Family Day weekend was last weekend, but we are lucky enough to get to spend almost every weekend together, doing things as a Family.  The weather wasn't as warm as it was supposed to be, but we decided to head out west for a little drive. We ended up at the Nordic center where they have build a fantastic tobogganing area! They have several different groomed runs, some with jumps, some with bumps and some just smooth, fast ones, perfect for almost three year olds to hurtle down at top speed!  So much free, family fun!!!

  Lovin' his "McQueen" sled!!

 Helmet for safety!

 Daddy even took Payton down for a couple runs!

Tuesday, after Family Day Monday was a very exciting day for Ryder.  See, for over a month now, Ryder has been doing "chores," we call them "Family Responsibilities" to earn money. I know, I know, kids shouldn't be paid for doing things to contribute to the Family...everyone has an opinion on how to handle "chores" and "money" but we decided to get a magnetic "Responsibility Chart" and we decided to pay Ryder a quarter every night, if he completed his responsibilities.  When we started this responsibility chart, we explained to Ryder that he would be able to save his money until he had enough to buy whatever he wanted.  I doubt that when we explained all of this to Ryder that he had any idea what saving money meant, or how much it would take to buy anything, but he smiled and nodded and declared that he was going to save up to buy Ripslinger, a die cast airplane from the movie planes.  That was 40 days ago! He never changed his mind. He kept his eye on the prize and when he finally had 40 quarters all saved up, I took him to buy Ripslinger.  To help him have a visual of how many quarters he would need I created a cardboard chart with 40 quarters traced on it.  At the end of every week, we'd tape his quarters to the cardboard until he had filled in every circle!  When we taped that last quarter on the chart, Ryder was sooo proud!!

 It took 40 days, but Ryder learned to save money, to set a goal and he finally reaped the reward of that patience and hard work.
We ended up at the Disney Store as Walmart was sold out of Ripslinger and so was Toys R Us. Ryder immediately located Ripslinger. There were a lot of other planes and toys in the Disney Store, but Ryder was not tempted by any other toy.  He picked Ripslinger, and headed for the line to pay.  He had his quarters in a ziplock baggie and he handed the whole baggie to the clerk. He was sooo proud...and so was I!

When we got home, Ryder couldn't wait to show Marty his new plane and it has hardly left his hands since! Infact, Tuesday night, he insisted that Ripslinger and Dusty (the plane he got for Christmas) should be tucked into their bunks.  I asked where the bunks were. He matter of factly said:"next door with the towels." I looked at him confused and then followed him as he opened the linen closet and put his planes to bed with the towels! LOL  (He has actually done this every night since bringing Ripslinger home.) YOu should see him wake them up in the morning. He opens the door, starts singing, "Skinna ma rinky dinky dink, skinna ma rinky do, I love you" (that's what we sing to Payton when we wake her up) and then he asks them, "how was your sleep boys?" Hilarious and sooo sweet! This whole thing has been quite a positive learning journey for Ryder and for us. He has decided to save up for El chupacabra next. 

As for Payton, we are proud of her too!!  She is such starting to walk! She will let go things and just start walking! It's crazy!! She's not even 11 months yet! She walks best while she is clapping, so you can imagine how adorable it is to see a proud, chubby little toddler toddling along clapping her hands with a huge grin on her face!  I wish I could post a video, but that's not going to happen tonight......

 She is just so stinkin' cute!!! She's also a handful of trouble!!! She does not sit still! She is constantly on the move and if you happen to leave the lid open on any toilet, she will have her hands swishing around in it before you remember that you've forgotten to shut it! She will find any cup or glass of water in her reach and dump it all over herself and she insists on smearing her hair with all food!! She is full of spirit and independence and joy!! I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Both of my children are loud, busy and a little bit crazy! I love it! They are just like their parents! ha ha!!  My maternity leave is quickly coming to an end, and I will miss spending all day, every day with these busy little cuties, but if I'm 100% honest, I have to say, there is also a teeny, tiny part of me looking forward to going back to work, so I don't have to work so hard! LOL

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and keep those toilet lids closed!!!!!!!!

FEBRUARY ALREADY

I cannot believe it's February already!! Payton is almost one year old!! Seriously, it's crazy how fast time flies!
Ryder is finishing up his last month of pre school. Both kids will go to a Day Home once I go back to work. He has become obsessed with planes and makes them out of lego all the time.  He has a very specific way he holds these planes (and insists that all others playing with the planes do too) before he races laps around the kitchen and living room (hoping we are chasing him with the planes he makes for us,) making very loud plane noises.  It's a game he LOVES!
We've also started taking him skiing.  He loves going fast and has yet to learn to "pizza," turn or stop, so Marty and I take turns catching him or running beside him on the bunny hill. At least he wears his helmet!! :)

Payton's personality is emerging and I am sure she is going to be just as stubborn and strong willed as her brother. She is obsessed with "finger walking," "furniture surfing" and stairs! She can crawl and will do so whenever she runs out of furniture to "surf" in order to get to the stairs. All roads lead to the stairs for Payton! She has started clapping and waving and has even taken a few steps on her own! 
She still hates traveling in cars and will scream and cry until you release her from her car seat prison.  She screams whether it's a 10 minute car ride or a 3 hour one!  This makes going anywhere stressful and exhausting, but we can't stay home forever.  Once we arrive at our destination though, Payton is always happy and a great sport. She will sit in her little red sled and watch Ryder toboggan or ski in the freezing cold without complaining at all.

Scout continues to enjoy all the benefits of living with a baby learning to eat solids.  She has mastered the art of catching mashed avocado, smashed bananas and squished sweet potatoes before they even hit the floor.   She isn't afraid to snatch treats from any toddler or infant who happens to abandon a snack in a location she can easily reach. 

Marty and I continue to soak up every magical moment associated with being the parents of small children and do our best to survive the less magical ones.  Every now and then we manage to have a couple hours to ourselves and we soak those up too!!

Before Christmas we booked a house in Panorama on the ski hill with two other Families for February.  The big weekend came and it was freeeeezing cold!!! We went anyway and we made the most of our time on the mountain, but we all froze!! I guess that's part of being Canadian, right? LOL

Freezing or not, we got the kids on their skis.

 They "ripped it up!"

 Ryder will not wear his goggles skiing yet, but he loves to wear them inside!

 The best part of going on a weekend ski trip with other families is that we all took turns skiing and we all took turns watching the kids. WE took turns making dinner, we took turns doing dishes and we took turns reading stories to the little ones.  We relaxed in the hot tub once the kids finally went to bed and we enjoyed some wine and junk food. It was a great weekend!

 We've had a few cold snaps this month but we can't stay in the house forever.  We have learned to bundle up, be tough and to enjoy the warming benefits of hot chocolate!!

 Payton is one tough little Canadian

 

Like I said, it's been cold here. Really cold. The kids and I were going crazy here, so we decided to take an impromptu trip to Mom's just to "mix it up" a little.  We showed up three hours after I called to let Mom know we were coming. Payton screamed the second half of the trip, which is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen and why I have been so reluctant to travel up to Mom's on my own (it's easier to manage Payotn's crying when there are two adults in the vehical) but we survived the trip and spent two full days with Grammy. 

WE even got to see Nic one afternoon for
some sledding!

We missed Valentine's Day with Marty, but Grammy spoiled the kids with cookie baking clothes (Love Payton's pink jeggings,) chocolate and suckers.

Marty spoiled me with flowers and a steak dinner, complete with chocolate covered strawberries when we arrived back the day after Valentine's day.  I am one lucky woman!!!

The weather is warming up a little and we can't wait to have warmer adventures outside!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and share some chocolate with someone you love today!

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?

Damn, every time I blink a month or two or three have gone by!! Ever since Ryder stopped napping and I've been introduced to Netflicks, I can't seem to get any writing done. Today though, I am kicking my Netflicks habit (TV is ridiculously addicting and I'm tired of being a lazy butt!) and I am getting back to doing things I used to do before I was too tired to do anything...does any of this make sense? Probably not because, as it turns out I'm still crazy tired (my ten month old is still not sleeping through the night because I cannot bear to give up our middle of the night nursing sessions.....) Anyway, I will not let a little fatigue stop me from writing all kinds of run on sentences, randomly punctuated with exclamation marks...on second thought, I'm just going to post a bunch of pics instead!

Payton is growing and on the move. She can "furniture surf" like a champ and when she gets as far as she can by grabbing onto things, Scout included, she drops to her knees and crawls the rest of the way to where she wants to go.  She  does not like to sit still, but she will spend a considerable amount of time emptying bins. Bins of markers, bins of baby toys, bins of legos, bins of trucks...perfect entertainment!  She is not a cuddler, much to my dismay. Ryder was and still is a big cuddler. He loves to hug and be held. NOt Payton!! The minute I pick her up she is reaching back towards the floor. She has magnets to rip of the fridge and legos to try to eat!!

 

 Scout and I still try to carve out time together, but honestly, Scout doesn't get the same kind of attention she used to....I do feel bad about that.

 One of Scout's favorite places to hang out is "The Farm" where we keep Uncle Dirt. We try to take her there every week at least once.  Ryder is becoming quite a little horse lover.  Look how big he looks brushing Uncle Dirt!

 Payton loves Dirt too. She loves to sit on him and hang out underneath his nose while he eats his oats (he is good about sharing with both her and Scout.)

 We have been trying to get out for adventures on the weekends as a Family. Last weekend we went to the zoo! Payton does NOT want to be in the stroller. She does NOT want to be carried. She wants to WALK!!!

I have struggled this entire Maternity Leave with meeting the needs of both kids at the same time. If Payton gets both her naps, that means Ryder and I have to stay home. If I want to get Ryder out on an adventure that means Payton either skips her nap or has to try to nap on the go. I try to balance out how often each of them gets the "short end of the stick" but it's tough. Winter is tough. Being home and inside all day with an almost three year old who refuses to nap, but in reality still needs one at least every other day, is tough....but it's almost Spring, and then I'll have to go back to work and then I'll be missing these long afternoons in the house with my little ones!!!

In an effort to offer something fun and new to entertain (quietly) Ryder, we brought up the huge bin of Lego, Marty's Dad had saved for him. This stuff is 30 years old at least, but Lego is Lego and Ryder was super excited to open the bin and finds some of the things that Marty had built as a kid still in tact. (Marty was also super pumped to find things he remembered building!)

This is a crane and a boat and boat trailer Marty built a LONG time ago!

 Here's the bin of Lego Marty had as a kid!

 This is a truck Marty built as a kid.

 This is part of a castle and a bunch of lego people and horses. All a part of Marty's collection.

 I guess I didn't take any pics of all of Marty's planes that he had built, but they were Ryder's favorite! Inspired by Marty's complicated designs, Ryder has since built several of his own, simpler versions.

 Tonight, while watching the Superbowl, Marty helped Ryder build a "Landcruiser" This was Marty's first big Lego project since rediscovering his "stash." OMG! They both sat here, completely focused, ignoring both Payton and I for what felt like hours!!

The Lego discovery has been a blessing and a curse! Of course now, Ryder only wants to play with this little Lego that is harder for him to put together himself, which is fine.  He plays rough though and sometimes he can't quite snap all the pieces together tight enough so when he is racing around the house "flying" his planes and they break, or he trips and they smash on the floor and break apart a melt down always ensues....good times!

January 27th, Payton turned 10 months old! 10 MONTHS!!!!!! She is adorable, full of energy and determination to keep up to her big brother! 

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and turn off the TV sometimes at night, no matter how tired you are.......