Bathtime!

   This week has been an exciting week for this Momma! After over 6 months in this house, we finally had a plumber in to check our bathtub faucet! Until now it had been seized so the only way that we could fill the tub was by putting on the shower and waiting foooorrreevvver. Bathtime was such a nuisance...it took forever, the water was never the right temperature, we couldn't have bubbles because the shower stream wasn't strong enough and the bathtub was always hardly full because who has 1 hour to wait? This week our friendly neighbourhood plumber stopped by to fix a cracked pipe (insert sad face) and while he was here I begged him to look at the facet. 1 minute later he had it un-seized and now we can have real baths! Yay!!! Here are Pj and Big C enjoying their first "real" bath in the new house! (Note: Big C is sitting up all by himself in the bath! Time is flying by and he is getting so big! He loved the freedom in the bath and loved playing in the water! Pj thought it was pretty cool, although she quickly turned her back to him so that she could "hide" her toys.) Crazy how something so small (a working faucet) can be such big deal to this Momma:)!

#transformationtuesday

   Today I thought I would join in on Transformation Tuesday. This is one of my favorite days on instagram because I love to see how people have taken one thing and transformed it into something totally different. People are so creative and I love to learn from and draw off of that creativity! So, today I thought that I would backtrack and show what Big C's room looked like before we transformed it into the blissful nursery it is today. It was a dark green color, with a yellowy/white ceiling, and a stained light fixture with flies burned into the glass. We used it as a storage space to dump all of our "extras" during our move and it quickly became a daunting mess of a room. 

 
   These pictures show the room with the ceiling already painted. Already it started looking better - its crazy how a fresh coat of paint on a ceiling can totally freshen up a room!

   The process of painting the walls. Mark was so good about my idea of the stripes on one wall. He did the measurements, taped off the stripes, and painted them all in one evening on his own! I love how they look...really brighten up the room and give it a fun and fresh feeling! 

   The finished project! I know I have already shared these photos but I am in love with this beautiful room! I can't believe its the same room as the pictures above! The transformation is incredible (I think anyways!). Well, that's it for my Transformation Tuesday!

Valentine's Day!

   I personally love the idea of family traditions. Having certain activities that you, as a family, can count on is so cool! They can be big or small - but no matter their size I think that they offer a bit of a "richness" to family life. As a child we didn't have too many family traditions (that I can think of) but we did have some. One of my favorites (that is still going on today) is the yearly family camping trip on Labour Day Weekend with my family. Its not even a question of "is it going to happen?"...its more of a question of "where?". Every year we know that for at least three wonderful days my family is going to be setting up camp, beaching, playing games, sitting around the fire, listening to a sermon on Sunday around a morning campfire, making s'mores, and just enjoying the love of family. Its something that we look forward to and it has provided many wonderful memories over the years. A slightly smaller tradition (but just as fondly remembered) is the Valentine's Day Heart Cake that my Mom would make every year. We were not typically a big cake family - but every year, on Valentine's Day, my mom made this delicious cake with "to-die-for" icing. My mom would make the cake and we would decorate with smarties. It was a fun activity and a tasty Valentine's Day treat. 

   Now that we have started our own family, hubby and I have discussed some ideas for our own family traditions. We haven't started our own camping weekend but we have started some smaller traditions which I love! This year, for Valentine's Day, I decided to "take-over" the heart cake tradition from my mom and start it with my little family. Pj had so much fun helping to bake the cake (i.e. lick the beaters), make the icing (i.e. lick the spatula) and decorate the cake with smarties (this she actually did...although she was careful to make sure her fingers dipped into the icing every chance she got in order to lick her fingers! No worries, sanitized wipes were used!). It was fun watching her enjoy this activity and so exciting watching her tell Mark all about it when he got home from helping his brother plow snow. 

   We also bought her a little mailbox (which I hope to use more regularly to pass her treats and love notes) which we loaded up with some Valentine's Day love (a new animal toy (she is obsessed with giraffes lately), some chocolate, some new hair bows and a "hug me" cookie). When she came down from her quiet time she quickly noticed the overflowing mailbox at her spot on the table. She shyly asked me what it was and when I told her to check it out she very eagerly emptied it and "ooohed and ahhhed" over everything. It was so exciting to "share the love" with her! 

   I know a lot of people think that Valentine's Day is just a hyped up money grabbing holiday but I love it! I love the reminder to show those around me just how much they mean to me. Its fun to do things like this with the kiddos because it breaks up the "monotony" of the "normal" days. Don't get me wrong, I love our life and the "normal" days. But having a special day to look forward to, to plan for, and then to enjoy with my little family is so amazing! 

   After the kiddos were in bed, hubby and I had our own little Valentine's date. We ordered in some Mediterranean food, lit some candles and watched a movie. We also slow danced to one of my favorite songs (don't tell him that I shared that part;)!). It was such a nice evening just cuddling and chatting together. We definitely don't take enough time to just be together. Life gets so busy and, for some reason, the most important relationships are the ones that are the easiest to let slide. 

   The week leading up to this I was overcome with the meaning of a love far greater than I could ever possess for anyone. It struck me that God doesn't have one day where He makes an extra effort to show us He loves us. His love is all encompassing EVERY day. I was overwhelmed with the meaning of His love and I just wanted to let it spill over onto everything. I want to shout it from the rooftop! God loves us so much that he sent His son to die for our sins! So that we can live...here and also in eternity. How amazing is that!? I can not adequately put what His love means to me into words. All I can say is WOW! I love that we were able to celebrate a day of love for those around us, but I love even more that every day is a celebration of a love so much greater. A love of forgiveness, a love of sacrifice, a love of selflessness, a love of salvation. How amazing is our God! 

   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 

   

Baby Boy's Nursery/Big Boy Room!!

    

   Well, it only took 6.5 months since we moved into this house...but we have finally finished a room! Yay! This room happens to be Big C's room and I love how it turned out! Since he is already 8 months old I decided to make it a cross between a nursery/toddler boy's room. No point in spending all this time making a baby nursery when he is going to be a toddler before we know it :(! 

   I went a little out of my comfort zone and choose bright, colourful, and patterned fabrics to use to decorate his room. I typically am a black, grey, and white girl (see the wall paint?! ;) although those stripes are pretty great!)...but I thought that a little boy's room needed some fun and brightness to it! I made all of the "accessories" - the pillow cases, the triangle banner, the blankets on his bed, the picture frames (although the prints are taken from Orchard Girls blog), the mobile, and the curtain/valence. I'm not super crafty but I really like how all of these mini projects turned out!

  

  I wanted the "main" accent colour to be red so I painted all the handles (including the closet handle) red and made sure that all of the fabric pieces contained red. This is the same change table that was in Pj's nursery but with red handles. My older sister just happened to have a red book shelf that they weren't using which she said we could use - score! 

   We currently don't have a play space (other than our main living area) so I am super excited about using this shelf to store some of the kid's toys. This room is actually quite big and, after putting down an Ikea rug, we were able to make it into a bit of a play space for the kiddos. Some of my favourite times this past week have been the morning hours spent on this rug playing with the kiddos and their toys. Its also super nice not to have toys spread out throughout our whole main floor! You can see Pj enjoying the space in the pictures;).

   The view from the closet. We didn't do anything spectacular to the closet (other than to paint it to give it a fresh clean feel). The closet is so big that it stores both of the kids totes of "next size up clothes" - I love having them so close and easily accessible. (None of our previous 3 houses had closets...so this is a really big deal to me!). 

   The view from the door. I am so in love with this room...and with having a completed room! It makes me smile every time I walk in. Its such a cozy space that we all have really enjoyed this week! Can't wait to watch our little man continue growing in this beautiful space! 

The little owl print is done by my little sister Kara - she's the creative one! It says Big C's name, birth date, and weight and height at birth! So sweet :). 

Negotiations

   Recently Pj has learned the art of negotiating. I don't know how it happened and I don't know where it came from...but she uses it religiously. Every decision I make means there's room for negotiating (in Pj's mind anyways). It can be a little tiring as her Mama to always have to discuss everything...and I would be lying if I said it wasn't testing my patience. All that said, she is the world's cutest negotiator. I wish I could adequately portray on here how her face scrunches up, she points one little finger to the ceiling and says, "hmmm, I know! One more Mommy...just one more tv/bottle/snack/grocery store/walk/piece of clothing/minute before bed/etc". Or her newest saying "hmmm wee bit more Mommy, wee bit more ( tv/bottle of milk/minute before bed/etc)!". The big eyes, the scrunched up face that turns to a look of surprise (as she thinks she has the greatest idea ever), the finger pointed up....too adorable. I think that the UN wouldn't be totally silly to think that enlisting her might be a good idea! I have such a hard time standing my ground when she turns on the negotiating charm! Mark and I both have to swallow our smiles and laughs! It hurts to continue saying "no" to that little girly but we really need to help our strong willed Pj learn some boundaries! This parenting thing is harder than we thought it would be....but the opportunity to be a part of someone so special's life is just amazing. I wouldn't change this calling for the world! 

7 Months!

    Big C is growing up so fast! I can't believe that he is already 7 months. I feel like this year is flying by and it makes me so sad! I love the "baby" stage and it feels like each day Big C is becoming less and less of a baby. 

   This past month was quite a month for Big C. He started sitting up on his own and crawling! He had been up on his hands and knees 'rocking' for about 1.5 months but this past month he finally was able to figure it out and now he is on the move! He is getting pretty fast, too! Crawling isn't really "good enough" for Big C he actually prefers to climb! He crawls from raised object to raised object attempting to pull himself up and over. Its a little nerve-wracking for his Momma! Pj is starting to get used to the idea that Big C can now get in her way and disrupt her playtime. Its been a bit of a learning curve for her (and me) but we are getting used to keeping Big C busy with his own toys and keeping our things out of his way. That said, Pj often decides that instead of getting frustrated with his interference she will just include him! She starts games with him and is very gentle as she involves him in her playtime. I love it!

Teaching Big C how to play pass! He was actually pretty good!

   Big C does spend a lot of time in his playpen. He likes to sit and play and can keep himself occupied for up to an hour playing quietly on his own. He also enjoys his exersaucer. He enjoys sitting and watching Pj play and finds his big sister very funny and interesting. Pj loves to get him to smile and laugh. She is still very "motherly" to him and will make sure that he has toys, his stuffed elephant, a soother and blanket wherever he is. Also, if he is crying she is quick to run to his side, pat his back, and assure him that "Mommy is coming little buddy". The two of them interacting in these ways just breaks my heart! I love that they are already bonding and I pray that it continues for the rest of their lives! 

   Big C cut his first two teeth this month! He now has a bit of a toothy smile! He has his bottom two teeth. He was not as easy as Pj during the teething process. He was a bit uncomfortable and needed some extra snuggles from his Mommy. I was more than happy to oblige! Big C is an excellent 'cuddler'. He is quick to wrap his arms around my neck and snuggle his head into my shoulder. Makes my heart melt! Pj was not a very cuddly baby (she is much more cuddly now!) and its nice to have a baby that wants to be held and cuddled. 

Cuddling on the couch watching some "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" while Momma makes dinner.

   Big C is still quite the 'cooer' and 'smiler'. He is pretty vocal and loves to tell Mommy and Daddy stories when he is being held. He is quiet around Pj but I think that might be because he can't get a word in between her ramblings, stories and songs. 

Life is just so funny for this girlie!

   This past month Big C went to the Dr for his 6 month check-up and 4 month needles. He is doing well (according to the Dr.) and we are so happy! He is 17lbs and 4 ounces! This puts him in the 50th percentile for his age. He has the most "pinchable" chubby cheeks and I love his leg rolls! He still doesn't really like food. He prefers to nurse and has only eaten a couple of bites of rice cereal. He has a very active gag reflex and spits up any type of food that we try to feed him. I hope that he starts to like food soon! He did enjoy eating a banana in his mesh feeder-thingy....but only once. 

   We have loved being Big C's family. He brings us so much joy already. Each smile, giggle, and cuddle just makes us so grateful to God that we were chosen to live life with Big C.