Ben meets a fire truck

A few nights ago we had some family adventure...not like we are ever adventure-less with the boys in the house lately!  In the middle of the night...well close to 1am...I had almost fallen asleep as I had been hit with a nice little stomach flu that day (which thankfully behaved itself during this time!).  Suddenly I heard alarms going on downstairs...multiple alarms...not a good thing to be awakened too.  And Brad was none impressed when I woke him up to check it out:)  We went down to find two alarms going on in our stairwell going to the basement...one smoke alarm and one carbon monoxide detector.  In deciding what to do...we went back to bed...as I said Brad was none too impressed to be awakened.

After a little bit, we went back down to figure things out.  And the only option, was 911...how stupid!  We didn't know what was going on...but were a little worried with the carbon monoxide detector going off.  Thankfully 911 didn't bring the whole shebang of emergency vehicles out (I hate being a spectacle...and that would have made one)...so they just contacted our local fire department...and in the meantime they told us that we definitely had to get out of the house in case of carbon monoxide.  So here we are standing in the front yard at 1am with the boys wrapped in blankets waiting for the fire trucks to arrive. 

Ben was so excited when the fire trucks drove up...his dream come true!  There must have been at least 6 firemen there for our "non-fire"...but in they went with gas masks and hose  They were here for close to an hour and other than saying the battery was dead in one of the alarms (which doesn't make much sense since just before they came it was definitely alarming)...nothing was found.  How embarrassing!!  Thankfully it all happened at night when not many people would have noticed...but I'm sure someone told the town about it...probably the vehicle that drove by 3 times before going back home across the street:) But I'm still thankful we checked into it...rather be sure, than dead.  So, we were back in bed before the fire trucks left our yard.

The crazy thing is the alarms have now gone off a few times since (we found out our carbon monoxide alarm is actually duel, both fire and carbon monoxide so it must have been the smoke detector part going off).  It has always gone off now when the dryer is going, which is really odd as obviously we've used the dryer many times since we've moved here.  All the more excuse to get our laundry moved upstairs!  So for now, we'll just know when the clothes are dry by the sound of the smoke detector:)

Heartbreak, fear...and GUILT

Last week Friday I decided to take the boys to Warman for a quick shopping trip....never again!  Not because of the expensive prices, but because of the trauma that came out of the shopping experience.  If I'm alone with the boys I only grocery shop at Superstore or Costco for the primary reason that they have double-seated carts.  There is no way I would be able to shop and have Benjamin running free...it would be disastrous and extremely stressful!  But the grocery store in Warman only has one-seated carts...the two level kind of carts.  So I decided for this one time I would let Ben sit in the bottom level of the cart.  He was doing really good at sitting in the bottom so I was pretty happy with the experience...till...he was playing with a box of cereal and it slipped out of his hands and he flipped out of the cart after it...flat on his back slamming his head on the hard cement floor.  It was one of the most terrifying moments so far as a parent!  And did he ever scream...and scream...and scream!!  And he clung to me as he never has before.  It took all my might to keep the tears back, as my heart just broke for him and the pain (or just the fright) he was experiencing. Having your child hurt is a feeling that is unexplainable...it's a horrible horrible feeling of pain! 

And as I'm walking around the store with this 2 year old clung around my waist...wailing...I couldn't help but feel immense GUILT for what was happening.  I knew that it wasn't a good idea to put him in the cart, but yet because I didn't feel like I had another choice at the time, I did it anyways.  All I could think about was what if he would have permanent damage from this fall?  What if he had a internal bleed?  Imagine the GUILT then?  I've often felt guilt as a parent, but never this strong of guilt.  After about an hour he settled down and was absolutely fine the rest of the day.

But the next day was another story.  We woke him up in the morning because he already had slept way past his normal wake time...and I was nervous about him having a concussion.  He woke in a wretched mood!  He's not a morning person, but this was not his normal morning mood...something was up.  He wouldn't eat or drink and he had a fever.  After a dose of Tylenol he seemed to perk up, so we weren't too worried.  I think the nurses in us maybe don't worry enough...and I don't want to be one of those people that run their kids to the ER for small petty reasons.  So we just kept him at home and he seemed okay.  But by the time he got up from his afternoon nap, something was seeming to be obviously wrong.  He immediately asked to lay on the couch...not like Ben at all...his fever was up again and then he started complaining about his eyes hurting...and then out of no wheres his nose started to drip clear fluid.  Then the nurse fear set in...was something really wrong and we left it too long?!!  Even more GUILT set in!  I packed him in the car and rushed him to the ER...by the time we saw the nurse and then waited another 3 hours to see a doctor his fever had gone down and he was feeling a lot better.  Thank goodness.  So, in the end thankfully everything is fine with his head...it took a day or two, but he's back to normal now.  And he was diagnosed early with tonsillitis, so that's why he had the fevers and had no appetite. 

I've learned my lesson with carts...and the fear of something happening again (and the guilt that I felt) definitely will make me never do it again.  I guess if other grocery stores want my business in the next year or so, they are going to have to change their carts!

Life...

It seems like life has just been so busy lately...but I'm sitting here trying to figure out what we've been doing.  It seems that all we do is work!  Between Brad and I we are working 4-5 12 hour shifts a week and it feels like one of us is always at work.  It's been almost 2 months now that we've been done the maternity/paternity leaves...and I think I'm slowly adjusting to life as it's going to be.  I've toyed the idea of trying a different job...but that would just mean the need for child care and right now I'm just not ready for that.  I would have such a hard time leaving my kids...I know it's mostly because I'm a bit controlling regarding them and would not like giving that control over to someone else. 

So this is life...and even though it sounds like I was complaining about life...life is pretty darn good!  It's a busy household and just getting busier as Levi learns to walk and get around more.  He is our climber and we have to watch out for him.  His new thing is climbing out of the high chair...Brad found him standing on the table holding onto the back of the chair.  I guess it's time for the 5 point harness!  He's slowly learning to take a few steps...but I'm not pushing him too hard to walk...I know life is going to get a lot more busy when he does!

Benjamin...he's entered the "tantrum" phase of life.  It's been sometimes embarrassing but yet incredibly humorous.  I'm sure hoping this phase exits for him before it enters for Levi!!  We took Benjamin on a little vacation to Bismarck a few weeks back to watch Brad run a half-marathon.  Ben has become a much better traveler...it's amazing what Dora and a portable DVD player can do!  This was the first time we've attempted sleeping in the same room as him in the hotel (since he was a baby)...it was so humorous listening to him try to go to sleep...singing, talking to himself...finally after many conversations with himself he settled to sleep. 

Brad and I are excited to have the opportunity to go on two vacations in the few months.  Winnipeg in a few weeks (only for a weekend) and then on a cruise to Bermuda for a week!  Thanks to my sister, mom and dad who willingly are watching the boys so we can take a little break!  It's going to be great...I'm counting down the days!

mmm....peaches!

One of my fond memories of childhood is homemade canned peaches.  And thankfully I have been able to carry this on for our kids.  My mom and I canned 2 cases - 48 quarts of peaches...and I don't think they'll last to long!  The boys love them!!  So much that Levi licks his high chair tray clean!

Levi's First Injury:(

Yesterday, I was really looking forward to going to work!  I was definitely ready for a little toddler break!  It ended up being a horrendous day at work and being at home probably would have been a lot better:(  But I survived it.  I have found out that being part-time is actually kind of challenging because I always feel out of the loop and when I come on shift I have a lot more to pick up on than the staff that are there full-time.  It kind of sucks...but I'm still not planning on full-time any time soon.  After one day away from the boys, I'm ready to be with them again:)

So this morning I was excited to have a relaxing morning with all my boys...something that doesn't happen as often anymore.  I was privileged to be able to sleep in a little bit as Brad got up with Levi...that is till I was awoken by a horrible scream coming from Levi.  You know when something isn't right...Levi makes sure to let you know!  This time is was one of those cries.  Brad had decided to light the wood stove since it was a cool morning.  Up till this point we haven't lit it and it has been very hard to keep him away from playing near it.  He was doing really well at staying away and Brad turned his back on him just once and he took his escape and put his hands on the stove!  He didn't burn then horribly, but the left enough to be really red and probably will blister. He screamed and screamed and screamed...every time he bent his hand it must have really hurt.  Finally after an hour of him crying Brad went to Saskatoon to get some burn supplies to hopefully make him feel more comfortable.  After another hour of crying Brad got home and we wrapped his tiny little hand...he was quite amused with the procedure and it must have helped a lot because he was instantly back to his happy happy self.  What a horrible thing to see your kid suffer.  And this was just a little burn.  It sure makes me consider what it possibly could be like to have something serious happen!  I don't know how I would handle it?

Our Birthday Boy!

It's a little late...but yes my little baby is no longer...he's now one!!  I can't believe how fast (but yet slow) this last year has been.  Levi is definitely not a baby anymore...not walking yet but getting into enough already...he can hold off walking as long as he wants.  As he just proved...as I was writing this it was a bit too quiet and I found him playing in the toilet!  Yuck!  He adds so much to our lives! 

We held off his birthday party because being summer everyone is busy.  He's going to have to get used to delayed birthdays or small birthdays because of having an August birthday.  So we had it a few weeks late...he doesn't know the difference.  He did really well with the attention...he likes attention.  I thought he'd demolish his cake but nope...he slowly picked at it with his little stubby fingers.  That is until we gave him a fork which is his new thing.  He's a little too young for a fork but he seems to think he needs one.  I made him a dump truck cake...it didn't turn out like I had planned, but it tasted good so that's all that counts.  And I made him his own "1" cake.

He got lots of new toys, which Ben had a hard time with.  He was a little bit jealous that these were "Levi's" new toys and not his.  But all in all...they will both use them and that's okay.

The boys also had a great visit with their cousins from Thompson MB.  We don't get to see them very often so it was a wonderful treat to have them here for a few days.  The boys definitely got their share of attention!!

Normal life begins...

As of yesterday Brad was back at work.  I'm pretty sure he was okay with going back to work...I think he was in need of the occasional break from the life of a stay-at-home father.  Me on the other hand was thoroughly enjoying going to work a day or two a week and then coming home to my kids and husband for the other days.  I think it would be a perfect world if we really didn't have to work to survive...but I have come to the conclusion that it isn't that perfect world and we need to work in order to survive and enjoy life as a family.  It's funny how quickly you become used to life a certain way.  I'm not used to being here at home by myself with the boys anymore...and I'm sitting here wondering what I'm going to do with them all morning.  Before I went back to work Levi was still always having a morning nap, and now he's not.  Thank goodness the boys are very good at entertaining each other and for the most part get along.

How 10 weeks can change a little boy.  My routine in the morning (before I went back to work) was to leave Levi in my bed and go have a shower...now there is no way I could leave him in the bed alone...he'd be over the edge in a matter of seconds.  He's become quite the climber.  We actually thought he may have had a concussion last week because of a big fall down the stairs that he had decided to learn to climb when we didn't know he could...and then preceded to fall down them.  Then the same day he was trying to climb on top of the wood piano bench...I heard a big thud and came into the room to see only Levi's feet with his chest and head underneath the piano bench on the floor.  Not a pretty site.  Needless to say he had a few big purple goose eggs on his forehead.  Poor boy.  I think he's going to be a bit more mischievous than Ben ever was.

Anyways...our new "normal" life has begun.  I am intending to only as much as I have/want to and that way we don't have to worry about babysitters/daycare.  I hope this works out.  I'm sure after a few weeks we'll be adjusted and life will be normal again.

Camping again

We just got back from what could possibly be our last camping trip this year...how is it August already!??  We took of to Rosthern Valley Regional Park...kind of like being back at home for me.  It's a great little park...really quiet and close to home for us.  Plus it's close to my parents, who seem to love being around their grandboys.

It was a beautiful warm weekend, which was a great plus!  We spent Monday morning at the Rosthern Town Fair...which used to be such a highlight for me as a child.  In some way not much has changed, but yet it definitely isn't what it used to be.  We went to the parade in the morning because Benjamin loves horses, music, people...and of course candy.  But he didn't like it nearly as much as we had planned.  It was great at first...the bagpipe band came by first and he just loved it...but after only a few floats there was a float that's mascot was a huge gopher.  He tried to come up to Benjamin to say "hi" but Benjamin freaked!!  He bolted from his seat and ran to the first open arms he could find.  So he sat with my great-aunt the rest of the parade...peaking from one eye behind his hat.  Poor boy!  On the other hand...Levi loved the parade...he just sat on the curb and took it all in.  It's so funny how different the boys are.  I think Levi is going to be a bit more of a risk-taker.

After the parade we hit the fair grounds for the petting zoo, the park, and some great burgers and ball.  Levi just loves the swings...and as usual Benjamin hates them!  He screams and screams...but yet Levi is in his glory.  We watched some ball and ate some lunch...and then Benjamin made a memory for us that I don't think we'll ever forget.  Ben and I were going to go to the washroom because he really had to go...but on the way he got very distracted by the German Concordia Band.  And he just started to dance.  He dances at home to everything including the noises his trucks make...he loves to dance.  We have no idea where he got this from.  Obviously my mennoniteness makes me a non-dancer and Brad isn't a dancer either...so it must be his distant Newfieness coming out in him!  But I could not drag him away...he would dance a whole song and cheer with all his might when the song would end.  And then he'd go up to the band and chatter to them in between the songs.  At one point he picked up a napkin from the ground and was trying to hand it to one of the band members as if he was giving them some money.  Finally I had to rip him away from them because he still really had to pee.  He definitely was a spectacle.  I never ever envisioned my kid to be the kid doing something that everyone was standing around watching...it's just not like Brad and I at all!

We were able to leave the boys at my parents for night...so we were able to sleep in until 9:30...what a wonderful wonderful thing!  This just prepared us for the next day when Levi awoke us at 4:58...and bit too early.  And then he decided to take a big tumble off our bed as he climbed over the two bag high barrier we had made for him....giving him a huge bump on his nose and forehead as he hit the step going into the bed on to way to the floor.  This kind our camping trip to the end with a big "bang"!  It was time to go home so Levi again was free to roam. 

Relaxing in the Mountains

We just got back yesterday from our first "mountain" camping trip with the boys...I love making memories like these!  It was kind of a dismal week weather-wise, but it still ended up being such a wonderful vacation.  I wasn't too sure when we arrived at our campground...the beginning was a little rough.  The first thing that we saw was a grizzly bear hanging out (holding up traffic) going into the campground.  At this point we didn't care about no bear...we just wanted to get to our campsite and get the screaming kids out of the van...but no...it's like people have never seen a bear before!  Finally we got to the water station to fill up the camper and right in front of the van runs a grizzly bear!  Not a good start for me as I am usually more that a little paranoid and frightened of bears!  I told Brad we were going to turn around and go home because this was too dangerous!  We didn't...thanks to my ever-calm husband.  And from then on, never saw a bear again...other than a black bear that ran by our camper while we were sleeping in the camper one afternoon...gladly we just heard about it from our camping neighbors.

The "neighbors" ended up being Benjamin's new buddies.  They had 2 boys around ages 5 and 7, and a little girl around age 3.  The boys took Ben under their wings and played with him whenever we were both at the campsite at the same time.  And the little girl and Benjamin had a thing going on...I looked over and there they were walking away from the campsites hand in hand...oh so sweet!  It was great that Benjamin had playmates...he's so used to having Levi to play with now it was a little lonely for him as we had to keep Levi more contained than usual.  The moment we would put Levi on the ground he was immediately pick up a rock to eat...so he was cooped up in the playpen...not fun for him.

Our bundled up boys.  Levi was the attraction for the tourists...they would say "oh...now we can say we saw a little brown bear!"

We took one day to go up the mountain in the tram...it was not really a nice ride.  No seats...so we had to hold both boys the entire way up and they crammed as many people as possible in it...and it did not smell too nice!  Not exactly a nice ride up the mountain...rather I was wishing it was done.  It was completely foggy at the top...you couldn't see a thing...it was a little disappointing.  But we got some food and the moment we sat down it was like God gave us a little gift and the fog suddenly disappeared and you could see everything.  It was great!

The boys in front of a glacier

Benjamin loved the puddles much more than the waterfalls!

The next two days we did some "hiking" and touristy sites.  The first days hike was very frustrating!  Brad asked which hike would be stroller-friendly.  And there was one trail that had a small amount of roots that you could easily go over and other than that a great trail...NOT!  I think every root from every tree around that path went through the path.  We tried for a short while to push the stroller but ended up lifting it up most of the time to get over the roots.  Finally we ended up carrying the stroller and the boys.  Thankfully we had great friends along to help us out!  We each had something to carry so it made the hike even more of a work-out!  The second hike we took up to a glacier was much more stroller friendly.  We even saw an avalanche from way up in the mountain...thankfully not close to us.

We loved every moment we spent with out boys...but the evenings were always the most "relaxing".  Sitting around the fire with great friends...enjoying great camping food...chatting.  A feeling of being refreshed.  I just love camping.  By the time yesterday came we wished we would have stayed longer...but all good things have to come to an end I guess.  Here's to next year!

Life post...

It’s been a typical morning, everyone has pooped, pee’d, been changed, fed, clothed and washed and instructed (which for the most part seems pointless). Levi is back down for the first nap of the day, and Ben is currently playing with his toys after about half an hour of cuddles with dad while dad has been whiling his time away on the computer trying to fix mistakes made the day before. Mom is working, someone has to work, and dad is on paternity leave, so dad is at home. This is the way of the modern world.

To update from last post, Levi seems to be coming around. He didn’t vomit yesterday, and has yet to vomit today. Still an occasional throaty wet cough that has dad on edge and worried that everything he fought to get down Levi’s throat is going to come back up, all over the floor (really appreciating wood floors right now), but otherwise Levi seems in better spirits all around and is back to his normal self, pulling himself around on his little butt with one arm and two legs. In the morning the first thing to do with Levi is crack open the Tupperware drawer because that is where he’s going to head, where he starts pulling and spreading Tupperware all over the kitchen…which is allowable, simply because dad gets to enjoy his coffee, read his devotional, or as stated earlier, while away his time on the computer, and happily listen to Levi grunt and gurgle in fascination of lids and tight fitting dishes.

Benjamin on the other hand sleeps till close to nine am, which is certainly a happy circumstance for all in the family. He also poops his pants. When asked if he pooped his pants this morning (prompted by a rank odor filling the room), he simply and affirmatively states “yes”. When asked why he didn’t poop in the potty, he tilts his head, looks at dad and seems to question “oop in da otty??”, as if such a notion is new and completely foreign to him. Dad then goes on to explain that it’s more comfortable, less messy, and ultimately quicker to poop in the potty. “OK” says Ben, “oop in da otty.” Good times.

Levi is still sleeping, Dad is looking forward to checking the mail and mowing the front lawn, and Ben is watching Sid the science kid. The big summer camping trip is fast approaching, Jasper here we come…woowhoo.

My poor boy Levi

We've had a rough go with Levi lately...and I'm hoping it's attached to teething.  I'm hoping someone has some advice for us, or at least a similar story.  When he starts teething he get so congested in his throat...he gurgles.  It doesn't seem to bother him at all.  But it does seem to really irritate his gag reflex.  At times when he tries to swallow, it's almost like the saliva in the back of his throat gets in the way and he projectile vomits everywhere...it's so gross...and terrifying for Levi.  You know you love your child when you sit and let them vomit all over you and it doesn't seem to matter.  All I can do is cry watching him vomit and vomit.  It happens once or twice a day for a few days and then the teething symptoms pass and he's okay again.  This has repeated itself a few times already...and he still only 2 teeth!  I feel so bad for my little man!!  I'm hoping it passes soon!  Thankfully he has a lot of chubby reserves to get him through:)

Vacation??

I don't think the word "vacation" really exists when you are traveling with little kids!!  It's not "respite" as Websters dictionary defines it as!  I find it almost more stressful that our normal life here at home. 

We took a trip to Manitoba a few weeks back...and what a disaster the trip was!  I had always said I would never use a DVD player to keep my kids content on a long trip...but I definitely changed my mind after this trip!  You parents that have kids that fall asleep the instant the vehicle starts moving...you are extremely blessed.  Both our kids are not sleepers, which makes traveling painful and slow.  On an 8 hour trip we are lucky if Benjamin sleeps 15 minutes...Levi maybe an hour.  Which means that there is a lot of screaming coming from the back of the van.  So...I gave in and we bought a DVD player for our trip back from Manitoba...and what a sanity saver it has been!!

We just got back from a trip to Calgary, primarily to take Benjamin to the zoo...he's been very intrigued with animals lately...so we thought a little vacation would be nice...haha...vacation.  The DVD player did help, but Benjamin did not sleep a wink the entire trip...and by the time we got there, all he wanted to do was run around...all we wanted to do was sit down for a nice relaxing supper.  "Relaxing" just isn't a word that goes with eating in restaurants these days.  Benjamin doesn't want to sit, let alone eat...and Levi's at the grabby stage so nothing on the table stays on the table and he too just doesn't want to sit.  So our nice relaxing meal, turned into taking the food to go and eating in the hotel room.  Thankfully we got a suite hotel room...I don't know if there is any other way.  There is no way we would be able to keep our boys asleep if we were in the same room...I think we'd have to hang out in the bathroom until we were ready to sleep! 

The only thing is that the moment Levi wakes up in the morning...which as clockwork is a few minutes after 6am...Ben wakes up too.  And Ben is not a graceful waker-upper...and when he's woken up 2 hours earlier than normal, the whining is 10-fold it seems.  But we survived, and made it out the door plenty early to get to the zoo.

And it made it worth the trip...I think.  Ben loved the animals, but if they didn't move he wouldn't notice them.  We'd point and point and he just wouldn't follow what we were trying to get him to see.  Half the time he was more enthralled with the fences and gates and all the people around him.  But it was so great to see him enjoying himself.  And Levi just took it in, and had a little nap.

We all attempted to have a nap in the afternoon...but as usual Levi's late morning nap wrecked our chance to nap in the afternoon and he kept Ben from napping properly.  I've determined that sleep and vacation are just not words that go together!  In the evening Ben got to hang out with his second-cousin  and we had a nice visit with my cousin and her husband.

By bedtime we were wasted and so incredible happy to put the boys to bed!  And as usual were awakened by our 6am alarm...Levi.  And started another day of glorious traveling.  By the last hour of driving both boys were so tired, they were both screaming in the back, preventing the other from sleeping.  And Brad and I were blaring the radio from the front trying to drown them out.  We made it home and the boys were happy as could be...free to roam free.

And today we reminisce with fond memories.  Even though road trips are definitely not what they used to be...they bring so many memories that we will cherish forever.

Just in time...

Today is officially my last day EVER of maternity leave...and I'm finding it a lot harder to go back to work this time around.  Maybe for that same reason...I know that I will never have maternity leave again...or lets hope I don't.  The last time I went back to work I was already pregnant with Levi, so it was really just a countdown to being off work again.  This time, there is no countdown, it's just life as it is.

And for some reason, Levi feels younger at 9 1/2 months than Benjamin did...I think I just compare him more to Benjamin and that makes him seem that much younger.  With Benjamin, the first thing I missed was his first crawl.  I got home from work one morning and just a little earlier Ben decided to crawl across the room.  I was so sad to have missed it!  Now with Levi...he's not crawling yet either.  But yet somehow he's been getting across the room to the satellite box and DVD player...always when we aren't in the room!  Well...we figured it out today...he's a bum scootcher!  And so cute!  So I feel a little better now (a very small bit) about going back to work, now that I didn't miss this one small milestone.  But yet after being alone with the boys for a lot of the last week, I'm ready for some "adultness" in my life too.  And Brad will have the opportunity to spend more time with the boys...which is such a blessing...something that I would never withhold from him.

So tomorrow it is...back to the grind.  I was going to say "back to the early mornings"...but work could actually be classified as sleeping-in these days since Levi seems to be our early bird, awake before 6am each morning.  That's one thing about kids, they change your perspective about time and what sleeping in is!!  One day I'll sleep till 7 again...hopefully!

First Family Camping

We had a fabulous weekend...going out for the first time camping with the boys.  And our first time taking our camper out...and what a blessing it was...I can't imagine tenting with two little kids!  The weather was beautiful and the bugs not horrible so that made the experience all the better.  We went down to a small regional park just as hour from home so the trip was nice and quick.

We spent most of our time just "relaxing"...if you want to call constantly running after Benjamin relaxing.  He loved it out there.  Thankfully we had some helping hands in the site next to us, so he was often occupied which made our life a lot easier!  And it worried us a bit less when we suddenly couldn't find him...which happened quite often.  A leash may be in order for the next camping trip!  But he loved it out there...playing in the leaves, eating dirt, kicking balls, sticking his hands in the fire...things that little boys do.  The only things we have to work on now is getting rid of his fear of water and swings...then we'll be set.

Levi was wonderful...much more content than at home...makes me think I should stick him out on the deck more often!  I think he had so many new things to see that he forgot that we wasn't being entertained by us.  The only thing that did not go as well as we had hoped was sleeping.  Levi was up at 5:45 each morning...which isn't abnormal, but I think we were hoping being outside all day would make him sleep better...I guess not.  And with him being up that early, Ben pops up next to him with his sweet "hi" and then there is no getting him back to bed either.  So by the time the campground started coming alive we'd already had bacon and eggs and were ready for a nap!

Despite the lack of sleep we look forward to our next camping experiences with the boys and creating hopefully memories they will remember fondly for their lifetime.

Giggles

Ben loves to "paint" with his paintbrush and paint can (aka. baby food jar).  I came into the kitchen to hear loads of giggles...Ben was "painting" Levi's highchair and Levi thought it was so funny.  As Levi laughed Ben thought it was funnier too.  I just love seeing the interactions starting between them...it's just so fun to see!

The Gift of my Mom

This morning was a wonderful Mother's Day morning...the gift was Levi sleeping until 7:30am...which is unheard of...he's our little early bird.  Mind you, he decided in the middle of the night to be awake, so really he just let me/us make up the time he kept us up during the night.  But no matter what...I slept till 7:30!

As my boys get older I love being a mom more and more.  I have found the first months of both boys lives extremely stressful and can't say that I've loved them (the months, not the boys!).  I love my boys...and I love being a mom.  I love having Ben repeatedly say "hi" to me throughout the day...as if it's the first time in the day he's seen me.  I love his giggles and his energy.  I love being the one he clings to when he's sad.  And Levi, he's my boy.  He loves being held, and even though at times I don't like that about him, I love his cuddles.  He gets so excited when you come into the room, knowing that hopefully he will be picked up and held.  I love his smiles and his tongue smacks.  They are my boys and I love them to bits...and hope that I will always be able to be there for them throughout all the times of their lives.

This morning they played a beautiful song called, "When you come home" and it talks about a mom always being there for her son...always being there when he needs her.  And it really got me thinking...and quite teary...thinking about how blessed I am.  I can't imagine how life would be without my mom.  When I was in grade 6, I remember the day very vividly.  My dad waking me up in the morning to tell me that my mom (who was in visiting in Winnipeg at the time) had suddenly become very ill and she was being flown back home.  After 2 long weeks, they found a brain aneurysm.  It was a very long recovery and it was quite tough on my sister, dad and I.  I am so very very thankful and blessed that my mom survived and that we didn't have to go through our teens without a mom.  Those were such difficult years for me and I don't think I could have gotten through the struggles I did without her being there!  Life would have been much much different.  It makes Mother's Day a lot more meaningful.  Love you mom!

A New Venture

As of today I have one month left of maternity leave...then Brad will take the rest in paternity leave.  I'm very okay with this as I only have 1/3 position, meaning I only go to work one day a week...pretty sweet!  I think I'm looking forward to it...at least on days like these where I feel like I've been put through the ringer by a very moody, teething, crabby, constantly yelling 2 year old...I can't believe how draining that can be.  But I still love him...one moment he's screaming and the next coming over and giving his two shouldered hugs.  He leans and gives a hug on one shoulder saying "ah" while he does it and then proceeds to your other shoulder to do the same...it's like a British hug.

But on to my new venture.  I really do not like the idea of working too much out of the home so I have/had been thinking for quite awhile of what I could do from the home.  Nursing isn't really a career you can stay home and do.  I still wanted to do something I felt passionate about and somehow still related to health care.  As I have been cleaning our house (and being that it's 2 times the size of our old house it seems I clean alot!) I realize how much I love my Norwex products!  If you haven't heard of them...you need to!  Working in oncology has really prodded me to move to less chemicals in my home, and having kids has made that a priority too...and that is where Norwex comes in...you can clean your house pretty much with water...no chemicals!  It has been so wonderful...not only good for the environment but more importantly great for our family.

So...as of this week I am officially a sales consultant for Norwex!  It's weird to be so excited about something...but I feel that everyone needs to know about this!  I am still officially on maternity leave so won't be technically starting until the end of May but if you have any questions or would like to book a party (which by the way gives you loads and loads of free stuff!) let me know.  I have a new business e-mail address too...vivsnorwex@gmail.com.

Weird to be excited about cleaning...but hey if I have to do it, I may as well be excited about it!

Yard work...maybe we should have more kids??

If that's the only reason to have more kids...I don't think it's a good enough one!!  So, nope...no more kiddos! I think if we get through the two year old teething stage...we can get through anything!!

Yesterday, we got out finally in the yard.  For me it has to be a very nice day...warm weather, no wind...good enough to get a tan out of the deal...and it was that day.  I hadn't realized that we have a rather large yard...much larger than our one in the city.  And the previous owners did not leave the yard in very great shape...it needed a little bit of TLC to start off the spring season.  I don't think I've ever raked that much!  By evening I could hardly lift my arms.  But all the work paid off and the grass even looks a little green.  Now to getting rid of some unwanted perennials and dog trails in the lawn...anyone want some perennials??

Now to getting our fire pit in commission so that we can enjoy the warm evenings when they come...we welcome visitors anytime!!

Remembering Benjamin's Tummy Time Torture

Yesterday Brad and I were talking about how Levi seems to be a lot better with being on his belly than Ben was.  It reminded us of something that happened when Ben was around Levi's age...maybe a little younger.  Ben hated being on his belly and at this point did not like to roll over onto his back.  So when he would somehow land on him belly we would let him cry for a little while but then sat him back up to relieve his troubles.

One day, Brad was home with Ben and I had gone for a quick trip to the store...on my way I realized that I had forgotten the cell phone but I didn't feel like turning back to get it being that I planned to only be gone 15 minutes or so.  I ended up being a little bit longer than expected and when I returned back home there was a strange vehicle in the driveway and I could hear Ben wailing inside.  My first thought was "why is Brad not picking him up?".  I went around to our backdoor because our front door knob was broken so you could get out but not in.  There was a stranger talking to Brad in our back porch and Ben was sitting on the living room floor crying...a little less forcefully by now.  It turned out that while I was gone for my short trip out, Brad took the garbage out and the front door accidentally closed behind him...and being that it was broken he couldn't get back in and all the other doors were locked.  And there was Ben sitting on the living room floor...peacefully at first, that is until he fell over onto his belly.  Then the wailing began...and Brad could hear him from outside.  Brad said that at least hearing him cry meant he was "okay", otherwise he would have broken a window to get in.  So finally Brad ran across the street (to our "suspicious activity" neighbors) and called a locksmith.  So when I got home, the locksmith had gotten the door open and Ben was still working through his trauma...and so was Brad.  It was a scary morning...but now we can look back and kind of laugh at it.

Am I really this old??

I know I'm not old, but sometimes I just feel like it.  It's more that time has flown so fast!  For the most part I'm very glad with how old I am, but sometimes things happen that just make me feel old.  This weekend was one of those.  It was Brad's birthday on Saturday so we wanted to go out and our family babysitters were all busy...what to do?  I always babysat when I was in my early teens and I they trusted me with their kids...but now here I am with the kids and needing someone to watch them.  How can it be?  Am I really that old?  We found a wonderful girl to come and watch the boys for a few hours.  I drove to pick her up...it seems like just yesterday I was the one being picked up...I remember feeling very awkward and nervous driving with the parents.  It went perfectly fine...Levi was in bed already and Ben didn't even care that we had left him.  He was climbing the couch and licking the wall when we left...oblivious to us leaving.  And we had a wonderful evening...and we'll definitely be doing that again!

Spring...finally!

I have been waiting and waiting for spring to finally arrive.  The past few weeks have been the first time since we moved that I felt a bit isolated from the city life.  We (mostly me and Ben) really needed to get out of this house...yet it was still miserable out and trips to the mall are a lot more work now that we live out of the city (and a lot more money too!).  All I wanted was to be able to take the boys out for a walk or just take Ben outside for a change of pace.  Finally it is here...and what a relief!  We've been taking almost daily walks and Ben has loved the puddles!  And Levi just goes wherever we go.

Levi has been growing into such a little man...not crawling yet but we've had him on his hands and knees, he just doesn't know what to do when he's there:)  He's a big boy so we had to get him a new car seat.  For some reason I've been finding this transition really hard...I don't really know why?  Even though I am not a "fan" of this baby stage it is kind of sad to see him move on from it.  And I guess a "big boy" car seat feels like such a big step for an 8 month old.  Our Quinny carseat and stroller was my favorite purchase when we had Ben...and now tonight someone is possibly going to buy it...it is going to be so sad...I'm tearing up as I write this.  How can I be so attached to a carseat and stroller??!  We've moved on to the double stroller...the next stage in life. 

As the snow disappears we've started noticing all the yard work we have in store for us.  Funny how there are things that you just don't notice when you are buying a house.  Such as weird shaped flower gardens in the middle of the backyard, huge divots in the ground, random trees, flower beds overgrown with

So that's what's new around here...thanks to spring!

Benjamin's belated birthday party

Yesterday we finally had Benjamin's 2nd birthday party.  It was nice to have Benjamin's grandparents from Manitoba and his great-nan from Newfoundland there with us to celebrate.  I made Ben an Elmo cake as he is obsessed with "melmo".  Every morning after breakfast Ben asks to sit on the potty because he knows I'll let him watch Sesame Street while he sits there. So I thought it was appropriate for him to have an Elmo cake.  It's crazy how much red food-coloring it takes to make red icing!  It's amazing to see the changes in Benjamin from his first birthday...he's grown up into such a little boy...and he's definitely entered the "twos".  We are so incredibly blessed to have him in our lives!!

The "twos" have begun

It's so weird to think that we have a two year old!  Seem just like yesterday that we were shocked to hear that we were expecting a baby and now he's two already.  I know that the "twos" are famed to be the worst year...but I really think it's the newborn to one year has been the worst.  I guess Ben is just starting two so I may quickly change my tune in the next months...we'll see.  Ben is definitely busy and curious...but he is just so much fun!  There are no stresses of bottles, night waking, preparing pureed food, carrying him all the time...those are things I find so much more stressful...ei. Levi.  Ben's newborn time was really stressful and I found it really hard to enjoy my time with him...so now is so much fun!  He has no idea what today is and we are delaying his party until next week so that family can be around.  He does know that he's "du"...it's one of his growing number of words.  So all I can say is...I'm thankful he's such a happy healthy boy...he's such a gift!

Loving the small town life!

We've lived here in Langham 3 months already!  How time flies!  I was really worried that the winter months would drag being "secluded" out here...but it's turned out to be the opposite.  Being out of the city has put less pressure on me to be "out" all the time and that has meant bundling up the kids less with much less fussing!  I have thoroughly enjoyed just being here and not always urgently rushing out of the house to take a useless trip to Walmart. 

Yesterday we took our first family breakfast trip to Babalu's restaurant on Main Street. No traffic...it took us 5 minutes to get there...including packing up the kids in the van.  No having to beat the morning rush...as we were the only ones in the restaraunt...so nice!  Breakfast was decently priced and great tasting...can't ask for any more.  Then we drove to the post office...a 20 second drive across the street...yes it was kind of stupid to drive!  And no Id required to pick up a package...because they know who you are!  The church here has been so welcoming and it has been such a great experience...and it's right around the corner from our house...so we rarely have to start the vehicle.

We are looking forward to summer and being able to be outside enjoying the town more...biking, walking, going to the park...and worrying less about Ben being run down in the street!

Childhood friendship

I love it when Benjamin gets together with his best bud Gabriel.  Gabriel is 6 months older than Ben, but you'd never know it because Ben looks like a bruiser next to him!  When I drive up to Gabriel's house you can see the elation in Ben's eyes and he can't wait to see him.  They just love being with each other...and it's just wonderful as a mother to watch a friendship develop.  And as they get older they become more at the same developmental stage and get along better and better.  They love being with each other...they giggle, laugh and sometimes fight too. And the greatest thing is they keep each other occupied so us mothers can enjoy each others company too.  I hope they are best buds for a long long time. And I'm also hoping that Levi and Gabriel's little brother, Micah (who is 3 months older than Levi) will also be best buds...and then they can all play so we can drink coffee in peace.

I remember childhood friendship...it was the greatest!  We had 4 girls next door...Kendra and I were the same age and the bestest of friends.  There were very few days in over a decade that we didn't hang out...and even though I'm sure we had our moments...childhood friendships are pretty grand.  No matter what goes wrong, the next day all is right again and everything from the day before is forgotten.  We really need to remember this in our adult friendships sometimes.  We make such big deals over small petty things, that as kids we forget and forgive so quickly.

My boys...similar...and more unsimilar

The other day I walked around the corner to find Brad sitting on the couch with Levi and instantly it reminded me of a picture we have with Benjamin and Brad.  The resemblance was quite striking to me because I've never really thought the boys look alike.   If they look alike I think that is where the similarities end...they are such different boys!  Ben likes to be alone, he's very independent and easily follows the schedule we set for him.  Levi on the other hand...always has to be around people, loves to be held, smiles and smiles but only if being interacted with and is so frustrating when it comes to consistency with sleeping and eating.  I always hoped having kids close together that they'll glow up to be best buds so I hope this works for their relationship.  My sister and I are incredibly different and I couldn't ask for a better relationship with her.  That's what I hope for our boys.

Up till today I've always double posted the blog to facebook...but out of my own laziness I'm not going to anymore.  Just one more thing to do.  So for now I'll just keep up the blog here.

Taking the long way

This morning I was looking forward to a great morning hanging out with some girls at the church.  Being that it was dreadfully cold, I took the van...even though we literally live around the corner.  I'm not the wimp...Benjamin is.  Cold and wind are not his favorites!  So off we went.  Being that we are so close it took less than a minute to drive there making us a little early.  So I decided to drive around the block...a long block it ended up being.  It was blowing so much that my entire side of the street had blown in with snow and it was blowing so much that I couldn't see it had blown in...and before I knew it I had dug a nice deep hole in which my front left tire sat and the right side was still wedged in snow after digging with my hands and feet.  Now what to do? 

So I ran to the only house that had vehicles outside and they very kindly came out to try and tow me out.  But they couldn't find a way to hook onto our van.  They were so wonderful to help me out...and coincidentally they owned our house before the previous owners.  So again I was at a loss and had to call for a tow...which they were saying would be 2 hours wait!  By this time I was so dreadfully cold from first trying to dig myself out and then laying in the snow trying to find a place to hook up for a tow.  So I decided I would somehow walk Benjamin home (with him wailing the entire way I'm sure!) and then walk back to get the tow.  Thankfully, some wonderful new friends came and helped me out and found a way to pull me out!  Thanks Marv!  So I finally made it to the church...freezing!  Ben was happy as could be because he got to watch Sesame Street on the itouch for an extended period of time.  I'm now unfrozen...and happy to be in the warmth!

Enjoying the now

I've been thinking a lot lately about being content in the moment instead of always "looking forward" to things to come.  I heard a quote yesterday..."be happy where you are on your way to where you are going". This is something I really need to work on...and maybe that's because for the first time since I met Brad we don't have any big change pending.  It's been quite the ride...a ride with it's definite ups and downs...dating, marriage, arranging to travel to California for a year, taking contracts in California, changing our plans from 1 year of travel nursing to 3 months because we found out we were going to have Benjamin, ending up driving to California and only staying 1 week, Benjamin being born, some illnesses along the way, pregnant with Levi, Levi's born and moving to Langham...those are the big changes.  And suddenly here we are with no big changes looming over us...and that is a good thing but it makes me a little frightened about what could come (no more babies please!).  So my goal is to enjoy today, especially with Levi, because his baby days are diminishing quickly and even though I'm in some ways grateful for that, I was to enjoy them too.  And Benjamin will be two in less than a month...crazy!

No more roughing it

Today, on a cold -30 day, we became "luxury" campers.  I have never been so excited for camping season to begin!!  We decided that it would be impossible to tent with two toddlers this summer, so we bought our first trailer.  It's not very big because we have to pull it with the van, but definitely bigger than a 4 person tent.  Last year we attempted to tent with Benjamin and what a disaster it was...he was up early early in the morning and so was the rest of the campground too because of him.  So this year will be a lot less stressful!  If anyone has any good suggestions for camping in Saskatchewan let us know...we have a few months of almost free time this summer because Brad is taking paternity leave for 2 months and I'm just back to work for 1 day a week.  It's going to be a wonderful summer!!  And I won't be pregnant...so that will make summer a lot more bearable too.

6 months...how I love you!

I have been wondering in the past month or so why my left arm is always sore...now I've figured it out...it's been this 18lb. child I've been carrying around day in and day out!  But 6 months has hit and what a change in this child of ours!  He's learning to play and is entertaining himself!  And surprisingly, my arm no longer is sore.  I knew this day would hopefully come at some point, and I am so grateful it's come.  It's crazy how he has changed in the past week...grabbing toys himself, figuring out how to jump in the jolly jumper, almost sitting on his own...pretty exciting stuff (at least to his parents).  I just love this age!

Back to work

Quite awhile ago I decided that I would go back to work for 4 hours a week starting now in February.  At the time, the decision was made because many days I just needed a break...2 boys under age two is a lot of work sometimes!  But now things seem to be a lot better, so as February approached I was less interested about going to work.  Yet part of me still wanted this part of life back again even if just 4 hours a week.  So Brad and I both went to work yesterday morning...sure took us back to the old days when we did that every day.  We had our traditional Tim Horton's stop on the way to work...and I really needed that coffee!  6am is early these days to get up.  It was really really hard to leave Levi behind, even though I know that my mom is fully capable of taking care of the boys.  But Levi is my baby...my last baby.  The 4 hours went quickly...it was a busy morning forcing me to get right back into the swing of things.  And now I'm okay with being back at work...it was nice to be a "nurse" again!  And I realized this was the first time since June 2008 that I wasn't pregnant at work...and I got to give chemotherapy again...so nice to not be pregnant!! 

Reflection of goodness

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the Lord: "Lord, save me!"  The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.  Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.  For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.I trusted in the Lord when I said, "I am greatly afflicted"...What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?

This passage from Psalms 116 really hit me this morning.  Lately, I've been truly acknowledging God's great goodness to me.  I have been so incredibly blessed by the goodness that God has given me.  If you would have asked me 12 years ago where my life would be now, there is no way I would have predicted this!!  I'm mostly just happy to be alive.  But the blessings of a incredible husband, two beautiful boys and such a wonderful life...this is only by God's goodness to me!  Now the question to me is: "What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?"

Handing down the traits

When my sister and I were little we loved music!  We would use whatever kind of resembled a microphone (vacuum hose, skipping ropes) and sing our hearts out...often recording ourselves on cassette, which is quite humorous to listen to now.  And the car was our favorite place to sing...we never shut up, we must have driven our parents nuts!  And now the irritation I may have caused my parents has come back to haunt me.  Benjamin loves music...and even though he doesn't say too much yet, he sings in his own little language...so cute. Yet so irritating, especially when he gets in a singing mood in the van and you can't escape him.  We have taught him the difference between quiet and loud, but usually now he just finds it funny to go between the two.  He got a xylophone for Christmas and just loves it!  He loves to entertain his audience...even adding volume and speed changes in...quite impressive (at least to his parents).  It's hard to get a good video of him though because the camera is too distracting.

Change in attitude

I should never had said that Levi has been sleeping so well...because ever since then he's been up either before 6am or babbling throughout the night and up early.  Who knows why?  I sure wish I could figure him out.  But the last few days I've had a small change in attitude towards the sleep and about Levi's need to be socialized all the time (maybe less about the sleep!).  Brad went in for "population control" on Friday.  Poor guy...I feel really bad!  But it's a necessary evil...I deliver the babies and he stops the deliveries.  So now unless something stupid or miraculous happens, our family is complete.

We always knew this is what we wanted and I by no means have changed my mind...but it makes me think more about Levi being the baby and how I already am yearning for him to be older.  Suddenly I'm wanting him to be a baby longer, knowing that this will be our last baby.  Every first that he has will be our last first, the clothes and toys he grows out of will never be worn again in our house...it is kind of sad.  But then I think of all the things like sleep deprivation, bottle feedings, potty training...and pregnancy...so the sadness disappears pretty quickly and I'm pretty darn excited to look forward to the boys growing up.  I look forward to the boys learning new things, becoming more independent, going to school (so that I can also be more independent again) and facing all the ups and downs of life.  And all I want is to be there for them for all those times.  I'd have to say I look forward to the next stages of life much more than I have the past stages.  So here we go...

Benjamin, our comedian

Benjamin's favorite things lately is playing "hide and seek"...at least his version of it.  He uses his favorite blanket which he carts around everywhere.  He finds it so incredibly funny...so we do too.  He thinks he's quite the comedian!

ah...sleep

Oh Sleep how I've missed you!  Finally we have got Levi to sleep longer in the morning!  It's amazing how rested you can feel in the morning with uninterrupted sleep throughout the night.  I am very anal when it comes to the boys sleeping.  Ben was very easy to schedule, but this little Levi has been a different story!  Now that he's close to 6 months old we are getting into a groove.  And am I ever happy!  People always say that if you get up early for a long period of time your body adjusts and you no longer can sleep in...I don't think this applies to me.  I would have no problem sleeping in till 10am, even after 2 years of getting up before 8am.  I don't think I'll ever be a morning person...thankfully Brad is!  At least that's the excuse I give myself to make him get up in the morning instead of me:) Now here's hoping this trend continues! 

Apology

So I've calmed down from yesterday...the vent did help.  But now that the next day is here I feel bad...not for how I felt but rather for taking it seriously.  I should have learned by now to pretty much lie about everything...and all should be okay. We have healthy, non-delayed boys and a parent should be the judge of their child's development, not someone who walks in for a 10 minute visit.  I also don't want to rat on just one person...yesterday was one nurse but it's a generalization of all my experiences throughout the past 2 years...I don't have many good ones to talk about.  I hope other people have better experiences than we've had!

Needing to Vent

I had commented on Facebook about my hatred for public health...hatred may be a strong word, but right now it's the only word that I can think of that describes how I feel.  I can not name one single time when I visited public health for our boys that I came out thinking "Wow, I'm doing a great job!" or "Wow, my kids are doing great!"...rather I always leave feeling like I am failing my children or that they are lagging compared to other children.  But as I compare stories with other parents I realize that I'm not alone in how I feel.

I dread seeing public health!  And not because of the boys getting needles...that's the easy part.  It's the feeling of despair as I leave and think over all that I was told I was doing wrong.  Today, I was told Levi wasn't getting enough tummy time (which they are always going to say), he should be wearing little mitts because he is going to have skin breakdown on his hands because he sucks on them, he's delayed because he isn't rolling over from his back to his belly and the list could go on if I want to complain more.  But when she pulled out the nursing theory jargon and told me the reason he wants to be held all the time is because he's in the stage of "trust vs. mistrust"...come on...he just likes to be held!  And imagine if I had admitted to her that I had started solids already...I lied and told her no.  Especially when they ask the question denoting the way you should answer..."you haven't started solids have you?"

I know I'll get over this just like I have every other time...only 2 more times to go!  So that's my rant...just needed to get my frustration out.  I hope as a nurse I never come across as condescending and judgmental about the way my patients go about life...it really makes me consider how I treat my own patients.  Hopefully they don't "hate" me as I leave their room.

Cross Country Re-do

On Saturday we were able to again go back to Eb's Trail (near Prince Albert) for a cross country ski.  We dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa Zacharias'...and headed out.  It was a beautiful day...not too cold and a light falling of snow.  Eb's Trail was one of the first things that Brad and I did together before we were dating.  I found out that he cross country skied so I promptly decided that I needed to get myself some skis.  So a girl at work sold me a pair of skis...very old skis.  I took them to get prepared for skiing and then snuck it in with Brad that I had cross country skis and that we should maybe sometime go out for a ski.  So out we went to Eb's Trail in January 2007.  I really wanted to impress Brad, but it turned out rather differently...I think he laughed at me more than he was impressed.  The first run we did went pretty good...the next not so good.  The first trail had lots of hills so I had lots of momentum and didn't have to "ski" much...the second trail was more one level ground which I found to be rather difficult for some reason.  Brad kept skiing into the back of my skis because I wasn't moving that quickly.  I was so embarrassed!  I later found out that my skis had never been waxed, rather they had been pine tarred!  No wonder I couldn't glide!  I guess it didn't matter too much...I still got the guy.

So Saturday was the only time we've been back to Eb's...and it turned out much better!  First of all I bought new skis after that dreadful skiing event...and I didn't have to impress him this time.  The afternoon was wonderful.  We don't get outside much these days and when we do it's usually dragging two boys around, it's not too relaxing. Anyways...what a nice little break!  Thanks mom for looking after the boys!

Our 2nd Jumper

Benjamin loved the jolly jumper...so much that he was maybe in it too much.  Maybe that was why he was so late in crawling and walking...because he spent so much time jumping.  Now we have another jumper!  We bought a jumperoo for Levi because our new house doesn't have a place yet for the doorframe jolly jumper and he finally has figured out how to move in it.  He doesn't spend as much time as Benjamin did in it, at least not yet...we are hopeful!  We are trying to get Levi used to not being held, but it's a hard process.  Especially because his cry is quite high-pitched and screechy...and he is just too cute and smiley when you are holding him.  He is going on with his screeches right now, so maybe I should pick him up?

Our New Home

I finally got to taking some pictures of our new home.  It's taken us a long time to get moved in and it's still a work in progress.  I'm finding moving in a lot more work than moving out because the "time crunch" isn't the same as when we moved out.  But I can tell that we are getting there because the itch to paint is very quickly creeping up on me!  I don't mind how things are now...but it just feels like we are living in a dull colorless world...so that will have to change!  Here are some pictures of our main floor living area.

 The den

 The dining room

 The kitchen

 The living room (toward the front porch)

 The living room (toward dining room)

We thought it would be a big adjustment moving out of the city, but it has been such a smooth transition.  It hasn't been boring to the least...rather it is peaceful and we have less of an urge to always be doing something...it's really nice!  We are looking forward to spring and summer to be able to get outdoors more (and Brad is looking forward to the snow stopping so the shoveling will be done!).  We have lots of room for company too!

My Day Away

Yesterday was my first whole day away from the kids since Levi's been with us...and it was a long time coming.  I realize that it is all my fault that I don't get away...it's really hard to do.  But as I left early yesterday morning, I felt this sense of release and relaxation...wow!  I went to a hematology conference, so it wasn't like I necessarily had a "fun" day but I think it was one of the best conferences I've ever been to...probably because I haven't been at work in a long time and it was just nice to feel like a professional instead of a mom, even if just for a little while.

There was a session on "nurse burn-out" and it was funny how it applied to my life right now as a parent rather than to my nursing career.  I realized on how quickly parenting can burn you out if you don't take care of yourself also. And absence really does make the heart grow fonder.  After my day away I was more than ready to get back to my boys...and felt refreshed to start again.  And was more than happy for the boys to sleep in today as a little gift just for me:)

Blogging again...

So we are trying to blog again...mostly for ourselves...but if you want to read it's for you too.  We want some way to remember the day-to-day things and thoughts that run throughout of our lives.  I (Vivian) am not good at journalling, so maybe this will work better.

Life in the Sheppard household is busy, but pretty darn good!  We've moved and are so happy with our quick decision to move out of the city.  We have a lot more room in our house...which makes more room for Benjamin to roam (and get into things!).  I find he is much more entertained so that is a blessing.  Ben is going to be 21 1/2 months and is growing up so quickly into a little boy, with much personality.  He is a blast to have around...most of the time...he is definitely a curious and busy boy!

Levi is 5 months old already, but it feels like it has been a long 5 months.  He is a very different baby than Benjamin was.  He is very social and always wants to be around people and always wants to be held...it's been quite challenging.  I'm hoping once he is sitting and able to move around a little it will improve...we'll see. But he loves to smile and giggle, which gives us such joy!

Ben and Levi seem to get along great...at least at the moment.  Benjamin really wants him to play...usually this ends in Ben crawling right on top of him and Levi with head to toe grins...it's quite adorable to watch.  They are a lot of work...but so many blessings!