We had a great day at the PNE yesterday.  It was crazy hot and I can’t believe we didn’t get heat stroke.  The kids didn’t even get to cranky either..gasp.

For them it was all about the rides.   So as we wove inbetween any shady spots we could find, we took  turns lining up with them on the many little kiddy rides.  Caity was eying the  giant rollercoaster the whole time and was quite bitter that she didn’t get to ride on that.

Adam LOVED this.   We had to pay extra for these rides, but it was worth it.  They were in a nice cool shady part of the park.

When Caity was admiring the Clydesdale’s, one of the workers there offered to bring her over to get a closer look.  I think this made her day.

So all in all a good day.  Crunchy Husband had been feeling bad about not spending much time with the kids this summer and so this was just what we all needed.

I was just thrilled that I was feeling good.  I didn’t feel sick.  I wasn’t suffering in the 30 degree heat.   And I was calm and laid back too!  Weird eh?

My mom came with us to help out with the kids and push the stroller around for me.

Needless to say we were all wiped out by the end of it all.

check it out.

Adam had his last day of preschool yesterday.    Next week:  Kindergarten.  My baby boy.

They had a nice BBQ to wrap up the year.  With Face Painting and Crafts and  a Bouncy Castle.

So at least all our sad days were interspersed with some fun for the kids.  I really felt bad for the kids this summer.   We had plans for camping, Disneyland, all sorts of things.

On Monday night we headed over to Michael’s Craft Store to look at the Halloween stuff.  Crunchy Husband reeeeeeelly likes Halloween.   It was all too much for our little pirate.

Yesterday afternoon, CH and his brother  took a  first look at their mom’s stuff….mainly to see how much work was ahead of them in settling the estate.  I kept the kids busy and tried to cheer up his grandmother, who was very upset by the whole idea.     She is having such a hard time with it all.

Today we are going to check out the PNE.  That is Pacific National Exhibition.  It is a huge fun fair and show…..lots of farm animals and entertainment that runs at the end of every summer.  I think this is the 97th year.   It is a HOT day so we shall see how long we all last.

It it almost surreal to attend a funeral on a lovely sunny day.    Time almost stood still as everyone said their goodbye’s at the cemetery….the buzz of traffic was muted and the haze muted the view across the river.    Then, as we headed to the house, the buzz of life continued on.  People all around getting on with it.   Living.  Working. Playing.

Life goes on.

I will freely admit that  I did not mourn the passing of my mother in law.   But my heart is and was there for my husband, my kids, my brother in law and my mil’s poor mother, devastated at the loss of her child.

I was also glad that she had a good ’send off.’  Many friends….our own, the brother’s, the gran and the mom’s …all attended.  All had kind things to say.  All showed their love and respect and our house if filled with cards and flowers.

Adam broke our hearts.   He stood and touched the casket.  Said his own good bye’s.   During the moment of silence he told me that he was holding the memory of his nana sitting beside the coffee table with him, playing trucks.   Our boy.

So now life goes on.  There are estate issues to deal with.  A house filled with memories to deal with.  A little old lady who needs taking care off.  And two men who lost their mom AND dad to help heal.

Life will trundle on.

BlogHer is working hard at narrowing down our BIG issue to focus our energies on…

If you can take a moment to vote on the mini poll, it would help out a lot.

Crunchy Husband’s mom passed away last night (Sunday).

She couldn’t fight anymore.

He is doing ok, but his grandmother is taking things really hard.

My mom baked me a cake!

The boys bought me chocolates and these amazing flowers!

Claudia over at Mom’s My Name gave me this lovely award and said some reeeeeeeeelly nice things about me!  Shucks!

We got dressed up and headed out for dinner.  Oh man.  We went to this Italian eatery in Burnaby and the PLATTERS of pasta were enormous!!!  The four cheese penne was a huge hit with Adam and Caity ate all the buns.  We had a very nice time and now have a fridge FILLED with leftovers.

Are they not the the cutest couple ever???

She loooooorvs her daddy.

Anyway…..despite all that is happening in our lives…despite my poor husband spending his day rushing between me and his mom and his gran and work and so on, we managed to have a fairly nice day.  Well I did anyway.

In the am we reunited with our OB/GYN who delivered Caity.    She checked me out and was very happy to see us all.  So now the blood tests, ultrasounds, and peeing in cups begins in earnest.

That did put us in a good mood.

We are still in agonizing limbo with my mother in law.  Despite her waking up and being taken of more and more drugs and help, they are convinced that she is not doing well and that there is no positive outcome in all of this.  It is very hard to take.

So the boys are trying to spend as much time with her at the hospital as possible.  Mainly because they haven’t given up on her yet.  She has survived this long and we all feel  that she could surprise us yet.  So while the hospital is obviously looking at their watches and have stepped back from the whole keeping her alive thing, we feel we can’t just give up.

Not yet.

Today we have the Preschool Summer BBQ…with bouncy castles and musical entertainment….oh my.   I can hardly wait.

Tomorrow night I am going to attempt to go to a movie with my best pal.    This will be a novelty.

Wish me luck!

Yes….she was sitting at the couch…bad mommy.  Dinner table is covered in stuff.  I find these days that I have run out of steam by about 4, so dinner is a sad sorry affair.

This morning Caity had a shower with me.

She asked if my enormous boobs were owies.

Then she grabbed her teeny tiny nipples and pushed them out and proudly told me that her nip nips were growing.

Oh and Lava is HER name for her Vagina.  Obviously the real name is not good enough.

Or not.

I hate potty training.  Well the concept anyway.  Mainly because I am not the type of person who can actually focus on any sort of plan with the right sort of dedication this type of training seems to take.

Lazy?  Probably.  Sue me if like my kids being in pull ups while out and about.  I like not having to rush to hideous garage or store washrooms with a dancing toddler/preschooler.

We were lucky with Adam.  Bribery, blackmail and guilt finally worked for him.  Well, probably in reality it was just when he was ready…that was it.   He ‘got it’ just after age 3.

Horrifying to those ardent trainers out there I am sure.

Caity has been a tougher nut to crack.  She feels no guilt.   Laughs at our feeble attempts at bribery and blackmail.  She will pee and poop where ever and in whatever SHE feels like.  WHEN she feels like it.

Now routine obviously works for her as she is doing great peeing with the other masses in the communal miniature washroom at her new preschool.   So I SUPPOSE if I was more focused on her bodily functions at home, then she would indeed ‘get it.’

We saw the peer pressure thing in action the other evening when we took the family to Wally’s - an east Van institution- for burgers and shakes.  It is not a pretty place.  It is a bit seedy and grimy.  But heck…it is our history!

We were also a bit steamed at big boy who after claiming to NOT have to pee before we left the house, suddenly, at the comic store, reeeeeeeelly had to go.  There WAS no place to go.  He had to use our car tire.

Mr. Tiny bladder had to go again at Wally’s, so Crunchy Dad took him to the little washroom and us ladies carried on with our fattening foods.  Then she thought about it.  SHE had to go pee.  SHE had to pee at the same washroom as her big bro.

Great.

I get that this is good.  But really.

At Wally’s?  Ick.  Even I don’t pee there.

So I guess I better go buy more cute little Dora and My Little Pony underpants.