Holiday Hoopla 2012

B turned 4 and we celebrated with an Angry Birds party - it was super fun.  The weather surprised us and we were able to play outside for B's late November birthday.  Masks, bikes, pinatas, presents, cupcakes, friends and family completed the day.  At the end of the day we were wishing on a star...R told me her wish was to redo the whole day because it was such an awesome time. 

Then I got to attend a Christmas party at Jumpsmart.  B was a "jingle deer" in his preschool Christmas show.   He jingled with the best of 'em!

On December 1st we started our advent calendar traditions.  First up: Trimming the tree...

 R asked this little guy to do the honours for her this year and place the star because apparently she "is afraid of heights"...

Next we bundled up and met good friends at the Candlelight Parade....

 It was cold but it was totally worth it to catch a glimpse of Santa....

The kids finished their Saturday morning swimming lesson set...they both passed!  B is going to take another set of swimming lessons.  R wants to try skating in January.

 On the weekend, RKA and I attended his company Christmas party and stayed the night at the swanky Rosewood Hotel.  It was a fun night!

This morning we were greeted by a whisper of snow....

....just in time for R's Christmas concert appearance as "Suzy Snowflake".....

...she sparkled up there on the stage!

The hoopla has just begun and we have 6 more days until Christmas!  Then the fun continues into 2013 with parties with friends, Family dinners, open houses, New Year's Eve with our long lost TO friends...Happy Holidays!

Sasquatch

We set out on a voyage to find some fish.  We had heard that they were in the creek so we went down to check it out.  There were no fish to be seen but we did see some fishers complete with hip-waders and iphones.  One fisherman came over to us immediately upon spotting us and excitedly relayed his story of a sasquatch.  It seems that he found a nineteen inch sasquatch footprint in the sand across the stream and documented it with his iphone.  Now, I'm a skeptic at heart but I found myself coveting his hipwaders because I really wanted to check it out for myself.  I attempted to see how far I could get with my little turquoise boots but those little shorties were not up to snuff so I had to settle for the second hand account and the iphone picture of the sasquatch print.  It did look very convincing, but not enough to spook us from our adventure.  We took a long hike along the creek and through the woods.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end the closest we got to a sasquatch was this little monster!

Kid Quotes

I love quoting the kids.  They always come up with the most eloquent yet simple way to express themselves.  For instance, R has been targeted by a little pig-tailed girl in ballet class.  One week it was a stuck-out tongue, the next it was mean words, and today it was, "I hate you" accompanied by a stomp on the toes.  When R went to confront her tormentor she bravely looked her straight in the eye and in a clear voice simply said, "You bother me!"  The pig-tailed assailant had no choice but to admit it with a sheepish, "I know..."  R countered with a "Please stop it" which elicited a feeble, "Okay."  Simple.  Succinct.  Over (let's hope).  This exchange at ballet class led into an in depth conversation between R and I about how to stick up for yourself, and for others.  She is such a brave kid.  I am so proud of her!  And you can bet that I will be dropping her line, "You bother me" the next time someone proverbially stomps on my foot!

B's best quote of late is another favourite of mine.  He has been going through some separation anxiety since I went back to work and he has been quite clingy with me.  He throws his arms around my neck and says, "I love you too much, Mommy!"  Well, what can you say to that.  I feel exactly the same way about him.  There is just too much love to contain for this little daredevil!

The Apple Barn

The Apple Barn is a tradition around here.  We go with friends every year and have a blast - and as you can see this year did not disappoint!

Odds and Ends

Gpa retired this summer so we celebrated with a luau...warming up for our spring trip to Hawaii!

RKA has another year under his belt - now totalling 35! 

 This brought me back to my childhood and kept the kids busy for an entire afternoon :)

Love this kid!

RKA completed his first triathalon last weekend and surprised everyone including himself with how well he did!  I found out that triathalons are definitely better spectator sports than marathons so I hope he continues.

It has been a busy season for our family and now with back to school and all that entails we are ready for some serious cozy fall time.  Bring on the sweaters, pumpkins and apple cider!