Sisters

Flashback Friday

Don't you just love sisters?
I do.
This is my sister and I.
I'm the older one.
Aren't we adorable?
I just hope my two little boys are as close as my sister and I.

I am so excited because she is flying in tonight!
Yay!

PS My e-mail is working and I had 13 new messages thanks to Susie's Question of the Day!

E-mail not working today :(

If anyone tried to e-mail me today, it's not working. This is what they told me:

We have been having problems with the e-mail server today.
It has been down for most of the day.
We are hoping it will be back up and operating again shortly.

So I'm not mad at you or being rude, I just haven't seen your e-mail yet.

If you didn't e-mail me, then don't worry about it.

But you could e-mail me. Because I like getting e-mail. Don't you?

I am hoping that when it is all fixed, it won't say "no new messages".

a conversation with a two and a half year old

Matthew: Caleb is my big brother.

Me: No sweetie, he's your little brother.

Matthew: No, Mommy. Caleb is my big brother.

Me: Actually, you're the big brother and Caleb is the little brother.

Matthew: Caleb used to be little, but now he's big.
He's my big brother.
You have two big brothers, Mommy.

:)

Pride and Joy

Pride and Joy.

Joy and Pride.

I think I have been the proudest and most joyful since becoming a mom. Don't get me wrong, I had a healthy self-esteem before becoming a mom. I am proud of my childhood, my accomplishments, my education and my relationships. But the moments of pure joy and deep down pride that I have experienced with my boys have been such blessings. (trying not to sound too cheesy-sometimes they drive me crazy, but I'm feeling extra sentimental today so bear with me)

Some of my proud and joyful moments so far:

• Delivering Matthew who happened to weigh 8lbs 15 oz. Very proud that I was able to do that! I guess I really didn't have much choice at that point. Also very joyful that my second baby, Caleb, came three and half weeks early and only weighed 7lbs 4 oz!

• When Matthew told his grandpa, "Jesus loves you, Grandpa!" So proud that he is already spreading the Good News (at the age of 2!) Such joy to know that he has already learned such an important lesson in life.

• Today...when Caleb took his very first steps. Such joy in his face as he balanced himself, and very unsteadily took three steps towards his daddy. Such pride in himself. Our sweet baby becoming a toddler. A special moment, to say the least.

Pride and Joy.

I feel it deep down.

Moments like these, that's what it's all about.

Guess who?

Flashback Friday (thanks Susie)

Guess who this is..












Give up? It's me.

1975
15 months

That's what it says on the back.
I definitely see some similarities with Matthew.
The eyes, the smile :)
Isn't that cool, when you can see yourself in your babies?
Or your babies in yourself?

Mommy & Caleb Day

Today was our day.

Matthew was dropped off at grandma's to do "big boy stuff" like drive Uncle Mark to gymnastics and go to McDonald's. Baby Caleb and I decided to go to the MacKenzie Art Gallery.

Caleb is at such a fun stage right now; he enjoys exploring the world around him and takes delight in the little things we tend to take for granted as we get older.

It was such a wonderful experience to explore the gallery with an eleven month old. He started out in his stroller, but we soon realized that most of the exhibits are difficult to view from that vantage point. Out he came and he enjoyed being carried around to look at the different sculptures, smile at them, wave to them and then point me in the direction of the next one he wanted to see up close.

Our favourites were the life size baboon by David Gilhooly, the cows by Joe Fafard and the preserve pantry by Vic Cicansky. The Vic Cicansky one's are particularly interesting since he is Rick's Mom's cousin and we actually got a piece of his artwork (the pickles pictured at the top) as a wedding gift. All these were in the Regina Clay exhibit.

We came home, had a quiet lunch, then watched Baby Neptune together.
*Please note the extra bulky sweaters--it's FREEZING today!*

Now he's napping and I'm thinking about joining him :)

a happy day

A happy Valentine's Day here...

roses from my hubby,

chocolate covered pretzels from my mom,

chocolates for my hubby (from me of course!)

books for the little ones,

a playdate with a sweet little friend,

and a few toys and treats from grandma.

Not so great photos...

Caleb smiled, but not Matthew...

Matthew smiled, but not Caleb...

Nobody smiled...

They both smiled silly goofy smiles...

Better luck next time Mom :)

one thing

So I was filling out Matthew's preschool registration (which my husband and I think may be longer than our university applications were!) and this was one of the questions...

What is one of the things you like most about your child?

Tough question. What would you say? It's so hard to narrow it down to one thing when there are so many little things and just as many big things that I absolutely love about Matthew (and Caleb too, of course) Where do you begin?

This is what I wrote on the registration form:

Just one?!? We like the fact that Matthew enjoys learning new things. He is like a sponge, soaking up new information everyday. We love that.

Somehow it doesn't feel like I said enough...

Hello

Hello.

My name is Caleb.
And today I am eleven months old :)

Everyone says I look alot like my daddy.
But I also look a bit like my big brother and mommy.

I still don't have very much hair.
But it's starting to come in and guess what?
It might be curly!

I getting so smart too.
If anyone asks me where the teddy bears are,
I always point to them with my finger and smile my cutest smile.
Some people swear they have heard me say "bear" in my own baby way.
I'm glad someone can finally understand me.
Ask me what a bunny does, and I'll bounce up and down. I know.

I'm starting to get sick of that mushy baby food. I much prefer toast, peas, canteloupe and teething cookies. And I can drink out of a sippy cup too.

I love exploring my environment. These are my favourite things in my environment:the toilet, the tv, my big brother's train table and the garbage can.

I am snuggly and sweet and so so smiley.

And today am am eleven months old. Nice to meet you.

What would you recommend?

If you were at the library for storytime and it was time to get your kids ready to go, what would you recommend?

Would you put your jacket on before you get them ready?

Or after?

Because if you put your jacket on before, you might be thinking "Now that I'm all ready, I'll just whip my children into their jackets/snowsuits and after a quick stop to check out our books and videos, we'll be on our way."

But if you put your jacket on before, you might also find yourself with a two and a half year old who has a tantrum in front of all your friends and Storytime Jane.

And if you are still wearing that darn ski jacket meant for a cold Saskatchewan winter, you could get very hot and sweaty inside that jacket, especially if the tantrum involves throwing himself on the floor and refusing to leave.

So what do you think you would recommend?

I would have to go with putting your jacket on after.

But that's just me :)

A rainbow

Forgot to post this yesterday....

It's a rainbow :)

Mommy and Matthew Day

In an effort to spend more time with the boys individually, I have instituted Mommy & Me Day (which is usually Wednesday) My mom watches one of the boys at her house and I do something special with the other one. And actually the other boy gets to have Grandma & Me Day (so everyone wins!)

Today was Mommy & Matthew Day.

First we went to the school where I used to teach to pick up a preschool registration form. Matthew enjoyed looking at the fish in the big fish pond and when I said it was time to go, he told me he wanted to look in some rooms first. So I took him on a mini-tour of the school. We saw the gym, the library, a few classrooms and some of my former students.

We came home and had a picnic in the living room. What did we pack?
pickles
cheese & crackers
juice
granola bars
and monster cookies

















Our tummies full, we went downstairs to play firefighters. We needed to get in character so we tried to find every firefighter book we own. We found three (I'm sure there are more, but oh well)
We read them all and then got dressed up in our new firefighter costumes (I bought them on sale after Halloween, but just pulled them out today)

I was the fire chief :)

We didn't know what to use for hoses so we used Matthew's toy golf clubs. Well what would you use?

After putting out so many fires, we did what all firefighters do: we painted and then had lunch.

Then it was time to pick up Caleb because he needs to nurse before his afternoon nap. So technically it was Mommy & Matthew Morning. But it was still lots of fun!

I have a question...

This morning when Matthew woke up, I asked him, "Do you know where we're going today?"

"We're going to the museum!"

We haven't been for ages and I'm sure he didn't remember so I explained to him what we would see at the museum: animals and dinosaurs (pretend ones, but they would be big). He was very excited.

Fast forward about half an hour to the breakfast table conversation.

"Mommy, I have a question..."

"Yes sweetie, what's your question?"

"Can I and Caleb ride on the dinosaur's back?"

I really just think he is the cutest kid. How sweet of him to think of his baby brother too. We did have a great time at the museum, but unfortunately we were unable to ride on the dinosaur's back!

Have you ever done this?

I was supposed to go work out this evening.

But I kinda had a headache.

Rick took Matthew out for ice cream so I could have some peace and quiet.

This is what they brought back for me.









My headache is gone :)

No workout + strawberry sundae = tight blue jeans

Giddy

Do you ever get giddy when you find a big sale?

I did.

Today I found 2 big sales.

Boy stuff. Clothes for my boys.

70% off and I am giddy.

They are set for next fall/winter.

And everytime they wear their little Tommy Hilfiger matching shirts, I will smile and say to myself "Some sucker paid $50 for these and I got them for 15!"

Music in our basement

Who needs Kindermusik or Music for Young children?

When you have a whole box full of instruments...

Sorry for the mess in the background (I didn't know that you'd be dropping by)

Yes, I realize that there are more photos of Matthew, but Caleb just kept putting everything in his mouth and I had to be careful he didn't shove it down too far. So I had to put the camera down to prevent him from choking. It was a safety issue.

I'm not usually this competitive...

Are you a fan of baby shower games?
I'm usually not too crazy about them.

But I went to a baby shower on Saturday for my friend who is expecting a baby(why does that sound so silly?).
And her sister announced the first game:
a baby food taste test!
Most of the guests were groaning in disgust as the hosts brought out paper plates. On each plate was a small sample of 6 different flavors of baby food. Each one was labelled 1-6. "This is gross", the lady next to me complained. "I can't believe babies actually eat this", said another. "Do we really have to taste it?", asked the mother-to-be.

But not me :)

Bring it on! I've been training for this game for the last two years. I know this. I can do this. I taste this food everyday. I test it on my lips to see if it's too hot. I finish off the fruity desserts if Caleb's tummy is full. I can beat all these wimps at the baby food taste test!

And I did. It was easy.
1) green beans
2) peaches
3) sweet potatoes
4) peas
5) squash
6) apricot dessert

Well, not that easy. They tried to trick us with foods that were similar in colour. But like I said earlier, I am somewhat of a baby food connoisseur :)

I came home with a baby shower prize (airplane size bottle of Bailey's, mm's and small hand lotion-not too shabby), bragging to my husband of my special skills. Later while feeding Caleb, I mentioned to Rick that this was the same food I had identified earlier at the shower.

"Was that the highlight of your weekend," he asked "winning the baby food contest?"

It was. Do you think that's sad?

What's my job?

The other night I was reading a book to Matthew called "What's my job?" It is a lift-the-flap book with various occupations: firefighter, astronaut, vet, etc.







When we got to the page about the baker, I explained that a baker bakes cakes, cookies, bread and muffins. That's a baker's job.


No Mommy, he said very seriously, The Muffin Man makes muffins.







(hee hee-how do you argue with that?)

4 things about me (I bet you didn't know...)

I was tagged by Suzanne! This was fun!

four jobs i've had in my life
1. Dishwasher in a restaurant
2. Staple remover (one summer I removed staples from documents for eight hours a day for a whole month!)
3. Elementary school teacher
4. Mommy

four movies i could watch over and over
1. You’ve got mail
2. 50 first dates
3. Meet the Parents
4. Castaway

four places i have lived
1. Weyburn, Saskatchewan
2. Regina, Saskatchewan
3. Quebec City, Quebec
4. Lloydminster, Alberta

four tv shows i love to watch
1. Amazing Race
2. King of Queens
3. What not to Wear
4. (I guess it's probably a good thing that I can only think of 3!)

four places i have been on vacation
1. Florida
2. France
3. Maui
4. Mexico

four websites i visit daily
1. Two peas
2. google
3. various blogs
4. yahoo

four of my favorite foods
1. vietnamese food (noodle bowl)
2. lonestar bbq salad from Moxie’s
3. billy miner pie from the keg
4. popcorn (with lots of butter)

four places i would rather be right now
1. Maui
2. napping
3. I actually really like it at home so this is tricky...
4.

four people i'll tag next
anyone who hasn't been tagged yet (I think everyone I know has already been tagged)

Wiggle worm (please help!)

Okay all you experienced and creative moms, I have a challenge for you... No, not a scrapbooking challenge. Please give me some ideas to make diaper changing and dressing my active 10 month old less stressful.

Caleb is really enjoying his newfound freedom and mobility. REALLY enjoying it. So much, that he won't sit still long enough for his diaper to get changed. He wiggles and squirms, he flips over, he crawls away. We call him the "wiggle worm" if we're in a good mood. If we're not in a good mood, we just get very frustrated.

I've tried singing, bringing out special toys from behind my back every minute or so. What else? What else have you tried? What else works? Help!

Dental hygiene

Matthew likes to brush his teeth with "bear paste".











Mommy brushes her teeth with "Crust".







Then he "checks his numbers".






He's so funny! (except when he asks me what my numbers are!)

Babies

You take your new baby home.
And you talk and you talk and you talk to him.
You sing lullabyes and rock him.

And he just looks at you.
He's awfully sweet, but he just looks at you.
You may even feel silly sometimes,
almost like you're talking to yourself.









But you keep talking.
You talk and you talk and you talk.
You dance around the room and put on puppet shows.

And he just looks at you.
He may smile. He may coo. But he just looks at you.
You may wonder if you're wasting your breath.









But you keep talking.
You talk and you talk and you talk.
You read books and recite rhymes.

And then....
One day...

He understands. You say "Where's the teddy bear?"
And he looks at the teddy bear. And he looks at you.
And he smiles. Because that's what babies do.

Isn't it just amazing?

Happy Birthday!

It's my hubby's birthday today. And this is the cake I've made...








Of course, it doesn't look exactly like that because when you put crushed oreos in cool whip, the cool whip doesn't stay that white!

But I'm sure it will still taste yummy!

blue, blue eyes

I bought a new album.
8.5 X 8.5
Don't ask me why. An impulse buy, I guess.

So I've decided to put all my favourite photos in there.

This is one of my favourite photos of Caleb from the summer.
We had so much fun that day in the park.
And he just looks so sweet and content :)
Don't you think?

Thanks for looking!

Favourite lullabye

I love the words to this lullabye by Connie Kaldor:

I Have You Connie Kaldor © SOCAN

Some have furs and fancy cars
But I have you, I have you
Some have silk and caviar
But I have you, I have you
Some have emeralds set in gold
But none can sit and rock and hold you
Like I do, like I do, like I do

Some have lace and diamonds rings
But I have you, I have you
They always have the latest things
But I have you, I have you
Some are always dressed in style
But they will never catch your smile
Like I do, like I do, like I do

Some have homes on the finest streets
But I have you, I have you
The finest leather on their feet
But I have you, I have you
Some have wine and a castle keep
But they can't watch you drift asleep
Like I do, like I do, like I do

WARNING: This lullabye is NOT guaranteed to put your baby to sleep. It may, in fact, cause your baby to wake often during the night and early morning, as illustrated by Caleb last night.

*I didn't say it worked. I just said I liked the words*

Christmas 2005 highlights

(a little late, I know!)

- going on a "twinkle tour" in car to look at Christmas lights. This was a couple days before Christmas, but something I love to do.

- Caleb's excitement (more than we expected) about opening gifts. He was so cute and smiley everytime someone gave him a present to unwrap! And of course, he loved the paper and the ribbons and for some reason Grandma's coasters!?!

- Singing Kareoke with Grandpa & Auntie. That microphone has never been so soggy!

- Adding new trains to our collection (Golden Thomas, Skarloey, Jack Frost Percy, Harold and the fire crew) --and then playing with them! Well technically Harold and the fire crew aren't trains, but they are a welcome addition to the Island of Sodor.

- When Matthew wished everyone a Merry Christmas during Christmas dinner... individually! and there were 9 of us!

- Playing with cousins at Rick's side of the family. It was the first year Matthew was old enough to play with the other kids a bit. Nice to see him doing that.

- Having each other and enjoying the special moments...counting our blessings...so many to count!

Skating on Christmas Eve

We went skating on Christmas Eve. We found an outdoor rink not too far from our place. And it was a gorgeous day.

It was Matthew's first time on his skates. He did well. We stayed positive and made it fun for him. And we all had fun. Matthew liked holding our hands and "skating" with his helmet. Caleb liked to be pulled around on the ice in his little purple toboggan. And then of course Matthew had to have a turn in the little toboggan too!

And check this out. I know they are wearing the same snowsuit, but don't they just look alot the same? Not exactly. I can totally tell who is who, but still. The first one is of Matthew in February 2004 and the second one is Caleb on Christmas Eve 2005!

Christmas cookies with Grandma

Matthew (and Caleb) baked Christmas cookies with Grandma this week.















Check out his cute (and very boyish) apron.
Yes, those are boats and airplanes and cars!




















Caleb even helped (sort of) stir the cookie dough.
And he watched the whole process (and took notes for next year, of course!)
















Matthew was so excited and had a great time pouring in the ingredients, cracking the eggs, cutting the shapes and decorating with sprinkles.
















It's beginning to look (and taste) alot like Christmas :D

Update

Just as his brother before him, Caleb has chosen to crawl and get his first tooth at the same time. I use the term "crawl" very loosely as it is more of a caterpillar-type wiggle across the floor. I also use the term "tooth" loosely because it is barely visible but it is definitely there if you are lucky enough to rub your finger along his gums. Congratulations baby Caleb on reaching these milestones this past weekend!

Christmas in "Killartey"

"Mommy I want Christmas in Killartey"

This was Matthew on Saturday morning. I had no idea what he was talking about. So now I was on a mission. A mission to figure out what he was talking about.

"Christmas in Killartey?", I asked.

Yes Mommy. I want it.

Where did you see it?

At the Christmas Party. (we had been to Rick's staff kids' party on Wed)

What is it?

A song, Mommy. Like the puppets. I want it. I want Christmas in Killartey.

***Mystery Solved***

If you haven't guessed already, it was CHRISTMAS IN KILLARNEY by the Irish Rovers, that my little guy wanted to listen to. There had been a puppet show on Wednesday at the Christmas party and I had totally forgotten that the finale song had been Christmas in Killarney. I tell you, Matthew has an amazing memory! I didn't even think he was still listening by the end of the show and it certainly wasn't a highlight of the party. Not like meeting Santa or eating pizza. But here we were 3 days later and he wanted to listen to Christmas in Killarney.

So Rick downloaded it off the internet and we have listened and listened and listened to it.

The holly green, the ivy green
The prettiest picture you've ever seen
Is Christmas in Killarney
With all of the folks at home

I almost feel Irish :D

Oh no!

Here we go again!

Both boys have colds.

Up all night.

Runny noses.

Sneezes.

A case of the coughs.
(that's what Matthew says, it's so cute)
(cute that he says it, not that he coughs all the time)

STOP.

Count your blessings :)

I have two sweet boys.

Matthew is learning how to blow his nose.

More time to bond with Caleb (as he snuggles me in the middle of the night)

Everyone should be healthy by Christmas .

Caleb at 9 months

Not quite crawling.

Not sleeping very well.










Cute as can be.

Adores his big brother.











Pictures taken Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005 (9 months old).

Anticipating the tickle

Caleb reached an important baby milestone last week.

No, he didn't start walking.

No, he didn't start crawling either (although he is SO close)

He anticipated the tickle.

?!?

Let me explain...

We were at Kindermusik last week, doing a different version of this little piggy.
I've always done this little piggy went to market...etc.

Here it is:

This little pig danced a merry, merry jig;
This little pig ate candy.
This little pig wore a blue and yellow wig;
This little pig was a dandy.
But this little pig never grew to be big,
So they called him tiny little Andy.

(then you say tickle, tickle, tickle and you tickle them)

And that's when he did it... He smiled his widest smile. He threw his head back in anticipation. He started to giggle even before the tickle, tickle part. He knew it was coming up.

He anticipated the tickle : D

Now does it make sense?

Incidentally, he is also able to anticipate the washcloth on the face...now we are ready to move on the the next developmental milestone (maybe crawling)!

Yum yum! Recipes for a busy mom!

Supper time is just crazy around here sometimes. Matthew is going through a bit of a fussy stage when it comes to eating. He does not like to try new things.
I read about this.
It's normal.
Pick your battles, mommy.
So, I try.
I offer him what we're having.
Then I usually make peanut butter toast.
Or sausage, he likes sausage.

Caleb, the other hand, likes to eat everything I offer him. But he likes to eat at about 4:30, precisely the time that I am starting to get everyone else's supper organized.
He fusses too.
He needs supper NOW.
I'm trying to juggle too many things.
Boil water.
Feed him some bites.
Add pasta.
Feed him some bites.

Matthew comes: "Mommy I want something"
Supper will be ready soon.
I don't want supper I want a snack.
Caleb fusses, forgot to feed him some bites.
Toddler whining.
Baby fussing.
Supper...put on hold for awhile.


But don't worry, I've found some help. Kraft Canada. It's full of recipes. Easy ones. No fancy schmancy ingredients. Real food. Yummy food too. Some of my favourites are: Bruschetta Chicken Bake and California Chicken. And here's the BEST PART:

If you sign up, they will send you their magazine/cookbook every few months and it is loaded with easy, easy recipes that are so good. It's still crazy around here...and Matthew still eats peanut butter toast more than he probably should, but it's getting better.