Grandma Visits

My parents stopped in on their way down from the cottage, so we were all able to wish grandma a Happy Mother's Day! We came and met them out front because they couldn't stay; it was so bright, Adam borrowed grandpa's big-brimmed hat :)

He looked so cute!!

And he liked wearing it too - he was making silly noises back at us as we oohed and awed at him :)

We came back in after they left to get ready to go to Mike's parents next for dinner. I entertained Adam with his Fisher Price phone while Mike got Caitlin ready.

Once he saw them come downstairs, he realized we were about to leave.

But I don't want to! I'm having too much fun with my phone!

When we got to grandma and nonno's house, they surprised the kids with a climber/slide in the backyard. Caitlin was pretty excited!

Weeeeee!

Adam's turn!

Except when nonno placed him on top, he was NOT a fan!

It took a few minutes to calm him down - he got pretty upset about the silly slide! But once he was in a better mood, I plopped him on the grass, and he was happy to discover that instead.

Much happier on solid ground!

Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, but we're celebrating it today. While Adam had his morning nap, Caitlin and daddy decided to tidy up... and wash our cars!

She's such a great little helper, and assisted daddy in pouring the soap.

Sponge-in-hand, she waited patiently for Mike to give the van a quick rinse-down.

You're on now sweetie, have fun washing!

It was hilarious watching her try to avoid getting her fingers/hands all sudsy...

The trick is to have soap on the sponge, but whatever!

There you go, finally soapy!

She did her best to scrub the van with the tips of her fingers touching the sponge - careful not to get any part of her clothes wet. So particular, but she's always been like that; I remember on her 1st birthday, she refused to eat/destroy her cake with her hands becuase she wanted a fork! Nothing has changed :)

When Adam woke up, daddy took us all to Longo's to pick out a nice dinner. My Mother's Day choice was beef skewers, couscous salad, asparagus and some fresh sourdough bread. Daddy cut Caitlin's dinner up into bite size chunks...

...while Adam tried to levitate daddy's meal...

Sorry bud - I know you're eager to eat our food, but after the other night, you're back to purees for a bit!


I'm serious! Your beautiful googly eyes won't work on me!

Right before we started, everyone flashed me a big Happy Mother's Day smile. Thanks loves!

When we finished, daddy brought Adam out of the highchair which he was quite happy about as he squealed in delight.

So happy, that he also gave daddy a big smackeroo! So sweet :)

I wanted a nice picture with my two kids, but without crazy faces...

Good enough :) Love you all!

Forest Walk

Caitlin's new favourite thing to eat for breakfast is granola bars. Not the healthiest choice, but at least it's something! This is the end result of her in charge of her own meal. Chocolate granola face!

It was such a beautiful day out, that I got the kids dressed, the stroller set up, and I took them for a walk through the forest at the end of the street. All the pretty trilliums were in bloom!

I explained to Caitlin that these were a very special flower, and they only bloom every few years. She admired the colours - there were some sporadic purple ones amongst the pure white.

They sure smell pretty!

She desperately wanted to pick one, but I explained because they were special, and all we could do was look at them because they have to grow on the forest floor.

I pointed out a dandelion that went to seed, she plucked the white puff ball instead and wished away :)

At the end of the forest path, there's a retention pond that is a popular watering hole for some local mallards and geese. I intended to bring bread to feed the ducks, but left the bag on the counter. Bad mommy! While pondering what to feed them, it became clear to Caitlin... Delicious dandelions!

Whey aren't they eating them?!

Oh well, good attempt dear :) Instead, it was fun to watch the ducks explore. Quack, quack!

After our forest walk, we went to the mall for lunch. I had packed a picnic for the kids, and given that the mall is so close and it comes fully stocked with highchairs, we opted to go there to eat. I made tuna sandwiches for Caitlin and I; Adam and his cheeks and nose had yummy baby cereal!

After a lovely morning, my little guy was completely worn out, so we headed home. He promptly went down for his nappy, so Caitlin and I played in the backyard while he snoozed.

I'm sure Caitlin loves the solo time she gets with me in the afternoon, but I know she looks forward to the day when he can really play with her. They'll be such great playmates :)

When Adam finally woke up, I thought it'd be nice to have him come outside too. So I brought his jumper out so I could keep an eye on both kids at the same time. Such a great idea! Fresh summer air and an activity to occupy them both!

Adam heard a plane at one point and looked up to register where the noise was coming from. I haven't taught him the sign language skills that I did when Caitlin was young; as much as they were cute and semi-useful, we didn't keep up with them for long because she developed such a wide vocabulary so young. Maybe this guy will be the same :)

But if all he does is smile and be cute, that's fine too!

He didn't mind me taking pictures in the least, however he really wanted the camera...

He wasn't too pleased when I told him he couldn't have it though. He hardly ever cries, so I HAD to snap a pic of this desperately sad face!

The kids played outside while I got dinner ready and once it was, I brought them in and sat them up. Adam's been eating baby food with tiny chunks in it for a short while, but he's not fantastic with the little square potato and carrot pieces that come in it, so I watch him like a hawk while he's eating.

I feel SO so lucky tonight. With 2-3 spoonfuls left, Adam got a piece of potato lodged in this throat, and instantly went blue and patchy - I knew he was choking on it. My stomach dropped, I yanked him out of his highchair, bent him over my knee, and did infant CPR on him. With him face down, I did about 3 quick blows with the base of my hand between his shoulder blades and the piece came flying out, exactly like in the movies (I actually thought I saw it come out on the first thump, but I instinctively did 3 just to be safe). I sat him up to check, and he was back to normal colouring although coughing. I hugged him so tightly... Myself now shaking, I sat him back in his highchair just so I could regain my composure. I didn't burst into tears or anything, in fact, I felt proud of that I was able to help him, I was just jittery.

I am SO thankful I took the baby CPR classes when Caitlin was born; I totally knew what to do. Thank God!!! Our sweet baby is okay. We're going to retire the chunky baby food for a while. He's obviously not ready, and I need a break before our next attempt :)

Speed Shopping

I took the kids shopping today to finish gathering the contents for Caitlin's upcoming friend birthday party; we're having it at the park and the theme is a Teddy Bear Picnic! I thought all sorts of outdoor activities would be fun, so Caitlin helped me pick out all the pieces.

I guess I was going up and down the aisle fairly fast because I looked down at Adam at one point, and the poor boy was holding on for dear life! Yes Adam, this is speed shopping with mommy!

Caitlin heard me laughing and taking pictures of Adam and wanted in on the action :)

Bubblegum Bubbles

Auntie Holly stopped by for a visit today to wish her goddaughter a belated happy birthday. And she came bearing bubbles! The simplest gift that brings the biggest smiles :)

Holly helped her start off the fun...

And she's off to the races!

Literally!

There's nothing better than running through fresh green grass, flailing your arms in the air, while whizzing past bubble-gum scented bubbles!

Too bad Adam was snoozing away. He missed out on watching his sister run in circles all over the backyard. Great workout though, thanks Auntie Holly!

I meant to take a picture of these earlier, Mike bought a beautiful bouquet for Caitlin for her birthday; she was so flattered he bought them for her. Pretty pink and purple flowers, her favourite colours :)