Once Upon a Time (Made in China)

It’s a dog’s life

2012-01-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

I thought this was too adorable not to share. It’s funny, I have been a cat person my entire life but this little dog has stolen my heart. She follows me like a shadow and she is my little walking buddy. Well, actually this little 20 lb (half schnauzer half yorkie) pulls me down the street so I'm not sure who’s walking who. Like most dogs, her 2 favourite words are “cookie” and “walk”. In the video you will see that she does the typical schnauzer “talk” which always cracks me up. Hope the video makes you laugh!

Don’t mind all the tools on the floor there … heh … we are doing some minor renovations and there seems to be tools everywhere!

CNY Lunch

2012-01-25T16:27:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely time lunching with friends for CNY. There were Hunan dumplings, spring rolls, wonton soup, General Tao and of course, noodles! Here are a couple of photos of the kids enjoying the feast.

She ♥ wonton soup!

Francis can`t get enough of those crispy noodles Say cheese daddy!

This is Doris and Dan`s adorable new son, Donovan

and big sister, Daphne …. enjoying her soup

Little brother is loving those noodles!

Francis teaching Daphne to play video games

being silly …

My fortune … hmmm …. very strange because the very next day I got temporarily laid off at work.

Looking forward to that open door …

恭禧发财 – Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2012-01-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a very happy Chinese New year! 2012 marks the year of the black water dragon.

Click here to hear how to pronounce Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Recycled castle

2012-01-17T11:59:00.000-05:00

Naomi’s kindergarten class was given a special project to complete over the Christmas break. They had to build a castle out of recycled materials. It’s funny because I remember doing this exact project with Francis when he was in kindergarten (same teacher). Naomi had a lot of fun creating her masterpiece. It’s interesting to see all the different castles that the kids came up with.

Winter

2012-01-15T11:49:00.001-05:00

This picture was taken last Thursday white we waited for the morning school bus.

I was starting to wonder if we were in for a typical Canadian winter around here. Up until December 24th we didn’t have any snow (that stayed on the ground). At the beginning of January we were still experiencing temperatures of +2C (which was lovely). I can officially say that winter is here now. We have had several snow storms and today it is a freezing –22 degrees Celsius. Brrr.

Skiing & Snowboarding

2012-01-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

As part of their Christmas gifts, the kids got skiing / boarding lessons. Naomi even got some new skis. The lessons were supposed to be every day for a week but because we all got sick they didn’t get to complete the week.

Naomi took to skiing like a fish to water. She absolutely loved it. I am so glad because we used to ski before - so now we can do it as a family. Looking forward to hitting the slopes soon!

Holiday recap

2011-12-31T19:52:00.000-05:00

On the 24th we had Steph’s family over for Christmas eve dinner (and presents, of course!)

all ready for company …

checking out personalized videos from Santa

Leaving cookies (and celery?) for Santa.

Then checking on Santa’s location on NORAD. Loved the little videos this time (Great Wall of China and Red Square especially).

The big hit gifts this year:

Francis: iPod Touch

Naomi: Barbie Townhouse

Then off for a quick breakfast with Steph’s parents and then off to Ottawa to see my family.

sledding fun in Ottawa

New books!

and a feast!

We had a great time visiting with friends and family for most of our holiday. Unfortunately, the flu bug hit our house so we were all pretty sick for the remainder of the time!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone the very happiest of holidays!

Skating with Santa

2011-12-16T21:53:00.001-05:00

Naomi had a great time skating with Mr. Claus and her BFF, Layla. Near the end they dragged his special chair out onto the ice so that the kids could take turns sitting on his lap. On the way home we all stopped at Timmy’s (Tim Horton’s) for some hot chocolate. The perfect end to a fun evening!

Mini gingerbread house

2011-12-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the proud creator of a mini gingerbread house (made with graham crackers). Unfortunately, two seconds after this photo was taken, Moka ran over and decided to taste the creation. Bad dog.

Wondering why Naomi’s hair is so messy in this picture? You guessed it, I just wrestled “the Hat” off her. Lol.

The Hat

2011-12-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

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Naomi LOVES this hat. She received it as a birthday present and has taken to wearing it all the time. Even indoors. Especially indoors. And because of it’s rainbow of colors, it matches everything (or so I am told).

Here’s the fashionista and her favourite accessory at the library yesterday:

Whoa, time really does fly

2011-12-07T20:27:00.001-05:00

Seriously, I can barely believe that I haven’t posted in over a month! Ok, let’s see … um, we’ve been really busy lately with hockey for Francis and Naomi in gymnastics, skating, swimming and Sparks. Next Sunday is Naomi’s last swimming class for this session and she will be moving up to the green level after the holidays. It’s amazing how much she improved. She can now easily swim the width of an Olympic sized pool doing front crawl – so impressive for a 5 year old! She is also really loving gymnastics and skating lessons. She was even asked to join a special skating program because they see some natural talent in her. We’ve decided to hold off for now as she has enough activities. She also joined Sparks which is a part of Girl Guides but for her age group. Several kids from school joined and she just loves that they do lots of singing and crafts.

Francis has been busy as ever with his intensive hockey training. He is in a special sports-enhanced school program where he practices 3 times a week in the morning. He is also on an elite double letter inter-city team which practices several times a week and has 1-3 games a week depending on the schedule. He is one of two goaltenders for this team. It certainly keeps the parents on the go!

In November someone in our family celebrated their 40th birthday (and it wasn’t me)!

So here we are, the 7th of December – I am not done my Christmas shopping nor have I done any baking. The tree isn’t even up yet! Gah! I am looking forward to the days after Christmas where I have a week off to spend entire days in my pyjamas playing video games with the kids and eating nothing but chocolate and eggnog. Yeah.

And last but not least, I am thrilled for my dear friends Doris and Dan (and daughter Daphne) who are in China getting to know their adorable new son, Donovan. Just thinking of them in China as a forever family of 4 makes my heart happy. Looking forward to meeting their new little guy soon! ♥

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:36:00.000-04:00

Francis – not sure what this costume is, but it is creepy!

These are the hot dog “mummies” we made …

Little miss ballerina … she LOVED her costume. It was a chill 5 degrees (40 ish) so under the ballerina costume she has a t-shirt, 2 turtle-necks, a windbreaker and a hoodie. On the bottom she had a pair of thick tights and two pairs of leggings. Gotta love this crisp Canadian weather.

That’s our smoke machine in the background – not a fire. Lol. I wish I had taken more pictures …

Naomi’s birthday - review

2011-10-26T19:56:00.001-04:00

So Naomi’s 5th birthday came and went with much to-do. On the Wednesday, two days before her birthday, we got a call from the school saying that Naomi wasn’t feeling well. We picked her up and sure enough she had a fever and a sore throat. Luckily I overheard someone saying that strep throat was going around so I took her to the clinic the next morning for the strep test. I paid to have the 10-minute test done and it came out negative. Luckily I had gotten a prescription for antibiotics from the doctor just in case because that evening I noticed that Naomi had a rash all over her body. I knew in a minute that it was scarlet fever. So yes, Naomi spent her birthday at home with scarlet fever. She was quite annoyed at missing out on the school party.

Later in the evening, Naomi’s very brave grandparents and aunt came over for dinner and cake. You would have never imagined that she was sick – she was so hyper and excited. And wouldn’t you know it, the lab called and said that the culture for strep was now positive – which I had already figured out (from the rash). They told me to start the antibiotics – which I had already done 24 hours ago! (Yay for mom-instinct)

This is the cake I made for her birthday – my first time playing with fondant …

These were the cupcakes that never made it to school. They are now in our freezer …

On Sunday Naomi had her friends party. We did a joint party with her friend Layla who’s birthday is a few days after Naomi’s. Since the girls are in the same class and have many of the same friends, it just made sense to combine the parties. This allowed us to have it at a local venue called the princess castle. There, they were entertained by princesses, dressed up, made crowns and much more. I have a ton of pictures but they all have other friends in the picture and since I do not have permission to post them I am opting to not share them. Here are a few pictures from the party …

These are the cupcakes I made for the party … wish I had taken a picture of the whole box of them!

BTW, Naomi is feeling much, much better but her skin is actually peeling from the rash – poor kid!

Happy 5th birthday Naomi!

2011-10-21T07:48:00.000-04:00

Rock on

2011-10-19T23:01:00.000-04:00

LaRonde Halloween

2011-10-17T22:56:00.000-04:00

One of our favourite hangouts got a ghostly makeover

We found a “nice” witch who gave us a ride on her broomstick …

On the centipede coaster with daddy

Ghosts in chains …

We all had a blast checking out all the Halloween decorations

Giant spiders

Naomi wasn’t too impressed with Dracula but Francis was brave …

Is this a mummy or a daddy?

I got a kick out of the props and costumed actors

We even found a pumpkin princess …

It was a perfectly cold and drizzly day

Mmmm … ended the day with yummy beaver tails …

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

Disney on Ice

2011-10-09T22:16:00.000-04:00

tourist in our own city

2011-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

We headed downtown to the Disney on Ice show, something we rarely do anymore. We are only 20 minutes out of the city but yet we rarely venture into it!

All the pictures except for the last one were taken on the McGill University campus. They were in the middle of filming a movie which was really cool – the movie is called Warm Bodies. There were a bunch of old military vehicles all lined up – I got a picture with Francis in front but he is squinting in the sun so it turned out awful. Anyways, the movie is supposed to be a vampire movie or something like that.

Weekend activities …

2011-09-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to keep the TV-monster from spending every waking weekend hour in front of the tube, I signed her up for a bunch of extracurricular activities. Last weekend Naomi started figure skating lessons with the Can Skate program. Yesterday was her second practice and so far she is doing really well and loving it. So very Canadian, eh?!

This weekend was Naomi’s first gymnastics class. She was soooooo excited and loved every moment. She loves the new “leotard” and the fact that she matches with all the other kiddos. My only complaint is that the gym only offers a window for parents to look through (the kids see it as a mirror) and all these parents are vying for a spot at the window so it is almost impossible to see what is going on.

We were happy to find out that someone from our adoption group was in the same class. Even thought the girls hardly knew each other at first they were sharing hugs and “see you next week” wishes by the end of the class. Naomi is at an age where she is interested in meeting other kids from China like her so this just worked out great.

Next week swimming lessons kick in and I am still looking for some sort of music class as well …

Happy Moon Festival!

2011-09-12T19:42:00.001-04:00

click here for photo credit

the school bus

2011-09-06T21:39:00.001-04:00

These pictures are from last Friday, Naomi’s fist day taking the school bus (oh the excitement).

Waiting at the bus stop …

It’s coming! It’s coming! (jump up and down)

Hello Mr. bus driver!

Bye mom, I’m off to school! (She sat in the front seat beside her new friend Shea)

Meanwhile: mom and dad race to the school to catch her before she gets off the bus at school …

Me: How was the bus ride? Naomi: It was the awesomest! Bus driver: loud, very loud

I have to say that my biggest fear with Naomi starting kindergarten was the separation anxiety. I was prepared for a lot of crying and meltdowns but I could not have been more wrong. She was 100% ready. I could hardly believe it when she got on that bus this morning (without her brother who was at hockey practice) with a quick goodbye and a wave from the window. My little girl is growing up. I am so happy that she is no longer so afraid. Suddenly she understands that we will not forget her – she trusts us enough to let herself have fun knowing that we will be there when we say we will.

Kindergarten

2011-09-01T18:24:00.001-04:00

Today was officially the first day of kindergarten. It was only for an hour and parents accompanied their kids. While the kiddos played in one classroom, the parents filled out a mountain of paperwork and got to ask questions. We even visited the outdoor play area and the kids got their first lesson on how to line up. So adorable. Naomi loved every moment. I was watching for signs of hesitation or clinginess but there was none. She is ready and that makes me feel better about the decision to start her early. Tomorrow she goes in for half a day and may even take the bus …

Francis started grade 5 yesterday! It feels like yesterday when I was taking him to kindergarten for the first time! I didn’t get many pictures of the two of them this morning – it’s hard to think at 7am! I will try to snap a few more tomorrow!

Here’s a little video from this morning. She’s being a tad silly. At the end she says, Good Luck Charlie, which is her favourite TV show.

Sunday fun day

2011-08-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of the kids at a local fair for “Dorval day”

circus

2011-08-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

On Friday night after the daycare party I surprised Naomi with tickets to the Shriners circus that was set up in the parking lot of our local mall. It was the first time that I had seen the circus in a temporary instalment.

I gave her the choice of an elephant ride or make up – of course the make up was her choice …

Trying to eat cotton candy without messing up her “lipstick”

Elephant rides! Note to self … when you go to the circus, bring more than $20 …

This guy was amazing … gave me a bit of a heart attack but really cool …

Daycare graduation

2011-08-27T09:32:00.001-04:00

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Yesterday was the last day of daycare as Naomi starts kindergarten next week! She is really excited about starting school though I know she is really going to miss her daycare provider, Roxana. I promised her that we would go back and visit every once in a while so she could keep in touch. We have been really lucky to have such a great daycare where Naomi has always felt safe and happy.

At pick-up time Roxana invited us for cake and drinks which was a lot of fun and allowed us the opportunity to say goodbye to Roxana and the other parents that we have gotten to know over the years.

Here is a picture of the amazing cake. Layla is Naomi’s BFF and she is was also “graduating” and will be going to the same school. These two will also be taking skating lessons together on Saturday mornings – they just can’t get enough of each other!

13 years!

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of pictures from our anniversary dinner. The restaurant was in a very old house – we had a good laugh at how low the door handle was. The food was surprisingly modern though – I guess you could call it Italian fusion. In the photo, that is my appetiser, salmon tartar. It was delicious. It’s hard to believe that we have been married for 13 years already. I guess what they say is true, time flies when you’re having fun. ♥

Here’s a picture from our wedding. since it was in 1998 I do not have a digital album (I should make one though). My scanner is also not working so this is a picture of a picture. Anyways, you get the idea.

Sailing camp

2011-08-21T08:29:00.001-04:00

For the past 2 weeks Francis has been going to sailing camp. It has been quite a change from the sports camps he is used to but he really loved the experience. The group that Francis was in was called Opti. Each day the class of 12 set out on 6 little sailboats with the instructors in a motor boat. The kids got to learn all the sailing terms, how to tie knots, how to put the boat together and how to take it apart and how to navigate and steer using the wind.

Francis is already looking forward to doing sailing lessons again next year where his age will put him into the “white sail” group. Tomorrow he’s off to hockey camp for the last week of camp before school begins on the 31st!

A walk in the woods

2011-07-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

We discovered a neat trail a short drive from our home. The kids really enjoyed it – I think we’ll be going back on a regular basis.

Here are a few photos:

4 years together

2011-07-29T08:28:00.000-04:00

A few pictures of Naomi on her 4th gotcha day. We celebrated at La Perle, a fantastic Chinese restaurant.

The colours of summer

2011-07-22T21:55:00.001-04:00

Mary, Mary,

2011-07-20T20:37:00.001-04:00

Quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

with silver bells …

and cockle shells …

and pretty maids all in a row

Swim fishy, swim!

2011-07-19T08:26:00.000-04:00

Another milestone! No more floaties for this girl – she can swim!

Gold!

2011-07-17T20:21:00.001-04:00

Francis’ team, the Braves, won the gold medal in the tournament this week! Francis is thrilled!

Weekend fun

2011-07-03T22:06:00.001-04:00

Another long weekend has come and gone. We had our annual Canada day BBQ party where we had a great time hanging out with our friends. This is the first year for as long as I can remember where it did not rain! It’s also the first year that we didn’t make hot-dogs and hamburgers so maybe that has something to do with it?

The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key. It was hot and sunny – perfect for splashing around in the pool. Steph blew up a giant rubber dingy that takes up half the pool but the kids thought it was great fun.

Kids goofing around with some silly sunglasses …

Naomi had 2 soccer games and *almost* scored a goal. I hope she gets to score at least once before the end of the season! Francis had a baseball game and was happy that they won (since they got creamed at the tournament last weekend.

How was your weekend?

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a very happy Canada day! We’ll be enjoying the day with good friends, good food and good times! Cheers …

Toronto Zoo

2011-06-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

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We had a blast visiting the Toronto Zoo. Walked around for over 6 hours! So much to see and do. Our only regret is not realizing that the water park closed at 2:30 pm!

John Deere

2011-06-29T20:37:00.001-04:00

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Someone was having fun riding uncle Bob’s ride-on mower. Ah the joys of country living …

Sno Kone Fun

2011-06-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

pictures taken on a rainy day at the Toronto Zoo ...

First swim of summer 2011

2011-06-08T21:58:00.001-04:00

Mom runs a 5K

2011-06-01T22:02:00.001-04:00

In an effort to stay true to my promise of being a bit less camera shy, I thought I'd post some pictures of myself at my first 5K. These were taken during Ottawa Race Weekend.

For several months I had been kicking around the idea of running a 5K and finally in March, around my birthday I decided to just go ahead and sign up. I wanted to start a running program and have the 5K be the goal at the end. Well, I have to say that it worked out pretty well! I used the Couch to 5K (C25K) program which was great - I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to run. I downloaded podcasts onto my iPod that had music as well as verbal prompts for when to walk and when to run. My time on race day was 38:41.7 - not too bad for a beginner but I do hope to improve on that time by my next 5K.

Soccer

2011-05-22T18:49:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd share a couple of action shots Stephan took today at Naomi's soccer game. This was her second game and so far she loves it. These could be the first ever pictures of a future soccer star!

Akk, don't take my picture!

2011-05-15T20:32:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures I found in my camera from last weekend. Not one picture of me and the kids together for Mother's day. Sigh. I have this *really* bad habbit of jumping out of the way when anyone points a camera at me. In the moment I am thinking - akk, no make-up, bad hair, double chin, wrong outfit, 30 extra pounds, akkk!! But then I go around all the other blogs and see lovely pictures of mother's and their kids. The pictures are not perfect (ok, seriously some of them ARE close to perfection ...) but it does capture the moment. I am going to try and break this habbit because I want lots of pictures of me and my family! Now I just need to re-train my husband (who happens to have a photography degree) to include me in the picture. It's not his fault - for years I've been telling him to stop pointing the camera at me!

(I wish I could crop that guy's butt and hand out of Naomi's headshot)

Happy Easter Everybunny!

2011-04-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

Some pictures from the last week or so with lots of Easter fun ...

Dying Easter eggs

Naomi attended "Easter Storytime" at our local library - they also got to do a fun craft - bunny ears! This was one of the first times where Naomi was left on her own to do an activity (I stayed in the library, but not in the activity room with her.) She did really well and said she would be brave. I checked in the window a couple of times and she was participating in the activities. This is a really big step for her - seperation anxiety has kept her from doing so many fun things like gymnastics, ballet, music, etc... I am so glad to see that she is able to be secure on her own and know that I will always be there at the end of the activiy. She was really proud of herself and kept asking if I was proud of her.

We went to see the Easter farm at one of the local malls - I always feel bad for these little animals but the bunnies were just adorable!

Nothing like a big box of sidewalk chalk to bring out the little artists!

the park! Yay!

Modeling her Easter dress ...

Twirl, twirl, twirl!

Ready to go

Wishing everyone a joyful Easter!

Better late than never

2011-04-10T08:54:00.001-04:00

I have been meaning to post pictures from our spring break vacation to the Iberostar Daiquiri in Cayo Guillermo, Cuba. It was a wonderful family trip that also included my mom, my in-laws and my sister-in-law. (Click pictures to enlarge)

Kindergarten

2011-03-30T17:43:00.003-04:00

So it’s been a little while so I thought it was a good time for a Naomi update.

The big thing in Naomi’s life right now is preparing for kindergarten. She is desperate to start school. I suspect that she is bored at the home-based daycare she attends. There is one other girl her age and they don’t get along very well. One moment they are best buddies and the next minute they hate each other. Oh the drama. The other 4 children are quite a bit younger so she doesn’t want to play with the “babies”.
Every day at 4 pm I leave work and pick up Naomi from daycare and then we pick up Francis from school. Every day is torture for Naomi. She always peers into the kindergarten classrooms pointing out her favourite things; piles of construction paper, containers of paint and markers, boxes of scissors, tons of storybooks and let’s not forget the pet turtle in Madame B’s class.
It all started a while back. Stephan and I were wondering what to do about the fact that Naomi would miss the school year because of her October birthday (the cut-off here is September 30th). Our initial decision was to just wait as many people told us to give her time and let her be the oldest in the class. Just after the holidays our daycare provider told us that she really felt that Naomi was ready for Kindergarten. She has seen many children off to kindergarten so I trust her opinion. In our province there is a process called “derogation” in which parents can request to have their child tested to see if they can enter kindergarten early. The child has to demonstrate a higher than average (for their age) ability in order to be able to keep up with the rest of the class. We decided that we would start the testing (done by a child psychologist) and see what they recommended. They look at overall IQ scores but they also have to asses if the child is ready emotionally. We knew that Naomi would do well on the test as we have always been told that she was very bright. We were slightly concerned about her separation anxiety but she has been making great improvements lately. Well, I was shocked to hear from the child psychologist one evening telling me that Naomi scored in the 92nd percentile on her IQ test. She also said that Naomi was able to sit quietly and focus for the full 1 ½ hours of the test and that she was not shy or timid with her. She recommended that we go ahead and enrol her for the 2011-2012 school year.

So we filled out all the paperwork and everything has been submitted to the school board. We have been waiting for the official response but we are fairly certain that it will not be a problem. In the meantime we have been looking at backpacks and bento boxes and every day Naomi asks me “when is it going to be my turn to go to school? I can’t wait!” Every day I remind her that school starts after the summer – which has been a great way to teach her about the seasons. She is also working to improve her French as the school she will be attending is bilingual.

UPDATE: I wrote this post about a week ago but had not posted yet since I wasn’t sure how to end it. Well, today we got the official letter from the school board saying that that she is accepted! Nice to have it all official. Funny how part of me is thrilled for her and the other part is not quite ready for her to be a big girl yet. Ah the complexities of motherhood!

Naomi à la plage

2011-03-11T07:14:00.010-05:00

Valentine

2011-02-12T17:28:00.001-05:00

Heart Cookies

2011-02-12T08:49:00.006-05:00

Gōng xǐ fā cái

2011-02-02T21:46:00.002-05:00

Ten!

2011-01-31T12:07:00.011-05:00

Francis turned 10 on January 29th. The big double digits birthday. As birthday's go, Steph and I are usually ahead of the game when it comes to planning. This year, not so much. Lol.
He is having his "friends" party next weekend since he shares a birthday with one of his close friends who was having his party on the 29th. He will be going go-carting with 3 of his friends and out to dinner with them as well.
Since he was out of the house for most of the weekend it was hard to get some good birthday shots ... maybe I'll try stalking him this week. Heh.

An exciting package arrived in the mail .... thank you Linda and Fernand!

Naomi made the most adorable card for her brother with a star on the front and a portrait of her brother on the inside.

Here she is "reading" it to him ... heh!

Sunday night we finally got around to singing him happy birthday (with Josee and Bob joining in on Skype). Little sister always has to be in on the fun ...

We also took him out to Boston Pizza for lunch on his birthday where Grandpa Paul and Aunt Natalie joined in on the fun (the other grandparents are off enjoying the sun with my mom in Florida and Steph`s parents on a cruise - this just means there will be more birthday fun to come!). I had brought my camera but didn`t actually remember to take any photos but in my defence, I have been sick with flu for the past 3 days.

Just before his birthday we did a bedroom makeover for Francis. Steph did an amazing job on the paint.

I still have to find some area rugs and make some curtains so I will do a full post when it`s complete.

Happy Birthday to my big kid. Wishing you the very best year ahead!

Christmas holidays 2010

2011-01-03T14:48:00.022-05:00

I can't believe it's the third of January already! Time really does fly when you're having fun. I have been off since December 23rd and have really enjoyed every moment. Tomorrow it is back to work and back to reality though the kids still have another week off. I thought I'd take a moment and update this poor neglected blog. So here goes ...

Christmas eve ...

the kids were a bit hyper and excited ...

Leaving out cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph

Checking up on Santa whereabouts using NORAD

Christmas morning ...

Yay, books!

Naomi was very happy with her army of ZhuZhu pets ...

Francis excited about his new St-Louis Blues jersey and signed Halak card

Steph built a skating rink on our patio

The kids and the dog enjoyed

even when it got dark out

practice makes perfect

More skating (this time at the park down the street)

Naomi learning to skate

Naomi and I went to see the Nutcracker Suite

Place des Arts is such a beautiful place

we really liked the Christmas decor

We were in the first row right in front of the orchestra pit

A chat with Naomi at the intermission

Other fun stuff we did included bowling, tobogganing, visiting with friends and family, saw Disney Live with friends, went to 2 movies (Tangled and Yogi Bear), rented movies, played video games (Wii Donkey Cong, Epic Mickey, Pacman party ...), played board games, had friends over, read books and relaxed.

Naomi excited that she actually knocked some pins down

I hope everyone had a very happy holiday!

All dolled up for a Christmas party

2010-12-12T08:48:00.000-05:00

Halloween fun around our place

2010-10-31T20:41:00.009-04:00

carving pumpkins

These glasses are just props ...

Ewwwww...

Francis and his friend Connor

Ariel ...

Couldn't find a red wig so we got a blonde one and sprayed it. Then we made our own sea shell / sea weed crown ...

My witchy pumpkin

Loot!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2010-10-31T07:29:00.002-04:00

Nya ha ha ha ha ha ha .....

Happy 4th birthday Naomi!

2010-10-21T20:38:00.004-04:00

I cannot believe that you are 4 years old already! You are growing up way too fast. Stay my baby for a little while longer ok? I am not ready for you to be a big girl yet.

Every day Naomi says to me in a frustrated tone, "why is it taking so long for me to grow up?". I remember feeling just like that. She is so mature for her age it is hard to believe she is only 4 years old. We still haven't decided whether to send her to kindergarten next year or not. I think she is very ready. The other day we were talking and she says to me, "mom, feel your nose, do you feel that soft bone? That's called cartilage. There is some in your ears too." She is forever saying stuff like this. She is freeking hilarious sometimes. She is still having a bit of issues with being away from me but she is doing great in swimming lessons and music class.

On Saturday she is having a couple of friends over for her very first friends birthday party. She goes to a daycare of 6 kids of which more than half are babies so she doesn't have a whole lot of friends her age. 2 of her friends who went on to kindergarten will be coming and she is so looking forward to seeing them. Then she is off to her friend Layla's birthday party on Sunday - her daycare friend is 3 days younger than her.

It's been a busy couple of days - more birthday pictures to follow!

For Jane

2010-10-21T13:31:00.006-04:00

So much to be thankful for ...

2010-10-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

Disney on ice - Princesses and heros

2010-10-10T22:10:00.006-04:00

We just got back from the Disney on ice show. We had bought tickets months ago as a surprise for Naomi. We had a blast getting ready (we tried to replicate the Belle hair do) and talking about what we thought the show would be like. She was mesmerized from start to finish and I got so much joy from just watching her.

Pre-Thanksgiving hike

2010-10-03T22:05:00.005-04:00

Apple Picking 2010

2010-10-03T21:56:00.013-04:00

Read me a story Daddy

2010-10-01T21:52:00.001-04:00

Day at the park

2010-09-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

No fear

2010-09-25T21:35:00.000-04:00

Harvest Moon Festival

2010-09-22T13:29:00.000-04:00

Hanging out with Naomi

2010-09-10T21:22:00.000-04:00

Back to school

2010-09-04T18:19:00.000-04:00

Off to grade 4!

Day at the lake

2010-08-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

Vacation pictures

2010-08-29T05:55:00.035-04:00

Waiting for the plane at the airport

I didn't fly in an airplane until I was 21 but my kids are already old pros

Yay! The ocean!

a coco taxi in the rain (back from the flea market)

muah!

Our maid was the best!

catamaran trip (snorkeling, lobster, dolphins and more!)

say cheese Nemo!

smooch

Naomi is not sure about this though for the rest of the trip she talked about the dolphins

catamaran net

captain Francis

ahhhhh....

Mmmmm .... coconut

Foto Friday

2010-08-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Naomi learns a new trick

2010-08-18T20:17:00.004-04:00

Here is Naomi on our recent trip to Cuba - something just clicked and she started swimming underwater. She was so proud of herself and of course we are proud of her too. She is looking forward to swimming lessons this fall.

Cuba pictures to follow shortly!

Sleeping Beauty

2010-07-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

car seat vs booster seat - need advice!

2010-07-13T11:31:00.003-04:00

Perhaps one of you will have a suggestion for me. We have 2 car seats for Naomi, 1 in each car. In one car we have an Eddie Bower model where Naomi still uses the 5-point harness however the shoulder straps are on the highest setting and they are just about flush with her shoulders. I know that as soon as she starts wearing a coat she will be too high for this. She is 39.5 inches tall and weighs in at 31 lbs but has a very long torso. So, according to the car seat instructions, I am not supposed to use the shoulder belt with the car seat until she is 40 inches and 40 lbs. Hmmm. I don’t see her reaching 40 lbs until she is 5 or 5 and a half.

The other car seat needs to be thrown out asap. I am embarrassed to say that I did not notice the giant sign on the back that says DO NOT USE AFTER DEC 2007. Sign me up for the parent of the year award will ya? Anyways, what do I do? Get a booster with a back that uses the shoulder belt even though she does not meet the weight requirement? Buy a new 5-point harness seat made for tall kids? Is there such a thing?

I’d love to hear from those who have BTDT or anyone willing to share their stories, opinions, etc. Please keep in mind I am in Canada and need to get something ASAP.

Thanks!

************************************************************

UPDATE:

Solution found!

The people at Babies R Us were very helpful and helped me go through all my options. I purchased a new full car seat, the Graco Nautilus multi-stage car seat. The holes for the 5-point harness go up several notches higher than the average car seat so I can keep my tall lightweight princess in the 5-point harness until she is 40 pounds (at least another year). Then we can use it as a backed booster and later take the back off and it makes just a seat booster.

Last night I spent a bunch of time fiddling with the straps and adjusting it to fit properly and then switched them around so the new seat is in our newer car. Phew! Glad that is all done!

June update (pictures!)

2010-06-21T19:50:00.020-04:00

I downloaded 102 pictures from my camera today so I thought it was time to update the blog. It is getting harder and harder to find the time to blog these days but I will squeeze in updates wherever I can.
Here is what we have been up to lately (in no particular order):

Naomi had her second dentist visit. They actually cleaned her teeth with the "magic toothbrush". That evening at dinnertime there was much discussion about what toothpaste flavor was the best. Naomi went for good old mint and Francis chose bubble gum.

Stephan cooked us up a lobster feast one night .. it was Naomi's first lobster ... thought I had taken a picture of her but I can't seem to find it. Here's Francis ready to dig in!

Some pictures of Naomi, the one with the geese was taken in Ottawa

Francis and Moka ... boy does he love that dog!

Love that smile!

This is Sunny, our new budgie (because Kovy flew away)

Naomi dressed up and ready for a birthday party!

This was the cake - the birthday girl's mom made it - it was spectacular! And the frogs on the cupcakes were handmade chocolate!

We went to see Shrek 3D!

We are renovating our bedroom (finally! We have been in this house for 5.5 years and have done nothing!) This is the previous owner's decor - YUK!

buh-bye ugly blue carpet and wallpaper border! We are putting in hardwood stained a walnut color. The ugly ceiling fan has gotta go too! I will post pictures when we are done. Looks better already with the new paint color and no ugly carpet.

Swimmer or ballerina? Love this swimsuit! Old Navy $9!

can't get this little fishie out of the pool

Last weekend was our town fair - Naomi loves the bouncy houses!

My aunt Josee made special quilts for Naomi and Francis!

She also made the castle wall hanging! (click on the pic to enlarge)

Francis got a hockey quilt. Perfect for a hockey kid!! His room is next on the makeover list. We did this room first when we moved in (he was 3). Time for an update and the quilt is the perfect start.

Well that concludes my June update. I cannot believe that I did not get a picture of Steph and the kids yesterday (Father's day) oh well, I'll blame it on the sangria!

We have a busy July planned so hopefully I'll have a lot of pictures next month too!

We have a new puppy!!

2010-05-12T07:03:00.003-04:00

Ok, so we've had her for about a week now, I am just late with posting. She is a Snorkie, a cross between a Yorkie and a Schnauzer. This is my fist dog and so far I'm in love with her. She is a very sweet girl and is attached to me like velcro! We almost called her shadow because of this but finally all agreed on Moka (like mocha but with a unique spelling). Lol!

A beach hike with the princess

2010-04-29T20:57:00.012-04:00

8 years as a family

2010-04-15T19:26:00.003-04:00

Happy Gottcha day to my big kid. It's hard to believe that 8 years have already gone by! I'll never forget the first day we met, you were bundled up in about 6 layers of clothes and when we peeled them all off we saw how thin and pale you were. It didn't take you long to catch up and you have been growing stronger and stronger ever since. You have a heart of pure gold and you are the best big brother any little sister could ask for.

Every day I am thankful for you but today especially because I am reminded of that special day 8 years ago, in a small room on the other side of the world - where we became a family.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T21:28:00.005-04:00

I hope that everyone had a very Happy Easter!

We had beautiful weather for the long weekend and enjoyed every minute of it! These pictures were taken with my new and fabulous mommy cam (Canon PowerShot S90) that I received for my big bday. It is a tiny powerhouse of a camera and I am still learning how to use it's many features.

Stay tuned for the birthday story! And the long awaited cruise pictures!!

Black and White Wednesday

2010-03-17T22:43:00.010-04:00

I have been wanting to participate in Lisa's Black and White Wednesday challenge for a while now and since I just happen to have some "fresh" vacation photos, I thought I'd share a few in black and white. More vacation photos coming soon!

This is in Labadee, Haiti - Francis found a starfish while snorkeling right off the beach.

Here is Francis again, this time on a beautiful secluded beach known as Anabel in Samana, Dominican republic. That is our cruise ship in the distance.

Miss Naomi soaking up some sun on the Lido deck

A beautiful hibiscus

It's me! I wish that guy's foot was not in the picture!

Our ship, Royal Caribbeans Explorer of the Seas

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

2010-02-14T19:53:00.004-05:00

Some hung-bao we picked up ...

Some treats we picked up for CNY!

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's day! I will post more CNY pics next weekend as we are meeting up with friends to celebrate!

Francis' 9th birthday

2010-02-04T21:22:00.010-05:00

On January 29th Francis turned 9 years old. Wow. I feel old! Next year we hit the double digits! Here are a few pictures from his birthday:
Morning of his birthday opening presents ... video games...

In the evening we had the grandparents over - here's Francis opening more presents ...

Little sister gets in on the presents ...

Here he is blowing out his candles - he asked for a football cake - Loblaws made this one ...

On Saturday he had his friend party where they played Laser Tag. It was a big hit with all the kids. I was so happy to not have 10 9-year olds tearing up my house! :o)

I have lots of fun pictures of the boys playing Laser Tag but I just don't have the energy to blank out the faces and since I don't have permission to print their pictures these will have to do to give you an idea of what it looks like. It's all in the dark and there are those lights that make any white clothing florescent.

One happy kid!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T19:50:00.006-05:00

Ok, so it’s January 12th and life is back in full swing after the respite of the holidays. Steph started his new job and is loving the 5 minute commute. I’m back to work, Francis is back to school and Naomi is back to daycare. In an effort to get more exercise in I signed up for a Zumba class – I did the first one yesterday - wow, what a workout!! It is non-stop aerobic dancing for 1 hour. I have signed Naomi up for a music rhythms class that starts this Saturday. I am not quite sure what to expect but the brochure said music and dancing and parental participation!

On January 6th Steph bought a “Gâteau des rois” (Kings’ cake) . Each person gets a slice and one lucky person finds a “fève” (bean) and in this case a small ceramic animal. This person is deemed the king and the king chooses a queen. Pictures below. Oh, and the cake was delicious – an almond cake with a light flaky crust.

Christmas pictures

2009-12-30T22:21:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas. It seemed to just fly by this year. We have spent the past few days relaxing and enjoying our new toys (aka: playing Wii non-stop). We also went sledding and took the kids to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Tomorrow we are going skiing (whee) I hope I remember how!

Christmas eve, leaving cookies and eggnog for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer ..

Opening the Barb1e camper - best gift evah in Naomi's mind ...

Francis on his new snowboard reading a hockey magazine ...

The kids opening prezzies for the hamsters ...

New books!

Naomi holding her newest cousin Isaiah (1 week old)

Naomi and Stephan out for a walk ...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all the best for the new year!!

Naomi and the Big Guy

2009-12-23T10:25:00.002-05:00

Love this picture, even though I forgot to bring some shoes for Naomi to change into (sigh). Believe it or not she was really nervous to sit on his lap. The promise of a sticker book and the fact that she just had to ask him for a Barbie camper helped to get her up there.

I have a new nephew!

2009-12-18T09:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my brother and my S-I-L welcomed their second child, Isaiah Blake! Big brother, Hugo Kaleb, looks happy to be holding his new brother in one of their first pictures as a family of 4! I am so happy for them!!

2010 Olympic Torch Relay

2009-12-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

A week ago the Olympic Torch Relay came through our neighbourhood on it's way to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC. A huge party was held in its honour and we had so much fun! There was a huge stage with live dancers and musicians and Coke was there taking pictures of families holding one of the official Olympic torches - they were also passing out special Coke bottles with the Olympic logos and light up Coke bottles. There were food stations selling hot chocolate and other typical Canadian treats. What a fun event!

My little helper

2009-12-01T16:45:00.008-05:00

Yeesh, it's Wednesday and I'm just getting around to posting about our weekend!

The princess and I made our first batch of Christmas cookies on Saturday. She was thrilled to get to wear her "cooker" again. Lol.

A generous helping of sprinkles ... lots of tasting ...

This is the "kids" tree upstairs just outside her bedroom door - she was such a good helper but I have noticed that several of the candy canes are already missing. Hmmmm...

More signs of Xmas upstairs ...

I always add a greenery garland here but this year I was feeling sparkly - the hubs is not loving it - he thinks it's tacky! Well, next year when he decorates the house for Christmas he can choose what he wants (as if). :o)

Update on the hammies - they have fur and look like hamsters now! They are ridiculously cute!

Skating, baking, and babies

2009-11-26T20:22:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday while I was attending a baby shower for Doris (who will be traveling to China to get Daphne soon!) hubby took the kids to the local rink for some skating practice. We had taken Naomi last year and she hated every minute of it! This time she apparently loved it and stayed on the ice for a good 45 minutes! Not the best quality photo since it's from a phone camera but I am glad to have the moment captured!!! She has been asking to go back all week!

Naomi loves to "help" in the kitchen. She was so happy to try out the new apron my mom made for her.

She *loves* to crack the eggs ... mmmm .... crunchy brownies ... lol!

little miss poser ....

...being silly ....

Last Friday night I was at the grocery store when my son called me to announce that our two (supposedly) female hamsters produced a litter of 6! Lovely. Never trust the employees at the pet shop. Lesson learned. They are super cute though ... anyone want a hammie?

The little princess has been skipping her naps on the weekends lately ... apparently she is "big" now and doesn't need them ... lol. In her defence, this was after all that skating ... :o)

Fall Peektures

2009-11-10T19:15:00.008-05:00

Halloween pictures

2009-11-01T10:50:00.010-05:00

Birthday pictures!

2009-10-28T17:33:00.012-04:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ...

Happy birthday princess Naomi, Happy birthday to you!
Make a wish ...

Friends (some in halloween costumes ... That's Francis with the red hair)

Opening presents ...

Happy 3rd Birthday Naomi!!!

2009-10-21T22:30:00.004-04:00

I can hardly believe you are already three. I feel like you are growing up too fast and I wish there was a way to keep you little forever. On the other hand I love to see you grow and learn about the world around you. I love watching you learn new things. You are so smart. Everyone tells me so. One of your birthday gifts is an 87 piece puzzle because you can do all the 24 and 36 piece ones in 10 minutes. The lady in the store didn’t even believe daddy when he told her. Your daycare teacher says you are more advanced than most of the 5 year olds she’s taught. I am so proud of you. I love your big personality. You believe in fairy tales and princesses and princes. You know every Disney princess story by heart. Some days you are so girly and other days you are rough and tumble. One moment asking for nail polish, the next you are shooting your brother with your fingers. You are affectionate and can’t go to sleep without a huggy and kissy. I love the way you drag your stuffed"doggie" around. You love the way he smells and never want me to wash him. You love animals, all animals. You love to visit the snakes at the pet store much to my horror and you call your hamster Fatso in a loving way. You make me laugh every day with your silly antics and it is easy to make you laugh as well.

Every year on your birthday I can’t help but wonder about the mother who gave birth to you. I wonder what her circumstances were. I wonder if she is thinking of you today. I’ll bet she is. I feel so lucky to be your mom and I am grateful to be the one who gets to spend every day with you.

Love always,

Mommy

xxx

Apple Picking 2009

2009-10-06T20:25:00.008-04:00

And the award for worst blogger goes to ...

2009-09-22T22:28:00.006-04:00

What can I say, it's been a bit crazy around here. Francis is back to school and is off to a good start. His French teacher is a man - he really seems to like that. Ahhh grade 3! I signed Naomi up for gymnastics with the 3-5 year olds since she will be three next month but she doesn't love it. She is used to me participating with her and now she is on her own with the other kids and she is having some major separation anxiety. The first time she ran in and did about half the class before becoming hysterical because she realized I was not there. The second class I could not get her in the door. We also did a ballet trial class. The ballet teacher (a man) told all the parents to leave and Naomi lost it. Ok, so we'll try again next year. It's too bad because at home she is constantly dancing or jumping around!

I have not been very good at taking pictures of the kids lately. Sigh. I did get this one from a recent hike we did and the other one is Naomi wearing her pink kitty pj's same as she saw Ro and Ree wearing the other day. Every day she wants to see what the Salsa Twins are up to!

How to avoid getting your kids a dog in 2 easy steps

2009-08-31T20:12:00.006-04:00

Step one: purchase 2 fancy rodents (winter white mini hamsters). Allow children to name them Bugzy and Snowbell. Purchase deluxe cage and accessories, special mini hamster food and aspen pine bedding. Teach children not to squeeze them too hard and to pick up the ...ahem ... dropping they leave on the furniture.

Step two: purchase second type of animal in case they get bored with rodents. Pick aqua colored "wild" budgie along with cage (found) bird toys, food, vitamins and prepare him a raw food diet daily. Try to teach bird to be gentle and not bite children. Allow child #3 (husband) to name bird after favourite hockey player (Kovy). Make children promise to feed and clean cages.

There now, that's MUCH easier than getting a dog right?

Mont Tremblant

2009-08-13T21:06:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we spent a couple of days in Mont Tremblant, a ski resort 2 hours north of Montreal. There is lots to do in the summer as well! The above picture was taken during a ride in the gondola.

Naomi enjoying the walk uphill - see how pretty it is? Great views too!

Naomi and Francis enjoying a beaver tail. Not a real one of course, it's deep fried dough with lemon, sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!

Going up on the chairlift - feels weird without my skis! Check out the helmets and toboggans

Francis demonstrating the luge that we came down (hence the ride up on the chairlift).

Naomi showing off her pool jumps. She is also swimming with her face in the water (trying to be like her brother)

Gotcha Day #2!!

2009-07-29T21:40:00.009-04:00

Today is Naomi and Zoe's 2nd Gotcha Day!

Here are some pictures from the Chinese restaurant we enjoyed tonight.

Bestest buddies ...

These Guizhou girls have big appetites! Yummy noodles!

I love it when they hold hands ...

Elisa made chocolate dipped fortune cookies and added some #2 candles. The kids enjoyed the attention and getting to blow out their candles!

In the side bar there is a picture of Naomi wearing a Chinese dress - that was taken last year on gotcha day! My she has changed and grown!

And here we are on Gotcha day. Wow, it feels like yesterday and at the same time it feels like a million years ago.

With great sadness

2009-07-19T10:01:00.005-04:00

We said goodbye to our family pet, Billy yesterday.

More than a cat, he was a member of our family.

He will be dearly missed.

Mid-July

2009-07-15T17:10:00.009-04:00

Time for an update! Despite all the rain we've been getting we are having a very nice summer. Here are a few pictures from the past 2 weeks.

Naomi's "bonhomme" or self portrait. All her "people" look like potatoes but they have arms and legs and eyes and a mouth and hair. I have to say I'm impressed considering she is only 2 years old!

Naomi showing a little Canada spirit for Canada Day

I actually took this picture in the car - this kid always has this mischievous smile (like he's up to

something). Mr. personality ...

Naomi at the lake on an outing with Elisa, Thomas and Zoe. She really loves this "ballerina" swimsuit - turns out Zoe had the same one but in a different color!

Love this picture of Miss Zo-Zo Pinky!

The kids found this giant log floating in the water and decided to hop on. Elisa is trying to hold it steady so they don't tip off.

Francis had a big baseball tournament over the weekend - they won first place!!!

Tired but happy. The game finished at 10pm!