Toddler Heaven

Will is a busy little man and keeping me on my toes! Here he is "helping" me clean out some cupboards today.

A trip to the dentist

Monday was President's Day which is a day off for some, but not others here in the US. Sam and Ella had the day off school, but the Dental School was open and so Chris had to go to work. Fortunately, Chris had some free time in the morning. Perfect opportunity for the kids to get their teeth checked by their Dad and have lunch with him. Getting their teeth checked only took 15 minutes, we were then able to go to the Pediatric area to play the video games and still had plenty of time for lunch. Here are some pictures of our day out.


Looks whose walking!

Bye-bye Birdie

Ok - so before you read, this entry revolves around a dead bird. We did not kill it, we found it lying peacefully under the swing in the park around the corner. I pointed it out to Owen, who was soon looking at it, then picking it up, then stretching it's wings out. I have to say I agree with Owen, it was so interesting. I have no idea how the bird died. A neighbor suggested that it may have been hit by a car. It looked like it's neck was broken.

After Owen had examined it for a while he wanted to bring it home to show Sam and Ella who were at school. After school, they too carried it around and examined it. I then explained that it would have to be buried. Before we buried it Ella drew a picture. Our kids have found that a great way to remember something or someone who they won't see again for a long time. I was impressed by the detail in Ella's picture. Sam also took some photos. Ella then placed the bird in a small box with some straw ready for it's burial. The next morning (Saturday), Chris took the kids into the woods behind the house and buried the bird.

A couple of years ago I would probably not have let the kids even touch the bird. But, I've come to realize that for many children, their lives are very detached from nature. Over the past year I've let the kids spend more time outside and expanded their physical boundaries. They learn so much! Nature is endlessly different, far more interesting than any toy, and so much more interesting than a text book! Anyway, I think they learned a great deal from the dead bird. Not only did they get to examine it up close, but it also gave us a chance to talk about what happens to us when we die.

And just in case your wondering, yes they did have to wash their hands really, really well after touching it!

Valentine's Day

We had a fun Valentine's Day this year. Sam and Ella both scored at school with a shoebox full of cards and treats from their classmates and then after school we headed over to a friend's house for afternoon tea. Just the girls were invited, the boys happily headed upstairs to play the Wii. Here are Ella with her friends. My friend Nicole planned all this and Jessica kindly acted as the hostess. Nicole is a great photographer and you can see some very glamorous pictures of the event on her photo blog.


Here is Will with his Valentine Haisley. They are the same age and love to see each other.

Fringe-a-licious

I have a good friend at church who cuts my hair. She suggested a couple of months ago that I get "bangs". I haven't had those in years and it took me a couple of months to think about it before I consented. So here I am with my new bangs!

After 11 years in North America there are lots of American words that I have adobted and don't think anything of it. Words like diapers, cookies and candy. But there are some that still sounds sooo.. American to me and almost hurt my ears. Bangs is one of them! I still want to call it a fringe. After my hair cut Chris started teasing me calling me fringe-a-licious, because he thinks the word fringe sounds so funny! Anyway, we got a good laugh out of it. And I'm happy with my new fringe - I thought I'd always be trying to push it away off my face, but it hasn't bothered me at all.

Junuary and getting ready for Valentine's Day

We are having a very mild winter. This time last year we'd already had a few days of snow. It's been so nice that it reminds me of the nice summer days we had when we lived in Calgary. The boys have been wearing shorts and t-shirt. And Owen runs around most of the time in boxer shorts or swimmers and no t-shirt at all! The great thing is that with all this nice weather the kids have been playing outside alot. Below are a few pics from an afternoon in the backyard last week.




Tonight Sam and Ella made boxes to take to school for Valentine's Day. Every child prepares a "letter box" for their class mates to drop Valentine's in. The Valentines are mostly cards, but sometimes come with a piece of candy or a cookie (that's a lolly and a biscuit if you're speaking Australian!). They are very excited to share their Valentine's next week