Lunch

Yesterday (hey! I'm caught up!!) - we hosted a little Valentine's Lunch here for some of Sam and Gabi's little friends (mainly Gabi's and 1 friend for Sam). We missed Isabella and Kaylee due to feeling under the weather - but did enjoy the company of 4 other Friends and their Moms! Thanks for coming!
We ate lunch together and then made a crown and Hershey's Kiss Mice. Here's Gabi and Erin:
Mrs. Sherry and Luci-Annand Marayahand here's Sam:Matthew - a preschool buddy of Sam's

As soon as I even move a pan from the cupboard or hint at getting out the Mixer, Gabi is right up here on the counter ready to help out! Here she is placing 3 chocolate chips on each of the muffins - still classifying them as Banana Oat Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins - but cutting back on the chocolate a bit!
And the following photo I would have used as my new header photo - another one in which the kids asked me to take their picture - not sure what is in Sam's mouth, otherwise it's a cute one!

music class

I have had all three of my kids in the same music program in a Woman's house nearby. Elijah went for ages 3 and 4. Sam went for age 3 and is now in a age 4/5 split, so he is doing a bit different work than just a straight-4 year old class.

I was amazed a couple weeks ago to see that he was supposed to write some rhythm segments in his homework (just a single page with a tiny bit on it each week) using quarter notes (ta), eighth notes(?I can't remember!!!) (ti-ti), and a rest. I was just so impressed at the information he is learning!! I'm not sure if I'll put Sam in it again this Fall as he'll then be receiving this same form of music in school. We'll see.div>Here is Gabi doing her music homework too - she's in age 3's this year and I do plan to put her in this Fall for a second year with Mrs. G.

S-a-M

I posted in December a photo of Sam's first example of his name written down on his own doing... since then he has been writing and writing and colouring and colouring... it's so great for me to just observe him and see how content and into it he gets!! He received a Spiderman colouring poster package for his birthday from one of his buddies - he just loved all his gifts and takes great joy in each one - like spending time on this poster, colouring it in just perfectly. Today, Feb 12th, he was sitting again at the table colouring and drawing and writing - and asked me to tell him how to spell "outer space"... then he wanted to write "Outer space is a good place to live"... it just amazes me that this interests him and that he is doing this before Kindergarten, LOL. I know it's totally normal, but it's not what I've experienced so far - so I am just loving his interest in ABCs, colours and paper!

party

On Friday, Jan 17 we had Sam's party -- at an indoor playground... it was fantastic, but very busy that morning! I thought I was doing good by choosing a week-day-morning but it was just packed with little ones! Jason and I both drove in to this neighbouring City with children in each of our vehicles... we spent 1.5 hours playing here and three of the boys (Triplets) got picked up for their afternoon preschool class - , and then we went to McD's for lunch, gifts and cupcakes... (I asked them to be dressed in red so I could more easily keep track of them on the play structure)Sam was soooo happy and full of excitement!

Samuel

Happy Birthday to my Dad and to my Son, Sam!
2011:2010:2009:2008:2007:With every birthday that comes for each of my kids - I am excited to plan and prepare for it, but terribly sad that a new and older age has now been reached. :( Sam is such a joy - full of questions and answers, such a brilliant boy. He loves to Eskimo Kiss his Daddy and still play with my hair when he is tired. He loves preschool and his friends that he has made within his class. He loves to wrestle with Elijah the minute he walks in the door from school. He prefers movies over TV shows and can watch one over and over again. He likes to build Lego cars and keep all his little treasures organized in little buckets, containers, treausre boxes. He loves his sister to bits and plays quite nicely with her everyday. The next page to turn is letting him go this Fall to Kindergarten - thankfully I can choose a part-time option for him and ease the umbilical cord a bit. (don't get me wrong, I am all for letting him do this and that, but new chapters make me sad and excited all at the same time!)
Bless you Samuel, this next year of new adventures for you!!

Happy New Year!

I received an email from Dayspring this week and it had this little bit on it... 12 Things God wants you to Remember in 2011:
God is for you.
God loves you.
God will guide you.
God will not fail you.
God will be with you.
God will provide for you.
God will bless you.
God will give you rest.
God will strengthen you.
God will answer you.
God will uphold you.
God will keep you.

September Seventh

Also known as the "first day of school" around our parts... it was a good morning and everyone is psyched! Elijah started grade 2. Samuel and Gabriella were both starting their Music Class that morning so they were excited and thinking it was time to go too and even packed a snack to have while the other was in their class...
It's hard to believe Elijah is in Grade 2 already - wow. This was the first year I didn't cry or even tear up letting him go into the School Year!
Samuel is excited to get back to his second year of Orff Music - ready with his Binder and playing the Tick Tock Block
And Gabi started her first year in Orff. I knew it might be sketchy as whether or not she'd stay on her own, though mentally she was very prepared. And yes, as it was I wasn't able to leave her so Sam joined Gabi's class since he of course, was with me with no where to go...Erin is in Gabi's class too, but that didn't make a difference for herWhen the second class came (they each go 1/week for 50min.) Gabi was going to be brave (all in her head again) - but in reality started to freak out when it was time to go in... I knew she was capable, so I had to say 'you're going in or else' and she did... now she's been to about 5 classes and she is so brave and wants me to go home during the class not just for a walk with Sam. Very cute. And I am thankful!

two wheels

on May Long Weekend Jason decided to just take off Sam's training wheels and let him figure out how to ride a 2 wheeler. He's quite a jock, so it took him nothing and he was off. Seeing Sam riding with no training wheels really pushed Elijah to care and try - so he too learnt on Sam's bike and his reward was a new bike... post coming. :)

happy birthday Sophie

I have barely even mentioned the Girls we have from China right now! Sophie and Sally arrived in March and already leave this week (June 26) - in May, Sophie had her birthday, so I had a birthday party for her on the Long Weekend and on her actual birthday we had ice cream cones in her honor. notice the mini cones? SS sells these little cones...

mascots

February: We picked up a pack of the 4 mascots and let our kids each have one - one is being saved with some other Olympic merch Jason is displaying in his office.
Elijah likes Quatchi:GAbi loved Miga:And Sammy liked MukMuk:

aw, spring temperatures

On Friday February 19th - Elijah did not have school, so we went to MLake to ride around it. This was Elijah's first time doing such. Due to our housing locations and such - Elijah is fairly new to bike riding. When he was young we had bought him the bike that Sam now rides - thinking we'd skip the tricycle stage and just train him on a 2-wheeled-training-wheels bike - BUT that came back to bite us because when learning to ride, he'd get too frustrated to continue for more than a few minutes at a time since he was inclined to push the peddles back (which on a 2 wheeler, is the brakes). Frustrating. Now that we have a cul-de-sac to ride in - he has had more opportunity and has since aged, so he can better remember not to peddle backwards. He's getting there!
We actually went around the following day too - and since I am blogging about this 3 weeks later, I have taken Sam around it a few more times since this. Sam would be happy to go every day - and some days that is possible - others, not so possible. :)

absolutely stunning weather

Our weather for February has been unbelievable (not so great for hosting the winter Olympics - but oh well!)! My tulips have been out of the ground for weeks already... I see crocus' blooming all over, it's been absolutely gorgeous! So on Thursday, February 11th - I took Sam and Gabi to the "lake" for a picnic... and Sammy's first-ever bike ride - he made it around the lake without a complaint. I had Gabi in the stroller and got a good walk in! this is all we have for Gabi so far, so she doesn't go more than a foot at a time and then is bored of it - who can blame her!Sam is soooo proud of his first bike ride and actually first real time on such a bike! And I am SO proud of him too!

sick, sick, sick

School was back in session too soon this month! It was sooo hard to get back into the groove quickly on the Fourth of January! But we managed.

One week later Elijah's class went skating for 50minutes. I had the privelege of joining him there to help tie skates...etc. I ended up getting some skates myself and getting out on the ice with him - since this is all new to him. He was able to use this bar thing the whole time, but even with it, he wasn't able to motor too quickly. I got behind him and then we got motoring. It was quite fun!

Since I am doing some posts here to more or less get the blog updated, I may as well mention that Elijah missed this whole past week of school. He started out with some spots on his cheek and around his mouth that I was unsure of and so was the Doctor at the Walk-in Clinic I took him too on Friday (Jan 22) - by Monday Elijah's ear hurt soooo bad, but the spots had mainly faded on his face - I took him to our Family Doctor. He called it a 'staff infection?" I think - and that was caused by his runny nose... never seen anything like it! His ear was actually discharging liquid - and by the next day at one point his ear was discharging green snot like mucous. It was unreal. He had to keep using a tissue to wipe his ear, not his nose! We got him some antibiotics (even though we are otherwise against them), a saline flusher thing for his nose and ear, and eardrops. After five days missing from Class, I sent him back on Friday (29th). Poor guy.

Samuel started all this sickness in a different form on Tuesday (19th) - which ended up being Strep Throat in combination with scarlet fever! Yikes! And not to mention myself - I ended up heading into the Clinic too for some meds for my painfully sore throat - which I'm calling strep throat even though we didn't do a swab for it. Sick, sick, sick. Everyone seems on the mend now!

5 4 3 2 1, Blast Off

My Sammy is 4 now - they just keep getting older and older!
On January 3rd we had my Family over for waffles and cake in honor of my Dad's birthday and Sammy's birthday - And then a week later we had Sammy's "Little Einstein" party here with friends.
Little Einsteins is a cartoon put out by Disney - one of Sammy's favourite shows. It's a great show incorporating classical music and musical terms while traveling the world. Sammy is quite familiar with "the great sphinx" and "the eiffel tower" and "the space needle" to mention three... so until I get myself to a Michael's cake-decorating class, I think I am done with shaped cakes for now - hence this creation using our printer, stickers and a toy!Sam was very happy with the cake, and you know, so was I!I got the kids to make sugar cube 'pyramids' or towers, to incorporate some of the theme Little Einsteins - and I made a Great Pyramid 2D "pin the rocket on the pyramid"and of course, the pinataIt was a success! Here's to four fantastic years, my boy!

cookie decorating

On Monday I had Rachel and Sara and non-school kids over for a cookie decorating lunch-date! (Sorry to those who weren't able to make it!)

It turned out really well - we had a nice quiet lunch with just the small ones around (Isabella, Marty, Jaxon, Sammy and Gabi). My kids LOVED having them all here -I never have people over, so this was such a treat for them! They were soaking it all in!
Then we got out some gingerbread stars and let the kids ice, sprinkle and smartie them! Yum!