The New House

We got a new house, didn't you hear?

Kingston and Charlotte received this house as a gift from Grandma and Papa at the beginning of this year -- and we just now put it together (we were waiting for our backyard to dry up but I fear we will be waiting a long long long long time).  So for now it's in the garage and we plan to bring it out into the driveway when we're playing outside.  Kingston of course helped daddy build the playhouse..

Helping daddy with the construction..

Talking on his cell..



Kingston took on the role of 'Supervisor'..

He was also took on the role of 'Home Inspector' ..

"C'mon in!"

... but we all know who the real boss is.. :)



Because she wants to be like her big brother!

Baby girl can stand on her own.  Granted she can't climb stairs (daddy helped with that one) but oh yes, she can stand (daddy was behind her 'just in case' but wasn't actually holding her at all!).

(Check out those thighs!!)

The Toronto Zoo

A couple of weeks ago the babies enjoyed their first visit to the Toronto Zoo, not to mention our (M and I) first visit in over 20 years.  I have no memories of the Zoo (although I've been there before!) and enjoyed experiencing it first hand with the babies.  While I had been warned about the walking, it really wasn't too bad (see -- all that working out IS paying off!) however I learned my lesson and will bring a change of clothes with me (I wore jeans and it was brutally hot in some of the exhibits).  I realized after getting home that I didn't take very many pictures of Charlotte (who wasn't as excited as Kingston) but there will be another trip to the Zoo this summer to make up for it!

Kingston LOVED the monkeys.  Or anything that was "Monkey" like. 

I adore this picture of my not so little boy and my handsome husband.

That Gorilla (?) definitely waved at Kingston and he was THRILLED.

"HI! HI! HI! HI! HI!" (waving at Gorilla)

Charlotte REALLY REALLY liked the aquarium.  When I lifted her up to the window she followed the fish with her eyes and tried to touch them with her fingers.  So adorable.

... riding an elephant.

The Polar Bears!  Another favourite exhibit (of both Kingston and Momma!)

Trying to get the Polar Bears attention..

Sweet little Charlotte.

I forget what these guys were called -- but we spent a LOT of time at this exhibit.  Kingston LOVED them.  They were so fast, jumping and running all over the place.  This little guy kept walking along the window ledge and Kingston thought it was awesome.  He followed him back and forth and all around.  Up in that branch there were two small babies that were SOOOOO cute. 

We had such a fabulous family oriented day, and while Michael came home to a large pile of work to do (we went on a weekday) it was worth every minute!!  Of course the car ride home was quiet for atleast a little while.  They were pretty tuckered out. 

"Jen" time

I feel a little selfish saying this, but I have been enjoying a lot of 'Jen' time over the last couple of weeks.  Not Momma time, not wifey time, JEN time.  Michael has been incredibly supportive and understanding, and I am so very appreciative.

I've started to really push myself at the gym to get past this frustrating plateau that I've seemed to hit.  I have great days and poor days where my weight of course fluxuates but I always seem to come back to the same number.  I know that I've put on a lot more muscle than I've ever had (thanks Group Power class!) but I still want to lose more.  I go to 'Bootcamp' class which kicks.my.ass. twice a week (sometimes three times!) and 'Group Power' atleast twice a week.  I'm about 8 lbs from my goal, so I've decided to start running again in hopes that it will help me burn more calories/lose a few more pounds.  My goal is to run atleast 3-4 times a week.   

Literally, I just started running again.  Tonight was the first time I ran since before the babies were born.  And it felt great.  Mind you, in hindsight (and after comparing the speed/duration to Michael's norm) I feel like I was going about the speed of a turtle.. but atleast I went!  Atleast its a start.  I will go again tomorrow after Kingston's gymnastics class (or so is the plan assuming the morning runs smoothly).

One more week until our baby free vacation in Las Vegas, and I couldn't be more excited.  When we went to Mexico last year, the thought of leaving baby Kingston behind (4 months old) broke me down into a state of pure panic.  I remember scream-crying in the bedroom about a month before we were supposed to leave, telling Michael, "I CANT LEAVE HIM!! I CAN'T GO!! I WON'T GO!!".  We of course just revised our plan, got Kingston a passport and solved that issue fairly easily (and I'm SO glad we took him with us, what an awesome vacay it was!).  This time?  I have NO reservations about leaving Kingston or Charlotte.  They will live without me for 4 days.  And I'm sure they will appreciate having a break from me too.  When we come home Friday morning, relaxed and refreshed -- it's a win-win situation :) 

The second aspect of "Jen" time that I am absolutely thrilled about -- is being accepted to the University of Western Ontario for September to finally finish my degree in Psychology.  I found out just two days ago, and burst into tears when I told M.  I applied a couple of months ago, and my application had been taking a long time to get assessed -- which of course had me fearing the worst.  I haven't yet found out how my credit transfers are going.. but regardless, I was accepted and I will be taking one or two classes in September.  If everything goes well over the next year, I will start full time in September of 2012.

The last few weeks/months have made me really start to look at my life and realize that I have things really really great.  Michael has a great stable job that he (most importantly) LOVES, we are in good health, we live in a beautiful house/area and spend a lot of time with our children, we are able to enjoy small outings (Ie the zoo, the park) and occassional vacations, and most recently purchased a second car.  I think I tend to look to the one or two 'bad' things that stress me out and feel as though everything is going wrong.  Well.. at the end of the day, for me, those things will always be money and time.  There is NEVER enough money to live stress (budget) free and NEVER enough time to get things done.  But I've decided that my new strategy will be to prioritize.  M works really hard and makes a great living.  I am more than capable of budgeting our family on his income and yet I still stress and freak out about it.  Laundry is important but it will not be the end of me if it sits unfolded on my bedroom floor while I play with my kids or sit with my husband on our front porch.  I am over it.  Atleast this week I am.  Ask me my thoughts in another couple days when I'm overwhelmed with piles of dishes and laundry to do.  I can't get this time back with my beautiful little family.  Watching Kingston grow into this little person trying to communicate his every thought, wanting to have long conversations about 'my cah' (one of the few phrases we can clearly understand), makes me realize how quickly it all goes by.  I know everyone says that -- but seriously, it's kind of just hitting me lately.

So while I do LOVE having Momma-baby time (which I enjoyed with Kingston today on our date!), and Wife-Husband time, it has been wonderful to focus on myself for a little while.  (And my determination to look pretty darn hot in the little black dress my husband bought me for Vegas...)

           

My Big Girl..

Got her ears pierced today!!

I'm not going to lie -- I've been back and forth about the whole idea since before she was born.  I thought I would wait until she was older and let her make the decision herself.  Needless to say I've changed my mind and Michael agreed with me this weekend that I could book the appointment and take her to get them pierced.  I went in today to book an appointment for Friday and they told me that they had to have two girls that are capable of doing babies ears (they have a whole system), so it was good that I was going to pre-book.  I made a comment like 'I'm assuming no one could do it today', and the cosmetician replied, 'actually we could do it now!'.  My heart skipped a couple beats and I don't think I said anything for a solid minute.  Finally, after starting to sweat a little.. I decided to go for it!  Kingston was content in the stroller eating his popcorn (for the first time!) so we got all set up.  I picked beautiful light pink studs for her ears, and learned about the whole cleaning process.  Charlotte sat on my lap while they marked her ears, and set up their piercing guns.  I'm so glad these wonderful ladies were able to do both ears at the same time because who knows if I would have made it through the process again (holding/pinning Charlotte down so she couldn't flinch was by far the worst part).  And then she cried for about 13 seconds.  And it was over.  Charlotte looked up with tears in her eyes and smiled at me, and finally I could breath again.  

At the end of the day: I'm glad I did it! She looks beautiful and girly (let's face it -- she has no hair!), and daddy was both speechless and shocked when we got home.  But I think he likes it :) He actually cleaned them tonight while I was at the gym -- even though he said he didn't want to touch them.  I think he's afraid he's going to hurt her.  But Michael is Michael and supportive in every way!

I think she likes them..

Spring is here....

and since our backyard needs a LOT of work, we hang out on the porch. 


 

We bought sidewalk chalk earlier in the week and while I showed him how to draw with it, he finds it far more entertaining to watch it roll on the cement.  As well, Mr. Social loves to wave to every.single.car. that drives by and says "hiiiiiiiiiii".

We are looking forward to getting the backyard groomed a little so that we can spend a lot of our summer out back, but for now the front porch works :) We've been spending a lot of time at different parks as well -- Kingston loves playing with all the big kids, and Charlotte really enjoys the swings! She kicks her feet the whole time!!

"Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese"

He finally mastered smiling on cue!

(when he wants to of course).