every stage is bittersweet. I love every age and stage of the kids growth. Each one I wish they’d stay right there, but at the same time I can’t wait to see what’s next

This is Bupba’s last ride on the rider seat on my bike today. Now sillygirl is outside taking him for a “last ride with training wheeels” around the block, and is gonna teach him to ride two wheeled. she’s got him all covered in elbow and knee pads, and extra “soft” sweater LOL

*photo is a representation of how sweet my boy is, not of the event I’m about to tell you.

So, I went to the dump this afternoon. The boy wanted to come too. he was very good, and listened to me and behaved and was helpful in getting a pile of branches back on the empties trailer to bring home to apply to my twig fence.

Then on the short trip home, I turned on the radio, and he reaches over stretching as hard and as far as he can and turns up the radio really loud. it was playing a song I sing to him called “Stolen moments” and it is about your little children growing up right before your eyes and how every moment is a stolen moment because they go by so fast.

he looks up at me and we don;t need to say anything to each other. he starts clapping his hands and swaying back and forth singing with me and the radio, and he melts my heart right there on the drive home.

then…..I reach out for a high five after I tossle his hair and he slips his little hand on mine, fingers between fingers as he like to hold hands, and clasps my hand tight, and smiles at me and say “ummmmm mommmy?” in a question seeming very very serious. I ask ” What buddy?” and he says “nuffin’, i love you!”

This is why i’m a mom… these moments. cherishing them and living for them, is what makes putting up with the extra needs handleable.

Strawberry goodness

this was the self pick load we took home ourselves last summer. I can’t wait for fresh strawberries again

Photo by rilya.ca

this is my son last 2 summers ago, 3 years old. with the ducky umbrella I used today in the easter parade.

I love this picture…as a mommy, it is  not the best light picture, and I cropped stuff to hide the busy-ness of the the houses behind…but i still love this picture.

Shimmering Belly Paintography. I did this for a friend who was 3 weeks away from the birth of her daughter during the photo session ( baby girl is now 7 months old)

she loved it so much she enlarged it and framed it for her bedroom.

@paintography

Paintography FanPage on Facebook

www.rilya.ca

This is an example of a before and after Paintography I did for a young couple with their new baby. The first family picture.

@paintography

or Paintography Facebook FanPage

www.rilya.ca

off to the parade we went, they ran ahead  I could not keep up…

then we stood around waiting for 10 minutes for someone to organize the thing…this is hard on hyper children who start to fight and drive me nuts and appear to be the worst behaved children on the planet. I forgot to wear my “what the fuck are you staring at? They’re Special” Shirt too, so I felt like crawling under a rock, but it was a paved driveway so I was screwed there.

then everyone in a large pack, hardly spread out… walked to the fairgrounds. My kids drove off a head of me and I never got ONE picture of them IN the actual parade. I walked with my “gardening clothes on”… in my “Martha shirt ” and dungarees, and carried a yellow watering can and hid my face with a huge ducky umbrella. Despite being a social person, and having sang for a living before kids, it is easier for me, to have a “filter”…since I became a mom, my kids are often my filter, I can speak to people through.

My foot killed me by the time we got to the fairgrounds, which is not even a 1/2 klm away. The place was BUSY, people came from all over for it this year…it was totally unexpected.

they ran off and found some chocolate eggs, and then decided they’d had enough and wanted to play.

we hung out long enough to say hello to the few people we do know  well enough to small chat with and came home after about an hour.

Since then, I’ve been outside wrangling snakes !!! GRRRR three so far over 2 feet long, they better be eating the friggin mice!!!!.

have I mentioned i HATE snakes.

Now the kids are outside playing, and I came in to send these pictures.

I’m torn between keeping going, or to lay down, but if I lay down I’m done for the day.

I got some raking and cleaning done, and I’m thinking of taking a trip to the dump with recyclables and to see if they have any branches brush I could use for my twig fence I’m building. The Mundane Oner is in the bedroom snoozing currently, so it would be a good time to do it.

Can someone come over and make me lunch? I’m starving! and I think slightly sunkissed.

I saw dawn’s crack this morning! That’s not something I see very often so I took a picture

It’s so beautiful, I’m think I might switch teams!

(night owl to early bird team that is)

#crackofdawn