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.

foot in my mouth...again.

I OPENLY (and repeatedly) mistook one of Hudson's classmates DAD for his GRANDPA!!!!

"Oh Lucky Ian! He gets to go to the Eco Museum with his Grandpa!" I joyously said OUT LOUD...purposely being friendly, as we walked into the school at the same time.

Being the polite Canadian he is, he never corrected me (and no, there is NO WAY IN HELL he didn't hear me...unless he's deaf, which unfortunately he's not).

Later that fieldtrip, I heard the teachers addressing him as Ian's "Dad".

So so so embarrasing.

Lesson learned...I should never talk. Ever.

he loves me...

"because I make him cheese sandwiches and hotdogs".

The teachers asked all the kids in Hudson's preschool why they love their mothers, then they wrote down all the answers and displayed them on a board outside the classroom.

I literally laughed out loud when I read my son's reason. Now everyone knows I feed my child the lips ands toes of processed meat.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

random memory

I made my dad laugh out loud when he was recovering in the hospital after his brain aneurysm. He was laughing, and I was mortifed. I had just admired what I thought was a baby bump on a lady, and asked the woman how far along she was in her pregnancy...and horrifyingly...she wasn't pregnant! It had happened at the entrance to the hospital, and I was probably still red in the face from blushing, when I got to my father's room. I remember telling my father what had just happened, and he laughed out loud.

Honestly...I have never commented on any stranger's protuding belly ever again. No matter how obvious it is that they are pregnant. Cuz, you just never know.

iphone pix

Still haven't found my camera memory card thingy...that's what happens when you live between two places...things get misplaced. That, or Devin may have lost it. He gets blamed for all things missing around here. He honestly thinks pull-ups are supposed to go on your head. His brother showed him this, and whenever he gets his hands on a pull-up, he wears it as a hat. Literally a poo-poo head. Isn't his smile infectious? And so genuine? So disappointed that Devin's face is cut off, because this moment melts my heart. Really really wish i captured it on camera better. My boys fell asleep in the car holding hands. It doesn't get any cuter than that.

yawn...

i know my blog has gotten boring.
it's really because my life has gotten boring.
there just isn't much to write about, when you're living half the week at your inlaws and half the week at your mom's. it's like the movie "Groundhog Day". Monday to Thursday...take Hudson to school, watch him cry when we drop him off (he decided he didn't like school anymore after his week off for Spring Break), kill 3 hours until it's time to pick him up. same ol, same ol. not really blog-worthy stuff.

and so i daydream about moving into our house a lot. i'm really excited to see it all come together. i think our little 26 X 26 home is going to be super cute and cozy. did i mention that we turned a teeny tiny closet into a powder room? no? well we really wanted a toilet on the same floor as the bedrooms upstairs...and we weren't intimidated by losing a 3 X 4 foot closet space. guys, i can't wait to show you the before and afters of this house.

until then...i'll try not to put you to sleep with all the mundane aspects of my life as a SAHM.

confession

i LOVE when my boys are both asleep. LOVE it.

does that make me a bad mama?

it's hard work being responsible for two little beings all day long. feed them, clean them up, dress them, clean up their messes, entertain them, entertain them some more, feed them some more, clean them and their messes up some more...it's hard hard work.

i have once again misplaced my camera memory card so i can't upload any new pictures onto the computer. which sucks, cuz there are some cute ones i want to share.

anyway...the Kitty House is coming along. rob's almost done the plumbing, and i finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. i won't jinx it by writing a move-in date yet, but i'm trusting it will be sooner than later.

p.s. as i type this i hear devin waking up. that would be THREE times in the last 1.5 hours.

10 Absolutely Random Facts From My Life On This Day

1. Hudson asked me a while back why we always take the highway...and never the low-way.

2. The Kitty House is still far from being habitable.

3. Devin is apparently getting all of his teeth at the same time, and is taking it out on my boobs. Toe-curling pain, I tell ya.

4. I've neglected this blog because I am obsessed with browsing for junk previously loved mechandise on kijiji

5. I didn't have to zip up my jacket today...YAY Spring is coming, I can feel it!

6. Got an encouraging email from an old friend on Facebook that made my day a little brighter.

7. My oldest friend is getting married this summer and I can't wait to celebrate with her!

8. I never thought I'd say this sentence...but I LOVE the toilet we just bought.

9. Every change of season, for the last 10 years, makes me want to perm my hair for some reason. And I'm always too chicken to actually go through with it. Advice?

10. I'm craving a poutine.

100 Things about Devin

1. You love to dance

2. You love to eat

3. So far the only thing you haven't been a fan of is fish

4. You smile and laugh easy

5. But your crying is ferocious

6. It is so obnoxious, yesterday while you and I were shopping at Winner's you started howling in your stroller so loudly, a manager actually pulled me out of line and opened a closed cash just so I could pay for my stuff faster (aka get you out of their store)

7. You hate riding in the car

8. You will have to learn to tolerate that better, because your father and I LOVE going for drives

9. You think Hudson is so funny

10. Your favorite toy is whatever he's playing with

11. This causes a lot of yelling (on both your parts)

12. You're not afraid of fighting with your big brother

13. You don't think you're 1 year old

14. You think you're 4, like Hudson

15. Your feet are the opposite of Hudson's

16. Thick and wide, like the Hulk

17. And your toes are straight

18. You have two birth marks

19. You have a double crown

20. This makes for the coolest Rockstar mohawk

21. Your favorite food is blueberries

22. And McDonald's frenchfries

23. You love baths

24. You don't mind getting your face wet or water in your eyes

25. But you hate having your nose wiped

26. You are walking 100% of the time now

27. Your first (and only) word so far is "Hi"

28. You love poking our belly buttons

29. You always have dirty fingernails

30. I hope that isn't a correlation

31. You love playing with remotes and cellphones

32. You once "hid" the TV remote at Nanny and Bob's, and they looked for it for HOURS (literally)

33. It was in the fridge :)

34. You like turning off the TV when we're watching it

35. You smile when we get mad

36. Stinkers apparently run in our family

37. You love kisses, both giving and receiving

38. You love being tickled

39. You're affectionate

40. You show your toys to Bosco

41. You love to brush your teeth...by yourself...which means you love chewing your toothbrush

42. You love holding tubes (lotions, creams, toothpaste)

43. You've fallen asleep holding these toiletries on numerous occasions

44. Whatever floats your boat, baby

45. You look around before doing something you know you're not supposed to

46. You are obsessed with sticking your finger in the electrical sockets

47. You test everything by putting it in your mouth

48. I have fished out some odd things from there

49. I bet you have swallowed many things I don't even know about

50. You give your tou-tous kisses

51. Even when you're by yourself, and don't know I'm secretly watching

52. You are a lover of Hudson's artwork and crafts

53. And by "lover", I mean "crumpler", "ripper", "destroyer"

54. I really don't think it's intentional, but it happens every time

55. You hate when I cut your nails

56. But I have to often, because you have the habit of digging your nails into our skin when you're tired

57. You pinch us hard over and over when you're falling asleep

58. This is kind of a weird quirk, Kid

59. You abruptly stopped sucking your thumb

60. All by yourself

61. Coincidentally this ended you sleeping through the night

62. Ugh.

63. You effectively communicate all your wants and needs by pointing your finger

64. Bossy little finger pointer

65. I have never had anyone look at me with such love in their eyes, as you

66. I have never seen eyes so joyful when they smile, as yours

67. You are a happy baby

68. I am so grateful for that

69. I am so grateful for you

70. I often whisper in your ear that you were exactly what I needed

71. I actually believe you were exactly what our family needed

72. I believe wholeheartedly that having you, saved me from a dark dark place

73. I regret almost everyday that you never got a chance to meet your Hadabogi

74. You like very boyish things

75. Like toy cars

76. And balls

77. And empty boxes

78. Out of all your birthday presents, you liked your balloons the best

79. You go get your own snacks from the cupboard when you're hungry

80. You almost always pick the cheesy crackers

81. Although you also often pick the Nesquick Chocolate Milk mix

82. Which is weird considering you've never tasted it

83. You pretend to talk on the phone

84. Your crying doesn't get progressively louder...you go from not crying to screaming your head off in 1 second

85. That is not cool

86. You like seeing yourself in pictures and videos

87. You smile when we smell your toes

88. You smile bigger when we pretend they're stinky

89. Sometimes we're not pretending

90. You watch TV with your brother

91. The parts you like best is always the singing/music

92. You like holding crayons

93. You wiggle and squirm every time you get your diaper changed

94. EVERY SINGLE DIAPER CHANGE SINCE YOU WERE BORN!!!

95. You experiment with gravity by trying to get off furniture headfirst

96. You sleep with your mouth open

97. Like your mama

98. You get the most snuggles out of anyone in our family

99. From me, daddy, and even Hudson (who cuddles YOU more than anyone else)

100. You may be suffering from Second Child Syndrome in terms of having less photographs and videos...but definitely NOT in LOVE and KISSES!

Devin...you were exactly what I needed. I can't stress that enough. I am so so lucky to be your mama. I am so so grateful for you. You completed our family. I love you Baby!

Happy First Birthday Devin!

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My Rockstar Baby

I love his crazy hairdo

He LOVES bathtime

I could munch him all day long

Cuddling Halmonie

Birthday ballooons

My One Year Old Birthday Boy

In his Korean Birthday suit

With his Auntie Sue-Poo

With Mama

Happy happy birthday, baby

Sweet moment with Romy