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