The Thornley Boys Loose at the ACC!

Paul was given 3 seats to a Tuesday night Leafs game, so naturally our first thought was it was a perfect opportunity to take the boys to their first game. Adam and Michael were so excited, Michael asked every day for about a week if it was time to go to hockey! They all piled into the truck and headed to Toronto (I, of course, was left at home with David, who was battling a double ear infection and terrible cough), calling me on the way to let me know that they were on the road and sounding like they were bouncing off the walls of the truck! They got there and had to stop in at the gift shop, Adam purchasing a foam finger and Michael getting yet another mini hockey stick (it was either that or a pink puck...not hard to figure out why Paul went with the stick). Adam got some pictures during warm up, and during intermission the boys got their tickets signed by Walter Gretzky, whose seat was just down from theirs. The Leafs won the game 3-1 over Columbus, and the boys thought that was great. Overall it was an awesome evening for them, a great first experience at an NHL game.

Hockey Day in Canada!

Paul was lucky enough to be invited to Box Seats to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Detroit Red Wings on Hockey Day in Canada. It's quite an experience to watch the game live, but it's even better watching it from up in a box! Talk about living it up in style, the food that was there, plus the free drinks, I mean what more can you ask for?! The Leafs were even kind enough to win the game in overtime for us! Of course, I forgot my camera, but one of the wives was more prepared and got some pictures and luckily sent us a couple. Definitely the way to watch the game!

The Big Baptism

So, as promised, pictures of Michael and David's baptism. I'd hoped to have them on before now, but for some reason just haven't gotten around to it...go figure! The day went really well, the crummy weather held out for the weekend so that everyone could make it down. We had a good visit with the Latours...short but good! The boys got along really well with each other, so we'll definitely have to plan another weekend together. It was good to see everyone, it's not often that we get together but it's always fun when we do. We missed those of you who couldn't be here! Next is Adam's Baptism/First Communion/Confirmation on May 11, save the date!

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".