Out of the mouths of babes...

Quote of the day:

Mathieu to Vincent and I as we were hugging (rolling his eyes dramatically and talking frighteningly similar to a teenager):


"Okay, okay, we KNOW you love each other, you don't always have to be so kissy and huggy about it!!!"

Snow!!!

Leaving

When you have kids, the whole concept of leaving takes on a different meaning.

Before having kids, I took the act of leaving for granted.  I simply grabbed put on my shoes and whatever outer wear was required and, well, simply left.  If I had to be out the door at 8:20 I probably didn't give the act of leaving a second thought until maybe 8:19.  Not much planning or thought was involved...I could just..., well, ....leave.

With kids, the whole act of leaving to get to an activity becomes a whole activity in and of itself.  A pre-activity if you will.  With kids, the act of leaving requires management skills, strategic planning,  and patience. Lots and lots of patience. 

With kids, the act of leaving also requires a degree of psychic ability. You must be able to predict and therefore prepare for every possible scenario or need that may arise during the course of your day or outing in order to avoid situations such as finding yourself on the metro with a screaming toddler and NOT having the required cheerios to calm him down and get the other passengers to stop glaring at you (just a random example of course!!!). In short, you must be equipped and ready for anything...(This by the way requires a type backpack or purse which resembles, in its functionality, one of those small circus cars from which piles of clowns emerge).

If it is summertime, the amount of planning and organization involved in leaving is reduced in proportion to the layers of outwear required.  If is winter, however, the act of leaving require being broken down into manageable stages in which another layer of clothing is added to each child to avoid any one of them sweltering while waiting for the others.  Each layer of clothing usually corresponds to another pre-determined task. i.e., Boots on: make sure all teeth are brush.  Coats on: put lunch boxes by the door    etc. etc.

Once you are almost out the door, inevitably one child will mention something he ABSOLUTELY must have RIGHT NOW or life as we know if will come to end.  i.e., "Maman, our teacher said we need to bring in cookies for the bake sale today" .  (It important to note that this is also usually the moment when your youngest, fully-dressed child, chooses to fill his diaper).

Then of course once all the children are finally corralled out the door there is the inevitable trip back of the stairs for some object that has been forgetten.  If leaving involves only a day activity this may involve only one trip back up the stairs (if lucky).  If leaving for a weekend excursion, two or three trips back up the stairs for some forgotten  or last minute essestial need is usually required before actually being able to leave.

Once you finally have  left  there is great sense of accomplishment  accompanied by a huge sigh of  relief that once again you have made it successfully out of the house with all children suitable dressed and intact...! Life's little victories!

Pastimes...

Alex's favourite song lately (which can frequently be heard while he is riding in the car on the way to the cottage or on the back of my bike on the way to day care:  "Mama dey, papa dey, mama dey, papa dey" .  Not much of a lyricist but a catchy tune nonetheless.

Lately, one of Alex's favourite activities is brushing his teeth.  He will stand on is bench in front of the sink for half an hour playing with the tooth brush and toothpaste.  He has to have the water running just a trickle which is completely not environmentally friendly but I admit to giving in to it just for the peace of having him engaged in a quiet activity...!

Quote of the day...

There are so many times that one of my kids says something so cute that I think, "Oh, I really should write that down...!"

So  I decided to do just that.

Todays quote of the day:

Gabriel:  "Maman, I only ate half of my bagel because I not excited to get sick again"

Germs...

I'm so glad that I finally got over the flu that Alex gave me so that I would be ready to catch  Gabriel's cold....

Ugggggh.....The joys of our family germ sharing plan....

Motherhood and work...

Motherhood is: Arriving at work and systematically having to wipe the peanut butter and snot stains off your otherwise professional looking attire....


Motherhood is:  Finding yourself pulling out 2 diapers, a sippy cup, a superhero, a toy car and a half-eaten cereal bar from your purse in order to find the keys to your office


The joys. The joys.

Les retrouvailles....

All of my "boys" came home last night around 9:00.  They had all fallen asleep in the car and so Vincent gently put them into their beds...This morning when they woke up, they were all so excited to see me that they were following me around everywhere.  At one point, when I was in the bathroom putting on my makeup I looked down and all three of them were sitting on their bums on the floor just outside the bathroom looking up at me, watching my every move.  Vincent thought it was so funny that he sat on his bum and joined them-  all of them sitting there staring.

It was so lovely to have the house to myself and to enjoy the quiet.  I so enjoyed going out for a little dancing with my friend and reconnecting with the part of me that used to love a night out "on the town". 

By Sunday night, my house was clean, baked muffins and a pie was in the fridge, and dinner for tonight and tomorow was already prepared...Amazing how enjoyable these tasks are when you just have your thoughts and your music to distract you!

So yes, I did so appreciate having those moments to myself.  But this morning, when each of them woke up from their beds and the "chaos" and the constant call of "maman, maman, maman" started, I was so grateful that they were all back. Family is what gives everything else its meaning...

And after less than 48 hours of not seeing my husband I was so grateful for how much I missed him...

Quiet....

Saturday morning and all is....quiet!!  Vincent took the boys to Quebec city last night and I am appreciating having the house all to myself.  I "slept in" till 7:30 and am just having a lazy morning to myself.  I have been telling myself for the last 45 minutes that I should start cleaning but I have not brought myself to start yet...I plan to do a little cleaning this morning, a little shopping late morning, a  little napping this afternoon to get rid us this cold once and for all, and a movie tonight with Christiane.

Tomorrow will bring more cleaning and organizing as well as baking and cooking.  It's amazing how even cleaning becomes enjoyable when you are alone and there are no interruptions.  I feel so much more productive.

I do so enjoy these rare moments to myself but, don't get me wrong, by the time Sunday evening roles around I will be missing the lovely chaos of the my three boys!!!!

Time flies...

It's been months since I've last written on this blog.  I have even been contemplating abandoning it all together since I never feel I have enough free time to keep it up consistently.  It's always the same old story: by the time we manage to get the kids down to bed it only leaves a little bit of time (where I generally don't feel like doing anything productive!) before its bedtime for us too.  I had thought that now that Gabriel is in school I might manage to have a little bit more "free time" when Alex takes his nap but "free time" mostly translates into cleaning time or lately, nap time for me too as I have been fighting a bad cold.  However, when I had cancellations at work the other day and therefore not much to do I ended up reading some of my old posts on this blog and realizing how much I enjoyed being reminded of different memories or moments with the kids.  I decided then that no matter how cryptic and rushed my entries may be, I should keep up the blog as best as possible since it is a good keepsake for later on.  It is true what every one says, "Enjoy this time while it lasts because it goes by fast"...The kids won't be young for long and I am trying my best to appreciate and remember every moment of it all...There are moments I would love to capture in a bottle forever but I know this isn't possible...

Dancing...Johnny Clegg style!

Mother's Day

Mother's day is my favourite holiday. It now outranks Valentine's day, my birthday and possibly Christmas, probably because it is the holiday that means the most to me.  This year, as part of my present I got to have the house to my self for a little bit.  This has not happened since Alex was born so it was definitely appreciated.  Vincent took the three boys to Quebec city Friday night.  I was sick with a cold that weekend so unfortunately did not get to do everything I wanted to do but it was still lovely to have time to myself to watch movies and clean the house (yes, even this is enjoyable when no one is pulling at me!!).  I also got a chance to go out for supper with my lovely friend Christiane and her husband.

The boys came back Sunday afternoon and went for lunch at Marché Jean-Talon.  Since we are now almost always at the cottage on weekends it was nice to enjoy what the city has to offer...Then we took the boys to play at the park at the top of the mountain...After that it was supper at a chinese restaurant.  My boys spoiled me with cards they made themselves (guaranteed to make me cry!!!), a book, and some earrings...

Watching the three boys play together I could not help but think how lucky we are...And with a man I adore by my side I could not ask for more...

Finally, the sun!

Spent the most amazing weekend at the cottage with all my boys...The sun was shining both days and we definitely took advantage of the good weather to spend most of our time outdoors.  The boys and I had lots of fun catching water beetles in our stream.  (frog catching season is just around the corner!).  They also had a good time making water balloons and exploding them all over the place.  Mathieu and I hid behind the car and ambushed Vincent as he got back from his run!!  Yesterday, the boys even waded in the water a bit and got wet up to their bums.  It was funny to see them running around in their underwear covered in mud...What's a cottage for if you can't get dirty?  Both days we were able to enjoy the bbq and eat our lunch outside...Yesterday, we even stayed later and had supper on the balconey.  Then we bathed our dirty children put them in pjs and set up for home...Needless to say they were pooped and they fell alseep on the way home...Summer is just around the corner and we can't wait for more sun-filled outdoor days ahead...

Transitions...

Well, our camera has been broken for a few weeks so there have been no new pictures lately (I'm going through withdrawal big time!!!) but I thought I would just write a few words...


My mom was in for a visit the other week and the boys appreciated spending time with their grandmaman...We drove out to the cottage on Thursday night so we got to spend a long though rainy week there.  Unfortunately, Alexandre got sick with a kind of bronchitis and was having difficulty breathing so Vincent and I took him to the nearest town hospital where he got wonderful treatment though we got little sleep! We thought we would be transferred to a Montreal hospital the next day but, luckily, Alex's oxygen levels went up and we got to take him home.  The boys were relieved to have their baby brother back with them...

I started my first day back at work yesterday so there is going to be a little bit of a change in routine.   It was nice to be back though.  A few faces have changed but, for the most part, it feels like I am back amongst friends.  The transition should go smoothly as Alex was already up to two days a week at his daycare with Gabriel and was really enjoying it...

Mathieu is still busy with Tae Kwon do, swimming lessons and now art lessons with my friend Christiane.  Luckily, we also got him in to an art camp this summer...Gabriel is enjoying his swimming lessons and music class with Christiane...

The days at the cottage have been cold and sometimes rainy lately so we are ready for some warm weather...Its May 1 today so it should be around the corner...

Took the boys the park the other day and watched all three of them playing...

My heart was filled to the brim with pride and love.

I watched Vincent bring the bags of little baby clothes down the stairs to be given to charity...I could not help but shed a little tear. Alex is my last baby...We're certain of our decision but I am sure I will still grieve a bit the end of having little babies in the house. Sigh... All the more reason to appreciate this time I have with Alex!

Maple syrup time!!!

As I sure many Canadians did, we immensely appreciated this beautiful, warm weekend!!! It was also sugaring off time at the cottage and the boys made a trip to see Robert, our neighbour at the cottage who has his own cabane à sucre. The boys came back with a big box full of maple syrup which will enough to last us through the year with cans to spare for family and friends. The boys also got invited to a b-day party at the cottage where the kids were treated to "la tire"...(maple syrup on snow...not sure how to translate!!!)

The boys went skiing on Sunday (probably the last day the ski centre will be open since the snow is rapidly melting!!). With their winter jackets they were too hot and they said they saw people skiing in shorts!!! We took out our bikes for the first time and Mathieu had fun biking with Vincent and I. It was also a surreal experience for me to go jogging in the hot sun with shorts and a short sleeved shirt while there was still snow all around me!! It felt so good for to feel my feet hitting gravel again versus snow and ice!!

All the snow had melted from our balcony and it was so hot on Sunday that we had lunch outside. It was pretty much the first time Alex got to walk outside since he is usually confined to his snowsuit with the big feet and the stroller...He was having quite the time!!

Anyway, it felt so good to have a warm day and to feel that winter is nearing its end...It was also the first time in a while that none of us were sick with cold, flus etc...On Sunday, my lungs even felt clear for the first time in months and I didn't need my inhaler...!

We topped off the weekend with dinner out at Boston Pizza on the way home (a favourite for the boys!!!)

Hopefully the sun stays with us some more...

winter

Well, winter continues and with it all the outdoor activities. The boys are still enjoying their ski lessons. Mathieu has gotten quite good...its amazing how fast little ones take to the slopes. The other day, he went past me on the slopes. Later he said, "Maman I saw you but I coudn't say hi because I was going to fast!". Gabriel and his group have started to ski from the top of the mountain and I have passed him a few times as they all go down the hill like little ducks in a row! In a couple of years Alexandre will be ready for lessons and then Vincent and I can go together once again.

We are still enjoying going to the cottage every weekend. There the boys have fun playing on their "snow mountain" created by the snow removal trucks that clear our driveway and playing on the ice rink on the lake. I shoveled that rink myself and it took me hours but it was worth it. Though, a snowblower might be a good idea one day as I am sure it would save me a lot of time!!!

All is well here. Alex is walking quite fast now and is in to everything. His favourite past time is finding drawers, pantries, boxes, cd holder etc. and emptying the entire contents on the floor. Unfoturnately, he has not learned to pick up after himself. He has started going to daycare one morning a week to transition him before I start work in May. That has been going well and it has been such a treat to have a few hours to myself. Alex is such a happy little guy and is usually smiling and laughing. His brothers love to play with him and even Gabriel has started to like him. more and more. I guess he's more interesting now that he is walking and can interact with him!

Mathieu has become more and more interested drawing. He past us in his abilities a long time ago so he has been asking us for art lessons in order to learn more. He has started working with my good friend Christiane who is an art teacher and who is wonderful with children (She also teaches Gabriel's music class).Mathieu seems to be enjoying this. The other day a self-portrait which we were quite impressed with. Christiane is also going to be starting to teach Mathieu some painting techniques. She brought a bunch of books with her the other day on Picasso etc. and Mathieu just loved them...

Gabriel has really turned a corner and has been talking up a storm lately. He often goes on an on telling us about some story he has invented or seen in a movie. I could not resist filming him doing it the other day.

Well, baby is awake...the day begins!

First Birthday!!!

It's hard to believe but Alex turned 1 the other day...It definitely has been a very full year. In some ways it feels like it went so fast and yet so very much has happened. We celebrated the special occasion at the cottage. His brothers kindly chose the menu : cheeseburgers, french fries and chocolate cake! (I should have taken a picture of Vincent barbecuing in his big parka at -20!!!)

Alex enjoyed eating chocolate cake for the first time. His brothers were happy to give him the toy wooden dog that they had chosen for him...And, our little guys decided to mark the occasion by officially starting to walk.