in pieces

It has been a busy season!  The kids keep growing up and I'm trying to heed the advice given to me to enjoy the early years as much as possible because this season passes too quickly.   Yet as much as I live in the moment, I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. Aliyah is rolling around trying to crawl, playing with and throwing toys, interacting with people, babbling, and eating solid foods!  She had her 6 month  immunisations yesterday and she is doing well.  She is chubbier than the boys were so I think she responds to the shots better than they did (full term vs premie).   She loves people and is so friendly already - her whole body lights up when she smiles.  Her hair is still gorgeously dark and her eyes seem to be blue so far!  Her brothers are so good with her still, and they often try to help her settle by bringing her toys or tickling her toes - sometimes they like to cuddle her by "laying on top of her!".  But s...

The love for each other is overwhelming in our family... 

I can't believe that Aliyah will be 11 weeks this week and the boys will be reaching 21 months next week! It has been a good few weeks now that I'm not feeling as ill as I was.  Aliyah is starting to make a routine which is helping me out immensely. The colic is starting to lesson - Thank God!  It allows me to plan and organise better which gives me much less stress and much more rest! It has been a week though where the boys have been exploring their boundaries. And of course I want to do everything "right"! And instead find myself yelling in exasperation "Haven't I just told you NOT to do that 3 times already today?" And one kid looks at me innocently as in "Mom, what's the big deal?" And the other shouts back, "no,no,no!" "So you DO know then? You're just seeing how far you can push mommy today?" Great!!! What? Oh! You DIDN'T want me to pull the tissues out and rip them up into tiny bits!? Yesterday ...

Levi shows off his bravery.  (the next video I filmed, I didn't post as he fell and hit his head!) Aliyah shows us how she can smile I thought I had video of Kai drumming but can't find it - But here are two photos enjoying drumming inside with 2 harmonicas and daddy's drums, and outside he found a stick and a stump to use...

It has been wonderfully sunny this week which has helped my mood immensely.  I'm so thankful that the kids are mostly finished with this dreaded cold & flu.   It has made this week so much easier to take on too.  But poor Levi had a longer stint of sickness with a fairly high fever one day that finally passed.  I have managed to catch the virus and have struggled with an inner ear infection alongside of another bout of mastitis.  Once the antibiotics begin to work, I imagine everything will be even better. Hallelujah Aliyah has begun to sleep throughout the night.  But for some reason the more sleep we get, the more aware of how tired we are.  Leigh is an absolute champ through these past few weeks of sickness too, waking at night to help me care for Aliyah and the boys, and still rising early to get to work in the mornings.  It's amazing how one can function on such lack of sleep but he's happy to do it, and won't do it any other way. ...

Last night I had a dream that I was caught in a series of tornadoes.  I'm not much of a dream interpreter, but I've learned that often your dreams are subconscious out-plays of what's going on in or around you. Perhaps you don't have to be a guru to see the parallels to my current situations, but I still browsed a "dream symbol" site for their insight.  It said, " To see a tornado in your dream suggests that you are experiencing some extreme emotional outbursts and temper tantrums... To dream that you are in a tornado means that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control... To see several tornadoes in your dream represent people around you who are prone to violent outbursts and shifting mood swings".   I would never suggest to anyone that a dream website is the way to completely interpret or analyse your life, but boy this seems dead on this time! Extreme emotional outbursts?  check! Temper tantrums?  (mine or the kids) check! Feeling overwh...

We're finally in to winter.  The rains have come, keeping us inside for longer resulting in a bit of cabin fever.   Leigh and I were fortunate enough to get out this past weekend and go to a hockey game in Melbourne - Canada vs USA - and it was great to get out and about and get a break for a bit. Go Team Canada! The boys are constantly on the go, and being stuck inside because of the weather doesn't stop their enthusiasm either.  In fact, they continue to grow bolder and more curious, and it worries me somewhat.    All I want to do is protect them and keep them safe, but I know I can not.   I am proud of their achievements and see such different abilities and strengths in each of them. Levi - Almost 20 Mon ths Levi loves cars! Levi has such a sweet nature about him.  He loves to spend time with his family, and absolutely adores his sister.  Throughout the day, he'll often come over to give her a cuddle and a "pat" ...

Levi's smashed foot It's been a tough week, but there were some really great moments too.  I've decided to remember the positives.  I think my top five favourites this week were (in no particular order) 1 - Watching Levi shower Aliyah with kisses and hugs.   The boys absolutely adore her, and I hope that will always be the case.  They love to kiss her and touch her hands.  It is so tender and special to watch.  I hope they are never jealous of each other.  I am careful to spend time with each child, but the difficulty lies in the moments when more than one child require your attention.   I have such a hard time knowing what to do in these cases.  Will they remember those moments when I went to their brother or sister instead of them?  Will it affect how they feel loved and in turn how they love others?  Or will it teach them to become stronger?  Will they learn to put others before themselves?  I can only ho...

Well its been almost a year since I've last posted and a lot has changed since then.   I am now a proud mother of twin boys and a beautiful baby girl (as well as another set of twins who are currently hanging out with Jesus!).  My boys and Aliyah are only 18 months apart, so it's been a busy season.  It is hard to keep up with all the changes and milestones that are passed almost on a daily basis.   I don't want to forget these precious years...these years that don't last long, so I thought blogging my experiences might be a great way of remembering - especially since I am in a constant state of sleep deprivation. Aliyah is now 6 weeks old, and I can't believe how quickly these days have past.  Yesterday Leigh had to finally go back to work, and it hasn't been an easy transition for us.   During the month of April, Leigh's mom took time off work to help us care for the boys which was needed as I couldn't keep up with them, being so heavily pregnant...