The gingerbread house & toddlers

Brent and I thought it would be fun to do a gingerbread house with the babies this year. My family never did this types of things growing up so it was foriegn territory for me. I guess that should have meant we read the directions...we didn't hahaa.

Anyways apparently you're supposed to let it dry so it hardens and is supported before you decorate. Oh dear. We missed that...haha our gingerbread house was coming apart left right and center. We all were laughing so hard trying to get it to stay together. We had to improvise and jokingly said we are doing some 'renos' and added some extra 'support' haha. 

It turned out absolutely converse style. It was perfect and the reality of it was that we had a blast as a family creating our lil gingerbread disaster hahaha

Our Advent Traditions

With a two and three year old there are lots of fun Christmas ideas floating around the internet. All year I hummed and hawd haha...yes I know! I just love Christmas! I also know the traditions I make now will become favorites and continue on for years and years to come. I settled on three advent traditions this year. All simple, all fun, all toddler friendly.

1) firstly the easiest and most common...The chocolate advent calendar. I got hubby a Lindt one, and the babies a cheap one...let's face it they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a $1 one and a $10 one ;). This has been the best. They are on their BEST behaviour during breakfast and eat even faster just to get to advent. Haha I might need to get year round advent calendars to encourage excellence in the morning hahaha.

2) Second advent is a our 'book advent' I have been collecting random Christmas books 2-3 a year for 3ish years. I also bought a bunch from scholastics for $1.25 each. I also stole a handful of 'winter books' from our regular collection. This has been by far the most fun for the kids. I have wrapped every book up and they get to open one each night and it's our bedtime book. Such fun! I will put them away with our Christmas decorations at the end of the season so each year they are new and exciting to them at Christmas. It also makes them feel like it's a present hehe!

3) We love Christmas and as Christians  we really strive to make it Christ centred even though it's sometimes hard for our children to grasp. I bought a 'advent Christmas story' each day we read a mini board book that breaks down the true and meaningful Christmas story in a easy to get way for the babies. My husband always told me how his Dad read the Christmas story every year and that was their tradition. I loved that. He also said it was extremely hard to focus because he knew the gifts were coming next. I thought this might be more toddler friendly&I thought this was a good combination of both and  and would make it apart of our daily discussion with our babies. As small of a part of the day it is, it still makes me happy taking a moment to not focus on Santa etc and focus on the real meaning with the kids. I really want them to grow up being able to appreciate the significance of the greatest gift God ever gave us-his son! 

Anyways these are our 2013 traditions and we intend to carry all three of them into 2014!

'A choo choo'

Oh my sweet Beckham. Me and him have this mushy love thing going on that I know won't last forever but till then it's ok. When Audrey is at preschool we often go on dates. He's just my little buddy. It's such a fun stage. Terrible twos, who came up with that? This age has been bliss. He has been obsessed with trains lately and we have been stuck behind quite a few lately on our dates...I have never enjoyed being stuck behind a train more in my entire life. The glee and excitement that overcomes him is intense. He exclaims the whole time 'mommy...a choo choo, a choo choo, a choo coo...more choo choo' this goes on the entire time the train is passing. It's so sweet and darling. 

He is just my huggable love muffin, so full of joy and has such an incredible zest for life. I'm so excited to see this lil boy grow up. It's going to fast. I just love him to the moon and back. 

The first barbie

I've been analyzing for a long time when this day would come. I loved Barbies when I was growing up and new that I would let Audrey play with them as well. I was scared of this new world of 'slut barbie' and 'vampire barbie' if you bought one for my sweet lil girl it might be put into the goodwill pile. There is enough harshness in the world I figure we don't need to have her playing 'pretend clubbing' or 'monsters dolls'. Just my perspective. 

I hummed and hawwed over the idea of Barbies and how I would rationalize which ones are ok and what ones aren't 'for us' and I realized I just needed to take it one step at a time and see if a rationalization would be needed.

I had a dream one night of bringing Audrey to toysrus on a mommy/daughter date and telling her, 'Audrey you see this aisle you can choose any Barbie you want and we can bring it home with us.' The glee and excitement in my dream was so real and intense it haunted me during my days. I knew she was getting a  mermaid barbie for Christmas (not from us) which is fabulous. I kept wanting to have that special moment though with her-to be able to choose a Barbie all on her own. I told Brent and he said that I should do it. It really didn't take much to convince me haha.

I brought Audrey to toysrus and brought her to the pink section and released her. I told her that she could choose her favourite barbie to bring home with us just for her. She was so excited she just bounced. I have never been able to tell her that she could choose something at the Toy store so it was very exciting. 

She went up the aisle methodically and looked at every single doll. I kept waiting to have to say no to 'monster' or 'stripper barbie' haha but honestly this was a treasured moment she wasn't even attracted to them at all. She was all about bike riding barbie, teacher barbie, doctor barbie, vet barbie, surfing barbie and more. My heart leaped. I want her to be able to dream and pretend and imagine all the many things she can be and do. In the end my heart was more proud then I ever imagined.

She chose 'doctor barbie' it was a paediatrician barbie and also came with a baby. It was SO cute. Not only did I release her to choose so I had to release the financial part and be ok with whatever barbie she chose (some up to $40). What a little blessing that the one she chose and loved more then anything was for some reason 50% off and only 9.99. Perfection. Made me feel less bad about letting her choose a toy at the end of November so close to Christmas.

It wasn't really about Christmas though it was about a special date with my big girl. A moment that she might not remember but I will cherish. I am so grateful for a husband who encourages me to relish in special moments that are silly but somehow so significant. It is a moment in time that couldn't have been more perfect. Audrey's first barbie.  

The Dark Table

We went on a splendid baby free double date the other night. Let me start with-I have never laughed so hard on a double date.

When Amber and I plan double dates we go for adventure and weird. A-typical isn't up our alley. Anyways this time we chose 'the dark table' it's a restaurant were you eat in UTTER darkness. You are servered by blind servers. You are supposed to be experiencing what it would be like to be blind. It was unnerving at first, then we got accustomed and started being a lil sneaky. Stealing food from each other's plates, putting cutlery on each other's chairs when we were in the bathroom. It was a HOOT. For sure a great experience that I would reccomend. 

'Hi my name is Sheena, I have matured leaps in bounds in the last 10 years. I'm silly though in nature right down to my baby toe I have silliness brewing. Put me in darkness and I loose control of my maturity. I admit that while being led to the bathroom by my server in the dark I got the silly bug bad. There were no consequences to your actions and I lost self control. I few times reached out and caressed faces of strangers that we passed or ran my hand threw there hair. Ha ha what possessed me? The idea of them not knowing who was touching the had me giggling continually. I have to admit I was a well behaved lady until someone came up and fondled my hair then all bets were off haha I had to return the funny little favor to some other people. As I am writing this I am giggling and shaking the poor bed while my sweet husband sleeps. Oh man, it was a hoot.'

Dental hygiene

Audrey had her first real real dentist visit.

She rocked it!

She was SO excited!

I personally LOVE the dentist. My cavity free mouth has never had a bad dentist visit and usually starts with them complementing my teeth and hygiene despite the fact that I only floss once a year-how could I not love the dentist.

That's what I want for my daughter&son. A good healthy love for dental hygiene.

I told Audrey about all the surprises they would give her (she loves brushing her teeth) so a new tooth brush sounds just as good as a new toy lol!

They were able to do a FULL cleaning and polish and she just loved it and was SO proud! I was so proud as well. Cheers to hopefully raising another cavity free generation! Unless they have Brent's teeth then trouble is upon us (he gets cavities easily!)

Thankful

Today during naptime I painted my nails. I was having some mommy indulgent time. I chose not to be productive in terms of chores or cooking. It was bliss. A time of great reflection ha ha. 

I was thinking about my babies. Then was thinking about all the people who love our babies. For some reason loving our babies is the greatest way to show love apparently. 

I felt so blessed by all the 'aunties' and 'uncles' that love on our babies regularly and bless us continusly. When I used to think of family I used to think in the conventional way. These past few years I have learned that blood is not always thicker then water. Make sense?

Love is a choice.

Sometimes we get the blessing to have fabulous family members and sometimes we get the blessing of having additional friends that we get to choose and they become family as well. Sometimes we get a mish mash of both.

That is family to us. 

I had this quote sent to me today and it gave me such a warm feeling in my heart. I would change it slightly.

'Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones that accept you for who you are. The ones that are their for you when you need them and love you no matter what'

I think this is the definition I would go with. Family isn't always cookie cutter, classic, A-typical, or the stereotypical 1920s version of family. Family is messy. Family is forgiving. Family is present and that is a gift itself and doesn't require presents because the relationship is far more valuable. 

I have been blessed with some family and I have been blessed beyond measure by the friends in our life that have become near and dear and become part of our family. Family is a beautiful gift.

Ok naptime is over. Time to jet...and fast forward into fort making and craft time because that is just how we roll.