I used to write. When I was a teenager and a young adult, in the dark years of my life, when anxiety and depression got the best of me, I used to write beautiful poetry. I have many books filled with the words that were pouring out of me, as if I was too full to contain them. Words helped me heal. It might be why I decided to become a translator... But translating medical advertising and scientific studies is quite far from poetry writing... Today, I have a hard time finding the words to write a birthday card... My creation has moved to something more tangible, like knitting, sewing and felting...
Those were the thoughts that were going on in my mind while I was reading some of the wonderful blogs that I visit regularly. Then, I came across this beautiful post from Kate and it felt really good, really right. And I started looking through the photos from the last 5 years and I decided that it was about time that I took some time to honor myself for all I did during the last 5 years! No wonder the words are not coming, as Kate says, it's not that kind of life right now...
So here's a little story of the last 5 years of my life!
It all started with a WV van, of course! We left Toronto in May 2003 for Whitehorse, Yukon.
6 000 km later, we called it home right away.
And a month or so after our arrival in the land of the Klondike Gold Rush, I became pregnant! At 18 weeks, we found out that there were 2 buns in the oven! What a surprise!
That's 4 days before giving birth... at 39 weeks! Impressive, eh?
And after a very crazy birth, our two little salmons came to the world!
And at 26, 6 000 km away from our families, with a bunch of new friends without kids around us, we became parents!
And tried to stay a strong couple and to keep doing what we loved in the midst of it all...
Quite a challenge, I must say!
We kept on camping...
We lived in a tiny little house in downtown Whitehorse, on the same street as the French association, so there was always people coming and going. We had so much support from the community when the girls were born. My eyes still fill with water when I think about it. For a month after the birth, we had people coming at our house EVERY DAY to bring us a meal, people that we didn't even knew at times! It was just unbelievable!
And I kept gardening...
And I massage them...
And we carried them in slings all the time...
And they had tummy tub baths in the sun !
And we co-slept...
And we co-bathed...
And we hiked and walked a lot to soothe them and to stay sane... And to feel like we were enjoying the amazing landscapes of the Yukon...
God, we did a great job!!
And soon enough, they discovered complicity!
And it was beautiful to hear them laugh together!
And when they were 10 months old, I found out that I was pregnant again! Natural family planning sure makes for big families! I was terrified, but the support we had around us was so incredible that we felt we were in the best place to welcome Mathilde.
And Mathilde was born... and the girls were... well, I can't say that they were very excited, they were mostly indifferent and then, the adventure began... 2 weeks after Mathilde's arrival, Mara and Aïsha turned into very insecure, clingy and whiny little girls. It was HARD!
Mathilde was a happy and easy little girl, at least!
God I look tired... and I was!
There was a lot of that...
And of that too...
And then, they discovered the pleasure of being twins!
And yes, we used that device. Our friend calls it The Circle of Neglect!
For me, it was the Circle of Sanity!
And we kept traveling around, as hard as it was, we needed to get out a bit!
And they all got chickenpox. And Mathilde got complications and scared us all...
And I turned 30, and my amazing girlfriends invited me to a wonderful Inn for 2 days.
It was so great!
And last summer, we left the Yukon to begin a new adventure.
We sure miss the Yukon and our friends, but we are all ready for some new projects here in our new house with my Grandma and our family nearby.
23 comments:
I wasn't reading your blog yet when you first posted this, so THANK YOU for reposting. What a beautiful, beautiful summary. I can imagine it took a long time to put together with all the photos!
You and JF are truly inspirational.
And wow, getting out and hiking and camping with all three so little!
So sorry to hear that today was a rough day -- hope tomorrow is a better one. :)
j'adore j'adore !!
quel beau mystère de la vie que nous avons eu le droit de vivre !!
parcontre c'est quand m^me rude en ce moment pour moi, je suis encore dans le stade conneries (un peu comme tes fées en haut de l'escalier ou dans les papiers...)
pas le temps de s'ennuyer...
Gros bisous à toi!
J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à voir tes puces dans le dernier GA.
Merci d'avoir reposté, Catherine. Qu'il est beau le chemin que vous avez parcouru. Vous êtes bien centrée, Catherine, ce qui est rare. J'espère que vous aurez plein de joies aujourd'hui.
Je suis bien contente de lire que mon billet vous a parlé...
Rachel, je comprends TELLEMENT ce que tu vis! C'est tellement intense! Mais tu sais, maintenant, c'est tellement génial de les voir jouer ensemble des heures de temps!
Merci Ruth de tes bons mots... Oui, j'essaie d'être centrée!
Oh Catherine, that is beautiful. You are such a wonderful mumma and have such a gorgeous family. You are very precious and your family is so blessed to have the wonderful woman that you are guiding and nurturing them with such love and mindfulness :) xxx
You are a truly inspirational family! love to you.
Quel beau résumé!
Quel chemin parcouru!
Wow! What a beautiful post Catherine! I can't imagine having three under the age of 19 months! I was overwhelmed with twins myself and can only imagine how exhausted you must have been - lol! But I'm so glad to see how peaceful and fulfilling your journey has been and I love - just LOVE the fact that you are so close to your Gran. I miss mine terribly (she passed in Nov) so it makes seeing this post that much more special. Hugs and thanks,
Jen
Thank you friends for your words, they warm my hearts!
Jen, I am sorry about your grandma... Grandmas are so unique and precious. We are so lucky to have been able to share the same roof for a year and a half...
Catherine! Quel beau billet! Et je suis certain que l'écrire t'a fait grand bien!
Bizous-de-Verdun!
Que de beaux moments !
I love this post...I hope you will post it for us to revisit every year or so (as a mom of twins closely followed by more children, I certainly never get tired of this story!!!) Just as Kate's post inspired you to examine/appreciate your journey, your post reminds me to do so as well. It is good to have friends that can help us adjust our lenses once in a while. No matter the tedium of the moment, the big picture of our lives and motherly accomplishments so far is a glorious one!
It's so beautiful to catch up with you again, Catherine -- and to find this "beginning" story. I am in awe. What a beautiful life, lived your way: full of joy and love and fresh air. I can hardly remember the early days with our twins. It was just a time of being rooted in sustaining them and ourselves and growing into the family we most wanted to be. I love having this glimpse of your family and its amazing beginning. Thank you!
What an amazing journey~ thank you for sharing. You're such an inspirational family. Love the 'circle of sanity' bit :)
Salut Catherine!
Super beau site, belles photos et beaux partages... Je m'excuse de répéter le mot beau... mais c'est vrai! C'est touchant et inspirant que de te lire. En plus ça me permet d'en apprendre plus sur votre parcours de vie! Dommage que vous repartez bientôt, mais je vous suivrez par ce blog! Enfin merci pour l'inspiration sur l'alimentation, c'est tellement bon et simple (le raw food, mais simple raw food: diète principalement frugivore), ça me fait un grand bien! Alors bonne journée et on se revoit bientôt. Je préfère la plage que les grandes fêtes (même si la fête de mai est superbe et remplie de joie... c'est fatiguant et on croise plein de mone mais on dirait qu'on n'a pas grand temps pour parler à qui que ce soit!)
Caro xx
Salut Caro,
Tant mieux si mon blog te plaît! Merci pour tes bons commentaires! Je suis bien contente que la diète principalement frugivore crue te réussisse bien. Ça fait des miracles pour moi, même si c'est pas tous les jours facile d'y tenir mordicus!
Suis bien d'accord avec toi pour les événements où il y a plein de monde! Je préfère les petits coins tranquilles... T'as vu dans quel état ça me met les foules..! On se voit à la plage bientôt, j'espère!
Oups, je t'avais envoyé un commentaire, mais on dirait que ça n'a pas marché... En tout cas je te disais WOW! Tu as créé un super beau blog, très inspirant et c'est le fun d'en apprendre plus sur votre petite famille et votre parcours. Je suis triste que vous partiez, on commençait à se connaitre un peu plus... j'aurais bien passé plus de temps avec vous à la plage... mais peut-être vous reviendrez dans le coin... Sinon je vous suivrez par le blog! Caro xx
Double oups! Je viens de découvrir où ça s'affiche... Alors je m'excuse de la redondance! Pour la diète frugivore c'est cool , ça va super bien le matin et midi, mais j'avoue que le soir ça me tente moins. Surtout comme t'as dit dans ton billet aujourd'hui: c'est dure de manger cru et de faire à souper pour le reste de la famille! Ce soir j'ai mangé 1/2 hamburger et des frites! Délinquance! Mais aujourd'hui j'avais mal à la tête et je me disais que peut-être il me manque de quoi dans mon alimentation... pas facile le dosage! Pis ça nettoie en masse, comme tu disais on va plus souvent aux toilettes! Alors un jour à la fois et pour l'instant je mise sur le plus cru possible, mais j'ai le droit de tricher einh?
Caro xx
Moi aussi, j'ai eu quelques petits maux de tête, c'est souvent dû à l'hypoglycémie et au manque de calories. Chaque fois, je mange de la mangue, de l'ananas ou un autre shake et ça passe dans la demi-heure suivante... Moi aussi, j'ai délinqué et j'ai mangé du bon jambon de notre ferme... mais tu sais quoi, je n'ai pas eu de migraine en retour (ce qui était toujours le cas avant), alors c'est bon! Si je peux délinquer une fois par semaine sans en souffrir trop les conséquences, je serai heureuse!
Pour le soir, il faut se trouver des recettes qu'on aime (non à base de fruits, car à cette heure-là, on en a ras-le-cocottier des fruits). Hier, j'ai commencé mon repas avec deux pamplemousses et je me suis fait une salade maïs surgelé, avocats, tomates cerises et coriandre avec un peu de jus de lime. Très satisfaisant! Ce soir, je me fais des sushis crus (recette sur le blog!).
Moi aussi j'espère qu'on aura l'occasion de se connaître davantage! C'est vraiment un plaisir de partager avec toi! C'est sûr qu'on va revenir dans le coin!
that is so beautiful catherine. i have been missing you!!!
Oh, comme ce beau ventre rond et ces magnifiques photos évoquent pour moi des souvenirs !
Mes jumelles ont déjà 4 ans !!!
I was just flicking through your blog to have another look a the avocado chips your made and came across this post.
How wonderful!
I can understand what it's like to have times when you need to remind yourself to honour the path that's been taken! What a wonderful post - thankyou so much for sharing this inspirational journey you've been on.
I can only imagine what it must have been like for you - I find 1 little girl challenging!
I got a look at those dread locks you mentioned too - they looked fantastic on you:)
xxx
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