Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Two Irishmen, Patrick & Michael, were adrift in a lifeboat following a dramatic escape from a burning freighter. While rummaging through the boat's provisions, Patrick stumbled across an old lamp. Secretly hoping that a genie would appear, he rubbed the lamp vigorously. To the amazement of Patrick, a genie came forth. This particular genie, however, stated that he could only deliver one wish, not the standard three. Without giving much thought to the matter, Patrick blurted out, "Make the entire ocean into Guinness Beer!" The genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turned into the finest brew ever sampled by mortals. Simultaneously, the genie vanished. Only the gentle lapping of Guinness on the hull broke the stillness as the two men considered their circumstances. Michael looked disgustedly at Patrick whose wish had been granted. After a long, tension-filled moment, he spoke: "Nice going Patrick! Now we're going to have to pee in the boat!"

Funny courtesy of http://www.theholidayspot.com/.

Merry Christmas!

The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas and throughout the new year.

Much love from the Z family! Merry Christmas!

The Grinch is Gone

I had a grinchy little post in mind a few days ago in which I planned to complain about all the shopping, wrapping, crowds and stress leading up to Christmas. But something kept me from pulling the trigger on that negative little gem, and I think I've figured out what it was. I was secretly terrified that I'd end up on Santa's naughty list. I also didn't really want to let on how stressed out I was, and I didn't want to be that woman complaining about Christmas. I really do love Christmas, but I just let all the work involved get to me some days.

Today I'm glad I didn't post all the grinchiness I was feeling a few days ago. Now that the shopping, wrapping, baking and assembling are done I'm totally ready for Christmas. I'm excited that my sister is here to spend the holidays with us in Newfoundland. I can't wait to see the kids' faces tomorrow morning. Brandon finally understand presents, and Kyle and Natalie can't wait to see what Santa brings. We even spent the day tracking Santa's progress around the world courtesy of Norad. Tonight we're off to Claire's house where we'll drink mulled wine and cider with spiced rum and taste our first real Christmas pudding.

Thank you, Christmas spirit, for finally deciding to show up! Now maybe I can work my way back onto the nice list before Santa gets here.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Halloween Flashback

Halloween doesn't have the same draw for people in rural areas as it does for those who live in towns and cities. It's really a bit of a hassle to get all dressed up in your Halloween costumes to then climb into the backseat of mom's car, squirm around trying to buckle up around your Minnie Mouse or Dorothy dress and then attempt to stash whatever headgear, candy bags, and other accessories you'll need in the space under your feet. Trick-or-treating in the country isn't about running around with your friends, ringing doorbells, yelling and then dashing on to the next house. In the country, trick-or-treating is about being squashed into the car with your little brother while you drive from one end of the county to the other making occasional stops at the homes of various grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends of your parents. This was the Halloween of my childhood. It's still fun, and you still get a ton of candy, but it's not like the Halloween most kids experience.

I can only imagine, now that I am a mother myself, how annoying the entire ordeal must have been for my mother. Being the person responsible for loading these costumed children into the car, listening to the bickering between houses, trying to keep the make-up off the upholstery, and then having to make small-talk at every single house because you're related to everyone must have been less than exciting. Thanks, Mom, for putting up with all of that. You're much more tolerant than I am.

I chose to ignore Halloween until Kyle was almost three years old. We happened to be living with my parents during both Kyle and Natalie's first Halloweens, and there was no way I was dressing them up and loading them into the car to drive them around and show them off. Okay, to give myself a little credit, now that my parents live in Virginia there's really no one to show the kids off to anyway, but I bet I would have ignored Halloween anyway. I started ignoring Halloween around the age of 12, and I planned to keep ignoring it as long as possible.

Then Kyle started going to preschool. It is imposssible to ignore Halloween once your kids start going to some form of school. There are parties. There are parades of small children in very cute costumes. There are goody bags. Teachers and other little kids explain the concept of going door-to-door and collecting candy to your own children, and guess what? They think it sounds fun!

Then the truly unthinkable happened. It started to sound fun to me, too. It helped that we had moved back to Houston, the land of Master Planned Communities, and I wasn't going to be required to load anyone in costume into my SUV, but the kicker was my realization that for a few short years I was going to be able to dress my kids up however I wanted. The result: the pair of pirates you see below, circa October 2007.

The cutest pirates ever

That all ended this year. Kyle's almost five, and when you're almost five it's mandatory that you choose to be something other than what your mom wants you to be for Halloween. (It's in the Handbook, along with trying to talk to your mom while she's on the phone, trying to wear your slippers to school, finding all underwear jokes hilarious, and various other annoying habits.) Natalie dressed up as Jessie from Toy Story, Brandon was Woody, and Kyle agreed to be Buzz Lightyear until he changed his mind and decided to be a Power Ranger instead.

Power Ranger (Kyle), Monkey (Ethan), Jessie (Natalie), Cheetah (Elle), Woody (Brandon)

Believe it or not, Shaun and I were really okay with it. The advantage to Kyle refusing to go along with the family theme was that I was spared dressing up like Bo Peep. I was disappointed, however, that Shaun was also then spared from having to dress up like Mr. Potato Head. Sigh. That would've been awesome.

There's always next year. I'm thinking Peter Pan, maybe?

What's Going On?

I've been neglecting my blog for over two weeks now, as my mother so helpfully pointed out to me yesterday. There has been a ton of stuff happening that is totally blog-worthy, but I've been so busy just trying to keep up with everything that I don't have the time to blog--not coherently anyway.

I've also been entirely overwhelmed by the weather. It's been raining for more than two weeks now, with the sun making an appearance for approximately eight total hours in this two-week period. The grand finale to this two-week sogginess occurred yesterday in the form of freezing rain, sleet, and howling winds. Rain and wind weren't a big deal before I had children, but spend a few moments imagining me carrying Brandon in one arm, holding Natalie's hand with my other hand, herding three more kids across a busy street and then across a busy parking lot, followed by an attempt to speedily secure all of them in a mid-size SUV. This involves buckling five squirmy kids into two carseats and three booster seats and a vehicle determined to be just not quite wide enough. Now cue the drenching rain and blustery wind. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

When I woke up this morning there was a strange light outside the window, and I was confused until I realized that's what sunrise looks like when St. John's isn't entirely blanketed by clouds and the sun manages to peek through. The sun has been out all morning, and it even seems like the hurricane-force winds from last night have disappeared. It's pretty cold out there, but I'll take it.

Maybe now I can start blogging again. I hear it's supposed to be nice for a few days. Here's a list of a few things I probably should have blogged about but didn't get around to because of my laziness:

• My mom and grandmother came for a visit to St. John's (It rained the entire visit, but I believe a good time was had by all--despite the extra night in Newark that Mom and Mom-mom were treated to.)
• I did the Run for the Cure (Someone should have warned me that street of St. John's are a far cry from my lovely, hill-free treadmill, but I still managed to do the 5k in 31 minutes, so I'm fine with that for a first attempt at a 5k.)
• We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving before Halloween seems a little strange, but Kyle had a nice four-day weekend, sparing me a few trips to school and, therefore, a few drenchings of the sort described above. Happy Thanksgiving!)
• Shaun turned 30! (I made a cake. The whole day was about as exciting as my 30th birthday, which was spent primarily in the Newark airport. Shaun is having trouble believing he's 30, but this is alleviated by the fact that I had to turn 30 first. Happy Birthday, Shaun!)

I really hope to revisit some of these subjects, but don't hold your breath. The sun's out, but I'm still incredibly lazy. Okay, to give myself a little credit, it's not possible to be totally lazy when you're running around in circles taking care of a toddler, a preschooler, a Kindergartener, a house, laundry, the finances, doctor's appointments, birthday parties, snowsuit acquisition, vacation planning, and meals, just to name a few things.

I am, however, completely lazy for approximately one and a half hours each day during naptime--I'll try to allot some time to blogging between episodes of Dr. Oz.

Breakfast in bed

I'm totally in love with any and all holidays now that Kyle has discovered the joy of holidays himself.

I happened to mention the fact that Mother's Day was approaching about two weeks ago, and Kyle has been engaged in a flurry of 'art projects' ever since. Every time I've opened a drawer or a cabinet I've discovered one of these 'art projects' made of construction paper and glue hidden within, and the discovery was followed quickly by, "Mom! You're not allowed to find that until Mother's Day!" To which I replied, "Then maybe you should hide it in the laundry room instead of the kitchen..." Hah. He didn't get the joke.

Kyle would also have entire conversations with himself while he was creating these 'art projects', and I could often hear him muttering about sunflowers and breakfast in bed. He was taking this Mother's Day business very seriously.

While I was out getting high on Aveda yesterday Shaun took the kids out to buy flowers for me, and Kyle couldn't contain himself once I walked in the door--he ran to the dining room, and ran back to me with his arms full of tulips shouting, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! These are for you!"

Kyle is trained (Yes, trained--I said it. Like he's a little dog.) to stay in his bedroom in the morning until his clock says 7 A.M., and at exactly that time this morning I heard his bedroom door bust wide open, he ran into my bedroom, and I heard him whisper (as loudly as possible) to his daddy, "What about Mom's breakfast, Dad?" Shaun jumped out of the bed, and I knew I had better stay put. Just a few minutes later my bedroom door came flying open again, and Kyle handed me a stack of 'art projects' that he had created just for me--ones that I apparently hadn't stumbled across while making dinner or putting away dishes. (I call these 'art projects' because that is what Kyle himself calls them. They might be foam sticker creations or construction paper keys or colored pictures of Humpty Dumpty--these are all among his current favorite things to create. I know. Four-year-old boys are random.)

Kyle then flew back down the stairs, and I could hear my three children creating all sorts of mayhem while my husband cooked an amazing omelette that these same children would shortly take credit for. I stayed tucked in my bed, reading a novel.

Then everyone, minus Brandon, came running back up the stairs--Shaun with tray in hand--to deliver my breakfast. Kyle and Natalie bounced up into the bed with me, grinning. I think they were planning to sit there and watch me eat every bite until Shaun reminded them that they were hungry, too, and should go downstairs and join Brandon for breakfast.

I am so proud of these little people who just wanted to make me happy today. Everyone understands the excitement that surrounds Christmas and Halloween and Easter--presents and candy, duh--but I was so proud of the way my big kids totally embraced this holiday that was all about me. They weren't trying to get anything out of it, and there were no presents for them, but Kyle and Natalie were so excited to try to give me a nice day.

I'm also grateful for an amazing husband who can make a mean omelette, goes out of his way to help our kids in all their little scheming, and even did several loads of laundry today just so that I wouldn't have to.

I have had an awesome Mother's Day. Kyle and Natalie and I went to see a children's play this afternoon--which they enjoyed though they spent half of the play being terrified that a knight was going to kill the frog prince, despite my attempts to assure them that this play was supposed to be funny. Then we all went to the kids' favorite restaurant for dinner, and I was amazed at how well-behaved all three kids were. I'm just so proud of my little family today, and I feel so lucky to be sharing my life with each and every one of them.

So lucky that I'm going to wait a few more hours before I start thinking about how my wonderful husband is leaving to go on another business trip tomorrow morning... but that's alright... he did the laundry. Did I mention how smart my husband is in addition to the omelette thing and being wonderful? Smart, smart man.

Happy Mother's Day!

Easter pics

How sad is it that I've been saving up Easter pics just to have something to post today?

Brandon playing outside

Kyle hiding on his boat

Natalie's Easter morning hair

"Look what the Easter Bunny brought!"

Brandon says, "Ball?"

Interesting Easter tidbit

I'm sure this happens to Spring babies all the time, but I found it interesting that Brandon celebrated his first birthday yesterday without having celebrated a single Easter.

Easter was celebrated on March 23rd last year, so Brandon was born a couple of weeks after Easter. This year Easter is on the 12th of April. So, all of the babies born between March 24th and April 11th of last year didn't get to celebrate Easter before they turned a year old.

I know Easter bounces around quite a bit, so each time Easter falls later in the year than the previous year there's an entire group of babies that this happens to. Not a big deal, I know, but it had never occurred to me before that it happened.

Interesting, right? At least I thought so. And now it's too late for you because you've already read about it even if you don't think it's interesting. Ha!

Happy Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Ross Castle, Killarney, May 2004

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours.

-An Irish blessing

Happy Valentine's Day

People love to hate on Valentine's Day, but I'm all about another holiday that lets me show my loved ones how much I appreciate them. Who cares if it was a holiday 'invented by the card companies' or if it's become totally commercialized? What hasn't? No one complains about Halloween, and I've never seen a sillier holiday in my life. Little kids dressing up as cartoon characters or witches and begging door-to-door. If you want to talk about waste I can detail the amount of crappy candy my kids got for Halloween--not the good chocolate stuff but all the cheapo candy no one wants to eat themselves.

Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about cards and candy and flowers--though, those are definitely appreciated (especially the candy part). It can just be a day to stop and say 'I love you' to the people I love. Of course I do that every day anyway, but I don't mind having another excuse. It's pretty much impossible to say it too much, right? Especially when a family is as adorable as mine. And I will forever treasure the construction paper hearts my preschoolers cut out and decorate--I know they're supposed to be hearts even if they don't look like hearts!

Happy Valentine's Day! XOXO

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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...

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...