25 THINGS IN 25 DAYS

5 more sleeps until December. 4 more weekends until Christmas!

In the spirit of Christmas and of list making (2 of my favourite things), I have written 25 things I would like to do in December. One for each day leading up to Christmas:

Take Clara to the Nutcracker

Have Christmas high tea with the ladies

Make a wreath with my mom and sister

Go to a festive movie and hold hands with my husband

Decorate a gingerbread house

Invite some kids over and make popcorn garlands and paper chains

Make hot chocolate with real chopped chocolate, cream, vanilla beans and homemade marshmallows

Buy a new kid's Christmas book

Buy a new Christmas CD

Go listen to live Christmas music

Read the Christmas story to our kids and then play games by the fire

Give our neighbours a gift

Go ice skating

Got to Breakfast with Santa on Grouse Mountain

Have a Christmas carol sing along

Make some moosemilk

Watch classic Christmas movies one evening and eat lots of popcorn

Hang some mistletoe and kiss under it

Ride the Christmas Train

Give the kids a gift on the first snowfall

Get a family picture taken

Have a candlelit dinner by the fire and drink some whiskey sours

Go sledding

Go skiing

Got to the Festival of Lights with the family and walk around with a warm drink

I pay over $200 (including some fancy shampoo) to try to get highlights like this:

GIRL DATE

It was our annual November girl date on Saturday. Clara put on her tiara and beads and I put on some mascara and a dress and away we went. We chanted "no boys allowed" and sang Christmas carols on our car ride into town where we met our girlfriends at one of our favourite restaurants.

We ordered all our favourite things on the menu, walked up the street for a princess manicure, had coffees and hot chocolates and treats at the bookstore and then watched a matinee (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs).

Despite the downpour and the $18 parking and that it was dark at 3:00pm, it was such a lovely day. I love this tradition. Thanks Annie! As always, it so nice to get together with you and your girls.

I told Clara that her manicure included a hand rub...which it didn't. This is her disappointed/grumpy face.

PRISIS, FIREE & BIDEE BABEE

This is Clara's wish list for Christmas:

This is the translation:

I would like the room with the princesses and Kit and her friend, the princess that turns into a fairy (look on the back), and Bitty Baby.

I love, LOVE this stage of sounding words out.  It is so endearing.  And I'm so proud of Clara for trying.  It has only been the last couple of months that Clara has really been practicing writing on her own.  Before that, she didn't even want to try for fear of failing.  I think she felt it had to be perfect right off the bat (kind of sounds like me).

This is Sam's wish list:  

1. Razor scooter, maybe the electric one
2. Rocket that goes super high, higher than the house
3. I would like more things but I don't know what they are

MY GOAL FOR THIS WEEK: TO BE MORE SPARKY

"A stodgy parent is no fun at all. 

What a child wants and deserves 

is a parent who is sparky."

-Roald Dahl (one of my favs)

(will and jake, from the archives)

FOR DINNER TONIGHT

For dinner tonight, I baked a pack of gum and a playmobil car.  

Apparently Will put them in the oven earlier today when I was not looking.  Fortunately the smell of burning plastic and the black smoke in the kitchen alerted me to the contents of the oven that I was pre-heating.  I spoke some words to Will.  He was mesmerized by the gum on fire and wanted to point at and "talk" all about it.  I'm sure he will want to "talk" about it some more tomorrow too.  

(some outtakes from Will's birthday invite photo session.  I think he was quite stunned, wondering why his bed, the backdrop, was leaning up against the wall)

WUB

Lately, Clara has been teaching Sam what sound each letter in the alphabet makes. 

This has been pretty confusing to Sam, and it has also been particularly interesting since Clara is not what you would call super gifted in the art of pronunciation.  She has what we refer to as an "accent", and though her accent is very sweet, it can be difficult for somebody to understand her.  She also leaves out the letters L, R, and V in any given word.  For example, brother is pronounced "bwatha" our mini van is called a "ban" her teacher Mr. Hornberg is called "Mr. Honeboog", etc.  In hindsight, naming her Clara may not have been he best choice considering there is a L and a R in her name.  She is known as "Carewa" around the house, and milk has been called "mooke" for as long as I can remember.

So, the other night, Sam wakes me up at 2:37am rudely yelling my name.  I stumble to his room and ask him what is up, and he says "guess what I'm saying" and then he makes the w sound "w wu wu".  "Are you wet?" I ask him, preparing myself to change his sheets for the third time this week.  "No! I'm w wu wu", he says again. "Do you need some water?" I try again.  

Sam is getting frustrated and finally tells me that the word starts with the letter w and it is "rub".  He wants a rub! Or as he (and Clara) calls it, a "wub." 

(alphabet print from petit collage.  I have a love affair with alphabet posters!)

PLAYDATE AT THE OWEGA-CHALMERSES

Yesterday, the kids and I made a trip to Auntie Juli and Uncle Dean's new house for a play date, to get a tour of their new digs and to maybe even unpack a couple of boxes.  We had to drive over 3 bridges and go through 1 tunnel before we got there, but I must say, it is a lovely bright home (with a playroom on the top floor!) and it's on a lovely big culdesac (quite envious!) We had fun too, of course.

I didn't get any photos of the house, but naturally, I got lots of our kids!

THE DAY STARTED LIKE EVERY OTHER...

GRETCH AND HER BOYS

Dear Josh and Gretch.  I miss you guys already!  I have decided to move to Halfmoon Bay and live somewhere walking distance to your house.  We can work out the kinks (like Jake's job). 

I hope you don't mind me posting some pictures of your beautiful family.  KISSES.

SATURDAY

Some things I love about Saturday.

Getting out of bed on my own terms, wearing my jammies, eating puff pancakes, sipping coffee on the couch while watching Magic School Bus with my kids.  Building forts, playing games, cuddles and tickles on the floor...

And of course, the hour and half all to myself while Jake takes the kids swimming.

A little soft, but a photo from today.  I love Will laughing at his Daddy.

TODAY...IN NUMBERS

• 5...number of times I warmed up my coffee in the microwave this morning (and still never drank it)
  
• 4...number of times Jake has said "your hair is very short" (just got it cut last night)
• 7...number of times Sam asked me what the last number is (I told him infinity which was all the more confusing)
• 6...number of times I swept up some sort of mess Will created on the floor
• 4...number of times Clara has asked for some milk
• 1...number of times Kirby got a loaf of bread off the counter and then ate it (had to sweep up that mess too)
• 32...number of times Sam  yelled out "what button do I press!" or "can you help me!" with his online maze game (he is relentless)
• 5...number of times I had to go to Clara's room at bedtime and cater to a request 

I took a photo break today.  Apparently Sam is done with the camera.  This is him yesterday telling me as much...

DEAR RHONDA AND CHRIS

Dear Rhonda and Chris, thank you for letting me take some pictures of you and your boys. I love that by the end of the session, Tristan had 3 big chocolate bars coming to him!  This was so much for me and it was so nice to see your lovely family again.  Here are some of my favourites from our morning together...