Christmas Was...

- Our first fake christmas tree...no needles, no watering

- A little boy just learning about Santa and all the magic of the season

- A new fir scented candle

- Minimal mall madness and simple wish lists

- Cups and cups of wassail

- Parcels from the mailman, even on a Sunday

- Cookies

- Mischief, climbing, jumping and tumbling

- No airport madness, no luggage for us this year

- More ham than we know what to do with

- Toy Story 3

- A bathroom reno - white subway tile and a deep soaker tub

- An unexpected visit from Ian and Holly

- Early mornings

- Baking with a special helper

- Eric's Christmas eve arrival

- Skype chats with Grandparents and siblings

- Snuggly new PJ's

- Play dates and catching up with Toronto friends

- Planning for 2011 and pondering some big decisions

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Day!

Good Night, I Love You!

It can't get much sweeter than that!

Happy Halloween!

It was a year ago today that we donned the Star Wars costumes and made our Halloween debut as a family. This year was a bit more hurried. I just returned from 10 days in China on Thursday and the thought of putting my (jet-lagged) self in a costume was a little tough to bear (I think Carmon was happy with this too). Max on the other hand was totally game for a day of fun and quite adorable in his dinosaur costume.

This afternoon we headed over to a neighborhood restaurant that was hosting a kids Halloween party. Max and Reid had their usual squeals of delight when they saw each other. These two are serious BFF's!

Max must have known he was going to have Cheezies at the party...could this be why he refused to eat lunch before we left?

Happy Halloween! Hope you had a spooky day!

Fall

Fall is perfect in Toronto - it really is. The leaves are turning and the air is crisp, the lake sparkles and the sun seems brighter and happier these days. Max likes to stomp through the piles of leaves and say "crunch!".

new shoes

We are doing just great over here - it's been awhile since we've checked in. Max and I are flying solo at the moment as Carmon is busy at home with Harvest. Max has been on his best behavior and has been such a good little guy while daddy is away. He put on a very brave face for the first 10 days, but the last few days he has been asking frantically for "Daddy!" Carmon has been sending little video messages to us from his phone. Max and I have been watching them over and over again. His face lights up every time he watches and he blows kisses - it is adorable. Although, this is making me panic just a wee bit as I am scheduled to fly to China in about 8 days. I am not sure who will be more traumatized, Max or me...

September 1 - first day in his new daycare room

September was a flurry of activity - Max graduated to the Junior Toddler room at Daycare, it's official, he is a big boy now. That transition was not without some drama - it took him a few weeks to adjust to the new drop off but now we can really see that he is enjoying his new group and is making lots of friends. He has a few BFF's - Aiden, Sasha and Christian.

On the weekends he loves to play with Reid, Kylee and William. We had a great time at William and Kylee's birthday a few weeks ago and now his new favorite song is "Happy Birthday". We sing it a lot!

horsing around with Reid

a delicious birthday party

My mom also visited in September - Max calls her Gra'kra. She stayed for a week and it took Max a few days to stop from running down the hall to the spare bedroom in search of Gra'kra once she had gone.

We enjoyed the Cabbagetown festival and even sat and watched the parade. Max had his first balloon - we had to tie it to his hat so that it didn't fly away.

anxiously awaiting the fire trucks at the Cabbagetown festival parade

anchoring his new balloon

Riverdale farm is always a hit - but lately the animals are not the draw, it was the John Deere tractor that stole the show.

lovin' that John Deere

a paparazzi shot of Max and Grandma

We are looking forward to Halloween - this will be such a different experience from last year - I often stare at that picture of our first Halloween and wonder how that little baby morphed into this big handsome boy!

mmm...corn!

A Summer Wedding

While we were home in July, we also celebrated the marriage of my brother, Ian and his new wife, Holly! It was a perfect Friday afternoon - we are so very excited for you two!

Don't they look lovely?

Max did his best to stay still...a little snack held him over for a few minutes...

The wedding took place in my mom and dad's yard - where Carmon and I were married 3 years ago. It is the most perfect spot with its big trees and their leafy branches, the sun twinkles through them ever so nicely. And then there is the barn. We ate our meal in the loft of the red barn after the ceremony. We shared a delicious feast at one long table, big paper flowers hanging from the wooden rafters. A lovely spot for a celebration - fortunately the festivities didn't stop short that night as there was a whole lot of stompin' going on the next evening...more about that soon!

A Belated Happy Anniversary

Oh my dear! Our 3 year Anniversary has come and gone and I have yet to write a poetic little note about how much I adore my lovely husband. Happy 3 years! This has been a full year - and everyday I am thankful that I came across you, one sweet day...

Hooray! Hudson is Here!

While on holidays we anxiously awaited the arrival of our first Nephew. It was so exciting to be at home and get the call that they were in labour - everyone was on the edge of their seats...and finally! He was here!

Sebrina and AJ welcomed Hudson Aaron on July 19th.

We happily drove to Calgary to meet Hudson and catch up with Sebrina and AJ. What a lovely little bundle - congrats you two!

One Trac(tor) Mind

We are back from two weeks holidays in the Alberta Prairies, ah what a good time it was. Max is officially tractor obsessed - not sure I can blame him. It was heaven for a little boy - there were tractors, trucks and machinery everywhere. Max would happily announce "trac-tor"! at every sighting...there were a lot...I should have counted how many times we heard that word in a day. One night, fast asleep he muttered "tract-or", and the next night "bye bye tract-or". In the mornings he would stand up in his crib, point to the bedroom door and call "tract-or"! As we drove down the highway he would frantically wave at anything with 4 wheels and proclaim "tract-or"! We spent a good part of our days climbing in and out of vehicles and heavy machinery allowing Max to have his fix. It was worth every minute.

Bloody Wednesday

Mistake #1 - going to the mall on a perfectly beautiful summer's evening
Mistake #2 - allowing our child to have some fun
Mistake #3 - wearing a white shirt

...Max was getting antsy, it was time to let him free. All of the other kids were playing in this lovely, empty common area - nobody hangs out there except for children who need to blow off some steam and their exhausted parents. Max joined in on the fun and promptly tripped, and crashed face first onto the floor. By the time we scooped him up, there was blood gushing from his mouth and nose, poor little guy! I was very prepared - I had 2 tissues which seemed like the size of a postage stamp - good god, that wouldn't do! We managed to get the hell out of there, Max hysterical and both of us covered in blood. The evening didn't improve and Max went to bed with a fat lip and a sore little mouth. Perhaps we skip the mall from now on?

Hello Shadow!

Early Saturday morning...Max was introduced to his Shadow! We had a great time waving and making puppets on the wall. Now Max can spot his shadow wherever we go and will always wave and say hello.

Good-bye June!

It's been awhile - I know. Father's Day has come and gone and Carmon's birthday was yesterday - it is time that I got in gear! We have had some busy weeks - nothing new or even that exciting has been going on - just a whole lot of playing! We are enjoying the summer weather and we are spending our time outside as much as possible. If we are in the house, Max will look longingly out the back door into the yard and then he gets persistent, digging out our shoes and dropping them at our feet! It's hard to say no to this sweet little face.

As 17 months is nearly upon us, Max is really a little boy now. Running everywhere, making truck noises, chasing balls, chatting at every dog that passes him on the street. He is saying words like 'ball', 'duck', 'bye bye', 'dad', 'mom', 'nose', 'eye', 'book', 'car', 'tractor', and lot's of animal noises. He is a lot of fun, constant entertainment, and a whizzing little ball of energy. We spend a lot of time at the park and Max is getting very brave as he explores the great outdoors - sometimes a little too brave, resulting in a few spills lately. Today he fell face first into the sand - it was glued to his drooly face, up his nose, in his mouth and down his pants!

We are excited for July! There is a lot going on for us, heading home soon to celebrate my brother's wedding, stomp the night away at a barn dance, and welcome a new niece or nephew as Carmon's sister is ready any day now! Can't wait!

Where's Max?

Tonight - between the rush to get some dinner into this little boy's tummy and tidy up before bath time, we delighted in a little game of hide and seek...