Sleepy Froggies

I expected Elliotte to want to be like her big sister,

but I wasn't quite prepared for the opposite.

Piper saw Elliotte wearing frog pajamas tonight

and then insisted that she wear frog pajamas too!

Oh how I love these two little frogs.

Flying to St. John's tomorrow night!

I hope to see most of you there over the next few days!

xo

xo

Ribbit. Ribbit.

Picnic Pals

Yesterday was a busy day.

It was beautiful outside,

so we were busy busy busy.

We went to our neighbour's house for a beer and bbq,

and to let the kiddos play together.

Piper and Sylvie had a blast together.

After playing in the sandbox I saw them sitting together on the little picnic table.

They were both munching on potato chips,

which I'm not sure if Piper has ever eaten before.

I guess she liked them,

since I overhear her telling Sylvie to go and get her another one.

Paying a little closer attention I realized that

Piper was actually getting Sylvie to deliver each potato chip to her at the little table.

Little bugger!

Elliotte was the world's best baby once again!

We didn't even know she was there.

xo

xo

This is the closest I could get to capturing these two together at the table. 

Living up to her T-shirt. 

Sandbox fun.
After having sunscreen on her face,
Piper even had sand stuck to her eyelids!!!

Wheelbarrow Fun!

Today we went out to Tyne Valley to visit Barb and Wes.

Piper had made a little Mother's Day card for Barb,

which we brought out to her with a plant for her garden.

Once again Piper was uber excited to be going to visit them

and couldn't wait to get out of our truck once we arrived.

She immediately ran up to Barb yelling,

"I got a card for you Barb!"

Then after giving Barb the card and plant,

she ran the entire length of their lawn

to land herself in Wes' arms. 

Yes.

Piper loves them!

During our visit I was sitting in the shade in the backyard nursing Elliotte.

Piper had been off somewhere with Barb

when I hear her calling out my name.

She was saying,

"Mommy, look at the princess.

I'm a princess."

Since you never know what to expect with my oldest daughter,

I was shaking my head waiting for her to make her appearance

from the other side of the house.

Princess indeed!

She arrived in her princess coach

(aka Wes' wheelbarrow)

with a smile on her face from ear to ear!

I'm not sure what made my heart sing the most.

Seeing my daughter so incredibly happy,

or remembering my grandfather and father taking me for similar

rides when I was Piper's age.

Love!

Miss Elliotte was as happy as a clam,

as usual!

She shared some smiles and a cuddle with Barb

before passing out in her arms. 

She's content to wait a little longer for her turn in the wheelbarrow.

xo

xo

The Princess!

Since when did the queen cart the princess around?
Humph.
We need to re-read some of her princess stories!

Elliotte is kicking up her usual fuss with Barb

Flower Girls

Mark and I bought a house on a half acre of land.

I think half of that land is covered in a garden

that I'm told was award winning.

Well it isn't winning any awards now.

I was too exhausted from my pregnancy last summer to do anything with it

and now this summer I'm just too darn busy.

I've managed to put a few hours of work into it so far,

but to be honest, 

I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

I don't know a plant from a weed,

so I'm pretty much just trying to make it look tidy.

I'm not sure I'm even achieving that.

If anyone would like some plants,

please come and take mine.

My garden is MUCH too big for me to maintain.

If Piper were to read the title of this post,

she would say "Silo Girls".

She still can't say her 'f's', 

but for some reason, 

she can't (or won't) pronounce any part of flower correctly.

Sort of like play-dough.

It sounds more like potato when she says it.

Pay-tay-oh.

I say "play".

Piper says "play".

I say "dough".

Piper says "dough".

I say "play-dough".

Piper smiles and says "pay-tay-oh".

Then she laughs.

I laugh.

And we're no further ahead.

If you ever babysit for me,

Piper does not want to play with potatoes. 

Just a heads up!

I'm curious what Miss Elliotte's speech is going to be like

if Piper is the one she is learning from. 

Then again,

with Piper as a teacher,

Elliotte will be reciting her ABCs in about two weeks.

She only hears that song 42 million times a day from her big sister!!!

xo

xo

Piper thinks that watering the "silos" is great fun!

My first success of the year!
How can it possibly be easier to keep tiny humans alive than plants??

Piper may be doing all of the work,
but Elliotte is paying close attention.
She's never far away making sure that Piper does the job right.
(Can you find her back there?)

Our little forman watching over the flock of workers!!

A Sad Farewell

Today we sadly had to say goodbye

to Piper and Elliotte's great-grandmother.

She was fondly referred to as "Nanny Marjorie" by Piper

and will be missed dearly by her entire family.

I'm sure in years to come,

Elliotte will be disappointed to find out that she never got to meet her Nanny Marjorie,

but perhaps she will find some comfort in knowing 

that she laughed out loud for the first time
just hours after her great-grandmother's passing.

I've heard stories of babies and small children

being able to see people and things that we cannot,

so I'd like to think that Nanny Marjorie stopped by to meet our little Elliotte

and to tickle her toes. 

Thoughts like this warm my heart.

Nanny Marjorie is now in a better place without any pain,

but will be missed forever.

xo

xo

Piper getting some cuddles from her Nanny Marjorie last June
at her grandparents' anniversary party.

Four generations.
xo

Sisters Swinging

The  weather is FINALLY warming up.

Today was beautiful,

so Mark and I decided to take the girls to the playground.

Piper squealed with delight to discover that the swings are back

after being taken down for the winter.

It was the very first time that Piper and Elliotte have gone swinging together,

since Elliotte joined us on the outside.

(There were a few in-the-womb swings last year.)

Both girls had so much fun!

xo

xo

Can you spot the little sister? 

Peep!

I love that we caught Piper mid-squeal in this photo!
People could probably hear her giggling for miles!!

Cuddly Carrier

One of Piper's favourite things to do 

when we bring Elliotte inside in her carseat,

is to sit next to her and share a blanket.

One thing to note is that it always has to be one of Elliotte's blankets.

NOT Piper's. 

That would be unacceptable! ;-)

xo

xo

Piper thinks this is super fun for some reason.

Elliotte doesn't always agree.

You're So Vain

I pray that Piper's self confidence can stay with her

for the rest of her life.

This kid loves herself,

but loves everything and everyone that is around her also!

As for Elliotte...

she's just happy to have someone her own age to talk to.

And yes,

she's trying to talk now.

In the past few days she has made a few noises that were so loud

that she frightened the daylights out of herself. 

xo

xo

I hope that Piper never has any run ins with the law,
but I do think that a visit from the Fashion Police may be in order!

Oh look mom!
I made a new friend.

Why hello there pretty girl!
Where have you been all my life?

What Makes My World Go Round

THIS is what makes my world go round.

What more could anyone ever ask for?

Elliotte is ten weeks old here

and is showing off how strong her neck is already!

Piper laughed out loud the first time she saw Elliotte do this!

xo

xo

I've mentioned how much Piper likes to try to play with Elliotte,
but I should also mention how much Elliotte loves to watch Piper!!
She is really starting to notice her more and to respond to her.
It is so fun watching these two learn to love and get to know each other!

 Elliotte being sad that her sister decided to ditch her for something more fun,
or she was just tired of holding her head up?!?!

McHappy Day

Within the past year,

we have known two families that have children

 who required extended stays at hospitals.

One family was lucky enough to be able to travel back and forth from home,

which was incredibly fortunate seeing as how their daughter

was in the NICU at the Janeway for more than 6 months.

The second family spent a lot of time at the Janeway,

but then travelled to Toronto where their one year old son 

had to undergo cancer treatment and a bone-marrow transplant. 

This family had to rely on the Ronald McDonald house

in order for their family to be able to be together and close to their sick son.

(I'm happy to report that he is doing wonderfully well right now!!)

We have always liked to support McHappy Day,

but this year we felt it was even more important to do so.

It's hard to understand why any child has to ever be ill or in pain,

yet it's a wonderful world that we live in 

when people come together to make their journey

as easy as possible!

Kudos to any of you who also supported this wonderful fundraiser!

xo

xo

She still loves to DIP anything that she eats!!
It's the closest thing to playing with her food that we allow,
yet she still tries to play with it EVERY meal.
(Can you tell that it frustrates her mother to no end!) 

Thankfully Elliotte slept through lunch,
so she didn't know that she was missing out on a Happy Meal.
Next year you can have one too baby girl!

Sister Storytime

Although Elliotte is bright and is growing like a weed,

she still isn't interactive enough to entertain a two year old.

That doesn't stop Piper.

Piper still tries and tries to include Elliotte in everything!

Sometimes I love it.

Sometimes it terrifies me.

On days like today,

when I hear Elliotte stop crying suddenly from her swing,

I was terrified. 

I only walked away for two seconds.

When I rush out to see what was going on,

I found Piper standing in front of the swing

showing Elliotte a stuffed fox that was sent to her as a gift

from my friend Jessica in Yellowknife.

Piper was holding the fox in front of Elliotte

saying, "What does the fox say, Ollie-ette?"

"A ring ding ding ding ding ding ding!"

Hahahahaha.

(For anyone not understanding the humor in this,

google the song What Does the Fox Say!!!)

Piper then proceeded to say,

"Oh man!!",

which is what Swiper the Fox says on Dora the Explorer.

SO FUNNY!!

She is such an animated child!!

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of this,
or a video which would have been much better,
but I did get a photo of Piper reading a storybook to her little sister.

I think that as soon as Elliotte is old enough to play with Piper,
she isn't going to get a break!
Ever!

xo
xo

This melts my heart!

Both kicking their feet in the air as they read!!

Daddy's Double Do Duty

Mark hasn't exactly mastered doing Piper's hair,

but at least he has figured out how to use an elastic to tie it back.

With Elliotte growing like a weed

and having lovely long locks like her sister,

I assume the twice the practice

should have him doing french braids in no time.

xo

xo

Elliotte may be saved from Daddy Dos,
since Piper already gets excited to help brush it after a bath!

Piper thinks it's so funny when Elliotte touches her.
I will remind her of this some day when they're both in the backseat of the car
screaming that the other one is touching them.
(Krista and I used to do that!)
And yes, Elliotte is almost half as big as her sister already!!

Piper and I often discuss her role as a big sister and the things that she can help to teach Elliotte.

During breakfast today, Piper started listing all of the things that she planned to teach her. 

1. I teach Ollie-ette to sing.

2. I teach Ollie-ette to talk.

3. I teach Ollie-ette to walk.

4. I teach Ollie-ette to jump.

5. I teach Ollie-ette to eat.

6. I teach Ollie-ette to ride a bus. ?

7. I teach Ollie-ette to eat a lobster.  ???

Anyone else surprised with number 7?? Hahaha. I don't have ANY idea where that one came from. I can't recall a single time that Piper would have seen anyone eat a lobster. We visit them at the grocery store, but they're not being eaten!! Where does this kid come up with this stuff????

The Peanut Gallery

We had a couple of beautiful days here in Summerside,

before it started snowing again. 

You can't have it all!

But we did take full advantage of those beautiful couple of days.

We played at the playground, 

in the backyard and on the patio.

Basically we were just trying to enjoy every moment of fresh air 

that we could.

Unfortunately,

Little Miss Elliotte has a cold still,

so her outdoor time was limited.

She had to sit inside and watch her big sister play through the window.

Like the little trooper that she is,

she didn't complain once. 

She was just happy to still be included.

As for Piper,

she had a great time exploring the backyard.

She found lots of little pine cones,

which she called "peanuts" and wanted to bring inside.

I wouldn't care too much,

except that they are sticky with sap from the trees.

I managed to convince her that the birds needed them to stay outside,

so that they could eat them.

With that idea in mind,

I went to the grocery store and bought a bag of real peanuts

for her to feed to the birds.

I know the bluejays used to love them when we lived in Newfoundland,

so I'm hoping they will want to eat them here as well.

Upon returning from my trip to the grocery store,

I gave a handful of peanuts to Piper to lay out on our patio for the birds.

A few minutes later I see Piper holding a peanut up into the air

saying, "Come here bird. I got a peanut for you!"

HOW CUTE!!!

She did that over and over again and really believed that the birds would hear her

and would come and eat the peanut out of her little mittened hand!!

And if that wasn't sweet enough,

after she didn't get a prompt reply from any of the birds,

she took their peanuts for a little ride in her police car.

You know,

just in case a bird came along while she was out for a drive.

Oh I just love my little girls!!

xo

xo

My little peanut watching her big sister playing outside!
If you look closely for her little fingers,
 it looks like she is waving to Piper!! 

Piper's little Police Peanut Delivery.

Beep! Beep!

Family Meal Time

Growing up we always at meals at the table as a family.

We were never allowed to take our food to our rooms,

or to eat in front of the TV.

I didn't even know that people did those things 

until I was in middle school,

and to be honest,

I didn't understand why they would even want to.

If you can't sit down with your family

and enjoy each other's company a few times a day,

then what's the point??

I hope my girls will enjoy these special times together

and learn to cherish them over the years!

xo

xo

Look who has joined us at the dinner table!!!!
And she loves it.
She sits quietly and enjoys the chatter and attention.

Piper is anxiously awaiting food,
but Elliotte is happily awaiting attention!
I just love having both of them at the table with us now!!!!

Speaking of mealtime and family... I have a little bone to pick with grandma!!!

During lunch yesterday, the girls and I were discussing what we were going to do after their naps. I asked each of them if they were looking forward to getting in the bathtub and splashing. Piper excitedly said yes and Elliotte flailed her arms around. I took that to mean yes as well! ;-)

I then said that I would also love to have a bath after supper, along with a nice glass of wine.

Piper then piped up saying "and Piper too? And Elliotte too, Mommy? Piper and Elliotte get wine too?"

I chuckled and explained, "no. Wine is only for mommies and daddies."

That's when Piper paused for a moment, gave me a confused look and then proceeded to sing "Daddy's gonna buy you a cup of wine" to the tune of "Hush Little Baby".  GASP!!! This child doesn't miss a beat!! 

Where did she get this from you ask? Grandma of course!!! Nana Pope! You know you are guilty reading this!!

When I was in the hospital having Elliotte, Nana used to put Piper to bed for naps and bedtime. During that time, she would sing songs to Miss Piper. One song she sang was Hush Little Baby. The only problem was that she didn't know the words, so made up her own. Here is her version:

Hush little baby don't say a word.

Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing.

Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring don't shine.

Daddy's gonna buy you a bottle of wine!!

Piper. Doesn't. Forget. Or. Miss. Anything!!!! 

When we are visiting Newfoundland later this month, be careful what you say around her. Please.

For MY sake. Be careful what you say!! Ha!

A GRAND-y Visit

We are at least a week behind in posting photos,

mostly because of all of the photos that we took

during Easter and Nana and Poppy's visit. 

Slowly but surely we are getting up to date.

One week behind isn't too bad for a new momma of two,

if I do say so myself. 

Last Saturday we had a lovely visit from the Grandy Family.

Uncle Bill, Debra and Catherine stopped over lunch

and to meet our newest addition.

Piper was excited for the extra attention,

even if she did play shy for a little while,

and Elliotte will never pass up some extra cuddles.

Thanks for the visit and girls' presents you guys!

We look forward to you coming back to see us again soon!

xo

xo

Trying to get Piper to be a part of this photo was interesting to say the least.
Catherine looks so calm holding her,
but in reality,
Piper was more like a cat on speed!!
I'm not sure how she hung onto her!

Elliotte was much calmer in Catherine's arms,
but she did start wailing soon after this photo was taken.
It was a good lesson for Catherine in the chaotic life of a mother.

Love is a Game that Two Can Play and Both Win

When I first thought about having a second child,

a part of me thought that it would be unfair because

I didn't think that it could be possible to love another human being

as much as I loved Piper.

And then we found out about Elliotte.

As my body and baby grew,

so did my heart. 

I didn't realize that you don't have to make room in your heart for a second child,

but your heart actually grows so that they occupy the same amount of space as your first child!

It's beautiful.

And then Elliotte was born.

Just 5 hours shy of her due date.

That's pretty punctual if you ask me!

She was born hungry and wanting to nurse.

So much so that she surprised the maternity nurses

who often came to take her from me to give me a break!

And then we brought Elliotte home.

Her desire to nurse and her efficient technique 

led to her sleeping through the night by the time she was two weeks old.

She does wake once a night for a feeding,

but then it's straight back to bed until 7 or 8 am. 

She rarely cries,

and if she does, 

it's for a reason.

Most often a dirty diaper,

which she proudly fills about 10 times a day!!

She turned nine weeks old yesterday

and at her two month check-up,

weighed in at THIRTEEN pounds!

Now.

Let's take a moment now to recap Piper's first nine weeks.

She arrived a month early,

rendering mommy and daddy into a panicked state of shock.

(We didn't even own a carseat at that point!)

She had no interest in eating,

which lead to an intense and exhausting feeding schedule that occupied 2.5 hours out of every 3.

That doesn't leave much time for Mommy to eat, sleep or shower!

And then,

with the exception of a few weeks,

she didn't sleep through the night until her first birthday.

TWELVE LONG MONTHS!!!

So.

Where am I going with this you ask?

Well,

I just think that it is funny that I started off thinking that I could not love another child

as much as I love Piper.

Then Elliotte comes along and is a dream baby.

I think she heard my concerns and is now lobbying to surpass my love for Piper

and become my favouite!! 

Ha. 

I'm only joking, 

but this amusing thought has crossed my mind.

We know it's possible.

After all,

I am the second child...

and the FAVOURITE!  ;-)

xo

xo

Just bragging a little more.
Look at me sleep soundly.
Zzzzzz.... I'm such a good baby!

But look at this face.
Those big blue eyes.
It's a good thing she's so darn cute,
or else I may not have survived those first 12 months.
Truth be told... the terrible twos are not faring much better right now. Ha!

This photo was taken more than a week ago,
while Nana and Poppy were still visiting,
so Elliotte was only 12 pounds here,
but it still shows how rolly-polly she is.
Such a healthy strong little girl!

Spring has Almost Sprung

It is May 1st and there is still snow on the ground.

Not a lot,

but it is still there.

Thankfully most of it has melted and we can see the playground again.

It was even clear enough to visit with Nana last week.

We told Piper that we could take her there for a half an hour before lunch.

That was a hard promise to keep!!!

The snow was gone,

but that wind was COLD!

Piper was running around having a blast,

while Mom and I put our hood up and our hands in our pockets

to try to keep warm.

I remember looking at my watch and said, "25 minutes to go".

What seemed like 20 minutes later,

I checked my watch again.

"23 minutes to go"!

My mother gasped and said,

"that was only TWO minutes"?

Yes.

We were cold.

But we stuck it out for the pretty little girl in pink

who never seems to feel the cold 

when there is fun to be had.

I've never yet heard her complain about it.

Yet there was one day that Mom and Diane had her outside playing

just before Elliotte was born.

They were outside for a long time

and Piper keep asking to stay out longer.

When they finally went inside,

Piper's little hands were so cold that they hurt to wash when put in warm water.

It must be her Northern blood!!!

xo

xo

Not caring about the cold wind.
Just having fun!!

Look!
Mommy can fit down the slide again!

A slide race!!!

Piper is particularly happy here because she won the race!!

If your fingers haven't frozen already,
please catch me Nana!

She's gets distracted very easily.
While crawling through the tunnel,
I guess she decided that she needed to play with a rock. 

Good old fashioned fun.
She played with this stick for longer than she played with the playground!!

It's funny.

While watching Piper beg me to have races down the slide with her and then play with a stick, I started to feel bad for her to be playing by herself. I actually had a moment when I thought, "gee, she really needs a sibling to play with". Then it hit me. Honestly!! I think it was truly the very first moment that it really hit home that she DOES have a sibling. She has a beautiful little sister at home who will be big enough to play on this playground with her next summer! It was a wonderful (yet a little overdue) moment for me!!!!!!!