[i] LoveLife

Giggle.

Tutus + twos.

Oh cute! Pilot had her first ballet lesson in the weekend and it was pretty cool. She's too young to register for class so the school is making an exception because she seems ready. I am so happy about it. SHE LOVED IT. It was pretty amazing to see her and her friends (and Penn!) giggling and getting ready for class. Oh man. Twenty mini ballerinas is almost too much cuteness to bear. She buzzed into the dance studio pretty oblivious to the fact that she was leaving her dad and mama in the dust and I think it broke Dan's heart. But this mana's heart was triple arm pumping our brave the little soul because she was not afraid. Way to go little heart. Keep this as part of your spirit. Penn was not as happy to be left on the outside of the door, but took it like a champ. Ballet was so fun!

Watching the girls interact has been pretty amazing lately. Man, they are two distinct and radical personalities.

Today: This is a busy week with so much creating and creativity that I might bust up into a million pieces. It's good. It's hopping. My studio is looking worse instead of better, but I will just have to get over that and resign to the fact that I'm not all that neat, tidy or organized. Whatever. GOOD. THINGS. HAPPEN. HERE. Lots of good posts this week as it has begun to look like fall - stay tuned!

GO!

Happy.

Life races along and somewhere between busting my ass in my office all day and ordering hungry lunatics pizza for dinner it occurred to me that I AM GOING TO MISS THESE TWO LADIES when they are grown. Immensely. Heart-breakingly so. The screaming and all. Just thinking about it made my eyes well up DURING DORA. I wish I could preserve it all. Just how they are right now. Sparkling. So when they are in their thirties I could somehow communicate just how magical they always were. Videos + photos + all the great memory-making ways of the world could not possibly relay the story I feel in my heart. It is overwhelming. I needed Dan to be there so that I could look over and say with my eyes "THEY ARE SO AWESOME". Like I do so often he just rolls his eyes at me now. He knows. He knows.

Today: I am off to check in with Baby3, offer up my gratitude, and get groceries. Hopefully all three of those things will go well so that we can celebrate by making coconut cookies and colouring our hearts out.

Big, big, big Happy Birthday Grandpa Ken!

GO!

Good + better!

Oh man. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A SINK CAN MAKE! It was touch and go on Friday but eventually the plumber showed up and the kitchen sink went in!! And so did the range. And so did the fridge. And so did the dishwasher (well, it was plumbed, but not wired). Having running water on the main floor HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. That's not a lie. That's not an exaggeration. That's just a happy gal with a big sink and a full set of dishes.

Growing little people. In the after glow of the sink we spent the weekend doing fun family things and soaking up the last couple of days of Dan's vacation. Bike rides. Walks. Parks. This old lady even broke out the rollerblades like it was 1997. The girls are loving house90. We are all loving house90 a lot more now EVEN THOUGH we are still not unpacked and the list of immediate-things-to-do is long and daunting.

GIRL TRIBE UPDATE:
Once again, Penn shocked us all by busting out about 30 new words. Car. Bike. Pi. Chalk. Chair. There. Here. Bed. Stairs. Juice. Poop. Diaper. Bottle. To name a few. All on Saturday. It was like she woke up from a coma or something and we now have a full on kid. WAY TO GO PENN. She also continues to entertain us with her rad dance moves.

HOUSE90 UPDATE:
I am expecting HUGE things from this week around here. The electrician is supposed to be here to connect the dishwasher and figure out why we have no power on the second level. The cabinet guy is coming back to finished the details and put in the shelves and drawers and toe kicks. The countertop guys are coming to install the final glorious piece. The plumber is coming back to do the radiators and boiler hookups. The carpenter is finishing some painting. MY BARNDOOR HARDWARE WILL ARRIVE and this is one of the MOST exciting projects for me! There was an original, solid wood, double wide pocket door that I couldn't bear to part with in the reinventing of house90. I thought I'd make it a headboard for our bed only Dan thought that was ridiculous and lucky for him it is 300lbs AND would not fit up the stairs. That was a bummer BUT ALSO A GIFT because its measurements translated more than PERFECTLY into a really awesome feature door for TWO different doorways. It had to be destiny. I can't wait to see this one come together. It makes my heart happy to have a little ode to the woodwork and history of this house that's sandwiched with a cool design function for our lives (this one's for you Todd!). The mirror and lights for the main bath should be here, too and I am sewing up a little magic on the bathroom rug. It's coming together.

STUDIO UPDATE:
I haven't started tackling my studio, but I haven't stopped thinking about it either. Now that I have an awesome painting sink - I am ready to roll and painting the butter coloured walls away IS MY FIRST TASK. The big painting on the easel is Kaz. He's up on the easel for a cleaning because he's going to a forever home. IN AUSTRALIA. I'm not gonna lie - I have been dragging my butt about getting him to UPS. I'm a little sad. I feel like a traitor sending him so far away when he is really so close to my heart... I have also been giving myself daily pep talks about 'living loosely' and letting go. Life is letting go. If he lives in my heart then he is always with me - tucked away in my painting storage or not. This is one painting I am going to especially miss and am especially happy that he has connected with someone else who appreciates him.

Today: There's lots on the agenda including hitting a strawberry farm/petting zoo with the girls and our friends. I feel like making jam. I feel like getting all domestic in my new kitchen. Maybe I will get a cow so I can milk it. Our coffee maker is fully functioning so our mornings are awesome around here! Wow. It feels good to say that again. What a difference a kitchen sink makes. ;)

GO!

Celebrated.

Happy Birthday Penn! Happy one year, baby girl - and what a year it has been. Your first year was sort of in like a lamb and out like a lion. Literally. You were the most peaceful + content baby I have ever met. You were the Dream Baby. You were kind and patient and easy on your mama. You never did catch on to sleeping well - but, I'll take the blame for that one and if we ever make it to a place where we both get some zzzzz's - we'll laugh about it all later. I love everything about you - the way you sit and watch, the way you take it all in, the way you look around for Pilot or Dan, the way you fearlessly stand on the top of your highchair and the way you blast Norman at every chance you get. You love to climb. I love how you cuddle with the dogs. I love how you tilt your head and lean on me when I say "be cute". I love the way you light up when Pilot is melting down. I love how you are finally able to interact with Pilot (who adores you) and you two have started to PLAY GAMES. It's amazing. I love how you squeal with delight when that elusive something delights you. Man, you are a serious kid. You don't give out laughs for free - and that's what makes me know you are your father's daughter. You don't say a lot - but, this last week you have started imitating animal noises and certain words with incredible + surprising clarity - which makes me believe that you are either a full-blown chimpanzee baby OR just the type that watches, learns and then gives it a kick-ass whirl. I can appreciate that. You can walk like you're HARDCORE if you're holding our hand - but, you've only taken 4 steps in a row on your own. You just bail. What's the deal with that, Penners? You are REALLY, REALLY not a fan of falling down... which I just know is gonna give you trouble later on, but is probably going to help make you a successful little fart. You just started shouting random 'GO!' and that makes me know you belong just exactly where you are. You wake up happy (MOST of the time). You love music. You love to dance + clap. STOP EATING CHALK, little girl. You feel the need to put every piece of food in your hair - that's weird. You love baths + books. You're happy in the car and especially outside in the sled. You freak out if things don't go your way... which I suspect you got from me. You're having a great time - until you're just not anymore and then it is GAME OVER - GOOD NIGHT.  AND that's okay - I can appreciate that, too. You surprise me everyday. I love you more everyday. I learn something new about you everyday. I can not imagine life without you here.

Love you so much, Penn.

Today: I am rocking all over the place to get a load of errands + work done this week. Watch for random posts and total chaos. Just shaking it up. That sounds good.

GO!

One month.

Hi Tuesday. Today marks Penn's first month on this earth. Dan says it feels like the day she was born was years and years ago. Me - I feel like it was yesterday. Or maybe this morning. It feels like her first month has had a few periods of slow and painful minutes - and the rest has been a total blur. It feels new + familiar. It feels easy + so much more difficult. It's definitely peace + chaos at the same time. I love her like crazy. Oh, Penn. Someday I'll probably forget to tell her that she was the nicest baby I have ever met. If she wasn't mine - I would wish she was. She rarely cries. She sits peacefully in the bath. She wakes up gently. She waits patiently and quietly while she is being changed. She hates my cold hands and if she really, really needs something she will let us know, but she has a soft way about her. She sleeps long and easy. She is not at all what I was expecting as I anticipated her birth... she is so much better.

The transition from one small person to two has smooth and effortless... Okay, don't believe me for a second. It's been pretty good. Somewhere between pretty good and alright, but closer to the pretty good side. Coordinating two babies into snow suits and car seats and all that jazz is definitely not something that feels like second nature yet. I say YET because it has the same stressful + uncomfortable aftertaste that I recognize as being JUST LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. I used to feel that way when I did watercolour paintings, too. And driving STICK. I certainly felt that way when I was getting to know Pilot. I know NOW that I will get the hang of it sooner or later. And they will get the hang of me. And we will have fewer meltdowns and tears. And I will love it.
It's cool to see Pilot take an interest in Penn. "BeeBEE WeeBEE" is what she calls her. Pilot gets really stressed with Penn is crying. And, other than that she is sort of helpful and intersted in what Penn is doing. She's also trying to poke Penn's eyeballs at every chance. And shover her soother in her nose. I'm sure she will stop soon... BUT, it's equally cool to see Penn track Pilot's voice with her eyes... watching for this person who will have a profound effect on the rest of her life. Very cool.

Custom YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters. I am really proud to report that I'm all up to date. If you placed an order as of yesterday - it's DONE! It's being printed and is waiting to be packed and shipped. Booyah. Bring it on. I've been working like a beaver while the girls are napping and enjoying every minute of it. So cool to see people share their encouragement with the ones they love. At this rate - I'm turning around orders in less than 24 hours (with the exception of some special printing requests).

Today: Our car is finally getting in to be repaired from the damage - so that means that I need to do some nap + baby coordination so that I can get to the collision centre and car rental place. I'm up for it because there is a Starbuck's drive-thru enroute and I think I deserve a treat for kicking poster ass and keeping the peace with two small people. I have a date with the exercise bike hidden in the basement. After that - we have some visitors and I'm going to fish out some art supplies because I HAVE AN IDEA. (Triple Arm Pump to that... this could mean there are KB Tiny Art pieces on the way this week. Sweet.)

Happy birthday cousin Keri (and welcome baby Elizabeth)!

Let's do this. Happy first month, baby girl. GO!

Hello Penn.

We're home now... And we have a new person. And I will share all the goodness I can about how cool she is and just how much she looks like another little person we have here - and just how much different I already know that she is. It's only the beginning. She is writing her own story...

We're pretty pleased to introduce our early bird Penn Lily Kostenchuk.

Today: My main objective is to keep Pilot from clobbering her new baby sister as we introduce Penn to what we call Aubrey House and who we call our friends, family and loved ones. And Crash.

I'll post more pictures soon.

Shhhh.... go.