I have just been spending time with this guy:
…and this guy:
…and this guy:
I have also been daydreaming about this one:
We’re contemplating a trip to the cabin for one of the nights of this long weekend. More quality time with the love of my life and our two (well, three) little loves. I really don’t know how life could get any better. When I stop to contemplate how I have been so fully blessed, it is almost too much to comprehend.
My heart feels so full of love that it physically aches. When Baby D. arrives I think the time will come that my heart finally explodes. I know that love is infinite, but I am a finite being.
The 2 kids I have are unbearably cute, funny, sweet, loving…I could go on forever. Baby D. will just add to the love-fest.
Now, I know that my heart won’t actually explode, but I’m betting on it cracking just a little. How could it not?
Sigh. It will be so very much worth it.
I’ll sign off now before I make you all sick with the sappiness that I’m spewing. Have a great long weekend.
“I was just remembering how you yelled through those last two contractions when you were in labour with Nathan.”
“I did not! I only yelled when he came out. Because seriously? That was the weirdest feeling EVER! It felt like all of my insides were being sucked out.”
(Cue suction sound)
“Nice sound effect. Was it kind of like when you pull out a really big booger?”
“Um…maybe…if you multiply it by a BILLION TIMES.”
As I have mentioned many, many times, we are in the midst of renovations. We bought our house in March 2001, and have been making it our style room-by-room since then.
Last spring, we had a fantastic idea. Get the renovations all done by fall 2005 and have more time as the kids grew to do FUN things. Well, Matthew finds a lot of fun in working with wood, but more along the lines of furniture building as opposed to wainscoting and laying floors.
We have a great room (open kitchen/living room) that we completed in 2002. We also have a family room down half a flight of stairs (we have a split-level house). Once it was full of my work-station, the entertainment unit, my treadmill, a couch, and TOYS, there wasn’t much floor space left. We decided to add on to that room. The added bonus: a big deck off of our master bedroom that one day I can sit on and read/surf while watching my children play.
It was also time to do the inside of our master bedroom. It was completeIy gutted last summer down to the studs.
Then we had the fire. Getting the house back to where it was before the fire was obviously first priority. That took all of last fall. Matthew then completed our room & ensuite. I have pictures of our loo on Flickr and you’ve seen the craft room (it’s off of our bedroom), but I still need to post the bedroom shots.
The push has been on to get the house done (mostly) before Baby D gets here. We could have let the renos drag on for years, but we thought it best to do them while the kids are so small. Once they are bigger (and naps/diapers/etc. fade out), we want to have the time to do cool family stuff. Go to the cabin, the Coast, the PNE, skiing, etc. Thus, we decided to hire my brothers to help us get ‘er done.
She almost is. There are some finishing touches needed on the exterior as well as the clean-up. The family room has been mudded/sanded/primed. Once my brother leaves tomorrow, Matthew will be back inside to paint, lay the floors, put the tongue and groove wood on the ceiling, and put the fixtures in the bathroom down there. The end really is in sight. All of the before and after photos are on Flickr, but here’s a sampling:
Before:
After:
There. Now you know what has kept us so busy…apart from our monkeys. Isn’t Matthew a talented, talented man?
Tomorrow marks a year since we had our house fire. Reading through the posts about it, I am brought to tears every time. I’ll copy them down below. There was one thing that struck me that night. I stood outside with one boy on each hip as Matthew fought the fire. As I knew Honey was fine, and my babies were in my arms, I didn’t care if the house burned down. Honestly. And I still feel that way. Possessions are temporary. My family is forever.
Thinking about this anniversary tomorrow has had me reflecting all weekend. Thinking about how blessed we have been and how thankful I am that we are all perfectly healthy. Things could have been so very much worse, but there was not a scratch on any of us. Never mind that, but despite having the fire in his room, Nathan didn’t even smell of smoke. You can read all about it below.
Though I truly was not worried about possessions, we didn’t lose any of those either, apart from one chair & a quilt. Yes, there was water damage, and yes, we were out of our house for 2 months, but we were so very well taken care of. By family, friends, and our insurance 
God is good, and so are His people.
That all said, the posts detailing the story of that night follow down below.
To my sweet Baby Bear,
I can’t believe that you are 2 years old today…and yet I can. I can remember the day of your birth so clearly, but the last 2 years are so full of memories made with you that your birth seems so long ago. In the last year since your first birthday, you have changed so much. Not only in looks, but in personality and in your skills and abilities.
You are a child like none other. While you are a social butterfly like your brother, you have your very own distinct personality. As Grandma Shona pointed out, “He definitely has that sparkle in his eye”. You will tilt your head, give a sly smile, and twinkle those baby blues at me. There’s a reason that I call you a stinker, but you aren’t a bad kid. Just a little mischievous sometimes
You say “Hi!” to anyone and everyone in your general vicinity. If they don’t respond, you repeat yourself until they do. You also say “Yep” to most questions thrown your way. That is unless it’s something to which you know the answer is “No” to, such as, “Do you want to go to bed?”
Your vocabulary is expanding daily, thanks mostly to your chatty brother. The two of you are like two peas in a pod. Though there is the occasional scuffle over a toy, generally you both share everything really well…with a “Here you go!” thrown in as you hand it over. If one of you is playing in another room, the other will go looking for their buddy. If I get you up in the morning or after a nap and Graham isn’t with me, you’ll ask me where he is.
You love, love, LOVE your Daddy. You’re a lot like him too. Long and lean, and a lot of similar personality traits. Though he’s not a huge extrovert, so you must get that from me. You take delight in “helping” him do whatever he is doing. Whether it’s mowing the lawn, fixing the house or working in the office, you want to be right next to him, doing what he’s doing. He calls you “Mini me”.
You love machinery. Of any type. Trucks, cars, quads, you name it. If it has wheels or an engine (boat, plane, etc.) you are all over it. You spend many hours of the day with a toy vehicle in your hand, making engine noises. You are over the moon with joy when Daddy takes you on a quad ride, and are even happy to sit on it while it’s parked in the driveway. Our house is overflowing with all of your trucks (as is the van, deck, and sandbox) but you’re a BOY - I totally expect it from you.
You are also a very loving and cuddly kid. This seems in direct contrast to your inner need to never stop moving. But stop you do, and ask to be picked up. You will wrap your arms around me and nuzzle your face into my neck. You’re full of kisses too. You give many and receive even more.
I can’t even imagine what this next year will bring. You will become even more of a little boy…and less of a baby. Despite all of this growth and change to come in the coming year and those to follow, you will always be my baby. I love you.
Mommy.
