My girls

It's already middle of July and my baby is almost 4. I can't believe it.

This parenting gig is quite funny. You think you'll be the one teaching them everything, when the truth is, they teach you. Every day they teach you something. Patience is a virtue I have yet to master and with these two, I hope and pray that one day I will.

This little monkey? She is a ball of fire! A walking, talking, screaming ball of fire. Don't let her looks fool you :). She has the sweetest little chipmunk voice that makes your heart melt every time you hear it.

Oh how I love these two little girls of mine!

Nightime Routine

Oeii! C is a tough cookie to get to sleep!

After her pajamas she needs her teddy bear.
Then she wants her big teddy bear "Sami".
Then she needs a hug.
Then she needs daddy to give her a hug.
"Now A, I need A!!!!" So her sister gives her a hug.

Me: "Goodnight C, love you."
Ray: "Goodnight honey, I love you."
C: "Good night mommy, I love you! I love you mommy! Mommy?! MOMMY!!!!!!
Me: "Yes, I love you too now go to sleep."
C: "Goodnight daddy, I love you! I love you daddy! Daddy?! Daddy!!!???? DADDY!!!!!!!
Ray: "C, I love you too now please go to sleep. Goodnight!"

Silence........

C: "My nose is runnin, its runnin!!!! I need Keynex! Pease, I need Keynex WITE NOW!"

Silence........

C: "I'm thirsty. I need water, I need water WITE NOW!!!!"

Silence......

She begins to sing and then slowly she falls asleep. Ever so very, very, slowly.

And now I will relax, drink a blessed Guiness and bask in the sweet, sweet silence with my husband who is already on his second Molson Canadian :).

Its Her Birthday!

Our beautiful baby girl turned 3 years old today.

I made her a Dora cake just like she asked and as you can see, she was pretty pleased!


It was the first time I have ever attempted such a task. The closest Wilton cake class is 1 1/2 hours away so I just winged it with a book. It tasted great and no one could tell it was vegan which is always a good thing. On the decorative scale... I think I could have done better. There is always next time I guess :). Oh and the holes in case you are wondering are from the candles ;).

I made her favorite meal for lunch (gnocchi with tomato sauce) and she was thrilled with all the gifts she received from family and friends. My little puzzle master has been playing with her new puzzles all day :).

I can't believe its been 3 years... Wow how time flies!

Wings and a conquered fear

We went to the park and a remarkable thing happened.
C got over her fear of swings!
"Mama, I love wings! They are so so much fun!" she said.

She had such a good time with her sister

And her Daddy
And her Mama

It does feel like wings in a way though doesn't it? Flying high up into the clouds.

Curls

How I love these curls! They form as if by magic. Wash, brush and they curl up before your very eyes.

Quotable Sunday

“Courageous risks are life-giving, they help you grow, make you brave, and better than you think you are.” ~ Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday

I was looking through some old photos yesterday and came across these adorable shots. C was 10 months old here. Rolls upon rolls she had :). Our little doll.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Summer is here! Again!

We had an interlude of rainy, coldy and dreary weather last week. I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't October. Luckily things seem to be back to normal now and the warm weather is here yet again.

My legs and feet are full of bites. I don't think I've ever had so many. It is awful.

On the upside, C and I went to the beach today while Daddy watched A. I finally got C to dip her toes in the water! Huge success considering her recent reactions to the beach. I ended up carrying her through the water to the mini island about 60 or so feet from the beach. We had a lovely time! She decorated my legs with piles of sand, danced to the music the sunbathing lady was playing, picked out pink and brown stones for Mama and laughed at a guy throwing his girlfriend into the lake.

We talked about how blue the sky was and how cold the water felt. She explained to me calmly that she really does like the water but she's scared of it too so thats why she doesn't like it. She laughed belly laughs just because and I felt my heart swell over and over again. She closed her eyes, taking in a few breaths before looking at me again with her cheeky little smile. I lay down on my belly in the sand, head on my arm, and watched her every move, smiling the entire time. Its in those moments, that memories and feelings etch themselves into your memory, into your heart.

On the way home we picked buttercups and daisies for our hair, munched on a couple of mini raspberries and she said, "Thank you Mama that was so much fun! What a good day!" And it was.

(I do realize photos would have been the perfect touch considering but sometimes its nice to just take it all in without a camera. )

Lychees

I've finally stopped laughing long enough to attempt a post on our latest food experimntation After flipping through the weekly flyer this week, my husband points to an advertisment for Lychees. He asked me what they were and what they tasted like as he had never tried one before.

The last time I had them was around 7 years ago. In Toronto China town, these little fruits are sold on every street corner. They taste sweet and have a distinct flavor which is hard to describe. They have a very tough skin and once broken reveals a gel like fruit.

Anyways I bought a few for him and C to try. I cracked the outside shell which my husband said resembled frogs skin. Thanks honey for the wonderful description - however I would have to disagree and say it resembles more like something you would find on the back of a dinosaur.

Once I opened the lychee up, C said to me, "C don't like it. C don't like fishies. Hmm. Perhaps it does look a little bit "fishy" but the taste doesn't resemble fish in the least! I handed the piece of fruit to my husband and lets just say he wasn't impressed. He said the texture felt like a cross between raw bacon fat and flesh between his teeth. I don't understand it. They are quite tasty and very sweet. We are talking about fruit here!

Anyways, turns out I'm the only one who enjoys lychees for the time being.

Stop to smell the Roses

"Life is what's happening when you're too busy to notice."
-Wayne Muller

Summer days

I haven't been in the mood for writing lately as there is just too many things going on. The motel has picked up considerably, as is expected for this time of year.

The heat has been atrocious over the last few days. A thick, muggy heat which seems to envelop you within itself. Not nice.

Today was different. There was the most delightful breeze which blew ever so gently throughout the day. It was the gentlest of winds which seemed to pick up the very essence of summer with every gust. Creamy Peonies, wild roses, strawberry blossoms and clean cut grass mixed with the scent of fresh water flowing through the rapids. It was gorgeous.

The water is the perfect temperature for swimming but unfortunately C developed a fear of rivers, beaches and pools ever since I showed her some tadpoles and a couple of small fish the other day. I thought she would be intrigued but instead she was horrified. I think I have scarred the poor child for life. I'm hoping she gets over it soon as I am dying to go for a swim. Dipping my toes in for a quick second has been the closest thing to it as we have to leave because of the "Fishies, tadpoles, leaves, rocks and floating wood pieces". Lord help me.

When we got home she said to her daddy, "Next time, you come too and bring your bathing suit and coming swimming with C. Because C scared of fishies and because Daddy will save C and because umm.... because I just need you to come with me and mama and A. And because I just, I just love you daddy!"

Oh yes and have I mentioned her new favorite word is "because"?

Appointment

Well, remember when C had her incident last week? I called the doctor's office immediately afterwards and made an appointment. Unfortunately the closest opening she had, was for June so of course I took it, but asked her to keep us in mind in case of a cancellation. Low and behold, today the receptionist called me yesterday at 2:3o p.m and said that they had a last minute cancellation and would I like to bring C in for 3:15! 

I was happy to get in so early, but it took us 30 minutes to get ready ( so it goes with two little ones). Before we left, C gave her daddy (who was overly tired after a full day of fixing a huge wiring problem at his brother's house) a hug and said, "What's wrong daddy? What's wrong? Its ok, we won't be long. C be back soon. Don't worry, I love you. Its ok, daddy, I love you more and more" as she pet his head. After reassuring him that everything would be ok, she jumped into the stroller and off we went. 

Must have been a "baby day", because there was a 4 day old little girl, her 1 1/2 year old sister, a 2 month old and then my two little ones in the office. 

We sat down in the waiting room and C started to play with all of the puzzles and toys whilst singing her ABC's. Have I mentioned/bragged how she now knows all of her ABC's and 123's?Who knew that something so simple could be so darn thrilling to a mother? 

We didn't get into see the Dr. until 4:15. WHY oh WHY do they make appointments for a certain time only to have you wait for an entire hour?! I will never understand the ways of doctor's and their late appointments. If you are late for an appointment, its cancelled, however when they are late, tough luck. Unless you are one of the rare ones who has a punctual doctor. If this is the case, bless you and hold onto them for dear life. They are a rare find.

The last appointment I had for A, I had to wait for 1 1/2 hours. The receptionist actually went home and locked the side door! I was the only single soul sitting in the waiting room at 5 p.m. Needless to say, I was far from impressed. 

Anyhow we ended up getting a prescription for 2 epi pens. One to keep in my purse and the other to keep in the house at all times. I'm fairly certain we won't ever have to use the medication, however I feel much better knowing that if something did happen I would be prepared. 

Since C didn't end up going for her 2 year check up,  the doctor did an all in one today. My baby is now 31 pounds and 36 inches tall! She didn't like being measured or weighed at all and hot tears streamed down her face while we placed her on the scale. I don't know why the experience of standing on a scale was so horrifying for her but it was and I felt awful. The doctor was holding A with one hand, trying to put the level on C's head while I was trying to have her stand straight while comforting her. The entire situation was quite humorous actually.   When we were all done she was given a sticker which made up for it all. 

New sayings

C comes up with the cutest things and I write them down periodically so as to remember them for the future. Here are some of her new sayings:

"Mama, Daddy, good job!"

"Oh, thats nice."

"I love you mowa than you will eva eva know."

"Sweet deams, I love you eva know."

"A" don't cry honey, don't cry. Its ok honey, its ok. I love you honey."

"I just don't like it! I just don't!!"

"Whats dat? Oh, thats nice."

"Pease mama can I pease have some juice PEASE?" (As she dramatically flings her head and tosses her hands up in the air).

At meal times when I call my husband to eat, "Raymond, time to eat." she rushes to the stairs and yells, "Amen, Amen come to eeeaaatttt. Time to eeaattt, Amen!!!"

She also has a little Precious moments doll which was given to her by my sister in law. When you squeeze the toy it will recite the Lord's prayer. At the end when it says "Amen" she laughs and says, "Daddy, doll is talking you." She thinks its hilarious.

Apple should make a Time Capsule for real life...

We had a terrifying encounter over the weekend. I don't know think I have ever written about our daughters allergy to dairy on this blog . You can read her story here.

In our office we have a box of different chocolate bars which were put there by a charity group. They collect the money once a month and replenish the bars when they start to get low. Well, this morning she decided that she would try one of these delightfully looking confections and ate a few pieces of the milk chocolate. My husband heard her coughing and when he came upstairs her cheeks had broken out in hives and her eyes were beginning to swell. She was all stuffed up as well and her nose was running profusely. I rushed her upstairs and gave her some Benadryl. The coughing subsided and her swelling went down, but she wasn't the same all day. Her cheery attitude was diminished and she was quite sullen.

I don't think we will be selling those bars anymore. The next time the charity comes to refill the box, we are going to ask him to take them away. We can't risk this happening again.

Tomorrow I have to make an appointment with our doctor to discuss an Epipen. I'm too scared not to own one for her sake.

My husband and I are still shaken up over this. I can still feel my heart in my throat.

It is so hard to see your child suffering and in so much pain!

The dress

I bought some cute fabrics a couple of weeks ago. They arrived Thursday.


Washed them all and started C's dress.

Took a little longer than I had hoped...

Here it is! All finished. C is calling it her princess dress. I don't know about "princess" but it sure is cute!

This morning while A was sleeping, C and I ran out to get some errands done. It had just begun to drizzle so I introduced her to Mr. Umbrella. The poor child insisted upon holding this monstrous contraption above her head while walking even though it kept tumbling out of her little grasp. I think I'll have to buy her a child's version. She sang, "Rain, rain, go away, come again, next week... please" all the way there and all the way back :-).

We made a beautiful "Meatless Chicken" pot pie for dinner tonight. Rainy days like these call for comfort food. 

Speaking of comfort food, I've started up bread baking by hand again. I make most of our bread in the bread maker but sometimes a crusty round loaf is in order and that kind of loaf is something which must be done by hand. Although you don't need to use a starter every time you make bread it does result in a terrific loaf, so I've started one. Tomorrow every nook of this home will be filled with the scent of freshly baked bread. Yum!

The weather has finally turned. Cold and bitter no longer; spring has finally arrived. You can actually smell the freshness of spring in the air and almost taste it. So clean and sweet; I adore spring. Everything coming to life again. It brings joy to my soul.

We went for a walk today, C, A and I. As we walked by some blue recycling bins, I explained to C what they were for, going into detail about recycling, the environment, bottles, cans etc. At the end of my explanation, with a serious look on her face, she says to me, "Wow thats pretty cool mama." It took me everything I had not to burst out laughing!

Shortly after this exchange we passed by a house with three decorative butterflies on the outside, near the front door. After spotting them C said to me, " Oh Mama, look at the butterflies! C loves butterflies, they are beautiful." It was so sweet. This little girl with her curly locks of spun gold blowing in the wind, the big sister, my first born. She takes my breath away all the time.

A has such a quiet personality. It might be too early to tell of course but she seems to be more observant than her sister. She looks at everything in thoughtful silence and loves to watch C, smiling at her silly faces. She just always seems so peaceful, so content. When I'm nursing her and she looks up at me with those big innocent eyes. When she smiles, when she sleeps, every time I look at her I feel my heart growing. Its feels as if it would burst at times.

Motherhood is full of challenges and frustrations but there are so many precious moments. Moments that can only be described as magical bits of heaven. Its easy to miss them if you let the everyday hustle and bustle engulf you. I think its like that with everything really. Hanging on to the past; it makes life unpleasant and you miss so much of the beauty and happiness around you.

Wordless Wednesday

She sees the slide..

Up she goes! She climbed up all be herself. About fifteen times to be exact.

Wordless Wednesdays

The little chili pepper

What. A. Day.

Last week was heaven and this week is proving to be quite challenging to say the least. My brain is actually hurting. My ears are ringing and my eyes are refusing to stay open.

I do not believe that girls are easier than boys! Whoever said that didn't have a C. She is a loving, curly haired, opinionated, free spirited, talkative (EXTREMELY talkative), strong willed, chili pepper. She isn't your typical little girl. In public you would never guess as she is shy and subdued, however at home its a whole different story.

Its as if she has to speak every thought and every idea that pops into her little head. What gets her frustrated is that we won't allow her to do certain things which are too advanced or dangerous for her. For example cooking, chopping food, doing dishes, mopping floors, writing emails and answering phones. I don't think I'm being to unreasonable? This doesn't only get her upset it infuriates her. The problem is, I don't think she realizes that she is two and a half.

Her latest is:

"Mama, C don't like it!" For those of you who are interested in what this little girl didn't like today. Underwear, pants, tops, socks, dresses, hair brushes (Oh boy does she ever hate having her hair brushed!) elastics, breakfast, lunch, dinner, television, movies, baths, Anna (her doll), computers, telephones, books, juice, water, potty, naps (Oh Lordy does she ever detest naps)! And the list goes on. Today was officially an I DON'T LIKE IT day!

And now I will sign out, make myself a tea, take a deep breath and relax.