Dear Adelaide & Sarah,

How very lucky you are...

From the day your Daddy said he wanted a family, I began to dream...From the day I knew you existed, that dream consumed me. From the day I heard you would be "TWO", that dream doubled!! And the day you were born, my dreams came to life.

While I was still in shock from the new of twins,
Grandee & Grandad laughed,
a laugh straight from the heart!
Then after a night of NO sleep from a head that wouldn't stop reeling,
Grandee listened to me babble on, for what must have been hours.

I can't even remember what we talked about,

but it calmed my mind...
Today, Grandee & Grandad have already given you
more than many children receive...
They have given you a family steadfast in love & support.

Aunt TJ & Cousin Cameron,
sent you treasures from their very own Nursery,
to welcome your arrival...
making family seem not so far away.

When you were tiny, Aunt Tori taught you the song

"Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes".

I never knew the word "toes" could inspire such a reaction!

While it made you giggle,

it brought tears to my eyes!

Then there is your Aunt Maureen.

She has been there every step of the way!

She once told me that with Grandma FitzGerald now gone,

she'd do her best to fill that gap...

With Aunt Maureen in your lives, there is no gap,

for she continues to swaddle you both in a blanket

woven from the fibers of the past & present.

......................

Your Aunt Eileen & Aunt Margaret have arms

that reach all the way across oceans to hold you.

They have sent you treasures from Europe,

treasures that you will pass on to your daughters...

......................

Although our family is spread far & wide,

they are forever doing things to include you in their lives

& they are filled with a love for you,

with a love that is only known to family.

Yesterday was one of those days that drove this home for me...

A parcel came in the mail from Vancouver.
In it was a CD of Uncle Ian singing along with his guitar.
These songs aren't ordinary songs known to other children...

These songs of Sled Dogs & Brumbys, of Winter Boots & Furry Mice...
are songs written for you, sung for you, played for you, by your Uncle Ian.
They were written for you & you alone.

Any music is a gift, but this music is golden!

Let's hope that the rest of the world doesn't discover your Uncle Ian's hidden talents, for if they do, we would surely have to share him with millions!
I'm certain that Grandpa FitzGerald, who was a musical man himself, is smiling &
the North Star is sparkling just a tad brighter,
as you dance to your Uncle's tunes, from your breakfast chairs. I am equally certain that you will play those very songs for your children some years from now !

.......................

As you grow through life, there are many things that I hope for you!
One of those things has already come true...
The love of family!

I can hear that you have woken from your mid-days nap and your sounds are happy.

...How very lucky I am ;)

We'd be NAKED if it weren't for Aunt Maureen!!!

Pssssst...Sarah Grace here reporting!!

It's TRUE...

If it wasn't for our Aunt Maureen I'd still be naked...

Heck, for that matter, so would my sister!!

It's not that my parents don't do their best but...
Walmart isn't exactly Fashion Central...
it's 100 miles away from our palacious cabin
(let us live in our fantasy world while we're still short, thank-you very much)
and
we keep GROWING!
Poor Mum & Dad are having a hard time

keeping us in cloths !!

Thanks to Aunt Maureen,

we have these rather smashing Pink-Poke-A-Dot Play Suits

Finally, something our FEET aren't being strangled in!!!

"Today's Parent" really should consider this outfit for their next cover shot !

Here, Baby Adelaide Anne, my older sister,

is modeling the "play suit" in comfort & style...

all the while, in matching gear,

I can be found inspecting the socks...

GREAT COLOURS Aunt Maureen...That Lime Green is Heavenly

(a tad over-sized perhaps, but we'll eat our Cheerios & before you know it,

they'll fit just fine!!)

But then again,

they could double as...

a couture hat on the runway in Paris!!

Apparently my SISTER thinks they were meant for HER!!!

Not to worry, I'll share...

(but the Lime Green ones are MINE!!!!)

I couldn't help but notice she honed in on the

Purple Hearts!

That's fine...

I think the blue & cappuccino flowers

are more my shade & style anyways...

For two girls, this whole sharing thing really IS working out!!

We don't REALLY sleep stuck to the wall

(as it looks like in the photo above)

If your tilt your head to the right...

(a little more...almost there...a wee bit more...yup! That's it!!)

you'll be able to see this picture as it was intended...

Two perfect little angels bedded down for the night :)

Wait a second here...

not only did Mum post this pic up on end...

SHE DRESSED ME IN MY SISTER'S SUIT

& HER IN MINE ! ! !

We really need to have a talk with that Mother of ours!!!

By the way...did you notice my luscious blond ringlets??

OK OK OK ....

Enough about how cute I am.....

This report is about my

Aunt Maureen and all the cool stuff she sent us this week...

Did you see all the fancy threads ??

We won't have to be naked anymore this month!!!!!

(well...we weren't REALLY naked)

Wow ... with all of these new cuddly outfits to show off,

"Today's Parent" will be calling by morning, I'm sure...

I wonder which outfit I should wear for the photo shoot?

humm I really love this pink one...

but the purple hearts are Aunt Maureen's Favourite...

maybe I should go with the blue/cappuccino flowers for Mum?

ohhhhhhh....

What to do? What to do? What to do?

Golly-Gee...Being adorable really is tough work...

but thanks to Aunt Maureen it's bearable ;)

"Exactly how much longer are they planing to live with us???"

What was IN those Brownies anyways??

Here we go!!

It's BROWNIE time!!

Ah OH ...

This is SERIOUS....

Don't mess with my brownie!!!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
Chocolate!!!!!

My brain it turning into
CHOCOLATE!!!


I NEED SUGAR

I AM a Brownie!!!!!

hehehehehe

Brownies are happy food!!

*****

Note to self...

Restrict brownie intake

because

They turn into Chocolate Monkeys!!!!!

Ode to a Cat...

Hi, we've never been properly introduced! My name is William, yours is? Never mind that...I'm not great with human names anyways...I think I'll call you Prrrrrrrrrrr if that sits well with you (or not).

So, let me tell you, you've got to be one tough cat to survive THIS cabin...

It's not all about being pampered...

or about lounging around all day...

It's not about ruling the roost either...

No matter where you go,
someone else invades your space...

& just when you think you've got a tiny corner all to yourself...

not only do they CROWD you,

they start to MULTIPLY!!!

but those tiny humans of mine are kind of cute & ...

even a tad cuddly!

If you really work at it...

you can even train them!

They make the perfect back scratching post...

but if you aren't careful...

they slip into old habits...

they call this a HUG...

arrrggg!!!

But like I said...

my humans are kind of cute...

OK...enough of the hugging!

I'm not THAT kind of cat!

Better...gentle...ahhhhhh...right there...

hummmmm...the tummy tickle trick...

That one took awhile for them to catch onto!

Ohhhh....& the ear scratch!

Careful now...

When I insisted on going out at -45

& the big humans didn't stand in the open door waiting for my return,

I accidentally frostbit my ear again...

I frost nipped my ear again...

It's still a bit tender!!

I love the way I can make this one giggle on command!

Time to humour them with the old

"Go Ahead & Yank My Tail" game!

Like I said, it's a tough life in this cabin but,

I think I'm up for the challenge!

For what it's worth....

A dear dear Ontario neighbour, who to the best of my knowledge has know me my entire 43 years of life, has made a request! She wrote, "It is so nice to be in contact with you and seeing the babes and Sean make it extra nice. I would like to see more pics of you though." I must say, the camera is something that I avoid for good reason these days...maybe one day I'll have reason not to be so shutter shy ...

***

Well Pam, I took to heart what you said about not seeing pics of ME! I must say...these days, I avoid the camera's unforgiving eye, when at all possible...but this blog is not only something for friends & family to have fun keeping up with...it's something that my girls will one day be able to look back on & see our life - THEIR life in full colour! Whether I like the pics of me or not...I'd like to think that the girls will want to see them....

Just don't expect to see a tiny Tori, a stunningly beautiful TJ or Perfectly coiffed Roberta. It's not exactly a glamorous life style up here & my body has fallen far from grace...

Humbly, here I am...

Spruce & Beetle are two of my babies, I love them dearly & have owned them since they day they were born. (Dec 03/06)

In my neck of the woods the Spruce Bark Beetle has killed some 70% of the forests, Not a romantic inspiration in the naming of my dogs but I thought the names were catchy nonetheless ...Just when the twins are old enough to start running a team, these two should be mature enough (& calm enough) to do the job!!

With all 4 of us down with a bug,

a friend dropped by with home-made-chicken-noodle-soup tonight!

YUMMMMMY!!

Sarah thought it was absolutely wonderful!
I was rather grateful because I'd not slept all the night before & I had NO interest in preparing anything for us....

I must say though,
that husband of mine does do lots of the cooking around here & he's an awesome chef to boot, so why mess with a good thing??

OK...THIS would be a rather scary photo but it's not about ME, it's about my HAT! It was my Christmas present to myself! The red is sheared beaver & the ivory is wool stroud, the rest of the fur is beaver as well...the ties are home-tanned moose hide...
Every single stitch was hand done by a well loved & highly respected local Elder (and brilliant artist, I might add). I just HAD to have it...Lucky for me she was able to make another, more masculine one, for Sean! This meant I could justify the purchase :) He DID need a new mushing hat, after all :):):)
You should see HIS..it's just as gorgeous
& let me tell YOU...
at minus 50, you'd be happy to pay TRIPLE what I paid!!!
I'm SUCH a good wife, don't you think?

OK...so it's only -45 here but I was only outside for a few minutes at this point
& the fur tips are already frosting up!!

Adelaide & I LOVE to play the Tickle Game together...Heck
"Tickle"' is now her first word
(after "Daddy", that is)
& she ASKS to play by saying it!!

& here we all are,

snug as three bugs in Aunt Mary's woolen afghan :)

cuddling in the living room built for us by my loving husband,

but not without the incredible support of two families brought together as one yet spanning four countries

& warmed by the children that have filled it.

***********

So in the end,
I may be frumpy, stretched & tired from growing two perfect little humans,
but tonight, I'm OK with that...

because...

when I reflect on what I have gained on the inside,

instead of what I have gained on the outside,

I clearly see that it's worth every scar.

Thanks for making me take another look Pam :)