So, this is what '3' looks like...

December 14, 2013

An open letter to Finlay on his third birthday,

Hey Finny!

We came home from the park the other day and, in my rush to get us in and out of the cold, I unzipped your coat in the same way that I have done so for the last couple of years.  It seemed harmless enough, even natural and maternal, only this time was different.  You yelled "NO!  Finlay do it!" and threw yourself to the bamboo floor and wailed.  I tried to rub your back, I explained that I had just forgotten you could do it, I offered to put the coat back on and do it up so that you could undo it without my assistance (an option that has worked before) but nothing I suggested would do.

"Finny, what would make you feel better then?"

"Baby!"  You wanted me to rock you like a baby.  Talk to you the way I talk to your little brother Seamus.  So I scooped you up off the floor, all 40 lbs of you, and carried you to our nursing chair.  Even though, to my dismay, you weaned yourself at 17 months, I still call it our chair.  We rocked and cooed and said "ah, goo" to each other.

           We snuggled.
                                   We chatted.
                                                         We connected.

My baby has become a little kid.  You can take off your jacket all by yourself.  You can entertain me with your dancing and singing performance of "Step in time."  You can climb up to the top bunk of your bunk beds.  You can climb down.  I never thought it would happen, but you can walk along with us on the side-walk at a reasonable speed and we will actually reach our destination.  You can infuriate me when you find buttons to push.  You still melt my heart when you smile, or laugh, or make your brother laugh.

You can take off your jacket without my help.  You help me put away groceries and stop Shay from eating stuff off of the floor.  It's amazing to me that you can climb a tree and sing words to songs.  Your memory astounds me.

But you still need me to rock you like a baby sometimes.  And I love it.

Very soon, you will be able to do many more things all by yourself.  I know that this time that I have with you, these moments rocking you in our chair; the smell of your hair, your soft skin, the chub on your little legs, and the way that you smile with your entire being; these moments are fleeting.

Because I know this, I don't take a second of you for granted.  Not the heart-melting ones nor the pull-my-hair-out ones.  Three is big.  And you are getting bigger.

I'd like to be able to say that the bigger you get the more I know you.  That is how I thought this would go.  But the peak of knowing you has come and gone; some time ago, when you were smaller and I could predict your needs and knew your cues.  Now, at three, you are full of surprises.  I grew you in my body but I did not create you.  You create yourself in every moment.  You become more yourself each day.

So, this is what '3' looks like.



It looks different all the time.

But whether you are '3' or '33' I am always open to connect with you - even outside of the comfort of our chair.

Love always,
Mama

The Real Thing

December 8, 2013

It's finally here.  This kid (the one pictured below in the snow) has been waiting for Christmas time since last Christmas.  He has been watching Rudolph ALL YEAR LONG!  We sang the song on the bus during a heat wave in July.  He has been pretending that it's snowing for months.  Well, December is upon us, just two weeks until Ontario, and this week IT SNOWED!

Yes, I realize that this is not really snow as it is understood in Ontario.  But to Fin, the Victorian that he is, this is the real thing!  When I saw the snow, I called to Fin to come and see, "It's snowing!" and I think he, and probably Tyler as well, thought that I was playing our make-believe game.  But little tiny flakes were coming down.  It was cold enough to stay on the ground too.  Fin and Ty went outside to 'play' in the snow.  He caught snow flakes on his tongue which is what I always pretend to do when we pretend that there is snow falling.  There was enough to make a snowball.  He refused to throw it.  He wanted to keep it.

Fin in the snow!

When I ask Fin to smile he does this.

This weekend, we were all about Christmas.  We went to the "Truck Parade" downtown.  We did a little shopping.  And we saw Santa.  The real one.  Fin was so excited but didn't understand that it was just for pictures.  He thought we were seeing Santa like we see any old friend.  He didn't understand why we weren't having conversation and food and play.  I think he was a little disappointed.  He refused, once again, to sit on Santa's lap.  Shay was placed on Santa's lap and looked a little confused and then, as if he was suddenly given an instruction to do it, he cried the saddest, most pathetic cry ever.  The photographer was amazing and got a good shot despite the reality of the situation.

I comfort Shay while Fin chats with Santa.

The photographer's shot.  I love it.  There was another lovely one of Fin giving Santa a high five but, at $25.00 a pop, it will have to live on in the memory bank.

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas

December 3, 2013

We just returned from a lovely trip to Nanoose to visit with (Great) Auntie Chris & Uncle Mike.  It was eventful.  The high/low lights were as follows:

1) Rental car - very exciting to Fin for the first half hour.  Not so much after that.  Seamus hated the car until he fell asleep (within 3 minutes).  Then he woke up and hated the car even more!

2) Sleeping in a big bed.  Fin had a queen to himself and loved it.  Shay had a King to himself until Ty and I got in.  Still a lot of room.  Ty had what seemed like a double in space while Shay snuggled with me and nearly pushed me off the bed.  Ah, bedsharing.  There is never enough room.

3) I was attacked by a parrot.

4) There were lovely decorations and presents!  It was Shay's first gift and he was super into pulling the paper.  The "Funkeys" that he received were a big his with both kids.  Check out his Christmas list (not really), here for a laugh!  Fin is an old pro, this being his 4th Christmas, and was also happy with his gifts.  Thanks again, Chris and Mike.

5) Food.  As always, Chris cooks great food and is very accommodating to our diet.  We ate well.  We drank well too.

Fin opening a gift.  Shay was pretty interested.

So excited!  A toy!

Shay can do it too!

Unwrapping his first Christmas present.

He was playing with the keys before the paper was off the box!

A couple of happy kids at Christmas time!

Celebrating Our Care-free Car-free Life

November 24, 2013

We have been a car-free family for over a year.  In fact, we only recently came to this realization as it is not something we even have to think about any longer.  Although this lifestyle isn't for everyone (Ontario streets in winter might not be safe for a cyclist, but they are probably not safe for drivers either), we have learned a lot about consumerism, immediate gratification, time management, and getting from point A to B.

We have found that we are NOT always on a bike or bus.  When we had a car, we seemed to always be driving.  We manage our time differently.  We spend less time in traffic as we whiz by all of the cars through the bike lanes or we enjoy the beauty of the city on the Galloping Goose trail.  We spend more time at home or walking to places nearby.  Our kids are hardly ever taken shopping outside of the grocery store!  We shop on our own (sans children) more.  We spend more time doing what we want to do.

We spend less on insurance.  Bike maintenance is less expensive than car maintenance.  But mostly, we consume less.  Without a car to carry stuff home in, without the convenience of "running out the store," we aren't buying things on a whim.  We think about buying this or that for days or even weeks and when a trip to this or that store finally comes around we tend to either acknowledge that we don't really need that item or we excitedly purchase the long awaited thing and it's like Christmas!

No parking tickets.  No paying for parking.  Always a spot close to the entrance which means we hardly even have to navigate our pre-schooler through a parking lot.

We load up our trailer with similar things as a car.  We have similar difficulty strapping our kids into their seats and helmets.  We have to keep them entertained, safe, and the time in the 'vehicle' must be limited.  Our trailer converts into a stroller.  We cycle to downtown, the beach, the chiropractor, and we convert it, and walk around.

Yes, we did it for our budget.  But mostly, we did it because we could!  It's great for the environment, it's great for our health, and we feel like we are role-modelling to our kids.

Shay at home.  We spend a lot of time at home or in our garden.  It's really where babies like to be!

We arrive early for our chiropractic appointment and pull over for a swing at the park.  Shay isn't as thrilled with the swing as Fin was/is.  Fin is using the big-kid-swing these days as well.

We walk to local cafes and drink tea if we need a change of scene.  

Fin loves hot chocolate, a new treat he is trying out this season!

Fin helps us get the bikes and trailer ready for longer trips.

I take the bus to school, which is great because I can get a lot of reading done while I ride.  Here is Fin pretending to do his "cool-work" or school work.  The wipes with the open lid is his "pu-ter" or computer.

Like I said, car-free may not be for everyone, but it works for us!  I highly recommend lowering your use of cars and getting on the bus/bike more often.

Fall Fun

November 12, 2013

After a rainy start to our fall out here on the west coast we have been lucky to get a few sunny days to get outside. Rain or shine we are playing outside daily (even if we did not want to the rain only seems to heighten Fin's interest in the outdoors) but on the sunny days we tend to bring out the camera a bit more so here are a few pics of what we have been up to.

Seamus wants nothing more than to just pull up on something and stand their smiling proudly.  He has begun to work on "cruising" from object to object that he grabs a hold of. 

We are in our backyard on our little tykes play cube. Shay and I played in the back yard. I did some gardening and Seamus side stepped his way around the play cube.  It was really a perfect practice place as he could happily work on his cruising but had a cushy landing for when he fell.

In early November we made a leaf pile for Finlay and Seamus to play in.  It quickly became one of Finlay's new favourite places and he asks to go there on a daily basis.

Some days are wetter then others so here Finlay plays in his Newt Suit 

I did an action shot of Finlay running and jumping into the leaves.  He really liked it!

Off he goes!

And celebrates by throwing leaves in the air.  I was unable to get any photographic proof but Finlay was quite insistent that after every time he dove into the leaves I would have to follow.  He loved the game and showed little concern over my explanation that leaves did not really break the fall of someone of my weight. So, over and over again I jumped on the ground... Fun?

We have some friends that are also big lovers of spending time outside. We have an ongoing arrangement to meet with them.  Here Finlay is at Saxe Point. It is a park with lots of grass, woods and rocky beaches to play on.  Fin was very excited to find a cave (of sorts) that he could climb down into and get close to the water.

The mist was heavy that day - Fin and I just stood looking out over the water. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place

Fin really seems to love the ocean.

And here is a great pic of Mom and Fin playing some dress up games! We are slowly starting to build up a supply of costumes for all the kids at daycare but we were just having fun with different hats today!

Salmon Run

November 3, 2013

Our friend, Hilary, was kind enough to take me, Fin, and Shay to Goldstream park for the Salmon Run.  It was a beautiful day for it.  Sunny, but cool.  Autumn is damp in Victoria.  The forest was mossy green and the giant trees were clouded with mist.  But, most importantly, the salmon were running.  Well, swimming.

Hilary took these pictures, so she isn't in any unfortunately.  Here is Fin, marching to the fish.  I am walking behind him wearing Seamus.  

It was difficult, at first, for Finlay to see below and through the water to the Salmon.  But soon they started jumping and flopping out of the water and it became clear to him where they were and what they look like.

Magical woods.

"Look at that salmon!"

Shay didn't seem to interested in Salmon.  But he loves the woods and being worn in the Ergo.

Snack time!

Shay and his feed-Mama-game.

So happy!

What a muffin!

One of the Park Scientists with a dead Salmon.  Someone tried to tell Fin it was sleeping.  I corrected them.  We've talked about dead fish at home before as we eat salmon.

Fin noted its teeth and that its eyes were open.  Apparently salmon don't have eyelids and, get this, they follow the stars back to the river for the run.

Kind of smelled.

Salmon!

Salmon and Fin.

It was a really nice trip and Fin learned a lot.

Only one melt down.  This is Fin pretending to be a baby (his current favourite game).

'Baby' Fin.

Reindeer in October

October 31, 2013

"Happy Halloween Seamus!  What are you going to be today?"

"A cute baby.  So cute it's scary?"

He actually put the bowl on his head by himself.

Finlay and I made a fabulous craft.  The paint batter for our cotton-ball jack-o-lantern felt cool!

Yay for sensory play and crafting at the same time.  The colours were bright and the batter was scented so the house smelled like pumpkin pie as we baked it!

Like his brother before him, Shayme did not like the dinosaur costume.

Another Halloween fail.

This was Fin's first Halloween success.  He told us what he wanted to be and we made his costume.  This is him first thing in the morning trying it on.  The look on his face when he saw himself in the mirror was priceless.  He kept touching his tail in disbelief and saying "I have a tail, Mama.  I a reindeer!"

And there were cakes.

And there were toys and greeting cards that act like toys.

Fin actually helps carve his pumpkin.

When I got home, Fin was on the front stoop greeting trick-or-treaters.  He was just loving being outside in the dark.  He made several comments about the stars.

Fin said "Trick or treat" and "Thank you" without any help or coaxing.

He just wanted to go from house to house to house.  But we had to call it a night after about 8 or 9 doors.  We had brought our own treats to these neighbours earlier in the day.

Because the neighbours gave out our treats to Fin, he could actually consume his loot.  Here he is checking out what he got.  He was really excited and happy with all of his 'treats.'