Knee high by July

As you can see the corn is much taller than where farmers want the crop to be at this time of the year.....according to the saying: if the corn is knee-high by July, it is going to be a good year.

Check out how high the corn is in the field behind us.  I wonder what this will mean for farmers?!

Cheers to a good year!

Ciao
R-xo

Lesson Learned!

I despise the words "lessons learned"  it is used so much at my work.  The concept is a good business practice I'm sure, but really??? who pulls out the old lessons learned log and actual changes the way they handle something because the lessons learned log told them so?

Well...I am about to eat my own words on this subject......

I did learn something this weekend about my dear Emmy....like the old adage states..."never trust a dog to watch your sandwich".  Well....I can now add this:  "Never let Emmy watch your sushi"  That little monster can pop those rolls like they are candy. 

I guess this is my lesson learned and I will log this for next time!

Ciao
R-xo

"Go WILD"

We packed the truck up and headed to African Lion safari today. "Rrroaarr - that is what the lion says mommy, I wish I hear a lion at the animal zoo today mommy"   The girls were excited to see all the animals, but I'm not so sure they knew what this all meant.  Up til now they have only seen animals in their books or on TV. 

The whole ride there, we were entertained by all the different sounds the jungle animals can make.  We asked them what animals they were excited to see and the list grew long, but the top four were elephants, giraffes, zebras and monkeys.  Oh no, not monkeys....I do not want those thieves to make off with half my truck.

I have not been to the African Lion Safari in a long time, but my memory was quite clear on the monkey part and so was Dacy's.  He said he remembers when they went as a family and his dad somehow missed the monkey bypass road, only to panic, turn the car around and baahaa through the grassland towards the exit with the park rangers in tow...he could hardly tell the story without laughing his butt off.  Funny the things we remember so vividly when we were younger.

kisses!

 We let the girls out of their car seats and started our safari.  The girls were silent and fascinated by all the animals.  They recognized all of them but kept asking us if they were safe in the car.  I rolled down my window to get a good pic of the rhinoceros and Sophia freaked out. " mommy roll up your window so he does not get us"  I guess I should adhere to the rules!

The elephant swim was a bit hit with all of us.  Those huge mammals kept us all in awe.  Sophia was happy to see they were taking a bath, cause they were dirty and needed to clean off. 

sprinkle water!

We headed to the splash pad for lunch.  They girls were excited to play in the water, but alas...water bugs they are not.  They enjoyed playing, but the sprinkling water caused more frowns then smiles.  What was a hit were the baby swings.  They love the baby swings cause they can fly high "up to the sky and touch a cloud"  so Emily thinks!

playing in the bouncy balls

"Hi Buddy"

We took in one of the bird shows and the petting zoo.  If you ask the girls what they remember about the bird show they would say - The dead bat (it was not dead, but hanging upside down and Sophia thought it was dead), the green birds singing "O Canada" and the blue bird riding the bike.



It was a great educational trip, just how Darcy likes it.  He is always showing the girls how to do stuff, teach them about life and this trip was right up his alley.  This was also part of Father's Day - getting to do what he likes best, spending time with his family and making it an educational experience!

Ciao
R - xo

We are 3!

How did 3 years come and go...I will never know, but the girls were ecstatic to be 3 years old!  They have a whole list of stuff they think they can do now that they are 3, as was evident in a previous post When I am Bigger. 

I am excited that they are becoming very independent, but sometimes that Independence pulls at my last nerve.  Why is it that toddlers have no concept of time and decide to stand their ground when we are running late?!?

***PARTY TIME***

The party was a  pink princess bonanza, complete with a candy coated cake and pinata!  It was a great day to spend with family and friends, so what better way to end the day then with some fireworks.  Sophia was not a fan of the noise and Emily screamed with giggles at all the pretty colours in the sky!

We were so thrilled that the weather was great.  Happy 3rd Birthday my Princesses!  Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon!
xo

The Girls and the Great Outdoors!

Finally I can say that I am toasting to the arrival of this warm weather – Playing outdoors! Woo Hoo!

It’s so nice to tell the kids to go outside, or have them ask to play outside, and have them actually enjoy it. This means less mess inside, hours of play outside and it all means that they are tired for bedtime.  So I would think.  9pm bedtime is becoming common Urgh - must nip that in the butt!

What really tickles me pink, is the fact that the girls can "pump." They can swing themselves on their wings - no more "mommy will you push me?"  Fia is soooo excited to show me, that I think she is going to fly off into the sky and the whole time she has the biggest "I have do it all by myself" grin. 

Emily likes to play in the sandbox, making roads and sand castles.  No matter to me, just as long as they are playing and I can watch them from my kitchen window!

I’ll toast to that!

Cheers
R - xo

"Who's flashing a flashlight mommy?"

I woke this morning to the flashes of lightening and the sounds of thunder.  I seriously cannot believe it is March 15 and I had to drive home with the A/C on yesterday...crazy.

Storms are not my thing.  I must admit I get a bit freaked out when it comes to storms, sometimes BBMing friends with a play-by-play just to feel like someone is with me. (oh, the scariest storms seem to happen when Darcy is at work)  My husband on the other hand sits on the front porch or stares out the back window watching every streak.

It then dawned on me that the girls may freak out.  Last year they slept through all storms, so we did not have to explain what was going on.

What was I going to say?...quick, cause they are going to get up.  So, when I heard Fia say, "who is flashing those flashlights mommy, they are so silly"  I knew I had to mask my nervousness.  Not an easy thing to do...hide my inner fear of storms.

I explained to them that it was thunder and lightening and that the boom was just a noise outside, not scary.  To my luck they bought it!  Emily, went to their bookshelf  and retrieved a book that showed thunder and lightening and the sounds they make.  "boom! and splatz!" 

For the ride to daycare they talked about boom and flashlights, how they are not scared and that it is just a noise we know where it comes from, the sky.

I thought  I was free and clear until bed time...then the questions started about why there are storms and then Emily broke the ice...."Mommy if we are a little scared we can come to your room right?"  she said this with a smile on her face like she just found a way to sleep with mommy that she might agree to...and I did. 

To date, we have avoided having the girls sleep with us all night.  They try and talk me into it when daddy is working, but I cannot sleep when there is a super hot, washing machine glued to my side...so we have just cuddled in the morning or when they are sick....and now when there are storms.

This will be the first year the girls will remember "boom and flashlights"  Lets hope there are not too many this season as I think our bed will get cramped pretty quickly!

Ciao
R - xo

The winter that wasn't! - Our 1st snowman

Crazy winter, crazy weather = some crazy fun this year for the girls.  This was the first year the girls really played in the snow and made their first snowman! 

Emily put the arms on and asked for a hat and carrot for the nose...dad added the eyes.  I was very proud of them!  I looked out a few minutes later and it looked like Emily was giving the snowman a kiss...but she was actually eating his carrot nose! 

Crazy.... Silly.....Fun!

Ciao

R-xo

Skating

Darcy and I both play sports, hockey, ball hockey specifically so getting our girls interested in skating is kinda a big deal for us....cause I am expecting to be hanging around arenas for the better part of the next 10 years.

The girls went skating for the first time this past weekend.  My  mom had got them a pair of bob skates, so we strapped them on the took them out.  To our delight they were excited! 

They walked, and ran and tried to slide, but in the end they mostly walked or ran.  They were so proud of themselves for not falling.  " Mommy I didn't even falled, nope not one time.  Can we go again next time?"  It was such a positive experience and that was my goal. 

Christmas 2011

Christmas is finally here.  I am just like a kid, cannot wait to wake up and see "how good I was this year"

Last year the girls did not get the concept of racing down to the christmas tree to delight in thier good behaviour.....and this year was not any different.

Christmas Eve, Darcy and I set the reindeer food out while the girls watched us.  Emily suggested the reindeer might need a drink, so okay, we put a dish of water out too.  Before we went to bed, Darcy did the traditional kick of the dishes and off to dreamland we went...with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.

Morning arrived and nothing.....we hinted around about Santa and reindeers....still nothing, then Emily say the mess on the front porch.  We told them that the reindeer had come and maybe Santa stopped by too.  Then they clued in and raced down stairs....

We had a great morning with all the delights that Christmas brings.  We had a great day with family at my parents. 
I am so thankful for the joys that surround me.

Merry Christmas All!

When I am bigger

"When I am a big girl I can ride a school bus right mommy?" 

Growing up.....what does that exactly mean?  A physical change?, mental change? For toddlers this is not just a growth spurt, it means gaining confidence to be independent.  Emmy is all over this stage now.  She wants to do a lot of things, and if I take the time to let her, she actually can do it.  The praise she gets for a job well done tickles her pink!  She seems to craves this attention.

Sophia, is not quite like that.  She is more than happy to have someone else do things for her...actually she had made it into her own art form...and we usually respond like a trained monkey. 

Emily seems to ask us every day what can she do when she is bigger or tells us what she is going to do when she gets bigger.

The list is long but I have short listed to the top few:

• "When I am a big girl, I can ride a big girl bike (or a scooter, they are interchangeable) right?"
• "When I get bigger I can take the garbage to the garbage man right?"
• "When I get bigger can I ride on the moon?  Mommy can I?  I really want to, up I do?"
• "When I am bigger I can go skating right?  Daddy will take me right?"

"Mommy I am a little girl right? But I will get big some day right?"  I hope so princess, just not on fast forward please!

Toddler Moments

We have had some monster toddler moments lately…..Yup...the girls have discovered they can have alot of fun being toddlers.....

• like when they breathe on windows and leave their hand and foot prints in the fog...so when you come to my house, there are messy windows at the 3 foot level!. 
• Emmy has also discovered that Sophia will let her marker each of her toes in a different colour while sits and watches. 
• They both have decided that if they want to climb the outside of the staircase, the safest way is to climb one at a time while the other spots (or holds them up by the bum). 
• Gone are the days of putting anything up high.  They seem to have these mini chairs and step stools attached to their backs so they can deploy them when they need to….and to boot, they have put the stool on the chair to gain just enough to get what they want.
• We have also entered the era of picking out our own clothes (esp unddies and socks), deciding which clothing items are whom’s even though they are the same shirt

But they have also started to roll play with their imaginations…..

• like when they play “going to school” They line up 2 chairs, sit on them and pretend that they are driving to school, one is always the driver and the other stands in the hall and waits for the driver to say “time to go to school, get on the bus” 
• They also will pretend to shop together...they get their babies, put them in their shopping carts, pushing them around, mimicking me! “baby just sit down and keep your hands in the cart” “Just a minute mommy need to look at this” “stop foolin around” “there is no potty in the store, so don’t ask” I seriously did not think I said half the stuff they do…but they have had to get it from somewhere! 
• Cover up baby is a fan fav…..Sometimes the baby cries and needs a bum change (watching them pretend to change a diaper is hilarious). I must admit, this one takes a bit longer to roll play and I have been known to suggest” let’s play cover up” to get some peace, but only for about ½ hour…..

There are times I see babies randomly sitting against a wall….to which Sophia tell me that "the baby is on time away for not listening" and she has to sit there until I give her a hug and kiss and she says sorry. 

WOW….they really do listen and notice when I am talking. If I would not have seen it, I would not have believe it.

Then there are the toddlers prefer to party nekkid moments.....In fact, they prefer to do most things nekkid.  You know that toddlers have to take off all their clothes to use the potty...in the middle of the kitchen! 

Never in a million years would you think that you would have to remind them to at least put underwear on to eat dinner.  I seriously cannot believe how often Darcy and I have these converstaions with them.  

Ahh..toddlers have the life and can be awe struck in wonderment!



Cheers
R-ox

Fall Family Fun

In my childhood, my family would attend all the fall fairs they could, taking in the cool crisp breezes as we whizzed around on ride after ride after ride under the bright ball park lights.  Sometimes grandparents or other family friends would attend and we usually spent the entire day walking through buildings full of food vendors, perusing 4-H winning displays, petting hoards of animals and taking in a smash up derby, a horse show or some country singers performance.  I had such fond memories of these trips which usually ended with all of us kids passed out in the back seat for the ride home.

To this day I still enjoy a good ride on the scrambler or the snow express with the screaming music and would like Pookie and Munchie to have the opportunity to experience these too. 

The first event I went to (Darcy was working) was Mighty Machines.  I was so looking forward to seeing the girls get excited about pretending to drive all the trucks, diggers, dozers and tractors, (played it up in my mind pretty good) that when we got there and Sophia tried to walk on air to get back to the car and go home, I started to cry - the disappointment was too overwhelming.  The horn honking was too loud and scared them both.  Emmy did not want to get out of the stroller, let alone climb into a combine.  I walked around for an hour trying to calm their fears and eventually they warmed up to taking their turn driving the garbage truck.  The day ended up being not a total bust and Grandpa enjoyed the rollover demonstration. 

Fun on the surf

Enjoying the Parade, well not Sophia

is that a smile I see?

Going on a turtle hunt

 Apple Fest in Brighton, was where we went next.  We actually were visiting friends (long overdue visit) and while we were there spent a wonderful weekend taking in the local fare.  The Callahan's were perfect hosts and we had so much fun.  The girls played with their girls and for the most part were out of our hair which was a nice change.  The local parade was neat to see but this is where we figured out that Sophia was not going to enjoy anything that she considered loud, and the local parade down main street, with the bands, floats and antique tractors all making noise had her with her fingers in her ears the entire time.  The girls did enjoy partaking in a ducks in the pond game, where they had to pick a duck as it floated by and if they picked a winning duck, they got a prise - their first Carney game.....and they both won stuffed ducks.  How fitting!  the next day, after the adults had enough coffee....we went to the surf and wetlands boardwalk tour.  The girls chased geese up the beach, splashed in the water, getting totally soaked and went on a frog and turtle hunt.  We did see frogs, but no turtles to Emmy's disappointment. 

We packed in a lot on this visit, just the way we roll!

MG is 3

This fiery red headed princess was just that, all fluffy in her tutu as we all headed to church.  It was a funny, cute sight to see all 5 girls in there tutus holding hands in a line walking into church.  After a mini crisis was looked after, Sophia broke out in hives at church and I took her to see Darcy at work to verify - to this day I am still not sure what caused it and it cleared up as the day went on, it was off to the princess tea-party. 

  

MG's birthday has special meaning to us as during her very emotional and unexpected birth, God must have thought we needed some joys in our lives and this is when the twins started their lives.  The are true comrades and friends - best est cousins!

"Can we wear our underwears today mommy?"

Our morning routine has changed a bit in the last month.  Instead of the girls picking out their own diapers....they are picking out their own underwear.  I am happy to say the girls are potty trained!

I am a bit amazed, as this milestone just seemed to happen right under my nose...kinda like one day I was changing 6-8 diapers a day to changing a few sets of clothes to only changing them morning and night.    Now I do need to add that visitors...do not be alarmed if there is a naked toddler be-lining it for the bathroom - as they both strip off all clothes, on the spot when they need to go.  Kinda weird as Darcy and I do not do that.  But as Emmy says - she does not want to have an accident on her shirt.  Valid reason!!?

I had read that when potty training twins, the chances that they both will be potty training at the same time are  well.....slim. Most mom’s of multiples have to go through the process separately with each child, so I was mentally preparing for a long potty training haul.....but we lucked out.  Both of them wanted to sit on the potty at the same time - which sprang a shopping spree one night to get a bunch of potties....I'm sure the check out lady thought I was a neurotic mom who has a potty in every room.  Not quite, but we do have one in the garage and in the back of my truck which have been great "mess-savers" 

Potty training the girls was one of my fears and so far it hasn’t been as bad as I had imagined. I think the key is to just wait until they show that interest enough to stay with it. And, if accidents happen, they happen – I fully expect a few more accidents...unless you are Sophia and just wipe down your pants and pee on the grass, "mommy I have to go, I have to pee on the grass - go away!" something she has done at gramma and grandpa's as well as the neighbours....hum mm must of been on daddy's watch!

It actually warms my heart to see them both go through this milestone together – I never thought going potty would be a mommy-heart warming moment, girls mommy is super proud of you.  So, these days we spend a ton of time in our bathrooms or policing who gets the potty and who gets the potty seat! 

Cheers

R-xo

August Family Vacation

We decided, and thanks to the Ogies! for letting us camp with them, to go on a camping vacation just like we used to in the days before kiddies.  There were lots of campsite of friends, including the typical crew which I was totally thrilled about.  Now I was not that naive to think that it would be just like the good ol' days....but I was not totally prepared for what this 4 day trip was to bring.

We had a great drive to Parry Sound, Killbear Park, set up the site, had dinner and a campfire.  The girls were making adjustments to their new...totally dirty home.  To add a bit more to this trip, we were potty training the girls and they were almost fully trained, so this meant 2 potties propped up against a tree waiting to be used at will...and they were. 

It rained through the night, and as morning was breaking, crash - the lid of the cooler was opened by a raccoon - or so we thought.  About 1/2 hr later I could hear heavy foot prints and heavy breathing.....it was a bear.  The darn thing climbed up the back of our pick-up truck looking to see if he could get in.  When he could not, he moved on to the neighbouring campsite and shook the car until the car alarm went off - waking up a ton of people, but not my husband....he was awake, so he says, but did not move a muscle.  I told him there was a bear on our truck, but he brushed it off until the next morning when the evidence was clear - paw prints on the back of the truck and tunnel cover.

Big group dinner extravaganza!

Daddy n the girls

Campfire snacks

The rest of the trip was not that exciting, but not that relaxing either.  I spent most of my time, with the girls as they explored the outdoors, nursed Fia through her first bee sting, defied afternoon sleep time and were not that keen on the beach.  The one thing they did like was the nightly campfires with their bowls of cheezies!
On our final day we packed everything up and decided to have a beach day.  I like the beach and on this trip so far I had virtually none, so dear hubby went along with the idea and we spent the day at the beach.  It was a great decision - the girls really like it and were not "needy" almost the entire time.  We had a lot of snacks, so that might of helped!     A highlight for me was a wonderful smoked meat dinner at the Sharps's campsite.  They had all the camping toys you could imagine.  Doug smoked the beef the entire day...to perfection!  truly a camping treat!

Over all the trip was a great experience for the girls and a learning experience for their mother and father.  This is not going to detour us from making these types of memories...I will just be better prepared!

Farm girl at heart

"Emmy, where are you going?"  "I am going outside mommy to sit on the wheat"  it took me a minute to figure it out...she was talking about sitting on the giant straw bales in our back yard. 

Last night I took the girls out to the field in our backyard to play with the straw.  Emily loved it, in fact she even picked up the straw, throwing it into the air and then picked up a long piece and put it in her mouth.  We have not been on a farm where she would have seen that, so that kinda made me wonder. 
Sophia just cried and wanted to be held....she heard the tractor reeve up as it was picking up the bales and stacking them on a wagon - from the other side of the field...She cried like a tiger was about to eat her...poor little duckie.   I tried to snap a few pics with her in them, but she was so scared, it was hard to leave her there when she was so upset.

Emily on the other hand loved it.  At one point she thought the bale might move while sitting on it - "common, give me my ride"  she said as she jumped up and down.

When it was time for bed, Sophia could not run fast enough to the deck.  Emily stood in the field looking out over the horizon like she was contemplating what crop to plant in the field.  When she was done we went in the house and off to bed.  Since we are potty training the girls, potty time had to happen before bed.  When I helped her out of her undies....a pile of straw fell on the floor and a bunch was still stuck to her belly.  It was cute as she picked off the straw and then she put one piece in her mouth, just like a farmer.  Sophia was more concerned there was a mess on the floor and "Emmy did it" 

She is a farm girl at heart!

cheers
R-xo

The sucky is gone!

For the past few nights, Emily has drifted off to sleep without that annoying, plastic sucking sound oozing out of her mouth – the sucky is a thing of the past. I told her about a week ago (I flush it mommy) that in a few nights there would be no more sucky, she is a big girl. She hummed and hawed about it and then the other night she told me she was a big girl and did not need a sucky. We immediately took them away and she has not cried about it since. She will ask if she can have one, but we tell her she is a big girl and does not need it. That seems to okay with her.   

Sophia never really took to the sucky, so breaking her of that habit was a breeze. Now if potty training would be that cut and DRY!

I know that the sucky is a comfort item, and I would not have survived this past virus season, I mean winter season without it. But I felt is was time to go. She does have several snuggle blankets, which she carries around and buries her face in laughing. So a comfort item is still there. Sophia has her “fuzzy” blanket which in the heat must be soooo hot.  It is a homemade blanket with ties she plays with while falling asleep. That too comes into our bed in the mornings…some mornings there are so many snuggle blankets and fuzzy blankets we have to fight our way out of bed. Oh well….those are the moments I was waiting for…the snuggles in bed and if a few blankets come along, so be it.

 

Cheers

R-xo

Mini family vacation

We had a mini family vacation this past weekend. Not just with the 4 of us, but with my parents, sisters and their families. We were all at Aunt Jessie and Uncle Jason’s family trailer. It was one of the rare occasions where we were all together…not for a traditional holiday gathering. Their trailer is near Chesley, on Aaron Lake. It is a nice spot for families and boy there are a lot of them. The beach was packed every day and Jessie said that the park doubled the size of if last season. WOW it would have been a tight squeeze had they not done that.

It was chaotic and at times challenging to get through some moments, but the girls had a great time with their Aunts, uncles and cousins and have some great memories to hold on to - hopefully!

The beach was a hit..(finally!) and so was the time we spent at a near by farm. Since there was not enough room for all of us to stay at my sister’s trailer, my parents and us decided to stay at a B&B close by. A quaint rustic home, that we had a fabulous stay at. Breakfast was wonderful and the mule rides were a hoot. Literally…my dad, who has a comment or smart remark for everything did not hold back as we were chauffeured around the farm on a mule drawn wagon ride.   The girls were able to pet chickens and ride a mule.  They were sooo thrilled, they still ask us "can I ride a horse today mommy?"      

We did achieve one of "mommy’s milestones" ….swinging on the big girl swings. It was nice to see their little buts wrapped up in the cloth sling, swinging away…while their cousins pushed them.    

I have a few "mommy milestones" that I would like to knock off the list, this being one of them, getting rid of Emily’s sucky being another, putting away the high chairs in favour of booster seats (we need a new table for that), drinking/eating anything without dripping or spilling, colouring on the paper and asking if they can have a treat, not just going to the cupboard and getting them.

One of the first things we did when we got home was install the big girl swings…no more pushing them in the buckets. Now they can swing themselves, take turns pushing each other and the most fun…laying down on their bellies and flying like an airplane. Sophia likes to hold on, lean back so far that her hair drags on the grass…..ahhh what a moment. 

I shed a few tears thinking they are getting bigger, more independent but on the other hand there is no more pushing a swing for hours on end. My husband scolds me every time I wish them to be more independent or complain about something. I know that he is right and I do not want them to grow up, but at the same time I want them too.

Cheers

R-xo