Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.

Dave, Erin, Cole and Kendall

Twas 3 Nights Before Christmas

Twas 3 nights before Christmas and all through the house, was the sound of us puking, and the crash when I passed out.

Kendall has had a touch of something since Tuesday (coincidentally the same night Cole came down with croup - again).  She spit up once in her crib in the middle of the night and then promptly went back to sleep.  Of course we discovered this in the morning, after she slept in it all night.  And the parent of the year award goes to ...  After this she mostly had a lack of appetite and a few loose diapers.  But overall, she's been functioning quite well with a little Tylenol.

Then last evening it hit me.  I had been tired all day and decided to lay down while the kids had their quiet time.  When it was time to get up I felt unsettled and called Dave to see if he could come home early from work.  Thank goodness he did because and hour later I was incapacitated.  Literally.  At one point I was on the toilet and passed out.  I now have a bump on the head from where I hit the base of the pedestal sink.  To spare you any more details.  I feel much better now other than its still a little too much to stand up and walk around.  I've been camping out in our spare bedroom since the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, Cole woke up this morning just before 7 and spent the rest of the morning throwing up.  The poor kid hasn't had the stomach flu since he was 9 or 10 months, so he had no idea what was going on.  He'd pretty much just say ouch, scream and then puke (while screaming).  Or at least that's what I heard and was told by my husband, as I laid on my own sick bed.  Cole spent the afternoon laying on the couch sipping water while half asleep.  He's resting and seems to be feeling better.  Somehow his favourite blanket and monkey escaped unscathed.  I'm calling it a Christmas miracle.

Once again the world's most wonderful husband and father has stepped up and taken care of us all.  Here's hoping he remains unaffected.  Just in case my wonderful mother has made the 4 hour trip to stay with us and help out.

We are supposed to be travelling to see my family on Christmas day but at this point I think we'll be taking things one day at a time.  I think the last thing my family would like to receive for Christmas is this nasty flu.  Oh well, things will work out in the end.  They did last time.  5 years to the day to be exact.

The Girl of Christmas Past and Present

2011

2010

A lot can change in one short year!

She may have

grown, but the cuteness factor has stayed the same!

One thing is for sure ...

... it's definitely more difficult to get her to stay still for the camera.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday is December 27th.  Even though it's not Christmas day, it quite often gets lost in the shuffle of all the various family get togethers we go to during the holidays.  So this year my hubby decided we would celebrate my birthday early (on Monday).
Dave isn't big on parties, but he made a huge effort just for me.  It was just us and the kids, and we just had McDonald's from the drive thru, but he decorated.  That's right, I said DECORATED!  I got the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plates, napkins, paper cups and plastic tablecloth.  The man even got me my own cake, which is huge since Dave hates cake, and since I'm the only one who eats it, we don't normally get one (I make him cheesecake or pie every year).  But the icing on the cake, so to say, was my gift this year.

The kids got me the book "The Art of Cars 2" for my Pixar art book collection.  I also got the book "I Want My Hat Back" written and illustrated by my friend Jonathan Klassen.  However, in the front jacked of the book was tucked the greatest present ever.  It was a flight itinerary for a round trip to Alberta in my name.  My husband organized our family to all contribute and buy me a plane ticket to visit my dearly missed friends in Alberta for a week, while he takes a week off work, stays at home, and watches the kids.  And though the middle of January may not be the most ideal time to visit northern Alberta, (there's a reason it was a good seat sale) I'll assure you I'm not going to enjoy the weather.

So do I have the best husband in the whole wide world ... I THINK SO!

To all my Alberta friends ... can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Firsts

Kendall's first pigtails.

They stayed in for 5 minutes.

Cole's first ...

... high heels?!

We were at Payless the other day where Dave was trying on shoes.  Cole decided he wanted to try some on too.  However, he grabbed a pair from the shelf across the aisle, which happened to be women's shoes.  I was impressed that he shuffled around so well in high heels.  Even more impressed was I that he took off his shoes and put these ones on all by himself.  Getting Cole to do anything that requires self care (like putting on shoes, getting dressed or brushing his teeth) is a HUGE battle.  We are quickly finding out that its not because he can't do it any more, but rather that he physically can but doesn't want to.  This initiative of taking off and putting on shoes is a prime example that he CAN do these things, when he's motivated to do so.  However, I think Daddy would have preferred a different shoe selection for his son.

Now That's Love

For those of you who didn't get the opportunity to see my facebook status earlier today, it read:

"So a moment ago my kids were running around the living room, dancing to Veggie Tales Christmas music. They then stopped to rest their heads on the couch. Kendall lent over and gave her brother a huge, long hug. A big smile spread across his face. As a mother, I was enjoying the moment, permanently imprinting this image in my mind, as my children stood in a long embrace, when ... my son farts, they both giggle, and then run off. Not a Hallmark moment ... but I'll take it."

Earning Their Keep

Today was house cleaning day.  It was much neglected and had to be done before the babysitter came tonight, and a home visit tomorrow morning.  Most of the reason for the neglect was a couple of weeks of grumpy kids.  Cole has been having what we call a "bad" stint, and Kendall had a cold followed by some major teething grumpies.  Fortunately, the kids were both very pleasant today.  When I told them it was time for Mommy to do some vacuuming, Cole wanted to help.  So I gave him the vacuum cleaner.  Kendall instantly had left-out-sibling jealousy.  No problem!  Gave the 19 month old the swiffer duster.  Ahh ... time to sit back and watch the kids go to work ... and get a great photo opt.  You know  ... to remind them when they're teenagers that they DO know how to do this stuff.

Though this picture from the previous day shows that I may have to work on keeping them on task.  Those toddlers ... they're such slackers ;)