A Journey 'Home'.

After a particularly difficult week, my mom suggested that I take a break and bring the girls for a drive up to Bathurst for the weekend. This is where I was born, where a lot of my happy childhood memories come from, and where a good portion of my french side of the family still resides. I wasn't really feeling up for the trip knowing that it would be more exhausting than anything (chasing after the two girls the whole time) but I had my matantes to help me out and in the end, I was really happy I went.

It also happened to be 'la Fete des Acadiens' - a big celebration that recognizes Acadian culture and heritage. Everywhere you looked people were dressed in tricolour clothing (based on the Acadian flag) and I just loved the little handmade dresses so many of the little girls were wearing. It's sure tempted me to make a couple for Kaia and Sabine - I even got some perfect fabric for them given to me (free and recycled - love it!). Tons of people also decorate their houses with banners, flags, and other folksy, handmade art all in blue, white and red and at the end of the day, there is a big parade. Well, not really a parade I guess - mostly it consisted of people driving down the main stretch making noise and throwing candy (after which Kaia was quick to exclaim, "this is great!"). For whatever reason, I grew up thinking this was all rather tacky but this time I felt like I was seeing it with new eyes. After being in a marriage where nothing was mutually celebrated it gave me a great feeling to see so many people come together enjoying themselves and one another. I mean, just about every yard was filled with lawn chairs, family and friends. Good times.

Before our drive home the next afternoon we went to Beresford Beach. As a child, we (my family) used to have a cottage out there on the beach and I remember spending lots of time digging for artifacts and collecting shells. The whole beach has really been cleaned up since then -a small boardwalk and park were put in and I was told that there is always live music on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. I always feel drawn to water and still have dreams of a home and studio on the beach somewhere. The girls really loved it too.

Update

Hello everyone - it's been awhile. Without really intending to, I have taken quite a long break from writing this blog and now just about the whole summer has flown by us. The main reason for this - for anyone who doesn't yet know - is that Daniel and I have separated. Without getting into messy details, I'll just say that these past few months have been very, very sad. It's not really something that I want, and it's definately something I gave my all to avoid these past few years but at the end of the day, it's not only my decision and I'm left with no choice but to accept things as they are. I do believe though, that things happen for a reason and that there is likely some bigger and better plan in the works for me and my girls but the sense of loss I sometimes feel can be completely overwhelming.

The girls are taking the whole transition in stride. If there is one positive thing about all the time Daniel has spent away in the past it's that they are totally used to having him away for long bouts of time and well, so am I, so we'll just keep on as we do. Our day to day life is relatively unchanged and I think that will be the key to making this easier on them, and myself as well. Like I said, it's been sad, but at least not a whole lot is going to change in our lives. I try to be grateful, rather than resentful about that but some days are harder than others...

So here we are, just me and my girls...a new beginning? I can't help but wonder where this path will lead.

A rare photo of the three of us together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAIA!

(she insisted on having all the candles on her cake and well, why not?)

At 3, Kaia loves...

icy drinks (slushies),
rainbow ice-cream,
building castles,
letters and numbers,
Dora the Explorer,
beaded jewelry, and
stickers.

Kaia does NOT love:

brushing her hair,
washing her hair,
loud noises or
eating supper.

Happy Birthday to Kaia!

Kaia's birthday is actually tomorrow, the 25th, but because that falls on a Monday we decided to do the birthday thing today. And well, what can I say? My Kaiaarahi Soleil is loved (and by that I mean spoiled - though I was asked to point out here that it was actually a birthday gift to both of the girls). She had been saying for weeks that she wanted a swing for her birthday and so her Nana and Papa said they would get her one only they didn't just get a swing - they decided on getting her the whole playground! Look at this and you'll see what I mean.Papa and Daniel spent, quite literally, the entire day putting this together. Kaia helped too - she just loves playing with tools. We had a little barbecue for lunch with cake and presents afterwards. Kaia absolutely loved her backpack I made for her (and I was so pleased with how it came out). She's been filling it with her toys and wearing it pretty much constantly which makes me happy. She's pretty proud to have a camera of her own too, though it'll take awhile for her to figure it out I think (there are quite a few buttons on it).
It was a great day overall and I know Kaia had a blast which is the most important thing. I think we'll be spending lots of time out here this summer.

Summer is on it's way!

With the warm weather fast approaching (and a few beautiful sunny days so far), I decided to make the girls each a nice summer sundress. I had some fabric lying around and for some reason I have been in the mood to sew lately, and I also saw this tutorial online which inspired me to create these. So easy and super cute. I made some modifications to the pattern - I used leftover fabric rather than buying bandanas, and I added two loops instead of one to the back for the ribbon tie as well as adding on some found embellishment afterwards. Everything I used was upcycled so to speak so the best part of it all? Besides all of the contrast-y goodness (I can't help it. I love things that don't match), it only cost me $2.50 to make both of them! (I had to buy some of that no-roll elastic). Adorable.

Can you keep a secret?

I just got this pattern for a toddler sized backpack from happygiraffe on ETSY. I had been wanting to make Kaia a backpack for a few months now but haven't had the time to draft my own pattern (or the patience for that matter!) and wasn't able to find one to buy. Of course, you can find tons of patterns for backpacks, but not little ones for little bodies and this one will fit her just perfectly. I am going to make it for her birthday and give it to her along with one of those kiddie digital cameras. She's always after mine and it's beginning to incur some damage so the intention here is to keep her little paws away from my camera, while still letting her explore and learn to take her own photos. I can see her now - packing up her little backpack with snacks and a drink and her camera for photos along with whatever else she deems necessary on a day out. We should have lots of fun with this over the summer. I'm very excited about it.

It's crazy to think that another year has gone by already and my little baby girl is turning 3 years old. I read this quote somewhere - ages ago - and it's always stuck with me. I'm not likely to get it exactly right but it went something like this:

"When you are a parent, the days are long but the years fly by..."

How very true.

She's walking!

What goes around...

We've had a rough few weeks here in the Greenwood household. First I got quite sick - it forced me to spend a few days in bed and I'm still not feeling totally 'over it' yet. Then, of course, Sabine got sick who then passed it on to Kaia. Sabine had a pretty bad cough and a runny nose for a couple of days but it definately hit Kaia the hardest of us all. She had a horrible fever for a few nights, lots of hoarse coughing and trouble breathing, and understandably, her sleep schedule has been off ever since. We're all much better now - enjoying the warm and sunny weather and getting back into the swing of things...

Priceless.

This is, so far, Kaia's best attempt at avoiding bedtime.

My name is...

Kaia has known her full first name and middle name for quite some time now but it was only recently that I thought she should really learn her last name as well. I tried to tell her that all of us - Mommy, Daddy, Kaia and Sabine - all have the last name Greenwood but she wasn't satisfied with that. Now, if you ask her what her name is, she will confidently reply, "My name is Kaiaarahi Soleil Pinkwood." Too cute.

My Birthday Girl!

We had a little birthday party for Sabine this weekend since her birthday was on Thursday and it pretty much passed by as a regular day. Kaia, Sabine and I went over to Nana and Papa's house for our first barbecue of the year (yay for that!) where Sabine had her cake and opened a little present I made for her. She did quite well with her cake - grabbing it with both hands as soon as it was put in front of her.

Sweet Innocence.

The other day Kaia said to me "Mommy?".
To which I replied, "Yes, honey?".
And she said, "I want wings".
"You want wings!", I exclaimed.
And then she spun around with her hands held out and said,
"Yes, so I can fly!"

Orange Marmalade.

Boy, do I remember exactly what I was doing at this time last year. I woke up at about 3 am this morning to give Sabine her bottle (I know - I shouldn't be doing this anymore!) and that's when I remembered it was her birthday and the memories came flooding back to me. At 3 am last year, I was standing in the bathroom, doing my hair all the while trying to deal with contractions (they were strong enough to keep me from sleeping from about 1:30 am). It's not that I care that much about what my hair looks like but it was a way to keep somewhat distracted when all I wanted to do was sleep , but couldn't, and I thought it would make me feel a bit better going into the hospital later that morning. Of course, at the end of the day, I realized how pointless it all was. I should have baked a cheesecake like my friend Siobhan! By about 4:30, I had woken Daniel up to let him know that 'today is the day'. I sat in bed with him for another 2 hours before considering going to the hospital. Since I had had Kaia by a scheduled ceasarian, all that labour business was new to me. I was always told that when contractions were 1 minute long and 5 minutes apart, it's time to go to the hospital. The thing was, mine were about every 2-3 minutes but only lasted about 30 seconds each so I called the hospital Telecare line and they told me to definately come in. Knowing what I do now, I would have stayed home much longer. At the hospital, I walked. And walked. And walked. I remember root beer popsicles and heavy breathing. I remember birthing balls and intense pain. I remember water baths and Daniel's presence to the left of me. Contractions and contractions, yet little progression. By 3 pm, the doctor decided to break my water and said I would feel a gush and that would be the end of it but at every contraction afterwards - and they were overtaking me by this point - there would be a big gush of fluid, and another and another, and I remember the nurse standing by me with a mop in her hand. A little embarassing I have to admit, even in that state, but the doctor just laughed and said that was a sure sign of a healthy baby. I started the real work of pushing at about a quarter to 6. Every time the doctor came in to check my progression, she seemed amazed and said she couldn't believe just how strong I was. Maybe she says this to everyone, but I felt like she meant it and it made me proud. By 5 minutes to 7, I said to her, "it's all going to happen fast now, isn't it?". She said she couldn't be sure but I knew. And in one final surge of energy I screamed and was lifted into the air and I felt the head, then shoulders, and then every little bumpy bit along the way come through me and then I floated back down onto the bed and there she was, my little bean, all pink and slippery on my now deflated belly. (Obviously the floating bit didn't actually happen but that is my memory of that moment and so it is very real to me). Daniel cut the umbilical cord and when I looked at him I saw the tears in his eyes and I loved him for it. By 7:01 pm it was all over - or should I say just beginning?

And then I ate, and ate, and ate. It took almost three days to feel like I had caught up with the energy lost over that marathon they call labour. I remember toast and orange marmalade - I had asked for peanut butter but there was none left. I had never really liked orange marmalade, and am still not sure if I really do now either, but the memory of it is delicious.

A Year in Review.

Mud Pies and Runny Noses.

The weather is slowly warming up. There have been a few days now when we've been able to go outside sans coats. The ground is getting drier but it's still quite muddy in our yard and of course, Kaia just loves this. And so I've learned to make sure she's got old pants on every time we go out because she will, without a doubt, get wet up to her knees (at the very least). On this day, she decided to make mud pies in her wet sandbox. Kaia makes 'pies' out of everything these days - supper pies, juice pies, cheese and berry pies, ice cream cone pies... She does this by laying something like a towel over whatever she is eating. Such a silly girl.Sabine wanted so badly to get into the mud too but I think she's been a bit sick so I tried to keep her occupied in her stroller. And look! She's got enough hair for pony-tails now!

Paper and plastic.

And so it starts. Yes, I am talking about birthday party season. It seems from now until about September Kaia has birthday party after birthday party after birthday party to go to. Not that it is a bad thing - Kaia certainly gets alot of enjoyment out of them. And today was no exception. We went to Kingswood, the gym and entertainment centre just down the road from where we live, for a gymnastics birthday party. Kaia had a great time, and it's tempted me to enroll her in a class. She was not shy at all (so proud!) and was trying hard to be first in line every time for each activity. She was really quite amazing. Sometimes I need to take a step back and remind myself that she' s not even 3 years old yet. Unfortunately though, I also realized that she is lacking the discipline to sit and listen to rules...will have to try and get that in check. I wish I had taken my camera. Kaia was doing somersaults down a mat, hanging and swinging herself from rings, walking and even kicking her feet high on the balance beam, crawling through tunnels, and lots more. Then they ate pizza and birthday cake and opened presents. I made a little fabric journal cover that held a sketchbook and some art pencils and thought it was pretty cute but I think the little one (she turned 4) was more fascinated with the LOADS of paper and plastic that came with the other gifts. Oh well, I'm sure my gift will have more staying power at the end of the day.

Mommy?

Kaia has never really gone through the 'why?' stage. Instead she's always asking, "Mommy? Mommy? Mum?" etc, etc. for hours on end. It's like that bit of the Family Guy that they show on tv where Stewie keeps asking "Mommy? Mommy? Mom? Moooommm? Mommy?..........." and his mom is laying on the bed with her arm over her forehead obviously stressed and frustrated and trying to ignore him when at last she just looks at him and yells "What?!" and then he just giggles and runs away. Yeah, that's so Kaia right now.

Poor baby.

Sabine is such an active baby. She will not remain still for any length of time. Most everyday, we go for a walk with Sabine and Maeve (the little baby girl I look after) in the wagon and Kaia exploring alongside. Lately though, every time I glance around to check on the little ones, Sabine is getting up and wanting to try and stand in the wagon, or at the very least she's leaning precariously over the edge. Earlier today, Sabine was sitting in the wagon watching as I helped Kaia with her tricycle - she's trying hard to get the pedalling thing figured out - and I looked back just in time to see Sabine tumble out of the wagon! The poor thing fell head first right onto the road! She's a tough cookie though. I think the whole episode was harder on me than her but she's got one wicked bump and scrape to show for it. Just in time for her first birthday too.

A sure sign of Spring.

Today Kaia and I tried out her sidewalk chalk on the road outside. She seemed to enjoy it but was preoccupied most of the time by watching for cars. Our road is super quiet, especially during the work day but I guess she is finally learning to be concious of the traffic, which is a good thing. So in the end, it was mostly me drawing what Kaia told me to draw and her yelling "Mommy, car coming!" every now and then. She loved seeing her name on the street but got upset when a car drove over it.

A crafty afternoon.

Kaia was being especially rambunctious this afternoon so I needed to find something to keep her hands busy for even just a little while. I had seen this tutorial online earlier in the day on one of the blogs I follow so I decided to give it a go. It was really great as it was an 'eco-friendly' project that required materials I had lying around as well as giving me an opportunity to talk to Kaia about recycling, though I don't think she quite grasped the concept of it all just yet. These bracelets were made using twisted up plastic grocery bags and leftover yarn. Kind of cute, right?

A Green Thumb?

All of the seeds Kaia planted have begun to sprout. None of mine have so far.

Bring on the sun!

Today Kaia and I planted a little 'garden'. I've never tried growing vegetables before, and with the exception of a few rather unsuccessful attempts at small, indoor, kitchen herb gardens, I don't have any experience with this so it will be a learning process for both of us. We planted tomatoes (which I think are supposed to be pretty easy to grow), some green onions (which I have recently grown to love and have started adding them to almost everything I cook), some peas (Kaia and Sabine love them), and some zucchini (the seed packet said they were easy to grow and someone once gave me a zucchini bread that was delicious). I'll probably pick up a few more types of veggies to try - suggestions are welcome! - but that's all we've started with for now. Hopefully we'll get some nice seedlings in the next few weeks then we'll ask Daddy to help us sort something out outside when the ground is drier.

A day in the kitchen.

Kaia loves baking. She's always talking about making cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. I think she likes the mixing, baking, and decorating more than she likes eating them though since she'll pretty much just stick her fingers into the icing and then a little while later I'll find a crumbled up cookie or cupcake in the window sill, on the floor, or somewhere equally inappropriate. Today we made waffles. I think she thought the waffle maker was pretty cool, though she didn't like not being able to eat the batter as we were making them (it just wasn't the same as a chocolate cake!)

Finally! A nice day.

Today was a long awaited nice, sunny day. Hopefully it will be one of the last few that we'll need snowsuits to play outside with. Kaia and Sabine are enjoying the snow while it's here.

A trip to the puppy store.

No, I do not plan on getting a puppy. It's just that Kaia has been asking me to go see some animals and usually we would take her to the Country Pumpkin across the river where she likes to feed the llamas, goats, horses and other animals they've got. She also really likes to play at the park there. So, because of the time of year, I decided I would take her to the pet store instead. As far as she was concerned, it was an hour very well spent. She loved the puppies and fish but especially liked watching the birds. Sabine was really getting into it as well. And, as we were on our way out (after quite a bit of convincing), Kaia said to me, "Look Mommy, a chihuahua (though it sounded more like 'itchy-wa-wa'), and sure enough, there was a chihuahua chasing after her through the glass. What a smart girl.

A bang and a hiss.

We spent the afternoon with some friends. The girls had a great time exploring a new house and making a mess with new toys, not to mention playing the piano and banging on the drum set they have! Kaia absolutely loved the drums. Daniel took her to a music store in the city earlier in the week where they had a child size drum set and he told me he had to tear Kaia away from it to bring her home, which is pretty much what we had to today as well! She kept wanting to go back for 'one more chance'. Looks like Kaia and Daddy might have something special to share...

Sabine also found a new friend in a little wooden snake. She hung on to it the entire afternoon, so long in fact, that it was given to her as we were leaving so as not to make her let it go! She's still dragging it around with her.

A lovely day spent with friends.

We spent the morning today at the Clay Cafe - a little paint-your-own pottery place in downtown Fredericton. I have never been there before, some might think for obvious reasons, but always peeked in through the windows every time I walked past so it was nice to get inside and see what it was all about. Many of Kaia's friends were there (it was a planned playdate), most of whom she and I hadn't seen in awhile and I am just so amazed with how big everyone is getting! Kaia chose a little puppy to 'paint'. At first she wanted green, then pink and so I put both those colours on her little palette then I added a little black because I figured I would paint in the eyes and nose for her at the end. But, as always Kaia went straight for the black and I had to convince her to use some other colours... Even when she paints on a canvas at home she picks out all the colours she wants, I put them onto a palette for her, then she spends the whole time covering the canvas in black. It reminds me of the time she told me she wanted her room painted black! Hmmm, I wonder, is this a sign of things to come?

Oh, and it was my birthday. I had happy birthday sung to me by the ladies (with a carrot muffin and candle on top even!). Thank you all!

And....more snow!

Another Monday, another snowstorm, another day stuck in the house with two exceptionally energetic little girls. We spent the morning painting then watching a movie (Kaia's new favorite seems to be Hercules) and the afternoon baking and decorating cookies. Big, bright, bold flowers to remind of us of Spring and nice weather.

Surely it can't be that far off now...

Oh what a night.

Sabine's been acting funny these days...or I guess I should really say nights. There have been a few where she has almost slept through (finally), but then there are others (like last night) where she's up and yelling for me every few hours still. Sometimes I think she's just testing me. Of course, I could try and let her cry through it and then she would probably be sleeping through her nights in no time but it just always seems easier to get up, lay her back down, tuck her in, and she goes right back to sleep, which means I can too. Otherwise, she's up and crying, and I'm up and waiting...

Kaia has also started doing alot of talking and even yelling in her sleep. It's sometimes a little startling, but mostly amusing, like the other night when I heard her say "How 'bout this one?'. It's what she always says when she's trying to convince me to put a movie on for her that she wants to watch.

Oh, to get a full night of uninterrupted sleep...

And then of course we're all up first thing in the morning, and it's been getting earlier and earlier lately for some reason...maybe it's the earlier hours of daylight. For all the hassles they give me at night though, they sure make up for it by giving me lots of love and kisses in the morning!

More snow!

It looks like it's going to be yet another day stuck inside. I'm going to have to find some new activities for all of us to do. Kaia tends to get very sneaky and into trouble unless she's kept busy. Daniel has been working away during the week so, on a positive note, we all get to spend an extra day with Daddy since the roads are too bad for him to drive anywhere. Actually, ours isn't even plowed yet.

Here's a photo of Daniel trying to dig out the car this morning.

Getting so big...

At our last doctor's appointment, Sabine weighed in at 21 lbs, 6 oz. She has obviously been outgrowing for her infant car seat (the straps are so tight over a puffy snowsuit!) so I decided this week that I would buy her a new 'big girl' car seat. I got the same one Kaia has, which seemed to amuse Kaia for awhile. So, we put it in the car and went for a drive and Sabine loved all the space she had for her legs, judging by all the kicking she was doing. She kicked her little boots right off her feet.

It's truly hard to believe she'll be a year old in just a couple short months...

I knew it wouldn't last.

When out for a walk with the girls yesterday, I looked around at the melting snow, watched Kaia splashing around in puddles and thought it felt like spring was just around the corner. Then I remembered that we are still in the month of February, in New Brunswick, and I knew it wouldn't last. Today we were hit with yet another snowstorm and the sunny skies of yesterday are long gone. Oh well, it was a welcome break while it lasted. So, all in all, it was a pretty uneventful day for us. Stuck inside, we watched a few Disney movies (Kaia's favorite at the moment is Mulan) and did some drawing. I am so impressed at how Kaia's drawing has evolved in the past few weeks. She has gone from scribbles to circles to balloons and now she is putting faces on the balloons with eyes, a nose and a big smile. And, she is starting to colour within the lines of her colouring books. Not that I want to encourage colouring inside the lines (!) but observing the whole process is very interesting to me...

A beautiful day to start something new.

I've decided to start this blog for a number of reasons. One being that I've been following blogs of a few friends of mine for quite some time now and I thoroughly enjoy them and recognize the value in using it as a way to keep in touch and up to date. With family quite literally on the opposite side of the world (kia ora!) I thought it would be a great way for them to feel closer and more connected to our little family. I also see it as a way of documenting the precious time I have with my girls. Though I may have the best of intentions when it comes to organizing the hundreds of digital photos we've taken, getting those photos printed and into baby books and albums, writing down milestones and funny moments, it often gets lost in the shuffle of daily life and put off indefinately. I am a busy mom trying to (somewhat desperately) manage a household and also get my business up and running after all! (If only there were about 6 more hours in a day!). I do, however, always manage to find the time to sit down at the computer and check my email and the few other little things I like to keep up with so I thought this might be a good alternative.

Now, if only I could get a start on those scrapbooks...