The Great End of Summer Adventure

For the Labour Day weekend we decided (very last minute I might add) to embark on a great end of summer adventure. Dan's sister and her family were headed to Waterton to camp for a few nights and we decided to join them so that the kids could spend some time with their cousins.

Camping is no easy undertaking and with a newborn it was even more of a feat, but I am really glad that we packed up our life (at least that's what it looked like) into the van and made the drive to Waterton for the weekend. We spent two nights at beautiful Waterton townsite and had a marvelous and mostly relaxing weekend. 

It was wonderful to slip away from the business and noise of the city and settle into the quiet and comfort that only nature can provide. I had been feeling a need to get away all summer long and this short camping trip was just what I needed. It was wonderful to get away and spend some quality time together as a family.

The weekend was simple and sweet. We arrived Saturday evening, set up camp and prepared for the weekend. Our boys were simply in Heaven from the moment we arrived. Their little faces were just lit up with joy to be free to ride their bikes, roam about and play as they wanted.

The main activities for the weekend included bikes rides, a hike up the Bear's Hump mountain, sitting by the lake and of course smores.

The boys slept in the tent while Novah and I stayed in the van to keep warmer and not wake the boys throughout the night with Novah's night time feedings. I was amazed at how well Novah did, it was as though she were at peace being outside. She seemed to enjoy the trip just as much as the boys did. 

Here are some pictures to document our trip.

Cohen trying to ride the strider. 

Hiking with Daddy.

Removing the dust and rocks from his shoes. We made several stops to repeat this process. 

Cute cousins.

Novah had an easy hike.

Our not so little family.

Everybody at the top.

Some of the amazing views at the top of Bears Hump.

At the lake.

Cute little Cohen.

Playing with rocks.

These two were in rock paradise.

Checking on his baby sister.

Building sandcastles with Auntie Sarah

Boys and rocks, need I say more.

Enjoying the beauty.

Me and Marshal.

A wonderful way to end the summer.

Jordan

6 Weeks With Novah

NOTE: I should have posted this 1.5 weeks ago! As Novah is now nearing 8 weeks old!

Well I don't know where the time has gone but Novah is already 6 weeks old!

Novah has brought nothing but joy to our lives in these past 6 weeks. She is a wonderful, easy going baby who we are all in love with. I can't get enough of her, Dan can't get enough of her and her brothers are simply smitten as well. She is truly the perfect addition to our family and we are so thrilled to have her.

The past 6 weeks have been filled with some ups and downs, but overall it has been amazing. I had forgotten how simply lovely it is to have a newborn baby. Novah was so tiny and sweet when she was born and she has already started to change so much. It happens much too fast- those first 6 weeks (I guess that's why people keep having more.) I can't believe that she is now smiling at us and her little cheeks are starting to fill out. She's trying to hold her head up and looking around like crazy trying to take it all in. The newborn sleepers that were far too large when she was only days old are now starting to tighten and will soon have to be packed away. Lots has happened in the past 6 weeks- we've traveled to Edmonton, visited with family, gone to the movies, eaten out for dinner, spent a day at the amusement park, hiked to the top of a mountain and even braved camping. This little lady has had quite a life full of adventure already. And best of all she has been easy to care for and pleasant through all of it.

Novah has already started to have a beautiful effect on our family. Things are still wild and crazy around here but we all get a little bit gaga for our baby. Marshal comes into our room each morning to snuggle her, whispering, "Hi pretty Novah," as he pats her soft hair, Cohen loves to lay his head on her and say "Baby, baby," over and over again with a cute little sigh every time he says it. Dan is taken in with her sweetness and I know he is in love with his precious little girl and I can't get enough baby snuggles, and wish I could hold her more often than I do!

Novah is simply the sweetest little girl and I'm trying to hang on to as many baby moments as I can. They just grow too darn fast. I love my little girl and her soft personality already. She is peaceful and calm, attentive and alert. She loves being outside and looking around at nature. She loves to be snuggled up close to mom in the carrier. She is definitely a third child as she seems happiest when the room is full and noisy and she is around to join in the fun. She doesn't like when we leave here alone in a room but would rather be amongst the action. She can sleep through anything- vacuuming, cleaning, even a little accidental tackle from her brothers. She is always happy, except when in the bath and there are cold wipes on her bottom. Even her cry is soft and sweet and makes me love her that much more.

I am so in love with my beautiful daughter. I know that she has lots to teach me. I pray that I can be a good and loving mother to her. I can't wait for what the next 6 weeks have in store for us!

Novah at 9 days old. Photos by Everglow Photography.

Life With Three

Well I am proud to report that I have successfully survived the first 6 weeks with three kids. It has been a whirlwind of activity since Novah was born and it seems that the weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

We were fortunate to have a plethora of visitors during the past month. It made for a bit of a hectic month and was a little bit stressful for me at moments (with all the after delivery hormones, lack of sleep, adjusting to life with a newborn etc.) but all in all I was happy to have so much help and to share our exciting new addition with our extended family. We had both Dan's parents come from Ontario and stay with us followed by my sister and her husband from Utah come. We had some fun adventures while our guests were here (which I hope to get to in another post,) but it was mostly wonderful not to have to manage all three kids on my own as well as my household. I will confess I don't know if I would have survived the first month on my own so I am most grateful for all the family support.

An now more about life with three. 

Many people told me life with three would be considerably harder than life with two. Needless to say I was somewhat terrified, especially since my three are so close together! Its hard to imagine managing the lives of three very needy little people. I had little hope of ever leaving my house, cleaning up or doing anything besides breastfeed and break up toddler/preschooler fights all day long. However 6 weeks into it and I am happy to report that life with three ain't all that bad, in fact I might even say that I am enjoying it. And I may even regret saying this, but I feel that three isn't really any harder than two! 

I am definitely blessed to have an easy baby. Novah is so pleasant (so far,) nurses like champ, sleeps through anything and doesn't really have much to complain about ever. Her brothers adore her, have shown zero signs of hostility or jealousy towards her, and are usually happy to play with each other when I'm busy nursing. In fact I feel that my biggest challenge at the moment is dealing with the power struggles between Marshal and Cohen each day- which were in full swing before Novah was born and are not related to her presence. Novah hasn't made life any harder, just busier and a bit more tiring. 

Right now I can honestly say that I am loving my life, feeling great (no longer being pregnant has worked magic for my state of happiness,) enjoying motherhood and loving my kids. I couldn't be happier with my current calling in life. I feel privileged to be a mother and to have three beautiful children. They of course bring challenges and there are aspects of my life that are suffering at the moment (such as the tidiness of my house, the laundry piles and the presence of dinner on the table each night) but I am trying to enjoy as many moments as I can, making memories and building a foundation for the future with my children. There are only so many baby snuggles, toddler hugs an preschooler conversations that I will have and I am learning how to enjoy more of these moments and focus less on other aspects of my life. 

I love my children and am so happy that I have three of them. Life with three couldn't be better!

My three babies, Novah just 9 days old.
Picture by Everglow Photography