Living our Dream

Charlie took his 1st steps!!

2011-08-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Charlie took his first official steps tonight!! 2 giant steps to Daddy!!

I will update more, and with pics soon!!
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Guilt Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake!!

2011-07-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have been loving anything with chocolate and peanut butter lately- but constantly eating peanut butter ice cream is not helping me lose the leftover baby weight... so I thought I would try something a little less bad for me... so why not throw some cocoa and peanut butter together with some ice... it turned out fantastic!! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of ice
A giant heap of peanut butter
1 tbsp of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 tsp sugar (add to taste)
Milk- just enough to cover the ice and PB... but less if you like it thicker

Throw all ingredients into the magic bullet (or blender)
Blend.

Change up the ingredients to taste... i might try a banana instead of peanut butter tomorrow! Could work for breakfast with some protein powder too!

How to change a tire... 2 year old style!!

2011-07-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... what is the problem??

First I have to twist these things...

Then I use this thingy... and I puuuuushhhhh

Then twist some more

And TAAA DAAA

It's a tire treasure!!

Now I look through this thing...

and I bring it to Daddy!

Ewww... it was dirty!

ALL DONE!!!

Gotta get clean

LOVE!!

New school, New job... lots of changes!

2011-07-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Last week a lot of changes were confirmed for us!

After being on the wait-list for over a year, Lily was accepted into the pre-school in the "big kid" school down the street! She is going to start on August 3rd. Currently I drive her to the town over a few days a week for pre-school... it will be very nice to only have to walk 5minutes or drive for 1. We went for a tour last Friday and she is very excited to start there. We will really miss her current school and teachers, Lily adores them... but it will be much nicer to have her so close to home!

I also had a big change last week... I resigned from the company I have been at for the last six years! They were over an hour commute away, and were not being very accommodating for my return from maternity leave. I decided awhile ago I would look for something new, and I was very lucky, and now am going to be working for an amazing company called Diva International. They are the creators of The DivaCup! I started today just for a little bit of training, but I will be starting full time in September when my maternity leave is over! It is a great company, with amazing people, and I am really looking forward to working with them all. If any of you readers are interested in trying the DivaCup and would like more information, let me know!

In the fall we are very fortunate to have our mom's watching Charlie full time, and Lily part time! Nelson's mom is going to watch Charlie Monday-Thursday, and Lily on Tuesdays- she is also going to walk Lily to and from school each day! My mom is going to come out here on Friday's to spend the day with the kids! It makes me feel great knowing they will be well cared for while Nelson and I are at work.

Best Summer Toy EVER

2011-07-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

We got a water table this year- my mom found it at our community yard sale... the best $5 ever spent! I was going to go out and buy a brand new one- but then she found this one!

Both our kids, and their friends, all love the water table! They will play outside with this table for hours, literally, hours!

Our backyard deck is shady from about 2pm, so it is perfect! We also set up a small splash pool for them as well.

If you have kids, and it gets hot where you live, go out right now and get yourself a water table- you will never regret it!

Charlie is 10 months!

2011-07-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe my baby boy is going to be one in just 2 more months!

He is walking along furniture all the time, he will let go and stand on his own too! He somehow manages to get into everything- even when we think there is nothing for him to get into. His favourite toys are Lily's... with the addition of his Mickey Mouse dolls and his toy cars! He loves to chew on puzzles as well. Charlie really loves to play outside with the water table- he gets so excited and squeals with delight when he gets wet!

Charlie pretty much eats whatever we do- I still make him some of his own foods to eat when ours aren't suitable... his favourite being pasta risotto, which I will post a recipe for soon!

He loves to "talk" all day long- and sometimes it seems Lily understands him.

Camping!

2011-07-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Canada Day weekend and had a great time... Although, I most likely wont be camping again until I don't need to worry about bottles, diapers and baby food! We had 10 people total camping- us 4, my friend Kellie, her husband, and their 2 kids, as well as my sister and her husband! It was fun- 6 adults, 4 kids, and 1 dog!

We left Friday morning and drove the 3hrs up to the camp grounds- we made a quick lunch stop at Pizza Hut, and continued on! Once we got to the campsite we quickly got to work setting up the tents and figuring out how to park the cars to block in our area best! The girls had fun running around with their Canada flags and exploring our area!

The girls really loved being outside, as did the boys... but the boys are both crawlers- so it was somewhat frustrating for them, as we didn't want them crawling all over the ground- so they were limited to a blanket- or the pack n plays! A crawler is definitely not the ideal camper!

We had some great meals, card games, walks and fun in the water! The girls LOVED smoores- they were amazing! They also enjoyed the sparklers and roasting marshmallows.

I was really surprised at how well the kids went to sleep- both nights Lily went into the tent on her own when she was tired, and she fell right asleep! She did have a few nightmares and a leaky air mattress- so she slept with us both nights once we came into the tent. Charlie fell asleep with his last bottle each night and slept almost 6hrs straight! Our mornings were early due to the light!

I generally try to be a relaxed mom... but in some cases I just can't... camping would be one of those cases! I was so nervous about poison ivy (there were warning signs), the camp fire, bug bites, sparklers, the bbq's, wandering off, etc- I felt somewhat nervous all weekend :( We did have a few accidents through the weekend- Lily fell 3 times and scraped the same knee, and Charlie "fell" into some rocks when Lily was hugging him a bit tight and let go quickly.

But overall we had lots of fun!

Update and Father's Day!

2011-07-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

I know I am a bit late... but better late then never! I am going to try really hard to post more often and more variety... I used to keep a cooking blog as well (you can find it here), but it was too much to do both blogs... so I think I will add any fun/tasty recipes to this blog now! Generally any recipes I post are quick/healthy kid friendly meals!

Father's day was great this year- we spent some time out at Beke Lake, on my Grandparents property, with my Dad's family! Good times we had by all... Lily loves the water, boats, and hanging out on the dock. In the evening my in-laws came over and we had a nice BBQ. Everyone had a great day and we had a blast hanging out with our families!

Here are some pics!

Charlie deep in thought

Lily and Aunt Michele

TWO Timbits!

At least she shares them

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Lunch and a view!

Lily and Papa splashing

Charlie and papa

On the party boat! She also enjoyed the speed boat!

Daddy and Lily playing

Lily doing the potty dance!

2011-06-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Lily LOVES to do the potty dance... we think it is too cute and decided to capture it to share with everyone!

I promise to do a few posts this weekend... so much to catch up on!

9 Months!

2011-06-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Charlie is 9 months now!

UPDATE: Charlie's 9 month stats- 19.5lbs, 27 inches- he is around the 25th percentile for both :)
He is growing so fast, doing so much, learning more and more by the hour! He still only has the 2 teeth, but he is chewing on everything- so I assume more are on the way!

He claps, waves, says a few words, crawls everywhere, walks along furniture and walls and gets into everything! He is much more of a curious baby than Lily ever was... it keeps us very busy!

He is starting to eat chunkier purees and finger foods- he loves puffs! He is also drinking more formula, starting to wean! He is a bit of a biter, and too distracted... so it is time for breastfeeding to come to an end... I am pretty sad about this :( He still breastfeeds once a day- early in the morning, and as long as he doesn't start to bite then, I will keep that up as long as he wants and I can!

Charlie isn't much of a sleeper... or a very good one! He wakes very easily and he wakes up a lot... he also isn't easy to get to sleep- this makes for one very tired mama and dada.

Charlie loves to play with his toys... some of his favourites are Lily's dollhouse, his basketball net, his cars and anything else that is Lily's!

He loves to go for walks, play on the swings, and pretty much anything outside... he LOVES to be outdoors!

Here are some pics of my munchkin!

Fun with Friends!

2011-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to my best friends 30th birthday party... the theme was the 80's... we all had a blast dressing up and enjoying the music, candy and foods from the 80s!

Lily trying to figure out what a slinky does!

Lily and Lindsay

Our family

Charlie couldn't keep his eyes off Jordan and his outfit, haha

Our little soccer player!

2011-05-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Lily started playing soccer this past weekend... she is the tinest on her team, but she had a great time! She tried to keep up and got very excited everytime she scored (on an open net, during practice)... It was adorable!!

We are looking forward to spending our Saturday mornings on the soccer field!

2 TEETH!!!

2011-05-17T15:48:00.001-07:00

We went from 0 to 2 teeth in just a few days!

I tried to capture a picture of them, but no go :(
He is also pulling himself up on everything- we found him standing in his crib this morning, standing at Lily's desk, on her chair, and holding on to the couch!
He is growing up way too fast!

Charlie has a tooth!!! (and other happenings)

2011-05-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

This morning at the park I discovered Charlie's first tooth!!! He was flashing me a HUGE smile and laugh when I noticed the tiny white bud!! Another first for Charlie this week is climbing- he climbs everything and pulls himself up- on chairs, toy bins, my legs, everything!!

We had a great morning at the park, we all finally feel normal and healthy again! Today was the first day we are all back in good health- and we are beyond thankful for that! While at the park Charlie had his first experience on the swing- He LOVED it, laughed so much- I loved it, and I can't wait for us to get our swingset up in the backyard!

I don't have much of a post about Mother's day- it was a bit low key this year as Nelson wasn't feeling great in the morning and then I started to feel pretty brutal in the afternoon. On a positive note, Nelson and the kids got me some beautiful flowers and we had ordered me a necklace I wanted- I am a very lucky girl.

We have had some great weather here this week- so we have been trying to spend our time outside!

Here are a few pictures:

Park fun!!

Charlie's huge smiles on the swing!!

A sight never seen before... Lily with her hands in the dirt!!

(this was followed with "Daaaddy... water my hands clean")

Helping Daddy edge the lawn

Lily with her big girl bike!

The gang at the park!!

Charlie pulling himself up on Lily's chair

My Mother's Day Necklace

More Charlie smiles... just because he is so cute!!

Sickness GO AWAY... Leave us be please!!

2011-05-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a rough week!! We thought we were in the clear, and then Charlie got sick- vomiting, diarrhea, fever, whining, crying, etc- my poor baby!! He hasn't eaten any solids in 24hrs, but is still nursing regularly and drinking some pedialyte. His fever finally broke a few hours ago, but his diapers are still liquid :(

Nelson also isn't feeling great tonight- he went to bed very early.

Lily is super whiny, having nightmares, and having trouble falling asleep.

With all of these things together, our stress levels are through the roof! We have decided to postpone our trip :( We were supposed to be going to Myrtle Beach on Tuesday, but now we are going to go away with the kids somewhere fun for a few day and then do a big trip at some point before January 2012. We are sad, but we feel much better about this- and look forward to going away somewhere when everyone is healthier and happier!!

If anyone has any ideas on somewhere fun to go next week, localish, for a few days please let me know!!

Lily not feeling well:

Charlie stayed on this blanket for a long time, never tried to crawl off... so not my normal baby boy!

Lily feeling a bit better, smiles at lunch time (eating a lunchables... she often get these, but its a treat that is better than Easter candy after being sick)

Mr. Charlie with his pedialyte.

Not the best weekend

2011-05-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had quite the weekend, and not in a good way!

On Friday Lily, Charlie and I loaded into my parents van along with my mom, dad, and sister Michele- we were headed to Ohio to attend my cousin's first communion. The trip down was great- the kids were amazing and we got there in decent time! We did a little Target shopping and went to my aunt and uncles for dinner and some "Just Dance 2"- we had a great time! Then we headed back to our hotel... Thats when everything went downhill.

I got the kids in their PJ's and was getting Lily settled in the bed when I heard a splat... she had thrown up all over the bed. I got her cleaned up and called housekeeping for some new sheets... we repeated this process a few times (I felt SO bad for housekeeping). Lily finally fell asleep, but woke up throwing up Saturday morning. My parents, sister and Charlie all went to the communion and Lily and I hung out and took it easy- she threw up a ton! By this point she was just so tired, whiney and wanted her own bed. Once the communion was over we decided it was best to head home a day early.

I can honestly say the ride home was the worst 7hrs ever.. Lily throwing up and Charlie screaming- it was awful :( When we finally got home Lily was exhausted and fell right asleep!

Sunday Lily was NOT herself- she just layed around all day, didn't even want to watch TV... she started throwing up a ton more in the late afternoon- I knew she must be getting dehydrated as she hadn't kept much down in 2 full days at this point. We packed up, dropped Charlie at my parents and went to the ER.

We sat in the ER for what seemed like forever- she threw up a bunch there. Finally we were seen and she was put on an IV to rehydrate her- she still kept throwing up. Finally at 2am they admitted my poor baby. All she wanted to do was sleep- but they still did Xrays and bloodwork- it honestly broke my heart :(

Because I am still breastfeeding Charlie I headed to my parents to get him and bring him home- and Nelson stayed with Lily. I was back at the hospital the next morning to be with her!

Lily was amazing the whole stay- she was so well behaved and soo brave!! The fluids helped her a ton and she improved very quickly! We were told she would have to stay 2 nights- but she did so well that they let us go home after supper last night!!

She is doing MUCH better today- back to her regular self... acting silly, playing with Charlie, and getting into everything!!

I am so glad she is doing better- I hope she continues to improve and the rest of us stay healthy as we are headed on our first big vacation next week- plane rides and the beach- here we come!!

Here are some pics of my baby girl during her hospital stay:

Lily in the emergency room

Hanging out in her room

Once she started feeling a bit better

Lily's room had a river view!

Easter Egg Hunting!!

2011-04-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Over the Easter weekend Lily was a very lucky girl who participated in 5 different Egg hunts... she got more and more excited at each hunt... here are some pictures from some of them:

At the Burford Egg Hunt with our friends Kellie and Taliyah!

Charlie loved the Easter Bunny... Lily wasn't so sure

Face Painting!

Egg Hunt at home

Egg Hunt at Grandma & Grandpas

at the Duguay Easter Dinner

We had a great time at all the hunts, and now Lily keeps hiding things and then finding them!

Next up... Easter pics!

Mr. Go Go Go

2011-04-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Charlie is Mr. Go Go GO... he is everywhere, rolling and pulling himself around! He gets up on all fours and rocks, moves forward, and flops! Any day now he will just start moving and I am sure he will never stop! He wants to explore and check everything out!

Last week Charlie learned something new... he said "DA DA DA" and he hasn't stopped! He alternates between Mama and Dada- and we both LOVE it!

The poor little man has also been teething forever but still has no teeth- I think he is close, but still nothing- I feel so bad for him!

Charlie also had another new experience last week- his first ER trip :( We sat in the ER for 6hrs and when we finally saw the doctor and Charlie was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis... I felt so bad for him!! He is doing much better now- but still not over it completely!

Here are some pictures of my handsome little man:

And.......

2011-04-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

SHE'S POTTY TRAINED!!!!

FINALLY!!! It felt like this day would never come- but it finally has! Something finally just clicked with her last week and she stopped having accidents, and she started peeing on the potty all the time- she is also asking us to go pee- it is awesome!! I am so so so proud of her!

Here are some pictures of Lily and all her cuteness!

Charlie is 7 months and a few other updates

2011-04-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

Charlie is 7 months and such an active little guy! He rolls EVERYWHERE and has even started getting up on all 4's ready to crawl... he has started moving forward a little bit, one crawl forward and a flop! Lily encourages him all the time- it is adorable! I am going to weigh Charlie in the morning and I will update this with his weight! His 7 month picture will be taken mid-April as I am going to get the kids Easter pics taken then! When we were at his 6 month pictures he was super happy- the photographer asked if she could take some extra pictures of him for their Easter Ad! A picture of the ad is below!

Charlie has decided he is not a fan of jarred baby foods... he will eat the jarred fruits no issue.. but gags on the veggies and the meats. So today while Lily was at school I set to work and made a bunch of baby food... Spinach, Peas and Sweet potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Apple and Chicken, Mangoes, and Mangoes and Strawberries. For supper I gave him the Sweet Potato, Apples and Chicken- he ate almost the whole little container!! Success! I guess I will have to keep this up!

In other news around here:

Nelson was laid off from his job out of nowhere last Wednesday- we were shocked to say the least! It actually turned out to be a very good thing- he strongly disliked where he was working and they were pretty slow! They say everything happens for a reason, and in this case it is true!! Nelson got a new job on Saturday... even better than before!! He loves the new place and it is a very busy shop!

Lily is *almost* potty trained... only 1 accident all day today! She knows exactly what she should be doing- but doesn't want to stop playing long enough to use the toilet! We have tried so many reward/food/sticker systems... but in the end- when she is ready, she will be 100% trained!

I have been busy at work trying to keep up my lent goals- no candy, chocolates, or fast food- and working out everyday- sometimes I do the Ab Circle and other days walks with the kids! I have kept up with everything so far- aside from a few missed workouts! This has helped me get to my pre-Charlie weight... just need to get to my pre- Lily and pre-fertility drugs weights!

Last week Nelson and I had a small party to celebrate our 30th birthdays- it was really nice to spend the evening with our closest friends! We played a few games, had some drinks, and some laughs! There is a picture of the great cake below!

We have a few trips coming up- Ohio at the end of the month for my little cousins First Communion (Nelson can't make it to this trip). And then we are going to Myrtle Beach with the kids in May- our first plane ride with the kids- any advice is much appreciated!

Swimming lessons!

2011-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

We started swimming lessons a few weeks ago and Charlie loves them!! He is such a little water baby! Our good friends Kellie and Travis are in our same class.

This week we practiced front floats, back floats and dunking! Charlie was a champ at dunking... below are a few pictures from our lesson:

Firsts!

2011-03-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been some fun firsts for our Charlie!

Today was my personal favourite of his firsts... his first word!!! This afternoon Charlie said "MAMAMA"... Lily and I both heard him say it, and he repeated it dozens of times... I got it on video, voice note, and people heard him on the phone! I was beyond excited that I was his first word!! He is growing so fast!

Last week was Charlie's first time in a pool, and his first swimming lesson! He enjoyed it, but had a much better time this week, seemed a bit more relaxed! He splashes a ton :)

This isn't too too recent... but he sits ALL by himself now- he can sit for a long time before he topples to grab something!

Charlie had his first cookie, a Farley's biscuit on the weekend... it was messy, but he loved it!

He has eaten pretty much all of the beginner fruits and veggies now... we will add the mixed meats soon! Here is a pic of him with prunes all over his face!

Lastly, he has been rolling for awhile... but now he rolls with a purpose! He will spot something across the room, and roll right to it! He is officially on the go and into everything!

30th Birthday

2011-03-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

It was my 30th birthday on Sunday- I had a great time with my family and extended family! The kids were amazing and behaved SO well... I was beyond impressed!

We are having a small 30th birthday party with our families this Friday and with our friends this Saturday, for both Nelson and I (his 30th is April 8th)... I am sure we will post more pictures after the celebrations!

Charlie in his pink shirt!

My little baby bunny boy:

Charlie & Papa!

Blowing out our birthday candles (with all the other March birthdays)

Miss Lily with cake... and holding uncle Brads beer (no she did not drink any)

Chocolate mess!

Sweet Peyton kissing Mr.Charlie

My perfect family!

Charlie holding aunt Julie's beer (he also did not drink any)

It was a perfect 30th birthday... I couldn't ask for a better family- small and big... I am truly blessed!

Snow Day in March!!

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

We got a really big snowstorm last week... in March :( Lily had a great time playing outside and being off school.

We also made some crafts to try to pretend it is spring inside!

Nelson and Charlie had some fun playing a computer game:

All in all the snow sucks... but we had a great family day!! Now the snow can go away... for real!

St.Patrick's Day

2011-03-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great St.Patrick's Day! Lily thought it was so much fun to wear green, make green food, and bake special cupcakes! Charlie seemed pretty happy in his green outfit as well! As you will see- Lily chose her own green outfit... she is pretty good at making sure things coordinate, lol.

For breakfast Lily had green yogurt and green applesauce.

Then we baked some chocolate cupcakes filled with mint buttercream and topped with green vanilla buttercream, and green vanilla cupcakes filled with mint chocolate ganache and topped with milk chocolate buttercream- SO yummy! We sent them to my sister and cousins in London with my Mom and aunt! Lily was a great help... especially at cleaning the utencils.

After baking, Lily coloured for a little while

Then we had a yummy lunch of Green Eggs and Ham, well... Lily did... green food doesn't appeal to me.

In the afternoon Kimmy, Becky and Grandma came by... Aunt Kimmy made Lily the really cute hair clips you can see. We also sent them with all the cupcakes we made!

Charlie also ate green... peas and carrots!

For supper we all had conja... but Lily wanted hers green!

And here are some pics of my Charlie man in his green outfit!

Catch up!

2011-03-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

It has only been a week since I last posted- but I have a lot to write... so it will be in a few different posts!

Things around here have been busy- I turned 30, Charlie started swimming, the kids have been playing SO well together, and Charlie said his first word, ate his first cookie, and so much more!

Here are some pictures and watch for more posts tonight!

Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate!!

2011-03-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Lily and I went to Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate. It was a great show and she LOVED it! We were supposed to go with our friends Kellie and Taliyah... but poor Taliyah has pneumonia and RSV, so the poor thing is in the hospital :( Luckily our cousins Sherri and Emma were able to come last minute! A great time was had by all.

Lily loved it when Belle came on and went nuts when the Toy Story characters came on!

I really can't believe how much they charge for things there... $20 for a program and ears, $12 for a snow cone and mug and they wanted $10 for cotton candy!! I don't think it is right that they charge SO much for things and throw it all in the kids faces... I feel so lucky that Lily doesn't freak out and want things- she is very grateful for the things I did get her! She is still walking around with her program talking about the show!

The cutest thing happened tonight while we were all lounging around... her and Charlie were playing on the ground and she ran over to Charlie and put her arm around him... she started saying "you stayed home with Daddy and I got to go to Disney (she says Disaneey) with Mommy and Sherri and Emma... Taliyah was sick at the 'hopistal" and not come... I give her ears". It was adorable!!

Here are a few pics from the show:

6 month pictures and stats

2011-03-17T15:45:00.001-07:00

Here are Charlie's stats from his 6 month doctors appointment:

Weight -17.5lbs

Head- 17.3inches

Leng- 26.5inches

He is in about the 35-40th percentile... just a bit on the small side :) He did amazing with his shots, cried for a few seconds and then smiled!

We also went for his 6 month pictures! He was so happy and full of smiles that the manager asked if she could take some sample Easter pictures for the in-store flyer... So we got a free sheet of those as well :)

Enjoy!

Evening Walk!

2011-03-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

It looked so nice outside after dinner that we decided to go for a nice walk to Tim Horton's for a coffee! I took advantage of the light outside to take some pictures along the way!!

Sharing her timbit with Daddy!!

Gotta wipe her hands- can never have dirty hands!

Rolie Polie Olie

2011-03-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie rolls, and rolls and rolls... everywhere!!! We put him down, and he is off... he will see something he wants, and roll right to it! He never wants to sit still anymore. I can only imagine what he is going to be like when he starts to crawl and walk!!

Happy Half Birthday Little Man!!!

2011-03-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

Charlie is already 6 months old- time is really flying!!

He is a pretty happy little guy, but has his fussy periods!! We love his huge smile, dimples, and adorable giggles!!

He is so great with people, doesn't play strange, and smiles for everyone! His favourite person by far is his big sister Lily- she just has to be in the same room, or earshot, and he is all smiles!!

Charlie is all over the place now- we set him down and he starts to roll! He is also starting to sit up on his own, he topples easily, but is getting steadier every day!

Food wise he has quite the appetite... he nurses every 2-3hrs at night, and every 3-4 during the day (backwards, I know!). He also eats cereal, veggies and fruits twice a day. So far he has had rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, pears, applesauce, bananas and mangoes! Some of them he has enjoyed- others, not so much! Overall he loves to eat!!

His 6 month appointment is next week, so I will update with his stats then!

In the meantime- here are some pictures to enjoy!!

Little man loves his toes!

First sippy cup... he likes to chew on it, but hasn't got much out of it yet!

He loves to be on the ground kicking and rolling!

All smiles in his car seat!

Wide eyed with Mommy

Reading a story with Lily and Daddy

Mmmm... Sweet potatoes

Fun with Lily, Travis & Taliyah!

Best Buds... Charlie & Travis

Playfit!!

We Love you Buddy!!!

Lily has Bieber Fever!!

2011-03-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

Lately Lily has been crazy about Justin Bieber... it started when we were at my Grandparents one day and she danced to it with my little cousin... since then she wants to listen to him ALL the time! She dances and sings when his songs come on, and she notices every picture, at any distance, of him in the stores! She paused last week when they said he got his haircut on the TV, and talks about this now too!

Enjoy this video:

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentine's Day! A great dinner at home and a few small presents all around! Another bonus for us what that Lily stayed dry ALL day- no accidents!!

Lily started her day off at PreSchool with a little Valentine's Day party and some valentine's cards. The headband was also made at school!

I think Lily liked the Toy Story card from us more than her dancing dog and Dora book!
Charlie seemed to like his new clothes, lol

Dinner was tasty!

Lily made the Love Bug below for Daddy (with Kellie's help)

and made some fudge for him with Mommy's help:

and Finally... here are my attempts at some Valentine's photos... Lily decided to model, lol:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Cereal Time!!

2011-02-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

Charlie started rice cereal today... he loved it!! He ate it all, hardly spit any out and kept grabbing my hand to shove more in!. Cereal = Success!!!

Waiting for his food...

Not too sure with the first spoonful.
Mmmmm.... more please!

Hurry Mom!

Holding the spoon in there!

Snow, Snow, and more snow!!

2011-02-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

We had a ton of snow here over the last few weeks... it meant a ton of shovelling, but also some outdoor fun... here are a few pics!

Pierced Ears!

2011-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Just over a month ago Lily started wearing clip on and press on earrings, she loved them, admired them in the mirror, and never touched them. She also started noticing earrings on other people and wanted some of her own! We had promised Lily's Ava that she could bring Lily to get them done, so we waited for her to return from vacation in Cuba and then we headed out to get them done!

Lily was nervous once we got her in the chair, but after some convincing (and some holding her down) she got them done! She chose small CZ flower earrings.

She loves her earring... she reminds us all the time to clean them, and she loves to show off her "Diamond Earrings".

Charlie Rolled Over!!!

2011-01-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Charlie's Baptism!

2011-01-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Charlie's baptism on January 9th... it was a wonderful day full of family and friends!

We want to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with us! A special thanks to Charlie's Godparents Richard and Robin!

Our little man is 4 MONTHS!

2011-01-05T13:37:00.001-08:00

Charlie is 4 months today- I already can't remember what life was like without him! He is amazing! He is a pretty serious little guy- but still gives us tons of smiles and giggles!

He loves his big sister Lily and smiles instantly for her!

He now grabs at toys, his toes, my hair, and anything else he can get ahold of! He loves to suck on his fist, and lately has started sucking on his lips- he makes the cutest face when he does that!

According to our scale at home he is just under 15lbs- but we will see what the doctors scale says next week when we go!

Here are some pictures of our little man!

My 2 year old, going on 10 years old!

2011-01-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

Lily is such a funny little girl- doing so many new things everyday! She is a very girly girl- always has been!

She got a nail file for Christmas and loves to file her nails! She is also really into playing dress up... she loves her princess dresses, necklaces, rings, and especially bracelets!! She likes to wear them all at once!

A few days ago I caught her with the camera... I let her keep playing with it, she took over 100 pictures of herself!

Lily has also fallen in love with Justin Beiber... its hillarious! She was dancing with my little cousin to Justin Beiber the other day- now she asks for it all the time! When I said I didn't have any Justin Beiber she threw a crying fit- one of the funniest things I have ever seen! We downloaded a few songs for her and loaded them on to her kid tough music player- that is all she listens to! She is even learning the words and loves to dance around to it!

Here are some pics of our princess:

"Princess Doctor Moyo" (her pediatricians name is Dr. Moyo)

Lily with just a few of her bracelets... normally she also has atleast 10 Silly Bandz on!

Here are the pics she took:

Christmas- Part 5

2011-01-05T12:41:00.001-08:00

Boxing Day we headed out to my Dad's parents house, "the farm" and had a wonderful dinner and opened presents! Lily had a great time playing with her cousins!!

Christmas - Part 4

2011-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas afternoon was spent with my Mom's family- we are all very close and had a great time!! The tree has a crazy amount of presents under it... but there was a crazy number of people there too!

Christmas - Part 3

2011-01-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

After Christmas morning at our own house we headed to my parents house and celebrated Christmas there! We had some yummy food and were spoiled!

Christmas Morning!

2011-01-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning was so much fun at our house! Lily was SO excited that Santa came- she loved opening her stocking and presents! Charlie even seemed to get excited about some of his gifts!

Here are some pics from Christmas morning:

All ready for Santa!

2011-01-05T11:17:00.001-08:00

Lily was very excited Christmas Eve for Santa to come! She left cookies and milk out for Santa- and a carrot for Rudolph! She decorated a special plate for Santa too!

Christmas- Part 1

2011-01-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

The holidays were crazy!!! They were so much fun, we spent all our time with family and friends, had a wonderful time, and were beyond spoiled!! I am breaking Christmas into a few posts!
We celebrated Christmas with Nelsons family a week before Christmas and also on Christmas eve... we had a great time!! Here are some pictures from those days:

Christmas Eve:

First Haircut!!

2010-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Charlie's hair had been getting a little too long on the top, so we brought him for his first haircut tonight... he did awesome!!

Enjoy the pics:

O Christmas Tree!!

2010-12-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

We went out a few weeks ago and chose a real Christmas tree... the first we have had! It smells wonderful and we love it!

We all decorated it together and had a great time!

Charlie is 3 months

2010-12-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

On December 5th Charlie was 3 months old!!

He is such a happy little boy 99% of the time- he has huge dimples and smiles with his whole face!! His favourite things to do right now are to play in his jumperoo, watch Lily, and swat at hanging toys! He has also started to suck on his hand!

At 3 months Charlie weighed 15lbs!! Quite the big boy!!

Here are a few pictures of our happy little guy:

Lily is TWO!!!

2010-12-18T05:38:00.001-08:00

My baby girl is now 2 years old... Not so much a baby anymore!!

Here are Lily's 2 year stats:
Weight: 25lbs
Height: 33inches

Lily is a beautiful little girl, on the inside and out. She is full of love and makes everyone smile. We still get constant comments about her head full of curls.

Lily had a great week of birthday celebrations... she is a very lucky girl!

Here are some pictures of her 'birthday week'

Thursday, her actual birthday, Nelson had off for an appointment, so we got to spend all day as a family! We hung out in the morning, opened presents and spent some time playing with them! She loved her singing 'woody' card!

She also loved her Woody doll, stickers, movies and Dora bracelet!

She told Charlie it was her birthday many times!!

In the afternoon we went to PlayFit with some friends!! We were happy that Taliyah, Travis, Alyssa and their mommies, Kellie and Robin could join us!!
After Playfit we went shopping, as per Lily's request... A few weeks ago she asked us for "monies" to buy a pink top for her birthday. We brought her to Old Navy, gave her some "monies" and let her select a top... It took her forever, but she finally decided on a pink top! It was adorable watching her try to decide!

After shopping we went out for dinner... Lily requested pizza! Below is a picture of her while she was saying "It's my birffday, I twoooo"

She was very happy when the waitress brought her a special dessert!

On Saturday, Party #1 day, Lily went for a manicure and hair appointment in the afternoon and her party started at 4. Lots of Lily's friends were able to join us for a Dora party. Lily had a great time and was spoiled silly!

Lily really enjoyed getting her nails done, she watched the lady and was very interested in everything! She didn't enjoy the haircut so much!

Here are the "backpack" treatbags from Lily's party:

Her cake and cupcakes:

and a few other random shots:

Sunday we attended Church in the morning, picked up our Christmas tree after, and got ready for her family party! At 4pm our families started to arrive- Lily had a wonderful party and was spoiled again!!

A few more pics

2010-11-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

Mr. Dimples

2010-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Our little Charlie has started smiling more and more lately... We are loving it.

He is a very happy little guy who LOVES to be held!

Here are some pics of our smiley little guy:

Cold/flu season hits the Freitas house!

2010-11-24T18:57:00.001-08:00

We have been sick over here :(

Cold have stuck all 4 of us, and it has been brutal. First Lily, then Charlie, next was myself, and finally it knocked Daddy off his feet.

Fevers, runny noses, coughing, stuffy heads, everything!

Poor Charlie had it so bad we spent one evening in the urgent care clinic and another morning in the doctors office and getting chest xrays! Thankfully his chest was clear and he is starting to improve.

We are all starting to feel better now- finally!! We are going to take it easy for the next few days still- some baking, TV time, and warm drinks!

Thanks to both my mom and connie for helping us out this week- we appreciate it SO much!!

She brings tears to my eyes!

2010-11-24T18:50:00.001-08:00

Lily is a very sweet little girl.

She is generally happy and loves to laugh, she gets upset when other people are sad and likes to make them feel better- she is very aware of people's feelings, which amazes me at her age!

Lately she has done a few things that have brought tears to my eyes and she thinks I am sad, but I have to explain they are happy tears!

First, a few weeks ago I sneezed, and out of no where she ran over to me and said "Mommy Bless you". It caught me off guard because I never expected it from her, brought tears to my eyes!

Second, tonight I was laying in bed with Lily and we were talking about her morning at school today, her upcoming birthday and her birthday party. Then we were silent for a few minutes just laying there. All of the sudden she clapped her hands together and said "Mommy, we Pray?"... Now we are not the most religious of families, but we recently started attending mass again... But I have only said bedtime prayers with her once or twice. So, tonight we prayed. When it came to the part where we said "God Bless..." She listed almost every person, dog and fish we know, and even Dora, Diego and Boots were included. She was so genuine and concerned that she remembered everyone- it was the sweetest thing I have ever seen... Brought tears to my eyes.

I love my baby girl so much and can't believe she is going to be 2 next week!

Bye bye Beaka

2010-11-24T18:41:00.001-08:00

As Lily's 2nd birthday approaches we have been working on a few different things with her and have had many successes and a few things we are still working at!

The biggest success lately is that Lily no longer has her beaka (soother/pacifier). We started talking to Lily in the early fall about her giving Santa Claus her beaka, and eventually she decided that he would give it to babies who need beaka's. We would talk about this with Lily every night before bed!

Well, last Saturday was the big day! We headed to the mall to visit Santa! Lily and I wrote him a letter and sealed the beaka in a baggie. All the way to the mall we asked her what she was going to do, and she kept saying "give beaka to santa for babies". When we got to the mall she was very excited, she almost jumped out of the stroller when she saw the Santa. We got in line and she clutched her letter and beaka tight! We chatted with a few people in line, she told them what she was going to do, and they all hung around to watch. When it was her turn she walked right up to him and handed him the note and her beaka! Santa was very impressed, as were we, and all the people watching. She didn't want to sit on his lap, but said she would "anoder day". She was very happy when Santa gave her a candy cane and sticker book! When she got back to Nelson and I we told her how proud we were and we gave her a little present, a Buzz doll.

We were dreading bedtime that night, but she just asked a few times were it was, and looked under her covers for it- but then she said "nooo, Give it Santa!" And she layed down! Each night she reminds herself she gave it to Santa and doesn't seem to miss it!

We are so proud of her, she is growing up so fast!

Thank You Shutterfly!!

2010-11-16T06:31:00.001-08:00

I have never blogged to endorse any other sites really- but today I will for Shutterfly!

Shutterfly has a promotion on right now for bloggers who do a post about them! Here is the link for any other bloggers who are interested: Shutterfly Blogger Promo

I love so many of their holiday cards this year- they have something that suits everyone- I love the ones that let you put in multiple pictures on the inside and the outside... this lets us show special things that have happened throughout the year! I also find that the selection different formats is great- flat, folded, etc... I personally perfer the folded cards because they leave more space for a personal note

Anyways... we use shutterfly all the time in this house, as do my sisters and other friends and relatives! We have captured Lilys first 18 months so far in Photobooks- 4 in total as of now! I love how professional they look, and how easy they are to make!

We have also ordered many Photo thank you cards and other items!!

I encourage everyone to check out the selection at Shutterfly... they have a great prices and great promotions all the time!!

Charlie is 2 months!

2010-11-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Charlie is 2 months old, and such a sweetie!

He now weighs 13.5lbs- just above average! He is also 22.5 inches long!

Charlie has moved into his crib at night as he is getting too big for his bassinet, his hands were hitting the sides when he moved around at night, so we decided it was time to make the switch. He seems to be adjusting well and Mommy and Daddy sleep a bit better now!

He still wakes up 1-2 times a night, but some nights he treats mommy to a 5hr stretch of sleep!

When Charlie is awake during the day now he has lots of smiles for mommy, daddy and Lily! Although, he does have his grouchy time in the evening!

He loves to coo and cuddle, he curls right up into my arms and looks wide eyed up at me!

We are loving every minute with our little monkey! We are so blessed to have him!

Halloween Pics

2010-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

It's potty time!!

2010-10-17T19:24:00.001-07:00

We have started potty boot camp at our house!! Lily has been ready for awhile, or so we think, so we decided to take some time and get rid of diapers! So whenever we are home we are doing real underwear or no underwear! She has done pretty good so far- about half the time she goes on the potty and the other half she has some accidents- but we are getting better at catching them!

We have recieved a lot of advice and tomorrow we are going to try a few new things- setting an alarm to go off every 15 minutes and putting her on the potty then as well as a few other things.

We brought Lily to WalMart yesterday and let her pick out some big girl underwear- it took her a LONG time to settle on some- but we ended up coming home with some Backyardigan underwear and some Princess underwear- she loves them!

A perfect fall day!

2010-10-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a perfect fall day... we went to the Pumpkin Patch, played outside, had some visitors and had dinner at my parents... it was a great day!!

Lily's first craft

2010-10-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here is Lily's first craft from school... a bat mobile!

Lily's 1st Day of Preschool

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lily started preschool this morning! She was very excited! Nelson and I both dropped her off at school this morning- she gave us a quick hug and was off to play and check things out! She found her name on an apple, hung it on the tree and went with the teacher to meet the other kids! Nelson and I said bye to her and she didn't even turn around. I will admit, I cried a little when we left- I just can't believe how fast my baby girl is growing up!! I am excited to go back at 12:30 to pick her up and hear all about her first day!

Here are some pictures from Lily's first day of Preschool... I may have gone a little picture crazy, lol.

Breakfast before school
Ready to go:
Showing off her 'Backpack'

Outside her school:

Family Pictures!

2010-10-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

My sister Michele took some family pictures for us over the weekend... I absolutely love them!! Thanks so much Michele!

Now we just have to decide which to enlarge and print!

Happy Turkey Weekend!!

2010-10-09T05:43:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year- the colours, the weather, the fruits and veggies!! Lately our house always smells like either a warm apple crisp or a simmering squash soup- I love it! We have been trying to spend some extra time outside while we can still enjoy it! Today we are headed out to my Grandparents farm and lake to get some family pics taken by my little sister Michele- I am really looking forward to them and will be sure to post some soon!

We had a busy week this week- Charlie had his 1 month pictures taken (below) and his 1 month appointment! He now weighs 10.5lbs- my big boy! He is in about the 65th percentile... But that is huge to us since Lily has always been between the 10th and 20th percentile! Charlie has been eating almost every 2hrs which I am sure is what is making him such a big boy!

Lily had a pre-school interview this week and will be starting next week! She is going to start with just one morning a week and move to two in the new year! She is very excited to play with the kids there and paint in the art area! Lily also had her first trip to the library with Grandma and can't stop talking about it- she saw "boooooks, a dinasar, giaff and a moooonkey- eee, eee, ee- in da skyyy". Lily also was the lucky recipient of the flu shot while we were at Charlie's doctors appointment, but she did great!

Nelson and I have been busy keeping up with both kids and the house! We did manage to have a somewhat quiet dinner once Lily went to bed last night- we decided to have schnitzle to celebrate Oktoberfest- which we are missing for the 3rd year in a row! We will be back festing again this time next year for sure- I miss it :)

On a different note I wanted to mention a friend of ours blog- The Healthy Teacher. It has some great weight loss ideas- not for a quick fix really, but for a healthier lifestyle, etc... It is a really great blog, I hope you enjoy it! I will for sure be using some of his ideas to help me shed this baby weight!

Nelson and I are very thankful for our wonderful little family and all of our family and friends!! We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys all the yummy food!

Here are some pics for you to enjoy:

4 weeks!!

2010-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Charlie is 4 weeks, a whole month tomorrow!! It honestly seems as if he has been with us forever- it is hard to remember or picture life before him!

He is a wonderful baby!! A great eater, a great sleeper (for the most part) and he loves to cuddle! He is starting to have longer awake periods and he follows us and items with his eyes. If we hold our fingers out in front of him he grabs them and holds on tight!

Lily is amazing with Charlie- she absolutely adores him! She asks to hold him, loves to kiss and hug him, and she tries to give him things. She also gets very concerned when he cries, always asks "Wha Happen?" and tries to give him his soother.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks!

Pictures

2010-09-17T13:21:00.001-07:00

12 Days old!

2010-09-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Charlie is 12 days today! I already can't imagine life without him... he has completed our family and it is like he has always been here! I may be a little more tired than I was before, and a little busier, but it is wonderful!

Charlie sleeps so well... generally 4 hours between feedings during the night, and 3 during the day! He sleeps the entire time we are out and he is in his car seat!

Lily adores Charlie- she loves to give him hugs and kisses! Whenever he cries she runs over and asks him "wha happen buddy?" She also copies whatever we call him- generally buddy, little man or monkey- it is adorable! She loves to help us with him- whether it be burping him, bathing him, or running his diapers to the garbage. When she isn't helping- she is mimicking what we are doing by changing her dolls diapers, etc.

Here are some pictures of our cuties:

Charlie Has Arrived!!!

2010-09-09T10:46:00.001-07:00

Our beautiful baby boy has finally arrived!!

He was born @ 9:20pm on September 5th weighing 8lbs and measuring 21.5 inches long!

Preparing for Baby!

2010-08-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

I remember how tired I was when Lily came home, and how much we ordered in for the first few weeks... I really didn't want to eat like that again, especially with Lily. So I decided to make and freeze a bunch of meals for us to have once our little guy arrives!

In the last 3 days I have made (with help from Nelson) 22 dinners and 24 lunches!

Here is what we made:

1 lasagna
1 shepherds pie
2 beef soups
3 ground beef soups
3 beef stews
3 chicken soups
2 containers shredded BBQ chicken
1 tomato beef broth
1 sweet and sour pork meal
5 pasta sauces
18 servings pre-cooked chicken strips
3 lunch sized ground beef soups
3 lunch sized beef stews

Plus each of the dinner servings should make enough for lunch the next day! Also we have had some people mention that they want to help us out with food- so that is also greatly appreciated!! I am so relieved that we will have some healthy meals to eat once the baby arrives!

If anyone would like any of the recipes for any of the above meals just leave a comment and I will reply to you!!

Lily's First Run!!

2010-08-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Lily did her run last weekend- she did great! We all had a really good time!! She is so proud of her little medal :) Thanks so much to everyone who sponsored her- she raised over $200!!

Enjoy the pics!

Lily Swimming!

2010-08-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Lily is such a water baby... loves to swim! Here is a short video I caught on my blackberry while Lily was swimming with her Ava!

She is really good at kicking and moving her arms! I must say- the puddle jumper is one of our favourite purchases this summer!

Beach Pics! (finally)

2010-08-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

Finally I have found some time to post our beach pictures!! We had a wonderful time at Wasaga Beach- it was relaxing, fun, and a much needed getaway!

Lily wasn't a fan of the sand- she just kept saying "dirty"... but eventually we got her to play in it!

Enjoy the pics!

20 Months!

2010-08-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Lily turned 20 months on Monday!! Growing up so fast!

She is now 24lbs (still) and is 31 inches tall!

There isn't a word she doesn't say- she repeats everything we do! We have corrected all of the words she was saying wrong (that sounded like bad words).

She recognizes all 26 letter and knows every picture on the back of her alphabet flash cards! She can count to 3, sometimes 4... and she tries to recite the alphabet- normally just "a b c d".

Her favourite songs are:
- patty cake
- baby bumble bee
- herman the worm
- row row row your boat
- and the Dora theme song!

Her favourite things to watch on tv are:
- Dora the Explorer
- Elmo
- Diego
- Finding Nemo
- Care Bears

Her favourite activities are:
- reading her books
- colouring
- dancing
- singing songs

Lily has been very picky with what she wears still- she loves to be "pretty" and she calls certain outfits "cute"- and will only wear those ones! She also loves to wear pretties in her hair and on her wrists, etc.

I will post lots of pictures from the beach soon, and of Lily over the last few weeks! She has been such a ham lately- posing, smiling, making faces! I love it!

Lily's first charity run!

2010-08-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lily is going to be participating in her first run (500m) on August 20th through the London Regional Children's Museum... If you would like to sponsor her you can via the link below.

Lily's aunt Michele is a committe member at the Museum!

Thanks very much!!

Sponsor Lily Here

Girly Girl

2010-07-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile Lily seemed to get picky with what she wanted, or did not, want to wear... but this week she has taken it to a whole new level. Every single day this week Lily has wanted to wear a dress... nothing else will do, oh, except for a skirt! When we open her closet to get clothes out in the morning Lily screams "Molly, Molly, Molly" and reaches for her dresses (Molly is Lily's babysitters daughter- also a very girly girl).

Had I known this was going to last all week I would have taken pictures each day, but I didn't :(

Lily has also been carrying around her Dora backpack and calling it her purse, and playing with her Laugh and Learn purse constantly. She wears her little plastic bracelet all the time, and she puts on her pretend lipstick. I find this hilarious, especially because I don't wear a lot of jewellery and don't really wear much lipstick. This is an adorable stage and I really hope she stays my girly little girl :)

Some funny videos...

2010-07-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Lately Lily has been saying SOO many new words and phrases... some of them I have no idea where she gets them.

Also... a lot of Lily's words don't sounds like what she is trying to say- it's kind of funny- but I am sure people think we are teaching her lots of bad words- we aren't, I swear, haha... we are working hard on correcting how she says these words.

The main problem words are:Big Truck, Frog, Soccer, and Flamingo - they all sound like one certain F word.

We thoughts it would be funny to record them to share with her some day. While we were recording she surprised us by yelling out "ohhhh god'- which we found hillarious, mainly because we have no idea where she picked it up!

DORA DORA DORA!!!

2010-07-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Lily met Dora on Saturday at Best Buy... she was super excited in line and again when we were walking away from her... but when we were actually getting her picture taken she got a little scared... so Mommy had to go in the picture too (not the most flattering).

Random Pics

2010-07-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Portuguese!

2010-07-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Lily is learning to speak in Portuguese as well as English... every week my mother in law teaches her a new word and she seems to remember them all and uses them regularly! I find it so amazing that she generally uses the Portuguese word around Nelson's parents and the English word around my family!

Here are some of the words she knows in Portuguese:

Lights - luz
Mom - mai
Dad- pai
Grandma - Vovó / Avó
Grandpa - Vovô /Avô
Aunt - Tia
Baby - bebe
Milk - Leite
Water - água
Sit here - sentar-se aqui
Lay down -deitar
Nose - nariz
Underwear - quackish

ABC's and 123's

2010-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Lily has now learned all of her letters and can identify them on her flash cards and her leapfrog fridge magnets!! She loves asking us to write letters on paper for her and has even tried tracing them and scribbling them. Last week she was drawing on her paper and all the sudden she started yelling out "A, A, A".... and she showed us her paper (see pic below)!! We think it was just a coincidence because she hasn't done it again- but she was really proud!! (as were we!)

Lily is also getting the hang of counting... her favourite number is 2, but she knows 1, 2, 3, 4.

She is learning so much so fast!!

Bye Bye Crib... Hello Big Girl Bed!!

2010-07-03T11:14:00.001-07:00

Last night we said bye bye to Lily's crib and Daddy took it down! Lily watched as we took it down and didn't really seem to care!
We put her new mattress in her room with her Dora pillow and new bed sheets- she curled right into bed and asked for her beaka (soother).

She fell fast asleep with no issue at all!

I checked on her in the middle of the night and found her asleep in the middle of her room on the floor... so I put a body pillow beside her on the bed and found her like this in the morning:

She slept in until 8:45... amazing!!

Papa came over this afternoon and assembled Lily's big girl bed- he made it for me (mommy) when I was a little girl, and he refinished it white for Lily!

Lily just woke up from her first nap in her big girl bed- she did great!! Went down without a problem and curled up and went right to sleep! Mylo joined her a few minutes later and they took almost a 2hr nap together!!We want to thank Papa so so much for giving Lily this bed and re-finishing it for her! It is perfect!

I will post pictures of her entire room once all the furniture is refinished and set up!

The Zoo!!

2010-07-03T10:24:00.001-07:00

On Canada Day we thought it would be fun to take Lily to the little zoo near our house! It is the perfect size for her age, and the perfect size for me to walk around without getting too worn out!

She had a great time (so did we), petting animals, watching them, and even feeding some!

Lily getting excited waiting for the animal show to start!!
She got to pet a bunch of animals:

a baby alligator ("a dator")

"a nake"

a fox (which she called a dog)

She wasnt too sure about the camel licking her!

The Reindeer were cute!

"Tigers.... ROAR"

She was hesistant to touch the deer

"monkeys in der Mommy"

"Bears... GRRRR"

On our way out we bought a little bag of food and fed the pygmy goats... she did surprisingly well until one bumped her.

We had a great Canada Day and really enjoyed our trip to the zoo... we will be back there many times this summer- we purchased a seasons pass!

Baby's Room!

2010-06-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

We are starting to clear out the baby's room and prepare to get it ready for his arrival!

Here are some of the things we have pulled together- and I will be sure to post pictures of everything together!

Bedding:

Furniture:

Paint Colour:

Wall Art: (colours a little different)
For above the crib:

For above the change table/dresser:

Some Random Pics

2010-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Fun with Grandma

2010-06-21T11:49:00.001-07:00

Lily had a fun day on Friday when Grandma was babysitting her!

Grandma planned a picnic lunch:

And then they planted and played in the garden:

Fathers Day 2010

2010-06-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great Father's Day weekend... lots of time with Daddy, Grandpa, Avo, and great grandpa's! Here are just a few pics from our busy weekend of Father's Day events:

Strawberries and Papa!

2010-06-17T05:53:00.001-07:00

This summer Papa planted some strawberries for Lily to pick... last night we went over there for supper and Lily had a great time picking berries with Papa!

Potty Update!

2010-06-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, Lily is pretty good at peeing on the Potty... but lately she has been getting even better.

Yesterday she went 24 hours with just ONE wet diaper!! We are so proud of our little girl :)

She often tells us "Potty" and we run her to it- sometimes she has just gone, other times she goes as soon as we sit her on it!

She is also in an Ewww stage- where she thinks poop is gross- so she will not hang out in a poopy diaper, lol.

Here is a cute clip of the new huggies commercial... we are pampers users, but I did go buy a package of these because they are just too cute!

and here is a pic of Lily in the diapers:

Baby Update

2010-06-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

Only 99 days to go!! Finally double digits, haha!

Things are going well with the baby so far- he kicks and moves a ton!!

I have been getting pretty bad braxton hicks, sciatica issues, and heartburn... but it will all be worth it when our little guy arrives!

I go for my Gestational Diabetes test next week, and another ultrasound in 2-3 weeks... we want to make sure there is enough fluid in there- hopefully there is and we can avoid bedrest!

I will try to take a belly pic at some point this weekend!

Just Pics

2010-06-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lily's Fish

2010-06-11T18:28:00.001-07:00

Lately we have noticed Lily has been fascinated by fish... She loves when Elmo's fish Dorothy is on his movies, although she calls it "Dora Dora"... So we finally decided to get her some goldfish!

She was so excited in the store and loved watching them all. When she was presented with her 2 in a bag she had a smile ear to ear!

She has named them "Dora Dora" and "Boots"... No surprises there!!

Growing up so fast!

2010-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Lily was 18months last week... growing up so fast! I can't believe my baby girl is no longer a baby- she is a toddler! She runs, climbs, talks, dances, everything! She cracks us up all the time!

This afternoon I brought her to the doctors for her 18m check up and shots... she was fine until we were in the exam room... and then she freaked out until we left! She got 2 needles today, poor baby! When she got the needles she was sitting on my lap with just a diaper on... well she got so upset when she got the needles that she peed so much it leaked out the sides of the diaper and ALL over my pants- made it look like I peed myself! She was much happier once we got out of there and headed home!

So we have also been trying to prepare Lily a bit for the baby... last week we decided to get Lily a baby boy doll and a stroller- she has been very into feeding her babies, hugging and kissing them. She loves pushing her baby doll around!

We have also recently stopped using bottles in our house, and she only gets her beaka(soother) in her crib. She did great with these- and she actually initiated the no bottles- she started asking for cups!

By the end of this month Lily should be in her big girl bed- which is my old bed that my Dad built when I was a little girl... Nelson is going to sand and paint it for her! We have already purchased some big girl bedding, and Lily's Ava is making her curtain valance. We (Nelson) is also going to finish an armoir for Lily. Our plan is to take the crib down once the bed is ready- and we will put it in the basement for a bit... we don't want her to feel like we are just giving it to the baby- so I have heard that is easiest if it is down for a little bit! I am really looking forward to Lily being in a bed- it will be MUCH easier for me to get her in and out of bed, and to lay with her... my belly is really starting to get in the way!!

Lily is growing up so fast- we love her more and more everyday- she is just one amazing little girl!!

I will post pictures soon- we are going to attempt some pictures at Zehrs for her 18m... but the Valentine's and Easter ones didn't go over so well!

My Dancing Queen!!

2010-05-25T05:29:00.000-07:00

Last night we were at my parents house for a BBQ and Lily started busting a move... I had to record it!

I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Park Time!!!

2010-05-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

The last few nights Kellie and I have brougt the girls (Lily & Taliyah) to the park... they LOVE it. They both love the slides and get so excited going down them!

Apparently they like the climb the slides the wrong way!!

Lily loved these little windows... she had to get right up on her tip toes to scream "Hiiiii"

We tried to get a pic of them going down at the same time!

Smiles on the ladybug!

Last night Lily had quite the fall trying to climb the stairs to the slide- she slipped and smacked her chin and bit her tongue... she is a little swollen and bruised to day... poor baby. She keeps saying "boo boo ouch"Here are some videos of the girls on the slide!

My Big Girl...

2010-05-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Lily is getting to be such a big girl (although not physically!)... she is talking so much and understands so much- I love it!

Some of my favourite things she says are:

No Pease (when she doesn't want something)
Ovv you Mommy
up pease!
Daaadddy!
Mommy
Miiiiioooo (mylo)
paCO
Hoc KEY
Dowa (Dora)
Elmo (in a very high pitched voice)
no no no
Ugg (hug)

Her giggles are contagious, you just can't help but laugh with her and break into a giant smile! She makes everyone around her so happy! She loves to blow kisses and give hugs!

Lately she has started to mimic... especially at supper. If I take a bite of my meat, she does, if I drink milk, she does... its so cute!

I know I always say I love the stage she is in... but this is my favourite- she is my little sponge, soaking everything in and learning so much! She is so perfect!!

Baby Stuff...

2010-05-11T11:36:00.001-07:00

Since we have found out we are having a baby boy we have moved full swing ahead on ordering what we need! The big stuff and a few other things are done:

the stroller
the bedding
a diaper bag
a wrap carrier
nursing covers
and some clothes

But I still need some things, as almost everything we have is pink. We are slowly buying these items as we are out. We are trying to buy as much as we can across the border as they are SOOO much less there- it is really insane!

blankets
carseat bag
more clothes
etc

I am really glad most of the larger items we have are gender neutral- and some things I am not worried about them being pink- like the bumbo- for how often we used it I don't mind a boy being in a pink chair- and we only ever used it at home!

Lily seems to be getting excited about baby and realizing what it is... the other day she was pointing at my aunts baby and then my tummy saying "baby... baby". I think she will adjust fairly well when the baby arrives- we are very lucky- she is a great little girl!

Here are some pics of what we have ordered/bought already:

Dora and Elmo!

2010-05-05T07:05:00.001-07:00

For the last few months Lily has been obsessed with Elmo and Dora! She has an Elmo and a Dora doll that she brings everywhere with her- to bed, the babysitters, the car, no matter where... and if we forget them- she asks for them!

She goes nuts watching Dora or Elmo on TV, and sings along, plays along, and sometimes gets so excited she falls off her chair!!!

Yesterday I brought Lily to Chapters for a few minutes because we had some extra time- I really think this is her favourite place on earth... I wish I had a camera with me... but I didn't manage to get a sound clip of her getting exciting (I will try to upload). She got SOO excited when we walked in to chapters and kept saying "book book book BOOOOOOK", and it got even cuter when we got to the kids section... she kept saying "oooohhhh, oooooh, BOOOOOOK" and she was dancing really quick on her feet- and then she saw the Dora and Elmo books which were side by side in the 0-2 section- she went NUTS... she was so excited she didn't know what to do- she was dancing and yelling "ooooh- DORA, ooooooooh ELMO" and her little feet were moving so fast she fell over- it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I really wish someone else would have been able to see this with me! I actually had a sales person come over laughing and say she had never seen a child so excited about books! We left the store with some Elmo and some Dora books- Lily's new favourites!Here is an audio clip of it.

Last week Lindsay showed Lily a video of her friend dressed as Elmo- Lily was excited, but slightly disturbed... see the video below for her reaction!!

This and That!

2010-05-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy around here lately... but I thought I would update with some cuteness!

Lily has been talking sooo much lately- she constantly comes out with new words, so many I can't list! She know a ton of letters- A-G, M, O, P, R, S, T and I am sure more! She can count to 3, but generally just says "one two".

Here are some pics for your enjoyment!

It's a....

2010-04-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!

National Infertility Awareness Week!

2010-04-24T13:59:00.001-07:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this on here... But any way to raise awareness is good!

It's National Infertility Awareness Week. Because 1 in 8 is someone you know. resolve.org/takecharge"

So many of you will have friends, family and/or coworkers who are affected by infertility- men and women! Some you will know about, others keep it quiet. Please keep this in mind when talking to people- it isn't an easy thing to go through.

We are very blessed with Lily and with our little miracle on the way- it wasn't an easy road for us, but a journey worth every heartache!!

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