Today was a gorgeous day! Sunny and over 22 degrees, it seem spring has come a bit early. It also seemed like a fitting end to Dave’s March break. We took the kids to the BIG PARK today for the first time since the fall. All the snow was cleared up, and the park was dry and packed with kids. It was SUCH a great experience compared to 6 months ago.
Jesse is so independent on all the equipment and you can just sit back and watch him go. He was beaming the entire time. He also is very good with all the little and big kids running around. I think I can credit his preschool for this. He is used to playing on a big play structure with tons of kids. Last year he would get really anxious when people would get in his space and push them away. He also shied away from older kids and liked us close to him at the park. This year, he was saying “excuse-me” and waiting his turn, and having fun with the other kids. I felt so proud. What was probably the BEST though, was that Jesse did not take a tantrum when we left. He said he didn’t want to go, got a sad pout and reached toward the park. Then, got in the stroller, had a drink, and said he was going to be a good listener?! Such a nice change.
Six months ago, Janna was on my hip at the park. That made it a bit tiring and tricky trying to help Jesse out on different things, and prying him away from the park. She was content to watch everyone, but basically tied up my arms. This time around, she was SO happy and all over the place. The past week, she has been walking little sets of 8 or 10 steps in a row. So, she had a blast trying to run in the soft sand. There were lots of bumps and hills, and she would totally wipe out. Like, she did a face plant, AND a backward somersault, AND what looked like a cartwheel at one point. But, she just got right back up without so much of a whine, and tried to run some more. She also adored the swings, slide, and just scaling along the bottom of the play structure. She is so adventuresome and loves to MOVE MOVE MOVE. When the two of them are in the double stroller these days, Janna reaches to the front and will grab Jesse’s head for a hug, or poke him to get a reaction, or pull off her shoes, or twist around backwards. She is such a little mover, and is fun to watch!
We all had such a great time, and I wished I’d taken my camera to get a picture of them in their short sleeves, hats, and huge GRINS. The rest of the week is calling for weather in the 20’s, and I’m feeling so excited about all our future park trips. Seeing your kids so giddy and joyful, is just one of the best things, EVER! Thanks for reading. I’m out.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
LEAP YEAR!
It’s March. What?!? I am So happy February is over. It was a blurr of stomach bugs and colds and snow and exhaustion. The tail end was a bit better with a quick visit from my in-laws, and an ever exciting Leap Year. Ok, so nothing super exciting happened, but Leap Year is one of those days where I look back and feel sentimental about the past, and hopeful for the future. I always think about what I was doing 4 years ago and marvel at the change. Well, yesterday, as I was laying down for a power snooze while the kids napped, I went WAY back and thought of every single Leap Year I have ever experienced. What crazy changes come about in 4 years. Ok... so perhaps this is a bit narcissistic, but here we go.
Leap YEAR 1984. I was just a wee fetus living in my momma in a big farm house, in Elk Point, Alberta.
Leap Year 1988: My family moved to the Suburbs in Ottawa, Ontario. I remember being one of MANY kids in my mom’s home day care, while my dad worked for CSIS, and watching my brothers develop into strange beings.
Leap YEAR 1984. I was just a wee fetus living in my momma in a big farm house, in Elk Point, Alberta.
Leap Year 1988: My family moved to the Suburbs in Ottawa, Ontario. I remember being one of MANY kids in my mom’s home day care, while my dad worked for CSIS, and watching my brothers develop into strange beings.
LEAP YEAR 1992: Another move for me and my 3 brothers and parents to a quiet town street, in the tiny town of Hartland, New Brunswick. I was the new kid at school (slightly shy with a bad mushroom cut) and loved my amazing grade 2 teacher, Mr. Hunter. I spent all my time playing outdoors, and enjoying all things artsy and musical and fun. (I am the poor little girl on the right with the bad hair and cool crossed eyes- if you can't tell me apart from my brothers)
LEAP YEAR 1996: Still, in Hartland, now in Middle School. All blonde and screamy and cheerleader and Duh! Best Friends with my equally ridiculous and awesome cheer buddy, Heather Long. We had SO much fun being weird and doing strange things. And we didn’t care what anybody thought of us.
LEAP YEAR 2000: Now in high school, I remember enjoying academic achievement, extracurricular activities, getting pretty involved in church, a part-time pizza slinging gig and having lots of interest in boys. I remember many days riding the bus to my high school sweethearts house and eating bologna and mustard sandwiches .
LEAP YEAR 2004: The location would be my residence dorm room in Moncton , N.B with my Nigerian room mate- Yenkat. I was a Second year university student majoring in Communications and minoring in religious studies. I was generally confused about life and who I wanted to be, be with, and what I wanted to do in life after this silly thing called a BA came to a close. Maybe my red afro is symolic of my inner turmoil?
LEAP YEAR 2008. This was a good one. Living on the 10th floor of a high rise in Ottawa, Ontario, I was a poor and in love newlywed. Nannying some kids full time, and complaining about never seeing my husband who was doing his masters and working a very full part time job. My dog, Cooper , was probably my best friend. Let’s face it- I saw him a lot more than Dave!
LEAP YEAR 2012: Out of our cozy apartment and into a comfy townhouse in Nepean, Ontario, I’ve been busy over the past four years. I am a full time mom to 2 babies, part time teacher to many more kids, wife of a busy high school teacher. Truthfully, not sure where my head is half the time. But! Happy to have the best friend, ever, in Dave, and the cutest little kids.
So, that brings me back to reality here. The kids are doing well. Jesse’s language has just exploded over the past month- and he speaks in these full and sometimes complex sentences and paragraphs...which sometimes go ON and ON and ON. He is adoring school, and asks to go every single day of the week. He has fallen in love with a 4 year old from his class- and she plays with him, and takes him around by the hand, and brings him to “mommy” when he seems sad or uncomfortable. The boy already likes being coddled by girls. Oh no. Janna is also a talking machine. She says, “cat, dada, hi, Kate, Dog,(pronounced God), Janna, and attempts Jesse (it usually comes out like “J- essss”) Will she say mama? Nope. She looks at me and grins and squirms, and that’s it. She has been taking her first steps the past few days. She will do one or 2 at a time, then plop on her bum and crawl mad fast like trying to walk was just a waste of her time. She discovered, today, that side step shuffling was easier for her. She would step one foot out, then bring the other together. Then out. Then together. So cute!
Dave is pressing on with work- and after developing a new strategy after the mayhem that was first semester- is staying on top of his marking. Which is awesome. His school had their big inspection (which happens every 2 year) and passed without any hitches.
Me. I was just trying to stay alive and present throughout February. March will be a redeeming month. Daylight savings is right around the corner, as is March break. I am crossing my fingers the snow will clear up by the end of the month, and it won’t take me 15 minutes to get everyone bundled up and out the door everyday.
Love to you all, Thanks for Reading. I’m out.
LEAP YEAR 1996: Still, in Hartland, now in Middle School. All blonde and screamy and cheerleader and Duh! Best Friends with my equally ridiculous and awesome cheer buddy, Heather Long. We had SO much fun being weird and doing strange things. And we didn’t care what anybody thought of us.
LEAP YEAR 2000: Now in high school, I remember enjoying academic achievement, extracurricular activities, getting pretty involved in church, a part-time pizza slinging gig and having lots of interest in boys. I remember many days riding the bus to my high school sweethearts house and eating bologna and mustard sandwiches .
LEAP YEAR 2004: The location would be my residence dorm room in Moncton , N.B with my Nigerian room mate- Yenkat. I was a Second year university student majoring in Communications and minoring in religious studies. I was generally confused about life and who I wanted to be, be with, and what I wanted to do in life after this silly thing called a BA came to a close. Maybe my red afro is symolic of my inner turmoil?
LEAP YEAR 2008. This was a good one. Living on the 10th floor of a high rise in Ottawa, Ontario, I was a poor and in love newlywed. Nannying some kids full time, and complaining about never seeing my husband who was doing his masters and working a very full part time job. My dog, Cooper , was probably my best friend. Let’s face it- I saw him a lot more than Dave!
LEAP YEAR 2012: Out of our cozy apartment and into a comfy townhouse in Nepean, Ontario, I’ve been busy over the past four years. I am a full time mom to 2 babies, part time teacher to many more kids, wife of a busy high school teacher. Truthfully, not sure where my head is half the time. But! Happy to have the best friend, ever, in Dave, and the cutest little kids.
So, that brings me back to reality here. The kids are doing well. Jesse’s language has just exploded over the past month- and he speaks in these full and sometimes complex sentences and paragraphs...which sometimes go ON and ON and ON. He is adoring school, and asks to go every single day of the week. He has fallen in love with a 4 year old from his class- and she plays with him, and takes him around by the hand, and brings him to “mommy” when he seems sad or uncomfortable. The boy already likes being coddled by girls. Oh no. Janna is also a talking machine. She says, “cat, dada, hi, Kate, Dog,(pronounced God), Janna, and attempts Jesse (it usually comes out like “J- essss”) Will she say mama? Nope. She looks at me and grins and squirms, and that’s it. She has been taking her first steps the past few days. She will do one or 2 at a time, then plop on her bum and crawl mad fast like trying to walk was just a waste of her time. She discovered, today, that side step shuffling was easier for her. She would step one foot out, then bring the other together. Then out. Then together. So cute!
Dave is pressing on with work- and after developing a new strategy after the mayhem that was first semester- is staying on top of his marking. Which is awesome. His school had their big inspection (which happens every 2 year) and passed without any hitches.
Me. I was just trying to stay alive and present throughout February. March will be a redeeming month. Daylight savings is right around the corner, as is March break. I am crossing my fingers the snow will clear up by the end of the month, and it won’t take me 15 minutes to get everyone bundled up and out the door everyday.
Love to you all, Thanks for Reading. I’m out.
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