Is it really over???

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. In the days leading up to the big day, I was having a really hard time getting into the season, it just didn't feel like Christmas at all. I'm not sure what was different, I just couldn't seem to get myself into the Christmas spirit. We didn't put the tree up until the 16th, and that was really only because Adam was dying to get it up and decorated. This year there were no lights up on the house, no lawn ornaments put out, really not anything in our house that would indicate that Santa was coming soon, except for the tree!

We ended up having a relatively quiet day, it was just the 5 of us at home. The kids were kind enough to sleep until 7:30, although both David and Michael were sick, so they had me up quite a few times during the night. Paul had time to go to Horton's for a coffee, a treat that he didn't think he was going to be able to manage since the kids are usually up at the crack of dawn on a normal day! We took our time opening gifts, the kids all taking turns, and taking frequent breaks to crack open the boxes and set up toys for them to check out. They loved all of their gifts, it was great to see Michael's reaction to everything since this is the first Christmas that he really "gets it", he was so excited about every gift! David wanted everything that Michael opened, really getting good use out of his new word "mine". Adam is very much like me, watching everything and making sure that he worked it so that he had the last gift to open!

Adam got a new Transformers helmet (complete with voice changer)...all of the boys had to try it on!

Mom and Dad came down on Boxing Day, bringing a car full of presents with them! The kids were pros by this point and powered through all of them, making sure that they got them all opened by nap time. David wasn't feeling great so he spent most of the time cuddled with Nana and Grandpa on the couch while Daddy opened his presents for him.

Michael with his new hockey gear, courtesy of Aunt Tracey, Uncle Cliff, Kyle and Ben. Thanks!

So, now the tree is down, and we're getting set for a quiet New Year's Eve on Monday. Our plans are to watch some old episodes of Lost (thanks Mom and Dad!), possibly hit the hot tub, and then head to bed for some much needed sleep. I'm trying to remember when we got so old!!! Happy New Year's Everyone!

Tag...you're it!

So, thanks to my friend Julie, I now know what "tagging" means in computer world! If you're reading this, and you aren't sure, I'll quote her explanation "Here are the rules:Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog."! I'm going to try to think of 7 facts about myself, but I'll tell you all upfront that I'm not going to be able to tag 7 people at the end...I don't know 7 people with blogs...how sad is that?!

1. I almost never, ever, ever participate in "chain letters", "pass this along to your closest friends" or any other emails or messages that I get. Not sure why, maybe I just don't like the pressure to respond. I can't explain either why I broke that rule for this one...I must just like to see Julie happy!

2. My two closest girlfriends, the ones who I can tell almost anything to and who probably know me best are two people whom I've never met in real life...yet. There will be a girls weekend sometime when all of the kids get a bit older, and then look out!

3. I know that this will probably not sit well with some, but I'm probably one of the most un-environmental person you will meet. It's not that I don't care, I guess I'm just lazy. I know, it will come back to haunt me someday, until then I'll just continue to hang my head in shame!

4. I'm jealous of all of the blogs that I read that are so well thought out and sound so deep and full of meaning. I can barely keep my blog up to date and it's mostly pictures of the kids, imagine if I actually tried to write something that got people thinking, you'd never see me on here!

5. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and I'm still holding out hope that it can still happen someday. I'm telling myself I can start some courses when the kids get into school, maybe if I can ever go part time at work. The thought of retiring from the bank 30 years from now depresses me, this is not what I want to be when I grow up.

6. I am always making up songs with the kids, a trait that Adam seems to have inherited. Unfortunately, it seems like he may also have picked up my lack of singing ability, but we both give it our best effort.

7. I am always tired. I try to pass it off on the fact that I have 3 kids and a full time job, but I remember being tired in high school as well. I love my weekend naps, I could sleep for hours if the kids would let me.

Okay, that's it! Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep because now it's your turn. Here are my "tags":

http://thedailyrhythm.blogspot.com/
http://sheriffsinlethbridge.blogspot.com/
http://the-kamikaze-butterfly.blogspot.com/

Fall Fun!

Although it's only been a month since I last posted, it seems like alot longer. I guess it's because we seemed to skip entirely over autumn and have jumped right into winter. It's cold and there has been a little bit of snow, and I'm already so sick of winter! So, I'll take a minute now to think about what we did over the last month, when the weather was still warm enough for t-shirts outside, and the kids didn't need coats over their costumes on Hallowe'en. Ahhh, the good old days!

We took the kids to a Corn Maze just outside of Hamilton a couple of weeks before Hallowe'en. We had gone last year, but Michael was still in his cast, and of course David was just a few months old. What a difference a year makes! It was great to see Michael running around with Adam, they both had a blast. David had a bit of a nap while we were in the maze, but woke up just in time to visit the animals farm, I think he opened his eyes to find a big cow staring into his stroller!

Hallowe'en was fun, this is really the first year that Michael has understood the whole concept. David had been battling a cough and fever for a while, so he wasn't too happy (as you can see from the pictures), but he was a trooper while Adam and Michael went trick or treating, even though it was way past his bedtime. I'm not a big fan of the whole thing, so I'm so happy that it's done for another year!

Belt #3!

Adam did his testing for his next belt on Friday, and passed!

He's now onto orange stripe belt, his 3rd belt since he started

(4th if you count the white one that he started with) a year ago.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch him do his testing,

Michael would have sat still for it, but David still tries to join

in on the classes anytime we try to stay to watch! Based on

his scores it looks like he did really well, and we're pretty proud

of our little "karate kid".

Captain Croup

aka: Captain Cling-on, Sir Sickie, Hank the Crank

Well, David has croup...again. So much for the doctor's assurance last time that kids usually only get it once, this is the 2nd time in 3 weeks that he's had it! We spent 3 1/2 hours at emergency on Thursday night (10 pm - 1:30 am), none of which he slept for. Of course he was up at his usual time of 6:30 am on Friday morning, which meant so was I. It was a really long day on Friday, I stayed home with him and basically listened to him whine while I carried him around. Last night he coughed in his sleep for most of the night, so we've had another "sad sack" morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is it for him, I'd hate to think that this was going to be how our winter goes!

Three men in a tub!

It was bath night tonight, so I thought I'd kill 3 birds with one stone! Even though I have vowed never to let Adam and Michael have a bath together again (they fight over the toys), I let them talk me into putting all three of them in the tub together. They were pretty good through the whole thing, most of the splashing was done by David. Once David was out of the bath and dried off, I let him play around for a bit and watch the other boys play. He kept running up to the tub and leaning over to give Adam and Michael kisses. Adam was right into it, but Michael started to get tired of having his games interrupted. If they are this good all of the time, I may have just found a way to save myself some time at night!

What's cooking?!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not a baker. So, I'm not sure what possessed me to suggest to the boys that we make muffins tonight, I guess I'm more sleep deprived than I thought! But, once it was out there, Michael and Adam ran with it, promising to take turns and planning the meals that they could work the muffins into. It actually went alot better than I'd thought it would, I'd even go as far as saying that I may just do this again with them. They had a blast, and they did take turns, as promised, patiently waiting until it was their turn again, and understanding when it had to be my turn for safety reasons. I guess they're growing up! Of course, David was as good as gold during the whole thing, he was happy because he was eating, and then just before we put the muffins into the oven, he went to bed and fell right to sleep. I guess watching all of the activity wore him out...I completely understand!!!

A couple of weeks ago a bunch of us got together for a very informal high school reunion. Mom and Dad were good enough to babysit the kids on both the Friday and Saturday nights for me so that I could relive my youth with old friends. Paul opted to stay home and take the rare opportunity to get some work done around the house without me and the boys in his way. If you had asked me even a couple of years ago if I would ever attend a reunion, I would have said "not on your life", but I am so glad that I went. Some of the people there were friends that I hadn't seen in 16 years, but it felt like no time had passed as we laughed and remembered all of the good times that we had had. I have to say the hi-lites of the weekend were the dinners with the girls, it made me realize how much I had missed having them in my life. We have vowed not to let so much time pass again in between our get togethers, and since there's talk of making the reunion an annual affair, we should be able to keep that promise to each other.

Summer 2007

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've updated this, I guess I'm not any better at keeping this current than I am keeping in touch with everyone! So, here's what we've been up to lately: David and Michael both celebrated their birthdays along with Dad, who turned the big 7-0, we've moved into a new house, David's now walking and I'm back to work. I think that about sums up the last few months! Of course, there's all of the day to day chaos that goes along with all of those things, but I won't bore you with that!

Taekwondo Champ!

Adam had his first Taekwondo tournament this morning in London. He competed against kids his age with white and white & yellow striped belts in both pattern and sparring. The pattern competition was a little hard to figure out, all of the other kids did a really simple "pattern" of punching and stepping in a circle, and Adam did one that was a series of different kicks, punches and blocks, so we'll have to check with his instructors at his next class to get the low down on what was going on! He was very nervous when it came to the sparring, he kept telling Paul that he wanted to go home, but when it was his turn he got out and kicked butt, and brought home the Gold Medal!!! He seemed to forget all about his nerves after that and now is all set to go for next weekend in Georgetown. We've created a monster!

Spring has Sprung!

It seemed like it was never going to happen but it finally felt like spring around here today! The temperature was up to 14' and it was just too nice to stay inside so we headed out to the swingset when we got home from picking up Adam from school. It was David's first time in the big swing and he loved it. Michael and Adam were digging at the top of the hill for Adam's friend, Jane, a worm he met last year. Not sure if they had any luck tracking her down, but they certainly had fun trying! Hopefully this is only the beginning of the warm weather and we can put the winter gear away for another year.