world down syndrome day

Today is the 8th Annual World Down Syndrome Day. The 21st day of the 3rd month was chosen as the day to celebrate and signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.

Today, we raise awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities. We celebrate Beckett everyday in our house, his extra chromosome presents some challenges but that's okay. There was a time when I was filled with fear, I didn't know anything about Down syndrome. That has changed, I'm an expert now! I hope I can teach others there is nothing to fear. People with Down syndrome are just like you - they have feelings, they love, they have dreams. The thought of someone judging my son based on his extra chromosome breaks my heart.

Our dreams for Beckett are no different than our dreams for our daughters. Be happy, be bright, be you. Happy World Down Syndrome Day. Next time you see someone with Down syndrome, say hi - you'll be pleasantly surprised.  xx

happy birthday

Happy Birthday to my husband Dave...I love him.

zoë's 4th birthday party

I thought this was the perfect time for a "princess party" - Zoë's 4th birthday. I went with pink - and a surprise visit from Cinderella. With three birthdays in a row it's hard to make them totally different, it's a little intense scrambling to get it all done but once it is, I have a year to rest up!

This party had many things similar to Beckett & Poppy's parties...my friend Mika took the photos for me, Sonia from Sweet Sugary Things made the cookies & my friend Denise made the cake - how perfect are those roses?! I follow Sheila from Pink Ribbon Bakery on Instagram, she makes amazing cupcakes (and cakes) & delivered the most delicious, beautiful cupcakes for Zoë's party.

Months ago, as I was walking out of swim lessons with the kids I picked up a card from Princess Dreams Vancouver and tucked it away in my desk. That card came in handy when I decided to splurge & have Cinderella show up at the house for an hour to read the kids a story, sing & entertain them. Cinderella had 12 kids eating out of the palm of her white gloved hand. It was amazing to watch the magic.

Like her parents, Zoë loves a party so it was a thrill to throw this one for her. With three parties in a row our kids are becoming quite skilled at celebrating, not a bad skill to have.

Beckett was the only boy at the party, that was okay with him. He thought Cinderella was fun & he enjoyed getting a little sparkly eye shadow with everyone else. The girls love his dinosaurs & he loves their princesses. Perfect.

happy 2nd anniversary

Today Mike & I celebrated two years anchoring CTV News at Six. I love this job.

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.

beckett's 5th birthday party

Okay, I'm a little behind in my posts...just a little. Beckett's 5th birthday party was in August & I'm just getting around to posting some photos now. Yikes. We had a great time, it was a beautiful August day - friends & family gathered around for a dinosaur party to celebrate sweet Beckett turning 5.

The cookies were made by Sonia at Sweet Sugary Things (she made our cookies last year too) they were so delicious....and sweet. The beautiful cake was made by my friend Denise, she is incredibly talented - a realtor who can bake & cook like nobody's business. My friend Mika Inokoshi took the party photos.

Just about everything "dinosaur" came from The Dinosaur Corporation - they had it all and the delivery was fast. The piñata was a big hit, although somewhat dangerous....we had to hold off the crowd of toddlers!

My mom made the dinosaur terrariums & the big balloons came from The Party Bazaar. The best part about the party was just watching it happen.

When I was in the hospital last January I would fall asleep while dreaming of my kid's birthday parties. I would go through every small detail...I truly believe it's what helped me heal. It made me so happy to dream of the parties & anticipate the look of joy on my little one's faces.

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