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| Papa taking Roddie for a spin! |
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| Roddie is really doing it! |
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| Who is happiest here?? |
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| Papa giving Roddie a few pointers |
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| Norah and Matt both ready to skate! |
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| They were just a little too excited to be in the penalty box... |
Friday, December 28, 2012
12 Days of 2012: Day 9
My 12 Days of Christmas 2012
This year we were looking forward to a long and quiet Christmas break at home. Things didn't really work out that way, quite the opposite actually, and we're not done yet! Here's a quick view of *my* 12 days of Christmas.
- On the first day of Christmas, we had Norah's dance recital She was an angel in this year's event, and she did great! The improvement in her, and all the other girls, since last year was quite impressive. We came home to a pot of homemade turkey soup and cupcakes to celebrate Matt's birthday. And so it begins.
- On the second day of Christmas, we were enjoying a dance show put on by the kids in the kitchen, when who should arrive, but my Mom and Dad! Apparently Matt knew they were coming for the past month or more. They came to spend Christmas with us, and stayed thru the 27th.
- On the third day of Christmas, we had meatloaf. Since I didn't know my parents were going to arrive, there was basically nothing to eat! But, as I told Matt when he called to check in and discuss what was for dinner.. we had "people" this week! Mom and Dad not only went to the grocery store, but they also cooked us dinner.. score! Speaking of scoring, they also got the kids a set of hockey sticks. Being Canadian, I guess they thought it was unacceptable that my kids were playing "hockey" with toy brooms!
- On the fourth day of Christmas, we had ribs. Not only does this mean that Mom and Dad cooked dinner again, but the ribs represent one of many many clues over the past month that Mom and Dad were on the way! Matt came home from the grocery store with about 3x as much ribs as we'd usually cook, frozen into one big chunk... saying "we'll cook them over the holidays"... My Dad pretty much always makes a batch of his ribs for us when he comes down... hint? In hindsight, there were many hints...
- On the fifth day of Christmas, I was itching to be done with work for the year, but had a strangely productive day at work. However, that paled in comparison to the Christmas productivity my Mom and I executed that night! I had planned to do a little wrapping here and a little wrapping there over the week, but with the unexpected company, I wasn't really getting to it! Lucky for me, my mom is a champion gift wrapper! I sorted and boxed, while she wrapped (she's not only good, she's fast!) By the time we were done, there was a mountain of gifts and I was truly ready to go!
- On the sixth day of Christmas I organized a work team lunch at a local brewpub before we all headed out for the holidays. It had the unintended consequence of making it a half day for all of us. The kids were at home with Nanny and Papa, so I did a little shopping for myself and the big Christmas grocery order before I headed home.
- On the seventh day of Christmas, we were very busy. Nanny and Papa joined Roddie and I for his last soccer practice while Matt and Norah got started on the annual cookie project. The cookie project involves a family secret recipe passed down thru Matt's family and a lot of elbow grease. Needless to say the cookie project continued until about 2pm that afternoon, but we got it all done. The cookies have since been shared throughout the neighborhood. The day was topped off when we went to mass that evening and were asked to carry the candles up to the advent wreath. I was a little worried about Roddie, in particular but he treated his job with the seriousness it deserved, and did great.
- On the eighth day of Christmas, Nanny and Papa got to see Norah's last skating lesson. She did great and passed her level with flying colors. Matt spent most of the day - 2 meals worth, as he said - finishing up his Christmas shopping. I must admit, he spent a good portion of the day picking up gifts for our last minute guests - and he did an exceptional job. I worked on a couple more sets of cookies - including my spiral swirl cookies, my own tradition!
- On the ninth day of Christmas, I started out my day with a cut and a color - and some alone time reading a book while I waited. That afternoon we all went to public skating. My Mom and Dad are avid skaters and I think really enjoyed the opportunity to share this activity with the kids. They defiantly stood out as they glided around the ice in perfect synch with each other. Norah was positively glowing, the entire time. She gained a certain amount of confidence thru her lessons and she really flew when she hit the ice this day! She was able to make her way around the entire rink on her own, enjoyed skating with Nanny and Papa as well as me, and even managed to dance to Gangman Style (very cute!) I put Roddie on single blade skates for the first time. He hopped off the bench and walked over to the opening in the boards, no problem. Skating took a little more work for him, but he kept coming back for more for the entire 90 minute session! By the end, he was able to shuffle from the center of the ice, back over to the bench, holding on to only one hand - a big smile on his face the whole time! Needless to say, we were all pretty happy about this outing, and the day was topped off nicely with 'midnight' mass at 8 pm. The kids were downright angelic - and a good thing as we ended up sitting in the front row!
- The tenth day of Christmas, was, well Christmas! As you can imagine, with a 2.5 year old and an almost 5 year old, it was a lot of fun. The day started off a little expectantly though. I woke up around 6:30, and the kids were still asleep. I wanted to get up and start the coffee, but I didn't want to get up before them! Around 7:15 I heard Roddie get up. He walked to the door of their room and said "I pooped!" and we were off! I went in to change him, and of course Norah then woke up. The first words out of her mouth were, "It's Christmas! Today is Jesus's Birthday!" She quickly recalled that this also implied Santa had arrived and they ran out to check out their loot! The biggest hit for Norah was her Barbie house, though she was big into opening all her presents, and pretty much any new toy. Rod got a toy guitar that he literally did not put down until it was time for bed. He would occasionally open another gift and check it out, but always went back to the guitar!
- On the eleventh day of Christmas, we were all knackered. The day consisted of more of the same, including a second round of Christmas eve chowder, which had mellowed nicely, and a second round of skating. Norah continued to do great at skating, while Roddie seemed to master the "rag doll" move, and wasn't so into it this time.
- On the twelfth day of Christmas Nanny and Papa left to go home. As usual the house seems empty and the kids were a little out of sorts. We'll soon get back into our usual routine and the void will fill with the regular hubbub of life around here.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
12 Days of 2012: Day 8
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| Sparkle-Star, our Elf on a Shelf, compliments of Nanny, came for a visit while the kids were asleep |
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| Matt decided to review the guy's story with him |
12 Days of 2012: Day 7
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| Yeah, that's beer on the rolling table |
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| The fruits of our collective labor |
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| Ready to share with our friends! |
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| Roddie's last soccer practice |
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
12 Days of 2012: Day 1
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| The girls ready for rehearsal - Norah, Sammi, Cassandra, Lauren, Elsa, Hailey, xx and Erin |
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| The excitement continues.... |
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| Gangman style ballerinas! |
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| Doing their number |
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| Day of the big show, ready to break a leg! |
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| Our big girl ballerina! |
Friday, December 21, 2012
Norah News: Here Comes Barbie!
I bought Norah a Barbie house and assorted accessories for Christmas this year. I didn’t buy the “I want to be an Engineer” Barbie either, she has ballerina Barbies and fancy dress Barbies – no Engineer, Vet, Geologist or other “feminist” Barbies. I don’t consider myself a feminist, but I am a female in a typically male dominated field and I don’t want her to ever think she can’t do the same – whether it’s Engineering or some other field.
I read a lot about marketing to kids, especially girls, I’m admittedly hyper sensitive to some of it. I love web sites like pinkstinks and towards the stars, I buy gender neutral toys when possible (in part because I have a son and a daughter) and I don’t flinch when Roddie wants to dance, or play house, or comfort the baby dolls.
The reality is, Norah LIKES pink and purple, she LIKES ballet, and dresses, sparkly shoes…and Barbie. She also happens to like camping, soccer, trains, blocks, riding on the lawn tractor, checking out bugs and she’s “going to wait until she is 6 and a half” to decide if she would prefer hockey or figure skating. The latest craze in our house, for both kids, is building a school bus from wooden chairs and playing with a set of old-fashioned wooden blocks we picked up at a yard sale. They love to use their imagination, and I don’t want to take away from that.
We don’t really buy all that many toys, and when we do, I really try hard to buy things that they will really like – and not just another thing. They mostly do great with anything that involves their imagination, and often use toys to represent other things in their pretend play. It’s hard at times, especially at Christmas. Norah seems to really enjoy the Barbies she does have, and Roddie has no interest, at least at this point, so it feels like something special, just for her. I have to trust that she will be smart enough and we will guide her enough to know that Barbie, like Lalaloopsy, Polly Pockets, Smurfs and others are not real and have no bearing on how she should view herself. There will be a lot stronger influences in her lift than a plastic doll and what she really needs to understand is to think for herself. I don’t see Barbie, in any of her incarnations, affecting that one way or the other – that’s all us.
So for us, toys, as in life, all things in moderation. Bring on the Barbies, Santa!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Foto Finish Friday Special Edition
I already have a few pictures for this week's Foto Friday, but these were so many I split it into two editions. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Adventure Chronicles: Christmas Tree!
Growing up, Matt and his family always went out into the woods to get a tree. In Matt's mind at least, this was an all day affair, that involved a long ride to a forest somewhere. Every year since we've been together, Matt has had this idea that we should recreate this experience. The reality is that, between the kids being little, the weather being unpredictable, and this year, a lot of busy weekends leading up to Christmas, we just don't have the time. We've tried a few local places but hadn't quite found a place that works... until now. It's incredibly close to home, literally 15 minutes away, on the same street as the hospital where the kids were born! It was a beautiful day, not as cold as you'd think from how I had the kids dressed, the place was busy, but not terribly crowded, and all they sold was trees - no gift shop to get thru just to get a tree! We had a nice time, got a nice, albeit a little small (oops!) tree and I think we found our new go-to place - perhaps another tradition is born!
I don't think Roddie really understood that the tree was going to go into our living room, and he seemed pretty bewildered when he got up from his nap and saw it there, but he got on board fast! Norah has remembered that all of the ornaments in the big box have a story, and she's begun asking about them a week or more ago. I love that she remembered - this is what I had in mind when I started collecting them long long ago!
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| Hey Roddie, look at how big THIS one was! |
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| Wandering through the fields of trees |
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| The girls are having fun! |
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| This one is ours! Norah helps Matt take it out to the road |
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| Mom, tell me the story about this one! |
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| Hooray, the tree is up! Norah and Roddie jumping for joy! Wait until Christmas! |
Norah News: Busy Weekend
Norah's day was back-end loaded. She also went to the party in the afternoon. The activities were designed for kids her age, and most of the kids were her peers, so she was totally in her element. What surprised me was how brave, and strong she was! They had a zip line over the foam pit and Norah was chomping at the bit to have her turn! She did great, and got up again for more!
That evening, we had our second annual Nutcracker girls night out. Last year, Norah's friend Erin and her mom joined us for a 'fancy' dinner and a local production of the Nutcracker. This year, Erin's younger sister Allie was old enough to join us as well. The girls enjoyed the show, as expected as well as the whole event - getting dressed up, all riding together in the van, going out to dinner, leaving the boys at home etc. Seems we have a tradition in the making!
Roddie Report: Busy Weekend
We had a really busy weekend this week... so busy really that I was prepared for total meltdowns! Alas, the kids disappointed in that regard and were terrific! Our next door neighbor Jack, had a birthday party at a local play place on Saturday afternoon. For Roddie that meant he came home form soccer, had something to eat, and off we went to the party! Roddie was at least a year younger than all of the kids at the party and a lot younger than most. He started off a little shy, but after a fun time in a pit of foam blocks, he was warmed up and ready to go. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I did manage to get this really cool one.
Team Dad 2
Just by fluke, (or maybe not, I really don't know) Matt and Roddie were dressed virtually the same for soccer practice this weekend. They looked so cute I had to take a picture! This was the morning after the haircut and Roddie was still in full on Daddy mode. For that matter, he still is today, Tuesday!
Team Dad
Matt and Norah got haircuts after dinner last Friday. Roddie was all about Dad that night and chose to go in Dad's car instead of Mom's (*sniff*) When Norah and I arrived at the haircut place, here were my boys...hanging out. Note that Rod has on his "Team Dad" T-shirt! You can also see how skeptical he was about the whole affair...
Friday, December 7, 2012
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