Spring Hike

J. had ten days of holidays still to take before the end of June.  Instead of taking them all in one block of time, we decided that he should take Fridays and Mondays off starting last weekend.  Brilliant!  We certainly aren't in a position to go on vacation anywhere, so this will allow us extra long weekends to be together as a family and to enjoy many "staycations" until the end of June.

Early this Monday morning, we decided to head up to yet another hiking trail just North of us to spend some time enjoying nature and walking along under the cool shade of tower-tall trees. We began hiking with the twins early on and we can see their love of nature developing rapidly.  Chick and Pea love to find new leaves, big rocks, and to listen to all of the different tweets of the birds in the trees.  I hope they carry this love with them forever.



 Spring Hike from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.

Creeks and Puddles

 Creeks and Puddles from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.

A Bucket Full Of Rocks

It's simple math, really.

Two buckets full of rocks + Two rambunctious toddlers + One fast flowing creek

= 90 minutes of pure (not to mention free) entertainment.

After dinner last night, we decided to head down to a creek that runs through our town and introduce the twins to the delightful pastime of throwing and skipping rocks.  Oh man, did we ever underestimate how much fun the kids would have.  They literally trembled with excitement.

We walked along a winding path, picking up rocks and filling the twins' buckets with the best ones we could find.  When we came upon the fast moving creek, we began showing Chick and Pea how to throw the rocks to make the biggest splash.  They giggled and danced as J. picked up the biggest stones he could lift and threw them mightily into the creek.  With every splash of the heavy rocks came big "Wows" and "Ohs".  Too fun!

At one point, Pea was dancing in a puddle and got his boot stuck in the mud.  He fell back into the mud puddle, soaking his pants and shirt.  The mud was CAKED on and we all laughed so hard.  Well, J. and I laughed.  Chick was somewhere down the path and missed it and Pea, well, let's just say he didn't find it as amusing as we did.

Of course, I didn't bring the camera on this particular adventure, so you'll just have to imagine our mud-soaked Pea.  We had to strip him down to his diaper to drive home!

Instead, here are some pictures I took of the twins as they played outside in the rain yesterday morning. 

Chick is lapping up the water that has accumulated on the table. :/

Happy Chick!

Cutie-Pie Pea!

Stopping To Smell The Flowers

We took a drive to a nighbouring town's park yesterday on the recommendation of another local mom.  The park is housed amid mature trees and there is Crown Land all around.  It was really beautiful and, despite one sick baby, the twins had fun before the rain came down.
On the way home, we noticed brilliant pink and purple lilac trees lining the country road we traveled.  I asked J. to stop the Jeep so that I could get out and snip some to take home.  I took enough to make bouquets in almost all the bedrooms and main floor.  I don't know why, but it makes me so happy to see the flowers and to breathe in their scent.  I have received flowers on many occasions, but there is something about picking flowers in the wild for bouquets that delights me so.

The bouquet I made for the hall table on the main level.

These are the lilacs on the nightstand in our bedroom. 

When They're Sick

The true dynamics of any family reveal themselves when one member is sick.  Take last night, for example.  At 2:30am, Chick began to cry in her crib.  Anyone who has been following our family for any amount of time knows how soundly our Chick sleeps.  We can count on one hand the number of times we've had to tend to her through the night since she was weeks old.  So, when J. and I heard her in distress early this morning, we knew she needed us.  What I love about our little family is that J. and I don't barter for who should get up with a sick or distressed child.  Chick and Pea are our children equally and, therefore, we both care for them no matter what the hour. 

So, at 2:30am, we both tended to Chick in each our own way in order to care for her (and her fever of 104.7˚F).  Each of our children requires different care from J. and I. In this case, since it was Chick who needed care, J. took the reigns to cuddle her on the couch while I measured the appropriate dose of medicine and researched, online, steps to take to ease her discomfort.  If it had been Pea who needed care, our roles would have been reversed.  Pea usually needs comfort from me when he is sick and Chick typically prefers her father's comfort.  Either way, we are there to support the other in a way that honours what our children need at the time.

Someday, after many seasons have come and gone and when I am no longer able to tell their story, I hope that Chick and Pea will read through the pages of this, the first chapter of their little lives, and know how much they are cherished. It's why I record stories like this. 

Teeth

I'm not a fan of teeth at the moment. Sure, they are lovely and filled with the pearly goodness of calcium, but they are buggers too.

Pea has a full mouth of teeth. He's got 'em all except for his two-year molars and has had a mouth full of teeth for a long while. In the very beginning, he was a little fussy when teething, but I don't recall there being a lot of pain.

Chick on the other hand...

As of a few days ago, she had only 9 teeth. I know this because I routinely swipe her gums for any signs of developing buds and there was nothing there on Friday. This morning, she woke up crying (she always wakes up happy and chatty) and had a fever of 102.5F. She was fussy yesterday and I suspected that she was teething, but today was more telltale. Sure enough, a swipe of my finger along her gums revealed her two upper molars had broken through (barely). What a day.

Chick is a fairly...uh...emotional girl to begin with, but that coupled with the pain of molars breaking through her toughened gums made the day difficult for her and for her family. Poor Pea didn't know what to do with her today and no matter how many times he hugged and kissed her, she pushed him away and rejected his efforts. Then, he became sad. It was an all around sad kind of day.

At 5:00pm, J. gave me the two hour count down to bed time.  This is a rare thing in our household.  Many days, we don't get the kids to bed on time because we are happily cuddling on the couch and don't want the day to end.  Today, however, we were happy to see our little Chick in her crib sound asleep.  When she sleeps, she is not in pain.

Stupid teeth.

Let's hope that she is over the worst of it.

Climby McFearless and Playful Pea

Mom, you may want to sit down before you watch this. This 21 month old is fearless and determined. I wonder who she gets this from?


Climby McFearless from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.

What Pea was up to while Chick was climbing. He is a BIG flirt.

Untitled from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.

Fun Farm Tour

On Saturday we invited our partners in fun, Catherine and Hannah, to accompany us on a farm tour and play day sponsored by a local organic farm.  This particular farm is the one that will be supplying us with our organic veggies and pastured eggs from June until end of October.  It was a chance for us to tour the farm and see the animals in their wide expanse of a playground.  The chickens, ducks and cows roam freely on 100 acres of land and all are hormone and antibiotic free.  The cows are fed grass only and this contributes to healthier and happier beef.  I am passionate about feeding my children healthy, fresh and organic food as much as possible and I am so excited to begin receiving our CSA bins in June.
As well as learning about the farm and the land, there were fun activities for the kids (both big and little).  It was a great morning and we didn't let the clouds nor the rain stop us from having a great time.

Pea, as he's been doing all week for Chick and me, picked a weed flower especially for Hannah.

Chick and Hannah hugging it out upon seeing each other for the first time that day.

My independent girl off in the distance.

Pea enjoyed shoveling sand onto the picnic table.

Farm boys.  

The herb greenhouse is in the background.  I saw the teeny cilantro plants that will be ours soon!

Chick is ready for a tricycle.  If only her legs would cooperate!

Chickens!  These chickens were only a couple of weeks old.

Chick had a flower painted on her face.  Pea was not in the mood for such things.

Newborn chickens under heat lamps. 

Newborn ducklings.  So sweet...until they head to the butcher. :(

The three munchkins enjoying terrorizing playing with the pastured chickens.

Chick developed a love for bouncy castles. 

My favorite photo of the day.

Week's End

Since Blogger has been funky all week, I'm going to amalgamate some of the posts I've had in my head, yet couldn't write because every time I tried to log on (which wasn't often, I admit) Blogger was down.


Mother's Day 2011

I had a lovely Mother's Day. Sure, I got up early, made everyone French toast, did two loads of laundry, played in the park with the twins and made dinner for everyone, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. This is my life and I love it.
J. helped the babies make a craft for me and there were beautiful flowers waiting for me when I got home from my Gramma's funeral on Saturday. I am blessed.

Pea's little chubby hands are on the left and Chick's slender fingered hands are on the right.  The little note says, "Here's a happy hug-a-bunch.  Wrap it around and feel the crunch.  May smiles and kisses come your way with lots of love on Mother's Day"

Dear God The Fighting

Chick and Pea have been *ahem* squabbling over every. little. thing this week. I made a vow very early on in their little lives that I wouldn't be a referee and that I would let them sort out their own stuff. Well, it's not working for me as well as I had though it would. Also, I'm quite certain that whomever invented wine was a mother of twin toddlers. Just sayin'.

Big Boy Bed

After almost 21 months of hating his crib and letting everyone in the neighbourhood know it at all hours of the night, we finally decided to dismantle it and move a double bed (thanks to Gramma and Grampa) into Pea's room.  As soon as we get the appropriate safety wares for him, we will start transitioning him to his big boy bed.  To be completely honest, I think I may have a more difficult time than he will in the transition.  I have loved co-sleeping with Pea all these months and will miss being able to reach across and rub his back in the co-sleeper we made for him.  *sniff*

Baby Girl Crib

Chick loves her crib.  LOVES it.  She sometimes just sits in it and reads the books she has in there.  There is no way on this planet that she is ready for a big girl bed.  She sleeps 12-13 hours a night in that crib and we are not about to mess with that kind of shut-eye.

Smoothie Deliciousness

I have been making delicious and nutritious smoothies for the babies (yes, they are still babies in my eyes) for a while now.  It's a great way to get fruit and veggies into them and a tasty treat, too! I usually make them with Greek yogurt to improve the protein count.  Yummy!

Blueberry Smoothie, anyone?

Spoon-licking good!

No hands!

Happy face!

Outdoor Fun

There is nothing we love more as a family than spending time outdoors in the sunlight.  The weather this past week was glorious and we were outside from sunrise to sunset every day.  The twins discovered dandelions and think that they are the most beautiful "flowers" or "wowas"  in the world.  How can you deny their beauty when a toddler carefully picks one out for you and presents it to you with a wide grin?  You simply cannot.  Here are a few pictures of our fun in the sun.

Sidewalk chalk is very fun!  All they want us to draw are balls and moons.

Our friend A. usually comes over to play with us when we are in front of the house.

Chick's first (of many, I'm confident) skinned knee.

Fun at the park.  How cute is this boy?

Chick enjoys playing with everyone's sand toys but her own.

Pea still loves the baby swing!

Chick contemplating the slide.

Juice break!

A hike along a fun path.

Watching the storm water pond's flow.

Searching for pinecones (py-cohs).

What's a hike without a stick?

My boys.

Heritage and Memorials

My Gramma's funeral was held in the small town that our ancestors settled back in the 19th century.  In fact, her funeral was held in the church our ancestors built when they arrived here from Ireland.  It was the same church in which she was baptized and married.  Her nephew is now the priest who officiates at the church and performed her service on Saturday.  Quite a special memorial, for sure.

This was the church as it stood in the 1930s.  My Gramma and Grampa's wedding day.

And this is it as it stood on Saturday May 7th, 2011

I made the long trek by myself (my family had all left the night before and J. stayed home with the twins) to this town in Northern Ontario on Saturday to say goodbye to Gramma and to see all the relatives I so seldom get to see.

Not being entirely confident in where I was headed and not able to find the address of the church on my GPS, I left quite early in order to ensure that I found my way and was on time.  I was two hours early.  I parked the car and decided to walk around the church taking pictures.  A small cemetery behind the church holds the grave sites of the family members gone before my Gramma. My Grampa, great grandparents, great-great grandparents, aunts, uncles, infant children who died in their first year of life, etc. all rest here.  To see my last name(s) throughout the cemetery on almost every tombstone was eerily beautiful.  I don't know of any other family who is able to gather in one cemetery as we can and trace the roots of their heritage right back to the year of immigration from Ireland.   So amazing.

Soon, other family members arrived and proceeded to walk through the cemetery as I had.  Gathering at the entrance, we marveled at the history before us.

The service was lovely and the church was completely full with friends and family who came to pay their last respects.  My dad and my uncle were the two people primarily responsible for putting everything together and I know my Gramma would have been tickled pink by the love that went into everything that was done for her funeral and reception.  Of course, there was sadness and it was especially sad to talk with one of her two surviving siblings (Gramma was one of 13) who expressed her sadness with eloquence. Another sad moment came when my Grampa's brother told us he was the only one left of the bridal party (he was best man at my grandparents' wedding).

Life goes on and I hugged Chick and Pea extra tight when I got home.  I know it's natural to think of one's own mortality when someone dies, but knowing that my babies may one day plan and orchestrate my funeral made my heart sad.  I hope for so many things by that day.  I hope they know me, that they have lived long enough to feel as though they got everything they needed from me.  That they can lean on each other as my brother and I do when faced with something like this.  That they have faith in something that helps them deal with loss.  I hope for so much.

On Risk

When the twins first began walking, we took them to a park nearby.  A little girl was playing on one of the structures near us and when she began walking toward a small rock-climbing wall, her caregiver said, "You can't climb that, can you?"  The little girl looked sheepish, shook her head and walked toward a small slide instead.  I remember feeling so sad for her. 

I've written about Chick's adventurous spirit before and I suspect it will be a recurring theme as we navigate her childhood together.  While I am a staunch proponent of setting certain limits, I am also supportive of a child's natural curiosity for adventure.  These two ideas are not mutually exclusive.  Far from it.  In fact, I would argue that one lends itself beautifully to the other.  Allowing children to take risks empowers them to know their capabilities and therefore, know how to manage their bodies in a safe way.  Furthermore, we have found that when Chick and Pea have been given the freedom to gauge their capabilities, each discovers what they either can or cannot yet do.  In turn, this freedom empowers them to identify risk zone for themselves.  You would be amazed at how self-disciplined little ones can be when given the opportunity.

Chick no longer swings in the baby swing at the park.  She chooses the swing without the safety enclosure and does extremely well in it.  Pea has tried the swing without the safety enclosure, had a fall, and now chooses the baby swing more often than not.  If he shows interest in the "big kid" swing, we will encourage him, but if not, we will happily push him in the other.  Chick chooses to climb the rungs in order to get to the top of any play structure.  She has had her share of falls, has regrouped, figured out new strategies and tries again.  Pea prefers the stairs.  It's all good. 

This video will likely give my poor mother a heart attack.  Chick's adventurous spirit at 20 months old.



Miss Independent from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.

Life Goes On - Easter 2011

On Good Friday, Catherine and Hannah met us at a local farm to have some Easter fun. Last year, the weather was beautiful and we were in shorts and drenched in sunscreen. This year, we froze our patooties off despite our parkas. We didn't let the weather stop us from enjoying our day, though.

Playing in the "Corn Box".  Much better than sand!

The two men in my life.  They really knew how to make their Easter Basket look great!

Chick and I coloured with markers and made our basket look pretty darn good, too.

There were some newborn chicks to terrorize admire.

Overall impression of the Jumping Castle:  Meh.

We tried to feed the animals, but they weren't interested.

Hannah and Pea atop the hay.

Hannah and Catherine - the BEST playmates ever!

Hannah had great fun finding all of the eggs that the Easter Bunny left in the field.

Pea did his part to gather the eggs he could find.

Chick needed some help from Daddy.

Big hugs from Pea to the Easter Bunny!

Chick showing the Easter Bunny some love.

I love this picture!  LOVE it!  Chick did NOT want to ride on the wagon. 

Chick's first real taste of Easter chocolate.  I think she was happy she took that wagon ride after all.

Pea's face is priceless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Easter morning, the twins woke to find that the Easter Bunny had left some lovely gifts for them.

The twins' Easter baskets. 
Chick is obsessed with Owls and Pea loves "Yions" - the Easter Bunny is brilliant!

Easter morning egg hunt.

Pea was careful not to "break" any of his plastic eggs. 


The Easter Bunny left Mini M&Ms, chocolate graham cookies and Lucky Charms Marshmallows in each egg.

Who doesn't enjoy a lovely colouring book?