The countdown

The countdown has begun. I have only four more days until I go back to work. It's bittersweet to look back at this year full of so many treasured moments with Brea and Rhys because it seems to have just flown by. I don't remember my year with Brea going as fast but I suppose with two there are more activities to keep us busy and on the go. I wish I had more time to stay at home with them - in the fall I will only be working four days a week so that will be nice.

I've been trying to cram in as much as I can this last week. We've visited museums that I've been meaning to take them to for a while now. Brea finally got her carousel ride at the Burnaby Village Museum (they are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and it's free admission all season - it's a great place to visit on a sunny day), we visited the Greater Vancouver Zoo, we got out into the sunshine that's making its appearance more often now, and Rhys is making strides daily, he can maneuver up and down the stairs now while his big sister hovers nearby in case he needs help. He loves making noise, you'll never see him empty handed, he always has a spatula or a spoon or something to bang with. He has been babbling more and more exuberantly and has finally added a few new syllables to his repertoire. He mostly does the "Ma" sound when he wants something - namely me, but he does a few variants now besides just grunts. He loves food and is very unhappy if he sees anyone eating without sharing a tidbit with him.

Ready for a romp at the zoo.

I love watching the two of them at play. Brea can be a little rough with her little brother at times but on the whole they play together very well. And when Rhys laughs, it's so infectious.

In support of our Stanley Cup bound Canucks!

 

Silly Girl!

Brea has been working on her toilet training and we followed a 3 day program that has been quite successful for her. Craig did the brunt of it over a weekend and it's been over three weeks diaper-free! Unfortunately, we have had some regression since I've been talking to Brea about going back to work. She has been more and more clingy, needing lots of cuddle time after waking and lately, she's started to ask me to feed her again during meals because "it's too hard" for her to do it herself. I went out for an appointment while she was napping a few days ago and my Mom was watching the kids, when she woke up, she ran around the house looking for me and when she couldn't find me, she had a meltdown. She wet the bed again last night and when we asked her about it, she said she was sad that I was going back to work. I know she'll be able to work through it but it has been difficult. We are lucky to have Nana and Po-Po with us this coming month to watch the kids so they will have familiar faces with them while I'm gone. I know that I will definitely be hurrying home every day.

Rhys has been teething for what seems like forever. He has five little teeth now and number six will be poking through today or tomorrow at the latest. This has caused him to be SO restless at night. I have managed to get him to sleep in his crib for a while now but with the teething there have been so many wake-ups that I've made a little bed on the floor of his room. He has had some great nights so I'm hoping that once these next few teeth are out I'll be able to get a bit more sleep. It'll be great to go back to work exhausted.

Tea time

I am an avid tea drinker and Brea loves watching me whenever I brew a nice cuppa. She especially loves my new Libre tea glasses because she can see all the different colours as it brews. A little while ago, she started to ask if she could drink some too because, as she said, “I am growing Mommy, I’m a big girl now and can drink tea like you!” We went to a local tea shop where she got to pick out her own blend of rooibos. I loved her happy grin all the way home and as she waited patiently for her drink to cool down to take her first sip.

That's how it works!

I want to go to the Farmer's Market out in Burnaby this morning. Brea woke early and was being distracted by Caillou. I went to grab her since we had a busy night and she never got her bath last evening.

Me: Come on Brea, do you want to have a shower this morning?
Brea: My show is still on.
Me: If you come up and have your shower we will go out to a place that has a carousel.
Brea: A carousel?
Me: Yes!
Brea: But my show is still on. After my show is finished, we will go to this carousel... that's how it works Mom!

A Pentiction Visit

We were so lucky to be able to visit family in Penticton during Easter break. They have recently moved into a lovely new home and it was wonderful to be able to see it. Nana and Grumpa were there as well. Brea and Rhys had the time of their lives frolicking with the cousins and being a part of the festivities. Auntie Signe pulled all the stops and was cooking away all weekend filling the house with mouth-watering scents. The Easter bunny made a stop in with colour-coded ribbon treats for a fantastic hunt. Thanks for having us!

Cousins chowing down all in a row.

Brea wanted to be just like her cousin Caylie so Auntie Signe did her hair.

She was happy with the results.

On the hunt.

Rhys finds some baby treats.

Wordless Wednesday - The most comfortable seat in the house

The most comfortable seat in the house.

Coming home from California

Don't miss part I and part II of our spring break adventure.

We were set to go once we left Oxnard to hit the coast. We were on our way on the 101 when our GPS decided to take us on an adventure and before we knew it, near Santa Barbara we veered off onto Hwy 154. Seeing as it did still take us in right direction, we followed it and we are so glad we did. It was one of the loveliest drives on the trip. There were rolling hills dotted by clusters of beautiful old oak trees twisting their branches upwards to the sky and cattle farms and avocado orchards were aplenty as well.

We finally saw some lovely views of the water as we neared Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo but alas, Craig did not get his wish to drive up Hwy 1 and see the scenic coast of California. We were nearing the end of our day's driving when we saw a road sign near the quaint town of Cambria - "Road closed 38 miles ahead". After some sleuthing we discovered that there had been a mudslide on the highway and that a part of the road was now in the ocean, apparently no one thought it would be prudent to post signs before the last turn off. We decided to turn around, cut across vineyards starting to wake and spent the night in Atascadero. Our plans for San Francisco were put on hold since that day of driving was shot. We didn't think it would be as fun to rush into the city and hurry through sights, especially in a city that has so much to do. We'll pocket SF for another trip when we can spend some time there.

Following the AAA guide we drove back up towards Canada. I loved reading about all the towns we passed through... I never knew there was so much to see. Gilroy - the garlic capital of the world; Salinas - home of Steinbeck; the glorious Blackhawk car museum in Danville; and Fairfield housing the famous factory that makes Jelly Bellies.

We arrived in Seattle and stopped at Pike Place Market for a gander at yummy food and lovely flowers, not to mention very loud fish vendors then had a wonderful visit with my cousin Sylvia and her mom. After a lovely lunch we finished our journey home. It was a great vacation!

Brea posing with the mascot of Pike Place Market - Rachel the pig.

Some fine looking Elephant garlic.

Under the neon signs

A lovely bouquet.

At lunch with Wong Po-Po, Rhys and Sylvia