Carpe Diem

 

I think it started at Christmas when Josh lost his first tooth.  It compounded as I watched my baby girl take care of her baby girl and was complete when I went last month to sign my baby boy up for junior kindergarten for Sept.  The sudden realization that my kids are all growing up too quickly. 

 

 

 

 

Josh has now lost two teeth, Owen seems to grow taller every day and Megan tries to do everything on her own.  

 

 

 

(when Owen opened these stickers in his stocking, the first thing he said was 'great, I got two packs, now I can share')

 

It definitely makes me sad and makes me be one of those who lament, 'they grow up too fast'. But, more importantly, these 'milestones' for my babies have made me realize that I need to seize the day (carpe diem) and try to enjoy every moment I have with them.

When I went home last week to celebrate the life of our dear friend, James, I was reminded of how short life is and how important it is to 'live life to the fullest'.  James did seize the day and lived life to the fullest; he worked hard and played hard and made sure that everyone in his life knew that they were important.  I think that in his 37 short years, he laughed more, smiled more, impacted more lives (and talked more;) ) than most people do in 75 years.  James' life and legacy is a reminder to me that as life passes us by, we need to cherish every moment and make as many memories as possible.

So, I will continue to remind myself to carpe diem and make a conscious effort to make memories with my children by doing things like going for icecream when it's -5,

 

 

making a mess by having a painting party,

 

 

 

 

playing a seventh round of UNO,

 

 

and having a sushi pj party picnic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it Snow

 

 

It's hard to believe that we live in Ontario and it's been almost 2 years (almost to the date) since we had enough snow to play in.  The other week, Owen asked me 'when is it going to snow, lots and lots?' so you can imagine his excitement when a few days later, we got our first snowfall of the season.  We dug out our sleds that we bought last year and had never used, and headed for the hill.  It was Megan's first time in the snow and she thought it was great.  Sledding was a hit with the kids and kids at heart (mommy & daddy).  It has been snowing here all day today (the most snow Toronto has had in 5 years) so we are looking forward to another weekend of playing in the snow!

 

First time in the snow!

 

 

 

Sledding!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed

So, I must admit that I sometimes like to have a pity party and see my glass half empty.  I sometimes start to feel sorry for myself, of course about the big things like being away from family and friends, but also the smaller things, like not having had White Spot for 9 months!  But when I get out of my funk, I realize that my glass isn't just half full but it's more than full, overflowing with so many blessings. 

 

 

 

 

When I look around, I can't help but see how much I have been blessed.  I have three wonderful, healthy, happy children.  I have spent more than half my life with the man of my dreams.  And, the sky is blue and the sun is shining!

 

(Photo credit - Danielle G.)



Our princess is 1!

 

Yes, what you've heard is true - our baby girl is one!  I've tried to cherish every moment with each child, freeze framing every perfect memory in my mind, realizing that 'time is but a fleeting moment'.  With each child, it seems that my sadness of my babies growing up magnifies.  So with my third and final baby, celebrating her first birthday was bittersweet; wonderful as we celebrate the blessing she is and the joy that she brings to our lives but sad at the realization that she is growing up too quickly.  One year later, we are still head over heals in love.

To celebrate our birthday girl, we had a special dinner out as a family.

 

 

(Josh even tried calamari and liked it!)

 

 

 

We also had a little party at home.

 

(A butterfly cake is fitting for our social butterfly!)

 

Of course, since she has two older brothers to keep up with, Megan is determined not to be a baby.  She is starting to walk all over the place now, desperately trying to get into everything that she knows she is not supposed to.  Megan has a wonderful sense of humour and a jolly, belly laugh that gives Santa a run for his money.  She is a social butterfly and is always eager to have someone to talk to or play with.

This chair is her new favourite toy.

She likes to 'help' by unloading the dishwasher.

 

She loves playing the piano.

 

 

Trick or Treat x 3

This year, we were lucky enough to have a superhero to keep our zoo animals in line.

A happy halloween was had by all. 

 

The rain didn't stop them. It was actually quite nastalgic for me as Mike carried the big umbrella around; it reminded me of almost every year as a kid trick or treating that my dad would tirelessly hold the umbrella over us to keep our amazing costumes that my mom had made us from getting wet. I would have to say that despite the rain, I found trick or treating this year much more enjoyable than last year since I wasn't in labour.

 

It was quite funny because Megan quickly figured out what was going on.  After a few doors, she was reaching for the candy from the bowl.  When we got home, she was trying to grab her bag of treats off of the table.  When we finally gave her a box of raisins from her stash, she was so excited and gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow. 
Josh has been spending his spare time today counting and organizing his treats; a boy after my own heart.  Now to start thinking about next year's costumes!