May overview

These pictures are really out of order, but I'm not too concerned about that right now.

Phineas got to go in the bakfiets for the first time. He LOVES it. All of our kids do. And they have been loving going in it together. Phineas gets excited when we put the helmet on because he knows what's coming next.

Milayla is loving her dance class. She is also a little timid at the beginning of class but is dancing across the entire room in no time. I love watching her study each and every move. Would love to know how she is processing everything in her thoughts. She dances everywhere at home and is always excited to show us new moves and creating dances. It works well because she is also always singing for us. It's great. She has an outfit that is deemed her dance outfit that she picked out herself. It's all purple with sparkly hearts. I so love getting to know each of my children; their preferences, likes, dislikes - everything. It's so fun.

Jason and I had a date night downtown. Musical swings. China town. Place des Arts. It was the perfect night for walking around downtown. And the musical swings were lots of fun. Loved china town, too.

Phineas is usually found barefoot when we go out because he pulls his shoes and socks off. Thankfully, it is warm enough that that isn't a problem. He's also usually pantless, but those stay on when we are out :).

Jason and I had to get some blood tests done (just part of our checkup with our new doctor) so all three kids came along. I loved how engrossed they were in their Friend Magazines. Phineas was crawling around with Jason. Milayla and Atticus would ask me questions about the things they were reading. They have those things memorized (pictures for Milayla and words for Atticus)!

For another date night Jason and I finally checked out an Indian restaurant that Jason had been telling me about for a while. It was pretty good. And it was close enough that we had a nice conversation while we walked there and back as well as lovely conversation over dinner. So perfect. I feel pretty lucky to be married to my best friend.

And we saw a wickedly large beetle. I was trying to find something to put in the picture to show the scale of his size to the kids (they are so interested in bugs/beetles - as long as they aren't in the house) but he was crawling up my foot before I had the chance to add something. I did pick some lilac to bring a lovely scent into the house for Milayla's birthday that we were celebrating the next day. Milayla LOVED the lilac!

Jason didn't shave for a really long time. Not intentional. We have just been so busy with the move. None of us have had haircuts either. We're pretty scruffy. Well, when it came time for Jason to finally pull out the razor I challenged him to do a handle bar moustache. He did it!! I also challenged him to sport it out and about but he didn't... Oh well. I at least got a picture. I have been encouraging him to grow out his hair and it's getting to a pretty awesome length. He has wispy hair behind his ears and it looks great on him. I'll have to try to remember to take a picture when he has it styled.

The kids just want to be on their bikes all day, every day. Milayla usually does some practice on her peddle bike and then does the laufrad (balance bike). While we didn't have a backyard in our old place, the back alley was super great for practicing bikes! Phineas usually goes in the stroller or the tricycle (with push bar) and we circle around with them. It's a great way to play in the afternoon or just before lunch.

Our kids love the swings. I can't remember why Milayla decided she wanted to try and fit in the baby swing - it didn't last long before she was back on a normal swing. All three kids love big pushes. And Phineas could stay in the swing all day. He laughs so much. When he gets really excited he will kick his legs and it looks like he is running in the swing. We have playground/swinging loving kids. I love all those smiles. They have great smiles.

Usually, a couple times a week, the kids like to play out back with Aoefa (our neighbour's daughter) and she joins in on the bike brigade while they run away from the "bear" which is usually Aoefa's dad or Phineas or me. They have fun together.

Phineas pulls everything off the shelves. Everything. He is beginning to learn how to put them back. So for every 10 items he pulls off, he usually helps put back a few. Not too bad for a baby.

Milayla wanted to do her hair for dance one day. She put every clip she had in her hair (without fully brushing it) and put her elastics on her toes. She was so proud of her creativity and so proud that she can put the clips in on her own (it is a BIG achievement! I'M so proud!). I did have to restyle the hair so that all of her hair was pulled away from her face (a requirement for dance class) but she enjoyed every minute. I need to start a good little pinterest gallery of little girl hairstyles. Milayla loves having her hair done and tries to explain all these things she wants me to do to style it but I don't always understand her vision. So having some pictures would certainly help. I love the extra time that doing her hair gives me and her to spend together.

Walks. Lots and lots of walks. Especially after it has rained. We love going puddle jumping and looking for puddles. I bought rain boots JUST for THIS. No joke. And all those green tree seeds across the sidewalks and roads - SO BEAUTIFUL after fresh rain. Mix that all with fresh flowers, happy (rain soaked) children and it's a beautiful way to go for a walk.

Phineas still naps with me. He is a very attached baby, yet very social. He is teaching me so much as a mother. I will never tire of how beautiful my children are - there is something so cute about a sleeping baby snuggled up to you.

Atticus did extra chores around the house to earn money to buy Milayla a birthday present. He scrubbed a lot of baseboards and cleaned the basement stairs several times. It took him a long time to pick out the perfect gift - he even lined up all the 'fast' race cars so that he could properly compare them. I was a little unsure how strict to be with his money (eg., should I pitch in a bit of money if he wants to buy something that is slightly over) but decided to have him buy with what he had (after he paid tithing and put some in savings). He understood the concept of downsizing the price of one thing so that he could get something else as well. And he did fairly well adding what was left of his money etc. He even insisted that he MUST count out and pay at the cashier for his toys himself. He did a great job. Really. He picked out a purple skipping rope and a new car for Milayla. She was thrilled.

Phineas can reach pretty much everything now. He can stand up on his tip toes and investigate things. He's loving it. He even stands for a few seconds solo. That gets us all very excited.

With all the packing/cleaning we have been doing Jason and I have been known to reach for the frozen treats that need to be emptied from the freezer before we move anyway. Long nights trying to get things ready.

The kids always tell me I'm silly. While packing up the closet, I did give Jason and good laugh by showing him how humorous it looks to have stockings on your head. He did it, too. Can't seem to find that picture though! How convenient for him.

Atticus loooooooves reading. He is reading all the time. He especially loves novels. He has read Encyclopedia brown more times that I lost count.

While packing things up, Atticus and Milayla would help put the toys in the box and then Phineas would pull them out and start playing. I think it was partly because he was seeing some toys that were usually out of his reach and partly because he just loves that he can stand and move around so easily now. And I really love those smiles!

Milayla loves picking out her outfits each morning. She loves colors and bright. Such an awesome reflection of her personality. And that smile! I love these smiles.

I FINALLY got a blog year printed in book form. Best thing ever. The kids love it. And we love it. Both Atticus and Milayla will pick it for book time. And I love finding the kids reading it together when they have free play time.

Found some joy school stuff while I was packing up. Atticus and Milayla look so small in those school windows! And I still love Alpha-bot. That's how Milayla learned her alphabet letters and their sounds! Alpha-bot still gets played with.

One night I had the idea to tell Milayla that she could brush and style my hair. I didn't think she would love it as much as she did. She LOVED it. It was such a great opportunity to spend time with Milayla. She loves to talk and has such awesome things on her mind. And she is so smart and inquisitive. So much laughter and smiling. I often think that getting to spend one-on-one time with each of the children is just as much for me as it is for them. They are such unique, wonderful kids who are growing and learning more each and every day. I need to remember to let Milayla brush my hair more often. We went for a Sunday evening walk afterward and I wore my new style out and about. Milayla even gave us matching bows. 

And Atticus has been loving his music class. The songs they learn are fantastic and Jason and I often end up singing them for the first few days after the class. Atticus has done a great job learning them and I am so impressed with the progress he has made in keeping time which will be a big help with his piano. Phineas loves getting to be at the music class as well - he loves music.

And then we moved at the end of the month. Probably much more on that soon. So grateful for the things that we were able to continue in order to keep some normalcy while we packed everything up and moved it to the new house. There was also Mother's Day in there which I already wrote about (such a lovely day), and plenty of other things that I didn't get pictures of. I really do love getting to spend time with my family. They're awesome. And I think I used the word 'love' a lot in this post..

We've Moved

April and May have been very busy months for us. We have been looking for a house to buy since November. There are so many locations that we looked at. One night we all hopped into the car because I had zeroed in on an area that seemed to have all the main things that we were looking for. Finding a house in that area and in our price range proved to be extremely difficult. Houses sold before we even had a chance to look at them as people made offers without even seeing the house. So frustrating. And discouraging.

There is so much I could probably write about the house hunt and final purchase. But, in truth, I am surrounded by boxes, running on very little sleep, and eager to get rest so that I can give my children more of me this week. We've had some icky surprises moving into an old home. Including some that have rendered our kitchen rather useless to us until we tend to it. We are pushing through. One step at a time. It's an adventure. A rather tiring adventure.

And then I remember that we have a house. And that feels completely crazy. It's such a big step. Our children have a yard. They love it. I remember the reasons why we started the craziness of looking for and buying a house when I see them climbing our trees. It's been rainy and chilly lately, but the kids unanimously love having a house. 

We really don't have much more space (about an extra room) but it seems to fit well for layout which is where is counts anyhow. And I cannot tell you how excited we all are to have a second toilet in the house. I have no idea how larger families than ours get by with one toilet. Toilet training a second child while the first enjoyed taking their time using the toilet meant for more accidents than there would have been. And now that we are passed that phase, everyone always seems to need the toilet at the same time. Yay for two toilets!!

Well, enough about toilets. I really must get to work. We have yet to be to bed before midnight in the last 3 weeks. making a goal for tonight to be different. 

So while we have had many surprises of things in the house that are missing/don't work/never worked we are trying to keep the bigger picture in focus. And this is a goal that we aimed for and were able to reach much sooner than we thought we would - we are grateful for that blessing. Now, back to work :).

Milayla's 4th Birthday Photoshoot

I cannot possibly narrow these down any further. I love the expressions of Milayla and I am eager to preserve her personality at this stage with pictures as best as I can. The whole body laugh. The sparkle in the eyes. The smile that she tries to make bigger by putting her teeth over her bottom lip. Those long eyelashes. The joy of twirling. Or the "frowny face" her and Atticus tried to give me that instead ended up in huge smiles. 

And then there is the headband that she loves so dearly - I think primarily because she can do it herself. There's also the CTR ring around her neck that her big brother insisted on giving to her even though it was too big for her fingers. And the sweet signs of toddlerhood that are becoming less and less evident with each growth spurt. While, yes, I am in love with this stage - curiosity, wonder, excitement - I have loved every stage so far and I think that is primarily because of the love that spills over for Milayla. She has such a kind heart and is always looking to help. She shines.  And she works so hard with some great determination. She is already figuring out fractions, practicing her counting (english, french, and german), and determined to write whenever and wherever she can (she is labelling our boxes for our upcoming move!). 

I could listen to her tell stories and ask questions all day. She has the sweetest voice and I love how undeterred children are about the challenge of learning new words. Kids are incredible. Milayla is incredible. One of my favorite moments with her is when I get to tuck her in each night and give her a back scratch song (she picks a song for me to sing to her while I scratch her back). Then she tells me her favorite parts of the day, and how she loves having her mommy as her best friend. Then it's on to something "funny" where she covers me up with the blanket and I pretend I am sleeping before she gets tickles. Such a simple routine yet such a treasure. 

So grateful to have her and her vibrant, smart, loving, happy personality in our family. She's awesome. And I am so glad to be her mom. Love you, Milayla.

Ottawa Tulip Festival

Our children counted down to the Tulip Festival. And while I love tulips, I had a grand plan of renting bicycles to ride along the canal to give an extra dimension to this year's trip. With the tulip festival being on the small side, the bike ride served as the perfect way to soak up the day. Then we would ride to parliament and do a tour. It was perfect. And had we gone forward with the plan it would have worked out really well with the forecast for rain in the afternoon (we would have been inside for our tour at the same time that the rain storm came). Well, we didn't go forward with it. Whoops. 

In the end, we took 3 excited kiddos on a hot car trip to roast in the sun and eat a picnic lunch. Then to cool off outside parliament with races in the pouring rain while I chided myself for not listening to my instinct about the original plan and sticking with it. There is a time to go with the flow and a time for planning. This day needed planning. 

All that said, the kids loved the tulip festival. They loved running in the rain. And they loved getting a treat of kettle popcorn to remember their travels. I'm glad they have such positive attitudes :).

And dear future self: plan next year better. Show up early to get tickets to parliament. And consider driving out the night before. Check out some museums ;). Ride some bikes. And for goodness sake - remember your children will love it all as long as you have a positive attitude about it all.  It is most importantly about the time together.