one year hiatus?!?

Feels strange to be here again...

but I just read one of my favorite blogs tonight...and she wrote that her reason for blogging was to remember.  "This is my journal, a detailed account of many of my feelings across a continuum of deep personal growth and a time of whip-lashing change". http://flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.ca/#sthash.JFyOslc4.dpuf

I get it.  I've reread some of my past posts, and it enables me to remember moments of my life that would otherwise probably never be worthy of bringing to mind.  Mundane memories that no one, but maybe those who know and love me, might care about.  I used to blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends.  Then Facebook came along, and it was so much faster and easier at showing everyone what was happening in our lives.  But then the novelty of that wore off too, and before I knew it, more than a year had passed with almost no pictures to show for what we've been up to.  My epiphany:  don't wait to capture something extraordinary.  I am better off taking pictures of our regular, boring, ol' life...photographs that document how fast my boys are growing.  To remember.

 Hudson lost his first tooth today.  It was a TOTAL surprise considering it was barely loose.  Seriously, it didn't wiggle at all.  Hudson noticed it was a bit loose a couple of weeks ago, but it remained the same since.  It was a tiny bit loose if you really really tried to get it to move.  It came out when he was eating an apple this morning.  Being the spaz I am, I freaked out with pure, loud JOY...causing Rob to think I was informing him that we won the lottery! 

 I want my boys to feel like we celebrate their milestones, however small they might be.

My sweet, sensitive Hudson.  He was torn between leaving his first tooth out for the Tooth Fairy to collect, or to keep it for himself as a memento! Really?!?  The conversations I never thought I'd have with my kid!   After a looong time, and a few tears, he decided to put it out for the Tooth Fairy.


I am glad we captured this moment, because I'm 100% positive that when Hudson is a teenager, he wouldn't have believed us that he cried real tears that he didn't want to part with his first, lost, tooth. 

Wake me up when September ends...

September was a month I'd really like to forget...

The start of school and daycare brought about tons of tears, nosebleeds, fights with other kids, and my very first speeding ticket ($160)!  

However...slowly but surely, as everyone assured us it would...it has gotten better.  

Wanna see my sweet boys for yourself?  

Twinkle Twinkle little Dar

Do, Dre, Me, Fall, So, La, Dee, Do!

Cutest cereal eater ever

brotherly love

My Boys.  The chaos from them is insane.  But they are so darn cute.

This wasn't staged.  Pinky promise.

 They decorated their own "Christmas tree" this morning.

 It kept them busy long enough to drink my coffee while it was still hot.

 Hudson taught Devin how to blow milk bubbles.  It's reasons like this that Devin thinks his brother is so cool.

Brothers.  I hope they've always got each other's back.

Devin

Devin. My car-loving, truck-obsessed, stubborn, stubborn boy, who (kinda like his mama) is really kind hearted, but also has a nasty mean streak. Poor Second Child has noticeably less posts, pictures, and videos of him compared to his older brother. I have to try to even it up.

I came into the room to find Devin watching TV on the dog.

Nothing beats a warm, furry pillow.

a lesson in static electricity

He got his first haircut. Doesn't he look super handsome?

How everyone should eat a cupcake...with gusto!

Sweet, stubborn, smiley, Stinker.

a birthday & burnt eyelashes

Devin turned two! And seeing as our life always seems a tad more chaotic, crazy, and colorful than most other families...it's not that surprising this would happen...

It never occured to us, to warn our 2 year old that fire is burning hot. We kinda (wrongly) assumed it was obvious. Poor little guy burnt some of his beautiful eyelashes...smelled like burnt hair for a while in the room...but a few minutes later he was ready to continue with the cake.

Never a dull moment in this house.

Don't hate me because I look less tired...

Got a long overdue haircut. The hairdresser told me I looked "less tired" afterward. Ummm...backhanded compliment? Anyway, I don't love it...but honestly I very rarely love a haircut. The hairdresser asked me if I would donate my hair to make wigs for cancer (she calculated that she cut off about 11 inches!). So not only do I look less tired, but I feel good for helping a good cause.

We played today. A morning of being silly. An afternoon of getting snowy. A supper of Spiro's Supersub (a Montreal delicacy).

Please excuse the mess...my children and I are busy making memories.

Good thing they're cute...

Cuz...none of them listen.

Home at last!

The Holidays were extra merry this year...as we celebrated them in our OWN HOUSE!!! We moved in at the beginning of November, and although there are still tons of things that need to be done...it's cute, it's cozy, it's charming...it's totally home, sweet, home.

Check out our "before" and "afters".

kitchen before

kitchen after

view from living room to kitchen/dining area before

dining area off kitchen - after

living room before

living room after

pantry before

pantry turned office "nook" after

upstairs closet - before

upstairs boys powder room - after

main bathroom (the only one of the house) - before

bedroom on main floor before

main bathroom after - we eliminated the original main floor bedroom and turned it into a spacious bathroom, and the old original bathroom (which was teeny tiny anyway) was knocked down to make more kitchen space.

after - main bathroom

front door before

front door after

backdoor/mini mudroom after (unfortunately no "before" pictures of this space).

If you could have only seen (or smelled for that matter) what this place was like before, you wouldn't believe how much work my husband (almost singlehandedly) did.

P.S. check back for pictures of the two bedrooms...i was just too lazy to clean them just to take pictures!

Twitterpated

I watched my oldest friend get married to her longtime love. I wiped away happy tears as I heard their heartfelt vows. Love, sweet love. The happy newlyweds

The va va voom hottie bride...seriously...in my over 30 years of knowing her, she looked the most beautiful the night of her wedding reception. Totally stunning.

My "love it or hate it" green bubble dress. I personally love it. It was so fun to get dressed up and go out on a date with my husband. We hadn't gone out, just the two of us, on a date in a year and a half. Yes you read that right...1.5 years!!! That must change. For real. If you are reading this, and live in the greater Montreal area, you may be called upon for babysitting duty real soon.

My husband cleans up pretty nice. It's been too long since I've seen him in anything but his Kitty House construction wear. Speaking of the Kitty House...we're not living there yet. 'Nuff said about that.

Devin - 15 months.

Hudson - 4 1/2 years.

He's the heartthrob of all the girls in his preschool. For real...they told him, and he told me, and now I'm telling you. I hear a lot of giggly girls saying "Bye Hudson" whenever I pick him up. He loves it.

He thinks he's a big kid. He copies everything his big brother does. Everything. He's definitely getting his fair share of bumps and bruises.

Wearing our Mother's Day matching cardigans. Once upon a time, I would never have admitted this...but...those babies were on sale for less than five bucks EACH! Honestly, I wear that cardigan a lot, and it cost less than my coffee at Starbucks.