Gifts Galore

As expected, the kid did not lack for gifts. Everyone made sure of that! We even had the extreme honour of accepting one of five ginormous hampers our community of Stony Mountain gathers for families each year. We could NOT believe how the generosity just keeps rolling in at us. Words can't express how grateful we are. A HUGE thank you to the Fire Department and entire community of Stony!!


And now a couple of shots of our quiet little morning.



This has been one of his top two favourite toys. It has great music when he pushes the forward button and barks when the backward button is pushed. And then it has the added feature of being able to be dragged around by the cord... anything that will follow him on a line is a BIG hit... case in point, his best friend the shoelace, which he's had for the last two months.


The absolute best gift is his red Mickey Mouse cell phone. It's a flip phone and he's figured out how to get Mickey to talk to him just so he can shout bye and snap it shut. And let's not forget the fabulous screeching, "I'm connecting to the internet thru dial-up" sound. (Whaa..?) We ALL love that button. He's crazy for the thing and is always intent on establishing just where everyone else's flip phone is before going about his conversations, just to be sure we're all as content as he is. I'm worried about his future priorities. I'd rather he knew where his horse was. The best feature for us is its portability. We can take it everywhere and have a some-what occupied toddler!


Hmmm... Am I already leaning on the tidy little tricks of a distracted, multi-tasking parent?

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite.

Every night we have a routine that starts anywhere between 6 & 7 p.m., depending on his mood.

We change his bum, put on all his creams (eczema issues), snuggle into a sleeper, grab a soother from the shelf and tuck him into his big boy bed. We kiss him goodnight and walk out of the room, closing the door behind us. Then we settle in for 30 - 60 minutes of him laughing, talking, 'reading' his books in the dark, or to his totally Type A mother's absolute delight, re-arranging of the dresser drawer contents.

Since the arrival of the Browner, there's been a new distraction added to his room... his inflatable play fort from Grandpa, which previously resided in the living room. The result is this:

Yup, poor kid crashed right in the middle of a meeting with his stuffed animal friends. Must have been some BORING flow charts.

!Charlie Brown Forever!

Ya, it's my brother's name, but sorry Bud - it's the tree I'm gone on. No matter where life takes us, I promise right here, right now to only take home the scrawniest of trees. These guys have always been my best childhood memories, right down to one we had in our back yard. I love giving them some love and let us be honest - a celebrated decoration is truly the highest bar the Browner could ever hope to reach. I mean, what's this one - 10, 15 years old? Yikes. It also touches something within me relating to meager and honest beginnings... a strong journey of building a foundation worth investing in.




Finally got some shots of the boy goofing around on his bed, though the true effect of just how small he was when we first made the trasition is already lost. Growing like a weed, and that darned number on the scale just won't climb with his topline! STILL the 24 pounds he's been for the past i-don't-know-how-many months! But he LOVES his bed and all the cozy blankets that go with it.

SANTA!!..?

We're not sure who was more ecstatic to see the other... Actually, by the time the photo shoot was over, Kaleb was giving Santa Hi Fives and Fist Pumps. That's as cozy as they got. Oh well. Next year they'll be chums!

We're pretty excited for Kaleb's first (real) Christmas. We'll got to get a tree next week and learn all about not touching something covered with pretty twinkling toys and lights. Yikes.

Long Time, No Post

We've been busy around the homestead, getting ready for winter and settling into our comfy new life. I wonder when it will cease to feel "new"... For almost the entire part, I feel ecstatic with how the dust is settling. There are many days full of work that feeds whatever monster resides within. There are just as many days spent playing with a happy, mischievous son - and rarely does it not feel like play. We are so proud of how he's forming, even the rowdy parts! My husband is finding focus, purpose and strength in his growing business. There's enough time to get my hands and heart dirty working with the horses. I'm getting more into the habit of maintaining my connection with what makes me feel like me. I still have days of cold silence that I can't seem to break through, no matter how much my husband and child rail at me, but very thankfully they are fewer and further between.

The memory of feeling like life could not possibly ever feel good again, and the realisation that it already does taste so sweet almost bowls me over. It anchors my perspective, constantly.

Now for the fun stuff:

We tried potty training for an afternoon... not quite ready, though it was fun to try! Photos like these are SO coming back to bite me in the ...er... well, as shown below.

Horsin around the house - he LOVES his new boots and the hat has finally won him over. As I type, he's taking a nap with both items on.

His first foray into the cold white stuff. Loves it, but not so much when it finds its way into his mittens. I feel ya, buddy.