date night

Date night. Because life is busy. Because we often can't have a conversation without being interrupted by the three little humans in our household. Because we've been stressed and tired. Because we deserve it. Because it makes us nicer to each other. Because we love each other.
Saturday night was date night at home. It lasted just over an hour and a half, and we were able to fit in appies, wine, and two board games. Hey, you gotta be quick and efficient when the baby might wake at any given moment. On the menu: stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, Blow Me Down Blomidon wine.
It was nice. It felt really good to just be together, and to be intentional with our time and focus. (phones put away ... ok, maybe I took a pic on my phone). It was just what we needed.
xox

feeling the feels

There is a beach, about 30 mins away from my door step. I just kind of discovered it over the past few months.
One day in early April, I went and it was high tide. And high tide on the Bay of Fundy, means no beach at all. It was windy, and the waves were coming right up onto the boardwalk. It was pretty though.
Another time I went with the kids, but we had to be somewhere else, so we just took a few minutes to check it out.
But last Saturday, I made a calculated effort to gather the whole bunch of us and go to the beach. Calculated, because you really need to look at the tide schedule and make sure it is low tide when you go.
On Saturday, all the stars aligned. Low tide was to be at 8:45 in the morning. We could do that I said.
There was a bit of moaning and groaning from the peanut gallery, but once we were there, OH it was beautiful. And while there, I had so many thoughts run through my head.
Thoughts like, this is our home. This is really our home! This is where Wesley will always call his home and this beach, is our beach!
I also thought about our crazy RCMP life, and how we have called so many beautiful spots in this country our home. I thought about how lucky we've been to see such beauty, to belong to such amazing places, to feel connected to so many different spots.
I thought about Mother's Day. About how complex it all is. About how I fail at motherhood sometimes. About how I succeed at it in other ways. How I want to be a better mother. How I need to be more gentle to myself. How I love my own mother, and how she messed up so bad as a mother. Oh it's complicated this mothering business. So complicated, and beautiful, and hard, and amazing.

...

Lately I've been trying to be mindful of my anxiety. It's an ongoing battle of mine, that I recognize is affecting not just me, but my family. I find being self aware and giving myself words to use, helps. I also find, when I say no to what I cannot do, it helps too. I just know that I have little eyes watching me, and I want to show them a better way of coping with stress. Perhaps more walks on the beach are in order.

xox

pausing

There are those moments in the day that feel like a blur. We rush from one moment to the next, acting out many of our daily routines on auto pilot. Breakfast, pack lunches, find hats and mitts, off we go.
It goes on, day in, day out like this.
Then there are the moments that stop time. A rare slowing down, where we have the time to talk, laugh, just be. These moments, they are the ones worth living for. We just need the ability to search them out, and then,to savour them.
Today Katia and I sat by the Christmas tree, enjoying the moments just before dinner was ready. I asked her to stay still and grabbed my camera. The light was beautiful and I knew this would be a lovely black and white.
There are the other moments too. A quick text from my husband. You are a Super Mom he says. He doesn't know it, but those words made my day. Acknowledgment. Support. Generous. I am beyond thankful for him and those words. They helped me to carry on with my day.
It's so easy to move through the day, one foot in front of the other, just getting through it. And you know, somedays are just like that. Some days are hard and all we can do is keep breathing.
But when I am in a position to stop and savour, when I am able to find that grace, I do it, because I know that it is a gift. It is what this whole living thing is about.
xox

date night

 that's a splash from a whale 

Getting away from our little lives here in Beaver Creek, was so good for us all. 

Because Winslow can hardly ever leave his post, it's rare that we as a family, get to do things like going out for a meal, or to the movies together, and it's even more rare that Winslow and I get to go out on a date. 

We had our good friends Chrissie and James along with us on our vacation, and they adamant that we take at least one night (more if we could) to go out for a nice date. So we did! 

Our first date was a short and spontaneous one. The kids had crashed hard after a busy day of playing, and Chrissie and James were home, so we snuck off for a nice walk, some window shopping and a shared ice cream. It was quick, but just the right amount of time for us to have a little break together. 

Our second date was a bit more organized. 

We started off with a drive to my favourite look out spot, so that we could watch the whales and see the sunset. We were all alone, on the edge of a cliff, the air was warm with a breeze and we were both able to just relax and enjoy the view. *side note,usually when we go to the look outs, I am panicked with having the children so close to the cliff.

After the sunset, we drove back to Lahaina to go out for dinner. We did a fair bit of walking around and looking at restaurants before we settled on one. We both had delicious dinners with wine and a yummy cheesecake for dessert (shared of course, dessert always tastes better when you share it). 

I'm not sure if it was the romance of Maui, or the fact that we both got dressed up (putting a little effort in, never hurts), or just that we don't get to do this kind of thing often, but this date was oh so special to the both of us. We got to have  conversations, full ones, without any interruptions. We got to talk about future plans, the fact that we are coming up on our 10 year anniversary (dating, not married), and other things. It was easy, comfortable, but special and romantic. Not that I need reminding, but our date gave me a healthy dose of gratitude for my number one man. He's definitely my one true love. 

xox

7 years strong

Happy 7th anniversary to us!
It's been 7 wonderful years of marriage for us, and still, everyday, I find myself amazed that I get to go through life with Winslow at my side.
University, dating, first jobs, RCMP life. Our first apartment, our first house, our second house, our force house. Babies, toddlers, preschoolers and a dog! Trips to the East Coast, trips to the West Coast, trips to Alaska and Hawaii. So much has happened, so much has changed, so much continues to change.
It's not always glamourous. Some days it is work. But when all things are considered, I'd say that we are very blessed and truly happy. It doesn't get much better than this.
I'm not sure where the next 7 years will take us, but I know that I want to keep on this journey with my husband.
For our anniversary, there was no fancy dinner out at a restaurant. No. It was so much better than that.
Our good friends came over to  watch the kids, and we went to a nearby campground, where we had a picnic in a picnic shelter (it was raining). To make it cozy, we lit a fire in the wood stove.
Lobster rolls, french fries, pasta salad and a yummy chocolate dessert ... and time together, just us.
xox

lately...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It feels like such a long time since I've been here to write about what we've been up to. The truth is, is that the last few weeks have been so full of fun times and adventure that I have had little time to sit down and write it all down (or type it I should say). But I know deep down that I would be sad if I didn't get some of it down, I really do love going back in time and looking at old blog posts. So here I go with what we have been doing lately.

Almost 2 weeks ago, Winslow joined us here in Ottawa and it has been so wonderful to have him home. We've done lots of family outings together and it's been so much easier to have a second set of parental hands on deck (especially when temper tantrums occur).

We've also managed to sneak off for a few dates together, which has been so nice! Usually we either have to shell out $30 for a babysitter when we are back home, or we sheepishly have to call on our good friends to come over and watch the kids for a bit, but here in Ottawa we have a house full of babysitters who have so graciously allowed us to have some time together. One night we went down to a local upscale bar for some appies and drinks and then last night we went all out for our anniversary and went here. Let me tell you... 3 hours of quiet relaxation...it was bliss! Throw in a sunset, some wine and an appie plate to share, then a starry sky with a warm infinity pool.... it felt like we were in a different world.

But back to what we've been up to for the last two weeks....

Well for starters, my sister in law, Kristine and her wonderful guy Jaime just got married and it was such a beautiful day. I had the pleasure of taking the pictures, and I was just so blown away with how gorgeous she looked. It was very special that I got to be the one to capture the day in it's entirety, from beginning to end. To see all of the family (from near and far) so happy and being together was really special. Everyone had such a great time at the reception, dancing like it was nobody's business! And the kids were all so cute! My niece Ariyana (Kristine and Jamie's daugher) and Katia were the flower girls, and Noah and Lazaro (Jaime and Kristine's nephew) were the ring bearers. It was so sweet to see them all dressed up, especially the boys in their barong tagalogs I will definitely be sharing some photos here once I get them edited.

And what else could possibly top a wedding you ask? Well let me tell you! On Sunday July 21st we had a surprise baby shower tea party for Sarah at the lovely Nectar teahouse and then just less than a week later on July 26th, beautiful baby Summer joined the Niman family. Summer is the fourth Niman girl to be born to the family and she is absolutely a dream come true! I'm heading over to sneak a cuddle with her tomorrow!

So many wonderful things that have happened in just a few short weeks and I am feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the time that we have had with our family and friends here in Ottawa. At first I was a bit worried about being here for 7 whole weeks, but now with less than 2 weeks of our time here left, I am trying to squeeze in all that I can.

Its been so special for me to see the children have time with their extended family and to play and get to know their cousins so well. It's also been very nice for me to have some time to do things for myself such as shopping and going out for coffee or lunch with my girl friends.

We still have 1.5 more weeks here and in that time we are squeezing in a trip to New Hampshire, as well as a day trip to Montreal. Of course there will  visits with family and friends and lots of hanging out too. But I just can't help but feel sad already in knowing that soon our time will be coming to an end. It really has been so special to be home for this whole time.

More to come soon!

Happy summer days! xox

Mother's Day, weekday adventures and date nights with the hubby

 a homemade Mother's Day gift made by Noah at his preschool 

A few random thoughts for today...

Mother's Day was sweet and lovely yesterday, thanks to my wonderful family who made me feel special. A delicious breakfast of waffles, berries and whipped cream (darn right!) and some pretty flowers to brighten my day. Ice cream on Main St, a visit to the park and then dinner out at a famous fish and chips joint :) 

At the moment I am sipping a cup of tea, watching the trees blow in the wind and enjoying some peace and quiet while the little ones sleep. 

I am looking forward to this week. I have some things to look forward to, which is helping me to stay positive. A walk with a friend is planned. A field trip to a goat farm is planned. A date with my hubby is planned. 

Speaking of dates, I never really followed up on how my year of dates has gone with my hubby. To be honest, we didn't do so well at keeping up with them, for a few reasons actually. The biggest problem for us, is that over the winter, the kids really seemed to have a hard time falling asleep. One of us would be up in the bedroom until they fell asleep at 9pm. At this point, we were both often too tired to watch a movie (which many of the at home dates entailed). But on a positive note, last weekend we (actually I), booked a babysitter, and Winslow and I went off for a date to the Takhini hot springs together. It was a beautiful evening (plus 17!) and we soaked in the natural hot spring fed pool.... it was lovely. I'll be honest, we were both exhausted upon leaving the house and Katia cried up a storm just as we were leaving, but it was so worth it to have that time together. So good in fact that we are planning our next date for this Friday (if the babysitter will come). 

Oh and next weekend something big is going to happen. For the first time ever, I will be taking off for the day and night with 2 amazing girlfriends of mine. We are driving down to Skagway for some much needed and deserved girl's time (or more importantly mama rest time). I can't tell you how excited I am to sleep on my own for the first time in years! 

And that's it for now. Just been enjoying the Spring here so so much.

xox

1 a month

Last Saturday was Winslow's and my 5 year wedding anniversary and I spent quite some time thinking about what I would give/make him for his gift.
We don't usually give gifts on our anniversary, usually just a card and some flowers will do, but this year seeing as it's our 5 year anniversary, we agreed to give each other a little something.
So after looking around the internet and racking my brain for what to do, I decided that I would pre-organize (plan, buy ect) 12 dates for us to enjoy together over the next year.
Because I had to plan 12 dates, I tried to think of ideas that wouldn't cost too much and that could be done easily. With two little ones under 3, it can be hard to arrange babysitters and to get out of the house alone, so some of the dates are "date night at home" ideas too. The idea is not to be too fancy with the dates, but just to intentionally carve out some time once a month just for us.
So first, I started by going out and buying some gift cards to a local coffee shop that makes delicious desserts, to Starbucks, an itunes card (for movie rentals at home), the movie theatre, and the hot springs. Then I made 12 separate cards for each month that describes what each date will entail. I put each card and gift card into an envelope and sealed it so that he can only open them once a month. Some dates involve us getting a babysitter and going out (to the movies, out for coffee, to the hot springs ect), while other dates include a theme like a foreign film and dinner to go with it. They aren't fancy, just something fun for us to do.

Hope you enjoy this idea. Maybe it will inspire you to make a gift that gives something year round.
xox

these days

Winslow's favourite. Lamb and couscous.

party crashers

These days things seem a little bit hard. We've had the stomach flu twice in the last week (groan), sleep isn't happening as much as it should, and in general I'm feeling like Dada and I both need a little bit of a break from parenting responsibilities. I mean that in the most light hearted way. It's just when the days feel really long and there is no one to jump in and lend a hand, that's when I am reminded that we are so far away from family. Wouldn't it be nice to have a lending hand from time to time? Yes. Oh well.
A little recap of this past weekend....
Saturday night was date night and it went very well despite being interrupted by les enfants multiple times. We managed to have a dinner on our own, well actually Katia was sitting at her high chair, but we just pretended that we were at a restaurant and that she was a person at a different table. Then Noah joined us for dessert. And then we got both kids off to bed before our movie.
One of my New Years goals was to put more effort into doing special things for our marriage. I've seen it happen around me, marriages that don't work out, and I know that it takes work to keep a relationship happy and healthy. So I've been trying hard recently to think of little ways that I can be a better partner to my husband and for ways that we can strengthen our relationship, and that's where date nights fall in.
We can't get a babysitter just yet for Katia, because she is still too young to be left with someone. And money isn't exactly a flowin' if you know what I mean, so that means date nights happen at home, and that's okay. Our date night included a little creativity, some special menu planning,  a movie that we rented on Apple TV, surprise flowers from hubby.....all in all, despite a few interruptions, date night was successful.
Some other exciting news. I have decided to start up a toddler art group that will be held at my house once a week for the month of August. This has been something that I have wanted to do for a very long time and upon realizing that there weren't many organized toddler activities happening in our town over the summer, I decided that I would start one up myself.
I'm very excited for this little group to take place. As some of you may or may not know, my background is in visual arts and education, and although I have decided not to go back to teaching (in the public school system at least), I still do enjoying teaching art a great deal.
 For me, being creative is such an important part of who I am. It helps me express myself, it allows me to go into a place of peace, in a way it is a form of meditation. So it would just give me so much joy to be able to provide children with the opportunity to explore and experience art. I am super stoked about this and will definitely write more about it as it approaches.
And that is all for today my friends. I am going to sign off now and maybe attempt to put away some laundry. Or maybe on second thought,  I'll just sit here for a bit longer, drinking my David's Tea and relax a bit.
xox