So be good for goodness sake !!

BUNCH OF LITTLE RASCALS !!!

Christmas eve .....So be good for goodness sake!!!

What does Santa say ?...HO HO HO !!!!

We had a lovely xmas day and Heather was surprised at all the presents Santa had left her. She is at a great age just now because we were able to open , appreciate and play with each present as they were unwrapped.
when Heather asked where Santa lives, we told her that he lives in the North Pole. Then Heather thought for a second and then said " Heather live in the little pole!!!"

Christmas week.

Let's look through the arched window.

Christmas week and temperatures had warmed up to -20 and this allowed us to venture out with the kids. We went up to Lake Louise where there is a beautiful ice castle and you can skate on the lake and around the castle, this year they had carved an ice slide to enjoy and it was being enjoyed by children of all ages!!!

Could be inside an igloo!!

Fun at the ice park.

"No skating for me today ....but I like the idea of the " boggin"

Heather's word for the toboggan...or sledge.

It has been promised for temperatures to get to as high as -16 for Christmas day...Yahoo!!!!
Utterly tropical

What to do at 35 below.

We had been blessed with a mild winter and were still enjoying afternoons in the sun at the park without having to worry about bundling the kids up and it was the talk of the town as to how mild it had been. However the third week of December arrived with frigid temperatures of 35 below. It honestly came overnight and plunged us into the depths of a deep freeze. We had ice on the inside of every window and at times the temperature was a s low as -40 with the windchill. Not ideal for going out and about with the children, however we managed to keep ourselves entertained by building a gingerbread house. Well we had to quickly assemble it as little fingers were as quickly unassembling it into her stomach !!! We let Heather stick on the candy, but most of it was going into her mouth and when she did place a candy on she would run her finger down the icing and scoop it into her mouth!!!...who could blame her!!!!!

Heather also discovered that she can now raid the fridge...It seems that she hasn't discovered the chocolate or the beer stash.

And after all that effort, pulled out a raspberry!!!


Look like she enjoyed the whole punnet!!!!

Fun in the snow

All ready to venture out in to the Big......

SNOW FALL !!!!


Big Snowmen.....

...and big sledging !!!

Try, try and try again

" I can do this"

" Oh yes, a little further"

" Looking cool now!!"

"Now all I have to do now is roll over!!!"

Walking on ice!!!

At first you think "what a lovely beach, but hey, are those folks walking on water !!!"

The cold weather has finally arrived and half of Canmore were eager to go out and enjoy themselves with a bit of skating. The ice looked great, about 4 inches thick and you could see the bottom of the lake and plenty people were skating. Coming from Britain, it is still unnerving to be on the ice after years of being told never to walk on the ice. This was especially so when we could occasionally hear the ice shift and the sound echoing down the length of the lake. James and I stopped and looked at each other, but nobody else seemed bothered by this and continued to skate, play hockey and tow their children.

There is, apparently a rhyme telling you how thick the ice should be for the number of people skating and I am going to find it out. When I do I will add it to this entry!!!

It all started so well.

But then not so good.

But then it got better again!!!

Ice Safety

1 inch will end your day
2 inch dogs may play
3 inch you may, but depends on what you weigh
4 inch both may
5 inch okay

Christmas is coming !!!

The beginning of December in Canmore and everyone is excited to get ready for christmas cheer. Houses and trees are already being lit up, some have been lit up since the middle of November. At first you think, crazy Canadians...it's another 6 weeks until christmas. However, we quickly learned, that those Canadians are not so crazy after all, when we were having to put christmas lights up last year in -20 temperatures !!! Who was laughing at who then!!!! So, yes, our lights are up and on !!!!

Canmore has been lit up too, and the celebration started in the afternoon with sleigh rides gingerbread decorating, carol singing and of course, not forgetting, the big man dressed in red!!!

Mmmmmm!!! that was worth the effort.

Heather enjoyed decorating her gingerbread man and enjoyed it even more trying to eat it. She was excited to see Santa, however when it came to sitting on his knee, she wasn't so brave and was very dubious about the strange man dressed in a funny red suit, that was until he gave her a golden bell!!!!. It is very funny to see their mood change once they realise what this man does for them.

I'm gonna get you.......

I'm gonna get you....

..Ohh yes I am......

A little tickle here....

...and I've got you!!!!!!

Eat those veggies!!!

Heather is growing into a little girl very quickly and is changing week to week. Until recently, the night time routine ends with mum or dad singing songs, now we are accompanied by the little voice of Heather. Some of the songs she has heard for months now, however she is even able to remember the words to new songs ....remembering them better than mum and dad. Her evening repertoire is Frere Jaque, Miss Polly had a dolly, twinkle twinkle, the wheels on the bus and I love you. Every song in that exact order!!!She loves to run and dance and sing to music while Finlay is having his bath and it is hilarious to see her wiggle her bum and shoulders. In the mornings, she sometimes is determined to put on her pants and trousers independently. She is a great help in the kitchen and often wants to stand on a chair to help make her own dinner and loves to make muffins and cookies.

It is amazing to see toddlers develop a sense of self and realize what they want and what they don't want!!!....And we all hear about what they don't want!!!!

Heather has always been fussy about eating veggies and I have even been known to try and make fruit smoothies with a veggie added here or there...however she sometimes gets wise to this and encourages me to be more creative. A few nights ago we prepared a dinner together and she was really excited to help, however, when the plate was presented on the table , she was having none of it!!!! I then started making faces out of the veggies on the tray and she eagerly ate 4 of them!!!!


I'm sure all experienced mothers have tried that before, but it is quite satisfying to think that you have overcome another protest!!!!

Snow has arrived

Another outing with the parents!!!!

Snow has arrived and of course James and I couldn't wait to get out and have some fun!!!
Well even a Walk around Lake Louise is classed as fun these days!! It was good practice for us to get back into the swing of things for winter and to try and remember what you need and what you should never forget during outings in winter in Canada. The walking was made easier as we attached the skies instead of the back wheels on the chariot, making it a smoother ride for the kids.

Yes .....We are having fun!!!!

Zero, One, Two

With zero children you do what you want
With one child you do what they want
With two children you don't do what anyone wants.
But with a sense of humour, some flexibility,
some routine and lots of commitment and alot of love
you get through a busy day and it is all extremely fulfilling.

Tormenting Two's

Heather is going through a difficult time at the moment. She is unable to decide whether she loves her little " Flinlay boy" or not. Sometimes she is so kind and loving, giving gentle hugs and kisses, becoming possessive and protective if other children come too close to him, saying comments like "My Flinlay!!!!" , or gets concerned if he is left too long by the side of the pool. However other times she will crawl up to him, get nice and close, then suddenly smack him on the head or puts her whole weight on his stomach or bounce him recklessly in the bouncy chair. Put it this way...Finlay felt the wrath of a plastic plate over his head!!!
So now we are helping her through this difficult time, keeping a very close eye on the interaction, telling her that we can't hit little babies and then we praise her when she shows affection and is gentle. She is as bright as a button and knows when she has done wrong and has been known to take herself to the naughty step!!!!

Playtime

Cute as a button!

Finlay is now very aware of his surroundings and the toys around him. A few days ago,while trying to get his thumb in his mouth, he accidentally knocked and moved one of his toys and made it move. He looked at it and then did it again, there is no stopping him now, he is grabbing and reaching for anything that is brought into view. He also has become aware of his fingers and hands and putting them together to inspect his fingers.

Fingers all present and correct!!!

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween, Heather and Finlay went out early to visit the neighbours and got some candy and then we were able to come home and wait for the older kids to come to our house. Heather was excited to look out the window to see who was coming next and would shout out " people coming !!! " then run to the door and wait anxiously for the knock on the door and children shouting out " Trick or treat". She was thrilled to hand out the candy and say "Happy Halloween" to all her visitors.