celebrating 70

I love surprise parties, especially when I get to throw them and it's for someone I love. My mom just turned 70, a milestone for sure. My brother Frank and I were trying to figure out what we could do for her birthday, he lives in Panama so our first idea was to take her on a trip - just the three of us. After weeks of thought I began to imagine a small party with her closest friends and family. It would be a surprise, in seventy years she had never experienced a surprise party. What fun we had.

There were fifteen of us for dinner, we hired someone to come in to make dinner - it was Italian and it was amazing. I had never done this before but a friend suggested it, they worked with our budget and we were able to visit and not worry about what was happening on the stove. I also asked my friend Kyrani Kanavaros to come to take photos, I knew she would capture the evening for us and we could have the memories forever.

The best part of the night was that our kids were there to experience it. They had no idea what a "surprise party" was but once explained they loved it. My mom was so happy to have her three treasures with her.  Of course the biggest surprise of the night was that my brother snuck into town, the look on my mom's face when she saw him was priceless. 

When I was little my mom would throw me the greatest birthday parties. Lots of friends, cake and family. I was so happy to do this for her, to give her a night with her most loved that she will always remember. The cake was from Butter Baked Goods and it was delicious.

I had to light the candles on the cake about five times, the kids love to blow out the candles and everyone needed a try. I love this picture, I know our kids will look at this decades from now and remember this time with great happiness. xx

poppy's 2nd birthday party

A week after Beckett's dinosaur bash we went toadstool crazy & brought out the gnomes. Poppy loves gnomes and I love that she loves them. I mentioned in Beckett's birthday party post that I would lay in bed while recovering last January and dream on my kid's birthday party themes. Poppy's was easy, she loves gnomes...it then became a challenge for me to come up with different ways to decorate.

Once again the cookies were made by Sonia at Sweet Sugary Things. My incredibly creative mom made the toadstools on the table and gnome hats for everyone...the dahlias were picked from her garden that morning. Beckett enjoyed playing his birthday gift for everyone. I bought Poppy's sweet dress from The Cross months before her birthday, I saw it & knew it would be perfect on her. The little edible toadstools are cheese & cherry tomatoes with cream cheese dots. Dave painted eight brown stools & transformed them into little toadstools for the backyard.

I can't begin to express how much I love the cake. My friend Denise was the mastermind behind this sweet, little gnome cake. You can see Denise watching me pipe...she is so much fun to dream up a party with. I was given the gnome on the cake by a friend years ago and I ordered the toadstools on Etsy.

It was was so good...barely a crumb was left. With Beckett & Zoë nearby, Poppy didn't stand a chance blowing out her candles. Once again my friend Mika was there to take photos of the party.

This photo kind of says it all.....

As you can see, getting a family shot is a challenge. We eventually gave up.

It was a good time. A gnome garden party is a fun theme, the possibilities are endless. One more party to post...and then I'll start dreaming of next year's parties.

miss z is four

I can't believe my girl is four today....she was such a tiny little peach...my memories of her in my arms are vivid & I'm so grateful. I love looking back at the photos, I was a photo taking machine - it's shocking how much this babe has changed.

She has always been a firecracker, right from day one...she still is & that makes me happy. It's exhausting sometimes but I love that this girl is spicy.

Her personality is dynamic, her empathy is deep and her humour is off the charts. I love being around her. We all do. 

Miss Z is very excited to turn four, although she told me she can't wait to turn five. I explained how lucky she is to be a kid...there's no hurry to grow up....

It's such an exciting time for our family, our kids are growing & new experiences are around every corner. Baking, swimming, skating, skiing, school...questions & laughs everyday. 

It was hard to pick just a few photos of Miss Z....I have so many favourites, each one comes with a story & great memories. So....Happy Birthday Miss Z...thank you for the joy you bring to our hearts.

xox

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

a big, big day....

I'm going back to work tomorrow. Mat leave is over and I'm starting a brand new job. I'm excited, nervous and ready. Tomorrow Mike Killeen and I officially become the new anchors on CTV News at Six, it a big deal for both of us. The responsibility is huge, the challenge is great - I can't wait for this new chapter.

Leaving the littles to go to work will be tough, these past 5 months have been the best of my life. I love being a mom to three kids, exhausting but exhilarating. The funny thing is that they have no idea what I do for work, when they see me on the same TV that they see Barney....oh yeah! These past 5 months have also been huge in the development department for all three kids. Beckett is communicating well, Zoë is a girl with opinions (no idea where she gets this from) and Poppy is getting cuter  & stronger by the second.

So off I go tomorrow....and yes I'm nervous but here's the great part, even if I really mess this whole thing up, I still get to come home and have my three babes love me like nobody's business. Nothing beats that.