happy new year

I wanted to take a moment to tell you all how grateful I am for each and every one of you. I can't believe we are closing the chapter on 2013. The past year has gone by so fast. It was a year filled with little miracles, and it was a time where we said some goodbyes. We have grown as a family. Our children have achieved new milestones. My husband and I have grown as a couple. We have set new goals for the coming year. We have truly been blessed in 2013 and look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store.

May 2014 bring you everything you wish for and more.

Happy New Year!

Photo credit Nicole Marie Photography

merry christmas

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas with your family and friends. I decided to disconnect from here over the holidays to enjoy some much needed family time. I wanted to savour every moment with my wonderful children and husband.

We have had a jam-packed Christmas but we loved absolutely every moment of it. Our kiddos were all smiles as we attended parties, went tobogganing, met Santa and his elf, decorated gingerbread men, completed a few Christmas-inspired crafts and opened a ton of presents.

I hope to catch everyone up over the next week or so. I am still on holidays until the new year, so I fully intend to cram as much as I can in the next few days with the fam.

I still can't believe in a couple days we will be ringing in 2014!

christmas photos 2013

Only two more sleeps until the big day! I have been off my A game this year. I have to apologize for the lack of holiday-inspired posts. It feels like we have been rushing around trying to jam as many holiday activities in as possible while dealing with constant sickness in our home. I have decided as much as it brothers me that I have a million and one things that need to be accomplished, it is now time to slow down and enjoy some family time. I know I need to cherish each and every moment with my little ones, especially now that the holidays are here.

Well, it is next to impossible to get my children to co-operate for photos but I was determined to get a few Christmas-inspired shots. We had handfuls of candy and lots of raising of our voices but I think we managed to get a couple photos that captured our children loving the holiday decor and gingerbread men.

3 months

Wow, I feel like I say this all the time but I can't believe how fast this little guy is growing. Today marks three months!

My dear son, you are growing at lightening speed, please feel free to slow down. The last month has been a bit hard on you. You dealt with a cold that did not want to go away. It seems to us you are on the mend now, fingers crossed this is true. You started teething (yes, you guys are reading this correctly) You are drooling like a bulldog and it's a miracle you still have your hands left as you are constantly gnawing away at them. We can see two little teeth trying to poke through on the bottom. You are one strong and determined child. When we put you down, you try to sit up on your own. You have also decided it's time to roll over. You have only accomplished this a few times but I don't think it will take you long to master the art of the roll.

You love to smile and chat with everyone. I love love love the stories you tell me, especially the ones when you first wake up in the morning. You are an eating machine. I feel like you are attached to your milk supply 24/7. Gone are the nights when you slept for 5-6 hours. Now it seems like you eat ALL night long and can't go more than two hours at a time without a drink.

In the last month you received your first set of needles and took them all like a champ. You were 13 pounds a few weeks ago. You are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothing. You are loving all the Christmas lights and we can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas.

Well, I better stop writing as I can hear you getting fussy in your bed. I guess it's time for another feeding...

our monkey turned four

Well, it's about time I shared with all of you Little Miss L's 4th birthday celebration. Several weeks went by and each week I would ask Little Miss L. how she would like to celebrate her birthday. Each week she would respond with a different answer. One week she would like a princess-themed party, next a butterfly theme, followed by Barbie ideas then Dora etc. you get the picture. I finally realized letting a soon-to-be four year old decide was probably not my best bet.

As most of you know, I always look forward to hosting my children's birthday parties. I still remember all the effort my parents put into my birthday parties to make sure I had an absolutely fabulous day. I can only hope to live up to what my parents provided. I love hosting parties at our home but this time around I had to admit defeat as I knew hosting a party in our home with a newborn is not exactly what I wanted to do.

After going through a list of different places I found the perfect match. Our daughter loves gymnastics so what better place than the gym to host her party. Little Miss L. had an absolute blast running around with her friends and family. After getting their energy out, they filled their bellies with lots of yummy treats.

Thank you again to everyone who came out to celebrate her big day. It means so much to us to have so many wonderful people surrounding our family. Also, a big thank you to our surprise visitors - it made our weekend extra special.

P.s. I have to admit I enjoyed the easy clean up. I didn't have to spend hours afterwards cleaning and organizing our home.

santa loves bubbles

I feel like I am a broken record but here I go again... things have been super busy around here and that is why I have been MIA. We are still trying to get accustomed to being a family a five, trying to function on very little sleep, dealing with three sick kids - did I mention I hate this time of year? - keeping our household afloat and trying hard to accomplish all we can when it comes to our work. Now, the holiday season is upon us and our calendar is pretty full. Don't get me wrong, as most of you know I am not one to sit around and enjoy being busy, but I am trying my best to find a balance between work and family. Right now, I feel guilty that I am not accomplishing as much as I would like when it comes to my businesses. When I do find the time to get work done, I feel guilty for leaving my family. When I am spending time with my family I feel guilty because I am thinking about how much work I need to complete. It has been a vicious cycle over here but I know in time things will all even out, so until then please bear with me everyone.

I have been trying my best to get our family into the holiday spirit. I hope to share with you guys a few holiday-inspired crafts and activities that we have been up to. Until then, check out these two mini Santas. Both Santas were in a fabulous mood but it's hard to tell with Baby D who has been under the weather. I hope that we can clear this house of all those nasty germs before Christmas so we can all enjoy ourselves.