Victoria Day Weekend

Despite a gloomy forecast, our Victoria day weekend actually tuned out to be quite nice. There was enough sunshine for us to get out and about a bit each day. In fact, Daddy and Mommy both got mild sunburns!

Friday Night

We went out for dinner, and the kids were amazingly well behaved (unusual, but great). Andrea charmed the server with her pleases and thank yous, while Kevin provided the entertainment for people around us by grinning at people, and gnawing on everything in sight. His favourite items were the edge of the table (EW!) and the dessert menu (EW again--but at least you can see how that might be tempting). He is definitely teething again, but I don't see any new teeth yet.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, Aunt Stephanie called and we decided to get Isabelle and Andrea together for a playdate. They're really getting to a stage where it's fun to get them together, because they are interacting more now. They like to dance together, and run together, and play with toys (although we're still working on the sharing!).

It was so nice out that we decided to take Kevin and the girls to the carnival at the nearby mall. We took Andrea last year, and she loved the kiddie rides! In fact, Daddy had taken her over for a few rides on Friday night, too. This time, we all went together.

***

Andrea got to ride on the front of the miniature train, and ring the bell!

***

"Yay! It's my first visit to the carnival!"

Riding In Style

***

Kevin got to go on his first amusement ride, and he liked it!

***

Isabelle was a brave girl--she was afraid of the rides, but tried out the Strawberry. It was okay.

***

Daddy helped Andrea go through the bouncy crawler. Who had the most fun?

***

This is definitely the biggest slide Andrea's ever been on! She liked it.

***

Isabelle and Andrea played a boat and ducky fishing game. They did a great job--and both won a pink and white striped fish!

***

I had to add in the picture of Kevin feeding himself when we got home. Mmm . . . spaghetti sauce and peas! He spits out the noodles, or scrapes them out of his mouth; thus, the mess!

Sunday

On Sunday afternoon, we headed across the border to visit Aunt Donna and Uncle Greg. They had an awesome BBQ chicken and corn-on-the-cob meal for us. Mmmm . . .

But of course, what we really enjoyed was spending time together!

Andrea just adores her older cousins. Caitlin is 15, and Tyler is 10, so she looks up to them; and they give her lots of attention in return.

Aunt Donna bought Andrea a Dora pump-up sleepover bed, which Andrea immediately fell in love with. (In fact, it now appears to be permanently installed in the middle of our living room!) She wanted everyone to lay down and play "Good night/Go to sleep" and "Good morning/Wake up!" with her!

Caitlin and Andrea cuddling on the Dora bed

Caitlin, Tyler, and Andrea playing "Go to sleep!"

***

Yes, that is Aunt Donna hiding under the blanket and ball cap! Kevin enjoyed snuggling up with her to have his bottle. He DID NOT like the flash on Mommy's camera! ("Mom, I'm trying to RELAX here!)

***

Tyler was so excited, because he got to put on a little fireworks show for us. It worked out well that he was stocked up for the U.S. celebration next weekend!
***

Andrea truly appreciated Tyler's efforts. She insisted that everyone clap and say, "Yay!" after each firework. Tyler even gave her some sparklers, and Daddy helped her enjoy them safely.

Monday

It has been a busy day for us, but I just wanted to share an anecdote from bath time tonight:

Andrea has all kinds of pretend adventures in the bathtub, and gets very excited and chatters away to her toys as she bathes. Tonight, I heard her yell, "Help! Help! Get it off! It's crawling me!" It was time to get her out, anyway. But when I went in, she was curled up in one corner of the bathtub, and kept saying, "Get it off!" She had a toy bag draped on her arm, so I figured that's what she meant. But when I removed the toy bag, there was a SPIDER floating under it! Ewww! Andrea wanted to be removed from the tub immediately. When I saw how nervous she was, I tried to make a joke out of it: "Oh, the spider wanted to share your bubble bath, and visit such a nice little girl!" and "the Itsy Bitsy Spider came down your water spout!" (Meanwhile, I am inwardly shuddering and grimacing!) Andrea told me that the spider came in her bath, and "crawled my arm!"

But she's also telling Daddy and I that the spider was purple. ;-)

The Truth about Motherhood

This is one of the best poems I have ever read about motherhood. The author is unknown, but she was definitely a MOM.

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late
I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom,
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't worry whether or not my
plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been pooped on,
Spit up on,
Chewed on,
Peed on,
Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom,
I had complete control of myself;
My thoughts,
My body,
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't
want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew something so small could affect my
life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my
heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a
Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of
the night every ten minutes to make
sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
The joy,
The love,
The heartache,
The wonderment,
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so
much before I was a Mom.

I couldn't have said it better. :))

The Photographer's Subject

Grandma G. took this photo of Kevin the other day, when she had him over for a visit. She enhanced it with the sepia tone, and voila! C'est magnifique, n'est-ce pas? :))

Definitely Daddy's Girl!

Further evidence that Andrea is clearly Daddy's Girl:

About a week ago, Daddy showed Andrea the set of 5 card magnets he has on our fridge (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of Diamonds). He taught her what the Ace and face cards were, and to recognize number ten. Then I taught her about the suit (diamonds). Within 2 days, she could name them all, even out of order!

So, Daddy decided to take it to the next step. About two days ago, he brought a deck of cards upstairs. He began to go through naming random cards with her. It helped a lot that she was already able to recognize and name numbers one through nine. And the fridge magnets had helped her learn the Ace and face cards. So, he basically just had to teach her to recognize hearts, spades, and clubs. Hearts were easy too---she already knows that shape.

Well, within two days, she has learned to recognize and name any card in the deck, including the Jokers! Every once in a while, she still hesitates on the King, confusing it with the Jack (probably because they're both male figures on the cards).

Daddy says his next goal is to teach her to recognize the full house, trips, straight, flush, etc.

Look out, World Series of Poker 2026!

Here's a video I got of Andrea naming the cards.

A Simple, but Special, Moment

Andrea asked to have Kevin sit next to her on the rocking chair, so they could rock together. Then she told Daddy she wanted Mommy to take their picture!

How cute is that?!

Mommy's loving it. These sibling bonding moments are rare and precious!

Andrea's Swim Class

This morning I was able to go to swim class with Andrea and Daddy. I've been hearing about how well she's been doing, and I was anxious to see her in action.

She's pretty much fearless when it comes to jumping into the pool. She leaps off the edge and goes right under! Daddy's still there to catch her, but she loves jumping into the pool. She must have done it at least a dozen times during her half-hour lesson. None of the other kids in her class are doing that yet!

"Woohoo!"

(sorry the video is so dark--mostly natural light in there)

She is also good at blowing bubbles in the water, and swimming on her belly with Daddy's help. She's still not thrilled with floating/swimming on her back, but she's getting better.

Andrea will be starting aquatics class Preschool A in the Fall, when she'll be in a small group with an instructor--and no Daddy or Mommy! But I'm sure she'll be ready for that.

Kevin Making Friends: Real and Otherwise . . .

Yesterday morning, Kevin and I walked (well, he rode in the stroller) over to Michelle and Parker's for a playdate. There were five moms and babies there, most of whom we'd met before at swim class or the movies. Kevin was pretty shy and quiet for the first hour; he didn't make too much noise, or play with the toys, but he sat back and checked out the other babies. That seems to be his social style, in general. Then, once he got bored with watching, he finally decided to join in.

Kevin, Jackson, and Parker

It was a bit hard for Kevin to play with Jackson and Parker, because those two are always on the move: proficient crawlers who are cruising furniture, and almost walking! But Kevin found a good companion in Sadie, who just turned six months old, so she isn't mobile yet, either.

Kevin and Sadie didn't say too much to each other, but they were also the two quietest babies there, so I think their personalities suited each other well.

They spent a lot of time touching and examining each other's clothes and faces. Like I said, they both seem like quiet observers, exploring and absorbing it all in their own solemn fashion.

That isn't to say Kevin wasn't involved in some good, old-fashioned baby mayhem. When Sadie went for a diaper change, Kevin and Jackson got into the extra baby food Jackson's mom brought to share with the group. Apparently, the plastic containers make great stacking and rolling toys!

***

I think yesterday's playdate sparked Kevin's interest in other babies. I show him Baby-Kevin-in the-mirror all the time, but he usually doesn't react, until he notices Mommy-in-the-mirror (and then he smiles). Today, during Andrea's nap, I went to put away some laundry. I suddenly heard Kevin squealing and jumping around like crazy in his exersaucer. I went in the living room to see what he was so excited about. He had discovered a new friend . . .

. . . Kevin-in-the-TV!

You have to watch the video to see just how thrilled he was by the appearance of this new playmate! :))

Aunt Stephanie's 30th Birthday

On Saturday, we went to Aunt Stephanie's house to celebrate her 30th birthday. Daddy had to work, so Gram and Grandpa gave us a ride out there. I think Gram was causing trouble in the back seat. She was sitting in between Kevin and Andrea's car seats, and Andrea kept saying, "Hands away! Hands away!" because Gram was tickling her!

***

Uncle Tony's family were at the party, too. His 2-year-old nephew, Adam, is generous with his hugs; but Andrea's got a major preoccupation with other kids invading her personal space. Poor Adam--he kept trying to hug her, and she would yell or push him away! But once Andrea got distracted by her cousin Isabelle's new climber/slide, she relaxed and played nicely with the others.

The climber/slide was a big hit with the kids, and they also had fun playing with some beach balls and soccer balls in the yard.

The static electricity from sliding made Andrea's hair stand right up!

***

Isabelle's having fun at her mommy's birthday party!

(By the way, Andrea usually calls her Izzy. Many people at the party were calling her Isabelle. So, Andrea came up with her own blend: "Izzy-belle!")

***

Kevin liked watching the kids play, and he got to play with a ball, too. (Adam made sure he had one to play with. He was so cute with Kevin--hugging him and bringing him toys.) Grandpa and Kevin sat together and enjoyed the sunshine. The sunglasses Mommy bought for Kevin this week are getting a lot of use, thanks to the good weather we've had!

***

"Happy Birthday, Aunt Stephanie!" Isabelle and Andrea helped her blow out the candles.

***

Mmm . . . berries and ice cream . . . so good . . .

***

You know how I mentioned the kids liked playing with the soccer balls? Well, so did the BIG kids. Tony and Rod (who arrived after work) got into a competition to see who could head-butt the soccer ball the longest distance across the yard. Geez. Men.

At The Park & Kevin "Singing"

At The Park

We took advantage of the return of nice weather and took a walk to the park. Gram and Grandpa G. joined us. Grandpa pulled Andrea in the wagon, stopping frequently to give her a mini-marshmallow or Smarties to eat. (Talk about travelling in style!) Gram walked with me and Kevin, who was enjoying a stroller ride.


The kids love the swings (well, it's all Kevin can go on--but Andrea really does love them!). Grandpa does fun things like push Andrea really high, spell out her name in the sand, make her swing go crooked, and give her mid-air high fives!

***

Kevin is still more of an observer. He likes the swings now, but they seem to relax him more than excite him. He likes to sit in the swings and watch all the people in the park. Today, I gave him my sunglasses to play with and he didn't want to give them up!

(nice face in the above picture, eh?)

***

We're encouraging Andrea to try out the "big girl" swings. This is the second time she's been on them. She's still pretty nervous, and will only stay on for a minute or two. She hangs on tight and keeps her eyes on the ground!

***

Kevin "Singing"

Kevin's very vocal this week. It's amazing how the babbling has suddenly gone into overdrive, and we hear a constant stream of "Mum-ma" and "D-D-Da" at home. Of course, he never does it for the camera, or when anyone else is around!

The other sounds he's been making lately are just plain funny. I call one of the sounds his "singing"--it's hard to describe. The other sound is this weird, deep, wheezy inhalation that he makes; it's just goofy-sounding! Naturally, he would do the silly stuff for the camera:

Silly Kevin!

Kevin's really starting to show his personality. Overall, I find him very serious and studious; he wants to investigate everything, and usually babbles quietly to himself. He can also be very stubborn, and is not shy about expressing his opinion when he's displeased. For example, if you try to take away something he's examining, or a toy he wants to play with, he will yell at you!

Then again, when he's not teething, he's a content little guy. He's usually quiet, and has lots of smiles for the people he knows and loves. He also appreciates surprises and funny faces! Sometimes I think he has a bit of a mischievous side . . . I have a feeling the phrase "It's always the quiet ones" will be applicable in the future!

We love to make Kevin smile and laugh. He has the best dimple in his right cheek!

Kevin's silliness was in high gear last night. At supper time, I was trying to get him to say "Mama," but his new favourite word is "Dada." He also likes to get the spoon halfway in his mouth and blow bubbles into his food! It's ridiculously messy, but I think it must feel good on his gums or something.

Here's a video of Kevin during dinner yesterday. Note his reaction to my coaxing, and the arc he achieves with some of his food spray!

***

I took some pictures of Kevin after his bath last night. I was trying to get him to smile nicely for me, but he was too busy laughing at my assistant (Brigitte), and he was thrilled to be sans diaper! I think the pictures turned out great anyway. :))

Big Feet & Little Feet

Big Feet: I recently found a pair of my slippers under the bed. I remember I had hidden them there about a year ago, because I was tired of Andrea stealing them, and leaving them in odd places. The last time she had them, she couldn't even walk yet (14 months old) so she wore them on her hands. :)) As soon as she saw them again, they were on her feet! They looked ridiculous, but I was impressed she could walk so well in them, considering they are even big and awkward on MY feet!
She has also become attached to my summer robe, which she calls my "Princess Dress." I can only wear it until she spots it--then I have to surrender it to the little dress-up queen.

***

Little Feet: Kevin's little feet were going crazy this morning in his exersaucer. He was in a really good mood, and it looked like he was dancing! It made think of Flashdance and the song "Maniac." Of course, the more and the sillier I sang it, the more Kevin kicked his legs!

***

When I went to pull up that baby picture of Andrea and the slippers, I was amazed at how much her pictures looked like Kevin--but in pink. :))

She was fairer, and her face was a bit rounder (she did weigh more than him at this age), but the eyes, nose, and eyebrows are almost identical!

Kevin's (not quite) First Trip to the Park

I wanted to call this "Kevin's First Trip to the Park," because it's the first time he could actually do something at the park. However, he was there several times before, as an infant. Here's a picture of Kevin's real first visit to the park, when he was one month old. All he could do back then was suck on his fingers!

Now, Kevin's eight months old, and he could try out the slide and swings and for the first time!

This is fun!

***

Mama, I'm not so sure about this . . .

Is this thing secured safely?

***

Michelle and Parker met Andrea, Kevin, and I at the park this afternoon. Again, I can't help but think back to the first time we met up at a park, when the boys were about 2 months old. It was Fall, so they were all snuggled up in their strollers.

Things have changed quite a lot! They're big boys who can play on the swings now. Parker had a riot; he was laughing, and sticking out his tongue, and leaning forward in his seat. Kevin was more cautious; his face was serious, studying everything, absorbed in his surroundings. He was so busy taking it all in, that I couldn't get his attention to encourage a smile!

Parker: "Yahoo!"
Kevin: "If I scrunch down some more, maybe I won't fall out!"

***
Kevin: "Parker, what do you think?"
Parker: "I like it, Buddy!"

***

Look at us! No hands!

***

When it was time to go, Parker was tired out from all the fun. Kevin was just happy to be back on solid ground. (He's finally smiling!)

***

When we got home, Andrea wanted to ride her bicycle for a bit. Kevin was very interested in the proceedings.

Kevin: "Hmm . . . where can I get one of those?"

Andrea: "Don't even think about it, Buddy!"