Yesterday and Today

These past few days have been busy with random happenings. Usually good random happenings but not always as you shall see...

Yesterday Elena and I took our kids to Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn at the Strathcona Library. When we got there, Jenelle was there with Kelsey and Megan too. Sam did really well during the program and got into signing and getting the shaker and he really followed instructions well. I was very pleased to see how much he's changed even since the first program in September.

Afterward Elena and I met Jenelle at Save-On and all the big kids got cookies and then we went to Starbucks. I'd wanted to buy Elena a coffee for her birthday (which was a MONTH ago!) and I had a hot chocolate. We all sat there and it was a lot of fun. We told our engagement stories :)

Then our train (two double strollers and one grocery cart!) walked to Dollarama and to Shoppers and to Bulk Barn. And then Elena and I walked home. It was a fun, random morning/afternoon of unexpectedness. And very enjoyable too!

Today was Passport Day! Yuck, yuck and double yuck :(

I first woke up early and took Rachel to Once Upon a Child to sell some things, to Toys R Us to buy Sam a broom and to Save-On to get salad fixings for tonight. Dave took the morning off work to help with passports so I picked up him and Sam and we headed off.

We got Rachel's passport photo taken on the first try (she looked really cute) and then stood in two lines only to find out we needed Dave's passport info too because he was Rachel's guarantor. So we decided since Dave had to go home anyway to renew Sam's passport as well so we didn't have to go through the whole thing again in four months.

However, it took us about seven or ten tries (or three hundred and twelve as Dave puts it!) to get Sam's photo. The boy cannot close his mouth without sucking in his top lip. sigh. It was actually kind of funny after about the fourth time :)

Then Dave went home with Sam (and my wallet at first -- panic on my part!) for passports and birth certificates and I stayed with Rachel and nursed her and filled out Sam's application. And then Rachel's again for fun. Or because they had newer applications at the Passport office.

So Dave and Sam got back and we stood in two lines again and were finally approved for the third (and final!) line and then we had to wait. And wait. And wait. So Dave took Sam and Rachel to the food court and then came and got me and since they also had the Passport Number Board in the food court we could just hang out down there until it was almost our turn. Having the board in the food court was the BEST. IDEA. EVER!!!

When it was close to our turn we went upstairs again and the woman I sat next to entertained Sam with Thomas videos on her BlackBerry. She was seriously the NICEST. WOMAN. EVER!!! So finally, about three hours after we showed up, it was OUR TURN!!!!!!!!!!!! And it only took about five minutes and we were done. So I dropped Dave off on campus, put Sam and Rachel to bed and crashed.

Tonight Dave and I had date night. We washed dishes, filled out a life insurance form (sort of) and then put Rachel to bed and went downstairs to watch Friends on DVD. And we did a productive parenting e-mail with Rachel. It was kind of fun and a very random date night but it worked out well.