Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Thankfulness...it can be found anywhere

My poor sweet baby girl is sick. She had her 6 month checkup yesterday and got 2 shots, her brother has a cold and she has been coughing and has a little runny nose, the weather is getting warmer and we are outside a lot more...hard to know what the cause is. Isabelle was up all night long, she sleeps best in her crib and so I tried to keep lying her down but at least every 30 minutes or so she was up and crying. She had a fever...her very first. She has a very runny nose and cannot breathe with her soother in. She cannot soothe herself without the 'nuk'. Poor Sweet Baby Isabelle.

So, what does this have to do with thankfulness??? EVERYTHING!!! It is about seeing the cup as half full rather than half empty. It is about choosing to find that silver lining in an otherwise dark situation.

I am thankful for the digital ear thermometer!!! WOO HOO! How great is it to be able to get an accurate temperature in less than 5 seconds. No pain for the kids, no having to hold a thermometer in that exact spot under the tongue or arm, no going where no parent wants to go.

I am thankful for Baby Motrin. I love that it uses a plunger instead of the traditional dropper...so much easier to measure and administer. And nothing brings down a fever quite as fast...as I held her to my chest I could feel her getting cooler...just amazing!

I am thankful that I was able to see the sunrise, it was so beautiful this morning and I would have slept right through it if Isabelle did not have me up.

I am thankful for the hot shower I now have time to take before Adrian leaves for work.

I am thankful that I am still on maternity leave and do not have to go into work today and try to be clever and on the ball when I really am so tired.

I am thankful that Owen is in Montessori school and will have a great morning instead of being stuck at home with a sick sister and tired mama.

I am thankful for my great neighbours who will drive Owen to school for me so I don't have to wake Isabelle if she is sleeping.

I am thankful that it is Wednesday and my mom is coming tonight, if tonight is a repeat of last night it will be wonderful to have an extra pair of hands...and if not it is always nice to just have a visit with mom.

I am thankful that the house is clean and tidy...thanks Anna.

It is all about framing and attitude. TODAY I choose to be thankful.

Thought for the day: try to find a silver lining, something to be thankful for that is not obvious at first glance.

Have a great day...jen

Monday, May 7, 2007

What a find

just outside our front door. We went for a walk yesterday exploring the area where new homes are to be built. We are not at all happy that the land that was 'protected' is now going to be full of homes, the school playground gone, the soccer fields gone...BUT the developer has revised original plans and we went out to get a look at what greenspace will remain. It seems like quite a lot will be intact...certianly not what it is right now...but more than we thought, so we are happy.

Adrian took us on a bit of an exploration hike, told Owen we were going "on an adventure", he was excited. It really felt like we were in the deep woods...Owen called it "The Hundred Acre Woods" from Winnie-the-Pooh, seems to be a theme these days.

We started with a roll down the hill, and if that does not bring back great memories of childhood I don't know what does. I rolled after Owen for a little, but then my keys and cell phone fell out of my pocket and I had to climb back up the hill to retrieve them...things kids don't have to worry about.



Owen pushed Isabelle in the stroller for a little while then had to run, run, run. Love watching him run, such a kid thing to do, run for the sake of running, not to get in shape, not to catch a bus, just to run because it feels good.


We did a little "fishing" with a long stick in the water. Owen found rods for mommy, daddy and himself...such a great sharer and always thinking of others.


It was nice to see the signs of spring, buds on trees, birds nesting, blue sky and the warmth of the sun on our faces.



Isabelle fell asleep in the stroller with her hat over her eyes, too cute. Something about the fresh air just knocks her out cold.


We found a great log to bounce on.


And finally a hill to climb and we were back in the neighbourhood.


This amazing find is only a few steps from our front door and we were out for probably a few hours. All in all we had an amazing day!
Jen

Sunday, May 6, 2007

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY ISABELLE


I cannot believe our sweet girl is 6 months old today.
It seemed only yesterday we were holding her in our arms, a tiny newborn, all fresh and new.
It seemed only yesterday we were at the hospital and Owen was singing "Happy Birthday" to her.
It seemed only yesterday we found out we were pregnant and we were so hopeful that this one would "stick".
It seemed only yesterday I was on bedrest for the first 3 months and the last 3 months trying to keep her safe inside me.
It seemed only yesterday we brought her home from the hospital.
It seemed only yesterday Owen visiting in the hospital and wanting to hold is baby sister.
It seemed only yesterday...and yet somehow 6 months have passed.
Happy Half Birthday Isabelle!
We love you,
mama, dada & owie

Friday, May 4, 2007

The Lake

We are so lucky to live in Ajax and have beautiful lakefront to walk along only minutes from our house. Ajax has done a great job of preserving this waterfront area. There is a long paved path for walking & biking, a HUGE playground, a waterpark, amazing greenspace and so much more. We went to the lake on the weekend and just had a great time.



Isabelle is getting so big...trying to hold her own bottles:



Owen looking for Winnie the Pooh in "The Hundred Acre Woods"



Throwing rocks into the lake...such fun!




Great day!

Jen

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Easter Pics

Here are some pictures, long overdue I know, of Owen dying eggs. This was the first year we attempted this and we had a great time. He was so into dipping the eggs and getting them out quick...if was fun to watch him simply enjoying the process.