Friday 8 April 2022

Thankful Friday - 290 (Chickalettas/Soccer/Spring Play/Lately)

Time got away from me yesterday. It was too beautiful of a day to sit in front of the computer for an hour writing a Thankful Thursday post. It wasn't suuuper sunny, but it was so warm! I was almost too warm wearing a light long sleeve and leggings. Glorious! Nicest day we've had all year for sure. Nothing like last year. Last year was so gorgeous at the beginning of April. I remember being so pregnant sitting out there. 

Alas, this was another super busy week and here's a Thankful Thursday - Lately post!

1. Chickaletta Reunion! On Monday I was in a bit of a funk and realized I was feeling a little lonely and needed to take some initiative. I texted the Chickalettas to see if anyone wanted to plan a wine night sometime. Immediate responses of agreement and before we knew it, we had 7 of us planning to get together at my house on Tuesday! That is the quickest and most successfully that any plan has ever come together with us haha. 


This is how we take a selfie haha.

2. Two days at the office this week. We're doing a trial run of Mom watching Eva for me one day a week and working from home while the kids are at preschool. The first time was this Tuesday. I dropped the kids off at school, dropped Eva off at Mom's, traded cars, went to work for ~3hrs, and then met Mom back at the school to get the kids and trade cars again. It was a lot of work and juggling, but it's also the most productive 3 hours I've had at work in a very very long time. I got to go back in as usual on Wednesday too, and it was so good to have a little bit of continuity to actually accomplish something and complete a task in one sitting. Eva did pretty well, and hopefully just continues to get better. At least she slept so Mom could still work!

3. Rockband Date night. Last Friday Dave and I cashed in some scratch and wins to buy some nice beers and hung out playing Rockband and drinking beer for the evening. A few beers in and we were both feeling pretttty confident haha. I actually played significantly better on the drums on hard than I do normally on medium. Just gotta loosen up I guess!

Only have this photo because we were curious who would do better on each instrument. Had to document our scores, switch, and then try again. Dave won every time.

4. New Soccer Shots season! Dom had his first soccer class of this session outside at Clayton Park last Saturday. I wasn't sure how it would go as it's a new place, all new coaches, all new players, and way more people watching. He took about 2 minutes to warm up, and then we got to see his true colours. He is that kid that interrupts the coach/teacher to share something totally irrelevant about his home life or about something his mom said last week. I can hardly believe it haha. Anyway, he had a blast and can't wait for tomorrow already! While he played, I took the girls to the playground and had a little picnic. Tomorrow I'll bring more/better snacks to keep Emilia happy. 

He's sitting in the middle here. Close to a teammate with his grey hood up

So glad I brought the muddy buddies for the girls!



She crazy. People kept thinking she was a boy in this blue muddy buddy too haha. She's not the most feminine looking girl and I put her in blue. So whatever :)

But come on... what's not ladylike about this?! Haha

5. Movie night. I think I may have mentioned it before, but we've sort of done a TV detox at home. Half intentionally, half naturally. The kids haven't sat down to watch a show in I don't even know how long. Weeks. They listen to a lot of audiobooks now, and we've been listening to those and then once a week or so sitting down as a family to watch the movie about their latest favourite audiobook. This week it was The Emperor's New Groove. I find if we do screen time this way it doesn't affect their behaviour nearly as much as if they just watch a show/movie during the day on their own. 

My favorite people.

6. Our Neighbourhood/Complex. Yesterday was beautiful, so we spent the entire afternoon outside. I decided we could eat outside and made some tacos. Jesse and Kirsten joined us out there with their dinner, and then Chad and his son came out to play some hockey afterwards. It was so nice to be out there for hours, everyone doing something that brought them joy, and all the kids exploring, exercising and getting fresh air. Dom was in heaven playing hockey, and even stayed out there with Chad and Cole while Dave and Emilia walked the dog and I put Eva to bed. 

Another reason to be thankful is that somehow my jacket got left outside all night WITH BOTH SETS OF KEYS IN IT! Oops... Thankful that nothing happened and nobody took advantage of that situation. Break-ins (particularly cars) definitely happen around here, but not as often as some areas. We got luuucky. 

"Mom, can we go to the little park so we can play Catching Aladdin?" Hmm... sure. I'm intrigued.

They are the guards who are apparently shooting poison at Aladdin. I think they're combining Aladdin with Emperor's New Groove. 



This little clinger. This week she's been a different baby. I think she's teething and has started Leap 8. It's a doozy. It is reminding me a lot of Emilia at this age and I'm terrified. Yesterday was a bit better, but earlier this week I couldn't put her down at all at home or she'd scream at me and claw my legs. She would cry for 15-45 minutes at bedtime no matter how many times I went in there or whether or not she was medicated. Please just be an off week and go back to the normal sweetest little thing ever now okay?!

Emilia is not great at independent play, but outside yesterday she got into some amazing groove. She had this whole narrative going on the other end of the driveway from where we were. I couldn't hear what she was playing, but it was something where she was a Mommy I'm thinking. She was caring for her baby, cradling it around, singing to it, etc. She had her tricycle set up as her car to drive places, and at one point I'm almost certain she was standing on a sewer cover in the grass as if it was a stage and she was performing something for the baby. You can see her carefully cradling the baby's head in this picture. <3 She yelled at Eva any time she got remotely close to her because she didn't want to share. Normally that won't fly, but because she was playing so nicely on her own I wanted to encourage that, so we did our best to keep Eva otherwise occupied.

Enter. Firetruck!


Aren't we adorable


Wren just turned one on Wednesday (April 6)! Eva turns one next Saturday (April 16)

Wren looks like a model! <3

We're looking to find an actual hockey net and are getting a basketball hoop next week. Second hand of course. Technically in our strata I don't think we're supposed to have basketball hoops, but on the other end someone has one and it's left out and I guess no one has complained. Everyone in our corner is stoked for there to be one out here and many are willing to chip in. Going to be a fun Spring/Summer!

Eva's nervous/polite smile hahaha. Kirsten was sprinkling grass on the girls. Wren loved it. Eva has her truth written all over her face. 

How I left Dom to go put Eva to bed. In his happy place. 

There was lots more this week, but for the sake of time, I'll plop them here in chronological order! Last Thursday Gramma and Grandpa came for dinner and hung out for a bit. Gramma got a bit of bonding time in with Eva while they read books. 


Did I share this class picture already? Hahaha. Oh man. 

Dom has started teaching himself to read! I mean... We sort of help him along, but ultimately his brain seems to grasp these things really quickly and naturally. I got a couple books out from the library for him and he totally gets it. Struggles to focus after a few minutes, but that's a lot for a 5-year-old brain! I remember being in Grade 1 or 2 and learning to read. Not preschool. I remember hardly learning letters in Kindergarten! A core memory for me is being in KG and doing a little quiz with the teacher where they show us all the letters and we have to say what sound they make. I was so confident, and when I got to Q I proudly said, "qu!" I was corrected that it actually sounds like "k" without the U. I have never forgotten that. A perfectionist from that age apparently. Haunted by my one mistake in my KG alphabet quiz. Sigh...

I set up a couple toys Thursday night and Friday morning the kids came down and immediately started playing with them quietly while I got Eva's bottle ready and stuff. I should definitely do that more often. I haven't since then... but it would be smart haha. They're also both really into colouring and drawing lately. Dom is loving drawing things from his imagination like hockey rinks, people, volcanoes, dinosaurs, cars, etc.


Me just trying to have a coffee on my own. This is why I get up at 6 normally. To have an hour of spaaaaaace. I love them, but and gosh. I need space. 



On Saturday evening we went to Jesse & Kirsten's after bedtime and played some horse races. I lost miserably and had to borrow from the bank of David. And then the bank of J&K. D'oh! 


Sunday morning I played bass at both church services. It makes for a long morning. I definitely can't do that often, but I was helping out Scott & Ash by taking over both services and it was a beautiful set so why not!

Monday we discovered Eva's worst fear. Dun dun dunnnnnnnn The door stop! haha 


She cried hysterically after accidentally touching it.

And then just stared at it in fright for a long time. 

At least she's sweet sometimes <3



Tuesday Eva got her first fat lip falling off a short rubbermaid bucket. I took Emilia, Eva and Sherlock for a walk in the sunshine and Dave tidied up before Chickaletta wine night. 



Wednesday after work Ash & Phoebe came over for an afternoon playdate. They stayed right until we packed up in the van and went to Opa & Oma's for meatball dinner! While we were there Dom ran upstairs and introverted for over an hour. He's been desperately needing some introvert time, so we actually let him just skip dinner and eat later on. I get it, dude. 


Eva's face hahaha. Opa dancing with his girls! 

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