whip it up.....

Today was a rough day (more on that later) but it got a whole lot brighter when my friend Janis from Pinecone Camp came over. She likes to bake on Mondays, so today we baked my Nan's whipped shortbread. Don't you just love this photo of my Nan baking some cupcakes in the 70's? Good times. Check out Janis' blog, http://pineconecamp.blogspot.com for all the fun. xx

portraits

I'm a super sentimental person, I save everything and love to reflect on my many memories. I hold onto art projects and baby bracelets, photos of family members I have never met, old records and china. The past fascinates me....I hope one of my kids shares my love of a good memory. Lori Joy Smith is an artist who now lives in PEI (she use to live in BC)...I have always admired her work and dreamt of the piece I would own. When reading her blog (which I love) I stumbled upon her fabric portraits.....I e-mailed Lori Joy right way! After a few notes back and forth and a couple of photos of Beckett and Zoë, Lori Joy worked her magic and sent me the portraits. Aren't they the sweetest? I love them so much, I can't wait to order one for Poppy! The portraits are perfect and I can't wait to pass them on to my babies when they are all grown up. xx

my new friend

Isn't he the sweetest? I have always wanted an Elf on the Shelf - now I have one. Here's the deal, the Elf works for Santa, he arrives at your house to watch your kids and report back to the big guy on whether the kids are good or bad. The Elf is only allowed to talk to Santa and Mommy & Daddy, he perches himself on a shelf to watch the kids....they can talk to him but they can't touch him. This is good stuff. Your kids are suppose to name the Elf and each night while your kids are sleeping you move the Elf to a new location in the house. It's quite exciting for the kids to wake up and go in search of their new pal. Beckett and Zoë haven't met the Elf yet, he'll arrive December 1st. Naming him should be interesting! The Elf comes with a beautiful book which we have been reading every night. I love that this little guy was created by a mom for her kids. Our kids are super young, I'm not sure they will grasp the concept of the Elf quite yet but I hope this become a tradition for us. I love the magic of it. The Elf on the Shelf is available at EiO at 18th and Cambie in Vancouver.

it's been a while....

How is it possible that it's the middle of November? I haven't posted in almost a month, nuts. Life is busy but good...we're having a lot of fun. I thought I would post some photos of Zoë's birthday party. It was in September, I'm a little behind on my posts! Still can't believe she is now two. The girl likes to bake.....a lot. We made sugar cookies for everyone to take home after the party, Z's and hearts - one hundred and fifty of them! The cake was fun to make....my friend Denise is the real baker and my teacher - she's a true Betty Crocker. Dave and Saleema made the birthday sign out of scrapbook paper, my mom made the poufs (three are now hanging in Zoë's room). It was a good time, lots of friends and family...and food! xx

poppy & tv week

The new issue of TV Week magazine features sweet baby Poppy and me on the cover. I haven't seen the magazine yet, I'm super excited to see it.....it's on news stands Friday October 8th. xx

someone is two today...

Happy 2nd Birthday Zoë!

life with three babes

I can't believe that I have three children! Although we are tired, I mean really, really tired - we're having the greatest time. Poppy is now 5 weeks old, Zoë is turning two (tomorrow) and Beckett just turned three. Where does the time go? Poppy is a great baby, she's very sweet and peaceful. How she sleeps with the noise of two toddlers in the house is beyond me! Having a newborn in my arms again is pure joy, I love babies. Experience has taught me to enjoy every moment that she is in my arms, even if it's 3am because it doesn't last long. Before you know it they are running around and it's impossible to get more than a two second cuddle. These newborn moments pass by in a flash and they are so special, I'm trying my best to savour every second of it. Although I'm trying to enjoy every second of it (and I am) I am also SO FREAKIN' TIRED. I forgot how exhausting a newborn is...or is it the toddlers that are exhausting? I'm doing crazy things, I look in the fridge for a broom, I leave things on the roof of my car and drive off, I find toast in the toaster that I made the day before..."mommy brain" is hard core after three kids. I hope you like the photos of the kids, my good friend Katyann took them, trying to get a photo of all three together was a very big challenge! xx

my plan

You are looking at my lunch, looks good don't you think? I have a plan and so far it seems to be working. You see, I like food - especially soft cheeses, bread, popcorn and pasta. Sigh. Those foods are not going to get me back into my pencil skirt. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel some weird pressure to be a certain size - it's purely economics. I have a closet full of work clothes, it makes way more sense for me to fit into them rather than buy all new clothes. After having Beckett and Zoë I enjoyed all the soft cheese I wanted, until I realized that I had to go back to work and nothing except my leggings fit me. So I would panic, starve and go to the gym. Not a wise plan as it made me miserable, tired and it didn't work. Now that I'm experienced in the pregnancy department I decided to take a different approach this time around. I thought I would watch what I eat right out of the gate. What a concept. Problem is that with a new baby and two toddlers I'm incapable of feeding myself, so I called Deanna at Licious Living (http://www.liciousliving.com/main/) and asked for her help. For the past two weeks Licious has been delivering me The Zone, seven days a week - three meals and two snacks. It's good, it's working and I'm HAPPY. The best part is that I don't have to think, I open the front door each night and there's my cooler with my meals. I won't bore you with numbers but I am losing weight and I'm not miserable, I mean how could I be when I get to dig into a salad like this one! I had to have a c-section so the gym isn't an option for three more weeks. It's weird, I'm actually looking forward to the gym - I can't believe I just wrote that but it's true. I'm feeling good and I'm very happy. I'll be posting some new photos of my babes very soon...Katyann came by and took some great photos that I can't wait to share. xx

sweet poppy...

Poppy Estelle Caton Genn was born Monday August 16, 2010 at 8:17am. She weighed a nice 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Check out her full head of gorgeous hair - I'm jealous! We are over the moon, Poppy is a sweet, peaceful baby. Beckett and Zoë are in awe of her and Dave and I couldn't feel more joy. It's so wonderful to feel this new love again. I'm the happiest I have ever been. xx

It's a girl!

We're so happy to announce that Poppy Estelle Caton Genn is here! Poppy was born at 8:17am today, 8 pounds 15 ounces, 20.5 inches long. She has a very full head of hair! Beckett and Zoë are thrilled to have a baby sister. Dave and I are the happiest we have ever been, our family is complete! Tamara xx

our boy is three

Sweet Beckett just turned three, how fast time flies. These past three years have been the best of my life....I can't imagine life without our little man, he's pure joy. We celebrated Beckett's birthday with a party with friends & family the day before his actual birthday & then on the big day our friend (& amazing photographer) Katyann came over to take some photos of Beckett. Dave bought a drum kit for Beckett when he was born, we put it out in the backyard for some photos and when he sat down, it was like he was born to play! Hilarious. My friend Denise came over in the morning and made Beckett's cake - seriously - what a talent! I dreamed of making the cake and Denise just swooped in and whipped it up. She also made the cupcakes, the fruit platter, the veggie platter, the 7-layer dip and chicken skewers with peanut sauce. Denise is a force (and a good friend). It was a Thomas the Tank Engine theme, as you can see Beckett loves Thomas! Zoë on the other hand was only concerned with the cake/cupcakes and the bubble machine. Baby number three is set to arrive in less than a week. We're getting very excited around here....I can't believe I'm going to be a mama to three kids! Next up in the birthday department is Zoë on September 24th, I'm looking forward to planning a fun party to celebrate our girl turning two. Next year I'll be planning a birthday party for Beckett the beginning of August, number three's will be the middle of August and then Zoë will be in September. Fun times. xx

a sigh of relief

This photo breaks my heart. Poor little bug, he's getting his blood test and didn't cry but wow was he sad. It's routine that each year as we near Beckett's birthday he goes through a series of tests and appointments. In the last two weeks we have been to the lab at Children's Hospital for his complete blood work, Audiology for a hearing test, the Ophthalmologist for an eye check-up (he has cataracts) and then to the Paediatrician for his yearly check-up. I'm happy and relieved to report that all is good with Master Beckett. It's quite stressful waiting for results, I can't help but go through the worst case scenario as I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep. So when the eye doctor says his eyes look good and the cataracts haven't grown, I smile and sigh. When the audiologist checks B's ears and says that his hearing is "normal", I feel relief. The big one is the blood results, we head to the doctor's and when we learn that his blood is good, I'm so grateful I could cry. When you have a child with special needs there are a lot of tests, you're always watching and noticing and like any parent you are always worrying. We have a lifetime of tests ahead of us, unfortunately I was born a worrier, my worrying is far more intense since I have had children. I try to keep it under wraps, control it....I don't want it to rule my life. Right now, as we approach Beckett's 3rd birthday, I'm happy and so thankful that my babes are well.....may all our babes be well. xx

the garden

It's always been a secret dream of mine to have a beautiful garden and have it featured in a magazine. My garden is a work in progress, with two toddlers, a baby on the way and a full-time job there's not a lot of extra time for gardening. I was shocked when GardenWise Magazine called and said they wanted to feature my garden in their magazine. I was so excited! I only started to freak out about a week before they arrived - my garden is not my dream garden...yet. We did the shoot in May, plants in Vancouver weren't exactly thriving - the weather has been horrible here for a while. Knowing that Heather Cameron would be on site to style the shoot made me feel much better! She's an incredible talent...check out her blog A Day in the Country (http://heathercameronstylist.blogspot.com/). They delivered the magazine to me today, it's on stands now. Master B was at daycare, so Miss Z was my little helper. When we moved into our house two years ago we tore out the entire garden, it wasn't really a garden it was a bunch of filler. We started from scratch, it's been a fun and creative process that never seems to end. I'm happy that both of our kids love being in the garden, I can't wait til I can teach them how to pull weeds! My favourite plant in our garden is the Himalayan Blue Poppy, isn't she a beauty?

a week of nothing

Dave and I just spent a week in Palm Springs - without the kids. It was so nice to float in the pool, sleep in, read magazines and do absolutely nothing - but we missed our kids SO MUCH. B & Z stayed at home with my Aunt and Uncle, every time we phoned home (which was a lot) the kids would either squeal with joy or cry hysterically. At 2-1/2 and 1-1/2 they are just too young to understand where we went and I'm sure a week to them felt like a month. So as great as it was to feel the sun shine on my skin and rest my very pregnant self, I found myself panicking about my kids and their feelings. I'm such a worrier now. Know what I mean? We got back late Friday night, I spent Saturday afternoon at Children's Hospital Emergency with Zoë, all is good now. Beckett is now very sick, he has a temperature and is super congested. Poor bugs. I really don't see us going on vacation without them anytime soon! I love the picture of Dave with the cactus ! This massive cactus was just outside the front door of our friend's house where we stayed...it's awesome.

TV Week Magazine

Beckett, Zoë and I are on the cover of the new issue of TV Week Magazine ( http://www.tvweekonline.ca/taggart ) The shoot was on May 3rd and it was pure chaos! Katyann Davidson was the photographer, she’s incredibly talented and patient. Zoë wasn’t in the best of moods in the morning, it made picture taking challenging – she even refused a nap that day, so you can imagine how the afternoon went! Things did improve once we started on the cupcakes, whew. Beckett is always easy, he loved it when we pulled out the paints – the boy loves to paint a picture. I hope you like the issue, it was a lot of fun to do and I’m very honoured that TV Week asked us to be on the cover. TV Week Magazine is in stores now! xx

q&a with flourish design + style

Sarah from flourish design + style (http://flourishdesignandstyle.blogspot.com) contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would do q & a with her - I was so honoured! I LOVE Sarah's blog, she posts the most amazing designs. I check her blog every day and am never disappointed....oh a girl can dream! Our interview was posted this morning....thank you Sarah for having me on your blog, very sweet of you. xx

in the garden

Zoë and I spent the other morning in the garden. Gardenwise Magazine was at our house to shoot our garden, it was very exciting and terrifying for me! I love gardening, I'm not very good at it but I'm trying. My mom is the most amazing gardener I know...I'm hoping that her talent rubs off on me and my kids. Miss Z loves being outside and so far it seems that gardening is right up her alley! Beckett was at play school when we did the shoot, he would have loved it - he's definitely an outdoors guy. The Gardenwise issue with our garden in it will be out in a couple of weeks. I'll post the cover shot as soon as they send it to me. I snapped the shot above of Zoë as she did some gardening by my favourite garden gnome, isn't he great? He's designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell and he was an engagement gift. I love gnomes, my collection continues to grow in the garden and in the house!

happy, happy day

Happy Mother's Day! This is a photo of my beautiful mom holding me, I look pretty fresh and that art on the wall makes me think that we are in the hospital ready to go home. This would be right before Mother's Day, my mom's first. I was almost 10 pounds when I was born and my mom was in labour for 48 hours - you'd never know what she went through by looking at this photo - her smile is gorgeous - and that hair! I received my very first homemade Mother's Day card. Beckett brought it home from Daycare, he also gave me a a little pot with a bean sprout in it! It is beautiful and I love it. This is what I have been waiting for, homemade gifts made with love by the people I love most. Happy Mother's Day to you, I hope it's filled with love and laughs. xx

love

When Beckett was diagnosed with Down syndrome, we were tested. We had never been faced with such fear and pain before. You see a person's true soul when together you are challenged. I'll never forget the moment the doctor said the words, the tears that D and I cried and then the strength we gave each other. There's no one else on earth that I would rather be with for this incredible journey. When Miss Zoë was born I saw the father-daughter connection immediately, love at first sight - sigh. I never had that relationship with my own dad, so to see such love was beautiful. Zoë definitely has her daddy wrapped around her finger - and she knows it. Her favorite word is "Daddy" and she's not afraid to use it. Beckett and his dad are two peas in a pod, best pals forever. Zoë is the apple of her daddy's eye, a sweet connection. Soon Number Three will be here and a new journey will begin, what fun that will be! xx

games

Sweet Sarah over at flourish design + style (http://flourishdesignandstyle.blogspot.com/) is playing a game...and she tagged me. You have to post the sixth picture you ever posted. This is an easy one for me because I'm a newbie at this blogging thing! The photo is of my husband feeding Beckett when he was 7 months old. I love how chubby Beckett is and how Stanley is totally into it! Now I'm tagging: Stuff (http://sarahmarlayne.blogspot.com/) An Honest Glance (http://anhonestglance.blogspot.com/)

the 80's

I'm in love with these Vans. I guess it's because they remind me of the 80's and lets face it - I love the 80's. Of course Beckett and Zoë will never understand who Spicoli is, Ducky means nothing to them and Molly Ringwald (my 80's hero)....I know they won't ever get her! That's okay, I bought Zoë the heart Vans and Beckett the mini "Spicoli's". Couldn't help it. They are at EiO (18th and Cambie) and there are tons of styles. Excuse me while I go crank some Simple Minds.

monkey love

I was at EiO Kids today meeting with my good friend and business partner Marc, we wanted to take some photos of some new dresses that came in. Since we don't have the perfect white wall and our sweet neighbours at Walrus do we went next door for a visit. As soon as I walked through the door I fell in love. Look at this candelabra! Now I realize that this isn't everyone's idea of perfect but it's mine - I LOVE it. I didn't bring him home because I have no idea where I would put him....what do you think? Walrus is at the corner of West 18th & Cambie in Vancouver (right beside EiO Kids)! Here's a couple of the dresses that we photographed, they just came in, size 2 - 6 and they are way cute.

mmmm watermelon

I love watermelon. Love. I gave Zoë some watermelon the other day, it's totally not in season here - wait a minute, watermelon is never in season here! Well I couldn't help it, I paid big bucks for my favorite fruit and I'm happy to report that Miss Z loves watermelon too. Teaching her that you don't eat the rind was challenging, an 18 month old just doesn't understand why there's one part that you don't eat. Thank goodness it was seedless! I have such great memories of eating watermelon in the backyard sunshine as a kid, I can't wait for warm days so I can sit in the sunshine and eat watermelon with my girl.

ouch

I was in a really bad car accident on Tuesday. The car in front of me stopped for a pedestrian, I stopped behind them. The big, big truck with a full load behind me did not stop. He hit me hard, I hit the car in front of me hard and then my car went flying backwards and hit the truck behind me hard again. Ouch. Thank goodness I was by myself, the kids & husband were safe at home. I was very scared, banged up and crying- on the verge of being hysterical. My husband picked me up and I went to the doctor who sent me to the hospital where I stayed for 5 hours so they could monitor me & the baby. Number 3 is just fine. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Now I just need to heal...not good times. I must say though that I'm pretty impressed with my German wagon, it held up pretty well considering what hit it. With Number 3 coming it's time for a new vehicle and it's going to be a big, safe one.

an award!

I'm new to the world of blogging...so far I love it. I have met some great people and learned a lot. I'm in awe of the creativity and support of my new blogging friends! One of my favorite blogs is Pinecone Camp. Janis is an incredibly talented person, whenever she comes over for tea I hope that some of her creativity has rubbed off on me! Janis gave me the "Sunshine Award" - since this is my very first award, I really don't know what the heck it means. It does make me feel happy though! Here's what I do know: - put the logo in your post - pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers - link the nominees within your post - let the nominees know they have received the award by leaving a comment on their blogs - share the love and link to the person who gave you the award Okay....here's who I am passing it on to.... - Flower Patch Farmgirl (http://flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com/) - Dreamy Whites (http://dreamywhites.blogspot.com/) - Whatever (http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whatever/) - Domestic Reflections (http://domesticreflections.blogspot.com/) - Enjoying the Small Things (http://domesticreflections.blogspot.com/) I'm normally a rule follower and I'm a little worried that I'm not following the rules here, I know it's not 12 but like I said, I'm new to the world of blogging, so 5 it is. Here are a few of my favorite sunshine photos: Master B, Summer 2009 and Miss Z, Summer 2009. Happy blogging. xx

bunches of love

The other day we had a photo shoot scheduled for 10am at IGA for their "Bunches of Love" campaign. That was also the day that Zoë woke up at 4am. She never does this. Ever. She woke up screaming, I brought her into bed with me and finally got her back to sleep at 5am. Cue Beckett, he woke up coughing like crazy at 5:24am (to be exact). He had no intention of going back to sleep. So, I moved Zoë back to her crib and Beckett and I went to the couch and watched Barney. Beckett yawned the whole time. Seriously. Did I mention that my husband has been out of town for ten days? He's home today - whew. The photo shoot was a GONG SHOW. Zoë was so unhappy, which is unlike her and Beckett was not into it, all he wanted to do was walk the aisles and stack cans. The above photo is the only one out of about a hundred that was decent! One photo. Clearly Zoë isn't impressed. The finished poster will be in IGA stores very soon, it's a great campaign - from April 11 to May 9 all Marketplace IGA's will donate $1 from every Bunches of Love bouquet sold to BC Women's Hospital.

sweet b

I'm pretty sure most people know that my sweet son Beckett has Down syndrome, if you didn't you do now. It's a topic that makes some people feel uncomfortable, usually because they don't know anything about Down syndrome and I understand that. Most people are kind, supportive and loving - the odd person (believe it or not) is rude, ignorant and insensitive. Beckett was diagnosed with Down syndrome when he was five days old. He's healthy, loving, smart and kind - he lights up our lives - everyone who meets him falls instantly in love. We knew nothing about Down syndrome but we quickly became experts, as did our family and friends. We didn't know anyone with Down syndrome, now we know lots of people. Beckett changed a lot of things for us, all for the better. Here's some facts about Down syndrome: • Down syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described the syndrome in 1866. • It is a chromosomal anomaly, or mix-up, in the genetic blue-print that occurs at conception • Individuals with Down syndrome have an extra #21 chromosome, the medical term is Trisomy 21. • Approximately 1 in 547 live births is a child with Down syndrome • Children with Down syndrome have some physical, intellectual and emotional developmental delays. • Children with Down syndrome may also have other medical conditions. • Physical characteristics may include almond-shaped eyes, a single palmar crease on one, or both hands and small facial features. • Down syndrome is not related to race, religion or socio-economic status. • Children with Down syndrome share more similarities than differences with other children. They learn, laugh, play and want friends just like all children. • Individuals with Down syndrome benefit from loving parents, early medical and educational attention and positive public attitudes. • Children with Down syndrome have a full complement of emotions and attitudes, are creative and imaginative in play and pranks, and grow up to live independent lives with varying degrees of support and accommodations needed. On standard IQ tests, children with Down syndrome most often score in the mild to moderate range of mental handicap. These tests do not measure many important areas of intelligence and one will often be surprised by the memory, insight, creativity, and cleverness of a child with Down syndrome. Thousands of young people with Down syndrome across the country are quietly going on with their lives and transforming their communities by just being there. They have dreams and the determination to reach their goals. They learn in regular classrooms in their neighborhood schools with the children who will one day be their co-workers, neighbors and adult friends. Young adults hold diverse and meaningful jobs, maintain their own households and make significant contributions to their communities. Here's some things that really irritate me: • Use of the word retarded, especially when used to insensitively describe something stupid • The term "Downs kids" they are not "Downs kids" they are children who happen to have Down syndrome • People who say "They're such happy people" I'd like to think that my child being happy is because we love him not because he has an extra chromosome. • People who assume and don't ask questions, if you are uncomfortable around someone with special needs just ask questions to become better educated - trust me, parents are more than happy to have a thoughtful discussion about their child. Working in television I get to attend many charity events, it's something I have always done and enjoyed....these events mean more to me since I've had children. We're all vulnerable to challenges, no one is immune, no one lives a perfect life. My dreams for Beckett are the same dreams you have for your child, I want him to be happy and healthy - I want him to be everything he wants to be. When I look at Beckett and Zoë I feel so much love and happiness, my children hold my heart - nothing makes me happier. xx

someone had a bath

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painting with grampa

Zoë is spending the weekend at Grammy and Grampa's. It's good times as you can see, this weekend she is learning how to paint. Zoë's Grampa is well-known West Coast artist Robert Genn - not a bad person to get a lesson from! Robert, or Bob as we call him, set up an easel for Miss Z and they spent the afternoon painting away. Very similar styles, don't you think? I love her concentration in this photo while Grampa checks in on how she's doing. Zoë is quite good at following directions. So sweet. This is Zoë's completed work, she's an abstract expressionist - I love her use of color! xx

number 3

Babe number three arrives in August and we couldn't be happier! This is a very exciting time for our family....soon B & Z will have a new friend for life. This is the babe...we don't know if it's a boy or girl and we're not going to find out. So now we're dreaming of names, organizing a room for our newest family member and imagining a life with three kids under three. Good times ahead! xx

happy anniversary baby...

Happy Anniversary Dave. I love you. xx

sweet stanley

Stanley is my sweet Airedale Terrier. I love him, so much. He will be six years old in May, I remember the day we got him, my new best friend. Dave drove home from Chilliwack while Stanley and I snuggled for the 3 hour drive. Stanley is my dream dog, he's the dog I always wanted and he's perfect. Stanley has always been "number 1" but his life took a dramatic turn with the arrival of Beckett, a year later Zoë was born and Stanley was not impressed. Number 1 moved to number 3. I feel terrible, I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those Mother's that ignored her dog. I can't help it. I'm busy. I'm tired. It just happened. Beckett, Zoë and Stanley all love each other - Stan is incredibly patient and loving to the babes. I watch Zoë climb all over him while he's trying to sleep, Beckett loves Stanley's wagging tail and I can't tell you how many times his ears get tugged! While all this is happening Stanley happily takes it, gives a kiss and moves on. Love him. How about you? How do you balance you best furry pal and your busy life? xx

a picture story

back to work

I go back to work tomorrow morning after 16 days off. It's been great, the babes and I have formed some bad habits, we watch Sesame Street while eating breakfast, we have been sleeping in until 8:30 a.m. and Miss Z prefers to be in my arms at all times. Reality sets in tomorrow for me and the small ones. xx

a great holiday

I have been off work for 13 days now...it's been great to just hang out with my family. I have spent every second with my two kids, what fun we have had. Christmas was amazing, although Gramma went a bit crazy with the gifts this year! I made my best turkey yet...so delicious! My brother stayed with us for two weeks, always great to reconnect with him. I'm back to work in three days. It's a new year, a fresh start - I love January. The first two months of 2010 will be my busiest yet, I'm excited and nervous. I'm moving into a hotel downtown for a month for the Olympics! How I will get to spend time with my family is yet to be determined, I have no idea what kind of chaos the Olympics will bring. This is why I'm so grateful for the past 13 days, pure peaceful bliss with my husband, son and daughter.

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