THE SECRET IS OUT!

And thank GOODNESS for that!  Emily and I have a motto that "secrets don't make friends", but in THIS PARTICULAR CASE, the secret was MAKING A BABY.  It simply had to be kept! Or mostly kept.  Thank you to the FEW individuals who acted as the WORLD'S GREATEST SECRET KEEPERS!!!! 

Baby Parkinson is due to arrive on February 14th, 2013!!!  Yep, VALENTINE'S DAY!  I couldn't believe it when the doctor told me.  You know how much I LOVE that day.  And how much I LOVE "LOVE".  And FRIENDSHIP.  And GLITTER.  AND HEARTS.  AND PINK.  AND SPARKLES.

You get the idea  :)

There's so much to tell all of you and I don't know where to begin.  I think the best starting point is this:

WE ARE SO, SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we get to see this CUTIE.

And I'm about ready to BURST with excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Make that TWO THUMBS UP!

Despite the loss, the girls soccer team played their hearts out today. Especially this gal here - Christine Sinclair! She played with some serious fire in her eyes and it kept us glued to the television for the entire game.  (<------ With soccer, this NEVER happens!)

Way to go, TEAM CANADA!  Your efforts have already inspired many young soccer players across the country!  We'll be cheering you on in the bronze medal match!!!

Family Reunion in MIDHURST!

This was a two-day (and SUPER DUPER!) affair.  Here's the low-down:

DAY ONE:

YUMMY FOOD (mango salsa, broccoli salad, lemon meringue pie, etc.!). Olympic-viewing ("Bolt" is such an appropriate last name for that man!). A "GOOFY" washer horseshoes outfit (wish I had a picture).  Walking through the field.  Cheering on Coco's football skills.  Cousin time and late night chats.  Playing catch.  Catching up.   

DAY TWO:

A sunrise wake-up!  Walk with Dad and Coco.  Breakfast with the fam.  HOORAY FOR FRESH BLUEBERRIES!  And My Little Pony (haha).  More Olympics (of course!).  And then.........................................................an afternoon at HORSESHOE VALLEY RESORT!!!!!!!!!!!!  Shamefully, the latter activity is the only one that I captured on camera!  Here are some SNAPS from today's highlight:

Two of the tree-top trekkers!  They braved weird maneuvers, HEIGHTS, and zip lining through the forest!  WAY TO GO, TEAM!

"Coco the WONDER DOG"!!!!!  Yes, even Coco participated in our Horseshoe Valley adventure!  She appeared to be the star of the show - stealing hearts and making friends with every passerby.

Papa, Dad and I.  We opted for the Segway tour!  They weren't the sleek-looking machines I had pictured, but the big wheels led us to BIG TIME ADVENTURE (haha!) and we had a great time together. 

Family time is the best.  But this visit was ALL TOO SHORT.  Alas, c'est la vie.....

Thank you ALL for an ULTRA-STELLAR time together!
XOXO

Crafts, JUMPING, and MAX-Y, OH MY!

On Saturday morning, we endured the 5 km/hr movement down Hwy 400 to get to the touristy town of Wasaga Beach.  The good news is this: that part of the day (the much dreaded long weekend traffic!) was the only BAD POINT at all :)  We had a fabulous time with our nieces (Bianca and Liberty) and our nephew (wee little Max), as well as with Nan, Pop, Mom, Ange and Lauren. 

What do you think of these Martha-Stewart-like creations?!  Emily gave me a tutorial on how to make them and I'd say they turned out pretty darn SPECTACULAR!  Bianca and Liberty were TRUE EXPERTS at this crafty activity!

Where should I begin?  Mousey, mousey?  Cheesy, cheesy?  Horsey, horsey?  Kitty, kitty?  Crabby, crabby????  Ah- these three were on this trampoline on and off all afternoon - having a sweaty, BUT WONDERFUL, good time!  The sweetest parts were the girls' cries for "Uncle Phil" during his break times.  Haha.  My husband is the BEST.  OH I LOVE HIM! 

Here he is - the man of the afternoon!  Baby MAX!!!!  Talk about the world's HAPPIEST babe.  Ange says good karma gets you good kids.  Good advice - I'll make a memo and tuck that one away!

I should also mention that Nan, Pop and Mom made a delicious (and MASSIVE!) dinner for the crew.  Slider burgers, big burgers, fried onions, garden salad, roasted potatoes, and so on!  We were STUFFED - and then had to find room for some CAKE!!!!!  (Tough life, ya?!).  Haha.

It's hard to believe that the next time we see these kiddo's, Bianca will have a new range of gymnastics moves, Liberty will be finished her first year of school, and Max will be running around like crazy!!!

Ten months does that.

Ah, only a SHORT bit of time left until our Kuwait departure.  Thankfully, we're SOAKING UP time with some V.I.P.'s :)

LOVE YOU, WASAGA CREW!!!
XOXO

The Plan, STAN!

Starting tomorrow morning, we'll be renting a car for a week and heading out to see LOTS & LOTS of FAMILY!  This may mean minimal blog time, so I'll give you the low-down on our whereabouts for your keeping-up pleasure :)

August 4th - Visit in Wasaga Beach with Nan, Mom and the rest of the Gang!  I am excited to make cupcakes with our nieces (and cousin Lauren!) and I hope I get to hold that smiling baby boy Max again :)

August 5th and 6th - Family reunion at Nana and Papa's in Midhurst!  This means NEW TIME with many of them and MORE TIME with Graemey, Dad, Julie, and Megan!!!!  There will also be a treetop-trekking/alternate activities outing at Horseshoe Valley Resort  :)  

August 7th - Tea party with Taylor, Joycie and Mom!  Tayls and Joyce fly in from Newfoundland this day and are sweet enough to meet us for a quick cuppa something before they head home to bed!  Then it's off to Wheatley!!!

August 8th, 9th, 10th - ANOTHER visit with Grandma (minus the trip to Thunder Bay!).  She will be at the Parkinson residence all week and we are thankful to catch her for a round two!  We will also get to see Nicole - who we have yet to see during our time at home!  Can't wait!!!

August 11th - Dad and Julie are coming to Toronto!!! They are taking us to see the hit musical "Backbeat"!  WOO HOOO!!! 

We hope to squeeze in a little (or A LOT) of Olympics time in there too!  Living on replays is just NOT the same ;)

Track and field begins TODAY!  HOORAY!  Other than packing for our week-long excursion, you know where we'll be :)  Well, THAT and I really need a mani/pedi............

Let's Talk About the BEST EVER.....

A TOASTED English muffin - topped with KRAFT (and ONLY KRAFT!) peanut butter.  And not just a little bit of it.  The "best ever" requires for the peanut butter to fill absolutely every nook and cranny of that sucker!

Ah - TO DIE FOR!

ONLY THREE MORE WEEKS to enjoy it!  Shame, shame.

Tunisia Player Asks for Kobe's Autograph

Phil showed this clip to me yesterday. WATCH IT! It's only a few seconds long and it is GUARANTEED to make you SMILE!



Imagine this guy's dream came true AFTER losing to Team U.S.A. in the Olympics! The story gives me goosies!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

*  How embarrassing is it to get a spontaneously massive nose bleed at a Thai restaurant - ruining their beautiful white linens and frightening the people around you?  PRETTY EMBARRASSING.  I found that out a few weeks ago, but "forgot" to share.  The restaurant's washroom was across the room, down a flight of stairs and in a freaky basement.  I tried to get there ASAP and after I had cleaned up, I returned to our table where a giant bag of ice had been left for me.....along with disposable napkins.  WEIRD, yet FUNNY. 

*  We are absolutely OLYMPIC CRAZY in this house!!!  As soon as we wake up each morning, we turn on the television and we plan our day around the events that we MUST see LIVE.  We are SO LUCKY to have the summer off!  Imagine - our life revolves around SPORTS COVERAGE! (P.S.  WAY TO GO TEAM CANADA!!!!)

*  Did Snoop Dogg really change his name to Snoop Lion?  That's strange.

*  Have you ever heard of a frozen yogurt place called "Yogurty's"???  A location just opened in the Beaches and we checked it out last night.  IT'S SO GOOD!!!!!!!!  Kuwait folks - think "Pinkberry" 2.0!  You can choose from amazing flavours (even peanut butter!) and the topping selection is endless.  Captain Crunch cereal?  Lucky Charms?  Cinnamon Toast Crunch?  Mini peanut butter cups?  LARGE peanut butter cups?  Reese's Pieces??!  Ahhhh!  Of course, the only one of us that took FULL ADVANTAGE of the selection was Phillip.  I kept things minimal with strawberry fro-yo and a couple of mini peanut butter cups!

*  Yesterday I set out on a serious mission to get a hair cut.  I think we stopped by FIVE places.  Oddly, two were closed for "unforeseen circumstances", one was closed for "renovations" and the other two said "OPEN" but remained LOCKED SHUT!  Hmmmm......is a higher power telling me to keep these locks long?  Cuz they are truly dying for a trim!!!!

*  Have you seen that new McDonald's commercial?  For some Bistro chicken or something?  Well, it's DARN catchy and every time it comes on, we feel the need to get our groove on.  McDonald's has OFFICIALLY done something "HEALTHY" by encouraging dance via advert! HOORAY!

*  Is it REALLY August?  REALLY?!  WOWZERS!!!!  Summer always seems to fly by faster than any other time of year.  I have to admit though - we DO REALLY MISS Kuwait in some ways.  We miss our apartment.  Our massive bed.  Our Kuwait family.  Phil misses basketball like crazy.  And I'm getting a little anxious to get back into unit planning.  I have some good ideas going on!

Speaking of school, this afternoon we are headed out to a book store (inshallah!) to find myself some storybooks that I intend to use in my lessons this year.  I love the combination of picture books and SCIENCE!!!  The kids seem to too.

Keep working your inner OLYMPIC cheerleader, eh?!  And ENJOY today's coverage!!!!
XOXO 

I'm NOT Being DRAMATIC.

I've been eating lots of onions this summer.  I love them.  Raw.  Fried.  Whatever.  I love them.

Phil.  He hates them.  A LOT.  Especially the smell.  Which I never really understood........until the last 24 hours.

So - I purchased an onion yesterday afternoon.  It APPEARED TO BE normal - the same kind I always get.  A red one.  A delicious-looking one.  A SO-READY for my toasted tomato sandwich one. 

When we got home from the store, I cut it up - eager to eat my summery supper.  Something I've been eating everyday for the past week, at least.  During the preparation process, very rarely do I get NON-STOP tears that stimulate MORE tears because my eyes are burning so badly.  But it happened.  Yesterday.  Odd, but the tears subsided and I enjoyed a delicious sandwich.  I thought nothing more of it. 

A post-dinner walk ensued. 

DUN, DUN, DUN.  

And then we came home from our stroll.  And......

OH MAN, OH MAN!!!!!

You would NOT believe the SMELL OF OUR APARTMENT!!!!!  AHHHHH!!!!  It was the GROSS-EST, SMELLIEST, MOST UNBEARABLE, ONION-SCENTED ABODE you could ever conjure up!  We were both gagging as we searched for the remnants of "THAT ONION".  Phil started flapping the apartment door, turned the fan onto ULTRA-HIGH, and Febreezed over and over until the smell was STINKY ONION + CLEAN LINEN and I had to beg him to stop. 

Gag, gag, gag.

We washed off any dishes that may have had that poisonous juice on it.  I made sure the remainder of the onion had been sealed away and stored safely in the fridge (which it had been).  And Phil took out the compost to dispose of the "skin and bones".

Ah - RELIEF came in 30 minutes.  Finally.  Who cares that the open-door technique led to a buzz of mosquitoes around the room.  We were rid of that NASTY, NASTY smell and life was good again.

TO SLEEP WE GO. (Buzzzz, SWAT, HAHA).

Fast forward to this morning.  I pour myself some cereal.  Open the fridge door to get out the milk.  And.....

BAM!!!!!!!!!!  "THAT ONION" hits again!!!!!!!!!

The gagging returned!  The Febreeze came back out!  The door flung open!  The fan turned to HIGH!  And Phil..........

.....he threw the entire onion in the garbage.  In the OUTSIDE garbage.  For good.  

Phil says, and has ALWAYS SAID, that any vegetable that makes you cry is a clue that they are BAD NEWS.

He rests his case.

 Is this the start of my ONION-LESS life?  Maybe.