Back in the home country
Am currently so jet lagged that I am up at 7am . . . after not being able to sleep until 2:30am last night. Ugh. I blame it on the magpies. I thought Australia was bad but then I didn’t have to sleep in mom and dad’s library in Australia before. Damned avians were out at 4am chirping their lungs/air sacs out and I just about lost it on the magpie who insisted on sitting in the tree right outside the window and going “Graaaa GRAAA GRAAAAAAAAAAAAA” over and over again until I got up and went to the window and shook an angry fist at it. Then I was so worked up I couldn’t go back to bed. Freakin animals.
And so, you’ll be wondering why I am sleeping in the library. Well, I’ll tell you.
My dear aunt Sharon and uncle Howard and their lovely children plus our bratty nephew are here for a visit. The wee kiddykins have occupied my usual digs and as a result, I have been banished to the cold comforts of the bibliotheque.
Tis a sad welcome back from across the international date line, but at least it’s home. To be fair, my aunt's family were in Deadmonton all week long and I got to sleep in my room all week until last night. We went up to Deadmonton on Thursday to go to WEM with the “little people” and it was fun. I got to mind the kids for THREE HOURS as Karen and all the adults disappeared into cloud cuckoo land, effectively ABANDONING US at the jungle gym in Galaxy land. The jungle gym was wonderful though and by the end of the three hours, I was glad that I’d learned how to cave and climb and scuba dive and kayak and abseil and that I’d gone running a lot with Gabe in Australia. How kids manage to have all that energy, I’ll never know. In short, I thought I was going to die.
We were waiting at that hot air balloon-looking ferris wheel thing in Galaxy land with the kids and Kara and Hana wanted to go to the jungle gym. So since Samuel wanted to go on the ferris wheel instead, we had to convince him to go to the jungle gym with us. So Karen bends down and was like, “Samuel. Do you want to go on the ferris wheel or to the playground?”
He looks up at her all bewildered and then goes, after great deliberation, “But I’m not wearing any socks!” And then he just stood there and looked at us.
I just about peed myself.
The minds of children work in mysterious ways. Allbeit, it was strange cus when we got to the playground, you did, in fact, HAVE to be wearing socks. What are the odds? How did he know that? It was weird.
Hana is also hilarious. She insisted on going on those swings at Galaxy land and so we all lined up, got in our swings and the ride starts going. She’s smiling like the dickens one second and I’m chattin to Karen nine to the dozen, when all of a sudden, I look over and she’s bawling her eyes out. So I spent the rest of the ride going “Don’t worry Hana. It’ll be over soon. Just close your eyes and think of America.”
(haha, actually, I didn’t say that last bit)
But anyways, we get off the ride, she’s crying and saying how scary it was and all that and so we go on a different ride. We went on the kiddy roller coaster and I screamed my lungs out till the ppl behind me were laughing at me. “HANA! OH MY GOODNESS!! AHHHHHHHHHHH! WE’RE GOING DOWN! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
It was highly embarrassing but I think I was justified. That thing is freaky! Hana just laughed at me the little trooper.
So we get off the roller coaster and she turns to all of us and goes “Let’s go on the swings again!”
And Karen and I gawk at her and are like “B-b-but you were crying on them just now. You want to go again?!!”
“Well,” she said in her Hana-ish way, “it’s a different experience every time!”
I think my cheek was bleeding I was trying so hard not to laugh. Oh Hana. Where have you been all my life?
And the wee Kara-kins was hilarious too. Karen got her those funky “heelie” shoes with the wheel in the heel that fat kids like to coast around on. Anyhow, she absolutely loves those shoes but my aunt wouldn’t buy them for her. Anyhow, Karen got them for her and so she’s been wheeling around everywhere on them. She ended up falling this one time and luckily, my aunt’s back was turned so then Karen gives Kara this “Get up, shhhhh, hurry!” signal with her hands. So Kara gets up quickly and my aunt turns around and they were all, “nothing to see here. Nothing just happened. Do-do-do-do-do.” And Kara wheeled around like nothing had just happened.
So Kara was skating around so much on them that at the end of last week, she turns to Karen and was like “My legs kind of hurt right here. I don’t know why.” Karen was highly amused.
For my mom’s birthday, we headed to a Lebanese restaurant beside Eau Claire called “Sahara” the other night. It was fun and yummy. Can you believe that my dad actually enjoyed it? He never enjoys any restaurant we bring him to. Mind you, he did have 3 glasses of wine that night. Sigh. He’s been in such a good mood since Samuel came up that he wasn’t even cranky with his hangover the next day when we headed to Edmonton.
In Edmonton, my aunt organized a surprise b-day party for my mom at my aunt's friend Ray’s house. It was awkward as mom doesn’t really know Ray but him and his wife made the most delicious meal EVER for us. It consisted of roast rack of lamb, some yummy beef/chicken kebab sticks complete with Tropika-esque peanut sauce. Then there was this delicious mango and cilantro salad and this other salad with a spicy home-made vinaigrette. There were these cheese buns that Ray’s Philippino friend had made which were more like cream cheese buns with sugar sprinkled on top. They were little puffs of pure pastry joy.
For dessert, we had a HUGE coffee/chocolate cake that was supremely good. They even decorated it with icing irises for mom. Good grief! That Ray and his wife are the nicest folk in the world. Their sons were really funny too. One of them is in grade 8 and the other one is in grade 5 or something like that. They were surprisingly funny and fun to hang out with and we had burping contests all through dinner at the kiddie’s table. Uncle Howard came over to the kitchen where we all were to get more rice and he was like “I heard all those sound effects coming from you guys!” and gave us a silly smile. Lovely man.
Karen ate so much she was still burping it up by the time we got back to Calgary at midnight. Poor lassie.
So yeah. That was the night.
Kara just came down as she is now awake. I am no longer the only one awake! Yay!
Well, gotta go for now. Our internet’s broken (been broken since I got back. Murphy’s law) so I’ll just save this in word for now. Post it later.
Toodles!
-Vivian the King of the Jungle Gym (QUEEN QUEEN!)
PS: Karen’s hair is growing out and she wanders around the house in a pink robe making her look like Sharon Osborne. I told her that she looks like her, but she denies it. Poor gal.
And so, you’ll be wondering why I am sleeping in the library. Well, I’ll tell you.
My dear aunt Sharon and uncle Howard and their lovely children plus our bratty nephew are here for a visit. The wee kiddykins have occupied my usual digs and as a result, I have been banished to the cold comforts of the bibliotheque.
Tis a sad welcome back from across the international date line, but at least it’s home. To be fair, my aunt's family were in Deadmonton all week long and I got to sleep in my room all week until last night. We went up to Deadmonton on Thursday to go to WEM with the “little people” and it was fun. I got to mind the kids for THREE HOURS as Karen and all the adults disappeared into cloud cuckoo land, effectively ABANDONING US at the jungle gym in Galaxy land. The jungle gym was wonderful though and by the end of the three hours, I was glad that I’d learned how to cave and climb and scuba dive and kayak and abseil and that I’d gone running a lot with Gabe in Australia. How kids manage to have all that energy, I’ll never know. In short, I thought I was going to die.
We were waiting at that hot air balloon-looking ferris wheel thing in Galaxy land with the kids and Kara and Hana wanted to go to the jungle gym. So since Samuel wanted to go on the ferris wheel instead, we had to convince him to go to the jungle gym with us. So Karen bends down and was like, “Samuel. Do you want to go on the ferris wheel or to the playground?”
He looks up at her all bewildered and then goes, after great deliberation, “But I’m not wearing any socks!” And then he just stood there and looked at us.
I just about peed myself.
The minds of children work in mysterious ways. Allbeit, it was strange cus when we got to the playground, you did, in fact, HAVE to be wearing socks. What are the odds? How did he know that? It was weird.
Hana is also hilarious. She insisted on going on those swings at Galaxy land and so we all lined up, got in our swings and the ride starts going. She’s smiling like the dickens one second and I’m chattin to Karen nine to the dozen, when all of a sudden, I look over and she’s bawling her eyes out. So I spent the rest of the ride going “Don’t worry Hana. It’ll be over soon. Just close your eyes and think of America.”
(haha, actually, I didn’t say that last bit)
But anyways, we get off the ride, she’s crying and saying how scary it was and all that and so we go on a different ride. We went on the kiddy roller coaster and I screamed my lungs out till the ppl behind me were laughing at me. “HANA! OH MY GOODNESS!! AHHHHHHHHHHH! WE’RE GOING DOWN! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
It was highly embarrassing but I think I was justified. That thing is freaky! Hana just laughed at me the little trooper.
So we get off the roller coaster and she turns to all of us and goes “Let’s go on the swings again!”
And Karen and I gawk at her and are like “B-b-but you were crying on them just now. You want to go again?!!”
“Well,” she said in her Hana-ish way, “it’s a different experience every time!”
I think my cheek was bleeding I was trying so hard not to laugh. Oh Hana. Where have you been all my life?
And the wee Kara-kins was hilarious too. Karen got her those funky “heelie” shoes with the wheel in the heel that fat kids like to coast around on. Anyhow, she absolutely loves those shoes but my aunt wouldn’t buy them for her. Anyhow, Karen got them for her and so she’s been wheeling around everywhere on them. She ended up falling this one time and luckily, my aunt’s back was turned so then Karen gives Kara this “Get up, shhhhh, hurry!” signal with her hands. So Kara gets up quickly and my aunt turns around and they were all, “nothing to see here. Nothing just happened. Do-do-do-do-do.” And Kara wheeled around like nothing had just happened.
So Kara was skating around so much on them that at the end of last week, she turns to Karen and was like “My legs kind of hurt right here. I don’t know why.” Karen was highly amused.
For my mom’s birthday, we headed to a Lebanese restaurant beside Eau Claire called “Sahara” the other night. It was fun and yummy. Can you believe that my dad actually enjoyed it? He never enjoys any restaurant we bring him to. Mind you, he did have 3 glasses of wine that night. Sigh. He’s been in such a good mood since Samuel came up that he wasn’t even cranky with his hangover the next day when we headed to Edmonton.
In Edmonton, my aunt organized a surprise b-day party for my mom at my aunt's friend Ray’s house. It was awkward as mom doesn’t really know Ray but him and his wife made the most delicious meal EVER for us. It consisted of roast rack of lamb, some yummy beef/chicken kebab sticks complete with Tropika-esque peanut sauce. Then there was this delicious mango and cilantro salad and this other salad with a spicy home-made vinaigrette. There were these cheese buns that Ray’s Philippino friend had made which were more like cream cheese buns with sugar sprinkled on top. They were little puffs of pure pastry joy.
For dessert, we had a HUGE coffee/chocolate cake that was supremely good. They even decorated it with icing irises for mom. Good grief! That Ray and his wife are the nicest folk in the world. Their sons were really funny too. One of them is in grade 8 and the other one is in grade 5 or something like that. They were surprisingly funny and fun to hang out with and we had burping contests all through dinner at the kiddie’s table. Uncle Howard came over to the kitchen where we all were to get more rice and he was like “I heard all those sound effects coming from you guys!” and gave us a silly smile. Lovely man.
Karen ate so much she was still burping it up by the time we got back to Calgary at midnight. Poor lassie.
So yeah. That was the night.
Kara just came down as she is now awake. I am no longer the only one awake! Yay!
Well, gotta go for now. Our internet’s broken (been broken since I got back. Murphy’s law) so I’ll just save this in word for now. Post it later.
Toodles!
-Vivian the King of the Jungle Gym (QUEEN QUEEN!)
PS: Karen’s hair is growing out and she wanders around the house in a pink robe making her look like Sharon Osborne. I told her that she looks like her, but she denies it. Poor gal.
posted by Viv at 1:55 p.m.
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