Kinship Care

My sister is amazing. Mrs. A. We're quite close, she and I, even though there are 10 yrs between us. Recently, she and her wonderful husband proved yet again why they are role models for my favorite husband and I.
We have a neice who is having difficulties as a single mom to her three little boys. Some of these difficulties are self inflicted and has resulted in social services stepping in to keep them safe. Well, my sister and her husband have taken these little ones into their home indefinitely, which means they are now parenting 7 kids under the age of 14yrs. 4 boys under the age of 7 and three girls over the age of 11. Talk about busy!
What is also interesting is that my sister is... in a way... reliving our childhood as we are a family of 7 kids; which started as theirs, ours, mine and someone elses but resulted in 7 siblings. Even though I always new the origins of all of us, they were always my brothers and sisters, no one was considered different to me.
Kudos to my sis A & her family! Those little boys will thrive in the love of their home, despite the trauma of it all, they're lucky. And the original four kids, they're amazing too, to welcome 3 little boys into their home and have their lives turned upside down, become noisier and overflowing. An amazing family.

Kinship Care

My sister is amazing. Mrs. A. We're quite close, she and I, even though there are 10 yrs between us. Recently, she and her wonderful husband proved yet again why they are role models for my favorite husband and I.
We have a neice who is having difficulties as a single mom to her three little boys. Some of these difficulties are self inflicted and has resulted in social services stepping in to keep them safe. Well, my sister and her husband have taken these little ones into their home indefinitely, which means they are now parenting 7 kids under the age of 14yrs. 4 boys under the age of 7 and three girls over the age of 11. Talk about busy!
What is also interesting is that my sister is... in a way... reliving our childhood as we are a family of 7 kids; which started as theirs, ours, mine and someone elses but resulted in 7 siblings. Even though I always new the origins of all of us, they were always my brothers and sisters, no one was considered different to me.
Kudos to my sis A & her family! Those little boys will thrive in the love of their home, despite the trauma of it all, they're lucky. And the original four kids, they're amazing too, to welcome 3 little boys into their home and have their lives turned upside down, become noisier and overflowing. An amazing family.

Houdini & the Bad Mother Award

He makes me cry and my stomach sink and my heart race. This "Houdini" of mine. See, it's not a new discovery, these Houdini talents of my W, we are prepared for them as our home is similiar to Fort Knox. Locks of all kinds are on every door and our yard only has one way out, through the front gate, which has another gate prior to it that is tied shut as well. So, W's Houdini-ism was taken to new heights as he scaled the 7 foot fence into the back alley and was found in the middle of the street, wearing his little bike helmet, trying to "drive" a ride-in toy police car that belongs to a neighbor.
Where is the parental supervision, you ask? Putting the babe down for his nap, which only takes a few minutes. Never did I think leaving the screen patio door open & letting him play in our "Fort Knox" yard would be dangerous. Well, I stand corrected.
Imagine my horror when I couldn't find him. Imagine my relief and lump in my stomach when I found W safe and sound. W told me, "I play car." "I climb fence". "I play outside."
Nope. Grounded for life. So is his mother, recipient of the Bad Mother Award today.

Houdini & the Bad Mother Award

He makes me cry and my stomach sink and my heart race. This "Houdini" of mine. See, it's not a new discovery, these Houdini talents of my W, we are prepared for them as our home is similiar to Fort Knox. Locks of all kinds are on every door and our yard only has one way out, through the front gate, which has another gate prior to it that is tied shut as well. So, W's Houdini-ism was taken to new heights as he scaled the 7 foot fence into the back alley and was found in the middle of the street, wearing his little bike helmet, trying to "drive" a ride-in toy police car that belongs to a neighbor.
Where is the parental supervision, you ask? Putting the babe down for his nap, which only takes a few minutes. Never did I think leaving the screen patio door open & letting him play in our "Fort Knox" yard would be dangerous. Well, I stand corrected.
Imagine my horror when I couldn't find him. Imagine my relief and lump in my stomach when I found W safe and sound. W told me, "I play car." "I climb fence". "I play outside."
Nope. Grounded for life. So is his mother, recipient of the Bad Mother Award today.

11 Months

Wow! Where has this year gone? Watching R grow is so much fun. I have loved every baby stage. However, I must admit I wish it would slow down and this rapid development makes me nostalgic for baby days and even misty for another. Although, we are definately done at two and I know more than that would be too much for me....it's just the warm fuzzy feeling of babies is all.
R is a boy on the move! The stairs are his favorite to crawl up, down has not been mastered yet, and he gets frustrated/sad when we block the stairs. It's time for the gates! He walks around furniture and crawls everywhere. When the dishwasher opens he races towards it as he likes to "help" me unload.
His gentle, loving soul is so evident...even at 11 months. There's just something about him that is warm and peacemaking. We've had many people comment on this after spending a ltitle time with him. I'm just praying this lasts through the toddler years! R is our more cautious boy. He likes to sit back and take it all in when there is someone new about. Even if this is someone he has met many times before, he just quiets down and watches what is going on. R likes to be close to me and have me in sight. However, when we returned from a week away, I thought he would take flight when he saw his daddy as his little arms were flapping so fast & hard, with this huge grin on his face. Too cute.
We love our "Bup", as W affectionately calls him.

11 Months

Wow! Where has this year gone? Watching R grow is so much fun. I have loved every baby stage. However, I must admit I wish it would slow down and this rapid development makes me nostalgic for baby days and even misty for another. Although, we are definately done at two and I know more than that would be too much for me....it's just the warm fuzzy feeling of babies is all.
R is a boy on the move! The stairs are his favorite to crawl up, down has not been mastered yet, and he gets frustrated/sad when we block the stairs. It's time for the gates! He walks around furniture and crawls everywhere. When the dishwasher opens he races towards it as he likes to "help" me unload.
His gentle, loving soul is so evident...even at 11 months. There's just something about him that is warm and peacemaking. We've had many people comment on this after spending a ltitle time with him. I'm just praying this lasts through the toddler years! R is our more cautious boy. He likes to sit back and take it all in when there is someone new about. Even if this is someone he has met many times before, he just quiets down and watches what is going on. R likes to be close to me and have me in sight. However, when we returned from a week away, I thought he would take flight when he saw his daddy as his little arms were flapping so fast & hard, with this huge grin on his face. Too cute.
We love our "Bup", as W affectionately calls him.

Our Little Trooper

Whew! We are so grateful for a new day. R is too. Although maybe sore, sad and in need of time to heal.
Yesterday was spent at Alberta Children's Hospital while R under went "minor" surgery. Is ANY surgery minor when it's taking place on your child? Highly doubtful. Giving him to the OR nurse to carry into surgery was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Watching our baby boy being carried off by a stranger knowing what was about to happen was heartwrenching. We stood at the end of the hall with tears flowing (mine), holding hands and telling each other that he would be okay. And he is. We are so grateful. Grateful that our child is healthy and does not undergo such treatments on a regular basis. I really don't know how people do it. It hurts your heart.
Our R was such a little trooper. Watching the nurses return him to Day Surgery as he lay in the crib with his head on a pillow, blankets tucked in, little arm wrapped to protect the IV, calm, looking around until he saw his parents and started to cry...the site of him like this just struck me as so wrong because he seemed so much older and fragile. I couldn't wait to touch him and hold his little self close to me.
On a funny note, after he had woke from the anesthetic and was stable, the nurse gave him a little 2oz bottle of glucose water. When it was finished he was MAD because there wasn't any more! After fasting for so long, R was starving!
Did I mention the hospital and staff were lovely? Did I mention we're even happier to be home?!

Our Little Trooper

Whew! We are so grateful for a new day. R is too. Although maybe sore, sad and in need of time to heal.
Yesterday was spent at Alberta Children's Hospital while R under went "minor" surgery. Is ANY surgery minor when it's taking place on your child? Highly doubtful. Giving him to the OR nurse to carry into surgery was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Watching our baby boy being carried off by a stranger knowing what was about to happen was heartwrenching. We stood at the end of the hall with tears flowing (mine), holding hands and telling each other that he would be okay. And he is. We are so grateful. Grateful that our child is healthy and does not undergo such treatments on a regular basis. I really don't know how people do it. It hurts your heart.
Our R was such a little trooper. Watching the nurses return him to Day Surgery as he lay in the crib with his head on a pillow, blankets tucked in, little arm wrapped to protect the IV, calm, looking around until he saw his parents and started to cry...the site of him like this just struck me as so wrong because he seemed so much older and fragile. I couldn't wait to touch him and hold his little self close to me.
On a funny note, after he had woke from the anesthetic and was stable, the nurse gave him a little 2oz bottle of glucose water. When it was finished he was MAD because there wasn't any more! After fasting for so long, R was starving!
Did I mention the hospital and staff were lovely? Did I mention we're even happier to be home?!

Upside Down...

"...you know you turn me, inside out and round and round." Everytime I really look around our home, the Diva Dianna starts singing in my head.
There's drywall dust, painting supplies, toys, laundry and an extra stove and fridge on the main floor. Life has been upside down lately which is why I've been on hiatus so to speak. A week in my hometown at my mom's to escape while the renovations were under way and now we're back. It was wonderful to be with Mom (parenting is so much easier when there are two people to take care of the Little's all day!) but it's even more wonderful to be home with my favorite husband and our own beds and routines.

Upside Down...

"...you know you turn me, inside out and round and round." Everytime I really look around our home, the Diva Dianna starts singing in my head.
There's drywall dust, painting supplies, toys, laundry and an extra stove and fridge on the main floor. Life has been upside down lately which is why I've been on hiatus so to speak. A week in my hometown at my mom's to escape while the renovations were under way and now we're back. It was wonderful to be with Mom (parenting is so much easier when there are two people to take care of the Little's all day!) but it's even more wonderful to be home with my favorite husband and our own beds and routines.

Easter Baby

R's first Easter. A super long weekend filled with family, food and fun. Too little for chocolate, R was content to watch the fun through the window. Sweet little Easter Baby.

Easter Baby

R's first Easter. A super long weekend filled with family, food and fun. Too little for chocolate, R was content to watch the fun through the window. Sweet little Easter Baby.

The Easter Raccoon

"He has tail. He has deep dark eyes."
W enjoys spending the odd day here and there in disguise. Religious and chocolate focused holidays are not exempt. So, here he is....Raccoon W.

The Easter Raccoon

"He has tail. He has deep dark eyes."
W enjoys spending the odd day here and there in disguise. Religious and chocolate focused holidays are not exempt. So, here he is....Raccoon W.

BIG KISSES!!!

It seems I have earned the reputation of the "Big Spanks!" Momma. Desperately, I want this to end. It's heartwrenching to think that's how my child views me. The punisher. So, wracking my brain to find a method of positive reiforcement, I came up with Big Kisses.
"If you LISTEN to Mommy on the FIRST TIME, what happens?"
"Big spanks!"
"No!!! Big KISSES" And then I deomonstrated by making a fish-lip face, walking towards hime with my hands in the air ready to embrace his little cheeks, I then kiss his whole face loudly and he GIGGLES uncontrollably. It's a hit. So I try it out. Leaving the room to put the babe down for his nap, with W in his highchair finishing breakfast, watching Treehouse, I let him know what I'm doing and to please leave his food on the tray (he always throws it on the floor when I'm not in the room) and to be quiet (no rocking and banging the chair on the floor)until I get back.
It WORKED!!! So I kissed his whole sweet face, loudly and quickly many, many times while his giggle warmed my heart. And when I was finished what did he say?
"More big kisses!?!"

Foot note:
The Big Kisses rewards worked on several occasions over the past couple of days, however, he still tells me about Big Spanks too. Ugh!!

BIG KISSES!!!

It seems I have earned the reputation of the "Big Spanks!" Momma. Desperately, I want this to end. It's heartwrenching to think that's how my child views me. The punisher. So, wracking my brain to find a method of positive reiforcement, I came up with Big Kisses.
"If you LISTEN to Mommy on the FIRST TIME, what happens?"
"Big spanks!"
"No!!! Big KISSES" And then I deomonstrated by making a fish-lip face, walking towards hime with my hands in the air ready to embrace his little cheeks, I then kiss his whole face loudly and he GIGGLES uncontrollably. It's a hit. So I try it out. Leaving the room to put the babe down for his nap, with W in his highchair finishing breakfast, watching Treehouse, I let him know what I'm doing and to please leave his food on the tray (he always throws it on the floor when I'm not in the room) and to be quiet (no rocking and banging the chair on the floor)until I get back.
It WORKED!!! So I kissed his whole sweet face, loudly and quickly many, many times while his giggle warmed my heart. And when I was finished what did he say?
"More big kisses!?!"

Foot note:
The Big Kisses rewards worked on several occasions over the past couple of days, however, he still tells me about Big Spanks too. Ugh!!