do what I like to do….not a big request I think! There are 168 hours in a single week. I only REALLY request 2% of the overall hours in  an ENTIRE week to have dedicated to WHAT I WANT TO DO!!! ….and it did NOT happen! UGGGGG …ok, a little dramatic…but, I wanted to go yard sailing on a beautiful day! ….ok, enough whining….I got it all out

Andrew complained of an ear ache last night and again this morning. We don’t have a pediatrician here yet…..and I needed to get the best idea for a Saturday medical visit in the area….so, I did the best thing….drove through a parking lot and saw a dad putting a baby in a van….stopped and asked him what to…and where to take a kid with an earache on a weekend…. It worked….he told us ..he knew right away. So, we go over to the little clinic and they take us in. 

 They tell us that Andrew has basically a COLD….1.5 hours of waiting and waiting…for a COLD….I do NOT think it is a COLD but whatever…we will see….what DID happen was that Andrew got weighed….he has lost 3 lbs!!! 3 pounds is almost 10% of his total body weight! He is down to 39 lbs!! My heart dropped! One thing that is happening is that he can not have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. There is a child in his room with peanut allergies so the kids are not allowed to bring in peanut butter …anything….for lunch or snack. Andrew LIVES on Peanut butter…no kidding….it is pretty much WHAT he will eat HAPPILY and we have FINALLY gotten him up to a bold 42 lbs with it!! So, what the HELL DO I DO????? I am going to talk to the school on Monday and see what can happen….because he won’t TOUCH almond butter ($9.00 a jar !!!) and most of the little “bars” with any high fat content are peanut butter based. Now, on TOP of already losing weight, he is sick…..we are NOT in a good place with him.

IF ANYONE KNOWS HIGH FAT CONTENT ITEMS THAT CAN BE PUT IN LUNCHES…PLEASE CALL ME AND LET ME KNOW! We need fat and calories…ASAP 403 217 9272.  IF you don’t have Canada calling, call me and I will call you right back. Remember we are two hours behind you …5pm Calgary = 7pm New Hampshire. We are up until 10pm or so.

Something is wrong with our Wii. It is really making a loud noise when we put in the games…just spins loudly. I was SO happy to find out  today that since I registered it online when I got it, I was given an extra year of warranty on top of the regular 90 days. BUT, my warranty ran out 22 days ago!! What are the CHANCES!! But, good news…they gave me a tiny extension since I called so close to the expiration date. I have to send it in and they will probably just give us a new one. I am SURE that all the travel and moving around did not help at all. Nonetheless, it is good news.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. We have NOTHING PLANNED! ZERO….NOTHING…. just family time. That makes me feel so GOOD! Canada has really made me understand how much family time is worth….

No more adoption questions for today! Thank you all for your opinions and for thinking that I did the “right” thing…..

Later gators

Anne

Today was our first Saturday in our new home. ..and simply a dream…

Before we moved here we sat down and wrote down all the things that were important to us. We created a plan for the type of neighborhood, size of our house, distance to schools, vicinity to parks, etc. One thing that you can never plan for is your neighbors…the people…you simply have no control. Today we were given a gift. We were welcomed with full, open, and genuine arms. The neighborhood we chose is an older one…on purpose. We don’t want to live in the new “planned” areas that remind me of Pleasantville. We want to live where people have been for a while….where they love….and would NEVER consider leaving. That is what we have found. We are the newest on the block and there are not many that come and go…they come and stay…and there is a reason……it feels like home.

The woman across the street, who’s husband we met the other day, saw me outside on Friday morning and made a point to smile and wave. I was running barefooted, braless, and hurried…..to get Andrew’s boots out of our van in a 5 minutes-until-the-bell sprint. She seemed to understand, not judge….and just smile. It felt good.

Today we woke up and I insisted that we head out to yard sales. I am a yard sale freak…..and we need furniture….and well, I just wanted to do something that I really love. We were SOOOO unsuccessful! We could not find 1/2 of them….and those we did were just ODD. I was later told it was WAY too early for yard sales…but, nonetheless…we went.

We came home to be greeted in our driveway as we got out by the same neighbor and her daughter. They came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. They stayed and talked with us for almost 2 HOURS! When they saw another neighbor driving, walking, or within yelling distance…they called them over to introduce us. By noon we knew almost everyone on the street!!

This street has some SERIOUS gardeners!! They LOVE their flower beds and all belong to the Calgary horiculture league. I really love flowers and would LOVE to know more about how to mix colors, varieties, and shapes. So as we talked, I watched my children ride their little bikes up and down the street, around the block, and meet a few children. Before I knew it, they were fully engaged in a a HOCKEY GAME!! Andrew had a stick in hand and was working with a tennis ball! A boy in FULL gear was in the goal and a 10 year old boy was showing Andrew what to do….it was sort of surreal….It was everything that I hoped for….everything that I wished for….and right in front of my eyes…..it was coming true.

I was invited to the Calgary horticulture show on Friday night. They are all older women and have kids in high school or above….so, it is a little weird….but, you know what….life is not always a straight road. I hope to learn the grace that I was shown today. The kindness of making sure that we were “ok” and the ability to give time for no other reason than being a good neighbor. I think I am really going to love living in a real neighborhood.

I signed the boys up for soccer today. You won’t BELIEVE where they play!!! IN OUR BACK YARD!!!!!!! The kids walk OUT of our garage and play SOCCER!!! They do it differently here. Adam will play on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:15 – 7:15 and Andrew on Tuesday and Thursday nights. So, our weeks are FULL I guess But, let me tell you what…..them playing in the back yard is the coolest thing I have EVER hear of!!

I took Claire’s car for a really good wash today and found a smooshed bumper and 2 really deep scratches. The side of my van has a ton of scratchs too. The bumper also needs to be replaced becasue it is really messed up from another car’s license plate rubbing into it on the truck. Yipee…fun for me! NOT !

Claire went on a long bike ride with Andrew today and they got ALL muddy! Andrew is Mr. Bike here. He has so much freedom because of the sidewalks and lack of traffic. He is in 100% HEAVEN! He is such a social butterfly! Today there was a team practicing in the field behind our house. They had to SPRINT up the hill….it was HARD! The high school boys were having a HARD time! Andrew went out there and did it WITH THEM! It was a RIOT! I was automatically my Mrs. “come back here and stop bothering them”…and one of the neighbors told me that the coach is used to kids being out there…he just watched Andrew and smiled at us. I love that he has the confidence to do such things!

The house/stuff is really shaping up. I think we should be sort of “done” in about 2 weeks. I am not really killing myself to get it finished, just sort of poking at it here and there. But, overall…I am happy with it’s progress.

We have one problem…..a big one……they do not sell Co Co Krispies in Calgary. Seriously, it is a PROBLEM. That is my very favorite cereal! How could they not sell such a important item!

Oh, before I forget….I could not find photos of everyone….and Claire told me to stop obcessing….so, if your photo was not in the group PLEASE PLEASE do not think we are jerks! We simply could not find a photo.

Well, I felt like writing a bit tonight…..and boy did I !!

I can not find the battery to my camera….and it has now been a WEEK! Tomorrow’s quest…FIND THe BATTERY! Not having a camera is WEIRD!

Later gators!
Anne