some christmas fun ...

life has its ups and its downs

some days, like these

around christmastime

you let loose

you let go

you feel the joy

and just have fun!

welcome the light

we celebrated winter solstice with our dear friends anna, aidan and julianna yesterday

o and buddy too :)

it was a clear, sunny and cold day

we decided to feed the birds at a local forest and go for a hike

the kids loved running ahead, playing games, collecting sticks, sliding down hills

we spread bird seed here and there

saying happy winter solstice to our feathered friends and to one another

a very memorable afternoon :)

thanx to anna for yummy hot chocolate and a lovely visit afterwards!

hO hO hO

MERRIMENT ...

Fun with Friends!

This week Ali and Maddy came back from California for a few days and we were so excited that they made a stop at our place to visit. In some ways, it was as if no time had passed. The first difference however, was how tall Ali is! Taller than me now! Wow! Otherwise, the kids got right down to Christmas gift exchange, playing at the park, DS trading, drawing, making paper snowflakes, decorating cookies, movie watching, computer time and of course they had several opportunities for a snow 'fix'... something they all had really wanted at this time last year. Let's just say, this group is never bored when they are together. They were making videos of their silliness and shoveled several driveways in order to collect enough snow for what they thought would be a fort. I guess in the end it was just a big pile to play on, but that's okay, they sure had fun in the process and helped a few unknowing neighbours too. All in all, a memorable day for sure. One we won't soon forget. Thanx for the gifts! Lisa did a great job on knitted hats for the boys-they love them! Here's a quote by Elenor Roosevelt from the date book Lisa gave me that I loved and is o so true....

Some people come into our lives,

leave footprints on our hearts,

and we are never ever the same.

---

Happy holidays everyone!

sharing her love of music

on saturday, we enjoyed a festive afternoon and evening with our good friends

it was great to catch up with everyone

we had a lot of laughs and the kids had so much fun, they wanted to go back and do it all over again the next day!

this was a sweet moment when anna played carols with callum

listening to anna play, especially at this time of year,

brings back fond memories and is something i look forward to annually

thanks for sharing your talent anna

hope you had a great birthday!

first snow

we have been waiting not-so-patiently for snow

and this week, it came!

yay!

this is the first year i took pics of the boyz and willow at grandma and grandpa caines' backyard at wintertime

we felt truly joyous as we had missed winter weather last year

grandma made hot chocolate after

yum!

i love the light through my mom's window

a little bit o' christmas spirit...

it's so nice to be home for the holidays

enjoying time with family and friends

shared traditions

awaiting the snow...

sounds like it will finally be here this week!

Forest Walk

This is a fave image from a forest walk we had on the weekend.

Love these moments with the boyz.

the exploration

sunshine

play

discovery

meditation

quiet

ahhhh

it's in the little things

Me: I don't think I have any Christmas music here. I'm not sure how I'll get some.

Matt: That's easy, just search on Christmas music online and download it.

Everyday, the boys remind me in their own ways how they apply what they are learning-and more than that, what is important to them. It can be in an observation, a conversation, a book choice, a picture, lyrics to a song they write or within the context of their natural play. In fact, I discover so much about what they 'know' by watching and listening to their imagination games. As an example, yesterday Matt and Josh were playing happily with little dudes from playmobil's farm set. I was amazed to hear how they integrated their experiences from Kim's farm into their dialogue. One example, was they had to make pumpkin juice from scratch and that it had to be organic. :) Also, I get a glimpse of what they see as right and wrong as well as their sense of social etiquette through this type of play.

Another recent example of a 'little thing' came about when Matt was signing his name on a page he did about time with curls and swirls. He has always liked to do funky things with his name. Matt is so pleased with his creations! Such a stark contrast to the rigidity of my upbringing at school where everything had to be neat and tidy and uniform. I see Matt's creative expression as a symbol of his freedom and the ability to express himself as an individual. It gives me quiet delight and puts a smile on my face.

Happy 12th Birthday Lucas!

Twelve years ago today, our first child was born.

Lucas came into the world with his big blue eyes wide open... we all fell madly in love with him...

We had felt like we waited a lifetime to meet this little guy and were so blessed the day he was born ... I mean truly joyful ...

Lucas had a lot of fuzzy reddish hair that tended to stick straight up - and we liked it that way. :) As a baby he was known for his characteristic 'o' face and his easy-going nature. Lucas loved to be held and rocked yet was quite willing and able to entertain himself from a young age. He loved cars and was always double-fisted with hot wheels...for the longest time the green volkswagon bug was his fave.

Over the years, he has had many obsessions, hockey, Star Wars, Pokemon, books, computers and imagination games. He immerses himself in his interests and masters anything he sets his mind to. He has always 'beat to his own drum' and known exactly what his comfort level is in any given situation. Lucas will stand up for himself and will only do what feels right to him. He has high moral standards and his own sense of values. When he was only 7, he felt that family was a priority to him and clearly asked to be schooled at home. He just didn't think it made sense to spend so much time away from those he loved. At the age of nine, he made a personal choice to become a vegetarian due primarily to his love of animals and the environment. He is very sensitive to the mistreatment, injury or unnecessary death of any living being. He chooses not to listen to music or read books with swearing but has come to recognize that these words do not make the musicians or authors 'bad' people and can keep it in perspective when he does hear or see language that he deems inappropriate. Essentially, Lucas feels strongly about his principles and will not be swayed and yet can recognize that life is not black and white.

Lucas has always been a quiet and contemplative soul, somewhat serious with an adult-like perceptibility and sensitivity to others. He has a giant imagination and we believe that children of all ages are drawn to him in part for his imagination but also for his approachable and down-to-earth nature.

He is adored and idolized by his two younger brothers. We are so thrilled that they have each other and that Josh and Matt have such a wonderful role model to look up to in Lucas. :) It is a dream to watch their lives unfold together, learning, growing, playing and bonding.

The fact that Lucas is now on the cusp of being a teenager is astounding to Jeff and I. We want to savour this time with him and look forward to being a part of this phase of his life... watching him become more independent, curious and confident while maintaining that flicker of the little boy we have known and loved.

Words cannot clearly express all that there is to know about Lucas- all we feel-all he's taught us-

I can tell you, our lives wouldn't be the same without him and I am honoured to be his mom.

Happy Birthday Bear!