Growing Up

Its something we cant avoid....Growing Up. I remember doing it, and now I look at my children and see them doing it. In a way it makes me sad. It makes me sad that my childhood is and always will be just a memory. It also makes me sad that my children ARE growing up. When I look at Kael I realize just how fast those first years fly by. Yesterday he was minutes old. Today he is nearly Four.

He started 'pre school'. Well thats what we call it. Its really just a 2 month program at the Kerry Wood Nature Center here in Red Deer. Its 2.5 hours twice a week. They spend the first half of the day playing inside and learning about whatever theme it is that day, then they spend the other half outside...even if its freezing cold and snowing! He LOVES it. When I pick him up hes excited to tell me about the animals he saw. His first class he saw an Owl. Another class he was lucky enough to see a Moose!!! Since then hes just been telling me about squirrels and birds but he is just as excited to tell me about those animals as he was about the Moose. My fridge has become full of little art projects he gets to do and I smile with the thought that these art projects will continue for the next 12 years, at least, and only get better and better. He is really excited about his next class on Friday. The theme is "twinkle twinkle little star". Ill definelty be bringing my camera to that one so I can get pictures of his face when he sees the black out dome filled with the images of little stars!!!

All ready to GO!

Waiting to go inside

Kaels first art project. A Bison. Decorated with recycled coffee grinds and yarn. How fun!

This is a painting he did. (with Crystal Light!!!). Do you know what it is???

its a Helicopter!!!! (obviously)

Todays theme was "bones". Decorated with Q-tips!

Our dear sweet Naveah. Shes a one of a kind type of girl. Such a quirky personality thats absolutely adorable but also so different its hard to get a real handle on her. Her mood changes just as often as Alberta weather and she sways between Tom Boy and Girly Girl. She loves to wrestle, growl, mimic noises and movies, play with transformers, tuck her 'babies' into bed and 'make food'. Shes very imaginative and it can be incredibly intense at times. While hanging out downstairs in the playroom one day she walked up to me with a plastic egg, opened it up and pointed at the 'tiny baby' that was inside. Must have been REALLY tiny cause I couldnt see it. Of course I didnt TELL her that. Moments later she statrted skrieking and I asked what was wrong. Apparently she dropped 'tiny baby' in the carpet and couldnt find her!!!! So with all the spare 'tiny babies' I keep in my back pocket, I simply handed her another one and "WALLA!" problem solved.

Naveahs Favorite, reading books with Daddy at bedtime.

...Beautiful!...


Making herself comfortable! (probably watching Toy Story!)




Jacek. My Big Little Boy is doing very well. He graduated from 'Newborn' to 'Baby' a week ago when we had to move him into size TWO diapers (*tear). We are finally settling into a manageable routine and "sleeping" has become part of my vocabulary once again. Night time feedings are generally only once a night now and I can usually get a good 3 hour nap out of him during the day. Hes a very happy little boy. Loves smiling and 'cooing' at anyone who will listen to him. He doesnt like to be left alone and will quickly kick up a fuss if there is no one in eyesight. Once he sees a face though he goes right back to smiling! I had to take him in for his vaccines today. Poor guy. I always feel so bad for them. He did pretty well though! hardly flinched for the first shot, the second however was a completely different story. We also weighed and measured today. Im not surprised at the results. Hes 10 weeks old, 14.06 lbs, and 24 1/4 inches long. Hes in the 95 percentile (not far behind Naveah who was off the charts until she was 9 months old!) and in the 70 percentile for proportion...so basically hes just big!

Still smiling even though he just got 'poked'.

Big Boy...

His first Band-aid, and he got TWO of them! :(

We all did a fun little craft last night while waiting for supper to be done....SnOwFlAkEs!!!! If you didnt make these as a child, you were seriously deprived. I have made thousands of these in my life time (one year filling my Dad's basement suite ceiling with them). I wanted to see how well Kael and Naveah would do. So this is not only their first time making snowflakes, it was the first time using SCISSORS!!! (I have a feeling my Mom just got a knot in her chest).They did much better than I did at their age and used the scissors for their rightful purpose, cutting paper!!! I had to help them a little with maneuvering the paper around but for the most part they did these ALL by themselves!

Waiting patiently for their turns. Had to show'em how it was done first!



Naveah trying so hard to make her snowflake!

All done!!!

Kaels Turn (he calls scissors`Dangerous`)

He kept saying ``Im playing careful with the Dangerous cause im a BIG boy``