Tuesday

I am really liking my Tuesdays off.

I originally thought I would take Monday as my day off since Friday was not an option.  You know, extend the weekend.  I decided that for the time being I would take Tuesday off so I could take Grady to school one day a week.  Well, low and behold, I love it!

We drop Grady off at school and Cooper and I have a chance to go visiting or run errands. Sometimes we even just come home and play just the two of us.  Then we rush back to pick up Grady and Cooper naps which gives Grady and I time to play games and do puzzles. Things that are hard to do when Cooper is awake.  Although sometimes, I blog and he watches TV.  Depends on the day.

I go to work on Monday for one day and then get a day off.  The first week when I came back on Wednesday, I almost asked people how their weekend was.  It is like have 2 Fridays!  I actually feel like I only work a 3 day week which is great.

I am giving this a try before switching to Mondays in the spring so I can do swimming lessons with the boys.  I'll give that a try and decide after that. Thankfully my work is very flexible in this regard.

I would be lying just a little if I said I was looking forward to switching to Monday.

Single Parenting

Last week I had a glimpse of what it would be like to be a single parent.  James was away Monday to Friday with a short stop at home Tuesday night to unpack and repack. I survived the week and always knew I would, but I didn't look forward to it and I geared myself up for what I knew was going to be a hard week.

Monday/Tuesday was fine.  James dropped the kids off on the way out of town and I picked them up like usual.  Since I don't work Tuesdays it was like any other day.  It was the rest of the week I was concerned about.

Barely 3 weeks into our new routine and I still stress about the morning process.  I always pick my clothes the night before and have the kids clothes in the family room so there is no fussing about what to wear.  James and I each get 30 minutes to ourselves to get ready while the other minds the kids.  The kids are dressed, fed and out the door before 7:30 in the morning.  If I was stressed trying to do this with 2 adults, how was I going to do it by myself?

I decided that showering in the morning was not an option.  Knowing that my kids get up so early I would have to get up at 5am to get a shower and blow dry in and somedays that may not even be early enough.....  I was prepared to have pony days and bring my makeup to work if required.

Wouldn't you know it?  On Wednesday, Cooper slept through the night and got up at 6:15.  By the time he got up I was all ready to go.  Bonus!  I went to work picked the kids up and experienced one of the worst tantrums to date with screaming and throwing.  Fun times...

Thursday night didn't go so swell, Cooper got up at 3:45.  I hustled in to give him a bottle to put him right back to sleep, but when the bottle was done he cried and I laid him in the crib.  I left him for what felt like forever and he continued to cry.  I gave him another bottle.  For the record, Cooper is not a snuggler, the only thing he wants when he is tired is a bottle.  After the second bottle, he cried again.  Next thing I knew it as 6am and time to get up. Swell....  To top it off, Grady threw another epic tantrum first thing in the morning over something ridiculous.

Thursday night was just as bad with 2 wake ups and the first one being at 11pm.  I had already been sleeping blissfully for 1.5 hours!  I got a quick shower in Thursday night and was ready in no time Friday morning before the boys got up.  I hustled them to daycare and enjoyed a latte to celebrate my last drop off.

In the end, I did end up having one pony-tail day and I was able to put on the little amount of makeup I wear at home.

I am by no means trying to compare my 4 days to someone who does this on a regular basis.  It was hard, it was stressful, it was tiring, but i knew it was going to end.  This parenting thing is hard.  I can barely manage somedays with two parents let alone being on my own for an extended period of time.  It isn't until your husband is away that you miss the moment of relief that overcomes you when he walks in the door after work. Or what a relief it is to have an adult conversation after bedtime.  Part of it is mental for me.  It is nice to know that someone else is there bearing the load.  If I needed to take a break, I could. If I needed to shower, I could.  If I needed to make a phone call, I could.  If I needed to step out, I could.  All the little things that add up to just a little more sanity in my life.

The thing that took the biggest hit during my 4 day stretch of single-dom was my social life.  Not that I have much of one.  I did nothing in the way of fun, unless you consider drinking wine and watching the biggest loser fun.  In the evening I couldn't leave the house because the kids were sleeping. I couldn't even pick up my new jacket that I dropped off for sleeve hemming because the time and effort it would take to get both kids out of the carseats for a 5 minute stop wasn't worth it.  I accumulated a list of errands to run on the weekend when James was home so could just do it on my own. Much easier. Much faster.

After being on my own for only a few days I respect the parents out there who don't have the option of 'waiting until the weekend' to run their errands.

Kudos to single parents.   

Kudos to the parents out there that do this every other week.

Kudos to my mom who did this everyday while my brother and I were young.

Our House - 2004

We bought our house in the fall of 2003, mere weeks after I have signed a new 6 month lease. James moved into our house the beginning of January 2004 and I followed suit in May.  Looking back at the pictures now I am not sure how we looked past the bad decorating and bought the house for the layout.  Looking at these pictures 8 years later I can not believe that this is what the house looked like when we moved in! I also can't believe how clean it is!

Living room/Dining room

The above room is our living room/dining room.  It had wallpaper, a wallpaper border, and 'salmon' colored walls.  And don't forget about the pink carpet.  Nothing in the this room remains except the dining room table that once belonged to James' Nana.

I couldn't resist posting this picture  that shows the work in progress.  I opted to remove all the wallpaper myself and and have it professionally painted.  It was the hardest job ever.  I will never put wallpaper up.  EVER.  Some of the wall brought me to tears as the paper would come off in once inch squares.  It was awful.

We started removing the wall paper immediately and had the main floor painted in late spring.

Main floor Bathroom

This is the main bathroom.  It was by far the worst room in the house. All 4 walls were covered in these 3 wall papers.  Yes, 3.  There was the beautiful flowers at the bottom, a pretty floral border and topped off with some other flowery paper that matched.  I hope you sensed the sarcasm.  I hated this room.  Again, all of this room has been replace including the door itself and all hardware.

Family Room

The family room picture nearly made me gasp.  Look at that wallpaper! U.G.L.Y. It was topped off with some orange sponge painting that doesn't even match. Gone, gone, gone.

Cooper's Room

Now we move upstairs to Cooper's room, formerly known as the blue room, my exercise room.  See elliptical to the right of the photo with my clothes hanging on it.  I don't even know where to start on this one.  The room isn't actually messy but there is so much going on with the walls that it gives the illusion of being messy. Maybe busy is the right word.

I remember taking a week off to take the wall paper upstairs the summer of 2004.  I distinctly remember being on a ladder in the entrance of Cooper's room and calling James crying because it was taking so long.  The job was that awful.  Back in the day, 8:30 was a very early time to be up on your day off!

Grady's room

Moving on to Grady's room, formerly known as the pink, the guest room.  Who wouldn't want to stay in this room that looks like a pink bomb went off?

Our room

And lastly, here is our room.  If I remember right that white and blue wall was the worst wall of all of them.  It literally came off in 1 inch squares and the entire wall was covered in it.  

Did I say i will never put wallpaper up in my house?  In case I didn't, I WILL NEVER OUT WALL PAPER UP.  NEVER.  NEVER.  NEVER.

I didn't realize how much we have done in the house in the past 8 years until I looked at these pictures.  We have replace all the carpet, painted all the walls, replace some doors, replace some hardware, replaced most blinds on main level, replaced the light fixtures on first levels, and developed the basement to say a few. 

I think it is safe to say that we have made the home our own.  I wonder if the previous home owners would even recognize it now.....

Wordless Wednesday

Random Thoughts

After about 3 weeks of work I have a few random thoughts to share.


The hardest part of my day happens before 7am.


I spend a good portion of the day wondering how the kids are doing, especially cooper.


I love that the wallpaper of my computer is filled with pictures of the kids.


I hate packing lunches.


I love going to the gym at lunch and not having to worry about it in the evening.


I hate that I don't have time to catch up on my shows as quickly as I would like.


I love picking out my outfit for the day.  Especially my shoes.


I love pulling up to the dayhome to hear how the kids day went.


I hate how Cooper still cries when he sees me.


I hate that the 2 hours I get to spend with the kids are their worst hours of the day.


I love only working 4 days a week.


I hate getting used to a new routine.


I love that things seem to be getting easier instead of harder.

January 19th, 2002

Exactly 10 years ago today, James and I went on our first date.  

James' birthday - Aug 17th, 2002

No I did not pull out a camera to celebrate the occasion.


I probably would have forgotten but I got a text from Deena reminding me of our special anniversary.  Why does Deena remember you ask?  Because she had her first date with her husband on 02-02-02, a mere 2 weeks later.  We are best friends so figured we might as well meet our husbands in the same few weeks.

James and I met through my roommate and his friend who happened to be dating at the time.  We actually officially met on a camping trip on James' birthday the August before but I moved back to Saskatoon for my last semester of school before my permanent move to Calgary in January.

James came over to our apartment with his friend the second night I was in town.  He has essentially been a part of my life since the day I moved here.  About a week after that, James asked me out for a lunch date which I quickly turned down.  I had just started a new job at the busiest time of the year and we didn't take lunch.  We seriously didn't take lunch.  James thought it was a brush off.  I called him a few days later and suggested dinner and a movie on the weekend.  He agreed.

I asked him years later if he ever would have called me again had I not called and asked him out and he said he would not have.  I guess it was a good thing I called him!

July 2002

I remember him coming to pick me up and he came up to the apartment for a few minutes. I distinctly remember, as does James, that there was a NFL game on TV.  Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots were playing.   They were playing in a blizzard.  Like a serious snow storm.  Even 10 years later and they still show highlights from that game on TV and we both remember that it was the day of our first date.

He brought me to Moxies.  Ironically it is the one right by our house that we often eat at now with our family, although it has been 100% renovated since then.  I had a noodle wrap.  I remember because it was the messiest wrap ever and I probably ended up wearing more than I ate!

I remember talking about our families mostly and just getting to know each other a little better.  The conversation was great and James was a complete gentleman.  He paid for dinner and I insisted on paying for the movie.

We saw A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crow at the same theater we go to now.  I doubt it was my choice but that is what we 'chose' together.  Years later I gave him that movie as a gift. I think it is still in the shrink wrap.

I now know that he really liked me as he really likes football, and especially the Raiders,  and it was an important game that he missed.  He now knows I really liked him since I agreed to see a movie that would usually not interest me.

That day 10 years ago marked the beginning of a relationship that led to a marriage and 2 kids.  I wish I could have told my 22 year old self that he was the one and to enjoy and savor every moment of first love.  The butterflies in my stomach, the first kisses, the first date.  January 19, 2002 was my last first date.

November 2002

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wordless Wednesday

Rant.

This is what I saw when I got to my car van after work.

I am nicely parked between the lines and the jerk person beside me is not.  I walked into the parkade and just stood there bewildered.  Believe it or not, this is the second time this has happened since I started working 8 days ago.  I was so mad.  I even walked around his car to see how much room there was on the other side.  There was plenty.  My first instinct was to open the sliding door and climb over the seat but I wasn't sure that I even had room to open the side door.  So I walked around the van, opened the passenger door, and slid over the console and plopped myself down in the driver seat. Again.  Luckily I wasn't wearing a skirt, but I was wearing my new animal print pumps!

It just makes me so mad that some people aren't considerate enough to make sure their park job is even remotely reasonable.   If I couldn't get in the van, neither could a larger person, a pregnant person for that matter.  I have never come as close to keying a car as I did today.  I always take the time to check my park job before I leave the vehicle, if it needs tweeking I back up and try again. It is the polite thing to do after all.

It reminds me of this time when I was 9 months pregnant with Grady and I had just come out to my car after a doctors appointment.  Same situation, another car is parked so close to my car that I couldn't get in.  At 9 months pregnant, I went in through the passenger seat.  As I was climbing over the console I noticed an old man sleeping in the passenger seat of the offending car.  I was so angry.  At this point I was over half way in and just cursed to myself as I drove away.

I just hate that some people are so careless and don't consider the effect on other people.  Their carelessness can really turn a good day into a bad one.

Diary of a Potty Training Mom - Part 7

Warning:  This post will use the word poop, potty, and toilet often.  If you prefer to not read about this topic. Please do not continue.

Look at me Mom!  I don't need pull ups anymore so we might as well use them as hats!

I can't believe I am actually writing and publishing this post.  Grady is pooping in toilet.  shhhhhh don't say it too loud.  I repeat, Grady is pooping on the toilet and has been for about 2 weeks.  No more pull ups, no more poopy underwear, no more wondering if the preschool will call because he had soiled his pants.  The poop is finally going in the toilet where it belongs.

I haven't posted anything about our potty training experience since August as there was no new news to report.   For 4 months, Grady wore pull ups 100% of the time as he had no interest in doing his business in the toilet.  He has been 100% pee trained since March.  Nearly 10 months ago.  The pull up didn't change that.  There would be the odd time where I would tell him to pee in his pull up and he refused.  Absolutely refused.  We went through a 3 day period where he was peeing in his underwear for fun, not because he couldn't hold it, but he actually figured out he could pee in it and his pants wouldn't get wet.  We nipped that in the bud by making him go with nothing on his bottom half.  That stopped it mighty quickly!

Back to poop.  Starting in August we made him wear pull ups as we were sick of changing and sometimes throwing out poopy underwear.  We hoped that it would motivate him to try using the potty.  It didn't.  So we waited and waited for the day he may change his mind thinking it was never going to come.  We told him that when he pooped in the potty he would wear his underwear and not before.  He told us that he would poop on the toilet when Santa came.

Mom, why don't you wear a 'hat' to?  I have lots.

We had James children's Christmas party at the beginning of December and Santa would be making an appearance.  Would Grady start using the potty after seeing Santa?  For the month we often talked about poop and Santa as if they went hand in hand.

Now that Santa has come, are you going to poop on the potty?


That was a really big poop, Santa would really like that one... in the toilet.


Santa left you a special present in case you poop on the potty.

We incorporated pooping on the toilet in to those Santa videos you can download on line.  I don't think they actually had 'Santa wants you to poop on the potty' but it was something like 'Santa wants you to use the potty'.  The look on his face the first time he watched it was priceless.  It was a mixture of fear and amazement.  Priceless.

We wrote a letter to Santa and I added pooping in the potty to Santa's response.

Santa came to visit again on xmas eve at Grandma's and that Santa told Grady as he was sitting on his knee that he hoped Grady would poop on the toilet.

Christmas came and went and we were still changing pull up after pull up.

Cooper!  Grab a hat, its a party!

The only time I felt we were making any progress was on Friday mornings before swimming.

We would have a serious talk where I would ask him if he needed a swim diaper and he would tell me no.  I would explain that you can't poop in your bathing suit or in the pool.  That it was OK if he needed to wear a swim diaper.  He was against them for some strange reason...  It was on Friday mornings while he was wearing his bathing suit that he would often tell me he had to poop and actually sit on the toilet.  Nothing ever came out, but the effort was there.

Based on that, when we got home from SK I decided to try the bathing suit approach with underwear.  I sat him down and said he could where underwear if he didn't poop in them. He must keep them clean.  If he didn't, he would have to wear pull ups again.  He was thrilled.  After all, he has close to 30 pairs of underwear that he never gets to wear including many cool ones that Santa brought him.  Game on!

For 2 days he held it.  He changed underwear a few times a day just because he could. He was so excited.  Then it happened.  He pooped in his underwear.  Meltdown central.  He wanted to wear underwear, he did not want anything to do with the pull up.  Rules are rules and I forced him into a pull up for the rest of the day.  The next day we put underwear on again.

Then he started asking for a pull up to poop in.  He would sit on the toilet and try to poop but nothing would come out.  So he would bring me a pull up. For a few days I just went with it.  I was just happy he understood to NOT poop in the underwear.  We started thinking about what direction to go from here.  We considered 'running out of pullups' and cutting a hole in it and putting him on the toilet.   Alas, the decision was made for us.

A few short days later he was found sitting on the toilet.  He wanted privacy.  James and I waited in the kitchen wondering if he was actually going to do it.  We hear Grady yell that he had pooped.  A wave of relief rushes over me.  Then we hear, fluuuuuuuuush.  He flushed the toilet.  The evidence is gone.  There was a little evidence on his butt and Grady was over the moon excited.  So we went with it. We hurried out to the store to buy him a prize.

I don't know why I waited so long to give up the pull ups... I love my underwear!

For the next week, he would run to the toilet and try poop. Sometimes he would get a little nugget and other times nothing.  He would eventually ask for a pull up to get the major work done.  We were making progress and that was all that mattered to me. He was showing interest in actually putting his poop in the toilet. Something we had not seen to date.

One day he even fell in the toilet as he didn't have time to put the toilet seat on. I was so scared that this was going to reverse his progress, but when our young man puts his mind to something there is no stopping him.

Last Sunday while we were at Nana's for supper we had a few false alarms.  I left the light on in the bathroom so Grady could just run in there if he wanted to without help. Shortly after dinner we hear a him shouting from the bathroom that he pooped on the potty.  It was a big one.  All 5 of us piled in the bathroom to look at the poop and cheer him on.  It was a proud moment! His first full poop on the potty.  At 3.5 years old and after 10 months of potty training.

He still hasn't pooped in public or anywhere except Nana's or home but he is CONSISTENTLY POOPING ON THE TOILET!  Can I get a round of applause?  We packed the pull ups up for when Cooper needs them (who hopefully will not need them nearly as long!) this weekend.

So as with his thumb sucking, he picked a date months ahead of time and actually followed through. This kid is going to be a master negotiator.

Lunch Hour

Today I made use of my lunch hour by buying new shoes.  My goal was to get new boots but I walked away with these 2 beauties instead.  Oh how I missed you lunch time shopping.  

My office building is literally attached to the mall. No need to get a jacket, no need to go outside, just a quick little elevator ride away to shopping bliss.  Although this sounds dreamy, one must control the urge to go to the mall every. single. day.  In the 5 days I have worked, I shopped twice, went to the gym once and met friends for lunch twice. 

My goal is to use the gym 3 times a week, also right in the building.  I have never joined a gym but how could I not?  I love the idea of getting my workouts done midday to free up my evenings and weekends for quality family time.  I was a little insecure the first time.  I didn't know where to change, could I spray my body spray, could I use my iphone for music when it clearly stated no cell phones with cameras?  I just went with my gut and did it despite how uncomfortable I was feeling.  I hopped on the elliptical for a random hill workout that was way too easy. I'll figure the machines out eventually.

The point of this post?  I am really enjoying my lunch hour.  The job is going well to, but I really enjoy the hour to myself with no obligations. Even if it is on a elliptical watching a Baby Story.

The shoes are a pretty good perk to!

Wordless Wednesday

Growing up

I often wonder what my kids will be like when they are 10, 16, and even 30.  Will I be able to raise them to be the young men that I hope they will be?

When I go through the cashier at Safeway, I often get this young guy that is still in high school.  He is so well mannered and exactly how I imagine my boys to be.  How I hope they will be.

I find myself often looking to other 'older' families with 2 boys and wondering if that is how my little family will look in the years to come.  I even look at families with the boys the same age as my own and wonder if that is what we really look like.  Do I really have a 1 year old AND a 3 year old?  I still find it hard to believe some days.

I look at boys of every age (in a non creepy way) and wonder if that is how my boys will be.  How will I relate to them in their teen years and how will I maintain the type of relationship I hope to have with them?

I always imagined that with a daughter it would come naturally and be easy to be 'friends'. I have such a great relationship with my mom and I always hoped to have that kind of relationship with my kids.  Is that kind of relationship possible with boys?  I sure hope so.   I am going to work my butt off to prove that it is.

But seriously, I know nothing about teenage boys. In 15 years, I'll probably know too much!

In the mean time I'll continue to let my mind wonder about what kind of boys I am raising and hoping the are exactly like that young man in Safeway :)

Day 1

The anxiety kicked in about 8pm last night.

I fought it with watching the Biggest Loser and eating chocolate.  Yes, together.

Cooper got up at 11:30pm and 4:00am.  With a bottle fell back asleep and had to be waken up to get out the door on time.

I woke up 3 minutes before the alarm after a horrible sleep.

James found out he had an 8am meeting he had to attend so couldn't drop the kids off at daycare.

I dropped kids off at daycare.

Cooper cried.  Grady was shy but went in willingly with no tears.

I found my parking spot and got to work 10 minutes early.

My boss bought me a candy cane latte. 

I did some reading and flipped through binders.

I put the kids picture on my desk and looked at them often.

I checked out the gym in the building and got the application forms.

I strolled the mall.  I wanted Taco Time for lunch but settled for a sandwich when I couldn't find one.

I read more and thought about about how the kids were doing.

I was gitty as I drove to pick the kids up wondering how their day was.

Grady looked exhausted from all the playing.  Cooper cried when he saw me.

Grady played outside twice.  Cooper had a 30 minute nap.

Grady talked my ear off on the way home about his day.  He told me that he likes the daycare.

I was so distracted listening to Grady talk that I took a wrong exit on the way home.

Cooper was in bed well before 7pm.  Grady is going to bed right now.

The perfect way to end a hectic day is with my hubby watching Modern Family and eating chocolate.  Which is exactly what I plan to do!

Last Day

Today is my last day of maternity leave. 

I'm not sure I can even call that since my EI benefits ended months ago.  Nonetheless, today is my last day at home with the boys full time before starting my new job tomorrow.

Unlike new years eve, I am sitting in the the beyond messy kitchen in the exact same chair eating my lunch while Cooper naps.  We celebrated the day by going swimming this morning. Grady loves to swim and I did not put him in lessons this session since I didn't want to overload myself in the first few months back.  I do however still want to keep him in the water.  Today was the first time I took both boys to the pool by myself.  I expected it to be a quiet day but it was the busiest I have seen it!  Overall I would say it was a success and that we will be doing this again on my days off.

Surprisingly enough, I don't have anxiety today.  I am calm, collected, and relaxed.  Well, as much as I am any other day.  I remember counting down the days before going back to work after Grady. I dreaded it.  I find myself not dreading tomorrow as much as I would expect.  I have already picked my outfit for tomorrow which ironically is the same dress I wore my first day back after Grady.  

But I am adding this jacket that I didn't think was going to make it on time!

Ignore wet hair, dirty room, and leggins

It was a pre-christmas present to myself that I bought online.  I have a jacket the same brand and I just love it!  The picture doesn't do it justice!  I sent it to my Mom's thinking it would arrive over christmas and it needed a signature... but it arrived the afternoon we left and my Mom had to ship it back to us at home.  I am so so happy that it made it on time for me to wear tomorrow!  Made. My. Day.

Ok back to the topic at hand.

This time around I am not scared of starting a new job.  For some reason, I feel confident that I am going to like it.  I am more concerned about the boys and how they will transition.  Grady enjoyed himself at the day home on their test morning, but Cooper is really struggling with separation.  He wants be held all the time... by me only.   He was not happy with being left behind at the day home and by the sounds of it he let everyone know it.  I am hoping that it will only be a few days, or weeks at the most, before Cooper falls into a routine and doesn't cry every single morning.

Today feels like every other day to me.  Maybe I am being naive in thinking that today is going to go well, maybe I am just going in with the right attitude.

I plan on spending the rest of the day tidying our living space while watching the end of 13 Going on 30 that I started this week......  and reading the bachelor spoilers!

Happy New Year!

It has been many years since we ventured out on New Year's Eve. Personally, I think it is over rated.  There were years that we would be waiting until 4am or later waiting for a cab that did or did not end up showing up.  For the past several years, we have chosen to stay in for new years and order in or get together with friends in the early evening and ring in the new years separately at home.  We actually haven't even made it a priority to stay up until midnight.  We are tired and 6am (or earlier) comes quickly after a late night.....

This year we decided to try something a little different.  We ventured out on a family sleepover. Our friend's John and Stacey have 2 boys the same age as our boys so it is a perfect match!  

We arrived at their house in the early evening and feasted on Thai food with the kids.  Yes, even the little boys ate the food.  Score.

Cooper and Noah, the good eaters!

It anyone was wondering, this is what 4 boys under 4 looks like.   Busy busy busy!

The little boys loved the balloons.....

Grady was really excited to 'party' but he had no idea what we were really celebrating.  It didn't help that we put candles in the cake, the boys wanted to sing happy birthday.

The big boys loved the clappers!

We tried to change the words to 'Happy New Year to you' instead of birthday but it wasn't a big hit.

I ended up baking and icing the brownie all by myself.  Grady wasn't interested until I showed it to him, then he wanted to add his own special touch.  Enter sprinkles.

The brownie was a big hit.

Cooper thought the clapper was pretty OK to.

We had to get a little creative to celebrate new years at 8pm before the kids went to bed so we hopped on the Internet to find a mock countdown.  The one we found started at 25 seconds.  Perfect.  Our 3 year olds wouldn't be interested any longer than that....

All 4 boys piled around the lap top to watch the countdown.  They were much more excited then I thought they would be waving the very loud clappers around the entire countdown.  When it was over they wanted to do it again!  I think we did it 3 times.  Practice makes perfect right?

This is our last family photo of 2011.  The boys were less than thrilled to be getting their photo taken....

The kids headed to bed and the adults pulled out cranium.  Boys vs. Girls.  I will not lie, the guys were beating us the entire game, but Stacey and I pulled it together at the end and won the game.

Is it any wonder we were losing when Stacey took off to get a camera during this club cranium instead of trying to guess?  Essentially James and I were both acting out the same thing for each of our partners at the same time.  The answer was jet lag.  So we were both flying around the room like 'jets'.  No one guessed it.

I love how we are both standing in the same pose not knowing what to do next.

The game ended at 11:35.  Half of us wanted to go to bed, but John and I insisted that it was only 25 minutes and we had to stay up.  I was glad we did.  We watched the countdown that was actually happening right in Calgary which was neat.  Shortly after midnight, Grady started calling so we went to bed.

In my opinion, the family sleepover was a huge success.  The boys were superstars.  It was beyond noisy until they went to bed but they had fun and they didn't fight.  In my books, that makes a good night in and of itself.

In the 3+ years that we have been friends with John and Stacey we had never had a 'couples date'.  The kids are always there making it hard to have a decent visit.  Sure, we went out just the boys or just the girls but never together.  It was so nice to visit and play games uninterrupted. Not to mention the guacamole was fantastic!

Cooper did get up in the night but slept in until 6:15 and Grady until after 7am!  We started 2012 with a nice breakfast and Starbucks when it finally opened at 9am.  Anyone else think that is late for a coffee shop.  The guys said that there were 4 cars lined up in drive through and people standing outside waiting for the doors to open.  I'm thinking they should be changing their Sunday hours....

I couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in 2012!  I predict that this will not be our last family sleepover....

I will end the first day of 2012 taking down the Christmas tree.  I attempted this task yesterday afternoon but as I undecorated the tree, a certain 3 year old someone was putting the decorations back on the tree so operation take down the tree was aborted.  I figured the safest time to take the tree down was when he was asleep.  Now I am crossing my fingers and toes hoping that there is not a major meltdown first thing in the morning when the missing tree is discovered.....

Once the tree is down I plan to finish the left over brownie.  My new years resolution was obviously NOT to cut down on sweets!

Welcome 2012!