A letter

To My Son, Judah

I am amazed and overwhelmed by how much my heart swells for you.  I truly did not know it was possible to love another child as much as I love your sister.  You are such a gift and a blessing to us, and even though we are all still adjusting to being a family of four, I already cannot imagine life without you. 

I cannot imagine not being able to hold you, to rock you, or to be up at all hours of the night with you.  I love nursing you, to be able to "have to" hold you in my arms when you get hungry is a privilege.  It's a fantastic reason to sit down, relax and spend some one on one time with you. 

Your sister sure loves you.  I know this morning you probably thought differently when she tried to kick you, but please give her some grace, she's just learning how to be a big sister.  Also, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure that won't be the last time she tries to kick you.  You are awfully good to her, letting her hold you, pat you on the head, and all those kisses!  She is always trying to kiss you!   

Now, I am your Mama, so I can guarantee you that I will be protective and perhaps a bit smothering.  Ok, a lot smothering.  Sometimes you'll have to tell me to let you go, to let you make mistakes and to let your knees get skinned.  When that time comes, please be gentle with me, as I'll still be picturing you as a sweet but fragile little baby.  I know your Dad will let you do all the crazy things a boy has to do at least once in a lifetime, and I might cringe and/or worry, but I'll always be there when you do need a snuggle or a kiss.  I'll even be there when you don't want one.  

I pray that you become a solid man of God.  That you will look up to your Dad, and respect him.  That you will look out for your sister, and treat all women with respect and honour.  I pray that you will not hold grudges, that you will be compassionate and understanding.  That you will stand up for the underdogs and less fortunate.  I pray that you will become a leader.  A man who knows he is loved for who he is, and who can love others for who they are.  I pray that you will live a good life, with all the twists and turns that make a good one.  I pray that your Dad and I can do our best to provide you with a wonderful childhood full of memories, lessons and lots of laughter.

But most of all, I pray that you will be happy. 

So please, don't grow up too fast little dude.        

Chazz

 Our oh-so-lenient kitty.  He lets Bee love on him and when he's tired of all her lovin' he walks away without trying to prove anything.  Best pet ever.

You can tell he's not really into being wrapped in one of her bear blankies, but he lets her.  He also lets her hug (almost strangle) him, pet him (not so gently), kiss him (leave slobber on his head), play with him (chuck his toys at him) and basically be a toddler with him.  And for all that she does out of love, he seems to get it.  He sometimes follows her and allows her to snuggle up to him while she reads books.  We try to be really watchful so she doesn't actually hurt him, and so far they seem to be on track to being best pals.  Not bad for a first pet.  Jimmy on the other hand, is still pretty skittish, but surprisingly lets her get the closest to him out of the three of us. 

What Big Hands You Have M'Dear

  

After enjoying a wonderful breakfast at the Town Cafe with Gramps, and had returned home, Bee decided she wanted his gloves.  They were ridiculously and humorously huge on her.

Doesn't it look like I Photoshopped them on her?  HAHA

Little Mennonite-in-Training

Bee helping Mama make dinner rolls to go with our green bean and farmer sausage soup for dinner.

 I like how this angle makes me look super short and stubby, but makes our kitchen look spacious.

 

 She tried so hard to make them round

That was about as far as she got before she started eating the dough.

She sure makes me proud!

Being Treated Like the Princess She Is

Bee just loved being pulled around on Jack's dog bed.  So much in fact, she didn't want to let Maxim or Silvu have a turn, and the one time she did, she gave them approximately 30 seconds before she jumped right back in. 
 

I think its safe to say they treated her like a princess the whole time!

Ashley, my new sister and mama to these two munchkins was so worried they would be too rough with Bee.  I think they proved they know how to be gentle, even though my kid was the rough one, stealing their cars and destroying their Lego creations.

Timeouts

I realize that how you discipline your child is a highly debated topic that raises tempers and attracts opinions from far and wide.  I normally don't share publicly how we as a family deal with "naughty behaviour" not because I'm ashamed or feel guilty for how we treat Bee, but because I don't really care to be bombarded with everyone's idea of perfect parenting.  That being said, we were giving Bee swats on her padded diaper bum because nothing else seemed to work or get her attention.  And for awhile, she understood what was allowed and what wasn't allowed.  Then it clicked in her head that if she was swatted for "naughty" behaviour, so should Mama and Daddy.  And fearing that we had taught her to hit people when she didn't like what was happening, we switched to 1 minute timeouts with her facing a corner, and seating her on a "timeout" stool.  So far, it's been working like a charm.

Then today, we got a glimpse of what the swats and timeouts must be like through her eyes.  We laughed so hard we cried.  Of course, the video is not good quality since I was laughing through most of it, but this is just a little bit of what we saw during dinner. 

playing in mama's closet

 Time seems to be flying for us.  I'm already 28 weeks, Bee is starting to learn new words, Josh's work is starting to slow down and the diner I work at is slowly getting less and less busy.  I can't believe summer is almost over.  The pollen is blowing around aggravating Josh's allergies and the smoke from all the fires is still hanging around, giving everyone sore throats and stuffy noses.  The trees are turning yellow, the bull elk are chasing cows, cars and people alike, and the locals are starting to long for the quiet winter months without tourists.

Bee is coming into her own a little bit more each day.  She's started to try to dress herself...unsuccessfully, but still keeps on trying.  The other day she found some clothes I was getting rid of and decided to play dress-ups with them.  My girl is so sweet.  I see her copying things she sees me do everyday (putting lotion on, brushing teeth, blowing on her food to cool it down), and it just makes me melt.  Of course, she is also coming into her terrible twos so our timeout stool is seeing a lot of use.  Those moments do not make me melt. 

I have almost no energy while working so my weekends seem to be full of projects and lists.  I even have a list of projects to start and finish after I'm done working (which thankfully is Oct 3!).  I don't like to pull the "I'm pregnant" card while working but after another waitress wore her pedometer to work and found out she walked 10 miles each shift, I no longer feel so guilty when I come home totally exhausted and all I accomplish is filling the dishwasher and making Bee's lunch for daycare.    

We are loving life these days, and are so grateful to be living here in the park.  I never thought I'd be proud to be what I call "park people" but I am.  We are so blessed and even though I'm not a country girl or even an outdoorsy girl except for camping, I see the beauty and can appreciate the gift that living here is.  
We are getting ready for winter, buying our first 2 heaters ever and shopping for winter gear.  This will be my first full winter in Wyoming/Montana so I may not like living here as much by January, but we'll see!  Fall is generally my favourite season, and I'm so excited for all the soups, stews, pumpkin flavoured baking, and cozy evenings crocheting for my family.  Hopefully once these last two weeks of work are over I'll have the energy to write more often!  As it is, my eyelids are drooping and my brain is shutting down.  Which is my cue for bed since my shift starts at 7:30am tomorrow!

All By Herself

She's loving her new slide. 

Conversations With Bee

Today Josh asked me why I stopped blogging.  I was surprised, as I didn't realize how long it had been since I last had a true "writer's moment" where I was excited to share my thoughts.  Truth is, I've just been plain tired and haven't had any inspirations hit me.  At least none that I've recognized.  

In this world of over-communicating, I'm always wary of becoming that annoying friend/family member/acquaintance who updates her facebook status, tweets and blogs constantly throughout the day.  I'm also not that great at multitasking.  I can make dinner, entertain Bee, clean the kitchen, and keep from stepping on one of the cats (who love rubbing up against legs).  But trying to keep the daily rhythms of this family going while starting work again, proves to be about all I can handle while pregnant.  I'm not trying to cop out using the whole pregnant card, but I've had to realize my limits.  Next week I'll be working 4 days a week, and I have a feeling our home will be quite a bit messier than normal, the dishes won't always get done, and it'll take me longer to get laundry folded and put away.  But I'm ok with that.  I know I can do it.  I also know trying to set goals of witty stories and meaningful blog posts isn't all that realistic right now.  

But enough of all this serious talk.  Bee has been SUPER active and her little personality is definitely showing.  Here's a sneak peek of what our days are filled with.  

 

Did you catch what I was laughing over?
I'll give you a hint...she's pushing something out....    

A List of Don'ts

List of things I should never do while pregnant and why:

1) Watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

  -Ty Pennington makes me bawl my eyes out when he shouts "MOVE THAT BUS" no matter how corny he is.  Also, emotional families make me cry.

2) Watch 7th Heaven

 -Oh Camden family, you remind me of weekends spent at my grandparent's house and of lost ideals.  You remind me of what I longed for in a chaotic chapter of my life.

3) Eat ice cream

 -If i don't show considerable self restraint I could eat an entire carton.  plus being lactose intolerant doesn't help. 

4) Drink milk

 -This pregnancy has made me lactose intolerant

5) Go into a pet store and look in the adoptions section

 -Makes me want to adopt all the animals!  examples A and B:  Chazz and Jimmy.  And to think, when I walked into that Petsmart, all I wanted to do was show Bee the animals! 

 

6) Eat McDonald's

 -Its a gateway drug.  Just look at pictures of me after having Bee for proof.

7) Read other mom's birth stories.

 -Really?  Do I need to remind myself of pain, pain and more pain? 

8) Go to the store without a list

 -I ALWAYS forget at least half of what I need to get.   

9) Worry about what kind of a mom I am

 -I figure they'll need therapy whether I'm supermom or not...so why drive myself crazy?

from my kitchen to yours

Since there are a few of you who were interested in my fantastic enchiladas casserole recipe, I decided to share it with everyone.  Its kind of high in sodium because of the canned goods, but otherwise actually lowish calorie wise.  I figured out the calorie content to be around 430 calories a serving, and that's with making 7 portions out of this dish.  

Leslie's Fantastic Enchiladas Casserole:

1. 4 1/2- 5 cups of cooked rice (I like to mix white and brown rice in my cooker for a little extra nutrition)
2. 2-3 cups (or more :) ) of shredded cheddar cheese or one bag of Italian cheese mix from the store
3. 1-2 pounds of cooked ground beef or shredded chicken (I only use 1 lbs but I know Josh would rather have more meat lol)
4. 2 cans of pinto beans drained and rinsed
5. 1 1/2 of the large green enchiladas sauce cans
6. 1 med onion chopped

(Josh likes to also add tortillas in the layering process, but since I dislike soggy tortillas and I make the casserole, I leave it out.  It is so lovely to scoop the casserole into a warm tortilla like a burrito though!)

Grease your large pan (9x13) and evenly spread half your rice on the bottom.  Then sprinkle about 1/3 of your cheese over the rice.  Evenly spread meat, onions and beans over the cheese.  Pour about half of your sauce over the layers and add another 1/3 of cheese.  Then smooth out the rest of your rice and add remaining sauce over the top.  Finally add the last of your cheese.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to maybe an hour.  Basically you want the cheese browned and the sauce bubbling up around the edges.  

If you like the taste of enchiladas but not the work, I'd recommend this casserole as a quick substitute.  Josh used to always beg me to make enchiladas but I hated how much time went into making a dish that would be gobbled up so fast, so I came up with this idea and now he asks for this instead! 

sleep deprived and mean

These last five days I've been having a pity party.  Bee caught a cold, which wasn't all that bad except that she turned from an adorable, loveable, fun-loving girl into a whiny, not sleeping, not eating, bundle of terror.  Not even when she was teething in her molars was she this bad.  Basically she did all the normal things a sick 16 month old does.  But you see, Josh and I have become spoiled.  Especially me.  I thrive on consistency in certain areas, like sleeping and eating schedules, the little lists I make myself daily with chores and everyday items (lists make me feel important so things actually get done), and knowing that I can usually predict Bee's daily behavior.  Since Bee really is a good kid, I've been able to rely on these consistences.

I have learned 2 things with Bee getting sick.  One: that with a sick child, there is no such thing as consistency.  Except when it comes to crying, as crying is fairly consistent throughout the day. Two:  I am a mean person when I don't get more than 6 hours of sleep at night.

The first two days really weren't that bad as I was filled with motherly concern and compassion.  But by day three of 4 hours of sleep I was over it and started my very own pity party.  Mainly I took it out on Josh, my poor husband.  I was livid that he got to sleep 7 beautiful hours every night while I calmed Bee's screams every half hour.  I was also filled with rage at the thought that because he worked he got to take a free pass on parenting for the time being (none of this is actually true, I'll explain later).  

Then today, day 5 of Bee's miserable sinus congestion, I managed to catch 2 hours of sleep, and totally blew up at Josh.  Later, I went into town with a friend and was gently reminded that marriage and parenting is hard.  It made me think back on the things I had accused Josh of and blamed him for.  It was definitely a humbling moment.  I instantly felt so guilty that when I got home I apologized for my actions.  You see, Josh is a 911 dispatcher for Yellowstone National Park and works seven days in a row (then he gets seven days off) and each shift is twelve hours long (6pm- 6am).  He gets home at 6:30am and sleeps until 2:30-3pm.  His job requires him to be alert and fully awake for emergencies, which in the Park, happen quite often.  

Bee happened to get sick at the beginning of Josh's work week, leaving me with the majority of the "nursing back to health" business.  In my sleep deprived (downright mean) state of mind I started resenting him, instead of just telling him how I was feeling.  

After making things right with Josh I started to remind myself of all the ways I am blessed.  It's something I've done for a long time as a sort of "penance" to remind myself of how selfish and mean I can get, when really, I don't have it off so bad.  Here are a few of the blessings I had to remind myself of today:

1. I have a God who teaches me to be a better person.

2. I have a wonderful husband who readily forgives me when I've wronged him, and loves me in spite of everything.  And is a flippin' stud muffin if I do say so.

3. I have a daughter who 90% of the time is a freaking angel.

4. I have awesome in-laws for invite me over for dinner when I'm overwhelmed with parenting and readily babysit when they see I need a break.

5. I have friends who gently remind me of reality and teach me that its ok to be overwhelmed.

6. I have a fantastic enchiladas casserole recipe that never fails me and can be made in short time.

7. I have family that loves and supports me and my little family.

8. I have a little peanut bumping around in my womb to make me smile.

9. My blood pressure is WAY down and my health is on a good track.

10. My family and I have a great little house to call our own and spread out in.  

11. I have a ranger father-in-law who can get the dumb people who park on my lawn to move their vehicles.

12. We live in a freaking national park.

13. I have poppies and wild roses growing around our house that I didn't have to plant and they look beautiful probably because I didn't plant them.

There are many, many more, but I'm starting to lose steam on the writing front.  My main point of this post is that I was a jerk. A big jerk, but a huge part of life is trying to learn from your mistakes and moving on.  I'm choosing right now to look at all the positive aspects of my life and keep trucking on.  Bee isn't all better yet, but thank you Lord, it's just sinus congestion, and nothing serious.  Plus, Josh has only two more nights before his week off and I'm praying I make it without anymore pity parties.    

                            

The Day Had Come...

Her first day at daycare.  We were a little sad, and one of us was a little anxious....but we got through it without any tears from any of us.  She was so cute walking around with her little backpack on, so proud to be wearing it.  

 I went to work, Josh went to Bozeman and apparently Bee went to town on her lunch.  The daycare ladies were so kind to send me this picture of her.  I think they realized how nervous we were to leave her there for an entire day.  

I don't think she missed us AT ALL, do you? 

my little helper

Last week it was snowy.  And cold.  And kind of dreary.  So I started to make banana bread, thinking the smell of it baking might lure Josh out of bed (he works the graveyard shift, and we miss seeing him during his work days).  

As I was getting the ingredients together,  Bee decided she wanted to help.  This was the first time she has actually stood there and "helped" mix.  SO MUCH FUN!

Turns out she likes to help bake, but isn't such a fan of banana bread.  Well, at least this week.  Her tastes change quite often (I think she's trying to keep us on our toes). 

Ever since she saw me mixing something in a bowl a couple months ago, she's been obsessed with mixing.  I'm hoping her willingness to help will translate to helping me do the dishes when she's older.  I can dream right? 

a winter wonderland a week before June? say what?

As I opened my eyes this morning I thought to myself,  "it's SO bright in here!"  And then I thought, "oh maybe it's sunny!"  And then finally,  "Oh geez Briella!  I'm coming!  Have you ever been forgotten?  No, so just give me a minute!"  (she likes to greet the morning with endearing wake up screeches.  lucky us)

Well, after realizing that we had about 3 inches of beautiful shiny snow, I think we both felt a bit of cabin fever.  I dug through some boxes of clothes we've been saving for when she finally grows and found her snow-pants, and a super fuzzy sleeper.  On went her boots (by the way...they were not waterproof), jacket and toque. 

As you can see, she wasn't all that impressed.  She took about four steps,  stared at the snow for about 5 minutes, and was then ready to head back inside.  

Oh well, maybe she'll be more enthusiastic about the snow this winter.  Otherwise all my hopes and dreams of fun snow pictures will have to wait another year! 

A Brief Hiatus

For those of you who actually read this blog, you've probably noticed that I've gone from writing once or twice a week to absolutely nothing.  It's not because I have nothing to write, but because we moved at the end of April to Yellowstone, and living in the boonies makes setting up services like the internet, take forever.  I'll be up and writing again hopefully next week.  My in laws have been great with letting us sneak over and check our emails, but as you all know, setting up a home after moving just takes a long time.  Plus we all got the flu our first week here, so we're just a bit behind on getting rid of our boxes!  

So thank you for not giving up on me!  Next week's post should be full of pictures and funny stories! 

This is a very fuzzy picture, but our friend took it, and man are we glad he did!  This was the first time Briella really noticed a buffalo, and this one was right in our backyard!    

Conquering the Ugliness

My childhood wasn't ordinary, and yes, it has given me baggage, and yes, I have to regularly pray to God to remind me of all the times He has blessed me and kept me safe.  But having said all that, my far from ordinary childhood has shaped me to be who I am today, and I think I turned out alright, if I do say so myself!

Since becoming a mama, I've started to think back on my own childhood more and more.  I've remembered memories that I haven't thought of in years, and at first I struggled with it.  I was afraid that by remembering memories I had purposefully and successfully ignored, I would open Pandora's box of emotions and have too many meltdowns.  I was afraid of having to go to counseling and be thought of as weak.  I was the girl who in middle school, went to mandated counseling sessions and was told by my counselor that I was wasting mine and his time by coming, since I clearly was not traumatized by the events leading to me being placed in foster care.  And I don't think he was wrong.  I was happy, I had a huge combined family who loved and teased me, and who had helped me through harder times.  They were the counselors I needed at that time.

I flourished in my family's love and to all seemed quite normal.  High school was great.  I had acclimated to being a teenager and lived life to the fullest.  Only my closest of friends really knew that I was in foster care, and only a few knew of the reasons why.  When I finally became comfortable telling more people of my childhood, they were all surprised.  The general reaction was "but you seem so normal!" 

Now that I've started looking back more, I guess I've been afraid of not being "normal" anymore.  That my husband would be married to "that Canadian lady who has the soap opera childhood".  That Briella wouldn't have a normal childhood because I'd be so afraid of passing on family mistakes that I'd be overprotective and she'd grow up hating me for it.

You might be thinking, wow, what brought this on?  Well, let me tell you.

I was thinking about when Briella would start making and remembering her own memories.  Like, she probably won't remember this Easter, but will she remember next Easter?  So I tried to think back on the first Easter I could remember.

I was probably 4, and my biological "Granny" had brought my sister and I to visit our biological mom in jail.  The jail must have held some sort of Easter celebration for the inmate's families because I remember egg races, hot dogs, water balloon tosses and an egg hunt.  I remember wearing a poofy dress and frilly socks.  I think my sister was wearing a blue dress, and our mom had made us little Easter baskets with fake flowers in them.  Our mom was happy and laughed a lot at our antics, but when we were about to leave she hugged each of us and we started to cry, knowing we had to go and she had to stay.  I don't remember what she said, only that whatever it was it made me laugh.  Once we were in the car Granny started talking to us, asking how our visit was and did we like seeing "Mommy".  Then she started telling us we probably wouldn't be able to see her again because "Mommy couldn't stay away from bad men".  I'm pretty sure the only thing we understood was that we wouldn't be seeing "Mommy" again and we both started crying again.  That was also the last time we ever visited Granny by ourselves again, as she had taken us to the jail without permission from our social worker. 

Now fast forward 20 years and my beautiful daughter is wandering around outside in a beautiful yellow Easter dress, collecting Easter eggs with her Daddy (my handsome stud of a husband).  She spent the morning talking on skype with family, and playing with me.  She went to bed that night with both parents home and slept in the peace of knowing she was (is) loved.     

Now I realize that my daughter will never have to visit me in some low security prison, and that her memories will be sweeter.  She is surrounded by people who love her and would protect her with their own lives, Josh and I more than anyone.  But the little girl inside of me thinks back and wistfully wishes for better memories, and it drives me to make sure my daughter doesn't ever feel this way. 

But what a better time than Easter Sunday to remember not so pleasant memories?  The day we celebrate Christ's rising.  Celebrating His triumph over death and sin.  Yes, Christ died, he died for all our sins.  For my biological parent's sins, my sins, Josh's sins....everybody's sins!  And not only did He die, but He ROSE!  He conquered death, sin and all the ugliness.  We have new life in Him.  My childhood doesn't have to hold me back or keep me in fear since, He's already conquered it!

Yes, maybe it is a good thing I've started remembering these old memories!    

Happy (belated) Easter everyone!

drama queen

I was a little hesitant to post this video, mostly because I feel a little ashamed of how funny I find Bee's tantrums.  But when I played it back for Bee to watch, she thought it was hilarious!  It's good to know she has our sense of humor, as I feel her childhood would be a lot more traumatizing if she didn't. 

a new phase

We have entered into a new phase with Briella.  It's called, "I'm going to screech in the highest octave I can manage, pretty much all day."

fun with friends

A couple weeks back we were invited to a BBQ at Vicki's home  (Josh's coworker).  You might remember her from this post.  We were joined by another of Josh's coworkers, Evelyn and her two uber cute children.  And of course, Spock, Vicki's dog was there to keep us all entertained, and to keep Bee's face spotless.  (which she loved so very much, she followed him around the entire afternoon)

  

 We brought Bee's golf clubs and Evelyn's kids LOVED them.  Her son made mini golf course obstacles throughout the back yard, and later they were used as bubble destroyers.

 Of course, Bee was the little social butterfly and quickly made friends with everyone.

 It was so nice we spent as much of the afternoon as possible outside.

 Bee was given a taste of her very first chocolate cupcake by her Daddy.

 I'm very proud to say that she LOVEEED her cupcake and as soon as she was done with Josh's she came straight to me to help finish mine.

 You can't really tell but they are trying to hit the bubbles with the golf clubs.  It was HILARIOUS to watch Josh trying to dodge their swings from their overzealous attempts to destroy as many bubbles as possible.

It was such a great afternoon, filled with friends, good food, lots of laughter and beautiful weather. 

shrieks and giggles

Bee's Method for Prolonging Sleep

Sometimes she'll do this for 45 minutes before she's ready to admit defeat and pass out for the night. 

  

Such a funny little girl.  

another day in the life

 



 It was one of those days today.  Wait, let me rephrase this:  it was one of those days BECAUSE she wanted "dada" and not me, and sadly for her, he was working.  You can clearly see what she thought of that! 

Today we bought our first washer and dryer set.  Nerve wracking, but now that its done...I am completely satisfied we picked the right one!  And once we've moved into our new house, I'll post pictures of our newest babies.  Yes, I do think of them as my babies, I'll probably even name them.  And not only will they wash and dry king size comforters, they are pretttttttyyyy, or as Josh calls them "space-agy".  (which is just the male version of prettttyyy)  It's crazy to realize that in 5 weeks, we'll be starting our trip back to Montana, well Wyoming actually, (dang you border towns!) and starting our new life as "Park People".  Which is exactly what I call everyone who lives in or around National Parks.  


I LOVE this last picture of Bee.  After her bath she was walking around being all cute and sweet with her towel still on her head, but AS SOON as she saw me taking pictures, she charged!  HAHA  This is her, "I want that camera, and I'm GOING to get that camera" face, and one of my personal favourites.    

dinosaurs are pets too

Taking her pets for a walk

We're thinking she's already trying to prove how responsible she is, so she can start asking for a real puppy soon.  And maybe a bigger shirt.  What do you think? 

Bee and Buzz

Bee goes through these periods of loving her Buzz doll and then completely ignoring him for weeks at a time.  So much so, we've begun to think of him as her "boyfriend".

Today she LOVED Buzz.  She went everywhere with him. 

They wrestled to see who got to sit in the "bubba chair".   I'm proud to say she won. 

She even tried to have a tea party with him.  I caught her shoving the teacup she's holding into his face, but when I grabbed my camera she saw me and walked off dejectedly, annoyed that I had saved him from getting his face smashed in by a croqueted teacup.  Later she tried to throw him in the tub while the water was running.

Then this evening after I had given her her nighttime bottle, she grabbed good ol' Buzz and snuggled down with him to watch a few cartoons while I tidied the kitchen.