The Z Family's Top 10 Events of 2008

Shaun and I have decided to count down our personal top ten events of 2008. Some of these events are obvious, but others may seem trivial. All I have to say, though, is potty-training is a pretty big deal when you spend all day with more than one child in diapers! It's been a very busy year for our family, and we're having fun reflecting on everything that's happened. We're also really bored since we have three small kids, and good luck finding a babysitter on New Year's Eve! Speaking of kids, the little angels are all snug in their beds and have been for hours. Newfoundland has it's own time zone, which is an hour and a half ahead of Eastern time, so we're going to arrive in 2009 a bit sooner than everyone else back home. In fact, by the time the rest of you are celebrating the new year we'll be sound asleep. But, until then, here's our countdown (it should be obvious which items Shaun wanted on the list):

10. Christmas morning
9. Natalie being potty-trained
8. Kyle starting preschool five days a week
7. Brandon learning to crawl
6. Celtics win the NBA Championship
5. NY Giants win the Super Bowl
4. Katie's graduation from high school
3. Brian and Allison's wedding
2. Moving to Canada
1. Brandon's arrival!

Happy New Year, everyone!

A trip to the Johnson Geo Centre

This morning we decided to get the kids out of the house since they hadn't gone anywhere since Tuesday. They didn't mind since they've been keeping themselves busy with all their great new loot, but the lack of a change of scenery was getting to Shaun. I think he wanted to get out of the house for a few hours so that he'd actually have an excuse today for his daily afternoon nap. Today was the first day since Christmas here in Newfoundland that the stores were actually open, so there was no way we were going shopping or to the mall. And since the temperature was about 8F this morning we could not do something outside. We decided to hit the Johnson Geo Centre. We had the place to ourselves, and the kids really enjoyed it. (Note to self: the best time to go somewhere educational is when everyone else in St. John's is probably at the Avalon Mall.) The Geo Centre had an ExxonMobil-sponsored oil and gas exhibit that we've been meaning to check out since we got here, and there was also a really interesting exhibit about the Titanic, which hit the iceberg and sank only about 350 miles from here.

I was impressed by how much there was to see. Much more impressed than I was a few hours later with my lunch at The Keg. Both the food and the service were barely average, and that's pretty sad since we were one of three small groups there. Otherwise, the place was dead. I'll give them another chance since it was lunchtime on a Saturday and we did have three kids with us, but for the most part I was disappointed. I swear my burger was processed. Don't get me wrong--I love a processed burger when I go to McDonald's. I don't love a processed burger when I'm expecting a real one! But the kids were well-behaved, and they were satisfied with their chicken fingers and fries, so that was enough for me.

All-in-all we had a good day, we managed to kill a few hours, and now we've met our educational activity quota for at least the next month.

Brandon's second word

Brandon's been saying "Da-da" for months--at least two months, though it feels like I've been listening to it for much longer than that. And he's been using it correctly. He knows exactly who Da-da is, and on the days that Shaun is home from work I have to listen to a continuous chant of "Da-da. Da-da. Da-da." But today he started saying his second word non-stop. "Baan-don." He's saying his own name, and it's the cutest thing ever. It doesn't surprise me that he says Brandon since it's the one thing he hears from all of us all day long. I'll have to attempt capturing it on video in the next couple of days. But I'm a little irritated that he hasn't graced me with a "Ma-ma" yet. Whatever. It'll happen eventually. I mean, I only carried him for nine months, gave birth to him, and have been taking care of him all day, every day for the last eight months. He'll figure out which side his bread is buttered on eventually.

Merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas has come and (almost) gone once again. We're all exhausted but happy this evening. We had a great Christmas morning which started at 6:30. I'd like to be able to blame the kids, but the truth is that I woke up at 6:30 and couldn't go back to sleep, and once I realized Brandon was talking to himself in his crib I decided we should all get up and get a start on our day. I couldn't wait to see the kids' faces when they saw all the great stuff Santa brought. And since the size of the pile of presents seemed obscene for a family of five I knew we needed to get an early start if Brandon was still going to make it down for his morning nap on time! It might be Christmas, but you better believe the naps still went down as usual. When else was I going to have time to play with my new toys?

Brandon proved to be a natural at present-unwrapping. All we did was set him down in front of a present and the next thing we all knew he was ripping the wrapping paper and throwing it everywhere. He's apparently been paying attention to Kyle and Natalie.

Natalie received enough princess and Dora gear to keep her busy for weeks. She spent the afternoon dressing up and parading around the house. She couldn't have been more pleased with her Christmas haul.

Kyle also got a ton of great games, toys and books. At dinner he told us that this morning was the greatest morning ever, and he hoped that tomorrow morning would be just like it. I'm rolling my eyes again. We assured him that tomorrow morning would most definitely not be exactly like this morning. He seemed slightly annoyed by our explanation that Christmas comes once a year, and now he has to wait an entire year for Christmas to happen again. Poor kid. But we managed to distract him with video games.

My wonderful husband got me a gorgeous watch, a navigation system for my car, and a gift certificate to an awesome spa, just to name a few things. I am totally surprised and grateful.

And on one final note, I thought I'd share a couple of videos of what Shaun has decided are his favorite gifts of this Christmas. Notice that they aren't even his gifts--just a couple of little things Santa brought the kids. But Shaun thinks they're the greatest things ever, and I'd have to agree. We're both having visions of what torture we could have been inflicting on our brothers as kids if only we'd had a couple of these...

Merry Christmas!!

Jingle Bells

I know it's not going to win any Grammys, but it was a good attempt. At least you get to see the kids--and a lot of Brandon's cute little baby belly. Merry Christmas!

Questions, questions

What does a lamp do without light bulbs?
What would Cookie Monster do without eyes?
First a baby is in your belly, but then what does it do?
What does a lamp do without a circle thing with lines (translation: a lampshade)?
Can you make Natalie stop singing while I'm trying to sing?
Can I take my pants off?
Mom, are you listening to my silly questions?

These are just a few of the questions Kyle asked today. Tell me, at what age do the silly questions stop? Or, considering Kyle's class-clown personality, will I be answering silly questions forever? Between Kyle and Natalie I am forever answering questions, and in another year I guess Brandon will be adding his to the endless stream of 'But, Mommy, why...' that follows me around the house all day. At least they crack me up. And I imagine that some day I'll really miss the silly questions when they start asking the serious ones. Though, to be honest, I panicked a little bit over the baby question...

Weekend update

Current weather: 10F, Clear skies, COLD

It has been bitterly cold here for the last few days. The temperature hasn't gotten above freezing since Thursday, so the snow we got that day and Friday is still frozen solid, covering the lawn, the porch, and the driveway. Had I known it was going to stay this cold I would have attempted to drag myself out to shovel the end of the driveway while Shaun was away on his business trip, but I missed my chance, and now there are mounds of snow sitting at the end of the driveway where the snowplows so kindly left them. I was complaining about the alternating snow and rain a few days ago, and now I just wish it would warm up and rain so that the solid blocks of ice blocking the driveway would melt away!

Shaun finished up work on Friday evening and kicked off his 16-day vacation. Friday was also Kyle's last day of school until January 5th. I'm really looking forward to not having to drag everyone to drop Kyle off and pick him up at school every day for a couple of weeks, but I know Kyle will quickly get bored, so I signed him up for a couple of morning sessions at The Little Gym this week and next. Natalie's completely disappointed that she's not old enough for the drop-off classes at The Little Gym, and to be honest, so am I!

Saturday afternoon Kyle and Natalie and I made some red and green sugar cookies, and I think there are only about 3 of them left. Kyle said we needed to save some for Santa, but I assured him that we'd make more cookies on Christmas Eve since I knew there was no way the cookies would last for 4 days in this house.

This afternoon I took Kyle and Natalie to see a children's production at the Arts and Culture Centre here in St. John's. It was a stage adaptation of a couple of Robert Munsch stories called Paperbags, Princesses, Puddles 'n Pigs. I was curious to see how they'd make out at a play--I wasn't sure they'd be able to sit still and pay attention if there wasn't a lot of singing and dancing involved. But they had a blast!! The theater itself was very small, so we were very close to the actors and the action. Natalie sat motionless for the entire hour, totally engrossed. Kyle was on the edge of his seat, following the stories, and laughing hysterically over a story about a girl who let her father's pigs out of their pen. The funniest part of the story for Kyle was when the escaped pigs peed on the girl's father's shoe. I wanted to roll my eyes (4-year-old boy humor pains me at times), but it was just so darn cute that he was laughing so hard! All the other people in the theater were watching him laugh and laughing along with him. It was a great time. I was struck once again by how big both Kyle and Natalie are getting!

Tonight Shaun and I brought up all the Christmas presents from our super secret hiding place in the basement and wrapped everything in the house! It's such a relief to have it done. I'm such a last-minute wrapper that I usually end up feeling totally overwhelmed (and therefore grumpy) on Christmas Eve. Now I can't wait to just enjoy these last couple of days before the Big Day. The kids are all going to have so much fun unwrapping all the great stuff they're getting from us, each other, and Santa. Kyle and Natalie are getting more excited with every passing day, and I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning!

Running out of time

Current weather: 30F, Overcast skies

Only 6 more shopping days until Christmas after today?! What?! I've been really excited about Christmas so far this year, but all of a sudden I'm starting to feel like I'm running out of time to get ready! I haven't finished buying presents for family back in the U.S., I haven't wrapped anything for the kids or Shaun, and I haven't even begun to think about Christmas breakfast and dinner. At least the house is clean--but then the house is always clean. That's the one thing I manage to stay on top of (thanks to weekly visits from the handy-dandy house cleaners). I jumped on the decorating and Christmas cards early, so that's done, but after all my early momentum I just kind of stopped about two weeks ago. I'm not sure why. I think Shaun's traveling is partly to blame. He was away in training all of last week, and this week he had to leave again for a couple of days, and I'm just so exhausted by the end of the day that I do not feel like dragging out all the presents to wrap them. And the rain/snow/rain/snow/rain cycle that is the weather just makes me want to curl up on the couch under a blanket with a cup of hot tea warming me up. I do have to say, though, that the gray skies and snow definitely give things a Christmas feel that was lacking in Texas.

This will be our first Christmas without either traveling home to visit family or having family come stay with us, so maybe I just need to remember that extensive preparations really aren't necessary. No guest room to clean, no extra food to buy, no trips to the airport to schedule. It'll be quiet, and the kids would probably just rather have cereal for breakfast anyway, wouldn't they? Who am I kidding? They won't want breakfast at all--they'll just want PRESENTS!! I just need to take a deep breath and stop thinking about time running out. I'm probably as ready as I need to be--my kids are way too little to notice how nice of a wrapping job I'll end up doing at the last minute on Christmas Eve. And Shaun's way too smart to mention it. ;)

Boston's Christmas tree

Current weather: 38F, Mostly cloudy skies

Question: Where does the tree used for the tree-lighting ceremony on Boston Common come from every year?
Answer: Nova Scotia

Shaun was in training last week in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and while he was there he met a woman who told him that every year since 1971, Nova Scotia has sent a Christmas tree to Boston as a thank-you for their help in responding to a horrific explosion between a freighter and a ship carrying munitions in Halifax harbor in 1917. Here's the history behind the tradition, from an article in the Boston Globe:

It dates back to 1917, when a French ship loaded with munitions collided with another freighter in Halifax harbor. A fire broke out on board, igniting the explosives minutes later, and causing what was then the largest man-made explosion in world history.

The blast was felt 250 miles away. More than 1,600 people died in the first, frantic moments , hundreds more later . Children were blinded by flying glass and, in an instant, entire neighborhoods in Nova Scotia's seaside capital city disappeared. "Halifax Swept by Flames After Explosion," screamed the front-page, above-the-fold headline in the Boston Globe the next morning, "2,000 Dead."

That was nearly 90 years ago now, but people in Nova Scotia still know the story of what happened on that cold December day, and they recall that Bostonians responded first. And so, more than 50 years later, Nova Scotia decided it would thank Boston every November by sending down one very large Christmas tree. (O'Brien, Keith. "Oh! Christmas tree." The Boston Globe. 26 Nov. 2006.)

We both thought this was an interesting little piece of information and wanted to share. Here's a link to another article that touches on the history a little bit more, also from The Boston Globe, if you want to check it out ----> Boston Globe Article. If not you can at least file the info away in the section of your brain reserved for Trivial Pursuit. I know I will.

Kyle's day

My Kyle turned 4 today! He had a great birthday--a Wall-E cake, presents, balloons, a party--he couldn't have asked for more!

This morning Kyle and I took a trip to the grocery store so that he could pick out ice cream for his party and goodies for his goody bags. While this sounds like torture to most of you, I guarantee you that Kyle loves nothing more than a trip to the grocery store. I think he looks at it as an opportunity to con me into bringing home all kinds of things I wouldn't normally look at twice in the store. And I totally let him get away with it. Then we came home, ate lunch, and put together goody bags for his party. He had so much fun deciding what goodies to put in the bags and sorting out who would get which bag--he's definitely my son. As a special treat for his birthday he also got to skip 'rest time.' Lucky boy.

Later this afternoon all of our best Newfoundland friends came over to hang out and help Kyle celebrate his birthday. Everyone was entirely impressed by the Wall-E cake. One of my local mom friends made it. Check out her website here: http://www.cakes-by-katherine.blogspot.com/. The kids had a good time coloring pictures of Wall-E, making robots out of marshmallows and pretzel sticks, and just playing in the playroom. After everyone went home Kyle couldn't stand ignoring the pile of presents any longer and had to tear into them. He loved everything!

Overall, it was an awesome day, and I'm pretty sure he went to bed a totally happy little boy tonight--even if he was already talking about what he thinks we should do for his 5th birthday! You can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes.

If you want to see more pictures check out the link to our Shutterfly site on the right.

A trip down memory lane

Current weather: 55F, Windy

Who would have thought the last four years would fly by as quickly as they have? I know in another 20 years I'll really wonder where the time went, but it still seems unbelievable to me that my baby, my firstborn, my Kyle will be 4 years old on Saturday. He's not a baby or even a toddler any more. He's a boy! A little one, sure, but a boy nonetheless. Every day I'm a little more amazed by the little man he's turning into, and he and I are both so proud of every new thing he learns. In light of this week's momentous birthday, I thought I'd take us all on a little trip down memory lane. Enjoy!

Tim Hortons

Current weather: 41F, Overcast skies

I have to admit it right here and now... I am totally intimidated by Tim Hortons.

Don't get me wrong--I love Tim Hortons. I'm a Dunkin' Donuts girl, but who wouldn't love Tim Hortons? I don't drink coffee, but I'm a huge fan of donuts, and I've never heard of anything more perfect than a combo that includes a sandwich with a donut on the side. I like tea. I like hot chocolate. And Timbits give Munchkins a decent run for their money. But the drive-thru at Tim Hortons is the most intimidating drive-thru I've ever encountered. I think there may be some kind of secret ordering protocol that I'm not permitted to know about since I'm an American. If you've ever seen the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld you know what I'm talking about.

Here are a few things I've learned about Tim Hortons in 4 short months:

1 - Canadians will often refer to a coffee from Tim Hortons as a 'timmies' or 'tims', and you shouldn't feel bad if it takes you several weeks to figure this out.
2 - A 'double-double' refers to a coffee with two creams and two sugars, however, you will not find that term on a menu.
3 - Timbits come in boxes of 10, 20, or 40. If you are stupid enough to ask for a dozen Timbits you will be either laughed at or treated as though you are the dumbest person to ever enter the drive-thru.
4 - You will also be ridiculed if you don't know what your donut choices are ahead of time and happen to ask for them to be listed. Don't expect them to be listed on the drive-thru menu.
5 - Don't ask for a chocolate frosted donut. They call them 'chocolate dip' and will be thoroughly confused if you ask for a frosted donut.
6 - Prepare to be one of at least 6 cars in the drive-thru line during non-rush hours, and prepare to be one of at least 12 cars in the drive-thru at rush hour.
7 - There are at least 30 Tim Hortons locations in the St. John's area. This is impressive as the population of the St. John's metro area is only about 180,000. There's a Tim Hortons on practically every corner, but you will still always be one of at least 6 cars in the drive-thru.
8 - Do not go to Tim Hortons any later than 7 p.m. for soup unless you really like the mushroom soup. That's all I'm going to say.

Snow angels

Current weather: 48F, Rainy and windy

You wouldn't believe it if you looked outside right now, but we had legitimate snowfall this morning. I left the house at 8:15 this morning to hit the grocery store and it had barely started to flurry, and by the time I walked out of the store at 8:45 there was a good inch of snow everywhere. We weren't expecting snow today! Over the course of about 4 hours we probably got about 3 inches of snow. The kids and I went to a Christmas party, and the roads were actually starting to get a little nasty. When we got home Kyle and Natalie decided it was absolutely imperative that they go in the backyard to play in the snow, so we broke out the snowpants, and I sent them outside with their daddy. Kyle ended up being very annoyed by how cold it was outside until Shaun made him a little snowman. Natalie just kept exclaiming how much she loved the cold and the snow. The girl was half frozen when it was time to come inside, but she didn't care because she had finally gotten to make her snow angel! She also had quite the fun time throwing snowballs at the windows. By late this afternoon the snow had turned to rain, and all of the snow in the yard is now washed away, but we enjoyed it while we had it!

Screeched in

Current weather: 33F, Gray skies

We did it. Shaun and I have been screeched in. We're honorary Newfoundlanders now, and we even have certificates to prove it! Shaun's office Christmas party was last night at the Fairmont Hotel, and after we partied there for a few hours (also winning an awesome door prize) we went down to Christian's on George Street to meet a couple of friends and get screeched. Just in case you have no idea what it is to be screeched in I have copied the following from Wikipedia:

'Screeching' someone visiting Newfoundland for the first time is a longtime custom of many older bars in Newfoundland, in which the person is to drink a shot of screech, kiss a codfish on the mouth, and answer the question "Is ye an honourary Newfoundlander?"

I had never heard of such a thing before we moved here, but it's absolutely necessary if you visit The Rock. I can't divulge all the details of the ceremony--half the fun is trying to figure out what's going on--and you'll find out for yourselves when you come visit us sometime!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Current weather: 34F, Mostly sunny

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, both inside and outside of the house. That's right--we had some snow last night. Finally! It's been over a month since our first little bit of accumulation. I'm not going to bother taking pictures since it looks exactly like it did last time. There can only be about an inch out there now, and it's quickly melting, but it was almost nice to wake up to the sound of snow plows. I'm sure I won't be saying that once February hits and I've been woken up by snow plows one too many times. There was actually quite a bit of snow out there when I checked out the window overnight, but it's just too warm for it to stick around. The kids were super excited to break out their snow boots again this morning for the quick trip to drop Kyle off at school, but they're going to be really disappointed again when they see the snow is gone by lunchtime.

We've been decorating the house for Christmas over the last couple of days, and the kids are really having fun with it. I'm really starting to enjoy breaking out decorations and having Kyle exclaim, "Oh, I remember this one!" It's so much fun now that he's starting to remember things from year to year. We're making memories and starting family traditions, and it makes the entire holiday season that much more special. Christmas has always been my favorite part of the year, but now it's even better.

December update

Current weather: 60F, Rainy and windy

I cannot believe the weather today. That's not a typo above. It really is 60 degrees out, and it's not even 9 A.M. This is very strange. Especially considering I'm in Newfoundland and it's December 2nd. Where is the snow? It's just a shame it had to be rainy and windy today, too, or we'd be spending the day outside.

We finally broke out the Christmas tree last night. We opted to put it in the foyer again this year. We were seriously toying with the idea of actually putting it in the living room, but now that Brandon's mobile it would just be too much work to keep him away from the tree if he had to look at it all day. It's bad enough that he's trying to stand up against the furniture and attempting to climb the stairs! I'm going to enter my official walking prediction here and now: Brandon will be walking by late January. That would make him 9 1/2 months old--about the same age Kyle started walking.

The kids and I are going to decorate the tree this afternoon, and we'll pull out more of the decorations, too. I'll take some pictures and post them once we're all done. We're all in the Christmas mood already, but we just haven't had a chance to get to the decorations before now. This past weekend I did some Christmas party dress shopping, Shaun took Kyle to a work-sponsored showing of the movie Bolt, and we had brunch in town and watched the St. John's Christmas parade. Over the next three weeks we have 5 more Christmas parties, Kyle's birthday party, a business trip for Shaun, and all of our usual activities. The rest of this year is going to fly right by us!

*My* little princess

Current weather: 45F, Rainy and foggy

It amuses me to no end that Natalie has become obsessed with princesses. I couldn't wait for this phase to arrive, and now that it's here it provides me with daily entertainment. She and I took a trip to Canadian Tire this morning to pick up a Disney Princess Christmas tree for her bedroom since a friend tipped me off that they had them a couple of days ago (thanks, Jenn!). It's little and purple and has ornaments with pictures of all the Disney Princesses on it. Natalie was so excited! As I sit here and type she's sitting in her bedroom just admiring her Princess tree.

Last night we were all sitting around the living room--Shaun was giving Brandon his last bottle before bed, Kyle was playing with the Wii, I was on the computer, and Natalie was sitting on the floor playing with a couple of princess figurines. She was playing with Cinderella Dressed for the Ball, Cinderella Dressed for her Wedding, and Fairy Godmother. Cinderella Dressed for the ball turns to Cinderella Dressed for her Wedding and said, "So, what're we gonna do?" And Cinderella Dressed for her Wedding replied, "I know! Let's go to college!" The two Cinderellas then grabbed each other's hands and waltzed off to college, leaving Fairy Godmother sitting there. Shaun and I just looked at each other, and Shaun said, "Did she just say the Cinderellas should go to college?" And I said, "I think she did." We had to laugh. That's my girl. Or, I guess I should say, that's my little princess.

Thankful

Current weather: 38F, Overcast

I am thankful...

...that I've been given the priviledge to mother three beautiful, healthy, and amazing kids.
...for a husband who loves us all enough to take us with him to the ends of the Earth.
...for sons who look like their Daddy and a daughter who makes me remember myself as a little girl.
...for parents who have forever made me feel like I will always have a home with them--no matter how old I get or how many children I may bring with me.
...for grandparents who share stories, wisdom and card games.
...for siblings that have grown up to become friends.
...for friends, old and new, near and far, who make me lose track of time because I'm having so much fun.
...for babysitters--enough said.
...for extended families that are big and loud and happy to see me no matter how long it's been.
...for the opportunity to travel the world and live in new places.
...for fleece, snowsuits, boots, hats, and all the other accessories that make life in the Great White North comfortable.
...for DVR, wireless internet, and cell phones, because they all make it easier to feel more at home when I'm very far from home.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Is that what I think it is?

Current weather: 50F, Sunny

Is that what I think it is? Is that the sun I see? I had almost forgotten what it looked like. I know that it seems like the only two things I post about are Brandon's movement and the weather, but if you lived here you'd realize those really are the two most exciting things to talk about. Poor Natalie was asking yesterday if we were ever going to go outside again. We told her that if it warmed up and it stopped raining we'd go outside. She said, "If it gets warm AND it stops raining?!" The poor child already realizes the chance of both happening at the same time is pretty slim until about June. In general, if the sun is out it's also incredibly cold and windy out, and when it's a little bit warmer outside it's also raining cats and dogs. But I may just have to send the kids out into the backyard this afternoon to take advantage of what looks like a possibly gorgeous day for November!

This is why...

Current weather: 46F, Sunny

Why do we deal with nine months of mood swings, backaches, weight gain and indigestion? Why do we put up with days, weeks, and sometimes months of irregular sleep? Why do we suffer through the never-ending anxiety that comes with motherhood? And why do we do it more than once? This is why...

Bring on winter

Current weather: 53F, Foggy, Drizzle

I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago how unpredictable the weather is here. I was all set for the snow to start (despite not having snow tires yet--but that's being remedied on Friday), and after that first little teaser of a snowfall we haven't seen any more snow! One day it'll be warmish and rainy (like today), the next might be frigid and blustery. I've been warned several times already that this has been a very mild fall compared to most. But I'm a little disappointed. Now that the Christmas decorations are out and everyone's shopping for gifts and there's Christmas music playing every time I'm at the grocery store (I'm not kidding--EVERY time) I am ready! I'm going to be a little annoyed if we don't have a white christmas. Santa's bringing sleds, and the kids are going to want to use them! The poor snowsuits that we rushed to buy in October are suffocating away in the hall closet. I'm ready for the first real snow to just happen so that I can get on with dealing with it rather than anticipating it! I know that I will be tired of all the snow by the end of the winter, but for now I just can't wait to see my kids playing in the snow and enjoying it the way Brian and I did as kids. I know I'm going to regret this post when I wake up tomorrow and I've managed to jinx us all, and I should be knocking on wood, but I'm not going to. Bring it on! I'm ready! ...Or rather, I will be after Friday!

Superdad

I have to give my wonderful husband some public praise for letting me run away to Houston for the weekend while he watched the kids for four days. I left during breakfast Friday morning, and I got home very late last night. I had an amazing time visiting with my friends and doing a little bit of gambling at L'Auberge in Lake Charles. It was an awesome break! While I was gone Shaun took a few vacation days and managed to take Kyle to school (while remembering to pack him a snack and return his Discovery Bag), take all the kids to the library so they could check out some new books (even remembering to take their library cards with him), and even take the older two to see Franklin's Family Christmas Concert (remembering tickets, directions, and providing a brand new babysitter with complete instructions for Brandon). I have to admit that I was impressed. My kids didn't even know I was gone. Naps, meals, bath and bedtime were all on schedule. When I walked into the house last night the dishes were all clean, the dishwasher was empty, and even all the laundry was done. Shaun made the whole thing seem easy. I'm thinking he was glad to see me, though... he looked a little tired... ;)

Forward motion

Current weather: 56F, Sunset, Clear skies

Brandon has officially begun crawling! Time to break out the baby gates! I also have to stary worrying about these stupid electric heating units! Fortunately, Brandon's not very fast yet, but the boy can move when he wants to. I can't leave him alone in one spot in the living room anymore and expect him to be there when I get back. It's the most adorable thing in the world watching a baby learn to crawl, and it really puts the entire process of balance and motion into perspective. It's a wonder that any of us manage to figure it out!

The weather is gorgeous in St. John's today, and Natalie and Brandon and I took advantage of the sun when we hit the local toddler playground this morning with a friend and her children. I'm trying to get all of the kids out of the house as much as possible this week since they'll be spending a lot of the coming weekend in the house with Daddy--Mommy's going to Houston for a girls' weekend! I'm taking a break between holidays and business trips, and my wonderful husband is taking full-time kid duty for a few days. I can't wait! And Shaun's going to have his work cut out for him with a crawling Brandon on his hands!!

How much for milk?!

Current weather: 42F, Overcast skies, Drizzle

Some of you may be curious what prices are like around here. It's really unpredictable, but below is a list of a few things I've bought recently.

A few items (prices are in CAN$):
Bananas: $1.96/kg
Red seedless grapes: $6.59/kg
Loaf of Wonder Bread: $2.39
Skim milk: $3.77/2 litres
Baby food (4.5 oz. jar): $0.69
Diet Coke (12 cans): $5.99

Translation (converted to US$ using an exchange rate of US$1=CAN$1.18):
Bananas: $0.75/lb
Grapes: $2.54/lb
Bread: $2.02
Milk: $6.05/gal
Baby food: $0.58
Diet Coke: $5.08

Some things cost the same as in the U.S., but watch out on produce, dairy products and meat! I've also found that the prices of things like electronics, appliances, toys and clothing tend to be quite higher here. Even taking the exchange rate into account. And the exchange rate has varied considerably just in the few months we've been here. I never know exactly what something is going to cost us until it shows up on the credit card in US$. At least it's easier than dealing in rubles! And, hey, the healthcare is free--not a bad deal with three little kids!

I love my weather station

Current weather: 58F, Sunny

I just cannot keep up with the weather here. Monday it snowed. Today it's warm (well, relatively warm) and sunny. Shaun got a little weather station a couple of years ago, and we never really used it because the weather in Sugar Land was pretty predictable from day-to-day, but I finally dug it out of a box this past weekend. I can't tell you how useful it's been just this week alone. It's so much easier to decide which of the five different weights of outdoor gear to layer the kids in now that I can check the temperature before heading out the door. Just in case you're curious, the five weights of outdoor gear are (1) Sweatshirt, (2) Rain-repellant and fleece-lined jacket and rain boots, (3) Early winter jacket, (4) Heavy winter jacket and gloves, and (5) I don't really know why we bought that because if it's that cold Mommy is not leaving the house (also known as Snowsuit and snow boots). This isn't an exact classification, and believe it or not, there are some days that just don't align properly with one of the five categories. And some days one category of outdoor gear is required at 8:30 when we take Kyle to school and an entirely different category is required when we return to pick him up at noon. Hence, the weather station. Take that, weather!

Just do it!

Current weather: 37F, Partly cloudy

My littlest man is learning to crawl. His new favorite activity is getting up on his hands and knees and trying to figure out exactly how to move them. So far there's a lot of bunny-like hopping going on. Check it out--not bad for a not-quite-7-month-old!

Our first bit of accumulation

Current Weather: 30F, Partly Cloudy

Imagine our surprise as we walked down the stairs this morning and spotted a layer of white, fluffy stuff covering the lawn and vehicles. As I sit here looking out my office window I'd guess there's about a 1/2-inch of snow out there. Not enough to totally cover the grass and not enough to stick to the streets, but enough to count as our first bit of accumulation. Now the kids are impressed! They don't entirely understand why we can't go outside RIGHT NOW and build a snowman. I'm sure they'll be experts by the end of the winter, but as of now they don't realize there's not nearly enough snow out there for a snowman. And I don't think they realize how COLD it is out there, either. But I think I'm going to let them wear their snow boots when we take Kyle to school in a little while. That should satisfy them.

I'm not ready for Christmas!

Well, the kids had an awesome Halloween! Kyle got to wear his Tigger costume to school on Friday, and they had a party, and he came home with enough candy for all of us! Shaun took Kyle and Natalie out trick-or-treating right after dinner on Friday night while I stayed at the house with Brandon to pass out candy. Kyle and Nat didn't go to too many houses before their buckets were full and they were tired, but they had a blast. And I was amazed by the number of trick-or-treaters that came by the house! I didn't realize our neighborhood would have so many kids, so we ran out of candy pretty early, but that was fine since the kids needed to go to bed and the doorbell would have been waking them up anyway.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store first thing in the morning, and then we loaded everyone up for a trip to the mall. Kyle has entirely outgrown all the 3T clothing I bought a couple of months ago, so we went to stock up on 4's. My baby's in big-boy sizes now! Well, we walked into the mall, and there were people everywhere! There were Christmas decorations up! Christmas displays! Christmas ornaments! Newfies seem to love their holidays, and I guess once Halloween is over they move right on to Christmas. I am so not ready for Christmas yet! But I guess I better get ready for Christmas or there's not going to be anything left in the stores by the time I get around to it...

Snow!

Well, it happened. It's not even Halloween yet, but it snowed yesterday afternoon! For about three hours. Luckily, the ground is still way too warm for any of it to stick or accumulate, so it was melting immediately. The kids weren't as impressed as I thought they would be. Kyle's only comment was, "Why is it raining snow, Mom?" Natalie wanted it to get out of her hair. I think once they see it on the ground they'll feel differently about it. Now that we've seen snow I really think it's time to prepare. I mean, a snow shovel might be a good idea. And an ice scraper. We don't have either of those. :) Maybe we should go snow-blower shopping tomorrow...

Skype

Just a little update...

I finally got around to downloading Skype onto my computer, and everything appears to be up and running. If anyone's interested in video chatting online for free you can download Skype and sign up at www.skype.com and search for me by name when you're adding your contacts. Just send me an email, and I'll park the kids in front of the computer sometime and we can chat!

Here comes Thanksgiving...

I keep having to remind myself that Thanksgiving is on Monday. Here in Canada they celebrate Thanksgiving in October. Before Halloween! For me, Thanksgiving has always been when you start counting down to Christmas. I'm not ready to start counting down to Christmas yet! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it's already October and that I need to find costumes for the kids. At least Natalie has already chosen what she wants to be this year. Check out the picture above. ;) But we may be skipping Thanksgiving for now. I'm just not ready. Maybe I'll break out some turkey and stuffing in November.

Kyle is enjoying preschool. They started the serious business of learning this week. His school has a program where they learn a different letter of the alphabet each week. Guess what this week's letter is? That's right! The letter 'A.' :) But they won't go in order. Next week is 'T,' and the week after that is 'H.' This way they'll be able to start putting small words together more quickly. Kyle is overjoyed that he's going to 'learn to read.' I'm just glad he's having fun and learning, and I'm getting a little quiet time--well, quieter time, anyway.

Natalie and Brandon and I have started going to playgroups here in St. John's. It really makes the day go more quickly, and we're all getting settled and making friends. We have to get out as much as we can now because I'm told that it can start snowing in October, and you better believe I'm not going out in the snow!! :) Not if I can help it. We'll see if I'm singing a different tune in a few weeks... keep checking back...

Yeah for preschool!

Ahhh. Preschool has finally started, and Kyle already loves it! Check out the couple of first day pictures we took above. He goes every weekday, 8:30 to 12. It's been much easier this week running errands with just two kids instead of three, and I can tell Natalie is enjoying having her run of the house while Kyle's at school. Unfortunately, we can't really go to the playground since it's already getting cold here--especially by our Texas standards. The TrailBlazer said it was 37 degrees when we drove Kyle to school this morning. 37! And I don't think it warmed up much from there. We should see a few more nicer days before the cold weather really sets in, but summer is definitely over!

It feels like Halloween should be our next project, but the next holiday here is Thanksgiving on October 13th. How lucky is Shaun that he gets a holiday for his birthday? I'm sure we'll celebrate Thanksgiving in our own quiet way, and then we'll start gearing up for Halloween. The kids haven't yet decided what they want to be this year. We better start thinking about it since it's only a month away!

Getting settled

We're finally in our new house and getting settled! Our shipment arrived last Thursday, and we've been unpacking, organizing, hanging pictures, and putting toys away. The kids were so excited to see the big orange truck drive up, and they were even more excited to see their things being carried into the house. It's really starting to feel more like home now--especially since my new washer and dryer arrived yesterday, and I haven't stopped doing laundry since! :D I'm thinking about doing some painting in the kitchen, dining room, and a few bathrooms, but that's going to have to wait until all the stuff is put away first.

The weather has also been gorgeous, and Kyle and Natalie are really enjoying their new backyard. We took some time this past weekend to do some driving and sightseeing, and it's amazing the way the ocean just sneaks right up on you when you turn a corner in some places here. We're trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather while it lasts!

We're in St. John's... but still waiting for our shipment!

We loaded all of our things onto the 'big orange truck', said good-bye to all of our best friends in Sugar Land, and boarded our flight to St. John's on August 7th as planned! After a prolonged (can I say I never want to see the Newark airport again?) but uneventful trip we checked into our hotel at 4 a.m., managed to get a few hours of sleep, and awoke to the drizzle that has characterized the weather in St. John's since our arrival. We were hoping for our shipment to arrive late last week, but it looks like it'll be later this week sometime instead. We've had three really beautiful days in the last two weeks, however, and the gorgeous days really do make up for the rainy ones! And the people here in St. John's are amazing. Everyone's been incredibly welcoming and friendly. We're all really looking forward to getting out of the hotel and into our new house and starting to make some new friends here in St. John's! Cross your fingers that our stuff gets here soon!

Ramping up!

Well, our plans to move are finally starting to fall into place. Shaun's found a sweet house for us to rent in St. John's, and we've tentatively scheduled our pack and load dates for our house in Sugar Land. We're packing up our house starting August 3rd, and we fly out of Houston for St. John's on Thursday, August 7th. But we have a lot of work to do in the meantime. Our house in Sugar Land isn't listed for sale yet. And Shaun leaves on Monday to spend a week in St. John's. But we should be able to get a lot done in the next week or so. Shaun's job is to start crossing things off of our St. John's to-do list, while mine is to start crossing things off of our Sugar Land to-do list.

Oh, and just a little update on the kids: Brandon's still the sweetest baby alive--good eater, good sleeper, and I swear he puts himself to sleep every night! Kyle's favorite thing to do right now is tell people we're moving to Canada. He has no idea what 'Canada' is, though. And Natalie's continuing to rule this roost every minute of every day! I'm getting a daily glimpse of what she's going to be like as a teenager.