nature hike

Several steps from our door is a dusty path that leads down, through the trees, to a little stream.  Jake and Billy took a little hike one evening to explore.  It turned into quite the gathering expedition; collecting handfuls of rocks and sticks.  As much as Jacob's little hands could hold.      

Once they reached the stream, Jake has a lot of goodies to throw-in.  Which of course, resulted in a pretty fun filled hike.    

holding on

Whenever I happen to notice my blog profile picture, I think to myself, I really should update this.  But for some reason, I just cannot seem to do it.

It was a hot October day in France and while exploring, we stumbled upon a tiny park near our apartment.  Jake is just so little and round and sweet and bald...
and so it remains.

Maybe it is not quite time for an update just yet.   

bunnykins

My Mom brought over all of our old Royal Doulton Bunnykins baby china and they couldn't possibly be any sweeter.  Jake is the perfect age for them and they are now in everyday use.

graduation

After countless hours of study, numerous textbooks shipped across the Atlantic and all at an exorbitant cost, Billy has completed his fourth year of University and now holds a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction.   

Congratulations Billy! 

I am so proud of my husband for working so hard on his education, all while maintaining a demanding career and being such a wonderful, loving, caring husband and father.  Not an easy task when you are teaching yourself calculus, tax law, financial accounting and the countless other courses he has completed.  

Correspondence can be so challenging, so the fact that he remained so dedicated is such an amazing achievement.  What a smarty-pants!  It wasn't until our year in Victoria that he decided exactly what he wanted to specialize in, so he has accomplished so very much in the last five years.

I'm full of pride and appreciation for my lovely husband. 

thirty-eight weeks

Thirty-eight weeks, yay!  

And now considered full-term, so any time this sweet little baby girl would like to make her début, we're ready. Or as ready as can be, that is.  It's still so unbelievable to think that there are two hearts beating in me right now.  How amazing, really.  

Someday's I feel like I couldn't possibly be any more pregnant and then others I completely forget until I get a sharp little kick or strain to put on my shoes.  But on those uncomfortable days, thirty-eight weeks feels like forever.       

coffee date

Jake love's going for dates at the coffee shop.  As soon as we enter one - any one - he announces that he wants banana bread.  And if for some reason that option is not available, his second choice is usually a granola bar.

On our latest coffee date with Aunty Brenda, a big highlight was the last few drops of my chai tea.  What a treat!  With a wide grin he slurped and sipped and tipped that cup all the way back.  Getting out every last little drop he could. 

We had a great time.  He chatters away, plays with toys, sometimes makes new friends and I could never tire of hanging-out with him.

 (And now that I actually have my very own smartphone, it was so easy to capture.  What a dream those things are!  A major upgrade from our camera-less phone in France.)

retirement

A complicated mixture of excitement and deep sadness accompanies the news that Billy will retire from hockey this summer.  I am still absorbing it all, really.  We are so happy to be closer to family and friends but will deeply miss the routines that we've carved out over the last ten years, all the places we've lived and travelled, and the hockey.  

Of course, we'll miss the hockey... the moment they skate-out onto the ice;  the atmosphere in the arena; the chanting and singing of the crowd; watching Jake's face light-up and his deep concentration and focus on the game; the feeling and energy after a good game or a big win - all such irreplaceable and indescribable feelings. 

And of course there is France, too.  Living in France was just as dreamy as it sounds.  I could probably list a hundred things I will dearly miss.  Sigh.   

So instead of professional goalie, Billy is now going to be an accountant.  The job may have come-up a year (or two) earlier then we would've originally liked, but it was just too good to pass up.  It was ideal in every other way.  In fact, they offered him the job on the spot and I really couldn't be more proud of how hard Billy worked to get there.

We look forward to making new memories and will hold on oh-so-tightly to the old ones.

and now for cake

Birthday celebration, part two, took place with some family on Saturday evening.  We decided to keep it simple and had everyone over for burgers, barbecued shrimp skewers and grilled corn on the cob.  The main event was of course, the cake.

Four layers of rich, messy chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles galore.  I decided on making this one in hopes that it would make a huge mess.  No forks for Jake this time around.    

Jake was pleased with the entire ordeal.  

And a little mess was made.  

We finished off that humongous cake in no time.  

(My mom and I may have enjoyed a little piece for breakfast the following morning.  It was mother's day after all.)      

birthday beach-day

Yesterday for Jake's birthday we celebrated with a trip to the beach.  It took a little convincing to get him to finally take off his shoes, but once he did there was no turning back.  He was full of smiles and sand.  There was a lot of digging, scooping, dumping and splashing to be done.      

And then we celebrated with mini chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.  A perfect little birthday treat.   

 

 He was very tentative about the candles and made Billy blow them out instead. 

   

Jacob has never been one to like a mess (a trait he surely got from his dad) and ate his cupcake slowly, eventually asking for a fork.  Funny little boy.  

That's right, you're TWO...

Happy birthday to you!

celebrating two

Hello sweet birthday boy. 

At five-fifty-seven am, you officially turned two. 

We marvel at all you've learned in these twenty-four months; stacking knowledge like blocks.  The joy you bring is astounding.  We are so blessed to have you in our lives and feel immensely grateful for your presence.   Your sweet smile and shining blue eyes never fail to brighten each and every day.  

To be your "mama" and "dada" is just
the best thing there is.

library

We exchanged a few library books today.  Jake is a lunatic in the library; like a kid in a candy store.  He just races silently from shelf-to-shelf and cannot concentrate long enough to get through one book before he MUST check out another.  It's hilarious.  His behaviour would suggest he's at the playground.

After we checked-out our new books we walked over to Thomson Marsh to see the ducks and horses.  Jake was mostly interested in collecting rocks but it was such a beautiful day to be out.  It seems impossible to think it is tucked away in the middle of a city with it's tall grasses, bird calls and old barns.

almost wegman's pasta

I'm going to get a little nostalgic here 

- about a grocery store. 

When we lived in Binghamton, NY, we frequented Wegman's grocery store.  They had all the usual's with one exception, a marketplace cafe.  This was not your average-run-of-the-mill cafe, it included a sushi bar, salad bar, sandwich bar, homemade pizza, Asian buffet and fresh soups.  

Image via syracuse.com

But by far, for us the most significant and frequented was the pasta bar.  It basically went a little something like this: you choose your fresh, homemade pasta shape and the chef would put it into boiling water. They then put a skillet over gas flame and add oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, white wine and saute.  Now you get to choose your add-ins - chicken, bacon, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, olives...  In they go, into the saute pan.  Now you chose your pasta sauce - Alfredo, marinara, bruchetta, pesto, red pesto, rose sauce... In goes the sauce and at this point your pasta is cooked.  Toss it all together and grate some fresh cheese on top and voila you've got yourself the BEST EVER PASTA made just for you with your favorite ingredients.  

They package it up into a little to-go box and I would bring it home for Billy's pregame meal (along with some fresh sushi made with whole wheat rice for after his pregame nap).  Oddly enough, they also made one of the best Caesar salads we've ever tasted.  We would sometimes go to the grocery store cafe for dinner, it was that good.

Image via nashuatelegraph.com

Of course it has been years and years* since we've been to a Wegman's.  I'm not even sure if they still have the pasta bar but we have not forgotten it.  

So I decided to do a Wegman's-pasta-bar-pregame-meal before leaving France and we both loved it.  

Note: you can use any combination of vegetables and/or meats (ex. red pepper, mushroom and chicken) and any type of pasta sauce and saute with the same ingredients listed.  Below was Billy's favourite combo with the exception of the sauce.  He would often get half marinara and half alfredo.  Yum. 

Here is what I used:
- three chicken breasts (seasoned with salt, pepper, roasted garlic & red pepper spice, cooked, cooled and thinly sliced) 
- bacon, cooked, cooled and chopped
- spinach (fresh or frozen)
- fresh basil

sauteed with:
- garlic clove, chopped
- salted french butter
- white wine
- oregano
- pepper    

Then I added homemade marinara sauce from earlier in the week to the saute pan (your favourite jar of pasta sauce would also work perfectly) and tossed it together with cooked pasta.  I topped mine with sharp, white cheddar because that is what I had on-hand.  
……………………………………..

* It's been 7 years!  Holy cow. 

a very merry unbirthday

It's not my birthday, but that is not stopping me from enjoying this Birthday Cake tea.  Its a blend of rooibos and honeybush with strawberry bits and sprinkles.  Hooray for sprinkles!  They make this the prettiest tea I've ever seen.  It tastes amazing too and because its rooibos, I can enjoy a little while pregnant.  

      

I am so looking forward to getting back into all my tea's once this sweet girl is born.

thirty-five weeks

Yesterday was thirty-five weeks!  So today I happily get to say I have 4 weeks and 6 days to go (which, in my opinion, sounds so much better than 5 weeks. Ha!).  It still feels a long way off but it's probably time to think about washing baby clothes and getting some of those teeny-tiny newborn diapers.

Jacob gives the sweetest belly hugs.

Billy painted the nursery on Sunday but since the baby will be in our room with us, not much more progress has been made.  We are not going to rush Jake out of his crib just yet.  In all honesty, whether he's ready or not, I am not sure I'm ready to see him in a big-boy bed.           

Note: in real life I look WAY bigger then this picture shows.  Surprisingly bigger.  And I swear I don't wear grey everyday.  This and this just happens to be a weird coincidence.