this moment

Can't believe this is the same girl - wow.

anna's cookies

We've been enjoying the magazine that Anna is receiving; it's got great stories (some even in Spanish) action rhymes, hidden clues and also a few crafts and receipes. The first issue so far is Anna's favourite, so much so that Stew and I were glad the second issue arrived so we could read a few different stories. The one part she found interesting was the baking section, so today we decided to make one of the receipes. I wasn't so sure at first, as it felt like we were making food for birds, but tonight we enjoyed them for dessert and they were really tasty. I highly recommend this as a treat - lots of protein, no baking, and Anna could do all the steps herself. And in Stew's words "Anna, muy bien".

a dairy classic

Here's something fun - Anna and I went to a dairy show today at Stampede with UFA and the class we watched were the pee wee's - the little girl is 3 in the picture, her brother 4 and then her older sister 6. Anna even picked which calf would win in two of the other classes 'the black one Mom' and sure enough, first prize ribbon. She got an Alberta Milk goodie bag at the end and its been a hit all day.

some funny facts

Some new facts about Anna have emerged in recent weeks, and she's very sure of herself when she voices her opinion....

:: She likes toast and jam for breakfast, her second favourite is Rice Krispies, sometime dry and sometimes with milk

:: She likes helping to make salads, but doesn't eat them

:: She only wears two or three shirts from her entire closest, she has her favourite owl shirt, purple dress and a mermaid shirt, after this she wears jammies and only jammies

:: She refuses to wear denim, I got her an awesome pair of overalls in Montana and they are at the bottom of the pile

:: She will read her favourite stories over and over for days on end

:: She doesn't like Raffi's Noah's song, it's Ducks and only the Pony song when we drive to daycare

:: She's requesting 'Funny Santa' Christmas music we put away three months ago

:: Her favourite saying is "Back in three minutes' and 'No, not today', with hands gestures.

:: She sings about her 'pet dog' named Nemo

:: Her favourite thing to say after meals is 'Let's make a puzzle' but really she doesn't help, you have to make it for her

:: She often needs her hands wiped and any spills cleaned up... 'Right away Mom, I make a mess'

:: She can put her jacket on all by herself, along with boots, mitts and toque and we love it

:: She gives really good kisses, especially when you are not feeling well

:: Her name is Anna Banana and she is a 'big boy like Dad', we are working on this one...

on higher ground

We are coming out of a nasty stomach bug that hit Anna on Friday and Saturday, and Stew and I have now returned to life after a very unromantic day of us lying around yesterday - him on the couch, me in bed and then enjoying a bowl of broth for dinner while Anna went to Scarlett's house for lasagna. Wow, small kid germs are super-powered and I am glad to be myself again.

I am also happy to report that our dear friends, and Scarlett's Mom and Dad are now the parents of two boys! - for those of you that don't know, Shelly went into labour on March 10th, at 29 weeks, and it was very scary, they got the boys out and stabilized, however Shelly got an infection and has been hospitalized for 10 days now. She is growing stronger every day, so we have been taking Scarlett at night whenever possible. We've got some great pictures of the past week that we will share for you in a special gift we are making!

tap shoes for st.patrick

We did a major Anna closest clean today, sorting clothes, moving bins, measuring for her big girl bed. She was right beside me, wanting to try everything on again, everything from bath robes (in these pictures) to summer shoes. Nestled in right beside the pile of size 5 pants, were the tap shoes I bought for her when I was pregnant. I thought it would be 5 years until she'd wear them, we'll, 2.35 years to be exact. What a huge hit they were, she put them on, and was instantly amazed at the sound, feel and what they could do. She's got us all interested in tap now.

Happy St. Patrick's day to everyone, we celebrated well.

this moment

Bathing two girls is pretty fun, especially when Stew found them jumping naked on our bed, screaming their heads off afterward. We just stood there and laughed.

toddler and baby

In the same resting position - childs pose.

in our kitchen

This weekend we managed to:

:: make two batches of muffins, one orange and one of pineapple / carrot, all very good

:: make pancakes, which Anna is getting very good at mixing batter

:: make a pizza and discover that Anna was eating the sauce before it was even cooked

:: a new almost spring soup, which was very tasty, Anna hasn't warmed up to curry yet, but I give her credit for trying it a couple of times

:: two lasagnas one to enjoy with Scarlett, she came for dinner on Saturday for a movie night and one to freeze during the weeks to come

:: enjoy rice krispy treats, a classic and so tasty

:: try hard boiled eggs again, and Anna loves them now, especially in her very own egg cup

:: apparently we are also feeding some bunnies - Anna now has her first invisible friend (friends), they live outside, but come in to eat, and they sleep in her bed at night. She has told me they don't go to school, but stay and play all day here at the house. We fed them carrots all weekend and they eat right out of your hand!

a shift in seasons

We are feeling the warmth of plus 7 temperatures, and wondering if our rink will be skateable again this season. Feeling a shift in the seasons (we think) the birds and squirrels are out, and hear the drip of snow melting every afternoon. We swiched up Anna's art today and enjoyed a day with lighter jackets. We are at this moment moving our clock forward, for spring just might be on its way....

this moment

With snow - our first big snow dump in a long time, covers up the brown and is so very pretty, especially at 6:30am while everyone else is asleep.

for the love of madeline

We've been reading a lot of Madeline lately. And I have to say, I wasn't very familiar with these books until Stew brought some home from the library. Anna also received one for Valentine's Day and we've been reading them a lot. The stories are funny, cute, and involve lots of beautiful pictures of Paris, that it just makes me want to go there. The good news is Stew's parents are heading there in April, so we will live vicariously through them for a few weeks.

festival des sucres

On Saturday Stew and Anna went to the Maple Syrup Festival downtown, I was shopping for bridesmaids dresses for my sister Gillian's wedding in November, but joined them at the end to take in all kinds of French traditions. There were lots of free activities, and also a chance to go skating. One of the highlights for Stew was their maple candy...I've never done this, but Stew was taken back to his french immersion childhood where they poor warmed maple syrup onto snow, it cools and you role it up on a stick and eat it like a popcile. It was very yummy, Anna loved getting it all over and we are enjoying some very tasty maple fudge as a special treat.

On other fronts:

This video has got me a little teary...video birth annoucements how cool.

The bridesmaid's dresses have been ordered!

Two words, Hunger Games, read them all, they are so good, Stew and I are already planning a movie date to the opening night

right now with a little excitement

:: savouring the memories of a great trip - relaxing, fun and very needed

:: missing almost 6% fresh milk daily from the cows

:: getting back to work and school, getting adjusted and back into the grove

:: anticipating a history course this weekend where we can explore the story of our home and plan for a 100 year celebration this summer

:: exploring new blogs and meeting Anna's new teacher - Ms. Jackie

:: enjoying a newly registered and very clean car

:: being amazed at how much sanding and oiling Stew accomplished on the counter tops while we were away, they look brand new

:: reading a new magazine Anna is now receiving in the mail, a gift from Grammy and Tompa, it is beautiful, with lots of fun stories

:: finishing off an entire jar of Faye and Paul's beets, they were yummy, thanks.

:: planning a summer shower for two very special couples

:: ever so slowly and cautiously telling our dearest friends and family that we are expecting a new baby, and are praying for its safe arrival in early September