Golden Days and Carnivals

Golden Days and Carnivals; a pretty accurate way to describe this period of life.

3 years old and 1.5 years old, and what a beautiful age Penelope and Oliver are going through right now.

Penelope’s personality makes my heart smile. She is an artist. She dances and sings beautifully, and her taste in music is sophisticated and ranges from Louis Armstrong’s “La Vie en Rose” to Sam Smith’s “Money on my Mind”. Everyday on our ride home, she tells me about all the things she learnt at dayhome, and you can often hear her ask, “How do you say *blank* in Spanissshh?” because she is such a bilingual baby- which I so, so love. She wakes up cranky if she has short midday naps (the days she does have them), and is very particular about having a warning before the blinds are opened so that she can cover her eyes with her blanket. She is a social butterfly and shouts “Haaaaiiiiiii” to anyone and everyone, whenever she can. She is kind and has a lot of empathy. If she notices someone gets hurt, she will be the first to run towards them and ask if they are ok. My sweet girl.

My Oliver, oh my heart. I was talking to a good friend of mine about the different ways that our children tug at our hearts, and how true that is. Oliver is just love in the sweetest little boy, and yeah, he has me totally wrapped around his finger. So much of him is very much still a baby. He is round and squishy, and the baby rolls on his wrists, feet, legs, cheeks…well, they drive me crazy. At the same time, he’s also slowly becoming such a little boy, and seeing his personality develop is beautiful to watch. He is tough, so tough. Being the younger sibling, he is always trying to keep up with his big sister, and no challenge is ever too big for him. He has throaty laughs, a cheesy grin, and is starting to talk so much. Like his sister, he is a little bilingual baby, and even pronounces “helado”, ice cream in spanish, better than Penelope did at his age, ha!

They are also such little buds. The usual sounds in the house are little feet stomping on the floor as they run, and a chorus of their laughter throughout the halls. Penelope constantly says ” Oli-berrr, do you want to play?” and the way she pronounces Oliver, with a strong “V” and an extended “r” sound at the end – well, it’s pretty freaking adorable.

By courtesy of my friends Alberta Mamas  – a wonderful parenting website, community and one-stop resource for Alberta parents – my family and I went to the Edmonton K-Days earlier this week.

Perhaps a combination of age, camaraderie, or just the joy of being at a carnival, that afternoon family adventure was so wonderful.

Penelope is taller this year and able to go on more rides, and as the fearless girl she is, she loves it. Oliver is quiet while on the rides, but you can tell he loved it when he cries and screams momentarily when it ends.

The smiles on their faces, their laughs, the memories we’re building; it really is the period of golden days and carnivals.

K-Days is on till this Sunday,July 29th. K-Days.com for more info, and a great post by Alberta Mamas here on 12 Great Tips for Taking Kids to Kdays