From the Mouths of Kids...

We live in a tech rich world. Greg and I are not experts in this area at all. We have a few of the basics - laptops, blackberries - but nothing too new or exciting. Apparently that is enough to get the kids speaking the "lingo" however.
Maddy was watching Greg as he typed on his phone and asked, "Are you texting, daddy?". Greg was suprised she knew the word "texting" so he answered: "Yes, how did you know that?". And, in her usual bashful way, she answered, "I'm a smartypants". Ha ha.

The other day Seth brought be his waterbottle and asked me to refill it. Maddy was there and I mentioned that her water bottle was lost, then added "and we have to find Maddy's back". She looked a little suprised, then pointed at her back and said, "It's right here!"

An Ode to the Weather

Dear weather,

Please make up your mind - cold or warm??

We are tired of all the wardrobe challenges and changes :)

And, in case you care, I'd prefer warm!



Rolly Poley

This little munchkin rolls EVERYWHERE! It's so cute to watch! (it's also a little frustrating as she seems to really be attracted to the fire place :P) 

 

Ta-da!!

Seven Months!

It's hard to believe, but it's true! Our littlest cutie is seven months old already! (Actually, she was seven months a week ago - I'm a little late). Since I am also waaayyyy behind in her scrapbooking, I thought maybe I'd jot a few notes here.

 

Well, my dear Kiera, you are a most delightful baby to have around. You are so easy! You are happy to play on the floor, sit in your chair or bounce in your jolly jumper. You are very smiley - and are not choosey about who recieves them. You are more than willing to give a complete stranger a big smile - no "making strange" for you!! Mommy definitely holds a special spot in your heart - if you hear my voice you will crane, arch and twist your body until you have a clear view of me - then give me a huge grin. Thanks :) I do have to admit, however, that daddy also holds a huge part in your heart. And, of course, I cannot forget your siblings. You absolutely adore Seth, and this affection is returned. You are a little more leary of Maddy (who has yet to learn her limits - ie. what might hurt you).

We have to be extra careful when we put you on the floor now. You are not officially crawling, but that doesn't stop you. You roll (a new experience for mom and dad!) circle, and are very good are moving backwards across a room. This frustrates you as the toy you were hoping to get gets farther and farther away.

Another achievement this month was learning how to sit. You are able to sit for a short while ... I do, however, keep a pillow behind you as you are still prone to flop backwards at random times. You're on the right track though...

Even though you were a great sleeper and slept through the night by three months ... that has stopped. You sometimes have nice two or three hour naps ... and other times only last half an hour. Unfortunately, the half hour naps are becoming more prevalent (it's a good thing you're happy when out of bed!) You also no longer sleep through the night - you need a top-up at 11:00 and are up and ready for the day by 6:30. That's okay (for now) since you give me lots of late-night cuddles!

We are slowly starting to introduce foods to you. So far you've had butternut squash (which you HATED, then LOVED), bananas and rice cereal. I'm really not all that eager - you are happy without it. 

Sadly, you continue to pepper our carpet with ... well, you know. We really hope you learn to keep your food inside your tummy VERY SOON! If not, I think we may be heading to a pediatric gastro-something or other to see what is going on inside your little body.

Lastly, a few "numbers" - well, only one actually: at your six month appointment (at six and a half months) you were 17 pounds 1 ounce. I don't actually know your length - but I do know you were only 20th percentile. What a surprise - a shorty!

Well, Kiera, that is a brief picture of you at seven months. We are very thankful to have you in our life ... and we look forward to many more months getting to know you :)



 

Spring is in the Air!

My seeds are planted! This is a few of them ... trying to keep up with my sister who has planted well over 100. So thankful for the beautiful weather last Monday. Seth and Maddy were quite happy to join in the "fun" .. unfortunately, the wind and tiny sizes of the seeds prevented them from planting too many. They did the squash and helped poke and refill holes. Now to see if they actually sprout and if I can keep them alive until August :) I don't have a very good track record ... I currently have two dead plants on my window sill.

Photo Shoot

I love to take pictures. To me they are an amazing way to capture and preserve moments for the future. When Seth and Maddy were little I had a professional take their pictures at around 8 or 9 months of age. I'm hoping to do the same for Kiera ... however, since my wonderful husband bought me a Rebel a while ago, I thought maybe I'd give some portraits a try. Apparently more practice is needed :P

I took Kiera outside to take advantage of the light (I'm still trying to figure out indoor lighting ... tricky!!).



 

It was a little sunny, so Kiera had a hard time keeping her eyes open and looking at me. 

She was also very enthralled with the wild life ... and was most interested in how it tasted!

Seth loves his little sister so he had to get in on the action :)

Apparently taking pictures is a little boring :)

Cutie pie. Hopefully after a few more attempts I'll have something that I can hang on my wall. :)

Two Girlies

Seth was a lucky boy today ... his Uncle Mark took him to a Heavy Equipment Show in Toronto. He LOVED it. He got to ride (climb) over all sorts of big machines, eat ice cream, spend time with a fun uncle ... and to top it all off, he got a new hat. Life can hardly get better if you are a four year old boy!

 

Unfortunately the girls around here had to stay home and hang around with mom. Maddy was a little lost without her big brother and followed me around for most of the day. She also kept suggesting that perhaps tomorrow it was our turn to go out and Seth and daddy would have to stay home.

 

I decided that it was a good day to go through all the winter coats / hats / mitts / etc - to get them washed and put away. While doing so, I came across a few cute hats (I have a SLIGHT hat addiction :S), and had to try them on two cute subjects :D

 

Kiera feels that she has quite the funny sister!



Two beautiful girls!

Kiera has been making this face for a while now. While it may not win any "beauty awards", we think it's pretty cute! 

 

Kisses :)

Love the cheeks. So kissable!

Of course, after putting the coats and "stuff" away I checked the forcast ... snow for tonight and tomorrow morning. Go figure.
Perhaps it was just wishful thinking??!? Spring HAS to come at some point!

Knock Knock

Seth has started to appreciate the humour of jokes. His latest craze is knock knock jokes. Unfortunately, while he may appreciate the humour, he doesn't always understand it. He is following in his Aunt Kara's footsteps and is using the infamous "Stan who? Stand away, I'm coming through" joke and inserting whichever name he pleases - "Seth away, I'm coming through", etc.
Last weekend he decided to share a knock knock joke with Grandma. Here is the conversation that took place:
Seth: Want to hear a knock, knock joke?
Grandma: Sure
Seth: You start
Grandma: Knock, knock
Seth: Who's there?
Grandma: blank look
Ha, ha, We thought it was pretty funny :)

Letter K Fun

We've sllooowwwllly been working on the letter K over the past few weeks. For some reason it has been super busy around here, so we've spread out the letter k crafts for a long while. Here are a few things we did:

We painted kiwis. We also ate kiwi. Of course.



 

Dot markers! Both Seth and Maddy love these markers.

 Kiera happened to turn six months while we were learning about Kk. When Seth and Maddy turned six months we had a "Half Birthday" party for them ... so we thought we better continue the tradition! Don't want the third child looking back and feeling forgotten :)
Here is our sad excuse for a cake (it was a little like the leaning tower of Pisa ... we had to eat it quickly!)

Our three darlings on Kiera's half birthday.

We made some kites.

 

We made crowns (yes, I know, that doesn't start with K) and dressed like Kings. Dressing up is always a hit around here (in fact, they are rarely not dressed up!)  



We also got a few books out of the library and learned about koalas and kangaroos. We did a world puzzle and found Australia.
Lots of krazy kooky fun!

Megaspeed 2013

Greg had a truck that he was showing at Megaspeed, so we travelled to Toronto to visit him. We checked out his truck (unfortunately I didn't get any pics of Seth with the truck :( ) then Greg gave us a tour of the show. Seth got to sit in Rick Nash's car (Greg built this one as well). 

 

 There was a small animal zoo at the show as well. They had some really neat animals!

 They had two snakes. Seth was hesitant to touch them, but Maddy had no fears! She also pet an alligator - even its feet!

 I actually booked a hotel for the night - I figured it would save Greg a few hours driving that night and the next morning. Seth, Maddy, Kiera and I enjoyed the some Boston Pizza for supper and lots of TV watching (a real treat for our kiddos!)  

Jump!!

 

It was an enjoyable day / evening. I'm not really into cars / car shows, but it was fun to have a peak into Greg's world. The kids loved the hotel - they have been playing "hotel" ever since. Vicki and Mark joined us, which made the evening a little more enjoyable. Unfortunately, without a monitor I couldn't hang out in her room while my munchkins were sleeping, so I was in bed by 8:30 :D