Merry Christmas!

Can you believe it? Christmas 2007 is already over. It blows me away how fast Christmas seems to come and go each year. Christmas 2007 was another great one for our family. Jessica is here staying with us for a few weeks and the girls are loving it. Jessica doesn't get a break because the girls are constantly wanting to play with her. It's a good thing Jess is so patient with them.

Once again this year we stayed home Christmas Day and enjoying a nice relaxing time. We all got up around 9:00 and wandered downstairs to see what Santa had left under our tree. Emma was thrilled to see all the goodies waiting for her. After a few quick photos, some coffee and some chocolate we were ready to begin opening our gifts. We always start with the stockings in our house and this year was no different. Emma emptied all her items out on the floor and then slowly picked through them to choose the ones that she wanted to open. The stockings are always my favourite part. I love to see all the cool things that you can pack into one little sock. Emma loved all the treats as well as her nail polish and perfume. Natalia, on the other hand, was really only interested in the chocolate. Everytime she saw a piece she wanted to eat it.


After the stockings were open we moved on to the gifts under the tree. We opened each gift one by one and allowed the girls to really get to see it. If it needed put together we did that or if it was a book we read it. I love that that girls get to explore all their treasures as they unwrap them.

We were finally finished unwrapping all our stuff around 11:00. After that, we cooked up a quick brunch of bacon, eggs and toast. We knew the girls wouldn't want to sit still for long and we were right. They gobbled down their food as fast as possible and then it was back to the gifts. Emma received about 4 games this year so we took the time to play each and everyone with her. She loved the attention.

All in all it was a great day for us. We were sorry we couldn't make it to Fergus but we felt it was better for our family to relax at home so the girls could enjoy all their new stuff.

We wish everyon a very Merry Christmas and we hope to see you all very soon.

We finally found it...

We finally found a program that Emma loves to do. Seeing as skating was a big bust and traditional tap or ballet classes cost around $30-50.00 a month plus costumes and I wasn't willing to pay that we were thrilled to find this Ukrainian dance class.

A few weeks ago, Emma's kindergarten teacher recommended it and wow I am so glad she did. Tonight was Emma's third class and she is doing fantastic. She just glows with excitement when it's time to go. She is constantly wearing her dance slippers around the house. She loves all the cool moves she is learning and the other kids are great. It's so nice to have found a program for her that she enjoys. By pure luck, she also found a brief clip on the internet showing Ukrainian dance and she went crazy showing it to me. She kept telling me, "That's what I'm learning!" Emma missed the first month or so of the program but you would never know it. She has caught on beautifully and just thrives on it. I think it's going to be so fun to see her on stage in her traditional Ukrainian outfit for the performances in July. I can only imagine what she will have learned by then.

This kid makes me laugh!

Each and every day Natalia brings a smile to my face with her crazy, goofy ways. She just loves to be silly. She loves to goof around and she loves it if people laugh at her. Today, I put these crazy pigtails in her hair and she looked hilarious. They were messy and crooked but they totally went with her silly personality. Everytime I looked at her with these silly pigtails I couldn't help but laugh.

It's not easy being the little sister!

Sometimes your big sister does some really strange things to you. Take today, for instance, Emma decided that Natalia needed to take a nap. The only catch was that Natalia was to take a nap in the doll playpen. I think Natalia is just a little too large for it but she seemed quite content being in it. For a while Emma had her all tucked in a tight as possible with blankets and everything. Unfortunetly, by the time I got the camera, Natalia had kicked off the blankets. It was so cute. Natalia loves that Emma wants to play with her but sometimes Emma doesn't know when to back off and Natalia gets really, really mad and screams. Hopefully, someday, Emma will learn that Natalia isn't just a toy but a little person that has feelings and when she says "No!" she means it.

Guess what happens to your child when I babysit?

I take photos!! Yep, lucky me, I had AnnElyse for the entire day and I just couldn't resist taking some Christmas pictures of the little critter. She is such a doll but a very busy little doll. She gets into everything, over and over and over again. In order to keep her in the rocking chair and not standing on it I actually put a seatbelt around her. It worked like a charm and prevented her from falling on her head.
It's a crazy day when AnnElyse is around but Natalia just loves having a little friend to play with. She only gets jealous or upset when I am holding AnnElyse for too long or if AnnElyse is in her highchair. She really hates that. The girls usually get along really well they will occasionally scream at each other over a toy and Natalia loves to copy AnnElyse if she begins to cry. It's really quite funny.

Emma's 1st School Photo!

I think it turned out pretty good. Emma tends to give me really, really goofy smiles if I ask her to smile so I was pretty happy to see that she didn't do that for the photographer. I only wish that she would have given him a bigger smile buy hey I will take what I can get. I was really afraid of what I was going to end up with. I do think that she looks a little stunned in the picture but oh well, I can't expect perfection.

I'm on a digital scrapbooking roll!

I finished up another layout today. This one is all about me. I love my new haircut so much and I love this photo of me I just had to scrap it. I can really tell in this photo just how much weight I have lost lately and it makes me feel so good.

Digital Scrap Pages

Life has been so busy lately that I feel like I haven't had time to do anything. With Gerben going to the gym before work and me going in the evening we are hardly even seeing each other. It's crazy. Last night I was lucky enough to find a small amount of time and completed 2 digital scrap pages that I am really happy with. I make these layouts at a 12 inch x 12 inch size so that I can print them that big if I want but usually I just shrink them down and print them 8 x 8 at home. I really love the no mess aspect of digital scrapping although nothing beats the pleasure of actually touching and working with all the papers and embelishments in traditional scrapping. I absolutely love the pink layout with Emma and I together. She never seems to want to have her picture taken lately or she looks away from the camera and gives me goofy looks. I was more that excited when Gerben managed to capture this fantastic shot. I definitely think it's frame worthy.

A fabulous new haircut for me!

I am soooo thrilled with my new hair cut that I just have to show it off. I had it cut and coloured today and it looks amazing. I love all the colour and I love the cool flower effect that my hair stylist, Brandon, did with it. It's the best. He's the best. I was so excited that I couldn't wait to get home and show Gerben and get him to take pictures. For once, even Emma wanted her photo take and we captured an awesome one of her and I together. I am so thrilled that I am bouncing off the wall. A great haircut and a few fabulous photos.

Waking up to a Winter Wonderland!

Wow! Last night when we went to bed there was not a sprinkle of snow on the ground. This morning we woke up to about 20cm of heavy, wet snow! For the kids it was magical. For Gerben and I it was work. Luckily it was about 0 degrees outside so it was pretty warm out. We bundled the kids up and took them out to enjoy the snow. They helped us shovel the driveway as well as took turns catching a ride on the sled as we pulled them around on the street. The kids had a blast playing the white stuff but poor Natalia just couldn't get the hang on walking in it. She fell several times and did a lot of whining to get us to help her up. It was so nice to have a change in the weather. It's so pretty to see the Christmas lights twinkling off the snow. I hope that the snow remains at least until Christmas. They it's welcome to melt away.

It has been a crazy weekend. Yesturday, we took off to Cambridge shopping and managed to finish up most of it. We only have a few more items to get and we are done. Yeah!!!! I really don't like trying to get through the busy malls at this time of year.

Today was Gerben's 32nd Birthday. Unfortunetly we didn't do much for him. With the crazy weather we spent ton of time outside shovelling and then this afternoon Emma had a birthday party to go to. Poor Daddy, kind of got forgotten so I will definetly have to make it up to him. I hope he understands. I am sure he would appreciate a nice big cherry cheese cake!

We love you honey! Happy Birthday!

Deck the Halls!

It's the festive time of year again and Gerben, the girls and I have spent a few days decorating the house. It's been lots of fun. Natalia is just old enough now to want to really help with everything that we are doing but she also tends to get in the way. At first I think she was a bit confused as to why she couldn't play with all the cool balls that we were pulling out of the boxes. Emma on the other hand loved to search each box of ornaments to see what she could find. There was excitement written all over her face. She really loved finding all the ornaments that belonged to her as well as the ones that she has made in previous years. Of course, this brings up a new challenge for me. Now I need to find a craft for her to make this year to hang on the tree. Overall, I have to say that the decorating went pretty smoothly. Natalia only broke one ball and since putting the decorations on the tree I think she has only removed about 3 or 4. We keep telling her no and we put them back. I think she is starting to get the idea. The one thing that I love about this time of year is the warm, cozy feeling that the house has after we finish decorating it. It always seems so plain in January when we take them back down again.

Back in Ontario

After about 7 days, 300 or so pictures and 1 red-eye flight we are finally home from Alberta. Gerben and I had a great time in Alberta. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Especially when we got up into the mountains. It was definitely cold and dry but the views were breathtaking. Our first stop was in Edmonton where we spent 4 days. Gerben had a booth set up for a show so we spent a few days at that. On Saturday, Gerben and I drove down to the Banff/Lake Louise area where we checked in to a beautiful log-cabin hotel for 2 nights. This place was so tranquil and relaxing. I would definetly go there again. The hotel was simply stunning inside and the views were equally as wonderful outside.

On Sunday we went to Banff to ski but unfortunely for me that was fairly short lived. The area was beautiful and they had some really nice runs but my poor legs just couldn't handle the skiing. In no time my legs were just killing me so we had to call it quits pretty early. After that we heading into Banff and enjoyed wandering around the town and a relaxing meal. After that we heading back to the hotel and relaxed in the jaccuzzi in our room. It was heaven after a long day on our feet.

By Monday, it was check out time. On our way to Calgary we decided to stop at a trail and check it out. I learned pretty quickly that it was just too steep of a climb for me to handle. Gerben decided to head on up the trail without me. It ended up being a much longer hike than he anticipated but I think the views at the top were well worth it. Once he was safely back at the bottom of the hill he confessed to me that the climb was actually very steep in parts and that he almost turned around. Of course, Gerben is a very stubborn man and he toughed it out to the top. I don't think that giving up on a challenge is in his vocabulary.

All in all we had a great trip. It was nice to have some time away from the kids. They had a wonderful time at their aunt and uncles home in Strathroy but by the time we got there tonight they were really excited to see us and ready to come home. The girls were exhausted so I know they had a great time. Emma said that her favourite part was jumping on the trampoline and playing with all the Barbies. I seemed like both kids grew 2 inches while I was gone and Natalia seems to have expanded her vocabulary by about double. I can't believe the change in her in only a weeks time.

Thanks Mariska, Al, Miranda and Kirsten for giving the girls a fantastic holiday while we were away. You are the best and we can't thank you enough.

We did it!!

Gerben and I went indoor rock climbing yesturday. It was a blast. I would definetly try it again even though I sucked. Gerben was quite good at it and managed to climb to the top of the wall several times and never fell off once. In all honesty, I think he was scared to death that I would drop him if he fell so he made darn sure that he didn't. For me, well, I think I spent more time swinging from the ropes rather than actually climbing the wall. I think I only ever made it about 1/3 of the way up the wall before I would lose my grip and fall off. Lucky for me, Gerben was always on the ball and made sure that I didn't drop to the floor.

Today I feel pretty good. I completely expected to have aching muscles all over my body but I am not bad at all. My forearms are the only part of me that are sore and they really are not bad at all.

Tomorrow, Gerben and I are heading to Banff for a few more relaxing days before we head home. If all goes well we will be going skiing on Sunday. The latest ski reports state that 55 out of 107 runs are open so as of right now we are planning to hit the slopes. I am totally excited and can't wait.

I'm in Edmonton!

At 10:30 yesturday morning, Gerben and I boarded the plane for Alberta without the kids!! Yeah, an entire week of pure adult time. It's so nice to relax during a meal and not have to constantly be on the lookout for the girls. Emma and Natalia are enjoying a fun-filled week with Mariska, Al and the girls. I am sure they are having an absolute blast. So far I haven't had any phone calls so I am sure all is well. Gerben and I will be staying here until Saturday and then we are travelling to Banff to spend 2 nights relaxing in the mountains before heading back home.

Oh So Innocent!!

This little beauty may look innocent enough but let me tell you...She has put her Daddy and I through one CRAZY day. I realize she looks ever so cute while taking a bath but this is not her first bath today. This is her....FOURTH bath! Yes, you read that right. This was Natalia's 4th bath. Our day started out as a pretty average Saturday. We decided to get up early and take off to Sears and Price Club. Everything went very well. I got a great deal on some new workout gear at Sears and for once we didn't spend a fortune at Price Club.

Natalia has always had issues with her diapers leaking in the car. We have no idea why but it happens all the time. Today was no exception. By the time we got home from Price Club she had soaked right through her diaper and the carseat. So I scooped her up and took her straight inside to the bath while Gerben took care of the carseat. After a short while in the tub I went to check on her and finish getting her cleaned up. To my complete surprise Natalia had pooped in the tub. YUCK! I hate that. It totally grosses me out. I called Gerben and we took Natalia out of her tub and put her in our tub to finish her bath while I cleaned up the poop. Did I say "Yuck?" 'Cause trust it's gross!

After lunch I put Natalia down for a nap around 12:30 and by 1:30 she was still playing in her crib. This happens frequently and I just leave her because she usually falls asleep and what could she possible get into in her crib. After about an hour or so she finally fell asleep and had a nice long nap. When she woke up from her nap I went in to get her and to my complete shock...there stood my little girl totally naked from the waist down and absolutely COVERED in dry, crusty, sticky POOP!! I freaked out and yelled for Gerben, we set about scrubbing down Natalia and her bed. The poor kid had poop in her hair, all over her face, and on the bottom of her feet. It was so tough to get off because it had mostly dried. I scubbed and scrubbed. If you are counting this was bath number 3 for the day. I finally finished washing all the poop off of her and took her back to her room to get dressed again but she still stunk. It was discusting!!! So back to the tub we went for bath #4 with about 2 cups of bubble bath to help drown out the odour eminating from my " lil Stinker."

We always joke that Natalia is our little "shit disturber!" Now, she has truly lived up to that name.

I don't think I have ever been more grossed out in my life. It was aweful and yet all you could do was laugh about it and keep on scrubbin'. Thank God for Clorox wipes. I think I used about 20 of them to clean the poop off the spindles on her crib.

What a crazy, crazy day. And to add to this caos our washing machine is leaking and I HAVE to get the laundry down for our upcoming trip to Albert plus the wax seal on the toilet in the kids bathroom is gone and it's leaking too.

Phew! I am so glad this day is almost done.

A Beautiful Fall Day Outside

On October 30th the weather was fantastic and I decided that we should head outside for some fun in the fresh air. We had a pile of leaves on our front yard that needed raked. After Emma and I raked up all the leaves I let the girls go crazy playing in them. They had a blast throwing them up in the air and burying me. By the time we heading inside we were all filthy and tired. It was a lot of fun.

We also decided to get out the wagon and bikes and do some touring on the street. Natalia loves riding in the wagon that my Dad built. Especially when it's Emma pulling it.

It's so nice to get outside and enjoy the weather because before long it will be snowing and I hate being outside in the cold. It's going to be tough walking to school twice a day in the freezing cold.

"I Hate Skating!"

"I hate skating! I want to sit on the bench with Mommy. I don't want to skate!" This was Emma's reaction after only 2 minutes on the ice on Sunday at the Cambridge Center. It turns out that they rent skates at the Cambridge Center so we figured it would be a great opportunity to try Emma on the ice. She was very willing to go but quickly changed her mind when Gerben got her out on the ice. I don't think she liked the lack of control that she had. There was tons of people on the ice so I am sure she found that overwhelming. I can't say that I am surprised because Emma never does well with new situations but I was a little surprised at how strong her reaction was. I don't know if we will get her back on the ice again this year. She really hated it.

On the other hand, I think if we had skates small enough for Natalia she would have been on the ice in a flash. It was all I could do to keep her off the ice and when Gerben picked her up and took her for a quick skate she loved it. It's really cool to see how different our two little girls are.

Please excuse the crappy photos. It was all I could get given the situation.