5 years ago today

Five years ago today, I wrote my first blog post.  It is is crazy how much our lives have changed in those years.  When I wrote that first post we were expecting our first child. We were full of anticipation and probably a little fear.  I had no idea that 5 short years later we would have 2 loud little boys and still be keeping up with my blog, probably better than I did 5 years ago.

I remember when I was little and a year took forever to pass.  The wait between birthdays or Christmases would feel like an eternity. Now I feel like those same years go by in the blink of an eye.  It feels like just yesterday that I wrote that first post.  I still remember sitting down at our office desktop computer to write it.  Remember, there were no ipads and we didn't yet have our lap top.  How is it that 5 years can pass so quickly?

Back then, our lives were quiet.  We stayed up late on Friday night, and slept in on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  We made afternoon coffee dates  and nights out for beers with friends on a regular basis.  We even had date night on an almost weekly basis.  Weekly!

Now our days start in the 5s and we go to bed in the 9's.  Our mornings are spent doing child friendly activities like skating or swimming, and our afternoon are spent being quiet while little ones sleep.  Our evenings are spent trying to convince our boys to eat supper and then getting them into bed so we can have one hour of quiet before we ourselves go to bed.  Our lives are busy, but our lives are full.

Full of baby toddler and preschool hugs and kisses.  Full of smiles and giggles.  Full of yawns. But most importantly full of love.

If I could tell my pregnant self something 5 years ago, I would tell her to be patient.  There will be good times but there will also be bad times.  There will be sleepless nights and there will be early mornings.  Some days you may actually feel  like you are too tired to get out of bed.  But above all this, you will be loved.  Those kids will love you to death.  They will follow around the house and even come to find you when you slip away to use the bathroom. They will wake you up when you've slept into long and they will cry when you leave.  Above everything else you will feel loved by those children and that will give you the energy you need to carry on.

I wonder what the 5 year from now self would tell me today.  I hope that she would tell me not to worry and that I will get to sleep into the 7s some day :)

So today, the last day of 2012, I am reflecting on the person I was 5 years ago when I started this whole blog and who I am today.  I wouldn't say that I am a better person, but I would say that I am a different person.  A person with different priorities and different goals then I did before my children were born.   I'm sure I'll say the same thing in 5 years as well.

With that, i am wishing every one a healthy and happy 2013 and safe celebrations tonight.

Holidays

When I left work last Friday, I expected that I was going to have a wonderful and joyful filled 10 days of sledding, skating, swimming, shopping, and just an all around a 'stay-cation'.  Well if this is vacation I am ready to go back to work.  Well not exactly, but there have been moments.....

The weather totally screwed up my plans to spend a good portion of the week outside.  Today was finally nice out and we bundled the kids up and went sledding.  Grady went down by himself for the first time and loved it.  Cooper on the other hand was not into it.  We went right before his nap and after getting up at 5:30am for the ump-teenth time in a row, he was exhausted and just wanted to snuggle at the top of the hill.  So that is what we did.

We went sledding so late today because I needed to get groceries.  With all the eating and hosting you do over the holidays, it means countless trips to the grocery store.  Since next to no one is working this week the grocery store is packed, all. the. time.  The store itself wasn't exactly busy, but the checkouts were insane.  I think I was 8th in line.  They clearly didn't have enough people on staff during what is obviously a busy week full of celebrating people!

While at Superstore I couldn't help myself, I strolled down the seasonal aisle to see if there was anything left after the boxing day crowd had picked everything over.  I found one lone inflatable penguin thing for the yard at 75% off.  How could I pass up a $14 inflatable decoration for the yard?  I couldn't.  I got it home and asked James to pump it up to make sure it worked.  It was missing the part that you plug in to inflate it.  Of course it was, that is why it was the only one left on the shelf.  So back to Superstore I went to return the 'great deal' I couldn't pass up in the first place.

The other thing I am missing on this vacation is sleep.  Cooper is in some funk where he is getting up in the 5s.  Every day.  It is killing us.  To top it off, I am so tired and feel so much pressure to have a good sleep that I am waking up at about 4am each morning and having a hard time falling asleep.  So frustrating.  James and I are trying to catch up a little by alternating sleep in days.  Don't get too excited... a sleep in around here is about 8am.

We did make it skating this week.  Cooper's skates didn't touch the ice the whole hour after such a successful outing last time.  Grady on the other hand was doing great and even skated solo down a hill with his skating chair.  As he got ready to go down it again, he fell directly backwards and whacked his head on the ice.  He didn't hurt it but scared himself.  I explained to him that is why we wear helmets and he told me that he wanted to go home.  Right now.   We didn't have enough change to buy the treat he wanted which led to an epic melt down all the way to the car.

And to top it all off, I have yet to find a place for all the new toys the boys got and can't seem to keep up with the messes being created behind me as I try to tidy up.  As much work as it is to prepare for Christmas, cleaning up Christmas is a big job in itself.  I am just starting to think gathering the decorations and putting the tree away, which is a huge job in itself.

So as we continue through our Christmas holiday we really haven't done anything out of the ordinary.  We have 4 days left to redeem ourselves and get busy doing some fun things I had planned when this holiday started one week ago.  Either that, or we will continue to do what we have been doing all week, starting the day slowly, playing with all the new 'toys', exercising, and eating with friends.  Maybe what we've been doing isn't so bad after all.   Nevertheless, I plan to enjoy the last 4 days of our holiday because before we know it, it will be time to get our butts back to work!

Christmas 2012

We started Christmas eve this year by going to a come and go evening at a friend of Nana's.  It is nice to get dressed up and get out of the house while the anticipation of Santa and all the next day has to offer is high.

We convinced the boys to get their ties on and they were just as adorable as ever.  I love how Cooper wears his shirt and tie with sweat pants. Only a 2 year old could pull that off!

I couldn't pass up the opportunities to take a few pics of us before we left the house.

Too bad we couldn't get a family one but seriously, it was hard enough to take a picture of the 3 using self timer was just out of the question!

This one is such a charmer.  James managed to get Grady's hair cut this week but not Cooper's so we threw some hair product in and off we went.  What a ham!

The kids brought their trains they got from my aunt earlier in the day and were so well behaved.  There were only 3 kids there, and the third was the grand daughter of the host. I was so so proud of them.  Grady may have touched all the cookies on the tray while deciding which one he wanted, but if that is the worst that he did - I can handle that!

After the come and go, we came to our house for a later dinner and Margaritas.  For the past few Christmases, Margaritas have been a staple.  They were so yummy that I think I had a few too many.  I had an awful sleep as a result. My own fault!

After the kids got their Christmas PJs on Grady got a little goofy.  He ran around with his pants on his head as a hat.  If that doesn't tell you the kids are ready for bed... I don't know what does!

After a restless sleep by me from the margaritas, Cooper getting up for an hour in the middle of night, and Grady crawling into bed with us before 6:30, Christmas day had finally arrived!  We managed to keep Grady in our room until Coop woke up and we all headed downstairs.

Most years all the presents are wrapped and under the tree, but this year there were a few presents that were too big to wrap so we threw a blanket over it.

Grady was thrilled to see that Santa had arrived.  We opened a few presents from my side of the family that were under the tree and the reactions from the kids were priceless.

Even though Cooper's birthday was only 6 weeks ago he showed so much interest in the presents compared to then.  Could it be because his brother wasn't 'helping' him?  Probably!  He took his time and eagerly wanted to open each present that perked his interest.

I'd like to say the whole day went peachy.  But it didn't.  We came downstairs at about 7am and quickly opened presents.  By about 8am, there was throwing, hitting, yelling which ended with Grady in his room for a Christmas time out.  Right about this time, I snuck some bailey's into my mocha.  It was looking like it was going to be a long day....

Thankfully, it did turn around.

We headed over to Nana's to open stockings and the rest of the presents and the kids moods significantly improved.

And trust me....

There were lots and lots.... 

of presents!

By about noon, the present unwrapping and breakfast were over and we just enjoyed each other's company.  Cooper didn't nap so we expected him to melt down, but in the end it was Grady who had a major meltdown in the afternoon.  Cooper held his off until just before turkey. 

Must of the rest of the afternoon was rightfully spent like this:

 

We consumed a large and tasty turkey dinner where James and both boys ate in the PJs.  Grady loved the cracker things on the table but did not consume any dinner as he ate 2 buns with butter while waiting for the finishing touches.  After dinner we dashed out the door with our leftovers and the boys wore the same PJs to bed that they wore all day and the night before.  That is a sign of a good day!

Expectations.  I think Christmas is one of the few days of the year where you have high expectations for the day to be great.  The kids will be on their best behavior...  Everyone will be well rested and the day will be all candy canes and lollipops.  It can be hard to accept that this does not realistically happen.  Christmas Day is just another day after all.  A day full of tired, excited kids that still hit, throw, and fight. 

But, if you look for the small moments.  You'll realize that you have more 'moments' than you first thought.

This year one of my favorite moments was on Christmas eve.  My grandma was in Calgary and we headed over to my aunts to visit her.  Towards the end of the visit, Grady wanted to see what was upstairs so my aunt took him up to show him the bedrooms.  We looked at the first 2 which were normal adult rooms but the third bedroom was filled with Thomas the Train.

For those of you that didn't know. Grady now fancies Thomas the Train over McQueen.  It happened over night.  I expected him to move towards superheros or star wars, something more 'grown up' but instead he just moved over to a different mode of transportation.

Anyhow, the look on his face was priceless.  My aunt started showing me all this stuff she had bought on clearance a while back for her grandsons. Then she pulled out a box of wooden Thomas trains and Grady nearly lost his mind.  She told him he could pick one to bring home and his face lit up.  Then he insisted on taking one for Cooper to.  Sometimes it comes in handy to have a brother :)

For me that moment was unexpected and absolutely priceless.

Today, we have left all the new toys out in the family room for them to enjoy for one more day before we start to reorganize and find a home for the new loot.  We are so fortunate to have gifts under the tree and a turkey dinner on the table.

I hope that you enjoyed the unexpected moments this Christmas and enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Advent Calendars

Advent Calendars are a first in our house this year and a big hit!  What isn't there to like about getting chocolate first thing in the morning?  I originally thought that we would open the chocolate every day after lunch, but on the first morning when Grady came running down to open his calendar, I couldn't resist. 

Now it has become a daily routine of asking what day it is and what that day looks like.   Grady can recognize his numbers to 10, but starting on the 11th he had to ask what 11 looked like.  What was interesting is on the 12th when he asked and I told him 1-2, he opened 21 instead of 12.  So then we had to start discussing which number came 1st.  So for a whopping 2.99 we got not only a chocolate a day but also a daily learning opportunity. Win for Grady and win for Mom!

On top of the Chocolate advent calendar, Uncle Dave and Auntie Bo bought the boys a Lego Calendar.  Essentially it is the same as the chocolate one except instead of a chocolate you get a mini Lego thing to build.

Honestly, when they got it I wasn't really sure how it was going to go.  I am not a big fan of the little Lego as  I  James ends up essentially building it and they don't get that if it breaks we have to rebuild it.

The first few days it was very hands on with lots of help and direction.  Now, Grady just needs help opening the bag with all the pieces and he can essentially build it himself. 

Over the weeks most of the things he has built are broken.  It was become a popular spot for him and his friends to play.  They enjoy breaking them apart and rebuilding different things or just breaking for fun.

My original plan was to put everything back in the box so we could use it again next year... but at this point I am not even sure all the pieces are there.  We'll see how energetic I get after Christmas in terms of separating everything and getting it in the right spot.

It seems as just as Grady started to really have fun with it, advent is over!

So here we are on Christmas Eve, the day before Santa arrives and anticipation in our household is high.  This year we have started new traditions and continued with some old ones.  We've enjoyed watching the kids take in everything that the season has to offer.  Tomorrow is the big day.

I hope each and every one of you have a fabulous Christmas and we'll 'catch up; in a few days! 



Zoo Lights

After a successful trip to Confed park last weekend, we decided to venture over to Zoo Lights this weekend and hope the kids loved it as much... or more!  One of the nice things about the Zoo is that it opens at 6 allowing for more time for us families with young kids that need to rush home for bed time.

We started at Peter's Drive in for Burgers, fries, and a egg nog milkshake that the guy sold James on.  Grady was a huge fan.  Until recently, they would add up your order on the box.  They really do have the best burgers ever!  And who knew that on a winter Sunday evening that the drive through would be lined up around the corner??

Eating in the van with kids was a little harder than expected.  Between managing the drinks and holding coopers box of food, it was a little hard for met to get to my burger!  We laughed as I had my hands full and Grady was still asking me to hold things for him!

We arrived at zoo lights about 6:20, along with half the city, and the line up to park was lined up down the street. It moved faster than we thought and then we had to wait in line for tickets. Next year we will buy tickets in advance! It actually ran really smooth and we were in before we knew it.

 We brought the stroller but the second Grady spotted all the lights he hopped out. Cooper, noticing that Grady had evacuated, followed suit. Not we had 2 kids on the loose! We divided and conquered! James took one, I took the other, and Nana got the stroller that we knew would come in handy at the end of the night.  It is a good thing we snapped this picture before we got in as the kids were on the run for a good portion of the night!

I had mentioned to Grady that there was a tunnel so that was the first thing he wanted to see which of course was at the far side of the Zoo.  After we went through the tunnel he was focused on the slide that he was too scared to go on last year.

This year we had to drag them both away.  They couldn't get enough of it.  But the line up was long and the kids didn't really move unless we pushed them. Some of the older kids were going on their feet and man did they go fast.  I was sure I was going to face plant going down on my feet behind Cooper! 

Again, the night was a magical one for the kids.  They excitedly pointed out all the animals and the colors that they saw.  As an adult, I couldn't help by look around and appreciate how beautiful the lights were, I can't even imagine what goes through a little person's mind.

As we strolled through the lights the kids would say 'wow' in unison.  I thought they sounded like the little aliens in Toy Story.  They definitely got a few smiles as we pushed through the stroller filled of kids shouting Wow together.

The kids even spent some time hugging and actually looked liked the liked each other.  No need to worry, it was short lived.  Before long they were hitting each other and fighting in the stroller.  Some things don't change!

For me, I loved to just take a step back and watch the kids enjoy it.  Worth every penny.

Christmas Concert 2012

Grady had his preschool Christmas concert yesterday and what a treat it was. They have it during class at 9:30am so James and I got to skip out of work for the morning to enjoy the show.

We bought shirts and ties for the boys for my brother's wedding in the summer and the shirt came with these cute blue ties that they never wore... so a few days ago I started prepping Grady for potentially wearing the tie to the concert.  At first he didn't want to but I convinced him that is was such a pretty light blue tie and then his Dad would wear one to.  I guess it worked!

Here is my handsome young man before leaving for school.

Here is my littlest handsome man who always wants to be like his brother.

Of course I couldn't get one of the boys together, but truthfully, I've given up trying.  I tried to convince Grady to sit with Cooper on the stairs and when he finally started to walk over, Cooper got up.  I did, however, get some great shots of me trying to get Grady to give me just one nice smile.

We arrived at school and Grady sat on the edge of the semi circle like he has for all of his concerts.  Cooper wanted so badly to stand beside his big brother but his big brother wanted nothing to do with him.  I finally had to bring Cooper to the back of the room where he was quite mad and showed it.  

Cutest darn reindeer if I do say so myself :)

 

I've seen such a huge difference in Grady from last year at school. This year he takes off running in to the room when the door opens and doesn't look back.  Part of me is sad that he no longer needs that hug goodbye, but most of me is just plain happy that he likes school so much.

He sang each and every song this time around and even had some actions to go along with it. In concerts prior, he just stood there. I knew full well that he knew the songs as I hear them at home.  But the kid is just so shy. Yes, my loud and rambunctious son is actually very shy in public.

There is nothing like a kids Christmas concert to remind you that Santa is arriving in '5 sleeps' as Grady puts it!

Heritage Park - 2012

We almost didn't get it this year, but last weekend we got our 2012 family shot in front of the Wainwright Hotel at Heritage Park where James  and I were married over 7 years ago.  I wrote the first post about these pictures almost 4 years ago!  We didn't quite make it on to the balcony since it was a little chilly to be dragging the kids out of the stroller but it is close enough!

The year Grady was born we started going for a Christmas brunch every year.  We have gone to a few different places but Heritage Park is by far my favorite. I love how festive it is.  There are trees, wreath, horse rides, and decorations that just screams Christmas!  I love it.

There is something about getting together as a family and enjoying a new tradition that I love.  Christmas for me is all about tradition and the things that you look forward to doing each year and over the years, brunch has become one of them.

The kids were very well behaved this year.  We realized that the kids had not been out to eat since August.  James and I have gone out and we have ordered LOTS of pizza in but the kids haven't been to a restaurant in close to 5 months!  The last time I remember taking them out was to Earls and neither one of them ate their food and just wanted to play under the table and at the water fall at the front of the restaurant.  It was a disaster.  Needless to say I wasn't in a rush to bring then out again.

It was chilly today but the kids still wanted to check out the maze and run around in the snow.

Why is it that the kids never feel the cold like the adults?

As the holidays draw more near we are so looking forward to the boys this year.  They are at such a fun age and am so excited to see them on Christmas morning.  

December 14, 2012

I had a regular post scheduled for today, but I just couldn't post it before addressing the tragic events that transpired on December 14 at Sandy Brook Elementary School.  I don't know what to say, where to begin, other than the obvious reaction of every parent out there, it is a parent's worst nightmare come true.

I have spent all weekend reading articles and watching news clips trying to understand why this had to happen and how I would have handled these devastating events.

I've imagined myself as the parent who finds out there was a shooting at their child's school.  I've gone through the emotions I would have felt and the waiting of finding out whether your child was affected.

I've imagined myself as a parent finding out that your child didn't make it.  I've shed tears for those parents that I've never met.

I've imagined being the parent who finds out the their child is OK and the tears of relief they must have shared when reunited with their children.

I've also imagined myself as a teacher.  Could I have protected the children like the teachers that day did?  They are heroes, the ones that lost their lives and the ones that didn't.  The stories I have read about what the teachers did to save the children that they were responsible are so touching.  These stories have brought me to tears.  I only hope that I could have done the things that these heroes did to ease the fear these children must have felt.

I have imagined what the holidays will look like for those families affected by events that took place Friday morning.

I look at Grady who is 4.  Just getting ready to start Kindergarten.  The kids that lost their lives that day were only 2 or 3 years older than him.  It makes my heart hurt to think of the pain that those parents must be experiencing.

You send your kids to school and think that they are safe.  What is wrong with the world today that these shooting have become a routine news story rather than the extraordinary?

It is sad.  So sad.

I will be hugging my boys a little tighter and the a little longer this holiday season and will be praying for the families affected by this tragedy.

Name

Grady recently started writing his name.  It came out of no where.  He has been really into coloring and painting so maybe that started it.  In the past we have done connect the dots to help him spell his name but really he had no interest in doing it on his own.  I really wasn't bothered by it and knew that he would do it when he was ready.

One afternoon I wrote a letter on my page and he would copy it on his own.  I was so proud of him.  The next day while I was out, he just wrote his name all on his own as seen in the photo above. Now he writes his name on every piece of artwork he does.  Kids are amazing with what they learn and when they decide to apply it.  One day he didn't write his name and the next day he did.

His name is proudly displayed on our fridge and it brings a smile to my face.  It is such a reminder of how bright our little people really are.  I always want to remember what his name looked like the very first time he wrote it.

Wordless Wednesday

Random

This past Thursday we had my office Christmas party. I sported this headband with a flower on it that I bought at a Christmas craft sale a few weeks back. I bought it to match this blue dress that I planned to wear to my party. As I put it on the night of the party, I questioned whether I could pull it off.  I had to wear it as I bought it for this dress and didn't know if I would ever wear it again....

In the end I went with it and thought that I pulled if off OK.  Not sure I will ever wear it with a different outfit though.

I sent this picture to my sister for her stamp of approval before I wore it out of the house.

Setting the scene:

It was a late night and there was lots of wine consumed at the party.  Needless to say I was a tad bit tired and 6am rolled around. James headed off to work and I was left by myself to tend to the kids a tad bit hung over.

Me:  Grady, can you just listen to me?  Mom is having a bad day.

Grady (after thoughtful reflection):  What exactly don't you like about today, Mom?

I burst out laughing.   Leave it to a 4 year old to brighten you mood with some innocent thing he has said.

And I leave this random post with a picture of one of the necklaces I mentioned in a different random post.  After 5 weeks of waiting, they have finally arrived!  I got one yellow and one red and I surprisingly like the yellow best.

Now to find the perfect outfit to pair them with....

Happy Tuesday!

Christmas Lights

I love how you can actually live Christmas through your kids eyes.  Christmas lights are something we have come to take for granted since we have seen them every year for the past 30+ years, but for a 4 and 2 year old it is new every year.   This year we've  spent many car rides looking around and spotting Christmas decorations on either 'Cooper' or 'Grady's' side of the street.  So we just knew they would love the local light display.

It is about a 30 minutes from our house and doesn't start until 7pm.  Last year we tried to go and look at the lights but I thought it started at 6 and we were an entire hour early for the light display and turned around and went home not in the Christmas spirit. This year did not disappoint.

We loaded the kids in the car in their PJs about 630.

We weren't convinced that the kids were going to want to get out of the car given that it was quite cold so we just put on tuques and mitts.

When the kids set eyes on the light display they immediately want to get out of the car.  Grady was so excited that he took of running.  Grady isn't a runner for the most part so this was new to us.  I was right on his heels while James and Cooper trailed behind.  The kids loved it!

I think Cooper was a little cold. In retrospect I should have put their ski pants on or even packed the stroller but I really didn't know how it was going to go.    

We walked around and looked at the lights. Well Grady ran, James chased behind him, and I trailed behind carrying all 30 pounds of Cooper around with a sore back.

As I trailed behind watching Grady enjoy the Christmas lights for the first time, it just warmed my heart. It really reminded me what the season is about.  I love watching our kids fall in love with Christmas like I did years and years ago.  

When asked what Grady enjoyed the most he named off everything we saw.  What a great way to spend the night as a family.  Even though it was cold, it was totally worth it.    We are checking out the zoo lights next weekend and what we hope turns out to be better weather :)

Meeting Santa 2012

On Sunday, we had James work Children's Christmas party. It is always at the zoo and Santa always makes an appearance.  This year was no different.  The only difference is how excited both kids were to see Santa and sit on his knee.  Last year we faced a little more resistance.

The weather didn't exactly cooperate this year. It was very snowy and we had been out visiting before so had a long drive to the zoo.  We were about 40 minutes late and still only the 5th family to arrive.  The kids watched the little play that some of the kids put together but Grady had no interest in actually being in it.  Watching is one step closer. Maybe he'll actually put on the animal costume next year!

We were sitting at our table when Santa came in the back yard.  Grady and Cooper just stared in awe.  Santa was great!  He stopped to say Merry Christmas to each and every kid as he made his way to his chair at the front.

They started calling out kids name and of course our kids were 3rd and 4th.... to the end. Grady asked once when it would be his turn but other than that he sat patiently and watched all the other kids sit on Santa's knee and get a gift.

When Grady's name was called, he got up and went to Santa without waiting for us or even looking back.  He did do his funny nervous tongue thing and showed other signs of being very self conscious. But in the end, he faced his fears and sat on Santa's knee anyway.  Santa asked him a few questions and then Grady trotted away with a gift in his hand.

Cooper was name was called next.  Before James or I even had time to react, Cooper jumped off James knee and high tailed it directly to Santa.  I think he even took Santa by surprise!  Santa placed him on his knee and not a single tear was shed.  I was pleasantly surprised with how he did this year, especially since most of the time he doesn't want anyone except me to hold him these days.....

Santa allowed families to go up and get their photos taken at the end and we took advantage of that opportunity.  I wish Santa would have asked me what I wanted for Christmas... I have a long expensive list :)

 

What a great way to spend a snowy Sunday afternoon.  The kids enjoyed it as did we.  Now we are on full down to the big day when Santa comes to make his official visit!

Wordless Wednesday

Updated: I had to add some words to this one... He lost a Grey Cup bet and had to wear this to the Christmas party. Sexy date, isn't he??

Skating

This weekend we took the kids public skating for the first time.  I have fond memories of going public skating a lot.  We have mastered taking the kids to the pool but the rink was a whole other ball game.  First of all you have load up 4 pairs of skates and 4 helmets.  Not to mention all the winter gear for hats and head for all the the snacks that will inevitably be consumed during the trip.  

We did it, and we survived.  Actually better than survived.  We all actually had fun.

One day James came home from work with the skating aide you see in the picture above.    A guy he knows through work gave it to him since his kids were done with it.  Grady couldn't wait to try it.  He asked daily this week if we were going skating that night. I obviously said no.  There was no way I was attempting that on a work night but I promised him we would try it out on the weekend. 

I hadn't seen him on skates since the very first lesson he had over a month ago and he had improved so much.  He could stand on his own and even walk on the ice wearing his skates.  With the skating chair (as he calls it)  he was like a little independent skater.  He wanted to skate on his own and didn't want any help or advice.  This led to many a fall, but in a good way.  I think it is great for him to learn from his mistakes and to know it is not the end of the world if he falls.

I was just so proud of him.  And his brother for that matter.

A few weeks back when my Mom was here she was to bring my old skates from when I was a kid.  They were slightly small and made my feet hurt, but besides that, they were rusting and old.  My brother laughed so hard when he saw them that it made it hard to keep them. Sorry Mom!

Cooper and I headed to the used sports store the day they left to buy some skates for me. I have only skated once in the past say 20 years so I asked the guy what I should get.  He told me to get boy hockey skates if I wanted more ankle support, which I did.  So I bought the skates and girled them up a bit.

I love my new skates.  They only hurt my feet a little.

While we were there I got a pair of Bob skates for Coop.  I really wasn't sure if he would wear them but for $12 it was a risk i was willing to take.  Turned out the young lad put them on willingly and actually seemed to enjoy himself.  He wanted to keep up with his Dad and big brother but his Mommy had a sore back and was a little slower while dragging his 30 pound little self behind me.  He lasted about 30 minutes and we stopped for a break he never went back out.

Given the positive response that our first skating outing got, I am sure that there are many in our future.  And being the mom of 2 boys, I think there may be a lot of rink time in our future.  I better get used to it :)

Chippy

Along with our Christmas tree came our elf on a shelf, Chippy.  Formally known as Frosty.  I guess new year, new name?  We have been watching the elf on a shelf cartoon since October and the elf in the cartoon's name is Chippy, hence the new name. If you are wondering, the cartoon will be airing on Dec 14th on CBS I believe.  A very good cartoon if you haven't seen it.  I enjoy singing the songs in it very loudly and both boys tell me promptly to stop singing.

There are lots of different ways to incorporate the elf into your Christmas tradition.  We have decided to just have the elf hide in a new place each day.  We haven't pushed the 'be good or the elf will tell santa' angle or the naughty elf thing.  We have just made it a simple game of elf hide and seek.

I had to put a daily reminder in my calendar as one day I forgot to move Chippy and the next day Grady couldn't stop asking why Chippy was in the same place.  I won't make that mistake again.

Last year since Grady was younger we hid the elf in the family room only. This year we have used the whole first level of our house. I haven't really been hiding the elf well as you see in the picture above but more placing him in a place they wouldn't expect that is fully visible.  I think I am going to have to improve the hiding places as this morning Grady spotted the Chippy in the plant before he was even down the stairs.  He is getting good at this......

I love having the elf in our house.  Although I must admit that this year Chippy arrived a little early and I think he may stay in his box until Dec 1 next year.  I'm running out of 'hiding' spots already!

Christmas Pickle

 

Look closely and in the above picture you will see a pickle hidden in the branches.  This is our Christmas pickle. Years ago, I think before I was married even, I bought my mom a pickle decoration for the tree for my mom.  Attached to the ornament was a little tag that explained the Christmas tradition.

In a nutshell, you hang the ornament on the tree and the first person to find the pickle gets a prize.

It was a real hit at my mom's house and we always spent time together looking for the pickle, that is actually harder to find then you may think.

Last Christmas when I was at home, I broke the pickle.  Oddly enough, I can't remember how it broke.  I think it was damaged already and I just managed to finish the job off.  So when I got home last year, I purchased 3 of these glass pickles - for my mom, my brother and for us - on ebay.  I forgot all about them until I found them unpacking the boxes.  Perfect timing since I knew they were coming the following weekend.

When we decorated the tree, James hid the pickle quite high and I told them to move it lower so the kids have a fighting chance.  Grady found the perfect spot for it and then apparently forgot all about it as he couldn't find it on the tree later.

So on the night of their arrival when Grady spilled the beans that we had a pickle on the tree.   And with that, I gave each of them their own pickle and the troops headed directly to the tree to find the green treasure.

 

They looked.

 

And looked.



They stuck their head right in the tree,

 

 

And looked some more!

 

I love how all the kids, both big and small, got into looking for the pickle.  My brother found it first, then Madison, then finally Grady.  Once you actually find the pickle, it is hard not to see it, but finding it in the first place is easier said than done.

I did have a gift.  Anticipating that someone in my brother's family would win, I bought a little stuffed dog that looked like a boston terrier like Boomer, my brother's dog.  The kids didn't even care about the gift, they were looking for the pickle as a challenge.  I still made my brother bring the stuffed dog home.

Next time you visit me during the season, take a good look at my tree and see if you can find the pickle!  I dare you!

Weekend Visitors

Where do I begin to talk about the past weekend that my brother and his family along with my Mom came to visit. It was full of highs, it was full of lows and a bunch of stuff in between.

 The 6 of them arrived on Thursday night and settled in with all their stuff. Take it from me, they did not travel lightly! With 3 kids and Christmas gifts being exchanged there was stuff all over the place! No different from when I go home to visit really :)

We got up bright and early on Friday. Like 6am. Cooper doesn't wake up quietly and my nieces are light sleepers so the party at our house started when the sun came up. Cooper had been sleeping like crap the past few nights which left me feeling exhausted and grumpier than usual.

 Grady had school Friday morning and I needed to stop and get a few groceries before heading home. I hoped to do this by myself, but my younger son has become quite clingy and screamed when he realized I was leaving without him. So he came along. So not fun shopping with a kid when you planned on going on your own. Thankfully my Mom agreed to come along to try and help.

 My oldest niece Madison loves to swim. She wants to swim every time we see her and this weekend was no different. We planned to head over to the pool right after we got Cooper to bed but he refused to nap.  After being up 4 times the night before, the kid just screamed and wouldn't sleep.  Grandma stayed at home with a Coop that seemed perfectly happy to not be in the crib, while the rest of us headed to the pool.

With 3 very excited kids in tow we arrive at the desk to pay and there is a big sign that says the pool is closed for contamination.  I tell the kids we can't swim because someone pooped in the pool then i look at the guy at the counter for confirmation and he was non committal. Come on, what other reason could the pool be unexpectedly closed for?  Totally poop.

So with our plans to swim officially postponed, I took the two older kids to the park.  Grady adores his big cousin Madison.  Despite being 7.5 years old she is great with him.  I asked Grady if he enjoyed having his cousins here this weekend he said yes and that he really loves Madison except she likes a lot of girl stuff.  haha.

We were the only people at the park on a chilly afternoon.

We were nicely playing at the park when Madi started getting bored.  She told Grady that if we went home we would get to open presents.  She was partly right.  We did plan to open the presents for the kids from the aunts and uncles that day, but not until 7pm and it was currently about 1pm.  Many, many hours to go and lots of present talk coming from the 4 year old who didn't understand why we had to wait so many hours to finally open the presents.

In the mean time we decided to decorate the gingerbread house and men that we had on hand to try and buy some time.  The kids especially liked eating the icing and candy while I did most of the decorating.  It did turn out good if I do say so myself.

Notice Grady still has his swim shirt on from our failed swim attempt

Finally the time came to open presents.  So with a bribe, we managed to get a picture of all 5 grand kids. I didn't say it was a good one, but we did get one. I told Grady we could open presents right after the picture. Hence the face that is clearing saying 'let's get on with it already!'.

My kids were thrilled with their gifts of McQueen stickers for their bedroom walls and other treats.

And I was so happy that miss Madi loved her triple flip hoodie I bought.  She wore it all weekend which is a great sign.  Tess and Tai were indifferent on their super flashy girlie Tom shoes but I myself loved picking them out.  How lucky am I to have 3 nieces to spoil with girlie pink things!

Since Cooper had not napped that day, we went to put both our kids down at 7pm after a long day.  Grady was out in no time, but Cooper wanted me to rock him forever and he was whimpering and letting out little cries.  We decided to take him for a quick trip to the walk in clinic to check out his ears, just in case...  Sure enough, we came back with a penicillin prescription and an ear infection.  So now the non-sleeping and grumpiness made a little more sense!  Seriously, why are my kids sick every time we have company?

The next morning was terrible.  Cooper was up through the night again and had been glued to me for the past several days.  Let's just say he usually likes to be as close as possible to me and while he was sick it was even worse.  He would not even let Grandma hold him!  I did my best to keep my cool and failed miserably.  I debated whether or not I was going to share this part of our weekend but decided that this is a real part of life.  If any one thinks that 5 adults and 5 kids can co-habitate for 3 nights and days without any issues they are not being realistic.

So between Cooper constant cries when I was out of sight, Grady's non-stop energy used the wrong way, and my lack of sleep, I was spent.  Absolutely spent.  I was frustrated, tired, and needed just 10 minutes to myself.  So that is what I did. I gave myself a Mommy Time Out and locked myself in my room.  I brushed my teeth, got dressed, and cried.   Maybe not everyone is like me, but I find that a good cry helps me relieve stress and just move on.  After that 10 minutes (and a hot chocolate and baileys) I was ready to attempt parenting again.

I appreciated that both my brother and SIL acknowledged how frustrated they would be if they were me.  It was so sweet for them to recognize that I was having a bad day.  Everyone has bad days, and I know that.  I just prefer not to have them when I have company.  I felt terrible that the day was off to a bad start and was hopeful that it would improve.  And it did.

So there you have it, a slice of life at our house.

Through out the weekend we did a lot of 'inverting' as my mom calls it.  She is in this challenge at her gym where they must be inverted for a certain amount of time increasing by 5 seconds per day.  While here she was at about 35 seconds.  There was a lot of time watching her practice and try to get a good picture for the photo competition.  I think this is the one she plans to use.

The kids also got in on the fun.  The rest of us adults did a lot of laughing at failed hand stand results and kids pushing Grandma over while she attempted a teddy bear stand.  Remember those from grade school?

This little cutie wanted nothing to do with me.  I tried to hold 'the baby that likes everyone' and she just did not like me.  I am not used to that. Most babies love me.  Not this little one. She liked James better than me. How odd is that?  Over the days and my persistence she started smiling at me and I eventually got to hold her.  She is just too sweet.

We did get make it too the pool the next day where Madi and her Dad went down the water slides and swam in the deep end of the pool.  Grady did a few jumps of the edge and spent most of his time in the warm toddler pool.  Although we did make a trip up to the top of the slide 'just to look' at his request.  That is a start!

These little ones were very cute together.  They could almost pass as twins with the blond hair and blue eyes.  They could be trouble in the years to come.  What you can't tell from this picture is they are both standing on the ottoman waiting for their turn to jump onto the foam mattress below.  I'm am so excited for Cooper to have a cousin so close to his age.

Action shot!

Although our time together wasn't perfect by any standard.  It had many perfect moments.  Yes, there were tears, yelling, morning 'adult' drinks, chaos, hitting, throwing, spit up, and sleepless nights.  But, there was also, hugs, laughs, good food, making fun of Mom, hand stands, presents, and the making of new memories.  That is what family is about right?

I feel so thankful that they made the 6 hour drive to spend the weekend with us.  I hope they enjoyed making new memories as much as we did!