My Birthday

Here are several shots from my birthday a bit belatedly.

Landon and I on my birthday.

The kids eating birthday cake.

Helping me blow out the candle.

And for all those who weren't there, Jeff Thomas really did show up at my birthday, it isn't a rumour.

We can't believe they're writing!

Gracie's "G"s.
Hannah writing her name.

One of the most wonderful of the many things that the Sisters of St. Mary of Leuca have taught Hannah and Grace is to write. Adam and I were trying to remember when we learned to write and I think I was much older than 3. Of course the whole fine motor skills thing comes into it and that is evident - Grace finds it much more difficult than Hannah. The girls also know their letters and the sound of the letters so we are working very diligently as they are well on their way to being able to read soon. Grace walks around spelling out the words she sees on food containers etc.

Meeting Jorge the Turtle

Our friends Ben and Rachel brought their new pet turtle, Jorge over for the girls to meet. In this picture Hannah is feeding Jorge some cantaloupe.

Here is a video of the kids meeting Jorge the turtle.

Our favourite Games

I managed to catch two of the girls favourite pasttimes on camera - Tea Party and Pirates. Adam will probably not be happy with me about putting him in the feathery scarf belt onto the internet. By the way - the plastic golf clubs are supposed to be swords and I have no idea why one of the pirates has a baby...

Landon Update

Here's a shot of Landon and the girls and Adam with my Sister Stac. He is getting so big and talking non-stop, except no one knows what he is saying.

Big Girl School

That's what Hannah and Grace call it anyway. Last week I registered the girls for Jr. Kindergarten starting in September. I couldn't believe what I was doing! How did we get here so fast?

A little taste of summer

Since it's soooo cold outside I thought I'd post some photos from the summer to cheer us all up!

New Years Revisited

Given that Ukranian New Year is upon us. I thought I'd revisit our New Years celebrations because I never did post anything back when it happened. Our New Years was a lovely one spent with good friends and the girls learned a new game - dreidel. They first discovered it on Sesame Street and wanted to play it because you win chocolate, but I did not have a dreidel nor do I know the rules of the game. Fortunately, we know someone who does. Thanks Ben, for sharing your traditions with us. The video is the end of the game where the girls had finally won all of Ben's chocolate.

More concerning Make Believe

You can read all of the books Oprah is stamping with her seal of approval to help you find the real you and be better than the real you is once you find it. Or, if you're looking for a cheaper alternative (actually scratch the cheaper - their education alone is estimated at $100,000), if you're looking for an alternative all you have to do is watch your life be mirrored in a 3 year olds make believe. Apparently, I spend the majority of my life talking about pee and poo and/or cleaning pee and poo. When I'm not taking care of everyone's bowel movements, I'm taking them to the doctors because they have eye infections and are throwing up. I have been largely unaware of my fascination with bowel movements until the girls opened my eyes to it. I mentioned in an earlier post that with three year olds it's all about what impression you leave. Well this is the one I have left.

Hannah comes out of the bathroom with her doll holding its pant in her fingertips with a disgusted look on her face and says to me:
"Mommy, my doll just pooed all in her pants. It's gross. You should wash them."

Hannah zooms past me with a shopping cart full to the brim with assorted dolls and stuffed animals. I ask, "Hannah, where are you going?"
Hannah - "Mommy, I have to take all of these guys to the doctors really fast."
Me - "Why? What happened to them?"
Hannah - "They all have eye infections and they all throwed up all over the livingroom. I'll clean it up when I get back."

A day with Landon -According to Grace

Grace documented our day with Landon with her digital camera.

Life at our Tim Hortons

The girls newest game is playing drive-thru in their little house with the window on the side. This scares me on many levels, yet it is funny to watch and they have great imaginations. My concerns is this, we don't really go to drive-thrus/fast food that much, yet the experience of the odd Saturday morning coffee has left such an impression. It makes me wonder what other impressions they are left with. I mean we've also taken them to give toys to charity, but their not playing that out in make-believe. I guess in the end it's the chocolate timbits fault. Saturday morning coffee is often accompanied by 2 chocolate timbits. Giving toys and food to charity gives the satisfaction of having helped others which probably doesn't have as much meaning to a three year old as a chocolate timbit does. Although I hope one day it will.
Here's a little snippit from the our Tim Hortons drivethru:

Hannah: What do you want?
Grace: Two double-doubles?

Hannah: What do you want?
Me: I'll have a large coffee?
Hannah: Okay, here's your Dora bandaids, your chocolate donuts and the toy for your Happy Meal.

I guess the whole ordering process is a little redundant when Hannah is on shift.

If you're wondering why another new template. I just didn't like the last one that much.

Our Christmas 2008

Christmas - According to Hannah

The girls both got those new digital cameras for kids this Christmas! I don't know who's more excited, them or me. Downloading the pictures they take is like walking in their shoes! I've included the highlights of Christmas Day from Hannah's point of view.
1. The flatware.
2. Mommy cooking.
3. The stockings hung up.
4. Grace about to destroy the wall. (I think this was meant more as a blackmail photo for later use.)
p.s. No walls were destroyed.

Patheon Christmas Party

The girls really enjoyed Patheon's Kids Christmas Party this year. They had their faces painted as Unicorns, jumped in the blow up castle, got balloon hats, gifts, and pictures with Santa. This is the first year that Hannah was actually willing to participate in the picture with Santa although it did take some advance discussion. Finally she agreed that she would be in the picture, but would not sit on his knee, only stand in front of his legs. I'm not partial to making children sit on strange people's knees, so I didn't force the issue. What I've concluded from this experience - Hannah is going to be one heck of a negotiator one day.

Christmas Tree Hunting and Decorating

Christmas Concert

Here is the video of the girl's Daycare Christmas Concert. They were dressed as Christmas Cakes. What was the most amazing to Adam and I is how much they've changed in one year. They actually followed some choreography this year!

Jamaica

Jamaica...the land of rum and sunshine! Adam and I have just returned from a week there for my cousin's wedding. You haven't quite seen a wedding until you've seen one on a beach at sunset. And you haven't really had jerk chicken until you've had it from a hut on the beach with no floor (health inspector, what?), it was delicious! And you haven't really lived until you've swung from a tarzan rope into a seven tier waterfall (yes, we actually did that!)

Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en was great this year. We had two beautiful unicorns and we made it nearly all the way around the block before Hannah got tired. I think Grace would have kept on Trick or Treating until dawn!