My big girl on her first day!

my-big-girl-on-her-first-day, a photo by karrajones on Flickr.

Someone started her first day of kindergarten yesterday!

It went well. Based on what I could surmise, there might have been some busing hiccups (her bus drops off at her school and another one right next door so I'm not sure if she got off too early) but she made it home and she had fun.



She had gym class (her gym teacher is a boy like R and Daddy). She has two friends but can't remember their names. And her teacher is a little bit old (this was her comment upon meeting her teacher at the open house last week).


She was a little shell shocked when she got off the bus. Apparently she took a wee nap on the way home and there was three kids in her seat on the bus. The school lets out shortly before 4pm and she didn't get home until 5:15pm!



They warned us that the buses would run late both for pickup and drop off because of the need to learn faces and buses.

She has today off (they stagger the kindergarten start) and tomorrow is the first day of the rest of her kindergarten career! Now, if only R will keep taking naps....!

Some links to stories about us

Here are some links to my 365 Project where both human and furry family members are featured!

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/day-208-my-vintage-boy/

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/day-206-treasure-map/

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/day-204-a-day-at-the-beach/

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/day-201-youve-come-a-long-way-baby/

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/day-200-say-cheese-and-crackers-mommy/

http://islaycorners365.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/day-155-high-fashion-eye/

How big they've grown!

I am finally getting around to updating our household photos and came across this one of the two monkeys when R was about a month old (so full term). How much they have changed in two years!

 

The new ride

R got a new tricycle for Christmas. Until now, its lived in the basement as a rocking horse type ride. Tonight he got to try it out in the garage!

My flower girl!

It has don't nothing but rain this whole week. This March Break has been very wet. We desperately need the rain but it would be nice for a bit of a break in the rain just for a few hours!

We also realized that someone has outgrown her raincoat. I scored a really cute purple one when T was just a baby and now she's out grown it, at least in the arms. She's had a height growth spurt too!

When she tried this one on at Target, she was in L.O.V.E. I bought the boots on clearance a few seasons ago for the day her feet too would outgrow her beloved Hello Kitty boots.

While Big Sister is away.....

the Little Brother will try on her Dora sunglasses! Have no fear, he has his own Thomas ones in the car!

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My little punk girl

I so rock pink and brown

R modelling his sister old rain hat!

Yeah, the girls like me for my ears!

Trying out the Easter ears a month early!

A belated Happy Valentine's Day...

I am currently sitting at my desk, listening to T scream from her room, where she is currently spending some time out minutes. Lately she has been more of a challenge than usual.

Someone said when they turn 5, you reach the promised land of child rearing, they listen, do what they are told etc. Well, we have two months to go and we've got miles and miles before we reach the promised land.

Yesterday, I wanted to do something Valentine themed for my 365 photo project...I thought if T folded her hands in the shape of a heart I'd get a shot of that...ask and you shall not receive.

I got a modified heart that moreso resembles binoculars. The tongue sticking out was just a bonus!

How stinking cute is he?

R has started doing this whenever he gets excited about something, its just too cute. He is totally imitating his sister because she does the same thing but its just not as cute!

And what have you been doing lately?

Okay so all the guests have left and returned home. Christmas 2011 is over and reality check 2012 has started. What does this mean? Not much since the status quo has returned and life has returned to its hectic self.

S is working crazy like usual, I'm playing every role known to Mommyhood, T is back at preschool and all her activites (thanks GOD!) and R is busy doing whatever it is that R does.

I took on a challenge for myself this year. Its a project where you take a picture every day for a year. I've made it 15 days (that reminds me I have to post today's). Another 7 and it will be statistically considered a habit (in theory anyways).

The kids have been featured heavily as they are around the most. If its gets quiet here you can check out my Project 365 blog and see if there are any posts about the kids.

I'm hoping at the end of the year to compile a photo book of sorts, chronicling the year that was 2012.

Day 14

Day 13

Day 12

Day 5

Day 4

I think most of the shots were taken with my new lens, a Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 (love this lens!).

Enjoy the read!

Here is a bonus picture! Talia got all dressed up in her new Christmas jacket and scarf to go out shopping with me and her Nan. I think she looks a lot like me in this picture!

The tale of two strollers....

So one of the gifts we discovered T desperately wanted was a doll stroller. It was a only slight interest expressed until she got a doll for the preschool gift exchange 10 days before Christmas. Then it intensified.

What do you want for Christmas, T? A stroller for my dolly and Bart.

When her maternal grandparents arrived and asked what else she might like for Christmas, a stroller was at the top of her list. The local mega mart had a *pink* one for like $12. Perfect. It got bought without T even noticing it. Excellent.

Nan wrapped it and T unwrapped it Christmas morning. Fantastic, a happy kid.

All was well under the two other little eyes spied said stroller. R thought it was magnificent. He could walk around and push the stroller, until his sister screamed at him that it was hers!

R is still a little shy on his feet. Mainly because he is very very cautious and seems to be afraid of hurting himself. The stroller gives him some practice time on his feet and acts a balance aid.

He does have a push toy that does the same thing but it is big and bulky and doesn’t allow for the more precise navigation of the umbrella stroller allows. My child likes to cut the curves rather close.

So off to the only option for finding a blue stroller, Amazon.com. With a few clicks, we had an backup Blue (R’s lovey) and a blue stroller shipped our way.

Peace has returned. R has a blue stroller and T, a pink one.

The smile says it all!



Let the stroller races begin!



A boy and his favourite ride!

The Santa Phone

Like most parents, S and I spent the better part of the lead up to Christmas reminding T that she’d better behave or Santa wouldn’t bring her any gifts. She’s at the right age to understand Santa and what he does every year.

Being T, she asked how Santa would know if she was good or bad. I told her Mommies have a special phone that is a direct line to Santa to report any bad behaviour. That seemed to satisfy her.

That was until Christmas had come and gone. Post gift giving, she had a few moments when she wasn’t on her best behaviour. I told her if she didn't shape up, I would send her gifts back to Santa.

Of course, she asked how I would do that.

I told her I’d use my special phone to contact Santa, get a return mailing label and send it back to the North Pole (just like Amazon.com!). Okay that answered that, right? Not so much.

She then turned to my mom who was sitting next to her and asked Nan where she kept her phone. My mom looked at me rather perplexed, not sure what to say as she’d missed the previous discussion about gifts being returned.

I explained that T was referring to the Santa phone that mommies have to contact Santa. Again, T asked where Nan keeps her Santa. Nan, rather smartly, told T she couldn’t divulge its location. That answered that right? Not so much.

T then asked me again where I kept my phone. I told her my underwear drawer.

Where’s your underwear draw? She asked again.

I told her in my dresser but now that I had told her where it was I would have to move it.

And with that, that was effectively the end of that.

Christmas!

Stockings 2011 Pt. 1



Stockings 2011 Pt. 2



T and the Christmas tree 2011



R and his new cars



I knew it...



...It's my stroller!



How high can I lift my leg?!



Pink is a boy colour too...R liked T's stroller so much, several fights have ensued so we have a blue stroller on order...it arrives Thursday!

The lead upto Christmas in pictures!

T and her buds



The Bakers Two



Gryffin's ready for T to go back to school!



R is looking forward to 2012



GG and R

Dear Santa, I'm just not that into you!

So S had his Christmas party a few weeks ago. As usual they had photos with Santa set up. Its free so we generally get a picture.

Last year, it featured T with a strained smile, eagerly grasping her gift that 'Santa' had given her. Each kid in attendance gets a gift based on age.

BTW, T loves Santa. She always hello to the statuette we have on the front porch. She's also quite into Christmas movies of late. She even watch Disney's live action Scrooge, despite it being a little scary but not as bad as the b/w version.

Back to this year's Santa picture. We don't force our kids to go see Santa and we might have to rethink things next year after this year's stellar performance.

Normally, R is a very gregarious little man with a slow smile. He's not one to make majorly strange, at least as of now he doesn't. But apparently a fat guy in a red suit with a big beard changes all that.

Here's the photographic proof (sorry its a photo of a photo so not super great quality). And for the record, I love R's shirt but black is so not his colour. My little bad boy!

Out takes from the Christmas card photo session!

Random moment of cuteness while I checked my setup....if he had a moustache, he would like just like Uncle Lenny!



The ubiquitous Bart, he has to weasel his way into every photo...



No joke, Mom it was this big!



Oh, Mumma, I'm so over this!

Christmas Card Preview

Thought you might like an early preview of this year's Christmas card! Considering I threw it together in 20 minutes, not bad if I do say myself. I got T's dress at Goodwill for $2 (yes that is a 2) and Ronan still fit his good outfit from the summer. Presto a Christmas card picture!

I've discovered some fun photo editing techniques so I'm starting to integrate them into my photos. Enjoy!

Mothers lock up your daughters!



Ahhhh!



My little princess!

I felt the earth move under my feet....

...literally!

About five minutes ago, we had what I think was an aftershock from the 3 minor earthquakes that occurred near OK City this morning. There was a bit of rumbling. S was in the basement and I doubt he even felt anything. I know I felt something sitting at the kitchen table.

It started slowly, I thought it was just the wind, then it got a little more vibrating, the cupboard doors rocked a bit but not strong enough to knock anything down. I had just finished up putting up Round 1 of the Christmas decorations and none of them fell from their precarious perches so it wasn't too bad.

I know I'm not crazy because I checked out Facebook immediately (because isn't that what we all do in a crisis?) and a few friends (who like me are spending an evening in front of the PC and the Tube) commented about feeling the tremors.

Oh well, I can cross experiencing an earthquake off my bucket list if I had one!