Kai's glamtastic party

Em, Kai, Kendra & Maggie

8 little glamour girls

Birthday girl laps up the attention

They share a birthday !
Jaya & Mara get to 'meet' for the first time

Yesterday was a wonderful, early celebration for Kai's birthday. The girls loved the 'no boys allowed' dress-up lunch & the mums loved a chance to actually 'do lunch' (like our husbands think we already get to do everyday anyway). Kai was spoiled with Barbies, purses, dance bags, dvds, a tea set, etc. etc.etc.

And, here are a few more random shots. Someone in this house always has the camera in their grubby little hands. If DK aren't trying to bear hug their sister, they're taking her picture.

Drew & Mara
My obsession with little feet continues

Mara gets cozy in her gorgeous handmade blanket from Carma!

Another Drew shot! This kid is a natural!

Kai fills Mara in on the plot of her Strawberry Shortcake movie

What the?! A face only a mommy could love

Our first week

My mum always told me we'd have three kids. She would dismiss my certainty of feeling finished after having two children, always smirking, "Never mind that, you will have three." Thank god she was right.

Mara has fit into our family as if she has been here all along. There has been no adjustment, no awkward period of figuring each other out, just a pure and sweet presence that has been a rebirth to our spirits. Call it postpartum sappiness, I'm sure there is a little of that mixed in too, but she is nothing but a gentle gift to us and we are cherishing every minute.

This last week has been a busy one - there is no easy transition into this family even when you're a baby. After coming home from the hospital at a mature 24-hours old, it all went at breakneck speed from there. Mara has already survived her first birthday/costume party with 15 six-year-olds, a trip with me to Walmart (every baby's right of passage), a doctors appointment (she's 7 pounds and perfect), lots and lots of love and mauling from DK, and this afternoon at Davison Orchards. Through it all she sleeps and eats and is just happy to be around.

Mara's first bath at home

"We could put her in the swing...but no underducks yet, right Dad?"

"I think Mara is the best member of our family"

So tired out from...?

Drew's artistic view of "his girls"

Our family completed

Our sweet surprise is a perfect little girl, Mara Joan, born on Saturday evening. At just 6 pounds, 9 oz, it's hard to believe that she is the biggest of the three & almost a whole pound heavier than Drew was. She is such a tiny thing! She looks like both her big brother and sister...and a little like a grumpy old man.
More photos and details to come. We're just happy to be home already.
Safe & sound.

Last days of summer and...school!

Kai on the "miggery-ground"

Look familiar Grandpa & Grandma Nancy?

Just another friendly competition

We ventured to the IPE for the last weekend of the summer and spent the traditional fortune while the kids rode all of the rides and ate everything available on a stick. They were very patient in the hot sun & long line-ups - a lot more patient than Grant & I! Oh, the things we do for our kids...

Then Tuesday morning came & marked yet another milestone in our family. After spending all day Monday shopping with Dad, Drew eagerly set his new alarm clock, packed his lunch and his new backpack and went right to bed. He took all of his preparations very seriously. In the morning he woke up almost an hour before the alarm went off & was dressed and ready to go very early.

Up, dressed & having breakfast by 6:45

Of course, the obligatory front door photo

As we were leaving the house, this was our conversation:

Drew: Mum, from now on can you call me Big Grade One Boy?
Me: Sure bud.
Drew: (rolling eyes) Ummm....mum...
Me: Oh, sorry - my Big Grade One Boy.
Drew: Now that's the spirit!

Waiting, waiting, waiting

He was thrilled to see he was in the same class
with all his best buds from last year.
I pity their teacher!

And, on a less than exciting note...I am now 38 weeks and still waiting. Both Drew & Kai were born by this point, making me feel overdue when realistically I could have another 2 weeks left!

Lauren (2 days from due date), Jen & me (same due date - both with #3)

Savannah (Jen's daughter) & Kai, both about to become middle children

Kai gets a makeover at Savannah's birthday party

Fishin' Frenzy

Notice how the entire family is counter-balancing me?

Thanks to Grandpa Derek & Grandma Nancy we have been enjoying a lot of fishing in the last few weeks. Now that the kids have their own rods they would gladly spend every minute up at Beaver Lake if they could. It is a wonderful spot only about 20 minutes from our house. Grant & Drew have gone up after work many nights just to fish off the dock for an hour before the sun goes down. Drew is the only one of us that has actually caught a fish - and he takes much pride in this!

Drew is also very excited to start grade 1 next week. When did he get so big?!? We have a big back-to-school extravaganza shopping trip to do this week & he's already informed us of everything he needs.

We are now on a 'any minute, official countdown' waiting for baby 3 to make an appearance. Though it really could be another 3 weeks, my doctor seems to think about a week or so. Who knows? I'm betting I'll go overdue just because of all this early talk. Either way, we're excited and as ready as we're every going to be. DK are pretty tired of waiting and they are more than ready. It's funny because they have no idea how this will change their lives!

At Kin Beach. Al (35 weeks), Bobbi (25 weeks...twins!)

Today at 36.5 weeks

A sad goodbye

We said goodbye to our sweet, crazy & loyal Bailey this afternoon, making for a very empty and sad house tonight.

As most people know, Bailey had her first seizure in January & even though the vet promised the worst, we were hopeful when she didn't have another one for six months. Unfortunately, throughout June & July the seizures increased to where she was having one a week - and those are the ones that we know of. Sadly, she could have been having more when we weren't home.

Two nights ago she had the worst one yet and came very close to injuring herself during the episode. If I hadn't been there to move furniture out of her way it would have been terrible. Grant and I were forced to make the horrible decision to put her down & we have been devastated since. We knew she was only going to get worse and we knew it wasn't fair to hang on.

So, this morning the kids and I took her for our biggest walk ever & went swimming with her at the beach. We took a million pictures (that's the one thing I could do), and loved her the longest and best we could.

Of course we loved her, even in spite of her diaper-eating-toilet-water-drinking-face-licking ways. She was with Grant & I before we had kids, she was our fierce protector while Grant was away, and she was a constant tail-thumping presence in our lives for the past 7 years.

Grant had the hardest job of all & he took her in and was with her until the end. Now we are left with a quiet house, an empty blanket at the end of our bed, a lot of dog hair and even more heartbreaking questions from the kids. It's a hard, hard thing to keep it together around them. No one prepares you to parent when you yourself want nothing more than to give up and be taken care of.

A loose tooth, a nesting mama & beach time

We are into our first week of August & already it's been a busy month! We've been to Abby's birthday party out at 'the farm' (Nana, you would have been very proud of DK and their horse expertise! They remembered all the tricks and proudly showed them off to everyone!), we've painted both rooms and canvases (yah! the blue bathroom is officially gone thanks to my sudden & slightly obsessive nesting) and, we've spent all other free time at the beach or riding bikes.

Dad & DK went to camping with the Rennebergs on the long weekend (while I painted myself crazy), and they all came back tanned, tired and full of great stories.

Drew finally has a loose top tooth and is already telling me the tooth fairy is going to leave him $10 for it. Wow. Whatever happened to a dollar?

It's all fun & games until someone gets peed on (yup, she did)

This morning we met Trace, Anton & Tor at the beach as they flew through town on their way to the cabin. Trace is due 5 days before me. They know what they're having but keeping it a secret...hmmm...any bets based on our bellies?

Tor praying for Kai's soul

Drew (grumpy), Al (34 weeks), Trace (35 weeks)