ROCK ON!!!

a couple videos from today

Hoping for a Christmas Miracle

We have been home for less than a week from our vacation to

CANADA but I have to admit that the past week feels like a month!
We got home on Wednesday and Gene lost his job on Thursday.

It honestly feels like this is a really bad dream that I just can't wake up from.

Unfortunately, there is no last check...no paid vacation we just took, no

unemployment benefits (which we are appealing) but seriously, NOTHING!!!
We are trying to be positive and do EVERYTHING we possibly can.
We understand that there are so many people struggling right now.

If you hear of any jobs or people looking for pt, ft, seasonal, temporary jobs,

ANYTHING, please let us know asap.

We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and support.

Love the Cope's

Elfing Around

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/5qKBDxkxI02bPzIfg9f4

Having a little fun with the other elves today.

Enjoy!

Dancing with the Stars

Caleb's bedtime is at 8pm but usually on Monday nights when he hears "the Dancing show" he comes out of his room and is just so excited. I give in and let him watch the show. He gets his animals lined up in the livingroom and takes turns dancing with them or makes them dance together. Caleb LOVES to dance!!! He imitates the dancers and it is so stinkin' cute! He claps when the audience does and when the scores are given Caleb will shout "9, yea!!!"...I so need to get this on video. How can you not let him watch something that brings such joy and excitement. I know it makes my night:)

trick or treat

Just thought I would post a few Halloween pics.
Friday was Sondra's 40th birthday so we started out the day with breakfast at Crackers & Co.

We then did an open lab at our LSS...so fun.
Of course lunch was Costa Vida and then we went home and got stuff ready for the night.

Caleb was a cowboy for Halloween.

The Choules went as the Scooby Doo gang. I made them the mystery machine, which Sondra and the kids and I painted the night before. We attached it to Caleb's wagon and it looked great. It was a fun and busy birthday for Sondra.

We had a great time at their neighborhood block party and then went to Gene's parents neighborhood for a trunk or treat.

Caleb LOVED Halloween! He played games, loved the scaries, and of course enjoyed the candy:)

Here are the pics.

yummy pasta

Okay I know that I have been such a slacker in the blogging world lately. I have started blogging and then lost everything so I had to back away from the computer for a bit:)

A couple of weeks ago I made this delicious pasta. We wanted something lighter than our usual "meat sauce". I don't have a detailed recipe but here is the cast of ingredients:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
roma tomatoes/grape tomatoes
green onions
crushed garlic
fresh pasta
chicken stock
parmesan cheese
garlic plus seasoning (for chicken)
olive oil


I begin by sprinkling my cut up chicken breasts with garlic plus seasoning. Cook chicken with a bit of olive oil. Remove chicken and deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Add tomatoes, onions, and garlic. As the tomato mixture cooks down be sure to add chicken stock every once in awhile so it doesn't get too thick. This is going to smell amazing!

It doesn't take too long to cook...about 10-15 minutes until it's at your desired consistency.
Cook pasta and drain. Add tomato mixture and add parmesan cheese. It is so much better with freshly grated parmesan cheese but we were out for this picture.

Enjoy!!!

AAaaahhhhhhh!

Okay first off, I still need a few people for my fantasy hockey league...c'mon you know you want to join. The live draft is Thursday night. Tonight is the first night of the NHL season...woohoo! I am definitely hoping to get out to a few Coyote games this year...preferably the ones against the Red Wings.

Now this is the biggest issue...

this is seriously how everything was thrown in my apt.

I am trapped! Trapped inside my apartment not even knowing where to begin. I feel like I haven't stopped, yet I have not seen much progress...we still have a few more boxes we're bringing in tonight. It didn't help that A LOT of our furniture got damaged...beyond repair during the move and we now have nowhere to put our clothes aside from the closet...hence, what Caleb calls his mountain as he climbs all over the pile of clothes on my bedroom floor. They were folded at one point. Then there is the couch or lack thereof...

I am tired and cranky and would much rather eat a Wunderbar...yummy:) and blog about it.

My livingroom is a bit better and there are certain areas that are cleaned and organized but who really wants to spend their days living in the bathroom?

Caleb's room was one of the first rooms done...then my dad came and we moved most of the stuff in Caleb's room so it's out of commission...so now Caleb sleeps in our room...was on the floor but with the mountain of clothes...he's now in our bed. Because he's so impressionable right now and he wants to be like his daddy this is how we find him most nights...with Gene's cpap machine on.

Sherry wrote and said that I am organized and she just knows I will have it done in no time...I couldn't help but laugh...I love organization and want to be organized. There are certain areas of my life and home that are organized but nowhere near where I need to be. It definitely doesn't help having so many things out of commission.
I am trying to make due with what I have and figure out what I NEED to get now but if any of you know where I can get a cheap dresser, couch, toddler or twin bed, bookshelf, maid, laundry folder, computer tech, babysitter, painter, masseuse...just let me know. Our desk and entertainment unit are being propped up...so hopefully they last...there is no way they will make it through another move.

Happy Monday!

questions

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7ish
2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw?
Kung Fu Panda
4. What is your favorite TV show?
tough one...Grey's Anatomy, the Hills, DOOL
5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
nothing
6. What is your middle name?
Anita
7. What food do you dislike?
shrimp
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
hmmm...maybe Taylor Swift
9. What kind of car do you drive?
94 Toyota Camry that is burning oil like crazy
10. Favorite sandwich?
BLT or chicken salad
11. What characteristic do you despise?
arrogance
12. Favorite item of clothing?
pajama bottoms
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Hawaii
14. Favorite brand of clothing?
I wear a lot of old navy
15. How many towns have you lived in?
wow...I have no idea...at least 20
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
probably my 30th
17. Favorite sport to watch?
hockey or basketball
18. Furthest place you are sending this?
don't know
19. Person you expect to send it back first?
hmmm...not sure
20. When is your birthday?
Feb 5th
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
night
22. What is your shoe size?
9
23. Pets?
No
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
I just moved
25. What did you want to be when you were little?
a teacher
26. How are you today?
feeling kinda ill and very busy trying to get stuff done around here
27. What is your favorite candy?
peanut m & m's
28. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
Christmas morning
30. What is your favorite pastime?
scrapbooking
31. What are you listening to right now?
my son talking about what he's going to draw on the magna doodle and the buzz of the computer fan
32. What was the last thing you ate?
a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie
33. Do you wish on stars?
Not usually but have before
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
blue
35. How is the weather right now?
Hot as usual
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
Gene
37. Favorite soft drink?
coke with lemon
38. Favorite restaurant?
Eastside Marios or swiss chalet
39. Real hair color?
Brown
40. What was your favorite toy as a child?
cabbage patch doll
41. Summer or winter?
fall! winter in az
42. Hugs or kisses?
Both
43. Chocolate or Vanilla?
vanilla
44. Coffee or tea?
Neither
45. Do you want your friends to email you back?
sure
46. When was the last time you cried?
last week
47. What is under your bed?
boxes and a big train set for christmas
48. What did you do last night?
went to target and made...okay ate some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that my husband made
49. What are you afraid of ?
i hate creepy crawly things
50. Salty or sweet?
Salty
51. How many keys on your key ring?
5
52. How many years at your current job?
i have been a mom for 2.5 years...a nanny for the same family for over 5.5 years...but don't work as much now
53. Do you make friends easily?
yes but sometimes i am shy

We Have Moved!!

The past few weeks have been crazy...we moved a few miles away into another apartment. It's a little bigger and has lots of amenities and is closer to Gene's work so we're happy with it. We have had to deal with a lot of drama the past few weeks though...no phone or internet, tons of broken furniture...no couch...cleaning, packing, moving, unpacking...it has been insane and I am afraid that I haven't even scratched the surface.
My dad came down for a visit. He was here for 5 days and we had a great time. It was so nice to see his interaction with Caleb.
Anyway, now it's back to life and reality...and the 96 boxes I still have to unpack:)
Have a good one!

Think, Ponder and Pray

I am sure that today most people thought about

what happened on this day 7 years ago.

There were a few blogs that I saw that people had posted

their own tribute and feelings of the day we'll never forget.

I personally spent a lot of time thinking, pondering and praying

throughout the day as I thought about what I was doing when I

heard the news of the WTC attack. I was driving in my dad's truck

on my way to work in Hamilton. When we got to work everyone was

talking about it and I just felt so numb...so sick. I couldn't concentrate.
My mind was just wandering like crazy...trying to figure out what had

just transpired. I went back home and turned on the news and literally

watched tv for at least 24 hours straight. I was obsessed. I couldn't stop

watching! Even when I did try to rest a couple days later, every single

time I closed my eyes I had the same visual...

I was so scared! Even though I was living in Canada at the time,

I was only about a 5 hour drive to New York City.

We all know what happened that day and I am sure I am

not alone in my thoughts and feelings about that day.

I was amazed at how everyone stood together...united as one.

It didn't matter what country, race, background, or culture you

were from...we all felt it. It could of happened to any of us.

I am humbled by the heroes...the people that banded together

to do whatever they possibly could to help.

I myself wanted to go and help.

I called to donate blood and they told me that it would take

6 weeks for me to get in! Obviously I wasn't the only one with that idea.

I felt so helpless...I prayed...Hard and fervent...

Today I looked at a book about 9/11 that Sondra had and I just

couldn't put it down. It was full of pictures...pictures of everything

that had happened...not only that day but throughout the following year.

My heart has ached for the loss and mourned for the victims.

It has been humbled by the devotion and encouraged by the

steadfastness of the people They pressed on! They had such hope and faith.

I read stories about people who were out there everyday raking through

the rubble, digging out bones...hoping that they would find their own loved one.

Like Amy said in her blog...I also have HOPE.

Hope for a better and brighter future. I think we have come a long way.

My heart has been softened today through my thoughts and prayers.

We can all stand a little taller and be a little better...not just at

times of tragedy but everyday of our lives.

I know that I am not the person that I know I can be.

I need to be a better friend, wife, mother, sister, daughter etc.

My heart goes out to everyone on this day.

Although I am proud to be a Canadian, I am also proud to live in this

country and be married to an American. I am grateful that our kids will

be dual citizens and they will have much opportunity.

I do feel like this is my home and I truly am grateful for the things

that I have been blessed with. I am a lucky girl!

1am

So it is way too late to be awake....especially when my 2 year old will be trekking in here in the next few hours and then will demand breakfast by 7am...okay so he doesn't demand yet but as soon as he wakes up, he wants breakfast...even if that is 4am.
My stomach is so upset due to the lovely metformin medicine that I am on once again. Seriously, you just open the pill bottle and you want to puke from the odor:)
Gene is sleeping, but has only been for about 20 minutes now and he gets up for work at 4am...he needs to get more sleep.
Tonight was such a good night. When Gene got home from work, we re-organized all the bookshelves and tidied up the livingroom and then we all made dinner together...stuffed peppers and corn on the cob. It was delicious! Afterwards we all sat at Caleb's new little table and had icecream for dessert. I let him put sprinkles on his and he was in heaven.
We then headed outside to clean up the backyard...it needed it desperately. We swept, hosed everything down, cleaned the grill, and moved the trash/recycle bin. We started to pull weeds but decided it would be more effective with a shovel...so we'll need to get one of those:)
Caleb loved playing in the water/mud and I made sure to hose both him and Gene down. It was a lot of fun and it looks great.
Gene and I are just getting such a kick out of Caleb lately. He has changed so much in the past month or so. Just the things he comes out with totally crack me up. I don't know where he gets it but he is just so funny and articulate. We have full on conversations and they just make my heart smile.
I will have to remember some of the things that he says lately and post about them...maybe I will interview him tomorrow and see what kind of answers he comes up with and then I will post my interview. It's too late to think of much right now at this hour.
The kids started school today so it was a little sad. Caleb was so excited to go over there today and when I told him we weren't he was so disappointed. He said he wants to go to school too so he can be with them:)
Anyway, I better try to get some rest...hopefully my medicine to counteract the effects of the lovely metformin will kick in soon so I can sleep.
Goodnight:)

Gene's Graduation

Gene graduated a couple of weeks ago from the

University of Phoenix with his Bachelor's in Health Administration.

He still has two classes to finish but it's so nice to have this come to a close...

unless he decides to continue down the path:)
I am very proud of his accomplishments.

He works full time and has been going to class online for five years now.

It's been challenging at times but what a rewarding feeling of accomplishment.

We went to the Hyatt Gainey Ranch for the weekend...

the same place we got engaged. It is a beautiful resort like hotel.

Once again, we went on the gondola and Caleb absolutely loved

the sand beach that entered into the pool.

We brought his sand toys and it was a real little "beach vacation" for him.

The keynote speaker for Gene's grad was none other

than Oprah's beau, Steadman Graham.

The whole thing took place at the University of Phoenix Stadium...

home of the Cardinals. It is a really nice arena...

it would have been great to see the Superbowl there.

(my future graduate)

Gene's parents, Josh and Mason and Mireya all came to the grad.

Everyone aside from Mireya came back to the hotel for some

sparkling cider and some swimming. It was a lovely weekend.

Now, it's just time to make some decisions....

Where to work? Live? Further education?

I guess we'll see what the future holds soon.

Congratulations honey:)

Beware...LONG post:)

Okay so I know, I know, I am such a blog slacker...it's been forever.
Well finally the time has come...I have no choice but to blog...Amy put the gun down...I am right across the room...I really am going to blog. You're not alone in the blog world!

I have been seriously busy. My life has been so chaotic lately with work and family...still trying to get back to a normal life. I've realized that it just may not even be possible to get back to "normal"...was my life ever normal???

Anyway, I have been working a few days a week watching these cute kids.

They are pretty easy to watch although trying to think of new things to do can get pretty difficult at times. It's watching Caleb at their house that is difficult. Going from our 900 sq. ft. apt. to the Choules 7000 sq. ft house makes for a very tired mommy at the end of the day:) He loves it though. He loves the Choules!

Caleb is all done with swimming lessons...at least for now. He loves the water and we do take advantage of the Choules pool a few days a week. He is a little fish. He loves going down the slide and will even jump off the diving board with his daddy!

It is so hellishly HOT here in AZ. I hate the summers here. You can't go to the park or play outside. Getting in or out of the car is awful! My cousin Chantale is thinking of coming down here with her boyfriend Dave in August...I am not sure if she realizes what she is getting herself into:) I am excited for the company though!

My usual scrapbooking group and I usually do an annual scrapbook retreat to Sedona every summer. This year with the price of gas and the time share, we decided on Scottsdale instead. It was fun and I got a lot of stuff done. I was scrapping my trip to Disneyland....good times:) and the other reason why I have been pretty busy is because, these people...

are getting married!!!! My best friend Jamie and Roberto! I am so happy and excited for them. Unfortunately I won't be able to go to the wedding or reception...Halifax and Saskatoon are a little out of the budget:(

I definitely wish them the best and asked if I could do the wedding invitations as my gift to them. They are stinking cute! Okay so I have only finished one but after this weekend...all 200 will be complete!!! Everything is already printed out and mostly cut so my dear Amy and I will bust a move and get these invites done TODAY:) Thank you, thank you Amy for volunteering to help me...(she has no idea what she is getting herself into) Okay she totally does know what she is getting herself into considering this is not the first time she has had big projects like this...

Okay so I am sure you can tell from the post that we are visiting with Amy and Eldon up in Holbrook this weekend....LOVING the cooler weather!

Before we left, while I was in the shower, my son decided to get into my make-up and this was the outcome. I did think it was quite funny until I realized that is wasn't my cheap make-up that he got into but the Sheer Cover.

We are enjoying our time in Holbrook...loved the fireworks last night but Caleb did not like the LOUD BANG!!! He loved the fireworks but not the noise.

Amy is spoiling us with all her yummy snacks and goodies. It's nice to just hang out and spend time with the F's.

We are heading back to Mesa tomorrow morning and I am trying to be more committed to blogging. I do have lots of ideas for posts I just need to take the time to do it.

Well Happy Canada Day!!!!

and Happy 4th of July!!!!

I hope you all had a good time celebrating the wonderful country you are part of! I feel so blessed to be Canadian and to grow up in such a great country. I do love the United States too and am grateful to have a husband that not only loves his country, but appreciates the "finer" things in life too...hehe...C'mon, who doesn't agree that Canada is the bomb? There are just way too many things that we enjoy in Canada that you just can't find here in the USA.

I am glad that our children will be part of both countries and will have so many opportunities available to them.

GOD BLESS NORTH AMERICA!!!

FOUR

Four, Four, Four, Four...

A) Four places that I go to over and over:
Scrapbooks Etc., Jamba Juice, Sondra's, Walmart Grocery Store

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
Gene, Amy, Sondra, Sheila

C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
Home, Costa Vida, Chili's, Olive Garden

D) Four places I would rather be right now:
Hawaii, California, Disney Cruise, Canada...for a quick visit:)

E) Four TV shows I watch all the time:
Grey's Anatomy, Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance

my angel

Here are some of the pics from
Caleb's birthday photo shoot
at Sears last month.
He is such a sweetheart.
I can't believe how fast he is growing.
He is so funny and we just have a blast with him!

Happy Scrapping

Saturday was National Scrapbook Day and some friends and I had a 12 hour "Scrapfest" at our LSS. I was finally able to complete my parents 25th Anniversary pages and am pretty happy with the results. I have struggled doing these pages and wanted them to be "just right"...I totally changed the whole concept/colors/everything a couple of times. I wanted to be sure that I expressed my emotion in this project. It was such a special time for everyone and such a joyous occasion...celebrating 25 years of love and happiness, the birth of my parents first grandchild, us going up to visit and them meeting Caleb for the first time. The hardest part for me about scrapbooking this event is looking at those pictures and realizing that it was the last anniversary my mom would be celebrating with my dad. I can't believe that my mom has already been gone almost a year. Oh, how I miss her! I broke down many times trying to complete these pages. I had so many flashbacks of memories and a sincere respect and admiration for the love that my parents have shared for a quarter of a century. I see the endless love in my parents eyes and the awe in their first grandchild...I see our family picture and just feel the bond that we all share. I look at the pictures of our family and friends and see the joy and also the sadness...knowing my mom didn't have much longer...
I am so grateful to have a hobby such as this to express my feelings and help me remember and share these special times.

Enjoy:)

(sorry they aren't the best quality pics)

It's official!

I have wii-itis!

Oh, my poor head, my arm...even my legs!

What did I do? It's seriously all because of tennis!

My poor body:)

We swapped xbox 360 for wii with Amy

and Eldon for a couple of weeks and this past

weekend Gene and I played some serious wii.

I love the Mario Party...

I have a love/hate relationship with wii sports,

especially tennis but I did get some

serious cardio this weekend.

I can't move my arm though.

I sucked it up on Saturday and it was on

like Donkey Kong but oh,

am I ever paying for it now!

You know, it's not just that I don't play tennis

and probably have never used those muscles

before but because of those things,

I swung the wii remote about 10x more

than necessary just in case:)

I was better than I though but I definitely

over compensated.
I want to play more but I have so much to do

and I can't be out of commission this week...

tons to do and I just can't let a game take

over like that. I won't do it!!!

Hehe...seriously, so addicting.

Caleb went down for a nap today and I

was soooo tired. I wanted to take a nap but

instead played 2 games of Mario Party.

I seriously fell asleep in between turns.

I even fell asleep during a few mini games.

I have no idea how I won the football thing

in my sleep but ROCK ON!!!

The wii will be going home this weekend with the

F's and it will be sadly missed but maybe

my arm can heal a bit and I can do more around here.

PS-Celebrated my 5th Anniversary

on Saturday...woohoo, 5 down:)

Dinner and a little walking around...

a very nice evening.

Thanks honey...I LOVE YOU!!!

memories

I have been going through tons of pictures trying to get them

sent to Winkflash so I will get them back in time for the

Scrapfest next Saturday.

I will be scrapping from 10am-10pm and I

want to be prepared.

I love looking at pictures, I huge reason why I scrapbook.

I can't believe how much my boy has grown.

This picture was taken December 2006...only 8 months old.

I miss my baby but I do enjoy him so much at two.

I love how every time I get him out of bed and

he looks up at me and says, "Hi Angel".

He drives me crazy and melts my heart

every single day:)

Anyway, just loving my boy and wanted

to let everyone know!

a few of my favorite things...right now

These are a few things

around my house that

I am totally loving right now...

1. Our new bathroom decor..."Surfing" theme.
I love the grass skirt shower curtain and all the accessories.


2. These Martha Stewart pom pom's on my ceiling.
I think they are stinking cute!


3. The XOXO that Sondra made me for my birthday.
It's for Valentine's Day but I still haven't taken it down:)

4. DVR...the XOXO is on top of my DVR...
It is so nice to be able to record all my faves
and pause and rewind live tv...
although I know that I watch so much more.