~ Sleeping Beauty ~

The time was 6:28pm.

Lennah fell asleep on Daddy's legs as he had them propped up on the ottoman. She hadn't even had dinner yet. Try as we might, we couldn't wake her up. Charley couldn't wake her up. Even Tak licking her about the ears and face didn't work. So, we put her to bed and hoped she'd stay down the rest of the night - she did. What a tired little girl she was - our sleeping beauty.

~ Charley's First Meal ~

I couldn't torture Charley any longer. And about 2 weeks before her 6 month birthday I started her on solids. She began with rice cereal like all good girls should. She ate like a pro. Lennah was so happy to help out and did a great job feeding Charley. These are some photos of her first taste of peas. The jury's still out on this one.

~ Merry Christmas ~

I was absolutely bursting with pride when this photo was taken - both Nathan and I were. We went in to Prince George this week to finish our Christmas shopping and for Santa pictures. Last year, Lennah wouldn't have anything to do with poor old Santa. I barely managed to get myself out of the frame and she's barely in it because she was clinging to me. But, this year was a whole other story. I don't know if it had anything to do with letting her watch some classic Santa movies - Frosty and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer - that made her more comfortable with who Santa was. But either way, it didn't matter. She waved to him as he walked to his giant teddy bear chair and quite happily sat beside him and smiled for the camera. The only hiccup to the photo session was the photographer wasn't ready when she gave him her first huge smile and the elf was shaking her bells three feet off to the side of the camera, hence the kids aren't looking directly at the camera. But Lennah still kept smiling! I don't know how to convey just how proud and ecstatic we both were with our little girls. Nathan are still talking and smiling about it!

~ October in Takla ~

Treehouse

Better late than never. I've wanted to post these landscape photos for quite some time now. Here are some more examples of what a beautiful place we live in. All of these shots were taken in and around Takla Landing this past October.

~ Our Girls ~

A little Christmas collage of the girls in the same dress. Lennah wasn't quite 4 months old and Charley's 5 months in these photos.

4 1/2 months

2 years and 2 months

Lennah and Tak

The girls tonight. They absolutely adore each other.

My little "Superstar". This is how Lenanh had lunch one day. I didn't prompt her with the sunglasses for a photo-op, she asked for them on her own. As a matter of fact, each time I tried to take a picture she would pull the glasses back down over her eyes.

I am so filled with love for these little girls. Each with such a different personality and yet so similar. Charley seems a little easier going, so happy and always ready with a smile. She's also sitting up all on her own now. Lennah's a little more reserved and very willful (the nice term for a child in the throes of the terrible two's). They are beautiful inside and out and I hope they always remember that.

Nathan and I couldn't be happier and more blessed than we are with our beautiful family.

~ First Snow of 2008 ~

By all appearances, it looks as if the snow is here to stay. We've had a few "flurries" in the past couple of weeks, but nothing that's stuck. Well, the other night, we received a foot or more of snow and it's not going away anytime soon. There's snowfall warnings at least once a week, now.

One great big bear - a grizzly bear to be exact. And that would be Nathan's foot beside them. Nathan took this photo on the logging road on his way to pick up my Mom last week for her visit here (no photos taken, unfortunately). It's both the front and back paws.

This shot was taken by Nathan on the way back from escorting my Mom and I to the Tachie Highway when Mom was leaving to head back to the coast. The drive out took us four hours instead of the usual two. We'd just received that foot of snow I mentioned and I was taking our truck into Vanderhoof to have the 4X4 fixed and to drop Mom off in Prince George. After he left us, Nathan of course turned around and this is what he saw. Believe it or not, it had been a bright sunny day, we needed sunglasses as the light shining off the water in the potholes was blinding. He couldn't believe how black the sky was, foreshadowing how the weather was to be in the coming days. Two days later when I was heading home from Vanderhoof after being delayed an extra day, the drive shaft was gone in the front of our truck, I drove home in a near blizzard.

Lennah's first quad ride of the season.

Charley's very first quad ride - she absolutely loved it!

~ Potty Training ~

Well, I'm hoping it's safe to report - that Lennah is well on her way to being totally potty trained!!! Two weeks ago this Wednesday, she woke up from her nap with a dry bum. I hadn't been pushing the potty training lately as the girl was "holding it" for up to 8 hours and wouldn't p**p for 3 days at a time. As my sister had me all worried that she would get a bladder infection from holding it so long, I asked the doctor. He advised me to wait a little longer, that I wasn't going to win this battle of wills. (You see, I had been working on this since last January as I was convinced I could have Lennah trained before Charley arrived. Who was I kidding?) So, after my discussion with the doctor, I eased up and hadn't been pressing the issue since September. But, I don't know why on Wednesday I decided to see what she would do. So, off went the diaper and I set up the bathroom, complete with a stool and potty seat on the big toilet and let her know that it was all ready for her. Next thing I know, Lennah is packing out the whole potty to the kitchen, while I race back to the bathroom to get the seat, and she goes on it! All by herself! Then she proceeded to use it the rest of the evening and the next day and the next day. After the third day I didn't even need to give her any treats as a reward. She didn't and doesn't care about the treats. I think she is proud of using the potty and now the big toilet and of being a "big girl" and that's enough for her. She's just taken it all in stride and doesn't seem to need all our praise. We've only had one accident in almost two weeks and she's down to one diaper a day - at nighttime. Now if we could only get her to put some pants on during the day!!! LOL

We're so proud of our little big girl! Way to go Lennah!