Just like my big brother book!

We love reading in this house. There are stories upon stories upon stories. There are books on every floor where Carson can easily reach them, we go to the library constantly, we read books in the car, we read books before bed, we read books to Beckett.

It's really amazing how kids pay attention to stories in books. They listen to every word we say and I would love to see inside his head when he's trying to make sense of the book, compare it to his real life and savour what's being said. When we do something in real life that we've read about in a book - Jeff and I both make the comparison outloud and we love seeing Carson's face light up as he makes the connection between what we read and what we are doing.

Carson's uncle Michael and Auntie Olivia bought him this book when Beckett was born.


It's about an older brother and the new little baby in the family. He desperately wants to play with the baby, but at the beginning the baby is too little. As the baby grows, the older brother is able to do more and more things.

Carson often talks about this book as he is starting to help feed Beckett, dress Beckett, play in the bathtub with him, read books to him and he was absolutely ECSTATIC when Beckett was playing with him this morning "It's just like in my book Mommy, Beckett is big enough to play with me". I am giddy with excitement when I think about my boys growing up together, as friends and although I can not predict the future, I think they are going to be quite good friends.

So very excited

It's still a few months away, but unfortunately I do have to go back to work. Life would be great if I could stay home with my boys, but that's not in the cards for us. We've been trying to figure out the perfect scenario for our boys when it comes to care.

We were going to keep Carson in the same place as his nursery school but in the before/after school program and then look for home-care for Beckett. But then I thought about Sarah, this woman I know from the park. We met when our first kids were old enough to go to the park. We were both there often (and lots of times the only ones there!) and so we started chatting. I always thought she was such a great mom, I loved seeing the way she talked to & played with her son. We would talk about tons of things, one of them being child rearing and it seemed we always had the same views, thoughts and opinions on all different aspects of raising our children.

A couple days after I found our caregiver, Sarah asked if I was looking for care. She said she decided not to go back to work. We had already found care so I had to say no, but often thought of Sarah and possible daycare. She had a little girl a few months before I had Beckett, so we saw each other at the park over the summer but I haven't seen her since the fall.

I kept looking for her the past couple weeks, when I wasn't at the park I'd be looking out my back window at the park looking for her. I always kept my eyes open. Then I reverted to stalking. I cant divulge my methods, but I ended up with a phone number and called this afternoon. She told me I had impeccable timing because she was just thinking about taking a child in her son's age and one her daughter's age. Which is EXACTLY what I have! So we are getting together next week to talk about things but I think this must be the absolute perfect scenario. I'm giddy just thinking about it. Her son will also be going to the same school as Carson, which again... perfect!

The weather has been beautiful outside these days. We've spent lots of outdoor time outside: building snowmen (Carson actualy was quite concerned that the snowman wasn't going to be able to pee and asked that I make it anatomically correct. But I just couldn't do it) we've played at the park, gone for walks, used our toy grocery cart to pick up bottles and cans on the street after recycle day, gone to Grandma's, tried to feed the birds again (but they weren't out!),








Beckett is being baptized April 4th (easter Sunday!) and Jeff's parents are going to stop in Ottawa on their way home from Florida. Carson is quite taken by Grammy and Grampy lately, so he's really excited they are coming, and so are we! I'm sure if Beckett could talk he'd say he was excited too.

Thank you Grandma and Nono!

For looking after baby Beckett while the rest of us hit the slopes!

Ok, so not skiing as the saying "hit the slopes" implies, but instead TUBING.

Oh my god it was fun. We had to take the chairlift up the hill and the first time I think Jeff and I were more nervous than Carson. Of course he didn't understand the stress of getting yourself AND your 3 year old on a chairlift when the chairlift doesn't stop to let you get on. Sure I remember that from when I went skiing when I was younger, but I wasn't quite prepared the first time. But then each time we went up it got better and better.

Carrie, Rob, the twins, Sean, Sofia and the three of us had an absolute blast. We went down in tubes solo (well, Carson was always with Jeff or I) or we attached tubes together and I honestly think the most fun rides were when all 7 tubes went down together. The kids thought it was awesome and I have to agree.

We couldn't have asked for nicer weather, it was sunny, warm and probably my most favourite day this winter!

Absolutely the sweetest

Oh I wish I could bottle up some of Beckett's sweetness.

He's the best baby ever. After anyone is around him for any length of time they just say
"oh my god he's so good"
"he just sits there and smiles"
"he never makes a sound"
"he's the happiest baby I've ever seen"

And it's true.

He's just so happy. As soon as you look at him he smiles. A big, huge, mostly toothless smile.

Yesterday my friend's mom (who I've known since I was 13) said "When he looks at you and smiles, you just feel so lucky".

And he kisses. When I pick him up, he grabs hair on either side of my hair (I think he goes for my cheeks but comes up a bit short) and lunges toward my face with his mouth wide open. It's the sweetest thing ever.

I love love love love love love that kid.

Perfect Saturday

Today was a PERFECT day.

While Beckett took his morning nap, Carson and I made obstacle courses all around the house. He LOVED it and would do them over and over. Then the 4 of us went out to do a little running around. We had lunch on the road.

Came home and during Beckett's nap, Carson and I went toboganning down this huge hill in our neighbourhood and then we went to the coffee shop behind our house. I had a chai latte while Carson played with a little girl in the school bus.

After nap, we headed off to the library. On the way home we made an impromptu stop at our friend's house. They invited us for dinner. For steak! The kids played, the adults talked, the baby slept.

We came home, put the kids to bed and now it's US time (ok, so Jeff is watching the game and I'm up in bed on my laptop and watching TV, so it's ME time for both of us). Perfect day.

Proof!

Perhaps I should have waited

Until summer to feed Beckett blackberries/raspberries/blueberries. That way I could have taken all his clothes off and avoided part of the mess....



Also, for some reason one of my favourite milestones is when babies can put their toes into their mouths.

Busy days!

So much has been happening around here, I've been neglecting writing about my two handsome little boys.

What's new with Beckett you ask?

He has his two bottom teeth! He didn't make too much of a fuss while they were coming in, he cried one afternoon for about 5 minutes which led Grandma and I to believe they were coming (this kid does not cry unless he's in his crib going to bed, otherwise, during the day he just doesn't cry!)
He's sitting by himself! I put the nursing pillow behind him in case he falls, but he can sit up for a few minutes at a time. He loves this new position, it's a whole different world for him.

He's also taking a bottle. He took a bottle from Jeff two nights ago and another one tonight - and fell asleep like a baby right afterward both times. I'm not as excited as I thought I would be, but I know next time I want to leave him for more than an hour I will be able to! I lasted longer nursing Beckett exclusively then I lasted nursing Carson at all. I don't have a picture of the bottle though, I try to stay out of the way when he's having it.

Now onto Carson. What did we do today?

That's right, we registered him for school! I can't believe that come September, I'll be sending my baby off to kindergarten. He was quite excited to go into his new school (whether that's the actual school he's going to, that's not yet decided, we're trying to work that out, but this is most likely the school he'll be going to) and watch all the kids play in the gym while I filled out all the forms. And of course, Beckett came along for the ride.

Other than that, we've been trying to keep ourselves busy in the winter. We went to feed the birds one day and Carson LOVED it. As soon as the birds would come close (they actually land IN YOUR HAND, freaked me out, Carson wouldn't have anything to do with them eating out of his hand but loved it when they landed in mine) he would yell and jump and scream COME EAT THE FOOD BIRDIES, YOUR TUMMIES ARE HUNGRY BECAUSE IT"S COLD OUT until I finally convinced him we had to whisper because the birds are afraid of humans. We accidentally spilled the bag of birdseed so I'm sure they had quite the feast once we left.

We've also been exploring the neighbourhood and all the hills, chasing snowplows, playing with the other kids when they get out of school, shovelling, playing hockey, trying our best at skating, and watching the big kids play hockey in the outdoor rink!