Growing boys

Hammock time

I was away overnight this week and Odin woke up as soon as I got home at 9pm. I couldn't wait to see him, so I rushed to his crib, scooped him into my arms and realized HE IS HUGE! It seemed like he had grown inches and gained 5 pounds overnight. I know I've said this before, but I was completely struck by how he is no longer a little baby, but has now grown into a legitimate boy. I got choked up for a second as I hugged him harder and realized the days of us having a baby are in the past. We are now in a different stage. We now have two boys, and big ones at that. I must add that Odin sleeps really well these days. He wakes up maybe one night a week, which is so much better than where Caleb was at his age. After 6.5 years, I'm finally sleeping again!


Then Caleb heard me come upstairs, and asked for me to come into his room for a cuddle. He told me about his day at school and showed me how loose his bottom tooth was. He's losing teeth left and right these days! It felt so good to spend a bit of time with each of my boys before they fell asleep. I was only gone for 36 hours, but I sure missed them.

His two front teeth FINALLY came out - one while eating an apple slice and the other while eating a piece of cake. It's safe to say they were ready, considering the new ones are almost grown in!



As Caleb is getting older we are asking him to take on some more responsibility by helping with various chores. I thought I good one would be to get him to stack the new rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom. When I walked in to find this hours later, I realized that I should have explained the task a bit more clearly!!

We had a great couple of days in Fredericton for the Harvest Jazz and Blues festival. I got to see two nights of music (a great David Myles/Classified show, and a Hot Toddy show). For Hot Toddy, I went out with one of my best friends in the world, Adele, who has been living with her husband and two boys in Australia for the past several years. My incredible parents agreed to watch all 4 of our little boys (with the help of Aly and Ava) while we enjoyed a night of catching up. It was wonderful, and all the kids got along great.

Building international friendships

The kids got to visit the new Fredericton water park, and it was a huge success!!

Odin being charmed by Grampie's infamous dancing chicken. He pulls this out every few years to completely fascinate a new grandchild!

One of the many benefits of dating a sweet musician - backstage access!



We also brought Sunny to Fredericton so we could load her up with more items from our parents' basements - furniture, toys, wine making supplies and after all these years - all my pez. As I said to some, "you know you're an adult when you finally move your 600+ pez collection out of your parents basement and into your own home." Well, it's happened folks. They are officially unpacked and on display in Annapolis Royal. Come check them out!

My pez, in all their glory!

Two!

My baby is all grown up. Well, not quite yet, thankfully, but he is now TWO years old. His Sept 1 birthday fell on an action packed week. I took the week off to spend some time with the kids before Caleb started a new school year. We did our annual 'Mom and Kid' camping trip, spent a day hiking and canoeing in Keji, had friends visit and hosted a big housewarming/birthday party in our new backyard. Unfortunately, we also spent a day in Sussex with Alan's family for the funeral of his grandmother Jeffries. It was a sad occasion, but it was a very nice celebration of her life and it always feels so good to have the whole Jeffries family together. Here's how our last week of summer went down:
1. Mom and Kids Camping Trip

I made 'Happy Camper' t-shirts for the kids this year. They were a big hit!

4 moms and 6 kids joined in on the fun at Blomindon Park this year.

Cale and Kai about to get dirty on the beach!

3. Housewarming/Odin's second birthday party


We wanted to invite all of our new friends and people we've met who have welcomed us into our new community. We opened up our home and backyard and over 60 people arrived to celebrate. I was especially excited that our newly relocated family from Sudan attended the party. The 6 kids (ages 4-19) were a bit shy at first, but it didn't take long before they were into the snacks, playing badminton with balloons and pushing Odin around on his tractor. It's hard to express how amazing it felt to be able to host so many wonderful people in our own home.




It's a party!



People couldn't believe the number of kids in attendance. Here are a handful of them - not bad for our little 'retirement community'!

And of course there was some music - which delighted Odin as he started a one-man dance party!

"Go faster!!"

3. Back to School/ Caleb's New Smile
Caleb lost his front tooth and he's now left with a winning smile!! (It's ok if you think it's a tiny bit frightening!). One tooth fell out, and the other migrated into the middle - a perfectly appropriate smile for entering into grade one.

Yes, my son *slightly* resembles Sloth from the Goonies!

We had a big final day of vacation before I headed back to work and Caleb started back to class. We followed hours of outdoor play with preparations for our big day ahead. We laid out clothes, ripped the tags off his new school sneakers, cleaned out his bookbag, packed a lunch for the first time in months, and headed in for an early bedtime. Tuesday morning we were up and ready to roll. I snapped the obligatory 'first day of grade 1' photo, then drove Caleb to school to start his new year off on the right foot, only to realize (AFTER I was in the building) that school doesn't start until Thursday. Parenting fail on my end - but two bonus summer vacation days for Caleb! Who would have thought that school didn't start until Thursday?!? I'll know to check next year. Haha.

First day of Grade One photo (Take One!!)

4. Video time!!


Odin is a super adorable little boy. He talks non-stop, although 90% of what he says is about trucks. He can make great short little sentences, like this morning when I was packing him up for daycare and he declared "Odie No Wendy's, Odie Beach!!". I wish, little fella, I wish. He loves to joke and make people laugh. He is strong, brave, physical, gentle and loving all at the same time. Here he is singing some of his original tunes and showing off his signature dance moves. Sorry the aspect ratio on the video is a bit off - he does actually have a very nicely shaped head!

A Day at the Park

I took so many great photos during our annual visit to Upper Clements Park last weekend, that I just had to share them. This year's trip was extra special because cousins Tanya and Monica were here visiting. It was the Gaudet family's first trip to Annapolis Royal. I'll have lots more to write about for Odin's birthday post which is quickly approaching, but for now here are some of my favourite shots of our family fun day.

Who is this big boy riding a "Neigh"???

Caleb was 'brave' enough to upgrade from the merry-go-round sleds to a horse this year! Yeehaw!

Odin takes the wheel. I couldn't believe he was going on rides BY HIMSELF this year. He did this ride 11 times in a row - no joking. There were no line ups, so it was a steady stream of  'Big Trucks!'...then we did some other rides...but we always came back to the trucks. I'm sure he went around the little track at least 20 times in total.

"Hop in, guys!"

Cousin love.

Kids holding hands always gets me!

Antique car ride

Cale could reach the pedals this year, so he did all the driving in our car!

This was seriously fun to watch! Some quality father-son bonding.

Resting after a long, and super fun day.

Sweet summertime

Time flies when you are having fun, and we have been having a wonderful summer. We've had tons of friends and family stop by to visit our new home, spent lots of time outdoors enjoying our yard and garden (cucumbers have been our biggest success to date, but we also have a 2 cm watermelon on the go!), and lots of time doing my favourite activity - combing our local beaches. This has become a hobby that the whole family enjoys, and that our visitors love to take part in.


One of the best things about the boys being home with Alan for most of the summer, besides having awesome quality time and adventures with their dad,  is that they can come visit me at work over my lunch break. Once every couple of weeks, this lines up perfectly with low tide and I switch my office shoes for my rubber boots and we hit the beach to explore the treasures of the ocean floor. Odin still loves to jump in tidal streams and throw rocks into the mud, but he's starting to notice that we are looking for things other than rocks on the beach, so we think he may soon catch the beachcombing bug. Caleb recently said to me, "When Odin picks up his first piece of beach glass and wants to keep it...I'm going to be soooo proud of him!". haha. 

This photo pretty much sums me up - work, play, family and the ocean. Love our matching boots!



My dad found this crazy pre-1900's bottle on the beach last week! Finding old marbles and whole bottles is my most recent obsession, and it's definitely taken my beach glass collection to a whole other level!!



We had a wonderful visit with Greg and Linda Natal Day weekend. Annapolis Royal makes the most of this weekend with a parade, fireworks, yard sales, bake sales and tons of other community events. We love going to the Firemen's Breakfast at the local fire hall, and we knew Odin would be overjoyed at seeing the fire trucks up close. After our meal we said hello to the fire chief and were quite surprised when he offered us a ride in a fire truck. Wowsers! Talk about benefits of living in a tiny town. We've been thinking lots about our local volunteer fire fighters this week as they have been battling a wildfire near Keji park. I hear they have things mostly contained today, but they must be exhausted.

Taking a spin around town!

Aly and Ava joined us later in the week and the cousins had a great time driving around and playing in Odie's favourite toy 'Dada's beep!'

The return of Sunny!

I must admit, I was a bit concerned about pulling Sunny out of storage this summer. Was she going to start? Was she going to pass inspection? Was she going to make the trip 1.5 hour trip back home?  Well, it turns out I should never have doubted the old girl. She started right up, passed inspection with flying colors (the mechanic event commented on what great shape she is in - no rust!!) and has already provided us with tons of great times and memories this summer. Ahhh- it sure feels good to have her back!


This weekend we hit the road to the Kempt Shore Acoustic Music Festival -for our third year in a row. The first year I was incredibly pregnant and mostly remember having a really long night attempting to sleep on a mat in a hot tent, the second year I was on maternity leave and we had a blast, but this year was by far the best yet. Music festivals are what we do best as a family. The kids absolutely loved it - the music, dancing, new friends to meet and play with, glow sticks, bubbles, late nights, camping treats...what more could two little boys ask for?! Even though we all came home yesterday very tired and in need of a long bath, it was such fun  that we can't wait to get back out for another night in Sunny again as soon as we can.


Sunny all set up and ready to rock - folk festival style! We were camping close to the stage this year, so Caleb had a great vantage point from in his upper bunk bed where he could watch the people and listen to the music before falling asleep (after 11 pm all 3 nights).

This guy - making himself right at home in the 'Big Truck'!

Dance Solo!

Caleb wanted to see his first 'late night jam' because he always hears about how much fun his dad has staying up late and playing music with his friends. I took him over to a neighbouring trailer to see Alan, Ryan Dillman and JP Cormier rocking out. He was very impressed with the late night scene - at 10 pm!

Summer celebrations

Summer 2016 has gotten off to a great start. We've been surrounded by family for much of the last month and we've had plenty to celebrate. Two weeks ago, my sister in law Sarah got married in Truro. It was a beautiful wedding and an especially fun reception. The cousins had a blast together literally tearing up the dance floor. There were times when I was in tears watching Odin shaking his little booty to the live band. Between songs, he would run to the front of the dance floor demanding another song by saying and signing 'more'! Caleb was determined to stay up until midnight, but at 11 pm after hours of dancing and eating cake, he was looking a little worse for wear. We stepped in saying it was time for bed, but we agreed to let him cuddle in bed and watch a show until midnight. Sure enough, he made it and when I showed him the clock at 12:01, he immediately fell asleep. The next morning he ran to see Greg and said guess how late I stayed up? I was awake until Sunday!

The boys and the stunning bride

I love this hilarious photo of the kids - Tanya was a little put out that she didn't get to hold Odin!

My boys all dressed up and looking very handsome. Two year olds in suits just kill me!

Old Hollywood themed selfie station! This was Cale's favourite part of the wedding (besides the dancing and cake)

Grammie Maureen getting into character!!

Grandparent love

Following the wedding, we had a wonderful visit from our 'American' cousins, Malcolm and Lauren who live in New Hampshire. They came to stay in our new house for  a few days and tour around Annapolis Royal. We don't get to see them enough, so the quality time was great. Unfortunately both Alan and Caleb were away during the visit (Alan recording a record in Halifax and Caleb spent a week in Fredericton), but Odin and I sure enjoyed the visit.

Hike to DeLap's Cove. Malcolm looks super pumped in this photo. He was proud when he saw it!

Odin and I then headed to Fredericton to celebrate Canada Day. We hopped off the ferry in Saint John just in time to catch the last few songs of a David Myles concert on the boardwalk. Odie loved seeing his dad on stage and cheered 'Yay, dada!' throughout the show! We headed to Freddy to meet up with all of my mom's family. I don't know the last time we were all together, so it was great to catch up and get to know each other again.  On Canada Day evening everyone from the Jeffries/Sprague/Urquhart crew headed to Officer's Square for a huge outdoor David Myles concert.

Watching dada play in Saint John!

Having a blast at the Fredericton Canada Day concert

Urquhart family reunion

Phew! We had so much action-packed fun that I had to take this week off on vacation just to recover. It has been wonderful to regroup and spend a week with just the 4 of us. We've been staying close to home beachcombing, strawberry picking, and crossing tons of 'homeowner things' off our our to-do list. It's been wonderful and I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings.

Home

This closet is just my size, and I'm going in. See ya, mom!

We've done it! We are in! The moving is done, the paperwork is complete, the unpacking is 95% complete and the house already feels 100% like our own home.... and it feels sooo good. We are discovering new and wonderful little things about our home and yard everyday. The kids love the many nooks, cubby holes and secret hiding spots. I love all the storage, shelving and space to spread out. Finally all the little things we've been collecting over the years have a permanent place and we have plenty of room to spare (and lots of room for visitors!). Alan and I stayed up until 2:30 am on the first night of us moving in because we were having so much fun putting things away and starting the make the space our own. Unfortunately, Alan then had to leave town for a week, so he has yet to see a lot of the progress than has been made, but it will be a great reunion for us all this weekend. Hope he likes how I've decorated!

Now it is time for us to relax, celebrate and enjoy summer in our great space. Caleb has requested a week-long move-in party once Alan is home, complete with a trophy for the 'winner' at the end of the week. Not quite sure what Caleb has in mind, but I'm sure it will be great, and a week-long party seems appropriate for all the moving we have done!

I've been too busy to take many photos, but here are a few I managed to get from the last week.

Adding our names to the house's history - a growth chart in the carriage house with names dating back to 1963!

Kitchen floor cuddles while waiting for mom to serve breakfast

Caleb being the wonderful big brother he is!

During a shopping trip to the big city of Digby, Caleb had one dollar with him that he wanted to use to buy Odin a ride on this bike.  What a guy.

Moving on up

Proud homeowner

I haven't had much time to write lately because we've been consumed with preparations and paperwork for our big move. Tomorrow we will own and LIVE IN our very own home. We have packed and moved so many times, it is unbelievable, but knowing this is our last move for a long time makes the hard work much all worthwhile. It's amazing to think back on the 14 years that Alan and I have been together and all the places we have lived - 3 countries, 4 provinces and at least 18 places! Tents in Fundy Park and a home in PEI while I worked on research projects and Alan faithfully visited each weekend, a cabin in Kelowna, B.C while we were picking fruit for a summer, apartments in Fredericton, a hut in Madagascar, apartment in Shelburne, beautiful homes in Duncan's Cove and Purcell's Cove, a beachfront hotel in Jamaica, a very short stint in our Bayside home, 3 different places in Annapolis Royal, numerous homes during our Fredericton mat leave year...and now finally a place to plant our roots for AT LEAST 2 years! I promise.

Odie has already claimed his new favourite window seat where he can happily watch trucks and cars go by for hours!

 And a couple other cute pics:

Odin got right down on his belly to 'help' dad fix Grammie's dishwasher

cousins!