february 29

For the record, this is what some of my kids looked like on February 29, 2020. The next time this day rolls around, Annie will be 11, Clara 9, Janie 7, and Leo 5. That seems nuts to me but, alas, this is how time passes.

(I also love Joe and Henry and would have a picture of them, except they were away at camp. I haven't seen them on Feb 29 for years.)

(Also, Happy Sweet Sixteen to my cousin Roxie!)

david's birthday, part 2

And now it's David's actual birthday! So let's celebrate more... breakfast doughnuts and cards (and then work and school and blah blah blah) and then pizza and singing and cake. Hurray!

pro tip

If you are out at a restaurant and, let's say, you spill water down the front of your shirt, don't you worry. You just simply twist your shirt around and - voila - good as new! The front of your shirt is now dry! (The back is wet, but simply don't bother about that.) Repeat this trick as necessary. And don't worry about modesty in public. Be bold! Be like Jane.

david's birthday, part 1

When you're a grown up, birthdays don't seem to be as exciting as when you're a kid. But when you're a grown up who has kids, then your birthday is exciting to those kids. So, while we are celebrating David for his birthday, it's really not about him... it's about the six little people who are just so excited to make a big deal for daddy.

So, big deal it is. We decided to surprise David with a family bowling adventure. One Saturday before his birthday, David thought he was dropping off Joe for a friend party but - ha ha! - the party was actually for him. And when I say "party" it was just the eight of us... but we are a party all by ourselves. So we bowled, we went out for supper, and we used some gift cards at the book store. The kids were so proud to keep a secret and pull off the surprise. David assures us he was, legitimately, surprised so we'll call this birthday celebration a success.

diy

The towel rack in our mainfloor bathroom was pulling out of the wall. Which led me to notice the cracks in the wall where the drywall joined. Which lent itself to a general disdain for the falling apart bathroom. Which then led to a plan.

We fixed it.

And best of all, we wallpapered it. And, even better, we wallpapered it with a design that my sister, Andrea, created and put in her Spoonflower shop. (Are you interested in wallpapering? Here's where you can find some for yourself... RIGHT HERE.)

And ta da. Now it's the fanciest room in our house.

 I fixed a wall!

Photo by Janie

How a baby occupies himself while his mommy paints. Ripping tissues.

I painted a wall.

My helper.

family resemblance

Family Day today here in Ontario, so we're hanging out together. In honour of the day, here is a picture of David, Baby David, and Leo. Yes, even though I birthed six children, I get no visual credit... they all look like David.

cuddle

This is Leo's version of hugging.

He also enjoys smooching.

valentines

Valentines day! PA day! Everyone is at home today! We celebrated by making messes and eating candy and not napping and reading and eating more candy. The kids worked on some fun crafts kits (kiwi crates) and followed the awesome and easy to understand instructions to make some pretty cool projects. They were really proud of their creations and I was happy to watch them figure everything out on their own. I'm not kidding you - no one fought or whined while making their projects (...they fought and whined later, over who got to touch the projects but that's not what this story is about). By the time Daddy came home from work, he had his very own Science Fair to attend. So it was a good day. Making stuff is how we say "I love you" around here. Also, feeding kids candy is another good(?) way to say "I love you."

(This is Leo, rejecting a yogurt covered pretzel, because the chocolate stuff looked better.)

eye of the tiger

On the eve of Valentine's Day, unearthed this really important video. Obviously this was back in the day when David and I had a lot of time on our hands to make up ridiculous dance routines.

stupid mittens

When your baby wants to shovel snow, but his mittens interfere with his opposable thumbs. Poor guy just wanted to help.

It was a pretty snow day today. Jane and Clara and I took some time to stare at all the different flakes coming down. Clara and I admired them individually. Jane appreciated them in bulk.