No Place I'd Rather Be

You know how there are some places you just love to be? Well, for me one of those places is the English Garden at Assiniboine Park. Why do I love it so much? Because, who wouldn't want to spend time here:

Or here:

Also, it's just a really nice place to take the girls for a stroll. Teresa can run around like a maniac and Frances can observe from the comfort of her stroller. For an hour I can live the life of Elizabeth Bennett in between looking at frogs, butterflies, and dragonflies with Teresa. Although I usually take the girls on my own (we have been several times), today we had Ken with us for some lovely quality time. Once Ken is back at work, the girls and I will resume our Park adventures, and for me it will be nice to be able to witness the garden change with the seasons, and find a frog or two.

Teresa in action...

This plant is called an Angel's Trumpet, it smells amazing.

I took some cute pictures of the girls while we were there.

Explorer Frances.

Teresa in her "princess dress"

From the sculpture garden. When Teresa first saw this she said "Mommy, I can see that ladies' tushie!"

We only found one frog today...

Ken and Rowdy relaxing in the sun.

Another lovely view...

A very nice man took our picture for us. 

WORST. SALESWOMAN. EVER.

So Frances is six months now, and since I am a "good" mother I introduce her to solid foods. I even mix the cereal with breast milk in order to make the transition a little more palatable. The first day she takes a couple spoonfuls and smiles and the maniac (me) making funny faces at her. The second day she is clearly unimpressed, but eats a bit, forcing down a couple spoonfuls so that the boob lady will give her what she wants already. The third day I got this:

And this:

Complete with gagging....

Needles to say, this whole solids this is not looking promising. And I'm wondering how strict I've got to be with this thing? I mean, how important is it really babies eat solids RIGHT at six months. With Teresa I just followed her lead when she was this age and I let her tell me when she was ready. With Frances, she seemed ready, but this morning she wouldn't even open her mouth for the spoon. So, after talking it over with Ken, we have decided to take a week off. I may try some fruit and veggies to see if those are more palatable to our little diva. I'll have to think of something, because right now, she is not buying what I'm selling. Any parents out there with suggestions? Other than exclusively nursing for a year, I don't need the girls going on strike as well, or looking like tube socks (sorry).

Six Months Young

It is hard to believe, but Frances is 6 months young, and although logically I understand she has not been a member of this family for very long, it feels as though she has ALWAYS been with us. Don't worry, I'm not going to get all metaphysical on you, I'm just saying my memories of life before Frances, and before Teresa for that matter, grow more dim with each passing day. Ken and I once lived alone together, with the quiet and the sleeping and the year when money rained down on us from the heavens. We were happy together, but in a different way. Teresa, then Frances have filled in the missing pieces, as will any subsequent children.

Frances has entered a new phase of babyhood and has now begun to eat solid foods. I thought I would be more excited about this that I am, but the fact is nursing has grown on me, and at least I can give it up in stages. Frances and I can wean together. Frances is now sitting up on her own, and can do a slow army crawl toward whatever object catches her eye. When she is hungry, she looks at me and makes a mmmmmmmm sound and reaches for me, which may account for my willingness to fill her request. Frances is well on her way to toddlerhood, and this makes me happy and sad at the same time. In the meantime, we will continue to play, chat and giggle together with daddy and Teresa, in other words, we will enjoy being together.

Teresa decided to have her own photo session at the same time.

Now that Ken has showed me how to make a slideshow using iphoto I am unstoppable! Here is a compilation of pictures from Frances' first six months.

Yostapalooza '09

Well, the reason there have been very few posts for the last month and a bit is because we have been at the beach with the Yost clan. Usually, we spend a few weeks with Ken's parents, with Sarah dropping in for a bit, but this year was different. To celebrate their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary, Greg and Jackie hosted and old fashioned family reunion, and we have the pictures to prove it.

It was great to see Teresa and Frances with their Yost family, and while Ken and I had a great time visiting with everyone, it is always a sad day when everyone has to leave. As a child, I was lucky in the fact that I saw both sides of my extended family on a regular basis, and I wish the girls had that same opportunity, and that their aunts, uncles and grandparents could watch them grow up live in person. But, apart from some mass exodus from Ottawa this will not happen. So thank you, Greg and Jackie, for putting this together. Ken, Teresa and I have many fond memories of this summer, some of which can be viewed here:

Content in God's Grace

My little Frances was baptized today. I don't know about other families, but in ours this is a big deal, a huge deal actually. As our former priest said, baptism of a a child is a sacrament born of our sacrament of marriage, one begets the other. Going on this notion, I had the aunt who made my wedding gown cut it up and it was reborn as a baptism gown for our children. There is so much history behind this day, this ceremony. To me, the act of baptism brings forth so much joy, happiness and promise. It is a new beginning, a welcoming into the church community and, let's face it, a perfect excuse to party. And party we did. Friends and family filled our house in celebration. Kids were everywhere, and food and laughter was abundant. It was a beautiful day, the perfect day to be surrounded by the love of God, our friends and our family.