Happy Birthday Little C!

What a beauty, from day 1!







































And a week
























Our little doll at 3 months.



















6 months down and she's adorable as ever.










































10 months.











































Our little Angel at 11 months.
























How fast time flies. Happy Birthday my little girl.

I love you,
Mummy.

Little C's trick of the day

Smiles at the end of the day

No matter how I look at it, we are a lucky, lucky family.

Camping out.

On the living room floor that is. And that's exactly where my darling 3.95 year old parked his sorry, tired, snotty nose last night. Smack dab in the middle of the living room floor is where HE said he preferred to sleep from now on.

It all started many moons ago when little C came home from the hospital. Having only 2 bedrooms in our home, the decision was ultimately made for us that the kids would share a bedroom. Something I never did growing up, but had no qualms about with my kids as I'd like to think it breeds a certain sibling closeness. The first couple weeks it was easy enough. I would nurse little C down in the rocking chair while Little B settled in his bed. Lights out, night light on, they would both be fast asleep in no time. Little C inevitably would wake every 3 hours back then, and I worried the constant baby wakings, and subsequent rocking chair nursing sessions would bother Little B's sleep. After awhile I found it easier to myself sleep in the kids room with the baby and let Little b sleep with his daddy in our room. He's been sleeping in our bed off and on for his whole life, so I wasn't worried about a nasty habit forming. It already had!!

I think Big B was the only one who found this sleeping arrangement bothersome. He'd much rather have me next to him than Little B who kicks ferociously in his sleep and sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. After a month or so Little C was sleeping longer stretches and I decided to secure my side of the bed, leaving Little B's bed warm, open and inviting for him to sleep in. Unfortunately he didn't see it that way. He'd occasionally make a fuss, or wake in the night with a bad dream instantly waking the baby and therefore mummy and daddy, and we'd have a house full of red puffy eyes swollen with fatigue at 3:00am. not a good thing.

Plans where hatched and it was decided that Little B would be happier in our room. We made him a comfy bed of blankets beside our bed and that's where he slept for the next 9 months (minus the 6 weeks he slept IN my bed while traveling abroad in Europe)

Last night I decided to make an executive decision. After numerous night wakings by my little bedside buddy (the little on, not the big one!) I made up my mind that he would start sleeping in his own bed once again. Yesterday I put fresh sheets on his bed, fluffed up his pillow, nestled in his stuffed animals and continues my day completely oblivious to the fact that I was a total dolt to think he's just 'accept and appreciate' the change of plans. haha!!! Silly mummy.

Little B even impressed me when he excitedly told daddy of the big surprise: he was sleeping in HIS own bed tonight! What a big boy!

Cut to last night, bedtime. Little C was snuggled in her crib after a long day. Thumb sucking and clutching Lamby. Probably dreaming of ice cream and hot wheels. (yes she likes BOTH of those) We kissed our boy goodnight and explained to him that he must remain quiet when in the bedroom so as not to wake Littel C. He agreed whole heartedly and was quite eager to get to bed. I tucked him in and snuck out. Little C woke briefly and I could hear her stir but soon she was quiet.

I came downstairs to join Big B at the computer and marvel at our 2 little angels fast asleep in the same room. 1/2 an hour later we both thought we heard a child's cough, but decided it had come from their room, not as close as it seemed. An hour or so later we decided to turn in ourselves, and upon opening the door to their room to do my final check before bed I noticed the bed was empty.
That little bugger I thought; he's probably crawled into our bed and is fast asleep drooling on my pillow.. i checked my bed. Nothing. The floor. nothing. I went back downstairs and immediately heard the snores coming from the darkness of the living room. We turned the light on and had a chuckle as Little B was sprawled out on the couch, face squashed into the arm, snoring away. Big B gathered him up in his arms and took him back to his bed where he lasted around 15 seconds before bursting into tears and complaining of bad dreams and monsters. Where does he get this from? Surely not our Little House on the Prairie DVD set s that he watches?

Then Little C awoke. It was bound to happen. As good of a sleeper she is (sleeping most nights from7pm to 7am without a peep) she does wake up to noise and confusion. Both of which were readily available in her usually serene bedroom. I am sure she was thinking to herself, "Why did mommy even bother trying to sleep train my big brother. Let the poor guy sleep on her floor for the next 3 years. I NEED my beauty rest!" The same thoughts were in my mind as well, trust me. Little B was brought into our room while C got back to sleep; the plan was to wait a few minutes until she was sawing logs and have him go back to his bed. But he was adamant that was not going to work for him.

I asked him to give me a solution, thinking that at 10:00pm, a 3.95 year old sleepy head could not come up with any better solution than to get some rest IN HIS own bed!. The fact of the matter was he wasn't welcome to sleep on our floor any longer, and apart from sleeping alone in the dark living room, there wasn't really any other answer.

But in his self assured dare I say 'cocky' 3.95 year old way, he announced he WAS going to sleep on the living room floor. He was sure that the 'monsters' would not bother him there. He assured us he would sleep the whole night there and only get up in the morning. What could I say? It wasn't the worse idea. We couldn't torture our baby anymore by subjecting her to the howls of an unhappy brother late at night.
With Doggie tucked snuggly under his arm, his puffy tired eyes rolled up towards the heavens as he informed us "of course" he would wait until morning to get up. Off he went with Daddy in tow to set up a bed of blankets on the floor. Blinds shut, no night light to be seen, he promptly shut his eyes and fell fast asleep. Snuggled in our own bed alone for the 1st time in months Big B and I (get your mind out of the gutter!) took bets on when he would be coming upstairs complaining of the dark.

It wasn't until the sun was up that I heard his little footsteps coming our way. I told him how proud I was he slept downstairs the whole night. I even wanted to know what the difference was. Why would the monsters visit him when he was tucked in his own bed, with his little sister 4 feet away; mummy and daddy 10 feet away? Why there and not way down in the living room where he was sure to notice he was ALL by his lonesome? But he just shrugged his shoulders and kept eating his cheerios.

Cancel the plans to add on an additional bedroom. Little B has taken over the living room. (for now anyways. But where will mummy and daddy watch our movies when the kids go to sleep???)

Dear Mother Nature: Please don't let this be the last day of summer boating!

I promise I'll eat all my vegetables and do all my chores if you just let us go boating in the warm September sun one more time. (or maybe 2 times, or 3.) Thanks.



















We were spoiled today. The one and only White Sands Beach was abandoned. In the midst of the South Okanagan summer heatwave it's normal to find swarms of oiled up, suntanned, hungover tourists splayed across the soft white sand. Their boat stereos pulsating with the latest dance music. Their coolers overflowing with beer and coolers, the occasional martini and vodka tonic. Cigar smoke hovering over the mob, sweet coconut oil suspended on top of the lake water like gasoline.
But with the end of the summer comes the peace, tranquility, and serenity that I love so much about this time.
Little B and C positively glowed with happiness. Or maybe it was the sunburn?





































































































Either way we all had a relaxing few hours, hopefully not our last, reminiscing about the summer past, thinking quietly about the fall and winter to come, and in general enjoying our blessed family and our wonderful corner of the world.
Oh Summer, how I adore thee. I will not soon forget you. Come back to me Summer, come back.....

Country Fair

It had been over 15 years since I last ventured into the Fairgrounds. As a teenager I would go with my dad and mom annually. My father worked for a Ford Dealership and would drive a new car up to the Fairgrounds for the day, and we would get in for free, wander around taking in the smells and the sights. Cowboys, cowgirls, burgers, pumpkins, carnival rides, crafts, tractors and more. I remember the smell of the animals, the dust coming from the arena as the barrel racers navigated the course, the snorting pigs, the cowboy hats, the wranglers, the dream that one day I too would be a cowgirl, perched atop my horse.

The food was delightful!
Who can say no to a bag of fresh sugar coated mini-donuts at 10:00 a.m.? Not my family.

Fast forward a million years later and things haven't really changed. There was no barrel racing to my dismay, but there was plenty of wranglers, cowboy hats, burgers and cows. The smell of horses and dust lingered in the air.


















































Little B found out first hand why you should always keep 1 eye on the ground when walking around the animal pens. He nearly vomited as his sandal clad foot oozed into a fresh warm pile of cow crap!
I don't think he has the makings of a cowpoke! He sure looked the part with the hat, but in his heart he's urban.

Cowboys and paper horses

A couple of days ago I started to write a post about my 'heavy heart' No other words seemed good enough to explain the annoying weight of the world on my tired heart.

My 1st week back at work was the culprit. Coupled with handing my lovely babies off to another woman to nurture them through the day, and being in a different environment, fine tuning and relearning my employee self. I was and still am in these early weeks back at work, essentially an amnesia victim trying to come to terms with their 'new life'. I will fall back into the groove, picking up where I left off 12 months ago, but until then I feel dissociated with my 9-5 world.

As a few of us at the office stood around today at coffee, enjoying the sun light in the window someone asked "What are we doing here?" to which I answered "Missing life." Now I know in actuality, she meant, "Why are we here, standing in the front office, looking out the window, instead of busily shuffling papers at out desks" but again in ACTUALITY we were missing life. It was going on mere feet away from us on the sundrenched pavement of Main Street. Motorhome after motorhome, followed by trucks and trailers, VW Vanagons, cars and tent trailers....all going SOMEWHERE while we stood there going NOWHERE.

Maybe my dad was right when he questioned my mental health years ago. My wandering ways, my need to keep moving, my ability to float from town to town, job to job he blamed on our own immediate family's nomadic lifestyle. Born in Prince George n 1974, we moved nearly every year up until 1982 when we settled in the Central Okanagan. I was hustled and bustled from school district to school district. Making friends and losing friendships along the way. My mother told it best when we arrived in Campbell River when I was 7 or so. Having nothing to do one day and bored to tears she literally kicked me out of the house to canvas the neighborhood in search of friends. Door after door I knocked on asking whomever answered if the had any kids until I found a family with children and made a new best friend. Come to think about it maybe thats why I can never remember a persons name. I never had to remember names from my youth, why bother when we weren't going to be around long enough to enjoy birthday parties and Easter egg hunts. So my lack of memory and vagabond ways are to be blamed on my childhood? If it were that easy huh! A fierce independent streak that made me sell my car and spend the stash on a ticket to Italy in 1995 is the fault of my parents? I would much rather look at it as though it was a gift rather than a fault. But sitting here absorbed in the moment, wanting ever so much to gather my family and zoom off to a location unknown in our 29 foot Class A I just can't see it as a gift.

It pesters me, this urgency to journey. I can't survive one small simple 24 hour period without thinking about where we can go next. What plans we have made to travel come this winter. California in January, or the Maritimes in March? If I could channel this atomic energy I create when I am in this kind of mood I could power our whole house for a month. Instead I try to think it all out. Puncture a hole in this dizzy head of mine and leak out the dreams one by one. Conjure up as many crazy ideas as I can to free this dang unwanted impractical monster from my already exhausted mind. Then when all is quiet and my brain is back to normal (whatever that is) I can then venture forth into the humdrum life of dishes and laundry. Where I actually find solitude and peace. Ahh...to lose oneself in the monotony of laundry, that's where I am headed tonight.

Now back to Cowboys and paper horses. See how tangents can take hold?

It was never meant to be a theme. The cowboy hat just happened at the department store last week. It fit, he liked, so we bought. Then the news that the country fair is coming to town. Daycare makes horse crafts. The next thing you know I have a full on 'ridem cowboy' on my front lawn galloping into the sunset. What an absolute dream he is my Little B. Soft cheeks, bony legs, crooked smile, and he's all mine. Well my husbands too, but i take most of the credit for his positive traits!