I know I've been absent again as of late. I have a good excuse! I've been very, very busy getting ready for Christmas. Shopping for gifts, wrapping presents, participating in two different bake sales. Filling other baking orders. It's been just a little bit nuts. I have six more orders yet that have to be done in the next three days and then I can finally relax! I'm really looking forward to the break! And getting to spend some quality time with family and friends.
We have four Christmas celebrations this year. With Jared's family, ours at home, with my dad and then with my mom. It will be a crazy four days, but a very different crazy than what I've had up until this point. Jared is taking all of next week off and we are visiting with some friends, going for more massages, and hopefully going snowboarding for a day! I just hope it doesn't go by TOO quickly!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
First Snowfall
November 19th marked our first official snowfall of the season. We'd had a few light skiffs of snow prior to this, but nothing that stuck. However, this Friday morning we finally woke up to the white stuff all over the ground - with big, fat, fluffy flakes still falling. The kids were more than excited to bundle up and go play in it. And I delighted in capturing their joy as they got their first taste of this year's snow.
Friday, November 26, 2010
6 Years
On November 13th, Jared and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It's hard to fathom that it was 6 years ago that we said "I do". Some days it feels like it's been so much longer, but other days I feel like we're still newlyweds and we're just pretending to be a grown-up married couple. I hope we can say the same thing when we're celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary! Don't get my wrong, we've had our bumps along the way - but for the most part it's been a very smooth ride and I wouldn't change a single minute of it.
To celebrate this year we decided to eat in and then see a double feature at the cheap theatre. I made a delicious meal of butternut squash soup with chicken caesar salad. We didn't have time for dessert or we would have been really late for the first movie - but it was worth the wait! Homemade white chocolate brownie with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. YUM! All in all, it was a wonderful night. We really like movies, so it was the perfect date! And coming home to no children and being able to sleep the ENTIRE night without being woken up once as also divine!!!
To celebrate this year we decided to eat in and then see a double feature at the cheap theatre. I made a delicious meal of butternut squash soup with chicken caesar salad. We didn't have time for dessert or we would have been really late for the first movie - but it was worth the wait! Homemade white chocolate brownie with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. YUM! All in all, it was a wonderful night. We really like movies, so it was the perfect date! And coming home to no children and being able to sleep the ENTIRE night without being woken up once as also divine!!!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Baby Food Making Central
Eating fresh food is always something Jared and I have strived to do. I've never been the type to buy a lot of pre-packaged, pre-made food. I grew up eating things fresh out of my mom's garden and there's nothing that beats home grown food.
After Xavier was born I looked into making my own baby food, but at the time we were living with my inlaws and I really didn't want to take over their kitchen for days at a time to make food - plus we didn't have a ton of freezer space for me to store it. With Shaela, I started making some of my own, but the small food chopper I had just wasn't cutting it, so I made a few batches of stuff, but ended up buying mostly jarred food for her. With Cohen, however, I was determined that he would never eat baby food from the store. Everything he ate would be made by moi. The one exception to that is cereal, since I don't really know how you would make that....maybe I'll research it for the next one....
Anyway....my foray into making baby food needed to start with a good food processor. Our blender is terrible and the small one I had when Shaela was a baby was not going to work. I needed to invest in a good one. After asking around, I determined I would buy this one and then I sat around for two weeks eagerly awaiting its arrival. When it finally came, I was so happy! I went to the store the next day and spent about $30 on fresh produce - which should last us until Cohen is ready for more solid foods.
The next day I got started! So far, my list of foods made is: corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, summer squash, spinach with bok-choy leaves, green beans, apples, eggplant, and beef with some spinach thrown in. Still on my list of foods to make: plums, mangoes, chicken, rutabaga, and peas. After reading a few different blogs on methods for making baby food, I decided the simpler, the better. In order to make sure there are no allergies to anything, I didn't want a ton of additives in the food (like chicken broth, which is what a lot of people apparently add. I don't think babies really need all the sodium that's in that stuff!).
I basically steam or bake everything first, and then throw it in the food processor until it's a smooth puree. If I need to add a bit more liquid to thin something out, I either use breastmilk or water. Then once the puree is the right consistency, I freeze whatever I've made in ice cube trays. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, so they don't get freezer burn and the next day, put the cubes in freezer safe ziplocs. Simple, fast, and oh-so-yummy for my little munchkin! Whenever he's ready for a meal, we pop two cubes in the microwave to defrost and warm the food a little and we're good to go. I love it! Just make sure you label your bags. :)
Of course, this post would not be complete without pictures of my handi-work!
After Xavier was born I looked into making my own baby food, but at the time we were living with my inlaws and I really didn't want to take over their kitchen for days at a time to make food - plus we didn't have a ton of freezer space for me to store it. With Shaela, I started making some of my own, but the small food chopper I had just wasn't cutting it, so I made a few batches of stuff, but ended up buying mostly jarred food for her. With Cohen, however, I was determined that he would never eat baby food from the store. Everything he ate would be made by moi. The one exception to that is cereal, since I don't really know how you would make that....maybe I'll research it for the next one....
Anyway....my foray into making baby food needed to start with a good food processor. Our blender is terrible and the small one I had when Shaela was a baby was not going to work. I needed to invest in a good one. After asking around, I determined I would buy this one and then I sat around for two weeks eagerly awaiting its arrival. When it finally came, I was so happy! I went to the store the next day and spent about $30 on fresh produce - which should last us until Cohen is ready for more solid foods.
The next day I got started! So far, my list of foods made is: corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, summer squash, spinach with bok-choy leaves, green beans, apples, eggplant, and beef with some spinach thrown in. Still on my list of foods to make: plums, mangoes, chicken, rutabaga, and peas. After reading a few different blogs on methods for making baby food, I decided the simpler, the better. In order to make sure there are no allergies to anything, I didn't want a ton of additives in the food (like chicken broth, which is what a lot of people apparently add. I don't think babies really need all the sodium that's in that stuff!).
I basically steam or bake everything first, and then throw it in the food processor until it's a smooth puree. If I need to add a bit more liquid to thin something out, I either use breastmilk or water. Then once the puree is the right consistency, I freeze whatever I've made in ice cube trays. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, so they don't get freezer burn and the next day, put the cubes in freezer safe ziplocs. Simple, fast, and oh-so-yummy for my little munchkin! Whenever he's ready for a meal, we pop two cubes in the microwave to defrost and warm the food a little and we're good to go. I love it! Just make sure you label your bags. :)
Of course, this post would not be complete without pictures of my handi-work!
Green beans being steamed. Corn in the food processor and then ready for the freezer.
Fresh Gala apples (our favorite!).
I peeled and cored them, steamed until soft, and they pureed like a dream! No additives needed!
Butternut squash frozen and waiting to be bagged, and the freezer, nicely stocked for the next months of meal-times!
{Did you also know you can make your own nut butters in a food processor? I made almond butter last week - delish! Can't wait to try peanut butter when the jar I just bought runs out! (Did you know there is added sugar in there?!?!?) Also did a batch of hummus two nights ago. This thing is seriously my new favorite kitchen tool.}
One Small Victory
Xavier slept through the night DRY last night!!!! WHOO-HOO! For those of you who are in the throes of potty training - or have just recently finished potty training, you'll know why I'm so excited for this! It may seem like a small thing, but the joys that will be present in my life if he keeps this up!
He was 4 in June, so not so old that it's a bad thing that he's still wetting the bed at night. But the constant laundry and the dealing with him asking to wear underwear to bed. It gets old. FAST! The last few nights he's been going almost the whole night without peeing his bed....and then last night, he went the entire night without a drop! We are soooo proud of him! And sooo hoping he'll keep it up! We'll see how tonight goes....
He was 4 in June, so not so old that it's a bad thing that he's still wetting the bed at night. But the constant laundry and the dealing with him asking to wear underwear to bed. It gets old. FAST! The last few nights he's been going almost the whole night without peeing his bed....and then last night, he went the entire night without a drop! We are soooo proud of him! And sooo hoping he'll keep it up! We'll see how tonight goes....
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Batman and Cat Girl
My beautiful children decided this year that they wanted to be Batman and a cat for Halloween. Xavier's costume we found on sale at Sears for $10. SCORE! Shaela's on the other hand, proved to be a bit of a challenge. We're not the type of people to start buying costumes for our kids ridiculouly early. Or even think about buying costumes that early. We like to wait until about a week before. And then start planning. Cuz, you know, working under pressure is so much more fun! :P
Anyway...after hitting up every store I could think of that might sell a cheap cat costume, I was out of luck. I couldn't find one anywhere! So, I got creative - which I love. Walmart had black stretch pants and a black shirt for $6 each. I picked up a nice thick headband there as well. And then went to the fabric store for some black fleece, which cost me less than $2.00. A couple hours later, I had sewed a tail, stuffed it with plastic shopping bags and stitched it to the pants. I also cut out ears and sewed them to a larger piece of the fleece. Then hot-glued it onto the headband. Voila - cat girl! Oh, and I picked up some black mini-mitts and stuck white felt onto them to make them look like paws. Add on some whiskers and a pink nose and she was the cutest cat on the block!
Anyway...after hitting up every store I could think of that might sell a cheap cat costume, I was out of luck. I couldn't find one anywhere! So, I got creative - which I love. Walmart had black stretch pants and a black shirt for $6 each. I picked up a nice thick headband there as well. And then went to the fabric store for some black fleece, which cost me less than $2.00. A couple hours later, I had sewed a tail, stuffed it with plastic shopping bags and stitched it to the pants. I also cut out ears and sewed them to a larger piece of the fleece. Then hot-glued it onto the headband. Voila - cat girl! Oh, and I picked up some black mini-mitts and stuck white felt onto them to make them look like paws. Add on some whiskers and a pink nose and she was the cutest cat on the block!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Open Farm Day
As mentioned in my previous post, on September 19th, Jared and the kids and I participated in the first ever, "Open Farm Day". Sounds like kind of a cheesy idea, but for people who live in the city and have never been to a farm, I think that it's a great idea! And for those of us who grew up on a farm and miss it dearly - it was great to be out in the open and away from the confines of the city for a day.
Our first step in making this day a success was to plan out which farms we would visit. There were various ones opening their doors all around the province, but there was a pretty large cluster of them around the Steinbach area, so that's where we focused our day. The first farm we went to had a free "Pork on a Bun" lunch sponsored by Manitoba Pork. We hit that one up first to eat some lunch and spent about half an hour or so playing a few carnival type games that they had set up and letting the kids jump in the inflatable bouncer. Next we were off to the bison farm! We took a trailer ride out to the pasture to see the buffalo which the kids thought was wonderful! We weren't allowed to get off the trailer to take a closer look because buffulo can't tell the difference between a person coming at them and a coyote trying to steal their babies. So if you get too close, they'll attack. And nobody wants to be bison food! This farm was our favorite one of the day and very much how Jared and I would someday like to run our own small farm - we don't want bison, but hopefully a few cows and chickens and maybe pigs. Anyway....the animals live outside 100% of the time. They are grass fed and the farmer doesn't use any sort of antibiotics or growth hormones on them. Very natural, which we are very much in favor of. He raises them to eat and we ended up buying a couple pounds of stew meat after the tour. It was delicious!
The next farm we visited was pretty much the complete opposite. It was a dairy farm with a few hundred head of cattle. I can't remember the exact number, but it was huge! There were a couple smaller cows outside when we pulled up that were very friendly! They came right up to the fence and let us pet them. Then we headed into the barn, which was interesting, but broke mine and Jared's hearts. The cows were all fenced in with a bit of straw and the barn was divided into two "sections". The first was the resting station which had a bit of hay for the cows to lay down in. If they wanted to get to the other section where the feed was, they had to walk past the milking station. It's all automatic and the milking machine uses infared sensors to detect where the teets are. So once the cow has been milked, it can go to the other side to get food. If the cow's udder isn't full enough yet, it has to go back to the resting station until it's full enough to be milked. We didn't ask if the cows were ever put out to pasture - I sure hope so! Apparently some of the cows milk up to 6 times a day. It made me sad to think of them being cooped up in there doing nothing but eating and producing milk ALL.DAY.LONG. What a sad life for them.
The last farm we hit up was fun for the kids, but Jared and I were a bit disappointed with it. They had what they called, "Scarecrow Forest" and you could walk through the woods at the back of their property and there were different scarecrow scenes set up - washing dishes, camping, playing hockey, etc. It was neat to see, but nothing spectacular. They also had some fresh veggies for sale, but nothing I was interested in buying. They had some old John Deere tractors on display which the kids enjoyed and one very large John Deere for them to climb onto. I think that was the highlight of the day! They also had a 'bale maze' which was basically ten bales making a path to a bunch of round bales for the kids to climb on. Not much of a maze at all! There was also a petting zoo, which turned out to be a goat, a couple chickens and two bunnies. But we weren't even allowed in the cages to pet them. We also could have paid extra money to do the zipline, but we already had to pay to get into the forest, so we declined. They were offering free tractor rides for the day (normally you'd pay extra for them too) and it was a bit of a bust as well. It was a tractor pulling a bunch of steel carts and the girl driving took us down the ditch along the edge of their property for about a mile and then back. She kept zig-zagging while she drove and it made me motion sick. The kids thought it was okay. Overall, we still had fun, but it sounded a lot better in the description than it actually was. At least the kids had fun and it was a fun day away from the city.
And now, without further ado - the pictures! It was a beautiful day outside so I got some great shots of the kids!
Our first step in making this day a success was to plan out which farms we would visit. There were various ones opening their doors all around the province, but there was a pretty large cluster of them around the Steinbach area, so that's where we focused our day. The first farm we went to had a free "Pork on a Bun" lunch sponsored by Manitoba Pork. We hit that one up first to eat some lunch and spent about half an hour or so playing a few carnival type games that they had set up and letting the kids jump in the inflatable bouncer. Next we were off to the bison farm! We took a trailer ride out to the pasture to see the buffalo which the kids thought was wonderful! We weren't allowed to get off the trailer to take a closer look because buffulo can't tell the difference between a person coming at them and a coyote trying to steal their babies. So if you get too close, they'll attack. And nobody wants to be bison food! This farm was our favorite one of the day and very much how Jared and I would someday like to run our own small farm - we don't want bison, but hopefully a few cows and chickens and maybe pigs. Anyway....the animals live outside 100% of the time. They are grass fed and the farmer doesn't use any sort of antibiotics or growth hormones on them. Very natural, which we are very much in favor of. He raises them to eat and we ended up buying a couple pounds of stew meat after the tour. It was delicious!
The next farm we visited was pretty much the complete opposite. It was a dairy farm with a few hundred head of cattle. I can't remember the exact number, but it was huge! There were a couple smaller cows outside when we pulled up that were very friendly! They came right up to the fence and let us pet them. Then we headed into the barn, which was interesting, but broke mine and Jared's hearts. The cows were all fenced in with a bit of straw and the barn was divided into two "sections". The first was the resting station which had a bit of hay for the cows to lay down in. If they wanted to get to the other section where the feed was, they had to walk past the milking station. It's all automatic and the milking machine uses infared sensors to detect where the teets are. So once the cow has been milked, it can go to the other side to get food. If the cow's udder isn't full enough yet, it has to go back to the resting station until it's full enough to be milked. We didn't ask if the cows were ever put out to pasture - I sure hope so! Apparently some of the cows milk up to 6 times a day. It made me sad to think of them being cooped up in there doing nothing but eating and producing milk ALL.DAY.LONG. What a sad life for them.
The last farm we hit up was fun for the kids, but Jared and I were a bit disappointed with it. They had what they called, "Scarecrow Forest" and you could walk through the woods at the back of their property and there were different scarecrow scenes set up - washing dishes, camping, playing hockey, etc. It was neat to see, but nothing spectacular. They also had some fresh veggies for sale, but nothing I was interested in buying. They had some old John Deere tractors on display which the kids enjoyed and one very large John Deere for them to climb onto. I think that was the highlight of the day! They also had a 'bale maze' which was basically ten bales making a path to a bunch of round bales for the kids to climb on. Not much of a maze at all! There was also a petting zoo, which turned out to be a goat, a couple chickens and two bunnies. But we weren't even allowed in the cages to pet them. We also could have paid extra money to do the zipline, but we already had to pay to get into the forest, so we declined. They were offering free tractor rides for the day (normally you'd pay extra for them too) and it was a bit of a bust as well. It was a tractor pulling a bunch of steel carts and the girl driving took us down the ditch along the edge of their property for about a mile and then back. She kept zig-zagging while she drove and it made me motion sick. The kids thought it was okay. Overall, we still had fun, but it sounded a lot better in the description than it actually was. At least the kids had fun and it was a fun day away from the city.
And now, without further ado - the pictures! It was a beautiful day outside so I got some great shots of the kids!
On our way out to see the buffalo.
The bison.
The very friendly cows that let us pet them.
Inside the dairy barn.
That is one full udder!
At the last farm - "Scarecrow Forest"
Playing on the hay bales....
King of the bale maze!
Wandering the forest....
Playing on the antique John Deere's.
Shaela fit inside the tire of the large John Deere!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?!?!?!
Is that true for blog readers as well?!?! I'm not so sure. I think it may make you lose interest and never check back in! I hope not - but in any case, I apologize for my absense! Part of the problem is that I like to include pictures of what we've been up to in my posts. And I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to uploading pictures off of the camera. Right now apparently blogger is telling me that image uploads are disabled for maintenance...so I'm just gonna have to live with a photo-less post.
Let's see....my last post was about Xavier's first day of preschool. We are now just over a month in and he is LOVING school! He really enjoys playing on the play structure and doing new puzzles at school. Still not sure if he's really made any friends yet. But he's a very independent kid, so I'm not too concerned. His teacher is fantastic and we really like her. And I have been enjoying the good hour and a half of solitude I get while he's gone and Shaela and Cohen nap.
What else have we been up to? On the 19th of September, we attended "Open Farm Day". It was a new initiative started this year by the MB government where farms around the province 'opened their doors' to the outside world and we got to come check out what they do and how they make their livings. It was a really fun day with the kids visiting four different farms around the Steinbach area. Our favorite was the bison farm - I'll post more about it in the next day or two when I can actually share pictures.
Xavier has also started back to gymnastics which he is also thoroughly enjoying. His teacher is great and I know she's doing a really good job of introducing the basics - but sometimes I still wish she would teach them more. For instance - they have yet to work on cartwheels at all! I could do one by the time I was three. Maybe one of these days I'll just have to take him to the backyard and we'll have at it. I would show him at the end of one of his classes, since we all get to go in to the gym to play for a few minutes, but A) it's been quite a few years since I have attempted one and I don't want to hurt myself, and B) I'm pretty sure the other parents would think I'm nuts. We'll see. Maybe one of these days I'll get brave enough to do one with him there....
Our dear little baby boy is also 6 months old already! Again, I'll post an update with pictures in the next day or two. First, I have to do a photoshoot with him (hoping for tomorrow)! He's growing like a weed, though and trying out all sorts of new foods. I'm awaiting the arrival of my new Cuisinart food processor that I ordered on Amazon today and then I'll be hosting a baby-food making frenzy in my kitchen next week. It's going to be great!
Well....I think that about sums up what we've been up to - I know, riveting! I promise to update with more pictures very very shortly!!! And perhaps update the look of the blog a little??? Feels silly to have sea-shells as my background when clearly it is no longer beach weather around here. :(
Let's see....my last post was about Xavier's first day of preschool. We are now just over a month in and he is LOVING school! He really enjoys playing on the play structure and doing new puzzles at school. Still not sure if he's really made any friends yet. But he's a very independent kid, so I'm not too concerned. His teacher is fantastic and we really like her. And I have been enjoying the good hour and a half of solitude I get while he's gone and Shaela and Cohen nap.
What else have we been up to? On the 19th of September, we attended "Open Farm Day". It was a new initiative started this year by the MB government where farms around the province 'opened their doors' to the outside world and we got to come check out what they do and how they make their livings. It was a really fun day with the kids visiting four different farms around the Steinbach area. Our favorite was the bison farm - I'll post more about it in the next day or two when I can actually share pictures.
Xavier has also started back to gymnastics which he is also thoroughly enjoying. His teacher is great and I know she's doing a really good job of introducing the basics - but sometimes I still wish she would teach them more. For instance - they have yet to work on cartwheels at all! I could do one by the time I was three. Maybe one of these days I'll just have to take him to the backyard and we'll have at it. I would show him at the end of one of his classes, since we all get to go in to the gym to play for a few minutes, but A) it's been quite a few years since I have attempted one and I don't want to hurt myself, and B) I'm pretty sure the other parents would think I'm nuts. We'll see. Maybe one of these days I'll get brave enough to do one with him there....
Our dear little baby boy is also 6 months old already! Again, I'll post an update with pictures in the next day or two. First, I have to do a photoshoot with him (hoping for tomorrow)! He's growing like a weed, though and trying out all sorts of new foods. I'm awaiting the arrival of my new Cuisinart food processor that I ordered on Amazon today and then I'll be hosting a baby-food making frenzy in my kitchen next week. It's going to be great!
Well....I think that about sums up what we've been up to - I know, riveting! I promise to update with more pictures very very shortly!!! And perhaps update the look of the blog a little??? Feels silly to have sea-shells as my background when clearly it is no longer beach weather around here. :(
Monday, September 13, 2010
The First of Many Firsts
Today marked the first day of my first child's first day of preschool. It is the first of many first days of school that we'll have, but I think of all of them, this one will be the hardest. My baby is growing up and as excited as I am for him, it was a little bit hard for me to say goodbye. I put on my best brave Mommy face, gave him a kiss and a big hug and after lingering for the first few moments of their afternoon at the doorway (along with about 5 other parents), Jared and I left our little boy in the hands of another person.
This is the first time we have truly entrusted him to someone else's care. Sure, we've left him in the church nursery - but we've always been in the other room, just a pager number away. And the kids have had overnight visits to Grandma and Grandpa's on numerous occasions - but it's my parents. I know them. I trust them. Not that I don't trust his new teacher - we met her last Wednesday and she seems wonderful! But it's different and I really can't put into words how my heart is feeling right now. I just know that I couldn't help but shed a few tears as I walked Shaela and Cohen back to the van to come home. My little boy is growing up!
All ready to go!
At his 'locker' in his new classroom!
Cohen's 5 Month Update
Yesterday marked the 5 month point for our youngest little munchkin. I still can't believe he's 5 months old already! Time goes by way too quickly by the time it's your third! I feel like not much has changed between four and five months. He did finally figure out how to roll from his tummy back onto his back, which has been lots of fun to watch! He is now a rolling machine and can also creep around a bit on his tummy already.
He isn't really close to sitting yet at all. He loves to stand and will play very contentedly in the exercauser for quite a while before he wants out. He loves watching his brother and sister and him and Shaela have quite the bond already. She sits with him more than Xavier does and Cohen just loves it. He always has big smiles for her.
For the past few weeks he's been waking up to eat at night again. Which has made for a tired mommy! It's crazy how quickly you get used to the extra sleep! Anyway...we decided that 5 months was a good time to start him on solids, so he had his first taste of rice cereal at suppertime last night. He didn't quite know what to do with the first few spoonfuls, but once he realized it was food, he ate it up! He kept grabbing my hand with the spoon and 'guiding' it into his mouth. It was pretty cute! We'll try again tonight and if he has no reaction by the end of the week then we'll try a different kind of cereal to start giving him some variety. I feel like now that we've started solids, the milestones are going to start coming fast and furious. Sitting, then crawling, then walking....and before you know it my baby will be a toddler! *Sigh*
He isn't really close to sitting yet at all. He loves to stand and will play very contentedly in the exercauser for quite a while before he wants out. He loves watching his brother and sister and him and Shaela have quite the bond already. She sits with him more than Xavier does and Cohen just loves it. He always has big smiles for her.
For the past few weeks he's been waking up to eat at night again. Which has made for a tired mommy! It's crazy how quickly you get used to the extra sleep! Anyway...we decided that 5 months was a good time to start him on solids, so he had his first taste of rice cereal at suppertime last night. He didn't quite know what to do with the first few spoonfuls, but once he realized it was food, he ate it up! He kept grabbing my hand with the spoon and 'guiding' it into his mouth. It was pretty cute! We'll try again tonight and if he has no reaction by the end of the week then we'll try a different kind of cereal to start giving him some variety. I feel like now that we've started solids, the milestones are going to start coming fast and furious. Sitting, then crawling, then walking....and before you know it my baby will be a toddler! *Sigh*
Friday, September 10, 2010
September Long at Spruce Woods
A few years ago, dear friends of ours, Steve and Chantel, invited us to camp with them at Spruce Woods for the September Long weekend. I grew up camping there and was delighted to go! We had a blast - and have been making a tradition of it ever since. We missed last year, but this year we were there again....with a few hiccups along the way!
The first hiccup was that Steve and Chantel do not own a car right now. They planned to rent one for the weekend, but after realizing that our car would just be sitting here all weekend, we offered for them to borrow it to save them the cost of a rental. They were ready to agree, when we realized that neither of them drive standard. However, we worked it out that we could all leave at the same time and Jared would drive the car with Steve, while Chantel travelled with the kids and I in the van. First hiccup ironed out.
Second hiccup didn't pan out so well. We had booked one site for all of us to sleep in, but when we got to the campground, they told us that we were considered two family units and weren't allowed to all sleep in one stie. At least not in two separate tents. If we had had one tent, we could have done it - hmmm....money making scam here?!?! We thought so, but after a bit of a fuss and still no budging, we were forced to pick a second site. The problem with that was that it was the long weekend, so there weren't many left. We drove around and checked out the available ones and finally settled on an overflow site. A little more open than we would have liked, but it had a nice large tree for the kids to climb.
Once we paid for our new site, we finally got set up and then joined Steve and Chantel back at their site for supper. By this time it was getting quite late and rather dark. Which led to the third hiccup. We went to light our lantern so we could see to cook supper...and there was no mantle left in it. Oy vey! It was a very cold, very dark supper that night. By 10:00 pm we were ready for bed and we all crashed. At least, Jared and the kids crashed. I was FREEZING since it was about 3 degrees outside - and we were in a TENT! - yes, we are crazy! I was finally almost asleep when one of the people camping next door to us started snoring. Then Cohen woke up cold and hungry. I fed him but he wouldn't settle back down in his bed, so I had to snuggle him in with Jared and I. He proceeded to wake up another three times that night. The neighbor continued to snore the ENTIRE night! I finally got Cohen to sleep on his own bed at 7 am and slept until 9 when the other two kids woke up. I was exhausted!
Saturday went well, though, depsite our terrible night the night before. The weather was warm, but not super hot. We took the kids to the beach for a bit in the afternoon. Played on the play structure and in general, just lazed around. We picked up more mantles for our lantern so that evening we were able to enjoy smores around the campfire and we could actually see what we were doing! We bundled up a little more that night than we did the first night and I slept better, but Cohen was still awake 4 times in the night. I woke up Sunday morning ready to pack up and go home that afternoon....but I knew the older two - well, three really! - would be very disappointed if we did. So I stuck it out. Thankfully, Sunday night was a tad warmer - and by that I mean 6 degrees instead of 4 - and we also bundled Cohen in about 5 layers of clothes, so he was only up once that night. I was also warmer and so aside from being up that once, slept like a baby!
I would love to say it was a great weekend - but I just can't! The company was great. We had lots of awesome conversations with Steve and Chantel. The food was spectacular. But the weather was really, really cold which put a major damper on my weekend. I like it hot!!! I did have fun, though and am definitely looking forward to next year. I'm just praying it's a bit warmer next time!!!
The first hiccup was that Steve and Chantel do not own a car right now. They planned to rent one for the weekend, but after realizing that our car would just be sitting here all weekend, we offered for them to borrow it to save them the cost of a rental. They were ready to agree, when we realized that neither of them drive standard. However, we worked it out that we could all leave at the same time and Jared would drive the car with Steve, while Chantel travelled with the kids and I in the van. First hiccup ironed out.
Second hiccup didn't pan out so well. We had booked one site for all of us to sleep in, but when we got to the campground, they told us that we were considered two family units and weren't allowed to all sleep in one stie. At least not in two separate tents. If we had had one tent, we could have done it - hmmm....money making scam here?!?! We thought so, but after a bit of a fuss and still no budging, we were forced to pick a second site. The problem with that was that it was the long weekend, so there weren't many left. We drove around and checked out the available ones and finally settled on an overflow site. A little more open than we would have liked, but it had a nice large tree for the kids to climb.
Once we paid for our new site, we finally got set up and then joined Steve and Chantel back at their site for supper. By this time it was getting quite late and rather dark. Which led to the third hiccup. We went to light our lantern so we could see to cook supper...and there was no mantle left in it. Oy vey! It was a very cold, very dark supper that night. By 10:00 pm we were ready for bed and we all crashed. At least, Jared and the kids crashed. I was FREEZING since it was about 3 degrees outside - and we were in a TENT! - yes, we are crazy! I was finally almost asleep when one of the people camping next door to us started snoring. Then Cohen woke up cold and hungry. I fed him but he wouldn't settle back down in his bed, so I had to snuggle him in with Jared and I. He proceeded to wake up another three times that night. The neighbor continued to snore the ENTIRE night! I finally got Cohen to sleep on his own bed at 7 am and slept until 9 when the other two kids woke up. I was exhausted!
Saturday went well, though, depsite our terrible night the night before. The weather was warm, but not super hot. We took the kids to the beach for a bit in the afternoon. Played on the play structure and in general, just lazed around. We picked up more mantles for our lantern so that evening we were able to enjoy smores around the campfire and we could actually see what we were doing! We bundled up a little more that night than we did the first night and I slept better, but Cohen was still awake 4 times in the night. I woke up Sunday morning ready to pack up and go home that afternoon....but I knew the older two - well, three really! - would be very disappointed if we did. So I stuck it out. Thankfully, Sunday night was a tad warmer - and by that I mean 6 degrees instead of 4 - and we also bundled Cohen in about 5 layers of clothes, so he was only up once that night. I was also warmer and so aside from being up that once, slept like a baby!
I would love to say it was a great weekend - but I just can't! The company was great. We had lots of awesome conversations with Steve and Chantel. The food was spectacular. But the weather was really, really cold which put a major damper on my weekend. I like it hot!!! I did have fun, though and am definitely looking forward to next year. I'm just praying it's a bit warmer next time!!!
Enjoying some nice cold milk.
Chopping wood for the fire.
The very large tree that Xavier had a BLAST climbing! He fell out twice, but thankfully not onto the picnic table, and with no major injuries.
Shaela was such a great helper all weekend! Here she is helping Chantel get supper ready on Sunday night.
Mmmmm....steak and potatoes over the fire!
Enjoying the fire Sunday night. Can you tell they're Folkerts'??? They both refused to put pants on despite the fact that it was about 7 degrees outside!
A campfire isn't a campfire without smores!
Our nice huge {WARM} fire on Sunday night.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I Don't Feel Ready For This
Today marks exactly one week away from when we take Xavier to go meet his preschool teacher. When Jared and I were first dating/engaged we talked about whether or not we would send our kids to preschool. It wasn't something I was super keen on - mainly because in most areas you have to pay for it. Then we moved to downtown Winnipeg and learned that they offer free preschool in our division. So, the talk began about whether or not to send him and after much debate we decided that he would really enjoy it so we should take advantage of it.
Now that the time is drawing near for him to actually go, I am feeling very nervous about it. Not because I don't think it will be good for him. I know he'll love it. He'll learn a ton, he'll make new friends. And I'm sure I will enjoy the peace and quiet of him not pestering Shaela for the few hours he's gone every day.
But on the other hand, I don't know that I'm ready to let him go. My baby boy is growing up so fast. I've been his sole care provider since he was first laid on my chest in the hospital and I don't know that I'm quite ready to let someone else get to spend their afternoons with him. He's never been to daycare - I used to run one of my own, so he has always been with me. I've left him in the church nursery every week....but it's not the same! I know he'll be fine. And I know I will too. But it's that sentimental part of me - which if you know me, you know is a big part! I'm a sap! - that's telling me it can't be time for this! My head knows it's a good thing, but my heart just isn't quite ready to let go.
*Sigh* Dear Kleenex manufacturers: can you please have a very large box delivered to my door for September 13th? I'm going to need it.
Now that the time is drawing near for him to actually go, I am feeling very nervous about it. Not because I don't think it will be good for him. I know he'll love it. He'll learn a ton, he'll make new friends. And I'm sure I will enjoy the peace and quiet of him not pestering Shaela for the few hours he's gone every day.
But on the other hand, I don't know that I'm ready to let him go. My baby boy is growing up so fast. I've been his sole care provider since he was first laid on my chest in the hospital and I don't know that I'm quite ready to let someone else get to spend their afternoons with him. He's never been to daycare - I used to run one of my own, so he has always been with me. I've left him in the church nursery every week....but it's not the same! I know he'll be fine. And I know I will too. But it's that sentimental part of me - which if you know me, you know is a big part! I'm a sap! - that's telling me it can't be time for this! My head knows it's a good thing, but my heart just isn't quite ready to let go.
*Sigh* Dear Kleenex manufacturers: can you please have a very large box delivered to my door for September 13th? I'm going to need it.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Where's Jared?!?!?!?!
Can't see him???
Look a little closer.....
Did you find him yet????
There he is!
A few weeks ago the kids decided that it would be great fun to empty EVERY.SINGLE.TOY. out of the toy box and pile it on Jared. Jared, not thinking, let them do it. And what did they decide was the greatest game ever for the next month? Emptying out all the toys and pretending the toy box was a rocket ship. While I appreciate my children's stellar imaginations, picking up this giant mountain of toys every day got old fast. We have since gone through and taken out all the toys that are no longer age appropriate, are broken, or just don't get played with. There was a small throw away pile, a small give away pile and a significant pile of toys that got packed away until Cohen is big enough to play with them.
They still like to play "Rocket", but cleaning up afterwards is no longer such a chore. And that makes for one much happier mommy.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cohen's 4 Month Update
Our baby boy is now 4 months old. Time flies! He's actually about 4 and a half months now, but I wanted to wait until we'd had his check up so I knew how much he weighed and how long he was. We went yesterday afternoon at 2:30 pm. Xavier had his four year check up and booster shot as well. It was pretty funny - we started with him and he was pretending to be a robot, so our pediatrician played along and checked out all his robot parts. He sat nice and still for his shot and he is now 44 lbs and 43 inches. He's a tall boy!
Next it was Cohen's turn. He was a bit fussy since he hadn't napped for me at all like he usually does. He cried a little getting weighed and measured - he is 15 lbs and 26 inches. Then he calmed down a bit and it was time for his shots. He GIGGLED after the first one. That was a first for me - never had a baby giggle after a shot before! Then came the second one and he WAILED! And kept on wailing. He also had a poopy diaper, which I had to change while he was wailing. That didn't help the situation. Thankfully he calmed down while I was scheduling his next appointment and fell asleep on the way home. Today he's had a slight fever and is a bit cranky again, but nothing that a little Tylenol and a nice long nap this afternoon haven't cured.
What is he up to now that he's four months? Well, he's found his hands and will reach for toys around and in front of him. He also found his toes a few weeks ago and loves to suck on them while I change his bum. He is still a very happy baby and so content it's not even funny. He was super talkative until about two weeks ago when he realized that his hands make great chew toys. Now he hardly takes them out of his mouth while he's awake! I would say it's teething - and it's probably related to that - but Xavier also did the same thing at this age and we kept saying, "He's teething. He's teething." He didn't get a tooth until he was 10 and a half months. So....we'll see. If any teeth show up, I'll let you know!
Cohen is also a little rolling machine. He goes very easily from back to tummy, but he has yet to figure out how to get himself from his tummy back onto his back. Eventually it will come. Neither of the other two were rolling regularly at this age, so he's ahead of where they were! He loves to face out when you're holding him and see what's going on around him. He is a VERY observant little boy and tracks anything and everything that's moving around him. He loves to watch his brother and sister and really likes it when they take turns holding him. I can't say it enough - he is SUCH a great baby!
Next it was Cohen's turn. He was a bit fussy since he hadn't napped for me at all like he usually does. He cried a little getting weighed and measured - he is 15 lbs and 26 inches. Then he calmed down a bit and it was time for his shots. He GIGGLED after the first one. That was a first for me - never had a baby giggle after a shot before! Then came the second one and he WAILED! And kept on wailing. He also had a poopy diaper, which I had to change while he was wailing. That didn't help the situation. Thankfully he calmed down while I was scheduling his next appointment and fell asleep on the way home. Today he's had a slight fever and is a bit cranky again, but nothing that a little Tylenol and a nice long nap this afternoon haven't cured.
What is he up to now that he's four months? Well, he's found his hands and will reach for toys around and in front of him. He also found his toes a few weeks ago and loves to suck on them while I change his bum. He is still a very happy baby and so content it's not even funny. He was super talkative until about two weeks ago when he realized that his hands make great chew toys. Now he hardly takes them out of his mouth while he's awake! I would say it's teething - and it's probably related to that - but Xavier also did the same thing at this age and we kept saying, "He's teething. He's teething." He didn't get a tooth until he was 10 and a half months. So....we'll see. If any teeth show up, I'll let you know!
Cohen is also a little rolling machine. He goes very easily from back to tummy, but he has yet to figure out how to get himself from his tummy back onto his back. Eventually it will come. Neither of the other two were rolling regularly at this age, so he's ahead of where they were! He loves to face out when you're holding him and see what's going on around him. He is a VERY observant little boy and tracks anything and everything that's moving around him. He loves to watch his brother and sister and really likes it when they take turns holding him. I can't say it enough - he is SUCH a great baby!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Benadryl The Wonder Drug
Let me preface this post by saying that I really, really, really HATE having allergies. They are a pain in my sinuses - literally! And I have prayed and prayed that none of our kids would get them. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.
It's Thursday evening and I'm in the kitchen about to start making supper. I'm in a bit of a rush since we were meeting our realtor at 6:30 to look at yet more houses. While I'm busy working, Jared took the kids outside to play while he did a bit of cleaning up in the yard. I can see them playing on the swingset out the kitchen window and Xavier is standing at the top of the slide when he starts SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. Jared runs over to him and I can see him swatting at something before he rounds up both kids and brings them inside. I realize that Xavier has been stung, but by what, we aren't sure.
Once inside, Jared points out the sting - right above my poor little man's lip! I inspect the sting to make sure there is no stinger left in his face and thankfully, no sign of one. So, I got out an ice cube and wrapped it in a clean cloth and explained to Xavier that we'd have to hold the ice on his face to make sure it didn't swell. We was such a trooper and you could tell the ice felt good because he had no problem at all leaving it there. Jared switched spots with me so that he could keep icing Xavier's lip while I finshed making supper. Not even ten minutes later and we could tell we were losing a battle with the swelling. Not only was Xavier's lip getting fat, but inside his mouth was swelling and his cheek was getting puffy.
I had visions of having to rush to the emergency room when I had a brainwave - what do I do when my allergies break out??? Take Benadryl! I've tried a few other brands of allergy medications and NONE of them work like Bendryl do. The only downside is that it can make you sleepy - but so does the shot they give you at the hospital when you have to go, so I figure it's good stuff it it works the same. Anyway...to make a long story not quite so long, Jared walked with Xavier to Safeway to pick up some children's Benadryl and ask the pharmacist if/when we should go to the hospital. If after 24 hours the swelling was still there, we were to take him in. Thankfully, a dose before supper, a few more minutes of ice and another dose before bed and Xavier was fine by morning. It was such a huge relief to know that the Benadryl worked! I will, however, be mentioning this reaction to our pediatrician at Xavier's 4 year check up in a couple weeks and we'll see what he says about it. It may mean another visit to the allergist is in order.
As for what stung Xavier? It turned out to be a bee. They had started building a nest inside the pole of our swingset! So, needless to say, we kept the kids inside all day yesterday and this afternoon Jared went to Walmart and bought some Raid. Worked like a charm! :) Sorry bees - you might make great tasting honey, but your hive and my child's play structure are not compatible!
It's Thursday evening and I'm in the kitchen about to start making supper. I'm in a bit of a rush since we were meeting our realtor at 6:30 to look at yet more houses. While I'm busy working, Jared took the kids outside to play while he did a bit of cleaning up in the yard. I can see them playing on the swingset out the kitchen window and Xavier is standing at the top of the slide when he starts SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. Jared runs over to him and I can see him swatting at something before he rounds up both kids and brings them inside. I realize that Xavier has been stung, but by what, we aren't sure.
Once inside, Jared points out the sting - right above my poor little man's lip! I inspect the sting to make sure there is no stinger left in his face and thankfully, no sign of one. So, I got out an ice cube and wrapped it in a clean cloth and explained to Xavier that we'd have to hold the ice on his face to make sure it didn't swell. We was such a trooper and you could tell the ice felt good because he had no problem at all leaving it there. Jared switched spots with me so that he could keep icing Xavier's lip while I finshed making supper. Not even ten minutes later and we could tell we were losing a battle with the swelling. Not only was Xavier's lip getting fat, but inside his mouth was swelling and his cheek was getting puffy.
I had visions of having to rush to the emergency room when I had a brainwave - what do I do when my allergies break out??? Take Benadryl! I've tried a few other brands of allergy medications and NONE of them work like Bendryl do. The only downside is that it can make you sleepy - but so does the shot they give you at the hospital when you have to go, so I figure it's good stuff it it works the same. Anyway...to make a long story not quite so long, Jared walked with Xavier to Safeway to pick up some children's Benadryl and ask the pharmacist if/when we should go to the hospital. If after 24 hours the swelling was still there, we were to take him in. Thankfully, a dose before supper, a few more minutes of ice and another dose before bed and Xavier was fine by morning. It was such a huge relief to know that the Benadryl worked! I will, however, be mentioning this reaction to our pediatrician at Xavier's 4 year check up in a couple weeks and we'll see what he says about it. It may mean another visit to the allergist is in order.
As for what stung Xavier? It turned out to be a bee. They had started building a nest inside the pole of our swingset! So, needless to say, we kept the kids inside all day yesterday and this afternoon Jared went to Walmart and bought some Raid. Worked like a charm! :) Sorry bees - you might make great tasting honey, but your hive and my child's play structure are not compatible!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
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