two roads project

Johanna (left): Play is so essential to a little one. It's problem solving, it's rationalizing, it's understanding, it's making sense of their world. 
My boy is one creative soul. On a daily basis, he imagines that he is a spy, a cat, a super hero ... you name it. He invents and comes up with ideas, and to me, I can see that his play is so very important to the person that he is becoming. 
Here he was with his dad. Building a magnificent tower with legos. Adding pieces, telling a story, making a world up in his imagination. 

Sarah (right): One of the many benefits to having children is watching how they play. I am fascinated by watching how it develops. In infancy, the play is largely sensory exploration. Then, they walk, and chase and play peek-a-boo. These days, I see Abby create elaborate scenes with her friends, with dress-up, role play, song and dance numbers, the sky's the limit. Hailey and Robin have built-in playmates. They have a constant companion, day and night. I hear them giggle and run and play until they fall asleep, well past their bedtime in their shared room  Today, on a sunny afternoon, after we picked up Abby from school, we played out front. Robin wore her Afghani princess dress for the sixth day in a row, hopped into her Little People coupe, and got into a fender-bender with her mama's Caravan. Hailey ran up to check the damage, and then drew with chalk. Abby continues kicking her soccer ball and Summer chewed on some mulch. Just another afternoon of play.

The well-known poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken ends, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Two women, who became friends via the magic of the Internet, were both living life on roads less traveled by. Circumstance had them both live in Whitehorse for a short time, where they became best friends. Life's map has them currently in differing geographic locations, but their connection and camaraderie continue as they continue on paths of motherhood, friendship, creativity and discovery. The Two Roads Project is our effort to reconnect with each other and our inner artists on a weekly basis, each Friday. (Or thereabouts. We don't always know which day of the week it is).

Sarah writes here. 

lately

"There's no place like home " .... am I ever feeling those sentiments to my very core these days.

We have settled back into our rhythm, after being away from our home for nearly 7 weeks (Hawaii and then Ontario). And now that we've been back home for nearly two weeks, I am feeling so happy to be here and am feeling grounded. 

The pull of the season is giving us renewed energy, and we are embracing this new indoor/outdoor lifestyle. By early to mid morning the kids can't wait any longer, and we throw our rubber boots on and head outdoors. We might take a walk. Sometimes hang out on the stoop, drawing with chalk, and I sip my coffee. It's lovely.

Sometimes we head down to the school playground and swing or climb the climber. I love that I now wear my sunglasses everyday, rubber boots or Toms are my choice of footwear.

The windows are left open for much of the day, and new air is being breathed into our home and our spirits. It feels amazing.

Sprintime in the Yukon is unlike Spring anywhere else. After a long and cold winter, after being safe and cozy in our homes for months, we are now being welcomed outdoors once again, to play, work and live. Life just seems a little bit easier and a little bit sweeter. It's so refreshing.

Things that I am loving right now ...

~ coffee in the sun on my front porch

~ watching our little seedlings grow

~ little girls, all in red

~ playing outside for hours

~ simple things, like shooting hoops after dinner

~ bubble baths with a good book to read

~ sleep

~ the promise of something to look forward to

~ red wine to sip in the evening

lately

ladies and gentlemen, the cat ears have returned 

A little bit of this and that.
Only a week away till we get ourselves on the road towards Anchorage. From Anchorage we'll be flying down to Seattle, then San Diego and then finally Maui. It will be a long trip, but we are all excited for it. This trip couldn't be coming at a better time. We woke up to -40 degrees today and I was instantly cheered up with the thought of Maui. Yipee!
Last Friday night we had our traditional homemade pizza and a family movie. But this time we did things a little bit differently.  We ate our pizza while watching the movie, picnic style. Such a simple idea, but we all enjoyed it, and I know it made the event feel more special for the kids. All week long I hear, "when is family movie night mama?". I love how this little tradition has become something that the kids look forward to. To note: this is the one night a week where TV is allowed after dinner. Usually it's off limits in the week.
Over the weekend we celebrated Winslow's birthday. Like most men, Winslow doesn't like a big deal made of his birthday, but that doesn't stop me from at least making a bit of a fuss over him. Eggs Benny for breakfast, decorations went up, a favourite meal for dinner and a big birthday cake (yes there is a gun and handcuffs on the cake- at Noah's request). One of the most adorable things from this year's birthday was the care and love that Noah put into Winslow's card and birthday present. Noah "made" (okay, I made it mostly), Winslow a flashlight. It was all his idea and he painted the cardboard tube himself. On the card, Noah drew Daddy and him holding hands. It was really adorable.
And finally, a few photos of the kids playing around. As some of you may or may not know, I collect vintage Fisher Price toys. I love the classic toys, the ones that offer open ended play and that don't have all kinds of gizmos that make noise and light up. Over the years, I have collected different sets, and have had friends be on the look out for me when they go thrifting. My doll house was picked up by my friend Margaret. It was in great condition and had all the furniture and people. I love it! My friend Sarah remembered that her mom had the old vintage garage stored away somewhere. Sarah's mother kindly pulled it out and sent it all the way to the Yukon for me. It was such a lovely gift! As you can see, my kids love these toys. I don't pull them out all the time, so when we do bring them out, the kids think of them as special.
Hope you are having a lovely week! I'm excited to celebrate Valentine's Day with the family. I have plans to set up the table the night before with little tin mailboxes that I picked up a few weeks ago. We'll have a few treats and cards for the kids.
xoxo

This picture cracks me up. Zen/meditating Batman. Don't ask. 

recently...

recently ...
the days have been long
we've been filling our time up with crafts
wooden spoon puppets have been made for 2 days straight now
bees wax candles have been rolled and enjoyed
little friends (Hailey and Robin) came over to play
walks outside have kept us sane
snow snow snow
I went on a date with my girl and boy at Starbucks ... it was surprisingly relaxed
the cold and sniffles are back in our house
a lot of one pot baked dishes have been being made ... so much more easy (baked pork chops with a salsa verde marinade, surrounded by tons of peppers and onions)
dreaming of the beach and heat
xox

dance party

This one is for my sister and sisters in law who aren't on Facebook (and anyone else who needs a laugh).
Happy weekend.
xox

playing in the snow

This morning we woke up to a beautiful fresh blanket of snow. It was warm outside and I knew that I wanted to take the children out to play later on in the day. We proceeded on with our morning.
Preschool drop offs, a coffee date with my friend and our two babies, back home for lunch and naps.
Then it was time to head outdoors.
I've discovered that I really really dislike getting two children ready to go outside in the winter. Snowsuits, mitts, hats, boots. I usually get Noah ready, send him out on the front steps (so he doesn't over heat while waiting) and then get Katia ready. It was hard to get out the door but when we did it was well worth it.
The first thing Katia did when she got outside was to plant her face right into the snow. She came up with a happy look on her face and proceeded to lick and eat the snow off her mittens`. It was absolutely priceless.
Noah got himself busy by painting the snow with colours. This was something that Leanne introduced to us last winter and has become a bit hit at our place. Red, green and blue were splattered around our front and back yard. He was very happy with himself.
After some play, I got out our wooden sled and took them around the block and through the back woods. This was Katia's first time on the sled and she really enjoyed herself. Noah hugged his sister tight so she wouldn't fall off.
After a walk around the neighbourhood and through the woods we cam back home for some hot chocolate. We had played hard and needed something to warm us up with.
This afternoon was just what we needed. Fresh crisp air, beautiful white snow and a bunch of firsts for my nearly one year old girl.
Katia was too young last winter to experience winter. Winter for her was mostly spent being snuggled up against me in her little baby carrier... oh I miss those days of teeny tinyness. But new we have new things to look forward to. A new season is here and I get to go out and play with my two little ones. And what could be better than that?
xox

our first day

Today was Noah's first day at his preschool and I think it's safe to say that we both had the jitters about it.
Leading up to the first day, we would casually drop the idea of Chickadees to Noah and he seemed to give a positive response to the idea, but yesterday when I told him that he would be going to his first day of preschool he told me that he didn't want to go (a normal reaction from Noah), so I dropped the topic.
Last night after the children went down for the night, I prepared what I could so that our morning would go smoothly. I made up Noah a special snack that he would take with him and laid out his and Katia's clothes for the morning.
This morning I woke up after getting not enough sleep and proceeded to get ourselves ready. I prepared Noah a breakfast full of protein (important for the brain in terms of focussing) and I double checked that we had everything we would need for his first day. Show and tell item? Check. New lunch bag? Check. Indoor shoes? Check. Nerves in check? Not so much.
I got Katia ready, then myself and then Noah last. I washed his face checking him over, making sure he was all ready for his first day. I've been learning lately that it takes coordination getting everyone ready and out the door for a certain time and I'm happy to say that I managed to get us there on time.
I wasn't sure how Noah was going to do this morning, but in my heart I knew that he was ready for this and that he would enjoy it. We drove over to our church (the preschool is non-denominational, just in the basement of our church), and I tried to explain to Noah that we were going to go and see his friends. He seemed to like that idea.
When we arrived he started to show some signs of nervousness. I assured him that Katia and I were going with him, he begged for his soo-soo and I distracted him enough so that we left it in the car.
Inside, the playschool was bustling with children and activity. Costumes, a play kitchen, a construction climber, a trampoline... so many thing for Noah to do! He wasn't so sure what to do at first, so I helped him put his inside shoes on and put his things away, then we joined in with a few activities. It wasn't long before Noah was playing with a little boy that he had never met before.
This isn't Noah's first experience in a learning setting where there is routine and group activities, but it is his first time going to a place where he will be on his own. Noah has 4 friends who he knows in the group and as I mentioned, he already started to play with another boy there too.
The funny thing about today is that I didn't have any panicky feelings (nerves maybe) about him starting this new chapter in his life, I knew that he was ready for this. This is the perfect transition for Noah in his educational journey. It's only twice a week for 2 hours a day, a perfect introduction into this whole new world for Noah.
The good news is that I even managed to sneak out for about an hour. When I came back from my coffee/window shopping/walk with another mama from the group, I found Noah sitting down with his friends listening to his teacher reading a story. He had survived, was happy and so was I.
On our way home I asked Noah if he had had fun and he said yes! I told him that I was so proud of him for going to preschool and then he said "I'm so proud of you". "Really? What for? " I said. He said, "Because I love you so so so much". Well okay, it doesn't make sense but I'll take it.
This afternoon after nap time, I had a special treat waiting for Noah to celebrate his first day at preschool. Homemade sugar cookies, just like my Ganya (Grandmother) makes. I let him roll out the dough, cut the cookies (he chose pumpkin cutters) and then decorate them with icing. With some snow blowing around in the chilly Autumn air, I felt happy and content. A perfect way to end our first day.
xox

hey, where's my cookie?