whip it up.....

Today was a rough day (more on that later) but it got a whole lot brighter when my friend Janis from Pinecone Camp came over.  She likes to bake on Mondays, so today we baked my Nan's whipped shortbread. Don't you just love this photo of my Nan baking some cupcakes in the 70's?  Good times. Check out Janis' blog here for all the fun. xx

portraits

I'm a super sentimental person, I save everything and love to reflect on my many memories.  I hold onto art projects and baby bracelets, photos of family members I have never met, old records and china.  The past fascinates me....I hope one of my kids shares my love of a good memory.

Lori Joy Smith is an artist who now lives in PEI (she use to live in BC)...I have always admired her work and dreamt of the piece I would own.  When reading her blog (which I love) I stumbled upon her fabric portraits.....I e-mailed Lori Joy right way!  After a few notes back and forth and a couple of photos of Beckett and Zoë, Lori Joy worked her magic and sent me the portraits.  Aren't they the sweetest?  I love them so much, I can't wait to order one for Poppy!  The portraits are perfect and I can't wait to pass them on to my babies when they are all grown up. xx

my new friend

Isn't he the sweetest?  I have always wanted an Elf on the Shelf - now I have one.  Here's the deal, the Elf works for Santa, he arrives at your house to watch your kids and report back to the big guy on whether the kids are good or bad.  The Elf is only allowed to talk to Santa and Mommy & Daddy, he perches himself on a shelf to watch the kids....they can talk to him but they can't touch him.  This is good stuff. Your kids are suppose to name the Elf and each night while your kids are sleeping you move the Elf to a new location in the house.  It's quite exciting for the kids to wake up and go in search of their new pal.

Beckett and Zoë haven't met the Elf yet, he'll arrive December 1st. Naming him should be interesting!  The Elf comes with a beautiful book which we have been reading every night. I love that this little guy was created by a mom for her kids. Our kids are super young, I'm not sure they will grasp the concept of the Elf quite yet but I hope this become a tradition for us.  I love the magic of it.  The Elf on the Shelf is available at EiO at 18th and Cambie in Vancouver. 

it's been a while....

How is it possible that it's the middle of November?  I haven't posted in almost a month, nuts.  Life is busy but good...we're having a lot of fun.  I thought I would post some photos of Zoë's birthday party.  It was in September, I'm a little behind on my posts!  Still can't believe she is now two.  

 The girl likes to bake.....a lot.

We made sugar cookies for everyone to take home after the party, Z's and hearts - one hundred and fifty of them!

The cake was fun to make....my friend Denise is the real baker and my teacher - she's a true Betty Crocker.

Dave and Saleema made the birthday sign out of scrapbook paper, my mom made the poufs (three are now hanging in Zoë's room).

It was a good time, lots of friends and family...and food! xx

tv week video

When we did the photo shoot for TV Week a couple of sweet girls from the magazine came over and shot some video, I just watched it for the first time tonight.  I think they did a great job! 

poppy & tv week

The new issue of TV Week magazine features sweet baby Poppy and me on the cover.  I haven't seen the magazine yet, I'm super excited to see it.....it's on news stands Friday October 8th.  xx

someone is two today...

photo by ka davidson

Happy 2nd Birthday Zoë!

life with three babes

photo by ka davidson

I can't believe that I have three children!  Although we are tired, I mean really, really tired - we're having the greatest time.  Poppy is now 5 weeks old, Zoë is turning two (tomorrow) and Beckett just turned three. Where does the time go?

photo by ka davidson

Poppy is a great baby, she's very sweet and peaceful.  How she sleeps with the noise of two toddlers in the house is beyond me!  Having a newborn in my arms again is pure joy, I love babies.  Experience has taught me to enjoy every moment that she is in my arms, even if it's 3am because it doesn't last long.  Before you know it they are running around and it's impossible to get more than a two second cuddle.  These newborn moments pass by in a flash and they are so special, I'm trying my best to savour every second of it.

photo by ka davidson

Although I'm trying to enjoy every second of it (and I am) I am also SO FREAKIN' TIRED.  I forgot how exhausting a newborn is...or is it the toddlers that are exhausting?  I'm doing crazy things, I look in the fridge for a broom, I leave things on the roof of my car and drive off, I find toast in the toaster that I made the day before..."mommy brain" is hard core after three kids.

photo by ka davidson

I hope you like the photos of the kids, my good friend Katyann took them,  trying to get a photo of all three together was a very big challenge! xx

my plan

You are looking at my lunch, looks good don't you think?  I have a plan and so far it seems to be working. You see, I like food - especially soft cheeses, bread, popcorn and pasta.  Sigh.  Those foods are not going to get me back into my pencil skirt.  Don't get me wrong, I don't feel some weird pressure to be a certain size - it's purely economics.  I have a closet full of work clothes, it makes way more sense for me to fit into them rather than buy all new clothes.

After having Beckett and Zoë I enjoyed all the soft cheese I wanted, until I realized that I had to go back to work and nothing except my leggings fit me.  So I would panic, starve and go to the gym.  Not a wise plan as it made me miserable, tired and it didn't work.  Now that I'm experienced in  the pregnancy department I decided to take a different approach this time around.  I thought I would watch what I eat right out of the gate. What a concept.  Problem is that with a new baby and two toddlers I'm incapable of feeding myself, so I called Deanna at Licious Living and asked for her help.  

For the past two weeks Licious has been delivering me The Zone, seven days a week - three meals and two snacks.  It's good, it's working and I'm HAPPY.  The best part is that I don't have to think, I open the front door each night and there's my cooler with my meals. I won't bore you with numbers but I am losing weight and I'm not miserable, I mean how could I be when I get to dig into a salad like this one!  I had to have a c-section so the gym isn't an option for three more weeks.  It's weird, I'm actually looking forward to the gym - I can't believe I just wrote that but it's true.  I'm feeling good and I'm very happy.  

I'll be posting some new photos of my babes very soon...Katyann came by and took some great photos that I can't wait to share.  xx

sweet poppy.....

Poppy Estelle Caton Genn was born Monday August 16, 2010 at 8:17am.  She weighed a nice 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  Check out her full head of gorgeous hair - I'm jealous! We are over the moon, Poppy is a sweet, peaceful baby.  Beckett and Zoë are in awe of her and Dave and I couldn't feel more joy. It's so wonderful to feel this new love again. I'm the happiest I have ever been. xx

our boy is three

photo by ka davidson

Sweet Beckett just turned three, how fast time flies.  These past three years have been the best of my life....I can't imagine life without our little man, he's pure joy.  We celebrated Beckett's birthday with a party with friends & family the day before his actual birthday & then on the big day our friend (& amazing photographer) Katyann came over to take some photos of Beckett. 

photo by ka davidson

Dave bought a drum kit for Beckett when he was born, we put it out in the backyard for some photos and when he sat down, it was like he was born to play!  Hilarious.

My friend Denise came over in the morning and made Beckett's cake - seriously - what a talent!  I dreamed of making the cake and Denise just swooped in and whipped it up.  She also made the cupcakes, the fruit platter, the veggie platter, the 7-layer dip and chicken skewers with peanut sauce.  Denise is a force (and a good friend).

It was a Thomas the Tank Engine theme, as you can see Beckett loves Thomas! Zoë on the other hand was only concerned with the cake/cupcakes and the bubble machine.  

Baby number three is set to arrive in less than a week. We're getting very excited around here....I can't believe I'm going to be a mama to three kids!  Next up in the birthday department is Zoë on September 24th, I'm looking forward to planning a fun party to celebrate our girl turning two.  Next year I'll be planning a birthday party for Beckett the beginning of August, number three's will  be the middle of August and then Zoë will be in September.  Fun times.

xx

a sigh of relief

This photo breaks my heart.  Poor little bug, he's getting his blood test and didn't cry but wow was he sad.  It's routine that each year as we near Beckett's birthday he goes through a series of tests and appointments.  In the last two weeks we have been to the lab at Children's Hospital for his complete blood work, Audiology for a hearing test, the Ophthalmologist for an eye check-up (he has cataracts) and then to the Paediatrician for his yearly check-up.

photo by ka davidson

                                                             

I'm happy and relieved to report that all is good with Master Beckett. It's quite stressful waiting for results, I can't help but go through the worst case scenario as I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep.  So when the eye doctor says his eyes look good and the cataracts haven't grown, I smile and sigh.  When the audiologist checks B's ears and says that his hearing is "normal", I feel relief.  The big one is the blood results, we head to the doctor's and when we learn that his blood is good, I'm so grateful I could cry.

photo by ka davidson

When you have a child with special needs there are a lot of tests, you're always watching and noticing and like any parent you are always worrying.  We have a lifetime of tests ahead of us, unfortunately I was born a worrier, my worrying is far more intense since I have had children.  I try to keep it under wraps, control it....I don't want it to rule my life.  Right now, as we approach Beckett's 3rd birthday, I'm happy and so thankful that my babes are well.....may all our babes be well. xx

the garden

It's always been a secret dream of mine to have a beautiful garden and have it featured in a magazine.  My garden is a work in progress, with two toddlers, a baby on the way and a full-time job there's not a lot of extra time for gardening.  I was shocked when GardenWise Magazine called and said they wanted to feature my garden in their magazine.  I was so excited!  I only started to freak out about a week before they arrived - my garden is not my dream garden...yet.  We did the shoot in May, plants in Vancouver weren't exactly thriving - the weather has been horrible here for a while.  Knowing that Heather Cameron would be on site to style the shoot made me feel much better!  She's an incredible talent...check out her blog A Day in the Country.  They delivered the magazine to me today, it's on stands now.  

This is a photo  from my camera on shoot day...Master B was at daycare, so Miss Z was my little helper.  When we moved into our house two years ago we tore out the entire garden, it wasn't really a garden it was a bunch of filler.  We started from scratch, it's been a fun and creative process that never seems to end.  I'm happy that both of our kids love being in the garden, I can't wait til I can teach them how to pull weeds!

My favourite plant in our garden is the Himalayan Blue Poppy, isn't she a beauty?  

a week of nothing

Dave and I just spent a week in Palm Springs - without the kids.  It was so nice to float in the pool, sleep in, read magazines and do absolutely nothing - but we missed our kids SO MUCH.  B & Z stayed at home with my Aunt and Uncle, every time we phoned home (which was a lot) the kids would either squeal with joy or cry hysterically.    At 2-1/2 and 1-1/2 they are just too young to understand where we went and I'm sure a week to them felt like a month.

So as great as it was to feel the sun shine on my skin and rest my very pregnant self, I found myself panicking about my kids and their feelings. I'm such a worrier now. Know what I mean?  We got back late Friday night, I spent Saturday afternoon at Children's Hospital Emergency with Zoë, all is good now. Beckett is now very sick, he has a temperature and is super congested. Poor bugs.  I really don't see us going on vacation without them anytime soon!  

I love this picture!  This massive cactus was just outside the front door of our friend's house where we stayed...it's awesome.

tv week

Beckett, Zoë and I are on the cover of the new issue of TV Week Magazine . The shoot was on May 3rd and it was pure chaos! Katyann Davidson was the photographer, she’s incredibly talented and patient. Zoë wasn’t in the best of moods in the morning, it made picture taking challenging – she even refused a nap that day, so you can imagine how the afternoon went! Things did improve once we started on the cupcakes, whew. Beckett is always easy, he loved it when we pulled out the paints – the boy loves to paint a picture.
These are some photos that didn't make it into the magazine......

I hope you like the issue, it was a lot of fun to do and I’m very honoured that TV Week asked us to be on the cover. TV Week Magazine is in stores now!  xx

q&a with flourish design + style

Sarah from flourish design + style contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would do q & a with her - I was so honoured!  I LOVE Sarah's blog, she posts the most amazing designs.  I check her blog every day and am never disappointed....oh a girl can dream!


Our interview was posted this morning....thank you Sarah for having me on your blog, very sweet of you.  xx

in the garden

Zoë and I spent the other morning in the garden. Gardenwise Magazine was at our house to shoot our garden, it was very exciting and terrifying for me! I love gardening, I'm not very good at it but I'm trying. My mom is the most amazing gardener I know...I'm hoping that her talent rubs off on me and my kids. Miss Z loves being outside and so far it seems that gardening is right up her alley! Beckett was at play school when we did the shoot, he would have loved it - he's definitely an outdoors guy. 


The Gardenwise issue with our garden in it will be out in a couple of weeks. I'll post the cover shot as soon as they send it to me. I snapped the shot above of Zoë as she did some gardening by my favourite garden gnome, isn't he great? He's designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell and he was an engagement gift. I love gnomes, my collection continues to grow in the garden and in the house!

happy, happy day

Happy Mother's Day!  This is a photo of my beautiful mom holding me, I look pretty fresh and that art on the wall makes me think that we are in the hospital ready to go home.  This would be right before Mother's Day, my mom's first. I was almost 10 pounds when I was born and my mom was in labour for 48 hours - you'd never know what she went through by looking at this photo - her smile is gorgeous - and that hair!

I received my very first homemade Mother's Day card.  Beckett brought it home from Daycare, he also gave me a a little pot with a bean sprout in it! It is beautiful and I love it. This is what I have been waiting for, homemade gifts made with love by the people I love most.


Happy Mother's Day to you, I hope it's filled with love and laughs. xx

love

I have a great husband.  He's kind, funny, generous and full of love.  What I love best about D is that he's an amazing dad.  When I married D I knew he would be a great dad - he really is incredible. Nothing melts my heart more than when D is with our kids.  They adore him, the sweet sounds of their giggles while playing with their dad is almost too much for my heart to handle.

When Beckett was diagnosed with Down syndrome, we were tested.  We had never been faced with such fear and pain before.  You see a person's true soul when together you are challenged.  I'll never forget the moment the doctor said the words, the tears that D and I cried and then the strength we gave each other.  There's no one else on earth that I would rather be with for this incredible journey.

When Miss Zoë was born I saw the father-daughter connection immediately, love at first sight - sigh.  I never had that relationship with my own dad, so to see such love was beautiful.  Zoë definitely has her daddy wrapped around her finger - and she knows it.  Her favorite word is "Daddy" and she's not afraid to use it.

Beckett and his dad are two peas in a pod, best pals forever.  Zoë is the apple of her daddy's eye, a sweet connection.  Soon Number Three will be here and a new journey will begin, what fun that will be! xx

games

Sweet Sarah over at flourish design + style is playing a game...and she tagged me.  You have to post the sixth picture you ever posted.  This is an easy one for me because I'm a newbie at this blogging thing! The photo is of my husband feeding Beckett when he was 7 months old.  I love how chubby Beckett is and how Stanley is totally into it!


Now I'm tagging:


Stuff
An Honest Glance


Play along if you like.  xx

the 80's

I'm in love with these Vans.  I guess it's because they remind me of the 80's and lets face it - I love the 80's. Of course Beckett and Zoë will never understand who Spicoli is, Ducky means nothing to them and Molly Ringwald (my 80's hero)....I know they won't ever get her!
That's okay, I bought Zoë the heart Vans and Beckett the mini "Spicoli's". Couldn't help it.  They are at EiO (18th and Cambie) and there are tons of styles.  More photos here.  
Excuse me while I go crank some Simple Minds.

monkey love

I was at EiO Kids today meeting with my good friend and business partner Marc, we wanted to take some photos of some new dresses that came in. Since we don't have the perfect white wall and our sweet neighbours at Walrus do we went next door for a visit.  As soon as I walked through the door I fell in love.  Look at this candelabra!  Now I realize that this isn't everyone's idea of perfect but it's mine - I LOVE it.  I didn't bring him home because I have no idea where I would put him....what do you think?
Walrus is at the corner of West 18th & Cambie in Vancouver (right beside EiO Kids)!

Here's a couple of the dresses that we photographed, they just came in, size 2 - 6 and they are way cute.

mmmm watermelon

I love watermelon. Love. I gave Zoë some watermelon the other day, it's totally not in season here - wait a minute, watermelon is never in season here!  Well I couldn't help it, I paid big bucks for my favorite fruit and I'm happy to report that Miss Z loves watermelon too. 

Teaching her that you don't eat the rind was challenging, an 18 month old just doesn't understand why there's one part that you don't eat.  Thank goodness it was seedless!

I have such great memories of eating watermelon in the backyard sunshine as a kid, I can't wait for warm days so I can sit in the sunshine and eat watermelon with my girl.