Goodbye 2012

2012 brought my favourite son
2012 made my favourite daughter a toddler and not a baby
2012 brought us a new home
2012 brought us many new friends
2012 brought us many new traditions
2012 brought us so many giggles
2012 brought us a couple extra pounds each
2012 brought us a few tears
2012 was the year of our dreams becoming reality and learning to continue to dream for the future even more



I feel so blessed. So blessed amongst the mayhem, so blessed among the chaos. So blessed despite the drama, so thankful for the good and the bad. Brent and I were just chatting about how old I was when we were dating-a little 17 year old (almost 18!) but over the last 8 years how much you grow up, change, dream and learn about life. Sometimes I still feel like a little twerp but I think that might stick ;)

Sometimes when I zone out while Brent's loving on our sweet babes I can't help but feel my heart grow a size or two. Having a husband who loves our babies SO much it is the *cough* sexiest. *cough* thing ever.

My new favourite thing is watching me lovees play with the dollhouse-it's so darling <3

Locked out

Sometimes daddy locks you out
Haha
Silly daddy why would he think that he could get ready in peace? (Giggle)

When I grow up?

Audrey came to me and said
'Im a snowboard princess'
I thought to myself that's exactly what I want to be when I grow up!!

Christmas traditions

Over the past few years we have developed a few really fun family traditions. I came from a family who didn't have very many traditions so it was really important to me to start some while our babies were little.

1) the brookswood Christmas castle
A family in Langley bought a HUGE cAstle from a movie set. They decorate it every year and have a Santa and everything. They also have TONS of light displays set up. Our kids have really enjoyed it every year. We enjoy it because its short and sweet.

2) happy birthday Jesus cake. We make it together and sing happy birthday. This is something miss Audrey adore doing (especially since she is obsessed with birthdays)

3) skating/ice painting with Santa-at George Preston arena in Langley they have this every year. We were invited by one of our super super awesome couple friends and this is something we plan to continue. They has hot chocolate, cookie decorating, ornament decorating and candy canes for all the kids! It was a blast!!

4) Williams park in Langley. They also has a great set up. Free hot dogs, hot chocolate, cookies, face painting, horse rides, Santa and mrs.claus to sit on and take pictures---they also took 'professional' pictures and emailed them to you for free.

5) going to the Langley potters Christmas store. It was just fun--more for mommy ;)

6) sitting on Santas lap at the mall!

7) going to church on Christmas Eve.

8) decorating ornaments with the kids

9) advent calendars

10) a nativity set just for the kids that they can play with

11) elf on the shelf!


*the sassy daddy plumbing picture is something this mommy couldn't resist! Not quite a Christmas tradition but it was during ice skating haha*

The Eve

Christmas Eve.
Filled with; a beautiful dinner, watching sweet eyes light up at the sight of gifts and treats, an darling Christmas Eve church service and some games and more treats after.

When everyone left we got all the presents ready for our little ones. The anticipation not for gifts for ourselves but to spoil our sweet little ones is more rewarding then any gift I have ever received.

I look at my sweet Audrey and see how enchanting the world is to her. The excitement is exhilarating.

I look at my darling Beckham and how when he sees a treat its a whole body response-thrilled to the bone.

This has been such a beautiful Christmas.
We are planning on having some family time tomorrow just us 4. It sounds simply divine. It's been a long long time since we have had just a family day.

I am such a blessed woman.
A God who has blessed me
A husband who loves me
Children who light up my heart in ways I never knew existed.

(A sneak at a couple of the gifts)
Who is more excited to play dolls---mommy or Audrey??

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
-Audrey Hepburn

Indian Food=Converse fave!

Today we ventured out.
We love doing this as a family but in all honesty eating out as a family is something that Brent and I usually feel apprehensive about.

A 1 year old& a 2 year old in a restaurant seems somehow---frightening.

We had a hankering.
We decided to give it a whirl (after all kids eat free at the lunch buffet at our favourite indian restaurant)

It was a mega success-we brought Beckham's portable high chair. Both kids sat the whole time and where on there best behaviour. (Phew! We didn't want to be 'those' parents...you know who I'm talking about...the ones you feel bad for because there kids just went bonkers!!)

Anyways it was lovely spending time enjoying something we ALL adore! Fingers crossed that Indian alway stays a Converse favourite!!

Converse Christmas

This morning we woke up at 8:30am and got the monkeys out of there bed. We had set up the dollhouse in the family room so it would be the first thing Audrey would see as she walked into the room.

The look on her face was pure bliss. She said, 'oh wow!' It was incredible. The gift of giving is much more incredible then the gift of receiving especially when you can see the delight in the eyes of a child.

Audrey played with the dollhouse all morning and Beckham ate treats all morning. It was darling. Brent and I made a big breakfast of; waffles, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. It was such a fun morning.

Naptime came next and it was so nice to just relax just the two of us. It has been the best Christmas yet.

Later this evening we are going to have a great big dinner and eating the 'happy birthday Jesus' cake Audrey and I made.

That moment

That moment where you put a show on tv for your toddlers (something rarely done). That moment that you did that so that you can go in the bathroom, lock the door, and just go to the washroom quick...by yourself. Oh the heavenly luxury.

That moment last from the time I entered until I locked the door and was halfway to sit on the potty. By that time Audrey scavenged for her pretend keychain, opened the lock and entered. (She has figured any flat object can be used to pick locks---sigh)

She said to me---'it's ok no beckham come in here' haha oh dear me.

She then locked the door and told Beckham who is now banging on the door that 'its mommies privacy' and 'go away'

Shoot. So I step in and tell her 'don't tell at your brother it's not nice.'

That was the moment she said 'ok' and unlocked the door and let toddler number 2 come inside.

Lets just say I never went to the bathroom. I think I'll hold it to naptime.

There will be a moment one day where I can pee alone again. If only my big girl didn't know how to pick locks haha. Sheesh-007 toddler on my hands

Garbage man

We ate popcorn last night .
I dumped the extra popcorn in the garbage.
When I was in the other room I left beckham alone.
I came in the kitchen to find him and miss Audrey scarfing down the garbage straight from the garbage can.
Yuck-Gag-Barf
Time for a child lock on the garbage?

pre-christmas exhaustion

oh man, I'm so tired already as I look at the calendar.
I'm no Grinch-in my heart I ADORE Christmas!
I just get so tired with so many LONG things with little ones

Every Christmas I think back to not to many years ago when Brent and I traveled south America during Christmas for five weeks-best Christmas of my life. It was beautiful. Playing in waterfalls and going for hikes through the rainforest in Panama-saw my first sloth.

One day-one day...I will convince my beloved to come away with our little family again during Christmas. It sounds so lovely-just us four. Maybe get stranded on a desert island. This mama could use a tan (giggle)

I am more excited then Audrey though when it comes to gifts. For there stockings I pretty much re-stocked there craft bin so I am so SO excited for what the new year holds. Lots of crafts for this little family. Perhaps a isolation-hibernation from the world as well.

'Spicy'

I realized after my last post that I never wrote about getting an outdoor cat. Let me recap in point form.

- with the surrounding farmland and barns there are lots of mice
-we are both allergic and NOT cat people. We did decide that getting an outdoor barn cat would be fun for the kids and very productive in terms of downsizing the mice population
-we emailed on a set of three barn cats, 7 month olds.
-we were going to pick them up...there was a complication. A neighbour had left out antifreeze and the cats had got into it.
-two of the cats died...that left us with one.
-Audrey and I talked about naming the kitty. She wanted to name HIM princess and well I insisted there was a better name.
-name number two was Spicy.
-we picked spicy up
-Audrey LOVED him (preferred the kittens though haha) she asked 'mommy can I have a baby little one'
-we did not take a kitten home, we took spicy home. Spicy is 7 months so still small.
-spicy is the MASTER at hiding.
We thought he escaped (we haven't even had him for 24 hours) we searched the basement for hours...we totally thought he was GONE!!
-I went downstairs to look one more time and sure enough there he was as he ran across the basement...that or it was a cat sized rat...
-Spicy was found...not caught. He was found though!

Where did Spicy go?

Spicy.
Our cat...
For less then 24 hours.
She had food, water, and a bed. Locked in our basement to familiarize her with our home...
This was 9pm last night..
Fast forward 8am...
The cat has vanished.
My toddler is asking me 'Where is spicy'


Oh man I can not believe our cat didn't even last 24 hours...not a good sign.
Not to mention----how the heck does a cat get out of a LOCKED and sealed basement???

12:12pm 12/12/12

Today is 12/12/12
We went and saw Santa
We are going to eat 12 treats in honor of
12/12/12 today---started with candycanes for everyone!

Santa and the converse kids

A one year old and a two year old and a lineup to see Santa!?! Ok I put my big girl mommy panties on and sucked it up.

We woke up early and got all dressed. We had talked to Audrey lots about Santa. How we sit on Santas lap and asked for something for Christmas and then on Christmas he brings a very special Christmas gift. She likes anything to do with gifts hahaha so she was VERY excited to see Santa!

We got there and we were second in line-perfect! It was awesome! The decorations and the anticipation was just the right length for my two year old. Beckham well Beckham couldn't care less-he had his sippy cup and was just so relaxed about tr while thing.

Next step. Our turn.

Audrey walks right up very excitedly. She goes right up to him and looks him square in the face and says 'Santa you don't touch my body' hahaha I lost it. His eyes bulged slightly. Oh man it was hilarious. I don't know where it came from. Totally legit though. Kinda strange sitting on some strangers lap just because he's dressed red suit and might give you a present if your good. Oh my Audrey. So in tune with her emotions.

She sat on his lap. She looked at the camera. She did her best to not let him 'touch her body'.

Beckhams turn. He took one look at Santa and his eyes bulged. He knew what was going to happen. As I lifted him toward Santa the poor Santa looked stressed and we were only his second kids of the day.

Next year ill bring a gift card for a good stiff drink for next years Santa haha that is unless Audrey once again is concerned about Santa touching her body then we might ditch this old tradition (that I think makes cute pictures---but is creepy)

My hair is messy

I came into Audrey's room this morning she woke up sobbing. I comforted her. When I finally got her to settle down and asked her what was wrong she said over and over 'mommy it's my hair...my hair it's SO messy!' Haha oh dear me! She cried and held her hair until I brushed and did her hair. Oh the giggles she gives me even first thing in the morning.

Favourite Song

Audrey for as long as I can remember likes to sing songs together before bed. I don't have a musical bone in my body, my family also never did singing of any kind so it for sure doesn't come naturally. The only kids song I knew was 'you are my sunshine' which was a song my grandma sang to me millions of times. It holds such a beautiful place in my heart. My grandma often confessed that I was her favourite *grin* she was also my favourite-we kept it a good secret from the other grandchildren haha. Anyways I never felt super comfortable singing it to my children because I didn't want to 'play favourites. I sincerely love both my beautiful babies equally. So silly I know-but the verse 'my only sunshine' isn't true I have two sunshine!

Audrey made this a very easy transition.
Audrey started BEGGING me to sing her a princess song. (She's obsessed with princesses). I googled, I scoured iTunes...I searched. There is NO princess song!

So I changed it.

You are my princess
My only princess
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear how much I love you so please don't take my princess away.

Now I can guilt free sing the 'sunshine' version to Beckham and the 'princess' version to my sweet little Princess.

Corny corny I know.
I love my little nuggets-they are getting big way to fast.

Brent's heart

Brent loves food
I love cooking
I love healthy
Brent loves 'ignorance is bliss'

We love having popcorn together in the evening.

Brent likes to have 1/2 a cup of butter on his bowl-gag. For real 1/2 cup! We have separate bowls. I'm more of a dry/plain popcorn type of girl...

Little does he know that I actually don't use all butter...he likes the wet taste so I one day added half water to the butter...voila...he's never been the wiser.

Some days I wonder if I could slowly ween him off butter like I have weened our kids off bottles. If I can potty train a 17m old surely I can ween my husbands butter addiction...to just water on his popcorn lol

Saving my husbands heart one bowl of popcorn at a time.

*giggle*

#60moreyearstogether
#60moreyearsoftrickery

PS-he doesn't read my blog so don't tell him about my trickery!

'A' for Audrey

Audrey has been working on the alphabet-lately when we are coloring she will do a 'A for Audrey'. Here is a picture of this mornings chalk 'A's not so shabby for a 2 year old in my opinion-proud mama moment.

Painting

Oh man
Today Audrey and I did some painting for Christmas with some little friends. (I can't really get into specifics because well Christmas is around the corner)

It got a little intense.
I may have sweat through an entire sweater.

We both in the end landed up covered in paint-fits of giggles and had a blast. I like to pretend I'm artsy fartsy---I'm not but love it! Thrilled I have someone to enjoy the little things like artsy fartsy stuff (at least until she decides I'm not cool).

I came home and could have gone straight to bed---bed was a long ways away.

It was a blast and an awesome time-love the memory of doing crafts and painting with her. Can't wait to bring Beckham next year-I don't think I could handle a 1&2 year old in the Mayham of where we were. Lets just say the amount of paint and fragile items outweighed the living people in the room. Not a good combo for my little Mr.Destructor!

Sleepy cuddles

Beckham hasn't woken up in the night for oh-man 6-9 months and before that rarellllly. Anyways he woke up crying the other night.

I got excited thinking if I time it right I might get a sleepy baby cuddle. I ran up the stairs, brought him to the couch. Cuddled him and cried a little as he fell back to sleep on me. Is he a baby still? Could this be my LAST sleepy baby cuddle for the rest of my life?

(Insert aching womb)

I just held him for an hour as he slept on me. Not because he needed me to but more because I needed to be able to look back and remember this moment. Perhaps one of the last moments were it feels like I have a baby.

He is just so sweet.
I so wish I could just have more sleepy baby cuddles- they warm my heart like nothing else.

Sneaky girl?

Ok-so I use this Blog mostly as a means to capture all my memories of this busy and special season of having young children. I have a APP on my phone so it's super easy for my to post a 'blurb' with a couple pictures. I'm planning to print it off soon so it's really almost been a journal for me during this season of babies and pregnancies. I don't want people to get the wrong impression of Audrey. The funny stories are just SO fun though!

I had someone ask (a follower) 'is Audrey really that sneaky of a child?' It made me sad-like I wasn't portraying Audrey as well as I should be. If you just hear all the wild things a child does you get a totally different perspective of a child not the whole picture...

I post most of the time after something I think was funny/hilarious/fun/crazy happens. I just don't want to forget all the funny things.

Audrey is spicy and FULL of fire, a real zest for life and living it to the fullest. I don't like to brag because as a parent it's a pretty big 'faux pas' since there are lots of 'crazy Audrey stories I'm going to have a brag about Audrey post.

-She is 2 1/2
-She is THE most obedient 2 year old I have ever met. She does wild things but once she knows she is not allowed then she almost never will ever do it again!
-She is SO smart! She almost always hit milestones 6-10 months ahead of 'the books' I think part of the reason she is mischievous is because she is so smart
-She talks in absolute full sentences and is able to follow complicated instruction VERY well for a two year old!
-She has such a sensitive spirit-sometimes Brent and I will bug each other and she will cry and hold our faces and tell us it's ok (We won't be arguing or fighting just teasing and her heart gets so sensitive)
-She is so coordinated. She crawled at 4 months, walked at 7months and the things she is able to do now is amazing
*jumping
*climbing
*summersaults
*twirling
*balance beam walking
*sports coordination (kicking balls, throwing, hockey stick holding etc.)
I get giddy inside thinking she will love sports like I did...then I release her from the dreams I have for her and really want her to dream and be able to grow in the things that she loves
-she can count and name all her numbers up to 12
-she says her ABCs (mixes some up but when she is being serious she does so good)
-she can write a 'A' for Audrey so good. Like seriously kinda freaks me out. She once and awhile will play dumb and just Fo squiggles and lines but if you here her say 'A for Audrey' while she's Coloring you'll almost always see a perfect 'A' just drawn.
-she will tell you what 'comes from all the animals'
*cows make milk and yogurt
*chickens make eggs and....dinner mommy chickens make chicken dinner
*Pigs make breakfast and meat mommy
*Bears make ouchie we don't eat them, they go RAWR
-She can name most animals and tell you what sound they make
-She can ride a trike and we don't even own one...she just saw one in a store and took off hahaha

She is such a bright bright young girl. As a young mom life gets busy and I just blog about the silly things in life that I really don't want to forget. I personally can't wait to tell her all the hilarious things she did as a child.

I was the same as Audrey-I wouldn't have it any other way. I had that same fire in my heart as a kid-still get glimmers of it now that I'm old ;) mostly I just love seeing it in her. She makes every day bright and colourful and full of surprises. Some mayhem but honestly she has been the best daughter I could have ever dreamed of. I honestly think if I was a mom to any other kids I would be so SO SoOo bored!

Have I mentioned sleep?
If you are currently a sleep deprived mom stop reading

From 5 weeks she slept 9-12hrs at night
Now her current schedule

8:30-9am wake up
11am nap
1pm lunch
3:30 nap
5:30 dinner
7pm bed

Our babysitter constantly raves about how great our kids are (best babysitting gig ever when the kids sleep SO much!)

Anyways I know know know its a mega faux pas to brag about your kid but I love my daughter and chat about her wild antics often so thought if we can chat crazy I can brag a little bit.

Quote of the day:

Audrey-'Mommy I'm your favourite daughter?'
Mommy-'yes your my favourite daughter'
Audrey-'I'm your favourite princess?'
Mommy-'you're the best princess'
Audrey-'lets do lipstick?'
Mommy-'how about a snack?'