9/26/2014
9/22/2014
Attempted Photo Shoot
Every fall I start to get the "Get a Nice Family Picture" itch. Since it is difficult to take a picture of the entire family, this usually reverts into the "Get Nice Photos of the Kids" itch. So, on Sunday I made Attempt #1. It was dismal. But that's okay - fall is not over :)
As with most things, Maddy was compliant. She finds herself pretty cute (which she is) and enjoys the picture taking process.
As with most things, Kiera was a monkey. She does not like looking at the camera. I knew this would happen ... but hoped for better.
And Seth ... he was there in body. Smiling, even. A "my mind is another (much better) place" smile.
Well, maybe better next time ;)
As with most things, Maddy was compliant. She finds herself pretty cute (which she is) and enjoys the picture taking process.
As with most things, Kiera was a monkey. She does not like looking at the camera. I knew this would happen ... but hoped for better.
And Seth ... he was there in body. Smiling, even. A "my mind is another (much better) place" smile.
Well, maybe better next time ;)
9/21/2014
Chudleigh's
Our annual trip to Chudleigh's ... oh, so fun!
We have been to this local apple farm (almost) every year since Seth was born... and have loved it every time! We were joined by a few friends this year - the same friends that have visited the farm with us every year. Some traditions are just too hard to break! We had amazing weather - warm and sunny. It was pretty busy in the morning with school groups, but we had the farm to ourselves after lunch. We explored, played, picked apples, pet animals, pretended and swung our hearts away. Well, the kids did. Us prego moms just tried to keep up with them.
Excuse the many pictures of Maddy. She sticks by my side and is willing to smile. Seth is always gone playing. Kiera is usually close to me ... but refuses to smile at the camera :)
Horse swings. Maddy's favourite.
When you are five you never go down the slide in a normal way. You also make sure there is a huge pile of hay at the bottom. Of course, if you are a mischievious two year old that likes to copy her big brother, then this is the way you go down the slide as well.
See?? She refused to look at the camera ALL DAY LONG!
Okay, so maybe she looked at the camera. But she didn't smile.
Maddy's highlight of the day was the animals. She is such an animal lover! It sure doesn't come from me :)
This is a velveteen rabbit. Maddy is now counting down the days until Spring when we (or so she believes) will get a velveteen rabbit. She can hardly wait. She is already coming up with names. Names like Brown Bunny Two Ears.
And, of course, we did some apple picking. Kiera would show me her bag, but not her face. The kids all taste-tested the apples - they got a loud ring of approval.
We have been to this local apple farm (almost) every year since Seth was born... and have loved it every time! We were joined by a few friends this year - the same friends that have visited the farm with us every year. Some traditions are just too hard to break! We had amazing weather - warm and sunny. It was pretty busy in the morning with school groups, but we had the farm to ourselves after lunch. We explored, played, picked apples, pet animals, pretended and swung our hearts away. Well, the kids did. Us prego moms just tried to keep up with them.
Excuse the many pictures of Maddy. She sticks by my side and is willing to smile. Seth is always gone playing. Kiera is usually close to me ... but refuses to smile at the camera :)
Horse swings. Maddy's favourite.
When you are five you never go down the slide in a normal way. You also make sure there is a huge pile of hay at the bottom. Of course, if you are a mischievious two year old that likes to copy her big brother, then this is the way you go down the slide as well.
The tractors were a big hit!
See?? She refused to look at the camera ALL DAY LONG!
Okay, so maybe she looked at the camera. But she didn't smile.
This is a velveteen rabbit. Maddy is now counting down the days until Spring when we (or so she believes) will get a velveteen rabbit. She can hardly wait. She is already coming up with names. Names like Brown Bunny Two Ears.
And, of course, we did some apple picking. Kiera would show me her bag, but not her face. The kids all taste-tested the apples - they got a loud ring of approval.
9/18/2014
Maddy
Maddy is four! Big, exciting news around here! We hear about it often :) Of course, another birthday means another Maddy update!!
Maddy has grown up a lot in the past year. She has turned into a "big kid". She is aware of what is going on around her, and is capable of many things. She keeps up with her big brother and the two of them are constant companions. They play together very well (although there ARE some fights). She tries hard to play with Kiera - but she is a little too hands-on for her. Maddy is a hugger, a cuddler, a sweet-heart, and a princess. She loves all things girly.
Ever since Maddy took her first breath (literally) she has been a mommy's girl. Turning four has not changed this at all. She is willing to hug her daddy, but always makes it clear that "she loves mommy too." If Greg says, "There's my daddy's girl" she will immediately respond, "And mommy's girl". It is very endearing. Nothing makes Maddy happier than a night / day out with mommy. She loves the one on one attention - it makes her beam. Mommy has to put her to bed, pick out her clothes, clean her hair ... I am glad to have such a cute fan!
Maddy is a very bright little girl. She has been working through All About Reading with Seth and is doing very well. She loves to learn, and is always asking to do school. She loves the idea of workbooks, and would happily work though them for long periods of time. She also loves colouring, and is very good at it. Drawing, however, is another story. She enjoys it ... but only draws one thing: parks. They are always different from one another, with ladders, tunnels, mountains, holes, and a variety of other things being incorporated. However, she is loyal ... parks are all she draws :)
Maddy enjoys helping out in the kitchen. She likes baking and cooking, and is always wondering how things are made. I have great hopes of my days in the kitchen ending ... and Maddy's beginning. It can't come soon enough....
Maddy remains very shy. She enjoys the company of one or two good friends - people that she knows well. However, anyone unfamiliar triggers a "gluing of the lips" response. We are working hard on this ...
Maddy is very determined, but is learning to control this trait in good ways. She tries so very hard to be "good". She loves the Lord and talks about Him often. It truly is amazing to hear your child sing the praises of the King. She cannot wait to get into Heaven ... where she will no longer be sick or hurt. She is also eager to walk on golden streets :)
Maddy is growing into a beautiful young lady. She is a blessing to her father and I and we love her very much. She has promised me she will never leave me ... and for that I am thankful (although she is torn because she would like a ring). I look forward to many years with our precious daughter of the King.
Maddy has grown up a lot in the past year. She has turned into a "big kid". She is aware of what is going on around her, and is capable of many things. She keeps up with her big brother and the two of them are constant companions. They play together very well (although there ARE some fights). She tries hard to play with Kiera - but she is a little too hands-on for her. Maddy is a hugger, a cuddler, a sweet-heart, and a princess. She loves all things girly.
Ever since Maddy took her first breath (literally) she has been a mommy's girl. Turning four has not changed this at all. She is willing to hug her daddy, but always makes it clear that "she loves mommy too." If Greg says, "There's my daddy's girl" she will immediately respond, "And mommy's girl". It is very endearing. Nothing makes Maddy happier than a night / day out with mommy. She loves the one on one attention - it makes her beam. Mommy has to put her to bed, pick out her clothes, clean her hair ... I am glad to have such a cute fan!
Maddy is a very bright little girl. She has been working through All About Reading with Seth and is doing very well. She loves to learn, and is always asking to do school. She loves the idea of workbooks, and would happily work though them for long periods of time. She also loves colouring, and is very good at it. Drawing, however, is another story. She enjoys it ... but only draws one thing: parks. They are always different from one another, with ladders, tunnels, mountains, holes, and a variety of other things being incorporated. However, she is loyal ... parks are all she draws :)
Maddy enjoys helping out in the kitchen. She likes baking and cooking, and is always wondering how things are made. I have great hopes of my days in the kitchen ending ... and Maddy's beginning. It can't come soon enough....
Maddy remains very shy. She enjoys the company of one or two good friends - people that she knows well. However, anyone unfamiliar triggers a "gluing of the lips" response. We are working hard on this ...
Maddy is very determined, but is learning to control this trait in good ways. She tries so very hard to be "good". She loves the Lord and talks about Him often. It truly is amazing to hear your child sing the praises of the King. She cannot wait to get into Heaven ... where she will no longer be sick or hurt. She is also eager to walk on golden streets :)
Maddy is growing into a beautiful young lady. She is a blessing to her father and I and we love her very much. She has promised me she will never leave me ... and for that I am thankful (although she is torn because she would like a ring). I look forward to many years with our precious daughter of the King.
Kiera
Our baby is two ... she is so big, and yet so little. Of course, another birthday means another "Kiera update". Here goes ...
Kiera is without question our feistiest kiddo. She is full of enthusiasm for life and all that it brings. When happy, she jabbers incessantly (unfortunately, most words at this level of excitement are unintelligible). She jumps around, talking in a high voice. Her excitement is contagious.
However, she can go from excited to upset within a few minutes. She is very strong willed and has clear ideas about what she would like. She will fight for whatever it is she wants ... and will do so tooth and nail. For example, trying to undress Kiera when she is not in the right mood involves ripping the clothes out of her tightly gripping fingers. She definitely keeps life interesting :) It's one of the perks of being Kiera's mom!
Kiera's talking has come a long way in the past few months. We are able to understand most of what she says. She is using simple sentences. She likes to copy anything and everything that we say. She even goes so far as to cough when we cough. Today we heard someone in the store sneeze and Kiera let out one of her own - nice and loud.
Along the same lines as talking, we are still working on animal noises. I (sadly) discovered recently that she does not know these ... any of them :S Instead of saying the animal noise, she simply repeats the animal's name in the correct "tone" of voice. For example, bird is "bird, bird, bird" in a high, squeaky voice. Bear is "bear, bear, bear" is a low, loud voice. It's pretty cute ... but still wrong :)
Kiera loves to sing, and spends many hours (minutes) singing in the van, or while walking around the house.
She loves her babies. She is often walking around cuddling one. She is very sweet to them, and shows them everything ("Yook bebe"). Unfortunately, she detests clothes on a baby ... they come off immediately. So we have naked babies everywhere. But they are well loved naked babies.
She is also very good at playing on her own with toys like playmobil and ponies.
Unlike Maddy, Kiera is not much of a mommy's girl. She is very free and willing to talk to anyone. She is also willing to leave my side - something I am not used to! Church is an adventure with her -- she is always somewhere where I am not. She is also fearless. When at a park she is right behind her brother and sister - climbing up whatever stairs she comes across. Ziplines and rope swings do not scare her - in fact, she will swing with her head hanging back looking up at the sky.
She is very independent. She insists on doing many things on her own - "me do it" is a commonly heard sentence around here. If I ask Seth and Maddy to get dressed, Kiera runs downstairs with them (usually ahead of them since they are not the greatest listeners) and comes up moments later naked. She also tries to redress herself - I am glad she has not yet mastered that since her choice of clothing is often questionable. She eats everything on her own, tries to cut her own cheese, insists on doing her own buckles, combs her own hair, and tries to put her own toothpaste on her toothbrush. She does not want to be a baby!
A few other Kiera-isms:
- She remains adamant that her room is "Peyton's room"
- She can reach incredibly high decibels when screaming
- She refuses to sit still and fold her hands during prayer
- She adores her grandpa
- She is a very good hopper
- She tries so very hard to keep up to Seth and Maddy
- She says "yups" and "nopes", but forgets the "s" for "oop"
It has been a lot of fun raising a little girl with such zest for life and the people in it. Can't wait to see where her personality will lead her! We are thankful for the blessing that God gave to our family when He gave us Kiera. So very thankful. She keeps us laughing, smiling and we are constantly amazed at her "cuteness". We get many comments about her from others - simply because of enthusiasm. We love you Kiera!!
Kiera is without question our feistiest kiddo. She is full of enthusiasm for life and all that it brings. When happy, she jabbers incessantly (unfortunately, most words at this level of excitement are unintelligible). She jumps around, talking in a high voice. Her excitement is contagious.
However, she can go from excited to upset within a few minutes. She is very strong willed and has clear ideas about what she would like. She will fight for whatever it is she wants ... and will do so tooth and nail. For example, trying to undress Kiera when she is not in the right mood involves ripping the clothes out of her tightly gripping fingers. She definitely keeps life interesting :) It's one of the perks of being Kiera's mom!
Kiera's talking has come a long way in the past few months. We are able to understand most of what she says. She is using simple sentences. She likes to copy anything and everything that we say. She even goes so far as to cough when we cough. Today we heard someone in the store sneeze and Kiera let out one of her own - nice and loud.
Along the same lines as talking, we are still working on animal noises. I (sadly) discovered recently that she does not know these ... any of them :S Instead of saying the animal noise, she simply repeats the animal's name in the correct "tone" of voice. For example, bird is "bird, bird, bird" in a high, squeaky voice. Bear is "bear, bear, bear" is a low, loud voice. It's pretty cute ... but still wrong :)
Kiera loves to sing, and spends many hours (minutes) singing in the van, or while walking around the house.
She loves her babies. She is often walking around cuddling one. She is very sweet to them, and shows them everything ("Yook bebe"). Unfortunately, she detests clothes on a baby ... they come off immediately. So we have naked babies everywhere. But they are well loved naked babies.
She is also very good at playing on her own with toys like playmobil and ponies.
Unlike Maddy, Kiera is not much of a mommy's girl. She is very free and willing to talk to anyone. She is also willing to leave my side - something I am not used to! Church is an adventure with her -- she is always somewhere where I am not. She is also fearless. When at a park she is right behind her brother and sister - climbing up whatever stairs she comes across. Ziplines and rope swings do not scare her - in fact, she will swing with her head hanging back looking up at the sky.
She is very independent. She insists on doing many things on her own - "me do it" is a commonly heard sentence around here. If I ask Seth and Maddy to get dressed, Kiera runs downstairs with them (usually ahead of them since they are not the greatest listeners) and comes up moments later naked. She also tries to redress herself - I am glad she has not yet mastered that since her choice of clothing is often questionable. She eats everything on her own, tries to cut her own cheese, insists on doing her own buckles, combs her own hair, and tries to put her own toothpaste on her toothbrush. She does not want to be a baby!
A few other Kiera-isms:
- She remains adamant that her room is "Peyton's room"
- She can reach incredibly high decibels when screaming
- She refuses to sit still and fold her hands during prayer
- She adores her grandpa
- She is a very good hopper
- She tries so very hard to keep up to Seth and Maddy
- She says "yups" and "nopes", but forgets the "s" for "oop"
It has been a lot of fun raising a little girl with such zest for life and the people in it. Can't wait to see where her personality will lead her! We are thankful for the blessing that God gave to our family when He gave us Kiera. So very thankful. She keeps us laughing, smiling and we are constantly amazed at her "cuteness". We get many comments about her from others - simply because of enthusiasm. We love you Kiera!!
Getting Older
While in the van today, Maddy was talking about her camping trip "when she was three", and how she had never camped "when she was four". She then paused for a minute and said, "I don't feel any different now that I'm four." I'm not sure what she was expecting to happen, but apparently it didn't :)
Sleepovers
Today I dropped Seth off at a friend's house for a sleepover. He was so excited ... and we haven't received a phone call / text / email to come pick him up yet, so hopefully all went well. Maddy was quite upset by the whole event because she desperately wants to have a sleepover at one of her friend's. After dropping off Seth she was commenting over and over about going on a sleepover when suddenly Kiera piped up, "Ra sleep Peyton's house?" Awww ... so cute :) It amazes me what she picks up from our conversations these days!
9/17/2014
Cutie Patootie
When she was younger, she was a notorious shoe thief.
Now, she's into hats ....
She looks so cute - even when its way too big!
The Salamander Room
Our second FIAR book was The Salamander Room. Seth and Maddy both loved this book - we definitely read it more often than five times :) Like Harold and the Purple Crayon, we didn't do too much other than enjoy the reading of the book. We did learn about salamanders and their habitat - watched a few you-tube videos and read a few books. We also visited a local pond (river) to see what we could scope out. Unfortunately, not too much ... but it was still fun!
It was a fun week. Now we have to get into some "real" schooling - no more slacking! Birthdays are done, summer is over ... too bad the fall weather is so beautiful right now ;)
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