It's Tough Being Almost 4

We are now beginning our 3rd month of this school year and that means that Jean has settled into kindergarten... or has she? 
Being tired is part of being in kindergarten.  There are no naps (at least regular naptimes) at school but not only that, it is a busy place.  It is a wonderful place to.  Jean comes home from school very content and likes to tell us about her day, what songs they sang and stories they read.  She has finally started to show an enthusiasm for learning her numbers and letters and is doing quite well despite a rocky start.  We keep her home one day week to allow her to relax on her own and decompress.  Unfortunately she doesn't want to be at home with me - she wants to get on the bus with Grace and Alex and go to school to be with her classmates. 
Jean will turn 4 years old in a few weeks.  I look at her and see such a feisty and happy little girl, ready to take on her world but I also see a very tired child. 
What do you do in your household to keep everyone well-rested?  What did you do when your children were small that seemed to work?

So What's New?

I love having the house to myself in the evenings after the kids go to bed.  Ian is playing hockey tonight and I am sitting at the laptop just enjoying my time.  Tonight was busy but so much fun.  After I met for dinner with my book club, I went to the Halloween Dance at our school.  Ian brought the kids a little earlier and after spending some time trying to find them amidst the foggy smoke and little dressed up creatures, I found Ian and Jean sitting on the sidelines having a snack.  The rest of our evening was spent watching all of the kids dancing, running and having so much fun with their friends.  We live in a great community and I am so happy to be a part of a vibrant school.  I forgot my camera and iphone tonight but really wished I could have captured some moments... so many priceless ones.  Close to the end of the evening, a parent-friend told Ian that she thought he should win "Father of the Year" for dancing with his kids.  I love that about him - he is not afraid to have fun with them.  Another wonderful moment.

Tomorrow is the first Saturday morning we have spent at home with all 5 of us in ages!  After a busy summer and fall of Saturday Farmers' Markets and then last year having hockey every Saturday morning, we have tomorrow morning "off".  Alex usually has hockey and Jean usually has dance class but tomorrow there is NOTHING planned!  I am really hoping everyone sleeps in (at least a little bit) and then we are going to relax for the day.  The kids don't want to go anywhere; they just want to play games, build lego, do some crafts and I am hoping to do some sewing.  Then we will make homemade pizza tomorrow night and watch a movie or two. 

Happy Weekend to all of you! 

 

Sharing Some Precious Moments... in Pictures

The kids had fun showing off how they feel about eachother... just precious.

To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, we are doing a few different, special things throughout the year.  In late September, we had a good friend do a family photo shoot for us.  Words cannot express how I feel about our pictures - they are just breathtaking and amazing.  I want to share some of them on my blog...



On our farm we have few old buildings left, due to a barn fire in 1997.  This picture is in front of the Machine Shop and it is made of beautiful, old barnboard.  I loved how Grace looks in this picture.
 

This picture was fun... I always love kissing my husband!

Rhonda knows Jean's personality and this picture shows her perfectly! 
In our family, Jean has the spunkiest personality - I love it!



Grace looks so mature in this picture... such a beauty.  Her smile is contagious.

Our handsome boy, Alex.  He looks so relaxed.



This picture makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Our kids love being together.  Don't get me wrong, they certainly have their fair share of arguments and fights but they spend a lot of time together and it is easy for them to show how much they love eachother.  Rhonda was so excited about the lighting in this spot... it is just beautiful.

 

The lighting in this picture is so magical... you would almost think there were not any kids running around us acting crazy!  It looks peaceful and romantic!

These pictures are some of my most prized possessions... I am proud of my family and proud of my marriage.  This coming year is full of celebrations for us - next is a little trip to Quebec City - just Ian and I.  Then it will be something really exciting... stay tuned!

Fabric, Patterns and Creativity

I just finished one of the most beautiful quilts I have made in my short career as a quilter.  Actually I started quilting when I was 8 months pregnant with Alex (my middle child), which was almost 6 years ago but as I was raising 3 babies, time for sitting at my sewing machine awake, was very limited.  I'm not exactly sure why I picked those weeks to begin a new hobby; maybe I was nesting but despite why I started, I have grown to absolutely love all things related to quilting.  This quilt in particular was made out of love for somone and I chose the colours and patterns with my thoughts about them.  I don't always sew for someone else... actually I usually just sew and quilt for myself and then it leads into a gift for someone.  You can never have enough quilts and quilted objects in your home.  I love fabric and patterns and being creative so quilting is my passion. 

New Traditions

Mom and her grandchildren:  L-R, Clare, Jean, Grace, holding Alison

This weekend the kids and I enjoyed a sunny but cool cottage weekend with my mom, sister and my nieces.  My mom decided to plan a weekend getaway between our two homes (we live 6 hours apart) to a cottage where we could enjoy relaxing, playing and just plain bonding with eachother.  Despite all of our hectic schedules we made it work and had a great time.  There were just a couple of "downers" such as the poor condition of the cottage and the lack of sleep BUT despite that it was wonderful.  As usual, my mom planned it perfectly to include good food, fun kids activities (an entertaining Halloween party) and good wine. 

 

 Being together is good for our souls but getting together can be difficult.  When we do find the time, it is relaxing and fun.  My own children love to see their cousins and I love how my neices, Clare and Alison, just fall into my little family dynamic so easily.  They are full of hugs for me which makes my heart sing.  It is so easy to love neices and nephews and those two girls are no different.  Alison almost let me take her home with me (I am a bit lonely for a little munchkin at home during the daytime) but Carollyn wouldn't let me put her in my van. 

 

During supper tonight, I asked the kids what their favourite part of the weekend was and Alex replied that he loved seeing Clare (isn't that sweet?) and going to the playground, Jean loved the play structure the best and Grace loved it all!  My favourite part was after the children were sleeping and we could sit down and relax and chat about our lives.  My mom is very proud of my sister and I and it shows.  We come from a long line of strong women (body and soul) even though life hasn't always been easy.  Being together is the most meaningful part of my weekend.  It is a nice tradition to start... just my mom and her daughters and grandchildren.  Let's hope we can meet again like this next year.

It Is Easy To Be Thankful

At the end of this Thanksgiving weekend (one of my favourite holidays) I am compelled to write some of my own "thanksgivings".  I think this might help me feel better during some struggles we are experiencing with our own farm business.  We are continuing to feel the effects of our summer drought and it is harvesting time for our soybeans and grain corn but it certainly isn't going very well.  Such is the life of a farming family!  They always say some years are good and some are tough and this one has been challenging and the effects will last quite a while.  I'm not going to get into the specifics of our very own struggles this year but I do want to list some of the parts of our life that I am thankful for...

1.  Ian:  strong, steady, reliable, loving (AMAZING)
2.  Grace:  loving, creative, beautiful, adventurous
3.  Alex:  loveable, funny, sensitive, friendly, smart ... my boy who amazes me every day!
4.  Jean:  giving, beautiful, cuddly, full of expression
5.  My mom:  Very supportive.  She shows more strength than a person should have to...
6.  My sister and brother
7.  My home
8.  My parents-in-law:  the most welcoming and giving people.
9.  Our extended family circle:  It is quite big and I am so thankful to have them around us.  Near or far, they show support and love to us.
10.  I am especially thankful to be living in a country that allows us to have a good life.  We have a full pantry and freezer, we are well educated and our children continue that same path, we live in a beautiful home in a breathtaking part of the country and we are free.  Today I am most thankful for that so despite the fact that our life may not always be perfect and that there is some parts of our life right now that are not comfortable, we are living the good life. 
11.  I shouldn't leave out feeling thankful for hope... being farmers, there will always be hope that next year will be better.

A New Discovery Online

It is always exciting to find something new online... that works really well!  Visit myscrapnook.com for some digital scrapbooking fun of your own.  Oh the possibilities!