Big Changes & Happy Times

Since we moved we have been busy building garden beds, cutting down damaged trees and making this house our own.

I managed to have an amazing garden this summer which yielded over 30 lbs of tomatoes and lots of spaghetti squash and zucchini. I loved growing our own healthy food so we built some more raised beds a few weeks ago in preparation for next year!

I'm learning to appreciate all of the seasons since moving here. I really don't enjoy winter too much, but I am starting to get used to it and enjoy some of the outdoor activities we can do as a family. I also love the frost covered trees and pure silence the country has to offer.

Almost two weeks ago we added some chickens to our acreage. We got a rooster and two hens and I love everything about them so far. I look forward to opening up their coop in the morning, Joseph the rooster crowing and hearing their cute little noises when they hear me bringing their food.

Unfortunately there have been ups and downs in our clean eating since we moved. We're further from the grocery stores so sometimes we end up with less vegetables on our plates than I'd like! We're working on it though and I got a FitBit from Matt so I'm also increasing my exercise.

I had better sign off for now. A certain toddler is looking for someone to play blocks with. I have attached a few pictures of our new home and goings on around here.

First 30 Days of Clean!

Our family fell of the clean eating wagon big time over the holidays! So we decided to start back at it on January 1st. We had become addicted to sugar once again and that was the biggest hurdle to overcome. I started an event on Facebook with other friends to keep myself accountable because I was worried I would give in too much. The rules were simple- no refined sugar, whote flour, preservatives or alcohol for one month with the exception of one treat per week.
The sugar cravings were the hardest to overcome at first, I admit that I did eat a little chocolate but the more I resisted, the easier it got. This is how I found out that sugar truly is an addiction! I was in such a habit of heading straight for a Starbucks or grabbing a chocolate bar every time I did groceries, but after a month of resisting I don't even think about that Starbucks or chocolate fix.
During Abbey's birthday weekend we ate pizza and cake all in ine day. It was the sickest Matt and I have felt in a long time. We suffered with horrible stomach cramps and flu like symptoms the next day. That sealed the deal for me and made me decide that, that garbage food was poisoning our bodies!
I also starting working out 4 times a week and that alone helped me feel amazing. My sciatica starting getting betteragain and my aches slowly went away.
I am proud to say I stuck to my "rules" for January and didn't even have a drop of alcohol (mostly because I didn't want to waste my weekly treat on it!). I lost almost 10 lbs and feel amazing. Now that we are back on the right track, I plan on keeping it that way for good!
Here I am after a month of clean eating with clear skin and happy guts!

Our Lives Have Changed

I apologize for being away from the blog for so long. So many things have changed in our lives which have kept me so busy!

One awesome change has been our home. We sold our 30+ year old, 1000 square foot home in the city and bought a beautiful 1 year old, 1400 square foot home on almost 3 acres of land outside of the city. It has been a huge adjustment for us all but I think now we're in our groove and loving it! I was a little sad to leave our old home behind but more excited for a new adventure as a family. This is a picture of us at our new home the day we got posession.

We started out with absolutely no grass, but it has filled in so my hubby enjoys mowing it on his new tractor. Ceili, our oldest loves to help too. I have learned all sorts of things like how to use a chainsaw, log splitter and more! We are on a bit more of a budget since we moved so I have gotten very good at baking all of our own bread as well. We have met quite a few of our neighbors in the subdivision and a few people close by. Everyone has been very welcoming and kind to us.

We have had a cougar issue around our home since the beginning of fall. It is a cub and has been hanging around our yard and the neighbors. The first time my hubby saw it was when our dog and it scared eachother at the edge of the treeline. They both went jumping backward in the air! Since then we have seen it a few more times and have become much more aware of our surroundings. Ceili is a little more frightened than her sister so we have to keep reassuring her that it's not going to get her. Animals are part of living in the country and we just need to get used to it, although this cougar should probably be moved since it seems to like humans!

All in all we are happier now than I think we have ever been. We are enjoying "camping" in our home and seeing all of the nature around us. I really love the fact that we have so much space and can do what we want when we want to and the loudest noises we hear is the wind for the most part. I am in love with our new life.

2 Years Ago Today

I can't believe it, our baby girl turns 2 years old today.

Two years ago today I didn't know if we were expecting a girl or boy but I was so ready to meet him or her! Two years ago today I was sent home from the hospital because "just because it's your due date doesn't mean you're going to give birth on this day" and returned hours later in active labor. Two years ago today our sweet, dark haired baby girl Abbey Florence Rose sped into this world and changed our world forever. I will never forget sitting on the hospital bed with our two girls and the feeling that my life was complete.

Since she was born, Abbey has changed a lot and amazed us in many ways. She looks so much like her daddy but is very much her own person in every way! She is feisty, passionate and knows what she wants and I hope she stays that way. Very few people in this world know what they want and will fight for it. I can't forget to mention that she's just about the best snuggeler in the whole world and such a Momma's girl so that makes me happy.

In the past year she has learned how to walk, got her first tooth (yes, she is a late teether!) been on 2 family vacations and even spent a few days and nights with just Daddy when I went to visit my sister. Her big sister has taught her so much including the alphabet, how to color, how much fun it is to play in the snow and even how to push Mom & Dad's buttons!

Here's to you, Abbey. You goofy, sweet, adorable little 2 year old! Happy Birthday, I love you so very much! XOXO

2013 in Review

The past year has been a busy one for our family so I thought I'd do a little summary just for fun!

At the beginning of the year I started a home business and ended up closing it at the end of the year. We traveled to Arizona for a vacation in March which was bittersweet because we found out my dad has heart problems while we were there. We celebrated our youngest sweet girl's 1st birthday in January and our oldest beauty's 5th birthday in July. We started our juicing/ cleani eating journey in May and have kept it up well and lost about 75lbs between Matt and I. Our family took a camping trip in August and survived tent camping even with a one year old! We watched our oldest daughter start kindergarten in September which made mommy cry and daddy proud. I traveled to see my sister in Victoria, B.C. in October which was a wonderful getaway for me. My dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer, had surgery and is now cancer free (yipee!)...I believe it brought our family closer together. We rang in the New Year as a family and had a super cool kid- friendly party. And last but most definitely not least- Matt and I encountered many up's and down's in our relationship as most everyone has and came through it even stronger than before.

All in all we had a wonderful year. There are many more positives than negatives and here are some pictures of all of these awesome adventures. I look forward to a terrific 2014 filled with more amazing moments!

Happy New Year everyone!

Hoping for Health!

Things seem to be looking up around here. My dad has his surgery to remove the cancer from his bladder last Tuesday and is doing well now. I spent the day at the hospital with him and my mom last week when he had his surgery. His heart rate was up and down, but that was normal since he has A-fib and they haven't quite figured out the dosage of meds he needs yet. He said he's feeling good now and now we just wait for the results from the lab to make sure they got it all. He's frustrated that he can't get back to doing his regular activities already!

After all of this craziness with my dad's health, I decided I needed to find a good doctor. My old doctor couldn't care less about me, I'm pretty sure he just wanted to write prescriptions and get people out of there. I found a new doctor close to our house and he immediately wrote up a sheet of blood work for me to get done. He's testing me for arthritis, diabetes and everything else under the sun. After that he will be doing a physical. I haven't had one of those in about 10 years since my old doctor charged extra for them! When I mentioned my knee pain and my mom's arthritis, he seemed a bit concerned. I'm hoping it's just bursitis though!

My weight loss had slowed down for a while, but it looks like it's getting started up again now. I have been walking 5 km a day to take Ceili to school, so that works out to 25 km a week more than I was walking before. That's probably what's helping! I'm feeling pretty good and still eating clean, although I do have a treat now and then and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. No matter how much weight I lose, I find myself criticizing my body and I know I need to stop. Before, I would look at myself and think "man, I need to lose weight". Now I look at myself and say "look at the saggy belly" but then I remember that I once had 40 lbs of fat in that belly and I feel confident. I need to be sure I don't put myself down like that because I have two impressionable little girls watching me very closely! I've now lost 2 shirt sizes and 4 pants sizes so I definitely think that's an accomplishment. I'm going to try out Curves gym again starting tomorrow because I bought a 30 day trial so I hope that will help me build more muscle.

This was just a big blabber-fest about everyone's health, but I think I'm done now. Back to the ever- growing laundry pile!

First Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday our little girl, Ceili took a big step. She had her first day of kindergarten! She was so excited and nervous all at the same time. I was so excited for her too, but so sad for me because this is the end of having her all to myself every day! Thankfully she's only in half days or I would have really lost it!

It seems like yesterday I had just given birth to her and was holding her for the first time. Now she's 5 years old and going to school! I just can't believe it, time sure goes by quickly once you're a parent.

We took a few pictures, as you can see she wants to make crayons when she's grown up...precious. Then we did our usual first day tradition, started when she went to preschool last year- took her out for a special breakfast before school. Matt said that he wants to be there for the first day of school every year for our girls which I think is wonderful. Then we took her to her big, huge school. When I went to take the picture of her, she looked so tiny in front of that giant school!

We were early so we wandered around the school for a bit. We got her settled then the national anthem came over the intercom and we all stood. That's when she looked up into my eyes, her little bottom lip quivering and said "Mommy, I don't want you to go". I started tearing up! I talked to her and told her she would be alright and everyone there was her friend. She went and played a bit and then we left.

When we left I cried; it was out of pride for our big girl mixed with a bit of nervousness for her and sadness for myself and Abbey because we would be missing out on so much time with her. I knew she would be fine there and she was safe, I just knew this was the end of having her home during the day. Next year will be a full day!

Anyway, I survived after my tears and walked home with Abbey. We got a lot of laundry and cleaning done and went back to get Ceili. She was very excited to see us and tell me all about the things she did. She had a great day today as well so we must have picked a good school. I'm happy that she loves school so much and I hope it continues!

Too Much!

Our clean eating is still going well. Got off track a little during camping, but got back on when we got home last week. Still have a couple of pounds to lose again since camping though.

Since we got home, we started seriously looking at buying a new house. We are hoping to buy an acreage. Looking is fun, but trying to get ready to sell is not. We have to pack up alot of our stuff and find a storage place to keep it for the time being. We're also no sure if we should even sell this late in the year because most people want to move in June or July, not September or October! We found a couple of acreages that interest us, but want to look at them again.

Looking for a house/selling has been stressful enough, then I got a call from my dad Thursday that changed everything. He went for a scan of his bladder because he was having some problems and they found cancer. On Thursday I was thinking "oh, no big deal, they'll do surgery and it will be gone." But yesterday it sank in...my dad has CANCER. He had it before I was born, but he has been cancer free for years, I never really thought about it returning. Since yesterday I have been like a zombie, my head feels all foggy and I know I've been grouchy with Matt and the kids. He is scheduled for surgery next month so I am really hoping that they can get rid of the cancer, but my mom said there's a lot of it. I'm feeling absolutely numb and want to run away, but I know that won't help anything. At least I have a very supportive hubby who has been through cancer with his mom so he totally understands.

I'm going to run and hang out with Ceili in the yard for a bit and try not to think about anything!

Sleep Help Day 1

We had a difficult day today and it made me even more anxious because I knew we were starting the new sleep plan for Ceili, our 5 year old daughter today.

The sleep consultant told me to watch for when she was tired and put her for a nap then (yes, she still naps for around an hour a day which is surprisingly normal!). She was acting tired at around 12:30 pm after we had lunch so I put both girls for a nap. Abbey, our 17 month old was out like a light. Ceili on the other hand was acting crazy in her bad, saying she couldn't sleep. I went in to check on her at one point and she had changed her clothes, taken every bow she owns down off of her bow holder and had played with a bunch of toys in her room. Needless to say there was no nap for her and she ended up having a meltdown afterwards saying she was "sooo tired".

When Matt came home at 4:30 pm she was eating an apple for a snack and we had to keep her awake because she was nodding off and spilling apple slices everywhere! She got her second wind, thankfully and ate supper fine. I gave them both a bath right after bed and got them into pj's. They had a snack and Ceili brushed her teeth and went potty then we read a couple of books to them. She was excited because she got a sticker on her chart for doing those things.

Then the nighttime routine began. It was Matt's turn to put her to bed so she got to choose a "dream card". I put them together by finding photos from magazines and gluing them onto heavy paper. The photos are of things like a field of flowers, mountains, a lake with geese, etc. Matt and Ceili talked about the picture before bed and helped her to visualize what could be happening in the picture to help her be calm and have sweet dreams. He also did the usual routine of telling her a story and singing a song. He said she was pretty crazy and not calm at all though.

She came out of her room once and went potty again then tried to argue about her slippers because she couldn't find them. Matt reminded her of the rules and she went back to bed and was asleep by 8pm! What a change! I am hoping that she sleeps through the night and feels rested in the morning.

Mirror, Mirror

It has been just over a month since we started eating clean and it is now starting to feel like second nature. I don't even think twice while I'm walking through the mall and smell the greasy foods in the food court. I have been planning our meals at the beginning of the week and the new recipes have been a hit in our house! Ceili calls the sprouted rice we eat "bird food" but she loves her bird food, haha!

I have lost 17 lbs to date and I actually like what I see when I look in the mirror now! I feel great about myself and biking has become my new favorite activity. I can't wait until I lose 20 lbs so I can post progress pictures! I haven't liked looking at myself in the mirror for a long time, so I know I am making progress.

In other news, we have a sleep specialist coming to help us out with Ceili because she is struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep long enough in the night. I never thought I would be paying someone $500 to help us get our kid to sleep! She has never been a good sleeper, but it is just getting worse so we know we have to do something. We have tried all natural sleep aids for kids, new routines, earlier bedtime, pretty much everything and we're at our wits end! I'm anxious to see what she says.

It`s way later than I thought and I need my beauty sleep, so I will sign off for now!

A New Lease on Life!

Clean eating is still going great! We eat as much as possible organic and are making pretty much everything from scratch. I have now lost 15lbs and feel like a new person. I haven't weighed this little and felt this good in over 5 years.

Yesterday we put together the bike trailer and went for a little ride and today I packed the girls up and went on a longer ride. When I got home I was sweating and thirsty but man did I feel great!

I have a friend who started eating clean about a week before us and she is feeling the same way. More energy and loving the healthy grub.

I thought I would put together a little blog post sharing my favorite clean and healthy recipes for those of you who would like to try some. I have a few friends asking what my favorites are, so here it goes!

Breakfast:

Breakfast Pita

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Muffins

Lunch & Dinner:

Chicken Gyros, so juicy and delicious!

Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad

Asian Noodle Bowl, this is amazing! We eat it once a week in our house.

Greek Salad with Baked Pita. Filling and delicious!

Quinoa Chicken Fried Rice. Matt says this tastes like "junk food" but it's not!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp, tastes just like buttery shrimp from a restaurant but with no butter

Snacks & Desserts

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Apple Sandwiches, great after exercise!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream, this is a real favorite around here

Chewy Granola Bars, so yummy

The longer I do this eating clean thing, the more I look at a lot of the recipes on Pinterest and shake my head in disgust. They are so full of artificial ingredients like color, flavor, and refined suger and flour. I can't believe that I used to eat that stuff. Now if I eat anything that contains refined sugar or is processed I get severe stomach cramps. Tells you something, doesn't it?!

Juice Reboot- Day 2

I woke up this morning feeling hungover. I felt so exhausted and my body ached all over! I dragged my butt out of bed at 7:30 am because the kids were up, but I wanted to stay in bed so badly. Another day of juicing made my stomach turn but I knew I had to keep this promise to myself.

I went to the washroom (for the one millionth time!) and then weighed myself. Down 5 lbs, woohoo! I was very surprised to see the scale move that much after only a day.

Once I got the kids their breakfast- delicious looking toast and fruit, I started cutting up oranges, carrots and beets for our morning juice "Sunrise". The flavor of the beets really grossed me out in our last drink that contained them. I was making the juice as Matt was getting up and he looked at it with a disgusted look on his face. He said his stomach had been bothering him all night and he didn't know if he even wanted to drink anymore juice. I told him that it was his decision, after all he is only doing this cleanse to be my support. He decided to try some juice for breakfast. We agreed that it was okay, but the beet flavor was still there. We each had a lemon tea and a bunch more water and got ready for the day.

We decided to take the girls to the park to get out and do something. It was only a 10 minute drive, I made Matt stop at 7-11 so I could pee....again! I drank my coconut water on the way as well. Matt opted out of the coconut water today. We had a good play at the park and were ready for lunch. At that point I could have died for a burger! We came home and had our lunch juice, another green one "Mean Green". I added more apple and some pear to it because the last batch I made was so horrible. This wasn't as bad, but still wasn't easy to get down. The kale taste is very strong in all of the drinks. We managed to gulp it down and voted for a vegan spinach salad for dinner.

We all had a nap and I slept better than ever. I have been so tired and have been sleeping so hard. It was time for our afternoon snack, but neither of us felt hungry so we skipped it. A couple of hours later I made our spinach salads with mushroom, onion, bell pepper, cucumber and a bit of dressing made of balsamic vinegar, EVOO, garlic, salt and pepper. It was wonderful! I have never enjoyed a salad more. And I felt so full and energetic afterwards! Afterwards, I made our dessert drink made of watermelon, limes and blueberries and put our drink bottles in the freezer for later because we weren't hungry for dessert.

We are just drinking our dessert now and it's very good. Because we put it in the freezer for a couple of hours, it is like a slush and perfect for a warm day like today. I will have my tea right away and call it a night.

As I think about it more, my eating was just an addiction and I am giving myself a "rehab". My body is going through withdrawals complete with headaches, exhaustion and aches and pains. Matt has been freezing cold and had a headache all day so I guess his body is going through the same thing. I need to break this addiction so I can start fresh and give my children a positive example to follow when they eat and start healthy habits for them!

One more day to go, I can see the light!

Ready to Start Fresh

I haven't posted in way too long. Things in our lives have been absolutely nuts!

I have started my own home business selling children's clothes, a true passion of mine...clothes and am loving it so far. Most of my customers are fellow moms and I love talking to them and choosing new awesome items to order in! I am learning more about the market every day and Matt has been helping me do the spreadsheets and technical stuff.

I am also going to be starting a new adventure next weekend. Again, with Matt by my side we are doing a juice cleanse. After watching "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" we decided to get rid of the junk in our bodies and start fresh! We are starting with a 3 day cleanse and I may continue onto 5 days depending how I feel. After that it's clean eating for this family! No more preservative- filled crap. I'm going to slowly replace our regular foods with clean foods as we run out of them so as not to break the bank. I'm not dreading this at all like I would have a few years ago. I am quite excited to begin this new journey and start fresh. We eat far too much junk food and "fast and easy" foods in our house and I'm done with it. I want to become healthier and feel good. I am suffering with migraines and daily aches and pains- things a 31 year old shouldn't be dealing with!

I am going to post about our journey here so that I can look back and feel good about what we have done!

Off to Pinterest to look up some more juice and clean recipes. Wish us luck!

Happy 2013!

Wow, I can't believe it's 2013 already, Every time I say the year, it makes me feel old! I remember when I was small and thought that by 2013 we would live on the moon and have flying cars!

We have a New Year's Eve tradition at our house and we followed it again this year. We get a bunch of appetizers, champagne and Christmas crackers and have dinner together followed by a movie. This year we loaded up on Asian appetizers and a giant shrimp ring and got some "kid champagne" (sparkling apple juice) because of Ceili and the fact that I am breastfeeding and didn't want to have alcohol. We had a delicious and fun night!

Every year at New Year's I reflect on the past year. What a year we had! We started the year off with a new baby then Matt went out of town the next week with work and I enjoyed a visit from my sister from B.C. I eased into having two kids much better than I had imagined. I have to admit, it is a bit more difficult now that Abbey's on the move, but it isn't as insane as I had thought it would be. I have learned alot about myself while dealing with these two little versions of myself! I celebrated my 30th birthday and my big girl turned 4 years old! We also saw her start school in 2012, meet new friends and grow and change so much. We enjoyed a family vacation to Cuba in June and survived the crazy flight home. We also got our new pup Boots this past year. So much has happened! There have been ups and downs, but we survived another year and when I look back I see much more good than bad.

Here are a couple of photos of our wonderful New Year's as a family.

Wishing you and your families a very Happy New Year and wonderful things in 2013!

Ceili and her "kid champagne"

Abbey didn't like her New Year's hat so much!

Christmas Catch-up

I apologize for the large gap in posts. Christmas at our house was very busy and required a lot of preparation this year. I made Christmas dinner for 13 family members and cooked my first turkey. It was a massive 19 pounder and was a little scary, but I managed just fine! Knowing that 13 people's hungry tummies are depending on you making a delicious dinner puts some pressure on a person!

Christmas morning was wonderful for us. We invited my parents for present opening and breakfast. It was so nice to have them there with us and watching the looks on the kids faces as they opened their gifts. We opened stockings, ate breakfast (a yummy cake I found on Pinterest) and then went back to opening more gifts! I got almost everything I asked for- a griddle for making pancakes, a new pedometer, There were alot of gifts this year, but my favorite gift was having all of my family together. It was very cold outside, but our house was warm and cozy and full of love!

Here are a few photos from Christmas at the Thompson household.

Why Are You Running Away?

This past week I have encountered a lot of people I know who are running away from things. It's bothering me for a number of reasons, so I thought I'd better spill it in my blog!

First it was a friend who was a member of a group of a few women on Facebook. We all had babies in December 2011 and January 2012 and we have all become very close. She just found out that her daughter has a health problem and is understandably upset. She had left our group for some reason and has now shut off her Facebook account because she doesn't want anyone to say anything to her other than "I'm sorry" or "I'm praying for you". She said she doesn't want to look on the positive side or hear any other comments. I understand that some people can be rude in their comments, but I don't see why that would be a reason to close your entire Facebook account. She is running away from the people who care about her when really she should be running to these people who have their arms open to give her a huge hug. Our moms group is so wonderful and supportive and we are always there for eachother and do not criticize. I just cannot understand why she wouldn't want to take the support. I know that's what I need most when I'm dealing with alot of stress.

The next was my sister in law. Once again, Facebook related but she took my husband and myself off of her friends list without saying anything to us. I sent her a message mentioning it and she said that Facebook makes her sad. I guess when I said I was happy to find a reliable babysitter, that upset her because she loves to babysit our girls but our oldest just decided that she didn't like staying there anymore. Unfortunately, I only found this out today after 3 days of wondering what the heck was going on. She avoided the whole issue until my hubby blew up at her because she wouldn't say why she was upset. Once again, someone running away. She ran away from a discussion that could have very easily solved the problem but instead it turned into a huge problem! She called me crying this morning. I told her that she should have just told us why she was removing us and I'm sure it would have been fine.

I understand that everyone has their own way of dealing with things, but shutting people out isn't the answer. We are only human; sometimes we hurt, we cry and we need eachother. Without support in tough times, we can and will crumble.

So a note to my friends; thank you for your support when I have needed it (keep it up!) and I am always here if you have a problem with me, a problem in life or just need a shoulder! I don't want to hear "I needed to talk to someone, but...." because I am here. Don't try to hold it in and be strong because eventually it will eat you up inside. This is something I have learned in my 30 years of life and feel the need to pass on.

All for My Girls

Today I finally did the thing I was dreading and went into my work and had a meeting with my boss about going back to work. For a few weeks now, I knew I had to go in and tell him what Matt and I had decided and I was even having nighmares about it!

I dropped Ceili off at preschool and headed over to work. I visited with everyone there for a bit then went in to talk to my boss. I told him that my family was #1 right now and I just can't imagine leaving my girls to go back to work at least at this point in their lives. When they are young, these are the most precious years. They are learning so much and I want to be there to see watch them grow and change. I was amazed that he was very understanding and said that if I ever decide that I want to return, he will be more than willing to re-hire me there.

I did enjoy working there very much, they are a great company and the office was so small that it was like a family too. Everyone worked well together and they were very supportive when I had to leave and go on bed rest and maternity leave. I don't think I have every worked for such a great company before. I definitely would consider going back to work there once the girls are both in school full-time.

So, I am now a stay-at-home Mommy and am proud to say that our girls are my full time job now. Being a Mommy is more work than any other job you will find, but it's so worth it and so rewarding!

So Much to Give Thanks For!

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving again, it seems like the past year has gone by in a blur. A good blur, but a blur nonetheless! Every Thanksgiving I try to think about all of the things that I am thankful for and every year I have a little more to be thankful for!

I am most thankful for my wonderful husband who puts up with me day in and day out! lol. Well, I guess we actually put up with eachother because we all have our bad days and we love eachother whether it's a bad or a good day! He's always there to comfort me- like this week when I got in my first fender bender with our van and dented the bumper. I called him and he answered even though he was in meetings across the country and he told me he was more worried about us girls than the damage to the van and that everything would be alright.

I am thankful that we have a nice house and food in our fridge because I know there are alot of people in this world without those things. Most people who do have them take them for granted and we really shouldn't.

Two other reasons to be thankful are our two beautiful, smart little girls. They make my days (and nights!) interesting. They have changed how I see the world. I appreciate everything about life so much more since they came into our lives. My appreciation for the miracle of human life is also tremendous now. My body grew these beautiful babies and fought to keep little Abbey safe. At this time last year I was unsure of whether or not we would be meeting our sweet baby in January because of all of my pregnancy issues. I spent almost every day of that pregnancy so scared and I am so happy she is here and healthy!

I am also thankful for a trouble- making dog who makes me crazy some days....well, to be honest most days but I love him all the same! He has made our family complete.

I can't forget all of the rest of my family and friends because without them I would never have mommy- dates, babysitters when I need a break, advice and hugs when I need them the most! As much as we fight with our parents when we're teenagers and think they don't know what they're talking about, I really do appreciate them and all of the support they give me now. I realize they were right all along and I'm sure our girls will shake their heads at us one day and say "you don't understand!".

So this Thanksgiving remember to be thankful for all that you have, not just the things but the people too!

Stop Time...NOW!

This morning when Ceili was at school, I was nursing Abbey before her nap. Being the crazy momma that I am, I was smelling her head and holding her little hand and thought to myself "can we please pause in this very moment forever?". I feel like our baby girl is growing up way too fast.

When Ceili was a baby I was always looking ahead thinking "I can't wait until she can do ______". I am finding with Abbey, our last baby I want to savour every moment of her being a baby. She is now scooting around the house on her bum and trying to stand up. Most of the time when I cuddle her, she pushes away because she wants to go play with her sister. Where has my little baby gone? I can't believe she will be a year old in January!

Maybe I feel like it's going by too fast because we are always so busy and I haven't had as much time to just watch her grow and change. We're always doing something or running somewhere. Plus, breastfeeding has created an amazingly strong bond between us which makes me want her to stay a baby even more.

I think I need to stop, smell the flowers and enjoy my little girls before they're not little anymore!

Ceili's First Day of School

Last Monday we sent our first "baby" off to preschool!

Ceili was so excited to go, and of course a little nervous. I was really excited for her because I knew she missed the structure and learning aspect of school. She was in daycare when I was working and absolutely loved it. They did alot of educational things and did crafts, singing and reading books which is why we called it school.

We all got ready in the morning and took Ceili out for breakfast at Tim Horton's before school. We had our breakfast then headed to school. Matt even took time off of work to come along and see his little girl off to her first day!

When Monday came, even after all of the preparation for school it finally hit me that our little girl was actually going to school! Sure, preschool may not be "real school" but next year she will be in kindergarten! As we dropped her off and she barely noticed that we were leaving, I got a little misty- eyed. Looking back, she has changed so much over these past couple of years. She has such a great personality- maybe a little too much of one sometimes! But she is also so much fun and has a great sense of humor. As much as I was sad to see her go to school I was also feeling quite excited for the years ahead and seeing our bean grow and change even more.

After school I picked her up and she had so much to tell me. She loved her teachers and did crafts. They also played in the gym and had snack time. She was exhausted after lunch and had a long nap!

I think this will be a good thing for her and also a good thing for Abbey and I because before this is was rare if we got quality time just the two of us together.