2010

I realize there has been a bit of a

in my posting over the past year

I missed the sad tale of FrankenElla

How we put out imaginary fires in the park

How hard we worked on our house to make it pretty for the new family to move into

How we sold a business

Put in a new septic system
All the little stories about my bambinos

Some of these things I will go back and explain others I will not. Here is my hope however, that this year I will get organized and you will see more of me. I will take more pictures, that this site will be flooded as I take strides in my creative and technical pursuit of photography.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello From the Big C

Photographic evidence that we made it......
......But we're still wading through boxes :)

A Photo Shoot For Auntie

And Their Eivl Plans Begin

Two little voices from the other room reacting to my request to clean up their room,

Ave "lets spray her with a hose"
Ethan "ya"
Ava " hmmmm how are we going to get the hose to her"
Ethan " ummmm put her in the bath.... giggle, giggle..... scrubby dub"
Ava "hmmmm but how are we going to get her cloths off?"
Ethan "ummmm" I'm pretty sure he was tapping his chin with his finger
Ava " lets suck them off with the vacuum"
Ethan "oh ya and then put her in the big bath.... giggle, giggle..... scrubby dub"
Ava " and then put her clothes in the laundry"
Ethan "scrubby dub a great big tub"

Do you think they will light candles?

She's Good

Ella is doing great :)
Everything went smoothly.
She was very unimpressed however and may have a different opinion of the event :P
Thanks for all the support

My new Hair

Yesterday as I was huffing around cuz well I'm a girl, Ella set up a trap. She must have been unimpressed with the mature manner I was dealing with my problems. So into Ant's drawer she went searched out a screw mounted to a back plate. I'd post a picture but I believe they were all collected and tossed. She strategically planted on the path I was on putting away laundry.

I will spare you the gross popping sound it made as it went into the bottom of my foot and how I cried like a baby. After it was washed and bandaged Ant started talking about getting a tetanus shot. I was all who needs a tetanus shot I'm super woman (or scared of needles).

Then google showed me the light and I put on my boots and got my hair done.

Dude it's been over a year and a half it was time. After the fabulous Nicole worked wonders on my hair I was off to the ER. I think a world record was broken, the quickest visit to the ER. They didn't even give me enough time to play the new game on my iPhone.

I almost complained.... "I have kids at home people, this is a mini vacation here, stop being so efficient".

Then again who wants a vacation at the ER. I'm a totally flexable person so I changed things up a bit and yes that was me sking in the frozen food section at the grocery store.

My new hair....

Peace

A moment of silence
I Remember
Please know
I am Thankful

EYES

Her eyes, I want to see her eyes. I have looked past the goop for over a year now. I have washed and massaged. I have picked and scraped while she wailed at me to stop. I want to see those baby blues, let the glint of her smile shine through. On Friday she is going in for surgery. No more blocked tear ducts, I have such mixed feelings over her having put under for such a small nuance. Ethan had the same problem, but Ella's seems to be bothering her more now. It keeps getting infected so something has to be done. It is a quick procedure and will be done in less then 10 mins. I bet she can't wait till someone isn't always picking at her and doesn't have to see the world through a layer of goop.

Halloween

I'm just over a week late with this, but I have an excuse..... I'm me :)

Jesse

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR

MINNIE MOUSE

We made their costumes this year and I think we did a good job, thanks to my sister who helped me out. Working together meant we only glued our fingers together once.

House and Home

Dear Home,

I am so glad that you are in my heart, it makes moving a little easier.

Love Jen


Dear house,

You we must leave, I have had fun here fixing you up. You were quite sick when we first set eyes on you and to tell you the truth I had eyes for another house..... a farm.... a great open space, but you came to us and fit perfectly. As we tore out all that made you smell over the years we made you glow and now I am proud to call you home. (at some point will show you off, with some before and after pictures). We brought all our babies home to you, so much excitement, so much joy. The bambinos room is still my favorite room in the house. What a great outdoor space we have had here, a large yard and with the deck we added last year I spend my summers enjoying you to the max. You are perfectly situated in a village with a great school. I am sad when I think of another family moving into this life, of bonfires and walks on the trails. They will wake up in the mornings and watch the great tree just outside the bedroom transform through the seasons.
As we move on from here, I must say I'm glad it was you dear house even though at first I wasn't sure.
Thank you so much, but now I live in someone else's home, they will come in here and make you their own. I hope they love it here!

Love always,
Jen

Here's Looking At You

We have walking, but she still wants to hold my hand :)

Moving

I have started this post over and over again, but this time I'm hitting publish before I walk away form the computer. So if there are lots of spelling mistakes Ella woke up form her nap and I hit publish and walked away.....

We are moving, like in less then 30 days from now.
We are moving closer to Ant's work. Him driving over three hours to work is just crazy and I'm not working here in the area anymore.
I have cried, I have been excited, but my head is spinning and I don't know what direction I'm headed in.
The kids are doing OK as long as we promise that all their toys are going with them.

Sunday

In a moment today there was perfection, washing dishes as James Blunt is playing on the radio, Ella scooching around the kitchen at my feet offering me her juice. The echos of Ava and Ethan playing over zealously in their room chimes in with the music making it a child's dance mix. The house is full and messy and wonderful right now. I guess all moments are perfect, sometimes your just not feeling it.

Guess who started crawling today? The same girl who took her first steps last week, it's never to early to start reliving your youth I guess.

School

How my children differ was once again very evident on the first day of school. I could tell you about the walk that was filled with anticipation and the gripping to the stroller with fear, the tears and the confidence, but what I have really found so amazing is who these bambino's have come home as. I find this a way better description of their first experience of school. I feel overly grateful for the school we have been lucky enough to have in our small village. It is small, family oriented and everyone knows everyone.
This past week I have seen my kids take leaps and bounds into themselves. I watch their minds soak up these new challenges, growing exponentially. I remember when they were small they learned so quickly when we were around our friends and family. This is just like that only a thousand times more intence.
Am I sad that they are at this point in life, NO, this is the coolest thing ever.
Do I miss them ABSOLUTELY!

I Still Luv You all

I have a post coming about the kids first days of school, but I have been working on new was to edit my photo's and I love it, they make me smile. If you want to take a look you can see it on my Photography Blog.
If I can get some of the time management I've been working on working in my favor, I'll be back to posting at least once per week :P
Luv you all and thanks for sticking it out
xoxo

Ha Ha

I was just looking through some pictures I finally up loaded to my computer and seriously this one made me laugh so hard I fell of my chair, thought I'd share..... that phone is huge lol

Eve

It's the night before their first day of Kindergarten, my heart started racing a little as I wrote that. Their school bags are packed and left by the door, their clothes are folded and placed out waiting for their small bodies to climb excitedly into in the morning. Their bellies will be filled with french toast and banana cookies. With a short walk that will feel to them so very long, they will enter the doors of the next stage of their lives. I am so excited for them, but Ella and I will miss them greatly.
My bambinos are about to step out into the real world and to quote Ethan "Rock On Dude" may you take this world my storm :)

A whole year?A WHOLE YEAR?What? really when did this happen. One moment I was holding this tiny itty bitty baby and pacing the house to get her to sleep, now you scooch around the house like you own the place. Looking back a little I wish I had written more, taken more pictures and yes filled out your baby book. But being me in spades that didn't happen. What I did do was breath you in everyday and love you more then I thought my heart could expand. I lived these moments with you and loved every moment of your first year. Although the stresses of the first couple of months have blurred me into the past as a tired overwhelmed mommy brained crazy lady, I feel confident that I would not change any moment with you for we are a perfect match.
You have no teeth and eat like crazyYou love beans, cheese and like everything else we give you
You are almost walking, you can get anywhere in the house holding onto the walls
You still use a sue-sue (what you call your soother)
You are trying to cut out your bottles, and you won't drink milkYou know where all your clothes belong on your body, and have fallen in love with shoesYou have great fine motor skills
You are still only sleeping in your crib part of the time
You don't like to fall asleep and miss anything


You birthday today, brought me back to last year while we were waiting in the delivery room, me you your daddy and your Auntie Nikki. I was so at peace in those moments, love all the color of the rainbow shone threw the room. You were a girl, and perfect and small. Now you have become such a little person I can hardly believe it. You are loved by so many and are so lucky to have so many great people in your life.

May your eyes always sparkle, and your smile never break
May your reach out and love all, and always believe in your self
For you my beautiful daughter the world is at your door
You fell asleep in my arms tonight, I will miss that when you are older, but I bet there will be so many cool ways we will spend time together that as much as that will be missed I will be in awe of you forever.
love,
Mommy

47 Weeks

Dear Ella,

Your first year so far had been busy, that is a given seeing as you have two other siblings and a Daddy who is gone half the time. Through all this you have been a joy, and you just keep smiling, although you give a mean grumpy face too. You have been pulling yourself up on furniture for almost a month now and love walking around with our help. I'm guessing that you will never crawl, you scouch just fine and your stomach is still not a place you like to be.

This past month was the first time we left you over night and I was told you were a super star. I believe it because other then not sleeping in your crib I really have no complaints. You eat everything and anything and you've slept through the night since you were 3 months. You are happy as long as your stomach is full and your diaper is empty. You are not on a schedule when it comes to naps, they are hit or miss, you have at least one daily, but there is no routine set up, bed time is always around 8 ish where you will fall asleep in your crib most nights, then you wake up some time between 11 to 1 and cuddle in nicely beside me falling asleep till the morning. If you fall asleep in our bed you are out out out, waking for nothing, but a bottle in the morning. I have just decided that you are a co-sleeper and that is that and life will work out around it.

As of today I am a stay at home mom, this is really cool. I have been very lucky in the fact that with my job. I was able to stay home, but the stress of it all was getting to me. I have been one of the luckiest mom's of all however in that you and your brother and sister are some of the best kids EVER, you all keep me on my toes and fill my days with laughter.

Ella you amaze me every day. You spend most of your time trailing along behind your siblings or get right in the action. You are so into everything that they are doing and as much as they are looking forward to school I think you might be a little lonely once they go. They have taught you so much, you have refused mushy baby food for months now and will not be fed by some one else easily, you want to use regular cups, play with big kid toys, be free to roam the house and are working on some great pieces of art.

There is so much I would like to remember about you at this age, but I know from experience that my memory will all fade, the sparkle in your eyes when you see me, the way you grab my face and plant a huge kiss on my cheek shaking with the intensity of it, the way you eat your food with an over handed pincer grab and most of all how you rule this house so effortlessly. We have all succumb to your cute smile and pudgy cheeks.

Love Mommy

Braver then I've ever been

ME

I killed a huge gigantic spider

With a white flip flop

I had to it was eating my children

I hate spiders

Wet

What a great day.... well other then the exorcism I had to perform on Ethan midway through. The weather was perfect summer weather, warm, sunny and a slight breeze. Striping down to bathing suits we headed outside to run around under the sprinkler. This unfortunately is not the wet the title was talking about. My poor Ella was roaming around on the deck as I finished puttering around in the dining room, that is when I heard it, the spluesh, that is the gushing sound of a bucket full of water spilling onto the deck, as I heard the wind catch the gazebo I knew, there was nothing I could do, I ducked with a faint hope that it would transfer to my little bundle and some how transport her to safety. This however did not happen, when I reached her she was drenched to the bone looking a little shocked then..... the scream, no wait it's more like a yell. She gives this yell when something gets her angry or scares her. So note to self, before letting the baby play on the deck, empty the pockets of water that get trapped in the roof of the gazebo! Poor poor Ella :(
Please ignore my cheezee smile and send Ella all your warm wishes, and the foresight to not sit under the gushing gazebo waterfall :P

Breath

Life has been busy, so much so that I haven't stopped to breath.... when my lips turn blue Ant gives me a little slap so I inhale. I will do some explaining in the near future, but for now the gorgeous light in my living room.....


Oh ya and that gorgeous baby of mine as well :P

Summer Fun

Pictures

Today was a lazy day, if you don't count the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, swabbing the deck etc...

If you were asking?

This is why my kids are covered in mud today :)

A new picture spot

Finger Food

Yum Yum
Give her some bread, peas and some cheese and she's a happy girl :)

So in case anyone is left reading here and not telling me in person that they need to see more of my beautiful babies, I will thank all the people who have given me flack over my lack of posting :)
Happy Nine months Baby Girl!

Happy Mother's Day

2008
2009

I had never met a mango

OK that is a lie, I saw one once in grade 8 in a home economics class focused on fruit. But today mango and I became friends. I wasn't sure what to expect, no that's not true I was expecting a pit, a round pit in the center. Kind of peach like. So my cutting technique was off a little and the first one was a massacre. I think it might not have been too ripe either, ya that's it it was the mango's fault. Once I discovered that the pit or what ever the hardened center was ran the width of the mango the second attempt was a much prettier sight indeed. Ella as far as I could tell liked mango, look at me go with the baby food making. So there is my big adventure of the day here in mommy land. I learned a new skill how to cut up a mange. I can now check that of the to do list of life :)

What I Have Other Kids?

Oh right... Them, the ones who I have to bribe to even look at the camera.

Ethan update: The boy is crazy. Need I say more. He is always on the move, although he has really taken an interest in reading lately so you might find him sitting for a moment or two perusing a good book. His vocabulary is now almost ledgably to others now and not just me. I went through a faze where I just repeated everything he said when other people were around it was just easier then picking up in the middle of a conversation when some one didn't understand. He is also interested in photography and love to get the camera out and take pictures. I love all the surprises on the camera when he is done, do you know what this is?
This boy keeps his room tidy, and knows the rules. He may not always follow them, but if someone tries to break one he is all over it. He is turning out to be one of the best brothers a girl could have. I find him playing with Ella just to make her laugh. And tonight at dinner when Ava didn't qualify for desert, after I left the room he gladly gave up some of his ice cream as long as she ate some fruit first (see rules must be followed even when I'm not in the room). Love that kid to bits!

Ava update: SHE EATS VEGGIES! Yes I yelled that out loud when I wrote it too. There is now a group of fruits and veggies she will eat. Peas and corn she will voluntarily eat on her own and other she must be asked to eat, but healthy is on it's way hooray. She inherited small toys from someone who had out grown them, so bits and bits of barbie, LPS and other various small itty bitty items a carefully carried around the house is a variety of bags and purses. She is girly, which from an early age was not at all her style. She didn't play with dolls until she was well over two. She is all about friends, everyone is a friend. She calls all kids friends and is not shy to talk to them at all. She even approaches older kids in a venture to make a friend (it's really funny to watch a 12 year old respond to such a request).

So much change, I have filled out school registration and they are signed up for soccer that starts in a couple of weeks. They are so grown up, looking at them makes me so proud inside that they are such great little people. I think I'm going to go cuddle with them right now.... um maybe I'll wait till morning :P
Oh I can't help it.... she sits still :)