katia's puppy adoption party

For my standards, this was probably the most simple birthday I have ever done for the kids .... and probably one of the most enjoyable ones too. 

This year, for Katia's birthday, we had an adopt a puppy birthday party. Each guest received a Beanie Boo puppy as their "take home gift" (which I bought in bulk and for sale through Chapters). During the party, the guests filled out an adoption certificate, took their dog to the vet, had a visit to the beauty salon, and made their dog a collar. 

We're trying to simplify in our lives, and in our budget these days too, so I made some conscious decisions to not go completely crazy with unnecessary "extras". We kept the food healthy and simple. Fruit kabobs, cheese+crackers, veggies, pretzels and Katia's favourite chips .... with puppy cupcakes too, of course. I did facepainting for the guests, and then they decorated their bags to take their puppy home in. We kept our guest list to a manageable number (which included Noah and one guest for him). All in all, it was a lovely afternoon, where Winslow and I didn't feel overwhelmed, the guests enjoyed themselves, and most importantly, Katia felt special and loved. 

Our girl turns five in just a week, and I am a wee bit sad to say goodbye to my four year old. 

She's getting so big, and I'm not seeing my baby near as much as I am seeing a big girl. She's kind, helpful, an amazing big sister to Wesley, creative, smart, so social, and such a sweet sweet person. 

Happy birthday Katia. You are so special to us, and we all love you to pieces. 

xox 

speeding by

You know that catch phrase, "I don't want to adult today?"... it so applies to us right now.
After a month straight of being sick with pneumonia in our household (Noah, Katia, myself and Wesley), I some days, just wish I could have someone swoop in and take over all the adult things that we have to do.
Just yesterday, Winslow and I were trying so hard to get in a conversation. Que the crying baby, the little one who wants to tell us about something, and then I stepped backwards and stepped on a Thomas the train. I cursed  and looked at Winslow, and thankfully he grabbed me and gave me a big hug. Right there, I asked him if we could run away, just him and I. I was joking, well kind of.
It's hard right now. I'll say that. It's busy, it's tight, it's hard to not have the extra help... but we'll be ok. It's a season, and seasons come and go, as we all know. Right now is hard, but I have to remind myself that my role at home is important and valuable.

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Poor baby number three is the typical cliche. When Noah was a baby, I wrote monthly blog posts about his development and day to day life, Wesley is lucky if I've written one! I may not have the time to devote individual attention to him, but I know that he is just as happy and well developed as Noah was at this age.
While he doesn't get the monthly posts, I know that he is happy and surrounded by so much love everyday. Wesley's days are full of adventure and discovery. At 10 months, Wesley decided that it would be a good time to start walking. I suppose when you have older siblings and a dog to keep up with, it's only natural that you would want to move as fast as you can!
Some other things that Wesley loves are: music, clapping his hands, saying Dada (and sometimes Mama if he is really upset), going to storytime at the library, looking at the model trains at the library, and his dog Ryder. Some of his favourite foods include scrambled eggs, yoghurt, apple sauce, blueberries, spaghetti and chicken.
Our baby turns one next month, and I have all kinds of emotions regarding this milestone. In one way, I am excited to see how Wesley will continue to grow and change over time. On the other hand, I have a hard time in knowing that he is our last baby, and this is the last time I will be a mama to a baby. Regardless of the emotions, we will celebrate his day to the fullest and it will be a special day, all about him.

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And so here we are, mid November and in the thick of our busy season. With two important birthdays on the horizon and Christmas just around the corner, I am really trying to take stock of what this season means to me, and also try to plan and organize where and when I can.
My mind is full... and it's almost overwhelming. I feel as though I really need to remind myself of what is most important right now, and let go of the other stuff.

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And finally, a few photos of the children. I really wanted some Fall photos of the kids, and because of being sick, I kept pushing them back. Finally one day, I corralled them all together and just made it happen. They aren't my favourite photos, that's for sure. They feel forced and not natural (my main goal in photography these days is to make a natural portrait), but at the same time, I am happy to have a bit more of a "formal" portrait of the kids. If anything, these photos make me pause and say, when did they get so big?

it's ok to be sad about saying goodbye

I'm a bit of a mess tonight. Okay, that's an understatement. I am full on ugly crying my heart out.
And the reason is, is that it has finally hit me. After the months of planning and talking about it, we are going (in a matter of 2 weeks), and it's not going to be easy on me.
5 years. 5 years in this beautiful, vast, magical, big and lonely territory... and now we are packing up and moving on. This is how it goes with RCMP families, and even though I have done it a few times now, I can tell you, it doesn't get easier.
We moved to the Yukon in the summer of 2010, when Noah was just 11 months old. At that time, I was so nervous and hesitant about this big life changing move of ours. I truly had no idea, just how amazing it would be for our family.
In 2011, we welcomed our sweet Yukon girl into the world, and our lives felt so complete. Being at home with my two littles was a joy and a job that I took seriously. I look back on those days with such fondness. The playdates, the coffee/tea dates with friends, the big Northern family holiday dinners.
The friends we've made, the exploring we've done, the photography that I've taken, the family memories that we've built,  it all happened here. How do I say goodbye? I can't even begin to start.
Tonight, while crying my heart out, a friend let me know that it is perfectly ok (and good) to feel these feelings. That it's good to feel it now, and I couldn't agree more. I certainly don't want to say goodbye, but I know that I must begin to find the closure, in order to move forward. It's a process, and I must honour it.
At the end of the day, as I go through the file of memories that I have stored away in my heart, I like to remind myself, that we very well may find ourselves back here some day. The Yukon is a magical place, that draws many people back to it. I will leave that possibility open in my heart and let it out to the universe. Just incase it ever happens... you never know.
But for now, we move forward. We move to another part of this beautiful country of ours and continue our journey as a family. We have many great things to look forward to, many adventures, new friends, and a new babe to join our family. It's going to be good. It always is. We're blessed.
xox

these moments

In just weeks, our time here in Beaver Creek, and the Yukon, will be wrapped up into one precious and beautiful package of memories, that I will slip away into my heart.
While talking to a dear friend over the phone the other night, the conversation came up about what I would miss most about our time here. I started to think, and immediately wanted  to slow down and just feel the simplicity of our life here. Simplicity is what I will miss most about here.
The simplicity of going for nature walks, all on our own, just steps from our home.
Being able to walk to the school, the park, the pool, the library, the post office ... all in just a short 5 minute walk.
The time that I have to make food. To make bread, from scratch. To make and can jam in an evening. To make healthy (and creative) dinners from what we have on hand.
This, I think, will be one of the most important lessons that I take from Beaver Creek. To remember not to load ourselves up with commitments, activities and busyness. To slow down and continue our simple way of living.

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On our way home from the park the other day, Katia grabbed for Noah's hand and they ran all the way home together like this. It was hard for me to catch up, but when I did, Noah turned to me and told me that by holding Katia's hand, she would keep on walking and wouldn't get so tired.
I have been reflecting lately, on this amazing and strong friendship that these two have together. They are getting older, and in turn, seem to be getting along better than ever. They make up games together, go on adventures, and just basically live their days together, but so closely.
I really believe that our time here in Beaver Creek, has really helped to strengthen their relationship. Neither kids go off for long periods of time apart, or spend much time with anyone else, and while at times I wished desperately for them to have more options, more friends, more activities, so that they could live somewhat more individual lives, I now see that their bond is the way it is because of all this family time that we have had together. It's been a true gift.


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Thoughts on this pregnancy:

I am now 15 weeks along and am finally feeling more normal and like myself (although the hormones came out full force this week- sorry hubby).
At the beginning of the pregnancy, I was having terrible headaches and nausea. I would feel dizzy and needed to lie down often through out the day. I am happy to report that I am now feeling much more energetic, and able to do physical activities. I went to aquafit this week and went for multiple walks, which feel so good. I still do get tired, and find that I like to go to bed early and even catch a nap if possible.
This week I've had CRAZY pregnancy dreams, that are so far fetched, yet very realistic and vivid. I always wonder what they mean.
The kids are super excited for this wee babe to come along and so are we, but still, I get very nervous about how something could go wrong, and how devastated we would all be, if God forbid! I know it's not good to think like this, but it's just my honest feelings.
Food cravings: none, but I wasn't able to drink coffee for the first 12 weeks due to the smell- it was way too strong for me and I had a big time aversion to it, now, I am able to have a cup every now and then, which is nice when I am feeling tired in the afternoon.

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Today is Canada Day, and we have some very excited little ones on our hands. We are hoping for a short break in the rain (even though the land so desperately needs it), so that we can proceed with our small town parade and bbq :)
*update - the rain held off, and the kids had the parade :)

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Thank you so much for all the kind words of congratulations on our special news.
It means so much to us.

xox

it's official

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I suppose it's not really official until you tell the online world your news.
And so, without further adieu, we are excited to announce that we will be welcoming another sweet little soul into our family, late December. Yes, a Christmas baby.
I feel like I've been walking around with my own personal little secret for the past few months, but now that I am at the 14 week mark, I am ready to share the news with everyone else.
It's been a busy, exciting, overwhelming past few months, what with our house sale, house hunting trip, transfer and of course, pregnancy. But we are thrilled and happy to be having a wee babe join our family. We are all filled with excitement and anticipation.
Some fun facts, for anyone taking notes, we have a little reoccurring pattern that seems to happen in our family. Whenever we buy a new house, we also happen to be expecting a baby too (Hamilton, Whitehorse and now Kentville). Also, this baby will be born in Nova Scotia, which means that we have had a baby in each of our 3 posting provinces/territory (Ontario, Yukon and now Nova Scotia).
And so, here we go (once again!). We are truly thankful and blessed for this little one growing in my tummy ... and for anyone wanting to know, we will not be finding out the gender this time.
xox

taking it all in

Our days have been filled with the most simple of activities, yet, at the end of the day, we are all happily tired and satisfied. We haven't experienced boredom, nor have I had to provide endless amounts of activities for the kids. No, summer is providing us with all that we need.
Quintessential summer things, like swimming lessons, nature walks, impromptu park play dates, trips to the library, garage sales, campfires, bike rides to the gas station for ice cream, summer reading clubs.
 It feels so nice to have so many options, yet I am thankful that we still are managing to find a slowness to our days, and that there are no big pressures or commitments on our calendar.
We are able to walk to and from the pool, stopping to pick up rocks and pick bouquets of wild flowers. I like the slow lazy days, this is the true feeling of summer and I am happy to share it wth Noah and Katia.

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In about 2 weeks time, I will be embarking on a very exciting and important journey in the development of my photography craft.
Last winter, I got word that there would be a 5 day photography workshop taking place this summer in no other place than PEI (be still my heart!).
The line of of guest speakers and mentors is beyond anything I could of ever dreamed of, and after talking about it with my business partner (and life partner), we both agreed that this was something that I needed to do, in order to further myself.
Recently, there have been a string of events in my personal and family life, that have had me question whether this is the right thing for me to be doing.
The logistics of getting there, and finding child care while I am gone have been giving me headaches. I'll admit, I have had my doubts and have had people feed those doubts too.
But I am happy to say that after collecting myself (and after a few good phone calls to my cheerleaders), I am now more than ever excited and stoked about this opportunity.
I'm ready to be inspired. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to step out of my comfort zone, and to try new things. I am ready for this and am so thankful for the opportunity.
To learn more about the workshops that I will be attending, see here.

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And finally, as soon as I return from my trip to PEI, we will be hitting the road and beginning our 20 day trip across the country, to our new posting in Nova Scotia. At this very point in time, I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I've wanted this move and transfer (to this specific place), for such a long time, and I am excited for it to happen. But on the other hand, I am scared to leave the comforts and familiarity of the simple lives that we live here. Walking down that path, daily, as we head to either the school, community club, library or pool. Knowing that I will see Winslow at lunch and dinner. These are things that are about to change, and I know I will miss them.
But onwards we march. New adventures await us. New friends, new hobbies, new sights. We are ready and we'll be just fine.
xox

lakes, creeks, books and balance

These past few days have been a mix of summer living, strategic planning and nursing a nasty cold. 

Our summer plans are up in the air, our departure date is up in the air, I have a workshop in PEI that I must (and want to attend), it's all happening at once and I've been stressed just trying to figure it all out. 

I am trying to find balance, while life seems to be throwing curve balls and changes to our plans. 

I am reminding myself that there are things I can control, and things that I cannot. It will all come together. I repeat, it will all come together. 

Last week saw the school year come to an end, and with that, we witnessed our sweet little guy "graduate" from kindergarten. There was no big ceremony (I guess some schools do this), but the two graduates did receive certificates, nice cards  and a bag full of Yukon/Alaskan storybooks. 

Noah also received a certificate for his accomplishment in his Upper Tanana (language) class, as well as a citizenship award. Super proud of our sweet and smart cookie. Noah, you're moving on up! 

With an unexpected night off this past week, we decided to take off over the border and do some camping for one night in Alaska. We spent the night at a beautiful little lake called Moon Lake (isn't that romantic?), and we stayed nice and cozy inside our new camper. We were also fortunate to bump into our Alaskan friends, and had fun with them at the lake. 

Today was spent down by the creek with our little buddies from Beaver Creek. The creek is bone dry right now, which makes for fun rock collecting. My friend and I, enjoyed being able to wander off (don't worry, not too far), while the kids were completely engaged in building towers with rocks and sticks. There's nothing like letting nature take it's course, and letting children be at one with their surroundings. 

And finally, on our recent trips across the country (for our house hunting trip), I realized that I had no good books to read. I go through fazes in my life, where I can sometimes find the capacity to engage in reading, and other times where I simply cannot muster the concentration that it requires to follow along in a book. 

I chose these three books: Bringing Up Bebe, Hold On to Your Kids, and North of Normal, based upon some recommendations and some of my own research. I'll let you know how I do with my summer reading list. 

Off to read now. 

xox