Live. Laugh. Love.

First few weeks with Graham

2012-01-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

Cuddles with Nana at one week old

We got winter the third week of January. Darren and the girls had fun trying to catch a snowflake on their tongues.

Unfortunately, along with the snow came the flu, poor Natalie was hit the hardest, lasting just over 24hrs.

Graham, thankfully, did not get the flu. Here he is at 10 days old.

As much as I thought it was a challenge to get a nice picture of both of the girls, it is even more of a challenge to get a nice one of all 3! He is 17 days old in this picture.

Graham is 3 weeks old today, and I cannot help but wonder where the time has gone.

Welcome baby Graham

2012-01-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

January 8th 2118h we welcomed baby Graham Michael to our family and the world. Born one day after his big sister, and 27hrs after my water broke.

He is just one hour old here ^^

He arrived happy and healthy weighing 6lbs 15.5oz and 21inches long.

Do you think he looks like Maddy or Natalie?

We spent the night in the hospital and come home the next afternoon.

5 years old!!

2012-01-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

On January 7th Madeline turned 5 and we celebrated by having family over to my mom's house for cake.

Madeline loved her owl cake that we picked up from Safeway

of course her two favorite stuffies, Eliant and Lion were there too.

A bit about Madeline...

- loves art and creating things

- is creative

- enjoys preschool

- looks forward to starting Kindergarten in the fall

- is outgoing

- strong willed

- helpful (clears her dishes after a meal, makes her bed, puts her shoes and coat away etc)

- loves her family

- loves cheese and grapes

- dislikes celery

- is learning to skate on her own

- likes to pick out her own outfits and prefers to where dresses or skirts

Happy 5th Birthday Precious Girl!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve the girls and I attended an evening Church service, while Darren had to work. After Church the girls and I had a lovely meal at the restaurant where Darren works.

Our mantel decorated with all of the lovely cards and photos from friends and family.

Christmas morning opening presents. To our surprise both girls slept in until nearly 8am.

Playing with their new play-doh.

In the afternoon we made our way to Darren's parents...

Cousins

More present fun!

We had a wonderful Christmas as a family, and hope you did too.

Christmas play, sisterly love and a gingerbread house...

2011-12-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

The past 2 weeks have really flown by, here is quick recap of some of the things we have been up to...

Madeline was an angel at her Preschool's Christmas Play. She is now on break from school until the New Year.

A while back Madeline made this in Kids Church. She chose her sister as her best friend, and made her a friendship bracelet.

The girls had a lot of fun decorating this Gingerbread house for our family get together. Unfortunately the decorations started to droop and slide once they finished. They still thought it tasted yummy :)

My family had our Christmas get together and Natalie is wearing her new outfit from Auntie Colleen. The new barbie toys in the background are thanks to cousin Bailey :)

Christmas Concert

2011-12-10T17:24:00.001-08:00

The girls were in a Christmas at our Church last weekend.

We went to the rehearsal the before the day before, and boy did the girls look cute. Madeline performed right on queue, but Natalie who just woke from a nap, was a little more reserved. She felt a lot better when Madeline joined her on stage, and it wasn't long before she was into it.

Dressed up for the big night.

Natalie's class of 2 and 3 year olds were first on stage, and she did not miss a beat or an action.

Madeline's class was on stage twice, the second time as adorable sheep.

Both girls did great!

Stockings are hung and cookies are decorated...

2011-12-03T08:31:00.001-08:00

Darren came across the cutest cookies, Melted Snowman Cookies, a while back while surfing the Internet. They looked easy enough, so we bought the Wilton icing and I made them with the girls last night. The recipe called for box cookie mix and icing, but we made out own.

I have a good recipe for sugar cookies that do not need to be chilled...perfect for projects like this.

Here the girls are sampling cookies.

The decorating was the tricky part, as I am not really that crafty. Plus I realized too late that we likely bought the wrong Wilton's icing, which meant I had to paint everything on with a tooth pick...far too tedious for me. Some of them turned out pretty cute, but most of them look like messy melted snowman.

Oh well, all in good fun and the girls thought they were great. Although, Madeline couldn't understand why we weren't making regular snowmen. Once the cookies we iced, we put up a couple more decorations, and hung our stockings. Yes, there are only 3 stockings. We do have 5, but the other 2 don't match the set, plus we only have 3 hangers. Likely we could go buy a new set of stocking hangers to accommodate 5 stockings, but this will work just fine for now.

Next big task is to string the lights outside :)

Tree is up and decorated

2011-12-02T19:49:00.001-08:00

Last night, much to the delight of 2 little girls we set up the tree, ordered pizza and spent the evening stringing beads and hanging ornaments.

The tree is nothing fancy, and was purchased from a big box store for a very small price tag over 6 years ago.

So it was not a big surprise that one section of lights went out conveniently after we had the tree decorated. The tree has survived a kitten, two young children and has last longer than I thought it would.

It will suit our needs just fine this Christmas - in fact you can hardly notice the missing section of lights. Once the holidays are over, we will scan the sales and pick up a new tree, as I am sure it won't be long before none of the lights work on this one.

And there is our tree decorated, missing lights and all. The girls actually did most of it after we clarified with Madeline that the ornaments did not have be clumped together in a "family" as she put it.

Trick or Treating...

2011-11-04T18:28:00.001-07:00

We had a delightful Halloween, complete with visiting grandparents, pizza, trick or treating and handing out candy.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins as a family - our first time I think.

I am not much of a pumpkin carver, and this Halloween did not change that. I used a cookie cutter to punch out shapes on my pumpkin. Maybe I will show you the finished jack-o-lanterns in a future post.

The same post where I show you what the girls dressed up as today. I can tell you that Madeline will be a princess since she received the costume as a gift, and it has pretty cool light up skirt.

Painting and some pictures

2011-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Both girls were thrilled to receive painting kits as a gift. What a great way to pass the time with little ones. Paints are somewhat unknown to Natalie, and she was done her painting in record time. Madeline paints at preschool, so she spent a bit more time creating her masterpiece.

Madeline is 2 months shy of 5 years old...and Natalie is 2.5. It still amazes me how quickly they grow and change. We were trying on Halloween costumes today, when Madeline realized that Natalie had more costumes than here. I explained that while that was true, all of Natalie's were hand me downs from her, and she had a brand new one. Madeline decided that she for a brief moment that she did not want to get bigger. A fleeting thought I am sure...just because she wanted to fit last years costume. By tomorrow she will be asking when she is big enough for school, go trick or treating alone, wear make up or any number of things.

It brought back memories of when I was child and couldn't wait to grow up, wear high heels, and have my own place. Little did I know that I would be tall, and wearing heels would make me cower over everyone, not mention they are not that comfortable for day to day work and mommy errands. I also had no idea that having my own place also meant my own mountain of bills and never ending housekeeping.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ever since Madeline was a baby we have visited a pumpkin in the fall, and this year was no exception. The last 3 years our good friends have joined us in this tradition - making the trek out from Alberta every year.

Check out some of our previous visits to the Pumpkin patch here :

2007, 2009, and 2010

In 2009 we discovered Willowview farms in Abbotsford and have been coming back every year since. Its a nice farm with a play area for kids, petting zoo, country store, u-pick apples, corn, and lots of pumpkins - best of all there is no charge to visit the farm. We like to start off letting the kids check out the petting zoo.

Then we grab a wagon and head into the fields.

This year we tried to get some pictures of everyone in the patch before continuing on to the apple orchard.

Trying to get pictures with that many kids and babies is not an easy task, but we had a lot of fun trying.

We left the patch with bag full of yummy apples, 2 small pumpkins for our front stoop, and 2 tired, but happy girls.

Awesome girls

2011-10-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

This fall Madeline is attending Preschool 2 days a week. She absolutely loves it, and has made a lot of friends. She was sad that she didn't get to go to Kindergarten like her cousin, but seems to be over that now. I am hopeful that next year she will make the adjustment to day long Kindergarten quite well.

Darren takes both girls to Music Together once a week. Everyone really enjoys music and while we have missed the odd session Natalie has attended since she was baby. It amazes me how quickly Natalie picks up a song, and I often catch her singing to herself. Maybe she will be musically inclined like her big cousin...

Madeline seems to be artistically inclined. She colors something almost everyday, and despite my threats is always sneaking our computer paper for an art project.

Both girls are busy and happy. People tell me that they both look big for their ages...I am not sure if they are, but its not like we are petite people. At the moment, while they are 2 years apart there is only 5lbs between the 2 of them.

Fall so far

2011-10-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Fall just seems to be busy, and we have been busy enjoying it!

In the past month we have kept busy by celebrating a couple of birthdays, and had the pleasure of attending Chloe's 5th birthday luau. In true BC and Hawaii style we celebrated between rain showers and had a great time. Its hard to believe that 4 years ago these girls were just babies when we took them to the pumpkin patch.

I am not sure if Chloe or Madeline is more excited about the birthday cake.

More recently we had Chloe over for a cupcake decorating party - just for fun :)

I love how meticulous the 2 older girls were with decorating, especially Chloe. I think Madeline was more concerned with maximizing the amount of candy per cupcake.

Natalie had fun decorating with the "big girls", and was even more pleased to learn that a mini chocolate cupcake was bed snack.

Madeline and her finished cupcakes.

Progress on the room

2011-09-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a busy day that included going to IKEA. You see, Madeline likes to read (look at the pictures, and make up the story) in bed, but was having trouble since the big light would keep her sister awake. So off we went in search of lighting solutions, and we came up with these flower lights. They cast a soft light and are we used energy efficient light bulbs so they don't heat up.

Last week we ordered some wall decals that Madeline helped pick out to make the room more "girly". Interestingly enough they come from a wall paper supplier. I had to triple check with the saleslady that they were NOT wall paper. I have had the misfortune of removing poorly applied wall paper...and lets just say it was so much work that I am forever turned-off by wall paper.

The decals are essentially removable stickers, but we didn't share that with the girls.

I still need to find matching spreads, but as you can tell by the dressers I am not that hung up on "matching".

Big girl bed

2011-09-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, in January our family will be growing...heck I am already growing. We are very excited for the new addition! Living in a 3 bedroom home, means my girls now get to share a room.

So this past long weekend we bought the new bed, which both girls LOVE. A shelf needed to come down to make room for the bed, which is when we realized the room would need painted as well.

So off to the paint store, and 24 hours later, a lot of work and the room was complete.

These pictures were taken before it was completely back together....we are on the look out for coordinating wall hangings, and possibly bed spreads.

PNE

2011-09-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that September is already here, where did the summer go?

The end of summer means its time for our annual family day trip to the PNE. I love that Maddy looks forward to this trip all year. Each year we go and wander the fair, let the girls do a couple of rides and tour the prize home (that each year we are convinced we are winning).

This year was no exception, except we bought Maddy a junior ride pass - she LOVES the rides, and it amazes me how brave she is.

Just look at her sitting up front on the kiddie coaster! We bought some tickets so Natalie could go on some rides, and so Darren could accompany Maddy on the some. We soon discovered that Natalie wanted nothing to do with the rides, and at playland parents can ride with kids for free (awesome!). Natalie ended up riding on the carousel with me, but at the end of the day we had left over tickets that we gave to another family as we were leaving.

Of course you cannot go to the fair with out enjoying some fair food. Darren and the girls enjoyed a "Crazy Dog" loaded cheese, peppers, onions - a knife and fork kind of dog. We also snacked on some perogies and cabbage rolls (my choice), barbecue (Darren's choice), and mini donuts (every one's choice).

We had an awesome day, complete with a few rain sprinkles which we didn't mind. I can only imagine how busy it would have been had the skies been clear.

Before heading home we enjoyed one last fair treat - a whale tail - Yum!!

Some things never change...

2011-08-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I have fond memories of spending the day the Trans-Canada Water Slides. Aside from changing their name to Bridal Falls Waterpark, they the same as I remember. I was grateful to receive complementary passes from a co-worker, and it was an excellent way to spend the day with the girls.

Madeline loves the water, and spent all her time going down the kiddie slides, when she wasn't going done the intermediate slides with her Dad.

Natalie is bit more cautious when it comes to water, but soon realized it was a lot fun playing in the shallow kiddie pools, while mommy sat on a beach blanket close by.

camping 2011

2011-08-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

We just returned from an awesome camping trip with some great friends. We spent 3 nights at Alice Lake provincial park just outside of Squamish.

The campground had large private sites, that were nicely shaded - which is what I like. It was cool at the site, but nice and warm down by the lake. The only draw back was out site was a little walk to the washrooms. The washrooms themselves were clean, and had a free hot shower.

The girls loved camping, and it seems to get easier each time we go. While Daddy set the tent up, and I unpacked the van, they explored the woods behind our site.

Camping means hot chocolate, tonnes of play time, coloring, and yummy food.

Afternoons were spent at the beach, while the evenings were enjoyed around the campfire. A prefect family getaway :)

Blueberry picking

2011-08-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

It was a nice evening so we decided to pick some berries before dinner.

We had the field pretty much to ourselves and the girls really enjoyed finding the berries.

Natalie took the task pretty seriously and went to work picking right away.

Madeline showing off on of her finds

A trip to the fair

2011-08-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to the local Fair ...

There were animals to see, and even some to pet. Madeline loved all the animals, while Natalie was a bit more nervous and happy to be in her stroller.

Madeline enjoyed the rides, and shocked us when she thoroughly enjoyed the fast spinning tilt a whirl.

No trip to the fair is complete without cotton candy. so we bought some to share.

Day trip

2011-08-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

While Maddy was off having her own adventure with Grandpa, we headed into the city with Natalie.

A little while back she requested to ride on a choo choo train. Our adventure began in Stanley Park where Natalie got to ride the spirit train, which was part of the Klahowya Village. Natalie enjoyed the train ride, and native drumming.

After lunch we took a stroll down Denman street...which was packed with lots of people out to enjoy the sun. We stopped to get ice cream from the Marble Slab Creamery - which Natalie thoroughly enjoyed!

After some shopping and dinner we didn't get home until well after Natalie's bedtime...but she didn't seem to mind.

Summer fun

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Some news...

2011-07-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Laid back evenings

2011-07-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

Its been one of those dreary days...but with some good news

Maddy passed her swimming lessons and got her "Starfish" sticker

Way to go Maddy!!!

Maddy enjoyed reading a book

While her sister watched a favorite show in mommy's room. Its all part of the wind down to bed time.

July so far...

2011-07-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

A birthday was celebrated

There have been picnics in our backyard and at the park

Swimming lessons

and fun at the splash park and the lake

June...a recap in pictures

2011-07-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Day at the park with friends

Family picnic at another park

We are here. We are well.

2011-07-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sad that a month has passed since the last post. My apologies. I wish I had great stories to tell, but all I can say is we are doing well but we have been busy.

We made the best of the nice days by getting outside.

Natalie's vocabulary is expanding daily. Madeline finished preschool and started swimming lessons.

One day soon (maybe even tonight, but I am not making any promises) I will upload some new photos to show what we have been up to.

laid back afternoons

2011-06-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

After a marathon house cleaning session this morning followed by a classmate's birthday party for Maddy and a nap for Natalie, we were ready to kick back and enjoy the afternoon.

Maddy is reading book about coloring

She politely asks for no more pictures...

Meanwhile in another room her sister is busy coloring

and hamming it up for the camera

Most people in the province will be tuning in for the big game any moment now...

Go Canucks Go!

Sunday...

2011-05-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day today. After church we went for a short walk.

These are some pictures we captured a long the way.

Days 3 and 4

2011-05-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

On days 3 and 4 of our vacation we stayed a little closer to the camp group venturing into the nearby communities of Cannon Beach and Seaside.

There was lots of playing in the sand flying kites. It was so warm on Wednesday that I actually got a sun burn! The girls were OK since I remember to put sunscreen on them.

Madeline's family portrait

Fun in the sun and sand!

Day 2...done

2011-05-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was an action filled day. We were literally on the road all day, but it was great!

Our final point of interest was The Yaquina Head Lighthouse just outside Newport.

It is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon and actually still functions. Had we gotten there an hour earlier we could have had a tour by the keeper...

We had to pay $7 for admission, but there were some more great views, and the lighthouse was pretty neat - so it was worth it!

It was no surprise that we were all exhausted by the time we returned to the yurt. We all slept great that night :)

More Day 2 Continued

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is from a stop between Pacific City and Newport - Cape Foulweather...

Natalie's "cheese" face

Checking out the views

More day 2...Pacific City

2011-05-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

After stopping at Cape Meares we continued on the 3 Capes Scenic Drive - a beautiful drive I must say. It took us through Pacific City - a neat little town with an interesting surfer vibe.

It was super windy when we arrived so Darren and Maddy took the opportunity to try out the new princess kite, while Natalie and I sat on the beach and watched the surfers. If you look at the collage above, in the bottom corner you can see the storm that was rolling in.

To escape the rain we went to a restaurant on right on the ocean and had a snack before continuing on our drive.

Day 2 continued

2011-05-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

After a fun morning at the Tillamook Cheese Factory we decided to visit the Cape Meares Lighthouse since it was close by.

We had to walk down a fairly long and steep paved trail, but it was well worth it for the views

When we were ready to head back up the hill it started pour rain. Thankfully we are used to rain and we didn't let it dampen our fun!

Once back in the parking lot we noticed a sign that said "Octopus tree" and pointed to trail heading up. The trail was not stroller friendly so only Maddy and I ventured on in the rain.

It was a really neat looking tree, and again the views from up high were well worth the wet walk.

Day 2....

2011-05-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

We all slept very well in the yurt. We were up early and had a breakfast of fruit and oatmeal. Then we loaded in the van and headed south for Tillamook.

We visited the Tillamook cheese factory.

We could go upstairs and watch the cheese making process from above, then go down stairs and sample it :)

We ate lunch here - grilled cheese of course!

Then had some ice cream for dessert

Oregon Coast Adventure...Day 1

2011-05-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we headed out for Nehalem Bay Oregon. We were happy to discover our 8am leave time meant no border line ups and no Seattle traffic.

A little after noon we were ready to stop in Olympia for lunch and a bit of shopping. We made into Oregon early in the afternoon. Madeline was excited to see the big bridge in Astoria.

Posing for a family photo at one of the many pull-out along highway 101. This particular look out was between Cannon Beach and Nehalem Bay State Park. We arrived at our campsite a little after 6pm, and checked into our yurt. Hungry and in no hurry to unpack the cooking gear we set out to find some dinner.

We settled on a Pizza shop in Manzanita. They had the most delicious spinach salad, and the pizza wasn't bad either.

Below is a cute sign we parked beside in Manzanita...

Once we were back at our yurt and all settled in we HAD to take a walk to the ocean to check out the beach. It was awesome!! The girls loved the sand - throwing it, rolling in it, making sand angels and just sitting in it.

We arrived just in time to see the sunset. A great first day of our vacation for sure!

Maddy the artist

2011-05-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Madeline really enjoys coloring. These are a few of her recent masterpieces.

Left - A little girl picking flowers beneath an apple tree
Top Right - a zebra
Bottom Right - an abstract interpretation of her bedroom, complete with the door, dresser and bed.

Play Dough

2011-05-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

It was rainy the other day so I needed a fun in the house activity. That is when homemade play dough came to mind. So simple to make and so fun for the girls.

Unfortunately I did not realize I was one very important ingredient short until AFTER I had measured all the dry ingredients into a pot. Thankfully my mom came to the rescue and delivered some cream of tarter to my door.

To the girls this meant that grandma brought the magic ingredient and in essence made them the play dough...but that's OK, I suppose that is all part of being a grandma.

Prior to playing with the dough we were playing "dress up", can you tell? ;)

Natalie was all dressed up, but I didn't want to have to pick play dough out of her cute princess dress-so it came off before we started.

Our Easter

2011-04-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter...

2011-04-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I made Easter eggs and nests out of Rice Krispies for the girls to decorate. Here are some pictures of our fun...

We have had a wonderful Easter weekend so far...

Friday the girls and I enjoyed dinner at my parents

Saturday afternoon we had a play date with friends, some of whom were visiting from out of town. Later in the day we celebrated my sisters birthday with lots of family and friends out at the lake.

Today we went to an awesome Church service then back to Nana & Papa's (Darren's parents) for brunch. The girls were over joyed to discover that Papa had nearly caught the Easter Bunny in action....but not before he hid a dozen treat filled eggs in the yard.

Happy Easter!!!

"Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen!" (Luke 24:5,6)

A little art and a little treat...

2011-04-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Below Madeline is holding up her picture of Wubzy from one of her favorite shows - Wow Wow Wubzy. She really enjoys drawing and coloring. You can see how she problem solved how to draw the character in the below left picture. Most of her pictures have elaborate stories to accompany them. Gotta love how a 4 year old's mind works!

After reading one of my favorite blogs, I decided I could make one of her recipes. She called them S'mores Cake in a Jar, but I elected to make them in small ramekins so they were a more reasonable portion size and easier for the girls to eat. They were so yummy and simple to make...if you have a craving for s'mores definitely give these a try!

Pictures

2011-04-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

I am sure I don't have to tell you that I like taking pictures of the girls, and I am happy to report they don't mind having their pictures taken. However, they have gotten pretty good at ignoring the camera, or flashing a me fake grin. It seems to be almost impossible to capture a good picture of both girls. Often one will cooperate, while the other one has different plans.

Here are some recent "photo shoots" with the girls

Thank You!!

2011-04-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last week my mom surprised Madeline with a beautiful handmade quilt (that she made).

Thank you so much for the lovely gift MOM (Grandma)!

Learning to Ride

2011-04-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Madeline received a new (to her) bike from one of her cousins. It need some minor repairs - new tires, oil for the chain and some dusting. Darren got it all fixed up the other day. Since then Maddy has been chopping at the bit to ride her new bike.

After dinner one evening last week with 2 bikes in tow the girls and I went out for a ride. Needless to say teaching a 4 year old how to ride a bike is not as easy as I thought. I have heard a couple of friends rave about how easy it is to teach bike riding with a run bike.

Both girls enjoyed getting out and trying to ride their bikes, and I am sure with some more practice they will get the hang of it.

I wonder if her seat should be raised...maybe that was part of the trouble?

Silly Girls

2011-04-08T17:42:00.001-07:00

Oh what fun you can have with a sister.

Madeline thought it would be fun to make a 'baby bed' out of a superstore bin, and Natalie played right along and pretended to sleep.

My favorite part is when Maddy sings "every time you go to sleep Madeline will tuck you in"

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baking

2011-04-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Both girls were eager to help momma bake brownies yesterday.

Cake...

2011-03-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

The other day we made this cake.

Family

2011-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

We had the honor of being invited to a friends beautiful wedding...

and since we were all dressed up for the occasion, I thought it would be nice to get some updated family photos...of course its a bit of an unrealistic expectation that we are all looking at the camera AND smiling, but I think they turned out pretty good.

Parks

2011-03-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

We've had some sunny days lately and we have made the best of them by getting out and enjoying the park.

Birthday Party Fun

2011-03-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

The pictures speak for themselves...click on the collage to make it bigger.

2 Years ago today...

2011-03-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

in the wee hours of the morning we welcomed our precious daughter Natalie Margaret to the world. Today as we celebrate her 2nd birthday I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed, and how she is soo much like her sister, yet so different at the same time. She is an absolute joy to our lives.

Happy Birthday Precious Natalie!!!

A bit about Natalie

- she loves bananas, chocolate and stawberries

- must have her blankie, babies, and ooo hoo to sleep

- is afraid of cats

- loves to do anything that her sister is doing

- likes watching Dora, Mickey Mouse, and Oso

- is very kind hearted

- is fascinated by her tongue

- is demanding her independence more and more

- loves singing and dancing

Some one is turning 2 soon...

2011-03-07T07:27:00.001-08:00

Free digital invitation generated with Smilebox

Zhu zhu zoomer

2011-03-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Zhu zhu zoomer is the name of the beloved toy hamster that Maddy got from a friend for her fourth birthday. The other day she was playing with zoomer when she said ever so calmly that he took her hair.
Look at the photos below...he sure did take her hair. I was surprised that she was not squealing in pain - OUCH!
No, simply put zoomer had taken her hair and she need help getting it out so he could "zoom".

Rashes

2011-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

We have had an interesting past 24-48hrs.
It all started Sunday evening when I noticed a few little spots on Natalie at bedtime. After discussing it with my mom, I gave her some Benadryl at bedtime and planned to take her to the doctor in the morning if it got worse.
Well Worse it did get, and we were off to the walk in clinic first thing in the morning.. The Doctor thought it was likely an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was taking for an ear infection. As quick as we were in we were out, with the advice to continue with the Benadryl and follow up with our GP.
Great advice, except it kept getting worse. Later that afternoon we took her to the ER because the rash was unlike any allergic reaction I had seen, was not improving with the Benadryl and her little lips were periodically turning blue.
It was the ER nurse who was first to give this rash a name ERYTHEMA MULTIFORME
The diagnosis was then confirmed by the ER doc who explained that Natalie was doing OK and did not need treatment. He reassured us that while it looked terrible, it would run its course and not scar. He sent us on our way, but gave us the pediatricians number and encouraged us to call if Nat got worse.
Just before 10pm I noticed her eyes and lips were very puffy. Knowing that is was still early enough that I would not be waking the pediatrician I gave her a call, and thanks to cell phones, I texted her a picture of my precious girl.
Upon her instructions we headed back down the hill and spent the night in the ER.
Nat received a dose of Prednisone this morning and seems to be improving since then. We came home around noon, and she has continued to improve.
We follow up with the pediatrician tomorrow, and we are not sure if the rash is actually related to an allergy or an infection.

These are the pictures of the rash as it progressed. The worst pictures are on my cell phone. I was amazed at how good Natalie has been through all of this, from cooperating with the doctors and nurses, to sitting still for her blood draws and thanking the phlebotomist. She truly is a wonderful little girl and a blessing to our lives.

Waffles

2011-02-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

The girls chose waffles for dinner tonight and they even helped my make them :)

Weekend Adventure

2011-02-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

Friday after work the girls and I headed into Vancouver to visit Auntie Tracey. We had such a great visit! Auntie Tracey made delicious turkey burgers for dinner - they were so yummy that Maddy had 2!

Saturday morning was a beautiful day - perfect for visiting the Vancouver Aquarium

Thank you for the wonderful time Auntie!!

Beautiful Busy girls...

2011-02-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Our precious girls.
Top Row ~ Natalie enjoying a giggle with Papa and Madeline being oh so helpful and setting the table, taking the time to fold each napkin just right
Next Row ~ Natalie had made a tower out of her banana slices, but it feel before I snapped. I think she held her hands up as if to say "oh no". Madeline posing for the camera.
Next Row ~ My grinning little girl and the sisters watching a show together
Bottom Row ~ more tv time together, and Miss Natalie

He had a birthday

2011-02-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

Last week Darren celebrated his birthday. We had an impromptu party of sorts with pizza, cream soda, cake and some good friends. The girls really enjoyed the party, but were a bit disappointed when Darren declined a party hat.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

Treats for Darren and the girls

All is not forgotten

2011-02-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

I have been working full time for the past couple of weeks, and as a result haven't been blogging.

We celebrated Darren's birthday yesterday...pictures may come at a later date, but for those of you that have photographed my very hansom husband, you will know that his eyes are rarely open.

Madeline is still enjoying preschool, and went to a friends house this past weekend for a play date. She had a lot of fun, and I was a little shocked to hear that she was very calm, polite and well behaved (way to go Maddy!).

Natalie is fast approaching 2, and while its had to believe that nearly 2 years have passed...its not hard to believe that she will soon be 2. While mommy is at work all day, she likes to keep her daddy busy. Remember the post about the eggs broken on the carpet - we are sure she led the mass breaking. Today, she had fun with markers on the couch, and the other day she figured out how to open the oven - a skill we hope she forgets! Yes, she is adorable, and oh so cute, but BUSY, and into nearly everything!

Simple Saturday

2011-01-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

Its the simple things that seem to impress my girls. Going to A&W for a whistle dog and to share some onion rings for example, was likely the highlight of their weekend.

Natalie's First Hair Cut

2011-01-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Darren took the girls to get their hair cut.
Thanks Auntie Kim!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-01-23T16:58:00.000-08:00

its another lazy Sunday afternoon spent with 2 sweet girls. We've done some coloring, an activity book, watched some t.v. and played with some pretty neat toys. All and all a nice way to spent the last day before I am back to work.

Fun with Grandparents

2011-01-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

While we enjoyed a get away to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary, the girls stayed spent time with both sets of Grandparents.
The get away was wonderful - thank you so much to our parents for watching the girls!

Snow Day!!

2011-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

After Darren and some very nice neighbours dug/pushed me out of our complex I went to work. What an adventure! A 15 minute drive took nearly an hour - the most gruelling portion of the trip was only steps from my office.
While I was cursing the snow, or the lack of its removal from the roads around the hospital, Darren and the girls were playing in it. They made a huge snowman, but it didn't last in the rain and toppled over by early afternoon.

Snow wasn't the only fun Darren and the girls had - they got to shampoo the carpets after the girls got into a dozen eggs on said carpet. Sadly no eggs survived! We are not too sure what exactly happened with the eggs, except that Darren discovered the girls "cleaning" them up, and they have been rather tight lipped about the whole thing. I am grateful we own a carpet cleaner, and think we may have our hands full with Miss Natalie as she approaches 2.

Party Day

2011-01-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

It was fun day. It was a busy day. It was totally worth it.
Our day started by going to Church. Madeline was eager to go to the 4 year old room - a room she has been waiting to go into for the past few months.
We then hosted a few of Madeline's friends for a " Kid party" complete with hot potato, and party hats.

Then we set up for round two...our family and friends.

4 candles

2011-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

The special day warranted a special treat with 4 candles of course!

We will be having friends and family over to celebrate another day and we will have birthday cake then.

4 years ago today...

2011-01-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today is Madeline's 4th Birthday. It seems ever since her cousin turned 4 in September, she could hardly wait for this day to arrive.

This past year has been another amazing year.

Here are few things about Madeline this past year

-she started Preschool

-is very helpful around the house (when she wants to)

- attended Music Together

- Attended her first Day Camp...dinosaur camp and LOVED it

- learned to print

- loves to color

- enjoys playing board games like Candy Land and Buckaroo

- Looks forward to going to Church every week

- she would wear a fancy dress every day if she was allowed

- went to the Dentist for the first time and did GREAT

- she went to her first movie this summer (Toy Story 3)

- loves to watch hockey (live)

turning 4....already?!

2011-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Invite customized with Smilebox

Natalie talking

2011-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

I know the video is not shot in the greatest light, but its not so much was she is doing, but what she is saying. And what she is saying is any one's guess, except that she does NOT want to give her "ooo who" (soother) away.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

Farewell 2010

2010-12-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

Its been a wonderful year. Here some pictures of the girls taken the last few days of 2010...

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some collages (click to enlarge) that capture how we spent our day. We had a wonderful Christmas. This is the first year since we had kids that Darren has had Christmas Day off. We thoroughly enjoyed having daddy around all day, and as the festivities were coming to an end mommy snuck off to work at the hospital.

Our day began just before 8am when we opened presents as a family. Not too long after we had out present mess tidied the Johnston family arrived for brunch, which according to Maddy was her favourite part of day - "having breakfast with Chloe".

Late in the afternoon we made our way over to Nana & Papa's (Darren's parents) for a delicious turkey dinner and to deliver Maggie's (the dog) present.

~ Hope your Day was just as lovely ~

Christmas eve...

2010-12-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

Both girls weren't feeling that great Christmas eve, so when the lights dimmed for the Christmas eve service they both cuddled in and had a nap. We were grateful they were quiet and we got to enjoy the service.

A very Merry Christmas Eve indeed...

2010-12-24T20:26:00.000-08:00

After a lovely Christmas eve service we invited some of our family back to the house to have some appies. We started with Darren's homemade french onion soup, and finished with some Christmas baking. I think the girls may have had one too many cookies, but that's all part of the fun I guess. In the collage below you can see that Maddy it literally bouncing off the walls or couches to be more specific.

We attempted to get a family picture...I think we did pretty good, but would it be too much ask for everyone to open their eyes and look at the camera at the same time? Probably :)

The girls evening concluded by setting out a snack for a certain visitor they hope is coming. Madeline insisted we leave an apple out for Rudolph, and so we did!
Once we are certain they are both sound asleep so begins our night...

~Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas~

a song for the season

2010-12-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread House

2010-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Madeline decorated the gingerbread house. While I would like to say I made it - I didn't. But I was pleased to discover that they come pre-assembled from Costco for a very reasonable price. We did this together while Natalie napped. It was a good thing, too. Because once she woke to see the candy for decorating on the table all she wanted to do was eat it.

~

We did the gingerbread decorating before both girls came down with a nasty a bug. They have been feeling under the weather for a a couple days now, complete with coughs and fevers. I am hopeful that what ever it is will be gone before Christmas.

2010-12-17T18:09:00.000-08:00

Today Chloe came over to play. It was such a gorgeous day we ventured to the park...which we had all to ourselves.

Soon we realized why the park was vacant - it was COLD. Even though the temperature in the van was reading 7 degrees. The park, which was shaded and exposed to the wind felt much cooler, and it wasn't long before little noses were running and little hands were cold.

We made the best of our brisk visit to the park, then headed home to warm up with some hot chocolate.

Christmas at Preschool

2010-12-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

Madeline is now on Christmas Break from Preschool. Her last day of class was a Christmas Party, and the children were encouraged to bring their parents, grandparents and siblings. All the students put on a lovely production for their guests to enjoy.

little ladybug

2010-12-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

Maddy received this adorable ladybug costume as a Christmas gift. She loves it and has worn it nearly everyday since getting it.
Thank you Auntie Colleen for the awesome gift!!!

Family Christmas

2010-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

We all gathered this past weekend at my sisters house to have our Christmas get together. This year we had soo much fun. The girls really enjoyed the day. There was plenty of presents, food and laughs to go around. Click on the collage above for a larger view of the girls that day.

Singing and Dancing

2010-12-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

This video captures a very typical moment at our house.
I love how Natalie puts her hand out to help Madeline up, it really shows her nature.

Some trees, a train ride and some fun

2010-12-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today we visited Country Garden to check out their indoor train ride. The store was beautifully decorated, complete with upside down Christmas trees. The girls really enjoyed the outing, and I highly recommend it if you are a young family, or if you are looking for some holiday decorating inspiration.

First skate of the season

2010-12-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

toy rotation

2010-12-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

In our house we rotate the toys. It has a dual function...

1. We have more toys than available space, and when there are too many toys out its hard to know what to play with and a mess is made instead - so we keep them in our crawl space (known as the sacred "little door" by Maddy)

2. Toys that have been in hiding for some time are new and exciting when released from the "little door". So a toy that was once old and forgotten may bring hours fun playtime.

Today, while Maddy was at preschool and Natalie was napping we opened the little door, to tidy and purge. With Christmas fast approaching we know more toys are coming. Not to mention that crawl space had become a dumping ground for all kinds of things.

We organized the toys, put sets back together, and got rid of toys they had out grown. In the process we collected all of Maddy's little Barbies and fairies and placed them in a bag. The fairies (as she calls them all) were liberated from behind the little door and are now back into rotation. Madeline was over joyed and exclaimed this to Darren. Who explained that it is fun to play with toys that haven't been played with in a while. Which somehow led to this crazy statement...

Madeline - "I have never played with a puppy so we should get one"

not likely

a letter for santa

2010-12-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today Madeline thought it would be a good idea to write Santa a letter. She has been learning to print letters at preschool, so she was eager to help with printing "Santa" and her own name. With very minimal prompting she came up with the letters wording.

With the letter and artwork completed, we sealed it in an envelope and walked hand in hand to the mailbox.

Tree time

2010-11-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

Today we spent our Saturday setting up our Christmas tree and decorating the house...not unlike the last Saturday in November a year ago. Having a couple years of practice, Madeline was quite helpful decorating, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her sister was present for the opening act (taking the beloved tree out of the box and fluffing the branches), had to excuse herself for a nap, but rejoined the family for the finishing touches.

This will be Natalie's 2nd Christmas and Madeline's 4th...seems like just yesterday it was her 1st. I am thankful for camera's to capture these moments that too quickly pass us by.

Jumping Queen

2010-11-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

The packaging will tell you not use this toy once the child is walking, which is why we passed down to our niece. But when we stopped by for a visit Natalie was completely captivated, and even though she is much to tall for it be effective - she enjoyed a good jump!

An adventure...

2010-11-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

A week later, I am willing to recount the previous weekend's travels as an adventure. An adventure packed with helpful learning experiences, like always pack a tire gauge, and lots of snacks when heading out on a 4 hour road trip. Oh, and if one has a car charger for their cell phone, that should be packed as well.

While the trip was an adventure, complete with 3 flat tires and an unexpected hotel stay, it was really about the friends and family we going to see.

We stopped by to see great Grandpa, who is always up for a visit.

Everyone enjoyed the timbits we brought, and when they were done, the fish tank was equally as captivating.

Thankfully the trip home, was blissfully uneventful.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Both girls enjoyed dressing up for Halloween. Madeline loved handing out candy to all the little trick or treaters, and Natalie seemed to enjoy all the excitement of the evening.

When you think they are sleeping...

2010-10-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

I thought she was talking to herself when she should have been sleeping...
Turns out she was doing a whole lot more than talking. She somehow managed to empty the Rubbermaid container that was a good foot away from her crib.

It wasn't that long ago when Madeline had a similar surprise...

our little artist

2010-10-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Madeline LOVES to color. She colors numerous pictures a day. She prefers markers, but will switch it up every now and again and use crayons as well. Below she using Crayola's 3D explosion coloring books and markers. With some persuading she agreed to let Daddy help. Notice that ducky was also included.

Lately she has started drawing freehand...below are the latest creations

A dinosaur and a man (or something), I think this one may have been in progress when I snapped the picture.

Daddy's girl

2010-10-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Natalie playing with Daddy...

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Below are some pictures from our recent visit to the pumpkin patch

In her attempts to keep up with her sister running around the farm Natalie lost her footing and fell into the mud puddle.

Madeline excited to pet the goat

Thanks for looking

Visit to the Fire Hall

2010-10-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the local fire hall had an open house. Click on the image below to see the fun Maddy had.

Apple picking

2010-09-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that tomorrow will be the first day of October...especially with the great weather we have been enjoying. Today we packed up the girls and headed to Willow View Farms to pick some apples. What a fun way to spend the afternoon. If you have little ones (or even if you don't) I highly recommend you check this place out. They have a petting zoo, awesome play area, pumpkin patch, cute little store, and lots of fresh produce.
We left with a big bag of freshly picked (by us) apples, a spaghetti squash and a container of Watkins chicken soup stock.
Madeline has requested an apple pie be made with some of the apples - yikes, I guess she doesn't know that I have never made pastry. I suppose if I get brave I might attempt it in the coming days.

Smile Cookies

2010-09-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

The other day we noticed that 'smile cookies' were back at Tim Horton's. The cookies cost a dollar, but all of the proceeds go to a local charity. In our area that is the BC Children's Hospital Foundation - a very worthy cause.

Ever since auntie Tara brought the girls a cookie, and we picked up a bunch for the girls and some nephews (who really enjoyed them after their sport practice) Madeline has not stopped talking about them. So this afternoon I let her pick out a cookie recipe from the cook book - she chose Pop's cookies, an interesting little cookie I have never made before that has both oatmeal and crushed shredded wheat in them.

We made them this afternoon, let them cool, then iced them to look like our very own smile cookies.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Aside from the fact our cookies were not chocolate chip (an intentional choice) I think ours look pretty similar.

Natalie eating an apple

2010-09-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

She likes to sneak the apples from the pantry..but clearly she is not a fan of the peel :)

Our girls

2010-09-12T19:30:00.000-07:00