Avi and Dollies and Babies, Oh My!

Avi has been quite interested in babies for some time but it wasn't until recently that she's shown maternal appreciation for any dolls she can get her hands on. She shushes her own baby dolly (a birthday gift from Great-Aunt Lola Kay) while rocking her to sleep... It's the sweetest thing!!

For the Baby

Taylor will often give me drinks from his own cup or share his snacks "for the baby!" How sweet!

4-Layers of Sumptuous Dessert

I've always wanted to try out this recipe from Kraft. I didn't know there was a video but there are some hints in it that while helpful aren't absolutely necessary to worry about. My version is definitely not as polished, but it was still delish!

Injury

Averi had her first major mishap a couple of mornings ago. She ran right into the piano bench and bit her tongue. There was some blood but she got over it soon enough. I didn't think too much of it until inspecting it later during the day. While it was only a half inch across, it was quite deep and would gape disgustingly wide with very little manipulation. *shiver* Poor baby!

It's healing quite well.

Where're the Kids?

Whilst busy in the kitchen after dinner this evening, both my children disappeared. I headed upstairs and asked Shawn where they were. Since he didn't know either, we both set out in search of them. They were in the bathroom, Taylor trying to help Averi get toothpaste on her toothbrush.

Aaaaawwwww!!!

Morning Hugs

Avi tends to wake up before Taylor. The first thing she does once Taylor awakens is to go to him with outstretched arms. She loves her morning hugs with Taylor! It's about the only time he's willing to be affectionate with her.

You Know What They Say About Assumptions...

After a quick trip to the mall, I removed Avi from the stroller to "lock and load" her into the van while Shawn took care of installing Taylor. It wasn't until several hours later that I realized that while I had assumed Shawn would load up the stroller, he, uh, hadn't. Thankfully, the stroller was still present in the parking lot when I went back to retrieve it!

Weeeeeeeee!

The exit from Shawnessy Blvd to Macleod Trail in southern Calgary is a long, curving ride that always inspires Avi to go "Weeeeeeeeeeeee!" I was surprised, however, when Avi's powers of observation led her to start her Wee chorus when just approaching the overpass!

Off Work

Today was my last day of work. Technically, my mat leave doesn't start until the end of April but I'm using up my vacation days. Wehoo! I already have a list of home org chores... *sigh*

Wrestling

It does a parent's heart much good to see her children playing nicely together! In the past, this was mostly limited to chasing each other on tricycles in the basement or building mega-block towers together. This morning, a mutually enjoyable game of "wrestling" occurred.

While Taylor was sitting on the floor, Avi hurled herself at him in a sort of "hugging" position, toppling the two of them over. Taylor would then roll them over to disengage her arms. They both thought this was great fun and laughed together, repeating the process many times... I [heart] my kids!!

Family Day

For Family Day on February 16th, we went to Lake Bonavista with Shawn's family for some tobogganing or ice skating. The kids loved it!

Oh, The Places You Go

It took me 2 hours to get to work this morning! That's like driving all the way to Lethbridge! *grumble*

Service

For the last 2 days, Taylor's helped Daddy shovel not only our driveway but that of several neighbors! What a terrific way for our little boy to learn about service! Thanks, Shawn!

7th Wedding Anniversary

With the taste of expensive chocolate on my tongue and the scent of beautiful flowers permeating the air around my desk, I cannot help but feel inspired. Today is our seventh wedding anniversary and these unexpected items were hand-delivered to my workplace by my most precious gift of all: my family (thank you, Shawn!). Even after a memory lapse failed to prevent me from drinking from my grossly Avi-contaminated water bottle, I cannot help but feel eminently blessed. This day has had a long, difficult road in coming and, while I see the longer, more difficult road ahead, I have a great hope for and vision of the future.

Tonight, we celebrate by using our Tony Roma's gift card (thanks again for the generous Christmas gift, Francine! and thanks to Vickie for babysitting!).

Coming soon: Family Day tobogganing footage!

Pants-er

One recent evening, I was frantically trying to coordinate supper with Averi crowding my legs in an effort to be picked up. Suddenly, she pulled my pants right down! I couldn't even pull them up for a few minutes cuz I was too busy at the stove!