my 3 elves

There's nothing like a morning photo shoot with three kids under the age of four for the cover of a magazine.  The amazing Janis Nicolay from Pinecone Camp came over bright & early one morning, damn that woman is good.  My idea was for the kids to wear their Baby Gap leggings and t-shirts that I had made that said "Peace" "Joy" & "Love".  You can only see "Peace"....oh well. We only threatened cancelling Christmas (and Halloween) three times....you can tell by the look on Zoë's face that she is playing along for our benefit. I laugh every time I look at this photo....knowing how incredibly chaotic it was in between each shot.  TVW is on news stands until Friday morning. Thanks for the sweet memory Janis. xx

oh santa

The plan was to get in line to see Santa before his 11am start time.  Due to a major Zoë meltdown because she didn't want me to help her put her dress on, we left the house at 10:45am. When we arrived we were seventh in line.  Not bad. All was good, the choir was singing and the kids were happy. As we inched closer to Santa it started to fall apart...Zoë removed her shoes, Poppy was squirming and Beckett was laying on the floor. We quickly put everyone in place for the photo....

Good times....such a hilarious photo!  Out of the six people ahead of us, four cried. Ho Ho Ho!

miss z's 3rd birthday

Miss Zoë turned 3 in September...I can't believe it's November and I'm just posting these now. Time is flying by, my babes are now four, three & one! The theme for the party was Hello Kitty - she was a favourite of mine when I was a little girl and now she's a hit again. Damn that cat stands the test of time.

Zoë's party followed in the footsteps of Beckett and Poppy's parties - hey when something works you do it again and again! My friend Denise rocked the cake and food - come on, that Hello Kitty cake is the best! Sonia from Sweet Sugary Things came through big time with the cookies and Mika captured it all on film.

At the last minute I decided to hire a face painter....amazing! Of course every kid at the party got their face painted - except for Zoë....when push came to shove, she wasn't into it. Kristal from Faceaballoonza is great - a true artist!

If I had the energy I'd have a party every month...I love gathering with family & friends. But the reality is that it's exhausting, on every level. The prep, the party and the (ugh) clean-up wipes me out.

My mom made everyone white "Hello Kitty" ears...so sweet. Even Stanley got into the spirit.

Why is it that we're always attracted to the icing? When I was a kid I prayed for the corner piece of the cake, or better yet - a piece with a flower. Remember flowers made of icing? Heaven. Happy to see my girl is right on track with her love of icing.

Zoë's not quite into sharing that cupcake quite yet though.....xx

poppy's 1st birthday party

We celebrated Poppy's 1st birthday in August. Some of Poppy's friends, all born within the same year as her, were at the party. Lots of babies, friends and family - just how I like it.

My sweet friend Denise made the cake, I showed her a photo of my "dream cake" and thought we could make it together - she showed up with the cake looking exactly like the photo. Amazing. The poms on the cake are from Potter and Butler in Oregon. Sonia from Sugary Sweet Things made Poppy's cookies.

The cupcake toppers, birthday hat and tags all came from Toadally Cute in Seattle. The lanterns are from Cathay in Richmond and the little sandwiches were made by my mom and mother-in-law. It really does take a village to throw a party...especially when you have three in a row (Zoë's party pics are next)!

I thought Poppy would go for it with the cake and cupcake - she was mesmerized but wouldn't try it! All of the photos were taken by Mika Inokoshi...best idea I every had was asking Mika to take photos of the birthday parties.

Here's the crew of kids that were at the party...our three and four other babes. Perfect. How much fun will it be to watch these littles grow up together?

A really fun day but so hard to believe that our baby girl is now one. A year flies by. Poppy is almost walking, she is determined to keep up with her big brother and sister...I'm enjoying every minute. Sigh.

beckett's 4th birthday party

Oh we had a good time. We went with a Yo Gabba Gabba theme for Beckett's 4th birthday. If you haven't heard of Yo Gabba Gabba, check it out - it's a good time. We know all the songs around here. I ordered Dave's DJ Lance Rock outfit online and my mom made furry hats for everyone.

The cake was fun! My friend Denise made it, she'll tell you that we both made it but we didn't. I put a bit of the green icing on Brobee but the cake was all Denise! It looked perfect and tasted great. Denise is the kind of person that shows up and makes stuff happen. Thank goodness. Oh yeah, she also made the food - seriously. The woman is a machine.

The cookies were made by Sonia at Sugary Sweet Things in Delta. She is amazing - what an artist! I really wanted to make the cookies again this year but it wasn't a reality. Life is full and my oven is broken. Let's face it, my cookies would not have looked like this! Oh, they were delicious.

I love birthday parties and celebrating another year. Toddler parties are truly exhausting and I have three of them in a row. Poppy's 1st birthday party was the week after Beckett's (photos to come) and Zoë's is in September. Clean up is made a little easier thanks to our dog Stanley. This year I decided to get help in the photography department, I love taking photos but it's way too chaotic to get it all. Mika came by and documented the day. Best decision ever.

I ordered all of the party favours online at Birthday Express, the lanterns were from Cathay Importers and the balloons from The Party Bazaar.

Beckett knew the party was for him and he had a great time. He was surrounded by family and friends. Zoë was a bit confused about when her party was, it's tough turning three and watching your brother and sister party before you. We will celebrate again soon.

oh where does a year go?

Poppy 5 weeks old.  photo by ka davidson

It's amazing how fast a year goes by and what a wonderful year it has been. My sweet Poppy just turned one. When she was born she had jet black hair & olive skin, we were positive that she was going to take after my husband's Japanese ancestors. Not to be, Poppy has porcelain skin, blue eyes and light brown hair. It's incredible how much she has changed and grown in such a short amount of time.

Poppy 11 months old.  photo by kyrani kanavaros

Poppy is sweet.  She is kind, calm and incredibly loving. I'm so happy that she loves to cuddle, Poppy has spent countless hours in my arms and I have loved every single second. Now she is one, crawling, standing and ready to start taking her first steps.

Poppy 12 months.  photo by ka davidson

I can't wait to find out who this girl is. Will she be feisty & outgoing like her sister or quiet and thoughtful like her brother? Maybe she will be completely different....it's so much fun to discover bits of who she is each day.  Happy Birthday Poppy. xx

my boy is four

I can't believe how fast four years can go by.  Beckett was born four years ago today. I remember the day so clearly, it was a gorgeous sunny August 2nd. I was so nervous as we drove to the hospital early that morning and by 8:30am my world changed forever. My boy is so sweet, he has been since the second he was born. The days that followed Beckett's birth were filled with fear and some tears as we discovered that he had Down syndrome but the tears were quickly replaced with laughs and joy as we got to know our baby. He is pure love.

photo by ka davidson

Watching Beckett learn to do the things that come so easily for others is amazing. He's determined and tenacious. Although he doesn't put together sentences, he can say quite a few words - he knows what he wants and knows how to tell us. He walks fast but doesn't like to bend his left knee, we're working on it! He's not so motivated by food and prefers smooth baby food to any texture....we're working on that too! Everyday there's something new for Beckett. Ask anyone who knows him and they will tell you that Beckett gives the best hugs. The best.

photo by kyrani kanavaros

I love how Beckett is with his sisters, when we go out people often ask if Beckett and Zoe are twins - so cute. These two are incredible together, the love and friendship they share warms my heart like nothing else. Beckett loves his sisters, he's so gentle with his baby sister Poppy and she is in awe of her big brother.

photo by kyrani kanavaros

Happy Birthday Beckett, I love you. xx

my favourite photo

I was looking through some photos recently and found this one, I'm not sure why I never noticed it before but I love it. Poppy had just been born and I went to the beach with Beckett, Zoë, Poppy and Stanley (Dave was on tour).  It was chaos, my first outing with all three kids and the dog! My friend Katyann followed us to take photos for TV Week Magazine. I love my boy's wind blown hair and sweet smile.

painter's lodge

Last weekend Zoë and I went to Painter's Lodge in Campbell River.  Over thirty artists spend the weekend creating art in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  My father-in-law Robert Genn is one of those artists and has been going to Painter's Lodge every May for seventeen years.  This year Zoë and I joined my mom, Robert and my mother-in-law Carol....we had fun.

Zoë painted with her Poppa one morning. She insisted on wearing the sunglasses. Her easel is attached to a $20 Ikea highchair. Poppa made it.  Genius.

Zoë was excited about painting, she was also excited about going for a boat ride. She completed two paintings and then announced that it was "time for boat ride now".

I love this photo, little legs dangling from her highchair, totally oblivious to the crowd gathering. Happy sitting beside her Poppa.

Every now and then Poppa would lean over and advise Zoë on her next move...she had no problem leaning back to let Poppa know that she knew exactly what she's doing!

 The finished masterpiece! Zoë's favourite colours are green, purple, pink and orange.

Our first weekend away together was fantastic (and exhausting)...I can't wait for our next adventure together.

7 months

This is what 7 months looks like in my house.  The hilarious thing is that Poppy is now 9 months old. Life is so busy it's taken me this long to post this happy "poppy grid".  The photos were taken in March by my talented, sweet friend Katyann and then my other talented, sweet friend Mauricio put them into a grid for me.  I have always wanted to do this. I just ordered a bunch of 8x10's for family and they are ready for pick-up. I wanted Poppy photographed in this hat because it's the hat she wears to bed every night....although it's getting a bit too small now!  I love it. xx

go canucks go

world down syndrome day

Today is the 6th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day....each year this day gets a little bigger.  It's an important day for those of us with a connection to Down syndrome as we strive to create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.

I must admit that before I had Beckett I really didn't know anyone with Down syndrome...I sure do now!  I have met some amazing parents, we meet online, through social media, in the mall, on the phone - it's wonderful. We have an instant connection.  I have laughed and cried with people I have just met.  We have shared our deepest fears.  We have grown together. We are connected.

Beckett came into our lives and changed it for the better.  Everyone who meets B falls in love, they can't help it.  Each day our little boy teaches us something new....we are lucky to have him hold our hearts. 

So, if you know someone with Down syndrome - lucky you.  If you don't,  I'd love it if you would take a small moment today to think of the 5.8 million people in the world with Down syndrome (35,000 in Canada)....and how they make our world a better place.

On a side note, the 2011 Canadian Down Syndrome Conference is May 20 - May 22 in Richmond, British Columbia. 

Miss Poppy

Poppy is 6 months old!  Oh where does the time go?  I took Poppy for her check-up and shots today, not a peep out of her.....I think it's because her thighs are nice and chubby - she didn't even feel the needle!  The girls is now 19 pounds 2 ounces and 28 inches long...you go girl!

Zoë is loving her little sister, it's quite cute to watch, I'm still waiting for Poppy's eyes to change - they're blue....huh?

Beckett is a lucky guy, he has two little sisters that love him...and he adores them.  As you can see, we like the laying down on the couch in the morning shots.

Beckett and Zoë were both great babies but Poppy takes it to a whole new level.  She's such a sweet soul, always happy....6 months....I'm savouring every minute.

5 years

                                       Happy Anniversary Dave......it's been 5 great years.

                                                                Best part of all?

                                                                          xx