I took the pictures off the wall

How did I get to the point where I'm only 20 days away from leaving such an amazing town?
I've still got so much I want to do here! So many things I haven't explored or exposed my kids to...

I've still got restaurants to visit (Chez Piggy and The Works specifically) or to revisit (Wooden Heads, Mia Gelato...)

I've got activities to do (glow in the dark mini putt, go carting)

I've got softball games to play, water parks to take the kids to, strawberry patches to explore, picnics, beaches, walking trails....


I'm not done yet.


But I've got less than 3 weeks to pack as much Kingston into me as I can before we pack our lives into a 14 foot truck and drive away.

I cried for the first time tonight because I finally realized that I really will be saying goodbye.

There are babies who I haven't met yet who will show up here this summer.

There are friends who I haven't hugged enough.

There are so many memories that I wanted to make.


But since I took the pictures off the wall, I know that no matter how many days I've got left here, there will always be more that I want to do. And I guess that means I'll have to visit.

~A

It's not December, but it's Christmas Season already!

I can post about Christmas now, right? I mean once American Thanksgiving is over the Christmas season is in full swing...

We put up our tree on Thursday. My husband works for an American company that's here in Ontario, so they were closed. Bummer for the paycheck, but Yay!! for the help cleaning the house.

My little monkey was so thrilled with the tree that he hugged (and kissed) it goodnight. He keeps grabbing the ornaments and moving them around to different branches (we have all child-friendly ornaments on the tree so no worries about break-age.) His favourite is a snowman made from bells that he takes and shakes and sings "Jingle Bells, all the way. Jingle Bells, all the way..." until we tell him to stop.

We started watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas books this week as well.
I've got about 25 books that are winter or Christmas themed, and the PLAN was to wrap them each up, and then unwrap one a day to read, but when we took the tree out of our storage closet, the bag of (unwrapped) books came too, and Monkey immediately pulled them out and started looking at them. I gave up trying to take them away, so now they're sitting in a basket under the tree.

We've also started Christmas crafts.
So far we have finished some cards (that I'll post about when we've mailed them) and we've made a garland for the tree from construction paper. I've done a few other things on my own, but I'll post those pictures later.

The one thing that made it really seem like the Christmas season is started is the snow we got on Wednesday morning. Monkey woke up with a bad dream at about 4am, but when I saw the snow on the ground, I held him up to the window to look before I put him back to bed.
The first snow is always magical.

I'm excited for all the rest of the Christmas activities we are hoping to do this year! I'm still working on an advent calendar (hoping to finish before Thursday!), and hopefully we'll be able to do lots of fun things as a family in December!

happy crafting!
~A

I'm Blank Because....

Found this cute post on Little Moments Like This (and she got it from Little Miss Momma)



I'm weird because...

-I hate the smell of baby powder, but love the smell of my baby's head.
-I like to organize my things alphabetically or by colour.
-I don't like my pencils and pens to live together.
-Dull pencil crayons drive me crazy.
-I use cookbooks as bedime reading.
-I know ALL the words to "The Lip Song" from VeggieTales, and met one of my best friends by singing that song.
-I check the mailbox multiple times daily, even after I get the mail.
-I own only 4 pairs of shoes: runners, winter boots, Crocs, and heels.
-I find folding laundry to be relaxing.
-I love making cakes and cupcakes, but don't like eating them.
-I've had dreams entirely in french (and understood every word).
-I have a pattern inventory of crocheted hats of almost 100, but I haven't made a single one.
-I can't sleep with my sheets untucked (and my husband can't sleep with them tucked in).
-When anyone says they are going to get a haircut, I immediately say "and a real job."
-I'm afraid of the movie Pinnochio.
-I listen to movies like people listen to CDs (but only ones I've seen before).
-My favourite number in french is 99, but in english it's 3,5,8,11, and 15 (and don't make me choose just one).
-I don't wear makeup or jewelery. EVER. Not even my wedding rings.


I'm a bad friend because...
-I will read emails, come up with a response, but not reply for a week (or more).
-I get jealous of things my friends have done or received (lost weight, bought a house, started a new business...)
-I go days or weeks without replying to messages, and then expect my friends to reply to me instantly.
-I forget birthdays.
-I'm one of those annoying facebook friends who sends game requests...


I'm a good friend because...
-I am a good listener and I keep conversations confidential.
-I encourage and build up my friends when they're down.
-I look for the good in my friends and want only the best for them.
-I laugh with them or cry with them.
-I forgive easily.
-I make awesome baked goods (if I remember birthdays).


I'm sad because...
-I've got a lot of weight to lose before I'm happy with my body.
-I yell at my son too often.
-I use the TV as a babysitter.
-I live far away from my best friends.
-I've barely taken any pictures of my daughter, and she's already a month old.
-My marriage is nowhere near as good as it looks on the outside.
-My husband has a problem that causes me more pain and stress than I can put into words.


I'm happy because...
-My daughter smiles at me and knows my face.
-My son will come up to me and say "I love you." or "I missed you." after I've only been gone a few minutes.
-People have told me that my cupcakes are better than the ones they bought at our local cupcake store.
-I have two amazing children who are happy and healthy.
-I have awesome friends who support me and pray for my family when we're in tough times.
-My mother has become one of my best friends and my biggest cheerleader.
-I have a business opportunity to teach cooking classes, which will let me stay home with the kids.
-I'm already down 30 pounds since baby girl was born (even though most of the weight was from her).
-My husband still shows me he loves me even when I'm a royal pain in the rear.


I'm excited for...
-Christmas baking
-Making and sending Christmas cards
-Getting Christmas cards in the mail!
-Seeing my brother who moved out east
-My birthday (happens on Thursday!!)
-The Good Lovelies concert in Kingston on December 14!
-Decorating the house for Christmas.
-Making a trip to North Bay (hopefully next week!)
-Introducing my little girl to my extended family on Boxing Day!

~A

We've been 4 for one month!

It's been one month since our precious little girl joined our family (technically it was one month on Sunday) and I can't believe how fast time has gone by!

We had a checkup today, and Annika Charlotte (named after my grandma and Hubby's grandma) now weighs 10 lbs 5 ounces. She's up 2 lbs 1 ounce since birth.

We've already made many trips with our little one, including Trick-or-Treating with her big brother. Of course, she slept through the whole thing, and she didn't get to eat any candy.

We all went to the Santa Clause Parade on November 19. Again she slept through most of it, and she didn't see Santa at all, but Monkey really enjoyed the parade! He climbed out of the stroller so he could dance to every marching band and float that had music.

The biggest trip was a weekend (Girls only) trip to Toronto to watch my sister's volleyball tournements. Once again, our little snoozer enjoyed the trip her own way.

But she did get to have her picture taken with the champions.

We love how peaceful you are little one. It's such a great change from the ball of energy your brother is. I know you're still small, but I can't believe how much you've already grown.

I love you.

~A

Love - Multiplied

It's been a few months, but I'm linking up with Jamie again for What I Love Wednesday

1. I love that the weather lately has been more like September than November. I can barely tell that it's less than SIX weeks from Christmas. The grass is still green, and I can take the kids for walks without worrying about scarves, hats and mitts... It's wonderful!

2. I love all the little smiles that my girl has been giving me. She'll be 4 weeks old tomorrow, but she's been smiling for over a week now. This week she's started cooing, and those sounds make all the crying and sleepless nights seem like nothing.

3. I love the grammar of toddlers. My little Monkey has a way with words that makes me laugh. He said the other day that he didn't want daddy to forget his lunch. Or rather he told him to "forNOTget" it. He also told me that he didn't want to behave. He said "I want to beNOThave mommy." I'm not going to pick on it, he'll learn soon enough, and those little quirks make me laugh.

4. I love family, especially my sister and mother who I just got to spend the weekend with in Toronto. We enjoyed my sister's vollyeball tournament and her team won their first medal (Silver! Go Breakers!). We stayed at a hotel in Toronto and had fun with just the girls while my hubby spent the weekend with Monkey.

5. I love my TWO little ones. I love how they stare at each other, and I'm so glad that Monkey already adores his little sister. He says that she's a gecko (and he is either a monkey or an elephant). This morning he started calling her "Kiki" but I don't know if that's a nickname, or just a made up word.

6. Everyday I choose to love this man. And today I love that he writes me love notes and calls in the middle of the day to see how things are at home. He's really stepped up around the house now that my attention is separated between the two kids, and I don't thank him nearly enough.

Today and everyday I choose you.

~A

Adventures in October

Some pictures of some of the fun we had in the last month.

Grandpa S. came for a visit to meet his new grand-daughter (and to celebrate Monkey's birthday)

Look at how proud he is!

Grandpa S. ALWAYS gives the best presents. Last year Monkey got a riding dump truck that makes noise, this year he got a giant car racing kit (you know, the noisy ones that send cars flying across the house...) Daddy had as much fun with this kit as Monkey did.

Cleaning out the pumpkin before the traditional "put our baby in a giant gourd" picture. Neither one of our kids has been a fan of this photo, but that hasn't stopped me and my mom from trying. I guess if we have any other kids, the only way they can avoid this picture is to be born in the spring or summer...

Monkey in a pumpkin (October 2008)

Baby Girl in a pumpkin (October 2011)

Coffee Break had a clothing exchange, so my mother and I went through all Monkey's old clothes to find items I wanted to donate. Of course, this meant that Monkey had to put on clothes as we were sorting them.

Splash pants, a golf hat and cowboy boot slippers make a perfectly acceptable outfit, right? And I'm not the only mom who takes pictures of the crazy outfits my kid comes up with...

My husband and kids on Halloween night. Monkey loved knocking on doors and saying "Trick-or-Treat!" And his basket was so small, he could only make it to 2 or 3 houses before emptying it. This made it really easy to prevent him from eating candy before we got back home.
October was an amazing month. We were blessed with great weather, fun visits from family, and of course, a wonderful little girl.

Here's hoping November brings even more smiles!

~A

Three Years Ago...

...I met this little man, and he changed my life forever.

...I watched the sun rise on life as a mama.

...I was blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

And all because of my little monkey.

Happy 3rd Birthday little man!

I love you to the moon and back.

~Mama

40 Weeks (and STILL no baby)

There are so many different websites or apps that have weekly statistic updates on how big your baby is, or what exactly your baby can do each week, and I've subscribed to a few of them on facebook or by email, and I've read many of them, but the last few weeks I haven't read them at all.

Then this afternoon, I was checking my email, and by accident I clicked "next" or something, and one of these updates opened. What did it say?

"Welcome to the world, little one!"

And the evil angry pregnant monster who seems to be creeping up more and more regularly snarled at the computer,

"My baby isn't here yet!"

And while there is a large part of me (a very UNCOMFORTABLY large part of me) wishing that this baby would just magically appear outside my womb without any pain or hard work, I know that this baby is safe and healthy and will come whenever the time is right, even if my calendar says it's "late".

And I'm reminded that there have been so many blessings throughout this pregnancy, so I should focus on the things I'm grateful for, and stop thinking only about all the things I'm looking forward to being done with.




Here is a list (no particular order) of things I can be grateful for:

-This baby is full term. In the past few months, a few friends have had pregnancies end a lot earlier than expected. Some had healthy babies who were born much earlier than expected, but some had babies who didn't make it. I cannot complain about a healthy baby who is still living, even if it means I might wait longer than the normal 40 weeks to meet this little one.

-This pregnancy I haven't had any complications. With Monkey I was hospitalized for 4 nights with a severe infection that caused my face and eyes to swell so that I lost my ability to see for a few days. This time, the only swelling has been my feet, and even then, it's not anything more than a discomfort.

-This pregnancy I've been able to stay active and eat healthy, leading to a much lower weight gain than my first (I've gained less than half this time what I gained with my first)

-I have had amazing, consistent, supportive medical care all the way through this pregnancy, unlike the disjointed and sporadic medical care I had with Monkey, missing the first 4 months because I was overseas, and then being shipped around to 3 other doctors before he was born.

-I have been able to clean, organize, and even decorate my home for the arrival of this little one, unlike the last pregnancy when I didn't even have a place to call a home until 6 weeks before Monkey arrived.

-I have fantastic and supportive friends and family who are celebrating this little one already, and who already are thankful for the blessing we are soon to welcome to this world.

We are such a blessed family, I can't complain when I have so many things to be thankful for. And I'm thankful especially as this weekend approaches (Canadian Thanksgiving) for the many blessings that we have on top of this new baby.

There is still hope that we can meet the baby soon, but I know that God's timing is perfect, and whenever our little one arrives will be the perfect time.

~A

What a Baby Actually NEEDS

In these last couple weeks before Baby 2 comes, I've still got a HUGE list of things I'd like to do.

We've had a very productive week and most of the essential things are done.

I've been working on a NEED vs. WANT list for baby, and I've got 4 things I can think of that are actual needs, and everything else is just icing.

NEEDS for Baby 2:

1. Place for baby to sleep - - - - - - - - -CHECK! we put together the crib last night.

2. Something for baby to wear - - - - - CHECK! all the neutral items we own for babies under 6 months have been washed and dried and were nicely folded until Monkey's nap this afternoon.

3. A carseat for baby - - - - - - - - - - - (almost) CHECK! this is a gift from my parents, and is still living at their house. They have a pink cover for the carrier carseat, but we have a yellow cover here, so we're set boy or girl...

4. Diapers and wipes for baby - - - - - CHECK! I've got some cloth (some pre-folds, some all-in-ones...) and I've got a closet full of bags of disposable diapers which I'm sure we'll go through as well (I found some great deals on diapers, which combined with coupons to really nice prices)

WANTS for Baby 2:

1. A seat for baby - - - - - - - - - - - - - CHECK! (three times over) we found a brand new Exersaucer for 5 dollars that is staying with my parents. We also have a Bumbo seat that has been used by a friend for the past year, and we have a bouncy musical chair that vibrates (also $5, this time at a yard sale).

2. A basinette or playpen - - - - - - - - - CHECK! (on both items) we were given the playpen for Monkey's first Christmas, and we were given a Moses basket from Hubby's Aunt and got to bring it home when we visited a couple weeks ago.

3. A carrier - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -CHECK! We have a Snugglie (sp?) that we got back when Monkey was an infant, as well as one I picked up this summer from kijiji. I would love a wrap carrier, so that's on my "dream gift" list, but I'll be fine with what we have (that's why these are WANTS)

4. Toys/blankets/stuffed creatures - - - -These are items that we don't actually WANT (or need), but we have more than enough and have been trying to give them away since Monkey was born. I think the "go-to" gift for a baby when you don't know what to get is a stuffed toy or a blanket.


This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it goes to show how easily things pile up when there's a baby on the way. There are so many lists out there that have all kinds of extra things listed as "NEEDS" but really you don't need them. Other things I can think of include:

-Breast Pump... This could be moved to the NEED list if you are a mother who has to go back to work before Baby is weaned. I am fortunate to be staying home with the kids this time, so I will not need this item, but it is very important.

-Baby monitor....we have a 2 bedroom apartment... if the baby is crying you can hear it at the other end of our floor.

-Wipe warmer or bottle warmer... these are for the pampered baby... I never even considered getting one

-Matching bed spread set with bumper pads, curtains, sheets.... your baby will not die if he's got uncoordinated sheets... and usually if you get an expensive set, that's the set that will be ruined by explosive poop or vomit... stick with something that will keep baby warm and that fits your budget.

-SHOES for babies... while these are ridiculously cute, they serve NO purpose, so they are not at all essential.

-Mobiles... once again, it's cute, but not essential. When you're changing baby's diaper, the funny faces you make trying to hold your breath and not breathe in the poop smell will be entertaining enough to keep your baby's attention. It's actually better for the baby to look at your face than at some expensive plastic floating object... save the money and invest in your time instead.

-Swings/Jolly Jumpers... these are very useful for some "Me" time, but they are not NEEDS, especially in our case when we already have a vibrating chair, an exersaucer, AND a Bumbo...

-High chairs.... For the first 6 months of your baby's life, she doesn't even need to TRY solid food, so getting one of these chairs before a daily meal time is common will waste your money and your space. If you have a bouncy chair (or a Bumbo) these can be used instead of a high chair, and if you want to save even more space, try the chair that attatches to the table and folds up when dinner is done.

-A changing table... Not an essential piece of furniture. A baby can be changed on any solid surface (couch, the floor, counters, dressers...) and after baby is out of diapers, you can keep all the other surfaces for their intended purposes. We used a dresser when we didn't use the floor, and now it's still as useful as it was before Monkey came along. A very helpful thing might be a changing PAD, but you can always use receiving blankets or towels if you don't have a changing pad.




A baby does not need to break your budget. People who say babies cost thousands of dollars in their first year are insane. It is absolutely possible to spend your entire years salary to have the "perfect" supplies for your baby, but it is also very possible to stick to a budget of only a few hundred dollars and not compromise your baby's safety, and still have all the essentials.



The number one thing a baby needs is love, and as far as I know, you shouldn't have to spend a penny on that. Love your baby, and that will make up for any no-name, or second hand, or mismatched anything in their life...



~A

Choosing a Name (from 100,001 to one...)

Is there any more difficult decision to make about a baby than its name?

I'm not sure there is, and I'm really not sure why it's so much harder this time than it was with our first child. We had 3 names chosen (first and middle) and we went with the one we like the most...

This time around, I could almost write my own baby name book with all the choices I've "narrowed down" from the dozen name books I've gone through so far (not joking).

Some strategies used to choose a name:

-Go with a family name: grandparent, favourite aunt, deceased relative of importance
(now my grandmother was Gertrude... is that a good baby name?)

-Choose names that sound similar/have the same ethnicity
(Irish names: Briana, Fiona, Ciara, Colin, Teagan, Quinn)

-Choose a name starting with the same letter as that of your first child
(Conroy, Chandler, Carl, Cora, Camila, Camryn)

-Look for a name with a nice meaning: son of... strong warrior, blessed by God... and so on

(Isabella means "Consecrated to God", but there will be about 6 of them in her class because of Twilight)

-Flip open the book and point to the first name on whatever page you flip to...

(Nazahah? Vandani? Ladislas? Kirabi? this doesn't seem to be working very well)

None of these strategies have helped us much. I'm sure my list is a few hundred names long (and still growing), and there's still nothing that we LOVE or that jumps out to us. I'm not worried yet, but with only 6 weeks to go (I'm 34 weeks along now!) the "deadline" is fast approaching.

I'd love to say that asking for help from family has been useful, but the feedback I've gotten from my mom consists of name suggestions that I've deliberately removed, or the comment "Why on EARTH would you name your child THAT?"

Any suggestions? Name ideas might be nice, but ideas on how to cut down my list would be even nicer.

Right now we're just calling the baby "fetus" because we don't know if it's a boy or girl, but I'm not sure that name would stick very well after he or she is born.

Any tips or tricks would be great, thanks!

~A

Wednesday, I Love You!

As always, I'm linking up to Jamie.

This week I've got a LOT to love!

{one}

Today is Doctor's Appointment #1 with Baby #2!

(32 more weeks!)

{two}

Today is the last day before my last reading week as a post-secondary student!

{three}

Monkey didn't cry at all when we dropped him off at daycare!

{four}

I found a $25 gift card for Tim Hortons on the same week that Roll-Up-The-Rim started! Yay for free coffees! (even if I don't win anything!)

Oh, and I've been able to eat breakfast all week without hating food!

{five}

My amazing husband has been spoiling me by waking up early, doing all the dishes, and basically running the house (as well as paying the bills) so that I can get as much rest as possible to grow this little blueberry.

What are you loving this Wednesday?

~A

A Day in the life of my Toddler

Today is a normal day for my monkey...

Today he threw his pull-up in the garbage, and then he threw his pants in too...

Today he climbed onto the toilet to pee, and then watched himself pee all over the floor while not quite sitting on the toilet...

Today he brought a library book to a stranger in the library, and she actually sat with him and read him the whole book.... (I couldn't find him for a second because that same mom had been reading to her own child just a few seconds before my son stole her lap from her son...)

Today in an effort to get him to go to bed, I shut off all the lights and locked myself in my room, telling him "Mommy has to go to bed. Good night!"

Whatever works for us I guess!

~A

Make it Happen (Intentional) Monday

Our word for this year is Intentional, and we've been making family time a priority, and really focusing on things we can enjoy together as a family. On that note, we have decided to make Monday our Sabbath day since Hubby doesn't work Mondays, and I don't have class Monday until the end of March).

Today was such a wonderful blessing. It was cold, but amazing.

Our fun activities included:

-Skating at an outdoor public rink (C's first time skating and he loved it!)

-Reading and playing at the library (C got to choose a movie)

-Going out to lunch at McDonalds where C played in the Play land (and I played Mario Kart)

-Colouring and playing at home, and watching Toy Story 2 together (while eating dinner)

I love Mondays! Next week, we already have plans to go swimming.

As for my to do list for the week, things I MUST do include:

-Find a family doctor, and Hubby needs to get to the clinic

-Phone those government people so I can get a(nother) copy of my NOA from 2009...

-Contact the friend of a friend at my potential job to make sure I still have a potential job

-Pay phone and internet bill

-Clean the fridge

Things I would LIKE to do this week:

-Meal plan! I need one to use up everything in our freezer...

-Finish group project for Cuisine and Culture

-Go to Coffee break on Wednesday (I miss those ladies)

-Do my homework for Bible study on Thursday

-Clear our dinner table and put the tablecloth on...

-Spend time with a friend I've been neglecting because of busyness

Things I would love to PUT OFF until next week but better do tomorrow...

-Laundry... preferably before running out of clean socks and underwear for our (almost) potty-trained little man

-Put away the clothes and toys we've organized into bins in our monkey's room before they get dumped out again...

I'm still wishing for a laundry and dishes fairy to appear in my house, but the longer I wait, the less likely it seems she even exists.

~A

Start the Car!!

Do you remember the IKEA commercial from a few years ago? The one where the woman saves so much money she thinks she robbed the store?

That was me tonight. Except not at IKEA.

As of tonight, I am officially an Old Navy convert. I have to give the credit to my best friend's sister whose love of Old Navy might have been mocked a few times by me... I apologize completely.

What I got tonight at regular prices (and then sale prices).

1 mens argyle sweater vest $24.50 ($7.19)

My husband is going to look SO handsome!

1 childs dress shirt with tie $19.50 ($2.99)

1 childs long sleeve shirt $ 7.50 ($1.19)

1 pair childs hightop sneakers $16.50 ($2.08)

I want to get these in all colours!

1 pair childs winter boots $22.50 ($2.98)

4 pairs girls bloomers $ 9.50 ($0.28)

1 pair cowboy boot slippers $10.50 ($1.79)

Aren't they CUTE?!

Grand total: $139.00 ($19.34)

I SAVED $119.66 or 86% !!

Best shopping trip ever... I am SO going back tomorrow....

~A

Guess How Much I Love You

Today I want to remember that (despite all the struggles of having a toddler who loves to destroy/play with everything in the house) I love my son more than I could ever describe.

1. I love snuggling with him in the middle of the night when the only one who can comfort him is me.

2. I love listening to him laugh when he gets tickled, or when he "fawts" (farts), or sometimes he laughs for no reason at all...

3. I love being led around our home, whether to read with him, or play, or just to come see what he's done.

4. I love his new phrases, like " 'top, hammuh time."(stop, hammer time) and "oh dee-uh"(oh dear)

I love his new words, like "teg-uh-saw-us" (stegosaurus) and "ah-wien"(alien)

I love his names for his aunt (Emi-yo), and his uncles (Jo-wah, Wy-an, Timmy, and Jemmy), and I can't forget his "uncle Daddy"

5. I love when he 'sings along' to songs on the radio, or joins us in singing at bedtime with "deedah deedah" for Jesus Loves Me, or "wooold" for He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

6. I love watching as he makes up games for his new toys, or he colours pictures, or he dances around the room to any music that plays.

7. I love hearing the manners we've tried so hard to teach him, like saying "bless you" to himself when he sneezes, or saying "thank you" when someone holds a door for him. I especially love when he says "thank you Mommy" when I put dinner in front of him.

8. I love reading any book with him, even if he only wants to see pictures... or hold it upside down...because for those moments, he wants to sit on my lap, and he'll only be this small for a little while

9. I love the way his bum sticks up in the air when he sleeps and he still sleeps while he sucks his thumb.

10. I love that his name for me is "mama." and even when he says "Nooooo mama" I can't be mad because I love that he knows I'm his.

I might have the same condition a friend of mine mentioned a few weeks ago. Sometimes when I look at my monkey my heart starts to hurt really bad, my eyes start to water, and I can't breathe well or talk much...

oh, little man... I love you to the moon. and back.

~A

(Linked to Top Ten Tuesday at ohamanda)

The Sweetest Thing

I was just about to head to bed, and as I was turning of the lights, I heard one of the best noises...

C was laughing. in his sleep.

There is no better sound in my mind than the laughter of my little man...

So goodnight, and sweet dreams! I know mine will be.

~A

LOVE Week (Part 2)

I guess our "week" was a bit longer than 7 days, because we continued to celebrate into Saturday, Sunday, and even into Monday... what can I say? I LOVE celebrating with the man ILOVE...

I'll pick up where we left off...

THURSDAY we celebrated the receipt of our anniversary present from my wonderful mother! We LOVE board games and as soon as we got Ticket to Ride home, we broke it open and played 3 times... for dinner we had TV dinners so that we didn't have to do any dishes. LOVE easy suppers and simple nights in!!

FRIDAY we had some wonderful open conversations and really shared what was on our hearts. We also got to walk around the mall and see the pet store. LOVE honesty and cute animals!!

SATURDAY we went treasure hunting at garage sales...and we found some really great treasures!! LOVE other people's junk that becomes treasures!

SUNDAY was the end of our child-free week, and I don't know if we could have taken another day...even after working all night I couldn't sleep because I was counting the hours to baby C coming home...so I LOVE Hubs for cleaning the house, and for letting me "sleep" when really I was awake and waiting...

MONDAY is my official end to LOVE week... because even though it's been more than a week, we make the choice to LOVE every day. Tokens of affection, and little adventures together are wonderful, and today my favourite man brought me some beautiful flowers, but I don't LOVEhim only because he does these things, I LOVE him for who he is and for his heart which he has given me totally and completely...So, my LOVE....for all these things and millions more, I choose you everyday, I thank you for three years of YES, and I LOVE you more and more and more....

LOVE Week (Part 1)

So three years of marriage have gone by already, and I still feel like I'm back there in that moment saying "Yes" every day...

This year, celebrating marriage-day on the actual date that Hubs and I were married was not really possible...We tried to make dinner reservations... then delayed them... and then ended up cancelling them...AND I was sick with a stomach virus... I did end up getting a KILLER summer dress at an unexpected shopping trip that only came about because dinner plans were cancelled, but that's not the point.



The point is the lack of celebrating the big day...SOOO we decided to make it more of a week long celebration, and since this is the week that C has a vacation at Grandma and "Grumpa's" place...(he named himself that...)...This is LOVE week!!!



SATURDAY we started with the celebration of LOVE for two wonderful people. My heart felt like it was trying to explode with happiness for the two of them. I couldn't stop smiling... LOVE weddings!!!



SUNDAY we celebrated LOVE in the anniversary of my aunt and uncle, and also LOVE for my best cousin who is now across the ocean teaching for the third year...LOVE anniversaries and amazing jobs (and family!!!)



MONDAY we celebrated our LOVE for the amazing world God has given us by taking an extra long drive home from Gram's and Grump's place (after raiding their garden of course). Oh, and we celebrated quirky little diners in tiny little towns, and finding cute antique shops in the middle of nowhere!! LOVE great food, great laughs, and great inspiration!!!



TUESDAY we celebrated our LOVE of movies and junk food by doing a snack run to Bulk Barn and then taking in a double feature at the drive-in!! LOVE laughter, sugar, and the drive-in!!!



WEDNESDAY we celebrated LOVING others by helping a friend out. We got to spend a nice evening talking about everything and anything, and just being honest and open. And then instead of buying presents for each other, we were able to buy a gift for this friend that will help her and her kids be able to listen to the amazing Christian broadcasting we have in this area. We absolutely LOVE UCB Canada and K-Love, and being Christ's hands and feet!!



And that's my first half of LOVE week! I'm not sure if we have plans for the rest of the week, but there are many things that I LOVE, and I'm hoping that if I look close enough, I can celebrate those things every day.



What kind of things did you do this week that you LOVE?



A



ps...I already miss C... I LOVE both of my wonderful men...

To Do lists

I read this article today, and it made me smile.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/the-funniest-kids-to-do-l_n_599758.html#s95829

What would our lives be like if we focused on the little things like these kids. I hope today that I can delight in the small "to do's " of my life.

inspired by these kids, here is my 'to do' list:

1. make banana chocolate chip muffins and eat one when it's warm.

2. stare at Connor

3. read Harry Potter #5

4. kiss Ben

5. be happy

I wish you all more than enough smiles to get through the day!!

-A