Just a bit more practice..

..and we'll see the walking begin. Pulling up is the order of the day now and as a baby shall do, she's trying REALLY hard - ALL THE TIME. Even naps have been put to the wayside to conquer these newly acquired skills (much to the chagrin of her mother). Any semi-stable thing is game to be grabbed and knelt next to - including motionless dogs, sisters or mom's hair (ouch). Sigh. Bye-bye baby and hello toddler, I'm not sure I'm ready just yet.

Confessions of a Scrapbook-a-phobic

This is what I feel like. It's not that it's like there's an essay that needs doing or that I'm too tired to get everything out. It's just that every time I have the time to actually sit down and put a page together - to freeze happy moments in an art-like medium - I just freeze up myself. I find a million other things to do and do them instead. Sometimes I just fart around and move piles of paper from one area of the desk to another.. Sometimes I find some chocolate that needs to be instantly devoured (bad Ronnie). And sometimes, I actually get the pictures out and fondly reminisce or just search my memory for when that moment in time truly occurred (the memories just get foggier and foggier..sigh). Procrastination, I'm convinced, is a genetic glitch that I seem to be stuck with - I can only hope that it doesn't get passed down.

Anyhoo...There are a few things that need to go into the scrapbook for this week... Like how Noelle is all of 9 months old and happily eating her way through every food group imagineable. She's decided that large chunks of carrot can be stored for later use in little cheek pouches that I never knew she had - who can tell?! And like how her big sister enjoys feeding her little bits of cereal AS LONG AS she gets to partake of said tasty treat at that moment as well.. "Mummy, Noelle doesn't have any more O's??" I seem to go through more snack food these days. OH, and another milestone moment was when the dog actually licked the baby's cheek while being climbed over - WITHOUT growling... She got a few treats for that one, lucky doggie!

This should all motivate me.. And well, I think it just may have.. Wish me luck! Good night!

You Can't Pick a New Year..

But you can pick your nose.. And that's exactly what our 'proud parenting moment' was this week.. She just laughs when we pull away her finger, so I might as well just pull out the camera and save the picture for future embarrassment.. (insert wicked laughter here). Happy New Year!

Christmas Flies By!

That's what if felt like, even if it crept along for everyone else. As usual, bouts of sickness sprang up along the way but we made it to the "big day" without any major debilitating injuries and everyone enjoyed the time & food & great company. Many thanks to all those that arrived at our house to share our first real, memorable, Santa's visit - Auntie Millie, Unca Pete, Auntie Sharon, Amanda, Auntie Margo, Grandma & Grandpa Brown AND Gramma & Grampa.. Everyone ate their eggs without complaint and spoiled our girls rotten! And thanks to Auntie Trish & Tink for arriving 'via flowers'! We are a very lucky family.

Can you find the baby in the above picture?

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Shock & disbelief at SANTA having arrived!

Grandma & our Christmas Elf!

Santa's Scary But Those Elves Do Great Art!

Well, we tried to make it to Santa's lap this year and got close enough to Hi-5 him. Thankfully, K wasn't afraid of the lady doing face painting and requested this flower work, in blue. Oh, and she just about forgot the stem until Kyra corrected her..apparently art critique runs in the family..

Happy Thoughts

I was contemplating what I could write in this post today and I reflected upon many of my previous posts.. Now, I don't mean to give the impression that all is bad with our lives or that children are a plague upon our household (even though I feel that way intermittently). But this seems the perfect outlet to rant about it and just 'get it out', sort of speak. So, I really should give the sunnier view of parenthood once in a while.

I was nursing Noelle tonight and trying to stir up some moments that make motherhood special for me and that I can freeze in cyberspace for my kids to read later.. Now, the nursing part of motherhood is a fairly special moment that, while it seems to take SO MUCH TIME, really is just a small fraction of life. I certainly have no regrets choosing that route - as I took the bottle route with Kyra - and I wholeheartedly believe that I have a closer connection to Noelle through it than I ever had with Kyra. I laugh at Noelle's ability now to nurse, fiddle with my shirt, play with her hair (her fuzz, really) and smile at me through her eyes - all at the same time. She's my multi-tasker! While this was going on, Kyra was running up & down the hallway - buck naked - singing to imaginary friends (named Cha-cha & Shiu-sa - don't know where she got those names?) and asking me if her 'hat' looked good on her.. The 'hat' being a huge bath towel wrapped around her head.. Like I always say - if only I could bottle these moments... Makes me smile.

Christmas Approaches and the Germs Just Keep Coming!

I hardly have time these days to prepare (as all good "Santas" should) when I spend every waking moment fighting the FLU or a COLD or some sort of GI disruption.. I mean really, take pity on a new family and let me remain healthy for at least another 3 weeks! That was my plea to the 'cold' Gods.. Today it's only Ernie that's hiding in the bedroom, dozing in self pity - but it could be ANY one of us tomorrow...