My week of holidays was supposed to start yesterday. Kale and I were going to have our fourth 'Friday Date Day' (see 1, 2 and 3) to kick things off, but I ended up having to go to work. In order for me to get next week off, I pretty much had to work two weeks in one this week.
I'm pretty sure that's not how vacation is supposed to work.
Thank you Ontario government for deciding to give communities 2 1/2 months over the summer to provide feedback on the social assistance review. You've officially squashed any chance of me relaxing for even four seconds this summer.
I have a few more things to get through at the office this weekend and then vacation will officially begin (does it count as vacation if you're still going to have to check your email on your iPhone?). Kris, Kale and I are heading out on Tuesday for 5 days of camping. We're pretty sure that spending a week outdoors will be enough to convince Kale that he should never have to go indoors. We may have to pop a tent in the backyard when we get home and start cooking over an open flame.
I'm sure the trip is going to be totally exhausting since we'll have no way to contain Kale unless we lock him in the tent (I kid, I kid....he'd probably use his metal shovel to tear his way out anyway), so I'm sure Kris and I will be doing a lot of "it's your turn to chase him!" "No, it's your turn!" Regardless, we're all pretty excited to get out into nature and hang out as a family.
Kale and I are catching up on our Date Day today (he's napping right now), so I'll have that post up later and then I'll be m.i.a. from the internet for five whole days (oh, who am I kidding - I'll have my iPhone).
Friday Date Day: Round 3.
Yesterday was the hottest day EVER. Like, literally. The temperature blew the old record temperature out of the water. This morning it was still humid and sticky and gross out. The heat has caused my brain to stop working and thus my ability to think up exciting adventures for Kale and I to have on our third date day was pretty much nonexistent. Nevertheless, we had another amazing date and as I'm typing this a (somewhat) cool breeze is coming in the window and my poor heat fried brain is slowing piecing itself back together.
Kale wakes up at 5am everyday and about 80% of the time he goes back to sleep. However, since he slept in the basement and woke up in a weird place, he pretty much jolted awake and there was no turning back. Since he was all sticky from a hot night of sleep, I decided to put him in the cool tub and get him cleaned up and cooled down. After that we had some breakfast and Kale practiced his skills with using a spoon. Oh, and he graciously shared with the cat.
Unfortunately I had to go into work for a meeting and so Kris's mom came and hung out with Kale. I was back home by 11am and scrambling to think of something exciting to do.
Kale rolled around on the couch for awhile looking adorable while waiting for me to come up with something. Then he brought me his shoes and hat, picked up an attachment for the vacuum (???) and told me it was time to go.
I decided to take us to this really great locally-owned toy store since we had a gift certificate from Aunt Niki and Uncle Karl from Kale's birthday that we still hadn't used. They have a few toy train sets set up and Kale had a lot of fun checking them out. He loved to ham it up for everyone that walked by too. He's such a character. Anyway, I had a hard time narrowing down our choices and was pretty much sold when I saw this toy vacuum. IT ACTUALLY WORKS! Kale LOVES the vacuum and when I tweeted a picture of it to Kris and told him that it actually worked he was all "So we can actually get him to vacuum our floors?! BUY THAT." In the end, I decided to go with a sand and water table to replace the poor rubbermaid bin and tupperware full of lentils that was occupying our front porch.
After our purchase, we walked over and ordered some take out. Can I just say that most places that advertise as family restaurants really just mean that they have a kids menu and that's totally not cool? Not this one. There is actually a bin of toys at the front, a giant fish tank, a pile of books and the coolest bubble machine ever. Despite this, it's still a hot spot for business lunches. How does this work? I'll tell you - THE FOOD IS AMAZING! Kale got a cheese empanada and I got a burrito and we went home to eat our delicious lunch. I put Kale's on his tray first before unpacking mine and it wasn't until he was almost halfway through his that I realized they mixed our salsa up and gave him the hot! He didn't even bat an eye (that's my boy!).
After lunch we spent some serious time with the sand and water table. I didn't feel like lugging sand from the backyard so it was really just a water table but it was enough to keep Kale amused for at least an hour. Thanks Aunt Niki & Uncle Karl!!!
We took a break from the water and spent some time in the sand "box" in the backyard (I really just filled up a cheap pool with sand and we cover it with a tarp to keep the cats out). Kale last a whole three minutes before he realized how much the sand box pales in comparison to the water table.
Eventually we went inside and I convinced Kale to take a nap. Normally I snapped about 60 pictures of him sleeping, but I forgot my phone upstairs and was too lazy to go and get it and so decided to snuggle in for a nap with my little man.
When we woke up I tried to offer him a strawberry but he gave it right back to me and told me "mama, I don't have time for snacks. THERE IS A WATER TABLE OUT THERE." So yeah, back out we went.
Kris came home from work shortly after and I went in to get dinner ready before he had to leave for soccer. Kale and I enjoyed some broccoli, asparagus and tilapia for dinner. And yes, he tried to share that with the cat too.
After dinner we went to the park but after 20 minutes or so Kale put his shovels in the stroller and pointed to get in. This coming from the kid who wouldn't even touch a stroller for the first year of his life. I blame the heat. It's frying his little baby brain. Anyway, I popped him in and we came home and I officially called an end to our date. The rest of the evening was spent doing a mountain of laundry and watching the Cosby show (well, I watched the Cosby show and Kale alternated between a nursing marathon and throwing all the couch cushions on the floor).
It was a pretty laid-back and simple date, but as usual, it was awesome. I seriously love these days with him so much. Oh, and I realize these posts are ridiculously long and I can't imagine anyone reads the whole post, but these are the kind of days where I don't want to forget even one second.....
Ok, I may want to forget the moment when the cats claw got stuck in Kale's shorts today. That was a bit dramatic for everyone involved....
Kale wakes up at 5am everyday and about 80% of the time he goes back to sleep. However, since he slept in the basement and woke up in a weird place, he pretty much jolted awake and there was no turning back. Since he was all sticky from a hot night of sleep, I decided to put him in the cool tub and get him cleaned up and cooled down. After that we had some breakfast and Kale practiced his skills with using a spoon. Oh, and he graciously shared with the cat.
Unfortunately I had to go into work for a meeting and so Kris's mom came and hung out with Kale. I was back home by 11am and scrambling to think of something exciting to do.
Kale rolled around on the couch for awhile looking adorable while waiting for me to come up with something. Then he brought me his shoes and hat, picked up an attachment for the vacuum (???) and told me it was time to go.
I decided to take us to this really great locally-owned toy store since we had a gift certificate from Aunt Niki and Uncle Karl from Kale's birthday that we still hadn't used. They have a few toy train sets set up and Kale had a lot of fun checking them out. He loved to ham it up for everyone that walked by too. He's such a character. Anyway, I had a hard time narrowing down our choices and was pretty much sold when I saw this toy vacuum. IT ACTUALLY WORKS! Kale LOVES the vacuum and when I tweeted a picture of it to Kris and told him that it actually worked he was all "So we can actually get him to vacuum our floors?! BUY THAT." In the end, I decided to go with a sand and water table to replace the poor rubbermaid bin and tupperware full of lentils that was occupying our front porch.
After our purchase, we walked over and ordered some take out. Can I just say that most places that advertise as family restaurants really just mean that they have a kids menu and that's totally not cool? Not this one. There is actually a bin of toys at the front, a giant fish tank, a pile of books and the coolest bubble machine ever. Despite this, it's still a hot spot for business lunches. How does this work? I'll tell you - THE FOOD IS AMAZING! Kale got a cheese empanada and I got a burrito and we went home to eat our delicious lunch. I put Kale's on his tray first before unpacking mine and it wasn't until he was almost halfway through his that I realized they mixed our salsa up and gave him the hot! He didn't even bat an eye (that's my boy!).
After lunch we spent some serious time with the sand and water table. I didn't feel like lugging sand from the backyard so it was really just a water table but it was enough to keep Kale amused for at least an hour. Thanks Aunt Niki & Uncle Karl!!!
We took a break from the water and spent some time in the sand "box" in the backyard (I really just filled up a cheap pool with sand and we cover it with a tarp to keep the cats out). Kale last a whole three minutes before he realized how much the sand box pales in comparison to the water table.
Eventually we went inside and I convinced Kale to take a nap. Normally I snapped about 60 pictures of him sleeping, but I forgot my phone upstairs and was too lazy to go and get it and so decided to snuggle in for a nap with my little man.
When we woke up I tried to offer him a strawberry but he gave it right back to me and told me "mama, I don't have time for snacks. THERE IS A WATER TABLE OUT THERE." So yeah, back out we went.
Kris came home from work shortly after and I went in to get dinner ready before he had to leave for soccer. Kale and I enjoyed some broccoli, asparagus and tilapia for dinner. And yes, he tried to share that with the cat too.
After dinner we went to the park but after 20 minutes or so Kale put his shovels in the stroller and pointed to get in. This coming from the kid who wouldn't even touch a stroller for the first year of his life. I blame the heat. It's frying his little baby brain. Anyway, I popped him in and we came home and I officially called an end to our date. The rest of the evening was spent doing a mountain of laundry and watching the Cosby show (well, I watched the Cosby show and Kale alternated between a nursing marathon and throwing all the couch cushions on the floor).
It was a pretty laid-back and simple date, but as usual, it was awesome. I seriously love these days with him so much. Oh, and I realize these posts are ridiculously long and I can't imagine anyone reads the whole post, but these are the kind of days where I don't want to forget even one second.....
Ok, I may want to forget the moment when the cats claw got stuck in Kale's shorts today. That was a bit dramatic for everyone involved....
Heat Wave.
I know I'm stating the obvious for most, but - IT IS SO HOT! Like, record setting temperature HOT. Like, we-live-in-an-old-house-with-no-AC-and-were-forced-to-take-a-drive-at-1am-just-to-cool-off HOT. Ugh. So hot. My body does NOT adjust to extreme temperatures well. Whether it's super cold or super hot, I swear I suffer more than most. SWEAR! Kris, on the other hand, seems to handle the heat well, but sweats like crazy. Kale clearly takes after him in this department, which means not only am I suffering through the heat, but I'm suffering with two sweaty dudes. Yumm.
As a result of the heat, combined with Kale's molars coming through, last night was one of the worst nights for sleep ever. Kale woke up around midnight and just cried and cried and cried. He only wanted to be held, but I was starting to get dizzy from heat and sleep exhaustion and carrying around a sweaty sack of man baby was making me want to curl up and cry myself. We tried taking him for a walk, but even the outside temperature was unbearably warm. After an hour of trying different things, we all got into the car, blasted the air conditioning and drove to the 24 hour grocery store to buy another fan and freezies. Kale passed out before we hit the end of our street, but it took awhile of driving around before I was willing to give up the cool air. The rest of the night wasn't much better, with Kale waking up every hour or so and having a hard time settling.
Iced Americano's are the only thing that got me through the day. Since Kale's diet is strictly caffeine free, we've had to come up with some other ways for him to keep cool:
As a result of the heat, combined with Kale's molars coming through, last night was one of the worst nights for sleep ever. Kale woke up around midnight and just cried and cried and cried. He only wanted to be held, but I was starting to get dizzy from heat and sleep exhaustion and carrying around a sweaty sack of man baby was making me want to curl up and cry myself. We tried taking him for a walk, but even the outside temperature was unbearably warm. After an hour of trying different things, we all got into the car, blasted the air conditioning and drove to the 24 hour grocery store to buy another fan and freezies. Kale passed out before we hit the end of our street, but it took awhile of driving around before I was willing to give up the cool air. The rest of the night wasn't much better, with Kale waking up every hour or so and having a hard time settling.
Iced Americano's are the only thing that got me through the day. Since Kale's diet is strictly caffeine free, we've had to come up with some other ways for him to keep cool:
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| Hanging out with Uncle Karl in the pool at Nana & OJ's. |
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| Chillin' with OJ in the little pool. |
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| Spending some naked time in the backyard pool. |
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| Eating banana, blueberry and yogurt popsicles. |
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| Sharing said popsicle with my partner in sweat - papa. |
Friday Date Day: Round 2.
Kale and I had another amazing Friday Date Day. The big challenge for when thinking up fun things to do on our date's is thinking up fun things to do on our date's that don't cost a fortune. Even though I have seriously cut back on my shopaholic ways since having Kale, I'm still a girl that likes to spend money. I know that Kale's favourite things to do - go to the park, the splash pad, swimming, etc. - cost nothing, but I like to do something special on Friday's with him and usually my idea's involve spending. Since Kris and I are still trying to get back on our feet after an expensive move, I have to get a little more creative with the no cost or low cost solutions. Anyway, we managed to accomplish that today AND we had a lot of fun, so I'm pretty proud of myself (yeah, I know, it doesn't take much).
After Kris left for work, Kale and I settled in for some story time. Kale is not super into books yet, but every now and then something catches his eye. He has a book called 'My First Canadian Bodies' (because Canadian bodies are different than others??) with pictures of real kids ears and eyes and hair. It sounds creepy, but it's cute and Kale really likes it.
By 8:30am he was ready for a nap (the result of waking up way too early) and so I snuggled up to him and got my morning fill of cuddles.
When he woke up we quickly got ready and headed downtown to the Ontario Early Years Centre. If you're not from here, these are places in our province that have free programs and playtime for kids under 6. Yes, it's very, very awesome. I wish I'd taken advantage of the programs they offered when I was on maternity leave. Anyway, there was a signing circle starting when we got there and so we decided to join. After about five minutes there, Kale was over it. He grabbed his hat, tugged me toward the door and said "bye bye" to everyone in the room. He makes me laugh so much! We stuck it out for another 15 minutes or so and then went into the free play area. He had a good time playing with all the toys he doesn't see at home and watching the other kids.
We stayed for about an hour (which is a really long time for Kale to stay indoors these days) and then headed down to meet Kris who was working downtown. I snuck into the cafe and bought a sandwich and an iced americano - my big purchases of the day - and then we had a quick visit with Kris before heading out on our next adventure.
We went to the mall to pick up some photo's I had developed and stopped in at the bookstore so Kale could play in the kids area. Most of the kids that hang out there tend to be 2-4 years old and there is a lot of "no this is mine!" going on with the toys. I am really, really not looking forward to this stage - even though I know it's a totally normal part of development. Right now, Kale could care less if a kid grabbed something out of his hand and is always trying to share with other kids (who normally get freaked out by this).
Kale started getting tired so we headed home, picking up some cat food along the way. By the time we got home he was tuckered out and fell asleep almost immediately. When he woke up he drank about 30 litres of water. Sleeping makes for thirsty toddlers. I then had to use every trick in the book to keep Kale inside while I got lunch ready, since he was begging to go outside again.
After lunch we headed to the park and Kale and I dug a hole so he could sit in it. He loves doing this! All of the equipment was too hot to play on (why do playgrounds not have shade????) and I was starting to roast so we headed home. Kris was coming up the road on his bike and so he joined our date day.
We went and picked up some steaks and while he grilled them, we brought out a tub of water and a bin of dried lentils for Kale to play with on the front porch. Kale LOVED this and Kris and I were both able to sit and relax without having to chase him around. However, next time I will definitely use something other than lentils since my porch is an absolute disaster right now (but so worth it).
The rest of the night was pretty standard. We ate dinner, got Kale ready for bed, and him and Kris took a walk while I blogged! So another amazing date day has come to an end....
guest blogging
I'm guest blogging over at my friend Sarah's today - We Are For Each Other - writing about how I let go of the old me so I could become the new mama me. You should probably come over and say hello :)
Friday Date Day: Round 1.
Inspired by my friend Andrea, who takes the cutest dates with her little guy Bresho (you MUST check out her blog - it's fantastic), I've designated Friday's Kale and Mama Date Day. Having Friday's off work for the summer is a huge perk, but takes an enormous amount of effort to get my work done in four days. By Thursday night I am exhausted, but nothing can melt the stress away quite like a day with Kale.
This Friday we decided to take advantage of the incredible weather and hit the beach. Our choice of beaches is somewhat limited since the only water in this city is a man made lake. For a girl that literally grew up on Georgian Bay, this has been the hardest part about calling this place home. Anyway, we have to make the best of it, right? So we headed to the beach on the man made lake.
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Before we could get to the beach we had to pick up snacks and so we headed out the grocery store bright and early. Kale found a ball and kept throwing it from his perch in the cart, screaming and laughing like a wild man. We thought it was hilarious. Others who were shopping at 8am? Not so much. By the time we got back Kale was ready for his first nap (he's still showing no signs of moving to one nap a day). Once he was up, we packed up and headed for the beach. As soon as Kale saw the water he headed right for it. See the shovels in his hands? I don't think he put them down once the entire time we were there. That meant that when he tripped in the water, he wouldn't drop them to put his hands out and he'd fall face first into the lake. Despite doing this several times and swallowing a few good mouthful's of water, he still held his shovels tight in his fists.
We stayed for a couple hours and had so much fun. But let's be honest here. Taking a toddler to the beach by yourself is a lot of work. We had so much STUFF to bring with us (diaper bag, change of clothes, lunch cooler, toys, towels, etc.). And you can't take your eyes off them for even 1/25th of a second near the water. A couple hours was definitely long enough for us.
When we got home Kale had a frozen smoothie bar, which he proceeded to squish in his hands and smear all over his face. When that didn't amuse him enough, he took a clothespin and smooshed it in the smoothie bar. Whatever floats your boat, kid.
We negotiated a little and Kale promised he'd have a nap after a trip to the park so off we went. Notice he's still holding the shovel? Oh, you should know - the shovel is actually metal. Kind of made me miss the soft bristles of the toothbrush. True to his word, Kale came home and crashed and I curled up with him. Oh how I miss the baby naps. So sweet.
When we woke up our friend Lexy came over with her son Hudson and the boys played while I got dinner ready and we caught up. Kris came home quickly from work but then was out the door for soccer. Kale and I spent the rest of the night going for a walk, taking another trip to the park, and being silly.
It was pretty much the perfect day, but we did miss papa. That's why we woke up today and went back to the beach (as three).
We stayed for a couple hours and had so much fun. But let's be honest here. Taking a toddler to the beach by yourself is a lot of work. We had so much STUFF to bring with us (diaper bag, change of clothes, lunch cooler, toys, towels, etc.). And you can't take your eyes off them for even 1/25th of a second near the water. A couple hours was definitely long enough for us.
When we got home Kale had a frozen smoothie bar, which he proceeded to squish in his hands and smear all over his face. When that didn't amuse him enough, he took a clothespin and smooshed it in the smoothie bar. Whatever floats your boat, kid.
We negotiated a little and Kale promised he'd have a nap after a trip to the park so off we went. Notice he's still holding the shovel? Oh, you should know - the shovel is actually metal. Kind of made me miss the soft bristles of the toothbrush. True to his word, Kale came home and crashed and I curled up with him. Oh how I miss the baby naps. So sweet.
When we woke up our friend Lexy came over with her son Hudson and the boys played while I got dinner ready and we caught up. Kris came home quickly from work but then was out the door for soccer. Kale and I spent the rest of the night going for a walk, taking another trip to the park, and being silly.
It was pretty much the perfect day, but we did miss papa. That's why we woke up today and went back to the beach (as three).
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| I know. I forgot his hat. Worst mom ever, right? |
14 months.
Kale at 14 months....
- Outdoors. I thought that as long as I was breastfeeding I could trick Kale into loving me (or at least my "baboo's" as he calls them) more than anything or anyone else. Then along came Mother Nature, pouring down sunshine on Kale and filling up his lungs with fresh air. Giving him bugs to inspect and to dirt and puddles to play in. Now he's obsessed and I've been given a second class standing.
- Bub Bub (our cat). Every time Kale wakes up the first thing out of his mouth (sometimes before his eyes are even open) is "bub bub." Despite the fact that the cat will still hiss, scratch and bite Kale if the wind blows the wrong way, Kale loves that cat. He loves to give him hugs and tries his hardest to give him kisses and when Bub Bub refuses and throws out a swat, Kale pulls me over and makes me hug the cat for him (claws and all).
- Being chased. Kale thinks being chased is hilarious. Sometimes when he's using me as a jungle gym and trying to climb to the peak (that would be my head), I say "Kale - I'm going to get you" and he's going running away to find a hiding spot, giggling all the way (and then I close my eyes and pretend I'm on an island with a gin an tonic and enjoy 20 seconds of not having a kid crawl all over me).
- Songs. Kale absolutely loves songs with hand actions. He'll often do the actions to show which song he wants to hear and has his own special dance moves. He seriously slays me.
What Kale hates:
- Being worn by me. Kale very rarely lets me wear him anymore, which makes me incredibly sad. He'd much rather walk/run, which I can appreciate because I know he's at an age where exploring is way more fun than being toted around. However, he will still let Kris wear him in his sling and the two of them take nightly walks together. I do enjoy that time to myself and am happy that the two of them have that special time together, but I do miss having Kale snuggled in close and going for our own walks. It also makes taking him places really challenging since we both continue to hate the stroller and he's often wiggling to get down when I'm holding him.
- Sleeping in. Kale wakes up between 5am and 6am every day. We've tried just about everything to convince him to sleep in, but so far nothing has worked.
Things to celebrate/milestones/big events:
- Sleeping. For the second time in his life, Kale slept for five hours in a row (medically speaking, this is considered sleeping through the night) and only woke once all night long.
- Running. This past weekend Kale started to run. Really fast.
- Adjusting to the nanny. Kale has come in a long, long way in the past month with the nanny. He really seems to enjoy being with her now and they have lots of fun together. I'm so, so happy this worked out.
- This month Kale has his first trip to the Toronto Zoo, celebrated his second Canada Day long weekend, and wished his dad a second happy father's day.
According to Kale:
Kale has a lot to say these days and even though 90% of it is pure babbling, he's still very good at telling us what he wants. Here's what he's saying:
- Bye - he loves to say bye to people and wave. He often says bye for hello as well. In fact, he loves saying bye so much that now when he starts getting upset when I'm leaving for work, I just starting saying "bye Kale! Bye!" and he gets so excited to say bye that he forgets to be upset.
- Bub bub - our cat. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the first thing out of his mouth in the morning.
- Dada - he mostly says this when he sees a picture, but sometimes actually points at Kris in a picture and says it. Rarely does he say to Kris's face.
- Mama - he says it, but I don't know if he's clued in that I'm mama.
- Up - this was his first clear, distinct word and it remains his second favourite.
- Done - sounds more like "duh" with waving hands and exasperated moves that signal he wants out of his highchair.
- Baboos - this is what he says when he wants to nurse (accompanied by pointing at my chest - or pounding if he's really hungry). This is his favourite word.
- Yuck - sounds like "guck." Kale loves to put his dirty diapers in the garbage, bang on the lid and say "guck, guck." Then he claps because he knows he did something good by throwing out the diaper rather than trying to eat it. Yeah, he's kind of awesome.
What he's telling us:
- Kale is really good at telling us what he wants even if he doesn't have the words. When he wants to go outside, he brings us his hat, sunscreen and shoes. When he wants to nurse he walks to the couch (where I normally sit to nurse him), points at it and yells 'BABOOS.' When he wants a kiss he stretches his neck out and opens his mouth.
Skills to master:
- Sleep. Kale continues to wake numerous times in the night. We're currently trying out a floor bed in his room and it seems to be helping (he has more room to sprawl and roll). The issue now is that he will only accept the baboos as help to get back to sleep, as opposed to Kris walking or rocking him. This means I'm doing the bulk of the nighttime parenting and I'm pretty darn tired. Kris does wake up with him at 5am though, so I can get get a couple hours of solid sleep in before it's time to start the day.
- Eating with cutlery. Kale has no table manners. NONE. He has no interest in using a spoon or fork and more food ends up on the floor than in his mouth. I'm not very concerned, but wonder if he's going to be the only kid in school in September that eats like a savage.
Some of my favourite pictures of Kale from the past month:
wordless(ish) Wednesday: taking pictures of a toddler.
When I was on maternity leave I used to do little photo shoots with Kale all the time. I had lots of time to set things up, find the right lighting and play around with different shots. Back then Kale was immobile, could keep an outfit clean for more than 3 seconds and loved to ham it up for the camera.
Now that I'm back to work I find myself rarely reaching for the camera and when I do, Kale is running at me trying to grab the lens and attempt to shove it in his mouth (I seriously have an incredible number of pictures that are a close up of his gaping mouth as he runs towards me). He's no longer interested in sitting still long enough for me to snap a picture, never mind think about the ISO and aperture.
But the other morning I walked into our bedroom and the lighting was so perfect and I'd just dressed Kale so he was still clean and looking extra adorable, and so I couldn't resist trying to capture some shots. I had to unpack my camera so I gave him our handheld recorder to amuse him while I set things up. Of course, when I was ready to go there was absolutely no way he was going to let the video camera go. Instead of fighting with him over it, I shrugged my shoulders, and snapped these:
Now that I'm back to work I find myself rarely reaching for the camera and when I do, Kale is running at me trying to grab the lens and attempt to shove it in his mouth (I seriously have an incredible number of pictures that are a close up of his gaping mouth as he runs towards me). He's no longer interested in sitting still long enough for me to snap a picture, never mind think about the ISO and aperture.
But the other morning I walked into our bedroom and the lighting was so perfect and I'd just dressed Kale so he was still clean and looking extra adorable, and so I couldn't resist trying to capture some shots. I had to unpack my camera so I gave him our handheld recorder to amuse him while I set things up. Of course, when I was ready to go there was absolutely no way he was going to let the video camera go. Instead of fighting with him over it, I shrugged my shoulders, and snapped these:
our long weekend.
Somehow the long weekend didn't seem so long. In fact, when I woke up yesterday morning I was convinced that I still had one more day off before going back to work. Wishful thinking! Not only did I have to go to work, but I had an evening meeting about an hour away from home. This meant I started my work day at 8am and finished at 9:30pm. Not exactly the start to the week that I was hoping for. Thankfully, we did have a really amazing weekend and so at least we have that to look back on.
After a great Canada Day on Friday, we made one final trip to the Sugar Bush to visit our friend Brandon (who is back from the UK to help his mom move). It was great to hang out with our friends, even though most of our time was spent chasing Kale around! We decided to leave at 7pm because we could tell Kale was starting to get tired and he ended up passing out before we even pulled out of the driveway. Since he was asleep we decided to extend our trip another hour north and stay at my parents for the night.
Sunday was spent hanging out on the beach at my parents house, sipping beer, and spending time with family. A couple of my aunts and uncles keep their boats at my parents dock so we got to visit with them before the headed out for the day. We were lucky to see everyone considering no one knew we were coming. We left in the afternoon since we weren't sure how many pits stops Kale would require. Miraculously he fell asleep for two of the three hours it took to get home and we had a pretty peaceful and relaxing drive. We made a short stop at Kris's parents for dinner and then headed home, unpacked, and passed out.
Here are some of my favourite pics of the weekend:
I hope everyone had an amazing long weekend!! I'm already looking forward to this weekend :)
After a great Canada Day on Friday, we made one final trip to the Sugar Bush to visit our friend Brandon (who is back from the UK to help his mom move). It was great to hang out with our friends, even though most of our time was spent chasing Kale around! We decided to leave at 7pm because we could tell Kale was starting to get tired and he ended up passing out before we even pulled out of the driveway. Since he was asleep we decided to extend our trip another hour north and stay at my parents for the night.
Sunday was spent hanging out on the beach at my parents house, sipping beer, and spending time with family. A couple of my aunts and uncles keep their boats at my parents dock so we got to visit with them before the headed out for the day. We were lucky to see everyone considering no one knew we were coming. We left in the afternoon since we weren't sure how many pits stops Kale would require. Miraculously he fell asleep for two of the three hours it took to get home and we had a pretty peaceful and relaxing drive. We made a short stop at Kris's parents for dinner and then headed home, unpacked, and passed out.
Here are some of my favourite pics of the weekend:
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| "What's wrong papa? 6am too early for you?" |
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| My parents backyard. |
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| "Maaa! Get me some shades - I can't see a thing in this sunlight!" |
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| It's hard to do a self-portrait when one person is a foot taller than the other. |
I hope everyone had an amazing long weekend!! I'm already looking forward to this weekend :)
a day for the two of us.
Since Kris and I both work full-time, we try to make the most of the time the three of us have together. This means evening trips to the park, after dinner bike rides, and packing the weekend full of quality family time. I think we do a pretty good job of making sure that the three of us spend lots of time together, but this means that there aren't too many opportunities for Kris and I to have one on one time with Kale. Last Saturday Kris and Kale went to the library for an hour or so and I was a teeny bit jealous (however, I did got a re-donk-u-lous amount of housework done in that hour without someone pulling at my hand and trying to lure me outdoors). So I decided to take the morning off work on Thursday and spend some quality time with my little man.
Since Kale decided to wake up at 5:45am, we were up and showered and ready to go as soon as Kris left for work at 8am. Before we headed out, Kale gave me a hand with the dishes:
We had so much fun! We had the playground to ourselves for awhile, but then a few bus loads of kids showed up and took over. So we walked down to the 'Enabling Garden' - a garden that has plots for seniors and people with disabilities in our community. Kale charmed the pants off a few ladies before he caught sight of some geese to chase. We found a bench by the river to nurse and we both soaked up the fresh hour and sunshine before deciding to head home. Kale passed out in the car seat on the way home - a rare occurrence - and I was able to get him inside and to bed without waking him. It wasn't too long before Kris's mom came over so that I could head to work for the afternoon. It was so nice to have some one on one time with my little man. I'm taking Friday's off work for the month of July & August and so I can see many more days like this ahead!
Since Kale decided to wake up at 5:45am, we were up and showered and ready to go as soon as Kris left for work at 8am. Before we headed out, Kale gave me a hand with the dishes:
Then we headed to the market, picked up some fruit and a cinnamon bun to split, and headed to the park. We went to on a park on the other side of town to mix it up a little and Kale loved it!
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| "Cinnamon bun or the train?! I can't decide!" |
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| This is definitely one of my new favourite pictures of Kale! |
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