It's Pumpkin Time!

This past weekend was a pretty busy one for our little family, but we managed to find some time to run out to a local pumpkin patch and pick up some pumpkins. Our little family likes to big pumpkins which is why we don't just go anywhere (like the grocery store) to buy one. The boys each picked out a pumpkin and then we were off on our way to Joshua's hockey.

This week we finally got around to carving them. Grayson wasn't really interested in it at all. He did not like the pumpkin guts on his hands at all so he opted to relax and watch some TV. Joshua loved carving the pumpkins though. Once Chris cut it open for him, he was all over scooping out the guts and instructing me to remove the pumpkin seeds for baking (and now that I'm thinking about it, they are still sitting out to dry 3 days later). He did an amazing job cleaning out the pumpkin and was careful not to make too big of a mess.

The theme this year for our family pumpkins is Toy Story, which happens to be the movies the boys are obsessed with at the moment. I think Chris and I could quote the movies we've seen them so many times. Chris leaves the carving to me because as he says, he is the expert at carving full moons, so fair enough. I am pretty impressed with how our pumpkins turned out considering we still do not have a carving kit and the only tool I have to use is a steak knife. Since we have set the standard for pumpkin carving pretty high with the boys, next year we will be purchasing a carving kit.

Before I get to posting the pictures, I do want to mention how Grayson was not a happy camper at all when I turned off all the lights to show the boys the Buzz Lightyear pumpkin. I think it is safe to assume that he may be a teeny bit afraid of the dark.

Things My Fiance Says

Last night, after Chris said something while we were getting ready for bed, I thought to myself that I really should start tracking some of the stuff he says, just like I do with the kids. 

Chris has had a man cold for the past 2 weeks so you can imagine what our house has been like. I have been told multiple times that I am not allowed to return Chris to his parents' house. So, when a man cold strikes I have to put in my ear plugs and act like I'm always busy with laundry or something make sure the house is stocked with Cold and Sinus and that my essential oils are ready at hand (and he thought I was crazy for buying them). 

But last night, after having this man cold for 2 weeks, he says to me "babe, I think I have colic." Now, you can imagine my reaction. Being the loving fiance that I am, I burst out laughing and just shook my head. No babe, you don't have colic, but you do have a bad case of a congested head. Definitely time for you to get some sleep. 

I love being able to laugh with Chris...it keeps our house fun. 

I Can Week

Since Joshua has started school, we have been pretty busy trying to keep track of all of the different activities and themes that are going on. I'm starting to think his calendar is busier than ours! I love his enthusiasm and excitement for school.

This week, the theme is "I Can Week." They have an assortment of recycled cans that they can do different things with. One of my favourite things to do each day now is ask Joshua how his day at school was and ask him about the things he did. Yesterday, he talked about "I Can Week" and he told me that he used the cans as bowling pins. He has such a passion for sports that he will turn anything he can into a sport. He did this at daycare as well. A bucket and a ball would turn into basketball, a stick and a ball would turn into hockey, and anything that could stand up and replicate bowling pins would turn into bowling.

Joshua starts hockey next weekend and he is beyond excited! I officially became a hockey mom a couple of weeks ago when I volunteered for his league. I am so not ready for this!

The Last Time

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, 

You will never be the same. 

You might long for the person you were before, 

When you have freedom and time, 

And nothing in particular to worry about. 

You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,

And days will run into days that are exactly the same,

Full of feedings and burping,

Nappy changes and crying,

Whining and fighting,

Naps or a lack of naps,

It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

But don't forget...

There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day

And it will be the last time you every hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,

And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night

And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.

They will hold your hand to cross the road,

Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,

And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing "The Wheels on the Bus" and do all the actions,

Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,

The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.

They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won't even know it's the last time until there are no more times.

And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are lising in these times,

Remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.

-Author Unknown

When You Just Have To Go With It

As a parent of two little boys, I have barely grasped learned that sometimes you just need to go with the flow and accept that most plans won't go according to plan. Like the first day of school and that very first bus ride.

Being the mom that I am, I like to have a plan, so a few days before the first day of school, I made sure to check the bus schedule and schedule our morning routine accordingly. Chris made arrangements to work from home that morning so he could see Joshua off on the bus for his first day. So that morning, we had breakfast together and went outside 20 minutes before the bus was scheduled to come so that the boys could ride their bikes for a bit. Well, here's where my plan took a nosedive. As soon as we got outside we saw a group standing at the bus stop. Surely they aren't waiting for the same bus Joshua should be getting on. Then 30 seconds later we see a bus, Joshua's bus.

Next thing you know, we're running for the bus. Joshua is giggling the entire way while I'm thinking to myself "of course this would happen on his first day." Joshua was the last one on the bus and we managed to squeeze in a quick picture. I was so proud of him as he got onto that bus with all of the excitement in the world.

Now that I look back on his first day, his morning was filled with quite a bit of excitement. And on top of that, he didn't have time to get nervous and I didn't have time to ugly cry get emotional because Joshua is off to his first day school.

And I'll just leave this picture here...

My attempt at a first day of school picture

The Favourite Part of My Day

Everyone has something they look forward to during their day, whether it be that first morning coffee or that hot relaxing bath (the relaxing hot bath at the end of my day is pretty high up on my list).

I have two parts of my day that I just love. I wish I could bottle up the feeling and carry it with me at all times.

The first part is my mornings with Joshua. He is so talkative and generally in a good mood. He just wants to talk and engage you about his dreams from the night before and the plans for his day to come. It's fun to sit with him while he eats his breakfast and just listen.

My second favourite part is when I pick the boys up from daycare. Joshua is normally busy playing so I get Grayson first. No matter what Grayson is doing, he stops, yells "Mama" as loud as his little lungs let him and runs straight to me with the biggest smile and giggles, arms wide open for a big hug. In this moment in time, no matter how my day has been, everything melts away and all that I feel is the love that my son has for me and it makes me feel on top of the world.

These moments in time are what make life so special.

It's Been a Busy Summer

This summer seems like it has flown by so far. We have been having a blast!

Canada Day was spent with family complete with smores over a fire and fireworks. If Joshua is asked how he likes his marshmallow cooked, he replies "like a smore!"...there is no such thing as a plain marshmallow to him. If chocolate and graham crackers do not follow, it is not a marshmallow.

Playing with glow sticks while we wait for fireworks

We took the boys camping with Chris' parents for 3 nights and they loved it. They had fun playing at the beach and going on bike rides. Joshua and I spent an entire hour and a half feeding chipmunks. He patiently waited a half hour for one chipmunk to show up who he named Bautista after his favourite ball player. The second chipmunk that came around was then named Get Up Ball. Needless to say, Joshua is a huge sports fan. While we were camping we visited a small zoo which was full of excitement. The boys loved getting to feed some of the animals.

Dinner time

Feeding the animals! 

Walk before bed

We also spent some time with Chris' cousin while she was here visiting with her kids. The boys had so much to do and 2 friends (or as we call them cousins) to do it with. This is the weekend Joshua learned how to ride his bike without training wheels and Grayson learned how to ride a glider bike.

Look at him go!!

This summer has also been busy with Chris' softball. His team plays weekly and they have been in a few tournament. The boys and I enjoy going to the diamond to watch, where they practice their swing with their toy bats. Grayson also loves to stand behind the home plate and yell "Dada" as loud as he can...he gets so excited! Chris is pretty lucky to have his own personal cheerleaders!

It's a Potato Truck

The past few days have been a bit stormy. So the other night, we thought it would be fun for Joshua to stay up and watch the storm come in with us. We all sat on the porch and waited. Joshua knew the storm was coming in when he heard the thunder...that is until Chris came up with this idea to inform Joshua that that isn't thunder after all but it is in fact a potato truck that has rolled over and potatoes are falling everywhere. Joshua gave him a very skeptical look, but went along with it.

So last night when we got home, a storm was fast approaching and Joshua heard the thunder and exclaimed "mama, it's a potato truck!". I wish those potato truck drivers would be a bit more careful!

And to add to this story, last night at dinner, Joshua was distracted by a bug that was on the window outside. Before I could say anything about it, Chris quickly tells Joshua that it is a skinny window bug. Joshua told him that we need to get rid of it to which Chris told him if we did that then he wouldn't be able to eat anymore strawberries off of his strawberry plant because the window skinny bug helps the strawberries grow. Joshua was pretty satisfied with this answer and continued on with his dinner.

I'm beginning to wonder who has the bigger imagination in our house...

A Child's Imagination

I love being able to laugh and giggle with the boys and love being able to play in their games with them even more. Joshua has started to use his imagination more and more which has been a lot of fun. One of our favourites to play is pirates. We run to their playground and seek refuge. Then we keep a look out for the pirates and run whenever they get close. It's pretty action packed and we can all get in on the fun.

Joshua also loves to talk on the phone. Little did I know he can be quite the chatterbox. He will walk around the house just talking away. It's so cute eavesdropping in on his little conversations. Sometimes I get caught and am requested to speak on the phone. Those little eyes looking up at me while I have my little conversation on Joshua's phone are so precious. They look at me so expectantly. My conversations are normally short because the caller almost always wants to talk to Joshua again (I'm just boring old mom after all).

Victoria Day Weekend

Long weekends always seem to be so jam packed with so much fun. Like the Victoria Day long weekend. It was a busy one!

We started the weekend off with Joshua's first ever soccer game and he had so much fun! He makes the cutest little Timbit I've ever seen. He was so excited to get dressed in his soccer uniform with his big soccer socks. Rounding up volunteers to coach was a bit of a fiasco at the beginning of the season so I thought I would help out and as Chris puts it, he was "volun-told" to coach.

Watching his big brother play soccer (this lasted all of about 5 seconds)

After soccer, we were off to Chris' family's farm for another adventure. Grayson absolutely loves the farm...everything about it from the big tractors to following anyone who looks like they might be doing something that could need the help of an almost 2 year old. He just walks around like he owns the place. Joshua also loves the farm, but he would prefer to run around in the fields and see the chicks and baby turkeys.

Like father like son

Off in search of the next adventure

While at the farm, Joshua got to stay up super late and help dig holes for fireworks. When he decided he was done helping, he took off to play with glow sticks and sparklers and then settled in to watch the explosion of colours. He was impressed and loved hearing him giggle and say "that's a loud bang!"

Getting ready for the fireworks with Aunt Chelsey

On Sunday, we went to my parents' for dinner and tried to enjoy a nice visit. Grayson can be rather strong willed so when he has his mind made up (like he wants his bed and he wants it now), there is no changing it. The distraction technique was used for the greater portion of our visit.

And our Monday was spent outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

Enjoying an afternoon snack

It's Been So Long

It's been so long since I wrote a post and I wish I didn't fall behind. The boys are growing so fast and I want to capture everything. Things are busy for our family, but we have so much fun doing it all.

Softball season has started and this year, I had the crazy idea to join a co-ed team. A little background information on me: I'm clumsy, very clumsy and I have never played softball before, or any sport really. I grew up bowling where you can't really get hurt, yet I managed to break a knuckle bowling. So you can only imagine how softball started out. Join a softball league, Chris said, you can be more social, he said, it will be fun, he said. Where was the warning that I would more than likely catch a ball with my face?! My nose is still sore, but I am really enjoying softball and glad Chris gave me the push to join a league and get outside of my comfort zone. In case you are wondering, I play in the outfield, so I'm sure there will be a story posted by the end of the season about me tripping over my own two feet...it's bound to happen! Chris plays softball in a men's league and the boys and I try to come out to cheer him on when we can. In my humble opinion, Chris has the cutest fans out there!

Lately, Grayson has become very accident prone (#hegotitfromhismama). If he's not tripping over his own two feet than he's slipping on a book or running into a wall or just losing his balance. A couple of weeks ago (April 16th to be exact), Grayson had to get his first stitches. He got his finger closed in a door and ended up needing 4 stitches in his tiny finger. I'm not sure where the phrase "you're acting like a baby comes from" because this kid is so brave! I had a hard time changing the bandaging on his finger without getting upset and he didn't even bat an eye!

Here's Grayson with his bandaging enjoying a snack at Daddy's game

With the return of the nice weather, we have been able to spend a lot of time outdoors. We get so much use out of our backyard, it's one of our favourite things about our house. May 22nd will mark our 1 year in our new house! If only Chris had as much enthusiasm to mow the lawn as Joshua does!

Not even 2 and already driving

Mow, mow, mow the lawn, running across the yard...

And when it's time to wind down before bed, we have movie nights complete with popcorn! Grayson can be quite the stinker with popcorn. A week or two ago, the boys were eating their popcorn and Grayson had finished his second bowl while Joshua was still working on his first (he was so in tuned to his movie). Grayson wanted a bit more so he just reached over and grabbed a handful. Joshua tried to move over and hide his bowl from Grayson, which Grayson just thought was a challenge. So for his next move, he flopped himself across the couch on his side lying behind Joshua, reached around, and grabbed another handful...this kid is sneaky! Joshua was a good sport about it all and I couldn't stop laughing.

Movie Night

Rain or Shine

With the cold weather gone and the mild weather at our doorsteps, the boys are always eager to get outside. Rain or shine, they want to be outside. And for this reason, I love our house even more. Being able to send the boys out to play and keep an eye on them from anywhere on the main floor of the house is wonderful. If they want to go outside but dinner needs to be made, no problem. If they want to go outside but I need to tidy up all the toys scattered about the living room, no problem.

I am so excited for summer this year (not so much for the heat and humidity). Our boys are truly outdoor kids and I never thought I would say this but I am excited to spend all of our time outdoors (and that's saying a lot because I am not a fan of the heat...I much prefer the comforts of the air conditioning). 

There are so many things I want to do this summer like go to the zoo and have Joshua help me with my gardening and spend lots of time at the wadding pool and splash pad (especially now that Grayson is old enough to enjoy it as much as Joshua) and have picnics and go on bike rides. 

The summer holds so many possibilities for us and I can't wait.

Funny Things the Boys Do

Grayson has this fairly new thing where he helps himself to snacks. It was cute at first, but now we are seriously considering putting child locks on the pantry doors. The only reason why we haven't is because we have a pretty strong hunch that it will cause Grayson to have a bit of a meltdown because this kid wants what he wants (#wantswhathewants should be his hashtag).

Three of his favourite things to take out of the pantry are cereal, crackers, and boxes of mac and cheese (no buddy, I am not making you mac and cheese for breakfast or for a snack before bed). His all time favourite has to be the crackers though because he can play a game of "come chase me Suka" with the dog. He loves it. As soon as he grabs a cracker, he's off running and occasional looks behind him to make sure Suka is chasing after him. It's cute for the first 5 minutes, but then turns tiresome when Suka eats the crackers on him.

Grayson's love of snacks is also why he was given the nickname Gus Gus, who is the mouse that is always eating in Cinderella.

Our little Gus Gus can be quite busy but his kisses, giggles, and big smiles always brighten our days.

New Words

Grayson is turning into such a little boy. He definitely isn't a baby anymore. He's independent but affectionate at the same time. He is also very determined and wants what he wants. It seems each day he is learning new words or using words he already did know in the proper context. It's so cute to watch him communicate because like Chris, this kid loves to talk.

Here's a few of the things Grayson says:

Mama

Daddy (he tends to say this one pretty loudly)

Joshua (pronounced you ah)

I did it

I don't know (as he lifts up his hands and shrugs)

Yes

Nnnnno

What's that?

Please (in sign language)

More (in sign language)

MmmHmmmm

 

 

Grayson also has a few expressions and one of my favourites is when he acts surprised. His face becomes serious and he makes an "o" with his mouth. And then his faces bursts into a huge grin. It's adorable. 

 

We get a kick out of his communication with us. It's just so much fun.

 



Handsome and Handy

Two weekends ago, Chris and I decided to start finishing our basement. There really is no good time to start something like this so we decided “why not now?” to which I could give a whole list of reasons like our wedding and I want a baby! We bought some insulation, rented some sort of really loud and obnoxious tool from a store, and off we (and by we I mean Chris, his dad, and his uncle) went installing the insulation. Next, there was some taping and ta-da, just like that the insulation was installed.

Last weekend we purchased the lumber for framing and Chris got started framing the basement with the help of his dad (all the while I was able to have a Grey’s Anatomy marathon…I’m being helpful by staying out of the way). Then, Sunday evening rolled around. Chris was working on the basement when he said something along the lines of “Kelsey, I think I need your help.” Here I was thinking he wanted my opinion or my help standing a wall, easy peasy, but no, he came up the stairs with blood running down his arm. Things that ran through my mind were “what is wrong, why is he so calm, breathe Kelsey, breathe, don’t pass out, you can do this, look at it, breathe”…you’d think I was the one who needed to go to the hospital. Five stitches later and Chris was back to normal…well, almost because he is a bit of a suck when he is in pain (and he admits this too).

This weekend Chris continued with the basement (and a few evenings this past week). Then, Sunday rolled around, and I hear him come up the stairs with a few choice words. Luckily, there was no hospital visit, but there is a very swollen and bruised thumb from a hammer incident. So in my personal opinion, he should not be working on the basement on Sundays.

The framing is almost done…Chris just needs to finish framing the landing at the bottom of the stairs and then the hallway on the other half of the basement (the half with the hallway will be finished down the road and be a bathroom and bedroom….right now, his priority is the play room man cave).

Funny Things the Boys Do

Now that the boys are getting a bit older and interacting more and more with each other, Chris and I have noticed that they get into a lot of shenanigans. Because of this, we often refer to them as our hooligans or Thing 1 and Thing 2. Grayson also has the nickname Gus Gus, who is a mouse from Cinderella who loves his snacks so the nickname is very fitting for Grayson.

Since the boys do so many things, I’m going to start posting some of the fun ones (or at least fun to us) as a way to remember the small moments that brightened our day.

So here goes:

This past weekend, Joshua got to spend the day with Gramma and Granpa after church. So Gramma (my claustrophobic mom) took Joshua to a large indoor playground that had big enclosed slides and lots of tunnels. Of course, Joshua wanted to share all of the fun he was having with Gramma and insisted she come play with him. When they got to the top of the playground and Gramma was trying to convince Joshua to go down the slide, he thought it would be a great idea that she try it out first and he pushed her down. Now, I found this story hysterical (and I am told that all of the other parents and grandparents at the playground did as well). I can only imagine the shrieks they heard as she was coming down the slide and how proud Joshua must have been when he met her at the bottom.

Now, to make this story even better, Gramma is going to have to take Joshua back because all he talks about now is going to this indoor playground. Case in point, Joshua was sound asleep last night with his sheet pulled over his head. When I pried pulled the sheet out from under him, he woke up and sat straight up and exclaimed “go to indoor playground, mama?” He’s a monkey!

And as for Grayson, the other night, Chris and I were having a late dinner since the boys had already eaten. When I got home with the boys, we let them play for a bit before bed and Chris and I were catching up on our days in the kitchen. Grayson strolled into the kitchen and wanted the fridge opened (which he can sometimes do on his own but he normally tries to open it from the wrong side). I assumed he was just going to grab his sippy cup of milk, but nope, he had grabbed a piece of cooked chicken (it had already been cut in preparation of our dinner) and walked away from the fridge with his snack. He was pretty proud of himself with his discovery. And this is why the nickname Gus Gus is so fitting.

Christmas 2015

I know I’m a little late on this post, but I still want to write about Christmas.

This Christmas has been the most amazing Christmas. I cannot properly describe in words how incredible it was. I’m not just saying this because of our engagement, I’m saying this because weeks before Christmas I couldn’t wait to wrap the boys’ gifts, and the weeks leading up to Christmas and watching Joshua’s excitement build was so sweet.

On Christmas Eve, we spent the late afternoon and evening with Chris’ family. Our town does a Christmas Eve parade which the boys really enjoyed. That evening, once we were home, we got Grayson to bed and wouldn’t you know it, Santa Claus made a special phone call to Joshua! Earlier that day, Chris had changed his parents’ contact in his phone to show Santa so when Chris’ dad called as Santa, Santa’s face appeared on the phone. Joshua was so excited! And every time Santa mentioned he was going to bring gifts for him and Grayson for being so good, Joshua would say “and mama too!” Talk about melting my heart!

On Christmas morning, I woke up at 4:30 and had a really hard time falling back asleep. I was so excited…I hadn’t been that excited for Christmas since I was a child myself. When 7:30 rolled around, Chris and I got up, made coffees, turned on all the lights downstairs, and then woke up the boys. The first thing Joshua exclaimed was “it’s Christmas morning!” We filmed him walking down the stairs so we could capture his reaction to the Christmas tree. He was ecstatic that Santa had brought him and his brother gifts. He knew that that Pirate Jake wrapped gifts were for him from Santa and the Cars were for Grayson from Santa. He was so good at bringing gifts to Grayson and he was so patient.

Excited for his Paw Patrol wall decals

 On a little bit of a side note here, I have to mention a gift I got for Chris. His favourite Christmas movie is A Christmas Story and we watch it every year together (even though I really do not care for it). Chris always jokes around in a serious manner that he wants a leg lamp to proudly display in our front window for his man cave in the basement. Well, being the great girlfriend (now fiancé!!) that I am, I bought him a leg lamp, it just happens to be a travel mug. This is my clever way of saying “sorry dear, but we will not be buying a leg lamp any time soon.”

Needed a break from unwrapping gifts

Playing with their new toy

Later that morning, Chris’ family came over to have breakfast and open gifts and then in the afternoon, my family came over, including our newest nephew Nikos. We enjoyed Christmas dinner with them and Joshua was completely in awe of his baby cousin. He would have held him all day if he had the chance.

This Christmas was magical. I cannot wait to see the excitement in Joshua and Grayson’s eyes next year! 

A Very Special Christmas Eve

I love the holidays. There is something about Christmas time that makes me feel so happy inside, all warm and fuzzy. This year, I could not wait for Christmas. The only thing better than Christmas as a child is Christmas when you have children. 

Last year, Chris and I decided to make wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve a tradition. It's fun to just lounge around in comfy clothes, sit by the fire, sip on wine, and wrap gifts for the people you love. So that's exactly what we did. A Christmas story was on in the background and lucky for me, it got switched out for Christmas music instead. The Christmas music led to dancing while we were putting the wrapped gifts under the tree, which I loved.

As I was putting the last gift under the tree and fixing the gift tag on it, Chris said my name. When I turned around, he was down on one knee with a ring box in his hands. He opened it and asked me to marry him. I was in shock, completely surprised. I let out a surprised gasp and heard Chris say "well?" to which I responded "YES! YES! YES!" 

I am happier than I have ever been before. Chris has shown me what true love is and what true love feels like and I cannot wait to be his bride and future wife. He is my Prince Charming, the one I thought only existed in fairy tales. Chris is my happily ever after!