Foto Finish Friday: Week 53?

Apparently I messed up the numbering somewhere along the way... Regardless, here's the final Foto Friday for 2011.. all the best for a wonderful 2012, love Shauna, Matt, Norah and Roddie

Foto Finish Friday: Week 52

Foto Finish Friday: Week 51

Adventure Chronicles: Close to Home

I had a really great weekend this week.  We didn't go anywhere, but that was just the point.

I started off with a shopping day on Friday - I dropped the kids off and headed to the Mall -  and I didn't come back until all my Christmas shopping was done, right down to the stocking stuffers!  Matt had his office Christmas party that afternoon, so we weren't expecting him for supper, so the kids and I went out for dinner with our neighbour, Megan.  When we got home, Norah and Matt enjoyed watching Frosty the Snowman on TV

Saturday morning, we decided to divide and conquer - with Matt taking Norah out for breakfast and bonding and Rod and I going for groceries.  Naturally, Matt and Norah had some other errands to do, so Roddie and I had the morning to ourselves... we spent some time outside before heading in to clean the floors inside - Roddie was surprisingly helpful and it was a fun activity.  The pictures below are from last weekend, but they capture our outside time just the same.

Saturday afternoon was low-key - Rod and Matt both managed long naps.  After an hour or so of quiet time, Norah gave up on her nap, but we spent some time watching ballet videos on YouTube in anticipation of that night's outing - to the Nutcracker. Our neighbour friends Erin and her mom Jen came with us and the girls just had a blast!  Check out the anticipation on Norah's face!

The Nutcracker was a huge hit, and Norah was in total awe the entire time.  She chattered away during the first half, about what she'd done in her own dance class, or what she was going to do when she was big etc.  She started to fade after intermission, leaning over to me at one point and saying "Mommy, we didn't bring our jammies!"  She was still buzzing about it the next morning, and wore her dance shoes while we trimmed the tree. 

I decided that there was no point in saving their Christmas outfits for a single day - since we're staying put this year, there are no family gatherings to go to, and between Norah's wide selection of hand-me-down fancy dresses and the fact that Rod will outgrow his in short order, I figured they may as well wear the stuff during the whole Christmas season!  It also gave me the opportunity to take a few pictures for the Christmas card :)  So Norah and I trimmed the tree while Roddie napped and Matt puttered around nearby.  I have, for a long time, collected random Christmas ornaments, and each one on our tree has a story or a history - handpainted ornaments from my grandmother's tree, 70's era glass ones from my mom's, mementos from various travels, wedding and baby ornaments and so on.  I really enjoyed talking to Norah about the story behind each one and look forward to her telling them back to me one day.

 Norah went down for a much needed nap after that was done, and Rod and I went out to run a quick errand.  Rod was really interested in staying outside when we returned, so we did!  He and I kicked around the yard for an hour or so.. picking up sticks and rocks, walking around the block, kicking a ball.. I described it to Matt as good for the body and soul.. so I sent him outside with Roddie for another little while as I prepped some cookie dough.  When they got back in, and Norah woke up, we made a big deal of putting the angel on the top of the tree.  We also took the opportunity to kick off an annual tradition from my side of the family - Christmas headgear!

The weekend wrapped up with an excellent meal, prepared by Matt, some nice story and cuddle time with both kids, wrapping up a few Christmas items on Amazon.com, and some sofa time with Matt.

Norah News: Big Girl Photo Update

As I was getting the Christmas card together for this year, I realized I didn't have a lot of really good pictures of Norah from the past few months.  I guess I've been so concentrated on ensuring I don't forget to document Roddie's development that I've been a little slack on taking pictures of Norah.  In addition, she's taken to making funny faces and sticking out her tongue when I try to take a picture!  Anyway, turns out I got a few really nice ones over the past week or two and I thought I should take the opportunity to update the blog about what Norah has been up to!

She is developing into a really interesting young lady.  She's very articulate and observant, often noticing things that I don't - commonalities between words, places, people for instance.  She still loves her little brother, but they're developing something closer to a peer relationship - a sibling relationship I guess you'd call it - whereby they both love and antagonize each other.  She also tends to mother him from time to time, which can be disconcerting as I hear my own voice coming from her!

At school, she's doing well in preschool, and knows and can write all her letters and can count up to 21.  She knows all the sounds of her letters as has great fun sounding out words - or at least their leading sounds - at every opportunity.  She still loves to read, and we all look forward to her story time each night before bed.  She started dance class in September and is LOVING it, and looking forward to her recital this upcoming weekend. 

She's making her own friendships now, and clearly prefers the company of some kids over others, though is still inclusive for the most part.  It's really interesting to hear her talking with her friends (or herself) for that matter as her intellect evolves. 

One of the most interesting things about Norah at this stage is her imagination.  She has a way of pretending that any available toy fits into whatever game she wants to play.  She draws all kinds of interesting things and makes up stories (and words)

Trying out the Xmas Headgear

Ready to head to Jack's Birthday Party

Ready to head to the Nutcracker

Ready to decorate the Xmas tree

Foto Finish Friday: Week 50

Roddie Report: *sniff*

As I posted the other day, Roddie is in with the big-kids now... and we're both ready for that.  What I am NOT ready for is the change in my daily greeting from the little man!  For the past 6 months or more, ever since he started moving on his own power, he has beelined it to the door to see me the minute he knew I was out there.  Yesterday, his first official day in Toddlers, he looked up, showed me the block he was playing with, and then returned his attention to whatever he was building. 

I was heartbroken.

Thankfully, as I got down to his level to see what he was doing, he threw himself into my arms for a big hug... and then went back to building again.

Foto Finish Friday: Week 49