52 week project: Week 3

My daughter begged me to give her bangs last month. I had them when I was little and decided to change it up for my girls but secretly, I miss them. The problem is that as soon as I get them for myself they start to bug me and I end up pinning them back until they grow out again for months. For now, I live vicariously through her.

My little one deeply engrossed in a flash card activity. I was trying to capture her lips as she said "moon". They fan out and make me smile every time she says it. I ended up getting a good one of her beautiful eyelashes.

52 Week Project ; Week 1 and 2

I am a little behind on my blogging these days. I promised myself that I would pick back up on my personal photo project somehow and have decided to start a 52 week instead of a 365 project, starting last week. Some weeks may have more then one photo entered then others but at least one photo a week must be included in this project.

My first of many to come is from our first family vacation last week. Both my husband and myself were apprehensive of taking the girls at such a young age since they are still so dependent on us and can be trying at the best of times but we opted to enjoy seeing those first impressions of experiencing the ocean and the tropical breeze and the sense of togetherness over the fact that it will probably not be as relaxing as we may have needed. I am so glad we decided for it. We found an amazing resort that I would highly recommend anyone try if they are bringing along a young family to a sunny destination (email me for a link if you want more info). The first couple of days were a bit of a challenge. Day one was rough catching up on lost sleep from a day of travel but after about day 3 we were all in a nice groove and enjoying the sun, beach, food and the "Kids Club" that had me breathing a huge sigh of relief. I think I needed this trip to loosen the invisible strings of over protectiveness I have on both my girls. Madison has rarely been out from under my wing in her 2 short years that it was hard to leave her behind at first but after seeing the poof of smoke behind her as she bolted happily through the gate the second time we brought her there I felt instantly at ease. It helped to know how good Abby is with her sister and see the nurturing side come out in her even more while we were there. I could still only leave them for no more then 1 to 2 hours each time but that is still a pretty big development for me.

Below are a couple of favorite pics from our small excursion about a 2o minute drive away from the resort. We opted to try for a dolphin encounter with Abby but alas, she fell asleep on the bus and was not a happy camper for the experience. Although I did not go into the encounter myself, just being around these happy creatures made both Madison and myself smile from ear to ear. The trouble was, keeping her from jumping into the water to join them, she was so excited to see them :). Dolphins have always been a favorite animal of mine. At one time I wanted to be a Marine Biologist, along with being a Veterinarian until a friend of mine started to explain all the other gory things that come along with the job aside from years of schooling. Mind you, this was at the age of 8. I still think I could have managed but the discipline in education would have required more patience that I don't think I have.

Both girls recognized that this bird was a pelican from their "Finding Nemo" movie.
The girls on day four, exploring a small sea pool with their dad. Those giant potato bug looking creatures kind of made me squeamish and I don't mind bugs all that much.

Madison curiously gazing at one of the many turtles we could see over one of the bridges to our favorite buffet restaurants on the resort.

One of the resort attractions that the girls loved to see every day.

I had every intention of getting a really nice family portrait on the beach with coordinating outfits for everyone but our hotel room was quite remote and a walk away that by the time we were all ready, the sun had set :(. Oh well, we had such a great time together and really enjoyed the warmth. This winter has been very long, longer then any I remember, but being at home has probably intensified it for me. I have to say, being a SAHM (stay at home mom) is a wonderful experience, but it is hard work and very isolating. I still think going back to an official job away from home can be easier then being on from the moment you open your eyes until the little ones finally give in to sleep at night. I am not complaining, I wouldn't trade this time for anything, but it isn't an easy experience for anyone who would think otherwise, regardless of whether you have one, two or four children. It isn't all about eating bonbons all day and chatting with other house wives...those are merely coping mechanisms for the isolation and need to keep up with the kids. It has very little recognition in our society and we have the most

important jobs that anyone could ever have. We are responsible for the next generation...talk about pressure to perform. The kicker is, no matter how well we do our jobs, we can not always predict or control how our children act or turn out. We just have to have faith that we are laying down the best possible foundation for them to build on and we make so many mistakes as we learn. Such a learning curve to have, unlike any other.

Week Two:

Our official March Break is this week. We are all on vacation mode and the girls were spoiled with up to 2 hours or more of exercise each day from our trip that I was all about the kid play places, bike riding, play dates, etc this week. It was nice to reconnect with friends that we haven't seen in awhile and to come back to gorgeous spring weather. An interlude to spring...I love it!!

Here is a snap from this week with our point and shoot camera. I am no expert at the point and shoot equipment so it isn't a great photo. The girls love going to Creative Play in Ajax. It sure was hopping with March Breakers when we were there earlier this week.

Alas, coming home to such sad news about Japan has me in deep contemplation about our world and all the natural disasters that have occurred recently. We were sheltered by the news while we were away and saw footage as we were picking up our baggage at Pearson Airport on Monday morning. My heart sank. The sad part is that while we were on the beach one of the days, the waves had me thinking about tsunami's and how scary they must be and then to learn of such devastation actually happening across the world had my heart sink. I sat down the first night and watched footage on Youtube. Unbelievable and so sad.