What a Great Christmas!

We had a very hectic but wonderful Christmas this year. The kids were spoiled rotten, as usual. Thanks to everyone that gave them gifts. They loved unwrapping everything and had a really great time. Christmas Eve we went to Willingdon Church with Adin and Melissa. It was fun, they had a trombone quintet that the kids loved, and a group of teens called "Alive" that put on a performance for all of the kids. Maeghan and Owen went up to the front of the church and got to sit and watch the performance from there. Owen was so cute, he didn't want to come back and sit with us when it was over. All of the other kids went back to their seats, but mine never appeared, so Aidan had to go down to the front to look for them, and there was Owen, sitting right below the pulpit, not wanting to leave. He was the only one left. Eventually Aidan convinced him to come back, and he did, though not very happily!

After we returned home, the kids got to open their Christmas Eve presents - new pajamas! They put them on and we got the cookies and milk ready for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph. Owen kept looking up the chimney to see if Santa had arrived yet!

Finally the kids went to bed, but they had a hard time falling asleep in all the excitement, and kept asking if Santa was here yet!

Christmas morning they woke up and raced downstairs, and Owen looked around and said "Ohhhh, Santa didn't come!" because he didn't see the Santa presents on the couch, once he realized they were there though all hell broke loose and they started tearing into their stockings and gifts. What fun! Later in the day, we had a very busy, but happy, Christmas Dinner with a bunch of friends and family. It turned out great, and we were all very stuffed! After opening more gifts, all the kids put on a dancing show for us - the boys did alot of break dancing (I tried to get Aidan to break out the cardboard - but he just gave me a dirty look. I don't know why he won't do it, I've heard he was very good as a kid!), and the girls twirled around like ballerinas, and kept getting angry at the boys for getting in their way! It was pretty funny!

Boxing Day we headed over to Conor and Holly's for the annual Boxing Day Bash. It was really fun, I'm so glad the kids are at an age now where they just run around like maniacs and have a great time, and I don't need to keep an eagle eye on them. They had a great time playing with their cousins, and I really want to try and do this more often because we don't get together enough! The food was great, the music loud, and the beer flowed freely, it was a really nice way to end the holidays! Thank you Conor and Holly!

So far we have no plans for New Years. I think Jeremy is trying to figure something out, but we'll see what happens...I'll probably be asleep on the couch by 10pm.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The Weather Outside is Frightful.....or not!!!

Well, I spent the bulk of yesterday preparing for more power outages, as another big windstorm was predicted to hit overnight. I got caught up on all of the laundry (which was a huge amount because I've just finished my work week), I finished the Christmas shopping, cranked the heat all day so hopefully the house would retain some of it's warmth when the power went out, I turned up the fridge and the freezer so they would be colder (hopefully it would stay colder longer!), I vacuumed the whole house (no one wants dirty carpet and no power!), and I even arranged for morning coffee at my neighbors because she recently purchased a generator. I had put out the candles, and even had a little flashlight in my pocket so I would be ready. And the power did go out. For all of one minute. Just long enough for the kids to freak, and for me to forget about the flashlight in my pocket and almost fall down the stairs trying to get to them so they wouldn't be scared. Then, just when the panic had ceased, the lights came back on! That was it! So today, there is no laundry to do, no more Christmas shopping, no vacuuming, I have cold food and hot coffee, this is turning out to be a really great day!

I'm on vacation for the next couple of weeks, and I plan to relax, knit (yes I am a dork - which really I shouldn't call myself because I recently found out that a dork is actually a male whales certain "appendage"!), and help my body prepare for hibernation by eating everything in sight. Most of which will be very bad for me, I'm sure!

I'm A Little Present ...(to the tune of I'm a little teapot)

We had a very busy night last night. I worked until 3:30pm, raced home to pick up the kids from their respective daycares and made it home by 5pm. Then we had just enough time for a quick dinner before I had to help Maeghan get all dressed up for her Christmas Concert. We made it to the school on time, dropped Maeghan off at her classroom, and then Owen and I found some seats in the gym to watch the performance. It was so good. Maeghan was all smiles as she sang the songs and recited the poetry. She did really well. Owen on the other hand was pretty miserable for the most part (partially due to a long day already, and I think he was pretty bored), and since Aidan wasn't able to make the performance because of a final exam, I found it pretty hard juggling the camera and trying to keep Owen entertained. But we made it, and I did manage to catch a few snippets on film so Aidan could watch it later at home.

Christmas shopping is coming along. I feel that I may just be able to be done everything - including some baking- before the big day. I have also manage to squeeze in another completed knitting project (but I can't say what because it just may be a gift to someone who may read this), and started a brand new one. I found the most gorgeous sweater pattern that I'm going to make for myself once the latest project is complete. Here's the link: http://www.kpixie.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3005 I want to make the long sleeve one, and the yarn comes in a gorgeous deep red color which I think I will pick. The only problem is that it is a little pricey, and I'm going to have to save up my allowance before I order the kit to make it.

Today I have cleaned, done laundry, and knitted a bit...I'm debating whether I have enough energy to leave my house and do some more shopping. I don't really want to, I'd rather just veg a little more, but I still have some more running around to do. Only five more working days until vacation...woohoo! I can't wait. I need a break that doesn't involve sick children and goopy eyes!

Behold a Mighty Wind

Owen's Christmas concert last night was a huge success. He was the best darn wind on the stage, and he sang his little heart out. He was so proud to be up there and he kept waving at me and blowing me kisses. I loved every minute of it. Santa showed up at the end as a surprise for the kids, and Owen was so happy, he was grinning from ear to ear.

Maeghan's Christmas concert is next week, we are looking forward to that one too.

I just got back from the mall, I was able to put a good dent in my Christmas shopping. It's so much easier to do it without dragging the kids around with me. It also helps a lot that we are donating to the SHARE food bank in lieu of gifts for all of our friends and family. http://www.sharesociety.ca/christmas.htm What a wonderful way to spread Christmas joy, while also alleviating shopping stress from ourselves! Thank you to everyone for agreeing to go this route this year. Maybe next year we could all get together to support a family in need through the SHARE's adopt a family program.

Well, I'm off to have some lunch and start wrapping what I bought. If I'm lucky, I'll get it all hidden away before the kids get home!

Home Again

I'm home again to day after a weekend at work because the kids are still sick. Maeghan is coughing a lot, the fever is finally going away though. Owen on the other hand woke up Sunday morning with a nasty double eye infection. I've been putting drops in both eyes and am really hoping it'll clear up a bit by tomorrow for his Christmas concert with his preschool. Owen's big part in the Frosty the Snowman play is that of wind. Yup, you heard me, he is wind. Not quite sure what he is going to do (he tells me there will be a lot of blowing involved) but it'll be pretty cute all the same! He's been walking around here for days singing all the songs in the play, and doing all the actions for them as well. I think he will be great on stage. I'm going to film it on my camera, hopefully it will turn out ok because Aidan won't be there to see it. It's the last week of classes before final exams, and he can't miss them. Fingers crossed Owen's eyes won't crust shut while he is on stage...could be dangerous.

I have been working hard knitting dishcloths - sounds boring, I know - to give as gifts to the neighbors (photo above). I'm hoping to move on to something a little more exciting soon. I think I'll only have to do maybe 2 more after I'm done the blue one. I figure those and some homemade goodies will make a good gift. If you click on the picture you can see a larger/clearer version of them.

Nothing else new and exciting...see ya later!