So in case you've all (5 of you) have been wondering: no, I haven't forgotten about a post for Logan and Jared's wedding. It's just that we took very few pictures and the ones we do have aren't great. So I've been trying to pull in some shots from the family, but it's been slow work.
In other news...
Molly is still chatting a lot, but besides the occasionally distinguishable "daddy", no real words that we know yet. She has started repeating tones, though. For example, we call out "Bath Time!" at the time of day and she repeats the tone and cadence, if not the actual words.
Jonas has taken to talking about things he did "when [he] was two" or "when [he] was a baby." For example, "We used to read this book when I was two!" And lately, taking his lead from Molly, has been talking about what he did when he was a baby like Molly.
"When I was a baby like Molly, I used to say "bath time!" like Molly."
Chris had to inform him that that was not, in fact the case. And just today after saving Molly's milk cup from dripping down her front as she stopped drinking and started playing with it: "When I was a baby, you used to take the bottle from me and I would get mad, too, when I was a baby."
Both of the kids have been busting out in musical talent. Or something like it. Molly has begun to dance to music. This usually consists of her grinning like crazy as she spins around, pivoting on one foot. All the songs Jonas hears over and over, he's finally begun singing. For example, we found out about 2 months ago that he can sing much of O Canada, having learned it at the playcare on Wednesday mornings when I'm at a bible study at our church. Snippets of other songs filter to the surface, usually unconsciously as he plays. And since we've busted out the Christmas music, he's quickly taken to The Drummer Boy. But really, who doesn't love a little rup-a-pum-pum?
Molly's hair is getting quite long, though I haven't trimmed it in front of her face. We did say good-bye to the mullet and had Becky trim it before the wedding. Molly's not keen on barrettes, yet, but she will tolerate a pony atop her head. A friend refers to it as her 'palm tree.' My dad would say she looks like a Dr. Seuss character... or at least that's what he told me growing up. ;)
She's taken to having tantrums - or the beginnings of them. In her case, it takes the form of quick mini-steps of her feet, usually backwards and/or throwing herself on the floor, usually in her tummy. Fortunately they don't every last long at all and she's usually quite happy to just sit in mom's arms, even if she was her nemesis 15 seconds before. Really, it's because she's still attached to my hair. I keep hoping one day she'll switch, but I'm not holding my breath. Jonas lost interest in my hair when he was about 13 months. That's when he switchted to his blanket and was also around the same time he started daycare. I think that may have percipitated things, though I could be wrong. Molly, however, has no daycare to go to. Maybe I'll have to shave my head.
Enough fun stuff for now, folks. Cheers!
This afternoon has felt a little on the long side. However, I decided we'd stick around instead of striking out to see what adventure awaited us out of doors. While I've spent my time re-organizing things in my office (not that you can tell), repairing board books, and distracting myself on the computer, the kids have been entertaining themselves quite nicely. I've had to intervene very little.
Right now, they're taking things out of the 'garbage can.' Jonas designated a large box (that a new car seat came in, it's taller than him) for such a purpose and has been inserting things into it all afternoon. Now they're taking things out. Molly has been dragging around a mesh bag and two plastic baby spoons as she moves from task to task. Jonas has also been singing songs and humming. There's snippets here and there: Baby beluga the deep blue sea... if God is for us, who can be against us... O Canada, we stand on guard for thee... and many variations thereof.
Molly had her 15th monthery on Monday. For words, we think she's working on 'milk', but that could also just be wishful thinking. We moved Molly out of her infant car seat about a month ago, but since she's still pretty small, kept her in the rear facing position. However, I've been having a hard time feeling like I'm securing her properly, angles and all, so we switched her around. At first, she wasn't quite sure what was up, but as soon as she realized we could turn around and look at her, a huge grin came across her face. I've noticed that in the last couple of days that she's not nearly as likely to be fussed about being put in her car seat, and that's been nice.
She likes necklaces - is very fond of the mardi gras beads we had around. And as I've been typing, I haven't stopped her from her discovery of a small nest of yarn. She's now entertaining herself by draping the different pieces around her neck.
I should go while the quiet still exists... dinner beckons soon anyway. I had planned on swedish meatballs, but I think we'll go with something more simple - pasta and sauce it is!
What are you having for dinner?
This year for Thanksgiving we headed south to Tsawwassen again. Since my sister's wedding was the following weekend, also in the lower mainland, we just stuck around for a lovely and relaxing week there.
A highlight included a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. We figured it would be a hit after Jonas enjoyed the zoo in Calgary so much this summer. And he did! From belugas to frogs to jellyfish. Great fun.
What have we been up to?
Sick again! The last 2 weeks have seen the kids have various cold symptoms, usually cough and runny nose, just bad enough to feel like we can't go places where other kids congregate. They have also had a slight fever occasionally; this actually prevented us from heading out to get a flu shot over a week ago. Molly is also working on pushing through some molars, so that explains some of her general malaise.
As well as being plagued with colds, I lost my voice for a couple of days this week. This is a very frustrating occurrence when much of one's parenting skills counts upon verbal communication. I felt like an very ineffective parent.
Other news: We think we may have heard our first word from Molly: bath! But it's hard to tell. She chats a lot, but most of her communication happens when she points to what she wants. Oh, and she shrieks. She likes carrying toys around, hanging around her brother, riding in the stroller and cuddling with mom, mostly because mom has the lovely hair.
Jonas loves his cars and trucks, playing with his stickers and glue stick, gymnastics, macaroni and cheese, and hoarding his toys. He does not like sharing with his little sister. He's learning to do it anyway.
All for now!
One unanticipated but welcome outcome of his new wheels is that he moves along so much more quickly and efficiently than with his trike. Of course it can move faster, but he is also far more likely to stay in a straight line and not get as distracted or tired out. Trips to our neighbourhood "red park" are done in half the time and we usually can't keep up our walking pace to his biking.
Just last week we began biking longer distances - in this case, the few blocks to our local library. It wasn't my idea, but Jonas asked if he could bike when I proposed an outing there and I thought we'd give it a try. I figured at worse, it would be a loooong trip back, or I'd even have to lock it up at some random spot on our way home and get it for him later if he was too worn out. I'd forgotten about the effeciency factor; the return trip was nothing for him. However, the challenge is now teaching him to keep to the sidewalk, watch out for pedestrians and be very, very careful crossing streets (including very busy ones!) with mom. We've done the trip a couple of times now and it's going well. He's thrilled at being able to lock up his bike at a bike rack, the real life equivalent to what he's been playing with all summer with his trike. (He came up with an elaborate way to 'lock up' his bike that included a rusted metal stem and flower garden decoration placed through a tiny hole in the back of the trike and then hooked carefully under the bike bell. He would cry if he couldn't get it to fit 'right'.)
Molly, on the other hand, is still keeping to her cart, which suits her (and me) quite well!
A couple of weeks ago, Chris's sister, April, and his mom, Dawn, were able to make a quick Saturday trip up from Vancouver to visit and we all got some good visiting time in with them.
Molly had great fun playing with the packaging from the birthday presents she and Jonas received from their aunt and uncle. She'd walk around mushing her face against it and making funny 'argh!' noises. She still does that with some things around the house now, come to think of it.
And then there was the fun of playing at the sink - some thing that only happens when Grandma comes over for these little ones. There mother generally doesn't have the patience when doing dishes!
We'll see you soon for Thanksgiving!
Shortly after Molly got to feeling better, Jonas came down with a fever and that was the beginning of a rough week for us. Jonas was lethargic and sleepy and his appetite was hit and miss. His weepy eye also began leaking again and that hadn't been the case for several months. Fortunately he responded to both the children's advil (which worked better) and tylenol, though of course it returned again in due course. I ended up taking him to the doctor, and fortunately there was nothing worrisome about it. The fever finally abated on the morning of day 6. However, by then, his weepy eye turned into pink eye, complete with eyes sealed shut in the morning, so we had to get some antibiotics going for that. Jonas wasn't keen on his eye getting wiped and dropped regularly though he was tolerable about it.
By the time he was mid-fever, I realized I was coming down with something - sore throat and aches indicated a cold for those are the usual tell-tale signs for me. However, by the end of Day 2, I was beginning to realize it might be a bad cold and by Day 3 realized it wasn't the cold at all - chills aren't usually a cold symptom! So over the next two days I struggled through the day with the kids and the flu, collapsing into bed when Chris came home and then finally asked him to take a day off for Wednesday. That day I barely left my bed, though frustratingly barely slept! - and Chris was super-dad. By then, I could tell I was on the mend, though still quite weak. I had never had the flu before - or at least not like that - and was quite taken aback by how much it really does a number on the body. Oh, and by recovery, I had pink eye! Despite my hands-raw-from-hand-washing. Fortunately, I had picked up some eye drops recommended by the doctor and had them on hand, just in case, so it never did turn 'angry' for me.
Fortunately, both Chris and Molly were fine through the whole thing - no fever, pink eye or flu. Thank you, Lord!
What got me the most was that I wasn't sure I would be able to make for a long-planned SOLO raod-trip down to Abbotsford for my sister's bridal shower. In the end I did go, though I slept a lot! And of course, I'm glad I did. I got to see my sisters, my nephew and brother-in-law and b-i-l-to-be and both my mom and grandma were able to be there as well. Chris, Molly and Jonas were just fine in my absence. Molly realized that dad is good for cuddling, too!
So, now you have the tale of why I wasn't up to posting for awhile! Or part of it at least. The other part is - I'm just lazy! :)
Last month, we had decided to go out for one last camp out on the weekend after Labour Day. However, earlier that week, I was beginning to feel a cold coming on, so we weren't sure. After all, we need all our wherewithal when we go camping with these two monkeys! But then Molly began to be acting less than cheerful herself:
So instead of camping by a lake, Chris set up the ten in the backyard and he and Jonas slept outside. Jonas was gidy with excitement - can you tell?
As promised, a post about our trip to the Calgary Zoo! Yes, yes, I know it's ridiculously late, but you'll live!
So one fine morning while we were in Calgary, the Cool Family Ens accompanied by my brother, JT, headed to the Zoo. Though it was a weekday, I was surprised at how busy the place was for first thing in the morning.
We took in most of the major exhibits, with the exception of the Canadian portion - we just ran out of time in the morning. Jonas took in a great deal and still remembers many of the animals we saw. I'll include pictures below, though there really aren't that many and the ones I did take we pretty poor; I attempted lots, but our camera isn't great and I'm not camera-savvy enough to adjust to the different shades of light and dark in the different sections.
Here in Kamloops, we have a Wildlife Park about 15 minutes down the road. After seeing Jonas's enthusiasm, it makes me wonder why we've never been to see our own enclosed animals right here. Guess we'll have to get a family pass next year!
Molly's first birthday party was a small, quiet affair while we were on our holidays. The morning before we had visited the Calgary Farmer's market and my brother picked up some fancy cup-cakes for treats which we later realized would work just as well as a cake he'd also intended to get for her. Using some pirate themed candles they had on hand (hers is a treasure chest!) we sang to her while Jonas helped blow out the candle. She at a bit of the sugary goodness in front of her, but for the most part didn't think a lot of the going ons. I think she just wanted to sleep.
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grantalias said:
[this is good]They've gotten so big & so cute. And unlike my children I can't hear them have tantrums or scream ;-) read more
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Cindy said:
roasted garlic, brie, and rice crackers. We'll see if rice and salmon are necessary after that. read more
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Cool Family Ens said:
Not sure why this isn't showing up - or at least it isn't for me, though it might be with... read more
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Cool Family Ens said:
I'm not even sure she knows much about dolls... the one you got her for Christmas I had to put... read more
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Cutest little 'Cindy Lou Who' I've ever seen:) read more
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