Things I know about my Sweet Pete

Peter, Pete, Petey, Petey B... he has plenty of nicknames, our Sweetie P.  Here are a few of the things I know and love about Pete.

This boy loves to cuddle and snuggle, anywhere and anytime.

When he gets excited he says the funniest things, like "This is AWESOME guys!" "Fumbs Up" and "Sigh Sive."

He could read the Gruffalo over and over and over...

He's feisty but also softhearted.

He loves having someone "scare" him (as long he knows it's coming.)

He tells us that we're all his "best fwends"

He loves to sleep.

After tubby, he tells me he wants to be my baby, so I'll wrap him in a towel and pretend he's a little baby.
 
He could play in the dirt, mud, sand, puddles, water etc ALL day long.

He's my Sweet Pete and I wouldn't change a thing.

Things I know about my Owie Bowie

He calls me Mommya (we're not sure why).

His giggles are infectious and wild.

Thomas the train (and all of his friends) are the coolest things in the world to this boy.

When he sets his mind to something, watch out.

We call him dash - he's that fast.

He loves to sing (itsy bitsy spider, the wheels on the bus. humpty dumpty, BINGO and of course Let it Go.

He can count to ten already (at 2 1/2) and recognizes all of his numbers and most letters.

He has the sweetest voice.

He hates the potty. Loathes it.

He also hates having dirty hands.

He is the sweetest, funniest, happiest little boy and I'm so lucky he's mine.

xo

Things I know about my Natalie

I've been reading the book "Hands Free Mama" lately and it inspired me to write down a few of the things that I know about my sweet, 5-year-old Natalie right now....

• I know that there is nothing my sweet girl likes to do more than play (especially with her mommy). Everything from Anna and Elsa (from the Frozen movie) and "who's the fastest racer" to puppies and princesses.
• I know that she sometimes feels a little shy, but will always be brave and ask a new friend to play, put her face in the water at swimming lessons, or sing in her school Christmas concert.
• I know that Mo Willems is her absolute favourite author, and she plans to write books with him someday.
• She loves her brothers fiercely and is constantly kissing and hugging them. She often tells them they are the best brother ever. It melts my heart.
• She is insanely ticklish under her chin and around her neck and loves to tell us that she's allergic to tickles (they make her pee).
• She loves spending her Friday nights watching a movie and eating popcorn and cupcakes with her mom and dad. (I hope that lasts a really, really long time)
• To Natalie there is nothing tastier in this world than lays plain chips and anything (I mean anything) chocolate.
• She has the best giggle...ever!
• She likes to sleep with a huge gang of barbies, smurfs and assorted snuggies in her bed.
• She has a heart of gold and is always thinking of ways to show her friends and family that she cares. She loves to make cards and drawings to give away and bake cupcakes for friends' birthdays.
• She is a performer at heart. Right now she nows the entire Olaf "In Summer" song and likes to perform it with props. So fun!
• She loves to snuggle, hold hands (we give a double squeeze as code for "I love you" and roughhouse.
•  She is the sweetest girl I know and I love her more than words could ever say.

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February Fun

We are extremely ready for this long, cold, snowy winter to end. But despite some dreary days February has been filled with a lot of fun. Here are some pictures and a few stories.

Of course we celebrated Valentine's Day with plenty of chocolates, a new snuggy for N, heart crafts (including some pom pom love bugs), a family pancake breakfast complete with decorated table and treats....and a surprise cake baked by Natalie and Dan for me! It was the first cake they baked together and it was delicious.

We made our first batch of tea biscuits as a team of four. Peter was fascinated with the flour. He kept brushing it off the counter yelling "look at the dust mama!" It was messy but a lot of fun.

Natalie's theatre class wrapped up this past Saturday and for the last half of the class parents were invited to watch a short performance. Natalie did a fantastic job, and had a lot of fun.

The Olympics also kept us busy this February, we watched skating, skiing, bobsledding and of course hockey! The Canadian womens' and mens' teams won gold medals as we cheered them on.

And we were also treated to a visit from Auntie Amy. It was a short stay but as you can see we enjoyed every second.

Happy February folks. May spring find us all very, very soon.

Our week in pictures

The days are just flying by lately, even with the batch of bad weather we had (including a blizzard last week!) It seems like I blink my eyes and it's Friday again. Here's a snapshot of how we've been filling our days.

Getting outside Every Saturday Natalie has theatre class at Neptune downtown, so we pack everybody up, drop N at her class and then head down to the waterfront. We usually grab a TIBS coffee and then walk over to the park and play for a bit. Last week it was wet and rainy, this week we were almost knee deep in snow.

Speaking of snow, after the blizzard the hill in our backyard is fantastic for sledding. We spent an afternoon back there with the kids this past week (even managed to jam all five of us into the sled for one of our runs).  So fun.

Moving on to new stages Owen and Peter have moved into toddler beds. It's as crazy as you're imagining. Most nights they play for an hour before crashing and falling asleep on the floor. It's crazy cute and just plain crazy at the same time.

Crafting This past week we started thinking about Valentine's Day and decided to give Dan's office door a "heart attack". We cut out hearts and wrote out all the reasons we love him. Natalie was so excited to sneak down and tape the hearts to his door.

Having dates Natalie and I had an after school date this week, first we did some sledding on the hill at her school and then we visited the music store to pick up Dan's guitar and test out the drums, pianos, microphones, guitars... everything.  Dan and I managed to get out for a dinner date thanks to some Christmas gift cards. And we took the boys out for a Tim's and Chapters date during Dan's day off. 

Here are a few pics we grabbed along the way.

Things we find funny

The kids say and do hilarious, sweet and gross (but funny) things every day. Like when Peter licked the toilette brush (yes, that really happened), and when Owen unrolled an entire toilette paper roll and scattered it all over the bathroom, and when Natalie told us she had a big fart in her tummy named Henry.

These things crack us up and I know that in the future when we read them, they'll give us a giggle and remind us of some very fun times. So from time to time I'll try to add some of their latest funny antics. They may be small parts of our day, but if I don't write them down they'll be lost and I want to remember all of their silliness!

Here are a few more:

Peter and Owen call sushi, "soochi"
Natalie has named our minivan "sprinkles"
Natalie doesn't like it when Dan sings "handsome" like the prince from the movie Enchanted
Peter said his name for the first time on July 15 2013 "Peeper"
Owen says Peter's name with a british accent "Peetah" and his own name sounds like "Oown"
From the back of the van, Natalie asked "Mommy can you turn up your voice? I can't hear you."
Peter can climb out of his crib now on Monday Jan 6th he fell asleep face down on his floor, we had to lift him into bed.
The boys call every overpass on the highway a "tunnel" and get super excited when they see one coming. "Here comes a tunnel!"

Lots of fun!

Winter park visits

It's been relatively warm here the past two days so I've been taking the boys to the park after we drop Natalie off at school. It's been so much fun. It's amazing how great you feel after playing outside. We slide, swing, crawl through tunnels and pretend we're trains. Basically act like fools.

These past two days helped me realize how important it is to get out. I'm a bit of a weather wimp, but I'm finding that with the right gear I can actually enjoy my time with the boys instead of focusing on my cold toes. Owen and Peter would stay out all day if I let them. They start asking "Park? Park?" As soon as we get back in the van after dropping Natalie off. 

Hopefully the weather will stay warm and we can continue our little morning routine. 

Less Fear, More Fun

That's my mantra for 2014

I've been away for a while, but it's time to come back. So despite my busy days, lack of design skills and pesky perfectionist tendencies, it's time.  Time to record the fun, the laughter, the challenges, the goals, the accomplishments and even just the regular stuff that makes up our lives. It's important, it's what we're doing with these precious lives we've been given.

So despite the fact that right now it's 10:30 pm, January 6th and my Christmas tree is still standing tall in the living room adorned with ornaments; my two-year old twin boys are climbing in and out of their cribs, giggling at the hilarity of their newfound freedom; my house is in a state of total disaster; and I'm sleepy from a wildly hectic day. I'm also grateful. Grateful for the hour we spent playing with play-doh today, for the nudge my husband gave me to write this post, for the cozy fire warming my toes right now and grateful that I've let go of some fear, taken a leap and opened myself up for some fun. After all, you only live once.

Happy 2014!