Preschool Grad

A few weeks ago Hailey had her preschool graduation.  It was SO important to her.  We all had to be there and it was a sweet, short program.  She is growing up and heading to Kindergarten in the Fall.  This is such an exciting time :)

Hmmmm... Is someone turning 2 soon?

It must be getting close to that time as I am seeing some extra "spunk" in miss Quinn. I find it very interesting to see how my girls are different as they encounter each new stage.

I love them to bits and enjoy watching their imaginations develop. Quinn is chatting up a storm now (though I might be the only one who understands her), and Hailey is learning so quickly.

The girls always look for each other after primary class and give each other a big hug. Hailey gets upset when Quinn is upset and Quinn follows Hailey everywhere.

They are too cute. But I am kind of biased.

August

Our summer continued...

Grandma and Papa's - We went for a weekend visit at my parents house in August.

Tutu's - We (aka -'I') made lots of tutu's for Hailey and her upcoming birthday party.  She has been enjoying dancing in them!!!

Somebody learned to walk this summer!!!!!

She is much quicker and more stable now.  She is trying to master running!  It sure took her long enough as she was almost 15 mths old.

Hailey's 3rd Birthday - There were festivities galore at the end of August as we celebrated Hailey's 3rd birthday.  Just 2 more years until school *only somewhat joking ;)

For her party there was a bean bag toss, fishing, a teepee to play in and tutu's for our dance party.  I left it pretty open with no structured games.  They could just travel about as they chose.  Maybe next year will be the first 'drop-off' party where it is just me and her party guests!

Teepee Trial

 We tried out our teepee building skills this weekend in preparation for Hailey's birthday party next weekend.  It was pretty quick 'n easy!  We are having a backyard party for her third birthday (please weather cooperate!)  I won't be using a tarp then... I will be sewing together some old sheets for the cover.  I wonder if 2 kings will be enough?  I'll have to try it out.

My first baby is 3 yrs old tomorrow!!!!  I was in labour at this time 3 years ago!  She has such a big heart (so big that it often cannot be contained ;), She is full of spunk and personality.  I love her huge smile and the sweet things she often says.  Her tight hugs are my favourite as well as our nightly ritual of "I love you Hailey" "I love you Mom" "I love you more" "no I love you more" "I love you the most" "I love YOU the most".  It warms my heart!

Happy 3rd Birthday Hailey Anne

Sunshine

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you
I'd give to you a day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I'd sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I'd make a wish for sunshine all the while

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

Thank you John Denver for this music... and thank you to my Dad for always singing it when I was a kid.  A sunny day doesn't pass without this song playing in my head....

This post isn't about the song really but I couldn't get past this topic without a 'replay'.

I have a question (or numerous interconnected questions) in regards to taking photo's in sunlight!

Is it always pretty much bad to be in direct sunlight?
Will the photo's always look over exposed?  or can I adjust my settings to fix them?

Most of these photos I already had to adjust the exposure so they weren't so bright but they were SUPER cute and I was disappointed they couldn't just come off my camera without editting.  It is unfortunate that they look fine on your display screen, until you upload them onto your computer.

So camera friends with DSLR's, please enLIGHTen me ;)

I have been shooting mostly in Av mode. I usually don't change much on the settings except for the light source option (which is probably the problem?)  I know everything is automatic except the aperture which has to do just with what part of your picture is in focus right?  Maybe I should just go back to Auto!!!!

But if I had used Auto in those same lighting circumstances would those photo's still have been over exposed?  I really just need to sit down and read the whole manual!

*I know that white blanket sure didn't help the problem.... it was really only there because Quinn refuses to touch grass!

Here are some more cute pictures!

Chariot

The weather has turned and spring is here, or within sight ;)  We have no snow left on the ground but that doesn't mean we are done with the white stuff.  'Spring' in Alberta is such a tease... really I would say we don't really have spring.  It generally goes from winter straight to.... okay, maybe we don't have summer and we just get spring really late.  It is all so unpredictable.  Whatever the weather we have begun to emerge from our home and get outside to play.  It has been so rejuvenating.

We purchased a used chariot last weekend and have already used it numerous times (though we have yet to strap it to a bike).  It is so easy to push around even with both girls in it.  A huge improvement from our ‘tank’ of a double stroller.

Hailey has been really enjoying the freedom she now has, running a bit further from Mom and playing in the backyard by herself as I watch from the window.  She wants to do everything by herself.  I am trying to be patient as that means everything takes a million years longer ;)  She has gotten so grown up, so fast.  With only her third birthday coming this summer I feel like she is already 5 years old (with the attitude and all), but she really is such a sweet girl.  She may not always like to share her toys with her sister… and she may not always poop in the toilet but she is so full of love.  She looks out for Quinn constantly and loves to laugh with her.  She sets the table for us and says the most beautiful prayers.  I cry every time she speaks her sweet words to our Heavenly Father.  She brings the spirit into our home and reminds me daily that I need to be a better Mom.

Quinn is crawling all over the place.  She has abandoned the army crawl for the more efficient hand/knee crawling.  She is trying to climb up on everything and has the funniest personality.  When we tell her ‘no’ she looks up at us with her chin raised really high and her bottom lip out in a huge pout…. She waits till we laugh (because it is seriously so cute and I can’t help but laugh) and then laughs herself and tries to do what we told her she couldn’t again.  She is such a charmer!  She is super tolerant of everything and has been from the start.  She could wait so long to eat before she got upset and can take a good knock without getting upset.  She says ‘dad’, ‘baa baa’ and ‘uh uh’ (uh oh).  We just love her to bits.  I can’t believe she will be 1 in just 5 weeks.

Ian and I are off to Las Vegas in May for our 5^th anniversary.  It is the first trip away without the girls and we are both SUPER excited.  I know I will miss my girls but I also won’t miss them :)  It is definitely time for a break.  I don’t know how anyone can have children closer together than 21 months apart.  It has been ‘all baby’ for the last 2.5 years and it was hard with a non-sleeper and really sick pregnancies.  I’m looking forward to our planned ‘break’ and hope that no ‘surprises’ pop up in the next 2 years!

*Mom you are seriously amazing to have had 6 kids when you were my age… good heavens, that would have killed me!

We are so blessed and need to show our gratitude more everyday.  It is a constant struggle to truly be a ‘good person’ (at least for me – I can’t speak for Ian).

They are mine...

and I love them!

The Girls at 6 Months

Our little Quinn is officially 6 months old now.

It has amazed me how different she is from Hailey. 
*Top picture is Quinn, bottom is Hailey at 6 mths

Quinn	Hailey
No teeth (but they are coming)	Had 2 bottom front teeth
Won’t eat solids	Ate solids well (rice cereal and fruits)
Doesn’t like bottles (won't touch formula)	Almost fully weaned (nurse 2 times a day)
Usually gets up only once	Woke up in the night often
Just started rolling (back to front)	Crawled (6.5 mths)
Does not hold items well	Drank from a sippy cup
Yells loudly	Said “mum”
	Signed “all done”
Is happy 80% of the time	Was happy 20% of the time
Intolerant to cows milk (Mommy on Goats milk)	Intolerant to cows milk (had soy formula)

I love my girls, I'm thankful for them, they are my life.

Not cut out for this job

2 is hard.... especially when I have a VERY high maintenance toddler.  I never get enough sleep and it affects every aspect of my life.  I am a mean, mean, MEAN mommy when I am tired and cranky (which, right now, is all the time).

I have always needed a lot of sleep.  In high school I always went to bed early because I needed to sleep 10 hrs to feel rested.  I still need 9 hrs for it to be a 'great' nights sleep.  I could manage with 7 straight for an 'okay' nights sleep but that is not even close to what is happening.  I get maybe 3-4 hrs without interuption and am usually up for an hour during one wakeup to feed Quinn.  Last night I was woken up probably every 45 min to an hour.

I am trying very hard to be grateful for my girls, but in all honesty, I don't like them right now.  I always loved babies growing up and thought I would work in daycare and get married at 18 and have 6 of my own kids. Turns out babies are not my specialty.  I can't wait till the girls are more independent (and for crying out loud) will sleep all night without waking me up.

Somehow I need to survive these brutal years of sleep deprivation (which, if you didn't know, is used as a form of torture!)

Heaven help me be grateful for my girls, and more patient and loving..... and please, please, PLEASE teach Hailey to deal with her emotions before I lose my mind.

one of THOSE mornings

Yes I do put my child in front of a movie with dry cereal and fruit in order to sleep in longer!  I'm such an awesome Mom ;)

A baby Story!

Well tomorrow is my due date!  I can't believe that Quinn should still be in my tummy!  I knew she would be early but I never expected 3 weeks early.  It already seems like she has been in our family FOREVER ;)  We love our loud, short sleeping Quinn!  I can't wait though till she sleeps longer than 2-3 hrs at a time.  I'm pooped!

Here is the story of Quinn's birth (without any graphic details):

This pregnancy I started having braxton hicks contractions at 27 weeks.  They occured almost 10 times a day and would happen if I lifted anything, bent over, walked anywhere or ran errands.  These contractions increased in quantity and severity over the remaining 10 weeks of my pregnancy so I was pretty certain that this couldn't occur so regularly and so strongly without it resulting in an early delivery.  I'm sure glad it did.  No one enjoys those last weeks of being pregnant.

2 days before Quinn was born I was having regular contractions every 8-12 min in the morning and then they would become irregular in the afternoon.  We had our annual May Long Weekend BBQ planned for the next day so I was contemplating whether to cancel it or not.  We decided to go ahead with it as nothing happened over night on Friday.  Saturday was busy preparing for the BBQ and like the day before my contractions were regular but didn't seem to get any closer together.... until the BBQ.  I wasn't timing them at this point but they were probably 5-8 minutes apart.  I still didn't think at this point that it was really happening.  The BBQ was a hit and a great distraction from what was really occuring.  I laid down after everyone left (while my wonderful family did all the clean up) and the contractions continued to get closer and stronger.  By 11 pm I figured I should call my doula to come by and we went for a walk.  Everything slowed down during the walk so I figured it was a false alarm and sent the doula home to sleep.

*during all of this Ian and I agreed that if it was really happening tonight that he needed to sleep so that he had the energy to support me through a night of labour (I sure wish I could have slept).  He got in a good 4 hrs before I woke him up.

The doula suggested I take a bath.  If it is real labour it will pick it up quickly... and if it isn't the contractions should stop.  Well as soon as I got out the contractions were 4 min apart and super intense.  We left right away for the hospital at 1 am and called our doula to meet us there.  When we got to the hospital I was only 2 cm BOOOO!  All you Mom's know what terrible news that is!  I decided I wasn't going to lay in bed suffering (as this is the most painful position EVER) so we got up and moved around to speed things along.  Of course this was not okay with the old, CRANKY nurse I had.  Why do I always get the mean ones? She had to get over it though.  I wasn't going to suffer like I did last time because I didn't know that I could help labour along rather than lay there and just endure it.  Thank you doula Jenna for fighting the nurse with me!  The contractions were 2 min (or less) apart and super strong.  I was so tired as it was already 2 am and I didn't think I would get through it.  This time I wanted to go drug free.  I delievered Hailey without an epidural but had morphine and laughing gas.  The drugs made me all loopy and I really didn't remember much about her birth.  I wanted to try without anything this time so that I could remember it.  NEVER AGAIN!  I am so proud of myself for doing it but I remember EVERYTHING and it is TERRIBLE.  The contractions are the worst part.  Pushing the baby out is easier as you know the end is near.
 
Within 2 hrs I was 5-6 cm and they moved me to the delivery room in case things progressed very quickly.  It took about another hr to get to 10 cm and then it was pushing time.  It took less than 15 min to get her out.  She didn't cry much but had great apgar scores and the nurses said she didn't seem like an early baby.  So maybe the dates were just wrong.



Ian was AMAZING!  He was so supportive and did anything I asked/told him too :)  That nap he had before ended up being a huge blessing for me as he was 100% there for me.  He didn't get faint this time and was right by my side the whole time.  I don't think he even left to go to the bathroom once :)  I was so grateful to have him there.

My doula, Jenna Noble was a huge asset.  We weren't sure about having one but it ended up being a huge blessing.  She gave us both confidence and encouragement.  Though I did want to strangle her if she said one more time "your almost done"!

It was crazy at the hospital, 7 babies were born that night.  Turns out it was a full moon.  Hailey was born on a new moon and it was also crazy busy.  What is with that?  And why do my babies like to torture me with labour all night long?  Next time I want to have a full night sleep before I have a baby.



Our little girl was here, and nameless for the time being!  Weighing in at 6 lbs 9 oz and measuring 21 inches long.  We spent the morning discussing names and decided on Quinn Emma.  Hailey came by later that day to meet her sister.  She was semi-excited but mostly wanted to run around the hospital.  I am so grateful my parents had come out that weekend to help us with house projects.  It was perfect and they were a great help with Hailey.



It has been 2.5 weeks now and we are starting to get used to having a baby around.  I sleep very little and have very little patience for my whiney toddler but we are managing.  I love my girls to bits and am looking forward to the coming weeks/months of sunshine, seeing my sister, attending my brother's wedding and hopefully... sleeping more :)

a new blog banner and title are coming as soon as we get some family pictures

Mother's Day

Thank you Ian and Hailey for making this Mother's Day special :)  

It was an extra special treat to speak to my sister serving a mission in Idaho as we got to use Skype video this time.  We woke up Hailey from her nap so she could see her auntie as she hasn't seen her in over a year.  We did suffer with a very cranky girl the rest of the day but it was worth it to see my sister so excited to talk to her neice.  We look forward to her homecoming this fall!

My beautiful anniversary/Mother's Day flowers (both events were only a few days apart so I have been pretty spoiled :)

A picture with my girl(s)!

The belly at 35 weeks

My greatest blessing....... and challenge :)