Brothers

This evening I was playing with the two boys and I was just so happy. Basically I was lying on my bed and they took turns jumping on me (they love that). They also love turning off the light and running around with a flash light. Anyway, they were playing so nicely together and this has been happening so much lately. They are playing together! Nicely! Laughing together! Woohoo!

Koen's poor stomach...but look at them! Playing together!

So many things wrong with this picture; Koen on a table, Koen's pants falling down, and Kai touching Gary's vase from China. However, what is so right? They are just so cute being mischievous together. It was really a desire in my heart that Kai would have a sibling to be buddies with, and just look at them. They really do love each other. Warms my heart. A bunch.

Today Gary and I had a family shoot at Campbell Valley. The weather behaved perfectly! Always some pictures to work on which is really nice for me!

Just a random picture of Gary when we were waiting at Stewart Farms for my sister's wedding party to arrive...

And brownies. I made these yesterday. They were good.

I had football practice yesterday. I felt pretty good, I mean, I didn't run very much but just overall catching, throwing and flag pulling went decently. We will see....

My sister Jantina is now 1 day overdue with her first. I can't believe we are here already! I will be an auntie again!!! So excited.

Have a great evening.

Love, Louise

Cuteness

I love the age that Koen is at; 14 months. He is such a little monkey and I just find him so adorable. More because of his personality than his goofy looks:) He's finally over his ear infection. Oh man, I really do not want to go through that again. The antibiotics were not friendly with his digestive system.

He will run around the house and find the littlest things to be fascinated by. A box of cereal, Gary's shoes, a cup etc. As soon as someone opens the door, Koen stops everything and walks with extreme purpose in order to try to make it out the door. He LOVES being outside. If you say, `Koen, you want to go outside?', he will go to get his boots.

He loves to eat and drink all the time. He will go to his high chair and push it around the kitchen saying, `Me! Me! Me! Up! Up! Up!'. When gramma had the kids while we were gone, she also pointed out that Koen can eat more than Kai. This is crazy because Kai is also a big eater! I have switched him over from goat milk to soy milk (more because the store was out of goat milk). I'm not sure if it was the cow milk that gave him the eczema as his skin is just so sensitive. I'm going to try him on cow milk sometime and see what happens. His eczema is pretty under control as long as I lotion him up a couple of times a day.

Koen entertains himself all day long, he just wanders around trying to climb up on chairs and tables. He lets us know if he is hungry or thirsty by going to the chair or the fridge. If he does play with something he is not allowed to, he brings the object to us.

His hair is def. reddish and I love it!! It also appears to be curly which I am excited about.

He just seems to get so much joy out of everything that he does. I love it. I haven't thought much about the temper tantrums that are to come, because it's so hard to imagine when he's just so sweet all the time.

And Kai. He hasn't changed too much in the last few months. He has started talking back, which is new I guess. He has said, `Mommy, If you start counting then I'm going to spank you!' (which is weird because I think I've spanked him once in his life). When I talked to him about it, he started just speaking gibberish. I asked him to please speak properly. He said he was, he was just speaking french.

Another time when I told Kai not to repeat something naughty, he starting mouthing it and then asked if I heard anything. Monkey. This monkey is crazy for recycling. He takes out the recycling bin every day to empty it in the garage. Any piece of paper gives him great joy. So, if you have any recycling, bring it on by!

(Kai only wanted his hand photographed)

Kai played road hockey with the neighbour boys today. I LOVE having neighbours with boys the same age. I think we will need to practice with Kai before he plays with them again. Kai really has no interest in sports (which we are trying to remain calm about:)) but he will play if a friend is playing.

My neighbour asked me about staying home with the boys and whether I found it a lot harder than working. Are you joking? To me, teaching (and bringing two kids to and from daycare) is way harder than staying home with two kids and having a part time photography job. She said that she found being at home way harder. Everyone is so different. True, being at home can be mentally exhausting, and I'm sure once Koen starts having meltdowns it will be hard. However, in the meantime, I will enjoy wearing my pj's til 9am, doing yoga during the day, walking to the park, baking and cooking, cleaning my house (yes, I enjoy this) and playing with my kids.

I am so thankful that although my thyroid has messed with my life, it still allows me to be a good mother and wife. On the thyroid note, if you don't read my thyroid blog, my numbers are just going in the wrong direction again but I get to see my endo in a few days so hopefully we can change my meds around. While attempting to jog today, I considered having RAI where they radiate (destroy) your thyroid and then you take synthroid for the rest of your life. This is the first course of action in the US whereas in Canada, they try to control it with anti thyroid meds first. It's totally against my gut to radiate my thyroid but I am so sick and tired of trying to have a normally functioning thyroid. It has been 6.5 months and I'm feeling more and more like I will not reach remission. Oh well. One day at a time! Could be worse.

And to end on a good note...seriously, aren't my boys adorable?

The Kingfisher Resort and Spa

Gary and I are back from our 4 day vacation. We feel relaxed and rejuvenated. It was the perfect amount of time away, in my opinion. We left the kids on Sunday afternoon, and then had 2 complete days to ourselves, and then picked up our kids on Wednesday. The kids had a blast at auntie Maria's, Gramma and Grandpa's (most time spent there) and Opi and Joanne's.

We went to the Kingfisher Resort and Spa (in Courtenay) for two reasons; it was where we went for our honeymoon 5 years ago AND they had a `Winter Getaway' package deal:) For less than $400.00 each, we got our 3 nights stay plus a $150.00 restaurant credit and $100.00 spa credit. If you ever think of going, I would recommend getting a package!

(Deer in Comox)

The first two days had beautiful weather so we could walk around a lot and explore.

(I am wearing a bathing suit under there so don't be scared)

We went in the heated mineral pool and hot tub, did a yoga class, had a hydrotherapy treatment and full body massage, explored Cumberland, Comox and Courtenay, went shopping, ate a lot of good food, walked along the ocean, read books, and watched tv and movies in bed. Sound good? It was.

We skyped with the kids each night and because I could see that they were doing well, I didn't miss them too much. Kai would've loved it if we were gone longer! Koen did not seem super excited to see me, kind of indifferent. Somehow in the last couple of days, he has starting trying to say so many more words like birdies (he says `babies') and apples (`appies'). I do feel that Koen may have been a bit too young to leave but he did totally fine. I think it would be really easy to leave if Koen was Kai's age.

The pictures above are from Filberg park in Comox...it would be a great location for a wedding or a photo shoot:) There were deer walking around all over the park!

We had a breakfast and dinner with Mark and Maria who were also vacationing there!

This was Gary's chocolate lava cake...

I had the chocolate mousse the first night....

and a berry cobbler the last night. My favourite meal was the smoked salmon eggs Benedict for breakfast. Yum yum.

This place was great for Gary and I; food and spa. Ahhhh. I would say the majority of individuals there are 60 year old women. Gary and I were trying to figure out if we would go back there for our 10 year anniversary but I think we may try something different next time.

It was so nice to just sit and eat our meal at a leisurely pace and not have to run around the restaurant with Koen or talk about diggers the whole time:)

I felt really relaxed. The hydrotherapy and hot tub were really bad for my thyroid but now I know:) I'm glad that Gary and I took the opportunity to get away, just the two of us. It was a great way for me to be able to focus all of my attention on him and myself, rather than on the two monkeys. I felt like we were dating again and it was just really nice and healthy for us.

We are so excited to have another week off for our family...we went swimming this morning and the kids LOVED it. I hope the pool doesn't cause a flare up of Koen's eczema or his ear infection. Koen was fearless in there, it was awesome to see. Well, Kokies is crying, nap time is over already.......have a great weekend!!

Love, Louise

Colours

Relaxed

Gary and I are having a fabulous time at the Kingfisher. Amazing food, several spa treatments, yoga classes, island explorations, photo dates, skyping with our kids....this is wonderful:)

Married

My littlest sister is now married. It was a great day. I'm tired. There are a billion great pictures, I'm sure, but I've only started uploading the reception ones....here's my family.

Please note that Jantina (far left) is ready to have her baby any day. We're glad she kept it in for the wedding:)

Vacation

I am feeling just a tad bit overwhelmed. The one downfall of blogs is that you really just can't share it all....well, you could, but then no one would talk to you:) There is a whole lot going on in the next couple of days and I can't wait to go on our trip! Gary and I are really looking forward to our getaway and I can't wait to see how long I can sleep in without kids. Gary is looking forward to other things. You know, like the full body massage and super fancy meals we're getting...woohoo! Koen is getting better, the medicine sure is helping. Phew. So thankful for medicine.

The rehearsal for my sister's wedding was last night. Steve had a workplace accident and his ring finger is too swollen to have a ring on it...way to try to get out of it Steve!

Today I was very short on patience. I think that's what happens when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Just look at his kid though, he's so adorable! The picture below is blurry but it's just so funny to me.

Kai is quite intelligent. Of course I'd say that because I'm his mom. He's known his letters for a year now so I keep trying to encourage him to practice writing his letters. He has NO desire. I'm trying to be patient, I'm trying to make it fun, yet, he resists. The other day he said he would try if he wore my old glasses. He looked so studious.

He gets upset and frustrated very easily if it isn't perfect. I'm trying to teach him that it doesn't matter if it's not perfect, it's just good to try. I need to be patient with him because I don't want to turn him off of reading and writing, I'm just trying to figure out how hard to push. I'm trying to get him to trace one word per day, that's kind of where we are at. Today's word was `hot dog':)

Kai: Mommy, Koen is smelly!

Me: Smelly like what? (meaning dirty diaper? vomit?)

Kai: Smelly like a rooster.

Well, I will be insanely busy the next few days so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love, Louise.

Quick Update

-Koen has been on antibiotics for 24 hours so far. He has a double ear infection and a some major congestion. We are hoping things start getting better soon. We've been giving him Motrin as well. I hurt for him. He is not sleeping very well at all, I have never seen him have such a little amount of sleep (therefore, me too!). On Tuesday night, he was up from 11pm until 1:30am and then had periodic wake ups. Last night, he finally fell asleep at 9:30pm. We haven't had an ear infection in our household before and man, they are TOUGH. I feel bad for kids that go through this without any pain medication...kids who are undiagnosed or kids in the world that can't afford it.

-my littlest sister is getting married on Saturday...we our photographing it and I'm also emceeing.

-my sister Maria is pregnant with her 3rd child!

(Maria 12 weeks pregnant with her 3rd)
-my sister Jantina is due with her first child in the next couple of weeks!

-Gary and I are heading out on our getaway in the next couple of weeks. I am praying that Koen is better before we go and that I don't miss the birth of my newest niece or nephew. We are going for a little holiday at the Kingfisher Resort and Spa on Vancouver Island to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary.

-I did our taxes this week and also our business taxes, go me! I was scared to do the business ones but I wanted to learn all about it. I was able to see what all the write offs could be in order to better document stuff in 2010. It was nice to see that I could write off a portion of that ridiculously large van repair bill:)

-Preschool fees go up to $170/month next year...I contemplated not having him return (due to money and also the amount of driving and disrupting Koen's nap), but alas, he loves it and that is my time to work. So, Kai will be going back in the fall.

-Gotta go....have a great week!!

Koen Saying Hi

Ahhhhhh....he's so cute!

PS There is a new post below

14 Months Old

Kokies is now 14 months old! He is such a character and his goofiness continues to bring us so much joy! Unfortunately he spent the morning at the doctor getting diagnosed with an ear infection. I just feel bad for him as he has been sick for 3 weeks already...my poor bubba. At least the doctor said that goat milk was a great idea to get rid of the eczema, it has worked very well.

Koen is an explorer. From the moment he gets up, he is go, go, go. His favourite places are the same ones that Kai loved. The corner cupboard with all the cans, the cupboard with the rice cooker and the beloved potato masher, the garbage, and the bathroom (today Kai's shoe ended up in the toilet). He does the stairs very well on his own and we don't watch him anymore. The two times he rolled down were when I was standing at the bottom and he was reaching for me, it's just best if he does it on his own. He is months ahead of where Kai was at this age in regards to physical abilities and I think a lot of it has to do with being the second child.

He usually wakes one time in the night and Gary and I rotate who gives him a bottle as he won't take it unless we are holding him. He was waking at 11pm each night but now it has somehow switched to 5am. So, he sleeps 7pm to 7am with one wake up, at least 5 times a week. Otherwise, he sleeps right through.

He loves to reach for things and say `hee hee'. It's very cute. His words are; mama, dada, ball, hi, and up. Kai also said these same words, but instead of `hi', Kai said `monkey' and `doggy'.

Kai and Koen really are getting closer and closer each day. It makes my heart so happy to see Kai reach for Koen's hand to HOLD it rather than grab something from it. They love to run upstairs and play in the three bedrooms together. We do let them play in our bedroom, Koen just loves going for Gary's alarm clock Every. Single. Time. Kai refuses to bath with Koen though. Might be safest for them to have separate baths anyway, they are both wild in the tub.

Koen weighs about 23.5lbs. He loves all food and also loves his goat milk. His favourite thing of all is Blue, his blankie. He is really a momma's boy and can be found holding onto my pants throughout most of the day.

(Go Canada Go!)

When he gets really excited about something, he clenches his fists so that his whole upper body shakes. It's actually a little freaky looking. When he grabs something he knows he's not allowed to have, he will bring it to us (cd's, window cleaner...)

He has started running away or lying down when he doesn't want something. When he's hungry, he goes to his high chair and says `Up! Up!'.

Koen is such a bundle of energy and he loves to explore. He is very happy, although, he generally has a very neutral face around people he doesn't know well. He loves to climb on top of me while I'm doing my yoga. Kai calls him `Koen-ies'. He loves wrestling with Gary. He has brought so much silliness and smiles to our family, we are so thankful.