The Unexpected Life

The Unexpected Life Blog

  • False Spring

    False Spring

    I live in Ottawa and every single year, the entire city falls victim to false spring. After a long, cold, and snowy winter, temperatures finally peek above freezing and the sun shines for a couple of days in late March or early April. The snow melts, at least enough that hints of grass start poking Read more

  • I Wish I Knew

    I Wish I Knew

    When we found out we were having twins, we of course asked everyone we knew or met with twins for advice. We heard a huge variety of advice that sometimes contradicted itself. But one thing that almost everyone told us was that the first six months would be unbelievably hard and then it would start Read more

  • Thriving

    Thriving

    Since the twins were born (almost 6 months ago!), I have been thinking a lot about trying to make the most of the time I have with them little. I sometimes look back with a twinge of regret at the first few years of Finley’s life. I was in a state of survival at that Read more

  • I have no idea what I’m doing

    I have no idea what I’m doing

    Parenting is so weird. I remember a few weeks after having my son, I told Kent that I felt like Michael Scott: There’s this strange idea that once you become a parent, particularly a mother, there’s some sort of instinct that kicks in and you’ll just know what to do. I guess that sort of Read more

  • Remembering

    Remembering

    Last week at church, we were singing a song by Phil Wickham that took me right back to the darkest moments of our infertility journey.  The song is This is Our God and there is a particular verse that goes: Remember that fear that took our breath away?  Faith so weak that we could barely Read more

  • Say What You Wanna Say

    Say What You Wanna Say

    Ever since I can remember, I’ve found it difficult to volunteer my opinions or thoughts in a group setting. Put me one-on-one, and I’m pretty comfortable sharing what I think. But in a group, it gets really tough for me. I’m way more likely to just keep silent, except for offering the occasional joke. A Read more