Friday, September 30, 2011

he loves his girl...

When his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, "Daddy, I need to ask
you something", he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan. ~Garrison Keillor

photography by Vincent Kember @ www.vincentkember.com

[ www.vincentkember.com photography ]

Monday, September 26, 2011

a pony for christmas!

We went to the Carp Fair on Saturday. Lilah's first request when we walked through the gates was for the big wheel. I don't know what it is about the big wheel that has her so intrigued, but it was her first request at the exact same fair last year.

Of course, we all went on the big wheel! And the bouncy castle and the carousel and the dragon ride!

But the moment I saw her enjoy herself the most, was when she got a little pony ride. Oh my. The grin on her face said it all! I have a funny feeling she'll be asking us for a pony soon, maybe even for Christmas!

It was a very fun day!

(As a side note, just last week we booked our tickets to N.Ireland for Christmas, which means Lilah will get as many rides as she wants from Tyson, Pa's horse. Get ready Pa!)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

shopping saturday : the colours of fall

I don't know what it is about Fall shopping, but I really enjoy it!

In fact, I love anything to do with Fall, whether it be the meals, or the clothing, or the colours, or the warm drinks, or the pumpkins, or the crisp air... everything, I just love everything about Fall.

And well, you know one of my great loves is Etsy! Browsing and shopping on Etsy is definitely one of my favourite things to do! So let me introduce you to a few of the things I've found recently that I adore.

Ellie Beans on Etsy
This is one of my favourite finds. Isn't it just faboulous? I know, I'm just dying about it!
The seller is Ellie-Beans.

page1
1.giggles and grins creations 2.sarah rose 3.emerald69
4.sweet pea toad 5.details shop 6.my own threads
7.design with life 8.custom ribbons 9.twirling betty

Friday, September 23, 2011

back to work!

I started back to work on Tuesday past, and even though I felt a little anxious about adding this new routine into our lives, I really felt 'ready' for it. So far it's really working out beautifully and I'm also remembering (all over again) how much I love my job!

I was off work for two years and nine months, with Lilah, the best (almost) three years of my life, so far. And spending every second with my girl over the last few years has bonded us together more than I ever imagined possible. We've only ever had Lilah looked after once, by our close friends, when we went to hear Steven Curtis-Chapman live. And she was only away from me once when she spent five days at camp in the summertime, which of course she absolutely loved, and even begged me to send her back! Oh yes, and she's been in her little 45 minute Sunday School class every Sunday since September 2009.

I know what you're thinking - that poor child, no wonder she LOVES school so much, it's because she's hardly ever been away from you! Truly though, we've loved hanging out together, Lilah has thrived and grown and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that she is loved to pieces. And really, that's all I ever cared about, first and foremost was that she knew she was loved. And yes, maybe I am an overprotective 'helicopter' mother, but that's what mothers are for. I stand to be corrected, but I think there is probably a little bit of helicopter mothering in every one of us!

Anyway, as it stands my employer has allowed me to come back to work part-time (as opposed to full-time) and for that I feel so blessed. I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which means I get 4 day weekends...sigh...and spend more time with my girl than without her. It's the best thing ever, I know it's only been a week, but I feel that I have a very healthy mix of home and work life now. I'm so pleased and extremely happy.

We have our little routine down pat; Baba drops Lilah off at school at 9am, and I work 7am-3pm, which means I get to pick my girl up at 3:15pm on the three days I work. And the other two school days that I'm not working, I get to walk Lilah to school and home. I'll also be volunteering in her classroom the odd Friday - I'm aiming for once or twice a month.

I have an incredible husband who gave me the gift of staying at home with our daughter, and we have a wonderful daughter that has brought us so much joy. I love them both more than words could ever adequately describe.

I can't help thinking how wonderfully blessed I am.

photography by Vincent Kember @ www.vincentkember.com

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Sunday, September 18, 2011

apple picking at kilmarnock orchard

Kilmarnock Orchard

Nothing screams *Autumn* more than going to an orchard and picking apples! In fact, apple picking has been on my list of 'things to do' for more than a couple of years now!

We tried last year, but unfortunately we'd left it too late and the trees were bare! I decided that definitely wasn't happening this year, so we headed out to Kilmarnock Orchard bright and early on Saturday morning. The orchard is just about an hour or so outside Ottawa, very close to the pretty-as-a-postcard village called Merrickville.

It was such a warm beautiful day, perfect for picking apples. Lilah took her apple picking job very seriously and also the girl-in-charge very seriously, who told us exactly how to take the apples off the branch - by gently twisting the stalk around and around. Our Lilah girl even taste tested a few different varieties and ended up finding a couple of teeny tiny little apples, made perfect (in size) for her!

And after all that "hard work", we stopped into Merrickville for a little lunch and relax. After lunch we went into a shop called Country Bumpkins that sells fresh homemade fudge. We fell head over heels with the pumpkin pie flavour fudge with walnuts in it. Oh sooo yummy! If apple picking didn't scream Autumn enough, the pumpkin pie flavour fudge certainly did!

It was the perfect end to a perfect day. In fact, so perfect, I'm hoping it'll become a yearly tradition for our family.

Friday, September 16, 2011

first week of school - listening skills!

So I had a complete déjà vu moment on Wednesday morning when dropping Lilah off at (her second day of) school. I know I should be a better parent and not have snorted to myself when I overheard the teacher saying this to Lilah:

teacher: "So Lilah, today you're going to focus on listening to me and not talking as much to Fiona!"

Oh my, does that sound familiar... only 30 years ago! Ha! (And yes, I absolutely am talking about myself!)

Anyway, this morning (as we were getting ready to walk up to school) we were chatting and it would now seem like Lilah has definitely started listening to her teacher. Our conversation went like this...

me: "Have you done any physical education yet, like running around?"
lilah: (in a shocked voice) "No! We're not allowed to run in school... or push, or talk about poos or farts, or ANYTHING rude."
me: "Oh. Okay. That's good!" (silent snort)

Oh yeah, she's definitely been listening!

Now it's just me that needs to work on my game face! ...you know, the one that desperately wants to grin, but you have to control it, so it doesn't encourage a certain little someone?!

Phew. Parenting. It's pretty awesome!

junior kindergarten - 2011

Doesn't she just look like a bit of an imp?!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

sweet little expressions

photography by Vincent Kember @ www.vincentkember.com

lilah "Mom, do you remember what I said?"
me: "No, I don't."
lilah: "Well I said it very quietly, so I don't remember either!"

After she asked me how I got saved: "Well I'm saved too. Because I believe in the Lord Jesus and I love Him so much."

"So, what the setup is, is that this isn't a tall building, it's just a small house."

"Oh look! All the butter on my toast melted. Is that because it's hot? Is that the rules of toast?"

Her water bottle had condensation on it: "This water is foggy, because it was in the fridge!"

lilah: Hmm, we need to recognize this again because it's all messy!"
me: "I think you mean organize?"
lilah: "Oh. Yes, that's it!"

After asking her something she didn't know the answer to, she said to me: "Well, you can figure that one out!"

"So I started to play and then realized, oh, I need you to play with me!"

"Piggy's really complicated this morning. That means he's tired, that's what I call it."

lilah: "Do you have a little sister Mama?"
me: "No, I just have a big sister."
lilah "Oh, so you're the little sister?"
me: "Yes, that's right."

"Mama, when we die and go to heaven, will we still be dead or will we be alive again?"

Piggy squeals a lot now, Lilah says it's because he's a baby...
me: "Piggy's squealing is getting on my nerves!"
lilah: "Oh. What does nerves mean?"
me: "Getting on my nerves means that I'm feeling a bit frustrated with him."
lilah: "Well I'm pretty sure he's getting on my nerves too!"

photography by Vincent Kember @ www.vincentkember.com photography by Vincent Kember @ www.vincentkember.com

[ www.vincentkember.com photography ]