Christmas + Update

Christmas time is right around the corner and everyone here cannot be more excited. Every morning this month the girls cannot wait to get up to find Sammy the Elf and to open their advent calendars (Kinder Egg & Play-dough Advent calendars). The funniest thing is that Ella is almost always the one to find Sammy the Elf first. She's also completely obsessed with Sammy - demanding I constantly acknowledge Sammy's presence.

 

I feel as if Christmas snuck up on us this year. Although I've been strategically purchasing gifts since September as things I've had my eyes on, go on sale - I still don't feel prepared. We are SO excited for the girls to open their gifts - especially their new play kitchen and all of the accessories!

We are hosting again this year which means we will be very busy getting the house and all of the food ready. My priority is to enjoy the day with the girls and Fraser as much as I can while also getting everything done. Fraser and I have one more day at work and then 11 days in a row of vacation/time off and we could not be more excited. 

These girls are growing at warp speed and I feel like every time I blink my eyes they are both doing something new. For the past year, I've been working on potty training Harper with no luck. It was to the point where Harper full on refused to sit on the potty. I had finally gave up and decided to wait until she was showing more signs of being ready. To be honest, I was getting a little worried when she turned three in November and was still not showing signs of wanting to use the potty.

These past two weeks we started to notice that she was able to predict when she was about to pee in her diaper and would immediately ask to be changed. Yesterday while home with her grandma she requested to have her big girl undies on and sat on the potty all on her own and peed. She was so excited she insisted on calling me at work to inform me - I was obviously thrilled! She continued to use the potty all day and into the evening with zero accidents. That continued all morning, day and night today. I'm sort of in disbelief that she's practically potty trained herself in 24 hours. Now our focus is to get her to poop on the potty!

The most shocking part of this potty story is that little miss copycat Ella ALSO started using the potty yesterday wanting to be like her big sister. I nearly passed out when she peed on the potty all on her own. She looks like a 6 month old because she's so tiny - sitting on the potty peeing. My big girls!

 This sweet girl - I can't even describe in words how cute this kid is. Both of our kids are beautiful and so alike but also so different! Harper is very passive like her daddy where little miss Ella is a complete spit fire like her momma. Everything we were so grateful Harper didn't do - Ella bean is doing. Like eating play-dough, climbing on EVERYTHING, telling us "no" all of the time. And she's so bloody tiny and cute that you can't get mad at her!

 To say we are busy is a complete understatement. With Fraser and I both working fulltime, the girls and my Etsy shop - I feel like time is just flying by. Fraser got a long over due promotion to "Manager of Operations". I seriously could not be prouder. My hunny works his butt off, always helping others and ensuring everything is running smoothly. He was completely thrilled to be promoted to Manager and everyone at our work was not surprised at all. This holiday we are taking as much time to relax and hang out with our sweet babies.

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and an even happier New Year!

xoxo

Fall 2016

I've been wanting to sit down and write a blog post for ever, but of course working fulltime, chasing after two babies and running an Etsy shop while also spending time with the hubby - prohibits me. It is officially fall and we could not be more excited. This is probably our favourite season with the cooler weather and beautiful fall leaves. It's so nice being able to bring the girls out to play without the crazy hot and humid weather we get in the summer time.

The girls are completely obsessed with going for a walk and playing at the park around the corner from our house. We will usually pull them around in their wagon for a while and then stop by the park for the girls to run around and play. Ella tries her hardest to keep up with her big sister, going down all of the slides (with help). 

We have been so busy with my Etsy shop, small house reno's and normal chores - we have to make a point to bring the girls outside to play at least once a day on the weekends. I want them to enjoy this perfect weather while it lasts and before all of the snow comes along. We have so many exciting projects coming up with the house that are going to keep us very very busy, so we're trying to enjoy the quiet right now.

 

  I can't stop taking pictures of these sweet babes. I feel like they are both changing so so much and it's so exciting and sad at the same time. Harper is a talking machine - full sentences. You can have a complete conversation with her now. Fraser and I don't know when that started. I feel like she went from saying single words to full sentences over night. She loves to sing and knows several songs off by heart. You will put her down for a nap or bedtime and she will sing herself to sleep. Her favourites right now are "Jack be Nimble" and "Old McDonald".

 

Our sweet Ella is so full of personality and has been since she was a tiny baby. Weighing at only 23.5 lbs at her 15 month appointment, she makes up for her stature with her energetic personality. She will let you know just exactly how she is feeling (gets that from me) but is the sweetest baby sister ever. She absolutely adores Harper and follows her around like her little shadow. She copies everything Harper does which is absolutely adorable and hilarious to watch. Although Harper has gone to the dark side and has become a daddies girl, Ella is still very much a momma's girl. If she falls down and hurts herself, she wants her mommy. If she wakes up and isn't feeling well, she wants her mommy. Although it was challenging at the beginning having another baby so soon after Harper was born, I wouldn't change it for the world. It is so amazing to watch the two of them grow up together. 

 This past weekend was Thanksgiving. We started off by bring the girls to Apple Land Station for the first time and they loved it.

We trucked around looking for some pumpkins - but ended up grabbing one's that were already picked, because lets be honest that is so much easier and less messy - haha. 

 The girls ran around playing with the toys they had out and checking out the animals.

We went through the corn maze and got completely lost and ended up coming out the entrance - that's what you get for letting your almost three year old navigate. 

 By the end of our trip, the girls were completely exhausted.
I am super excited for Christmas - so much so I've almost finished shopping for the girls, eeek! Now to get Halloween over with so I can start pulling out Christmas decor ;)