she loves lacing

and so do I....

It's been a few weeks since we pulled these out and I wanted to try them again to see if she is still interested - oh boy, yes she is. Anna simply loves putting things on - it can be scarfs, jackets, tights, gloves or really anything that can go around your neck. She'll put it on and walk around with it all day if she can. Funny thing is, when you go and put her coat or snowsuit on to go outside, she doesn't like it.

Her concentration throughout this 15 minutes was unbelievable - she was interested in the string and feeding them on - now I just need her to hold still long enough for me to trim her bangs - Grammy, don't know if we can wait till you come!

flipping the calendar

We are looking forward to switching things over this week - mostly Stew who is looking for a fresh start to his health - he has been hit with one of the worst cold/flu/earaches, I have ever seen, so with a Dr's appointment on Monday we are hoping the worst is behind him.

I should mention we have lots of fun things planned in March...one of our favourite months.

First up is our new dinner club - our group of friends are starting it this month and we are looking forward to a night out each month experiencing new dishes and themes. We also have grand plans to celebrate St. Patrick's day, Anna starts swimming lessons, we have booked a cooking class and my parents are coming to visit. Ah, March, I do like you.

P.S - a word update from Thursday - 'uh-oh', 'ba-by' and 'all done'.

lots of words these days

Yes, Anna has been 'talking' up a storm as of late. So far we can identify -Dada, Anna, No, mmmmmm for cow, a sort of quack for duck and a noise that's slightly the same for pig, in which she's trying to say oink. She jabbers on in her own language in the back seat of the car, while she plays and if you ask her questions she will talk right back. I've tried to get it on video, but she just loves the buttons on the ipod so much she gets distracted and it ends in a squabbling match with both of us wanting our way - oh yes, I can see the most determined and stubborn streak in her, wonder where that comes from....hum.

Above you will find Anna's usual spot as we get dinner going. She often snacks and colours away while I get things ready - very often there is talk of the day, how it went and it usually comes from her note or what I know when I pick her up. The one thing we do know for sure - she's got the cutest little voice and we love hearing her words.

this moment

While listening to Michael Mitchell.

family of friends

In honour of my current book - I am giving homage to chapter 6 - make time for friends. We did indeed, on Sunday night. Taking time to sit, enjoy conversation, catch up, savour new favours and best of all celebrate our many families of friends. Funny enough, as I dove back in later that evening, I also realized we moved ahead into chapter 7 - buy some happiness (indulge in a modest splurge) and did we ever. Bib's Mom was generous enough to make a trip to India and take on the most ambitious shopping spree ever. Armed with our height and Canadian dollars transferred into Rupees, she selected sarees for ten girls (plus a few hundred more for herself) to wear to Bib and Jody's Indian celebration in September. Oh my, they are beautiful -she also picked up jewelry to match and we are all feeling very much a family as we begin these new celebrations together.

nice days of family

In Edmonton with Grandma, Grandpa, Katie and Jacob - it's been too long, we are glad to be here. We watched a great movie last night - The Social Network, I loved it, glad to see it's in the running.

We are soaking up lots of friends and family at the moment, so I will post a few pictures. See you all again on Monday, have a good weekend.

(P.S - Anna is wearing Jacob's spider monkey, she just loves him. She also has on the hiking boots Stew gave to Jacob when he was a baby, so cute).

this moment

more love celebrating

Makes for a very tired girl - pj day, they made pancakes for lunch and had a magician visit - she came home with a few treats, the best of all - a card for Stew and I with her picture on it, so cute.

A special thanks to everyone who sent cards and gifts, they are loved.

love day

Doing a little bit of prep here and there this weekend. It was fun sitting down and doing cards for Anna's class mates, and getting a few treats ready - oh boy, this tasted good. I'm not sure what was better, the smells of popcorn covered in raspberry jello flavouring drifting around our house during nap time or tasting it after at our friends house with a big group of fun kids. Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

so cute

Aunt Kate has returned back home today, however she did leave us with a really fun gift - her wedding photo's. Here are a few of our favourite shots, we'll save the rest for everyone else to see at her shower this weekend...enjoy friends.

(In case you are wondering, Anna's dress is from Hanna Andersson.)

this moment

This past week, and the next few weeks to come are going to very busy for us. Stew's work and volunteer commitments seem to be getting more frequent 'after' work hours, my work is very crazy - lots of staff shortages and one very big project to launch at the beginning of March. We are battling winter sickness here and there and some household malfunctions (oven and slowcooker, although on the mend) - with all this I start to struggle to keep my head up and my eyes open. Recently I was questioning my decision to keep blogging - do I really want to add to my internal list of demands and expectations during my own precious time?

Well, despite all this, I come to this space to give myself personal time. I use this space as a way to remember and in a way to exhale. It reminds me to put down the laundry basket, to put aside the management report to focus on our family and the moment that reminds us all that this is life. It's not easy, not one bit, but together we are learning and growing and we can get through it together.

So, as a bit of a new series, I'm going to be posting a 'moment' of our week, something I'd like to pause and reflect on, no words, but moments that might be crazy or beautiful - because really, unmade beds, dirty dishes and unshovelled snow at 6am can be beautiful.

sushi and skate with kate

Kate is here visiting and it is very fun - we took her skating to our favourite spot, she also babysat while Stew and I enjoyed our Christmas gift from Faye and Paul - very nice indeed.

This time skating Anna was not so interested in staying put in the sled. She was so wanting to get out and 'skate'. She was much happier walking on her own, or having us push her and help her along. She is most definitely showing signs of independence - adventurous once she gets the hang of things and very much into exploring with Mom and Dad close by.

Anna has also started saying 'anna' this weekend, which is 'banana' - she points to it and wants to eat some. She has also gotten the hang of farm animals. With all the farm influences in this house, I'm not surprised. She now says 'mmmmm' when you ask her what a cow says. Kate brought her the most hilarious book, so we've been reading it a lot. Kate also helped us replace our slow cooker today, so I'm going to test it out this week, as she and Jen will be coming over for dinner on Wednesday.

Wishing you all a great start to the week.

a lucky rabbit coin

This is Anna's 'good luck' coin she received today for Chinese New Year. It came in the most beautiful red envelope, but unfortunately it got ripped before I could get a picture. They have been learning all about this holiday all week, and it's been fun for Stew and I to share in the celebrations. Today they had a few teachers cook a traditional Chinese lunch, apparently Anna ate all the 'noodles' and enjoyed it. They also did crafts around rabbits and some of the older kids made lanterns which they used to decorate the doors and windows. I'm hoping the start of a 'new year' brings us better luck - I have an oven that's decided to again give me trouble with the control panel (you can read the long saga of when this happened last year) and a slow cooker that is being exchanged for a new one - thank goodness for 30 day warranties.