So, Beth had her first weekend at the lake and it was pretty uneventful. All four of us had a nice relaxing weekend, we did a couple opening up chores, played some games and ate too much. Thom stayed up way to late every night and enjoyed playing with his older cousin Jackson. And ofcourse Beth enjoyed being cuddled, and loved by the family (and I enjoyed the extra hands to help with the kids which increased my one on one time with Thom and Beth)

Now back in the village it is the same old routine. Pick up rocks, pick up more rocks, pick up lots more rocks, then explain to Thom why he cant go to my pile of rocks and move them back on the mud. Thom loves to go outside and is loving that we are trying to get the yard ready for grass. He has his back hoe, 2 dump trucks, a grader, and a bulldozer all set up to 'help' me. He even askes if it is time to go play in the mud. hmmmm I like to think that is a good thing.

Today we did break our routine. We took out the bike trailer for the first time because it was too windy in our yard-days like today the soil blows in our faces while picking at the rock yuck! So I figured it would be a perfect time to start training, I figure that by August I would be able to make it to Evelyn's house and back for a visit by bike- about 32kms round trip.... I am pretty sure I am wrong it will take years to train for that trek who am I trying to kid. It took about 1 hour to get set up then figuring out how to get the car seat with Beth and Thom crammed into the trailer. After we biked to the store because apparently the air disapeared from all of the wheels. Let me tell you I was sucking air to make the .7km to the store (in my defence I had a trailer with 60lbs of kids and kid stuff in it with four very flat tires and I am only 12 weeks post partum). The bike ride did get better after adding air to the wheels and all three of us did have a great time, especially the break that we took at the park :)

On a side note, I realize that my excuse of only 12 weeks post partum is pretty weak and I will continue to 'train' with the bike and trailer. However I am realistic and I think I will be driving to Evelyn's in the future then maybe biking to the park from there. And perhaps I will bike with Beth in the baby carrier on my front and only Thommy in the trailer. I am open to any sugestions people have on how to get my two kids comfortable for the bike riding I see in my near future.

Out of the mouth of babes

So it seems Beth is almost ready to talk lol!

Jeff swears she has said 'Dada', on the weekend my Mom and Dad both said she repeated 'Opi' and yesterday as I was talking to her she said 'baby Beth'! I gave birth to a wonder child ;)

Thomas last weekend while on the phone to my parents said that Beth was his 'best friend' (I don't know how he has any knowledge of a best friend, but it sure was a wonderful moment). On Friday night my parents brought over chinese food and Thommy's fortune said that he would be very sucessful in buisness. To this he replied 'I am going to take the school bus and go to school'. When I told Jeff the story we both found it amazing that he figured out that he needed to go to school to get an education for his sucess! Or perhaps he thinks it is sucessful to be in school, either way I was impressed!

It was very interesting going to the zoo with Thom this weekend, very different from our last visit. It took over 4hrs to see only about 1/2 or the zoo! Thomas was so interested in everything, asking questions, explaining things to me, running around, looking, watching, touching! Amazing the difference, when we were there over Sept long weekend, it was fun, but to see how much his little brain has grown filled me with awe. This little boy is growning not only physically but mentally and every question he asks and comment he makes displays that fact. (On a side note about 2 wks ago the word why became very predominant in his vocabulary!)Unc teaching Thom to skateboard

Thom telling me about the dragon

checking out a leaf in the conservatory

entrance to the tigers

the zoo keeper talking to us about what might be the oldest black and white lemer in captivity in the whole world. Our Zoo has many of the oldest animals in captivity and 2 of which are in the Guiness Book of world Record, they are currently looking into if the black and white is the oldest

Thom telling me about his very first horse ride

Dad Beth and me outside the Discovery Centre

Thom checking out the rabbits in the Barn at the Zoo

Tidying Up Thommy's room

Yesterday, my in-laws came over to set up a shelf they were giving us. It is a very large cube shelf which I thought we could use to store some of Thomas' toys and books. (what it really means was I hoped the shelf would help me take over the living room again lol). So while Jeff is away again (for 6 nights at a trade show in Tunder Bay) Thom and I tackled rearranging his room and organizing this shelving unit.

If I do say so myself it looks great - and I know it will never look the same again so I took pictures :) We organized his books by type for the different blocks put toys he loves lower down - I was having a great time! Thom rediscovered all sorts of books we hadden't read in a while and got in some good reading. Beth of course just watched.

Thom on his bed-if you notice the pool noodles, Thom moves so much while he is sleeping he gets brused all over from his custom race car bed so since my f-i-l made it the solution we came up with was to put the noodles over the areas he injures his face in.

The book shelf how it will never look again. In the living room it looked like he had so many books but now looking at this picture, it shows me for his birthday Thom 'needs/wants' more books.

Thomas helping me haha

Beth blowing bubbles before bed last night

More fun times with the Barrett's

We have had a great week!

We went to a new group on Tuesday and Thomas and I really enjoyed it. It is called Wiggles Giggles and Munch out of St Andrews C.C. It was a super time, and was so nice for Thommy because it was a time just for him to be crazy - there is free play, crafts, singing, snack and specified play- it is a jam packed hour! Afterwards, we went for lunch with a couple people and their kids from the group (for the second time) and really enjoyed ourselves. Thom is really excited about his new friends lulian (Julian) and Sam. - A big thanks to my new friend Leanne for the invite and letting us know about this super program.

Thom has started something new - he has gotten more clingy recently, and for the first time Thom wanted to leave his Saturday sleepover! He called me Saturday night after I left him at my parents wanting to come home. I with my parents help, convinced him to stay and I would see him the next morning for brunch (as I have Sunday brunch at my parents every weekend). Apparently he woke up during the night and tryed to convince my parent to take him to me again. Since then Thom has begun waking up at night again (2 or 3times) - he had gone 5 days in a row without waking up :(

Beth, is laughing more now - she laughed for the first time March 22 and has slowly begun doing this more. She had laughed first for me and then at my brother. Near the middle of April, Jeff got to hear it for the first time and then during bath time Apr 30 she was laughing at me repeatedly. So much that Jeff could hear it in his office from the bathroom!

Beth also is moving her feet tons! She is still sleeping in our bed, and when she wakes up for her feedings she always sticks her hand in her mouth and trys to get milk. She trys to get closer to her hand (to get the milk she thinks is in it) and wiggles and moves her feet. With her movement she can move quite a bit, she has gone up to 8inches before she has started to cry for milk, I am curious if she wasnt hungry or I didnt feed her how far she could go? However I am not going to find out, I figure I should feed her when she is wimpering for food :)

Beth also has a new group this week - Christy went back to the Healthy Baby site she ran while Thom was an infant! It was very nice almost like coming home, yet the dinamix changed, new women in the group of course but it was more then that I have changed. Before I just worried about me and Thom, this time- though he is in the child care area and (for the time he was in there) I was straining my ears to hear if he was laughing or if he sounded happy. Then when he was out I to watched him, held Beth and tryed to have conversations with other women. I am sure as the weeks go by it will change and we will both have our routine there. Thom did have lots of fun with the other kids, I had fun and well Beth ate and slept.

I am not going to be going to the Beausejour site as it conflicts with Wiggles Giggles and Munch and I would rather go where Christy is, it is a great situation I get to go to baby group and see my bf at the same time. It is so nice that each kid of mine has their own special group, I think I said that above but truly I cant say it enough!

Just one more thing to bring up about one of my children, one of them has begun to run away from me (again)! I thought that was cured however, the running has returned with a vengence!
On the plus side, it keeps me on my toes and may help me lose the rest of my baby weight, there alway must be a plus =)