Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! We certainly did. We were able to spend a day with each of our families and have a bonfire with friends. Monday was a glorious, sunny day and we took full advantage of it to do some yard work and play with the kids. Simeon and Felicity were quite keen to have the chocolate my parents gave them (Simeon got a bunny and Felicity got a lamb). Felicity is still too little to eat hers, but she enjoyed playing with it just the same.

Felicity

For the past couple of months we've been back and forth between our family doctor, pediatrician and dietitian with regard to Felicity and her weight (or should I say, lack thereof). When she was born she was 9lbs 1oz; at 8 months she was only 12lbs. This, along with a bad initial consult from the pediatrician, had us very concerned. After a month of worrying and imagining the worst, we're very happy to report that she is doing very well. As it turns out, she's just a petite miss who will grow when she decides and not when we want :) She has gained a few ounces as of her last appointment and she has a great appetite.
We would really appreciate your prayers that she'll continue to gain and we want to praise God that all her test results have come back normal. All the doctors have been great and are supportive of nursing rather than trying to push formula to make her gain weight.
Our little girl is just that...little. And that's okay.

March Break

We had a fun filled week while Sean was home. We made another trip to the aquatic centre, since Simeon loved it so much. This time around he discovered the twirly slide. He was quite indignant that Sean insisted on going down with him. That dad! Such a tag along!
We also did some skating; well, Sean and Simeon skated while Felicity and I watched. She's not old enough to sit in a sled and be pulled around the ice and I'm not a good enough skater to hold her in my arms. Anyway, we had a great time taking pictures and even a video of Simeon's technique!

And to end our week, Simeon and I went to the theatre for the first time. It was actually a very interesting experience for me as well. He was completely fascinated by everything that was going on (especially at the concession stands lol) and it reminded me that his brain is this amazing little sponge, taking everything in. I'll never look at popcorn machines the same way again :)

Escaping the snow.

Our church had an event this past weekend called "Winter Breakout", and it was FANTASTIC! We had a swim at the aquatic centre, potluck back at the church and then a variety show to end the night. It was Felicity's first swim and she loved it. She even kicked her legs and splashed a bit.
Simeon enjoyed it so much that he had a meltdown at the end when it was time to leave. He was laid out flat on the pool deck, crying and refusing to go. I was so proud *eye roll*
Anyway, he even tried to swim a bit towards the end and has been talking about it ever since, so I think we'll go again during March break.
After a wonderful supper it was time for the variety show. It was a blast! There were skits, musical performances, lots of prizes and activities for the kids and some hilarious contests.
Simeon is opening up a lot and was eager to go on stage with the other kids; here he is doing the limbo. In his version you either walk under the bar or crawl under when it gets too low. Good thing the judges weren't too particular.And last, but not least: Sean playing "Minute to win it". Apparently this is a show where contestants do a task in a minute or less to advance to the next round. They turned it into a competition between our two teams. In the video Sean is trying to shake all the tic tacs out of the containers glued to each end of the stick in his mouth (without using his hands). Enjoy!

PS- I stopped the camera too soon, it looks like he lost but he then he grabbed his opponent's stick and shook out the remaining candies in her container. Yup, that's my hubby.

A new living room

Our living room is almost completed! We need a few pictures for the wall and maybe a rug and we'll be all set. But, since finishing touches take a while, I thought I'd share how things look so far. Just to refresh, here is a before picture:
And after:Sean had a friend help him lay the wood floor - Sean's work was interrupted by a nail through his thumb (that guy will do anything to get out of a job lol!). He painted the fake brick around the fireplace insert, tiled the hearth and built a bookshelf with a toy box on the bottom. Perfect for hiding all the kids toys when company comes over.
He also built this tv cabinet.
Mary thanks to John for the great idea of setting it into the wall. Our living room is very narrow and so saving 6 inches makes a big difference. The bench you see below the doors can be pulled out for extra seating and helps balance the look of the room.

Simeon has been lining up his "tools" on the hearth and telling us that we're not allowed to touch them. He learned that phrase well when our living room looked like this: He still made sure that the work was closely monitored though!

Fun in the snow

Well, lots has been happening the last few weeks. Renos mostly, and there is an end in sight! By Friday (or there abouts) we should have our house back in order. I can't wait until I can post pictures of all that Sean's gotten done, but in the meantime here are some other things we've been up to:

Lots and lots of shoveling! Sean and I were shoveling, while Simeon stomped around in the snow. According to him, he was "crashing the snowballs". It all helps.We built a snowman to give us a hand but he and Simeon got into a standoff as to who was going to be the supervisor. Then there was talk about unionizing and as far as I know the issue still hasn't been resolved.Felicity may also join; she's waiting to hear back about their benefits package. She'll have to go on disability due to her inability to walk for the past 6 months.
We must have worked him pretty hard though. When we got home from grocery shopping that night he was pretty cranky so Sean carried him in from the car and once inside, Simeon got on the floor in one of his silent tantrums. After unpacking the groceries we thought it was strange that he was still sulking on the floor; as he usually recovers quite quickly.
He fell asleep! Once he learns the number for child services we're done for!