Flowers for Friday

Riley grew this geranium for me as a Mother's Day gift in kindergarden. It is one huge plant now!

Mommy neccesities

As a third time mom...I would hope I have some useful info to share with new moms. In fact, when I was sitting at the health clinic for Shea's shots the other day, I felt like one of the "old" moms...looking at all these moms who were practically "teenagers" bringing in their first babies! Somehow those health nurses have a way of making you feel like you don't know what you're doing though, do you find that??
Anyway...I wanted to share with you my ultimate favorite things to have for a newborn-3month baby. This is just my personal opinion and would maybe depend on your lifestyle and where you live.
First, the Avalon reclining umbrella stroller. Would you believe that I can't find the link or a picture of it or anything?! I still see it in Zellers though, so I know it is available. This is the best buggy to use for everyday short trips. We also bring it indoors. It has a bucket seat on it that reclines as one piece, so baby can lay back comfortably. When Shea falls asleep, we just plunk him in there and can roll him around from room to room, or bring him outside, without disturbing his sleep. It also folds up small like an umbrella stroller, has a canopy and small bag for supplies. We've taken it on our long trips as it folds up in the car nicely, or can go onto an airplane. It is sold for less than $30 so isn't going to last forever...in fact, I'm on my second one (we bought the first when Riley was little). But it by far has been my MOST used baby item ever.
Secondly, for the breastfeeding mom...a nursing canopy. I only discovered this one through a friend, for this 3rd time around. It can be bought at Walmart for around $12. It is like T-shirt cotton material, and comes in blue or pink...the brand is my mummy. I call it my "SUPERMOM cape". It has a mesh side so baby still gets ventilated, and the other side has elastic to go around your elbow to prevent the canopy from flying all over the place. I LOVE it. I've had the Kushies brand of snap-on canopies, and they don't even come close in comparison. I use it everytime we nurse away from home.
Thirdly, a snugli. I won't say I know which one is best, but a friend lent me the Eddie Bauer one for a month, and it was really comfy. Many times I needed both hands free (for say things like packing a house), and it became a lifesaver. My friend has the ritzy Bjorn one, and loves hers. Obviously, they range in price, but you could always be on the look-out for a used one.
I'll stop at my top 3 baby items, and hope someone found that helpful. Let me know your favorite 3 if you want, as well.

Joys of mommyhood

Being a mommy is hard.
Have I said that before? Maybe only 26 times or so.

Today Shea had to get his first round of shots. Yes, we're a month behind, cuz what with the move and all, I forgot to call 2 months in advance to get a booking. Argh. Anyway, we finally got in, and I hate going for shots. You can't tell me that is ever enjoyable to be the one who has to hold your baby perfectly still so some strange lady can jab four needles into their little thighs. FOUR! Isn't that just nasty. He screamed bloody murder and then when it was all over, he fell asleep exhausted. Poor little guy. He is growing well though, 13lbs 15oz and 24.5". I am assuming he's going through a growth spurt in fact, as the last two nights he's been up every 3 hours again. YAWN.
I got hold of my SIL's fancy double breast pump last night. It is an absolute machine!! My goodness. MOOOO! I was excited to try it out, and only ended up getting out a measly 1 oz after about 10 minutes. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that two curious boys were watching me (when they should have been sleeping)! I put the bottle in Shea's mouth and he made the most ridiculous faces at me and gagged and sputtered down the whole measly one ounce of precious breastmilk that I had painstakingly suctioned out. I picked him up to burp him and BLEH, it all came right back out. So much for that. So much for my big secret plan to get out without the baby! HA

Soccer as the sun sets

Hangin' with Shea

12 weeks already

Be my guest

Hi everyone...this is a shout out to all of my readers. I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thanks for dropping by to check up on my life, and I hope that you've enjoyed getting to know me better through this blog. I really have enjoyed writing about practically anything and hearing responses from time to time.

And while I'm talking about visitors...last night I calculated out that 47 people have come to our home in the last 7 weeks. This number does not include "the locals"...these are out-of-towners who have come to see where we are at now, and meet our new baby as well. We have never been so busy with company in our home before, and it has been great. So those who haven't made it over yet, please come by. Greg makes a really good cup of coffee.
I don't have a guest book on the go, but maybe I should drag my old one out. And please do me the honor of making a comment to let me know you were here on my blog.
Thanks again, your friendly neighborhood blogger, Sarah

My guys

I think it's time I write a little post about the boys in my life.
I have 3 plus a hubby. I'm surrounded by little men and one big one.
I remain the sole princess of this castle.
I'm a lucky gal.

You can never predict what kind of family you will have until it happens. I used to dream about what it would be like to be married and my family probably looked a lot in my head as my own family did growing up. It is so NOT like that. Here are three main differences...
First off, we have 3 boys. I didn't imagine 3 boys, ever. Would I trade for 3 girls? No. I am knee deep in cars, balls, hockey sticks, lego, and superheros.
Secondly, it is LOUD in our house. Really loud. Boys are just loud, I've come to discover. They don't really have a low volume, it's either on or off.
Thirdly, we are a busy bunch. We don't really sit around and do baking and crafts around here. We are all about biking, wrestling, running, kicking and that sorta thing. If we're not kept busy, we're fighting.
I'm finding it hard to keep my creative juices flowing during these summer months to keep the boys entertained. I also can't do things like swimming and waterslides and go carts with a newborn, so it has been interesting to say the least.

Riley is about to enter grade one. He is what I like to call, "Mr. Tweak". He loves to discover the world by touching everything. He is a quieter observer type, but can't keep his hands to himself. He is a terror to ever take shopping or to the doctor, as his hands are all over the place. Today as he sat in the front seat of the van, he was tweaking every button within his arm reach and driving his daddy mental. He is not afraid of what will happen when he pushes or moves something at all. But this is how he learns and he soaks up and learns so much on his own this way. He does not show his emotions as much as most kids. He often likes to withhold his pleasure about something until about 5 hours after the fact and then he'll all of the sudden say something like..."I really liked that shirt you bought me." Sometimes he doesn't seem like he's paying attention at all and is in his own Riley world, and I've come to discover that he's often deep in thought about something. We have our moments, Riley and I. We're so different that it is hard for me to understand him. He is struggling for his independence and so keen to do his own thing that taking direction for him is hard. We wrestle daily on listening and obeying. He can be SO helpful though, when he wants to be. He loves to help and do as much as he can for me (on his own). He takes good care of Shea and will get me anything I need for the baby or will pop his soother in for him when he cries. He has so much potential and on those difficult days I have to keep reminding myself of all his good characteristics.
Liam is almost a complete opposite of Riley. He even looks totally different. Liam is quite needy right now. He loves to be with people and would prefer to practically be on you if possible. He is still SO smothering of baby Shea. He takes about 2 min. of showing a furrowed brow with new people, and if he's determined they are nice, he'll drive his jeep right over your face and sit on your lap next. He is overly expressive and loves to talk talk talk talk talk. He makes up for Rileys' lack of expression. He is rough and tumble and can keep up to Riley most of the time. He gets wound up and crazy, so often is sent to his room to calm down, especially when someone new is around. He'll be a talk-show host or something when he grows up. Loves to make people laugh and is good with people...just a little too crazy at times. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is only 3 as his loud personality and huge vocabulary make him seem much older. He's fun.
Shea...what to say about him. He's so sweet. He is a little calmer than my first two, but still an alert, active boy. He is almost 12 weeks already, and growing fast. I am pretty sure we are done having kids, so it makes his growing up a little harder to take. I love how snuggly he is, and how he looks up at me and smiles with his cutie dimples first thing in the morning. He still smells like a baby and has that super soft hair and skin. I'm glad he can't talk back to me or throw a tantrum yet. He's just innocent and perfect and CuTe.
So that's them in a nutshell.
So fun. So wild. So crazy. So challenging. So loving. So loud. So busy. So time-consuming. So different. So perfect. So handsome. So disobedient. So helpful.
They are my full time job (and then some). I feel like there is still so much I have to teach them, and things I wish I had time to do with them and say to them. I don't know how I could have more kids and give them the attention I would really like to as I already find it hard. I am glad that I have family members around now that can add to their lives. Being a mom is the hardest job ever and it always brings me to my highest highs and my lowest lows. There are days I wish I could lock myself in an office like Greg can, but then I would miss out on the little things and would wish that I was with them all day long. They all have a piece of me, and without them, I don't know where I'd be.

The cousins

(This is Riley with his cousins Amy and Evan)

I've probably talked about the cousins before. We are now in the land of the Engel cousins..they all live in Salmon Arm. They go from age 7 down to age 0.
Amy (7)
Claire (6)
Riley (5)
Evan (4)
Liam (3)
Levi (2)
Callie (1)
Shea (0)
Imagine when they are 20, 19, 18...to 13! What a riot!!
The summer has turned out to be busier than I had thought it would be, so we haven't had a lot of time to visit with them...but we bump into eachother at the beach, or church, or random dinner parties and it is so fun to see these guys all bonding. I didn't grow up with my cousins, so I am especially enjoying having all the relatives around.
The other day I "traded" Riley for Callie, so that Riley could go to the beach and Callie could stay here and nap. I got some pictures of her when she was here. The good ones are on flickr, but here are some funny outtakes!! (Anna you haven't seen these yet!)


She's got the greatest expressions.

My mom is waiting for a picture of all 8 cousins together, and I guess we need to get on that before they all grow up on us. We did one last summer, so it would be fun to get the comparison shots once a year as they grow.

I must make mention that we also have one little Davidson cousin, Ava (1), who is actually in Salmon Arm this week visiting from their home at the coast. We are glad we'll be able to see her more often too, and soon her new little brother or sister. Maybe one day they'll feel the urge to move here too.

The back yard

I know I haven't shown you many pictures of the new house yet, but I guess you could say that I just haven't had time to get it where I want it at this point. There are just too many distractions in the summer. I would WAY rather be out in the yard while I can. And speaking of the yard, I'll show you some pictures of that...

This grassy section is bigger than our entire yard was in Calgary.

This shows you the sweet raised garden and pond.

And these are my active boys...having fun. They are on the back deck off the kitchen, and I'm up on the deck in my bedroom.

Let the dishes wait...

...we have company!!


My best buddy Michelle and her hubby Nathan and cutie pie Matthew were camping in Salmon Arm the last week and a bit. We got to see them a few times over their holiday, and they ended their time camping in our driveway last night.
So good to see old friends!! Happy trails!

Out for a walk

Hospitality

Within our family...we currently own the largest house. We also just got a small kitchen table, so now have that and a dining table. This makes our place the most practical for hosting meals. Yesterday we had my grandparents, my parents, my sis and hubby/kids over for lunch. Here's a pic of our kids with them...


My mom and Callie (my niece)...

Then after they pulled out and I finished the dishes, my best friend Michelle came over with her hubby and son, and her sister, hubby and son. They brought pizza for us and again our tables were full. They stayed til bedtime and it was great to see them.
We're sure enjoying our new house and appreciating the "adult" living room, and the kids playroom just off the kitchen. We had a hard time hosting even one family in our last house, so this has been great and we are blessed.

The nest chair

Auntie Heather moved and didn't have room for her big "nest chair" as we call it, so we're looking after it for her. Here's some cute boys who are enjoying it already...

You know you're not in the city anymore when...

This morning Greg is yelling from bed to the kids..."SShhh! Keep it down!" I had to remind him, "Greg, the kids are asleep, it's just the pine cones falling out of the trees again!"

It is seriously funny to us, the pine cone thing...the first time they fell on the deck and house, I thought it was golf balls being hit into our yard. They really shoot down fast. We all get the giggles when we see them come splashing down into the kiddie pool or our pond, or bouncing off the roofs of our Little Tykes cars.

We also know we're not in the city anymore because...
there is a layer of sand on the bottom of our shower,
the town is shut down by 6pm,
we go anywhere and all of the sudden, 50 other people we know show up,
Gregs' commute to work is now a 2 sec jaunt up the stairs, and
watering the lawn is now our part time job.