Too fast!

08.06.2011

If I know one thing, sweet baby...I know you are growing up way too fast.
WAY, way, way too fast.
You are four months old - that is a 1/3 of a year - already.
You have started teething (evidenced by massive amounts of drool, gnawing on absolutely anything you can get into your mouth, and a bit of cranky).
You are getting really good at holding toys and can bring them to your mouth to chew on (although you're not all that great at holding them there long term).
You roll both ways and are super proud of yourself when you do so.
You always have the biggest smile for your big bro, which he thinks is pretty darn cool (and I think it is amazing considering how much he mauls you).
You are getting pretty strong and sometimes will sit up by yourself for a short time.
You love to be tickled.
You screech.
You scream.
You yell.
You gurgle.
You giggle.
You coo.
You are quick to "tell" us when something is not to your liking.
You smile, and smile, and smile.
Love you, little guy!
Happy four months :)

(sidenote: I chose this pic because it shows his chubby & his "almost sitting" skills the best...if only he had been looking at the camera & flashing one of his big grins!)



Life is Good

Sometimes life just gets a little busy.
Busy with a 22 month old tornado, busy with renovations, busy with daily chores & exercise...just busy.
So imagine my chagrin when I realized littlest man was almost 4 months old and had never been offered a toy to hold, sat in his bumbo or tried out the exersaucer...all things that we were so anxious for big bro to do when he was a babe.
Funny how it just doesn't seem to matter as much the second time around.
Not that we don't love the second every little bit as much as the first...but the experience is just different.
We are not as anxious for the "next big milestone" (we know they are coming eventually). This time around each day is savoured and cherished because we truly understand just how fast they grow up. In fact milestones are met with a tiny feeling of bittersweetness... excited that they are growing up, but sad that they are growing up so fast.
Parenthood is simply the most amazing experience in the world. It is all so cliche...but so true. It changes your perspective on the world so much, in a way you can only truly understand once you've experienced it (even though you think you understand it all before it happens to you). I find myself reflecting on experiences, emotions, events with far more regularity, insight and clarity than I ever did before becoming a parent. I am so thankful to walk, run, stumble & soar in this journey of parenthood.
I just have to remember to remind myself of this as baby is screaming for the second straight hour, when big bro is demolishing the kitchen for the second straight time in as many hours, when the frustration creeps in and takes over my mind.
I have to remember what a gift my little boys are and how very thankful I am to be "mommy". I have to remember how having these little beings have made me a better person...and how they will help me continue to grow and evolve forever.
And then, I have to sit back, offer little man a toy,

plunk him in his bumbo

& let him try out the exersaucer

...and grin from ear to ear when he masters all three.

Life.
Is.
Good.
Great!

Sailor's Delight

The boys & I were out for a bike ride tonight after supper...as we turned the corner heading west on the east end of town, I was struck by the beauty of the sky. The sun was peeking out from behind clouds, making the clouds almost seem as if glowing, the blues, pinks and golds and the sun's rays were striking. Of course, I had to head home to grab my camera...and of course, by the time I got back to the east end of town the sun had almost disappeared and the sky did not look near as striking. But I still tried to catch some of the beauty. Then the boys & I went to the park, played for a bit and on our way home the sky was the most beautiful orange/red/pink, so out came the camera again. If only I didn't have the boys in tow I would have jumped in my car to head out of town and find a more beautiful horizon silhouette....

Tonight, I loved the beauty of the sky.

Tonight, I was frustrated I didn't quite capture that beauty.

Splash, splash!

08.03.2011

We have been spending a large amount of time at our local pool this year (we were there 3 separate times today, lol).
B loves the water!
We are so lucky to have such an awesome toddler pool - I love being able to let him splash and play without having to cling to me...it really lets little ones become more comfortable with the water on their own terms :)

 My absolute favourite part of the day was the "jumping" and "falling down"...and the rolling around just being silly B. The looks of sheer delight and all the giggles just melt my heart :)

A moment...

08.03.2011

This afternoon, during a quiet time rocking my precious little baby to sleep, I had a moment.
A moment, that as I snuggled my face into the crook of my precious little baby's neck, of complete smallness.
I'm not sure if you know what I mean by this...I don't often have these moments, but when I do they are always profound. I'm going to try to explain myself, although I'm not sure I have the words to do so.
I felt small, in a big, big, big world.
But it wasn't a sense of inadequacy.
It wasn't a sense of insignificance.
Because the moment was so powerful.
So powerful.
It was a fleeting moment of peace, of absolutely everything being completely, totally right at that particular time, in that particular place. I was just a small speck with the rest of the world revolving around me, kind of like how I imagine being in the eye of a hurricane to be.
The moment lasted perhaps 20 seconds...maybe a little less, maybe a little more - but my point is it was just that - a moment.
I'm not sure where these moments stem from. I'm not sure it matters.
What I do know is that these moments almost always lead to some sort of reflection of life.
What I do know is that these moments seem to have a definite purpose.
They serve to slow me down in the crazy, hectic journey of life that is so easy to get caught up in (as in, gotta get this done, that done, gotta go here, go there, gotta go, gotta stop, gotta go, repeat).
Today, my moment of smallness left me with a serene sense of calm and gratitude.
It left me knowing and treasuring how much I love (with all my heart) the two little beings that are my sons.
It left me thinking about how there is so much in life that you just have to trust your instincts about (especially parenting).
It left me sitting here, trying to explain it all, while looking out the window and listening to the birds chirping, the sun streaming down, the leaves swaying in the breeze...the scene almost glistening...as if somehow this scene is so much more beautiful than it ever would have been ordinarily.
Kooky, I know.
But so simple yet amazing to have experienced.

Do any of you ever experience moments like these? I hope you do...

A favourite

08.02.2011

Yum. 
This is what is for lunch today.

Perhaps my all-time most fav lunch food...
At minimum in the top 5!

What is your fav food?

Progress!

08.01.2011

For those of you who know my husband, know he is pretty handy...sort of a "jack of all trades". Since buying our home 5 years ago, we have been in a pretty steady state of renovation. It ebbs and flows as the projects are bigger or smaller, but there is always some sort of home improvement happening. Last September the "final" and largest phase began with the addition of our double attached garage. Now that it is actually functioning as a garage/work shop, it was time to rip down the old single garage on the opposite end of the house. The plan there is to dig a basement room and rebuild the main floor space as a master suite :) It is quite a major undertaking (especially considering my husband is a one-man construction crew working only in his "spare time") but will add considerable living space!! It was pretty neat seeing the old garage come tumbling down - it sure makes our house look different! Now with any luck, the new addition will be framed by the end of the September long weekend (or so says hubby).

Here is the tear-down in about the middle of the whole process...

Go, Rod, go!

I have to admit it is exciting to have this big project underway...it means we are one more step closer to a renovation-free lifestyle!