Crazy Hair

Tiv's hair has a mind of it's own. Afton was born with curly hair but it was manageable. I could force it to lay down and it would stay. As she got older, her curls have gone away (mostly) and for a mom with straight straight hair - I was relieved! I have NO idea how to style curly hair at all!!

Tivian's hair is even crazier than Afton's ever was!! It get's crazy curly then either stands straight up when dry or the curls go every where and she gets this crazy poof thing going on. I tried to wet it down and make it stay but her hair refuses to style at this stage.

She usually sports a nice nurf head hair during the day. I hope her hair doesn't keep this up as the only thing I know about curly hair is not to over brush it or she will always be 'nurf girl' Tivian.

Food Network

I am hooked on the Food Network!! It could be that for the last 9 months, my diet was based on

Can I stand the smell of this cooking?

Will this hurt if I get sick?

As soon as I am no longer pregnant, I feel great and HUNGRY! I have been watching the food network as much as I can handle. Everything looks good but there are a few shows that I love.

Michael Smith (http://www.chefmichaelsmith.ca) is one of my long time favorite cooking shows to watch. His Chef at Home recipes are usually very simple, yummy and use ingredients that I usually have in my home already.

When I heard he won the bid to cook for the Olympic athletes, I wondered if there was still time to make the olympic team??

Yesterday I watched an episode about him making his wife breakfast in bed. (see, falling in love with him already aren't you!) One of the many yummy things he made was Apple pie oatmeal with almond foam.

This morning, I made this yummy treat for myself. Any chance to put my coffee foam on breakfast - well, that episode made me love Michael forever!!

I have to say, very very yummy!!!

If you have the food network, try and watch Chief at Home. It's a healthier alternative to my other addictive show.... but that is another post that includes bacon fat, heavy cream and butter..

Snow snow go away...

Afton and I have spring fever!! I bet we sing

Snow, snow go away...
Afton wants to play
snow, snow go away!

10 times a day. I cannot wait to get into my garden, make new flower beds, go for walks to the park and all the fun that spring holds!

Afton and I have already taken out the sidewalk chalk and colored our driveway with people and A's from top to bottom, but it's not fixing our spring fever!

This spring also means the first year of outside renovations! Jeff and I are dreaming of a big deck! One to hold the patio table, kids and outside meals to come!

I may also be dreaming of a new pond, more trees and finishing the kid play area corner! Afton's dreaming of swinging, slides and trampolines!

Please summer... come here soon!

Fun Weekend

This weekend, the whole family went to watch my sisters in Basketball and watched them play a very strong game and they won and will be heading to Regionals!! Afton loves to watch her Aunties play basketball and cheers them on every time the touch the ball.

Great game girls!! It's the best I have seen the whole team play so far!

After basketball, we headed to the leisure show where we have become the standard family wondering around. By that I mean; for every boat and RV dad wants to look at, we also do something for the kids.

Afton got to enjoy the dog show, get her face painted, get butterfly wings made by the balloon man and Jeff drooled over boats and RV's.

Tivian enjoyed the day in her baby sling like a baby joey in her Kangaroo pouch sleeping like a good girl.

It was a very fun day with no tears, from anyone!! YEAH!!!

Today, we took the girls down for their first pictures. The joys of digital photography, I am already getting a sneak peak at them!!

Tivian was awake and a very good little 2 week old baby for the pictures and big sister Afton humored us for a few pictures in between playing with all the new stuff at the photography place.

I cannot wait to update my wall of photos with our girls!!

Lucky little girl!!

We are so lucky to live in a great small town! Jeff and I are coming up to our one year moving into a small town, and after bringing home our little girl - we are reminded how lucky we are!

Afton begged to go to daycare the other day and with a full day of appointments in the city yesterday - we told her she could go and play with her friends. Afton came home with goodie bags for her and her sister!!

What lucky girls. Tivian got letters for her room that we hung on the door. They match the alphabet theme we have for her room so well and are just too adorable! Afton of course wanted her letters on her door - so I went and got her some as well. (how could i not go into my favorite store for a quick visit!).

Thank you everyone for the food, flowers, gifts and visits to welcome our little one into the world!

Cousins

This weekend, Tivian met her older cousin (by 16 days). As you can see, they decided the best way to bond was to have a nap together.

Afton was excited to see her cousins again as she always loves to play with them. She is also learning that she can get more treats at grandma's house if she says she is sharing with them.. mmmm ... can you see trouble in the future?

I understand it better now

As the third child (and just 20 months apart from my older brother), I used to be annoyed that:

• there were 1/3rd the amount of baby photos of me as my older brothers!
• almost every picture of me has my siblings in them!

I didn't understand why I always was stuck in the middle with the boys while their baby photos were just of them.

Fast forward (umm a few years?) and as a mom with TWO girls, THREE years apart and already one week into the parent game - poor Tivian has to share photos of her with her big sister.

Afton seems to enjoy sneaking into photo shots and stealing the spot light. She is all about getting her picture taken these days and sneaks into any photo when she sees a camera out.

So to Tivian, I will do my best to get photos of JUST YOU! But when you see pictures like these, know your sister loves you, is a big goofball, and this is what it's like to be the second baby in the family.... remember your poor Aunty - the youngest of 5 and know that she has pictures almost exactly the same as this!

my drama queen

Afton LOVES to dance and sing and her top 2 favorite songs at the moment are pink - so what and Beyonce, single ladies.

I try my hardest to encourage her dancing skills without laughing too hard. She tries soooo hard to keep up with the girls dancing, but it sends me into giggle fits. I have to try my hardest to keep myself in check.

This video will probably embarrass her sooooo bad around 15, but at the moment, she is sooo proud of herself for dancing so well, that it's cute (even as I laugh with tears in my eyes).

Of course she has to dance on the foot stool, aka stage. I look forward to next year when she can register for dance. I know she will love to dance on the stage and wiggle and shake her bum - much to her dad's dismay.

big sister love

It has been a week since we brought home our little girl and so far we are all adjusting to the new sleep routine's and our larger family.

I was worried Afton would spend this first week in time out, but so far, so good! Afton wants to be part of all the activities it takes to keep a baby happy. She helps me pick out cloths for Tivian, gets her soother for her and her favorite thing to do is to dance and sing to Tivian!

Tivian will either adore her older sister or never want to sing or dance!

Welcome baby Tivian

Tivian Charles Foster joined our family February 17th at 7:39 pm. She is healthy and happy at 6 lbs 4oz and 19 3/4 inches long.



We were surprised to find out during labour that she was laying transverse, but literally moments before she was born, she turned all by herself and was born just minutes latter.

I am doing great and feeling back to my old self and back to eating food again and enjoying it!! Tivian is sleeping good so far and Afton is over the moon excited to be a big sister. She told everyone from day one, we were having a girl and she was right!

Afton has been a big help, checking Tiv and letting us know when she's awake or sleeping. She does need to toughen up a bit as if Tivian lets out a big cry (like at bath time) Afton starts to cry over Tivian not being happy as well.

We are all happy to be home and have our two wonderful girls!

Baby Colton

Afton, Dave and Kelly and I all went down to meet baby Colton the other day. It's amazing how fast you can fall in love with someone so small!!

Congratulations Kaelene, Shawn and family!

Another Hansen Addition!

Congrats to my sister and brother-in-law and their kids on the addition of another family member. Colton Charlie Hansen was born Monday Feb 1st, 2010. He was 7 lbs 12 oz. Everyone is happy and healthy.

Just add baby

Last night, Jeff brought home and helped hang the shelves in the baby room for baby's books, nick-knacks and other small items.

While I desperately miss my Ikea for inexpensive, small items like this - with some searching and adjusting of ideas, I am finding what I want here in Saskatchewan. Don't get me wrong - I'll be jumping up and down the day Ikea decides to come to this province!

Last night, Jeff looked around the room and asked if I was done adding things to this room as

the only thing we're missing is the baby!

Well, I'm almost there. The rest of the details will wait till we find out if baby is a boy and girl, then the final details will be added. The room colors and bird theme have all been inspired from Jeff's old baby blanket.

Jeff's aunt made this for Jeff when he was a baby and I think it's beautiful and amazing! I love the blue's, brown's and the fact that baby has something handed down is a gift!

Now we wait on baby. With Afton's birthday drawing near, I can only hope it's a few weeks away yet as I would like to have a few weeks break between birthdays!

Baby Room - one more project!

I had a friendly women I met via the joys of the internet make me these beautiful and fun alphabet letter's for the baby room! I painted them shades from the curtains and then have plans to 'boy' them up or 'girl' them up once I meet this baby!

I finished the last coat of paint on them today and have leaned them (hence the 'c' sitting funny) up against the top rail until hubby with the air nailer comes home and can help me hang them. I figure pregnant women on chair with air gun is not a good idea!!

I am excited to get them hung in the room and they add a touch of detail to this small room that I am loving more and more!



I also have had requests on the closet that we have made into the closet/change table area. Like I said, this is a small room and I didn't really have room for a dresser. We were lucky to have a ton of shelving in this closet. we hung a little rod to hold some baby clothes and one of the shelves is at the perfect height for me to use as a change table!



Some baskets, a mirror on the back wall for baby to see them self and a round towel holder to hold spare spit up blankets for those accidents and I have myself a change room in a closet!

When the baby is older, we will put back the extra 2 shelves we have in storage for now so there will be lots of storage for clothes!