{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

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sweet baby cap

July's Knitting Project. Nearly done. All I really have to do is weave in two ends and create i-cord ties for the little cap. This little sucker didn't take long to knit, but I did have to restart it because I read the pattern wrong.

I still don't know what I'm going to knit for August or September, but I'm hoping to figure it out soon. Any suggestions??

of knitting.

I am almost done my July
knitting project.
Yes, July.

I haven't knit anything
for August yet...

I would like to draw
your attention to
how busy August has been.

And to the fact that I
don't know what I want
to knit.

Well, I kind of
have an idea,
but I can't
find a pattern that I
like.

I want to knit a sweater
for myself.

A semi-fitted,
not too thick
everyday sweater.

I want it
to be no fuss,
and without embellishments.

Just a
Plain Jane
sweater.

Patterns for those
are surprisingly hard
to come by.

I have been looking
for a couple months.

And I think I am
going to have
to amalgamate
(right word?)
three or four patterns.

Which,
in a short phrase,
means
"Uh Oh".

But if I were
an optimist, which
I am usually
not,
I would say something
more along the
lines of
"Wheeeeeeee".

But as I said,
not an optimist.

So I sit,
perusing the vast
interwebs,
searching for something --
anything,
that inspires me.

It doesn't even need
to be my
beloved sweater.

It could be
anything, but nothing
has had that spark.

I had better make up
for my lack of knitting
in September.

Or October.

Colder weather
is more conducive to
knitting anyway.

For now, I search. 

been a while.

I know it's been a while. I know. I know. I know. We went to the coast for the weekend and now I'm back to work. We've been a bit busy.

Why a trip to the coast? There was a 30th birthday party for my brother and my niece did her profession of faith. Both of these were fabulous reasons to venture down for a visit.

I have to leave for work in three minutes so I will write about all that later. For now I just needed to show you this picture of Hailey with her baby cousins. She was thrilled when I asked if she wanted to hold them (her mama, however, was a little bit nervous). Hailey loved and proudly held Peyton and Avery in her arms and went back and forth whispering, "shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh" to them, alternating babies on shhh's.

She is clearly a Jansen, eh?

I've Made It.

Have you ever felt like "you made it"?

For example:

• You graduated (high school or university).       I've made it!
• You started your career.      I've made it!
• You didn't strangle your spouse in the first four years of your marriage.      I've made it (or maybe he made it)!
•  You finished the dishes and maybe picked up the living room before said spouse came home from work.      I've made it!

You know, the usual.

Well now I have made it... again.

I was at Art of Yarn (my favourite yarn shop in town) and one of the employees, Cathy, who I have seen many many times over the last three years and chatted with on many of those occasions, said the following:

"Remember that little dress you made a while back? You've made a couple of them. A few from the bamboo and a few from the Madelinetosh. Remember???? With the buttons? I think it is beautiful and I would love it if you could show me where to find the pattern. My daughter is having a baby and I want to knit one for her".

An employee not only complimenting my work, but also requesting a pattern that I picked out and adored. She even asked me how I came across it. Truth be told, I don't remember, but I did direct her to the site where I found the pattern and she squealed with glee as she printed it off.

Seasoned knitters wanting to knit things I've made....  Yup, I've made it!

three weeks!

The girls are three weeks old today! They were weighed on Monday and they were both exactly a pound heavier than they were at birth. Peyton was 7lb 2oz and Avery was 7lb 15oz. I try to visit as much as I can, but it's never quite enough.

This is Peyton in her "leisure suit". We like to call her little pants "loosies" because they are anything but tight on her little self.

Travel plans are no further than they were before. We are hoping to go to South America (mainly Peru and Brazil), Scotland to visit friends of ours who are living there for a few years, and then to South East Asia. I'm trying to convince Erik to let me go to Australia when he comes home to go to Alaska, but he isn't going for it yet. Something about wanting to come along... We are hoping to leave in January and to come back in June so E can go fishing again.

We're heading to the coast this weekend. My niece is doing her Profession of Faith and Lindsey is bringing the babies to meet their aunties and uncles and greats. There's a shower for Lindsey and the girls on Monday night, but I'm back to work Tuesday morning so I will be missing those festivities. Oh well, sharing my nieces with thirty+ women isn't my idea of fun anyway.

Well, I'm off to work. Have a good night!

Lynn = The Best

Lynn is the best. Yup, I said it. And I meant it. I love the rest of you, but Lynn is the best. I have missed that girl something fierce. The minute she came up the driveway it was as though she had never left and we instantly fell into easy conversation and relaxed into being together. Well, I wouldn't say it happened instantly.... I did squeal and give her a gigantic hug, but we had the most pleasant visit once that was out of the way. 

It was wonderful having Lynn over. She is so easy-going and delightful and we just enjoyed spending time together. We caught up and chatted about life, work, and marriage. Conversation was easy and yet we had comfortable silence that didn't need to be filled.

Do you have friends that you feel you need to entertain? The ones that sap your energy because you feel as though you always need to be doing something??? Lynn isn't like that. I'm so glad she's not like that. We spent time at the beach, at Erik's baseball game, at my sister's house babysitting Avery, reading, chatting, and going to bed relatively early (thank you, Lynn!!). And it was grand. 

We even went to a winery for dinner one night, which is something Erik and I have never done. The wine was good (I don't like wine), the food was great, and the dessert was delicious!

I wish Lynn still lived in Canada. I missed her a lot, but didn't realize quite how much until she was back here with me, but that's probably a good thing. We've been friends for... I actually don't remember meeting her... over ten years though.  I love her to pieces and thoroughly enjoyed seeing her. I especially enjoyed her being at my house because I got her all.to.myself.

Lynn, I love you. Come again.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a splendid weekend!   

*** *** ***

More Reunion.

Well, Lynn told me to not bother cleaning my house before she comes so I'm going to show you some more pictures. She may regret her cleaning kibosh, but it's too late now.

I thought I'd share a little bit more of our reunion. A few specifics, if'n you don't mind.

One of my favourite things was playing softball with the family. I have never actually played a game of softball and I was less than impressive, but we had such a good time! Many of my aunties and uncles played and most of the mid to older cousins. Hailey tried to join in the fun donning a glove and coming onto the field saying, "Daddy, I ready!"

We ventured out onto the lake and found this giant rope swing. It was so high and I was nervous watching my dear husband leap off of it. Some of the cousins went off it too, but not with the same gusto and momentum that Erik did... he was so high in the air!!! He described it as being something along the lines of "barely on the fun side of terrifying". Not my cup of tea.

This doesn't come with a story, but look at how cute Jordyn is.

My motto for the weekend and for life in general is "why be cold when you can be warm?" I don't usually swim in the lake unless it is over 40 degrees celcius. And I love love love being warm. My cousins tried to convince me to go swimming on many an occasion, but I politely refused. Like I said, why be cold when you can be warm?

One day they had enough and they valiantly tried to toss me in the water. I held my own and they were unsuccessful until Erik stepped in and lent them a hand. I can be feisty and am not beyond diving over someone's back to avoid being thrown in the water but, my husband was a wrestler and no amount of feistiness, flailing, wiggling, twisting or resisting can defeat him. I went swimming. 

And lastly, see that little bandaid on Hailey's forehead?? There's a story behind it. I was down by the lake playing volleyball with the cousins when one of my aunts came and asked for my assistance. I was going to ask if I could finish the game, but one look at her told me I should probably follow her now. She told me that it was Hailey and she needed help.

Hailey decided to fall off the picnic table and had a piece of gravel embedded in her forehead. When I say embedded I mean that this little piece of rock was stuck in her forehead flush with her skin. We took little Hales into my parent's trailer and Anthony (my brother and her daddy) snuggled her/held her down while I tried to pry said piece of gravel out of her head. I tried squeezing it like a zit to pop it out and then I tried using tweezers while squeezing it but nothing was working. I ended up using the tweezer to extend the hole a bit (sorry baby girl!) and then I was able to pop the piece of gravel out. Yes, I did have to cut my niece's forehead to get the gravel out.

So I sliced the tiniest bit I could, popped the gravel out, stuck a bandaid on squeezing the little hole shut, and then I cried.

I couldn't help it! A. I'm a Jansen lady and B. I had to hurt my poor little niece. I was in "nurse mode" while attempting to get the rock out, but once it was out and she went back to being my little hurt niece I couldn't take it and so I cried. Oh dear.

But it was still a wonderful weekend. I just love my family and I can't wait for next year!

Reunited

My dear friend, Lynn, is currently Kelowna bound. I am so very excited to see her!! I wanted to quickly post this before she gets here because I don't anticipate much time for the computer during her visit.

I have been busy snuggling two of the sweetest babes lately. It is delightful, as only a new baby can be. And I have two to love on -- double delight.

But that's not why I'm here. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about children that aren't mine so I thought I would share something else with you. This weekend, as I mentioned, we had a reunion with my mother's family.

It. Was. Awesome.

We went up to Timothy Lake, just passed 100 Mile House and barely outside of Lac La Hache. We stayed in a combination of cabins, tents, and trailers and had a wonderful time. A truly wonderful time. Most of the family wasn't there (only one of my siblings was), but those of us that were thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I certainly did, at the very least. 

It was a relaxed, no-fuss event and we just had fun together. Nothing was really planned. There were no expectations. And we just go to be together -- away from the regular stresses (and non-stresses) of life. It was awesome.

We laughed, we cried, we laughed some more. We played baseball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, card games, and board games. We fished, rowed, boated, swam, jumped, slept, and passed around small children for cuddles. We stoked fires and then sat chatting around those same fires late into the night. We basked in the goodness that is family.

I love my mama's family. I love my dad's family too, but I have spent much more of my time with the Siebring clan and I think they're pretty special. I loved catching up with my aunties, uncles, and cousins. I think I managed to have a one-on-a-couple conversation with everyone. One-on-one's are next to impossible with such a large group so I settle for what I can get.

It was interesting this year because there was no one "our age". There were the aunties and uncles, teenagers and rugrats. We were kind of in limbo and, if I were to be completely honest, I'd have to admit that I liked this. There was no pressure to go up or down in age group and I took advantage of both. You ever get where to feel obligated to chat with the people the same age or at the same stage of life as you?? There was none of that. I played volleyball with the teenagers, chatted with the parents and played with the kiddies.

We have already booked the location for the same weekend next year! I like the no-fuss come-if-you-can mentality. Erik and I will definitely be carving out time in our schedules to make it as often as possible.

We just got back from our family reunion.
It was wonderful!
But now I am tired.
Very tired.

Goodnight.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!  

*** *** ***

snuggling sisters/baby bits

I am so tired. I don't have much to say today, but then I never really do so it doesn't matter. I am sure you have already prepared to be inundated with photos of Peyton and Avery, but in case you aren't, be warned. I couldn't resist putting these girls together to snuggle yesterday. They're just too cute! And they loved it... or at least they slept through it.

Today we gave them tummy time and they crawled their way off the blanket they were on. It was adorable and hilarious. And they didn't seem to mind being on their bellies. These little girlies were very awake today. For a bit, at least. I enjoyed seeing something other than the stink eye from them.

Miss Peyton is an old soul. She is a little grumpy grandpa and she always looks like she has you figured out. She scowls and peers through a barely open eye and is oh-so-sweet. So very sweet. She is so petite and hates nursing, but loves drinking her mama's milk from a bottle. Her little mouth is so tiny! Peyt's hair is darker than Avery's and she has more... angular features. She is 100% Jansen and, therefore, 100% adorable.

And Little Avery is nearly a pound bigger than her older sister. She is so round all over -- her face, cheeks, body, everything. She is often more alert than Peyton and she is pinker than her. She looks like the perfect little gerber baby. She has blond eyebrows and eyelashes and her hair is lighter than Peyton's. Avery has an adorable birthmark on her inner leg right above her ankle. I actually adore this birthmark of hers. She is 100% Neale and, strangely enough, manages to be 100% adorable as well.

I couldn't be more in love with these girls. They are delightful.

bliss

My day has been full of rubbing my face against soft baby cheeks, changing cute little bums, cooing, burping, and admiring Lindsey's perfect little girls. I have enjoyed watching my sister as a mother, as well. She is a rockin' mama -- so calm and loving. Patient, encouraging, gentle, relaxed, attentive and wonderful.

The ladies. 

The girls -- in little onesies!

Enjoying every moment. 

My favourite picture of the happy family. 

I have to work tonight so I am home briefly. I tried to nap (no chance) and am now contemplating what to eat before going back to the hospital. Lindsey and Ade are right across the hall from my ward so I am planning on visiting on one of my breaks if it happens to be snack time for Peyton and Avery. That will get my sleep-deprived self through tonight.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!  

*** *** ***

P+A

I have started this entry fifteen times over and no words seem quite right. I am speechless and crying (always crying) so I will just say this:

My sister, Lindsey, is amazing! I am more proud of her than I could ever say. She rocks my world and I am in awe of what she is capable of. Yesterday, on August 1, 2012, she delivered two of the most beautiful girls into the world -- one head first and one feet first. We (my mother and other sister) were with her while she laboured and then she was whisked off to the OR to push them on out (standard precaution). The girls are healthy and got to stay with their ma and pa.

We gave the new family some time to adjust to each other and went and met the girlies just today. Sharlene and I arrived this morning and Lindsey introduced us to her daughters, Peyton Ashley and Avery Sharlene -- named after their two favourite and best aunties.

There were many tears, as you can imagine. Many hugs and kisses. Snuggles. Sniffs. Then some more tears. So, without further ado, here are the ladies of the hour (day, month, year, decade):

 Peyton Ashley                    Avery Sharlene

Born at 1950                       Born at 1957

6lbs 2oz.                             6lbs 15oz.

19.00 inches long                19.25 inches long

Head First                            Feet First

 Proud Mama.

 Proud Aunties.

 Love my baby girls.

 Big E came for a visit. 

 Words cannot even begin to describe how this feels. Amazing.

 Love. Them.

 Mama admiring her handiwork. Who can blame her?

 

So happy. So very happy.

We are all over the moon in love with these little people. We are thrilled that they have arrived... thankful they are healthy... and excited to show them just how loved they are.

from my younger years

My parent's are moving to Kelowna tomorrow.

T.o.m.o.r.r.o.w.

Yes, I did just say that my parent's are moving to Kelowna tomorrow.

But that's not what I came here to write. In light of their impending move here they have been bringing boxes out this way. Some of these boxes hold my own personal history. I looked through one box this morning that held Sunday School artwork, stories and a few things from grade one and two. Most of these things are being tossed (sorry mama), but I laughed out loud multiple times as I shuffled through the contents of said box.

I found a journal from grade one and two. You know, the kind the teacher makes you write in. I thought I would share a few things I wrote in that journal.

December 13, 1993 - this is a Pickhr uv my tehr I love my tehr very very muh sey is very nuis to me and I am very nuis to her

January 4, 1994 - for holadays I went to edmintin to bring my bruthr Bac to Kings kolij I have lots uv anteys and onkols and cusins lots of pepole I know

January 18, 1994 - my cLass got are cLass pictures tocin to day I was werreing my Green jresce and my penk reing to Latanya loct prite But my techr loct the priteist then thim. I love you. 

September 20, 1994 - When we weer at the ferr I made a rice crispe clown I got in secend. I got frists secends theerds no thank you for partisapading

February 7, 1995 - I like the forest Boys chase me and Jill (I don't know who Jill is... but I think that's what it says). When you were in school did boys chase you? Last time they said they will Kiss us. they get grade fours to help them. They chase us in the forest. We have to run threw mud. I have cot Jill before Tony allmast kissed her. We like them chasing us. It's fun. I like it.

Ugh. Is it okay that my eight year old self embarrasses me?

Little Miss is Two.

Maelle Mai turned two on Friday. Two years old. A-mazing! Erik and I made it out to her birthday party on Friday. She seemed pretty excited to see him as it has been well over a month since they last played together.

I can't believe it has already and only been two years since this little girl came into our lives. It feels like just yesterday (or maybe last week) that I was supporting Milena as she laboured for hours and hours in an attempt to bring this little (10lb 9oz) darling into the world. And, at the same time, it feels as though I have loved her forever.

I have loved being an auntie to Maelle -- she makes it so easy to adore her. She continues to have a delightful and rambunctious personality. I love when she plunks herself down in my lap with whatever toy she is playing with or whatever book she is reading. And I especially love it when she comes just for a cuddle. She has an impressive grasp of linguistics and is full of giggles, kisses, hugs and joy.

Maelle takes a little while to wake up and I hear her playing in her bed for a while. I can tell when she is getting restless and ready to come out and if I don't go in to get her quickly enough she cries. She goes from happily playing to tears in a split second and it makes me laugh and means I get the best snuggles when I retrieve her. If I go in before the tears she will look up from whatever she is doing and say "Oh hi Auntie Ashley". It's pretty adorable.

Maelle will sometimes ask for something without saying please and when I say "what do you say??" she will repeat back "what do you say??" without even thinking because she is so used to repeating what people say to her. So instead of just asking I have had to repeat the full sentence back to her with please tacked on the end so she will say it.

Like any two-year-old, Maelle makes frequent attempts to establish her independence. She can be defiant and does not like being told no (but then who does?). When she is frustrated with me she frowns and refuses to make eye contact. She cries when she doesn't get her way and when she is tired. Distractions and redirection works wonders when she is frustrated and time-outs seem to be rather effective when she needs discipline.

Little Miss has an impressive grasp of linguistics and is full of giggles, kisses, hugs and joy. Oh! Another one of my favourite things is conversations that go like this:

LM: canahafdoos?

Me: What do you want?

LM: canahafdoos?

Me: You want some juice?

LM: Okay! 

(little does she know I never have juice in the house)

This happens multiple times a day; Maelle will ask for something and then act like I was offering it when I clarify. What a stinker.

Maelle Mai, I love you something fierce. You are and will always be welcome at Auntie's house. You make me smile, you warm my heart and you make me feel loved. You are playful and sweet and entirely adorable. We love you so very much and are so thankful to be a part of your life. Happy Birthday!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

*** *** ***

I know it's blurry, but I like it!