The Bug 4 Years

Ah, my Bug. At 4 years old.
He likes to be funny. He almost always tells me he doesn't like his dinner, but he almost always eats it eventually. He loves apples. He likes water. He loves cars, especially blue Dinocos at the moment. He's mechanically minded. He's great at puzzles. He loves cute little babies. He loves hearing stories. He doesn't like going to bed. If you tell him you love him, he might say 'thank you'. He's very friendly with new people and not shy. He tends to keep things to himself a little bit. He loves cereal. He spends most of every day playing with his brother. He's a thinker. He makes funny faces to make his sister laugh. He has great hair. He likes a good chase. He's a bit lighter and gentler than his brother. He has trouble sharing his favorite things. He can be helpful, but will usually try to get his brother to do it first. He can play well by himself, but gets lonely without his brother. He's really good at climbing things. He's a whirlwind in his sleep.
I love to hold his sweet little hand in mine. And listen to his quiet snores when he's sleeping.
And I love being his mom.

A Slice of Sunshine

I love pink grapefruit. I love the color. The smell. And the taste. Probably in that order. Sometimes I will see a something that is just the most wonderful, delightful color and it makes me happy.
It's snowing again.
I have a miserable cold.
It's still February.
I think I need some grapefruit therapy!

Monster Mash

As promised...
Aaaahhh...my sweet little boys!
I don't totally understand it, but I accept that part of being a boy (any age) includes this particular delight in smashing stuff.

Snow Baby

Well he took his time, but this little man finally did arrive. Perfect little fingers and toes. So snugly and sweet!

Sometimes It's Hard To Be A Boy

The Bee has been doing a tremendous job with potty training. He's barely even had an accident. He even makes it through the night most times. He's a pro.
But today he had a bit of a mishap.
He announced with great gusto (in the middle of eating dinner) that he had better go potty. Or he might pee a little bit. (?)
So he ran to the bathroom.

Quiet.

A voice calls out from the bathroom,

'But Mommy I peed on the floor a little bit'.
(or a lot as it turned out)

Pause. More quiet.

'And on my face.'

Turns out he experienced quite the fountain effect.

4th Birthday Boys

I'm not 4 years old, but I think the boys had a pretty great day...

We started the day with a special breakfast, the most delicious banana pancakes ever! (served with french vanilla yogurt)
Food always makes us happy...then we spent rest of the morning decorating with red balloons and ribbons. I made the kids valentine/birthday crowns (idea from The Creative Family, of course). I'm really happy with how they turned out. And the kids don't even mind wearing them.

Then they helped me make a yummy birthday cake. By 'help' I mean they clean the bowl for me. The Bee likes to be veeery thorough.

Then after lunch the boys headed out with Daddy to see the Monster Trucks. So fun! And yes it was loud, and yes they spent the second half climbing stairs and exploring the 'nose-bleed' seats. But they did get to see the Batman truck and The Monster Mutt. And eat popcorn. Hurray! (more photos to follow)

Then home for a family dinner with a grande finale of cake and ice cream. I made them each a cake this year (ok, I cut one in half) so they'd each feel special and then we all ate as much as we could. Which was a lot!

And then with one Baby in bed and two tired boys falling asleep, Mr. Charming and I went out for the evening!
(Um yes, we had a babysitter)
Hurray!
I really enjoy having my Valentine Boys and it was a treat to get out with my hubby too. Such a fun day!

My Valentines

I know some people hate Valentines Day and I get that. But over here, we're all about the love! The red, the hearts, the sweet, the surprise, the food, the fun...
I often find myself wishing I had more 'serious' portraits of the kids, but it doesn't get any more real than this.
Lots more birthday photos to follow, but I couldn't resist these faces.
xoxo

Baby Girl 20 Months

Sweet and Salty is the perfect description for The Babe these days. She is a woman of contrasts! She's up, she's down, she's giggling then she's giving you stink-eye, she's slapping you in the face and pinching your arm, and then she's patting you on the head and giving you kisses. You are just never sure what you'll get! Actually, I have some idea...

And she is busy. Busy busy. And fast. She likes to grab hold of something and whip it off the counter, or wherever she can get her hands on it. I think she takes it as her personal challenge to be faster than the rest of us so she can 'get stuff'. Or empty the linen drawer. I think she's working on a personal best. I admit it's tough for The Babe, with 2 big brothers and a mom who's always wrecking her fun.

She especially likes to hang out in my room/closet/bathroom while I have a shower. Now I am thankful just to get a shower, but she does have a tendency to pull everything out of my drawers and out from under the sink, and put on anything she can find in the closet. It's always 'fun' to see what she'll find next...like my underwear on her head...
She also likes to stand on the tub(shelf) while I wash my face and brush my teeth. She likes the running water and will 'wash' her face and hair with a bit of a splash. Then she likes to finish up with a big slobber-spit on the mirror. Her trademark finish.

The Miss likes to take her milk in the pink sippy cup while relaxing in her lounger.

But she is still the yummiest, funniest, craziest, most lovely little Babe. Spit and all.

Chocolate Bomb

You may love me for this, or hate me...
I found this recipe via Scribbit the other day...5 Minute Chocolate Cake...in a mug!
And Holy Crap, it works like a charm. We used big mugs and made 2 to share between 4 of us and it's very dense and rich. I used one less tablespoon of oil in the second one and didn't notice a difference. But I did add a small handful of chocolate chips to the batter which was pure genius...in my opinion! Danger. I didn't take a photo, but it came out of the mug just fine and was all dark, chocolatey, mound-like. The bomb.
Delicious.

And this is a recipe via The Crafty Crow. I haven't made them yet, but I girlfriend of mine highly recommends a similar version using Rolo pieces instead of chocolate kisses and nuts instead of M&M's. I think either way would be delightful. Sweet and salty. Amen!

47 Months

Almost 4!
It feels like an exciting time. The boys are learning a lot and communicating much better than they ever have before. They are getting more independent, getting dressed by themselves (sometimes with a lot of prodding), and The Bee is potty trained!! HURRAY! Not at night time yet, but he's nearly perfect during the day. Even this past week when he was sick and miserable, he still managed to go by himself. I think he's pretty proud of himself and happy with his independence. We got him some new Spiderman underwear to celebrate!
The Bug is still taking his time, but he's willing to try so we'll just keep at it.

The Bug is still really really good at puzzles and The Bee is good with counting numbers.


They both seem to enjoy being in Primary, and seem to be singing new songs at home all the time. I'm actually really looking forward to them going to preschool and all the new new things they'll learn. Hopefully all good and not weird stuff from other kids...











It was interesting to watch this week as they were each quite sick for a few days, but not the same days. They were each a bit lost without the other one to play with.
Although I have to say I did enjoy the reduced energy/noise level.

Another thing they've learned recently is *the fake smile*. Aaaah...maybe I'll change their names to Ham and Cheese!

Valentine Craft

I don't think it's much of an exaggeration to say that not much has been going on lately. The winter blaaaahhs. So we decided to make a Valentine tree to cheer us up. And it worked!

We actually had to do some searching find a great branch. Tied on some fabric scraps, and cut out some foamie hearts with ribbon and voila!
For some reason this craft felt really creative. There's not much to it and it only cost a couple of dollars (we made one for inside and one sits outside the front door), but it really feels fun and cheery. I think it could be fun to tie messages to it as well...oh the possibilities...!
The Bug was carrying it around earlier today, and he told me he loved it. Who can beat that?

Flunking Play School

Not my kids. Me.
I've been doing research lately on pre-school/play-schools in the area. And it's making me crazy. There are, in my opinion, just too many options. And most of them have registration for school in September, starting NOW. Or within the next few weeks.
The pressure already! And it's not that I think my kids will suffer in the future without attending some sort of pre-kindergarten program, but I think they would enjoy it, and so would I.
There is a wide array of pre-schools in the city, and we have a Waldorf program and several Montessori schools nearby.

I've never attended either of these types of schools, but they sound lovely, don't they? Basically a child is nurtered with storytelling and breadmaking and creative play and encouraged to be unique and learning is a tactile, exciting exploration. I think I want to go to a Waldorf school, and play with beautiful Montessori wooden toys!

Of course none of these schools is exactly free (like Kindergarten) and with two kids going at once, we're not likely to take that route. (preschool yes, fancy $$$ preschool, no)
And so I think to myself, why not incorporate some of these practises into our daily routine? There are plenty of books full of ideas and information.
I can read.
I would so like to be the mother who bakes bread with her children, and reads fastastic stories and sings songs with them every day. And takes them on nature walks while we marvel at the beauty around us. And then we return home to eat organic apples that we all picked together and do handycrafts quietly while the baby naps...
Instead I am the mother who yells too much and lets the kids watch cartoons while I do another load of laundry and eat my lunch over the sink, all the while wishing the crumbs on the floor would just disappear already.

This Explains A Lot

We've been talking about birthdays lately since we have a couple coming up. It's nice to have something to look forward to these freezing days of January.
I asked the boys how old they are going to be on their birthday next month.

And they both agreed, 10!

uh-huh...3 going on 10...

We Call Her The Streak

One of the things I don't particularly enjoy about this age group is the way that everything they eat gets smashed, mashed, thrown around, and smeared everywhere.
So the other day after lunch I just removed The Babes shirt so we could start over with a clean one. I set her down so I could hose down her high chair only to find her removing the rest of her clothes, including her diaper. She was just too funny as she ran around enjoying her freedom. Giggling with glee. So I had no choice but to enjoy it. And chase her around.
And yes, of course she peed on the floor. Thank goodness for hardwood.

January Belly

With so much freezing cold, gloomy weather lately I was thrilled the other day when the sun came out and I had a chance to take some very cool maternity photos. It turned out to be a perfect morning. My lovely friend is having her fourth baby any day, so we had to seize the moment. She likes to have a surprise at the end, so we mixed in a little pink and blue just for fun.
I figure if you're going to have a baby in January, in Calgary, you might as well make the most of what you've got. And we've sure got snow!
I love the crisp bright colors outside, especially with the contrast of a few warm cozy shots inside. I had so much fun.









And now we wait!