Lovable Vanessa

Vaness had a suprisingly short nap today but I'm glad I went in when I did. She had climbed up her dresser and reached onto the first shelf on the wall. That shelf holds all of Vanessa's coveted creams and shampoos. She had pulled them down and organized them on dresser. Surprisingly enough her room smelled but there was very little mess. I knew he had put some cream on herself because I could smell it but everything was closed. I'm one very lucky mommy that I didn't have to clean up a bottle full of something smeared everywhere.
On her adventure, she also found a Valentine's Day lollipop. I'd forgotten about it but Vanessa insisted we open it right then. I aggreed as long as we ate it outside. I'm getting wiser as she's getting older. The really lovable part was she kept saying, " I got your heart". That just made my day! She's got everyone wrapped around her finger.
We played outside a little and put up the walls on the gazebo. It started to rain and it was barely above 10 degrees so I had her come inside. She only had a raincoat and no sweater. I was cold for her so we aggreed to add a layer and put on rainpants but Christina came to the door and she got distraced about going outside.

relaxed morning

This morning was low key. Daddy got Vanessa up and downstairs for me while I had a shower. Very nice break before he had to go to work. Vanessa ordered her cream cheese breakfast as usual. She spread cream cheese on her craft from playgroup and told me she was making a masterpiece. I'm thinking she picked up masterpiece from Word Girl.
After she finished she went over to the foot pump for the bikes and called it a pogo stick. I told her she wasn't allowed to stand on it so she picked it up and it turned into a guitar. She asked me to turn on the radio and find a song which sounded like a guitar and played along.
We hung out in the living room and read books and played magnadoodle. Very nice but it was sunny out so I thought we should take advantage.
We went for a bike ride over to Grandma's and rode past Kay's but nobody was answering so we rode over to Fruiterie 440 to get buns but Pagel's is now closed. We walked over to the Pharmaprix and put tickets on our bus card and Vanessa chose her tooth paste.
When we got back to the house, we got off the bike and the grocery bag flew into the wind where I couldn't reach it. Many Many tears ran down Vanessa's face. You'd think she lost her favorite balloon. We went in side for lunch and all was forgotten.
Vanessa' napping so maybe I should get things done.

This week just flew by

This week has been action packed in a fun invigorating way. The forecast was for a lot of rain but we didn't see too much of it yet.
We had playgroup on Tuesday and had a friend over after lunch and nap to play in the backyard. I figured that would be the only day we would be outside. Vanessa had fun showing Nicole her swing set, slide and sandbox. Hopefully we'll get to do that more often. It won't be this week though.
Wednesday we met up with Laura and Julie. Vanessa kept saying Joey but we don't know any Joeys. Ahhh Julie. We met at Kidnasium since it was half way and indoors. We were also allowed to bring food. It was lots of fun and we didn't have to watch them like a hawk since everything was at their level. It was nice and the location was midway for us but over priced.
It took a long time to go home since we missed both our buses. I bought Vanessa a treat at the Longueuil terminus. Nestlé DIBS are little ice cream bites covered in chocolate. So tasty and mess free... as long as you eat them asap. (while looking for the link, I noticed they now have mint!!! Got to try that!) Once we got back to the house at 3:20, Vanessa went for a nap. She was so tired that I got her up at 6pm for dinner. Good thing she was happy to get up and even happier to have dinner.
Today was playgroup day. We went and had fun. Vanessa now says goodbye to some of the kids by name. She's got 3 boys names down as far as I know and all the girls are Emma. Soo cute. Soon she'll be better with the names than me.
We came home and Vanessa asked for pea soup for lunch. Since we had some, I was more than happy to serve it. What a great lunch with fresh bread.
Well... Since it was raining, I wussed out and called Christina to pick me up to do groceries tonight. She was not available so I got off my but and rode my bike to the Loblaws. I went out there because they had things I wanted on sale and they sell the best pancake mix. Eric gave me a nudge by getting my bike out and the trailer. Once I was out I was happy to be riding. It's invigorating and empowering to ride your bike for errands especially in the rain.
I think I've rambled enough. I'll post more later.

Good night sweetheart

When Vanessa was a baby, I used to rock her in the chair and sing to her. When we moved her into a twin bed in January there was no room for the rocking chair so we read a book and she went to sleep. A couple of weeks ago I sang to her to get her to settle while standing and she asked for the rocking chair. It broke my heart that we couldn't keep it.
I have started lying down with her in her bed and singing with her. She seems to settle faster less playing for 2 hours. She's started requesting songs. It's usually jaka (Frère Jacques) which I sing with no accent but Vanessa put her own in. Tonight I asked her to sing with me for the first time. She knew all the words but put her two year old accent on them. I was laughing so hard I couldn't finish the song then Vanessa started laughing and that made it worse. I finally finished Frère Jacques and we sang isty fider (itsy bitsy spider). Kissed her goodnight and ran out of there with a big grin on my face. I think singing to her in bed will be done way more often now.

Outdoors all day.

What a whirl wind these past couple of days. Great for blogging.
Last night we took the bus to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. The bus took the same time as a bike ride and I had run out of steam. Grandpa even picked us up at the bus stop since it's a 15 minute walk for an adult. Grandma had dinner in the slow cooker. Mmm.. Coq au Vin. Vanessa loved it so much she had seconds. Didn't care for the mashed potatoes but the broccoli and chicken were a huge hit. My mom even had some left overs.
We were going to stay overnight but my parents were driving Pamela home so we tagged along. We had a big day the next day and it was easier if we had our bikes. Eric was surprised to find us home when he stumbled in early this morning.
Today we went to Parc Jean-Drapeau to the Fesival Plein Air. We left in the morning by bike. Today I took my recumbent and the chariot trailer. The trailer was a good idea. It gave Vanessa a break from the sun and a nap on the ride home. I haven't used this set up because it's hard to maneuver around town so I'm a little stiff. I'd forgotten how much extra power was required to pull the trailer. I had also forgotten the comments and the looks of interest I get with my recumbent.
Fesival Plein Air was a lot of fun. Lots of booths with information or products. The overwhelming favourite was the Liberté booth. They were giving away free yogurts in two new flavours. I fell in love with them. Lemon and coconut. The lemon tasted something like lemon cheesecake. I could have had 3 or 4 of them. The coconut was a big surprise. I love coconut but it has to be fresh or real. No fake flavoring and this did not disappoint. YUMMY!
Vanessa insisted we eat them right away. We had them as a snack and then went around the show. My suspicions were correct. Vanessa climbed up Pamela when she saw a mascot. He was pretty close but not talking to her. Good thing she gets over things quickly. She was happy to see the dozens of dogs around. She pointed out the ones with back packs. That impressed her. We eat a nice pic-nic and finished the show.
Eric was in St-Lambert at the antique car show. We met up with him since it was on the way home. Vanessa loved it. There was 50s music blaring and a group all dressed up in the era dancing. Vanessa sat down and said Dancing! Dancing! She tried it out in her own way. So adorable. She and Daddy took a ride on a fire truck from the 1930's. She loved it. It was all open on the top and Daddy let her stand to see around.
At around 3 we left and Vanessa was asleep within 5 blocks. She was out cold all the way home and for 15 minutes after.
What a nice day. It was nice and sunny with a breeze. Everyone was outside. Most people were on their bikes. It always amazes me how many different bikes there are. Just goes to show there's a bike for everyone.
Sorry no pictures. I had too much other things to remember to bring.

Such enthusiasm.

Swimming day! As I've mentioned before, we all love swimming mornings. Here's Vanessa and I talking at breakfast before she and Daddy leave.

More on the evergrowing backyard park

Yesterday we met up with friends in the park. Everyone had a good time trying out the new park. This was a really nice one for young children. They ran around carefree. Up the ladders and down the slides. We had a snack their with our friends although there was a lot going on to sit down and eat.
I was mentioning to my mom that we weren't going to have enough room for the slide beside the swing set and she suggested we add it to the stairs. At first, I thought it was a little crazy. Does the toddler really need my deck stairs too? I ran the idea by Eric and he said it was interesting. Then I thought what's one more toddler feature so I suggested to Eric how he might attach the slide. Once he understood my instructions, he went to work on it as planned. It worked out better than I thought.

Bribery never hurt anyone right? Well, we invited my parents for dinner so they would bring the reciprocating saw and cut out the old clothing rack. It was sticking out of the grass by 2" and very dangerous to fall on. We had dug down 18" and it still wouldn't budge so Eric figured it would be easiest to cut it down and bury it. Good plan!

Elephant in the backyard

Ok. I'm finally posting the video of Vanessa discovering her swing set. We didn't expect this reaction.



Avoiding the elephant in the room.

This was not the reaction we expected. She has since warmed up to the new addition to the backyard. It's something she'll grow into over the next couple of summers. It's been painted and reinforced. It should last her youth.

Ok. it's late.

I know it's past midnight and I've missed a day but truly it's still the same day since I'm still awake. This post is about the picture. We had a fun day today again. More on that tomorrow. Vanessa didn't want to come inside for lunch so we brought it out to her. We love alfresco dinning but there are a lot of distractions. Especially in our fantastically fun new back yard.

Vanessa's eating Daddy's homemade pea soup. He now loves the pressure cooker and bread machine bread. (fake homemade)

Thanks Grandma for my pic-nic table and sandbox.

Swing Set day... anticlimactic

Today was a break in the cold wet weather we had yesterday. It was hot. Our thermometer said 37C out side in the sun. It reads a little hot but you get the point. Vanessa and I headed off to playgroup. She insisted she wear shorts like Mommy and Daddy. It was finally the day and she looked so cute. Playgroup was eventful. Vanessa was having a good time but she got body checked by another girl. She got up and was fine but a whole minute later her lip started to quiver and she cried "where's daddy?" "Daddy!" "Daddy stayed home, Vanessa." I said. "Would you like the snack he maid for you?"I asked. The snack to the rescue once again. I'm so glad that orange slices make her so happy. We sat down and had snack. She actually pulled out a piece of orange from the bag and I was going to take it to pull the segments apart and she said. One minute Mommy. Pulled the segments apart and gave me a piece. She surprises me daily.
That was the good surprise. Later at snack she was given a piece of cheese from someone else's snack. She ate and promptly through up her whole snack. Fortunately, she only got the floor and some on her shoes. Non on her, the table or any other. fewf. I don't think that oranges and cheese mix. She went on to have raisins and crackers and fun and games.
We came home to have lunch with Daddy. Vanessa went for a nap and we put together her big surprise. We've had this swing set for almost a month now. It was on a lawn to be given away so we picked it up. It's in great condition but we wanted to paint it.
So this week was the time. The schedule and weather permitted. Eric painted two coats this morning. The heat was in his favour. He also put in new cross bars since the old ones were bent from big kids standing on them. It looks great.
Vanessa came down from her nap and we were excited to show her the surprise. She went outside and walked right by it. We had to coax her to try it out. Admittedly, she's a little small for most of it but she'll have a hang of it by the end of the summer. It's going to be great to have her and her friends play back there over the summers. Tomorrow, I'll put together a video.


I made a fantastic dinner. Each part was simple but it was hard to co-ordinate all at the same time. I've been making a lot of one-pot meals either in the oven, pressure cooker or stir fry. Adding simple rice or veggies doesn't really count as an extra pot. This meal took four pots all at the same time. Fried pork chops with maple mustard glaze and apple raisin topping along with a penne pasta and broccoli with a cheese sauce. It was soooo good but each pot required a lot of attention. It's amazing I didn't burn or over cook anything. Although... I did overflow the apple topping and left Eric to clean the mess. :-{
I rushed out the door to take the bus to get me here where I am blogging. I'm on the computer listening to the TV. What luxury! while keeping and ear out for Kieran. His mom and dad went out to see a show. Some well deserved time childless together.

This course is no obstacle for her

Vanessa's just started walking about a year ago. At first she only took a few steps at a time and now she's running, dancing and hopping. She loves to do the hokie pokie. We've been entertained with new dance moves on a regular basis. She's climbing up the jungle gyms to heights that make your heart race and beam at the same time.



She's so proud at the end of this obstackle course. I hope that she always does things that makes her proud.

Good Day today

Yesterday while Vanessa and I were having fun, Eric put up this hook board to hang all of our bags. Since going car free, we've been using a larger assortment on a regular basis. This keeps them off the floor. There's also hooks at the bottom where Vanessa can put her cherished backpack and her coat. It's not very stylish but extremely practical.

This morning we woke Vanessa to go to playgroup. She was a lucky girl and got both of us at playgroup. Daddy was free to take pictures. Since I don't have permission from the parents to post their pictures, here's a few of Vanessa. They set up an obstacle course for the kids. They had a blast but waiting in line was a hardship.

The picture of Vanessa is at the beginning of playgroup time. She takes a little time to warm up to the idea.

While Vanessa was napping, I set up my herb garden. Wish me luck. I know nothing except that they need watering. It's six different herbs. If this goes well, I'll expand. I love cooking with fresh herbs.

At the end of the day, Eric made us pea soup and cut up some fresh bread. What a beautiful meal at the end of a cool afternoon. Since Vanessa had spent all afternoon in her room and woke up from her nap at 5:30, I suggested that she and her daddy go play in the park. They had a great time playing with the big kids. She came back happy and asking for a bath. She now likes to brush her own teeth. Hey. We might be getting a hang of this parenting thing. Waite! I'm sure she'll change the rules soon.

Vanessa's expression of the week. Yes Sir! she's been saying it a lot with no sarcasm just enthusiasm. It's super cute like

Me: Vanessa would you like me to take your flower(dandelion)?

Vanessa: Yes Sir!

It makes my day when she's so agreeable. It makes up for her "No way! Mommy." Which I giggle to myself at.

Tomorrow's another day. I'm going into town all by myself to meet up with Christine and Kieran so we can buy bathing suits at a warehouse. Wish us luck. It's hit or miss on the selection and I'm hard to fit.

Angrignon parc

This morning Vanessa and I took the bus and metro to Angrignon parc. On the way there Vanessa turned to all 6 people on the bus and said, "Everybody bumpy!!" over and over again. She was shouting in a playful two year old way and I'm sure everyone without earphones heard her. Vanessa and I went on the metro but this time I picked her up because last metro ride she went through the turn style and left me behind. I didn't like the thought of her getting lost in the metro and almost paid twice. Good thing it wasn't busy and the ticket operator waved me through her line.
We met up with Julie and Laura and headed to they play structure. They played a little while and we had lunch by the river. It was a beautiful spring day which was a welcome surprise to me. Julie and I talked about our current and past life as you would with someone you've known for over 15 years. Our daughters are only months apart and enjoy being together. Well... Vanessa and Laura enjoyed each other's lunches. :-)
Vanessa laid her head on the slide for a rest so we took that as a sign to head home. Vanessa was beat but there's very little walking so it went well. She had some water and a banana. Food always makes the trip more enjoyable. Vanessa held up her water bottle to the other passengers on the bus and said,"Everybody Thirsty?". So generous my daughter until she thought I was going to finish it and then she wanted it back.
We got home and both went for a nap. I was out cold for over an hour. I got up and Eric suggested he make sausages for dinner. I'm all for anything he was going to make. We had a nice dinner and parted ways. I went to swimming and he and Vanessa the grocery store and the video store. Eric put the wrong dvd in rental box so he went to fix that and I asked him to get molasses to try my whole wheat bread again.
Ohh the whole wheat bread... Last night at 11pm I realised we didn't have bread for sandwiches to put in the pic-nic lunch. Ok...No problem I'll just make some. I've been meaning to try the whole wheat recipe. I went through the whole recipe carefully noticed I didn't have molasses so I used brown sugar. No big deal since it was only two tablespoons. I put the bread machine on a timer and went to bed. This morning
Eric: Did you make brown bread last night?
Me: Yes? (wonders why he's asking)
Eric: It's a little light. (he's being polite)
Me: (went through the events of last night) Ohhh... I made the whole wheat recipe with white flour. It was closer and apparently I wasn't thinking clearly.

So, Hopefully tomorrow we'll have nice whole wheat bread for my peanut butter. Yum Yum!

Busy Day

This morning Vanessa woke us up at a civilized 8:30 am. She called, "Where are you Mommy?". She hung out with us a little and then went downstairs to make pancakes with Daddy. Mmmm! After breakfast I wrote a menu for the week and a grocery list. 5 new recipes to try out.
Vanessa, Pamela and I went to the market with Jo-Anne to buy fruits and vegetables. It's still not very exciting this time of year but I bought 6 herb plants for the first time. I plan to plant them in a "window" box that Jo-Anne gave me off the balcony. It's easy to get to while I'm cooking. If It goes well, I'll expand. Come to think of it. It might be strange eating dinner right beside the very fragrant plants.
We headed to Costco next. Picked up a few more food items and garbage bags for the yard work. We treated Vanessa to her first Costco hot dog. That was a hit. She only got half a sausage cut lenghtwise but she didn't know I gypped her. I added catsup and mustard.
After picking up the window box, we came home and Vanessa went for a nap. She had a nice long nap while Pamela installed a recipe manager on my computer. In a couple of months, once my recipes are loaded in and I've got a hang of it. It should make my life easier. I'm wiling to try it out. I should inventory my kitchen. I'm hoping it will cut trips to the grocery store, shop in my pantry first and save money. It will also put all my favorites in the same place. Pamela and my mother have the same software so we can send the recipes back and forth.
I returned Chris' call and we chatted about everything and nothing. I called her back and invited them for dinner. I made a really exciting recipe to combat the boredom Chris was feeling. I whipped up Cornflake-Crusted Tilapia with Sweet and Spicy Watermelon Salsa . I would totally make this again. Very fresh tasting. The only change I would make is to cut the tilapia into smaller more manageable pieces. Chris brought a Banana Walnut Upside Down Cake which I had made for them but she had much better results with the topping. Delicious.
While I was out, getting groceries. Eric worked on a project that will clean up the front hall. I need all the help I can get! More on that later.

What a nice day. This morning Pamela and I went for a bike ride. It was leisurely but the weather was nice. I stopped by their place and watched NCIS. When I left it was poring rain and I wasn't prepared. I should have timed my ride home. It's amazing how fast you go when you're motivated.
In the afternoon Vanessa and I went to the grocery store. I got drenched but she was better dressed with her fancy raincoat. New plan next time.
Brianna, Lorna and Leona all came for dinner while Eric was at Becket. We had a simple but tasty dinner and watched a movie. The girls had fun together but Vanessa's got a lot to learn about sharing. I learned that I can't win. They'll always want what the other's got.

New Challenge

Good news loyal readers. I've decided while Eric was on vacation this week I would blog everyday. I find that I don't capture the day to day goings on by posting monthly. I'm going to try it out and see what spills out.

Spring is finally here. We've been biking a lot. Vanessa and I bike to run errands and go to playgroup and Eric's been riding to work. He rode 4 out of 5 days this week. Thursday was gusting up to 75km/hour so it was actually dangerous to ride.
We bought new bikes and we both love them. I'm glad we have the summer ahead of us because I'm not looking forward to winter without the ease of bicycling.

I'm finding being car free enjoyable. Vanessa gets a kick out of the bike and taking public transit. I get a lot more exercise and every trip is an adventure. I would like to be a little more organised with my groceries and make fewer trips. We've been going to the grocery store on almost a daily basis. More planning would save us time and money.

This week Vanessa and I bicycled to the loft. I went with Vanessa on the bike seat and pulled a cargo trailer. I brought the trailer to haul lunch, booster seat, diaper bag and bolt cutters. I was happy to leave the heavy bolt cutters at the loft. The trailer is great to have but it fell off on the way there. It's clamped onto the bike and the rubber covering the clamp was worn through. My dad wrapped in rigging tape but by the time we got home it had worn through. We've got a new and improved system but more on that tomorrow.

Vanessa has been expanding her vocabulary. Last night at bed time I was reading her a book and she pointed out a hexagon. The police man in the book was holding a stop sign. She knows shapes but hasn't a clue with colour. Everything is green these days but funnily enough she seems to get brown right. Go figure. She sings the alphabet regularly along with a few classics like twinkle twinkle and itsy bitsy spider.

Vanessa's developing her own style. Last Saturday we celebrated Mother's day with Eric's mother and Tim and his family. After dinner Vanessa started small talk. She crossed her legs and said, "so. How's it going Grandma". I was in stitches. It was very serious and adult like. Vanessa asks me regulary How's it going.

She's starting to say hello to all sorts of strangers. Especially if they've given her ice cream or she's in the confort of her wrap on my back. It's quite adorable and makes people smile.

This week we had a milestone. Eric asked Vanessa what she did at playgroup and she remembered and responded.

Eric: What did you do at playgroup today?
Vanessa: I painted.
Eric: What did you paint?
Vanessa: Birdhouse.

Eric was thrilled that she remembered and could communicate what she did. I was surprised and she was quite proud. She loved painting and was very purposeful with the brush and paint and did a great job for the first time. She's been asking to paint ever since.

There's so much more to say but I'll leave it for tomorrow.