June

A little late but...

June was:

Enjoying great weather at the trailer. My favourite Friday night lately is dining al fresco, going for a boat ride, followed by tucking the boys into bed and relaxing in front of a campfire with a glass of wine.

Fishing, boating, tubing, biking.

Saying final goodbyes to a loved one as we buried my grandfather who passed away in January. Watching the boys try to process and understand.

Participating in a walk for Alzheimers in support of my mother-in-law.

Visiting Niagara Falls and watching the boys marvel at the sight.

Going for a sail on a friend's sailboat.

Cheering our sweetest four year old on as he plays soccer for the first time.

Finishing off Grade 1 with good marks and an achievement award for effort!

Celebrating one year of being at my new job and working on achieving another milestone toward getting my professional certification.

Trying to manage stress the best I can.

May

Wow, June already! We've been enjoying the few glimpses of warmer weather and spending plenty of time outdoors. I've been listening to the Arkells' album High Noon on repeat too. So. Good.

Lately:

- We've been weekending at the trailer. Sometimes it feels stressful/overwhelming after working all week to switch gears and pack up the car with the kids and everything we need but as soon as we get out of the city, I immediately feel at ease. The route there is familiar and nostalgic. R and I met not too far from where our trailer is and we've travelled those country roads often. We've been making a bigger effort to get up there every weekend this summer no matter what. I've even managed two days solo with the boys up there while R went into work from there. Many of our great neighbours up there help out a lot with the kids. The sense of community is really nice.

- Victoria Day long weekend was perfect. The boys went fishing a lot, we went to the zoo (the most fun was had not seeing animals but rolling down a big grassy hill and playing on a tire swing), swimming in the outdoor pool, and boating into a nearby town with friends for dinner. The lake was still cold but the boys insisted on going tubing. After a rough first weekend in the sleeping department for Noah, he is sleeping like a champ up there now. All three boys are sharing a bedroom which has been less of an adventure than we thought since they are so tired at night!

- We've been cycling! We took the boys out this month to a local Ride of Silence to honour and raise awareness for cyclists that have been injured or killed on the roads. B actually participated in the ride (approx. 7 km and on some busy roads) while R towed the littles in the trailer and I rode. B liked riding with the police officers on bikes and understood a little bit more about the importance of bike and road safety. The big boys really love riding their bikes and I hope that doesn't change as they get older. I splurged on a new bike for myself recently so I've been trying to get out on my bike more myself. I actually rode nearly 15 kilometres to work last week but couldn't quite muster up the energy to ride home so I've got some work to do! I'd love to be able to ride once in a while.

- Gearing up for kindergarten. N had his Welcome to Kindergarten Night this month and totally rocked it! He is so ready to join his brother at school in September and it was so amazing to see him on his own interacting with the other kids and teachers.

- Making the best of a rainy weekend. Last weekend was RAINY. Until this year we've left the trailer when the forecast was calling for long periods of rain. Entertaining the littles in a trailer that is less than 400 square feet isn't the most fun. Especially when your kids don't love watching movies and aren't old enough to play board games or read independently. This past weekend we stayed and had a surprisingly good time. The older boys did some organized indoor kids activities, Noah napped well, and we went with friends into town nearby for bowling and afterward introduced the boys to our old favourite, Night Kitchen take-out pizza, which we brought back to the trailer to eat with a glass of wine.  It was perfect.

June is going to be a busy month for us. I can't wait for summer!

Carving out the life we want to live

I haven't been posting much to the blog a lot because life has been so exciting lately and I never seem to have the spare moment. We are in such a happy groove as a family O' five. A lot of the balance that has been lacking in our lives was restored this past year. The big boys are developing their own interests at almost 4 and almost 7 years old and we've been trying to nurture those as best we can. With them, we no longer have to focus so much attention on the basics like personal care since they take care of most of that on their own. In many ways it feels like a huge weight has been lifted and parenting has become much more enjoyable. We're appreciating each stage of babyhood and the last of the "firsts" with Noah and not wishing them away.

We've been looking at our finances and trying to better align them with our values, goals, and the things that make us happiest. Our family budget (which I just realized I need to write an update post on!) is split into several categories: housing, transportation, food, child care, vacation/sports, debt, investments, and entertainment/clothing. We're trying to consciously evaluate and maximize our happiness in each of the areas. More than ever before, we're at a really happy place.

A significant focus has been balancing each members interests and needs in terms of both time and money, particularly around vacations, sports, and entertainment. We've been trying to prioritize activities where we see potential for growing our own individual and shared interests into collective "family" interests. For us, some of these things are skiing/snowboarding, boating, fishing, skating, and travel. Having these collective interests will allow us to spend more time together as a family. For example, R loves to snowboard. I took ski lessons when I was younger and have decent ability. For the past few winters, we've taken the big boys out to the hill on a pair of second hand kid skis. This year, B took snowboarding lessons and loved it.  I'm planning on taking snowboarding lessons next year. If my attempt doesn't go well then the following year I'll go back to skiing and take lessons to improve my skills. We're really excited at the prospect of being able to go as a family to the hill and to go on awesome winter vacations to places like Blue Mountain, Mont Tremblant, or Banff (much later on).

We also just made a big family purchase this Spring ... a boat has been on our wish list for a really long time. Boating, fishing, and water sports were a significant part of R's upbringing and our summers together pre-kids. We're hoping to carry that on with our kids. We are so fortunate to live near so many lakes.

Baby Noah turns ONE

I feel slightly broken record-ish because each month reflecting back I feel the same but I can't believe my baby is 1. I've never felt sad to see the boys get older or reach new milestones but my heart ached a bit on April 3rd when I nursed Noah for the last time at night as an 11 month old. We've affectionately called him "Baby Noah" since his arrival and I'm wondering how long that name will stick with him.

We had a very small Easter/Birthday celebration on his actual birthday with just R's side of the family. My mom spends the winter in Florida so we'll have a little celebration with my side later this month when they get back. Each 1st birthday celebration for our boys has gotten smaller and I thought Noah's was just right. My iPhone is full which has limited my picture taking abilities but I've been liking just being present and in the moment rather than worried about capturing every moment. Thankfully, my sister-in-law took a bunch of photos with her good camera. Last week Noah had a run-in with the rocking chair so he's sporting a bruise on his forehead in his birthday photos - the first signs of toddlerhood.

This boy liked his first taste of chocolate cake!

I'm so happy I kept up with monthly blog updates on Noah. I'm not sure if I'll maintain the monthly frequency from here on out but I'm hoping I can put them into a book for him as a keepsake.
At 12 months (1 year!):

- We made it to a year of nursing! He still happily nurses at night and sometimes in the morning. 

- My mobile toddler crawls at lightening speed, pulls up on anything and everything, walks behind push toys, stands on his own regularly, and on his birthday weekend climbed the entire staircase and took his first steps to me!! It was so awesome to be home to witness his very first steps. R was in the kitchen too when it happened.  

- We've been practicing having him wear his bike helmet he got for his birthday around the house to get used to wearing it. So excited to take him out in the bike trailer this summer for family bike rides. For now he has been enjoying going for hikes in the backpack carrier and just started swimming lessons during the week with my sister and seems to like the water. 

- Socially, he is pretty shy around other people and prefers to be held by mom or dad in new situations. He looks for his brothers when they aren't around and is always happy to see them. 

- Babbling is non-stop. He says "mama", "dada", "baba", and "ya" with conviction and makes many more sounds. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet boy xoxo

11 Months

One short month away from my baby's first birthday. I can hardly believe it. It seems like all of a sudden, this month, he just started changing at lightning speed from baby to toddler.

- He simultaneously cut 4 top teeth.. and is in the throws of a nasty cold right now :(

- He pulls up on anything and everything! He'll walk behind push toys and even stood for a brief second on his own this morning. 

- Won't sit still. Gone are the days of strapping him into a rocker chair or an exersaucer. On the plus side - I can get my act together and start getting rid of the accumulation of baby contraptions sitting in my living room currently.

- Still nurses once at night before I go to bed and occasionally wakes in the middle of the night for a feed. Morning feeds aren't as common anymore. 

- He has become a babbler extraordinaire. We're starting to discern some word-like sounds like da-da and ma-ma but otherwise just a whole lot of baby talk. 

- Eats almost everything we eat now only I'll give some things a quick blend in the food processor and spoon feed him so I know how much is going in his belly rather than in his high chair or to the dog below. His pincer grasp has dramatically improved. As has his ability to manage larger bites of food.

Finally, he learned to wave (it's the cutest!) and will fight and protest for toys his brothers are playing with now. 

10 Months

Budding outdoorsman just like his brothers

This post is super late in that Noah will be 11 months old in just a few short days but better late than never, right?

I usually try to jot a few notes down throughout the month on my Notes application on my iPhone. I'm really happy I've continued to do this. With the other boys I was more sporadic in recording updates and didn't do too many with N at all.

Here are my notes on Noah at 10 months:

- Nurses 2x/day - morning and at night just before I go to bed I'll get him out of the crib and nurse him while he is half asleep. I love the cuddle time and his sweet smell. Each night I marvel at how big he is getting.
- Crawling! Everywhere.. and at lightning speed.
- Pulling himself to standing - in his crib too.
- Eating nearly everything. He can take manageable bites off of larger foods now and I don't have to worry as much about him choking.
- Started protesting naps or fussing in a big way when he doesn't get what he wants
- Loves baths and splashes non-stop
- Started expressing some shyness around strangers

February (Return to Monthly Goals)

Fearless

Over the past year I've tended to focus on the baby in this space. It is a really odd feeling having 3 kids at completely different and equally awesome and challenging stages. I love that it always feels like we're celebrating someone's milestone or latest accomplishment. Yesterday my biggest boy spent most of the afternoon building a ramp for snowboarding and tobogganing in the backyard. I watched out the window as he hesitated at the top with his board and then finally decided to go for it and he did it..flawlessly on the first try. I couldn't help myself, I opened the door and yelled out "Woohoo! You did it! That was so awesome!". It was so crazy watching my 6 year old do something I probably couldn't pull off and something that took guts. I haven't actually felt that overwhelmed with joy in a long time. It was such a good feeling.  

Last month I really felt motivated to get things done with my 2015 goals fresh in mind. I haven't done a monthly goals post in a very long time but I love how doing them makes me feel more accountable. Here is what I accomplished related to my 2015 goals in January: 

Marriage

- We had two couples over for dinner (we all went to university together). The group went tobogganing with the big boys while I prepped dinner at home with the baby and then we got to spend some quality adult time once the boys were in bed. It was a ton of fun and we realized that rather than getting together with friends separately always that we should try to get together with a few at a time every once in a while. Maybe even push the envelope and bring friends together that don't know each other very well! 

- I made an effort to show more appreciation and tried to be more positive in general. It feels really easy to vent about things to a partner. I don't think I have been doing a very good job of balancing the negative with the positive so it is something I'm trying to work on.

Getting back to myself

- I started reading chapter books with B at night. We began Charlotte's Web. 

- I made plans with my three best girlfriends. I booked a vacation day mid-week in February to spend with one who will be back from Edmonton.  I started planning a long weekend girls trip for this Fall with another that has been about 6 years overdue since I've either been pregnant, nursing, or didn't have the money..and I got together for a coffee on my lunch hour with another that I hadn't seen in about 6 months. 

- I got my eyebrows waxed and bought some new clothes. I ended up returning a pair of pants that didn't quite fit perfectly after trying them on a few times at home. I felt really good about my decision to return them since I ended up saving $50 and probably wouldn't have worn them too often. I also made a list of the gaps in my wardrobe so I could be more purposeful in my spending in that area over the next year.

Health 

- I booked a half day off of work for next month and scheduled several medical appointments for that morning. 

- I made a point of eating more and reminding myself to stop what I was doing. Usually I'd think to myself.. yeah I should really eat and then I'd focus on getting the boys something to eat and then get sidetracked and end up getting back into whatever I was doing and before I knew it a number of hours had passed and I never actually did eat or get that drink. I think just forcing myself to stop what I was doing led to me actually eating more.

Home

- I loosely followed the 52-Week challenge and tackled kitchen cleaning and organization this month. I rearranged stuff to more logical locations in the kitchen, created a dedicated pantry cupboard, and also stocked up on groceries. 

- I went through every last corner of our basement and did a huge purge. I gave some books away to friends who I thought would be interested and investigated where I could get rid of things like my wedding dress or old electronics for a good cause. I have a few piles of things that still need to be taken and dropped off at various places but it was a huge undertaking and I feel really good about all I got done.

- I took my maternity clothes and some baby clothes to the consignment store as well as posted a bunch of baby gear on Kijiji. 

Debt

- We created a new budget for 2015 taking into consideration all of the things we'd like to do this year that have financial implications (post to come!). 

- I tracked all of our spending this month and R and I went over it so we got a clear picture of where we were going over and could make adjustments accordingly. 

- I got a President's Choice Financial Master Card since I only ever shop at participating stores for our household and grocery purchases so I figured I might as well be reaping the rewards points. I also started using the PC Plus program and gained some significant rewards just for grocery shopping as usual. 

February Goals

Marriage

- Get dressed on weekends! I'm embarrassed to say that most weekends I stay in my pyjamas doing housework and cooking before showering later on in the day and putting on some clean..pyjamas or sweat pants. It's bad because I always stress about someone showing up at the door and though I don't feel like I should have to always be put together, even just running a brush through my hair and putting on some clothes takes all of a couple of minutes in the morning before I go downstairs and should be a priority. 

- Go on a date. My birthday is this month so it is the perfect excuse.  

Getting back to myself

- Hang out with one of my best gals (at least twice) while she is back from Edmonton. 

- Compete in a skating competition(!). My team skates in a competition this month. My personal goal is to go out there and do my best and have a clean skate. It has been half a lifetime since I was actually in a competition.  

Health

- Book my annual physical appointment (which hasn't been so annual lately)

- Find a new naturopath and book an appointment. My goal with this is to have some updated food allergy testing so I don't have to stress or worry over eating certain foods. 

- Make time for a bath at least once/week. 

Home

- Keep on following the 52-Week Challenge - recipes, garbage/recycling, coupons, meal planning/grocery shopping

- Finish purging the baby stuff.

- Give the basement a good clean. We set up a TV area in the basement that the big boys regularly use now. Eliminating the dust would go a long way in helping their allergies.

Debt

- Continue tracking all expenses.
- Have a budget "meeting" once/week.