Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Foraging Adventures

I have a husband who likes to hunt for things. Specifically, forage for edible items in the woods. I think that this is a side effect of growing up on Vancouver Island. I had never gone looking for mushrooms in my life before we met... it's not something that ever really occured to me growing up in Southern Ontario. (I'm sure that people do though!). However, Newfoundland has an abundance of edibles in its wilds if you take the time to look for them. For example, chanterelle mushrooms. They are bright yellow, edible, and not easily mistaken for other poisonous mushroom varieties (something you really do need to be careful of when on the hunt for fungi!). On Saturday afternoon we took a drive to Windsor Lake, just north of town, and went mushroom picking. Well, I had fun with the kids on the main trail and Brian was the one ducking in the dense undergrowth to find our treasures!

On the way there we stopped at a new bakery. They had delicious cinnamon buns!



Love this pic!


Can you spot a Brian? (see how dense the bush is...)



Oh look, a Bronwen..


John was hanging out in the Ergo baby carrier..


Such a beautiful day.. it was the first sunshine we had seen after a week of rain, drizzle and fog so we were glad to get out!



Highlights for Bronwen= rocks and dirt



I took a picture of this berry because Bronwen ate one and I thought I might need to get it ID'd for the poison control centre or something.. luckily they are harmless!




The mushrooms! We had them for supper, fried in a bit of butter.. delicious!


And one more of our little rascal... climbed onto the table to get into John's bouncer.  This is how I found her... pretty comfy eh Bronwen?


Wednesday, 25 September 2013

High Fives


This is all unprompted.. for Bronwen, outstretched hand equals high five!

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Latest pics


Here are a few more pictures from the last few days. Mostly of John but one of Bronwen too. The weather is beautiful here today so I'm about to go on a walk with the kids.. fresh air and sunshine is good for the soul :)

Freshly bathed John


Mum and Bronwen


Taking a snooze on a very humid Sunday afternoon


Watching Dad make his beer


Taking notes for the future


One month old!


Doesn't mind baths so much anymore




Also, here is a picture of Bronwen and John wearing the same sleeper. She is a month older than him in this picture... he is a bit bigger than her, but I think that also the sleeper may have shrunk. The month difference accounts for her chubbier face and better sitting up skills... but I think that you can still tell they are siblings! I'll try to take another one where they are the same age for comparison sometime soon. A lot of people say that John looks like Bronwen... in some ways he does but they are quite different too.


Here they are at approximately the same age...



Thursday, 12 September 2013

September days

Time to post another update... though the easiest way to update seems to be just posting a bunch of pictures! I am trying to take lots of pics... to avoid the 'second child syndrome' where there are tons of pictures of the eldest child, and barely any of subsequent children. 

We are doing pretty well over here, for the most part. I am really sleep deprived but somehow managing to cope pretty decently during the day. It must be survival instincts. The longest John has ever slept between feedings, day or night, is 2.5 hours... but it is usually 2 hours for the first part of the night and then decreases to 1.5 and then only 1 hour. Broken sleep isn't easy but this is the plight of new moms everywhere. Sometimes I get so confused when I hear him at night, and can't remember if I already fed him... wait, am I holding him right now.. nope, that's my pillow. Needless to say he is thriving and growing like a weed. 
Bronwen is sprouting 4 more teeth at the same time (pointy canines, none the less), and both her and Brian are fighting off the annual 'back to school' cold... but that's all part of everyday life and really, I have nothing to complain about!

This was one of the first posts I wrote after Bronwen was born. It is pretty applicable right now as well, except for a couple of changes..
Not microwaving nearly as many coffees. The baby can squeak a little... not scream, but squeak ;).
With a boy, it's the pees that are projectile (Peepee Teepee-- someone gave me some of these... however, a large washcloth is better defense!)
The only napping opportunity window is when Bronwen naps, so a morning caffeinated coffee is fine and much needed!
People are still generous and lovely. Most notably, our friend Maggie, who has made 5 food dropoffs to our door already. 
With a newborn and the toddler, the fact that they are close in age draws more attention than the newborn itself. And the fact that the toddler likes to be very social and blow kisses.
Naps are still good... especially with a snuggly wee boy on your chest.

And now, some pictures. 

What a face! 



Little brother fast asleep


Our friends Ethan and Lauren came over to say bye before they headed overseas... here is Bronwen with her little buddy. They are 6 months apart.



We had a fire at the beach last Saturday, it was a lovely evening. Bronwen enjoys lots of attention from this particular group of friends as she is the only kid there! (well, John is there too now :). Everyone else has dogs instead.



 Beautiful beach!




My boys! John's first beach fire


Charlie comes over for a look



'I'm just going to sit right here. With very good posture.'


Whale sleeper from Grandma B! John is wearing 3 month sleepers already. He was weighed on Tuesday and was 10 lbs 14 oz... up from 8 lbs 13 oz on Aug 26, so that's 2 pounds in 2 weeks!


'Enough with the pics!'



Sibling shots



3 1/2 weeks old!



Wednesday, 4 September 2013

More Pics

Here are some pictures from our last couple of weeks....

Enjoying a BBQ outside when my mum was still here- typical Bronwen face. 


Father and son


Sibling love


Brian's delicious saskatoon berry pie


Family pic.. thanks Mum!


Some of these ones were taken by my brother Chris who came to visit for the long weekend.. we had a lot of fun! Here we are at windy Cape Spear...



Walk downtown to Atlantic Place






Enjoying coffee and crepes on a rainy Saturday


Big sister and little brother! I love these pics.