Love and laughter... Letters to my kids.

Dear Adelade, 

I love you. You are the sweetest brightest little girl I know. I sometimes can't believe you are such a big girl. I love when you read your book "Otto & Todd" to me. I love how you look up to me as you "read" the words with a big smile on your face. I love the dance shows you put on, and how you "la-la--la" the whole time. I love how you want to help me in the kitchen, and I'm sorry when I don't have the patience for you, I'm working on it. 

You absolutely love being a princess, you change princess dresses, or princess nightgowns at least 3 or 4 times a day. 

Today we went for a walk and you made snow angels and crawled in the snow and licked the snow, I wish I could replay this moment over and over. Tonight though, when I was yelling at you about not being fast enough at getting dressed, I hope you forget that. I hope you forget all the times I get upset and just remember that I love you, and would do anything for you. I am not perfect....WAY NOT perfect but becoming your mom was the best thing I ever did in my life. You bring so much joy to our family. Your smile and laughter and kisses are little blessings I sometimes, most times, don't deserve, but you love me anyway!! 

Keep being the energetic lovely girl you are, you make the world better.

Love, your Mom xo 

Dear Bentley, 

Oh Benty bear. Your smile, your smile is a gift for God to me, I just know it. It's really a gift to everyone. The other day at superstore we were at the cashand you saw this older man with a big mustache and he couldn't stop waving at him. I put you down and you couldn't walk fast enough over to him. You put your arms up to him and wanted him to pick you up. This complete stranger, you just adored, you made him smile and if he was having a bad day you made it better. 

Today while we were walking, you just loved walking in the snow, you were cracking up. It was hilarious!! You literally were pretending to laugh. It was so cute! You LOVE LOOOOOVE to climb onto everything, especially the piano & and the kitchen table, I just really hope you never learn how to climb onto the fridge. Seriously, no. You love to drink water out of cups (more like spill), play with tooth brushes, and play cars!!! Yes, you love other things, but these things are definitely some of your top 10!! I love how you suck your thumb ONLY in your crib, or when you are almost in your crib. 

Some of the best moments are when you are really tired and you put your head on my shoulder, it doesn't happen often but when it does I wish I could pause life. 

Thank you for bringing joy and laughter into our family and into my life. Keep smiling.

Love, Your Mom xo 

Christmas & New Years!!

Christmas & New Years and all the in between:

1. Christmas: Christmas was simple and sweet. We spent Christmas Eve at my Dads enjoying some yummy appetizers. Then came home and opened 1 gift (pjs), Bentley was not enthused at all he just wanted his bottle & bed. Adelade was genuinely excited about a Dora nightgown. 

Christmas Morning the kids slept in until 9! It was lovely. We opened stockings, ate cereal then opened the rest of the gifts. The kids didn't get much, but they were beyond thrilled with everything they got. Adelade got all things Elsa. Her "uncle" Thomas (was sooo generous) got her a handmade Elsa dress that Adelade wore all day until she ripped it (which reminds me I need to fix it). Bentley didn't get that excited, but he got a few mini trucks that entertained him. We were so blessed to have scored a free "toy tool set", which was a joint gift to them that they played with for at least an hour!! Haha!! Bentley was very amused by the pretend drill that made noise and shone lights. We will be sure not to keep any "real tools" near the play ones!! They are terribly similar. 

Then I rallied everyone together to go to the park, it wasn't super cold, but it was cold enough that our park adventure only lasted about 30 minutes. My favorite moment was pushing them both on the baby swings. They giggled and their cheeks were rosy. It was lovely.  I loved how low key Christmas Day was and it was so easy to be with each other, I am really grateful for my sweet husband and my hooligan kids!! 

We had Christmas Dinner at my Dads. It was yummy and very nice to be with Family. 

Then from Boxing Day to the day before New Years Eve we spent with Matthew's family. There was ice skating (not for Bentley & I...he thought napping would be more fun), Christmas Dinner, Stallen Bread, cross iron mills, Perogie making (I now know how much work is involved in making these tasty morsels!!...they were worth it!...all 300 of them!), outdoor runs, games, going to the movies, Pride & Prejudice & many many hours of Bentley crying and refusing to sleep. It was awesome! And by awesome I mean NOT AWESOME AT ALL!! Eventually by night 3 it only took an hour for him to finally stop crying after countless cuddles. He really wanted to be part of the party!! Adelade & Bentley had a wonderful time building relationships with their cousins--They played with each other so well for 3 days. They also ate their quota for mini candy canes!! I know now Bentley really likes hard candies! Like....a lot!! 

Matthew and I got some nights to ourselves, so we got a few extra hours of delightful SLEEP!!! We even got to go shopping on our own and the new hunger games movie. I am so grateful for family who is willing to lend a helping hand. 

2. New Years 2014 included a couple of cranky parents and kids buying some chicken wings, veggies & dip as well as a short trip to Target. We then came home and put kid number 2 to bed (Benty bear...he was most upset about life!). He missed out on watching Despicable me 2 while having a mini picnic. The wings were so good!! I went to my best friends for a few minutes to help her decide on a New Years dress, it helped me not be so cranky!! (I don't know what it was but I was a major cranky lady the past few days, now I'm all good!! Haha!) Matthew and I watched the last 2 episodes of BBC's Pride & Prejudice....it's all on YouTube you know?! We had been watching it over the last few days with Matthew's family and I really really wanted to watch the last episodes. Matthew must love me a whole bunch because he agreed to the crazy idea! We then ate large amounts of Christmas chips ahoy & Christmas Oreos and actually missed when the clock struck midnight. Good times!! We stayed up until 1:30, why? I have no idea!! 

4. After New Years: 

On Friday (today) we went to Okotoks to pay respect to my Mom, it is the anniversary of her passing in a few days. It was bitterly cold and the wind was blowing hard, so we showed the kids her grave stone, snapped a few pics and said a sweet & simple prayer. It lasted about 2 minutes! We want the kids to remember their "Nana Wenda" so we are trying to teach them about her every so often.

Then we stopped and got some frozen yogurt before heading home. There I was telling Adelade about my Mom, I asked her what color of hair she thought she had, after a few seconds of deliberating Adelade answered enthusiaticly "PINK"!! It was very sweet, I have to regretfully inform her that her hair was brown. I told her about her smile and how kind she was, then Adelade just bursted out "I love her!!! I love Nana Wenda, don't you Mommy? Don't you Daddy? don't you Bentley?" I don't want to forget this moment. Then tonight as we said our prayers Adelade prayed about how thankful she is for Nana Wenda, this was after she said "I'm grateful nana Wenda's not died", then we had to say "no she has died", then she said "I'm grateful nana Wenda died" oh her sweet innocence!! :) 

I'm excited for another wonderful year with my team of 4!!!