Zip Up Fun

That time we thought it was hilarious to get inside of Daddy's Zip Up. 

Looks pretty comfortable! Daddy was all done with this game after the 10th time in and out of his zip up!

Self Portrait

Gavin drew his first picture on the "Magna Doodle" and he did a GREAT job!!!

I Love his drawings so much! Such a little Picaso! XO

Trick or Treat 2014

Happy Halloween!!! Gavin you were such a trooper! The weather was horrifying, it was freezing and rainy and you and dad came and went in trips. Isla and I hung out at home handing out candy to all the creepy, adorable and some too old trick or treaters. This year was a stressful one as far as Halloween was concerned. Daddy was working at the Casino and was on the schedule Halloween night. We were so upset because Gavin was so excited to be going out as Bumblebee and Daddy as Optimus Prime. Well luckily Daddy FINALLY got the night off and was able to be at home and enjoy the experience with Gavin.
Gavin you had an AMAZING time. Halloween is your FAVOURITE Holiday by far at this age, you talk about it all year! This was your first year in school and you were OBSESSED with "C'est Halloween" you would sing it over and over and over, drove us insane, but we loved every minute of it!!

The night before Gavin stayed up late, we ordered dinner and spent the evening carving pumpkins!

This is Mommy first Pumpkin. I did Jack Skeleton from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" because Gavin was really into him at the time. A few weeks later, completely over him haha

Moga did the Ghost Tree, it was really cool and she was pretty proud!

Daddy did what you'd expect if you know him well enough....a Zombie. Did a great job!

Than he did a Jack O'lantern for Gavin and Isla

Daddy and his trick or treaters

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee

And finally Daddy and Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Excited to see what next year brings!!

The Boy Turns 4

Happy Birthday!!

I cannot even believe that you are now 4 years old!! You have given me the most amazing 4 years of my life. You have changed so much just in this last year alone. Your speech has blossomed, your personality is so unique and you features are slowly losing the "baby look" and turning into a sweet, handsome little lad. 

This year we celebrated with just friends and immediate family. We went to Highjinks and you had an amazing time. You were so happy! The theme was of course "Transformers" as you are currently obsessed with them right now, even though you won't watch the movies or shows haha. 

Over the last four years you have taught me so much, but the most important thing you have taught me is:

What true love is. They say true love is a romantic kind of love, the kind of love that you feel when you meet the person who is "the one". I have to disagree. True love for me is meeting the baby you have carried around in you for the past nine months, the little person you were so protective over and loved endlessly without even knowing them. True love to me is saying and meaning "I would die for you". We say this often as a figure of speech but when you have a s child you mean it. You would do anything for that person, no matter what the cost. True love for me is being able to feel so much frustration and love at the same time. This again is something that is truly only felt once you have a child. Thank you for showing me what true love really is and I can only hope you can experience your own form of true love once you are older. 

Each day I look at you now and I think this is one less day I will have to snuggle him, one less day he will want to sit with me, one less day he will give me endless kisses and hugs and I celebrate and mourn each day we spend together as that day will be our last like that. When you first have a baby you lose yourself in time, at least thats how it was for me. I lost the idea that you would grow, that you wouldn't be a tiny babe forever. And as quickly as they said it would happen you sprung into a toddler and than a preschooler and now a big, crazy 4 year old. I wish I could go back and document everything, take millions of videos, bottle up your kisses and experiences and re live them over and over. But there is no turning back, that is why we need to live each day as if it is our last, as each day is unique and will never experience another day like it. 

I will always remember your 4th birthday. Your excitement over getting ready, over seeing the cake and your friends. Thank you for another great day of memories. I love you so much. Thank You for another amazing year! 

xo Mommy

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Dear Sweet Isla, Today you are One! I cannot believe it. This past year has flown right by! You are the happiest little girl I have ever met. Your smile is truly contagious and you light up a room.
You have such a great little personality. In the past year I have watched you grow, meet milestones and learn to complain (even though you cant talk) about your brother. You are in love with Gavin. He makes you smile like no other, laugh like he's the funniest thing on earth and you kiss him like he's your knight in shinning armour, I hope that love that you too share never ever fades away. I hope that you will be the best of friends and always have that brotherly sisterly relationship.
I think know you two are each others greatest gifts.
So today we celebrate you. We celebrate the amazing year you have given us. We celebrate in true Isla fashion and what she loves, "Doc Mcstuffin" style. I made you your cake this year, you adored it.  You loved your gifts and mostly seeing all your favourite people.
Cheers to you, my little girl. I love you to the moon and back and even more than that.

Happy 1st Birthday!!
XO
Momma

Morning Tantrum Anyone?!

And within a few minutes of a happy boy we have this...A tantrum over being asked come downstairs with his sister and I....Poor guy. We quickly rebounded and are now playing with cars.

Flyin' Solo

Today I'm chillen with these two punks. Flyin' solo, hubby is working. It's been rough so far, they let me sleep in and the boy even dressed himself....

You Are My Sunshine

Growing up I always dreamed of having an army of kids, some biologically mine and some adopted. I always dreamt of only wanting boys, I don't know why this was but that is how I envisioned things. When I became pregnant for the first time in 2009 I was ecstatic. I never dreamt that 1) it would come so easily to me, which is something I am truly, truly thankful for and 2) I couldn't believe that I had been chosen to become a momma.

Throughout my entire first 20 weeks of pregnancy I was convinced that we were having a baby girl. I was very wrong. I gave birth to an amazing, adorable and loving little boy. I said that I could never ever love another baby as much as him and that I was terrified as to how I would hide my abundance of love for him should I have any more boys. On the day of my sons second birthday party, I wasn't even late yet for that time of the month, and I decided to take a pregnancy test. I took the test and it showed as negative. I had not given it a complete 2 minutes before I tossed it on the floor in disappointment. I returned to bed. I got up an hour later and for some reason, call it divine providence, I went back into my washroom and picked the test up off the floor and I could not believe it. There is was the second faint line.

I was PREGNANT!!

This time throughout this pregnancy I was convinced we were having another boy. Again at my 20 week ultrasound we had the tech check the gender of our beautiful miracle. We were all in shock when we were told we were having a GIRL. Now a little history as to why we were so surprised, my husbands family has not produced a girl since the 60's. He has 7 cousins, they are all boys and all their kids are boys. Well not anymore. I was so excited. I went and bought her some outfits (which is much more fun than shopping for boys, in my opinion.) That night I woke up in the middle of the night and my mind was racing. I was crying and was just completely beside myself. I was upset that I was having a girl. I woke my husband who told me I was being ridiculous and to go back to sleep. He didn't understand. I know what being a girl is like and what we deal with growing up, the pressures of being skinny, beautiful, perfect in this society striving for nothing less than perfection. The bullying, the talking behind your back, having a best friend one day and the next having them turned against you. I was so upset, so worried, the world is going to destroy my innocent little girl.
After a few days I had calmed myself. I had reminded myself that I was blessed to be given another life to call my child. I became excited again. More excited than I was during my first pregnancy. I could not wait to meet her. To see what colour her hair was, how tiny or big she was and to just hold her in my arms and love her up. And when she arrived I did just that. The fear of not loving her the same as my son was gone. She owned just as much of my heart as he did, and the love is just as unconditional.

My daughter will be 7 months old in just a few short days and I think back to those few days and as real as my concerns were and are, I would not trade this piece of heaven for anything in the world. She is my sunshine and right now I am hers. As she gets older I will strive to ensure that she becomes an amazing young lady. A girl who isn't afraid to be herself. A girl who isn't going to fall victim to the pressures of society. A girl who is going to embrace herself for who she is, how she looks and who she is striving to become. I want to raise her to be a courageous girl who isn't afraid to stand up for someone else, to put her arm around someone who has fallen victim to the cruelty of this world and tell them they are worth it. I want her to stand up for what she believes and not given into the pressure around her. I want her to know that she is loved and accepted always regardless of what she looks like, her sexual orientation or what she decides to do with her life. I want her to be able to come to me for anything, to confide in me, trust me and to know that her and I together can conquer anything.

Children are perfect and beautiful always in the eyes of their mother, but all we ever want is for them to be safe and for the world to see them the same way we see them through our eyes. Because that's what they deserve, to be accepted by all and belittled by none, to be respected always and to always, always know that they are loved.

The whole world smiles with you.....

The most sweetest of smiles just melt your heart and take away all the negativity in the world. These are the moments that I wish could stop time.

Brotherly, Sisterly Love

I have to admit, I am 150% jealous of the relationship my kids have. My son is 3.5 years old and my daughter is only a wee 7 months, but already you can tell how much they love one another. Already my boy is ubber protective over his first true friend and even at 7 months I can see the look in her eye that says "you and I are going to cause such mayhem!" I grew up an only child and wish I had even a portion of what they already share, with a sibling of my own. Having grown up an only child I made a promise to myself that I would have many kids. I am so excited for them. Even though there will be times that they hate one another I am going to do my absolute best to ensure that they forgive and love endlessly.

This morning my bella woke up and was chatting away in her Co sleeper in our room and the boy whose room is across the hall started talking to her from his room. " good morning. ..." "I love you pretty girl". And it completely melted my heart. It was the perfect start to the day. I can only hope, pray and work so hard to ensure that the two of these kiddos and however many others we have, are given an amazing upbringing filled with laughter and happiness. To create an even more amazing foundation to hold them and their relationships together through even the most challenging of times.  And to teach them the importance of family, forgiveness and unconditional love because after all at the end of the day our relationships with one another are all that matter! XO

Day #1: An empty coffee cup

Day #1

The hours of entertainment an empty Tim Hortons cup gives to a little girl. The most simplest of things provide sometimes the best entertainment and most imaginary play to these little people. Who needs a thousand different toys, an empty coffee cup is all you need ;)

Dressed to Kill... A Monster that is!

Each night lately my son protests at bedtime that he is "scared." I went into his room a couple nights this week to show him that there were no monsters to be afraid of. I had been given a tip to get a spray bottle and fill it with water and decorate it as monster spray and use it around his room. Although I think this is a great idea, after some thought I didn't think it was a good idea for my son. I'm afraid he would see it as me playing into the monster idea. Needless to say the "monster" he was afraid of was always in the same corner.  I'm not gonna lie it was starting to freak me out (although I didn't let him know this.) So I would go into his room hug him, kiss him, read a story or two and recite the Lord's prayer and leave.  The fear continued. My husband, than decided to cover the corner where the monster lived. Now my son's fear is "shadows" as we identified the "monster" as shadows. 
So tonight we put him to bed, did our nightly routine with him and went on with our evening. We heard some noise and my husband went into his room and found him completely changed into new clothes. Not pajamas, clothes.  Two things to consider here....1) what he chose to wear matches well and made me proud and 2) I guess he's not to "scared" to venture into his closet. Which is interesting as even to this day I find the closet the scariest of places. And I'm pretty certain most kids do as well. 

Looking rather daper and happy considering all the monsters and all....

A little poop never hurt anyone

My dear husband preparing to change what I call in our house a DDD (dirty disgusting diaper). Terrified to get fecal matter on his "golden hand" he has made himself a glove from seran wrap. 
I couldn't help but laugh. 

Welcome 2014

Wow, it has been a while since my last post. Not a while, a year! I cannot believe a year has blown by. Well my 2014 goal is to blog often, at least once per month. I enjoy doing it, I find it therapeutic, easy and just fun! Hopefully I can inspire and be inspired. Remember Life is too short to be anything other than positive!! So here are my Goals for the year ahead:

1) GIVE 'ER A GO AT HOMESCHOOLING!
Well 3.5 years ago I remember sitting on my couch thinking how far away the decision was to whether or not I wanted to send my kiddos to school or to keep them home and homeschool them. Needless to say to any parent out there, those 3.5 years flew right by me, and here I sit with one of the most important decisions I will ever make. Do I take my child's education into my own hands? I have done the pros and cons and am still sitting on the fence, just don't know how much longer it'll hold me ;) So, I have decided that beginning this upcoming week we will become a "trial home" for homeschooling. I'm not going to lie, I am terrified of the unknown and my ability to teach my child, but I know I CAN DO IT!!
 

2) BECOME A TOTAL YES!! MOMMA:

I have always had the desire to be a YES mom. Now, don't go of the deep end thinking that I will be one of those parents who say yes to everything, that is certainly not what I mean. I want to be a mom who allows their kids complete freedom as long as safety is followed. I want to let them destroy my house and not have my OCD scream at me until my ears bleed. I want to allow them to try new and exciting things even if it makes me nervous for them to try the first time. I want them to ask me: "Hey mom can we take out all the pots and pans and make a band?" and I want to be able to answer: "YES!!!!" without flinching or thinking of noise or mess, but rather focus on the fact that we are only kids once, and I want to make the best memories a child can ask for!

3) BUILD MORE AMAZING FORTS: 

 How exciting was it as a child to build a fort inside your house? To gather as many blankets, pillows, flashlights, books etc. as you could and totally let your little imagination run wild. You literally could be anywhere, you could be hiding from the bear outside your cabin door. You can be anybody you want to be. And for those couple of hours all you worried about was keeping that darn fort from tumbling down. I want to find my inner child with my kids. I want them to experience the great art of fort building. I want to forget all the non sense of being an adult and just get lost in my fort! Well my kids fort that is ;)

4) SAY GRACE.  We are a Christian family and yet we do not practice what we preach. Yep, that is right, we are hypocrites! You heard it hear folks. In all seriousness God is super important to my husband and I and thus we would like Him to be just as if not more important to our kidlets. Now I don't want to pour all my beliefs all over my kids so that they grow up resenting me, rather I want to inspire them to ask me questions, to be curious and to be open minded. So from here on out in this house, we pray, give thanks and forgive even when forgiveness is hardest thing to do. We live by our principles and are non hypocrites from here on out!!

So that about covers my main goals this year when it comes to my family. Hopefully I can actually meet them and come back on here in a year and know I have made my little family of four all that much more awesome!!