If you REALLY want a smoothie...

Drag out the Vita-Mix from the pantry, all the way into the living room.

If your Mom still isn't responding to your hints, go get a spoon...

Then pull out the flour...

and perhaps the Flax Seed and put those in the Vita-Mix by the spoonful.

By then your Mom should have responded, so it's best that you have an apologetic face and say, "Uh Oh"

While she cleans up the mess you've made and then makes a smoothie for you, you may even get a chance to play with a favorite toy (this one was just discovered and had the batteries replaced - which has been played with non-stop ever since).

Thought I'd share my advice to you other kids out there.  This sure worked well yesterday!

A Slight Difference

Well, after having 3 girls, I didn't know how it would be to have a boy.  I just knew it would be different.  How different?  THAT is what I underestimated.  Just a few things that I've noted recently.

If you give a child a spoon while waiting for dinner:
Girl: Play house with it.  "Hello, I'm the Mommy spoon"
Boy: Play Airplane with it.  "Vrooommmm....." as it does dips and loops in the air.

If you give a child a doll:
Girl: Cuddle, nurture, love and dress it.
Boy: Squeeze it super tight, toss it in the air and wrestle with it

If you put on a good dancing song:
Girl: Twirl, spin, go up on toes, move arms in beautiful ballerina moves and ask parents if they look so beautiful.
Boy: jump, stomp, kick, hop, run, turn, fall down on purpose and improvise arm movements to make these look more macho.

If you read a child a picture book:
Girl: point out families and flowers and all things beautiful
Boy: point out any truck/car/airplane etc.

If you teach a child "sounds":
Girl: understand and repeat any and all animal sounds with only a few repetitions
Boy: throw animal book in the corner insisting that he wants a truck/car book and will learn all automotive noises flawlessly after only a few repetitions

If you see a child communicate and play with toys:
Girl: will pick up books, dolls, barbies, stuffed animals etc. and almost anything is made into a family setting where they converse or at least make distinct communicative sounds.  They interact and verbalize almost everything from a VERY young age. 
Boy: find out how to move and run and climb VERY early.  They point and make attention getting noises until you come and give them what they want... Their toys all become cars/swords no matter what they are.  (Jaymeson once found lip gloss in my purse and was driving it along the pew at church.)  Anything long and skinny instantly is a sword as well.

If you see a child eat:
Girl: Complain if a mess gets on them and, generally, they stay put until done (which isn't always with a finished plate)
Boy: Non-selective.  Enjoy any and all food (especially stuff that feels gooey in hands and on face).  Can never have enough.

If you are on the phone:
Girl: "Mom, can I talk to _________?" Then they talk to the person longer and harder than you'd ever imagine.
Boy: "Mom! Mom! Mom!"  or..... you instantly become a jungle gym with your arm bent for the little guy to climb on.

If you put on a movie:
Girl: Will sit and watch the entire duration and act out the movie for weeks to follow.
Boy: Will notice when the loud noises come on and any cars, but will be running around, doing flips off the couch until those parts come (if they manage to even stay in the room).

If you build a tower from blocks:
Girl: This instantly becomes a tower in a castle for a princess
Boy: This is an invitation to knock it down and laugh really hard while starting to build another one.

There really are countless other examples, if I was to name them all, there would be no end to this post.  Many of these, I noticed while watching my sisters boys... but many have come to life at a whole new level with little Jaymeson.  I can officially say that anyone who has the opinion, "Boys and Girls are exactly the same, it's just how you treat them that makes the difference" has clearly not had a boy and girl to raise on their own.

I sure have loved having my girls in all their prettiness and princesshood.  They are sweet and tame and so much fun to play with.... boys sure keep you busy and constantly on the move, getting into mischief all the time.  They are so much fun and teach me a new perspective.  They are both so wonderful in their own individual ways.  Being a mom is SO much fun - being able to get to know the different personalities of each child and each gender.  It really is a constant learning experience!

Your Own Backyard....

On Sunday, we were given a lesson on Gratitude.  There was an example of a guy who lived in Manhattan who was in Utah filling up with gas on the way to the Grand Canyon.  He was talking to the pump boy who had never been to the Grand Canyon (just a mere few hours away).  The guy was shocked, but then realized that he had lived in Manhattan for years and had never made it to the Statue of Liberty.  I think this story really illustrates how we, as people, really don't appreciate what we have nearby.  This summer, Jarett remembered a little place in Fish Creek Park (a provincial park in the middle of Southern Calgary) that he had admired on a few bike rides.  We only got there twice, but at least we got there.  It sure is a gorgeous place.  Why go all the way across the country when you have such beauty right here, just a few minutes from your house?!?

 

 

 

 

September Thoughts

Well, I just got the school calendar and filled in my Calendar for September.  I still haven't added all the church events, but I am always SHOCKED at how full the calendar looks when we're not quite half through.  Anyone else have a calendar that looks like this??

Sigh.  Anyway, because I'm a space cadet Mommy these days, I totally spaced it and didn't take one picture of the girls on their first day of school, I haven't even taken 1 picture of either of my older girls this whole month.  They're gone WAY too much. 

Kienna woke up yesterday and said that she didn't want to go to school because she just never gets to see me anymore.  Although I didn't feel like it was quite a good enough reason to actually miss school, I felt so touched that she misses me as much as I miss her.  This summer went by so fast (with such moderate weather) that I just didn't really feel like I had the quality time that I had hoped for with my kids.  Don't get me wrong, we did a lot of fun things, there just wasn't enough time to do it all.  September came WAY too early and between school and lessons (which I try to keep very minimal) I just don't see enough of those girls.

This Friday the kids have off and I wanted to go do some really special Mommy/Daughter date, but I have piano lessons and parent/teacher interviews that will most surely fill the day.  Sigh.  How do you find time to really enjoy your kids with the few waking hours that they actually have at home?  How can we possibly fit it all in?  I've purposely limited my kids to 1 lesson each to avoid the daily crazies... but it just isn't enough.  When they're home, I'm busy making dinner or changing diapers, or cleaning up the mess that's accumulated through the day.  How can I make this time more well spent?  Any ideas?

I've actually been so sad about this that I've even toyed with the idea of Home School.  I know, crazy, right?  The pros and cons certainly weigh out, but I think I've officially decided that with a baby coming this year and with all the changes that come with that, it'd be better that they stay in school - at least for this year.  We'll just really have to live it up on Weekends and Holidays...

So, what have we been doing at home?  Well, the fun stuff... we've been cleaning, organizing, laundering, scrubbing, sweeping, mopping.... you get the idea.  Just put on some music (add a spoonful of sugar) and it becomes more fun.  In fact, my kids ask to join in because when they see me dancing and singing while sweeping the floor, it becomes a game.  (Thank heaven for Mary Poppins)

We've also been enjoying some good flicks.  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been the kids new favorite.  I'm completely happy with this decision.  Could you ask for better music to be on while you clean and they watch?  Plus, they get up and dance to the music (I mean, how could you just sit through it?)

This picture reminds me quickly, Jaymeson has cried every single day when Kaia and Kienna leave.  When we drop them off at the bus stop, school or when they go out the door with Jarett, he cries for "a guys...".  It's getting better.  Today was only about 30 seconds or so, but he just loves his sisters so much.  It's really sweet.  When Kaia and Kienna comes home, he's so excited and just plays and snuggles with them as much as he can.

On the baby front, we've been having an interesting ride.  My hips have never been so horrible.  I have days where I'm completely fine, but other days I look and feel completely crippled.  I don't have morning sickness like so many others, and my emotions have been pretty steady this time around, but having my tailbone collapse and pinch all those nerves just isn't fun.  I met up with my obstetrician for the first time last month (you have to go to the GP for the first while because OB's are just so busy here apparently), and she informed me that I'm measuring 7 weeks larger than I should be and that my baby is breech.  She also told me that since I have successfully delivered other babies, if this baby stays breech until term, they'd just deliver that way.  This, quite frankly, scares me out of my mind.  Has anyone had a successful breech delivery that they want to tell me about?

During the Labour Day weekend, Jarett and the girls went camping (which apparently was a little chilly - snow and the works!) and I stayed home with Jaymeson.  The lack of running around after the girls etc. must have paid off because I SWEAR that the baby turned.  My hips stopped bothering me for about a week and my stomach looked about half the size.  Unfortunately, I think that may have reversed yet again.  Sigh.  Doctor's appointment on Thursday and we'll find out then.

Well, that's all the thoughts for now... I'm impressed I have any thoughts left the way I've been forgetting things recently.  Sigh.  At least I'm remembering to blog too, right?

Our Summer - in a nut shell

Because I'll never blog until I feel somewhat caught up, I have decided to do one sentence about each "event" this summer.  This is going to be hard, but I feel it's necessary to get myself officially blogging again.  Here goes:

June points:

*Jarett Graduated

*We went to Elbow Falls

*Kienna graduated from Kindergarten

*Brooklyn and friends babysat the kids and did makeovers

July points:

*Banff trip with Moody cousins (we did a lot of "last opportunity" trips with them before they moved out to Maryland)

*Calaway for Kienna's birthday

*Zoo trip(s) - one with Melissa Ramsay and her two little girls

*Sundance Lake - many, many times - the kids just loved it!!

*Echo Lake - a whole week with the Mullens and Moodys at my favorite place in the world.

*Travis' spy birthday party (with just a couple days left to go)

*Friday night movie nights for the kids while Mom and Dad have "date night" downstairs

August points:

*Good-bye to the Moody's (the beginning of a long trip to Maryland for them - hopefully to return in two short years)

*Rediscover Fish Creek Park in the West side of the city (twice) once with a weiner roast

*Flathead Lake - a whole week with the Cahoons at the beautiful lake (with convenient nearby shopping)

*Kimberly coming home after a summer in Florida and having Nacho/Napoleon night!

*Saryn's Birthday with all Calgary relatives ~30 people (including surprise visit from Great Grandparents Nana and Grandpa Dan)

*Dressing up and playing with MANY gifts that spoiled the kids rotten.

*Doing my very first engagement photo session (Trevor and Janelle)

 Well, that about sums it up!  We sure have been busy.  These are mostly just the "photo-ized" memories.  But now I feel like it's all recorded and I can move on - hooray!  Thanks for taking this little flash back with me over the last few months.  It sure has been a great journey!