Samuel is 1!!

It's Monday, and Samuel is one today at 6:06pm. My goodness time goes by fast! On Sautrday we went with Marina and Tony to the aquarium to have a little family time with the kids. Samuel kept on pointing at everything and Sophia had a

good time, smiling away but was a little cautious with some of the bigger fish. Vitor really enjoyed being in the amazon part of the aquarium and I think he's getting excited to go to Brazil at the end of the year. It was so hot and humid in there but Vitor was just soaking it up and really liking the heat. My favourite part was watching the kids excitement seeing the whales, dolphins, otters and

all the different types of fish (and especially the jellyfish

!) Today we're having the family over for a spaghetti dinner and dessert for Sam's birthday and on Saturday we're having all his friends over for a birthday party at the Church. Can't wait! It feels like we're having a week long celebration for his birthday :) Fun Fun!

NO MORE BOTTLE!

I'm so excited because yesterday we were finally able to get rid of Sophia's bottle. I've been racking my brain trying different things to get Sophia off a bottle (c'mon she's 2 1/2 and still wants a bottle) but nothing has worked. So 2 days ago I needed to get a new cup for Samuel and got him a 'Nuk' bottle and Sophia was all over it so I told her it's a sippy cup for milk and she loved it. So yesterday we went out again and got her a girl cup (Sam's was blue with sailboats all over it) and she hasn't asked for a bottle once! I know it seems silly, but it's one step closer to getting her to drink less milk (she drinks A LOT) and potty train faster. YAY for small steps and making mommy happy!

Eo pix your hair por eeew

So I'm sitting there contemplating what I shoud write as Sophia stands up on the chair and says "Eo pix eeewur hair por eeew" (I fix your hair for you) as she plays with my hair. Life is never dull around here! My house is a mess because I've been working on my car seat tents. I'm trying to make several of them so I can start selling them and try to make a little money while I stay at home with the kids. I added a picture to get an idea of what I'm working on.

We went out today and bought Sophia a "potty". She's gone pee several times on it and pooped too! She goes on the adult toilet often, but we thought if we got a Sophia sized one she'd be more inclined to do it herself and so far it's working. The only problem with potty training her is the amount of milk she drinks. Because she drinks so much milk she needs to go to the bathroom every 5-10 mins, so it makes potty training hard because it feels like we were ALWAYS in the bathroom. So I'm going to slowly cut back her milk intake and hopefully she'll potty train faster.

Sam is getting closer and closer to his 1st birthday and I'm getting more excited for his party. It'll be fun! In the past 2 weeks he's cut 4 teeth on the top so it's been many sleepless nights soothing a very sad little boy. He's also trying to talk more and even says "ta ta ta ta" (thank you) He's walking around the house and rarely crawls and can even stand on his own. My kids are awesome!

Play dates at the mall

We went to the mall a few days ago and let the kids play in the 'play park'. I love watching the kids interact with other little kids and see how they are developing social skills. Sophia is learning the whole meaning of sharing and taking turns and I like taking her out to play so she will put all the lessons to the test.

She does very well sharing and taking turns. She occasionally needs a quick reminder, but over all she does very good. I am very blessed with having a little girl who listens so well.

Samuel is learning to play in the play area too, although I must admit I watch him like a hawk. As with every playing environment some kids are too rough and don't pay attention to where they're going. But Samuel LOVES to play. As we know Sam is very cautious when we're in public and doesn't like to smile but when he's playing he screams and won't stop smiling. it's so funny to watch and not like him at all. It's very fun to see his cautious barrier come down while his playing.

baby shower

I went to see my sister, Janet today and I just love my nephew's! Jameson is growing so fast and I miss how small they are. (especially thinking that Sam will be a year in a couple of weeks!) Sophia is just so in love with Jameson. She wanted to cuddle him and give him lots of hugs and kisses. Such a sweet little girl.

So I'm getting my house ready to host lots of momma's and babies for Janet's baby shower on Saturday. I love to have a clean house, but does it need to be so much work with 2 little kids? Literally 10 minutes after I've cleaned I need to clean again. Not fun. But I love having people over and hosting parties. Ever since I was little I was very social so getting people together with some yummy food and good conversations is great fun for me!

babies are everywhere!

Well on Friday at 2:20am I became an auntie again. My oldest sister, Janet had a baby boy named Jameson Fox Casebourne Wade. We're very excited he's finally here after several false labours and a lot of waiting. He's such a cutie and I love to cuddle him. It gives me my baby cuddles without wanting another one... yet :) He was born exactally 11 months after Samuel.

So Samuel is 11 months now and walking all over the house. I remember Sophia at 11 months... she was still crawling and around 12 months she would take 2 steps before falling on the ground. Funny how different two kids could be.

A house full of kids

Let me start off by saying that I love crafts for kids.

I was a little anxious this morning because I was going to watch my 2 kids in addition to Alexandra and Kole. I wasn't sure my condo would fit any more kids (I'm exaggerating, but you know how kids are... running, screaming, etc) but thanks to crafts, I was able to keep all 3 kids (Sam not included) entertained.

So all I did was cut some egg cartons, give them glue, foam shapes, googly eyes and let them have at it! Sophia and Alexandra made caterpillars, while Kole made a train (surprise). It kept them entertained long enough to get food on the table. Where have you been all my life!!

Today after I put my kids to bed. I reflected on the day and feel an overwhelming gratitude to my Heavenly Father for giving me 2 wonderful kids. Sophia is amazing me with how much she's learning, and especially how much she learns about the gospel. Just a week or so ago she insists that she says prayers by herself. they are usually just the beginning and end of a prayer, but I love how she's trying and wants to be independent. She's so great with her little brother and to this day (almost 11 months after he was born) she still calls him "baby". She takes care of him and whenever he's doing something that he shouldn't you'll hear her say "uh ahh" and either takes something away from him, or moves him out of the way of "danger". (although it's funny to watch her try and move Sam, because he's almost as big as her)

What can I say about my little Samuel. He is SO serious, but has a wonderful sense of humour once you crack his cautious shell. I think one of the reasons he is so serious is because a week after he was born, we moved up to Kamloops for 6 months, so he's only had our little family surrounding him. So as a result, any extended family that wants to play with him gets the cold shoulder. He loves his mom, but there's something about his dad that attracts him the most. He LOVES cuddling and spending time with Vitor and it's such a special bond that I hope sticks around. Samuel is walking more and more every day and right when he takes his first step you get to see his big, beautiful smile and the excitement that he feels by learning something new.

My children are such a blessing in my life and I love that I have the privilege of raising these beautiful spirits. I really do have the best job and the following saying couldn't be more correct:

My greatest blessings call me Mom