Bath night

Bath nights are tricky at our house.  Neither of the kids can bathe every night because of the ultra-sensitive skin issue, and the eczema/psoriasis that develops if they bathe too often, especially in winter.  It's tricky because I'm often flying solo with the kids in the evenings.  I started out alternating their bath days, but it got to be too much of a battle so I decided to take a deep breath and be brave.  I now bathe them both on the same night (leaving me every other night to just make it until bedtime and not have to worry about baths, too).  So, while Logan plays in the tub, I have Avery in her tub on the bathroom counter.  This way, I can keep an eye on him while bathing her.  Then Avery and I sit on the floor for the lotion/massage and getting jammies on while Logan washes up.  Once Avery is done, she sits in her chair giggling at her crazy brother while I tackle washing his hair.  Tonight we had company over for dinner so Avery got to have her bottle while Logan finished up.  His favourite part of the bathtime ritual...making crazy hair when he gets out of the tub.  Tonight was my turn to create a masterpiece...

Silly string

Kind of.  Logan loves cheese strings, and up to this point has only eaten them like any normal person would.  However, the joys of going to school have brought the discovery that you can play with the cheese and actually make it into "strings".  Are we mean for keeping that dirty little secret from him??  Maybe, but it grosses me out to think of him (anyone) having his fingers all over his food and then eating it.  Ugh!  Oh well...the joys of childhood have reached an all-time high in our house!

And they call it puppy love

Our newest member of the family.  Our new "nephew" Chudleigh.  He's a 9.5 week old Newfoundland Retriever.  So docile - I can hardly believe it.  Great with the kids, too.  What a laid back little mop he is!  He's pretty big for a 9.5 week old "puppy", but he's got a lot of growing to do yet.  He'll end up being around 150lb when he's full grown.

Storytime

It amazes me everyday what a great big brother he is.  Tonight's selection was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

My little scholar.  He comes home from school now and when I ask him what he learned at school today, he replies, "Not enough yet!" and then asks to do his workbook.  Tonight, he was so tired he had bags under his eyes (yes, he still takes 2 or 3 hour long naps on non-school days!), so I had to convince him to do something relaxing.  He chose his Leapfrog computer, which is still extremely educational.  I'm not complaining...but it's pretty amusing when he chooses "work" over "play".  As if he doesn't already have enough knowledge in his little noggin!

In the summer when he'd sit there, his feet didn't even come to the edge of the seat cushion.  Wow!!  He grew 4" between age 3 and age 4 - and I bet he's grown that much again since his birthday.

Daddy

Any man can be a father.  It takes someone special to be a dad.  - Author Unknown

I see lots of family fun in our future!

This is actually a Christmas present.  We had gotten some money as gifts from a few people and decided to use it toward a family gift.  Logan has recently taken a liking to the Wii and the games that come with it, so this is what we decided on.  Although they're not new out this year or anything, the stores are having a terrible time keeping Wiis in stock.  It has taken a month now for us to get our hands on one! 

One year ago today...

*sigh*  I wish we were there again right now.  Maybe in the future it can become a yearly trip, but not when you're on mat leave!

What? Rain in winter?

Logan was flabbergasted to learn today that it could be possible to have rain in the winter time.  We had a quiet morning in, then the usual skating lessons.  Wow - is Logan ever taking off on the ice!  He literally runs through the obstacle courses they have set up.   

What is this??  Go ahead.  Guess.

That would be a macro shot of Cozzie's bad hair day!  This was about an hour and a half after he'd come inside from the rain - LOL!

Logan wanted to pose...

And Avery had fun watching her big brother at skating.

Last year, Logan cried every Sunday when it was time for skating.  He had a good time once he was there, but he wouldn't move, either.  He literally went every week, cried, got on the ice, and stood there holding hands with one of the helpers.  So frustrating to watch because many of them weren't even trying to get him moving.  Anyways...it's unbelievable what a difference a year makes.  Look at my little Team Canada speed skater at 'em today!

Mmm, Mmm, Good

I made my best chili ever for supper tonight.  And the cesar salad that went along with it wasn't too shabby, either.

Let kids be kids

I've always been a supporter of just letting kids be kids.  I guess my own kid sees things differently?  Because this is what everyone who is a 4 year old boy says, right?

(with much excitement, as if he'd just met Santa himself)

"Mama, Mama!!  Did you know that Chomp has Spectro Armour with that new Element Booster?"

Dude.  I don't even think we speak the same language anymore!

Mission - Something wooden

Tricks of the trade...

We dug the Jumperoo out of the storage room the other day.  Logan loved this toy - the best money we ever spent on him.  He was in it for a good part of his waking moments from the time he was 4 months until about 10 months.  Avery, on the other hand, is still settling in to the idea.  Logan is such a great big brother, and I was quick enough to catch this moment on camera when he was showing her (with high-pitched voice and all!) how the toys work on it. 

Man's best friend.

You have to love how a Golden Retriever will be loyal to his boy, through just about any humiliation the boy can bring about.

Get your motors runnin'

Since Avery spent the first 4.5 months of her life crying, she is just starting to give us this "music to my ears".



That little scrunch of her nose she does at the very end there is just the cutest thing ever.  Do you think I am biased? 

Baby Blues

I've been sick for a month now - one thing after another.  A cold, then the flu which had me in bed for 4 days straight, then back to a cold and then what I thought was strep throat. My throat and ears have been so sore that it literally brings tears to my eyes each time I swallow.   I've been trying to deal with it at home - polysporin ear drops, gargling with salt water, vicks, saline nasal spray... but it has been weeks of this, so I finally got my act together and went to the walk-in clinic tonight.  Yep - really bad double ear infection and throat infection as well.  YAY ME!  You know what they say... nurses make the worst patients, and apparently, I just want to keep that stereotype alive and well!  However...how can you look at that little face up there and not forget about a pesky little thing like pain?? 

Popeye

This picture is blurry and the colour is off, but it's so cute and funny that I just had to post it.  Since her tummy troubles have been getting better on the new formula, Avery is really starting to "take off".  She's cooing, babbling, interacting - and it's soooo nice!  The other day, she was laying on the couch and kept making this funny face, so I ran to get the camera and tried to get a picture of it.  This isn't the best one, but I love it.  I started asking her about her funny face or if she was Popeye, and she'd do it again.  Kind of flap her gums together, put her head back, chin out and half-close her eyes.  What a funny little thing she is!

Olympic Bound

We got my mom tickets to the Canadian Figure Skating Championships for Christmas so we spent the day in London at the JLC today, and will lather, rinse & repeat for tomorrow.  Kind of a nice getaway for me :)  We have tickets to all of the event finals, so we get to see those skaters who will be representing us at the Olympics.  How exciting for them!

Picture quality here is HORRIBLE, but these are my pics for the day.

Home town proud - Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

And my favourite skater ever - Kurt Browning.  Yup.  Right there...see where all those bright lights are? You can juuuuust barely see his head.  (Is it really pathetic that I still get a thrill just knowing he was in the same building as me?? LOL)

Rocket Science

He loves Rockets and chose them as dessert tonight.  He loves to play with them, slide them around the table and apparently learn addition.  He took it upon himself to discover that 4+3+1 = 8 after he made his little pyramid shape. 

Traitors

Logan is 4.  He still has some babyish things about him, like when he says "I fink that's the one I want" or "is that more than firty-ten?".  He still has his toddlerish lisp when he says some words.  That little baby boy of mine peeks through at various times through the day.  He still has a 2 hour nap in the afternoons when he's home, for goodness sakes.  However, people have said to us "Sometimes I have to do a double take when he talks because he sounds like a little adult!"  With all the remnants of baby/toddlerhood that are hanging around, you can imagine how bizarre it is when this conversation takes place:

- "Mama, are we going to Shoppers?" (yes, as in Shoppers Drug Mart)

- Yes Logan we are...

- But Mama, the sign looks like Shoppers but this isn't the one we always go to. 

- No, this is a different one - the one that Granny goes to.

- Oh no.  It's not OUR Shoppers.  You bunch of traitors!!

OK, really?  Is someone playing a joke on me?  He not only knows the word "traitors", but also knows how to use it in context.  He is just growing up way too fast. 

I don't have my photo for today uploaded yet, so I'm officially reserving this spot for it :-)

Here they are:

Pretty sure that the makers of this vintage looking John Deere lunch box did not intend that there would be an alternate use for it.  At least not the alternate use of unlocking Bakugans.

Playdoh Pyramid.  These were stocking stuffers that Logan got at Christmas.  Yes...he emptied them all out, squished them into "pancakes", stacked them ontop of each other, and declared it a masterpiece.  Hmm...a picture of that will be the pic of the day another time :)

Five months old

It's so hard to believe my baby girl is 5 months old today!  I know that sounds cliche to say, but it really is hard to believe.  It has been a blur of time, filled with tummy aches and lots of screaming, burp cloths and laundry.   I've put a lot of miles on my feet trying to comfort her and some days I didn't think I'd last until bedtime.  She's finally doing better, thanks to Alimentum, and so the last week has been like a re-introduction to our baby girl.  It's like we're finally getting to see her "real" personality, and it is so much fun when it shines through. 

She's starting to "talk" more - although it will be hard for her to practice, since it's nearly impossible to get a word in edgewise with big brother, the chatterbox, around ;)  Just last night, we caught a little glimpse into her silly self - Logan and I were singing and Avery was making a silly (and extremely adorable) face as she sang along with us.  When we laughed along with her, it was so fun to see her enjoy getting a reaction from us!  She's trying to roll over now and can sometimes get about halfway over onto her side.  She throws her feet up in the air and tips herself!  She smiles and laughs very easily - especially if Logan is involved.  We're working on her sleep schedule: thankfully, she's an excellent nighttime sleeper and routinely gets about 10-12hrs each night.  Daytime is another story - she takes short catnaps through the day.  That is improving now that she is feeling better.  We went for her 5 month check up today, and she is 15lb 8oz and is just about 25.5" long.  In comparison, Logan was almost 18lbs and about 27". 

When Avery was about 6 weeks old, a friend of mine gave her a stuffed pink pig that she had made, and I got the idea to take Avery's picture beside the pig each month so that we could have a month-by-month account of how she's grown.  Here she is today at 5 months old:

And for comparison (we missed 4 months...bad, bad):

3 months

6 weeks

Another one bites the dust...

This is Ripley, our crazy chocolate lab, and his Baby. Please note that Baby has had better days. Those days were all of the days he had before he entered our house!   Both this Baby, and Cosmo's Baby (featured earlier this month!) were Christmas gifts for the dogs from their auntie.  Both of them lasted approximately 4.23 seconds before parts were destroyed and/or missing!  Ahh, they are well loved.

See those long strings? Those were tightly twisted ropes to use for playing tug...once upon a time.

There's an App for that.

iPhone, iPhone - how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

And yes, I realize I'm an embarrassment to techie geeks everywhere by the fact that I have only 3 pages of apps on my phone.  Leave me a comment with your favourite apps that I should d/l!

Sundays....

Sundays are skating days.  After episodes of frantic screaming and crying every. single. time. last year from September through April...Logan finally likes going!  Now, don't think I'm a cruel Mama or anything.  Even last year, the screaming and crying was just a show before getting on the ice.  Once he was there, he had fun and was extremely proud of himself for his accomplishments on the ice.  This year, he is running around the ice, touching his toes, jumping, marching in a spin and most importantly - having FUN!  Today, the big BMO bear was there (the Canadian Championships are next weekend, and this is the mascot).  Logan is so proud of his new Team Canada jersey that Santa left him, too :D

Logan - "Mama, that bear is a male"

Me - How do you know that? (and thinking...uhh, and how do you know the term 'male'??)

Logan - "Because, he's blue, silly!"

BFFs

Logan - "Mama - you're my BFF"

Me - "What did you just say?"

Logan - "You're my BFF!"

Me - "What do you mean I'm your BFF?  What does that mean, do you know?"

Logan - "Yeah - it means you want to do the YMCA with me!"

Ok - I'm stunned.  How does he know anything about a BFF?  And how does he know about The YMCA?   I think he's a fairly sheltered kid (for now), and I know we have never, ever mentioned "The YMCA" to him.  I've never heard it mentioned to him either.  Wow it's strange when your kids start to have lives away from you and then surprise you with stuff like this. He comes out with such hilarious stuff!  He keeps us on our toes - we never know what he'll come up with next!

Pic of the day - hat head!  Gotta love winter :p

How to make a 4 year old boy's day...

For Jan 8/10

The way to a 4 year old's heart is through his imagination.  So, give him a sweater with a dinosaur on it to wear to school and the day just doesn't get any better!! 

In fact, it just might mean that you get to BE a dinosaur for the day.  (Umm...maybe I should be apologizing to his teacher?)

ROARRRRRRR.....

Oh, he's also very fascinated with accessories.  I'm not sure why because even his Mama is not a big accessorizer.  He just didn't feel complete without a sticker (the apple up near his left shoulder), a Spiderman watch that couldn't keep time if you paid it, and his Canada necklace:

Ahhh....ready for the day!