2 Years Old!

Our girl turned two yesterday! I can't believe how quickly the last two years has passed...This is a theme in my blogging: discussing how fast time goes by when you have a baby around to keep you busy! At two years old, Autumn is doing all kinds of amazing things: she can count to eleven, sing her abc's, spell her name, draw a circle, identify shapes, colours and also some letters and numbers, sing a variety of songs, speak is small, simple sentences, identify different foods, animals, people, etc. She's a tiny genius (also a theme in my blogging!) :)

To celebrate her second birthday, Teddy and I hosted a little shindig at our home on Saturday. The party was farm themed. There were cowboy hats, bandanas and country tunes abounding. It was fun and Autumn got royally spoiled. For the cake, I opted for nutritious quinoa cupcakes with carob powder and raw organic sugar to sweeten...No icing, just a little sprig of mint on top to make the little darlings look like tiny plants. They turned out awesome and everyone inhaled them. We put out a memo (...I put out a memo...) that for Squish's birthday this year, I wanted to furnish her doll house, so she received several pieces of furniture and a couple of little wooden families. The house should be on MTV Cribs...It's awesome. She got tons of wonderful books and toys and even a Cabbage Patch Kid--A HUGE HIT!--with an umbrella stroller to boot! She has been pushing that doll around for two days straight :)

Yesterday, we got up and enjoyed a yummy family brekkie with Grandma Kellogg, who flew in from Victoria to celebrate with us, then hit High Park Zoo to visit some animal friends before a big family dinner at Great-Nana and Papa Hurst's house in Burlington where the Squish got spoiled a little more. All in all, a fabulous weekend. We are so proud of our gorgeous, smart, happy, funny, loving, creative, challenging and spirited little squirrel. She has come so far since March 3rd, 2011. She fills our hearts with love and our lives with joy. You are one in a bazillion, Squish!! Happiest birthday to you <3 <3 <3

Winter in Haliburton, Ontario

 It's been nearly a month since my last blog post. Lots has been going on. We've been mourning the loss of our dearly loved Tampa and plugging along in our busy lives trying to find quality time to spend together as a family. This huge loss has really put a lot of things into perspective for me. My little family is so important to me and that was never in question, but it seems like more of a priority now to make our moments together count for more than just part of a routine. That said, Teddy and I have been trying to make a little vacation happen. With all that he has been dealing with in grieving the death of his father, a little getaway seems extra appealing. We are hoping for an early spring holiday somewhere nice and are pretty excited to get planning. In the meantime, we took off to the cottage for a couple of days of rest and relaxation since we each had a few consecutive days off together and let's face it--spring just seems so far away still! It was a very wintery little holiday but it was so nice to cozy up in the cabin with a toasty fire and a cuddly little squish. We had fun. Here are a few pictures of our very Canadian winter cottage getaway:

Tampa

Yesterday, Tampa Kellogg lost his battle with polymyositis and congestive heart failure. Our family is devastated and missing him desperately. He was a kind, gentle and loving man who always had an ear for a loved one and solid advice for anyone who needed it. Teddy thought it would be nice to write a little tribute to him since he loved our little blog so much, so here's it goes:

Dear Michael--

A few words of appreciation for all that you were to us. Thank you for inviting me, with open arms, into your family. Thank you for being a wonderful listener and advice-giver. Thank you for always answering my silly emails and settling random debates between Nathan and I. Thank you for almost making me understand football. Thank you for the amazing meals that you prepared for us--the love that you put into your cooking was always evident in the results. I will miss those chicken wings! Thank you for being such a loving Tampa to our Autumn. I know how it frustrated you that you couldn't always keep up with her energy, I hope you know how much it means to us that you tried anyway. I promise that we will teach her about her heritage, thank you for teaching us. Thank you for making me feel confident about my writing. Honestly, I think this blog would be mostly photographs if it weren't for you. Thank you for teaching Nathan how to be a good partner. He is loving and kind and I know that he learned these things from you and Debbie. Most of all, thank you for being the intelligent, kind, spiritual and loving person that you were and thank you for the legacy that you have left us. Rest in peace.

Love you.

m.