Celebrating Pre-Christmas

Like many families, we alternate where we spend Christmas each year.  This year we are spending the holidays with my family so we celebrated a little pre Christmas with James' family on Saturday. It started first thing with an early morning practice for Cooper's hockey team that I was nominated to attend.  I'm sure we were back from practice before the rest of the family (except Grady!) were still in bed.  James included.

At 10am we headed over to Nana's for our traditional Christmas day breakfast of eggs benedict, land of nod cinnamon buns, and fruit salad.  I never have room for fruit since I fill up on the buns every. single. year.

Next up we opened up the presents under the tree Santa.  No tree at Nana's this year since they will be away for Christmas day.  The kids were excited to rip into their presents and i was happy to find an Instant Pot under the tree for me!  I can't wait to start trying new recipes.  If you have any good ones please send them my way.

 

We wanted to play a game that was great for all ages so I asked at Mastermind Toys what they would suggest and as a result I left with the game Speak Out.   It is essentially a game where you put this funny plastic thing in your mouth and then read from a card while your team mates try to guess.

James was the absolute funniest.  I laughed so hard that I cried.  While the adults each took only one turn, the kids wanted to go over and over again.  It was good for a laugh that is for sure!

Next we moved the festivities to our place where the orignal plan was to watch a Chrismans movie but in the end we played a few more games.  This plate game I read about on a blog.  All you need is a few pens and paper plates.

This picture doesn't do the plates justice. Some of them were much better than I expected and others not so much.  There is a point system and based on that Bo and Grady tied, though I may have witnessed of them cheating.... I'm sure you can guess which one!

After the plate game we moved on to Pictionary.  Can I just say letting the kids choose the words can prove to be interesting.  Lots of poop and fart references.  How do you draw a fart?

Just before we ate our Christmas Lasagna, I remembered to snap a group photo using my phone's self timer.  I often forget to take one and I love how this one turned out.

Finally, we ended the the night watching Grady's team beat the other team 3-1 and Grady getting the teams heart and hustle wolves hat.  It was a great game to watch that even merited me ringing the heck out of my cowbell.  Yes, I am that mom....

I am so happy that we were able to host a portion of our pre-Christmas at our house.  I love our decor and was so happy to be able to share it with our family.   I didn't think we'd be able to give up an entire day in the middle of December without feeling stress about all the things I should be doing.  In reality, it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas prep.  It was a quiet day playing games, laughing, and eating great tasting foods.  While James would argue it would have been better with a turkey, I was quite happy with our lasagna!

If this day was any indication of how the rest of the month will go it is certainly going to be a great holiday season!

Celebrating Marla

Finally, FINALLY, the computer is hooked up in the office.  Its been over a month of no computer.  Yes, we have a lap top and our phones but my good pictures go on the computer which means many photos were being held hostage while the computer got set up.  We celebrated 2 very important birthdays in the month of June that merited dragging out the good camera.  We have A LOT to catch up on.

The first that we celebrated was Marla's otherwise known around here as Nana.

This wasn't just any birthday, this was her 70th birthday.  Sorry Marla that I just told the Internet your age.   We wanted to celebrate big, with something unique that she would always remember and I think we succeeded. 

You see, Marla renovated her condo in the fall and had a big empty wall that needed to be filled.  So.... We headed to 4Cats Art Studio to do some splatter painting with the entire family.

These 2 handsome young men were super excited to get the party started since the are no strangers to splatter paining.  They brought their A-game.

Marla chose blue as her background and wanted to stick with that theme to match her condo colors.  They asked if we wanted the canvas pre-painted but we decided to paint it ourselves.  We literally painted the entire thing from  beginning to end.  

After the kids painted the white canvas the fun really starts.  Everyone grabbed a bottle of one of the chosen colors and we started to spray the paint.    She let each of the kids choose a color.  Grady chose yellow. Technically Cooper chose green but it was really bright and ugly.  We convinced him to choose purple instead.  Technically it was his second choice.

It really amazes me that from a blank canvas, a group of non artists can create something that you can proudly hang on the wall.

Adults and kids all have fun spraying paint.  Let's just say its a good thing I wore something old as I got sprayed many times when Cooper missed the canvas and shot me from across the room.

Marla insisted that I put the camera down and join in the fun. As soon as I did she captured this photo to prove I was there as well.

I can't actually remember how Grady ended up with green hands since we didn't choose green as a color.  He insisted that I take a photo of his hulk looking hands.

Popping the balloons is always a favorite.  The balloon kept slipping out of Grady's hands and landing on the painting.  There was a little repair work that had to be done after the balloon popping...

At the end of the hour, we had made a family masterpiece.

It was a very special night celebrating a special lady.  I hope that every time she looks a the painting she thinks of us and remembers the night that we celebrated.

Happy Birthday Marla!

An Early Christmas Celebration

Last weekend we had an early Christmas celebration with James' side of the family as they are away over Christmas.  We booked this date in long ago and devoted the day to celebrating the season a few weeks early.

We started off with brunch at heritage park.  We started the brunch tradition about 5 years ago and while we have tried other locales, we love the festive feel of spending the morning at heritage park.  Even this year when the weather was bitterly cold.

After we filled up on bacon and waffles we headed upstairs to do a little cookie decorating.

We were quite surprised to learn from a volunteer up there that there was also a craft station with SANTA and a electronic train table set up in 2 of the other buildings.  We have done the brunch 4 years and no one has ever told us that.  Note to self for next year.

We couldn't rush away from the Wainwright Hotel without stopping for our annual photo. 

Look how big my boys are getting!  This year no one is being carried!  Look also at our attire.  It was darn cold!  But surprisingly when we left it was way warmer then when we arrived and we were able to walk a little more leisurely and I didn't have to carry Grady.  Yes, it was that cold.

We walked over the craft building first and imagine that, there was no line up to see Santa!  The kids were very hesitant so we all went for a family shot.  Grady warmed up a little but Cooper wasn't so sure about the big guy in red....

After seeing Santa, the kids each did a craft.  Grady chose a complicated one, of course, and we needed a volunteer to help us.  They said it was been so quiet with the weather being so cold.  Worked to our advantage!

Next up was the train.  Both boys loved it.  Cooper asked to buy it actually.

We had to hurry along to skating lessons, but on the way back to the van the kids took a run through the maze.  They have 2 mazes set up each year and the kids love them.

 

After skating lessons, we finally got back to Nana's to open presents.  The kids got a great loot and couldn't wait to bust into all the new toys. 

Here is Nana opening the painting form Grady.  He made it in art class this fall and when I suggested that we give to Nana he actually agreed.  He doesn't part with his artwork very easily.

 

 One of Grady's gifts was rainbow loom which is a bracelet making gadget.  It is all the rage for the Grade 3s at Grady's school apparently.  Some of Grady's friends of older brothers and even they are into it.  I asked the moms about the younger boys and she said they can do some of the easier ones. So before you know it, Nana had one in her hand for Grady.  

Grady and I spent the rest of the evening making bracelets for everyone.  He insisted that they could only wear them until they left and then he would take them home.  Except Nana got to keep her purple and pink one, just barely.

Grady can only do half of it on his own and I have to do the other half so it was a joint effort but it brought me a lot of joy to see how happy it made him as each finished bracelet was worn by someone.  Ironically, he didn't make one for me.

Another popular gift was the magic kit.  To be honest, it was most popular with James an d I had to keep reminding him that it was the kids toys and he had to show them the magic tricks.  Even Cooper enjoyed doing tricks for us.

I actually can't believe that we are getting that close to Christmas.  My tree is up, the snow is here, the presents are wrapped and under the tree, but I still haven't got that Christmas feeling yet.  The month of December is so busy for us with Christmas events and such that it is hard to really slow down and focus on the season which I know is exactly what i need to do.  I'll slow down and watch Christmas movies next week as this week is already packed solid with Christmas activities....

Family Pics 2013

A few weeks back we all got in our best duds and headed to fish creek park for the annual family photo. This year was an extra special year since we did extended shots with James side of the family. We used Tomie Horton Photography for the second year in a row and I highly recommend her. She has young kids of her own so understands the challenges of photographing young kids.

Here a few of my favorites.  Not my very favorites as those are reserved for our xmas card!

Here is one of the 3 group shots we got. With the number of un-photogenic people in this picture I think we got a great shot.  And honestly, I think the other 2 are equally good.

 

 

This is by far the best photo of the 2 boys we have to date.  Ever.  This year was so much easier than last year when I was ready to throw in the towel after only 30 minutes.  This year was night and day to last year.

 

 

 Now let me tell you about this little model.  He was fantastic. Smiled for the camera and did exactly what he was told.  He even let us spike his hair.  Now in two years when they are both this good I will be a happy mama.

 

 

Cooper lost interest relatively fast after the red barn shots.  He wanted to run around and play in the dirt, not sit around with the adults and smile.  She still managed to get some great shots of him.

 

Copper was tickling me with a piece of grass.  This is about where he started to take a turn.

 

 

This year was a total success compared to last year.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't exhausted and sweating at the end, but it did go well.  Carrying a 35 pound 3 year old while wearing heels will run you down, not to mention making funny faces and trying to get the kids to smile from behind the camera.  Here's to hoping that each year from here on out gets easier and easier!

 

 

 

Gutsy Walk 2013

I have been doing this walk for 8 years.  I really enjoy it.  It is a great way to raise money for a cause that is dear to our heart while spending a great day with our family.  This year, James was out of town so I asked Marla and Bo is they wanted to join me and the boys and they were happy to join the festivities.

The weather was questionable right until the moment of the walk.  It has been raining for weeks this only a few days where the sun peaked through.  Although Saturday was a gorgeous day, we woke up Sunday to overcast and a threat of showers.  That has never stopped me.  I would have walked even if it was raining. I just would have left the kids at home!  In the end, the rain didn't come until after and we enjoyed a nice morning in the fresh air.

This year the walk was at new venue and it was very pretty running along the river, across a suspension bridge (which by the way sways pretty good when it is full of people!), and through a very nice rich area.

Bo got stuck with the stroller for most of the way home as I chased the boys and raised them from flag to flag.  The stroller always comes in handy even when we aren't using it for kids.  We quickly fill it up with jackets, camera, and umbrellas!

The walk is set up great for families.  This year, they had a man dressed as a bear.  Cooper hated him and cried for the entire time that he could see him.  They had a bouncy house set up for the kids.  And since we didn't do the whole walk, Grady had it all to himself.  Cooper refused to go in as he started down the bear across the field waiting for him to pounce!

Last but not least, they had a face painter.  They have one every year but this year was the first year that Grady showed any interest. I suggested he get a balloon on his cheek and he agreed.  When we sat on the chair the woman suggested a spider.  Grady being the shy guy that he is just agreed and I told her he didn't want any on his eyes.  In the end, he was thrilled!

 

He even said he wanted more.  I was so proud of him for stepping outside of his comfort zone.

We waited in the long line for lunch and headed home missing the rain by less than an hour.

Thank you Auntie Bo and Nana for joining us and making my day a whole bunch easier! Already looking forward to next year!

Sleepover

Last week during the looooong spring break from school, Nana decided to take Grady for a sleepover.   Maybe she was going through G withdrawal since she is used to seeing him 2 days a week for at least a portion of the day. So we thought we'd give it a try since he seemed to want to do it.  We started talking about it a week before in preparation for the big event.  The morning of, he came down the stairs, turned the corner and told me 'today is the day of my sleepover' in his just woken up voice.  It was sweet.

It was strange for me to come home to only Cooper.  It was quiet.  I had this great idea that we would face time Grady at Nana's so that we could have a quick chat and hear about his day while supper cooked.  It turned out to NOT be such a great idea.

Grady was very excited to see us, but most excited to show us all the stuff he did and got that day. Here he is showing me the picture he colored.  Angry birds of course.

Then he proceeded to show us all the angry bird stuff that they got at Walmart. In his words, there was nothing 'interesting' at the Lego store so we went to Walmart. Even four year old boys like to go to Walmart.... :)
I saw this on FB the other day and it seemed to appropriate not to put in this post.

While Grady is showing us all the stuff they bought one by one Cooper was screaming 'Cooper.... Nana, G', meaning I want to go to Nana's to. He wanted half of the loot that was rightfully his.  Since James was out and it was just Cooper and I at home, we ate supper and went for a visit at Nana's for an hour.

We played, grabbed our angry birds and headed home.

It was quiet at home with only 1 kid.  No screaming. No fighting. No hitting.  As much as it was nice for one night, I kind of missed the craziness that comes with 2 rowdy boys.  Now if only I could convince her to take both boys overnight..... Just kidding Nana :)  Not sure you could afford to take them BOTH to Walmart!

Easter Weekend

This weekend was extra long for us.  I was off at noon on Thursday (which I responsibly used for grocery shopping) and James is off today as a bonus. Since I am off today normally it ended up being one extra day at home together....  except for the fact that I planned a play date not knowing that.  I figure it will James some time to work on his taxes :)

We started off Friday morning with a bike ride.  Since we got Grady his new bike a few weeks back, we get out when ever we can.  He picked it up really quickly and he really goes with confidence despite having a few spills mostly from going down hills to fast.  That is one of the problems living in our area - it is full of hills!

We were lucky enough to find the neighbor kids playing outside as we left for the park and they decided to join us.  We are very lucky to have a 4 year old boy a mere 4 months younger living right next door.  He has an older sister who Cooper just adores so it works out great.

Cooper has a strider bike that was unused by Grady for over 2 years.... but I'm not sure he likes it either.  He started off this season riding it, but now he prefers his plasma car.  He can go much faster on it ad keep up with the big kids, especially when they are going down hill!

After the bike ride, we spent the rest of the day coloring angry birds from the Internet, cutting them out, and taping them to the door.  After we removed all the Thomas ones from his door which he graciously agreed to give to Cooper.  

Saturday morning, Grady and I headed to an art class.  I have a budding artist on my hand who loves to paint, draw, and color more than anything else.  I was hesitant to put him in a 10 week art class as I wasn't sure if he would like the structured environment but I found a parented class that was offered this past Saturday and I thought why not.  It was Van Gogh's birthday and so we were to a draw a picture of a vase and flowers and paint it.

At first, Grady did not want to draw the flowers, he wanted to draw a scenery with a rainbow.  His words, not mine!  I convinced him that drawing the flowers wouldn't be so bad and he could make a rainbow vase.  With a little help he ended up with a 4 year old masterpiece.  I'm not biased or anything...

The art studio was fantastic.  They actually hung your canvas on the wall and the entire room was covered in paint.  Grady thought that was pretty neat.  He was also the only kid that managed to get paint in his hair.  I have no idea how that happened but it did look pretty cute and 'Easter-y'!

After the class Grady and I headed to best buy for a memory card for my new purse camera.  I thought it was a 'safe' store, meaning that there would be no tantrums because there was something he wanted.  I was wrong.  He spotted this aisle FULL of angry birds and I knew it was only a matter of time before he asked to buy one.

When he asked I told him we would come back with Cooper and the $20 that he put on the fridge the day before.

You see... when I was young, my Grandma sent us $2 for every holiday in a card through the mail even though she lived in the city and we saw her at least weekly.  I remember loving getting that card in the mail and now my mom has started that tradition with her grand kids.  Except they get $20.  Usually I put the money in their bank accounts and it is done with, this time Grady asked if he could buy something with the money and I agreed.

Long story short, we went to walmart, dollar store, and finally back to best buy to find something angry birds that Grady wanted and in the end him and Cooper fought over the same toy and the outing ended in a tantrum.  I think the money will just go in the bank again next time.

Easter morning started about 7am and Grady was very excited about finding the eggs.  Cooper toddled behind too slow to actually find any eggs on his own without being shown by James or I.  Even then sometimes he didn't see them.  He just enjoyed carrying around the few eggs he did find in his basket and watching Grady run around squealing with delight every time he found an egg.  Which was often since we hid 50 eggs!

I think next year I will buy eggs I don't like.  Today the kids have had a total of 2 eggs.  Both eaten by Cooper.  That leaves a total of 48 eggs for me to eat.  That is not good.

Both the kids are fighting colds and it became evident by mid morning that Grady needed a nap.  The kids have been going to bed later and later and getting up at the same time.  It had to catch up with him eventually!  James laid with him and before we knew it young G was having his first nap since I can't even remember when!

I had to document it!

While he slept, we got the turkey in the oven and prepped everything else as we had James' side over for turkey dinner.

Grady got up and within the hour Cooper was down.  With Grady being well rested we did some bubble blowing, courtesy of the Easter Bunny.

We decorated Easter eggs on the driveway for our guests to see on arrival.

We even made it for a bike ride where Grady was proud of himself for riding his bike standing up.  When you ride up as many hills as we do on our street you need to stand up every so often.

Shortly after 5 we finally sat down to eat... all 7 of us!!

Let me tell you that never happens.  Either the kids can't wait to eat and shovel in some cereal just before dinner, or Cooper decides he isn't hungry, or one of them is screaming.....  But today it did happen and I snapped a quick photo to prove it.  Grady didn't get his nose bleed until after dinner today.  So he missed dessert.

All in all we had a nice weekend.  Nothing eventful happened, we didn't do a whole lot, but we enjoyed the weather, we enjoyed the chocolate, and we enjoyed some turkey.  All in all, you can't ask for much more!

Hope your long weekend was as relaxing as ours!