And to finish the year off...

A busy last couple of months but what else is new?  That is the way I like it.  My sweet little 11 years old man got his braces in November.  He was a trooper and is really quite happy with them.  He thinks they make him look older and I agree.  Not too many 11 year olds have braces so even at 65lbs his face looks closer to 13 to me now.  I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon and fortunately he only has 24 months with them so he'll be laughing in grade 8 when all his friends will be getting their braces on he'll be getting his off.  :)

The kids were counting down the days until Christmas for the whole month of December - enjoying looking for their Elf on shelf every morning. Great way to get them out of bed before school. 

Trying to get lots of pictures of the kids with Mickey this year - He turned 13 years old this month and is definitely seeming much older and slower.  Poor little pup is blind and deaf now but is still quite content to just wander the house and yard, have a few treats and nap.  He's always been such a low maintenance sweet dog.

The kids were very excited about their new onesies this year.  We bought them on another one of Ty's hockey tournaments - this time we spent two nights in Wasaga.  Always a lot of fun - such a great group of parents, players & siblings.

Mid december Ty's school volleyball team ended up making it to the Durham finals and winning the whole thing!  What an exciting night that was.

On the last day of the school year both Vanessa & Ty were chosen to perform in front of the school and parents for a "So you think you can dance Williamsburg" show.  I was beyond impressed with both of them.  Vanessa & her friend Kyla made up a dance using their gymnastic moves and did such a great job.

Ty & his friend Alex came up with their routine on their own as well and it was so entertaining.  

Christmas was a whirlwind event as usual but always so nice to have that time with family and close friends.  The kids are really enjoying their free time now and I'm slowly getting things tidied up and ready for another year.  Always looking forward to what a new year will bring.  :)

Fall Fun

My favourite time of year!!! I love the leaves, the crispness in the air, the nights and weekends in the arenas...  There is nothing I do not love about the fall.  My house usually smells like apples and cinnamon or banana bread from the baking I'm inspired to do this time of year. I get to pull out my coziest sweaters.  The kids (and Iain)  have so much fun decorating for Halloween and picking out their costumes. I love our trip to the pumpkin patch every year which is followed by pumpkin soup for dinner :)  This year we've had some really nice weather and the kids have still been riding their bikes to school on most days. 

Ty sporting his new uniform for this year.  He is loving being a part of the Crusaders team.  

So many little girls for Vanessa to do gymnastics with :)

                               

My kids have the best time with their new friends at the arenas.
Really takes away the guilt of dragging them to all of Ty's games and practices.
They ask if they can come! :)  

Knox Pumpkin farm 

Troy is all smiles for his 6am practices - I really enjoy that time with him too. :)

This year Vanessa & Ty were both assigned to bringing Halloween treats for their class. I couldn't just send them for two of my kids and not Troy so 6 dozen cupcakes later...

Finally the much anticipated night arrived - my kids picked out their own costumes and had a great night in spite of the crummy weather.  

The kids and neighbours all set to do some treat or treating!

We are over the Halloween hump and Christmas seems to be just around the corner.  I'm already a couple gifts into my shopping list and looking forward to the rest of the fall season.  :)

A Road trip with the Griswalds...

I will start by saying - awesome weekend!  It may not seem like it after I say anything else but it really was a very fun weekend of hockey and swimming and socializing with some very nice families.
Friday morning we packed up the car and headed to Detroit for Ty's first tournament of the season.  He was so excited - and we were looking forward to getting to know the parents a little more.
We arrived at the hotel in great time only to find out the power had gone off so we could not check in.  No worries - we went over to the restaurant across the street for some lunch first.
We eventually checked in and soon enough it was time to head off to the arena. The boys had a great game but were not able to pull off a win.  They were still all smiles coming out of the dressing room - you know the coaches are doing a good job when that happens. :)

That night we had a quick bite to eat then the kids swam and played in the party room until curfew.  Iain and I stayed out to socialize a bit longer.  Such a nice group of parents!  :)  Ty and Troy were comparing "pipes" before bed.

The next morning the boys had another game.  Prior to the game during the warmup my easily distracted little man ran face first into a set of wooden bleachers cutting just below his eye.  He probably could have used a couple stitches but the bleeding stopped so we didn't press the issue as it was upsetting him to even think about it.  Unfortunately he did show signs of shock and had to sit out that game.  By the end of the third period he had the colour back in his cheeks and was feeling more like himself again - ready to play the later afternoon game.

 We had the cutest little cheering squad around and although we didn't win a game we still had so much fun in the stands and on the ice.

That night we all got on a bus and headed to Joe Louis Arena to watch Detroit Red Wings take on the Anaheim Ducks.  What a great game!!

 The kids had a blast cheering the Red Wings on!

Detroit lost but it was a great game!  That night we got back to the hotel and headed to the party room for some more socializing.  Another fun night with some awesome families.  At this point our trip had been fairly uneventful - minus Ty's eye injury, but that night it got very exciting.  Around 330am I was sound asleep when I woke up to the sound of Troy wheezing standing beside my bed.  I jumped up as he told me "I can't breath mommy" so I took him into the bathroom and tried to calm him down as he cried and tried to get a breath in.  I called to Iain but he didn't hear me and at that point I began to feel dizzy myself.  I tried to walk out of the bathroom back to our bed to wake Iain up but didn't make it and went down face first onto the floor.  Iain woke up to a bang as I hit the floor and the faint sound of Troy crying in the bathroom.  Thank goodness he woke up.  He calmed Troy down - got me up off the floor and we quickly made the decision to pack up our stuff and head to the Windsor Hospital.  By 5am Troy and I had both been signed in and were being taken care of.  We both had X-rays - me for my jaw (that was very swollen and I couldn't move it) and he had is neck x-rayed to make sure there was nothing blocking his airway.

Troy and I were wheeled down together for our X-rays.

 Turns out Troy had croup and was given a couple breathing treatments and some steroids and was breathing better in no time.  I was given a very strong anti inflammatory/pain killer and we were sent on our way - so happy nothing was broken and sooo ready to just get home to our own beds.  It was a very quiet ride home thank goodness.

Although this weekend may have seemed slightly disastrous it honestly was a lot of fun and it will be a Thanksgiving weekend we will not forget for a long time.  
Monday we woke up feeling even better after a good 12 hours of rest and we enjoyed the most relaxing day (which was the perfect way for Iain and I to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary)  My parents hosted a delicious turkey dinner that night so we got to spend the evening with my family laughing and talking about what we all were thankful for (which brought out some tears of joy).  Such a great adventurous relaxing fun long weekend.  One that will go down in the books for sure.

I'm feeling so thankful that the events that did take place were only minor injuries and inconveniences. I'm so grateful for a husband that took care of us all in our minor crises and I'm so happy to have spent the weekend with my family whom I adore spending time with laughing and sharing stories with.  Sometimes a little scare helps to put things into perspective once in a while. I'm grateful for that too. :)    

Turning 40...

This week I turn 40 and while I have had a few "oh my gosh I'm going to be 40!" moments in the past week,  overall,  I have not been phased by it.  I feel good.  I feel great actually. The kids gave me very sweet cards with a couple gift cards to my favourite stores to go shopping with but a huge amazing unexpected surprise for me was the gorgeous diamond pendant from Iain.  So thoughtful and sweet and while I'm not really a collector of jewellery it is such a beautiful remembrance of my 40th birthday.  On top of all that,  I am so fortunate to have my health and to get to focus on and enjoy life's normal little imperfections with three amazing children (not perfect but pretty darn amazing), and a family that I can count on for anything I may need, and friends both old and new that make me smile daily.  I have amazing memories from childhood that I still carry with me today and I now get to create daily memories with and for my own children.  I truly appreciate this life I have had over the last 40 year and I do try everyday not to take for granted the time I have been afforded with my children.
This school year my favourite thing to do has been to run the kids to school - literally.  They ride their bikes every morning and I run beside them.  I make sure they get there on time and lock the bikes up properly and get my kisses and hugs in before they go into class and I continue my run.  Amazing way to start my days.  :)
I love that Ty is so excited about hockey this season and is trying to eat well to be healthy.  He is becoming so mature.  He has a girlfriend that he talks to on the phone and face times!! I love that he is comfortable enough to tell me about it too.
I love that Vanessa looks forward to gymnastics every week and practices her back handsprings and how proud of herself she is when she perfects something she has been practicing. I love how easily she makes friends and how much she enjoys drawings and doing different crafts.
I love that Troy has made new friends - that is huge for him.  Kids are coming to call on him and he is venturing off the driveway to call on them.  I love that last week he said "I'm really liking hockey this year" and he is pretty good at it too.
I feel so fortunate to have so many amazing things to look back on over the last year and the last 40 years and I so look forward to what the next 40 years will bring. I'm ready for the next adventure whatever that may be...

Great start to a new School year

What a great start to September and the school year.  The kids all started at a new school this year after making the decision to switch out of French Immersion into English in order to all go to the same school.  As we have done every year on the first day of school Iain walked the kids to school  They were so excited, not nervous at all. After the first week they all had new best friends and  three weeks later they still look forward to going to school everyday.  We are so happy with the decision to switch schools.  :)  

I love our new morning routine now.  The kids ride their bikes to school every morning so I run along beside them and make sure they get there and lock up their bikes properly then continue my run from there.  I've noticed  lately more and more neighbourhood kids are joining us in our morning ride/run to school.  This is my ever expanding crew every morning.  So nice to have so many friends to go to school with. :) 

Vanessa has already made some great new friends who have been over to do gymnastics & jump in the trampoline with her almost everyday after school - Mia & Kyla.  

Also new this year - Ty is no longer playing hockey for Whitby.  He is playing for the Durham Crusaders and so far he is loving being part of this team.  Over the summer he did a lot of off ice training with his team and at the beginning of September his coach had a party so we were able to meet and get to know some of the parents we will be spending the season with.  We are really looking forward to a fun season with some great families.  

The boys had their first game last night and although they lost, they came back from 5-0 and ended the game with a score of 6-4. Their team is a Major/Minor team (Ty being a minor) and they only play Major teams so they will have a challenging season but by the third period they were really starting to come together.  It was so nice to be back in the arena. 

The Sunday after school started Iain and I got a babysitter for the kids to spend the day at Riotfest in Toronto.  It has been so long since we've been to a concert and this was a great outdoor festival - beautiful weather, surprisingly great healthy food truck options and of course I was thrilled to see Metric again and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed a couple other bands.  Iain found a new band he enjoyed a lot too.  It was a great day running into an old friend and the kids got to spend some nice time with Iain's parents.  

 

 Tonight after school is the Fun fair/meet the teacher night. I've already spoken to Troys teacher numerous times over the last couple of weeks but look forward to meeting Ty & Vanessa's teachers and to see how they feel the kids are doing with the transition from French to English.  

This weekend Troy starts hockey.  The Fall schedule of activities is coming together and so far so good.  I LOVE this time of year.  :)

Birthday Boys!

On July 27th we celebrated Ty's11th birthday.  Crazy to me that he was born 11 years ago when it feels like just yesterday.  He is my sensitive sweet boy, very aware of everything going on around him, always asking if everyone is ok.  This year he is having a really tough time dealing with Mickey (our 13 year old Boston terrier) getting older.  He has cried on several occasions knowing that Mick won't be with us for too much longer.  It breaks my heart to see him so upset but I do love what a big heart he has and how much he feels.  What great year this has been for Ty.  He once again went thru the hockey tryouts and once again did not get chosen to play for a Whitby Rep team. Heartbroken and utterly defeated he told us he would not be putting on a house league jersey this year and would rather not play at all.  We know how much he enjoys being a part of a team though so that did not sit well with us.  At the eleventh hour we made a decision to let him tryout for another leagues rep team knowing it could ultimately end in him once again not getting chosen but it was his last hope.  You can imagine the pure joy & happiness that he felt when he received the email from the coach saying they had chosen him to play on their team.  He cried, so of course I cried (that kid has me in tears all the time though - joy & sadness).  He may look exactly like Iain and even share in his mannerisms but Ty and I are very much alike as well.  I can relate to him so much and him to me. Maybe it's the bond of a mother and first born - whatever it is,  I cherish it so much.  

This year on his birthday he spent the day at the skate park with his cousin and best friend then we took him out for dinner.  Later that week he had a Bazooka ball party with more of his friends.    

He also had a celebration with my parents...it was the never ending birthday party.  :)  The beauty of having a summer birthday.  

On August 10th my youngest baby turned 7!  It has been 7 years since I became a mother - for the last time.  Troy is my baby through and through.  He is the biggest mommy's boy and I honestly don't discourage it (not yet anyway).  This kid is my daily comic relief.  In a moment of frustration one silly look or word from him has me smiling and very often laughing.  He is the family clown and apparently the class clown at school as well.  He gets along really well with anyone and has no trouble fitting in but he only keeps a very select few close to him.  I have been approached at his school many times by parents claiming Troy is their sons best friend and yet I've never heard of their kid - He has his one best friend at school-Basim.  He has his best friend since he was a baby- Adam and he made one more friend this past year while attending the public school for 2 months - Ethan.  I've tried to keep him and Ethan in touch because in September they will be going to school together and Basim will not be there so I do want him to be happy and comfortable.  

On Troy's birthday Ty & Vanessa woke him up with party hats on singing happy birthday then surprised him with a nice new scooter!  Later that day he got to go swimming with his buddy Adam and we sang happy birthday to him. A perfect day for him :)    

Later that week I took him and Ethan and Adam to see The Ninja Turtles movie and we called it a birthday party.  (like I said he doesn't have a big group of friends but thankfully having 2 siblings makes any small group seem party size)  

He had another great day and was very happy with his birthday party.  :)  

As an added surprise my parents bought him a brand new very cool bicycle with crazy big wheels.  Troy is the coolest kid on the street with this bike.  All the older kids tell him how great it is so he's on cloud 9 about it.   

This school year is coming up quickly and this year all three kids will be starting at a new school but all together finally!!   They have been such troopers about this decision (to move from the french immersion school into an english school)  and although they are a bit nervous to have to start all over making new friends I have no doubt they will be just fine and love the new school and will love all being together.  They will even be able to walk home from school together - huge selling point.  :)  Looking forward to a great school year with my amazing kids that are growing up far too quickly.