Pineo Lane

Maetia's Birthday

2010-04-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

On April 7th we celebrated Maetia's fourth birthday!! Michael said it really makes him feel old that he will be turning 30 this year and has a four year old child. Maetia has been such a blessing in our lives. She is creative and thoughtful. She is a wonderful sister to Eli and says the sweetest things to us each day. She is playful and talkative at home but quite shy in public. We are finding it takes her awhile to feel comfortable in new situations or when everyone is looking at her. She joined a gymnastics session and then a short dance class this year. She also has gone twice a week to Preschool, all of which we think has helped her learn to follow rules, directions and act appropriately among her peers. Her favourite things to do are to dance like a ballerina, dress up and play house. She loves everything pink and sparkling, which is the one way that she is very unlike her mother.
Pretty typical of a young girl, although we think she is very special and unique of course. We love you Maetia!!

Maetia and Oma (Maetia is wearing and loving her new dress from Grandma)

Maetia was upset when everyone sang Happy Birthday and then we had to get Eli to blow out her candles but she recovered when she got to eat one of Michael's horsey cupcakes.

Maetia loves to wear her bathing suit inside and pretend to swim. She also loves having pony tails in her hair (so does Eli).

Maetia showing me her skills on the swinging bar at Eli's Kinderskills class.

Easter

2010-04-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

We had a really great Easter weekend and although it was hard to still be 'church shopping' we did enjoy two good services which reminded us why we are really on this earth. My Opa died in March soon after his 91st birthday. While we mourned and celebrated his life, it opened up the discussion sooner than we had planned for Maetia about the death of people. We used the experience to talk about Jesus dying on the cross for us and how Opa is now in Heaven with Jesus. On Good Friday when we were reading about Jesus' death, Maetia said, "But Mommy, Jesus can't die because he has to save the world!".
We hid Easter eggs for the Easter bunny on Good Friday and collected them full of goodies on Easter morning. It was a fun way to celebrate although I still find myself being somewhat cynical about chocolate, eggs and bunnies all going along with Jesus. Maetia told me she would give some to Him if He came over.

More photos

2010-03-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Because I am finally sitting at the computer, putting off filing my taxes.... some more photos.

In case the earlier video didn't work we will show a photo. Eli moved into a big boy bed with relative ease. We still put a gate across his door for the days he tries to sneak out but mostly it has worked out well. He loves his 'Bob the Builder' sheets and the space to move around at night.

Maetia got a bike for her birthday last year but couldn't figure out the peddling (even with training wheels) so we salvaged this trike and it is working well on warm days in Winter.

Maetia and Eli love to paint and make pictures for the refrigerator door.

If you look closely you can see Eli with his green and yellow hat out in the wetland that surrounds our house. He loves it but has lost many mittens this year already!

Maetia and Janna= best friends and cousins

little Lainey

2010-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here she comes, face up.

Beautiful mother and babe

Me enjoying Lainey at 2.5 weeks while trying to pay attention to my toddlers.

I guess I have been really busy trying to make meals and watch my niece Janna but thought I should post about being blessed with a new niece on February 13, 2010. Maybe it was because we are close or because we used to pretend to be twins but when I was in with my sister, trying to be helpful I had some strong memories and feelings. I had some contractions and nausea and had to sit down. Great coaching!! I made it for the most part though, to hold Amy's hand, cheering and was able to witness a true miracle. Lainey entering the world is something I will never forget. I love you Lainey. Great job Amy!!! A big baby (9.5lbs) and two weeks early. Those VanHattem's birth some big babies.

Birthdays, Memories, and Reflections

2010-03-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Eli didn't need any encouragement to blow out the candle, he knew exactly what to do.

He was given a mat with roads on it and he is already very busy 'driving'.

We had matching glasses which confused him a little.

Eli will play outside all day if I let him. I have to go out and change his mittens periodically and make sure he warm enough. This part of his independence I like.
Yesterday was a blessing because we were able to celebrate my birthday and Eli's birthday. We share this special day and yesterday was very special indeed. One year ago, I was more focused on my own aging self rather than able to properly celebrate him. Two years ago I didn't celebrate myself except to have others cheering me on and praising me for a job well done.
(A beautiful homebirth I will always remember with tenderness and love)
Because last year I turned 30, this year it was just 31. What is it about those numbers 0 and 5. I had a really hard time turning 20, 25 and then 30. Yesterday was actually a bit of a relief. I am in my thirties. I have two wonderful children, an amazing husband and wonderful family and friends that surround me.
I also feel that because Eli and I had a harder time bonding initially, I now look forward to the older he gets, as we seem to bond tighter and tighter each day. This excites me as I realize it will continue as I age; which is a good thing to look forward to! This past year was a good year for memories and a hard year for reflections. I lost my grandmother, my church and had to re-arrange (in my head) where I thought I was going to live and what I was going to be doing there. I was able to do some deep, hard, (what felt like) blind, soul searching. I had been advised to do this over the next week or so from a small business counselor. It took me 9 months. I am still grieving my grandmother, my church and rediscovering my 'future'. But I do feel like the 30th year of my life was definitely one of the most eye opening, challenging and rewarding years of my life so far and I hope to have an equally blessed year this year but maybe with a few less pains.
Eli continues to grow and learn. He is so sweet and affectionate. He is a tease and loves to make us laugh. He has a very serious temper which is starting to get better now that he can use words but because he is so intense, we try to take the kicking screaming child out of the situation as soon as possible. He is talking quite a lot and can communicate much of what he needs but still uses a lot of shrugging and hand gestures. His gross motor skills are not surprisingly good but what did surprise us is that he is left handed and will use his marker or brush with great care and precision. He is not a careful child in most situations but when it comes to art, he really is. It is pretty fun to see the differences between he and Maetia and also to watch them play together and make each other laugh.

Gloating

2010-03-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

I don't normally like to brag but I believe 8 years ago I was in a room with about 20 Americans and only a few fellow Canucks. We were not able to celebrate the way we wanted to for fear of appearing brash or rude. Well, now I would like to just say, "My name is Laura and I am Canadian". HORRAY FOR CANADA!!!!
Check out our kids trying to watch the game with us, or maybe us trying to watch the game with them. In four years when we win again, they might get more into it. And I hope Sidney Crosby is still there to encourage and motivate young Nova Scotians.

VIDEOS

2010-02-01T16:29:00.001-08:00

For those of you who are trying to view our videos and can't; we think we figured it out. If you click on post of choice on the side bar (left) where the archives are listed, it will work. If you just click the play button on the video screen, it will not. I hope this helps.

New Bed

2010-01-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

This summer Eli and Maetia gave up their soothers at the same time. It was very hard for both children and adults for about a week but well worth it in the end. While this seemed to be sign that they were growing up, we weren't ready to move Eli to a 'big boy' bed just yet. Unfortunately, just after Christmas, he figured out how to escape all other options and we didn't want any serious falls so we decided to make the move. Maetia liked it because it meant she got a bigger bed with Teddy bear drawers (hand me down from her cousins) and Eli liked the idea of jumping on his own bed. This video gives you an idea of the small size of their rooms, their favourite toys, and best of all their fashion sense.

When Michael gets home from work....

2010-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Eli playing Sjoelbak

2010-01-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Aquarium

2010-01-22T04:30:00.000-08:00

We watched the baby beluga being born online through YouTube and we sing the Raffi song a lot so seeing a Beluga in person was a highlight of the trip for Maetia.
Also, allowing them to experience ancient/giant trees was great for us even if it was just for a short walk in Stanley Park. We certainly don't have trees like that in Nova Scotia anymore.

Christmas

2010-01-22T03:47:00.001-08:00

We had a really good trip to British Columbia to visit Grandma and Grandpa Contant. We were also able to see Michael's Grandmother who came up from Washington, and enjoy a meal with most of his mother's side of the family. We had the nativity story read to us in the barn with the DeGroot family with family pictures and good conversation. We were able to connect with great friends from when we lived in the area, we went to the Vancouver Aquarium and watched Grandpa make cookies (Spekulas) from his father's Dutch bakery molds. We had a nice evening meal with Michael's Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and best of all we were able to spend time together as a family within one household, and even had some conversation in the evening when the kids were in bed!! Despite the flu passing through the house, everyone remained mostly in good spirits. The kids had lots of time together playing games, painting, bathing, screaming, etc.
We are so thankful for the time we had together reconnecting and hope it doesn't take another 4 years to get back to BC. This trip reminded us of how very thankful we are for family and helped us to be even more thankful for the family that we do have living close by.

early in December

2010-01-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

We got our tree very early this year so we could enjoy it at home before we went on our trip to BC and came home to it dried up on the floor. (It actually lasted a lot longer than we thought!) We did some baking, visiting, and playing in the snow, all before getting ready for our big trip.

The chickens don't like cold feet but got used to it eventually.

We are enjoying the snow more this year than last. The kids are old enough to realize it is fun and not just cold and wet. Eli also is better at holding onto the sled instead of falling out when I go fast for Maetia!

The kids were extremely helpful in putting up the tree. I know Michael appreciated it (and me letting them).

November

2010-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

This month was filled with lots of last minute gardening, cleaning up the yard/barn area, and fixing the outside of the house. I have Christmas photos but thought I should post these first.

Here you can see our dining room after the new window is in and the walls are ready for insulation.

Here you can see some of our new counter and cupboards.

Here is our niece Keira in our dining room before the walls came down.

Eli had a phase of loving his bicycle helmet and wearing it everywhere (even in the grocery store!).

Late Halloween pics

2009-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

My children seem to prefer 'dressing up' at home with headbands and no clothes. We had a panda and princess for most of our walk which I was determined to do. I grew up driving from place to place but I hate getting the kids in and out and listening to them cry about the candy. I took the stroller to my mums and walked into the sunset, stopped at some neighbors and fed them what I could control in the stroller. It was pretty fun dispite the crying about not wanting to wear ANYTHING.

Autumn

2009-11-23T10:04:00.001-08:00

We have enjoyed the weather this fall, finally some dry leaves to play in!

Remembering

2009-11-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall, today is Sesame Street's 40th birthday and tomorrow is Canadian Remembrance Day. Last year on Nov. 11, I posted something where I reflected on the fallen soldiers. This year I remember them but I also remember the night we were watching the news when my parents sat with their eyes glued to the TV. We watched with amazement, fear and awe as people smashed and ripped away the Berlin wall. I was 10 years old. My dad said, "Well, would you look at that" and my mum was speechless. I also remember around that time, praying for the people in countries far away and thanking God that we lived in a free country. I remember wondering how their lives were any different from my own. What did free mean?
I have been avoiding all conflict surrounding the H1N1 discussion and doing all the research I can. I will say that I am very happy that I live in a 'free' country. My children can be seen by a doctor whenever I want them to go. It is up to me to decide if I will vaccinate my children and no one is forcing me to do (or not do) something I don't agree with. I am in control of my children's health, education and well being. Having lived in other countries, I also appreciate not having to pay their medical expenses even though we don't have any sort of medical plan at all. We also don't have to pay for their dentist/ear/eye appointments or any surgeries that are needed.
Canada isn't perfect and my post one year ago, reflects some of my frustration at our government but it is easier to complain about your own than to hear someone else do the same. I have some frustration at people who are afraid and need vent their anger at their own government and blame someone else. Canada is not a Socialist, Communist country and leaders from other countries are not copying our systems because they are perfect or perfectly sneaky. If anything can be learned about free health care it is that EVERYONE deserves a chance at a healthy well being. Companies do not need to profit from our illness and it is in our human nature to take care of others. What might happen to this world if we actually made absolutely sure that everyday everyone had a place to eat, learn and sleep, and to make sure they knew that not only were we 'praying' for them, but we were doing something about their situation.

While I believe most the of time Facebook is a waste of time, I will admit I go on it and I did take some time today to remember my days of Sesame Street. It is a bit psychedelic which I don't remember! Click here to see my favourite part.

And now after some venting, remembering and nostalgia, my children:

Pumpkin carving turned into pumpkin painting

Eli loves to have his picture taken and then look at it. Oh the joy of digital.

Maetia in the hammock before we took it down for the season :(

He could be a Tim Horton's commercial!

Maetia climbed this ladder to be like Daddy and then Eli did it, over and over.

Thankfulness

2009-10-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this afternoon with my NS family members, I am reminded what I am thankful for.
Right now, it is for a sleeping baby and a husband who has a cold, worked all day yesterday but chooses to bake pink cupcakes with his daughter.
I am thankful for a house to live in, dishes to cook with and a stove to cook it on. We have been trying not to get hopeful, to hold our breath or to anticipate living with a functioning normal kitchen. It is almost done, after 10 months without a finished ceiling, walls, 4 months of makeshift kitchen, 1 1/2 months of a 2 foot high sink/counter.
I am thankful for the 2 day/1 night away from it all with my husband. We went to a wedding where we remembered how to relax, really laugh, eat slowly, and remember why we married each other. Michael has been working non-stop on our house all summer and I haven't had a break from the kids or the garden. We have been busy and hardly had time to catch our breath. It makes you wonder if it is all worth it, but we are so engulfed in it right now, that we don't have much choice. I loved every bit of our 'getaway'.
I am thankful for the life I didn't plan or expect. Living in my very small hometown married to a man from away. Vegetable farming and raising poultry. Renovating a house flip and falling in love with it. Being a mother. Lately our children are loving us back in a way that we didn't expect would happen. Maetia will rub my arm when we are sitting and reading and Eli will kiss me out of the blue. I love it and I thank God for all of it, even the screaching, fighting, marking on the walls days.
Here is a photo of our children being 'helpful' while we put in the wood.

I am in the process of figuring out Picassa for the third time so that I can post some albums so there are more than 4 pictures at a time. This will be a better way to share the farm, renovations and our ever changing and beautiful children.

Grandma and Grandpa visit

2009-09-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest highlights of our summer was having mom and dad Contant come to Nova Scotia to visit. They stayed in their cottage, had company, went to Maine and visited and helped us. We loved having them around. We were obviously having way too much fun to take many photos but we hope to get some off of their camera. Here are a few that show a bit of the fun. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!!

Dad helping Laura weed her garden where he said he 'gained a new appreciation for the higher cost of the organic food they buy'.

Eli was always trying to catch up with Maetia all summer, but especially with those with hugs and kisses.

Dad, Michael and Eli making a fire on the beach at the cottage. We enjoyed many sunsets and good times on the beach with them.

Maetia and Grandma enjoying life

We also were able to go into Halifax to see the Tall Ships with Mom and Dad as well as Auntie Annelies and Uncle Ken. We loved visiting with all of you so much! Too bad for the rain.

Staycation

2009-09-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

We couldn't get away much this summer so we tried to make our home as fun and exciting as possible.

Helping me with supper and dishes

Eli takes his blanket with him wherever he goes, even in the coupe car.

This is Eli trying to pick up the bug that I pointed out to teach them about bugs. He didn't eat this one but only because it was 'too swippery'.

Do you sense a theme of dirt, soaked clothes and funny faces on this boy?

Maetia made her own bug net to be like Daddy who was in the garden.

Growing older with Summer

2009-09-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

We ended up building a larger sandbox with great playing sand and Eli has stopped eating it, for the most part.

Our kiddie pool got a hole in it and the kids improvised for most of the summer. We spent at least 3 afternoons a week at my parent's house (with a pool).

A good friend of ours invited us to their cottage on a lake. We were able to take the kids out in the canoe which we have never done, having no canoe and some little babies. Maetia is proud to wear a life jacket and be in a real 'manoo on a lake'.

Eli sat almost as still in the canoe as he does in the tractor. It calmed my nerves a little to watch him be so relaxed.

We got 2 fish for our first "pets". According to Maetia, Drake and Violet don't count because they were not her official pets. Their names were Georgia and Sarah, and later another Sarah. Second Sarah is gone again and we are just sticking with Georgia until the winter when we have to bring her inside, then Maetia says Violet might eat her! The first death was a little traumatic but maybe due to the chickens we have had to 'process' (slaughter), Maetia seems okay with pet death for now.

VanHattem family time

2009-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

My sister came from PEI and we all rented a cottage, spent some time at the beach and basically just hung out with the kids. I tried to take some time away from the garden to relax with my family and the weeds snuck up on me but it was worth it.

The girls had a dress up and 'show' for us to watch. Very entertaining.

We went to a nice sandy beach and chaos reigned until we fed them at a restaurant where the one waitress looked a little overwhelmed as all 16 of us entered.

My sister Jennifer reading (10 cousins) everyone a bedtime story.

Maetia and Keira

Here is Eli at work with a ball and anything else he can find to throw, hit or jump onto.

Time out

2009-06-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Lately we have had to put Maetia in quite a few time outs. She has been very cranky and not listening. It could be that she is upset that we have been paying extra attention to Eli lately with all the ear infections, or that she misses her mama and daddy while she is at daycare. It could be that she really does have a sore stomach and eating wheat free is not the answer, or it might just be a phase. I am not too strict as a mom and I try not to freak out when there is a spill or straight up disobedience. Besides the whining giving me a headache, I actually find it amusing. Maetia told me yesterday that she had to mark on all her dolls faces and bodies because she didn't want anyone to feel left out. She also said that the markers told her that they didn't need the covers on them because they felt squished. She has also been teaching Eli how to get into the craft closet, find the markers and mark all over everything. She told me that it was okay that she marked on him because he likes it and "I think he must be feeling better now mamma!".

Here is how I found Maetia one day after having 'quiet time' instead of a nap that she didn't want.

Here is the evidence

More evidence. Maetia told me with a smile on her face that she painted Eli.

Here is Eli mad at me because Maetia is in time out and he can't get to her.

Here are my beautiful children on a good day (hour, minute, moment) playing outside in the lupins.

Operation

2009-06-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Eli had to have an operation on Friday and it was a bit of a surprise. He had to get tubes in his ears, and his Adenoids and Tonsils out. On Wednesday we went to the ENT clinic at the children's hospital and after hearing all of his symptoms, felt they needed to rush it and fit him in as soon as possible. Some of the more serious symptoms are that he has had many (many) ear infections and is becoming resistant to antibiotics and he has sleep apnea (not breathing at night for a few seconds at a time) which we thought was from his Acid Reflux. I was able to stay in the room with him and Michael came the next day with Maetia to pick us up. The hospital is 1 1/2 hours away but worth the drive, the staff was amazing. We are so thankful for a quick surgery and what seems to be a quick recovery already!

It was hard to see him so docile.

He hated the things in his feet.

The next day he was feeling quite a bit better already.

Maetia liked his bed a lot more than he did.

trying something

2009-05-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Video to enjoy

2009-05-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here is one of a few (that are too big to load!!) of our life right now as we learn to live together, love each other more, and grow. As you can see, I am relaxing as a mom; no baby was hurt during the filming of these videos.

Getting topsoil the farmer's way

2009-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

So we have been digging and digging up our backyard. We have a lot of water issues surrounding this house. Literally surrounding us. We live next to a wetland. One of the things I love about our backyard, has turned into a nightmare when dealing with money/septic/basement/water issues. We inherited 3 separate places that water exits the house so we are working on finding them and putting in proper piping and gravel to disperse the water (away from the house). In order to get our backyard looking a little better we thought we should get some topsoil and spread it around the trenches we dug and where the stumps had been dug out. Last year we tried to fill in the holes with plain fill but it was full of garbage and rocks. We aren't asking for a level lawn, just some grass for the kids to play on. I found out that a one ton load of topsoil was $300! When I told my dad he said that he had some topsoil in a pile way out in a field from previous working in the area and had stockpiled it there for 'later'. Now is later, so off we go. We forgot that we have had a lot of rain in the past few day and no sooner did we get the wagon full and the tractor bucket full, than we realized we were stuck in the mud. My dad suggest that I get in the smaller tractor pulling the wagon and he will use the loader tractor to PUSH me. Yikes. That is what I said, because although my dad is a great farmer and business man, this did not seem like a good idea. Well it worked until I couldn't keep the tractor straight (three times). The force of the mud and pushing was making me jackknife the wagon. I could see it ending badly. We of course had forgotten a chain so my dad then suggests that he push the front end of the tractor from the side to straighten it. This also worked and I was so glad to have Drake in the tractor with me as I just sat there looking at him, both of us cringing. Eventually, we got out of the field, my dad and I exchanged 'looks' and then went to my house to dump the topsoil. Now we can have a lawn!! Not only is he a good Opa, he is a good farmer too.

Chickens loving the open holes and worms

Eli climbing on our deck that Michael just go reattached to our house, now we need some railings!!

Maetia had her first sleepover, including cheese crackers and a movie

Maetia and Janna love each other so much they wanted to sleep in the same bed. This lasted a few hours until I had to take Maetia out because she was as she put it "squamshed".

more spring photos!!

2009-04-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Horray for Spring and all it brings! Even muddy dogs, lots of laundry and dirty floors. That can wait, I have sun and warmth to enjoy! After you check out our pictures, head to my farm website It is finally up and running. I have been handing out my 'business' card with as much confidence as possible and also putting up posters everywhere. I am not good at marketing but I am forcing myself to be, so that I can continue the farming part of a farm, which I do like. No customers, no farm.

Our chickens enjoying their freedom.

Our backyard, deck, trenches, laundry, toys, greenhouse and all.

Like father......

like son.

Maetia and her worm friends. She was so sweet and gentle with the worms!

Spring is here!

2009-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

It is April and we are outside!! We love it so much. The last few days have been so amazing and so fun with the kids. Eli loves the dirt (to play in and eat) and Maetia is getting so good at playing and exploring. She recently discovered worms and thinks they are wonderful friends. Michael has been working for his old boss in the interim of being laid off from his regular work (due to the economic recession). We have been very thankful for this amount of work and having the opportunity to use his time for creating some art as well. One benefit to his current job is that they are renovating for some very wealthy people. I now fully understand and believe that 'one man's junk is another man's treasure'. We have been given: almost new kids hockey skates and helmet, mens winter coat, very nice kids toys and books, and cupboards to install in our house. We might even get the rest of the kitchen that they are renovating and not have to buy or build to renovate our own kitchen. This will save so much money!! The best 'treasure' was a new (to us) 8x10 deck. I have been wanting a deck so much but didn't want to ask Michael because we can't afford a luxury like this. We had just decided we would make a sitting area outside under some trees when along comes Michael home from work with a trailer loaded down with a deck. Not only are we going to stick this on the back of our house, but we are going to install a door so we can use the deck from inside the house and have a safe railing on it, for muddy days with the kids. I am so excited about all the great improvements on our home. We also borrowed a small backhoe/excavator from friends and dug 3 trenches to lay pipes so that the water will run more away from our house rather than inside our basement.
The very best thing about the nice weather besides letting my kids go crazy in the mud and grass, is that we let our chickens go free range in the backyard and they had a blast eating up the worms and bugs that we dug up when excavating. The kids had so much fun interacting with them and Drake was really good with them too. Here are some photos to enjoy (a few posts at a time) of our life in April.

Eli trying to get out when Michael is rototilling the garden.

Eli playing in the muddy garden, note large cheeks full of mud.

Maetia and Eli gardening

Michael, Maetia, Eli and Drake, balancing on our not yet stable deck.

This is Eli's latest feat, climbing the chair onto the stove!

Thank you !!!

2009-04-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you GG for my fun musical octopus, love Eli

Thank you Grandma for making my beautiful quilt, love Maetia

Maetia is 3!!

2009-04-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Maetia had a birthday on April 7 and turned three years old. This is a big deal to us as she is growing up so quickly and no longer a baby but definitely a big girl. We still have our temper tantrums but we are all learning how to deal appropriately with our emotions! Maetia has become such a big helper in the past few months. She used to try and be a helper but wasn't really very helpful but lately she has really taken on the big sister role. She loves to get me things, put things away, wash, clean and 'take care of herself'. She is so social that each morning she begs me to go somewhere where there are other people. She has started going to daycare twice a week which she loves and packs her bag herself each morning. The best thing about daycare besides the crafts, songs and toys is that her best friend (and cousin), Janna is there. This past weekend we were able to go to PEI to celebrate Easter with my sister and her family. Maetia chanted the names of her other cousins the whole way there because she was so excited. The trip back is another story, another blog post....
Here are some photos of Maetia decorating her cake, riding her new bike, getting some dress up clothes from Oma and Opa and some of her faces. Part of being a big girl is loosing the soother at night and naptime but I haven't had the heart to take it completely away yet. She tells me she just loves it so much and loves to put her blankies to her nose with her soother and smell them and it is so nice!!!
One of these faces is her with her fingers in her mouth, a new habit that is taking over the soother (we think) and the other face is how quickly she can change her mood (when we tell her to take the fingers out).

Maetia is so sweet. The day after her birthday we had a party planned. Eli was up early throwing up and when he threw up into my ear, then down my shirt, I told her to get the phone. I thought I would call my mum to see if I should cancel the party. Maetia listened to our conversation and when I was done I realized that I had a towel in my hand and was wiping myself, Eli and the phone off. When I asked her where it came from she said, "I got it for you mummy because you are all yucky and you need to get cleaned up". She is so sweet and cuddly, we love you Maetia!!

Renovations

2009-04-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Michael has been busy in the kitchen.....renovating. Not that it would be so out of the ordinary for him to be cleaning, baking, or cooking either but renovating is his favourite. We originally had a small built in cupboard within the wall that was built beside the chimney but kind of took a chunk out of the dining room. The whole house shape and additions are a mystery so we try not to think about it too much. We had originally been planning to put a large built in cupboard on the dining room side but the studs didn't allow it so we changed our plans and made room for a small shelf on one side and a flat surface to work with on the kitchen side for when we (not really me) build our cabinets. The teal cupboards were rough, smelled of peperoni and had to go. What was once a quaint part of an old house, soon became no longer as attractive.

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou

Eli helping and finding the dog's water dish

Kitchen before

Dining room before

Dining room after

Kitchen after

Business pressure

2009-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

I need someone to tell me that I should be myself and run my business the way I want to and at the size I want to. I need someone to tell me that it is okay that I am not competitive and career focused. I love my farm. I love getting to know my customers and making my own rules. I love that I can farm and have the flexible hours to be with my children and stay home so much. I really love being outside in the earth and dreaming about lush plants and feeding so many people. I do not like when I am at the market and people look at my produce and walk by and purchase the other vendors' (very similar) produce. I do not like the feeling I get in my stomach when I hear that 4 other large CSA's are starting in this area this year. Three of them are starting with money, infrastructure, and business experience. Last week I met with two small business development agents to help me figure out the next steps to my business. Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from Women in Business Inc. to help me find grants and develop a good business plan. All of these things excite me and are helpful but every time I hear about what one of the other CSA's is doing, see their websites or advertisements I feel sick. See, I like a lot of other things in life as well as growing a market garden. Part of me wants to do this while the kids are young and then later get a job that stimulates brain while not being something I take home at night and analyze (make that over analyze).
Michael is calming and he tells me that I can run the business I want and I will attract a different but good kind of customer. I also find that the more I go out and meet people and get involved, I hear of other opportunities and I make connections that could, in the future lead to something else. Sometimes I think I am too much of a dreamer and always looking at the big picture, the future. But I am realizing that I should be a little more content with now and allowing that to work for us.
Here are some recent photos of us. We are so happy that the snow is finally going and that we can smell spring. Everyone was getting antsy and we are so happy for +10 degrees!!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for Eli's gifts!!

Maetia (as Mary) holding baby Jesus

We are not as excited about this snowfall on March 24 as we were last December

Playing outside!! Look at Eli standing and shoveling!!

Life and Death

2009-03-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

My grandmother, mother, Maetia and her cousin Janna visiting

On Tuesday night, March 17, I lost a grandmother, my mum's mother. On Wednesday, March 18, I celebrated my grandfather's 90th birthday, my dad's father. It was a strange week to say the least. My grandmother had been suffering from dementia (noticeably) for the past few years but lived in her own home and mostly on her own until she was 91 years old. She then spent 7 years in a nursing home where she quickly lost a sense of who she was and who we were. For the first few years, she visited with people, went on the bus tours and took part in the activities. She was very caring and always acted as if she was one of the nurses taking care of all the 'patients'. Later on she started to forget us and would tell us stories of her babies, her dog, and her life. It was all mixed up in time but still a way to connect with her. Both sets of my grandparents lived through war, the great depression, immigration, great technological advances and have had to adjust to a lot of change. My Opa's health is failing but I still managed to get a smile out of him and a few jokes on his birthday. Both of them love(d) children and bringing my own children to visit with them is not only special for me, but I can tell it is the highlight of their week. I have a hard time thinking of my parents at that stage and lately Michael and I have been discussing our own immortality and what we would want or not want at that stage. It has been really hard to watch them age. Both of my parents are some of the youngest siblings in their families so I have only ever had elderly grandparents. Even so, I remember my grandmother's love for her garden, and helping her weed it. I remember staying with her for the summer when my grandpa moved into a nursing home and playing Chinese checkers, crazy eights, then the news every night before heading up to bed. I will always remember her extra slippers at the door warming by the fire, the little table we sat at while helping her do the crossword puzzles, her smile, her eyes twinkling when she laughed and the way she held up her hands in a greeting. Knowing that I will see her and others who have gone before me, in heaven does give me comfort but doesn't take away the pain of knowing there is no way to ever physically see, touch, or hear them again. A death like this makes me realize how important the relationships are that I have and how much we have to keep our kids in touch with their grandparents.

Birthdays and bird fights

2009-03-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Eli turned one year old on March 3. We missed posting it because we have been busy, busy with sick kids, and fighting chickens. We had a really great day and managed to avoid too much chicken/egg loss and still have cake. Although he wasn't that interested in the cake due to prementioned flu symptoms, he did get a truck and some books, and also enjoyed his wrapping paper. He is starting to walk and mimick our words, so sometimes he says things that sound ALOT like "Thankyou" and "OPA".
It just so happens that March 3 is also be my birthday. Last year on my birthday, I gave birth. Sounds nice? It was, really really nice. I have amazing memories of his birth, the moments after, and the rest of that day while we were still in dreamy/adrenaline rush mode. This year was different but still really great. I didnt' just have a birthday, I turned 30. When I turned 25, I was upset because I felt like travelling in Australia was fun but I still didn't have a career or complete life plan. I felt like it snuck up on me. This year I welcomed the 30's into my life. I am excited to move forward and grow with my husband and children. I still don't have a career or life plan but I have realized that this life that I have is going to change all the time and plans are everchanging for a reason. Thank you Eli for coming and changing our lives for the better, you are the most amazing little boy!!

Kissing Michael through the window into the playroom

Climbed in the tub with his clothes on

Not to be outdone, we love Maetia just as much, here she is dressing up

Pestering starts very young

2009-03-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here is Eli on his birthday getting into the 'other' door to the bathroom which is blocked by the change table. He loves to get Maetia going.

Eli's Birthday

2009-03-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

We are going to try and post some videos of Eli on his first birthday.

Monkey on the loose

2009-02-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Eli is 11 months old (yesterday) and I can't help but feel some sadness in that my baby is almost a year old. That went too quickly at times but mostly it is a celebration. He didn't exactly act like a newborn for very long. Despite being previously attached to me (being over 2 weeks late and then getting stuck coming out), once he was out he didn't seem to need me like Maetia did. I suppose it helped that he was 11 lbs and not all curled up and tiny. He smiled (not gas!) at me at 2 weeks old and reach for objects soon after that. He weaned himself from nursing by six months even though I wasn't ready. I really think that he would be walking already if it wasn't for his issue with one leg being a bit longer than the other. Last week we found him at the top of the stairs in a matter of seconds and we don't have a railing so it is a bit terrifying for me to even think about him going up. He just smiled like it was no big deal. He has very quick movements and is really rough. We are trying to teach him to be gentle with the cat and dog, never mind his sister! He likes to make us laugh and loves the reactions we give him. He absolutely adores Maetia and follows her everywhere. One afternoon while he was upset about being put to bed, he jumped so much in his playpen that he moved it over about 3 feet and then shook the high (full) table beside it. When I went in to check on him he was asleep and surrounded by my homemade soap and smelled like clove oil and oranges for days. There has been more than once that I found him playing in the toilet or in Maetia's potty before they were emptied. Disgusting, yes. But it did put a push on Maetia to use the big toilet and on us to keep the lid down. Since he is a good climber, he will empty out my cupboards and then climb inside or up onto the computer desk, shrieking with glee the whole time. We love you Eli, thanks for keeping us on our toes.

Longest winter ever

2009-01-30T16:04:00.001-08:00

I am not usually one to complain about winter because I really love autumn and spring so I know that these are enjoyable because of the change of seasons so... I also like sledding, skating, and the smell of snow. That said, I do not like temperatures of -20 degrees Celcius lasting for days, weeks at at time. I feel that -10 is okay sometimes, and for a day or two I can bunker down and stay inside with -20; but my preference is between 0 and -5 (with sun). This way we get snow, keep the ice on the ponds and enjoy winter. January on the East Coast is not known for it's sunny days and I am running out of patience for the kind of dismal grey cloud that is still bright enough to squint at but does not have a warming or happy effect. Having two little ones who love it outside; I find myself often staring out the window. Maetia asks me what I am looking at, and I have to say "I don't really know". I just want to be outside playing.
Thankfully we did get a break and last Saturday was sunny and only -7. So we played outside until there were tears. Here are some shots of us with the snow woman we made.

Almost a shocking Christmas

2008-12-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!
Christmas here passed relatively quietly and peacefully. Our kids are getting over the stomach flu mixed with bad cough/cold so they have been a bit extra tired and cranky and to be honest, so have we. We decided to open a few gifts on Monday because we had a snowstorm and couldn't get outside to play and Michael couldn't get to work. This made today less hectic; we made it on time to church after having french toast for breakfast, showers and some more gifts!! Maetia doesn't really believe in Santa and was wondering what all the fuss was about but I think she gets it now. Jesus birthday=presents for Maetia and Eli.
We tried not to over do the gifts and she is actually really happy with the few things we did get her. Eli doesn't care but loves the paper and boxes.
We had a nice day together and then went to my parents to have a big meal with the whole family. Almost all 10 grandchildren running around and playing gets pretty loud but is wonderful all the same.
Our lives flashed before our eyes on the way to church this morning, as we both realized we were driving over a downed power line at the same time as we were going over it. My heart didn't stop pounding (out of my chest) until we arrived at church about 15 minutes later. Maybe this isn't dangerous at all, but the thought of all of us dying in the car right then was almost too much for me. It reminded me that we have to figure out our will and decide who will care for our children if we both passed on at the same time. It also made the service about Peace and Reassurance in Jesus all the more real and precious. The singing during church on Christmas is always beautiful and the dutch songs we sang sounded even sweeter today.
We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus a few times today too and had some cake for him. Thanks for coming Jesus.

Christmas here always reminds us of our Christmas year in Australia. Last week Michael and I were able to go on an actual date which we haven't really done in long time. So long in fact that while we were at the movies ('Australia'), we were trying to remember when we had been to a movie together. I had seen 'Mama Mia', he had seen 'Dark Knight', not together. We decided it was when the 'Lord of the Rings' came out (the third one we think) and we waited in line on Boxing day in the hot sun in Australia. This was in 2004, four years ago!!! Seems like yesterday... well the trip there maybe not the date.
Enjoy our photos, more to come and hopefully some movies since we got a video recorder to Christmas!! Thanks Mum, Dad, Mom and Dad!! love you all

True Love

Same size, hard to hold!

Maetia and Eli helping Daddy with our tree

Eli and cousin Erik

Maetia in her 'fort'

First Snow

2008-12-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

We just lost all the snow we had from 2 weeks ago. A really nice big snowfall gave us snow to play in but now the rain has taken it away. Considering it is only the beginning of December, I am counting on getting more in the future and buying Eli and Maetia a larger sled for Christmas.

Our front door. Maetia helped Daddy shovel us out. Eli helped mummy dig out the winter boots and mittens!

Maetia loving the snow for the first time. There was running, stomping, jumping and no crying!!

Eli feels indifferent about it. Seems like he is wondering what keeps touching his face.

Maetia pulling Eli in the sled. Good sharing Maetia!!

Land Preservation

2008-11-18T11:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I was able to attend a conference about preserving agricultural land in my (Kings)County. We had 3 different speakers who each spoke about the Land Trusts that they work with in their areas. Two were from Ontario and one was from Massachusetts. All of them had different perspectives and it was very informative.
Thinking about solutions for our area and talking about preservation reminded me of a Land Trust that I worked with during my time at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Ontario. A close friend and I worked extensively on a project making maps with a (ArcView) program to identify areas of significant interest. The trust we worked with was the Kwartha Heritage Conservancy. This is the only Land Trust in Canada that currently works to protect both natural and agricultural lands together. In Nova Scotia we have the Nature Trust and a pioneer has just begun what is called the Heliotrust (for agricultural land) but nothing significant working together. While in Ontario, I learned a lot about preserving land and I decided that I would like to eventually get a job with a land trust. Four years later, I am doing something different than that but being there yesterday reminded me that I have other interests (although similar) and it encouraged me to be involved in all, not just one of these passions.

Here are pictures of our kids because I know that is why you read this blog.

Maetia's new face

Maetia and I reading

Eli is learning to pull up and sit on his knees

Grandma on Skype

Eli in Drake's bed.

Halloween Grinch?

2008-11-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

I might be the grinch of Halloween because although I didn't steal it, I did make it a little less fun for some people. I passed out healthy treats. Kind of funny considering I remember the exact people that did that to me when I was young (and didn't like it), but I did it. I really don't like a holiday that celebrates something that we at all other times of the year forbid. Is candy really necessary? Does it not cause cavities on Halloween? I also don't like the 'scary' aspect of it. I tried to get Maetia excited about dressing up in a costume but everytime we went somewhere she kept seeing a witch or ghost and was perplexed by them and started to be afraid of them too. I told her they were just silly people with green faces or googly eyes but she was scared. We did carve pumpkins together which was fun. Maetia requested one with it's tongue sticking out and one with the first letters of her and Eli's name. In the end she saw her cousins all dressed up and she wanted to do it too. It was great to have my sister from PEI and her kids there for the fun too. At one point, there were 4 princesses, Maetia being one of them. This is not what I would have chosen for my daughter's costume considering I am sort of anti princess but I digress.... she had a lot of fun. Eli was good sport, kind of wondering what the fuss was all about. So it wasn't so bad, I dressed up in a long embroidered dress and we didn't see too many witches that night. Maetia didn't really even notice when we took her candy away after a few days.

Lest we forget

2008-11-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today in Canada, it is Rememberance Day. It is on this day in 1918 that World War I ended. We have services to remember the fallen and those who have served to keep our country safe. I don't agree with the war in Afghanistan where many Canadians have died, but I do remember them, pray for them and pray for an end to the violence in that country. On Saturday our Government did something good for my community. As a part of celebrating 250 of democracy in our country, grants were given out to create monuments to commemorate this. Our little village of Woodville has about 300 community members and on Saturday we unveiled and dedicated a monument to remember 88 soldiers from this place who fought for our democracy. There are times when I can be negative about government officials, jobs, handouts, lack of support, etc etc...
I honestly don't know what bothers me more, an election campaign that lasts 2 years and wastes alot of money or one that starts and ends in just 5 weeks almost as if it never happened. Well today (and Saturday because people had to come from very far away), I was very proud to say I am a Nova Scotian, a Canadian and I will always remember what other people have done for me, my children and my country.

Blisters

2008-10-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Maetia turned 2 1/2 this month which was really strange for me because in some ways she seems much older but then in other ways, I can remember her birth, her first attempt at scooting and walking. Now she is a chatterbox that is busy all the time. She loves to play and has a great imagination. She has fun with her play kitchen and she pretends to do a lot of gymnastics. She is good big sister to Eli, and likes to try and hold him (and carry him if I am not looking)! She has a few dolls that she loves and for some reason, one of them gets 'breastmilk' and one of them gets a bottle. She is growing well and eating better. She is off all her medication and although we have to be careful when she gets a chest cold, her breathing and reflux are almost gone.

Maetia has a bit of an attitude and because she is so observant she knows when I am making something up to satisfy her questions. She will ask me things like "Where does the vegetable live?" and I explain. Then she asks me "What makes the carrots orange?" and I explain. Then she will say "No mommy you are wrong." So I say fine, whatever and she demands a new explaination. It is tiring when I am busy or at 7pm but also really funny. Every night we pray for our family and friends and lately she is asking "where is God and why doesn't He sleep in my room? Ask Him to come down from Heaven." I did tell her that He is everywhere and even in her room but then she started looking around and that got confusing.
Yesterday she had a splinter and I took it out for her and she kept telling everyone she had a blister. When she would look to her foot to show people, she couldnt' find it and told me to put it back!
She says sweet things like, "Mamma, where is Daddy?" I say he is at work. "Why is he there?" That is his job, I say. "What is my job Mamma?" To be a little girl and have fun and learn. "What is your job Mamma?" To be a good mamma to you and Eli and sometimes I am a farmer. "I like your job, you are good job mamma." Awww, we love her so much!!

Feeding Tido in the tub

Dress up time. She says I am a woooman at the groocy stowa.

Helping daddy with the Timber.

Before

After
Her new haircut makes her look so much older but so sweet too

At rest

2008-10-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I ended my CSA season. It was really nice to be done and yet kind of sad too. I stayed at my sister's house in PEI after Thanksgiving for an extra 4 days which I couldn't have done if I was delivering. Then I cleaned and organized my house which is already a disaster but it felt nice for a few days. We are getting accustomed to the new routine of Mama not leaving and although I like being in the garden, I also like to be in my pajamas until almost noon. We have been heading out for walks or bike rides while the weather holds up. Fall in Nova Scotia is amazing and this year our colours were spectacular again! My father helped me deliver on our last week because I doubled up the baskets (to be finished by THanksgiving)and my truck wasn't big enough. It was nice to have him help me bring the heavy, squash filled baskets up into some of the buildings and introduce him to everyone. It makes you realize that not all buildings are handicapp accessible. Ramps and automatic doors should be madatory!
For the last week, I let customers choose what items they wanted for storage. I had apples, pears, potatoes, carrots, squash, and turnips. I did this to see if next season, it could work to let them choose each week what they want in their box. Some CSA's do this and I commend them. Some people put in their order right away but others waited until the day before and some didnt' even get back to me. It was a nightmare and way too much to keep track of (for me) each week. I was going to go to a conference in Ontario about starting a new CSA but now I think we are going to New Brunswick to visit two different CSA's there and pick those farmer's brains to see how I can improve. I will take any and all advice. But for now, the garlic is planted, the plants are composting and I am really looking forward to spending more time at home as the garden is at rest.

Here is Drake and I before we loaded the squash and pumpkins on the truck

We can't get enough of him

2008-09-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Eli turned 6 months this month. He is already a half year old. Time flies when you are busy growing. He is an amazing little boy and we love him so much. He has already mastered crawling, sitting and much to Michael's delight, saying "Dada". He is a very rough and tumbly boy with lots of smiles and shrieks. I first had to mourn the sweet smelling poopy diapers because he started some solid foods but now he is completely weaned and his diapers are no fun, not even with cloth.
Eli has been a beautiful blessing in our lives and although we are busier, we couldn't be happier.

Outside with a hat

Bathtub fun

Together at the cottage for a party to celebrate his baptism

Inside with a hat (cold in our house!)

Huggable

Renovations

2008-09-24T17:59:00.001-07:00

Michael has been working hard at fixing up our place. He recently put in a timber frame in between the kitchen and living room. While preparing the wall for the timber, he found shavings for insulation (not so fire retardant!), a sardines can and some papers from the Sunday School teacher in 1952. It looks great, way to go Michael!!

Camping

2008-09-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

We thought we would back up a bit since we haven't blogged in a while. We were able to get away for a few days and go camping as a family. Well, we will call it camping although not much time was spent at the 'camp'. We had a great walk-in tent site with lots of good food and toys/activities galore. We were prepared for rain, sun, wind and no sleep. We were not prepared for the layer of mosquitoes that covered our children within minutes of arriving. We spent most of the time in the tent with the kids while the other person made the food or went to the bathroom. We made up for it by spending two whole days outside on the beach and went on some really good hikes. When the forecast was 'rain and then a damp day following', we decided to pack it in. We left early in the morning and made it home before lunch. We went up to the cottage and unpacked and cleaned up and put cream on the children's swollen heads. That night we had a bugfree fire on the beach and a restful (as restful as you get with two little ones) sleep.

Waking up in the tent

Silly Maetia at the cottage

Eli and I snuggling on the beach with the Mobywrap

Maetia playing in the sand

Eli loves his jolly jumper so much. He gets a lot of height!

Not exactly Buddha

2008-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Compared to his sister he is a heavy weight but Eli isn't too far off the growth charts. He started out so big but is more like an average five month old now. He has been showing a strong interest in our food and what we eat. He also nurses ALOT so we decided to try him on some rice cereal. Two days and no reactions except delight. We will take it as a good sign to keep going. Eli loves Maetia so much and when he can't get a hold of her hair or her face, he is content to stare and smile at her. We had a weekend with the VanHattem family and Eli got to spend some quality time with his cousin Erik (born only two days apart!) which he loved. It is so neat to watch babies recognize other babies. It is like they are so happy they see someone their size.
He is sitting up on his own with help but will fall over slowly. We put him in the bumbo chair to hold him in a sitting position so he can play with Maetia but stay safe. He is getting very strong and can jump very high in the jolly jumper. It is a little nerve racking. We also predict he will go to the Olympics as a swimmer because when you get him in the water, he moves like he was born in water, oh wait he was! He does this crazy kick with his legs and flaps his arms. It is all we can do to keep his face out of the water. Luckily for us and his training we have a pool close by so we can keep him focused. We planted a tree for Eli and put his placenta under it as we did for Maetia. As you can see in the photo, it was a magical family event. Maetia was crying about the grass on her toes, Eli was tired and hungry, Michael was hot and tired and I was too dirty to be in the photo. Either way, we planted a special tree for him on our land.
We have been taking many walks with our new stroller (Thank you so much John, Anne, Grandma and Grandpa!!) and also biking with our double kiddie trailer. Both kids love to be outdoors and we are taking advantage of the long summer days.

birds and the bees

2008-07-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

We haven't really adopted a parenting method for our kids yet but we have a strategy that has come naturally to both of us and we go with it. When time allows, we explain things that she asks about in full detail to Maetia and make it a bit simpler for her but not too much. We will give her the facts and hope that she learns to love exploring and asking questions. This has caused a few laughs so far but we have to keep serious faces because she is so sincere.
We told her about birds and bees; literally and figuratively. I told her about owls and how much I like them and we made the hoot hoot sound. I told her that we couldn't see them because they are nocturnal and are awake at night. Now whenever we hear the mourning dove outside our window (she thinks it is an owl) she tells me that it is an owl, it's mommy's favourite bird, and did I know they are nocturnal?
We also told her about the difference between boys and girls. She noticed during her first bath with Eli so we just told her matter of factly. Tonight in the tub she told me that she isn't allowed to touch Eli's peanut and that she has a gaayiina and that she will have babies in her tummy when she gets big. Then she asked me to take off my breasts and come in the tub too. Too cute
She has started to use her imagination alot lately. She used to make us pretend food in her toy kitchen and drink pretend tea but recently she has started talking about her little creature. She points to it and holds it in her hand and she tells us "awww, it is so cute". We agree because we aren't sure what else to say!

Michael's handiwork

2008-07-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from a recent house raising. Michael has had 2 raisings so far this summer and will have 1 or 2 more before the weather changes. If you want to check out more pictures from the company he works for or find out what 'Timber Framing' is check out the website http://www.arlingtontimberframes.com

Million Dollar Family

2008-07-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is the comment I get alot. I just got it again yesterday. They ask, "What did you have, a boy or girl?". I answer, "A boy". And they smile "Oh isn't that wonderful, a million dollar family, one of each, now you can stop". Yes, they are wonderful but what if I had had a girl, would she not have been as wonderful? Would my family not yet be complete? I love my boy and my girl. They are absolutely the most wonderful beings in my life but I would have felt the same about another girl, or two boys. I have to bite my tongue every time because I want to yell this at them, so instead I smile, "Yes, a million dollar family".
It doesn't matter, I am blessed and rich in more ways than just gender.
Here are a few million dollar smiles.

CSA

2008-07-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished my second week of deliveries for our CSA. I started the first week with very little to put in the boxes but by this week I had snow peas, sugar snap peas, beet greens, swiss chard, kale, basil, green onions and strawberries. Pretty yummy stuff I think and it seems my customers like it too. I took the advice of some friends and bloggers and made my customers sign a contract with the farm. They have agreed to support me throughout the season no matter the outcome and realize that farming is very unpredictable and can only be manipulated so much to our own uses. I am very grateful for all the help I have had so far with getting the garden going but we did decide to hire a babysitter for 2 mornings a week so that I could do my deliveries. This gives me time to plant, weed and harvest the garden as well as deliver the veggies to drop off sites. Maetia comes with me for one evening delivery and the rest of the work I am doing after 8pm when the kids are both in bed. I am really happy that I am still able to stay home with them most of the time and that I am not missing out on their lives too much. It is almost as hard to leave a two year old as it is to leave a four month old when you love them so much. At the same time, it is good for my sanity to have some 'thinking' time and stimulate my brain in other ways besides, change, feed, sleep babies, babies babies!
This season I am realizing how much faster I am at harvesting, washing and packing up the truck. I have figured out steps in the process to cut out to make it faster and more efficient. I am also only delivering to drop off sites. Last year I delivered to everyone's home and spent alot of time (and gas) travelling. I have also decided not to do the farmer's market so my weekends are always free and I don't have any wasted product at the end of the day. Each week and each year I will learn more and more and I am glad that I have decided to stick with this for at least 3 years to give it a fair shot and see if CSA's are a viable way to farm in the Annapolis Valley.

Celebrating clotheslines

2008-05-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Eli likes his fingers

Maetia calls this blowing bubbles

Michael putting up my clothesline

My clothesline is accessible from inside the porch. There is a little window that opens and the line comes up on a pulley system. The only drawback is the little roof to the basement that the clothes have to swing/drag over before getting into the sun.

A tire swing we are borrowing from friends brings enjoyment for all of us.

Mostly I am posting because we check our friends blogs all the time and are so happy when there is a new post so I figured if you are like us, you would appreciate it. I believe I celebrated last year at about this time when we got a clothesline at the cottage. Well, Michael just put up one at our new house,Horray!! I can't get over the good feeling I get when I take my clean, sun bleached diapers off the line. Truly satisfying.
Eli is growing well and now weighs 15lbs. He is so happy and ticklish. I have been to the lactation consultant who gave me some tips for nursing that seem to be improving his reflux and breathing difficulties. Michael and I are able to eat supper together with Maetia which we could never do when she was a baby.(Because of the screaming) It is really nice. When we pray to bless the food Maetia always pipes in with some things she is thankful for; mostly her swing, slide and Oma's house. Eli has figured out how to roll over which is causing startled wakeups during nap and night time; which is not so nice. But mostly we are finding joy in a routine and able to understand each different cry and noise.
I remember when Eli was one month old and we all went to the grocery store for the first time. Up until then, I just took one of the our kids, not both and not alone. So we went shopping and there was no screaming or poopy diapers. On the way out Michael was looking at the receipt and said, "Well that wasn't so bad". I said, "No, it really wasn't", smiling as I pushed the cart, thinking to myself, I could do this alone. Yes I can, horray for me. Then Michael looks at me and says "oh, I meant the price of all our groceries". Hmmm. I guess that is how a stay at home mom's brain is different from her working husband's. Now Eli is 3 months old and getting groceries is just fine and actually quite fun.
I have only 4 more weeks until my CSA deliveries start. Most things are coming along well except on the really heavy, clay land. That crop may not be ready in time. If not, I have an organic farmer friend who I can buy a bit of stuff from. The problem with my CSA customers is that they haven't really got the whole idea of supporting a farmer in good times and bad. They would like exactly (or more) $20 worth of veggies even if the weather hasn't co-operated or if there was an infestation of bugs. It is all about education I guess but it is frustrating when people sign up for something because it is 'trendy'.
Michael is working really hard on finishing our yard and soon we will have before and after shots of our 'leaky basement/septic overflow yard' and the 'hopefully not leaky or stinky yard'.

home and lawn

2008-05-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well today Michael said he really felt like a home owner. He was finally able to cut the lawn. Finally because it has taken that long for it to get green and grow and also because we have been too busy to mow it. We had a 'discussion' the other night about lawns and the maintenance that should go into them. I personally feel that mowing lawns is a waste of gas, time, space (that could be used to grow food)and a little extra strain on the environment. Michael likes the look of a crisp, freshly cut lawn. He likes it to be even and tidy. I am also half dutch and I like tidy but a part of me fights the tidy side and wants wild/natural growth. I do not want to take the time to use the wipper snipper around each shrub on our property. We have a lot of shrubs, our land is rough and it has a wild edge to it with vines and trees growing all over the place. I personally like this and that is the main reason why I wanted to buy the house. Michael would like to 'tame' the yard a bit I think and we will have to agree that he gets the front yard and I get the back (or something like that). He has been working hard on the septic system, drainage so our basement won't leak again, tilling the land so I can plant things, pruning our raspberries and blackberries and improving the lives of our chickens; giving them lots of windows with fresh air. We haven't figured out a fox/weasel proof outdoor enclosure and until we do, they stay inside.

Here is Michael teaching Maetia how to fix the hitch on the back of the tractor

Here is our backyard. You can see the swingset, balance beam, slide, sandbox, bike with trailer, barn, pine trees, shrubs, wood pile, etc.....

Maetia's first tractor ride

Eli just looks up at the trees blowing in the wind and smiles. He stared at them for about 45 minutes today. Look how beautiful he is!

This is Maetia coming off her slide and jumping into the air right afterwards.
She just mastered the art of jumping with both feet at once and landing solidly on the ground.

Busy Spring

2008-04-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Horray, finally the days are getting longer and warmer. Laura was able to really get her hands dirty for the first time this year, transplanting our first bunch of plants into the garden. More unfortunately, Michael also got his hands dirty digging up the 'dry' well in our septic system that isn't so dry after all. The chickens we got for our CSA are starting to lay and we have been collecting enough eggs to feed our family, my parents and my sister. Our cat ran away while on a walk with us and our dog has been eating up all the tennis balls that he has found formerly covered by snow. We all had bad colds and are recovering. Maetia has a lot of scratches and bruises from running and falling. It seems we are all experiencing the spring season in full swing.
Eli couldn't be more different from Maetia as a baby. He makes cooing noises all the time and also has some very serious times when he furrows his brow and concentrates. He is very content. He likes to sit and snuggle. He loves to be touched and massaged. He has hardly any hair and what he has is light in colour. He has huge hands and large facial features. He eats really really well. He responds to music by calming down instead of moving around. He likes to be tickled and doesn't mind having a two year old in his face, and crawling all over him. The way that they are the same is that they both have acid reflux, long eyelashes, and love their parents. We love them both so much!!
Yesterday, we were showing Maetia worms in the garden and Michael told her they were pretty shy and wanted to be covered up with dirt. She went around all day saying "wooms are pitty sigh, pitty sigh mama". Eli is starting to smile all the time when we speak to him and laughed yesterday for the first time. We are having a lot of fun. Here are some of Eli's faces.

birthdays and grandparents

2008-04-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well we made it, age TWO! How it went by so fast, we'll never know. It is has been a better year than the first in that Maetia's health has improved and I think we just relaxed a bit more as parents and enjoyed her even more. She started to see a gastrointestinal pediatric specialist and also the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. She was diagnosed with severe acid reflux and we found out so late that her esophagus had already eroded to some degree. This was the source of her not wanting to eat, choking on her mucus and severe congestion that was labelled 'asthma'. Just knowing what was wrong with her helped alot mentally for us and physically she improved once she was on the right form of medication. We also began supplementing her diet as recommended by a professional. Maetia has always been bright and alert and developmentally she was on par with other children. But with her sleep improving over this year she is even sharper and more cheerful. And her growth is finally on an upward curve!! Horray. She has finally passed the 20 mark. She weighs 21.3lbs! It was alot for her to take in this year. Also, within two months, we moved into a new house, Maetia got a new bed and she became a sister. We decided not to take away the soother, blankie or potty train until she had some time to adjust. We think she is adjusting to Eli like any first born child would. She loves him most of the time and thankfully hasn't shown any jealousy in an angry, violent way towards him. She does do a lot of throwing herself on the floor and crying and waiting to see what we will do. Most of all she just wants to be held a little more which is understandable and it almost breaks my heart when she looks up at me with those eyes and says "Mommy, just hold it please". 'It' means me. She was so cute on her birthday and celebrated herself for about two weeks singing and dancing each morning, noon and evening. She says she is two old!! and holds up all her fingers on both hands. She is very social and talkative. When she is upset she goes on and on trying through her tears to explain what is wrong. It is this long, long story that we can't make out but we listen intently. When she is in the car, she points out every single thing that she sees and explains what they are to us. She also has a remarkable memory and will ask us questions about something we had explained weeks earlier and thought she had forgotten. She is a joy to be around. We are so happy to have her in our life and praise the Lord for each day she is with us.

Eli is doing well. He loves to watch Maetia move all around and makes cooing noises at her. Normally those are reserved for the nursing mother but we think he likes her best! Hopefully it will stay that way for a long time. Coming from a family of (Laura) 4 girls and 1 boy and (Michael) 3 boys, we are not sure how they will get along as siblings in a few years.
We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Contant. Maetia renamed them Bamma and Papa. Whenever she hears or sees a plane she waves at them because she thinks they live at the airport in a plane. We had lots of fun introducing them to Eli and they were very helpful around the house; cleaning, cooking and playing with Maetia. Thank you so much for coming, we love you!!!
I am getting more organized in my thoughts and having two children seems a normal way to live now, when a few weeks ago it was very overwhelming. It still seems like they always end up pooping, being hungry, and needing to be held at the same time. Now I seem to be able to manage or not mind that one has to wait. I think that is the real key; it was hard at first to balance my time and love. We are getting outside more now that it is finally warming up and Maetia got a 'new' swingset so she is very happy to be outside. Our new house has a great backyard with lots of trees and Michael and I both are already talking about this summer and how we will have to move her bedtime back just so we can stay outside longer.

We will have an update on Eli and some pictures soon.

This is Maetia's natural curl in her hair

Bamma and Papa

Even with flour on her face, all I can do is look at those eyes

A little tummy and chubby hands to prove that she is still one of our little babies

Maetia and Eli- She tells us he is noisy

He has his Opa's hands, his Grandpa's chin and his father's personality

2008-03-11T09:57:00.001-07:00

Well needless to say we have been very busy with a little toddler and an infant. Getting pictures up on the blog just didn't seem to happen each night when we thought it might. He sure took his time in the womb but when he was ready, he was really ready. Eli's birth was very smooth. Our midwife was amazing. My labour progressed much more quickly this time and when it seemed like I should be getting into active labour, I was actually in transition. I thought it seemed pretty tough!! Once our Doula realized this, she had to call the midwife to come right away. Then she had to call again to tell her to hurry when I suddenly decided I was ready to push!
Eli was born in a birthing pool and our midwife (Louise) almost had to get inside the pool to turn him in the birth canal when he got his shoulders stuck. It was a bit tense for those who knew but they kept calm and I just kept pushing. He would have been born 'in the caul' except that Louise had to break my water and then the sac around him just to get to him out

Either way we were so happy to have him safely arrive. He does have a fractured collar bone due to the strain of the birth. When he was born, because he was so big they were a bit concerned about high sugars (gestational diabetes) and a high respiratory rate. They both went down and our midwife was amazing checking on him every 4 hours for 12 hours so that we didn't have to go into the hospital.
His collar bone seems to be healing really well and he already has good use of his arm. His breathing is a bit stuffy which seems to make it hard for him to sleep. We have been proping him up to sleep which has helped. Maetia is doing amazing with Eli. She loves him already and gives him kisses and hugs all the time. She is definitely having a hard time dealing with sharing our time and being patient while we attending to the baby's immediate needs. We have been trying to make sure she feels very special and I think it is harder on me than her as I struggle to be fair and have two babies with different needs.
We are feeling so blessed by God that Eli was born so safely at home with no intervention. This experience was so positive and it wouldn't have been without the people involved. My mother and my sister were both able to attend, we had a doula and a midwife (the other midwife didn't make it in time!). Thanks to them, and to my wonderful and supportive husband we had a 11 pound, 24 inch long baby with a very nice size head-not too big!!
Thankyou to everyone for your blessings and encouraging emails. We will try to get some more pictures up soon. They will be pictures with Grandma and Grandpa who we can't wait to see in 4 days!!

We think he's gorgeous

2008-03-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

We welcome Eli Michael Contant !!

2008-03-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some much awaited pictures of Eli. We have to load them 5 pictures per post so there may be a few posts. Enjoy!!

one of those women

2008-02-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to be but it seems like I am. One of those women whose labour doesn't progress. I have been having contractions for a few weeks now off and on. Two nights ago I was up all night with contractions and they have continued every 10-20 minutes since then. They have not progressed to a point of active labour. It is getting very tiring and discouraging. Our midwife and doula have been really encouraging and say that all this work helps for later in the labour but it is just exhausting and hard with another child to care for. If I knew the end was two days away or one week away, I could handle it, but not knowing if these contractions are going to get worse today or not is hard to take for too long.
Maetia is concerned that Mummy has to bend over and squat alot but she is taking it well. She is a ball of energy and so much fun. We love her personality and spunk. She speaks quite well and in full sentences that we find sometimes a mystery to decifer. She has been talking alot about the new baby in mummy's tummy and she takes out her 'doctors' kit to check me. She is still not eating alot of different foods and we limit her dairy and soy. She is still on acid reflux medication but seems to be digesting things better in the last few weeks. She only weighs 20lbs, and is a funny little elf. We are a bit concerned about how she will deal with the new baby in her life and sharing her mother. We know she will just learn to cope but it is going to be tough at first. She is definitely the center of our world.
Here are some pictures of our house and Maetia. The house pictures are a little wonky because they had to be pasted together. With slanted walls and tiny rooms, there isn't alot of room for stepping back to get the whole picture, but it gives you an idea.
We will keep you posted on the labour and hope to have some exciting news in the next week or so.

Our new house

2008-02-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

It has taken awhile to get the renovations done but we are now moved in, settled, mostly unpacked and starting to put up artwork and decorations. We completely redid the bathroom, and tore out all carpet and wallpaper upstairs. Of course we found mold on the walls and after removing the gyprock we realized there was no insulation in the exterior walls. So we did what we could afford and then blew in more cellulose insulation in the attic. It has definitely made a difference. Maetia tells us every day that there is plastic on the windows, Daddy did that she says, "keeps us warm". I wonder when we have a more efficient home if she will remember being so poor we had to seal the windows up and put plastic on them. Oh well, we own our own home and it is a great feeling!! Except when the basement filled with water, but that is another story. We are really happy to be in and look forward to our backyard full of trees and raspberries/blackberries in the spring. We are finding the space a blessing and a curse because there is more to clean and more places to loose things but we also have enough room for Michael to have a studio and for all of our 'things' that have been packed aways since we got married. It is fun to have walls to hang art on and shelves to put our books on. We have so many books and so much pottery!! We are going to post more pictures of the updated version of our house as well as more of Maetia. I did put up one picture of my belly, as requested. I have a larger than basketball size stomach with stretch marks gallore. We are praying that the baby will come soon and be healthy. I am not due for another week and since we are planning a home birth we don't want to rush anything, but lets just say by looking at the size of me, I am ready.

Merciful Heavens

2007-12-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

So, I am pregnant for the second time and they say you get bigger than the first time. I am definitely bigger. I look like I have a soccer ball in my stomach. Not a basketball yet, but definitely on the verge. I didn't really mind being bigger because the baby is healthy and I am feeling good so I wasn't too worried about the size. But lately everyone has an opinion on my belly. This bothers me because last pregnancy a lot of strangers told me I was too small and was I eating enough? They touched my stomach and gave me their opinion on the gender. This time it is even worse. In one day I had one woman tell me I was carrying a boy because I was just all baby and in the same hour another woman told me it was a girl because I had put on weight everywhere. Excuse me? Do I know you? Do you know how much I have gained or what I looked like before? No. Please keep your opinions to yourself. Yesterday in the mall I was Christmas shopping, tired and sore. A woman at the cash says when is your baby due? I said in the middle of February. "Merciful Heavens!!" she cries, "I thought you must be having a Christmas baby". Thanks, that is nice. What am I supposed to say? I didn't say much. What is it about women who have had babies and should remember how big you feel when you are pregnant. They are the ones who make comments, not men or boys, women just like you who should know better.
Enough venting about that. We are doing well here in Nova Scotia and enjoying extremely unseasonal cold weather. We picked our Christmas tree from the woods and got a little too excited. We got home and realized it won't fit in the door or in the stand. It might need some trimming or it might need to stay out on the deck. Here are some photos of Maetia and of the house Michael just put up.

photos

2007-11-14T18:33:00.000-08:00

Laura and Maetia on the beach

nice glasses

Michael and Maetia wrestling

Kiss the baby

Our home

training pants

2007-11-14T04:08:00.000-08:00

Lately Maetia has been telling us when she is peeing or pooping so we got a used potty and have it available if she wants to sit on it. At first she just wanted to sit on it with her clothes on but now she seems to want to pull down her pants and take off her diaper and 'pee'. She has actually peed in the potty a few times but she can't poop sitting down so even though it is obvious we just tell her good job and let her stand up and go in her diaper. We had thought she might be getting ready for this but we didn't want to push it because with a new baby coming we didn't want her to be trained and then revert. The truth is I don't know if we are ready. It seems like she can't be old enough already to be telling us when she has to go and actually have the control to hold it in. I remember her first few poops after the meconium and it just poured out of her with no control or realization... and now we are looking for training pants. Well if anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. We are of course sticking with cloth and it looks like some of the middle of the road brands have enough snugness as well as being easy to pull up and down. It is almost as overwhelming as shopping for cloth diapers was but not nearly such a big investment.
Speaking of investments, we are in the process of buying a house. I know we were lamenting over what type of home to build only a month ago. This house came up for sale in Woodville (where our farm is) and it is a small, cheap, fixer upper. We felt we just weren't ready for the decisions involved with designing a house and giving up some of our dreams for an environmentally sustainable home. We are hoping to get this house and sell it in a few years, hopefully making a small profit. It has a great backyard with trees, a field, and lots of raspberries, blackberries and a small barn. Michael will have lots of room for a studio and it still has some of that 'old' house charm. Our closing date is set for November 30. Please keep us in your prayers that this works out and that Tum Tum continues to grow well. We will try to attach some pictures we took with our new camera. Finally something with more than 2 megapixels!!

Tum Tum

2007-10-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

Well we certainly didn't mean to sound like we were not excited about the new baby (Tum Tum) in our last post, we just thought that it would have spread through the grapevine by now. We didn't exactly get the 'bug' to keep the family going, just another surprise like Maetia. But we are really enjoying our first surprise baby so we figure we don't always know what timing is the best. If I could have waited, I might have enjoyed a few more weeks of sleeping through the night and drinking good red wine, but there will always be time in the future for that. Our midwife says that your body knows when you are ready again and I guess I was. We are happy to have a midwife this time and already find a big difference in our visits. We talk for an hour instead of 20 minutes and besides being more thorough, it just feels like she is supporting us and we are leading the way. Last time it felt a bit like we didn't know what we were doing so the doctor was in the lead. We have told Maetia that there is a baby in Mummy's tummy and she will look under my shirt and say belly? baby? Then she looks at her belly and laughs and says BELLY!!! She is talking up a storm and really interacting with us on a different level. She will get us things if we ask her to and she answers us when we ask her a question. It is wonderful to think that of all the joys and celebrations we have had in the past 18 months, we are going to experience them all over again.
On another note, we have chickens!! I was going to order 30 Barred Rock Chickens through the mail but then the local zoo called (my cousins work there) and said they were going to feed them to the lions so did I want them? Yes!! and I named them all Daniel (or Danielle). I have 14 red ones and 5 white ones. Well I have 13 red ones now because our dog chased one out of the pen and although we see traces of it, it is still on the loose. Speaking of our dog, we left him at my parent place last week. We were driving home and I was talking about him and then Michael and I looked at each other, opps. Did we forget our dog? Is this any indication of what we will be like with 2 children? I hope not.
The garden is full of new manure, plowed and the cover crop is in. The last and final thing to do is plant the garlic and it is getting cold here so we have to do it soon. Michael is planning to put up a new home next week that he is excited about. We just found some plans from his boss for a Timber Framed home but framed especially for straw bales!! We still don't know what is happening as far as a home for us goes, but like April said, yes it is hard to grow up. So many decisions that seemed like they would be so easy to make when we were young and naive.
Here are some photos, thanks for reading our blog and staying in touch with us!

Camping for Thanksgiving

2007-10-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

Drake and Maetia

Helping with the dishes

Michael and Maetia in the tent

Hiking the marshland trail

Well we had our first camping trip with Maetia. We had always planned to go sooner but with her colic we were afraid she would scream all night and then this summer she slept better but we had no time. So we decided to go now while we have time and to a place we hadn't been. We went to the Highlands of Prince Edward Island and saw Acadian forest, sand dunes, and remains of 300 year settlements. The autumn leaves are changing and even with the crisp wind we were able to do a lot of hiking and enjoy nature. We also brought our dog who loved the exercise but not his new 'gentle leader'. We highly recommend this for dogs that pull. It worked so well and our walk was much more pleasant.
Maetia slept pretty well considering our tent size. Putting up the tent brought back a flood of memories of travelling in Australia and New Zealand beyond just living in a tiny space. What a great experience.
The second night at 6 degrees Celcius we bundled Maetia up so tight she couldn't move (and she moves alot when sleeping) so we had to strip her down and let her use our body heat to keep her warm instead. It was cozy. After camping we went to my sister's home for Thankgiving dinner and a warm night in a house. Maetia played with her 4 cousins and we caught up as sisters need to do.
As farming goes we are trying to get organized for next year; finishing up in the fields, putting on manure, ordering chickens, revamping the cold storage and wash shed, and preserving all the veggies we have left for winter.
We are finishing projects around the cottage like insulation, landscaping, putting in the wood and installing gutters. All good to have done before the snow flies!

We are currently struggling with the decision of how to get closer to our land that we are farming. It is a 20 minute drive every day each way. We are saving money by living in the cottage and we do love it here. To be closer and save time and gas, we would like to build a home on our land but the home we want is made of straw and is run by solar and wind power. It would have recycled timber and doors. It is 1.5 km down the lane has a beautiful southern exposure with a gentle slope of the land and two streams. All of these things we want cost more money that we have or else are not up to code (illegal). We could do some of the illegal things if we lived far enough away from the road but the expensive things would have to wait and long drive ways are expensive when they don't already exist. We have looked at buying a mini home to put on our land for the time being but we would loose too much money from what we have invested. We have tried to buy the houses that are existing and near our land but no one wants to sell. We are currently trying to design a small cheap home in the front of our property that could be converted into something else later (possibly) but we know that we would probably end up staying there for the next 15 years or so at least. So do we build a home for us and our teenagers that we don't have yet? Do we make it small and add on later? Do we put in the foundation but not finish it all right away? We have laid out floor plans and by cutting out 6 feet we would save almost $15,000. But we are told that we will need this space and we will regret it. We will have a hard time paying for our mortgage even with Michael doing most of the work and making it a very basic simple home. All of these things are exciting, scary, difficult choices that we are just thinking about a lot so we thought we would share it (our life) with you.
Oh and if you didn't hear it yet, we are having another baby. We are due in the middle of February and feeling great!! Just another thing to keep in prayer!

even more photos

2007-08-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Meeting her cousins for the second time.

Michael at work explaining his job.

href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1bjKEFWWkRs/RtTdTbaXZhI/AAAAAAAAAKI/avgwYH-xwS4/s1600-h/Mom%27s+camera+aug+07+087.jpg">

Eating together at a great Chinese Restaurant'Cheelin'

Our dog, Drake happy in the water.

Michael, John and Dad dragging rocks from the neighbor for a landscaping project.

more photos

2007-08-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

Pig tails on the beach.

Contant family on the beach.

Grandma and Grandpa reading Maetia her new book.

The dirty bum that makes us glad she is walking.

At the market, eating swiss chard.

luxuries

2007-08-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Maetia and Grandma

Maetia, Grandma and Grandpa

Michael and Drake at low tide

The three of us

Maetia helping us snap beans

We have been very blessed this summer to have a few of life's little luxuries come our way. The first was buying another car. Another Toyota Corolla, one that will pass inspection and cost less to maintain. Not only does this car have automatic windows but it actually has windows that open and close without great stress on the wrist and brain!! The door handles are all attached and they open and close. Finally, when we use the key on all the doors, it actually unlocks them instead of only sometimes, leaving you in a parking lot with a baby and groceries and no way to get into your car. Another luxury was getting a clothesline. We have been hanging our clothes up inside our house for 2 years and at times using the little inefficient dryer. Now we dry our clothes quickly and easily with the ocean breeze. Our best luxury this summer involved having our parents come all the way from British Columbia. We would both get home from a hard day's work and supper would be ready, there would be cookies and/or muffins made (still warm), Maetia was happy, and all our outside jobs (fixing, painting, landscaping) were all done. We loved having you both here so much and wish that you could come back!! Maetia still asks where is gggma and gggrrpapapa. We also loved to have John, Anne, Tristan, Ella, Nathan and Anne with us for a week. We had such a fun family vacation!
Michael's work continues to be busy and go well. He is enjoying learning this trade and we hope he will be able to use it for our home in the not so distant future. Our farm has continued to grow and keep us busy this summer. I ended up having 28 CSA members which was way more than I planned on. We have been able to feed this many families from less than one acre of land!! With this type of farming it is hard to believe that there is widespread hunger within our own towns and cities. Our land continues to give us more than we need and we are trying to put away things with freezing and canning. We have begun the process of subdividing our land from my father's land and getting it ready for a home. We were hoping for this winter but it might be next fall instead. We love where we live right now and are not anxious to move again, only to be closer to the land we are working and trying to understand. I have been finding I am busier than I hoped to be. I have Maetia with my mum or at my sister's daycare 3 days a week. Then I am busy on Saturday morning with the market. I hope with more organization and planning, next year I will be home with her more. She is growing and changing so much all the time. She copies everything we say and do. She talks and babbles all the time and we can usually understand what she wants by her talk and signing. She is finally walking which has seemed to increase her appetite and help her stomach move food along better. Her acid reflux is still there but seems better in an upright position. I am going to add photos to this post and then post 2 or 3 more to get all the photos on that we want to share. We are hoping that with fall approaching and the CSA winding down we are going to be able to go fall camping, biking and hiking; and spend some time together as a family before it gets too cold.

Deliveries

2007-07-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Walking into the bank has never felt so exciting or fulfilling. Last Thursday I delivered two boxes from my CSA to the Royal Bank of Canada. This is a bank which neither Michael or I were happy with so we switched to the Credit Union. Fortunately for us my friend's mother works there and she and a friend had signed up for a weekly box of veggies each. As I handed over the boxes and all the people in the bank stared at me, they also looked into the box and now I have three more subscribers. Nothing beats in person, fresh, honest, advertising.
This spring at the market, I meekly passed out a little paper about what a CSA is and what I was doing. I hoped to get 10 people and now I have almost 25!! I am feeling overwhelmed but very excited too. This summer we also decided to take on another market which is about one hour away. This market is small but has no vegetable vendors. We figured this would be a good way to compare markets and sell rid of all my extra produce. Now we are finding that some weeks, I have to buy stuff from other people just to meet the demand. The problem with this is that I am doing alot of running around and only making half the money because I am buying other farmer's products. It is something that we just might have to do for this season now that we have committed to the markets. So far the bugs and weeds are under control (barely). We have 2 very special people coming this Friday to visit and we hope they will be as excited about weeding as I am. I know we are excited to see them as it has been almost one year since they have been here. We show Maetia her Grandma and Grandpa every day on the fridge and though she can't say their names, she recognizes them. We can't wait to see you!!
Michael is really enjoying his work and just returned from Peace River, Alberta. They put up a home that was 2500 sq.feet and the owner called 'cozy'. We call it huge. Maetia is growing and is finally weighing in at 18 lbs. We still are not able to switch her seat around even though she is 15 months old. She is finally sleeping through the night and can point to her body parts and say many words. She is so funny and tries to tickle us and tease us. She is not walking yet but can scoot extremely fast. Her cloth diapers are working better now that she has some weight on her thighs and we can just let her go in the diaper without pants because it is so warm here. We are loving the cool ocean breeze and sounds of waves each night as we lay in bed. This is a blessed summer so far. If only we could fit in some camping. Here are some photos of our summer with Maetia.

CSA

2007-06-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well my garden is growing at a rate that I can't seem to keep up with. It is not just the veggies that are growing or the weeds, it is also the bugs. They are breeding and growing at a speed that is a bit out of control. I currently have Flea beetle on all my Brassicas (Kale, Brocolli, etc.) and the Cucumber beetle on all my Curbits (squash, cucumber etc.). After some time, I decided to spray the cucumber beetle with an oranic spray called Trounce. Basically it is the most mild and least harmful way I could control them. It makes them sick and hopefully die and stop breeding. I did not want to spray at all but years of other farmers in the area growing mass amounts of these plants has encouraged the bugs. Anyways, I am going to try and control it organically and then if this doesn't work, there are other options. These options are: basically loose my crop or spray synthetic pesticides. What is the better choice? For me it depends on my day. Right now, I am frustrated that companion planting, and collecting and monitoring the pests didn't work. I am realistic enough to know I need a crop. But if I spray, I have to tell all my customers, and that will slow down my market and make me frustrated in my growing inability. Well this is farming I guess and I am in it. Yes, I am and I have 8 members of my farm already!!! Michael and I are really excited. I spread the word that I would be doing a trial CSA for 10 weeks instead of 20 and that if it went well I would get a greenhouse and try it for 16-20 weeks next year. Word is spreading and people are looking for ways to get local produce so this seems to be good timing for us as a farm. Timing is everything isn't it?
Look how time is flying for this little girl.......

Doctors visit

2007-05-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

In the past month Maetia has gone to see her new pediatrician twice and the Asthma and Allergy specialist once. The pediatrician put her on Prevacid for Acid Reflux. We really don't want our child on such strong medication but within one day, she was eating better and sleeping better. Food is always hard with babies but she is exceptional. She previously always refused to eat after 2 spoonfuls of anything, even ice cream. No wonder she is so thin. She also always cried when we laid her down but we thought she just wanted to move around. One month after starting her medication, she has gained a pound and is starting moving up on her growth curve which she hasn't done in about 5 months. We are so happy that she seems happier and is enjoying her food. She is also having a longer daytime nap and has slept through the night a few times!! We are told that they usually grow out of acid reflux so we are praying that it will happen for her. Fortunately for us, our pediatrician recognizes our financial situation and has given us samples of the medication so we don't have to pay for it. Maetia was tested for allergies to dogs/cats, dust, milk and soy. She tested negatively to all of them, so the doctor has said that her symptoms of milk and soy allergies are also something she will probably grow out of. Lately we have been frustrated with doctors because they only rely on science for their diagnosis'. We completely understand that science has improved and saved the lives of millions of people, I am just venting. The Naturapath is great because they understand and believe you but you are still left with, okay so she can't eat all these things, what can she eat? It is frustrating when your child is extremely cranky, congested and constipated when she eats dairy products but you are told that it is only an old wives tale that they can have those symptoms from milk. Well, thousands of mothers who have experienced this may disagree. But we want to believe the doctor and pray that she will not have any food intolerances as I am all too familiar with how uncomfortable and annoying these can be. But we celebrate that she is growing and doing well and filling our lives with joy. She is turning into much more of a toddler lately. She moves quicker and with more confidence. She teases and tickles us and loves to play games. She will sit still for a few books at a time and loves to bounce up and down on the bed. With every new stage we have some sadness because she is growing and changing faster than we were ready for. We have a little girl, not a baby. It seems like parenting is full of joys and sorrows mixed together.
The pictures of the house framing are of a house that Michael put up with his work Arlington Timber Frames, on Cape Breton Island last week.
The photos of Maetia are at our first cook out on the beach on the weekend. We saw whales moving past (right in front of us) in the Bay of Fundy!! Maetia scoots around on the rocks like it is no big deal to drag her leg over all those rocks.

photos to go

2007-05-22T18:54:00.001-07:00

Here is my land that I am planting on. It has floating row cover on the sensitive stuff.

My table at the market, the wave in the background

Maetia and I at the market

Maetia loves this toy, it plays music and blows air in her face and she gets to stand up all at once!

She choses cars and trucks over dolls every time.

time to relax

2007-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

First it was my first market, and then a rally, now we can relax. The Young People in the CRC Maritime Provinces get together twice a year and take turns hosting what we call 'rallies'. We just hosted one and we are exhausted. There were 80 people at the camp and Michael and I planned and co-ordinated the three day weekend. Our theme was taking care of God's creation. We did different activities like a beach clean up, visiting elderly people and planting trees. It rained for most of the weekend but the kids were good sports and we had a lot of fun.
My first market last weekend went really well. I made a small profit and met many different people. The question I was asked the most was "Who are you?". I wished I had an answer. Thank you so much for your responses to our blog about our farm name. I forgot to mention that the land where I am planting most of the veggies has this strange rock in it. It is black and lightweight. It looks similar to Obsidian, so I thought I could go with Obsidian farm but Michael laughed and said that it sounds like obscene. I can't name it something too descriptive of what I am selling because that is bound to change. I also can't name it something that describes the area because we might not always farm there, (that is another story). Right now, I am really liking Anavah Acres, which is Hebrew, not Greek like I said it was. Also, I apologize to my family because some of them did give me feedback and I grouped them all together and said they didn't.
Maetia is doing well. She is growing and changing all the time. We wish we had high speed internet so we could put videos onto the blog. She is a really funny little girl. She has learned to crawl up and down the stairs safely. She is eating better now and gaining more weight too. Horray!! She is very vocal and has many words that are quite clear. Her favourite word is Daddy which means: mummy, daddy, man, opa, water and look at that. She only says mummy when she is hungry, but I can understand that. She is currently getting all four top teeth at the same time. Needless to say, those herbal tablets that Anne Contant recommended are my best friend. We can see all of her first teeth just sitting in her gums, ready to come out, even the molars. She is going to the Asthma and Allergy specialist tommorow so we are hoping to have some more answers on what she can and can't eat, hopefully some ideas to get her to eat more and hopefully they will tell me I can take her off her medication soon and give it a try.
We are having a late frost her tonight so I am worried about my little plants that are barely covered. Hopefully this is the last one. We are also putting a deck onto our cottage. Our back yard is full of mud and water because there was a stream running under the house that we found when putting in the retaining wall.
We are having trouble posting photos so we will try again tommorow.

Farm name

2007-05-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

We are only 4 days from going to the market for the first time as a primary producer, not selling for someone else, but my own stuff!! Unfortunately due to the cold spring we are experiencing, there is not a lot to sell. I am planning to collect edible wild plants like fiddle heads and make some bouquets out of pussywillows and dogwood. I do have a little bit of lettuce and arugula so that will have to be good enough for this week. It is really all about exposure for myself and to pass out my CSA survey (thanks Dan!). There are two very experienced vegetable growers that will be there with at least 20 different varieties of vegetables, so it is hard to compete. I am hoping that by showing my face and my interest in local agriculture, I will eventually get a clientel that I can depend on and hope to sell straight from the farm. Michael is going to take Maetia and help me until she gets tired and then will go home. We are transporting our tent, table and produce on our new truck. The Nissan 'Wave' is a little light weight truck that we bought from my Opa (thanks Opa!!) and it should have a little more room than the Toyota Corolla. The main reason for this blog is to get some feedback about our farm name. We have struggled for a year with this and still have nothing. It isn't even like we have to have a name right away, but we thought it would be nice. I wanted something with my father's farm name (Annashoeve), and my uncle's farm where we lived (Foote Family Farm). Other than naming it Annas' Foote, I haven't come up with much. There is a stream on the land, but it has no name. I found that Anavah means gentleness in Greek which I liked but got no response from my family on that one. I was also thinking of Linley Farms, or Linley Acres. Linley is a woman whose two sons were so good to us when we lived in Australia. It also sounds somewhat like Lyn which is my middle name. Any ideas? We would love to hear from you. Here are some pictures too because we know that is why you really are looking at our blog, but who could blame you.

pictures

2007-04-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures that we would love to share

This is the painting Michael did for our Doula, Rosella Hutten.

This is Maetia's favourite 'toy'

Just lounging around

href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1bjKEFWWkRs/Ria_JSm_t-I/AAAAAAAAAE4/R5C2MvQ1Q7A/s1600-h/april18+005.jpg">
Maetia and Daddy kissing

Maetia in her new chair. She has a little trouble getting in but no trouble jumping out.

This is our new dog Red whom we have renamed "Drake".

Already sharing their water.

Silly girl with silly hair.

From zero to one

2007-04-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here is zero

Here is one

Well it all happened very fast and now before we could catch up, Maetia turned one!! A brief summary: She is a beautiful little girl with so much personality and spunk. She is a little elvish and we think she will be sneaky at times and try our patience. She also seems very clever (all parents think this of their children we know) and she already has a love of music. She is wiggly and wiry with her little bum still in the first size cloth diapers. She can clap and wave, shake her head and scream (sometimes all at once). Her sounds are: baba, bye, bubu, mama, mmmm, dada, dudu, dodo, dogga, gaga, gigi, kitty, tees, hoss, hi, and hya. She loves all animals and will point out animals in every picture, painting or sign. She points at everything and when she gets really excited she falls over from pointing so vigorously. She eats almost all food both purees and finger foods and we did decide to give her meat in the end although we debated. She does not have any dairy products and minimal soy. She seems to do better without them. She has always been a skinny little thing and the doctors have done multiple tests to see why she is so under weight. They have not found anything wrong with her and we feel that she is just a little person, not unlike some of those little Footes and Contants in her ancestry.
As a couple, we went from living with my sister and her children for a summer (2004)and thinking we knew quite a bit about parenting, to having a baby of our own and realizing we didn't know that much after all. To be honest, Maetia's colic and breathing difficulty put a strain on the enjoyment of the first few months. It was hard on our marriage, hard on our bodies and minds. Once she began to settle, we started to meet this little girl whose belly didn't seem to want to let her relax, and we fell even more in love with her than we already were. Most of our pictures of the first three months she is sleeping because otherwise she was often crying or moving. We also spent a lot of time with her upsidown with our finger in her mouth. When she learned to sit up and was able to sleep on her own for more than 20 minutes at a time, we all felt better. She smiled at 3 weeks, laughed at 7 weeks, ate cereal at 4 months, drank from the sippy cup at 5 months, sat up at 7 months, scooted around at 9 months and can almost walk unassisted at 12 months. Maetia spent (and still does spend),a great deal of time in her sling and we walk everyday loving the fresh air and wind in our hair.
This has been a journey of learning. We have learned how to be parents, learned how to share each other, and learned how to live life outside the womb. As with all journeys we learn as we go and we get a little wiser the more we experience. We expect the next few children will not have to experience quite as much trial and error and for that we will apologize to Maetia in the future. On the other hand, she is the only one who will get our undivided attention, all of her siblings will have to share us with her, and she had us all to herself. But just so you know, there are no siblings brewing.
We tried to make a slide show but with dial-up internet and not being very internet savy we didn't do such a great job. So we have pictures on the Kodak photo page: www.ofoto.com You can sign in with our account which is: contant_love@artlover.com and password is maetiaalese. The album is called Maetia's first year. We hope this works for you. If not we can try again on something like Flickr.
Thanks for loving us as a family and for sharing in our joys and struggles. We feel like we have been given the most precious gift we could ever get and we hope and pray that we will do a good job caring for her.

Adoption

2007-03-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your encouraging comments everyone. We really appreciate knowing that friends are reading our blog and sharing in our experiences. It makes us feel closer to all of you. We wish we were physically closer too!!
After much deliberation, we have decided to adopt a dog from the local animal shelter. Well it isn't so local. We have been looking around and there are not a lot of dogs in our immediate area so we had to extend our search region. We searched online and found a dog at the SPCA in Yarmouth. The last dog we had adopted, Ford, had been abused and all the love in the world could not stop him from eventually being aggressive and biting Michael. So we said the next dog we got would be a purebred. We hoped this way we would be more sure of its breed characteristics. We also said we would get a puppy because then we could train it and make sure it had not experienced any mistreatment or abuse. When the time came to really find a dog, we could not justify the cost of a purebred dog ($500-700) to a mixed breed who needed a home. We had been looking at the Nova Scotia Duck Toller breed as one of our options for purchase so when 'Red' came up for adoption, we decided to go take a look. Arriving at the shelter, we were met with meows and barking. We walked into the kennel where immediately 15 dogs begin to bark even louder and Maetia starts to cry. It was so hard to look at each of them and give them all treats and base our decision of who will have a new home on that two minute interaction. We wanted to take all of them!! Not to mention the 20 or so cats. So it was hard but we went with a purpose and after meeting Red and taking him for a walk, we decided to.... go home and think about it. So we drove back home for 2 1/2 hours with Maetia crying much of the way. How would you go to an adoption agency in say China and pick out a child to adopt? How would you actually choose the one you like the best when you don't know any of them? Michael said it is like choosing the personality you are going to deal with for the rest of your/its' life. I know a dog is not at all the same as a child but for these dogs, we are picking one that will have a good life, not a perfect life, but a good one and it is really hard to decide which one is guaranteed that. Red has a nice temperment. He is 7 months old and is a Duck Toller mix. He is very hyper but gentle with Maetia. He likes cats and water which we have at our house. He also has a bum leg, kind of like Max/Tripod (Eric's dog) but not as bad. We decided to adopt him because he was the one we felt the best connection with. We will send pictures when we get him. He is currently awaiting the dreaded neutering process.
Here are some photos of Maetia instead.

Dordt Poster child

She can go up but not down

Dancing

2007-03-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

So last Friday I got the call I have been dreading. It was my boss from my job with the Department of Natural Resources. He was calling to ask if I had decided if I was going to come back to work or not. In Canada we are allowed to have a whole year of maternity leave so I haven't had to make a final decision until now (I know we are lucky). For the past few months I have been going over it and over it in my mind; what should I do? I liked my job and it could potentially lead to a better job, making contacts and getting experience, but...... I never was a career minded person but I do like working outside, in the woods. And I liked to think I was making a difference, as far as promoting sustainable resources use went. I just couldn't leave her, in my heart I knew what I had to do. By the way Chole, your post about not going back to your job helped me verbalize what I had been feeling for so long, thank you. But when I got the call in the middle of our dancing session to my favourite song "Bridal Train" from The Waifs it was still hard to let go and say 'no thank you, I want to be a stay at home mom'. I question my expensive education and when I will use it again. I wonder if I will get enough intellectual stimulation just by being at home and in the garden. But as my daughter is weaning herself from me and I am mourning that phase of our lives, I am reminded of what a good friend said to Michael and I when discussing our financial situation=need to work. He said 'you will never get that time back' and I believe it. So I hung up the phone and pressed play on the the player and we finished our dance.

Maetia helping in the kitchen

Michael bonding/feeding Maetia

Together with the Youth Group from our church, we participated in a service project over March break. We all learned a lot by serving homeless and hungry people on the streets of Halifax. We are so proud of these kids!!

Icebergs

2007-03-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

For the past week, we have smelled spring coming up through the ground. It is a nice feeling to walk outside and smell the earth again. Very refreshing and encouraging. Just when you think you might not be able to handle any more winter, spring arrives. Part of spring that we have learned about by living on the Bay is the chunks of ice (as large as cars) that are breaking off of shorelines and esturaries and drifting into the bay to eventually make their way out to the ocean. Or at least that is what we think is happening. Right now they are floating in the wrong direction but we believe it is because of the tidal impact and ocean currents.

There might be something in the water or in our genes but this little one is the final baby in the countdown of the VanHattem cousins to have a baby in the past year. There have been seven girls, this latest cutie is Madeline Grace.

This beautiful girl made my day and helped me celebrate my birthday by watching the moonrise and lunar eclipse with a great view from the shore.

travel

2007-02-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today (like almost everyday), Maetia travelled in the car. We headed to the Osteopath after we dropped Michael off at work. This was our third visit and hopefully our last. It looks like she has done all the work that needs to be done. Re-aligning her spine, decompressing her sacrum and releasing the pressure on the right side of her brain were the main focuses at each consecutive visit. The doctor moved her fingers around on her head and I held her while she looked at me and sometimes smiled, sometimes cried. The doctor has said that she will no longer have breathing problems, digestive problems and will begin to use the left side of her body more. These are things I assumed were just how babies were. Colic, constipation, and asthma. I thought we had a future using medicines that I wasn't sure how I felt about giving to her in the first place. Could it really work? Could she be all better? It sounds too good to be true but the more I have met with Sarah Hayes and learned about Osteopathy, the more I realize how complex this form of medicine. I do trust and believe that it is at least making her much more comfortable even if she doesn't get completely better.
We also made a trip in our car to the Valley Cloth Diaper Company. This is where we have bought all our diapers, except the ones we found second hand or that very kind people gave to us. We bought one new kind called Kissaluvs and we love it already. Very comfy and soft. We also bought a new wrap/plastic pant that is made of fleece. It seems Maetia is going to like textures just like her mother and Grandma Contant. Whether she wants to or not, she is experiencing them all day, so the least I can do is make it a good experience.
The rest of the day Maetia spent time travelling in her three other favourite styles and we have pictures to prove it.

little joys

2007-02-20T17:33:00.001-08:00

Maetia brings a smile to my face each day. Lately our days are consumed

with teething: mouths full of fists and many tears but there is still time for some giggles.

She has learned to enjoy the sled now that we finally have some snow!

Bath time is our favourite time of the day. Maetia loves water of any sort and lets us lay her down on her back and float. She just recently started bathing alone and seems to enjoy her independance but her wiggling makes her mama nervous.

good neighbors

2007-02-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

On February 3, my horse broke through her paddock fence, ripped her chest open, and proceded to run down the road about one mile. The vet had to come and sew her muscles and skin flaps back together. Having always wanted to be a vet, once I realized she was going to be okay, I enjoyed the procedure despite the freezing cold temperatures. The neighbors let us use their barn for the surgery and another neighbor lent us their trailer to get her back home. The rest of the them, about 6 more, (big news travels fast) helped me and my dad hold her up while she was sedated and very ready to drop all 1000 pds onto the vet crouching in front of her. She just had her check up and is healing nicely but not enjoying her manditory stall/bedrest.

touque

2007-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Maetia stays warm and snugg in the backpack with Laura as they go out for their daily exercise and fresh air.

Friends

2007-01-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to good friends from what seems like long ago, we finally have a blog. We visited with Sarah and Aaron Zuidhof in Fredericton for the weekend. We know them from Dordt College and then being in Vancouver at the same time. Our daughters are close in age and we had lots to catch up on. So we finally can blog like the rest of our friends! Mostly we are planning to put up pictures to share with friends and family but if we have some deep thoughts that we actually have time to write down, we will try and blog them. Stay tuned.

play

2007-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Maetia Contant and Tianna Zuidhof are only 4 days apart. And both love to scoot on their bums.