August 2010


Life31 Aug 2010 09:51 am

This past Saturday Morgan and I packed up the bikes and the bike trailer and off we went to find a trail that was highlighted in the newspaper a few weeks back. Leah thought it was pretty funny that the bikes went on the back of the car on the bike rack.

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The trail is wide, pretty smooth and flat with great scenery, often bringing you to the ocean’s side while passing manicured farms, forest and brush. The park is located very close to the highway whose sounds can heard all along the trail which I found an interesting juxtaposition to the nature surrounding us at every turn.

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After biking for about half an hour, we stopped on a little grassy patch along the trail to have a snack and let Leah stretch her legs. Once we had refueled with some snacks we ventured back to the car with Leah loving every minute in the bike trailer. We got back to the car and watched a train up close boom by us before heading back to town to do some errands.

Life29 Aug 2010 08:15 am

One of my good friends had a little girl recently and Leah has become totally enamored with her sweet babe, Katelyn. They came to visit us once and we went to visit them once and then all of a sudden one of Leah’s babies was named Katelyn. We’ve never named any of her babies or stuffed animals just calling them baby or dog or whatever (boring I know) except for those with given names like Elmo.

I didn’t realize what an impact the visits had on Leah. She was excited to see a little baby but was also excited to check out all of her baby toys and play with her own as well. Now she walks around with her ‘Katelyn’ patting her on the back saying “I know Katelyn, I know” and “poor Katelyn, poor Katelyn”. She also thinks it funny sometimes to hold her upside down. Leah can be so maternal and yet she has so far to go.

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Today we were able to squeeze in another visit before our lives get much busier with full time daycare. Leah was so excited to give Katelyn her dress that she watched me make. Katelyn even modeled it for us. I got to hold Katelyn for quite awhile after she was fed. It reminded me of when Leah was a babe. First we tried to get a few good burps, then changed a poopy diaper that didn’t make me wince before doing the sway dance while shushing and patting her back to keep her happy.

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Once she was a bit calmer, I let Leah hold Katelyn. Leah was so excited. Unfortunately Katelyn did not share her sentiments and was wondering why the sway dance, shushing and patting had stopped. So we alternated. I got Katelyn calm and settled then I would let Leah hold her for a few seconds until she got upset again then repeat. We only tried that a few times and then diverted Leah’s attention to giving her kisses on the head instead. Then they both were happy.

Life27 Aug 2010 07:19 pm

Leah loves to visit her Grandma at work. It does help that her work is a pretty cool place to go with lots to look at. First we generally say hi and see what is going on in the kitchen that day. My mom shows Leah around while introducing her to everyone.

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Leah has a special stool she can sit or stand on to see all the action. Almost everything in the kitchen is huge. Leah could fit inside that mixer bowl with no problem.

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After hanging out in the kitchen, we usually check out the horses, pig, bunnies, sheep and goats and take a walk by the fruit fields. After going for a walk around the fields we end up back in the kitchen, observing and helping when possible.

Life17 Aug 2010 03:18 pm

Morgan was away this past weekend so Leah and I were on are own. I took advantage of this to serve very easy, simple meals that didn’t require much cooking or work. We also kept ourselves busy to help pass the time.

On Friday we hung out at home, ate dinner on the couch and watched some of Leah’s shows when she was getting tired and cranky. Saturday morning we treated ourselves to some homemade waffles and went off to the local blueberry festival. We saw a BMX stunt show, went on a trolley ride (and promptly got off at the first stop as Leah was almost in tears), saw a gal spinning llama wool with her two llamas and admired lots of old and unique cars. I really wanted to see Cinemazoo but Leah’s fear of the trolley, even though she loves seeing buses and trolley buses, caused us to not go to that part of the festival. When it was getting hot and Leah was tiring of walking, we visited the library, read some books and borrowed a few.

On Saturday afternoon a friend came over to dip her feet in Leah’s kiddie pool and have a nice chat. We laid low after that, eating dinner outside as it was cooler than inside.

On Sunday we went to the Farmer’s Market. It was a special day at the market for kids as there was a clown making balloons and face painting. I was more excited about the festivities than she was. Leah said no to face painting and balloons so we bought a cinnamon, sat in the shade and indulged.

After church we went to see Uncle David and Auntie Andrea for lunch and then us three girls went shopping. Leah loved riding in the mall stroller and wanted to touch every rack of clothing we went by. I tried to steer away from anything overly fancy or white.

That evening while having dinner, Morgan came home and all were happy to be reunited again. Leah was so excited to see him as was I. He wasn’t gone that long but usually he is always around so it was an adjustment. We usually have lunch and dinner as a family every day and Morgan spends lots of time with us in the evenings. I’m glad he had a great weekend at a buddy’s wedding and am also glad he is now home.

Life13 Aug 2010 08:42 pm

Leah is such a little girl these days, leaving her baby ways far behind her. Most nights she sleeps on the mattress in the floor on her home. She can master all the equipment (except for the swings) on our local, little playground on her own. She can drink from a normal glass with no problem. Leah loves to talk up a storm and narrate what is going on around her. She loves seeing buses drive by and looking out for diggers.

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Leah has also become more opinionated about how things should be. She will argue the funniest things. We were at a coffee shop the other night and Morgan asked her if she wanted to sit on the chair with him. As it was upholstered and a large chair, Leah was convinced it was a couch and would ‘correct’ Morgan every time he called it a chair.

One of her new favourite phrases is “do it in myself” which generally works out fairly well. Translated that means she wants to do it by herself. Her dexterity is coming along so she can be quite helpful. Just last week she has starting insisting on climbing into the car on her own and into the car seat. I love it as it no longer means trying to lift her at funny angles so I don’t bump her head every time we go in the car.

She also likes to dictate her hairstyle of choice for the day. I’ve fallen in love with the double ponytail though after a week straight of ponytails, she seems to be favouring the au natural look. The hairstyle that looks like I haven’t washed her hair in weeks with hair constantly in her eyes. It definitely isn’t her best look but I haven’t broken that news to her yet.

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One last story that I though was quite funny. We were mostly done eating dinner and encouraging Leah to finish the food left on her plate.

Me: Leah, are you going to eat your chicken or your potatoes?
Leah: Chicken
Leah plays with a piece of chicken
Me: Bok, bok, bok
Leah continues to play with chicken
Me: Leah, eat your chicken
Leah:No, it’s an animal
Morgan and I chuckle to ourselves while worrying about how to deal with future vegetarianism and excessive playing with food as Leah continues to prance her piece of chicken around the table.
Leah eats the chicken and we sigh with relief.

I love conversations with toddlers.

Life06 Aug 2010 02:15 pm

We were able to go up to the lake this past weekend and enjoy some beautiful weather with my family. The perfect way to start the day, sitting on the deck watching the lake with daddy. What a great view to enjoy while eating breakfast.

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Leah spent lots of time in her kiddie pool on the deck sinking her plastic boats, pouring water out of her watering can and splashing with Grandma. Having your feet in a cool pool in the shade was definitely a great way to enjoy the hot weather.

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Hanging out on the deck with Grandpa and George, her monkey also made for good times. Leah learned how to blow bubbles on her own which kept Leah busy for a few hours this weekend.

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Leah wasn’t too keen on swimming in the lake so she just dipped her feet in the water with Daddy. She liked ‘writing’ her name in the sand.

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It took Leah a few minutes to warm up to everyone when her uncles came up with a couple of their friends. Once she was comfortable, she enjoyed kicking the ball around with them.

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We went for a little boat ride but Leah wasn’t too impressed. We dropped her off and I got to watch the guys wake board and ski. They can do some pretty amazing moves.

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Leah loved all the time she got to spend with her Grandma and Grandpa. (I think they enjoyed it as much as she did.) Leah loved cuddling with Grandma for her nighttime stories before going to sleep.

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