New Table

Last night we picked up a new to us table. Chris' parents purchased a new table and offered us their old one, which I am very excited about because this one has a leaf in it whereas our old one did not (elbow in your dinner anyone?). We sold our old table and it was picked up last night. I could hear Joshua making noise in his bedroom so I checked on him and was prepared to tell him to get back in bed. But when I opened the door, I saw him sitting in bed with one of his blinds up and looking out the window. He told me that the guys were taking our table and he was so worried. I assured him that it was okay and that we knew they were taking our table because we were getting a new one. He seemed completely okay about this and settled back into bed.

Since Grayson was being a little stinker and did not want to go to bed (every.single.night), Chris took him with him to pick it up. Well, it's no surprise that Grayson didn't want to go to bed after either. He wanted to help daddy set it up and so that's exactly what he did. He made a pretty good little helper...the cutest one I've ever seen. After the table was all set up, Grayson pushed all of the chairs into their spots and was quite pleased with himself. At this point, Chris and I were ready to eat our late dinner and Grayson was still not ready for bed. So he parked himself on the couch and started watching the hockey game.

One thing about Grayson is that he loves food (that's probably an understatement). So probably after 10 seconds a minute of us sitting down, in walks little Grayson with a big smile on his face. He parked his cute little bum right next to me wanted a taco of course. So a taco he had. After dinner he finally went to bed...happy as could be which is good because it was 9 o'clock by this point (I should point out that bedtime is between 7 and 7:30).

When Chris and I went to bed shortly after 10, we checked on the boys...something we always do. I just love seeing them all cozied up without a care in the world. As soon as we walked up the stairs, we could hear snoring, loud snoring as we were surprised the door was not rattling with every breath in and out. Joshua was sleeping soundly and only snoring slightly, but Grayson, he was the source of this noise. We couldn't help but laugh and as Chris pointed out "like mother like son."

This morning, when Joshua saw the new table, the first thing he said was "woah!" ...he was pretty darn excited about it!

Our Magical Disney Vaca!

Back in November, we went on a family vacation to Disney World and what am amazing time we had. Our trip began at 1 in the morning when we woke up the boys and told them it was time! We already had the van packed and ready to go and our plan was to just buckle up the boys and have them fall asleep. That didn't happen...they were both quiet, but wide awake, in the back. Luckily they were fairly well behaved at the airport and they slept on the plane ride there. We arrived in Florida around 9am and were able to start our day. We spent the day at the hotel, the Disney All Star Sports Resort, and went to Chef Mickeys later that evening. That was almost a huge disaster due to the late reservation, but the characters managed to save the experience.

During our trip, we were able to visit all of the parks. We were in awe. It is definitely a magical place. Grayson's favourite experiences were meeting the characters. It didn't matter if he knew who they were or not, he wanted to meet them and get their autograph. The boys loved meeting Buzz and Woody and Grayson absolutely adored Goofy. At one of the meet and greets, Grayson is meeting Goofy and in all of his excitement, he turns to me and shouts "mama, it's Goosey!!" And he was so sweet giving Minnie a kiss on the nose.

Joshua's favourite experiences were most definitely the rides. Grayson was afraid of most rides and only liked rides that were relaxing and sweet like It's a Small World, the Safari, and boat rides. We went on a ride that is similar to Dumbo but with spaceships and even that was too much for him. So our last day, we went to the Magic Kingdom and made it about going on rides we could all do as a family that everyone would enjoy. But the rest of the week, Joshua went on every ride he possibly could and at one point, when he was not tall enough for a ride, he broke down crying because he was so disappointed. Joshua's favourite ride was probably Splash Mountain. He had a huge smile on his face in the picture that was snapped. Joshua also ventured onto Tower of Terror with Chris and the Race Car Test Track with me. I cannot believe all of the rides he did and how much he loved the thrill. We ended our vacation with a go kart ride that the boys could drive and boy did I ever enjoy it. Joshua was my driver and the enjoyment on that little boy's face was contagious. I was having so much fun and laughing so hard I was crying. Hopefully by the time he is 16 he's learned how to handle a steering wheel.

Joshua is the proud owner of this pin

The castle was beautiful for Christmas

The car ride that Joshua loved...look at that smile!

Snack break in Hollywood Studios

Quick nap while waiting for the parade to start

Some of our days were long and the boys were pooched. There were a few naps in the parks and a few nights that they fell asleep before we made it back to the hotel. Waking up in the mornings after restful sleeps was also a highlight of our days to see how the boys were sleeping. This was Grayson's first time sleeping in a big boy bed...I think it's safe to say that he still needs his crib.

Chris and I had an incredible time with our munchkins. I'm still not sure who had more fun, the kids or us. But one thing is for sure, we all enjoyed ourselves and enjoyed the time we had as a family. We are so blessed to have been able to have this experience.

It's Pumpkin Time!

This past weekend was a pretty busy one for our little family, but we managed to find some time to run out to a local pumpkin patch and pick up some pumpkins. Our little family likes to big pumpkins which is why we don't just go anywhere (like the grocery store) to buy one. The boys each picked out a pumpkin and then we were off on our way to Joshua's hockey.

This week we finally got around to carving them. Grayson wasn't really interested in it at all. He did not like the pumpkin guts on his hands at all so he opted to relax and watch some TV. Joshua loved carving the pumpkins though. Once Chris cut it open for him, he was all over scooping out the guts and instructing me to remove the pumpkin seeds for baking (and now that I'm thinking about it, they are still sitting out to dry 3 days later). He did an amazing job cleaning out the pumpkin and was careful not to make too big of a mess.

The theme this year for our family pumpkins is Toy Story, which happens to be the movies the boys are obsessed with at the moment. I think Chris and I could quote the movies we've seen them so many times. Chris leaves the carving to me because as he says, he is the expert at carving full moons, so fair enough. I am pretty impressed with how our pumpkins turned out considering we still do not have a carving kit and the only tool I have to use is a steak knife. Since we have set the standard for pumpkin carving pretty high with the boys, next year we will be purchasing a carving kit.

Before I get to posting the pictures, I do want to mention how Grayson was not a happy camper at all when I turned off all the lights to show the boys the Buzz Lightyear pumpkin. I think it is safe to assume that he may be a teeny bit afraid of the dark.

Things My Fiance Says

Last night, after Chris said something while we were getting ready for bed, I thought to myself that I really should start tracking some of the stuff he says, just like I do with the kids. 

Chris has had a man cold for the past 2 weeks so you can imagine what our house has been like. I have been told multiple times that I am not allowed to return Chris to his parents' house. So, when a man cold strikes I have to put in my ear plugs and act like I'm always busy with laundry or something make sure the house is stocked with Cold and Sinus and that my essential oils are ready at hand (and he thought I was crazy for buying them). 

But last night, after having this man cold for 2 weeks, he says to me "babe, I think I have colic." Now, you can imagine my reaction. Being the loving fiance that I am, I burst out laughing and just shook my head. No babe, you don't have colic, but you do have a bad case of a congested head. Definitely time for you to get some sleep. 

I love being able to laugh with Chris...it keeps our house fun. 

I Can Week

Since Joshua has started school, we have been pretty busy trying to keep track of all of the different activities and themes that are going on. I'm starting to think his calendar is busier than ours! I love his enthusiasm and excitement for school.

This week, the theme is "I Can Week." They have an assortment of recycled cans that they can do different things with. One of my favourite things to do each day now is ask Joshua how his day at school was and ask him about the things he did. Yesterday, he talked about "I Can Week" and he told me that he used the cans as bowling pins. He has such a passion for sports that he will turn anything he can into a sport. He did this at daycare as well. A bucket and a ball would turn into basketball, a stick and a ball would turn into hockey, and anything that could stand up and replicate bowling pins would turn into bowling.

Joshua starts hockey next weekend and he is beyond excited! I officially became a hockey mom a couple of weeks ago when I volunteered for his league. I am so not ready for this!

The Last Time

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, 

You will never be the same. 

You might long for the person you were before, 

When you have freedom and time, 

And nothing in particular to worry about. 

You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,

And days will run into days that are exactly the same,

Full of feedings and burping,

Nappy changes and crying,

Whining and fighting,

Naps or a lack of naps,

It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

But don't forget...

There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day

And it will be the last time you every hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,

And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night

And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.

They will hold your hand to cross the road,

Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,

And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing "The Wheels on the Bus" and do all the actions,

Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,

The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.

They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won't even know it's the last time until there are no more times.

And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are lising in these times,

Remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.

-Author Unknown

When You Just Have To Go With It

As a parent of two little boys, I have barely grasped learned that sometimes you just need to go with the flow and accept that most plans won't go according to plan. Like the first day of school and that very first bus ride.

Being the mom that I am, I like to have a plan, so a few days before the first day of school, I made sure to check the bus schedule and schedule our morning routine accordingly. Chris made arrangements to work from home that morning so he could see Joshua off on the bus for his first day. So that morning, we had breakfast together and went outside 20 minutes before the bus was scheduled to come so that the boys could ride their bikes for a bit. Well, here's where my plan took a nosedive. As soon as we got outside we saw a group standing at the bus stop. Surely they aren't waiting for the same bus Joshua should be getting on. Then 30 seconds later we see a bus, Joshua's bus.

Next thing you know, we're running for the bus. Joshua is giggling the entire way while I'm thinking to myself "of course this would happen on his first day." Joshua was the last one on the bus and we managed to squeeze in a quick picture. I was so proud of him as he got onto that bus with all of the excitement in the world.

Now that I look back on his first day, his morning was filled with quite a bit of excitement. And on top of that, he didn't have time to get nervous and I didn't have time to ugly cry get emotional because Joshua is off to his first day school.

And I'll just leave this picture here...

My attempt at a first day of school picture