Skating

We've entered the age of independent skating. Almost no more back-breaking bending to hold up wobbly kids. I think I can officially apply for passports for the kids because I can now answer the "Can you skate?" question asked when applying to be a card-carrying Canadian.

We're working through the kinks still, but for the most part they love it. So proud to tell anyone that they skated "Just like Daddy!"

Honestly though, is there anything more Canadian than an arena on a Saturday morning?

Winter Wonderland

Someone said to me: "If we've got to have winter, we might as well have snow." As a hater of this season, I do understand that statement. So, out we go into the snow.

Our front yard is a bit of a hill, so it's perfect for little sleds. You'll notice in the above picture that Sebastian has decided to go down backwards. Little thrill seeker!

Up they go again.

Man Down!

Just kidding. Matthew actually did this on purpose. This time I didn't just snap a picture and then find out if he was okay. I promise this was staged...Matthew has entered the silly boy phase of life, complete with knock knock jokes.

All the same, we did head inside. To the land of pretend:

Nana brought costumes for the boys to play in. Our little pirate and superhero were hard at work after some fun in the snow.

Of course, Mommy needs a rest after all of this (the camera sure is heavy!), so lets the boys occasionally veg out with their new toy. Yes, a video game. Hopefully I won't let it turn into them writing with a strange combination of letters and numbers (CU L8R) or avoiding speech altogether in order to text one another. I figure a little Mario Party or Midnight Bowling never hurt anyone. In moderation. And look, they're sitting together without trying to turf one another out of the same chair. It's almost progress!

So yes, if we have to have winter, we might as well have snow. And imaginations, and a little electronic help every now and again!

The Remote Control Spider

A few weeks ago, we were looking through the Toys R Us catalogue to see about ideas for Santa. The wish book is packed full of great stuff: remote control cars, lego, music, games, etc. So much stuff to look at! While flipping through, we came across a remote control spider; a black widow to be exact. Rob is not a big fan of spiders (who is, really?). I pointed it out to Matthew who seems to be getting into bugs and lizards and things.

"Oh Matthew, look at this! Wouldn't Daddy HATE that?"

That was it. With a twinkle in his eye, Matthew decided that was the only gift he wanted to ask Santa for: a remote control black window spider. So there you have the story of how Fuzzy came to be.

Happy New Year

Well, another year has come and gone. Hopefully 2011 starts for you as well as 2010 ended for us. Full of food, fun and family.

Rob reading The Night before Christmas. What's Christmas without this classic?

Santa came!

The gifts of the season were a remote control spider (I'll tell the story of how that came about in the next post!) and a remote control Buzz lightyear, complete with Spanish language option.

My favourite gift was one Matthew picked out for me. Without any prompting from me or Rob, he told Rob he had to buy me a yellow bow for my hair. They made a special trip to the mall on the 23rd just to pick that out. I want to wear it everywhere.

Another successful Christmas.

After Christmas, we spent Boxing Day with Nana and Grandpa and some great friends. Sarah and Wade had us over to their house for Christmas dinner, so we had them over for Boxing Day. They had turkey (with the best stuffing EVER), we had lobster (I love it here).

I was wearing a sleeveless shirt under a sweater and with all the excitement, it was getting pretty hot. I took my sweater off before we sat down to eat. The boys had eaten before us (their palette appreciates hot dogs more than crustaceans) and Sebastian came into the dining room to see all the action. "Why you naked, Momma?" A cherished holiday memory.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And then there's Sebastian

Oh, our spirited little man. We love him so much. His personality is so big and his little heart is even bigger. Unfortunately, so is his temper! I guess he comes by it honestly. His third birthday has come and gone and once again I cannot believe it. He's talking non-stop and loving being 3. "I not a baby anymore, Momma. I a BIG boy." All he wants is to be just like his big brother. He is so affectionate. He's a hugger and an acrobat. He loves us, he loves his brother. He hates spiders.

So smart. He can count to at least 25 (only missing 13 because he can't say it, not necessarily because he doesn't know it). He loves making silly faces and making everyone around him laugh. He knows how to spell his name (thanks to the M-i-c-k-e-y m-o-u-s-e song) and can sing his phone number when heavily prompted. The alphabet is covered except maybe for that bit in the middle where LMNO is kind of one letter.

We had a birthday party for him and he insisted all his "girls" go. At three he's already quite the ladies man! I would love to pinpoint one story about him that can show you how much he makes us laugh, but I can't. He's just funny. Right down to his silly face when he know's you're about to get angry with him. We love you, Sebastian! (Even when you're clearly up to no good, or plotting to take over the world.)

Matthew

A five year old. Wow. He is such a sweet kid. He loves school and loves to read. We've even "caught" him reading instead of playing with cars. "I just want to find out how this chapter ends." He'll read stories to Sebastian if heavily bribed and will read to us as well (less bribery, but still needs to be prompted). He loves running and riding his bike (right up until the first frost), puzzles and lego. He's also developed a new love of colouring. For the first time ever, he'll sit for an hour and just colour. Our house is filled with art, complete with tags reading "To Mommy (or Daddy, or Sebastian), Love, Matthew." He tries so hard to be good and for the most part he is. He's so sensitive to how other people are feeling and always wants people to be happy. Well, except when Sebastian invades his space. Even still, they are brothers that are really good friends. Sebastian adores him and wants nothing more than to be just like Matthew.

A little Matthew and Sebastian story:

So, Matthew was taking all of his toys away from Sebastian because he decided his younger brother was not allowed to play with them. Sebastian, understandable, was very frustrated by this. I decided to try to let them work it out. Well, I guess that was the wrong decision because Sebastian bit Matthew. That's not acceptable, but that's not where this story is going. After I sent Sebastian to time out for biting, I was talking to Matthew. Amidst his hiccupping sobs because he's been bitten (on the back no less!):

"Matthew, are you alright?"

"Sebastian bit me. Like (hic), Like (hic), Like I was an apple."

I did my very best not to laugh, since he was so serious about being bitten like he was fruit. In the end, we got through it: me without laughing and Matthew without disowning his brother.

I can't believe how fast 5 years slips away. We love you, buddy!

Almost Caught Up

Halloween: two superheroes. Running from house to house with the neighbours. When it was all done, Sebastian cried: "I wanna talk to more people." He talked the whole hour and a bit we were out. "I Piderman! Trick or TREAT!" I guess this was the first Halloween Sebastian really understood what was going on. At the end of it, he told me he can't wait until next Halloween. "Is it next Sunday, Momma?"