b diddy,

Just a few reasons I'm lovin' you today:

* You played "I Spy" for over an hour this morning & didn't seem annoyed once. 

* You do random things to make us laugh... like putting your head through the armholes of your shirts & running around like a madman. 

*  You don't let me get away with buying crap. Ever.

* You tell me you hate the park, but once there you're always the guy having the most fun.

* And finally... you chose to hang out with us tonight over watching the Canucks game LIVE.  

crushin'

                

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fyi

Readin'. Lovin'.

Now you know. 

here's to...

you sweet husband, for letting me sleep-in & then greeting me with a Starbucks in hand (xo!)

here's to...

attempting this with little people, but being more than happy with this.

here's to...

startin' up the ol' bus, fancy fruit lollipops, and plenty of lemonade over ice (maybe even in that order).

here's to...

a random evening adventure, practicing patience, and (finally) being rewarded for it.

crushin'

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this morning's text to carleigh:

I hereby vow to offer you one completely uninterrupted stimulating conversation at the time of your choosing. Cross my heart and hope to die.

...

Ahhh... the life of a mama. How I'm even able to maintain the lovely friendships I have, is most days beyond me.  

Oh and Ashley... I think I'll be needing a few years to even wrap my head around 'three way chatting'. These days I can't even send texts to the right people. Smile. Sorry bout that.

just for you

You know who you are.

just because...

yes please!

This morning has been full of giggles and sharing and songs of Jesus and more giggles and hand holding and Vida Blue's sweet demands for cuddles.

"BABES! Come cuddle me BABES!"

I'll take it all thank you.

my three girls

less is more?

We reverted back to our old ways... 3 cups of the white stuff as opposed to 4 1/4. The dough isn't as easy to work with but we've decided we're up for the challenge and we love the end result.

Ahhh pizza... our sweet labour of love.

friday night love

I guess I just love that they started the night out on either side of the bed and within twenty minutes had met in the middle... like little magnets.

Sister love... does it get any sweeter?

just because...

crushin'

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without fail

If I'm ever feeling low (like 'waking up to snow in mid-April low') I head to Lepp Farm Market. It's one of our favorite places to shop in this town. We usually grab a freshly baked baguette upon entering and immediately break it open. Today I told the girls of Paris and we practiced our (my) limited French which consisted mostly of "bonjour" & "je ne sais quoi". Totally appropriate... bonus. I felt good about stocking up on local organic chicken and practicing restraint when it came to all the beautifully packaged organic teas and dark chocolate and pretty yellow dish towels. We picked out Bradley's favorite vegetables (carrots & parsnips) to cook up for dinner and even received a hug from one lovely man (avec femme) who was completely caught up in Ever's sweet smiles. We sampled honey cider ("Booiful mama" - who knew?), grabbed a fun bag of ripe bananas for some bb bakin' later in the day and were even given stickers on our way out the door. 

Ten minutes felt like an hour. The best possible hour. 

It was, always is... magic.

note to self:

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i heart co-sleeping

It's true. I do.

Even if this kid makes it particularly difficult to escape. Bring it little one. 'I've got moves you've never seen before.'

Ok, that last line may have been for the mister. (Just a small inside joke.) Thanks for the sweet date night babe. I never wanted it to end.

oh. my. word.

This is what the mister is coming home to. He's gonna be crushed when I tell him she's not allowed out of the house in it. Crushed. 

Please note: That ain't no bat. That's a princess wand.

an artist's bio

I love LEGO and "gummies" and all things pink. I plan birthday parties in my spare time and go to great lengths to keep the cupcakes away from "babes", my little sister. Every day with Jesus' help I learn to share a little more. I like practicing my letters and coloring too. I'll laugh if you act silly, but careful, I scare easily. My silver princess dress is my favorite. I'd wear it every day if I could, along with my "titty tat" shoes.  

My name is Vida Blue. I am three years old. And I am an artist.

truth.

all in a day's work

I've been posting items on Craigslist for the last week or so hoping to lighten our load a little before the move. I've heard from a lot of people, ninety percent of them being scam-artists. Anyway, last week the mister also happened to post his G Wagon to see what kind of response he'd get. Yesterday he received an email expressing interest. I told him he'd better google the guy. This is what came up.

Needless to say I've decided (nice wife that I am) to ease Bradley's workload & take over all correspondence with Mr Palliardi.

Smile.

"friends, comrades and teachers"

A huge thank you to you Miss Corinna for documenting the evening of our art show. Your words and photography never cease to amaze.

...

Miss Carleigh, Miss Corinna, Miss Ashley... I love you ladies. I really really do. You make my life richer. You make my girl's lives richer. And for that I can't thank you enough.

crushin'

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1000 miles away

And still feelin' your love.

Who are you sweet friend? 

Thank you. 

By the way, this site is trouble. : )

this business of getting older

I remember when birthdays were charming. Anticipated even. That changed when thirty hit. Last week someone asked me how old I was turning & without hesitating I said "thirty-three". (I'm 32.) Who ages themselves an entire year? This never would've happened in my twenties. Ever. And let me make it clear it's not like I want to go back there. I just really want to slooooooow things down a little. 

I find having kids complicates matters. Maybe it's that the days are so full. Maybe it's that on a regular basis right before my eyes my little girls are becoming not so little anymore. I've become so aware of time passing. These moments... they are so precious. And while I've never had so much fun in all my life, I've also never been so exhausted.

But life is sweet. And chances are with each year that passes, it'll only get sweeter.  

Life is funny like that. And I'll take it.

Along with plenty of good lighting. : )

"summer days"

For the past few weeks Vida Blue has been obsessed with "summer days". In her little mind they're a magical place where birds are chirping & flip-flops are worn with abandon. It worries her to no end however, that once there she won't meet up with her friends. And so every morning upon seeing the rain she turns to me with concern & asks if she'll get to see Char, Bo and Jane soon in "summer days". 

It's one of my favorite things... these 'summer days talks' of ours. I'm dreamin' of them too I'm afraid, and am hoping to see you all there.

Sooner than later preferably.  

dear grandma,

These are especially for you.  

Love Vida Blue

thirty. two.

This morning I was gifted my dream house. Yes, you read that right. My. Dream. House.

Who does this you ask? My husband does, that's who.

But it wasn't always so grand. You see earlier in the week Bradley chose to tell me that the property actually wasn't meant to be. In less complicated terms, the deal had fallen through. He kept this going for all of Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday. Those were some long days I tell you.

Until this morning came... and out of an envelope this photo fell.

And thankfully, this time round I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes.

...

Bradley - Here's to makin' dreams come true, new adventures together and one epic coffee machine. I don't think you could've made my day any sweeter. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (xo)

crushin'

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