3 deHoogs and a Lady

I'm Back!

2007-06-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have neglected my blog of late. My time has been taken up with crackbook...oops, I mean Facebook. I have had some cool opportunities at work lately. I was able to create a fantasy makeup for a fashion show and press release for a designer named Ginni Kelly. Here are a couple of pics.

I was then chosen to do a finale for an international model search which was fun and laid back.

Then I was chosen to be a part of the MAC team that did body painting for a big fundraising event at a mansion in Vancouver. It was fantastic. You forget that you are painting a body after a bit. It took us 3 1/2 hours with 3 of us on each body.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2007-04-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

My hair got to a certain length where I made the decision to grow it until I had at least 10 inches to donate to lock of love. This is an organization that makes wigs for underpriveledged children with cancer as well as other diseases that cause them to lose their hair. That day came and the hair is now gone. It was a great experience. I took before and after pictures.

Days of Disney

2007-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for my absence from blogging! Days have seemed very full and at the end of them, I am quite worn out. It seems like just yesterday that we got home from Disneyland. What an amazing time we had! There are so many stories to be told. Beautiful sunshine, short lineups, big smiles and lots of giggles.

The weather was amazing and the longest we stood in any lineup was 15 minutes. Aidan was tall enough to go on every ride except Indiana Jones. It was my first time at California Park. Our favorite things in that park were the Block Party and the Grizzly River Run. Mark and Ethan went on it 5 times. Aidan and I joined in on 2 of those times.

We told the boys that they could each choose a Disney hat. Aidan chose Mickey ears with a Pirate twist and Ethan went all the way with his Jack Sparrow Dreadlocks. At one point we were getting ice cream at an old fashioned parlor. I was getting the ice cream while Mark and the boys looked for a table. When I came around the corner with ice cream in hand, I found out that my boys may be famous in Japan. They were posing with a group of about 8 Japanese teenage girls. Each girl wanted an individual picture with them. What can I say?

The boys were absolute troopers. Never a complaint or a whine. If only we could bottle it and bring the same thing home. The other day Mark was proposing to the boys that they go to a hotel for a weekend, just the boys. Aidan then piped up, "Yah, it's close to Disneyland and we can go again!". Mark corrected him and told him that they wouldn't be at a Disneyland hotel. "And we couldn't go without Mommy. That wouldn't be fun." Aidan stopped for a second to think it through and then added, "Yah, it still would!".

The price I paid

2007-02-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Mark and I found a great deal to Disneyland and so we are taking our boys the first week of March. We are keeping it a surprise. So, in the meantime, we have had some things to do to get ready for the trip. One of those things was to get passports for the boys. Now that they have changed the requirements for going into the states, it is a nightmare. Maybe you have seen the lineups at passport offices in the lower mainland and across Canada. Well, now picture me in that lineup. Yesterday I left the house just after 8 am. Once I got there and found parking, it was almost 9 am. I was in that line for 4 1/2 hours. 4 Hours of which was outside. They only take in 10 people at a time. You really get to know the people in line with you. I stood with a woman in her early 40s and 2 older couples. The one woman and myself decided we would be partners so that if one had to use the restroom or grab a bite and a hot drink, the other would hold the place in line. It worked out good. We all talked and laughed for the full 4 hours. We talked about family, travel, world issues and our travel plans. It made the time go by so much faster. I never did get a chance to read the paperback that remained in my bag, or pull out my umbrella (thank goodness). Don't get me wrong, I will use this huge sacrifice in the future. "I stood in line for almost 5 hours so that we could go to Disneyland you know!". I wish I had taken my camera with me, but you will just have to use your imagination.

Aidan's gift to his sick big brother

2007-01-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

"Here Ethan. I made this for you. Don't puke on it, OK?"

What happens in Bellingham, stays in Bellingham!

2007-01-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest perks of my job are the friends that I have been blessed with. Not only are they some of the most talented people I have ever met, but some of the most beautiful women (inside and out). My friends, Kathleen and Christine, are two such women. It's rare that the three of us get the same day off, so we decided to take a little trek over the border. Our trip consisted of American cereals, the wonderland that is Target, 2 hours in border crossings, and discussions over who has a better mix on their IPods. It also contained laughs, snorts and guffaws!
It was, actually, a great time for new memories, eh!

A Brand New Year

2007-01-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Do you join in the New Year's resolutions? I've been thinking this year that I would write a resolutions/life list for 2007. Here it is:

1. Be more proactive in getting together with friends.

2. Have someone over for dinner at least once every 2 weeks. (That way my house will get really clean at least that often)

3. Find a way to teach the men in my life that the entryway closet is a friendly thing, not to be afraid to open and put in your shoes and coat.

4. Get back to the gym as I got pretty lazy over the holidays.

5. Plan a family trip for 2007

6. Laugh more.

7. Pray more.

8. Read more.

9. Date my husband more often.

10. Get more creative on days Mark and I have off together to have family adventure days.

Hope your next year if full of wonderful memories and interesting life lessons. Salut!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

What a great time of year. Full of anticipation, celebration, wonder and traditions. Usually it is full of family and hustle and bustle of people around the house. Alas, we must be content this year to enjoy just our little family and cook for 4. It doesn't take away from the many traditions that we partake in with our family. On Christmas eve we go to church and then come home and open our Christmas jammies. Then Mark reads the boys the Christmas story and puts them to bed. Aidan had a hard time going to sleep this year. He was too excited!

On Christmas morning, we open our stockings and then tear into the presents. Our breakfast is tradion for us. We have grapefruit halves that are cut and sprikled with sugar the night before and a baked omelette with toast. I feel blessed to have my husband and my boys. They are such joy to me. It makes it easier during the time of year that I miss my mom more than any other time of year. She so loved Christmas! Most of our traditions are passed down from my mom and today we honour you, Mom, as we remember all the Christmases of the past. I love you and miss you, Mom.

Oh Christmas Tree

2006-12-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

It seems as though almost everyone has a fake tree these days. We could never do it. Mark and I would miss the smell and the look. We would all miss going to get it. We go to a U-cut farm in Langley. This was our second year, so now it is our tradition. We went this last saturday, which turned out to be the perfect winter day. Last year our pictures don't look right as we are cutting down the tree with green grass all around us. We would show the boys ones that we liked and they would say yes or no. We finally found the perfect tree, cut it down, and took it back to be measured. Then we sat down by the fire with hot chocolate and candy canes while Mark secured the tree to the top of the van.

The boys were so excited to decorate the tree. All the ornaments were on the lower half of course, and I had to laugh at how they would group some of the decorations. Ethan had a whole section that he called his snowy section with every one of the glittery, silver snow flakes. The work begins after they are in bed and I undecorate and re-decorate the tree. I'm sure that when they are older, they will figure out that I do this, but for now I can make it look just perfect and they are none the wiser.

Winter Wonderland

2006-12-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a little overdue for a new post and so much has been going on around our place this week. The snow fell and it fell and it fell. It meant for some pretty crazy driving conditions here in the Lower Mainland. No one here is prepared or equipped to drive on snowy roads. We were thrilled to see the beautiful snow. Every morning, as soon as the boys were awake, they begged to go out and play in the snow.

Sunday was a fun filled winter day. We played in the snow and Mark helped the boys build a 6 foot snow man. Ok, it was more like Mark built it and the boys would come over and check on his progress now and then. They even begged to destroy him. That's boys for you.

Later that afternoon, we went to Disney on Ice The Incredibles. The boys were thrilled. As we were leaving Aidan looked up at me and said, "wasn't that the most fun ever, Mommy?!". It really was a lot of fun. All in all, the perfect winter day.

I have a new Aidan story. This just happened yesterday. I was trying to get Aidan out of the house so that I could drop him off at Mark's office on my way to my hair appointment. Aidan really wanted to finish watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and was refusing to go. So, I had to physically take him down stairs to put on his coat and boots. He was so upset with me that he stated, "You are the worst mommy ever! I am going to find a new mommy who will let me stay home and watch my show!". When we arrived at Mark's office, I was taking Aidan out of his car seat and said, "Aidan, I love you. Even when you are angry at me.". He looked at me suprized and said, "Always?". To which I answered, "Always and forever!". He flashed me a huge smile and we walked hand in hand to the office. He may be dramatic, but he is a sweet, beautiful boy.

When Did You Know Your Mom's Favorite Things?

2006-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Do you remember how old you were when you realized that your mom had interests beyond cooking for you, cleaning up after you, and running you from school to swimming to your playdate? I don't remember how old I was when I figured out that horses were my mom's passion. I just seems that I always knew. Well, for Aidan that age is 4. Today while on a very emotional time out, through sobs and tears, my little boy yells out, "Mommy, if you don't get me off this time out, I'm going to take away all your clothes!". This is the part where you have to turn from letting your child see you laughing. This is justs a few short months after Aidan, while trying to talk me into giving in to his wishes, stated,"Mommy, if you let me I'll give you money." "For what Aidan?" "To buy more makeup!". Here's to Aidan and his fashion loving mom! Cheers!

2006-11-19T22:28:00.000-08:00

So our family was one of the many in the lower mainland without power after our storm on wednesday. We have many friends whose power was out longer than ours was. 27 Hours seemed like an eternity with 2 small boys. You really have no idea how much you rely on electronics to get just a bit of peace in your day. All I have to say is thank you God for TV, Xbox and DVDs. It wasn't all bad! We did have some fun and I had an evening to just sit and talk to my husband by candlelight and the fire. No TV or computer. It was lovely! I think we should pretend it's out now and then. "OK family! We're having our monthly power outage night." It just can't be on a night when my favorite shows are on, ok?!

What Goes On In Their Little Heads

2006-11-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have to start this with an Aidan story. The other day, my boys were playing a pretend game of pirates. Aidan took a short break to go to the bathroom. While in there, he explained to me that he was being a skeleton pirate. He then said,"Mommy, when I don't want to be Aidan I can just pretend to be someone else, right?" Could Hollywood be in the future? Only time will tell.

Ethan is my little rock star with his long hair. A while ago, he said that he would like to get his hair cut like Daddy. I reminded him that daddy's hair is really short, are you sure? "Well, maybe not THAT short" he responds. So he still has long hair making mommy very happy.

2006-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wonder why God gave me boys. I grew up in a house full of women. A mom and three girls. Mark is the one with all the insight into their little brains. There are days when I am amazed that such small people can be weapons of mass destruction. There is lots of noise and ruckus followed by a thud and then you wait for the cry. Today I was called downstairs to the den and found that Aidan had himself trapped inside a cupboard that has not yet been attatched to the wall by the desk . Ethan has puched so hard on the frosted glass doors that they are now on the opposite side of the little stoppers. With some careful manuevering, I was able to open the doors and save the cupboard... I mean the 4 year old inside. Both boys had been told to leave this piece of furniture alone on more than one occasion, the most recent being about 20 minutes before. They are exhausting and are on high speed until their heads hit the pillow. This is why I have no idea why some parents keep their kids up until 9 or 10 o'clock. It is almost 7:00 now and it is time for my 2 beautiful balls of energy to go to bed and for me to regain my sanity until 7:oo am when we do it all over again.

1 Move and 2 Costumes Later

2006-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

So just 3 short days after we moved into our new townhouse,

Halloween was upon us. Ethan had decided that he would be a knight,

which worked out well since his birthday party just over a week before

and he requested a knight theme party. Aidan on the other hand, had a

more unique request for a costume. He wanted to be a fire chicken.

What, you may ask is a fire chicken? Well, it's part chicken - part

fireman of course! Not a new flavour of spicy chicken sandwich at your

favorite fast food joint.

Now, because of the uniqueness of this request, mommy had to get

creative and make this

costume. My mom would have been very proud of me. Mark sure was

impressed.

It was a beautiful, crisp night as we walked around our neighborhood,

bumping into all our neighbors. It wasn't until the end of our trek that

we came across a house that truely scared our little fire chicken. Poor

little chicken!

Now, I just have to spend more time at the gym working off all the times I dip into their treat bags. Damn chocolate!

Finally a deblog from the deHoogs

2006-11-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

Mark and I finally sat down together and created a blog for our family. So here is where you will see all the highs and lows of the deHoogs. Come see us whenever you can.