Dreams and Reality

Our lovely fall days are slipping away from us.  So it's time to welcome back the inside, in the evening, with a flash photo opps...

In my dream house we would be playing this board game next to a crackling fireplace.  And since we're dreaming here, someone would be making supper while I played and, what the heck, they'd be serving me a glass of wine too.  Because a glass of wine definitely helps when you're playing French charades with a four and six year old!

We've got costumes in the house and we're basically ready to roll with this Halloween gig.  I will let you know that I haven't succumb to any Pinterest Anxiety yet.  Although I do enjoy dreaming and looking at the images of holiday decor, and I know that there are some super cool pumpkin carving ideas out there, and I'm positive there are some awesome cupcakes too.  But instead, I put Callie in charge of decorations...

And these are definitely one of a kind pumpkin stencils.  So you think I'd get any repins for these originals?

We did google what to do with the pumpkin seeds though.  This was our first time roasting them and they turned out pretty good.  We were going to count the seeds but then decided there was too many.  Yes, learning opportunity lost but Callie loved the part of the recipe that said massage the seeds with vegetable oil.  She thought it was very funny to massage pumpkin seeds.

The girls had fun designing and carving their pumpkins.  Lexi insisted on a circle shaped nose and her big sister helped her draw the mouth. I promised the girls that I would buy one of those huge blow up cats for the yard if there were any on sale after Halloween. This year our costumes came from a store and the cupcakes came from a box. I do a lot of dreaming on Pinterest but I basically have to live in reality.  Is it possible that reality is even better than the dream?  For most things, probably.  But not the fireplace.  The electric plug-in doesn't even come close to the dream!
Happy chocolate eating this week.

Hope and Worry

I remember the moment I found out I was pregnant with Callie.  Sitting patiently, watching and waiting for the line in the window to turn pink.  A little scared to look because I wanted to avoid being disappointed if it wasn't there.  And when the faint, pink line turned bright fuchsia along came the wave of relief, joy, and excitement that our dreams were going to happen.  

That moment of pure joy and excitement truly lasts for just a moment.  Because the next thought and conversation goes something like, "maybe we should wait to tell people, it is early, what if something happens."  And so begins the wait to get past that first trimester marker.  Hope and worry gets littered in between thoughts of baby names and nursery colors.    

And then you make it to the end of week twelve and along comes that wave of relief and joy and excitement as you spread the word to friends and family.  You begin talking about due dates and gender reveals, will you find out or won't you.  And through the next six month of pregnancy, through the crib assembly and finding the perfect mobile, your anticipation and excitement for baby is still always sifted through the hope and worry filter that there could still be complications. You pray, please just let me have a healthy baby and all will be okay.

The day finally comes.  It's a girl!  My Callie is here. She is healthy and beautiful and we love every inch of her.  And here comes the wave again.  Relief.  Joy.  Excitement.  But every mom out there knows that it's not over for our good friends hope and worry.  And the seasoned, veteran moms out there know that the birth of baby is just the beginning of a lifetime relationship with hope and worry.

 

There is a pattern.  The tidal wave comes in carrying relief, joy and excitement and the tide goes back out filtered with hoping for the best and worrying about the worst.  In and out in a steady rhythm.  And as parents we can put whatever marker on the beach we want.  The healthy birth of baby...look out, here comes the wave of relief, joy and excitement.  And out goes the hope that you know what to do with your new baby and the worries about SIDS and choking and a million other what ifs.

My first baby is six years old.  The waves are still coming in and out.  Some of the waves are smaller.  Like the relief and joy and excitement I have when she makes it to school safe and sound and the hope and worry that she has to do it again the next day.  Some moms have 20 year old babies heading out to Europe to see the world.  Others have 40 year old babies.  My grandma has 60 year old babies.  And from what I hear, the waves keep rolling in and out.  I'm thinking I should buy some life jackets for all us mommas, for the mommas just starting out, the veterans and everyone in between.  How many should I buy?

Thanks For the Little Things

The things we have to be thankful for are endless.  Firstly, there are the big things. The things that we take for granted everyday.  These big things include our health and our people.  Secondly, the medium things.  Our shelter from the storm, food for our bellies, and our employment which makes meeting those needs possible. And finally, there are the little things.  The things that make life worth living.  Today, I am so thankful for the big, medium, and the little things in life.

The Little Things...

Yellow boots and stripy sweaters.

Fall leaves and pumpkin bags.

Bearded dads.

Cool, windy Fall days.

Toques and mitts.

Pumpkin spice candles.
Blond curls and long shaggy bangs.
New Angry Birds hat.

Girls who tell stories and put on living room shows.

Snuggling girls in cozy, fleece feet pajamas. 

Throwing the leaves that dad just swept up.

Cheezy smiles.

The extra at home day today.

Camera self-timers.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Push and Pull

We need to have a little talk about this girl growing up. The constant push and pull of letting go and holding on at the same time is a powerful force. Callie had her first gymnastics class this week and the push and pull forces were in an all out battle when it came down to show time.   

This idea of trying out gymnastics was completely her own.  It's the first thing she's wanted to do without mama first having to plant the seed and then water and nurture the idea until it became a reality.  Nope, this endeavour was all her doing.

So when it came time for the class to start and all girls were called to the mat for warm-up, the usually invisible push and pull forces were in front of us plain as day.  My big girl was standing there, dressed in her new gym suit (she tried on about 20 until she found the one that felt right), her blond curls were all pulled back into one ponytail (which she never does) and she was feeling the push... the push to join the other girls on the mat and begin this gymnastics thing that she's wanted to try so badly but the pull to stay close to mom where things are safe and familiar was not going to go down without a fight.

And when all was said and done, there were a few tears and a lot of smiles.  Mom stayed close by and cousin and aunty helped the push force overpower the pulling back.  And my girl grew just a little bit more, right in front of my eyes.

To balance out the new, we threw in a little old and familiar...we're back at the rink and sister never had a second thought.  The push force completely squashed any shred of the pull force here where she is comfortable and confident and knows what to expect for year three of skating lessons.  

And, of course, little sister is never far behind.  

Callie had her singing debut of O'Canada, en francais, with her classmates at the local hockey game on the weekend.  This group of six year olds rocked it!  Not a single one of them were overpowered by the pull force, just brave kids and their teacher Standing on Guard for Thee and growing up at the same time.