Four years ago

four years ago I stood in a bathroom at Manchester airport looking in the mirror. Fixed my hair a little and thought to myself "This would be so much more exciting if I was picking up a guy I had a crush on." That being said I was excited. I went to the gate and out walked Andy, my friends of 5 years. He had flown in for staff conference and was going to stay a night with us (my parents and I) before it started. He had just been to Holland (the homeland) and couldn't wait to share about it.

I had liked Andy, earlier that year even I had liked him but always thought it wasn't right and could never work.

I think this visit, four years ago, made a big difference. I remember dragging him round Manchester the next morning on my 'whirlwind tour' trying to show him the city in half an hour, running in and out of each place. I remember seeing him in my country, in my house, in my real life not just Island life and it just felt so comfortable and good. We grabbed British Fish and Chips for lunch then headed up to Capernwray Hall where I was dropping him off for the conference. We walked around there together as friends, totally oblivious to the fact that two years later we would walk those same paths, me in a white dress and veil, as husband and wife.

I didn't really want to leave him there, I thought about him the whole way home, I thought about him the whole next couple of weeks, fighting it, not wanting to let myself fall for him and it not be right again. My dear friend Antonia was visiting from Germany and we travelled the country that week. I remember her saying I shouldn't resist and run away scared but fight through the feeling to see what God had for me in it.

A few weeks later I was back on Thetis for the summer and we were hanging out....lots. The day I left to spend a month traveling Canada he took me to the airport. That's the day he realised he wanted to be with me, that's the day I realised I didn't want to leave him. This was August 2005.

Two years of long distance later, after many tearful goodbyes, September 2007 I married him, my best friend, the one I fell in love with and I married him the first place I didn't want to leave him, at Capernwray Hall, so thankful to not have to be apart any more.
(photos by our wedding photographer Camille Wesser)

who doesn't love a man who cooks

I shared my husband.

Last weekend was a ladies conference here and they requested Andy did a cooking demo. The ladies signed up and paid to watch my husband cook and eat chocolate. I figured I would share, after all, I get to watch him cook and eat his creations all the time. I got my friend Steph to take some pictures though because this was his first demo and I thought he set it up pretty classy. I am really limited in what I can put up here though as most the pictures have the ladies in them and I don't have their permission SO you'll just have to look at the chocolate.

Look at me go

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Feeling Lucky

I won a competition today!!!!!  I LOVE winning and this is a really useful prize.  I won a pair of Little Sole shoes for Isabelle.  They are such great, well made shoes, free from toxins so safe for her to chew on (she loves to chew on her feet/shoes) and they have little squeekers in the sole so when she steps they squeak (squeaker can be removed) which she is going to LOVE as she's learning to walk (actually she's almost walking now and I chose a pair a little big for her so she'll be running by the time she's wearing these.)  This is the second prize I have won from this online store, a couple of months ago I won a bumgenius diaper (the kind of cloth diapers Isabelle wears) I chose a pink one and it's her only pink diaper....it's cute, really cute.  So I am an even bigger fan of this site now

www.babymarketplace.com

So now we have to choose a design.  We have it narrowed down to 2 favourites

I think we are going to go for the burgandy and cream Mary retro mary janes...so cute!
It's so exciting to win something and we are so thankful for this blessing because baby shoes are expensive!

On the wagon again

I'm not sure how long this post will stay up on this blog because I am going to have a hard time seeing these pictures.

For me-it's coke, it just does it for me, it's my vice. Diet doesn't quite cut it, pepsi's fine but not he same but I love coke.

I haven't had one in a Looong time, not since Isabelle........caffeine and breast milk don't go so well for babies.

I wouldn't say this has been easy for me but the thought of not getting sleep at night because Issi is wired was just enough to keep me on the wagon.

I know it rots my teeth and my insides, it has no nutritional benifits and the sweet tar taste of it when it's flat or warm is enough to turn my stomach but there is something about the sweet black fizziness (and the drug it contains) that just sucks me in.

Yesterday I needed a coke...actually I just needed some form of comfort food. There has been a bottle sat in our fridge since last month when we went to the states for a couple of days and the events of that trip had me NEEDING a coke but I never did drink it because I also NEEDED any sleep that was possible to obtain. So we stratagized a way for me to have my coke (that's been taunting me from the fridge for a month) and Isabelle to not AND I ENJOYED!

What we left out of the equation in our stratagy was the effect caffeine would have on me after almost a year of abstenance.

I lay in bed for hours unable to sleep, feeling like my brain was physically buzzing inside my skull.

Guess I'll hop back on the wagon for a bit longer anyway

At the Beach

On Monday we went to a market at coombs, the salvage yard (for new 'projects') and the beach/playground/waterpark at Parksville. You may be wondering about the absence of sand in these pictures....let's just say that the boardwalk was more compatable for our 8 month old who wants to walk crawl and inhale everything in her path.

Issi's wonder-mommy

Before I was a Mum I had a lot of ideas about what kind of Mom I was going to be.....and more so what kind of Mum I was NOT going to be.

I was going to be the Mum who did the coolest most original art projects with my child every day. Lunch would always be an adventure, food made into animals or flowers or something. We would have cool dens and tents and transform our home into a princess castle on a whim. We would go on adventures and have picnics every place you can think of. I would let my child get messy - lots. My vision included lots of baking! Play would be stimulating in every way, discipline would be rare and cuddles would be a common occurence..........I didn't really think about it at the time but I'm pretty sure my dream also included getting down to half my prepregnancy weight within about 3 weeks of child birth and doing all this 'perfect mummy stuff' WHILST having perfect hair, wardrobe and house.

Issi isn't really old enough for a lot of this. she's just learnt to feed her self and there is only so much you can do with bitesized chunks of toast, cheese and ham. I guess I could make these little squares into mini stars or flowers but seriously, even if I had the patience, she doesn't have the patience to wait for that and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't notice the difference .

Sometimes I get moments of 'ahhhh, yeah!!!!!! THIS is the Mom I'm going to be!!!" When we play at the ocean, when we stop on our walks to touch every leaf, bit of bark, flower rock etc. we see (and then swiftly move on just as she thinks she's about to get it in her mouth.)  There are many days we spend time with the cows and pigs and go attempt to feed the ducks (that's a whole blogpost in itself) .  Every few days I get these great ideas and Andy comes home to a floor full of containers filled with everything from rice to coffee beans, pen lids to ribena and me sat happily in the middle hotgluing them shut while Issi shows no interest in her new collection of musical instruments whatsoever, or he comes home to all the kitchen bowls filled with bubbles and a very wet (but happy) Isabelle sat in the middle.....

but I would say there was a lot I didn't think about as I put together my idyllic dream of motherhood.  Looking after other peoples children has a lot of pretty key 'motherhood experience' elements missing from it.  

The biggest thing I didn't factor in was the doubt.  I thought I would have a lot more confidence and assurence in all my parenting actions than I do.  I read a quote the other day...

"Being a mom is largely a self-confidence game. Remember, however, that being unsure isn't all bad. "If uncertain feelings are creeping in, you're taking your job as mom with a lot of responsibility," says Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D."

Well then I take it with a LOT of responsibility.  

Am I doing it right?  Should I follow a sleep philosophy?  How much baby sign should I do?  Is it ok that I don't follow the age-food guidelines exactly? is sun block safe for her?  How much?  Does she eat enough/too much?

And then there are all the other things that seem to slide while I'm caught up in having fun with her.  There are days when I achieve a great outfit and do my hair and make up and I feel like the mountain-buggy-pushing-bumgenius-diaper-changing-stylish-mommy-of-a-happy-great-dressed-sweetheart-of-a-baby I am!!!!!!!  BUT mostly...I spend my days in yoga pants (aspiring to fit comfortably in my pre-pregnancy jeans) I realize close to dinner time (after leaving the house multiple times) I haven't really looked in a mirror all day and when I do there is inevitably sweet potato in my eyebrow!  There are old cheerios on my kitchen floor, I have 3 baskets of clean unfolded laundry in my living room, a list of work tasks as long as my arm, as soon as I do dishes there are more dishes, my clothes are all over our bedroom floor (intermingled with bills and mail I have yet to file) and I can't help but wonder...WHY CAN"T MY HOUSE STAY TIDY AND CLEAN AND PERFECT?????  

If it could do that by itself for me, it's not that I would spend more time being a better, more fun Mommy and playing with her more because quite honestly, faced daily with a choice between perfect house and playing...PLAYING WINS EVERY TIME!!!!!!  We play lots!  I just wish I could crawl around the floor making animal noises, go on adventures and spend my days playing peek a boo AND AT THE SAME TIME have perfect hair, nails, clothes, spotless floors, windows, organised closets and cabinets, create great meals, have time for creative outlets for myself, time (and discipline) to exercise and count weighwatchers points and an amazing social life (even if it's a mommy-social-life) to boot.  I want to be Wonder-Mom but when issi's 8 o'clock bedtime comes around and I could catch up on all the stuff I let slide all day in favour of play my husband is home and faced with a choice of perfect house or hanging out with my hubby.....Andy wins every time!!!

disclaimer: I don't want this to sound like this is all my responsibility and I am cinderella around this place- Andy does A LOT, laundry, dishes, cooking, takes the garbage, folds all the diapers, works full time and is the most amazing Dad to Issi and husband to me!

Bo

The last two weekends have been ladies conferences here which are always busy, Andy and Isabelle didn't really see much of each other and I could tell she missed him because she was unusually clingy. She loves her daddy lots. When we go for walks, when we get near the main hall kitchen she starts bouncing in her stroller, she knows this is where Daddy works. The other day I was showing her our wedding albums and every time there was a picture of Andy she started bouncing and making her happy noise. It's so fun to see her love her Daddy so much! We stop by the kitchen to say hi to him most days.


On Monday we took a family day and went across to Vancouver Island with no agenda really. This is rare, the thing with Isaland life is that when you make the time to go across on the ferry (which isn't cheap) then you are going to cram as much into that day as possible, groceries, appointments, visits, shopping, we rarely go across just to relax.

We went to Victoria for the day, walked along the beach, went to the petting zoo and park, it was so nice. We bought Isabelle a pair of 'walking wings' they stap around her then I can hold the straps and she can walk instead of me bending over so she can walk holding her fingers. They make us both very happy, I don't have to be a hunchback and she can walk to her hearts content...perfect!

The petting zoo was a highlight, there were a whole bunch of little kid's, only about a week old. There was one I saw and said "ooo he's cute!" I just really like animals with chocolate brown fur. His name was Bo and not only was he the only goat Issi was interested in, she was the only person he liked. She petted to her hearts content and he tried to eat her dress, it was pretty sweet. They were looking for a home for Bo!

we are hoping to go across for another such family day tomorrow.

The start of something new

I just discovered spit up can come in colours other than white.....I guess it's to be expected that when she experiences coloured food for the first time, this will be followed by me experiencing her coloured spit up for the first time. I just didn't think that far ahead.

Almost two weeks ago we embarked on the adventure of solid (if you can call mush, solid) foods. We started with a teeny bit of rice cereal for dinner, which became a slightly larger amount, which increased to breakfast and dinner, which diversified to Oatmeal cereal for breakfast (her current fave) and rice for dinner and THEN today we added carrots for lunch.

So far every new taste has been met with delight, but as the process continues, my independent spirited little daughter claims an increasingly bigger role in feeding herself. As she claims this increasingly bigger role (i.e. taking charge of the spoon and the wash cloth) the mess....well you can see it for yourself (it never looked so dramtic when the food was white - the orange really accentuates her work)

'They say' that the key to not having a fussy eater is to let them get messy with their food and touch it, that messy play promotes creativity and math skills.......

if this is true Isabelle is going to be an everything eating, art master, mathematical genius of a child!!!!!!! (OR, a child with no table manners that makes a big mess and we can never take out for dinner) Either way she looks pretty cute and every kid needs a few messy eating pictures.






Does anyone know how to get carrot stains out?????

splish splash

We decided to take Issi swimming for the first time. Bath time is her favourite time of the day (so much so, on Christmas day she got an extra 'bonus' bath as a special treat!!!) She loves it so much that, 'the bath time experience' can last for almost an hour. She loves to play naked while the bath runs, then she gets in the bath (usually with Daddy) where she splashes and plays for a loooooong time then we wash her, dry her, massage her, dress her, feed her and put her to bed......life is pretty sweet for Miss Issi.

Because of her great love for the bath, we thought, what better than a giant bath, one with lots of noise, a wave pool, sprinklers, toys, floaties (and a hot tub, steam room and water slides for Mummy and Daddy.) So yesterday was the day. We went to the new pool in Duncan. It was great, we got ready in the family change room then I realised...

'ooops, I left the camera in the car!!!'

So off Andy went to the car while I got my bathing suit on and started changing Isabelle. Meanwhile, I realised I couldn't find Isabelle's bathing suit. I looked through the numerous bags we had in tow but no bathing suit or swim diaper. On return from his mission to the car, Andy was commissioned to go on a second mission to the car to retrieve the aforementioned necessary 'bathing items.'

Eventually we were all set. Here is Miss Issi in her bathing attire, she was just so gosh darn adorable.

You may be thinking that Isabelle doesn't look so excited but she was, she just didn't know what was coming at this point.

So Isabelle had her first 'pre entering cleansing shower,' which was actually her first shower ever and we headed in. The water was warm and Issi just got stuck right in. She didn't even pull her infamous getting in the bath face...

(she pulls this expression EVERY TIME we put her in the water and it still makes us laugh)
Here are some photos of Isabelles first big swimming pool experience (my smile looks lopsided because half my face is frozen from the dentist)

what a girl wants

Isabelle likes to cuddle, but not as much as she used to. We commented today that if we'd know the cuddles would become less frequent we would have cherished them more (if that is possible.) She still does cuddle though, usually just before or after a nap or after she eats. Her favourite is to lay in my arms after I've fed her and just stare up at my face and smile with a beaming smile as I stroke her face and tell her how beautiful she is. Today, as I was holding her like this, running my finger along her cheek, round her chin and tracing her smile I whispered to her "Oh Isabelle, you just love this, being held, gazed at adoringly and told how beautiful you are," and then I realised, what girl doesn't love this???

jolly jumper fun

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isabelle

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Say Cheese

Issi loves to smile...smiles, smiles all day long

Who does she look like???

We get asked this alot, mostly people think se's a pretty good mix but more and more I see her Daddy.Here are some baby pictures so you can decide.
you can see pictures of Issi here
isabelle grace

me


Andy