Getting through the winter months

It's soooo cold!!! As much as I LOVE a sunny day I'm not usually affected too much by the weather but this coldness is starting to be enough already. I find myself choosing to stay home rather then go anywhere b/c the thought of getting in and out of the car is so unappealing.

Fortunately I do not like the kids to miss their activities so that does force me out and about.

Last week Troy got his first skating badge...he was so proud of himself. He is officially skating unassisted and really enjoying it.

On Mondays and Thursdays Vanessa has dance class and skating lessons with her best friend Julia (our next door neighbour). I pick Julia up after school and the kids get to play a bit before I take them over to their classes. This coming week is Julia's birthday so as a special treat I let them help me bake a cake for her. We're going to decorate it tonight and serve it up Wednesday night for Julia's birthday. (Its in the freezer in the meantime to stay fresh)

I know I don't mention him often but we have a little Boston Terrier dog we call Mickey. He'll be 10 years old this year and he is really starting to show his age. I don't like to think too much about how old he is getting except that I do know I'm going to have to take him to see a vet very soon - he has started peeing upstairs - specifically on Iain's clothes hanging in our closet. We are trying to remember to close the closet door but don't always do it so he gets in there. He has (and still is) a great little dog requiring such minimal work. He needs to be fed and let outside once in awhile. That's pretty much it. The kids love him - he has been a part of our family since before they were born so they have literally been growing up with him.

The other night before heading to bed I was searching the house for Mickey. He wasn't coming when I called him - everyone else was asleep. I started to panic a bit thinking we may have forgotten to let him in. I was so relieved to find him here...

Vanessa will not share her bed with ANYONE. She has never asked Iain or myself to sleep there with her- Troy begs to sleep there and she refuses so it's a pretty big deal that she let Mickey sleep with her that night.

February is almost here and we have so much coming up this month. Ty has his first overnight hockey tournament that the whole family is going to plus playoffs have started. They won their first game so far.

Valentines day is coming up - always a good excuse for a date night.

Iain is heading to Scotland for a week to celebrate his Nana Kelly's 90's birthday. She will be so thrilled so see him and his dad and sister. :)

We are hoping to get up to the cottage one weekend although it's looking like that won't be happening anytime soon... we thought we had a weekend free of hockey but turns out Ty may still have a playoff game that weekend.

We are definitely keeping busy anyway - hopefully this cold weather will pass by quickly but as long as the sun is out I can not complain.

Favourites of 2010

At the beginning of every new year I try to reflect on the good things that happened that year before deciding what new good things I'd like to have happen... so here they are. My favourites of 2010:

Song - Sprawl II by The Arcade Fire ( I really have so many favourites but according to itunes this is the one I listened to the most)

TV Shows - Glee (2nd year in a row) but a close second is Cougar Town...I want to live there and be a part of the "cul-de sac" crew

Movie - Social Network

Concert- Black Eyed Peas

Book - Book of Negroes

Meal in a Restaurant- The best steak EVER at Gibsons in Chicago

Clothing purchase - my big warm green winter coat (I guess this was technically a gift since Iain bought it for me but still my favourite new clothing item)

Gift received - my bike from my parents for my birthday...loving riding it in the basement on the trainer...have yet to take it outside though and I'm in no rush to do so.

Memory with friends - for the second year in a row I have to say our trip to Punta Cana

Memory with Iain - watching him finish the Ride to Conquer Cancer knowing how hard he had trained for the months prior - then spending the day in Niagara Falls while he told me all about it.

Memory with Ty - His recent hockey tournament that we took the bus to Brighton (a day I will remember for a long time b/c of the happiness it brought him)

Memory with Vanessa - Not quite as emotional as my moment with Ty but this year I have really enjoyed her comments about clothing I choose for her..."Mommy how is this beautiful? there are no sparkles, jewels, glitter or butterflies??"

Memory with Troy - I would have to say I enjoy discovering the new places this child can and has slept this past year

2010 was a year full of ups and down that ended on a very positive note. I intend on keeping that positivity going for 2011. So far so good...

I have a really good feeling about 2011

As happy as I am to have my routine back I have to say this past holiday vacation has to be one of my favourites. I really enjoyed having the kids home. Iain and I had some very nice quality family time with them.

With an extended family we have 3 seperate Christmas'...Christmas Eve with Iain's mom's side, Christmas day with Santa of course and my family then we spend Boxing day with Iain's dad's side. It's nice for the kids to have seperate time with each side of the family - and much less chaos then trying to jam it all into one day.

On top of the Christmas celebrations, we were able to get out for dinner one night with a group of some great friends. Our New Years Eve get together was one of my favourites so far too. We planned a games night. 5 couples competed in events from the game show "A minute to win it". It was a blast!! Even with 10 adults, 10 kids it was all good chaos - the perfect way to bring in the new year.

So 2011 has begun and I'm feeling good, really good. I have a very good feeling about this year. I don't know if it's because I'm refreshed from our fantastic holiday break or just ready for the fresh start that a new year brings - either way it's going to be a good one. So many things to look forward to already...

We are heading back to Disney this year with my parents, my brothers, my sister in law and nephews. We are in the middle of planning and booking that trip right now.

Iain and I are talking about our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary and what we'd like to do to celebrate - maybe a trip to Boston, or maybe spend a few days on an island without the kids or maybe even Vegas... so exciting to think about and plan.

Our friends just bought what sounds like a fabulous cottage so I'm hoping we'll get to spend a bit of time up there with them on the off chance the kids don't have hockey or lacrosse..

A couple of my girlfriends are persuading me to do a weekend in Montreal with them...which appeals to me a lot so I'm pretty sure if we can find a weekend to do it I'll go....

On top of our travel plans I'm looking forward to starting a boot camp session-just to mix my workouts up a bit. Iain is planning to do the Ride to Conquer Cancer again so he has started training for that and actually gotten me interested in riding myself (although right now I like riding in the basement with my ipod on but may venture outside in the nicer weather)

As far as the kids are concerned - well I can not wait to take them to Disney obviously but this coming spring Troy and Ty will be starting lacrosse again and this coming fall Troy will actually be starting hockey...I'm really trying to convince Vanessa to give it a try but she loves her skating lessons, dance class and gymnastics and is not willing to give any of them up for hockey. So many exciting plans and things to look forward to - I'm really looking forward to this year. :)