2014 Christmas/New Years...

Aside from the fevers/chills that wouldn't end Christmas was very nice this year. First of all, the boys are way more into it than any previous year. I almost caved several times and let them open some presents. We did agree to let them open the ones from my parents/friends on Christmas Eve to appease them a little until the next morning.

Rima (Mike's sister) got to visit for Christmas with her husband and son this year which made it all the more special. We had dinner Christmas Eve and then Rima & Greg stepped out for Midnight Mass but because of all the waking up every night I was just too beat to go this year. We set out Santa presents and Rima set out all the things that she brought. We didn't make them wait too long that morning before they got to open the gifts.

We ended up sleeping in the same house for 3 nights which was very nice. We didn't have to worry about leaving and coming back, we could sit and watch movies as late as we wanted and wake up & have breakfast together the next day. We were able to get some nice family pictures too. The first time we tried to take a family picture, G wasn't there (which we didn't notice at first). Everyone came over to the stairs and we set up (I kept thinking there was something wrong) & I put the timer with 9 shots. I went to check on the pics and all of a sudden, G came from the dining room (he was busy playing his tablet in the kitchen and was oblivious to the commotion in foyer) and turned the corner and just looked at us sitting on the stairs. All of us broke into "Gaby!" and started laughing, not believing we did the pics without him.

The boys took a bath in grandma's bathtub (which they love) & afterwards J combed G's hair. As he was combing it he said "Gaby you have really curly hair."

New Years was very calm (especially compared to Christmas) but we were all okay with that. Mike's parents spent the night and we all toasted at midnight. The champagne we had on hand wasn't very good so we drank more of the sparkling grape juice the boys had :)

And just like that our Christmas break was over.

Out with the Old, in with the New & Old is back again...

The boys didn't go to school for most of December. Starting the first full weekend of December we went to daddy's work Christmas party for kids which entailed being at the Cineplex early Saturday morning to meet Santa and to watch The Penguins of Madagascar movie. They really enjoyed both but unfortunately afterwards we had to make a quick stop at the walk-in clinic for me. I had a throat infection which kept me from sleeping much the night before. Poor Elias and daddy were up with me after 5 a.m. I got meds and then we went to our yearly friend Christmas party that night. Unfortunately, Jacob developed a fever and cough and wasn't feeling nearly as perky as he should. Elias was a little jealous of the attention and tried pretending he was sick (pretended so much that on Monday he really did start coughing). From that day Monday on, Jacob did not go to school. The other 2 went to school for 3 days that week and then were off. Gaby came down with 5th disease (or slap in the face disease) because it looked like he got slapped in the face (one cheek was really red one day and then the rest of his face got pink/red). They kept getting mild fevers (100ish or below) so I couldn't send them to school the whole week after either. We went to school to give their teachers a gift on the last day & found out their main teacher was leaving and going to another school. We were very happy we could see her one last time before she took on her new job.

The weekend right before Christmas (Sunday/Monday morning) Gaby woke up with serious chills and kept telling me nothing was wrong. I got scared and took him the ER. Turns out he had just an ear infection but he kept getting the chills every night. Looking back, I wonder if he had the flu because the weekend after New Years Mike got a fever and it finally broke this past Wed. On Friday, I got a note from Jacob's teacher saying he was complaining of a headache and stomach ache & he really wouldn't eat much unless she sat beside him. He ended up getting a fever yesterday afternoon and still one today. I hope it's gone soon & not many others catch it. We are ready for everyone to be healthy!

Come & Gone...

September & October have come & gone and November is almost on its way out. With these passing's many memories were made.

September:
17th - Mike & I celebrated our 9th marriage anniversary. Some days I can't believe its been that long and other days I feel like I've known him my whole life. No matter what, I cannot imagine my future without him.

19th - We got to visit my cousin in Detroit. It was so awesome to finally have our kids playing together. The kids have asked to go back and play with them & she's told me her kids have asked about ours. I hope to have more play times soon!

28th - We went to Frootogo Farms & picked apples courtesy of Mike's work. The boys had a great time & we even got to go on a tractor ride. It wasn't a super long ride but it took us to the back pumpkin patch and you could pick as many as you wanted. We let the boys each pick one and then we got a free one with our work coupon.

October:
16th - My mom flew in for the boys' birthday weekend. The boys had no idea she was going to come. When Mike & I went to the bus stop to pick them up, my mom hid behind us and as they came down the stairs we separated and showed them who was between us. J seemed a little thrown back by it and E gave her a hug then asked if Autie (Angelina) was waiting at the house & G didn't even pay attention (he was too busy waving to people on the bus) until we called his name and he finally saw her.

17th - Luckily they didn't throw too big of a fuss the next day & went to school with the promise that we were coming to bring cupcakes for them & their class. When we got there, the boys were wearing birthday crowns and had a birthday button and a bracelet (in their color of course). They were just finishing up lunch and then we gave everybody their cupcakes. They had a hard time letting us leave without them, which their teacher noticed, and she just told us that they were just going to go outside and play for the rest of the day if we wanted to take them home. The boys were super excited to leave and so we gathered their things and headed to Walmart to pick up some last minute items for their party the next day. My dad and brother made it on their flights that night but came in after the boys had already went to bed.

18th - Their birthday party went off really well. The boys woke up and heard my dad snoring in the adjoining room so G & J (E was sleeping with Mike & me) went off to investigate where the noise was coming from & then ran back to their room. They were excited to see grandpa and even found Andrew in another room. We had a good time at their party & Mike made balloon animals/shapes for the kids (I got a crown!).

19th - My dad had to leave because he had to be at work school on Monday & couldn't get out of it. We spent the rest of the day at the mall & just enjoying each other.

20th - We picked up the boys from school & we finally got to see them play outside! It was so cute to see them running around & I was impressed that they had big tricycles for them & G & E were busy riding a couple (they have over a dozen of tricycles).

21st - Mom and Andrew had to go home but we really enjoyed their visit & can't wait for the next time.

22nd - The boys took their first field trip and it was to Puddicombe Farms. It was so cold but at least we didn't have to be there the whole day. They did pretty well but at the end, they had to leave me and go back to school on the bus and that was hard but they did it.

23rd - We finally changed our garage doors! It was so exciting to get that done and they look beautiful.

29th - Unfortunately, the KC Royals didn't win the World Series but they put up a hell of a fight! Watching & cheering all the way from Canada made me so proud to be from KC!

31st - Halloween!!! With this, the school hosted a Move-A-Thon fundraiser. All the FDK were in the gym for an hour in their costumes, dancing along to music. It was so cute to see all these little guys dressed up! I was impressed with G and how outgoing he was. He danced almost the whole time. There was a little girl that kept following G around and they danced together & held hands. It was so cute! They were even wearing the same costume (batman/batgirl).
It was drizzling a little when the kids started out for trick-or-treating but not too bad & it let up eventually. I took the first leg and went north with the kids. G old just about everyone as soon as they opened the door that E was the Hulk. Once we got back to our house, Mike took them the other way & after they got to the T in the street, they were done and wanted to come home. They walked away with quite a loot!

November
Feels like the kids have been sick for most of this month & G or J has been home off and on at least once a week.
7th - G tells me that his throat hurts and he can't swallow & he has a little fever. I kept him home and took him to the walk-in the next day and surprise surprise, he has strep again. When he saw the meds the pharmacist was putting in the bag, he said "That medicine again?" Very observant, little one!

11th - Got one last day of good weather so the kids got to play in the leaves outside while daddy winterized everything. As they ran from the deck to the pile of leaves they shouted "Cannonball!!!"

13/14th - The kids had a scheduled PA day so Mike took the day off and we booked Fallsview Indoor Waterpark in Niagara. We took the kids out of school a little early on Thursday & headed to the falls. It was a total surprise and they had no idea. When we got to the hotel they thought we were just going to swim in the hotel pool and were getting upset when we went outside to head towards the park. Once we got in though, they were in much better spirits and were excited. E & J were not chicken and went down some of the big water slides (unfortunately they weren't tall enough to go on every slide but they still had a fair amount they could go on). G was a little chicken & wouldn't try even the short slides they had. The next day we were at the park by 10:30 and J got cold pretty quickly. It didn't feel as warm at first but once you got used to it it was good. At least the temperature inside the park was warm and you were comfortable in shorts or your suit. As we were waiting on the structure for Mike to come down one of the body slides, G left my side and went a floor below us and just went down the small yellow water slide by himself. I was so impressed, I couldn't believe that he chose to do it finally. Once he went once, he couldn't stop going! I would say he went down that slide about 50 times. He also tried the small green slide they had and I was impressed because part of that was in a tunnel. He wouldn't go on the bigger slides even though they were just a little longer but at least he tried the others. Bigger ones will come later ;) Maybe we'll go to a park where he can actually go down with us and he won't be so nervous.

Chugging Along...

Two whole days without a tear at the bus stop, woohoo! J actually gets excited to tell me bye from his seat. They still object a bit when they know they have to go again the next day (& have some cracking voices the night before about it) but when they wake up and are at the bus stop we are okay. My voice cracks a "little" as I wave and tell them bye, but at least my heart isn't hurting after.

I've been sort of productive in my days. I have had to do a few errands lately (which seem to eat up all my time!) but at least I'm getting out & enjoying these last of these nice days. I cleaned a lot of the house yesterday & today did a couple of errands & had time to do some crochet & go on a bike ride with Mike when he got home from work. We discovered two new parks & saw some "whoa big" houses that are close by. Who knows, maybe some stuff off the "to do" lists will get crossed off soon ;)

First Full Week of School!....

Welcome to our test week. Since the school staggered them in last week this is the first time the boys have had to go to school everyday (let alone 5 days in a row).

On Friday (first time getting on the bus by themselves to school), J had some mini meltdowns. He was fine in the morning, until it was time to put on our shoes to go to school. He started crying right then and all the way to the bus stop. The lady whose house we stand at is super nice (& her daughter helps direct my wee ones on the bus) went inside and got some tissues for all of us (I say all because he even got some of the other moms crying). When I asked him why he said because he was worried about me. What a great boy! He went on the bus anyway when it came (with the chapstick in his backpack) and would just turn around and between crying hiccups say "I love you mommy, I'll miss you". Ugh, I had a hard time keeping that together. They all sat side by side and the bus pulled away. My heart was torn.

Fast forward through the weekend (& some runny noses, bleh) & last night we had 2 in tears that didn't want to go (E & J). Not what I needed. I hoped by morning time they would be better. My hope was crumbled as I woke them them up & they immediately start crying after finding out they have to go to school. Being by myself in the morning is rough when I have wee ones crying & trying to get their lunches ready but somehow we pulled through this morning. I found 3 pictures in my purse that had their dad and me in them and asked who wanted what pic and then we put them in their backpacks. Whenever they wanted to "see" us they could just look at it. We brought tissues this time and they did pretty well. J looked back a little in line and said he'd miss me but without nearly the same amount of hiccups. E didn't cry at the bus stop but he had a frown on his face which I tried to distract out of him by showing him the crew that was working on the house next door. That cheered him up some (I also did much better and only had a slightly cracked voice instead of tears). When they came home later, they were in better spirits and they all said they had a good day. J said he got to play with playdough & they all got to paint (which is the main thing they all wanted to do at school). When it came time to go to bed and get our things ready for school the next day they replied with "I already went". So far G is the only one not really complaining but what I gather (my boys are not too talkative about school and I think I'm missing some key information on what they do share) is that he is actually playing with other kids while E & J are not. E & J are sitting during recess and acting miserable (which I think is weird because that's the time to run). I went to the school today to see what happened during recess (& hoped to see them) but I guess I wasn't on the right recess shift. I did see the little kids and big kids on the same playground (not the smaller one I envisioned) which made me happy. I also saw hundreds of kids just running around and chasing each other & hoped my 3 were doing the same but I guess not. Hopefully it continues to get better for them, especially once they have all the supplies in their room that they're supposed to have (like the sand box and water stuff that the other classrooms have).

front to back: J, E G

front to back: J, E, G

On a side note, the boys got new bikes on Friday! Their poor legs were just getting too long for their tricycles.


Wish us luck for tomorrow's bus stop!

We Survived!!!

The first day of school is finally over and I'm happy to report we all survived!

I first started waking up around 6:15, worried that I'd oversleep or not have enough time to do everything. I would go back to sleep but would look at the clock every now & then. I finally got up at 7:10 and started getting myself ready for the morning. If we were taking them in the van I'd have to look semi-presentable at the school. G woke up after me all smiles. I asked him if he was ready to go to school and he said yes. I finished getting ready and then woke up the other 2. They were all smiley and happy that they were going to go. I got their lunches all ready & made everything fit. They ate all their breakfast and got dressed. We were early in getting ready so I was able to take a few pictures at the house. We even saw the kids getting on at their bus stop. Gaby started worrying that he wasn't going to school since he didn't get on the bus. I had to keep explaining that today was a special day & that mommy and daddy were going to take them so we could meet their teacher.

We finally piled in the van and were on our way! I asked if they were excited and all said yes. We found where all the other kindergartners were and waited patiently. They were still okay at this point. The problem came when the bell rang to go inside. Jacob had a meltdown. "No mommy don't go" "I don't wanna stay" "I'm done" (of course, all while screaming & tears in his eyes). I tried to calm him down and get him back in line but he wasn't having it. Luckily the other 2 were good and weren't really paying attention. I asked if I could help him get in his class and they said yes. This calmed him down some but he was still really nervous. I helped him in and after the anthem and prayer got his backpack hung up. He then went back to meltdown mode (especially since there was another little girl that was having one with her mommy too). I racked my brain for something that could calm him down and finally settled on giving him something of mine to hold on to. All I could find in my purse (that I would be willing to lose) was chapstick but it worked. I asked him to keep it in his pocket and if/when he was sad he could hold on to it and remember I love him. He calmed down enough to sit down with the other kids on the carpet. He looked back and I waved at him from the window & he waved back & seemed OK.

We drove home and relished in the quiet for a bit while we ate breakfast & filled in both grandmas as to what happened in the morning. We got ourselves ready for a day out on the lake since the weather was warm and we were kid free for 6 hours! We spent it at the Burlington/Hamilton Harborfront biking from one side to the other. We went from one side to the other (about 20km total) and then had lunch at Barangas. So happy for nice days!

They came home and were still in one piece as they came off the bus. Mike heard one of the girls from our neighborhood tell the boys that it was their turn to get off. I started asking them how their day was and E told me that Jacob whined because he missed mommy. I told him it was okay & that he'll get better the more he goes. I tried to ask them more and more what happened during their day and they didn't say much. J said he did "I spy with my little eyes" with his teacher. When I asked what they thought of the bus ride they collectively were in agreeance that it was great (J's exact words to be exact).

This is their first artwork for the fridge :)
The poem is so sweet:

The kissing hand poem
It's my first day of school, 
and I'm thinking of you.
I made this precious handprint, 
so you'll think of me too. 

On my first day of school, 
"The kissing hand" is what we read. 
It's about a raccoon named Chester, 
who did just as his parents said. 

Like the raccoon's first day of school,
I was scared and a little shy,
but because I thought of you,
I was brave and got by. 

All through the year, 
I'll make more things for you, 
so as I change and as I learn, 
you can share in the fun too!





All in all the main thing is that we survived. I know they know what to expect so I won't be as worried. They will always know that I am home waiting for them.

To My 3 Little Monkey's Before You Start School...

Today is the last night before you go off to Junior Kindergarten tomorrow. As I watch some of our home movies from the times before you were one, I have mixed feelings.

I am super thrilled for all the new experiences you will have. I know you'll be great boys in the class and have a lot of fun playing with all the new toys and new friends that you will make. There are so many new things for you to learn; about the world; about yourselves. I know I can't keep you home forever. I know each of you will grow up so quickly now; especially with all the learning you'll do. I hope for all of you to find a good friend, outside of your brothers, too. You 3 have a very special bond & I don't think anyone can break it but it will be good for you to find your own friends too.

They Make Me Smile!

I'm trying not to be "sad". Really, I am. I try to focus on the positive & know this is the right step for you. It's been such fun being able to be home everyday for the past 3 1/2 (almost 4 years). I've seen all your "firsts" & will witness yet another "first" for all of you tomorrow. I'm just thinking of all those funny moments that I will be missing from now on (& can't get recorded!). I have to admit, that there were some trying days (today was actually one of them) where everyone took a turn being bratty or cranky or whiny & I was really looking forward to having some time to myself. And then I got the sweetest hugs & the sweetest kisses and all of that melted away.

LOOK OUT WORLD, HERE WE COME!

Bottom line is...I Love You. I will be here for you always, whether you're in school or whether you're home. I can't wait to hear all the fun stories you're going to bring home.