More Christmas Morning...

Little Dude was up at 6am, normally he gets up around 8am. I wasn't sure how much he understood about what was going to happen Christmas morning, but when he wouldn't go back to bed at 6 I knew he'd caught on. We woke up Big E and left Munchkin sleeping. Little Dude opened his stocking and then began opening gifts. His favourites?...a light-up pen, car hauler truck, john deer tractor. He had a very exciting morning. Munchkin woke up just as we were finishing and sat down with Big E to open his stocking. His favourites?....a big silver bell, and Little Dudes trucks! :)



We are headed to a family Christmas gathering this afternoon and are reveling in the fun of the season. We hope you all have a safe, happy and warm Christmas. XXOO!!

Christmas Morning

We had a hard time opening our own presents, Little Dude quickly figured out that opening these pretty packages was FUN!

This is Little Dude's face when opening his truck.

There had been a few movies in a row and Little Dude was sure this was one. :) Munchkin was still sleeping.

We wanted to say Merry Christmas in person! :) Sorry it is so dark, we didn't realize. We are all wearing matching pajama pants and t-shirts with our family photo on it. (Just in case you were wondering why it looked like we were wearing the same thing...we were!)

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Banff. It was BEAUTIFUL and COLD!

Big E looked like this after only being out for about 20 minutes. The boys stayed inside!

Besides sledding, we also did some skating!



The views were amazing, and I couldn't stop taking pictures. Every couple of minutes the light would change on the mountains and I wanted to take another picture! It was truly a winter wonderland.

Two interesting things happened today....well maybe three. :) First: at playgroup we did a craft that I thought was going to be a bit of a mess and a lot of work. (That's why I did it there and not at home!) It was amazingly easy and the kids had a TON of fun. Little Dude was COVERED in corn starch and loving every minute of it. We didn't let Munchkin participate...he hasn't been on solid food long enough to start eating homemade decoration dough! Second: IT SNOWED! Now, it's not a lot..but it qualifies as snow. And it will be on the ground for more than 2 hours because it fell before supper time and so must be there at least over night. And I was beginning to wonder if the sled I'd gotten Munchkin for Christmas was in vain. Third is also about Munchkin..(what isn't...that's what being the baby of the family is all about)...he has a jolly jumper that he LOVES. And he fell asleep in it today....and I took pictures to prove it. He even changed positions! :) I didn't leave him there, but once I took him out he woke up enough to go back in...go figure. So today was a good day, our tree went up yesterday and today we began a new tradition for our family: the Advent Wreath. We're looking forward to lighting our candles and I REALLY like seeing it hang above our table. WooHoo for old traditions become new again. :) I'm hoping the next post will be a copy of our family letter, but I make no promises...I don't write in stone.

Here we have Little Dude playing with Munchkin while he's in the Jolly Jumper. He does jump in it too...one of these days I'll capture that on film...but this was unexpected and quite funny to watch. :)

Oh what fun...

Little Dude bustin' a move. He had a blast.

Parties and messes

What a weekend. Friday night was our ward Christmas bash. It was a bash all right...lovely dinner (very yummy) and a dance to follow. Now, I can't resist commenting on something I saw. The family dances I remember attending with my family were dances where the men often sat around the edge while women and children danced (well, not ALL men were around the edge...but many were) and then couples went to the dance floor together on slow songs. There was a good mix of fast and slow. The dance on Friday had both parents sitting around the edges while the children danced in the centre. The DJ wasn't going to play any slow songs it seemed, until I requested some. Then he played a couple and there were maybe 10 couples up to dance. Now, I kinda miss the way I remember the dances and I think that children need to see their parents or other parents on a dance floor so they know how to behave. It is one way you can show kids an appropriate way to display affection in public. It's not that the way they do a family dance here is wrong, I just think they're missing out...kids and parents respectively. So, enough of that I will step down from my soap box. :) Thanks for listening. The boys had fun...neither cried when sitting on Santa's knee which is a step up from last year. Here they are.

Little Dude LOVED dancing and he had 2 little people to dance with.
Here's a picture of him with one, these two would jump all over the place.


Saturday we did our shopping and finally set up Little Dude in his own room and his own bed. We have been pretty flexible with our bedtime routine and because Little Dude slept with us he mostly stayed up until one or both of us headed to sleep. Our new routine has him getting into bed by 8:30pm. The first night it took 2 hours before he slept, tonight it took 30 minutes. Definately headed in the right direction.


Munchkin has decided that food is the best thing in the world...he still nurses but it doesn't look like he will continue much past his first birthday...and with 2 bottom teeth, 1 top tooth and more on the way I can't say that I'll be terribly disappointed. :) Here he is with his first cookie:


And then came Sunday...and the messes. Big E and I had had a wonderful lunch (soup called Caldo...Big E made it himself...yum!) and were relaxing at the table with a rousing game of Phase 10. We thought Little Dude was fully occupied in the livingroom watching Thomas the Train. Munchkin was in the kitchen with us. Then Little Dude came into the kitchen with stuff all over his shirt and pants. It was diaper cream...so we headed into the livingroom...the following is photo proof of the carnage we encountered...




What you can't see (what we couldn't either until we stepped in it) was the gobs of strawberry kids shampoo...Little Dude had emptied the entire bottle in various spots. Oh what fun...me and a wet rag scrubbing out the carpet. :) Oh well, really if I'd been a 2 yr old who had found calamine lotion, diaper cream, shampoo and lotion I would have loved to do the same. He was just fortunate that both his parents stayed occupied long enough for him to finish his project. What a guy.

Please notice our beautiful new banner. Big E sacrificed his Sunday nap to create it. THANKS!
Here we are in our backyard. Just us, our camera with its time delay and a tripod. I'm pretty happy with the results and am thinking of making a habit of doing my own family photos. I will be starting a new business in the new year teaching Baby Sign Language classes. I'm hoping that it will be successful enough to purchase a new camera one day. Then I can take even MORE pictures!!!




Hello! Halloween is done, Fall is gradually getting colder and turning into Winter. We are busy with Christmas preparations, plans for skating and sledding with the boys. Latest funny story: One evening Little Dude left the livingroom while we were watching a movie...Munchkin followed and then all was quiet.....(That's the danger indicator!)
I went into the hallway to discover Munchkin sitting on the floor while Little Dude had opened my sugar container and poured sugar all over his brother...poor Munchkin had a little pile of sugar on top of his head. I laughed, had Big E come over to see and then we had bath time.

Halloween and Halloween prep!

We were so excited for Halloween!!! Be prepared for lots of pictures!!

Munchkin getting in on the paint action...that was started by his brother.
Little Dude just couldn't resist the paint that was on the table for his costume...he felt the floor was a bit bland and wanted to remedy that deficiency!

Here are some of the 'in progress' pictures of Little Dude's costume. It took awhile, but looked pretty good when it was done. Big E did the train wheels for me. :)


Here we are trying it out...looks good...only problem...it doesn't actually roll on the ground. Little Dude isn't impressed with that.









Sorry for the blurry picture...this is the pumpkin that Big E carved just for Little Dude, who was suitably impressed.

If you want to know how unimpressed Munchkin was with that skunk hood...you only have to know how much he doesn't like that green soother. But he was willing to accept it if he had to have the hood! :)
Trick or Treating with friends. He enjoyed things once he realised that people would hand out candy at EVERY door!

Latest funny story...last Sunday just as the Sacrament prayer is going to be said...
Mommy- "Little Dude, put your toys up. Sit down and fold your arms, it's prayer time."
Little Dude obediently puts down his toys and prepares to get up onto the bench so he can sit and fold his arms. He is not fast enough and the prayer begins before he's ready.
Little Dude- "no, WAIT!"

:) I had my arms folded and eyes closed...but I still chuckled.

Molly Home Maker

Well, I said that I wouldn't be posting until I had halloween pictures...but I couldn't resist. (Admit it...you missed me too!) Here are a couple of pictures. Most of them highlight a little curtain I made to cover the window in our new door. (Big E changed the door a few weeks ago and a pillowcase has been pinned up over it.)

I had this lovely little pillowcase with embroidery that I'd planned to make into a curtain for the dormer window in my room at my parent's farm. That was years ago and the little pillowcase has made several moves with me since.


Here it is...finally become a curtain! I added blue hair ribbons to hide one of the seams from its pillowcase past. At the bottom you can see little decorative loops. It doesn't have a rod, it's held up by a string tied around two thumb tacks. (Very homey!)

Finally, here is a picture of Little Dude enjoying the fall weather...couldn't find his touque and so he's wearing one of mine. Obviously there is a small difference in head size. :)
ps- The day after Munchkin popped out his first tooth, he popped out another! Two pearly whites...bottom front and he's been putting them to good use. Just try to keep this little guy from food....HA! Last night he ate 1/2 a banana, fruit loops and noodles. He's on a roll.

Aww mom....what are you up to???

You're tickling me.....that tickles!!...

OH IT REALLY TICKLES!!!

Sleepy boys...one sick, one teething napping together.

Well, it seems now that I've gotten started I just can't stop! (Just like in person...only this way you can stop reading and I won't be offended!) We have BIG news of GIGANTIC proportions....ok, well, really it's small but big. Give up? Munchkin has his first tooth! Just popped in today. Big E is SICK today and so he and Munchkin are hanging out together. Hope to have Halloween pics up next time...stay tuned! :)

He's starting to learn the words to Popcorn Popping, but doesn't always sing them yet. Here he is with that old primary favourite. :)

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!! Here is a picture of Little Dude helping me bake 4 dozen buns for Thanksgiving Dinner. We've missed you and enjoyed visiting with other you's. :) We are a great deal thankful for so many things this year...a warm home, supportive family, transportation, gospel, learning, modern technology and so much more. We don't have a ton of news but we wanted to say hello and share our most exciting news...Munchkin has begun to inch his way around on the floor! I call him my little inch worm. :) He only started doing this in earnest yesterday and today I caught him on film.

We spent Thanksgiving Monday with friends. We ate a Thanksgiving Lunch (with pumpkin cheesecake courtesy of Big E) and a Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin pie. Big E also baked the turkey and oh boy was it ever yummy. I wish there had been more leftovers!! The turkey soup I made the next day was great thanks to that yummy turkey so I can't complain too much!

We watched movies after and SOME of us fell asleep. :)

Little Dude has been given the ultimatum...if you steal your brother's soother you get a time-out. He stopped using a soother when we were east for the summer and I am not interested in the habit re-establishing itself. Here is a picture on how he gets around that rule. :) Apparently 'sharing' the soother isn't the same as 'stealing'. Too smart! He has also become a complete fish in the water. He wears a vest that provides him some extra flotation but isn't like a life jacket. As soon as he can't touch the bottom he swims and swims well! I'll have to try to get him on camera soon with his swimming technique.

Here's a picture of all my guys playing. They have so much fun together, so glad that Big E enjoys playing with them. Speaking of Big E...he is currently mired in mid-terms. Nerve wracking though it may be, so far he's doing well. We are SO proud of him! He has been working his buns off and it is paying dividends. His latest mark was an essay mark and it was a 3.5 which works out to be right between a B+ (3.2) and an A- (3.7). WAY TO GO!!!

Mostly our lives seem to consist of laundry, studying, dishes, and playing. Sundays we go for walks, Wednesdays we try to go swimming, Tuesdays I run a playgroup and I teach piano Friday mornings. Life is full and for the most part it is a blast!

We're Baaaack!

Don't run, stay, read. :) Sorry it's been so long. Our internet problem is now resolved and I have consistent and strong access...yahoo! Let the games begin! Today was a birthday party for a little neighbourhood friend...she is almost 4 years older than Little Dude, but they really enjoy each other's company. (Most of the time.)

So much has happened since we've returned home. Big E built a raised garden bed for the front of the trailer, we both participated in a triathlon and Little Dude went to a birthday party. Let's start at the beginning...

We really wanted to improve the look of our trailer and thought the best bang for our buck was to build a raised flower bed. It looks so much better than before...there's proof in the pudding. A lady down the block stopped by during our garage sale to tell us how much better she liked it. :) We tried to sell our lovely armoire during the garage sale...but alas it didn't sell. Big E sold it on Kijiji for $10 more than what we origionally bought it for! Way to go Big E! (He also built a nice gate to keep Little Dude..and eventually Munchkin...on the porch and off the road.)



Little Dude learned to give a thumbs up and gave his first one to Big E for a job well done on the garden box.


We try to have fun as we go along...but there was lots of work for all...nobody was exempt well, except for Munchkin.



There was a ton of dirt...the extra went to low lying places in the lawn..and in the end it looks better. This project took 2 days to complete. I helped where I could but the bulk of the work was done by my very own handyman.


Once that was done we participated in a relay team for the first ever triathlon in town. Big E did the biking, I picked up the running. (Don't die of shock!) It was tough, but we are both glad we did it and are looking forward to next year's competition. It worked out well, I watched the boys while Big E got ready to ride after our swimmer finished..once he crossed the line I handed off the boys at the transition area and headed off on my run. We didn't finish last...there was ONE person behind me!
Look in the distance, there are the swimmers getting ready to head into a rather chilly lake.
Munchkin thinking, "My presence is required here because???"


The birthday party was fun and included a horse ride! Little Dude loved it and we even got to see a 2 week old filly. Beautiful.
There were bubbles...
Friends...

Presents....
A Horse Ride...

and a "baby vio"

Munchkin...LOOK! :) It's the end of our post...more later everyone..see you all soon...xxoo