Valentine's Day 2016

There were red shirts, kinder eggs, school parties and we had dessert before supper (chocolate and vanilla ice cream with tons of toppings.) They were happy kiddos. Owen chose Paw Patrol Valentines, Peter's were Avengers and Natalie had a mix of Mickey Mouse and Star Wars for her friends.

Happy Valentine's Day my sweet little Valentines.

Owen, Natalie and Peter each have a long list of big achievements that I'm so very proud of: first steps, first words, first day of preschool and big kid school, learning to swim etc. But I don't just feel incredibly proud of them when they accomplish something major, every single day they do small things that make me swell with pride.

Sometimes it's as simple as when Peter zippers his own jacket, or when Owen counts to 100 while reading his Chicka Chicka 123 book or when Natalie reads a book to the boys. And sometimes it's these seemingly small things that, when examined more closely, turn out to be so important. 

This past November Natalie and I went to a party for one of her school friends who had missed the first of the school year because of cancer treatments. This little boy had only been back at school for a couple of weeks so Natalie (and I) didn't know him or his friends and family very well, but we felt it was important to celebrate with him.  

The party was in the basement hall of a local church. When we arrived there were only a handful of kids running around playing and they all seemed to know each other well. But Natalie's best friends was due to arrive any minute. So we hung back, ate some sushi and chatted at a table facing the dance floor where the kids were chasing balloons while dance music boomed from speakers set up on a DJ's table.

After a while the DJ started playing games and even gave out a few prizes. Natalie was feeling shy and despite my urging she sat waiting patiently for her friend to arrive. After a few minutes I texted her friend's mom and learned that they'd forgotten about the party and weren't coming after all.

We chatted about her friend not coming and I could see the disappointment wash over her face. After a few minutes I could tell she really wanted to get up and play the games, but she was feeling timid. To encourage her I told her that I was shy sometimes as a kid, but I'd learned that if I let it hold me back, I missed out on a lot of fun. It's hard to be brave, but it's worth it.

She hugged her bear close, hopped out of her chair, hugged me and joined the party. I was so proud my heart was bursting and I had tears in my eyes.

I know it won't always be that easy, but hopefully little lessons like these will add up and help them  with the big things life throws their way.

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.