Many things to Update!

So I've fallen behind on a lot of the blog posts I wanted to do in the last month.

Update 1
My last post announced that the triplets CT2 were expecting has arrived much earlier than expected. Although it hasn't all been smooth sailing, they are doing quite well. One of the boys is now breathing without any assistance and the other had to be but back on the CPAP. They are both over 3lbs now. The little girls has had a few more difficulties. She is still intubated and had another complication. Thankfully that complication has mended itself and they are able to start giving her some milk. All in all they are doing quite well and are now 3 weeks old.

Update 2
CT1 were expecting twins and they arrived exactly a week after the triplets less one hour. Two very healthy little girls. They have been home for about a week and a half. It's busy but they have a lot of support. C is a teacher so he'll be off work soon enough to help more.

Update 3
This isn't really an update but rather just another story I'd like to tell. It shook me and I can't not post about it. About a week and a half ago, I had to make a phone call that I had never wished to make. I had to call 911. I had gone to visit my sisters so we took all of our kids to the park. On our way home, we got separated a little, so one of my sisters was standing at a corner with some of the older kids waiting for us to catch up so that we could all cross together. My 4.5 year old niece darted out into the street as a motorcyclist was driving by. It was horrific! The accident has played over it my mind about a million times. I called 911 and they responded quite quickly. My niece was conscious and talking or crying the entire time, which was a good sign. The was rushed to the hospital the find that almost every bone in the left leg was broken but there was no evidence of internal, neck or brain injuries. My niece was then air lifted to the city to wait for surgery. She was put back together and was able to come home a short time later. It was very emotional for our entire family but bones heal and we still have our N.

Triplets are here!!!!

My last post was full of good news and it keeps coming.

The triplets (CT2) were born last week at only 29.5 weeks gestation. Two boys and a teeny tiny little girl. There had always been a concern with the functioning of the little girl's cord. At CT2's last appointment, they made the hard decision to deliver the babies for fear of losing their little girl. They were delivered safely via C-section. They are on varying degrees of support simply because they were so early. There have been a couple hiccups but as of today they are all doing wonderfully. They'll be in the hospital for a while but we pray that they continue to thrive.

We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our twin niece(s) and/or nephew(s). Any day now!

Happy Heart

2014 is turning out to be an event filled year for N's entire family. Everyone seem to have something going on.

His parents are building a house starting this spring. It will beautiful and amazing, although they probably won't actually move until 2015.

N's youngest brother and his fiancé (we'll call them NJ) are getting married in August. It should be great fun and I am looking forward to seeing K bust a move on the dance floor.

Two of the biggest events of 2014, though, will be the birth of twins and triplets from the other two brothers and their wives (we'll call them CT1 and CT2). And, yes, you read that correctly. One sister-in-law is currently pregnant with TWINS (29 weeks) and another is currently pregnant with TRIPLETS (21 weeks). Due to the high risk nature of their pregnancies, they will likely be born within a month and a half of each other.
We are so thankful that they are all looking healthy, especially since it wasn't easy for CT1 and CT2 to get to this point.
K is incredibly excited for some new cousins and is always talking about how we are waiting for babies. She says that she will help feed them, change their diapers, cook supper and do laundry. I'm most excited to hear the names that everyone comes up with. It's my favorite part when babies are born (after hearing they are healthy).

Another DIY - but I can't take credit

Last fall, I dragged N and my brother to the movie theater to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

After seeing it, I simply needed a copy of Katniss' wool vest that she wears hunting. After a few hours on Pinterest and Google, I found several patterns. Here is the problem....I neither knit nor crochet!

But my mother-in-law does! I asked her if she could try to make one for me and she said sure but not until after Christmas.

She finished it at the end of January
 and has since made on for my sister-in-law and plans on making some for my other two sister-in-laws! She did have to modify the pattern quite a bit because the sizing was wonky. I can't seem to find the link at the moment.

So here she is... my Katniss Cowl Vest

So Thankful

This is a very busy time of year, both for myself at work and for N on the farm.

The firm that I work for has several audits that need to be completed, then into T4 season and then on to personal taxes. I find the audits the hardest because there is a lot of travelling out of the office. Our routine falls to pieces because I usually have to leave earlier than normal and come back later. The work is also more mentally tiring.

N has been busy hauling grain so he is putting in a lot of ours as well. They've had issues with all the snow and some equipment. It has been slow going to say the least.

Finally getting to the point of my post.

I am extremely thankful that we live close to both our parents. They are very supporting of both our careers. They help us out so much. I don't think they will ever understand how much we appreciate them! Both our moms have flexible schedules and are available to watch K when it just doesn't make sense to send her to the day home. Not only are they there for K but they are also there whenever we need help with something, whether it's painting, a sewing project or stockpiling the freezer for busy season.

I simply cannot express how much I love our families!!!!

Potty training update!

It's been a couple weeks since I took a week off work to potty train K. She did wonderfully that week and has continued on the same path! She has only been to her day home for one week then I went on the audit trail so she's been spending the day with Grandma. That first week at the day home went well. I think she had two accidents the entire week. Our day home provider has her hands full with two new one year olds so I knew that K would have to be patient while everyone learns and adjusts to each other. We were in my hometown all weekend last weekend watching some curling and my mom was so impressed that K never slipped up. She would ask to go to the washroom everywhere we went. She did have an accident on Sunday during her nap but that was more my fault about not communicating with my mom (who was taking her home for a nap) about the last time she went. Fortunately that was her last accident, although we still use a diaper at night. K asked a couple nights ago to wear underwear to bed but it didn't go well. We'll wait a bit.

I am so so so so so proud of my little girl!

Potty Training

K turned two last week and this week I took off of work to potty train K. Almost everyone that I told that I was taking holiday time to potty train my daughter looked at me like I was crazy. My day home provider was very appreciative of the it though. She'd never had a parent take time off for potty training, plus she just started two new little ones at the beginning of January. She was scared that she wouldn't be able to devote as much attention as required to K for potty training.

I didn't really have a set plan. I read the 3-day method last fall and I found it to be a bit too extreme for me. Sunday morning we simply that she needed to start wearing underwear and to keep them dry. The first day and a half were pretty awful. I was quite discouraged. She didn't seem to care that she was going. That was until supper time on the second day. It was so awesome to see it click for her. She just beams when we tell her she did a great job telling us she had to go, that she kept her underwear dry and that she was going in the potty. I was doing treats at first but she doesn't even want them now. Crazy kid!

I hope the rest of the week continues in this direction. We have to leave the house on Friday so I hope she does ok.

Miss K's Birthday

My baby girl turns two today. I can't believe that she is already two years old. It seems like just yesterday, I was pregnant and in labour. She's developing such an interesting personality. She's actually quite similar to me as a kid. I was pretty chatty and silly at home but out and about, I was quite shy and had a hard time warming up to new people. Miss K is exactly like that. Despite that, she also got some of N's personality. He LOVES to tease everyone and he has taught K well. She loves tickling and being silly.

We just love her to pieces! We cannot wait to see her grow strong and healthy.

Newly born



 

1 year old

 

2 years old

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

Christmas gift DIY

I was looking for something special and unique to give K's grandparents for Christmas. I looked online for a while but nothing really fit their style.

One thing that did catch my eye was a door mat customized to each set of grandparents.
Before:















After:

 

The first obstacle of this project was to find a door mat in a small town at Christmas time that didn't already have a design on it. Luckily, N's brother and sister-in-law were headed into the city and offered to stop at IKEA for me since I knew they would have the perfect coir door mats.

Next, was getting my stencils designed and cut out. It was much more work than I expected. I actually changed the design of the second after working on the first. I'd also go back and redo the first if I could get another door mat easily. I also should have found a smaller utility knife or craft scalpel which would have made cutting the stencil much easily.

The last step was the easiest. Spray painting! Spray painting may have not been the best option. If you don't spray at a good angle then you end up with shadows. The first stencil I made had several small letters and some of them run into each other because of it.

And Voila!

Both sets of grandparents loved them and I sort of want to make my own now.

Merry belated Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I had wanted to do a post before Christmas but I simply ran out of time.

Our Christmas was amazing. It was so much fun watching K enjoy the magic of it all. She was so impressed with Midnight Mass and the presents. She was excited with every single pull of the wrapping paper.

Here is the picture we use for our Christmas cards. K loved decorating her own little tree. She wakes up every morning, sees it and says "I made that."

She is too cute (that's only my biased opinion).

Going to see Santa

Last year, we never made it with K to see Santa. We were always one town behind him.

This year, we finally caught up with him at an event my mom's work was putting on. We went for sleigh rides, got K's face painted, colored, got a balloon animal and then finally the Jolly Old Elf came in. We had a great time!

Medium reading

I've been struggling since my sister and I came home from our medium reading on November 9th with how to blog about it. I don't want to infringe on anyone's privacy but thought that it might be helpful to someone trying to decide whether to go or not.

My compromise was a warning.

***Warning**** To my family and friends who may read this, it is likely that if you are linked to me or to my sister, you may also be linked to the people that we believe the medium connected us to (particularly one very sensitive situation). Please, only read on if you are prepared to hear what they have to say.

Both my sister and I like to watch TLC's Long Island Medium with Theresa Caputo. We thought it would be so awesome to go see one to see what it was all about. I simply searched online to find one in our area. There weren't many but the one I found seemed to have a lot going for her. She has written books and been on some TV shows. So we went for it and booked an appointment....3 months away. It seemed like forever!

Finally the day came and my sister and I were so excited. I admit I was very nervous as well. Were we wasting our money? Would anything she said make sense?

We drove to this quaint little neighborhood and pulled into the drive of a bungalow.
We are invited to wait in the living room while she finishes an appointment. The house looks like any of our homes but really why should we expect any different?

She starts off by asking if our people have been gone longer than 6 months. Before 6 months she says that she really only sees flashes of light and can't really make anything out. Then she pulled out a binder to show us some pictures of how she sees spirits and such. She puts her binder of pictures away and then she simply started talking.

The first person to come through surprised us a bit. She said his name without us saying anything at all. My sister starts bawling (if you know her, this doesn't surprise you!). The medium also says she feels an emptiness in her chest. The person she was referring to was our uncle who committed suicide. He kept coming back throughout our reading and adding a piece to the puzzle. We couldn't confirm or deny some of the things she said because we didn't see him in the days before and weren't part of any events regarding his death after his funeral. The medium said that he was very happy with how the funeral turned out and that he was with his wife and daughter.

Next, she asked us if we had put anything in his coffin. We both said no so she explained that she was seeing a hand going into a coffin. My sister said that she will do that at most funerals as her way of saying goodbye. She then asked if the last person she did that to was a man and my sister replied with a yes (Her husband's uncle). The medium said that he wanted to thank her for doing that and it was very powerful for him.

Next, she heard someone playing "I did it my way" by Frank Sinatra on guitar. The only person we know who played guitar was our mom's dad. The medium mentioned that this person would have been gone at least 15 year and Pepere B would the only one gone that long. I was only 4 when he passed so it would have been tough for me to truly confirm or deny any other details had she given them.

Following him was who we think is a connection with our dad's dad. He was showing her a large building with trees and some land behind it. She said that he was quite persistent which totally sounds like our Pepere A. Before we said who we thought it was she said that she wanted to connect this person to our dad so that was also fitting. She also mentioned that he was with a woman saying that they were happy. After Memere A passed away, our Pepere was not the same man. He missed her so much and just wanted to be with her again.

Next, there was a "Dave." That's all he would say and the medium said that she could smell oranges. She said this "Dave" either liked oranges or that it was specific to his funeral. Those are pretty broad statements and we know a couple Dave's so we couldn't say for sure who it was.

Then, she said that someone came and started showing her a rocking chair saying that they missed it. We could only place this as our great-grandmother.

The medium then stopped and said that we had quite a group. My sister and I looked at each other and said that we were still waiting for one more. She asked if it was a woman and we said yes. The medium said that there was a woman that has been there the entire tire politely waiting to her turn. Well we freaked RIGHT OUT!!!!!!!! We mentioned about a week before our appointment that my mom's mom would likely just be hanging around but too polite to say anything. Memere B was just the most amazing woman and was always so polite and kind. The medium commented that her aura was very beautiful as well. The medium said that it might compel her to come forward if we asked a question so my sister asked hers and got the answer she had hoped for. Then the medium asked if either of us had gotten a ring. On my 18th birthday, Memere B had giving me a ring she had for a while because it was a similar color to my birthstone. The medium was also seeing a brooch or pin. Neither of us had received a pin but Memere B had many. She then said that Memere B was offering her a rosary. Our Memere was a devout catholic and found great peace in praying the rosary. Never did we say that we or any of our family were catholic.

That's where our reading ended. It was such a great experience. On the way home, we listened to the CD that she burned for us. there may have been a few generic comments or lead ins but overall, we were please. I almost want to go see a different one to compare results or have someone else close to us go and see who they connect to. I think both my sister and I would recommend the medium we saw. If you'd like her information, please let me know and I will forward it on to you.

All Because of a Pool Noodle

Tonight was a really awesome night!

N didn't quite make it home from hauling grain in time for supper but it was still a really great night for making memories.

We changed K's crib to a toddler bed last night and it didn't go great so tonight I wanted to try putting a pool noodle under her sheet so she didn't fall out as easily. Once K saw the pool noodle she just wanted to play with it. So we told her she had to pick up all her other toys before setting her loose. She did after only asking once. She even put her blocks away! When she was done, we were telling her what a great job she did and N was getting her to bump it (where you pound your fists together). She loved it! She was running between us getting bumps. We were all giggling.

Then she remembered that she wanted to play with a pool noodle. I went and got a second one and we had a fun time "fencing" with them. I just loved watching N and K playing together and watching them giggle at each other.

To cap off the evening, K went to bed with little issues. Probably because we played her out.

THANK YOU POOL NOODLE!

Favorite DIY to date

I've been trying my hand at some DIY projects.

My favorite so far....

A giant ruler growth chart!

Pinterest inspiration: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/279575089339203760/

My finished product:

I pretty much followed the inspiration's instructions except that I bought a decal for the tickmarks off Etsy. She mentions this but I'll mention it again. The stain (for the big numbers) bleeds A LOT. I wish I could go back and redo my first three numbers. Once I got in a groove, I was able to work with the movement of the stain. I'd also be more careful of the font I use for the numbers because it is very difficult to stain if your lines are too small. The decal was surprisingly easy to put on.

PS - If the rule of the thumb for predicting how tall a child will be is true then K will likely be around 5'6".

Carving pumpkins

I've never really been into carving pumpkins.... ever.

Since K is almost two, I told myself I would try for this year and see how it goes.

Well, I pretty much hated it and K only got excited once I was almost done.

Now when she walks by it she says that she made it with mommy. Well I guess I met my goal in making memories with her.

Next year, we'll try either painting the pumpkin or using stickers or something. I'd prefer not to have to deal with the insides again.

 

Pretty awful, right??

Happy Halloween!

I know I'm a few days late.

Here is K on her second Halloween. Her costume was DIY by me (inspiration from pinterest) and I got sooooo many compliments!

Intro + Harvest 2013

This blog isn't about one thing in particular but as a farmer's wife, so much of our life revolves around the farm. My husband (N) farms along side his parents and I've been along for the ride since we were married in 2008.

Because of this, I decided to make my first post about Harvest 2013.

We had over 25 combining days this year and man, were they busy!

I work full time as an accountant, commute 1hr a day, and we have a very active 22 month old (K). N works very long hours and we don't get much sleep.

All in all, everything went quite well. The big issue was the rain that came in and stuck around for a few days. We were able to get all the crop off before any snow flew and we got to try a few new things on the farm like a grain cart and bagger system. N was so excited on the first day they used it!

We are so thankful for our families and friends for being so supportive. A special thank you goes out to N's youngest brother and one of the neighbors who come help us out every year. We truly appreciate it!

Here are some pictures (definitely nothing professional - which is something I hope to work on)