Stinky dinner.

Gramma bought Jia a giant clothes peg for her Birthday. She constantly asks what it's for. I come up with creative ideas but none so great as hers tonight. Apparently our dinner was super stinky. ;) She has her kid salad in front of her, which didn't actually have much smell at all.

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Little Park

Luk needs a little park. We found one his size today! It's right beside Scott's new place. Luk was able to climb up to the slide on his own and after about 50 times down he was looking pretty confident. ;) Such a nice mild day. We just weren't quite ready to go home after kindermusic today.

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Eye Tests and Brent Butt

Kids all had their eyes tested yesterday. Luk's first time. I had no idea how they would test him. She used a chart, put pictures on the wall and asked him to point to which one it was on a chart on his lap. He did fabulously. So cute. No eye issues for him or Fei. Lili's eye have gotten worse, she has a new pescription and needs to wear them full time now. Jia is ok for now but will most likely need specs in a couple years or so.

Eric got me Brent Butt tickets for my b-day and the show was last night. We had so much fun, tons of laughs. Some real belly laughs. We needed that.

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Hidden Mickey's

Can you all find the three Mickey's and one Minnie?

Too funny.

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Fluffy cats.

Awww. So sweet.

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A new look for Jia

Came home Friday to Jia looking all grown up. She's having fun playing dress up. Now to get her to cIean up her room!

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The potty

Luke is spina bifida. He has problems with continence. Likely some paralysis. He seems to trickle all day. Never holds it. He's 3 1/2 an even though there is very little chance of success we thought we had to try potty training. Just in case it's possible.

Luk liked the idea. We brought down six pairs of underwear and moved the potty out of the bathroom. We had our cleaning supplies and bowl of candy ready.

In one hour he was through the six pairs of under pants, we cleaned up lots of pee, there was only a dribble in the pot and he only got two m&m's and it was debatable if he'd actually earned them. Yikes. When I told him he could have his diaper back on he yelled a loud YAY and promptly peed all over his feet. Sigh.

Eric says he'll try again tomorrow. I think it's clear he's not ready or able quite yet. He did look mighty cute in to those little under pants though.

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Day off.

We're behind on everything. No shortage of chores to be done around here. I didn't want to work, I wanted to play. So we joined up with friends and got three good visits in. Motor home shopping with Dawn-Marie and family and a picnic lunch. They bought a 1983 Moho, caravan coming up! Goat petting and stampede with Nicole and family and ending our lovely day with Shannon and family for dinner at their place. Today...we are stuck with chores and tomorrow our month long break from school is over.

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Envoy

The pretty Durango didn't have enough power to tow. So the search continued.

A full week of car shopping. The reason everyone buys trucks is because it's really hard to find a suv with 7-8 seats that can actually tow.

Our search was exhaustive. I couldn't be happier that it's over. The kids and I are definitely tired of driving around looking at cars.

We got a 2002 GMC Envoy XL SLT 4X4. It can tow up to 7600 lbs. Price was fabulous $4964. It's pretty and really nice to drive. Eric bought it yesterday morning and then we had to go back last night to pick it up.

Now, this was intended for Eric but I have car envy. We both want to drive it ;) I got into my utilitarian van today and it wasn't a very thrilling moment.

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Still shopping

Almost made a car choice, we think. Sigh. So few choices. This Durango is two years newer than our dead Durango with a smaller engine but we should be able to use tons of parts from our old one. Waiting to find out from Dodge which axel it has to see what trailer towing capacity it has.

What a tremendously boring weekend for the kids.

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Big girls amusing themselves.

The big girls have been stuck babysitting a lot since we've been home. Every once in a while they get to escape on their own to have some fun. The Littles aren't totally thrilled having their sisters as babysitters. Apparently they are way more strict than Eric and I. Hillarious.

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Back to the grind.

Eric started his car on Tues. and it made horrible end of life sounds.  He had it towed to a mechanic who has confirmed it's total death.  Shock.   The price of having a new engine put in would be around $4000 if there was one available.  Sigh.

So we're car shopping.  Needs to hold 8 and be able to tow our trailer with ease.  Limited in our choices for sure.

We had a salesman from Victoria bring a used GMC Suburban for Eric to test drive.  We all liked the car.  Car is in at the mechanics today.  Salesman wasn't ready to talk price and then let us know there is someone else interested in it.  So was asking us to commit without knowing the price!  I'm not fond of the salesman or the process. We'll see how it pans out.  Trying to stay zen.  Hoping to find time this weekend to hit the car lots.

Even though it's spring break we're still scrambling around for time and sharing a car really sucks.   Thank goodness Lili and Fei are old enough to babysit that sure helps.

The sun has come out and the kids are all playing in the front yard. I'd take pictures but Jia has dressed herself today ;) and Luk got a shirt on but is still in his jamma pants.

Today Eric had to drive me to work.  Pick up bottles for the school from a pub in Genoa Bay.  Go down and get our dead Durango and have it towed home.  He came home to check on the kids and feed them lunch.  Then to Mill Bay to see the lawyer working on his Mom's estate.   Finally to pick up a few groceries, then to Chemainus to pick me up.  Phew.  After driving all the way home it seems cruel to be making him drive so much.  Oh, he also went to the rv shop to find a new toilet for my motor home.  Hard to color match the old 1980 stuff in there.  He did find one in parchment and it's on sale. 

I found a home for our last four chickens and they were picked up yesterday, they are with a nice family in Shawnigan.  We already miss them. 

My desk was loaded.  Took me a whole day to just open all the mail and sort the piles. 

Still haven't let the hospital know we're home.  We really need to check on Scott.  We really need more hours in a day. 

Wish we were back in Cabo.

Hey, did you all see the news about the Canadian woman on holiday that was killed in Cabo by a whale landing on her tour boat?!  We were there last week on the same tour!  I didn't see a whale but Eric saw quite a few.  He spent more time gazing out to sea.

Pictures I missed.

Zoom in on the look on my face on the dune buggy ride. Bloody scary!

Then a few from Fei's phone.

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On our way home.

Boo.

We were in our car at 8:30 this morning.  Stopped at 9.  Made it to Medford, OR. 

Smooth all the way.  Until we tried to get a hotel.  One after another said no more than four people.  Finally found a place that didn't ask. 

We're all cozied in.  Luk is asleep.  Jia is playing on her tablet.   Big girls are super happy to have WiFi.  Eric is watching TV.  

Update:

Took classic pics of the kids in the giant western red cedar, I see that I've also accidently posted the one of Fei in two other posts. Can't find a way to edit in bloggeroid. It is what it is.

Left at 9:30. One hotel at $102 and three gas fills at about $50 each. We made it home last night. Got the 9 to Victoria, one of the last cars on. Horseshoes. No issues with the car or the drive. Eric was amazing.

It was sooo exciting to get back to our critters but we're all sad that the holiday has ended. I've been unpacking, cleaning and doing laundry all day. While trying to post pictures.

We used a house/critter sitter for the first time. It worked fabulously. If anyone local needs a house sitter let me know and I'll pass her info on.

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Mini Me

Still can't get blogger to work. Now using bloggeroid and it's not user friendly. Although it is posting. This picture was taken near the end of our cruise.

Eric doesn't shop much, certainly not for clothes and definitely not clothes for the kids ;) So it was pretty surprising that he bought matching outfits from Puerto Vallarta for himself and Luk! They created quite the stir on the ship. Luk was delighted to be dressed like Daddy.

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Lili is 13!!

We have a teenager in the house! What?!! I know...crazy. Everyone says it goes by too fast, man are 'they' ever right.

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