We spent an entire year in OUR house! It was so nice to have a whole year without moving. Though we moved back in April 2007, we had construction workers in and out pretty much right through until December of 2007, with a little break around the time Jaida was born. So, 2008 was a peaceful one in that respect.
There is a LOT from the first half of the year I can’t remember. The year started off pretty low key, as Jaida was a wee little baby. With school, skating, swimming, dance lessons, and birthday parties, we still kept ourselves quite busy. The girls’ social calendar is more booked than ours! We did take in the canal quite a few times with the kids, Maya even skated the whole length and back with us, with the help of holding on to us, of course!
In March, I headed back into the work force. Certainly not my first choice of things to do with a 3 month old at home, but such is life. At least I started off part-time. Grant was able to enjoy 8 months at home with the girls, teaching them all sorts of life lessons!
In April, we took the plunge and purchased a mini van! For me, a BIG step, but a necessary one. The challenge of getting the girls in the car and buckled up in their snowsuits was becoming too much of a pain, as well, my mom couldn’t travel with us in our car.
May came along, and Grant and I got tired of washing so many diapers, so we decided that Natasha was done with that stage in her life. She was fabulous and really took a liking to being a big girl.
June was a difficult month for me. I started back with full-time hours. Leaving the kids for so long was hard for me. I had been home with them for the better part of 2 and a half years. I did manage to get to work early so that I could make it home in time to pick-up Maya from school and get some play time in, before supper. This proved to be more and more challenging and Jaida was ‘unable’ to let me sleep through the night.
In July, we drove to Fredericton, and Shediac for a family reunion. Grant’s brother, Craig and family, came from Calgary, and we spent the week at a cottage in Shediac, with them, and the rest of Grant’s family. It was so nice for the cousins to get quality playing time.
In August, we had a little family adventure. My mom joined us, and we rode in the MS Rona Bike Tour, to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. It was a 165 Km, two day bike trip from Ottawa to Kemptville. Maya and Natasha has a blast, Jaida was just shy of 9 months, so was pretty indifferent to the experience, provided I stopped to feed her! I for one, was surprised at how exhausted I was at the end of each day. I suppose pulling about 100lbs of Chariot, kids and diaper stuff, would explain some of that!
September was ‘Back to School’ for Maya. She started Senior Kindergarden. She is doing French Immersion, and loves it so far. She has been reunited with her buddies Sofia, Alex and Hannah, among others, but I hear the 4 girls are quite the crew! Her teacher loves her and can hardly believe she could ever be a mis-behavied girl!
We began our search for a caregiver in October. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was going to be really picky about weird things. I think in the end I just wanted someone that the girls were really comfortable with, and I really liked! We are so fortunate to have found Melissa. She is great with the girls, the girls love her, they are keeping busy with library, playgroups, baking, crafts and so many other activities, and to top it off she is organized and super tidy! :)
In November Grant returned to work, after being home for 8 months with the girls. It took a little getting used to for everyone, but I think we have adjusted. The laundry situation got out of hand at times, as did the groceries and baths, but we have worked those kinks out, for the most part! We also celebrated Natasha’s 3rd birthday as well as Jaida’s 1st birthday!
After only 5 weeks of the 2 parents working, we headed off to Mexico in December, for Jen and Scott’s wedding. Here we celebrated Maya’s 5th birthday! Maya and Natasha had a blast at the pool everyday, where Maya picked up some new swimming skills!! A really great vacation!
All in all 2008 was another good year. We welcomed new babies, made new friends, and remembered lost ones. We are thankful for our family, to Melissa and to our friends who support and encourage us through all the ups and downs. We do, lead a very fortunate life.
We are looking forward to the many adventures and challenges that 2009 will bring!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Christmas 2008
Our tree was all set-up with lights on, by the time we got back from Mexico. (Thanks to Melissa!) All we had to do was put up some decorations! It was a little challenging keeping Jaida from taking down branches, while the girls were putting up decorations, but it was definitely entertaining!
Christmas Eve, we hosted dinner at our place, with my mom, and sister’s family. Usually the host makes dinner, but since I was working and just back from vacation, I didn’t have time, so I offered my mom to do the cooking. And of course, it was delicious!
It wasn’t a late night, as all the homes had to prepare for Santa’s arrival. So we got ready for bed, the girls put out carefully selected home baked cookies and a glass of milk by the tree for Santa, and headed to bed. It was easy to get them to bed, as they knew Santa only comes when you are sleeping!
In the morning, Natasha was a little wearing to go downstairs, in case Santa was still there, but Maya super excited to see what was left under the tree.
Of course, Santa delivered on all the requests, though the girls wish list was very small this year. Maya had asked for grey and black biking gloves, and a pink shiny wallet. Natasha had asked for nothing initially, and then settles on Crayons and a doll! I hope these short lists continue for many years!
In any case, Santa brought a little more than what the girls had asked for. The adults had asked for no gifts, instead spending time with together with our family this year.
So on Boxing Day we packed up and headed to a little cottage close to Algonquin Park, to spend a few days together with my mom, and sister’s family.
The kids had a great time playing, and goofing around. And YES there were arguments and it WAS loud, but at the end of the day, when the kids were all tucked into bed, the cards and the drinks came out, and good fun was had by all!!
Christmas Eve, we hosted dinner at our place, with my mom, and sister’s family. Usually the host makes dinner, but since I was working and just back from vacation, I didn’t have time, so I offered my mom to do the cooking. And of course, it was delicious!
It wasn’t a late night, as all the homes had to prepare for Santa’s arrival. So we got ready for bed, the girls put out carefully selected home baked cookies and a glass of milk by the tree for Santa, and headed to bed. It was easy to get them to bed, as they knew Santa only comes when you are sleeping!
In the morning, Natasha was a little wearing to go downstairs, in case Santa was still there, but Maya super excited to see what was left under the tree.
Of course, Santa delivered on all the requests, though the girls wish list was very small this year. Maya had asked for grey and black biking gloves, and a pink shiny wallet. Natasha had asked for nothing initially, and then settles on Crayons and a doll! I hope these short lists continue for many years!
In any case, Santa brought a little more than what the girls had asked for. The adults had asked for no gifts, instead spending time with together with our family this year.
So on Boxing Day we packed up and headed to a little cottage close to Algonquin Park, to spend a few days together with my mom, and sister’s family.
The kids had a great time playing, and goofing around. And YES there were arguments and it WAS loud, but at the end of the day, when the kids were all tucked into bed, the cards and the drinks came out, and good fun was had by all!!
Maya turns 5!!!
How many 5 year old's get to celebrate their birthday's in Mexico?
The night before the big day, we decided to let Maya choose how she wanted spend her day. Here is a picture of the night before.
The choices were somewhat limited, Mayan Ruins, ocean/beach, pool or nothing. Poor kid, with limited choices. It took Maya about a minute to decide she wanted to go see some Mayan Ruins (I am sure it was name related!)
So, off we headed to Tulum, to take a peek at the Ruins. They were quite beautiful and amazing how this city was built so long ago. Now there are nothing compared to many more that are around the area, but we were not about to embarke on such a journey this time.
It was a beautiful day. Hot, sunny, perfect for a dip in the ocean. After walking around Tulum for about 5 minutes, Maya decided we should find the beach. We managed to drag it out to about 1/2 hour and head to the beach and play. Natasha wanted nothing to do with the ocean. When I say nothing, I mean "I don't want Maya to go in the water" and "I don't want Daddy to go in the water" and "I don't want to play on the beach"... You get the picture.
The waves were quite large, for a child anyways, but very fun for us! Maya REALLY enjoyed it! We spent quite a while jumping in the waves and even waded deeper into the ocean together and enjoyed the float!
All the while Natasha and Jaida were playing in the sand, Natasha crying saying "I don't want to play on the beach" both covered from head to toe in sand!
We capped of the night we a dinner at her restaurant of choice, buffet, with a delicious cake, and a trip to the Hacienda for some shopping!
I will add a couple more pictures from cake/dinner when upload them
I think she had a good day!
The night before the big day, we decided to let Maya choose how she wanted spend her day. Here is a picture of the night before.
The choices were somewhat limited, Mayan Ruins, ocean/beach, pool or nothing. Poor kid, with limited choices. It took Maya about a minute to decide she wanted to go see some Mayan Ruins (I am sure it was name related!)
So, off we headed to Tulum, to take a peek at the Ruins. They were quite beautiful and amazing how this city was built so long ago. Now there are nothing compared to many more that are around the area, but we were not about to embarke on such a journey this time.
It was a beautiful day. Hot, sunny, perfect for a dip in the ocean. After walking around Tulum for about 5 minutes, Maya decided we should find the beach. We managed to drag it out to about 1/2 hour and head to the beach and play. Natasha wanted nothing to do with the ocean. When I say nothing, I mean "I don't want Maya to go in the water" and "I don't want Daddy to go in the water" and "I don't want to play on the beach"... You get the picture.
The waves were quite large, for a child anyways, but very fun for us! Maya REALLY enjoyed it! We spent quite a while jumping in the waves and even waded deeper into the ocean together and enjoyed the float!
All the while Natasha and Jaida were playing in the sand, Natasha crying saying "I don't want to play on the beach" both covered from head to toe in sand!
We capped of the night we a dinner at her restaurant of choice, buffet, with a delicious cake, and a trip to the Hacienda for some shopping!
I will add a couple more pictures from cake/dinner when upload them
I think she had a good day!
Mexico Wrap-up...finally!
As most of you already know, we, along with my mom, took a little Mexican vacation in early December. The main purpose of this trip was to witness Jenny and Scott’s wedding. Shortly after the trip was booked, we decided that if we were spending all that money to go down for 1 week, we may as well stay for 2 and relax a little more. We are so glad we did!!
The first week, we were accompanied by 46 others, their friends and family. It was really nice; we had lots of company, and entertainment. It reminded me a lot of our wedding, watching the ‘younger’ folk frolicking around, as we were, back in the day!
We didn’t really do very much outside the resort. We took a day trip to Xhelha. An ecological Park not too far from where we were staying.
I can’t say that it was great. It was very expensive, for what we were able to do. I think if the kids were older, or 'sans enfants', we would have been able to really enjoy it. I do have to mention, my mom had a wonderful time. She went snorkeling with Mel, Dave, Rod, Dave and Virginia and had a blast!
Apart from that, we took a little morning trip to Palya Del Carmen, where I picked up this t-shirt for my brother-in-law:
The second week not only did we have fabulous weather, we still had company of Jen and Scott, Joanne and Dave (Jen’s parents), Kelly and Denis, and Christine and Mike. Let me tell you, if was absolutely wonderful! The girls got LOTS of attention, everyone played with them SO much, it was great! We spent pretty much the whole time relaxing by the pool, except for Maya’s birthday, (which I’ll write in a separate post.) and a half day trip to Playa Del Carmen.
The obvious highlight of the trip was Jen and Scott’s wedding. The weather couldn’t not have been better for the ceremony, it was gorgeous!
Here are the little flower girls, Maya and Natasha:
And a few other shots:
Congratulation Jen and Scott! We are so happy that we were able to be a part of your celebration. It is not often I choose to ‘really’ celebrate, but this occasion both Grant and I did!
A lot of people keep asking how it could have been relaxing with the kids, or saying we should have left the kids at home. So to that I say, Yes it would have been FAR more relaxing without the kids, but the kids are only young once, and though it was sometimes a pain running back and forth to the bathroom with wet bathing suits, spending ½ hour applying sunscreen to squirming kids, or changing poop filled diapers just as everyone is getting into the pool, it was so nice to spend so much quality time with my girls.
All in all a wonderful trip. I’ll have to say thank you to my mom, for watching the girls so that Grant and I could go out to the disco the night of the wedding, and another night to enjoy another nice dinner with friends!
The first week, we were accompanied by 46 others, their friends and family. It was really nice; we had lots of company, and entertainment. It reminded me a lot of our wedding, watching the ‘younger’ folk frolicking around, as we were, back in the day!
We didn’t really do very much outside the resort. We took a day trip to Xhelha. An ecological Park not too far from where we were staying.
I can’t say that it was great. It was very expensive, for what we were able to do. I think if the kids were older, or 'sans enfants', we would have been able to really enjoy it. I do have to mention, my mom had a wonderful time. She went snorkeling with Mel, Dave, Rod, Dave and Virginia and had a blast!
Apart from that, we took a little morning trip to Palya Del Carmen, where I picked up this t-shirt for my brother-in-law:
The second week not only did we have fabulous weather, we still had company of Jen and Scott, Joanne and Dave (Jen’s parents), Kelly and Denis, and Christine and Mike. Let me tell you, if was absolutely wonderful! The girls got LOTS of attention, everyone played with them SO much, it was great! We spent pretty much the whole time relaxing by the pool, except for Maya’s birthday, (which I’ll write in a separate post.) and a half day trip to Playa Del Carmen.
The obvious highlight of the trip was Jen and Scott’s wedding. The weather couldn’t not have been better for the ceremony, it was gorgeous!
Here are the little flower girls, Maya and Natasha:
And a few other shots:
Congratulation Jen and Scott! We are so happy that we were able to be a part of your celebration. It is not often I choose to ‘really’ celebrate, but this occasion both Grant and I did!
A lot of people keep asking how it could have been relaxing with the kids, or saying we should have left the kids at home. So to that I say, Yes it would have been FAR more relaxing without the kids, but the kids are only young once, and though it was sometimes a pain running back and forth to the bathroom with wet bathing suits, spending ½ hour applying sunscreen to squirming kids, or changing poop filled diapers just as everyone is getting into the pool, it was so nice to spend so much quality time with my girls.
All in all a wonderful trip. I’ll have to say thank you to my mom, for watching the girls so that Grant and I could go out to the disco the night of the wedding, and another night to enjoy another nice dinner with friends!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
3 and 1 already and 5 in Mexico!!
Well, Natasha celebrated her 3rd birthday on Nov 22nd. She was super excited and kept saying “It’s MY birthday today!” and you ask her “How old are you Natasha?” she says, full of excitement “Pree!!!!” while trying to hold up 3 fingers. VERY cute!!!
Maya and I made her a cake, and Maya was a BIG help in decorating it. She came up with a design that she thought Tasha would love, and she was right!! Here is it:
Not the prettiest cake, but everyone was fighting over who got to eat the rocket!!!
We didn’t do to much, just had my family over and our friends Teresa, Corey, Sofia and Giorgia…the girls love them all!
JAIDA…my baby. Hard to believe a year has gone by so quickly. Jaida celebrated her 1st birthday on Nov 25th. Here is a picture of her in her Birthday Princess hat, courtesy of Anju. Very cute!!!
She really is a princess. She pretty much can get whatever she wants. If Amma or Daddy don’t do it for her, her big sisters usually do, either that or she screams until one of them do. For the most part she is full of smiles and giggles. She’s not quite walking on her own yet, though loves to walk around if you hold her fingers. She is a fast mover, not crawling, but carrying on the Seshadri Lawson tradition of scooching.
Again, a low key birthday with my family along with Jenny and Scott. The cake was a flop this time, but Jaida was too tired and cranky to even try it, so she will never really know! It looked good, but remind not to try a new cake recipe for a special occasion again!!
Maya, the lucky girl will get to celebrate her 5th birthday in
Happy Birthday Maya! What a lucky 5 year old!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
3 years to the day....
and both parents are back to work!!
I started my leave from Mitel exactly 3 years ago to the day today! Wow! How time flies!
Maya likely does not remember the time when she was with my mom and Lori, so for all she knows I or Grant has been with her since she was born, Natasha has been so fortunate to have her parents at home for her whole life, and Jaida, as well, but she is still a baby!!
I am sad today, I had always thought that the girls would grow up with me at home (or at least a parent), for their younger years at least, but the reality is, we are not quite ready to give up some of the little luxurious that the extra income brings us.
I do realize that we have been so fortunate to be able to home with the girls for this long!! But, we do leave them in very capable hands, Melissa. She is wonderful with the girls, and most importantly the girls just love her! Natasha claps her hands in excitement, knowing that Melissa is coming over!
So, as the next few weeks will be a period of adjustment. I feel better in knowing that we will be lying on the sunny beaches of Mexico in just over 4 short weeks! :)
I started my leave from Mitel exactly 3 years ago to the day today! Wow! How time flies!
Maya likely does not remember the time when she was with my mom and Lori, so for all she knows I or Grant has been with her since she was born, Natasha has been so fortunate to have her parents at home for her whole life, and Jaida, as well, but she is still a baby!!
I am sad today, I had always thought that the girls would grow up with me at home (or at least a parent), for their younger years at least, but the reality is, we are not quite ready to give up some of the little luxurious that the extra income brings us.
I do realize that we have been so fortunate to be able to home with the girls for this long!! But, we do leave them in very capable hands, Melissa. She is wonderful with the girls, and most importantly the girls just love her! Natasha claps her hands in excitement, knowing that Melissa is coming over!
So, as the next few weeks will be a period of adjustment. I feel better in knowing that we will be lying on the sunny beaches of Mexico in just over 4 short weeks! :)
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Best Laid Plans
I went to work today for the first time in 8 months, my first day of work since February 29th! Thinking back to February, man, did I have plans for this parental leave.
Eight months is enough time to train for a very decent marathon. At the very least I would get more biking in than I have since ’99. On January 1st, I actually started riding the rollers in the basement to prepare my legs for the ensuing punishment that all my free time would unleash upon them. Three times a week I would get up early and ride my bike in the basement before going to work. And don’t forget about the house, a more complete and finished house has ever existed!
The reality, there were times when I could barely find the time to go to the bathroom! Seriously, I remember telling Maya to make sure Natasha didn’t bother Jaida. Imagine that – telling a 4 year old to make sure a 2 year old doesn’t bother a 3 month old, just so you can go the bathroom!
Take away the indoor biking I did in January and February, and I biked less this year than last year. And there is no very decent marathon in my near future. And the house, well, part of the basement did get cleaned and some light fixtures went up, but none of that happened until October when our caregiver started working 2 or 3 mornings a week so that she and the girls could get acquainted.
So what did I do with my 8 months? Basically, I spent a lot of time with my girls.
Jaida was 3 months old when this started. Just giver her 2.5 ounces of milk every 2.5 hours and she was happy. Now she’s eating whatever the rest of us are having. She used to nap a lot and I would just carry her around in her carseat. Natasha was still wearing diapers. I just noticed last week that she can now reach and turn the coffee maker on by herself. And Maya, what can I say about her? Outgrowing her clothes every month aside, she made this parental leave relatively easy. Not just by being a great kid, but she really was a big help to me in taking care of her sisters.
So I was a little naïve in what I initially thought I could do with 8 months away from work but I have no complaints. I just hope the girls have no long-term ill effects from spending so much time with me!
Eight months is enough time to train for a very decent marathon. At the very least I would get more biking in than I have since ’99. On January 1st, I actually started riding the rollers in the basement to prepare my legs for the ensuing punishment that all my free time would unleash upon them. Three times a week I would get up early and ride my bike in the basement before going to work. And don’t forget about the house, a more complete and finished house has ever existed!
The reality, there were times when I could barely find the time to go to the bathroom! Seriously, I remember telling Maya to make sure Natasha didn’t bother Jaida. Imagine that – telling a 4 year old to make sure a 2 year old doesn’t bother a 3 month old, just so you can go the bathroom!
Take away the indoor biking I did in January and February, and I biked less this year than last year. And there is no very decent marathon in my near future. And the house, well, part of the basement did get cleaned and some light fixtures went up, but none of that happened until October when our caregiver started working 2 or 3 mornings a week so that she and the girls could get acquainted.
So what did I do with my 8 months? Basically, I spent a lot of time with my girls.
Jaida was 3 months old when this started. Just giver her 2.5 ounces of milk every 2.5 hours and she was happy. Now she’s eating whatever the rest of us are having. She used to nap a lot and I would just carry her around in her carseat. Natasha was still wearing diapers. I just noticed last week that she can now reach and turn the coffee maker on by herself. And Maya, what can I say about her? Outgrowing her clothes every month aside, she made this parental leave relatively easy. Not just by being a great kid, but she really was a big help to me in taking care of her sisters.
So I was a little naïve in what I initially thought I could do with 8 months away from work but I have no complaints. I just hope the girls have no long-term ill effects from spending so much time with me!
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