My phone doesn't really work much anymore. So getting pictures off of it is becoming nearly impossible. That means I am actually getting to these photos a little late (and they aren't all from my phone). I kind of feel like the technology world is crashing around here which stresses me out.
Pictures and video are a huge part of how I record things and my phone (how I video and get quick photos) and my camera are both hanging by a thread. But with all the massive repairs we are discovering that need to be done on the house it seems to be a constant inner battle on prioritizing where the money goes. It's been stressful. The luxury of having two toilets around here has been constantly fluctuating between having 0-1 toilets. Thankfully, 1 toilet has usually been somewhat functional. If I go in to the long list of things that need to be done around here I will likely have a mini-breakdown. There just isn't enough time and money. The kids come first, and sometimes that means we have to do something on the house instead of spending time on them. It also sometimes means that spending time and money on patching another wall falls lower down the priority list.
My least favourite question right now is, "how are you settling into your house?". It hits some nerves. If I answer it 100% honestly, the person who asked tends to get more than they bargained for. In short - it's overwhelming and a massive lesson in patience and prioritizing. If I answer it in a little bit more detail; our kids can stick their fingers under our floor boards and squeeze through the bannister, we are discovering all sorts of broken bits and 'mickey-mouse' fixing jobs that just aren't holding up and none of our interior doors work properly (like our bathroom doors that don't close - good thing our kids don't get the concept of bathroom privacy anyhow). *deep breath*
So while our projected date of feeling settled in is about a year from now, we DO love our neighbourhood and that is one thing that I am grateful for because while you can fix up your house (most of the time) there isn't always something you can do about your street, neighbourhood, community, neighbours, and amenities. And we really lucked out in that regard. Like seriously lucked out. We have great neighbours and we could not be happier the we waited to get a place in this neighbourhood. The location is perfect for us and there are so many resources. We have also been enjoying the improved safety of getting around on bicycle compared to our previous place. The kids are really in love with the fact that we get to bike to church again. So are we.
And that brings us to June. Birthdays. Father's Day. Long bike rides. Beautiful weather. Lots of sunscreen. Smiling children. Water parks. Exploring new places. Picnic dinners. The end of classes. And the official start of summer activities around here (which also means that I need to officially get next year of homeschool planned, too). Here are some of the pictures that I snapped as our days went along.
Phineas is super smiley.
We have some really beautiful parks around here. I love that they are so dense with trees that you just feel like you stepped out of the city for a little while. And there are so many butterflies there. Gorgeous.
While walking from Milayla's dance class to Atticus' music class we stumbled on a filming of Just For Laughs Gags and so Milayla and I sat down and watched for a little bit. It's funny to think that when people run in to help they are so focused on helping that they don't even notice the tents set up to hide the "hidden" cameras. This one had some guy "falling" from a broken ladder and his coworker completely oblivious to it. I wonder if we will end up in the background of one of the shots looking like completely unconcerned bystanders, when in truth, we just knew it wasn't legit. It was fun to sit and see it all unfold with Milayla. She had plenty of questions and it was a little mini discussion on things not always being what they seem to be.
More pictures of Phineas smiling :).
Milayla had her last dance class. She was so excited about getting a picture with her teacher, Miss Katherine, before heading off and then she was so very shy in the picture. Not sure that I get that one. In any case, we got the picture so Milayla can look back and remember her teacher and class.
This is how I found Milayla sleeping one day at nap time. She is completely out with her leg up and her head propped up on the pillow. It is actually kind of fun to see the crazy way these kids can fall asleep. I love going in and getting them all straightened out when I go to bed at night. They usually say something in their sleep as well.
Phineas has discovered the recorder and how to use it. He loves music and making it any way that he can.
We have been biking around to the different parks and we really love going down by the lake/riverside. It is so nice down there and there is a lot of green space to run around on. So awesome. They have various concerts and events down there that we are hoping to check out once or twice this summer. We really love our location.
Milayla, with a soaking wet bird shirt and wet hair. She cannot resist running through waterparks when we come upon them. Can't say that I blame her. We've had some hot days so it has been welcome relief to have those things!
I love having the kids in the bakfiets. Atticus is getting quicker and stronger at his bike that we are intending to let him do safer routes on his own bike (like to the library or riding next to me on my runs) and Milayla has asked for her training wheels to come off so I know it is only a matter of time before she hops on and pedals away on that thing.
Phineas is crazy ambitious to do what he sees us do. He is obsessed with the broom and trying to sweep. It is a bit big for him but I think if I were to try to give him something more his size he wouldn't be very interested. He also has begun folding his arms for prayer. It is so precious. Beyond precious, actually. To see him so incredibly excited and eager to be reverent during prayer is incredible. And sweet. And perfect.
Trips to the grocery store are always fun. The picture I have doesn't show how much fun the kids actually have. Milayla has the wind in her face, there fore, hair in her face which she doesn't like. But she is usually smiling and giggling with Phineas and insists that she has to sit with him in the cart because she knows how to make Phineas smile. And she does. They have some awesome sibling love. And with Atticus riding the front of the cart, we get quite a few looks. It's awesome. Grocery trips tend to take a little bit longer because the kids get really excited about picking out our fruits and veggies and finding new things to try, but it's worth it.
The kids had the idea that we would pile on the couch and pretend to be asleep when Daddy came. Of course, that meant that lion and the baby dolls needed to come as well. It took us a while to get set up.
And then the giggles ensued in mass quantities when they felt they had tricked Jason into thinking we were all sleeping. The sound of giggling children is incredible. Complete, unabashed, happiness.
And Milayla has learned the hard side of music when her recorder got her just below the eye. Poor girl. Thankfully, she heals quickly so it didn't take long for it to close up.
I feel like these pictures show so many positive, easy going days. I wish I could say that the majority have been like that but they haven't. There have been a lot of days that feel like they are a steady and steep uphill journey to make sure that things stay in the best perspective and I am learning the art of priorities, patience and balance in a very real way.
Yet, the constant remains that I realize how fortunate I am to be a mother on this journey. Kids really do grow up so fast. And I love getting to step into their world of imagination and curiosity. I love the way they get excited every morning to run into the kitchen and give me their morning hugs, kisses and cuddles. And the way they still climb onto my lap to read books together. And getting to chat with them when I tuck them in at night, sing them songs, and hear their sweet voices sing some of their favorite songs.
I feel like I try to hold on to all these precious moments and watch as they slip through my fingers because they aren't meant to last forever but to build upon each other. I just wish that I could slow it down. Just a little.
I asked the kids today what is the most important part about our family to them. Milayla said exploring and helping. Atticus said friendship. Phineas can't say anything, but he giggled. It was a good month.
