The more the merrier

Some people think that three's a crowd but my philosophy has always been the more, the merrier.  Maybe that's why I'm a teacher!  That's also why I have always wanted to have lots of kids.  I thought it would be great to have 5 kids but I haven't managed to get Mike on board with that idea (actually, I knew before we got married that I probably would never be able to convince him to have 5).  I think that three kids seems like the perfect amount, too.  I have managed to get Mike on board with that idea and so I am pregnant with our third, due October 29th!  We are all very excited as we await the arrival of our newest addition.  Josh is convinced it's a girl so hopefully we will be able to find out the gender at my ultrasound in June so that if it is a boy, he will have some time to come to terms with that!  Boy or girl, we are all just looking forward to having a new little baby to love and cuddle!

An afternoon at Costco

Everyone knows that I love Costco and it's always a fun afternoon event to do with the family.  Since today was a crazy weather day (rain, heavy snow, hail...), it seemed like a perfect afternoon to spend at Costco.  Of course, everyone else thought so too but we weren't in a rush so it didn't matter.  Mike has already taught the boys the glory of samples and they get very excited about having a hotdog in the food court.
Of course, there were some yummy samples which Mike was very excited about.  He happily went from station to station getting his samples but I had to work for mine.  This is how my conversation with one sample lady (SL) went.
SL: Before I give you the sample, how old are you?
Me: (laugh), Yeah, I'm 31.
SL: No you're not.
Me: Yes, I am and those are my two kids and husband right over there.
SL: Yeah right, fine, here's a sample.
It's good to know that I can still pass as a twelve year old.
Josh and my favourite section to browse is the middle aisles where they have all the seasonal items, including toys and sports equipment.  It's nice because Josh always picks out what he likes but he never whines about wanting it.  Today they had all their summer items and bikes in stock.  Josh thought it would be super cool to have the peddle boat.  I told him that once he has a cottage on a lake, he could have the boat.  We also saw an awesome Lake house outdoor playhouse, complete with everything 'including the kitchen sink'.  We thought it would be great to have that but Josh had the wise idea that he would get Grandma H. to buy it for her yard when she comes to visit (he's always thinking).  (We've already decided that Grandpa & Grandma C should buy the wooden playground there). 
One thing we did see that we couldn't resist was this little bike that turns into a scooter for Owen.  Everytime we take Josh out on his scooter, Owen cries because he wants to ride it and he loves scooting around on ride-on toys so we thought it would be perfect for him.  We convinced Mike that we really needed to get it for Owen and that it could be his early birthday present.

Once we got home from Costco, Mike set up the bike for Owen and he loves it.  Always being one to put safety first, Owen keeps insisting on wearing Mike's bike helmet when he rides it.  I think it actually makes him a more dangerous driver since he holds the helmet with one hand to keep it from falling over his eyes but I don't think any of his accidents will be too serious since he's only a few inches from the ground.
Once the warm weather is here to stay, we will flip the bike into a scooter and I am sure that is when the real fun will begin.
The sample that won for today was the duck drumsticks.  Yes, quite the deluxe sample and very delicious (and the sample lady at that station was so nice)!

The Bookmobile

It was a regular Friday evening in August.  Nothing too eventful had happened and I was a bit worn out from a week of unpacking.  I decided to join the boys in checking out what the awnings were all about at the park across the street.  Well, I didn’t quite make it there as I was sidetracked by the people gathered around a big motor home in the parking lot.  Yes, we have a Bookmobile.  It is a converted Winnebago that is a fully-loaded library, complete with books for all ages, magazines, CDs, DVDs... and it comes to the parking lot beside our apartment every Friday.  That is how the Friday night tradition of the bookmobile began for Josh and I.

Every Friday night, we walk next door to the Bookmobile.  It’s not only a place to stock up on our books but it’s also a place where we meet new people, catch up with our neighbours and plan play dates.  Every Friday morning, Josh asks me ‘is it bookmobile day today?’ and we wait in anticipation for the evening to come. 

There is seriously no better way (in my opinion!) to cure a long day and to have some wonderful mother son bonding then to step out your door and into the Bookmobile.  With the Bookmobile and having our milk in a bag, I feel like I am living in a different era, long gone, and I'm loving it. 

A fun age!

It's hard to believe that Owen is already a year and a half and Josh will be 4 next month.  They are both at such a fun age, where the things they do and say are constantly making me smile or laugh. 
Owen absolutely loves (obsessed with may be a better word) dogs.  He runs down our hallway, goes to the doors where he knows the dogs live and he says 'daw door, daw door'.  Although Josh is usually busy protecting Owen, he knows his weakness when it comes to dogs.   One day we were in the elevator with the most adorable little fluffy white dog.  Josh had himself plastered against the wall (as he is petrified of dogs) and Owen was standing in front of him, busy petting the dog and talking to it.  Josh took him squarely by the shoulders and said 'Owen, can you please stand in front of me and protect me from the dog?'.  Being the sweet loving brother he is, Owen gladly protected Josh from the dog.
Owen has also started to enjoy reading books.  He enjoys reading books by himself but he often joins Josh and I on the couch as we read our stack of books.  He doesn't have very much patience for the longer books, like Curious George, yet.  If he thinks the word to picture ratio is too high (i.e. more than 1 sentence per picture), he starts yelling and trying to take the book away and replace it with another one. 

Josh is a planner and always likes to look forward to things.  The two big events he is counting down to right now are turning 4 in May (he has been talking about his firetruck birthday cake for months already) and starting afternoon kindergarten in September. 

His favourite game right now is the guessing game.  I love guessing games and 20 questions (and Mike is never too excited to play along with me) so I am very happy to play the game with Josh.  He gives me a clue about something and I have to guess what it is.  He actually gives really good clues and if I can't guess the answers from the clue, he will mouth me the answer so that I can guess the right answer but still feel like a winner (he's always so thoughtful).

Josh continues to be a patient, loving big brother.  When Owen obliviously throws a hard toy at him, Josh takes it in stride and forgives him.  We tell Owen to say sorry and give Josh a hug and he goes over and gives Josh the nicest hug - it would be hard not to forgive him.
These two boys are always cracking us up and making our hearts swell with pride, and we're so thankful for them.