The 10 best things about my kids!

It has been very rough around here. Chad has been gone about a week now and will be back in a few days. I don't know what is going on with my kids but they are all a complete wreck since he left. Sleep has completely disappeared in this house. Atticus has been up at least 6 times every night asking for daddy. Chad was away for 10 months and this NEVER happened. I guess after spending a month with him, they were completely attached to him again.

Of course I feel sad for them that they have to feel this way. But it has been very trying for mommy too. This post is a little bit of therapy for me! So here we go... the 10 best things about my kids...

Atticus

 1. He's the goofiest kid I know. He can always make me laugh.
2. He's creative. Loves art, dancing and singing. The things I have never been good at.
3. He learns new things so quick.
4. He loves to eat and has never been picky.
5. He's always so happy to be outdoors. Loves playgrounds, water and nature.
6. He's so sensitive and emotional. He's always up for a hug or cuddle.
7. He can speak in full sentences and can carry on silly conversations already.
8. I love to see the relationship between him and his sisters.
9. He's great at sharing.
10. When something unfortunate happens, he's so resilient and doesn't stay unhappy for long.

Avah-Lynn

 

1. She has such a gentle personality.
2. She would sleep all day if I let her.
3. She is so stubborn and I love that about her.
4. She does things in a certain way just to be cute. She knows it too!
5. She is hardly ever unhappy unless she doesn't get her way.
6. She has mastered the temper tantrum and they are still cute.
7. She is independent. I will usually find her playing quietly by herself.
8. She's a daddy's girl and I love it! Chad does too!
9. She loves new people. Never shy!
10. She loves to cuddle... with anyone! Including her siblings!

Hadley

1. She is goofy just like her brother. And makes the funniest faces.
2. She is a firecracker! So stongwilled.
3. No fear!
4. She is shy when it comes to new people but is the first to explore new surroundings.
5. She has a relationship with a certain blanket. It is so cute to see!
6. She's a little parrot right now. I love this stage where they repeat everything.
7. She is so curious and mischievous.
8. She loves to do everything older kids do. Especially Atticus. She loves to drive trucks around with him.
9. She loves to get messy!
10. She likes to have her picture taken.


It feels so much better to focus on the positive when I have three very tired an cranky kids around!

Rain rain...

Go away!!

Since it's an awfully rainy day out there today, I thought I would post some pictures of us in our new yard. We spend lots of time out there when it's sunny..

we don't have a pool yet but, who needs a pool?!

Avah-Lynn

Hadley

I went in to make dinner and this is what the sandbox looked like when I came back! Crazy kids!

Hadley had a blast!

Long Awaited House Pictures!

First of all, I have to tell you that Chad is away right now so I actually have time to blog after the kids are in bed!

AND I also have to tell you that I had such a great day today. Took the kids on the first playdate here in Petawawa. They had a wonderful time I barely even saw them the whole time. The other moms were so great and very friendly (unlike the moms at the parks here... *sigh*) And it was nothing like the snooty Calgary playdates either!!

Here is the disclaimer for the pictures: These were taken the day after we moved in so please excuse the boxes and the mess. The unpackers pretty much just made piles of our stuff everywhere. Also, I haven't taken any pictures of the upstairs yet... Sorry! AND I will take better pictures when we are done decorating which I am in the process of doing at the moment. So for all of the people who have been bugging me, here they are!

Our front door and mud room/ recycling room.

Hallway to the kitchen and staircase going upstairs.

Our kitchen and dining room and the kids playing hockey with daddy.

Both sides of the kitchen.

The unusable Hallway to the living room.

 

The extremely messy living room. Yuck!

And a fairly recent picture of the kids in their Jamaica shirts from Grandma (Just for you mom!)

I know it's late...

...but I want to share some Easter pictures with you!

The kids (and adults) had such a marvelous time. It was almost like Christmas morning!

Our family

 

Avah-Lynn in her pretty Easter dress sitting in her new chair.

A snack before the egg hunt.

Cuddling with Grandpa.

Easter baskets from Mommy and Daddy.

 The kids with all their Easter presents. They were spoiled!

 Avah-Lynn.

Hadley

The twins starting their hunt!

Atticus starting his!

 The babies enjoying some Easter treats. There was arrowroot cookies and Gerber puffs in the eggs.

A very happy boy!

Atticus enjoying his toys!

Sorry for the picture overload! We had such a great time and this was our last holiday in Calgary... It meant a lot this year!

We are (almost) all settled.

Yes, I realize it's been a long time since my last post. Huge apologies! This move across the country has been quite the experience. Throw three kids in the mix and you've got a disaster always waiting to happen!

For the most part, we're all settled into our new place on the base. We absolutely love our new home! It is GIANT! The kids are really enjoying all the living space. Our kitchen and living room connect on both sides so walking and driving toy trucks in circles is the main event these days. It's like my own little race track...
Atticus has a play room upstairs too but he would much rather run around in circles than play with his hundreds and hundreds of toys.

We have a great big basement for storage. Which is great. About 60% of our stuff sits in storage most of the year. Actually, to be completely honest, it's mostly baby stuff down there. And there's a little carpeted nook for my desk and bookshelf too.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms and a bathroom. Did I mention that the kitchen and bathroom are BRAND NEW!? Everything still had the stickers on when we moved in. They include new lino floors and new hardwood floors in the rest of the house.

There is a nice big backyard too but we need to get a fence installed. In time.

The location is absolutely fantastic! Especially for the long days of summer. So much stuff to do! We are directly across the street from the community center which is where the preschool is. (Atticus is registered for the fall session.) They have playgroups too. There is a playground in the field that Atticus loves so much already. He calls it the "Blue playground." Cute! And a nice little wading pool. We are minutes away from two other parks and two sandy beaches too. I'm so excited to be here and can't wait for the nice warm weather to start up. It was 20 degrees this afternoon so hopefully the temperature will keep climbing!

I will keep posting over the next week or two with updates on our settling in and with some adventures from the moving process as well as lots of pictures! We're really enjoying it here but are really missing everyone back home!!!

On The Move!

Here we come Petawawa!

Our flight out of Calgary to Ottawa is booked for April 29th. We are so excited!
There is so much happening before then. This blog post is kind of a reminder for any family or friends wondering how this move will work and when. And I may use it for my own reference too! lol

The first big event happening is Chad flying into Calgary 5 days from today! April 20th. Atticus is really looking forward to daddy coming home but I think I told him a little bit too soon. He has been looking out the window and asking where daddy is about 10 times every day. I started a countdown on the Calendar with him. I don't think he quite understands it though. Oh well, I guess it will come soon enough!

I think I am in shock still. I just cannot believe that very soon we will be living as a family UNIT.

This relocation company that we're working with seems so disorganized. It's a real pain. I' ve been on the phone all morning with various people and companies trying to get some answers. As well as with hotels, car rental companies, phone, cable and internet companies too. It's alot of work. I'm exhausted already! It's not even 11AM yet!

So the schedule looks like this right now:
Our stuff is being packed on the 26th. Our appliances arrive that day too. And we can check into our hotel that day. (Still looking into a hotel room that can accommodate all of us! Help! lol) Our van will be picked up that day too. And we will need to go pick up our rental van.
The truck will be loaded on the 27th.
We are hiring a cleaning company who will come in and clean our rental on the 28th. We also do the walk through with our landlord that day.
Our flight leaves for Ottawa at 10AM on the 29th. I think we will stay in Ottawa for a few days And then attempt the drive to Petawawa another day. The plane ride will be enough for all of us that day.

So that's it so far. The bottom line? It's all very exciting!

"Walkaroni"

We had this for lunch last week and it was a huge hit with all three kids. Actually I really enjoyed it too. And I just have to share. I saw the recipe when the Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr (who is hilarious by the way!) Was on the Rachael Ray show. I was intrigued! So we finally tried the sauce on Elbow Macaroni noodles rather than cauliflower and it was actually really good! Atticus had no idea it wasn't "Walkaroni" and cheese and the twins gobbled up two bowls each. Here's the recipe! (click to see the whole recipe.)

Carrot Cheese Sauce

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds (yield 1 ½ cups)
• 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch cumin
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Dusting of smoked paprika 

Cook the carrots in the evaporated milk and water, covered, in a medium saucepan, 10-15 minutes or until very soft. Place the carrots and cooking liquid, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice in a blender, and whiz for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and glossy. Add the salt, cayenne, and cumin, and whiz to mix. 

Place the cauliflower in a small baking dish. Spoon the carrot sauce over the cauliflower and scatter the Parmesan cheese over the top. Brown under a preheated broiler 4 inches from heat and serve, garnished with a dusting of smoked paprika.  

It was very creamy, smooth and rich. Really good. The pictures say it all!!