Labour Day 2013

We have 2 really cool traditions that we have started with our families to celebrate Labour Day Weekend.

The first is a family day out at the cottage.

What's so great about it, is that it's a day where my family and Matt's family get to spend the afternoon catching up after a busy summer. Also, it's at the cottage. That always makes things better.

This is Hazel's new obsession (I posted a video on IG with Matt's IG account @seegs34 - check it out). She is like a little pro with this ribbon, walking all around and swinging her little arms. So very entertaining to watch. Nice find Auntie Paula!

These 2...Love it!

She is doing really well at learning not to hit and to be nice. This is her nice face. She still hits but it's only like a quarter of the time she used to - not bad right? Yikes! Not to worry we are very careful that the dogs are treated fairly and justly by Hazel.

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The second event is now officially being called...

Our annual Venice Dinner.

Here is the post from last year's dinner. It gives you more detail into where this dinner originated...in Venice.

We honour our quest for finding the biggest tomato that ever existed to celebrate the event. This year we got it from one of our Zia's who grew it herself. This tomato can definitely hold it's own when compared to the original. It's the closet we have gotten since the actual Venice tomato. Thank you Zia, you are amazing!!!

Here she is...

Our new little faces from last year are not so little anymore...

Also, I DID NOT get the memo that we should all wear our "hammer pants" to the event. But somehow Hazel did!!! Believe it or not this was not planned with any of the girls. Synchronicity at it's best, I suppose. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE!

This year there were talks of an anniversary trip back to Venice. We are thinking 10 year anniversary, so 5 years from now!!!! WOOT!!!!

YEAH WE ARE!!!

Love for the Family Cottage

Alas...a post that is about something!!! That actually took quite a bit of work to organize. Impressed??? Oh...how I am going to miss the days where I have only 1 baby who takes a 2 hour nap everyday. I am relishing in the moments of peace, while I only have one little girl on my hands. How long do you think it will take for me to get them on the same nap schedule? HAHA!!! I can't even take that question seriously!

Anyways...

Our cottage vacation has come to an end again for the year. It has become something of a tradition for us to visit the cottage every August. We look forward to it every year and it always proves to be the most perfectly low maintenance, relaxing family vacation ever.

I am such a sucker for the water. Any water. The sea, beach, ocean, lakes...anything. Even puddles make me want to be a kid again and jump in. The sounds, the smells, the colours. I absolutely LOVE it in all shapes and sizes.

Hazel is a huge fan of the water as well. She loves the feel of the sand in her fingers and toes (and mouth....yuck! We don't get to spend as much time down at the beach as we would like on account of the little girl who once she starts, can't seem to stop).

The beach made a perfect place for lots of shadow play, which Hazel adores.

Almost every night the moon would hang just perfectly, casting a bright reflection on the water like a shiny blanket of warmth.

We had some visits from friends and family. Unfortunately, I don't have pics of all the visitors. I just captured a few...

A last minute visit from some of our NICU fwends...

Where this adorable situation...

quickly turned into this...and I mean quick. Good times!!!

Even Nico's fwend Molly came to play.

Some grown up games...

Ice cream treats...(a lot of ice cream treats)

And the absolute BEST part...all the mommy and daddy time. Truly being able to be 100% present and in the moment as a family. Putting aside the "to-do" lists, nesting projects, work, household chores for a whole week is a gift I don't ever take for granted. There is nothing better than having no agenda, time schedule, or expectations. Wake up and do what feels good at the time. Great times!

Last but certainly not least - THIS FACE - I kinda love her, just a bit...

Until next year...I will hold on to what memories we made with Hazel this year. I can't wait until she is old enough to remember these times and memories.

Let the nesting begin!

K...Don't be mad...

I am trying to get a quality post up on this blog. I swear I am!!!!! But I am also trying to settle back in at home and into some of our routines. Also, did I mention I am tired (just a 29.5 week phase I'm sure...fingers crossed).

So, AGAIN here are the IG photos from the cottage trip (of which there aren't many). I took the opportunity to almost totally unplug from social media (even IG...I know it's crazy for me). It was a lovely little break with no distractions. Just time spent with my favourite people.

I will try to make it up to you in the coming posts. Good news is I worked on my birth story...A LOT!!! Stay tuned.

And I will be posting a "Happy Friday" post this week with some of my absolute favourite photos of all time.

Until then...

Weekend Round Up

This weekend was a lot about waking-up-and-doing-what-felt-right-in-that-moment and a little about rushing-around-to-try-and-be-everywhere. Especially, since Hazel came down with a stomach bug to start the weekend off with a bang. Her first one ever, so I guess I can't complain, but we certainly weren't laughing about this one (unlike the bronchiiiiiiiiiiitis). There was definitely not enough sleep to go around this weekend for any of us, but she is on the mend and is back to her active, loud, happy little self. However, now she is getting both of her eye teeth and one of her bottoms all at the same time. Needless to say she is a little irritable at times.

Looking back at the pics from this weekend, I feel like we still managed to enjoy small moments together as a family and get some visits in as well. Success!!!

We had a visit from Nonna, Nonno B and Zia Gina. Just try and tell Hazel she's not going to get her license one day. Good luck to that pour soul.

We made it to the Farmer's Market to grab some treats and then hang in the park.

We made it to the cottage for a visit with family.

(PS: We get to go here, to this place, anytime we want...Lucky much?)

We had time to get the all time BEST photo taken of the 4 girls.

Her cousins are always up for some Hazel lovin'.

My all time favourite moment. Let me just say the pregnancy hormones are at an all time high around here at the moment. Which means I am either breathing fire or on the verge of tears (or both at the exact same moment - Awesome!). Anyway, there were a few times this weekend that these 2 had me choking back tears. This was one. And the others, I get to store in my memory and keep to myself. I adore these 2. I adore how much they love each other more than anything else.

Nico. Just because in the 6.5 years that we have had her, her ears have almost NEVER both been up at the same time.

Lastly, this video is great. Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke and The Roots. Instead of listening to Big Parade we listened to and watched this. Amazing what can be done with a bunch of kids toys. Hazel was into it, dancing and carrying on.

I *heart* Jimmy Fallon...sigh

Click here if having trouble viewing 

Enjoy!!!

Peace & Gratitude

Makin' Some Memories

We recently went to a cottage in Brighton, Ontario for a little quality family time with Hazel's cousins that live in Peterborough. It was easily one of the best cottage vacations that we have ever been on. It was filled with beautifully serene moments on a quiet lake, gorgeous sunsets, turtles laying eggs and swans that gracefully floated by.

FRICKEN SWANS!!!!!! Seriously...RIGHT?!

Oh...yes...and there were babies.

Babies who may have been a little too eager to see what his big brothers and Hazel were up to. Babies who like to get into everything they are way to young for and see what all the fuss is about. This little man was never happier than when amidst all the chaos of the other rowdy kids. Much to his own detriment, he sniffed out the action and assured he was always in the center. This kid likes to live in the danger zone.

There was a day on the beach, where the kids couldn't have been happier and the parents couldn't have been colder. But we did what we had to do and let the kids do their thing. Apparently, their "thing" included long runs up and down the shoreline of the water (and perhaps a little dip in the water that was way to cold for human body temperatures).

Her "thing" included eating fistfuls of sand. That was super fun for me.

My bump was there too.

(Yes - that is a receiving blanket wrapped around my neck posing as a scarf - it was cold!!!)

Lots of giggles when Sawyer couldn't seem to figure out how to get his VERY cold t-shirt off. He worked it out, it came off in the end.

Obligatory "we're on vacation at the beach" couples photo.

Hummus...

Little boys who are too little to be standing up looking outside.

Stolen moments with my girl where she was so tired she had a 4 hour nap. She's so squishy in my arms when she sleeps, it's like we are one body again. I kinda like it.

This could not be a more perfect picture. There was a lot of this all weekend long. Lots of lovin' on daddy moments for all the kids.

A happy Father's Day to all!!!

Finding leaves that were bigger than our heads. Why not?

I taught the kids to play war. The first game lasted 4 hours. Sawyer didn't really like winning the 2s or 3s. Those cards don't win you other cards, now do they? BUT...you have to have ALL the cards to win the game. He conceded and took the 2s and 3s (and won the game).

I love that Cooper and Sawyer are at the age where they are going to remember this vacation. They are going to remember playing hockey by the water, having dance parties in the kitchen, running on the beach, taking walks, visiting towns, fishing off the dock and playing the kind of games that are just more fun when you are at a cottage. I love that it is uninterrupted time that our families get to spend together with no agendas, no chores - life isn't getting in the way. We can just "BE", whatever that means for the moment we are in.

I can't wait to make this a new family tradition every year and couldn't think of better people to do it with.

Until next time...