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On February 6, 2021 Eileen got her first hair cu. The length suits her face and she is really proud of her new do!

On December 31, 2020 we took the twins ice skating for the first time. Our neighbours gave us two pairs of very nice skates! Eileen and Ewan call them ‘skaters’.

They were all smiles on the ice!! Ewan and Kyle did a lap around the rink. Eileen was content staying still and holding on to the support.

The twins and I got our Christmas tree while Kyle and the Maclean men were away hunting. They went hunting unusually late in the calendar year. We decorated the tree the weekend after Kyle returned from hunting, and met Santa (in a plexiglass box!)

Much like the last 3 and half years of our lives, the pandemic has been a wild ride.

Some photos from our family photography session

I’ve been baking with a sourdough starter for the last 4 years, but during the pandemic, I found a real passion for all varieties of baking. I’ve been baking pies (thanks for the pastry lessons Grandma Martin!!), cakes (cheese, sponge, upside down), buns, rolls, specialty bread, naan, pitas, cookies, bars, scones, muffins, cupcakes, etc. The twins wake up on the weekend and say to me “what you making today?”. I think a big part of the joy comes from watching their excited anticipation and enjoyment while eating. I also love making something sensational out of just a collection of ingredients. I find baking a perfect balance between science and art. These past few months I have been honing my pie/pastry making skills, and in December, I am going to tackle French pastry (think bourbon cream puffs and peanut butter eclairs).

Kyle turned 40 in October and I had the pleasure of making him a feast- hot and sour soup, ginger “beef” venison, Szechwan prawns, and of course, cake (triple layered blue berry lemon with cream cheese icing)!

Running with our younger dog (Luna) has been a big part of my pandemic life. Running calms my mind, grounds my soul, and works my body. I have actually managed to lose some weight (yes, even with all the baking mentioned above…). This summer I also fell in love with golfing and started doing yoga again. I joined a Wednesday night ladies golf league, we had a fabulous time, it really filled my bucket.

I think one of the more precious aspects of the pandemic is the intimate family time- just us. The pandemic has provided a memorable timeline for our children’s development (pre-pandemic, pandemic, and one day, dare I say, post pandemic). Ewan has had a huge language leap (before the pandemic he only spoke in single words, now full sentences). Every day for a week straight, Ewan woke me up singing the lyrics “Miss Mommy Miss Mommy, I love you I love you” to the tune of Farah Jacques, is there anything sweeter? Yes, he calls me Miss Mommy. He calls Kyle Miss Daddy. Eileen and Ewan are engaging in more cooperative and imaginative play, which is so fun to watch … until it turns into unmanageable, wild animal kingdom monkey business. Lately, they have been going “deer hunting” and making “mommy elk noises”.

One morning in October Eileen and Ewan got up at 5:00 am, we were both too tired to get up with them, so we let them play unattended. Well, they opened the freezer ate 4 chocolate cupcakes with icing and a tub of vanilla ice cream.

Last week Ewan wiped his own bum for the first time ever!! I remember at the beginning of the pandemic going potty was a family affair!

Last week when they saw the Amazon delivery guy they yelled ‘Santa’, not because he was delivering parcels, but because he has a long white/grey beard. I don’t know why, but I found this absolutely entertaining, the metaphor is too perfect, the delivery guy was definitely less than impressed though.

Ewan got a very stylish hair cut in September, he was so thrilled.  He decisively picked the hair style himself. 

We spent Thanksgiving at the vineyard harvesting grapes and celebrating each other. Cousin Bowen turned 5, and we had a party!

They dressed as ghosts for Halloween, and had a blast!! So much candy! Eileen’s pumpkin is on the right and Ewan’s on the left.

We boot camp potty trained the twins the weekend of September 20-22, 2019. The program worked like a charm for Ewan. It took him 24 hours to figure it out. He has had very few accidents since. Eileen on the other hand… she is a little more defiant and wants to be in control. She often has accidents (even still), but she also has successes. We are taking it one day at a time 🙂

Finally!! After saying I Love You to Eileen and Ewan everyday for 924 days straight, on November 2 Eileen replied “I Love Mommy”…. I have been waiting a long time!

Sportball ended last weekend and swimming started this weekend! The twins had a blast swimming! We learned to float on our back and front, blow bubbles, kicked our legs, glide, jump into the pool and climb out. We sang songs and played with toys. Eileen was laughing and smiling as we floated by the instructor, the instructor commented on how well she was doing, I replied this is their first time ever swimming/being in a pool. The instructor was shocked, she thought Eileen had been through lessons before! Go Eileen!! Ewan was a bit unsure at first but he quickly started enjoying himself. He loved jumping and blowing bubbles. We are in lessons for the next 7 weeks, the lessons will be the same every week, the idea is to build on these core skills.

*edit- the twins went swimming once before (January 2018) at my friends pool in her apartment building.

The twins went to our Highwood Community Association Party on Saturday (which I organized with another volunteer, Michelle, in the community). Eileen and Ewan had a great time! Ewan spent an hour at the craft table and Eileen ran around and danced. On Sunday my friend Cassandra came over and helped the twins carve their first pumpkin. Eileen and Ewan scooped out the seeds and drew on the faces, Cass and I carved them out. Picture speak louder than words, so enjoy.

We didn’t go out trick or treating last night because I had a curling game. Next year!

The twins started sportball this weekend (runs for 6 sessions). It’s a Canadian wide organization. Today’s class was about basketball. Each week they focus on a different sport. Eileen is a natural athlete. She did so well, she sat and listened to the instructions, followed through, waited her turn and worked on the skills (and did well). Ewan had a good time running around and playing, but he wasn’t focused or interested in the skill development. It was very interesting to watch the twin’s completely different experiences/engagement. Both had a great time, I can’t wait for next week. I think it’s fantastic!!

We got to spend another summer vacationing on Vancouver Island with my family. Visits to the Island are necessary for my sanity. I miss living there and being with my family so much. My pieces of my soul live in the ocean and my heart on the island ??

This was a special year because my cousin, Jim, wife, Liz and kids Ben and Jill were also visiting at the same time! We had all the Shivas cousin’s children together in one place!

we spent time at the beach and at the local playground. Kyle picked lots of wild blackberries, and we went to a U-Pick blueberry farm.