So these may not make it on to the TV show, but they are moments I'd like to remember.
Ethan just loves his Woa Woa (doggie) and lately before we leave the house he's been telling us that Woa Woa will cry when we leave. So far he's been pretty good about just telling Woa Woa not to worry and that we'll be back soon. Today we got home and as soon as he had his shoes off, he went round the house calling out, "Woa Woa are you? (Where are you?) No cry, cry. I home now."
Today we went to see the display of Gingerbread Lane at the Hyatt Regency. The weather was rainy and traffic was busy. We were stuck for a bit and Ethan was getting rather antsy. Maddy looks over at him and says, "Ethan, I am exhausted from your whinging!"
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Grinding to a halt...
So I mentioned in an earlier post that Ethan was turning down his food. That was pretty much a theme for the weekend and I just figured with the excitement of all the parties, he was too into playing than eating. I also mentioned that Ethan was all over the juice and I should have put the two together.
Sunday evening after the kids were down for the night, it all went downhill. Maddy was feeling a little down this weekend but by Sunday evening the fever came and she was up at various times in the night with night terrors (She usually gets the terrors when she sleeps hot, so they are a sure thing when she has a fever). When she is in the middle of a night terror, she screams at the top of her lungs and woke Ethan. He was a little warm and clingy, so he spent the rest of the night with us. Monday was rough. Both kids had little sleep and were sick. Maddy was about 24hrs ahead of Ethan so his fever came Monday afternoon. By Monday night, Ethan was just wrecked. He was clingy and wanting Mama all the time. At one point he was wanting all of mom's attention and I couldn't get him to let Maddy stay in the room with us. I said, in an effort to joke and lighten his mood, "What do you want to me to do? Should I throw Jeh-Jeh away?" Maddy laughed, but Ethan thought it was a great idea. He then kept saying through his tears of frustration, "Throw Jeh-Jeh way! Throw Jeh-Jeh way" Ooops, my bad. By Monday night, this was the scene at our house:
To make the time pass on Monday, I'd already pulled out all the stops. We made paper chains to decorate the house, the kids watched me make mini pumpkin pies and we watched The Grinch for the first time on You Tube. By Tuesday and the thought of another day at home, I was desparate as I grabbed the cookie dough to make sugar cookies. It was easy to do, just add an egg and a stick of butter, but I knew that with the kids being all snotty and slightly feverish, the cookies could not be shared with anyone else. To confirm this, Ethan promptly sneezed all over the rolled out dough in front of him. Anyway the kids had fun and they ate the cookies happily afterwards.
Now that the fevers seem to have broken, I'm hoping that the kids will be better in time for the main event. Perhaps it was a message from above telling us to slow down a little. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Sunday evening after the kids were down for the night, it all went downhill. Maddy was feeling a little down this weekend but by Sunday evening the fever came and she was up at various times in the night with night terrors (She usually gets the terrors when she sleeps hot, so they are a sure thing when she has a fever). When she is in the middle of a night terror, she screams at the top of her lungs and woke Ethan. He was a little warm and clingy, so he spent the rest of the night with us. Monday was rough. Both kids had little sleep and were sick. Maddy was about 24hrs ahead of Ethan so his fever came Monday afternoon. By Monday night, Ethan was just wrecked. He was clingy and wanting Mama all the time. At one point he was wanting all of mom's attention and I couldn't get him to let Maddy stay in the room with us. I said, in an effort to joke and lighten his mood, "What do you want to me to do? Should I throw Jeh-Jeh away?" Maddy laughed, but Ethan thought it was a great idea. He then kept saying through his tears of frustration, "Throw Jeh-Jeh way! Throw Jeh-Jeh way" Ooops, my bad. By Monday night, this was the scene at our house:
To make the time pass on Monday, I'd already pulled out all the stops. We made paper chains to decorate the house, the kids watched me make mini pumpkin pies and we watched The Grinch for the first time on You Tube. By Tuesday and the thought of another day at home, I was desparate as I grabbed the cookie dough to make sugar cookies. It was easy to do, just add an egg and a stick of butter, but I knew that with the kids being all snotty and slightly feverish, the cookies could not be shared with anyone else. To confirm this, Ethan promptly sneezed all over the rolled out dough in front of him. Anyway the kids had fun and they ate the cookies happily afterwards.
Now that the fevers seem to have broken, I'm hoping that the kids will be better in time for the main event. Perhaps it was a message from above telling us to slow down a little. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Christmas Playdate/Dinner
Sunday evening was our annual Christmas playdate with friends. Just an evening with friends and yummy food. Everyone brings part of the fixins' for Christmas dinner and the kids get to play while the adults hang out. Thanks to the Yorks for hosting this year. The number of the families has stayed the same over the years, but the number of kids keeps going up. As I got home, I realized we forgot to take a group photo of all the kids, but here are a few shots.
The Nutcracker
On Sunday afternoon, Maddy and I had a special 'girls date'. We went to see the Nutcracker Ballet in New Westminster. It was Maddy's first time in a theatre of any sort and I found myself having to prepare her for what was to come. It's funny to think that even the lights all going out could be potentially scary for kids. Maddy was very excited because she knew it was going to be a ballet. In the car ride there, I talked about how I was hoping to make this a special girls tradition if she enjoyed it. About 20 minutes into the first half she leans over to me and whispers, "I like it, mama!" Too cute. During the intermission we went to the lobby to get a cookie and drink. Some of the cast members were there with their families and they agreed to take pictures with Maddy. The one with "Clara" is a little out of focus, but Maddy was so smitten with her, that she wanted me to include it in the blog anyway.
Thanks for a great afternoon Maddy! I had just as much fun going as you did. I love 'Mom and Maddy' days.
Frances and Pippa
Cousins Frances and Pippa are in town for the holidays! The Tulks treated us to a birthday dinner at Earls to celebrate the girls' birthdays. It was great to see the girls, Joanne and Philip again. The girls have grown and matured so much. Maddy loves her cousins and had a great time sitting with Pippa. Sorry to Frances, we didn't get a picture of your Soccer team cake. Uncle Josh wasn't fast enough. We hope you had a great birthday.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Radical Christmas for Kids
We've been going to Radical's Christmas party for kids for four years now. This year was a lot of fun to see the kids really enjoy all the activities. In the past there was always someone who was too scared to go in the bouncy castle and one or both who had strong aversions to Santa. This year was a complete turn around.
We started with a yummy breakfast of waffles, bacon, sausages and eggs. The highlight for the kids are, of course, the juice boxes. (Full strength juice! What a treat!) Ethan, in a surprise, turned down his food (more about that to follow in another post), but he was all over the juice boxes. We always try to limit the intake by asking him to 'share' with mom and dad. When we get a chance, we try to suck back as much of it was possible without it appearing so. He's catching on quickly.
Next came the crafts. I love these foamy, peal and stick crafts. So easy and so clean! This is the first year Ethan was able to peal the stickers and he was in full concentration mode.
Finally, the bouncy castle. If only we could fit on of these into our playroom. The kids loved it this year. In other years there would be a lot of hanging out around the steps of the castle, but this year was just full steam ahead.
Ethan says, "Quit taking pictures. She's about to land on my head." (Just kidding)
By the time we left, the kids were tuckered out. During the ride home, in an effort to keep Ethan awake until nap time at home, I ask what their favourite part was. Ethan was quiet as I listed all the fun things: Food, crafts, Santa, bouncy castle, present... I asked him again what his favourite part was and he simply said "candy".
Thanks Radical for a great Christmas party.
We started with a yummy breakfast of waffles, bacon, sausages and eggs. The highlight for the kids are, of course, the juice boxes. (Full strength juice! What a treat!) Ethan, in a surprise, turned down his food (more about that to follow in another post), but he was all over the juice boxes. We always try to limit the intake by asking him to 'share' with mom and dad. When we get a chance, we try to suck back as much of it was possible without it appearing so. He's catching on quickly.
Next came the crafts. I love these foamy, peal and stick crafts. So easy and so clean! This is the first year Ethan was able to peal the stickers and he was in full concentration mode.
He didn't even want to look up for the photo.
Part was through the crafts, Santa made his appearance. Perhaps it was the age the kids are at now, or perhaps it was the huge bag of candy that Santa had, but both kids warmed very quickly to the man dressed in red. They even posed for our first ever picture with the Radical Santa.
Finally, the bouncy castle. If only we could fit on of these into our playroom. The kids loved it this year. In other years there would be a lot of hanging out around the steps of the castle, but this year was just full steam ahead.
Ethan says, "Quit taking pictures. She's about to land on my head." (Just kidding)
By the time we left, the kids were tuckered out. During the ride home, in an effort to keep Ethan awake until nap time at home, I ask what their favourite part was. Ethan was quiet as I listed all the fun things: Food, crafts, Santa, bouncy castle, present... I asked him again what his favourite part was and he simply said "candy".
Thanks Radical for a great Christmas party.
Monday, December 12, 2011
In full swing...
We had an awesome weekend filled with tons of holiday fun. It started on Friday night with Maddy's preschool Christmas concert. Last year Maddy confided in me that she was a little scared to be up there, but this year was really different. It's amazing what a difference a year makes. They practice these songs for a long time at school and even had MANY rehearsals in the actual church.
Saturday morning was Maddy's last day of ballet class. It's been so much fun to take Maddy to ballet this term. She really enjoyed going each time and was excited to see Miss Maddy (her teacher). In the new year we will be taking a break from ballet because we are all going to start Mandarin lessons. Maddy has already expressed an interest in taking more ballet lessons, but we'll have to wait until we can get into a weekday class that works with our schedule.
****Sorry, the videos are a little off because YouTube didn't frame them like I did. I'm really not filming other people's kid and cutting my own off.
On Saturday evening we went to Ed and Liezel's place for a Christmas dinner. Now that all the kids are older, I can happily report that the adults got a good amount of 'real conversation' in while the kids played. It's probably the first time in 4 years that we've been this relaxed. The kids did a gift exchange and with the promise of getting to open the presents soon, they even posed nicely for a group shot. It was a great evening with the Lefebvres, Lows and Van Dops. Thank you to the Lows for hosting!
Sunday was a low key day spent at home. It was nice to get caught up with laundry, cleaning and groceries. In the afternoon the kids decorated our first gingerbread house. It was hilarious watching Ethan lick his fingers every time he put a new candy onto the house. They were pretty good about not eating the candy, but I'm sure Ethan ate as much sugar in the icing. They were super proud to show their gingerbread house to Gong Gong and Po Po later that night.
Sunday evening was an adults only dinner with the same crew from the day before. The idea of going out 'sans kids' came about when other plans fell through, but I think that we have started a new tradition. We went to Boneta Restaurant in Gastown and the food was delicious. We joked and said that we were not allowed to talk about the kids during the evening. It was actually pretty easy to follow that rule. I guess we had four years to catch up on!
Today we had a picnic lunch beside our tree. The kids loved it and I loved that clean up only meant taking the blanket and shaking off the crumbs outside. Yay!
The holiday events are now in full swing. The days seem to be going by quickly and feels like Christmas will be over before we know it. We're having a great time so far and look forward to even more fun with family and friends.
Saturday morning was Maddy's last day of ballet class. It's been so much fun to take Maddy to ballet this term. She really enjoyed going each time and was excited to see Miss Maddy (her teacher). In the new year we will be taking a break from ballet because we are all going to start Mandarin lessons. Maddy has already expressed an interest in taking more ballet lessons, but we'll have to wait until we can get into a weekday class that works with our schedule.
****Sorry, the videos are a little off because YouTube didn't frame them like I did. I'm really not filming other people's kid and cutting my own off.
On Saturday evening we went to Ed and Liezel's place for a Christmas dinner. Now that all the kids are older, I can happily report that the adults got a good amount of 'real conversation' in while the kids played. It's probably the first time in 4 years that we've been this relaxed. The kids did a gift exchange and with the promise of getting to open the presents soon, they even posed nicely for a group shot. It was a great evening with the Lefebvres, Lows and Van Dops. Thank you to the Lows for hosting!
Sunday was a low key day spent at home. It was nice to get caught up with laundry, cleaning and groceries. In the afternoon the kids decorated our first gingerbread house. It was hilarious watching Ethan lick his fingers every time he put a new candy onto the house. They were pretty good about not eating the candy, but I'm sure Ethan ate as much sugar in the icing. They were super proud to show their gingerbread house to Gong Gong and Po Po later that night.
Sunday evening was an adults only dinner with the same crew from the day before. The idea of going out 'sans kids' came about when other plans fell through, but I think that we have started a new tradition. We went to Boneta Restaurant in Gastown and the food was delicious. We joked and said that we were not allowed to talk about the kids during the evening. It was actually pretty easy to follow that rule. I guess we had four years to catch up on!
Today we had a picnic lunch beside our tree. The kids loved it and I loved that clean up only meant taking the blanket and shaking off the crumbs outside. Yay!
The holiday events are now in full swing. The days seem to be going by quickly and feels like Christmas will be over before we know it. We're having a great time so far and look forward to even more fun with family and friends.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Fa La La La La
It's officially December and I've been looking forward to starting all the Christmas festivities. Last week we went to our usual mall Santa at Park Royal. We went at a great time and didn't have to wait in line. We were actually one of the first ones there and so the kids got to spend some extra time with Santa as he was coming to the booth. As a side note, I have to say that I'm loving all the Santas in the mall these days. My kids love to wave at Santa, even when they are not actually there to take pictures. It always brings such joy to the kids when Santa waves back merrily. We have yet to run into a grouchy Santa and for that I'm so thankful. This was the first year that Maddy and Ethan took a picture with Santa without Josh and I needing to be in the photo.
Last night we brought home our Christmas tree. The kids were really keen on decorating the tree so Josh and I set up the tree at night, decorated the top half and hung all the breakable ornament at the top. This morning the kids woke and squealed with delight when they saw the tree. It was so much fun to decorate the rest of the tree with them tonight. Every time Ethan hung an ornament, he'd exclaim "Look, Mama!!" He was so proud of himself. Every time we pass anything that seasonally decorated, Ethan will call out, "Mama, Crichris!" I have yet to grow tired of hearing his cute little way for saying 'Christmas'.
Last night we brought home our Christmas tree. The kids were really keen on decorating the tree so Josh and I set up the tree at night, decorated the top half and hung all the breakable ornament at the top. This morning the kids woke and squealed with delight when they saw the tree. It was so much fun to decorate the rest of the tree with them tonight. Every time Ethan hung an ornament, he'd exclaim "Look, Mama!!" He was so proud of himself. Every time we pass anything that seasonally decorated, Ethan will call out, "Mama, Crichris!" I have yet to grow tired of hearing his cute little way for saying 'Christmas'.
Papa in Training
As much as Ethan loves his trains and trucks, he has a really soft nurturing side too. His beloved "Woa Woa" is his most prized possession. We actually have two of them because I could never get the one away from him long enough to wash and dry it. One of Ethan's favourite things to do is to take care of Woa Woa and judging by the way he does, Ethan is going to be a great Papa!
Here is a typical "day" for Ethan the Papa:
First we head out for a stroll in the park or at the shops to get groceries
Next, it's back home and Papa has to get lunch ready for the hungry dogs.
Lunch is ready!!
A table for two.
Part way through lunch Papa exclaims "Woa Woa, yaiy yaiy!" ("Naughty Woa Woa") and sends them both to time out.
Of course it's potty time after lunch.
Finally, time for a bath in the sink.
Watching Ethan play is too much fun. You'll make a great Papa someday little guy!!
Here is a typical "day" for Ethan the Papa:
First we head out for a stroll in the park or at the shops to get groceries
Next, it's back home and Papa has to get lunch ready for the hungry dogs.
Lunch is ready!!
A table for two.
Part way through lunch Papa exclaims "Woa Woa, yaiy yaiy!" ("Naughty Woa Woa") and sends them both to time out.
Of course it's potty time after lunch.
Finally, time for a bath in the sink.Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Halloween 2011
It just gets better and better. The holidays with the kids are so much fun and now that the kids are 4 and 2 years old, I feel like cramming in all the fun stuff there's to do as much as possible. I know there will come a day where mummy dogs are no longer exciting, so I'm enjoying it as much as I can now!
We started the festivities with going to the Halloween Howl Fair put on by the West End Community Centre. We went with the Lefberves and the Van Dops and then met up with more friends for lunch at White Spot. The Fair was super busy and a little overwhelming for the kids, but I was impressed with the number of Halloween themed activities they had crammed into the small gym space. Josh and I let the kids have a few too many sweets and we learned a small lesson about sugar highs and naps that day.
It's a good thing we are fast learners and the next day we kept treats to a minimum while at the Halloween party hosted my the Brown-Johns. It's always fun to see friends and all their kids, but it's even more fun when everyone is wearing such cute costumes. In the morning we also carved our pumpkins and the kids had a great time. This year Maddy was super proud that she stuck her hand in the pumpkin to pull out some of the 'guts'. Ethan wasn't too 'into' this task, but he has a great time stirring the 'guts' once they were in the bowl.
Hee hee, I couldn't resist putting this one in. When Ethan sees this pictures he says, "Oooh Mama! My pee pee!"
Sorting the seeds from the guts.
Now on to the main event! By the actual Halloween night, the kids had already worn their costumes for 2 full days. At first both kids refused to wear the wig. By the Halloween party both kids warmed up to wearing the wig while in the elevator up to the Brown John's, but as soon as they stepped into the door, the wigs came off. Luckily when it came time for Trick-o-treating, both Ethan and Maddy wore their wigs for the WHOLE time. I guess Ethan was just holding out for the real Halloween. The Halloween dinner is becoming a tradition in our household thanks to Joanne and Philip. This year the kids were so into watching me make the mummies, that I even had time to carve different expressions into the mummy faces.
A thumbs up for the cook!
All dressed and ready to collect candy.
The kids get a kick out of being outside even after dark.
Ready to light the pumpkins after trick-o-treating.
We started the festivities with going to the Halloween Howl Fair put on by the West End Community Centre. We went with the Lefberves and the Van Dops and then met up with more friends for lunch at White Spot. The Fair was super busy and a little overwhelming for the kids, but I was impressed with the number of Halloween themed activities they had crammed into the small gym space. Josh and I let the kids have a few too many sweets and we learned a small lesson about sugar highs and naps that day.
It's a good thing we are fast learners and the next day we kept treats to a minimum while at the Halloween party hosted my the Brown-Johns. It's always fun to see friends and all their kids, but it's even more fun when everyone is wearing such cute costumes. In the morning we also carved our pumpkins and the kids had a great time. This year Maddy was super proud that she stuck her hand in the pumpkin to pull out some of the 'guts'. Ethan wasn't too 'into' this task, but he has a great time stirring the 'guts' once they were in the bowl.
Hee hee, I couldn't resist putting this one in. When Ethan sees this pictures he says, "Oooh Mama! My pee pee!"
Sorting the seeds from the guts.
Now on to the main event! By the actual Halloween night, the kids had already worn their costumes for 2 full days. At first both kids refused to wear the wig. By the Halloween party both kids warmed up to wearing the wig while in the elevator up to the Brown John's, but as soon as they stepped into the door, the wigs came off. Luckily when it came time for Trick-o-treating, both Ethan and Maddy wore their wigs for the WHOLE time. I guess Ethan was just holding out for the real Halloween. The Halloween dinner is becoming a tradition in our household thanks to Joanne and Philip. This year the kids were so into watching me make the mummies, that I even had time to carve different expressions into the mummy faces.
A thumbs up for the cook!
All dressed and ready to collect candy.
The kids get a kick out of being outside even after dark.
Ready to light the pumpkins after trick-o-treating.The 'Switch Witch' came to visit our house and dropped off some gifts before Halloween. She left the gifts with a promise that the kids would trade their candy for the present, to be opened on Halloween night. So after picking one treat each, the kids happily handed over the loot and were so into playing with their new toys, they forgot all about the treats. Mama and Papa gave the bags of candy to the Switch Witch later that night!
Happy Halloween everyone, we hope you had a great time!!
*****Keep scrolling down, I've loaded lots of blogs today******
Happy Halloween everyone, we hope you had a great time!!
*****Keep scrolling down, I've loaded lots of blogs today******
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