Playing with my Big Sister.

As a big sister I do have very fond memories of playing with my little sister Colleen. She followed me to around & as any big sister I was often annoyed to have her follow. I loved her alot & was her protector but a girl needs her space!

Now I see the same thing with Sadie & Skylar. Sadie follows her around the house non-stop. If Skylar is in her room with the door closed Sadie sits outside the door waiting for her to come out. If Skylar is eating Sadie is right there begging for food. If Skylar is playing Sadie is right there wanting to play.

Skylar can get annoyed but she is also a great big sister. She lets Sadie play with her from time to time & Sadie LOVES it! (So do I - can bring me to tears at times).

This morning when I got out of the shower I found Skylar having a tea party with Sadie. Sadie was so excited she couldn't contain herself. I had to take pics!

Yesterday Skylar was playing with her girlfriend Angelina & they decided to let Sadie be the "baby" in their game of house. Sadie was very willing doing all she was told & snuggling up on Skylar's beanbag with her pretending it was bed time. Could Mommy or Daddy ever get her to sit still for one moment. Nope - but Big Sister Skylar sure can.

I am so happy to have two girls. I love my sister to pieces & would do anything for her. I pray that my girls have the same relationship that me & Colleen have.

Sadies 1st Birthday Bash.

On Sunday we had Sadie's birthday with all the extended family and many friends. Thankfully it was a beautiful day & we were able to enjoy the weather & hang out on the deck & in the back yard.

Sadie loved having so much attention & Skylar loved having all her cousins & friends over to play with & swim with.

Elmo was the theme & Sadie loved it. As I was putting up her decorations in the morning she sat on the floor & clapped. She just loves Elmo. I attempted to be creative & make an Elmo cake & cupcakes. They turned out not too bad - the kids loved them at least. And the birthday girl loved them too - isn't that what counts?

I cannot believe all that I have been able to celebrate this last month. Skylar turning 8, Skylar's Adoption & now Sadie's 1st Birthday. God is Good!

Skylar's Adoption Ceremony!

Today was a very important day in the Lussier family!

The day began at 7 am with the decorating of our Forever Family - Hello Kitty Cake. Skylar was so excited to be able to decorate it herself & she did a great job. Next it was off to a Nursery to pick our "Adoption" tree. As a family we are planting a tree to commemorate today! Getting the tree into the SUV was very interesting but thankfully my sister Colleen came along & helped each step of the way. She also painted a beautiful "Forever Family" stone to put in front of our tree. LOVE IT!

Next we dashed home & prepared for the party. At 2pm Louise & Mel - Skylar's Foster Mom & Dad from the past year & a half arrived with her Foster Sister Sydnee. Next Grandma & Grandpa Siemens who have so lovingly cared for Skylar over the past 8 years keeping her safe & loving her greatly. Grandma Siemens would wave each morning as her school bus passed their farm to ensure she knew family loved her! Skylar's social worker Andre came bringing a beautiful life book for Skylar full of her story & pictures all beautifully scrapbooked. And our CFS social worker Nelda came with all the official papers.

Skylar was able to visit with all the amazing people who had cared for our little girl over the past few years. People who ensured Skylar was able to be a little girl & enjoy life even if parts of her life were tough. People who loved her and celebrated her. To all these people I give a huge thank you. You have helped to raise a beautiful, well mannered & well balanced little girl. To this we will be ever grateful!

Today we became parents of 2 beautiful little girls. Welcome to the Lussier family Skylar! We love you so much!

Sadie's 1st Birthday

I honestly cannot believe my baby girl is 1 years old. Time goes by way too quickly. I look at the little girl standing on her own at the coffee table smiling & nodding 'no mama' 'no'. And I can't help but smile & be so absolutely thankful for all I have.

We had a tiny birthday party for Sadie on her actual day - July 21st. Skylar & D'Arcy & I gave her our presents & she got to eat Jeannie's Cake for the first time! It was small & quiet but to have the four of us at the table & to know we are a family is beyond what I could have even imagined!

Happy Birthday my Beautiful Little Girl!

Bedtime On Time - Seriously Possible?

I take comfort in the fact that I am a gal of routine & organization. As a new mommy this works well for me - generally.

Sadie has her bath & we plunk her in bed around 6:30 & she drifts off to la la land. She is amazing at bed time.

Then there is Skylar. We decided 8 would be her new bed time now that she is 8. I can honestly say that we have not once hit that mark. I honestly do try & she is a really good at doing what she is asked. But we just cannot seem to achieve the goal. With it being summer holidays I don't worry too much about her being up later. That is what holidays are about. I am concerned though that I we will have to start a bedtime routine at 7 to get her in bed by 8.

As I write this I think I might be slowing going crazy. Wow - what is the big deal right? Why am I so anal. Hmmmmmmmmmm things to think about. Maybe my bedtime should be 8 too? That might make things easier - I like that idea. My laundry & house does not.

Wowee Stuff!

Okay - I do understand that I am a bit of a neat/organizing freak. But I cannot believe how much "stuff" kids have.

Going to do errands isn't as simple as grabbing my purse & car keys anymore. It means ensuring everyone has gone to the bathroom, packing snacks, packing a bottle, packing a diaper, packing a few toys to keep Sadie busy & happy, ensuring everyone's hair & teeth are brushed, and the list does go on. Wowee! Sometimes I have more baggage than what I would take on a vacation & I will be home at suppertime.

Now all that stuff doesn't include the "stuff" that comes with kids. Clothes for all seasons, shoes, jewellery, toys, dolls, crafts, purses, books, stuffed animals, movies, every nic nac paddy wack you can imagine!

And everything has to be kept. This is something I must admit I struggle with. They don't even remember the toy yet they have to keep it. The cotton wad with one googly eye is their favourit-est craft ever. And lets not forget the valentines addressed to some boy in your class - he didn't want them & gave them to you so you need to keep all 40 of those too. AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGG!

Well I am inclined to wait til they are out & "purge" but I also remember being that age & doing the exact same thing & miraculously I don't have those nic nac paddy wacks anymore (well okay maybe a few boxes in the basement but no one needs to know that).

The best part of all? I have two gorgeous girls with TONNES of stuff that I get to complain about. Life is good!

Tents on Rainy Days!

My sister & I use to spend hours in our room creating tents out of blankets, chairs & clothespins. We would have so much fun setting up sleeping quarters and even eating our snacks inside of our tents. Playing pretend was definitely a great part of being a kid. Reality as an adult can sometimes suck.

Skylar decided to create her own "fort" as she called it out of umbrella's. Quite ingenious I thought! No need for clothes pins or chairs! She had a little sleeping quarter as well as a computer room. (Something for her generation I guess.)

Naturally Sadie thought this was the best idea ever & could hardly control herself. We had to keep dragging her out of the tent so poor Skylar could get it constructed. She did get to visit once everything was all ready though!

(Thankfully Grandma Murchison wasn't over. Having all those umbrellas up in the house - very bad luck!)

Help I Am Melting!

Okay - I am all for beautiful sunny days here in Winterpeg but the humidity I can do without. We have been visiting Baba Lussier & Pe Pere quite a bit this last week & taking full advantage of their swimming pool in their apartment complex. DIVINE! Thankfully both Sadie & Skylar love the water so it is something we can all do together & enjoy.

I am however getting tired of doing laundry each time we go only to use everything the following day & yes that is right the process begins all over again. But I guess the work is well worth the reward (at least that is what I am trying to convince myself of!).

Summer is here!