What I Wore on Christmas

So I wanted to link up with Grace, but between the very slow internet here at my parents, and the craziness that is Christmas with small children, I'm afraid I've done a poor job of showing my outfit:

For some reason in both pictures I am hiding behind children! The girls are wearing their Christmas dresses, both from Gap I think (but purchased secondhand!). And little Will is sporting a Tommy Hilfigger shirt (secondhand too of course). I am keeping it nice and festive red skinnys and a mint shirt (early birthday present that I opened on Christmas from the sweetest sister in all the land who apparently reads my blog but does not ever comment)  from Old Navy. And I was bare feet all day because the wood stove in this house makes it super hot.  

 Hope everyone is having a good Christmas! We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the rest of the clan in a couple days. Then things will get super crazy here! 

 Merry Christmas!

What I Wore Sunday

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple again! For some reason I find it really hard to get on the computer on Sundays...must be something to do with football......so I only have a second to post this!
 Outfit:
 dress: Winners...don't remember what brand and its on me so I can't look
 tights: who knows!
 Boots: same as last time!

Have a lovely Sunday!
   

7 Quick Takes

1. Last night I got a much needed haircut. The hairstylist couldn't believe it had been so long since my last cut (is 9 months really that long? haha). I told her I wanted a trim but wanted to keep most of my length...she looked and said it wasn't really possible because I needed SO much off. I'm sorry that I have three little kids and it is hard to get out of the house without them, and that my hair is really on the bottom of my list of priorities. The only reason I made the appointment is because Shane has been telling me for a while that I really need to get a haircut. Thanks dear.
2. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Felicity says "A water slider girl." haha
3. I want to always remember the way Felicity sounds when she says she LOVES something. It is said with all her heart, like whenever her aunt Cecilia is mentioned, she says " I LOVE Cecilia!" so precious.
4. My girls' favourite Christmas song is Angels We Have Heard on High. The other night Maria was in bed and she was singing it at the top of her lungs, and when I told her to be quiet, she said, "But I love this song so much I can't stop singing it!"
5. I finally finished all the orders from my etsy shop! Now I have time to make some presents....I don't know why I didn't do these in November, except that I must be a procrastinator.....
6. William took his first real crawling steps a couple days ago. His sisters could not be more proud.
7. On the agenda for this weekend is Gingerbread House making! Early this morning I heard Maria whisper, "Felicity, tomorrow is Saturday, and on Saturday we are making the gingerbread house!" She is SO excited.
Go see Jen to read all the other Quick Takers!

And the winner is.......

JACLYN KWOK!!!

7 Quick Takes

Joining Jen and company!
1. Yesterday morning we all awoke to find our shoes filled with goodies! Except Will.  Then we Christmas crafted all day long, but we really don't have much to show for it. I wish I was craftier!
2. Shane and I are at a standstill in our late night tv watching. We just got caught up on Parenthood, which we enjoyed, and now we don't know what show to start on. Any ideas?
3. Shane is at his firm's Christmas party tonight. And spouses are not invited. So now I have to sit here into the wee hours of the morning by myself...one of my most favourite things ever.
4. So today we were dropping Shane off at work and then we were going to go and do a few errands, and then go back and get Shane since he had an hour to kill between work and his party. Well the worst thing ever happened and that is that I forgot my cell phone at home, and didn't notice until after Shane had left. What did people do before cell phones?! I had no way of telling Shane that we were there to pick him up (he works in a huge building and we can't get in without security passes plus I wouldn't know the way..) And so what did I see on the side of the road, but a payphone. I stopped, plunked in my quarter...but then I didn't even know his phone number! So we drove to his office, in the worst traffic ever (for Halifax) hoping he would just come down, but of course he didn't. UGH...Maria said "Mommy, we are having a lot of problems!!" We drove home, all of us crying because our one hour with Daddy was taken away. (Daddy time is verrrrry precious around here...and the fact that he wasn't coming home at all tonight really killed all of our spirits).
5. On nights when Shane is out late, I may let my 5 year old stay up with me, and then fall asleep on the couch, because it gives me some sense of security. Or maybe makes it less lonely?
6.. Have you entered my giveway? Do it.
7. Maria and I are going to see the Nutcracker on Sunday. I am SO excited!
 Have a good weekend!

Giveaway Time!

It's giveaway time!! The grand prize is a headband from my etsy shop:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I Wore Sunday

 Since everyone else is doing it, I just had to jump on the train and link up with the ladies at Fine Linen and Purple !

Posing in front of our newly hung garland, I am wearing:

 Sweater: so old I can't tell you where it is from. I wore it through my last pregnancy so its a little stretched out but I still wear it because it is so comfy and just the right length.

 Pants: Old Navy

 Boots: I can't remember where I got them but I love them. But rarely wear them because carrying a car seat in heels is not something I do gracefully.

   Happy Advent everyone!

7 Quick Ones

1. So glad that it is Friday, another week done and only 4 more weeks till Christmas vacay!

2. On Monday I had a sale in my etsy shop so I am busy busy busy crocheting away!

3. Since we've been married, we have moved three times. Each time it takes me about a year to start making friends and really settling in. Then I enjoy it for a few months, and then we move again. It sucks, but I am just not someone who makes friends easily or quickly. So since moving here in June we have not socialized a ton. Yesterday we had two little girls over for a playdate and my girls loved it. Maria cried for an hour when they left and I felt so bad! She is begging me to have someone over today...I feel so horrible for my poor undersocialized homeschooler.

4. Today we woke up to the first snowfall...just a light dusting that was gone very quickly. Is it ridiculous that I am excited for a real snowfall? I know once it comes I will be dying for it to leave....for months and months...

5. I am thinking of having a giveaway for all the 1.2 readers of my blog. Are you excited?!

6. We are excited for the start of Advent on Sunday!!

7. This baby turned 8 months old this week! Yikes he's growing so fast!!

Have a lovely weekend and go see Jen!

What I Wore to Thanksgiving....

Although it is not technically Thanksgiving in this country, we decided to show solidarity with our lovely American friends and fam and celebrate it too. Because we are weird like that. And because its another excuse to have a turkey dinner, which I've never made before! And it was fun! Also I couldn't say no to the lovely Grace who is hosting the What I Wore to Thanksgiving Dinner linkup, so I decided to put something on other then my usual sweatpants....

Looking slightly annoyed...

Gosh its harder than it looks to get good photos of oneself!

Such a natural with the candid shots..

The outfit details:

 Shirt: Old Navy

 Pants: At least 5 years old from RW&co

 Shoes: Spring

 Earring: gifted 

 scraggly hair: gift from God

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans!

7 Quick Takes

1. William is finally better! He was so sick and so not himself for so many days and I am so relieved he's finally back to himself! Last night was the first night he has slept right through...so I'm feeling pretty good today!

2. Maria and I were looking at a globe ball that she has. She pointed out Russia and I said "Russia is really big, isn't it?" And she said "Yes, but Canada has the longest coastline in the world!" Haha...what?! I guess it does?!  You learn something new every day...sometimes from your 5 year old!

3. You know what I hate? Library fines. Today I realized that I have books I needed to renew, and I was BLOCKED from doing so because my fines were too high. Ugh. So I caved and paid the darn thing so my slate is now wiped clean...let's see how long it takes for it to build back up again!

4. I took William to the doctor on Tuesday and was made to feel like the worst mom and biggest weirdo around. He was all like ``Why the hell are you here because your child is perfectly fine`` and ``I am shocked and you are a negligent mother because your kids` shots are not up do date`` and ``Why the hell does your child not go to school if she is 5 years old...``  And I have vowed never to leave my house again!

5. I am way too excited for the weekend.

6. I have nothing interesting to say.

7. William has been napping for 2 hours now, which is so unusual and I don`t know what to do with myself!

Go see Jen!

7 Quick Takes Friday!

1. My baby is sick again. Although last week his first two teeth appeared the next day, so I'm pretty sure that's what the fever was for. But last night he had a super high fever and I hate hate hate fevers in babies. I cannot stop worrying and imagining the worst.

2. So after four days of Halloween candy eating, Maria declared to me that the next day we should have no more sweets. A great idea of course! So we had a healthy day of eating fruit and vegetables. Then she said we should have no more candy until Sunday (it was Monday)....which later turned into no more candy until Christmas. Haha....I guess I must talk a lot about healthy eating and how sugar is bad for you?

3. The funnier part is that Felicity, who loves her some sweets and who does not possess the natural self control of her bigger sister, just followed right along and has not requested a drop of candy since.

4. The ban on candy has now turned into some sort of sugar detox. Maria was eating homemade granola for breakfast and asked, "Is there sugar in this?" I answered, "A little" ( I have to put a little in order to convince my husband to eat it)...and she pushed it away and said "Then I don't want it!"........

5. I have to say I am loving this phase in which my kids believe everything I say...it will be a sad day when they start thinking on their own....

6. I'm so glad its a long weekend!!! Although I'm not allowing myself to get too excited before I know for sure that the husband does not have to work it.......

7. Have a lovely weekend everyone and go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

Dictated by my 5 year old

I am writing two posts in one evening, because Maria watched me write the last one about William and said "You should write one about me!" And so I am. Entirely dictated by her.
  Maria's favourite foods are feta cheese, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, grapes, chili, spaghetti, peaches, plums, and mangoes, chicken noodle soup, the pasta at Costco. She doesn't like beans. Felicity's favourites are apples, tomatoes, green beans, peas, smoothies, and oranges. She hates mangoes, sweet potatoes, and apple pie.
    Maria loves butterflies. She had a butterfly party when she turned 5. Her favourite things to do are play hide and seek with Daddy, swing on the monkey bars at the park, ride her bike, read, exercise, play restaurant games (we played that our house was East Side Mario's for supper one day), make Willy laugh, and text Emma (her cousin). She loves her sister and brother.
   When she grows up, she wants to be a swimmer and a mommy. She wants to have 2 boys and 2 girls.
   Maria likes to wear her butterfly shirts (she has 2), her flower dress and matching pink coat, and her Easter dress.
    Maria really loves the face painting that is in the picture.
              The End.

7 Months Old

This little guy turned 7 months old last week. He is still the sweetest kid around! He is still not crawling exactly, but he creeps around on his belly and is getting pretty fast. Both the girls crawled at 6 months...are boys supposed to be faster at these milestones or slower? Shane is already working at getting him drafted for the NFL so if being slow to crawl has any bearing on his athletic ability....just kidding...
   His favourite foods are sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, apples, peas and bananas. Basically anything except carrots and green beans. Felicity took this as a personal insult because he absolutely couldn't stand the beans, and she loves them, I mean LOVES them...like she'd rather eat a huge plate full of green beans then dessert.
  William has actually gone a couple steps back in the sleep department...he used to sleep through the night consistently, but now he will sometimes, but lots of nights he wakes up at least once. I'm hoping it was due to growth spurts/ teething, because I've totally been too lazy to do anything about it so I just nurse him and put him back to bed..which is probably becoming a habit and that's why he's still doing it. He got his first teeth a few days ago!!! Two of them! After a feverish and sleepless night, they appeared!
    Babies are so much fun because in one month they go through so many life changing events. He started moving, eating and got teeth! Love you Will-Will and can't wait to see what fun things this month will bring:)

7 Quick Takes

1. My baby is sick. I don't like it. He is so cute and sad and tired, but still sweet as anything.
2. I got very little sleep last night.
3. If you're an Anne fan, you'll appreciate this one: Yesterday Maria says to me randomly, "Mommy, Gilbert was right. Being smart is better than being pretty." haha
4. Then she says " But being good is best of all." It was All Saints Day so she was reading, drawing, and acting everything Saint.
5. We got our craft on yesterday and made these amazing puppets

Hopefully it'll fill their craft needs for the next month, because the mess that it made will take me a month to get over. 

6. My kids are being silly and driving me nuts....

7. So I better go pay attention to them. 

Go see Jen for more Quick Take fun!

My Little Saints

Here they are! St. Therese and St. Rose:

Happy Feast of All Saints and a Halloween story

So, after counting down the days for two weeks, Maria woke up in the morning so excited that the day finally had arrived! After supper we got costumes on and waited for Daddy to come home. He arrived, we got rain gear on and got ready to brave the torrential storm. Then all of the sudden out of nowhere Maria freaked out. Said she wasn't going. She was too scared. She screamed, cried, ripped her costume off and ran upstairs to put her pajamas on and go to bed because she would rather do that and have not one piece of candy, then go trick or treating. We were shocked! Felicity of course followed suit and started screaming like we were trying to force them to go get their teeth pulled out or something. I knew they had been so excited about this that they would surely regret it. So we dragged them kicking and screaming out the door...so ridiculous! I don't know what got into Maria's head....she must've seen something scary out the window? But once she snapped out of it they both had a ball...even in the rain!  

Mary and Laura Ingalls

Tigger!

We got way too much candy. Most of it will be eaten by Daddy.

When we got home, Maria was eager for more trick or treaters to come to our door so she could give them the millions of bags chips that she got...haha...great idea kiddo!

Today is All Saints Day! I have a few little saints running around...pictures to come:)

7 Quick Takes

1. I haven't posted in a couple of weeks because we have been busy busy around here having FUN! Shane has been taking a course at work for three weeks, which has meant him getting off at 3 (!!!) some days and yesterday having the WHOLE day off! Last weekend we went on a date, took the kids to the art gallery, had friends over for wine and cheese, and went to a pumpkin patch/corn maze. Yesterday we went skating, which was SO much fun! There were maybe 5 other people on the ice for the entire time! In a former life I was an avid figure skater, so I spun and jumped to my hearts content...

2. I am also busy sewing Halloween costumes! I had to wait until my pattern came on sale (I was NOT going to pay $12 just for the pattern for a costume! ) so I feel like I am a little late in starting but hopefully it won't take me tooo long.

3. Speaking of Halloween, I have never been incredibly into the whole thing, since growing up I never even went trick or treating once. Instead we had All Saint's Day parties.

4. My children have in previous years been terrified of anything remotely scary...going into any stores at this time involved screaming and clingy children burying their heads and trying not to hear or see anything. THIS year, Maria was determined that she was NOT scared, and so she begged to be taken into this Halloween store down the road. We took one step inside the door and both children ran screaming out. It was pretty funny....and actually pretty scary! We will see how they do with trick or treating....last year we had to skip houses because of their scary decorations...and Maria didn't want to see any other kids in case they had masks on.....

5. The girls play these days involves a combination of Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and Halloween. So I'll hear them shouting things like "Laura come over here or else the scary monster will eat you!" "But if I come then Gilbert will call me carrots!!" Or yesterday Maria, with blonde hair comes to me and says, "Gilbert called me lemon!"

6. It is frigid around here but I am resisting turning the heat on until November....at night I will be all warm under my covers, but my freaking nose is so cold!! We'll see if I can resist Shane's pleas to at least put our fire place on........

7. And now I need to go get another cup of coffee and start my sewing, so go see Jen for more Quick Takes!!

7 Quick Takes Friday!

1. Fall has arrived this week. Last week I was still wearing shorts, but then Thanksgiving came, and it is now time to switch out the summer clothes for the winter clothes.

2. Felicity told Shane the other day "I love you better than Mommy, but I still love Mommy." But then the next day she told me "I was just kidding when I said I love Daddy better. I love you better, but I don't think Daddy will be sad." Haha....clearly she knows how to play both sides.

3. William has always been a great sleeper at night, but for some reason he is a lousy napper and I don't know what to do about it. Most times he wakes  up after half an hour, and only once in a while will have a 1 or 2 hour nap. I know I shouldn't complain because he is an angel child in every other way, but it doesn't give me much of a break during the day.

4. I can't believe how much Maria has learned in these first few weeks of school! She made a huge jump in her reading, so that now she is reading everything around her. I can imagine how different the world must be to her now that she looks around and sees words, rather than just random letters. So much fun!

5. We are reading Little House on the Prairie and my children are obsessed. Can you guess what they want to be for Halloween?

6. I started writing this post when the house was nice and quiet and I could think. Now it has changed, since my baby woke up from his twenty minute nap. So I can't think of anything interesting to say.

7. We went apple picking twice, so we are overflowing with apples. I've already made apple pie, apple crisp, apple muffins, apple granola, apple chips, apple sauce, baked apples, apple pancakes...so what should I make today? I'm thinking apple leather.

Go see Jen for some great Quick Takes!

Stuck on Repeat

Things stuck on repeat in our house today:

" I was talking to you!!"
   Screamed 100+ times by Felicity, because I dared to close the door while she was talking to me (or rather yelling at me about how she didn't want to have a time out for hitting her baby brother). She hit William, her sweet baby brother who is not even capable of contemplating doing anything to harm her,  because she was mad at me, and so I was of course in no mood to listen to her.

"I want you to help me get dressed!"
 Again, screamed 100 + times by Felicity. I refused to help her because 1) she is three and can dress herself, 2) I might have helped her had she listened to me when I told her to get dressed the first time, instead of the zillionth time. However, this kid is so stubborn. I can be stubborn too, but I'm pretty sure 9 times out of 10 I end up giving in in some way. Today I reasoned to myself, after I was nearly going crazy from hearing her repeat this over and over and over and over and over again, that the poor little girl just needs some help, hey, she's only 3 and pretty soon she won't want my help with anything....I'll just go help her a little. So I helped her pick out some clothes ( I had already picked out some clothes but they of course weren't to her liking...however she won't just pick out some other ones, she wants me to pick out some other ones and of course she says no to most of them and sometimes I just get tired of going through her whole wardrobe every time and just throw some at her and tell her to put them on......) and told her to get dressed, going downstairs to serve my two other children some breakfast......which of course led to .....

"I want you stay upstairs with me!!!!"
  I think this one was screamed about 1000 times..........and I was determined not to give in, not because I am a heartless mother, but because I would have stayed upstairs if it hadn't taken her about an hour full of fits  to listen and get dressed, and because I know that she is only doing this to be stubborn and not because she has some kind of fear of being left upstairs by herself. And I so I did not give in and she finally emerged fully clothed.....

and I think that was the end of her fits, at least so far.... The other things have been slightly more pleasant, but still kind of annoying:

" I'm not Felicity, I'm Laura", or "I'm not Maria, I'm Mary"
I'm happy to play along with the whole Little House thing most of the time, but when its repeated over and over again, and when I'm trying to ask them what they want for lunch so I can quickly get it for them because the baby is crying and needs to be fed, I can't seem to remember to call them by their play names, and it gets a little frustrating. The scene goes something like this:
"Maria, what do you want for lunch?"
"I'm not Maria, I'm Mary!"
"Ok, Mary, what do you want for lunch?"
"A sandwich."
"Maria what do you want in your sandwich?"
"I'm not Maria, I'm Mary!"
"Ahh! Ok, Mary what do you want in your sandwich?"
"Um cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce.."
"On this kind of bread, Maria?"
"I'm not Maria, I'm Mary!!!"
"AHHHHHHHH!!!! Maria, just answer me please!"
"But I'm not Maria!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
and after I finally get through it with Maria, I have to go through it all over again with Felicity.

I am glad that I haven't gone completely crazy yet....I think the fact that my youngest two are now peacefully napping while my oldest is reading quietly to herself is a definite sanity saver. So we'll see if I can hold out until my husband returns around 10 this evening....just 8 more hours......

7 Quick Takes Friday!

1. I love that its Friday and a long weekend! We are heading to my parent's after work tonight for some Thanksgiving family fun!
2. So that means today I am busy packing like crazy - its amazing how much work it is to pack for three days when three little children are running around and being especially bad, of course.
3. Plus it is wonderful timing that I am sick. I never get sick, except when I have something to do, or a trip to take. So that means I will be extra patient with my children, of course, since my voice is gone and they can't even hear me above their screams. Lovely.
4. Yesterday was the big day on which the bar exam results were released! And HE PASSED!!!!!! Big surprise there. He was seriously worried though...and has been stressed for days about it...so huge relief on that front.

5. This little guys has started eating real food. And is loving it!
6. Time to go do a Thanksgiving craft with the kids! I don't do crafts nearly enough with them, even though they LOVE them. Sorry girls.
7. And that's all I can think of! Have a lovely weekend everyone!
 Go see Jen for more quick takes!

7 Quick Takes

1. It is a dreary Friday, which is ok, since sometimes I really need an excuse to stay inside and be lazy. Or do housework..whichev I feel like.....right now its blogging while my children play very loudly beside me.

2. Shane worked long hours again this week, although last night he was home for supper, which was AMAZING. Really, really hoping he doesn't have to work the weekend!

3. Just had to pause for a second because I heard a loud bang followed by crying. This ALWAYS happens when they get wild, and it is ALWAYS my three year old. I hate that moment when my heart drops, I rush over and check for blood. Thankfully this time it was just a bump on the head.

4. It is a rainy day, I am more tired than usual, and I am really looking forward to the girls' "show time". So why oh why did I tell Felicity that if she didn't stay in her room for quiet time (and not come downstairs a million times to ask if she can come out yet) then she wouldn't get to watch the show?! I know that she never listens....ugh I hate that. Do I really have to follow through with it? Maybe the reason she never listens is because I haven't followed through one too many times?

5. My favourite times of the day are in the morning when I am drinking my coffee and checking facebook/ reading blogs and in the evening when I drink a glass of wine with my husband. Does it make me a bad mother that those times don't include my children?

6. I love fall but hate that it means it is almost winter. I love wearing fall boots, sweaters, and maybe a light coat, but hate wearing huge winter coats and snow boots and being cold and wet whenever you step outside. My dream is to live in a place with a mild, short winter.

7.My children are begging me to start school with them...ugh...if I MUST......at least someone keeps me on track!

Go see Jen for some more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes

My first time joining in on the takes today!
1. This has been one loooooong week. The husband has been working until 9 or later every. single. day. It feels like he's back in school and it sucks.

2.Monday was a horrible horrible day, mostly because I was in a bad mood and couldn't handle the children so I kept getting mad at them/ blocking their wildness out which in turn made them in bad moods and more crazy. Every day since then I have made a concerted effort to have a better day, and so far I have succeeded. I just have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time.

3. Usually I'd be excited that its a Friday, but apparently my better half has to work the weekend too! How many of these takes can I make about complaining about my single parenthood this week? Oh a few more I think........ I know that there are people in far worse situations than me...but lets just say I would absolutely suck as a military wife. I am super grateful that I at least get an hour to spend with him every evening before I go to bed....it's what I live for and look forward to every day...that and a glass of wine! haha

4. Shane working late every day means we can't keep the car...so we've been trying not to go stir crazy. Luckily it has been beautiful weather so we've been walking to the park every day, which is fun, helps the girls burn some energy, and helps kill some time. Yay for summer weather in September...hoping it lasts!

This is how we roll.

My key holder. It makes her ok with the fact that I'm not letting her ride her bike to the park.

My big girl loves riding her bike to the park:)

5. I think this is the most annoying thing that my children do:

Talking carrots

Playing with their food, plates, spoons, cups, and anything else they can get their little hands on. If I left them to themselves they would take literally hours to finish their meal. One bite every ten minutes probably. As it is, I have to get mad, threaten them, separate them, send one away and let the other eat first, or put a timer on. It usually takes all of the above to get through a meal. It drives me NUTS.

 6. Look who is on the move!

Look at him in action!

He's been pivoting around for a while now, and I usually will put him one spot, leave for a few minutes, and when I come back he's in a totally different place...but just today he started really moving forward, pushing with his feet! He's still really slow so I've got a little while to start baby proofing this house! But I can't believe he is this old!!

7. The thing to say when being punished in our house is "This is the worst day EVER!" (Maria) or "Now I'm NEVER going to play with Maria!" (Felicity). As if saying those things are somehow getting back at mommy for punishing them? hmmmmmmm

Now go see Grace for some much better takes!

Homeschooling: It Begins...

We started homeschooling this week! Maria had been so excited/ not sure what to think of the whole thing. I am so so so so blessed that I am able to start with such an easy kid in the school department. This girl loves learning, so much so that when we received her new school books in the mail, she rushed inside, grabbed her pencil and started working away! I haven't been fully committed to the idea of homeschooling but I have to say there are a few things I am already loving. First, that I don't have to ship her off with strangers all day and know nothing about what she's doing. It may be selfish, but I love having her all to myself for a little while longer. Also, I love love LOVE watching her learn! And I am so excited about how much more she will learn this year!

My little sister's wedding

My youngest sister got married a couple weekends ago. 6 out of 7 of us are now married - and we've had 6 weddings in 6 years. So sad to think that all these wedding are now over:( It was an amazing wedding! Although it always is sooo chaotic, especially since it was in Ontario (and not at my parents' house), and we all have little children to take care of now...they did so much themselves, and I hated that I wasn't able to do much to help, but keeping my three kids out of everything was enough work for me!

Everything turned out beautifully though! My sister and her husband are models! Take a look!

Maria and Emma were flower girls, and Caleb was the ring bearer:)

She's beautiful, isn't she?

I can't believe she's married! Cel and I were so close growing up - we are so alike...I taught her and got her interested in everything that I was, and of course she had to go and excel at all those things! I am so proud of the person she is today, and am so happy she has found such a perfect match in Dan.

Quinoa Burgers

I do not have a great relationship with meatless Friday suppers. Its not that I mind not eating meat, but my husband is a meat lover to the extreme. So it is not exactly the most pleasant and heart warming experience to slave over a meal only to have him come home and moan and groan about the lovely "Friday supper". I guess its my fault, since I am not a huge fan of fish, and rarely buy it, even though every time I do we all enjoy it. So most of the time its pasta with tomatoes, or tuna melts. I guess I can't blame the guy for complaining...haha. Tonight I decided to try something different, although I was fairly certain it would not get a raving review from the husband. Anything "meatless" or "healthy" immediately has him very skeptical. But I tried anyway, and guess what he said?! "They're ok...." I'll take it! I even got his permission to make them again!

Quinoa Burgers
1 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large egg
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Combine water and quinoa in a medium sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 min. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 10 min. Fluff with fork and set aside to cool.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 5 min. Add the garlic, marjoram and oregano, set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the quinoa, onion mixture, cheese, oats and soy sauce. Scoop 1/2 cup portions of the mixture onto the baking sheet and shape into 8 or 9 patties. Bake for 25 min, or until slightly browned and crispy.

I did it!

I made it! Driving 22 hours with three kids and no husband was a huge feat for me! The first leg of the journey was from Halifax to Fredericton (4 hours). The kids were SO good for me, and I only had to stop once. The trick was they each had their own backpack filled with a pad for drawing and crayons/markers, and LOTS of snacks. The next day we drove to Ottawa (11 hours). This time my sister was in the car with me, along with her son, and Maria drove with my dad, who we were following. What a LONG day! I think it was almost harder following someone else, because we kept stopping when William was sleeping or all the kids were ok......and wasting all their good behaviour at rest stops! So it took more like 15 hours to get there....horrible horrible dayyyyyyyy! We then stayed at my sister's in Ottawa for a couple days, before heading to Orillia (6.5 hours). This time I was driving alone and following my sister and her family. Ten minutes into the trip, her kids were feeling sick and throwing up, so I decided to keep driving on my own while my kids were doing ok....thank goodness for my GPS! Half way through the trip Maria started feeling sick...she had a fever.........so I made a million stops and she sobbed for a couple hours......another horrible day! But I made it! And survived a whole week without my husband! I had to do so many jobs that are usually reserved for Shane......packing/unpacking the car, gassing up, fixing the car (ok all I did was replace a fuse haha), AND take care of three kids by myself day and night....boy was I glad to see him when he flew in the night before the wedding!

Leibster Award!

You know how it is when you haven't blogged all summer, except for a a few lame posts, so that it makes it harder to post because you don't even know where to start? Well that was me until Christy nominated me for this Leibster Award...(thanks Christy!) which will hopefully be the perfect thing to get this blog rolling again!
  SO...I guess I'm supposed to say 11 random things about myself, and then answer 11 questions...so here goes!
1. I love ice cream, so much so that when I was pregnant with my oldest, I gained 50 pounds because I ate it every single day in copious amounts! It took me a whole year to lose that weight, and so since then I rarely allow myself to eat ice cream...it sucks but I never want to go through that again..haha.
2. I love organization, but I'm just not good at it...so I go through cycles of organizing my house, then it becomes chaotic and I just have to do all it again. I wish I just had the ability to keep in organized...I'm working on it.
3. I love the summer, and I am quite depressed that it is overrrrrrrr.
4. I was homeschooled for grades 10-12.....and I hated every second of it. So ....
5. I find it insane that I am now homeschooling ( or will be when I get my act together) my daughter. For me, this is not the ideal situation, although we shall see how it goes! Maybe we'll love it so much we'll want to do it forever?!
6. I was a book worm growing up, but actually haven't read a book in ages...I hate this but I feel like the first book I pick up has to be the perfect one...and so I just keep holding out..
7. There are 7 girls in our family and right now, no two live in the same city. That sucks.
8. I love a good summer rain.
9. I am so proud of myself for successfully growing tomatoes and lettuce in our garden this year! My thumb is definitely not green....but I am trying!
10. I am excited by the fact that my son may start crawling in as little as a month, but dreading the fact that I will have to baby proof this house again...let's hope he is like his sisters and doesn't get into anything!
11. I secretly wish that I did one thing really well...like sewing, photography, playing an instrument or sport or cooking...instead of mildly trying and mildly succeeding at a bunch of things...

And now its question time!
1. If you could ask God one question right now, what would it be? Um, the question I ask every day: "Could I please have more patience?!"
2. If you could tell your five year old self one thing, what would it be? Enjoy your easy care free life!3. Why did you start a blog? Just as a place to write things down mostly that I can look back on..
4. If you only had one store to shop at for the rest of your life what would it be? Winners. Actually the American equivalent of TJ MAxx or Marshalls because they are better. 5. What make believe world out of a book would you love to travel to? Avonlea.
6. What do you order at Starbucks? I'm usually just a tall latte kind of girl, but if I want something cold I go for a coffee frappuccino.
7. What's your favourite time of day? evening....such a relaxing time that I get to spend with my husband...its something I look forward to after a crazy or hard day..sometimes the only thing that gets me through!

And now I'm going to make a couple of nominations:
 Jenna at Last Things First, a good friend and wonderful mama of two adorable little boys! 
 Ana at Time Flies When You're Having Babies who writes a cute and funny blog, with two cute little girls and another on the way!

Whew! That took awhile...now its time to go check to make sure all the kids are still alive.....

A few pics of all the summer fun we've been having......

We have been busy with non-stop company for three weeks! 

Birthday party for Maria

Beach time with the cousins

Tall Ships with Heather!

Snuggling with Grandma

Its been fun, but I'm tired now! This week I have to get ready for our road trip to Ontario for my little sister's wedding. The kids and I are making this journey on our own, which seems completely insane to me and I don't know how we are going to do it. I've only ever driven four hours by myself, and that was with another adult in the car to placate the children. Now I'm supposed to drive 15 hours BY MYSELF.....with no one to give the kids their snacks, books, etc. And I don't even have a dvd player. The girls are pretty good travelers, and probably the worst thing they do is get soooo silly and loud and it drives my absolutely nuts...and William is just always good so let's hope for the best?! Prayers would be greatly appreciated!

6 years!

Today is the our 6th anniversary! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by! But, its been the best 6 years of my life!! Thank you Shane for being my rock. You are always there for me, and I know I can always depend on you. You are my best friend, and I am so grateful that I get to spend every day with you. Here's to many more blissful years of marriage!

Lazy Summer Days

For the past two weeks we've been trekking to the lake every day for swimming lessons! It's about a half hour walk...on the way there it is all down hill, so on the way back I get quite the workout, with Will in my carrier and the girls in the stroller. 

Felicity has been dying to take swimming lessons, and was so excited when she turned three that she could finally do it!! So I signed her up. Both girls ended up being the only kids in their classes, so it was like private lessons...not sure if this was better or worse for Felicity. For the first week she refused to set foot in the water with the teacher. Wouldn't do a thing. No matter what I did. No bribery works on this girl. So ridiculously stubborn. Finally, by week 2 I went in the water with her, leaving Willy sleeping on the beach ( at a safe distance from me, of course) and that did it! Success!!!!

She loved it. 

Little Willy catching some shut-eye.

Can I tell you how much I love summer?!