First Ponytail

It took over 3 years, but Sydney finally has enough hair on top of her head that you can get it into somewhat of a ponytail.

Ambidextrous & Other Neat Things

Every parent watches their child & wonders which hand they will prefer. We pretty much think that Sydney is a leftie, but if you watch her it is amazing how competent she is with each hand. Today when I picked Jason up at Jo's, she told me about her colouring experience with Sydney last week. She said that Sydney was colouring a square on the worksheet with her left hand & she picked up a crayon in her right hand & was colouring with both hands at the same time & doing an equally good job of it. She was amazed, said she has not in her years of doing daycare seen anything like it. I thought this was pretty cool & of course want to see it replicated.

My amazement with Sydney is her incredible ability to retain information. She can tell us what colour of crowns everyone wore last year at Christmas & when reading books- she picks out such detail in the pictures. On the weekend we were looking at a book with Diego & she asked why Diego was wearing Alicia's (his sister for those of you who are not Dora & Diego fans) shorts. I had no idea what she meant at first & then I asked her what his shorts were supposed to look like. She said blue & wouldn't you know that in the other book she has Alicia is wearing green shorts & Diego is wearing blue. You never can predict what she is going to notice or remember.

She hasn't said it in a few days, but for a few weeks whenever she got caught doing something that she knew she wasn't supposed to do she would say, "sorry, sorry, sorry" really fast. I've explained to her that saying sorry does not always make it right. You can't do something that you know you are not supposed to do & think you get a free pass because you say sorry. I am not sure if she learned the lesson or if she has just moved pass that saying.

She is still saying "Mama" too. It drives me a little batty sometimes because she tends to say it with a nasal tone & emphasizes each syllable. I'm not sure if it is because of all the babies she is around at daycare- there are 3 around Jason's age- or what, but I really like being Mommy or even Mom. Although, 3 seems too young for her to already be shortening it to Mom.

I've been tardy

I've had a couple of comments about my lack of posts. I meant to do it last weekend, but it just got too busy that I was never near the computer. Every evening this week we were either busy or I was exhausted & pretty much was a lump on the couch. So now, here I am & I really am not in the mood to say too much because I have been looking through our pictures since I haven't printed anything since early SUMMER!!! I have selected over 100 that I want printed, so I am hoping there is a sale on right now.

Anyway, here's some of what we've been up to.

Hiking
We took the kids hiking & I have been looking forward to them getting older so that we can do this more often. Sydney however informed me that we have done this three times now (which actually is correct) and she doesn't want to do it anymore. I guess I can hold out hope that Jason will enjoy it more. Especially when he can walk fast enough that we don't subject him to the stroller or the carrier (especially when his dad walks him into branches).


No More Highchair
In an effort to improve supper hour, we took Jason out of the high chair & put him in a booster seat. He still needs to be strapped in, but at least he isn't screaming as often to get out & we can better prevent him from getting his foot up on the table. Since this picture, the chairs have been reorganized. Jason was constantly grabbing Brad's arm during meals & his hands are never very clean- so the kids each sit at the heads of the table now & all is much better. Although, Sydney did her first flip off the chair today because she was leaning over too far.


Thanksgiving Preparation
Jason got his first taste of licking the beaters.


Rockton Fair

Going to the Rockton Fair is becoming our annual tradition. This year we went first thing Monday morning & the timing was perfect. We beat the heat (or most of it- Sydney & I were cooking on the Ferris Wheel) and most of the crowds. Considering the rain that occurred on the weekend, anyone who wanted to go & didn't hit it on Monday. Thankfully most of them were coming in as we were leaving.

This picture is from last year at the Fair. I cannot get over the change in Sydney. Especially after spending 2 hours going through our pictures from the last 6 months.

Woo hoo!!!

She wasn't scared at all.

Apple Farm

Another one of our annual traditions. Sydney was a very good apple-picker, but Jason was not letting go of his apple.

Splash A

Sydney started her first solo class yesterday. I was very impressed with how well she was for me to leave her alone in her class, listened to the teacher, and was a very good girl the whole time. She even made a new little friend.

Jason started his swimming lessons this morning, but no pictures of him yet. Daddy took him & Sydney & I stayed home and did some painting.

Granddaughter clock

Did you know there was such a thing as a granddaughter clock? We are going to have to start referring to Graham & Dale as the crazy clock people. They literally have more than 30 clocks in the house.

Happy Birthday Papa!

You wear 66 well!

Could we take a worse picture?

Kernscliff Park

Yesterday we enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking a walk on the Bruce Trail. I thought I was going to a good trail for the Chariot, but man was I wrong. The hills were much bigger than I remembered & Julia (who was Jason's companion in the stroller) did not like it. I also needed Tara to help me get it up one of the hills. I couldn't quite get it pushed all the way up.

Sydney & Evelyn had a great time, but on one of the hills Sydney got going down so fast that she couldn't stop herself. The trail is lined with wood chips, so she had a soft landing before I managed to run & catch up to her- but her face is pretty scratched up. I tried to tell her that she learned a very special lesson about inertia- she wasn't really buying it. So the walk got turned around after that & we headed back to the car which when you are letting 2 three-year-olds & a one-year-old (Julia did not want back in the stroller) make there own way- that was a long enough walk anyway.

Julia was much happier out of the stroller

Evelyn also learned how to pee in the bush. Never ending opportunities to teach new lessons when you are out with little kids. I do think that this lesson will be much easier with Jason than trying to teach a little girl to squat & not pee on her leg.

Dropping the morning nap is tough-
can't quite make it to lunch sometimes.

We may have had some bumps & bruises, but fun was had by all.

This is a picture that Brad would have deleted when taking them off the camera because she is not smiling, but this facial expression is one that she has quite often- it's her.

She says the funniest & cutest things

They often say that kids will say the darndest things & it really is true. There will often be a moment in the day that Sydney will say something & it will strike me as particularly cute, funny, or even odd. Of late, here are a few of my favourites:

• "Jason, I'm so impressed"
• "Mommy, look at what your son did!"
• "Momma" (not my favourite & not sure where it came from)
• "That smarts!" (we taught her to say this instead of crying when she bumps into something, but it is still cute to hear her say it)
• "I liked spending the whole day with just you" (she had her hands on my cheeks when she said this which added to the cute factor)

Finally, there is the Halloween costume discussion. We have a tiger costume that Regan wore for her first Halloween & Sydney wore for her first Halloween. Last weekend we got it out to be sure that it would fit Jason & it does. Before I tell you what Sydney said, first I will give some background. Over a year ago & for a reason I don't even remember, Sydney assigned us all animals. Brad is a tiger, I am a monkey, Jason is a polar bear & Sydney is a panda bear. If I ever call Jason or Sydney a monkey because they are being silly, she is very quick to correct me & tell me that I am a monkey.

Last weekend she asked Brad why Jason was going to be a tiger for Halloween. He told her that we had a tiger costume & that maybe Jason wanted to be a tiger, just like she was going to be Cinderella. Sydney told Brad that "Jason could be a tiger for Halloween, but then he goes back to being a polar bear!".

Walter Gretzky

You know Canadians are wild about Wayne Gretzky when they will stand in line to get an autograph or photo from Walter Gretzky. On Thursday night Brad & I went to the Leafs game. The Leafs were playing the Phoenix Coyotes & I am sure that Walter came to see his son's team play. I hope he enjoyed the first period because once the first intermission hit, he had a stream of people coming to him for the rest of the game. We were seated 8 rows behind him & I couldn't help wonder at all the people who were going to see him to get an autograph. I realize that his genetics created a great hockey player who is idolized by many Canadians, but really what do you do with the Dad's autograph???

First Steps to First Walk

Since I was tardy in getting the video uploaded after "the big bang" last week, it is here now for you to see & compare with his improvement. The first video is from just before the fall- I could not watch the video where he fell- it got deleted. The second video was taken tonight. Only a few steps, but he actually seems to be trying to control his movements which is a huge improvement over having him lunge at you.






As you can see, Sydney is not so impressed by the whole deal.

btw...I have been trying to get Blogger's video upload to work for me, but it won't load without a Title & doesn't allow me to add a title- Carrie can you help???

First Official Walk

Technically speaking "the fall" last week would count as Jason's first steps, but tonight is his first official walk. He was walking back & forth between Brad & I (about 5-6 steps) with control- not propelling himself forward at you. He also did a couple of turns along the way too! I am trying not to pay too much attention to how much his right foot turns in when he walks because apparently they won't do anything about foot placement until a child is about 6 years old.

Sydney was not too impressed by our excitement over this event, she wanted to continue playing the games in her Sesame Street magazine. We tried to explain to her that this was a really big deal for Jason & tried to involve her- but she lasted a couple of minutes & went back to doing her thing.

Congratulations Sandi & Curt

Yesterday Sandi became Mrs. McLaughlin. The ceremony was held in Uncle Don's & Aunt Debbie's backyard and it was beautiful. You could tell that Sandi is one of those girls who has been planning her wedding since she was a little girl & I think that she succeeded in bringing her dream to life. The weather could have been a little warmer for her, but thankfully the morning did not bring rain forcing her to put aside all their hard work & preparations to have the wedding in the church. We were wondering what was going to happen when just as they were signing the registry rain did start to come down. But it ended almost as quickly as it started & it was only a little sprinkle- but a cold one!

Sandi remembers being a little girl & dancing at Kim & Pete's wedding & those of her other Aunt's & Uncle's weddings- so she did invite Sydney too. I was so thankful that we didn't bring her because it would have been such a long day for her & we really weren't done dinner & speeches until 2 hours after she is typically in bed. So Sydney & Jason stayed with Uncle Robb & Aunt Michele & had a great time on their own.

Sydney would like to thank both Aunt Debbie & Sandi for remembering to send her a birthday card last week. With everything that they had to do it was nice that they took the time to think of Sydney. She was VERY excited to get mail again. And we learned that mail that comes in a pink envelope is greeted with much more excitement than any other colour.

The stage is set

The groom very nervously waits

First come the bridesmaids, including Cara

Then finally the one he is waiting for
& she has a tear in her eye (I think Dad did too)

But after it is all said & done, he is much more relaxed
(but Sandi looks like she is freezing)

The damage

Almost a week has past & Jason's head is healing nicely. He now only has the scab in the one spot which got the most pressure against the wall. There don't seem to be any psychological affects either. He is still eager to walk with anyone who is willing to help him & he will even hold out his arms to Sydney for her to pull him up & take him on his way. Thankfully she doesn't comply with his request.

Older than I've ever been, younger than I'll ever be...

...that was the theme of the birthday card I received from my sister & brother-in-law. This morning Sydney jumped in bed & wished me a Happy Birthday & asked me how old I was. I just told her that my age had a 3 in it too. Getting older doesn't really bother me, but it does make me stop when I realize that I am much closer to 40 than I am to 30.


I had a good day. I took a vacation day with the intent of getting a bunch of things done around the house, scrapbooking & getting a pedicure. I got some scrapbooking done & the pedicure, but not one thing got done around the house.

On the weekend Jason was starting to try and take a few steps, so I thought I would try to cap off my birthday with his first official walk. So after supper Sydney & I were trying to help him. It was very cute to see Jason walk toward Sydney, so I told Brad to get the camera. Unfortunately, this caused too much excitement for Sydney & Jason with the result her toppling over with him in her arms & his head scraping against the bricks. Looking back, yes I should have known that this might happen. The video upload isn't working right now, but I will try to post the video before the fall.

The birthday party

Yesterday was Sydney's birthday party. We had it at Lowville Park & the weather was perfect. The only bad thing was the amount of bees swarming around- luckily no stings though. The kids played on the playground, ate lunch & cake, played kick the shoe & then played in the river with the little nets that we put in their loot bags. I hope fun was had by all, because Sydney had a great time. Brad & I drove separately, so I left first with Jason to get him home for a nap. He crashed before we got out of Lowville. Sydney followed shortly after with Brad & she crashed before he even pulled out of the parking lot. Sydney & Jason slept for over two hours- which is unheard of in this household- so I think they were definitely tired.

Ellie

Ellie's sister, Katie

Emma

Alina (& Matthew, Emma's brother, is in the Snuggli)

Evelyn

Julia, Evelyn's sister, & Jason

When the wind keeps blowing out the candle, improvise.

Kick the shoe before getting in the river.

Sydney's crayfish

Three Years Old

Miss Sydney

According to child development theories the past year was supposed to represent "the terrible twos". A time where you are branching out, learning more about what is around you, what you can do, & 'knowing' what you want or don't want. Truthfully, the two's didn't seem too bad. We probably have enough fingers to count how many tantrums you had over the past year & even those were pretty mild compared to what we have observed others do (your brother for example). For you I wouldn't classify the last year as 'the terrible twos', but I would call it the year of crying. For a little girl who hardly ever cried at all from the time you were about 6 months old- you certainly became a sensitive wee thing over the last year.

There was a time that you would fall and have numerous bruises & we wouldn't have any idea where you got it or what happened, because you would never cry. Now, if you do anything as simple as bump your toe you cry & want us to kiss it. Lately Mommy & Daddy are not willing to play that game with you- we trying some tough love. I am thinking that your brother has something to do with your crying. You've loved him from the moment he was born, but I do think that you have missed the solitary attention you once got. Imagine what it would have been like if you were older when he was born?

You are quite a chatty thing & you speak very well. You still have trouble with your fff sounds & they all are still shh sounds, but you are willing to let us work with you to a certain degree to fix that. We are getting tips from Noreen- although she might start charging us soon for private consultations. You are still a book lover. Now it is neat to watch you because you will pick up some of your books and tell us or your baby what the story is about. You also will bring us books & ask us to help you because you don't know the words. Your Daddy & I are both thrilled that you love books so much & hope that it continues. You have been a good role model for your brother because he too is becoming more interested in stories.

Baby is your constant companion. You play with her, read her books, take her for walks in her stroller & sleep with her at night. The past few months there have been many phases of naked Baby, but Daddy refuses to let you leave the house with her naked- so I think we are starting to leave that phase again. Besides your kitchen, she (& her accessories) is really the only toy you play with. You still like puzzles, but have not been playing with them as much lately. You just got some new ones for your birthday- so maybe your interest will be renewed. What you do like is anything related to crafts. Painting, colouring, stickers, using scissors, & stamping. You love it all & thankfully will sit with that activity for awhile- which makes it more worthwhile to get out.

You go to daycare 3 or 4 days a week & although you have fun when you are there, you keep telling us that some days you don't like going to Jo's. It seems that you are the one who is having the most difficulty adjusting to Mommy going back to work. You also have not liked sharing your Mondays at Grandma & Papa's with Jason. Now that you are only there every other week, the Sunday nights that you have come home with us have been tearful. Lucky for you though, Mondays Jo takes you guys to the library which you love. So leaving Grandma & Papa's is tough, but getting you to Jo's Monday morning is not so tough.

Now that you are getting older, it is neat to see the difference in how you play with your friends. Before now, it would be a bunch of kids in the same room playing with toys, but not really playing together. Now, you will actually play together for a period of time. You also love when your friends will come play in your room with you. You really seem to like your room & you will often spend a lot time there by yourself looking at all your books.

You really are a sweet little girl. You are considerate of your friends, you are great with your brother (most of the time), and you do a pretty good job of listening to your Mom & Dad. If I had to pick two things right now that you do that drive me crazy, it would have to be (1) the crying and (2) the dawdling. Eating meals, unless it is something you love, is often quite painful. I don't want to be the Mom that insists that you eat everything on your plate- I just wish you would pick up the pace a little bit. Getting dressed is another adventure sometimes. You want to do it yourself-which is great- but your selection & time makes me cringe.

Next year we will be getting you ready for school & the thought of that already brings tears to my eyes.

Sad trip home from the mailbox

Tonight was Brad's "drink night" with his work buddies, so I was running solo. We had a quick & simple supper so that we could play outside before it was time for me to get Jason ready for bed. We went for a walk to the mailbox & on the way Sydney asked if there would be another pink envelope for her. GG sent her a birthday card a couple of weeks ago which was pink (GG was a little early with the card) & now Sydney is in hopes of receiving another one. She was also saying that she didn't want to open it right away, she wanted to save it until her birthday to open (she doesn't get that from me!).

In retrospect I know that I gave Sydney the wrong answer. I told her that since Saturday was her birthday there might be a card in the mail. I was thinking that Brad's parents always mailed her card, but I was wrong. We opened the mailbox & there was a card, but it was for me not her. She literally dropped to her knees on the sidewalk & started sobbing. I was so totally caught off guard by her reaction I stood there a little stunned for a minute. I told her that she could open my card if she wanted & she could save it to her birthday, but the damage was already done.

Had I known how upset she was going to be that she didn't get a card in the mail today, I would have lied & told her my card was hers. She never would have known the difference. I think tomorrow's trip to the mail will involve preparing her for the event that there is not a card there. With a silent prayer that we find one inside anyway.