Three

You turn three years old today. I can't believe it's been three years. You've come a long way from being the little newborn baby we held for the first time three years ago. You have brought us endless amounts of laughter and happiness, lots of worry over little things (but always seem big at the time), and amounts of joy that we never thought possible. We love you more every day.

At three years old you are:

• still painfully shy in new situations (like meeting Santa for the first time), but after a small amount of time you get comfortable and turn into your usual wild and happy self;



• busy, busy, busy! There is no stopping at any point in the day for you! It is common for your head to be wet from sweat because of all the running around and dancing you do.



• starting to get very bossy. You like things to be your way and if it's not your way you make sure the people playing with you make it your way. We're working on this...!



• a good lunch time eater. Apparently you are known as a truck at daycare because of the amount you eat there. Dinner time at home is another story, but since you're eating a lot at daycare we aren't too worried.



• a proud, protective, caring and loving big brother.



• obsessed with zambonies, hockey, the National Anthem, shoveling, soccer, Bob the Builder and going to the grocery store (and picking up Tim Bits on the way home afterwards).



• very perceptive about when your momma and daddy leave the house. Daddy is used to hearing "I missed you, daddy" because it's been a busy hockey season at work.



• part of a group of four boys at daycare that are best buddies and are inseparable.



• always asking to watch 'your shows' on television.

• very affectionate. You give hugs and kisses to almost anyone you know.

• fully capable of getting yourself dressed in your winter gear before we head outside. This is very helpful when your brother is needing attention!
  

Here you are on your first birthday after digging into your birthday cake:

And your second birthday while eating your Thomas the Tank cake:





And here you are this morning. My three year old whom i am so proud of:

A weekend away

We went north this past weekend for a winter getaway with our families. The weather couldn't have been better, the boys couldn't have been happier, and we enjoyed way too much yummy food! Owen cried when we started to pack up to leave for home and so did some of the adults so we knew this weekend is now an annual event! We crammed as many activities in as possible in a 24 hour period and I have a feeling that everyone is heading to bed early tonight.

Here are some photos of the highlights of the trip:

Similarities?

Can you tell they're brothers?!?

Lately in photos

Making forts with dad...Playtime on the couch ...

Owen's turn to hold Benjamin...

Today

There's not much going on today. Owen went to daycare this morning with Scott and then Benjamin and I went to our mom church group after his bath. As you can see, he loves bath time:Then i did some Christmas shopping while Benjamin slept in the stroller. He's sleeping a lot lately and he's currently sitting beside me still sleeping while i catch up on some emailing. That's the extent of our day as i intend to hibernate for the rest of it....

Photoshoot results

Here's what our mini photoshoot turned out like:

Pumpkin picking

We went pumpkin picking today at a local pumpkin farm. Scott escaped from work for an hour to meet us, which was nice. After exploring for a long time we didn't even end up buying any pumpkins because they were so expensive!

Smile!

We won a free photo session with a professional photographer about a year ago and we finally had a chance to schedule it! Here's just a preview as taken by our own camera while the professional was busy taking the real photos:

Lately

Life here has been a bit crazy lately. We're desperately trying to fit in all of the fall activities we still want to do with the kids but things just keep getting in the way of that!

We did manage to go to the local farm to pick apples and to spend some fun time at their fun farm. Owen seemed to have a great time. If you ask him about the horses that pulled us on the trailer he'll tell you the best part was when they suddenly stopped and had a big poop.

Benjamin is growing quickly. He's almost five months old! I can't believe it. Time is going even faster this time with Benjamin versus with Owen. Here's Benjamin today spending some time on his tummy:

My little angels

Is this Owen or Benjamin??

The two of us

Owen has been back to daycare this week so for most of the days it's just been Benjamin and I. What a break it is with just one! I can actually accomplish things and outings are easy!

Owen is enjoying daycare even though some things there have changed. He has some of his friends there still and they're following the same routine so he's adapting well.

Here's Benjamin yesterday sitting on the couch with me.

Mooner

I caught Owen doing up his sandals at the beach the other day - oblivious that he had half his bum showing...

Life is good

Life is pretty good lately! Both the boys have been home with me for almost three weeks because Owen's daycare shuts down for three weeks every August. Most of the days have been good, but some have been challenging...! I'm trying to keep busy and usually have an activity planned for every morning. Once we reach lunch time and i'm able to successfully get Owen down for a nap, the day is pretty much over since he tends to sleep up to three and a half hours if i let him. He runs and talks CONSTANTLY so he needs his nap every day. And his momma NEEDS him to have a nap every day!!!

We spent this past weekend at the cottage again and I was able to get some alone time out floating on an air mattress in the warm lake. I feel rejuvenated and ready to begin the week. It's amazing what time at the cottage does for our family.

Benjamin is a happy and easy-going baby still and I just can't believe how we've lucked out again with Owen and Benjamin both being easy-going kids. Benjamin will grin and laugh for anyone and I just melt when i see his lob-sided little smile. Yes, it is lob-sided if you really look and i love it! See....?

A year later

Owen's friend Adaline visited us at the cottage this weekend. She brought her parents Andy and Jackie and her friends Jeff and Melissa, too. We had a nice afternoon in the sun. We took our second annual photo with the kids and daddies. Last year it was two toddlers, this year it was two older toddlers and a newborn, and who knows about next year...!!

Owen at the Blue Jays game

On Saturday Owen went to the ballgame with his daddy, Grandpa B, Grannie and Uncle Ian. He had a great time and hasn't stopped talking about it yet. The coolest part apparently was the roof of the Rogers Centre closing during the game!

Fun times at the cottage

We spent most of the weekend at the cottage this past weekend and had a great time once again. Owen caught his first fish with a sad excuse for a homemade fishing pole, which was hilarious! Even more hilarious is how big he describes the fish to anyone who asks!

We went full force with the potty training this weekend, too. Here we are using one of the many trees Owen picked to try to pee on.
Owen and Grandpa B spent a lot of time throwing rocks and floating in the chair on the weekend, too.

Brothers

Owen still loves his little brother these days. He loves to say goodbye and hello to him whenever he leaves for school or arrives home. Benjamin looks like he's recognizing Owen because of the way he smiles and makes eye contact with him whenever Owen dives in for a kiss or hug.

Here they are on Monday wearing their soccer shirts.

Our sensitive boy - Part II

We went to the cottage this past weekend and after dinner on Saturday we went for an ice cream cone nearby. Owen quickly lost control of his melting ice cream and gave it to me to stop dripping on his hands. I took it from him and somehow ended up dropping the whole thing on the grass. A look of horror quickly came on his face and Scott started laughing at me. I felt so bad and expected Owen to start crying for another ice cream but instead, after i said 'i'm so sorry honey', he said 'it's ok mommy' in a cheerful and caring voice and that was the end of that. He is such a sensitive boy that he honestly saw that i was upset because of what i did and wanted me not to feel bad anymore. What a kid!

Growing

Our little Benjamin is quickly growing into a bigger baby. The rolls are beginning to form around his cute little wrists and thighs and he's had a double chin for weeks already. He's babbling constantly now and is his happiest after eating. He is even sleeping through the night already - from about 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. (ish) for over a week now. I hope this keeps up!

Our sensitive boy

Tonight Scott took Benjamin and the dog for a walk while i put Owen to bed. We had some new books from the library so we decided to read them before bedtime. The second book we read was a book he knew from the song made from the book called 'Five Little Ducks'. The story is about a mother duck who eventually looses all five of her ducklings because they've wandered off. At the end of the book they all come back and all is happy. While we were reading and after the fourth little duck didn't come back, i noticed Owen's bottom lip was curled under and his eyes were watering. I skipped the fifth little duck and went straight to the happy ending since he quickly had tears streaming down his face....! I had to explain that all the ducks came back to their mommy and everyone was happy at the end. Then later, while he was almost asleep and i was laying there with him, he opened his eyes and said 'Mommy, you're my best friend'. That's when i had my turn crying! Thankfully it was dark in the room and i didn't have to upset him by him seeing that i was crying. What a sweetie.

Canada Day

We started the day off by leaving Benjamin and daddy at home while Owen and I went strawberry picking. We beat the crowds and managed to pick a whole basket without getting kicked out of the field for eating too many strawberries or hopping over the rows and stomping on the strawberries or for throwing the strawberries (this one he only did once because I didn't find it amusing to have him almost hit an old man!). Then we went to grandma and grandpa's house for lunch. We played outside and at the park for a long time before Owen fell asleep in the car almost immediately after pulling out of their driveway. Then we played outside in the sprinkler and cut down a few trees in the backyard before being invited to swim in Jim and Lorraine's pool next door. After a long day of keeping very busy, Owen fell asleep with his nose smooshed against mine while i lay beside him in his bed. Nothing beats that.

Benjamin had his two month shots yesterday and after being fussy for most of the afternoon , he was a happy little boy once again today. He smiles and 'talks' constantly when he has just been fed and seems to recognize everyone now. He slept from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. last night but I think that had something to do with having his shots because that was extremely long even for him.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy in the world!

Awww and Ewwww!

Benjamin was all smiles for his Grandma and Auntie Andrea tonight....

And then we knew why - he did something he had been needing to do for a couple of days!

A day at the park

We spent most of our day at the park yesterday since it was a beautiful day. Benjamin tried to sleep while Owen ran around and tried to see everything possible.



We ended the day at Grannie and Grandpa B's house to celebrate Grannie's birthday. What a great day!