Because This Is What I Found This Morning ...

"My dearest Anika,

What I am about to tell you, you had no idea of this truth before. There is an old saying that you are measured by the company you keep. I am proud to say you are my wife. I don't define who I am through you, but I do pride myself on having you as my wife. I am glad to introduce you as my wife, as my lover, as m y best friend. The ring on my finger is my bond. It is a part of you, a pleasant reminder of the most amazing woman in the world that is my wife, my life, my children, my world. I am blessed every day that we share together. The laughter we have is and always will be the funniest times I've had. The little boys we've made are beautiful and wonderful. We have great families, we share fun times, we create life long memories. We have God and each other in our hearts. We love each other so much that sometimes it hurts. I often think 'wow, I am lucky to have you as my partner, my co-captain of life.' I think this when I wake up and I look at you, or when we are eating dinner and I look at you when your head is down, or when we are driving and you have your foot out the window, or when you put my vitamins on the bathroom sink. Or how you kiss me so passionately, or how you always meet me at the head of the stairs when I come home and call 'honey, I'm home.' I love you so much, you are my girl, my everything. Wherever life takes us, whatever mysteries or adventures that we share together, whatever happens in this life I will always be here for you. I will always want you, I will always need you, I will always be with you. I will love you until my dying day. I pray for you, for us. You will always be my little girl with little wings.

Love, Jason."

And that is how lucky I am.

Only Because I'm a Sucka ...

1. Can you tap dance? No ... But I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue. Almost as good, right?

2. Do you own a pair of see-thru underwear? Yes of course. I'm a girl.

3. What color is the sky today? Mostly bluish.

4. Do you own a classic brown teddy bear? No. But my husband has his teddy bear from when he was a newborn. And last year I 'accidentally' donated it to charity. And he went to the charity and explained to them what had happened. And he got it back. And I will never ever attempt to donate Herbert again.

5. Is your favorite holiday Christmas? Yes absolutely.

6. Do you have an iPOD? Yah we do. I think everyone does.

7.If you had an iPOD mini, what color would you have? Green because it's my favorite color or maybe pink to match the headphones.

8. What song are you listening to? "So What" by Pink. But I'm not so much listening to it as it's stuck in my head. Why, Pink, why?!?!

9. Is it your favorite song? No because I have lots and lots of favorite songs.

10. How many blogs have you had? I think four. This was my second one, and I wrote and wrote and wrote ... And then I erased it all ... It was sad but I had to because of work ... And that is why I have one with no pictures now.

11. Have you ever made a blog survey? Never. But I have made Angel Food Cake and I like it.

12. Are you wearing any jewelry? My wedding rings of course ... And diamond hoop earrings that my step-dad picked out for me.

13. Where does your grandma live? One lives about 5 hours away -- I don't really like her and she doesn't really like me. We have an understanding. And the other lives about 20 minutes away. She is the best of all time, but she also happens to be the mother of my sperm donor. What happened there??? We will never know.

14. Are you an angry drunk? I'm an angry sober.

15. Do you prefer pen or pencil? Pen or felts. Or! Those Crayola Stamper felts. OR! Crayola Multicultural Felts.

16. Are you wearing deodorant? Yes. Spring Fresh!

17. Ever been in an earthquake? Yes, a little one. It woke me up and I thought my sister was shaking the bed so I told her to stop it. She didn't. The nerve.

18. Is your birthday this month? Almost. It is in October.

19. Do all guys suck? Who knows.

20. Are you afraid of the dentist? Well not so much afraid as I just plain old don't like them. I'm afraid of other things, like clowns and spiders and Forrest Gump and semi-trucks-with-teeth-on-the-grill.

21. Do you know exactly what car you want? I don't really care about cars that much. But I will tell you what I don't like. Smart Cars. They make me want to drive into them with my car. And I honk angrily every time I see them.

22. Have you ever bought something from ebay? Yes a lot. The last thing I bought was Home Alone.

23. Ever seen "Boy Meets World"? No.

24. Own a locket? Yes! Actually I lost it for probably 15 years and I just got it back. Do you know who was in it? My cousins on one side and Pavel Bure on the other. That is right.

25. Did you ever share a locker? No I don't think so.

26. Ever dissected anything? In high school a rat. And a baby squid and we got extra points if we cooked it and ate it in class. I got extra points.

27. Ever had a referral? A referral ... I've been referred to the massage therapist, that was nice. Is that even what the question means?

28. Still play with Legos? I LOVE Lego. I'm so happy that my 10-year-old plays with it because now I have an excuse.

31. Last time you wrote a note? I wrote a little note for my husband in his lunch the other day. And yesterday a shopping list. You tell me what he liked better.

32. Ever been on a cruise? Nope. But I've been cruisin' for a bruisin' more than once.

33. Ever gotten pregnant by someone on a cruise? Erm, no.

34. Dyed your hair? Oh certainly. Many times. Twice in one day even.

35. Like your handwriting? Nope. It's messy and man-like.

36. Do you eat? Do I ever.

37. Are you wearing lotion? Yes. Body lotion on my legs because I just shaved them. And face lotion as well.

38. Last time you talked on the phone? Last night.

39. Do you know what Victoria's Secret is? I think her secret is that no matter how boring or plain your outfit is, if you're wearing sexy underwear you feel hot. And it makes you have a great day!

40. Are you nice? Yes I'm a nice girl.

41. Ever been in love? I am in love with my husband.

42. What were you last Halloween? Pregnant, only it wasn't a joke. I also had to work.

43. Ever met a midget? No. They scare me (is that mean?)

44. Ever been to Cuba? Nope. But actually I was just talking with someone about Cuba and I think it's somewhere I'm interested in going.

45. Ever cut yourself shaving? Yes of course. And when I was in grade five -- FIVE! -- our teacher told us how he picked this lady up for a date and she had a sort of scab thing all the way up her calf and it was from shaving. Kind of a strange thing to tell a bunch of ten-year-olds, no?

46. Ever owned an exotic pet? No.

47. Is it your birthday? Almost.

48. Is it someone else's birthday? Not anybody I know.

49. Had a good day? Yes I have so far.

50. How long did this take you? Only short.

Sleepy Hollow ...

So I have been blessed with a wonderful sleeping baby. Since he was about a month old he's been sleeping through the night -- usually 10 - 12 hours in a row! Nice! This makes for a very happy mommy and daddy.

But something happened.

And this morning at 2am he woke up happy and wiggly and ready to play. For. Four. Hours. He was chatting away and kicking and wiggling and his eyes were bright. I appeased him for a short while and fed him in case he was hungry (because what's wrong with a little midnight snack right? WRONG! He puked all over our bed) ...

Eventually (at approximately 6am after Jason had nestled into the couch and I had made several attempts to un-wiggle-fy him) ... He fell asleep.

Groggily I am asking myself, over my fifth cup of coffee, what happened to my lovely sleepy peaceful little man? I was clearly unaware that he had scheduled a playdate with me in the middle of the night.

And I will never take for granted again a baby who sleeps for long hours at night.

They Did It!

My sister got married over the weekend to the man she'd been dating for four years. Four years. It took that long partly due to some immature friends of theirs and advice they were given -- advice that began with the phrase "God told me ..." ... Not a good thing. If I would have listened every time I heard a "God told me ..." I would be a very unhappy girl at this point. And married to one of the geeks to whom God 'told' that I should be married. Interesting.

But I digress.

They sorted out the truth for themselves and I have never seen either of them so radiant. My sis made a stunning bride and left everyone there speechless with her glowing beauty. I was so proud of her -- I think any pictures of me walking down the aisle in the ceremony will have me with the most peculiar expression on my face -- I wanted to burst out into nervous and excited maniacal laughter, and to also burst into tears at the wonderful-ness of the day and the beauty of my all-grown-up sister). The wedding and reception passed without any disasters (except for a few blistery feet and our sperm donor who seems to always want these events to be about him -- neither of which affected the mood of the day in the end) ...

I was lucky to be the Matron of Honor. I was pretty nervous about my speech, but when I got up there it was all fine ... Here's my speech:

Good Evening! For those of you who don't know me, I am Anika, the very proud big sister of this hot little Bride. I want to first say congratulations to Carly and Nathaniel, and thank you to everyone who is here sharing this day.

I remember the day Carly told me she was starting to like Nathaniel. I hadn't met him yet, and I mistakenly thought Carly was talking about a different guy. She asked me what I thought and I told her that he was ok, I guess, but he was too boring for her. We quickly sorted out the mistake and I supported their relationship wholeheartedly since. At our reception when Carly caught the bouquet and Than caught the garter, I knew it was only a matter of time.

Carly, I loved you from the day you were born. I was proud of my little baby sister. When mom was feeding you, I'd be right beside, breast feeding my doll. I was protective of you -- I remember when we were at the babysitters and you had gotten hurt -- by accident -- by another little girl there, and I solemnly recommended to the babysitter that the other girl be given a spank immediately.

So here you are all grown up and getting married. You no longer bark out the car window at passers by. You no longer have mosquito bites. You no longer wear two pairs of underwear to trick mom. You no longer eat globs of butter. You no longer roll up the car window on your arm because you were holding your Barbie outside so that she could fly. You are no longer a fashion disaster. You no longer eat peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches. You no longer make loud and annoying noises to embarrass mom when she's on the phone. And we no longer fight like crazy. You have grown up to be a beautiful young woman and I am so proud of you.

Barbara Alpert said this about sisters: "She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, and someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark."

Carly, I am so glad that we have grown to be such great friends. I feel sad that we wasted so much time not getting along, but I'm excited that we are making up for lost time. You are always a good listener and have been there with me through some great times and some not so great times. You are understanding and kind -- I love the talks we have. You are one of the funniest people I know. I appreciate the way you love your nephews and always take time to hang out with them. You are an amazing auntie to my kids and they both love you so much. Carly, you will always be my Monster, my pee-low, and my Snark Trotter. Laloo..

Thaaaaaaan -- Here are some things that are very important to know about my sister: when she gets up, she needs coffee -- coffeemate and a LOT of sugar. When she's frustrated, she'll crack her toes. When she's excited, she'll go like this: asl;fhpogfilauh! Anything else, she'll be biting her nails. Also, she's deathly afraid of ET. Finally, Than, welcome to our crazy little family.

Cheers!

London Bridges ...

I am excited for fall many reasons, including but not limited to: scarfs, my second anniversary, sweaters, my little sister's wedding, hoodies, learning to quilt, knitting scarves, toques, hockey, my birthday, Christmas (Christmas music, of course, has already made its debut!), cozyness, being able to use our fireplace, and white-chocolate-mochas-with-eggnog-instead-of-milk from Starbucks.

Wooooo!

What's Gonna Work? TEAM WORK!!

This morning we got a letter from Jacob's school. I opened it to read:
"Mr. & Mrs. Xxxxx,
Jacob has informed his teacher that he has Aboriginal Ancestry. If you would like him to be a part of our program, please sign this form and return it to me."

There would be nothing wrong with this letter. Except for the fact that JACOB DOES NOT HAVE ABORIGINAL ANCESTRY ... What a kid. Jason said we should let him participate because it looks like they do fun stuff ...

Hearty Vegetable

"The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and also lions. There are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too is God, the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasuries of grace -- all things are there."

~Macarius

Anika Is ...

Anika is truly an angel from heaven.
Anika's passion in life is tennis balls.
Anika is playing with one of her many giraffes.
Anika is soooo wicka.
Anika is a tranny.
Anika wants to retire.
Anika is designed in a Scandinavian style and probably looks best with blond hair.
Anika is actually a senior.
Anika enjoyed riding the big train.
Anika is a teacher of kids' meditation classes.
Anika writes soulful, original acoustic music.
Anika's dress is a no-no.
Anika is determined to change his mind.
Anika, we need to get you bandaged up.
Anika is struggling with her sewing machine and fixing buttons.
Anika is left at the set of lights.
Anika spreads malicious rumours about Laurel.
Anika, have you gone mad?
Anika will someday learn the secret of woop woop from her cousins.
Anika is probably cleaning the kitchen.
Anika and her husband were most likely seen as outsiders.
Anika is a private, warm retreat.
Anika has no idea who her real parents are.


*That's what happens when I google 'Anika is' ...

Uncommonly Common ...

My favorite parts of the day ...

I love waking up and getting my happy baby out of bed -- recently he's been turning over onto his back and playing with his feet, talking all the while, until I get him ...

I love scooting my older son off to school, reminding him to brush his teeth and his hair ...

And I love drinking that first (first of many, some days) cup of coffee. Coffeemate and just the right amount of sugar. Yum.

And I love standing at the top of the stairs when my husband walks in from work. We greet him and he kisses us and then thankfully, he has a shower.

I love crawling into bed under the snuggly sheets after I've kissed my boys. My peaceful baby snoring ever-so-slightly as he stretches his little body. My sweet boy, always sweaty in his sleep.

And we turn off the light on another beautiful day in this nice little life we have.

No Pendulums Here

This is worth reading.

Slightly Neurotic with a Twist of Crazy ...

Sometimes when I see an ambulance speeding by with its lights and sirens on, I get a little bit emotional.

I think my baby's feet smell so cute.

I am dreading and stressed out about going back to work even though it's seven months away still.

I also am a teensy weensy bit looking forward to going back to work -- the co-workers, the scandals, the stories, and the challenge of getting myself the position I want.

The wanting-to-go-back-to-work part of me only consists of about 1%.

I want to be thin but not at the expense of my quality of life / eating. And I don't like exercising unless I'm tricked into it and don't realize that I'm exercising.

Who wants a skinny mom anyways? My mom is the perfect mom-size -- not too skinny but not too big. She's classy and beautiful and a good little hugger.

We are considering moving across the country with our best friends. Would that be an adventure or what?

My sister is getting married soon. I can't believe it -- my sister! The one who picks her nose! The one who barks out the window of the car!

I have discovered that I like gardening. Just not the bugs.