Daddy goes awawy

The time had come. It was time for Daddy to travel again for his business, and time for Mommy to try her wings with three little ones for a week. He wasn't gone too terribly long - just the weekdays of Jan. 14-18.

 With Josh gone, meals were simpler, and I kept projects around the house at a minimum. It was very mild that week, so they "helped" me shovel snow, played on their swings in the backyard, and we built a snow man together.

 I'm thankful for a battery-operated baby monitor which I kept in my pocket, so I could hear Philip when he woke up. :o)

 The Lord is good to me. Some friends were available on a few evenings that week and came by to give me a hand with the evening routine. :o)

 Just being together. :o)

So similar, so different. :o)

This child loves fitting herself into things. They love my laundry baskets, and take turns sitting in them with the other sister piling toys or blankets on top of them. :o) This is downstairs, and I will get pictures of our refinished basement... SOON! 

Josh came home late Friday evening. This was Philip frolicking while we ate supper on Saturday.

 She loves my hat. Her cute little jumper from last year still fits her, but just barely.

She was hiding behind the drapes in the living room (ahem!!!) while Hopey looked for her. They love playing Hide and Seek, and Simon Says. Though, Hope doesn't really quite get the part about "hiding".... she tells you where she is every time!!! Oh well - it's a good way to practice their counting. "10, 11, 12, 19, 17, 19, 12!" Yes - a bit of work to do. :o)

Our smiling son

I have discovered that my son looks really good in blue and brown. :o)

One of my Aunts sent him this adorable outfit, and I grabbed a few minutes after church to get some pictures of him in it. (Josh took the pictures while I talked to Philip and got him to smile.)

Children are a gift from the Lord!!!

Happy New Year at Home!

We traveled the rest of the way home on New Years Eve, and as we had been up late all holiday long, we decided to break the trend and go to bed "early" which ended up being around 11 pm. :o)

Before going to bed though, Josh and Hope sat down to put together more of the Playmobil set she had received for Christmas.


New Years day saw Josh at home with us, which was a lovely start to the New Year. I was able to get out and grocery shop by myself, and re-stock our empty fridge, which was so nice. :o)

Love his smiles. :o)

She was just playing happily in her rocking chair by the window in the beautiful morning sunlight. :o)

She loves to be funny. Just had to capture it..

Hopey wanted to hold Philip while Joy was still sleeping one afternoon, but she spotted the Charlie Brown talking Christmas card from Granny on the counter first, so she sat there with Philip and the card and probably listened to it ten times in a row! :o)

Storytime with Daddy while Mommy hurriedly does the supper dishes.

He's never alone on the floor for long. :o)

We got out the baby bouncer seat after our return from Christmas holidays, and of course, the girls loved it. We had to do some quick training with Joy, getting it into her head that it was not for her to sit in!!! Philip does pretty good in it - even falling asleep in it the other day - a first for our children! However, he still likes the floor best for play time, as he can move both his arms and his legs more freely that way.

Yes Hope, you're cute too!

I think they were playing "picnic" or something.

Funny how Joy still loves to fit herself into small things. :o) That shoebox dolly bed has lasted a long time, considering all it has been through in the two years since my Mum covered it in pink flannel for Hope when Joy was born.

Time for Hopey's first violin lesson.

Learning proper posture.

But she couldn't wait to make sounds. :o)

No words needed for these. :o)

And this was after another Saturday grocery run. Josh had kept all the kids at home, napping, while I ran to the store. I fed Philip when I got back, and then handed him to his Daddy to be burped, bundled the girls up, and headed out with them to unload the van and mail our Christmas/New Years cards. (I decided ahead of time that there was no way I could get the pictures printed and addressed before Christmas, so I just plain old did it in the New Year, and had no regrets at all. I figured it was more important to enjoy my wee one and take Christmas prep and clean up at a slower pace, allowing Hope and Joy to "help," and if I had to do it again I'd do it the same way. :o))

The last of Christmas vacation

After feeding Philip one morning, I realized I didn't know where the girls were, but hearing voices coming from the end of the hall soon led me to find them up on Granny's bed, looking at old photo albums with her. 

Great memories relived with the next generation. :o) It was neat to see how I do lots of the same kinds of things with my children that my Mum did with us. Suppose that's where I got the ideas in the first place!

Pardon the spit up... I wanted somebody to get a shot of the back of his outfit. :o) See why?

Picture looking time soon turned to frolic time with Joy-Belle, and then it was so nice and sunny, I thought I should add Philip to the mix and snap some pictures. This one makes me chuckle with his hands flung out as the weight of Joy's head suddenly lands on his tummy! Oooph!

There, that's a bit better.

He's used to it now.

Three little ones to love, and love 'em we do! Thank You, Lord!

Gotta wear the outfit while it fits, even if it was past Christmas. :o) 

Like the stripes! :o)

He's handsome and  he cooks. BONUS! Luke and Lydia treated us to our little holiday luxury of crepes for breakfast - gluten free and regular!!! Yum, yum!

Later in the day, we got hungry again, so Granny occupied the girls with making smoothies.

Great-Grandma came out again, to soak up some good old family time. She looks nice in her new sweater and shirt from Dad and Mum, eh?

Laying some love on the little guy who is named after the love of her life, our late Papa Raymond Collin. I had to post the picture for Grandma's smile.

And there's the missing part - Philip's open eyes. :o)

Somebody who always wants to hold her little brother.

I noticed I happened to have all the kids in stripes, so thought I'd try and get a sibling picture.... uh, Joy didn't think so. :o) Oh well. :o)

Content little eyes.

Oops, leaning a bit there, bud!

Then we had to get the girls in their jammie's and off to bed, so Papa took a turn. This was our last evening at the farm. Sniff, sniff. It was such a lovely Christmas. Ah. God is so good to us.

On our drive home to Spruce Grove we stopped overnight in Calgary to see these two lovely people again. (Reid's Mom and sister live in Calgary, and Chloe was there visiting after Christmas.)

And, they blessed the girls with story time and lap time again....

...and Joy is deciding that it is okay to sit and smile with Mr. Reid too. :o) Yay.