Thankful Thursday - 182

We had Emilia's 12 month immunizations and check-up this morning. All went well and she's healthy as can be! 

I have been painting my butt off this last week and have made some pretty good progress! I paint during naps, after bedtime, and while the kids eat and play nicely. I'm exhausted, but also excited by the changes. 

This week I am thankful for...

1. Toddler distractions. I was trying to paint the other day while the kids ate breakfast. They both finished, but I wasn't done. I threw some tape on the table and told Dom it was a parking lot. DONE! Busy for another 30 minutes parking his Corvettes. Emilia stirred some fake food in a little frying pan and laughed at Dom. It doesn't always work out, but this time it did!

2. A white kitchen! I take horrible photos, but our entry way, upstairs hallway and kitchen are now all white! I am result-oriented, which makes it hard for me to stop once I've started something. I just work myself way too hard and put everything else on the back-burner until I'm done. There are pros and cons to this work ethic haha.

Before

After. Can't wait to hang some stuff up again and personalize it! It is so much brighter and fresher and it feels cleaner in here. Loving it already. Can't wait to be done!

I need Dave to take pictures with his camera, but you can see the wall on the right and the two on the left of this photo are the old colors. The kitchen is white, and the pole has one coat of white on it! Yay!!

3. Cute moments. I love Dom's kind heart. He loves to sit and snuggle and read, play cars by himself, share something he loves with Emilia (I use the term "share" loosely), and today he pushed Isla around on a little car at tot romp which was way too cute! She tried to return the favor, but the size difference between them didn't work as well that way.

There was a moment where they were both sitting with Oma, but naturally I wasn't quick enough with the camera. Oh well. Next time!

Lately - Painting and Playing

Oh my goodness. I have been busy! I'm exhausted, but it's the good, productive kind. Thursday I randomly decided I wanted to paint the whole interior of our house white. Ive een wanting to paint since we moved in, almost 4 years ago. I went out that day and bought paint and supplies, prepped the front entry way and went for it! Since then, I have completed the entry way and stairs, and the upstairs hallway! Three coats of white paint. I haven't done the trim yet, but will hopefully get started on that today. It looks SO bright and fresh. I can't wait to have the whole house done!! It's a big job, but I plan to just chip away at it over the next few weeks. Small sections at a time. David was a huge help this weekend with the kids. 

Soon(ish) these walls will all be white!

Forgot to take a true "before" picture

Exact same lighting, what a difference! Definitely going to have to paint those hideous tiles though... another project.

Friday we went to Katrina's and it was just us and them. The kids played nicely and Emilia climbed on all the things. Can't take this kid anywhere!

On Saturday there was a BBQ and garage sale at church, so we went there to kill some time. We brought a $20 along just in case. Well I used up all our "just in case" money on myself! I bought 3 Lululemon sweaters and a pair of lulu leggings with that $20. SCORE!!! The pants don't fit me, but they fit my mom so that's a win still. There was also a table with Hot Wheels. 6/$1. Umm... Dom, stock up! One more thing... David found a pair of Jordan's. Size 6Y. He wanted them for Dom for the future. How much? 50 CENTS?!?! The woman selling them definitely didn't know their worth. Dave gave her a dollar and came home and looked it up. Those shoes were almost brand new, and they're worth $90... EVEN BETTER... They happen to fit me perfectly! Haha what a strange coincidence. I have nowhere to wear Jordan's, but if I ever do decide to look super sporty I can.

Emilia has been a real challenge for me lately. I am now thinking she was at the end of a leap. My mom offered to take her for the afternoon on Saturday. That gave her and Dom each some "alone" time. Boy did they love it. Dom played SO nicely the whole time. Emilia did great with Mom and it was nice for me to have a break from the clingy monster. 

Sunday I was playing bass, so I was at church from 7-1230. Long. Morning. I was toast after all the painting and socializing I'd been doing, but Ashleigh & Scott came over and made us some eggs benny! We also got a text from Shelley inviting us over for spaghetti. My first inclination was to decline because I was so toast. But then I'd have to cook. David offered to take the kids and dog for a walk so I could go close my eyes for a bit. Life saver! Woke up refreshed and ready to head to Gramma & Grandpa's! We had delicious spaghetti for dinner and then played outside and had ice cream cones. Emilia's first ice cream cone ever!

She did actually have some ice cream in there, but she scooped it all out with her hand before moving on to the cone.

Thankful Thursday - 181

Been too busy to post this week! This is half Thankful Thursday and half what I've been up to lately. 
This week I am thankful for...

1. Free outings. Janine and I took the kids to the Surrey Museum yesterday for an impromptu playdate. Dom and Jaia zipped all over the play area and we took a minute to check out the lego exhibit too! Dave and I will have to go back there to actually look at it before it's changed again.

Janine and her little boy, Jag, who is 5 months old today!

I spy a teeny tiny person!

My first time holding this little cutie! Such a happy, easy-going guy.

Had to pry them away from the lego play area. Jaia is using a piece of lego as a phone haha!

Dom keeping Jag entertained while we ate our White Spot lunch

2. Spending time on myself. I've been really embracing the fact that this is my life. I am a stay at home mom with two kids and a dog. I am responsible for all of that and the household and feeding everyone. (David is ultra-helpful; not trying to make it sound like I'm all on my own). I am ALSO responsible for taking care of myself! I have started getting up at 6 am, an hour before the kids, and relaxing, watching the news, stretching, and eating my breakfast and hot coffee in peace. I also spent a long time (like over an hour) doing my hair and makeup the other day in preparation for our family photos that didn't end up happening due to the rain. 

Oh how I hate taking selfies; or any picture all by myself for that matter!

Instead of family photos our whole family got together and had a nice dinner together!

Next time we'll try get Dom to smile! He was concerned about the fan behind the camera

She is proof that yogurt is finger food

This morning I felt like superwoman. At 830 I took both kids and the dog to Tynehead by myself. We walked and ran through the trails. (I had to run UP the hills or else I didn't have enough momentum). The stroller weighs roughly 70lb with both of them in it, so going down hills it's really hard for me to keep control. 

Some nice older man walked by with his dog and said, "Well you've got your hands full!" I responded, "Yup. A bit!" and he said, "Well that must be how you stay in such great shape!" Sounds creepier now, but it wasn't. Thank you kind old man!

3. Spring time! Spring, I have determined, is officially my favorite season. This year we had a robin build a next on our back patio and there are 4 baby birds in there! They hardly look like babies anymore; they're overflowing! 

This was a week ago. They're not cute, but their hairdos are on point and I'm still so proud to be contributing to nature and the environment by letting them be safe and grow here! They have an excellent mommy, too. She brings them worms, and is respectful of our space. If we're in the yard, she'll fly over and sit and wait for us to go inside before going to the nest (which is right above where we sit). Zero aggression from her, which was a concern. Also, so far, zero bird poop on the patio!

Now the 4 of them barely fit! Their feathers are all coming in and they don't look like such little rock stars.

Less fun part of Spring, molting! We got all freaked out because Sherlock suddenly started looking VERY overweight. We started cutting back his food and exercising him even more, and I was even considering a thyroid condition! Then we weighed him and he IS a little chunky, but only 3lb heavier than when he turned 1. I decided to brush him. Ah... while I still want him to lose a few pounds, he looks MUCH more reasonable now. Sorry, pup! 

4. Talize finds. You all know I love thrifting. I went again the other day and got myself a few cardigans (one is the flowery one above) and a summer dress, Dom some summer shirts, and got the kids some shoes! Another success!!

I am in love with this dress I found. It's a maxidress, and it's so so so comfortable and I don't have to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions! The only issue is the droopy armpits. Who can fix this for me?!

I also got these runners for this adorable little accessorizer. I need more pictures of Dom! Trust me, I love him too, he just runs away from the camera every time!

Thankful Thursday - 180

This week I am thankful for...

1. Pom pom age! Emilia is finally at the age where she can engage and play with pom poms. I say finally because I remember when Dom started this and it would keep him quiet, focused and busy for long stretches. She may have been interested earlier, but she is a stinker and puts everything in her mouth. Now, she still has to be supervised, but she's more interested in putting them in a tube or a hole in a box. 

She is crazy. She climbs up into this stool countless times each day. I've stopped fighting it.

Look at that focus

Also this, because she's cute and loves to accessorize

2. Pantry organization! The pantry fairy struck again the other day. I took everything out and reorganized it all and threw out anything old. There weren't any surprises, thankfully. We hadn't accumulated much since my last re-org. It feels so good to get everything in a spot. It's amazing how much space we have in there when it's properly organized!

Poorly done panorama, but you get the idea.

3. Dog-walking weather. Sherlock has gotten a little fat. I blame Emilia. He does not get any less exercise, and we're not feeding him any extra. Emilia, however, thinks it's hilarious to feed him anything and everything (we will no longer allow her to have grapes, which are poisonous to dogs...). We're working on it, but another step is getting him out even more often. The nice weather makes it easy to do 2-3 walks per day. One big one, and then to the park, throw the ball, to the gas station, etc. 

What happens when you exercise your dog more? You break them apparently! He also needs a good grooming. I'll put that on the list :)

4. DIY Money Savers. My hair is very fine, but I have a LOT of it. This makes it really hard to style because it's just heavy and slippery. I was doing some research into texture sprays and decided to make my own sea salt spray. Pretty much what it sounds like... sea salt and water. I can add some essential oils or avocado oil or something, but I'll add that if I find it makes my hair too dry. Better than paying $14 for the same thing in store!

Weekend - Heat, Mother's Day & the ZOO!

A full weekend equals a sleepy Renee!

Friday and Saturday were hot! Lots of outside time and lounging on the couch. 

Nice night for some "What do you Meme" and beer on our balcony. I need to step up my selfie game haha.

He looks like such a big boy in this hat. Let it be known that this is an adult's hat that we fitted about halfway with the velcro at the back. Dom's head is ginormous.

It's been 3 years since I've been able to wear all my dresses. First year I was pregnant, second year I was either breastfeeding or pregnant. Last year I was breastfeeding. I've had this dress for probably 8-10 years and it's still one of my favorites. I only have one or two other "every day" summer dresses. I'll need to fix that! I just hate shopping.

Hard part about having a new walker in hot weather? Skinned knees. Good part? ADORABLE clothes.

There was a fire at an abandoned house just up Fraser Highway from us, so I took Dom up to see the firetrucks. There were 4 firetrucks and 2 police cars there. Dom wouldn't let us leave until the firetrucks all drove away. Luckily they were just wrapping up, so we only stood there awkwardly for like 15 minutes. Some nice firemen also waved across the street at Dom, but of course that made him freeze haha.

Sunday was Mother's Day. My first two Mother's Days were duds. David in the hospital with appendicitis, and then having a 4 day old baby! He did make up for it last year with his EXTREMELY thoughtful gift. It won't be topped :).This one was not a dud, other than I wasn't feeling great most of the day. 

In the morning Dave had set out some scratch & wins around the house where I would stumble across them throughout my morning routine. I won $42! 

Plus one more in Emilia's room he had slid under the door.

We went to the first half of the 11:00 service at church because Rebecca was being baptized :). Only the first half because... well... grumpy kids needed a nap!

 

After church we had David's family over for lunch, for which I didn't have to do anything!! We had sandwiches, potato salad, vegetables and mimosas. Great work gentlemen! As a bonus, David did 99% of the work getting the house ready for having people over. I didn't have to ask him to do anything. He was just buzzing around doing all the stuff that needed to be done. The whole day was like that. He really nailed the whole "acts of service" thing. 

I can't believe she's almost 10 months already!! She's so cute in her little heart dress <3

Our couch has been the backdrop for many a family photo.

Look at this handsome man working in the kitchen :)

Mimosa cheers! Second best part of this lunch? Both my kids were sound asleep upstairs.

This morning Janine and I set up a date to go to the Zoo. Very happy it wasn't the 28 degree weather we'd been having, it was cloudy, sunny and mild. I have the zoo pass from Emilia's birthday. The gift that keeps on giving! We were there from 9-noon. Sometime soon we'll have to go in the afternoon when the animals are a bit more up-and-at-em. The kids don't care though. Dom called most animals "bunny" anyway. 

Me pointing to lion laying in the grass: What's that Dom?!
D: A BUNNY!!

They were just as happy playing with rocks and running around. That's exactly what the zoo pass is for, though. There's no stress and it doesn't matter (to me) that we didn't see the grizzly, or the tiger, or the cheetah, or the cougar, or the reptiles. We stopped for a couple snack breaks. One was right in front of the zebras, but I neglected to take a picture, and the kids were more into their food than the zebras anyway. Dom fumbled his way through (literally through) his first fruit-roll-up. Who puts paper in yummy snacks anyway?! Haha

Did a little exploring before Janine got there. Yes... Dom played with the "Mustang" much of the time. He insisted we bring it along. Allana brought it over on Sunday and he hasn't let it out of his sight. To the park, to the zoo, on our walks.

I wish Dom was into this photo. Next time. Too busy picking his nose. He was thrilled with all the statue animals though.

Emilia seeing the black bears. I think the black bears are the friendliest animals at the zoo. They're curious and playful and they come right up to the fence quite often!

So close to a perfect photo :)

She's squealing and talking to the bear. She also happens to be licking the fence. #secondchildproblems.

Dom kept asking Jaia to run with him. They wandered off to play with gravel together at the bear enclosure. He was so excited to see her. She was more excited to see Emilia who was a total lump the whole time. Dom will have to do!

They wanted to ride in the stroller together so for a while I carried Emilia and pushed these two in the stroller. My arm got a little tired, but I'm grateful for my mom-bicep. I literally have a visible bicep on my left arm and nothing on my right, from situations exactly like this. I should probably work on that. At one point I also had Jaia and Emilia in the stroller seats and Dom sitting on the front piece where the feet go. Should have gotten a picture of that :)

Bad photo, but this peacock was in full display mode! In other news, Dom now has a new animal noise... Have you ever heard a peacock? Not cute... 

Dom also saw the white peacock and went to go see it. He was quite a ways away from me and couldn't hear (didn't listen) when I asked him to stop and wait. He got a little close to the bird for my comfort, and the bird's. It was also in full display mode and started posturing to Dom. Oops... No harm done in the end.

Before heading home we stopped at the playground. Dom climbed up this structure all on his own, which was brave enough for me. Then he came up to the swirly slide and just went! That's the first time he's ever done it. Usually he'd stand at the top and say, "No mommy." Maybe he was just showing off for Jaia.

#Proofofmom

People probably don't think Janine exists. Here is proof! There must have been a smudge on my screen that makes it look like this picture was taken in the 1960's.