Why I Love My Children

I adore my girls. They are kind and sweet and brilliant and gorgeous. They are a joy to be around. But that seems rather vague. Hopefully, every parent loves their children for all the same reasons. Sometimes, my children drive me absolutely bonkers. You wouldn't believe how wicked my little cherubs can be! Sometimes, my heart swells and I love them soooo much that I have to catch my breath. This happens when the children don't know that I am watching. They are just "being", and they are wonderful. One of those times happened the other night.

Dan, Andre, and I were sitting on the deck after dinner. My girls and Sam were running around the backyard being noisy and doing all the things that kids do on lovely summer evenings. As the adults chatted about the price of houses and borrowing extension cords, I kept looking over at the children, ensuring that they were all behaving themselves.

I noticed Sam started playing with Sarah's ball. This is a very special ball. One day, Sarah and I had gone to Canadian Tire and she spotted a great big bin full of balls. They were only about $2. I told her she could pick one out and I would buy it for her. My baby was thrilled! That ball has been Sarah's pride and joy. And now Sam was playing with it.

Sarah noticed that Sam had the ball. She didn't say anthing, just hung back a little bit looking sad. Katie and Bethie noticed immediately. They asked Sam to return the ball to Sarah. He refused. Bethie ran and got him another ball that he could play with instead. That ball would not do, according to Sam. Katie asked Andre how to say "Give Sarah the ball" in French, and then repeated it back to Sam. But Sam would not budge. He wanted Sarah's ball. Andre stepped in and gave the ball to Sarah. Sarah grabbed it and ran to the safety of my legs. Sam cried, and Andre told him that if he cried then they would have to go home. Everything had gone to Hell.

I asked Sarah if Sam could share her ball. She said, "No share!". Dan pointed out to Sarah that Sam was crying. Sarah looked at her friend. Then she walked across the backyard to Sam and handed him her ball.

That is why I love my children. They look out for each other, and for other people. What more could I ask for?

Here's another (totally unrelated) reason I love my kids:

They are squishy and yummy!

PS I have photos of the twins taken at the same time, but they are not appropriate for the internet. They were equally squishy and yummy!

The Negligent Mother

I do my best. Some days, my "best" is better than others. Today was a less than super day. Not because I was tired (I wasn't). Not because I was angry (the children were being well-behaved). Mostly because I was lazy, and in a hurry, and couldn't be bothered to put in more than the required minimum of effort.

It was 8:45am when I decided to feed the children breakfast. They don't eat when they wake up. They seem to need to ease into the day. That works well for both me and Dan. I wanted to get breakfast over and done with because I had to run out and do some errands sans enfants before Dan left for his shift this afternoon. I decided that I would make the girls breakfast, and have a shower while they ate it. Normally, I supervise all meals. I strongly believe that people should have meals together. No one should eat alone. However, today was the exception. I served each child a peanut butter sandwich with grapes and blackberries. I gave them their juice and put them in front of the TV to watch Mermaid Barbie or whatever DVD they had put on. I gave the twins strict instructions: watch the baby and don't kill each other. Everybody was happy. Dan was sleeping. I went upstairs to have my shower.

While I was in the shower, Sarah (the two year old!) decided that she would prefer to have cereal for breakfast. Instead of asking her father who was now wide awake and in the kitchen (but on my computer and, therefore, oblivious to everything else in this world), Sarah went into the pantry, chose the Corn Flakes, and brought them into the living room. Then she went back into the kitchen and brought the jug of milk to the living room. In full view of the twins and Dan (!!!), Sarah poured the milk into the bowl of cereal that she had prepared. She poured and poured and poured. She didn't stop until all the milk empty. It wasn't until the twins screamed and yelled at Dan that he snapped out of his computer-induced haze and stopped the baby (see why I leave the twins in charge?!).

Things like this happen every time I leave the room. This is why:

1. I can never, ever leave the children alone, and
2. I have only a loose grasp on my sanity

Little Bears Had a Lovely Time

Two years ago, Mum said that we should go to the Teddy Bears' Picnic. She said that the CHEO doctors would re-stuff Bethie's bear. It was a good idea, but we never went. As time passed, Bethie's bear slowly deflated until it was practically flat. This year, Dan and I decided that it was time to go to the Teddy Bears' Picnic and get poor Pink Bear inflated.

The picnic was held yesterday. We packed the kids up and were out the door by 9am (impressive, eh?!). We parked at the Aviation Museum (where we met Mum) and took the OC Transpo shuttle to the Governor General's residence where the picnic was held. All the girls loved the bus, but Sarah was the most impressed. She has a thing for buses.

It rained for the first little bit we were at the picnic. That did not slow us down (which reminds me, Lisa, may I have my umbrella back?). The girls watched the Highland dancers. They love Highland dancers. Then we went on the Merry-Go-Round. A photographer took our pictures and promised that they will be online soon. The girls hugged a huge bear, and watched the "magic" of a boisterous clown. Then we ushered the girls to the highlight: the B.A.S.H. tent.

The Bear Ambulatory Surgical Hospital was somethin' else. First, the twins' bears had to be triaged. The "nurse" asked the for the bears names. The twins proudly shouted out the names: Pink Bear, Blue Bear, and Brown Bear (guess what colour they are. Hint: we aren't the most creative family.). Then the nurses asked Katie and Bethie to what was wrong with their bears. The twins became upset. Apparently, there's not a damned thing wrong with their bears! How very boring of them. First of all, Pink Bear is as flat as a pancake. Secondly, I've seen other bears at the picnic with casts. Wouldn't that be fun?! Nope, our bears were just going to get a "check-up".

Turns out that the girls bears are soooo healthy that the "doctors" weren't allowed to give the bears the check-up. The girls only released the death-grip that they had on their bears when they were permitted to examine their own bears. Somehow, Dr. Megan was able to charm Pink Bear away from Bethie. By the end of our check-up, Pink Bear was nice and fat again. Thank you, Dr. Megan!

We then proceeded to the Dental Unit. Mouth stickers were put on each bear, and the "dentist" helped the girls to count their bears teeth. Then the girls, Sarah included despite having only a smelly blankie and no bear, were given a toothbrush.

We then headed back to the free rides. We had another go on the Merry-Go-Round, and then Mum, Dan and the children went on the Berry-Go-Round (Quirky "Me Fact": I do not "go 'round").

At this point, we realised that we had been at the picnic far longer than I had anticipated. The girls needed to eat. Mum to the rescue! She got ice creams for the girls, and Dan, too. Everybody was happy.

We went to check out the petting zoo. Despite being shy at first, Sarah ended up feeding the animals. Everything went sooooo well. However, when Sarah looks at the pictures I took at the petting zoo, she swears that an animal bit her. It didn't.

We took the Giant Tiger Train to the Governor General's residence. The girls danced in both the Ballroom and the Tent Room. Very cute. Again, they stole the show!

By now, the children were crawling and we were all starving. It was 2pm before we got back to our car. We all went to McDonald's to get a quick bite to eat. Bethie lay motionless on the booth bench. By the time we got home an hour later, Bethie had a fever. Poor thing. Dan and I joke about "Operation: Knock 'Em Out". But the Teddy Bears' Picnic turned into "Operation: Damn Near Kill 'Em".

If you're interested, you can check out the photos on my online album.

The Group Shot

Today, I tried to get a photograph with all three of my girls looking cute. We lined them up in front of the fountain at the Governor General's house and asked them to smile nicely. At first, I said, "Say Cheese" and all the other usual things parents say to their children in order to get their attention. By the end, Mum, Dan, and I were reduced to yelling at and pleading with the children, hoping just to get one usable shot. It seems, the children are immune to my frustration.

At first glance, I thought "Here are 10 crappy pictures". When put together, I think "This is the story of us!".

Enjoy!

And now you know why most of my pictures are only of one child at a time!

The Living Is Easy

I loved the summer when I was growing up. It seemed to last forever. I have no memory of rainy days or being bored. I just remember everything being wonderful. It didn't take much to make things wonderful, just a hose or a book or the smell of the grass. Just "being" seemed to be wonderful during the summer.

As an adult, I absolutely adore watching my girls enjoy the simplicity of the warm weather. From my kitchen window, I watched the twins hide a piece of chalk pretending it was an Easter egg. I watched them each devour ice cream cones (Sprinkle Party Cake ice cream for Katie, and Mint Chocolate Chip for Bethie). I watched them pick daisies from my garden and put them in each other's hair. Idyllic.

Then Katie went on the swing, and I grabbed my camera. A pretty little girl on a swing is the epitome of summer for me. She went back and forth, higher and higher. Then she did what every little girl does, she flung her shoes off.

Katie's shoe is in the top right-hand corner of the photo

Shoes (and empty Popsicle moulds) are littered on the ground

Perfection! Does it ever get any better than this? We spend our adulthood trying to capture how Katie feels right at this moment. And it makes me happy that she was lucky enough to be born middle-class, and in this country, with access to health care and education. She has opportunities that 6 billion people on this planet can only dream of. None of this matters to her, because she is flying!

You may ask yourself where Bethie was. My accident-prone first born had fallen off the lawn chair. She was sitting on the deck, giving me an update on the status of her body. She said, "My toes are...okay. My ankle? Not broken! My bottom is...alright etc". Thank God, Bethie, I'm running out of My Little Pony band-aids because you have too many phantom injuries!

Our Musical Ride

About 10 years ago, I wanted to go and see the Musical Ride (I probably haven't see it in 25 years). I wanted to see the show, but mostly, I wanted to see the Queen. She was in town and was going to be there. To make it more exciting, the Air Force was going to fly some WWII bombers overhead! I was desperate to go! And not a soul would go with me. Instead, I watch the show on TV, and then the bombers were good enough to buzz my apartment (seriously!) on their way to the airport. I never gave it anymore thought.

Until... I read about the RCMP Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies on a blog called Kids In The Capital. This blog suggests all sorts of things that Ottawa parents can do with their children. The Musical Ride seemed perfect. The best bit? Those that I wanted to go with me lack the authority to say "no" (and have that opinion respected!).

Last night, despite the threat of thunder showers, Dan and I packed up the children and headed to the RCMP stables. We were able to park close by. Close enough to walk. Good thing, because I forgot the stroller. As we walked to the show, older ladies and teenage girls would approach my children because they looked "so cute!". When the twins were born, I became a superstar. Everyone would approach me. It was nice at first, but I became annoyed because it took me twice as long to do my errands because we got stopped so frequently. Now, almost five years later, I expect it. You wouldn't believe how angry I get when no one points out how cute they look, or how polite/sweet they are. Anyway, the elderly never disappoint. I was pleased.

I would love to show you a picture of my children standing next to the RCMP mascot (a bear or something dressed in the Mountie uniform), but they refused. Mascots scare the twins and we have to actively avoid them. Dan try pleading with Katie to give the mascot a quick cuddle so I could have my picture. She said, "We didn't come to see the 'wild', we can to see the horses!". She walked away.

We positioned ourselves at the front of the audience. Again, my children confused "sitting up front" with "being the performers". All three danced about and entertained the masses for the 30 minutes until the Musical Ride started. Dan also got each girl the biggest lemonade that I have ever seen!

Katie and Bethie

Sarah

Ready and waiting!

Sarah watching that "naughty horse" very carefully

It started to rain a bit. The three children are under the blanket. That lasted about a minute until they decided that they would rather be wet than to have to endure being under a blanket with the other two!

Checking out the horses after the show. That RCMP rider told my children that they have lovely dresses and were super cute. I confess, she was my favourite rider!

The three girls were exhausted and begging to go home. Everyone was so sweet, and so happy to be together. I wondered what had happened to my family! When we got in the car, Katie said, "Thank you, Mummy, for taking us to the Musical Ride. We had a lot of fun!". Bethie said, "Thank you for taking us, Daddy, we really appreciate it". Katie said, "Why are you repeating me?". Bethie said, "Why are you repeating me?". The magic never lasts, does it?

Hip Hop Twins

Yesterday was Katie and Bethie's last Hip Hop dancing class. The students put on a performance for the last 10 minutes of their class. Dan, Sarah, Mum, and I were very excited to watch the twins. But I have to admit, I was the most excited.

Before the parents were permitted into the room, I told Dan that he was to videotape the performance with one camera while I snapped stills with the other. Dan was slightly annoyed. He thought that he would simply "enjoy" the dancing, and not have to view it through the lens of a camera. Ummm...has he met me? Of course he has to video tape the dancing twins! When he protested, I reminded him that he saw all of  Europe through the lens of a camera. Surely he could record his children for all to enjoy later!

The parents were ushered into the room. All the children were already in position on the dance floor and were ready to go. Candace, the peppy Hip Hop instructor explained to us what was going to happen. The children would do their performance twice, allowing for parents to get all the photos they wanted. At this point Dan whispered, "I'll videotape the first dance, but then I will watch the second.". Fine! Candace then said that there would be "freeze dance" because the children loved it so much. The performance would end with the children getting stickers on their hands.

Before Candace could start the music, Katie said, "Excuse me, Candace! Sarah would really like a sticker, too" Candace said that Sarah could have a sticker after the class. Dan and I smiled at each other. Isn't it sweet that Katie thought of Baby Sarah?

The dancing began. To see Dan's video (of the first dance only!) click here. Between performances, Katie reminded Candace that Sarah, too, would like a sticker. Again, Candace said that Sarah could have one after the class.

The second performance was equally sweet. Both Dan and I frantically snapped photographs. Unfortunately, the quality of our snaps suffered. But not the quantity!

After the second performance, Katie asked Candace again if Sarah could have a sticker. This time, Candace didn't have to respond. Dan and I were already begging Katie to be quiet. She was distracted by the Freeze Dance.

The Freeze Dance cracked me up. Most of the children ran around the room in circles. Not my babies! They danced up front and center. Every time the music stopped, Katie clasped her forehead because she had forgotten to Hip Hop dance! No worries, I got video of this, too. Click right here to see it!

Now it was time to hand out the stickers. You guess it! Katie mentioned again that Sarah would like one, too. All the children sat in a circle around Candace. Katie called Sarah over, and made Sarah sit next to her. Katie was the last child to be called up to get a sticker. She made sure that Sarah came up with her. And Sarah got her sticker. Sarah was delighted!

After the class, Katie gave Candace a High Five and then (very strangely) shook her hand. Sarah was right behind Katie. She, too, gave Candace a High Five and shook her hand. Dan, Mum, and I just laughed.

On the way to the car, Mum pointed out that Dan and I were the only parents who had yelled at their children during the performance (because Katie was obsessed with Sarah getting a sticker).  This happens to us quite a bit. I have four words for you: the church Christmas pageant. Our "angels" are exactly easy to keep quiet! Enough said.

Anyway, to see some of the snaps we took, check out my online album.