And the winner is...

...the red dress! We took these pics just before we dressed the kid's in their winter coats and boots to take them to the party.
Too, too, cute!
Oh, oh, Jboy is loosing his hat. Better get this show on the road.
Will check in with more pictures over the weekend. Stay tuned.

Trying on dresses

Mommy's work Christmas party is this week, so before the big day Smudge had to try on some dresses to see if they fit. She wore this red one last year, and it still fits, so it is a possibility for the party.
and this green one is a hand-me-down from a friend and it fits too, so now she has two to choose from. What riches!
I'll let you know which one she chooses.

Jboy has a cute little red snowman sweater to wear, but we know it will fit, so he didn't have to go through the rigmarole of trying it on.

Getting ready for nap time...

Finally, we got a decent snowfall and the kids went out to give their new snow shovels a test run early the other morning.
Vroom, vroom, they're doing a good job clearing the deck.
Time to wash the windows...
then...tap tap tap at the window...Amma...we want to come in!
I think they were out longer than it took me to get them dressed, but I am not sure. Sigh! Seems like it takes forever to get them ready for the winter blast, and then another eternity get them undressed, wet clothes hung up and snow swept up from the mat and dumped back outside.

They both went down easily for naps after their time outside though... and Amma felt like she needed a nap too.

Everything old is new again

My parents bought this dresser and a matching crib, just before my brother was born in the early 1940's. I am not sure what the original finish was, but I think it was stained oak. It served my brother, me, my two younger sisters and lots of cousins before it was put into storage.
In the early 1970's when I was expecting Thesha - our first child and my parents first grandchild, I asked my dad if I could have the dresser for the nursery. It had quite a few coats of paint on it by this time, the last one being a blue and white Roxatone finish. Roxatone was a spray on gritty type finish that covered up lots of chips and dings nicely. Trouble being, it was ugly, looked pretty ratty after a few years, and was almost impossible to strip off. Dad lovingly tackled the job, stripped the kazillion coats of paint off, sanded it all down, repainted it a pale yellow for me and transported it from Toronto to Sarnia,(a four hour plus trip) in his truck. Ahh, what sweet memories pop out of every drawer each time I see it now.

I used it for Thesha and Althegal and put it into storage a few years ago. When Thesha was expecting Smudge she asked if she could have it for the nursery, so once again it was pulled out of storage, stripped down, sanded and repainted so it could take a place of honour in the nursery.

There is a matching crib that goes with it and I used it for our kids, but it no longer meets safely standards, so it is still sitting in storage. The wood in it would make a delightful toy-box, bench or table. Sadly it didn't get used for these kids, but maybe the next generation will use the wood for that purpose, so we keep it.

In the meantime the kids think the little closet in the dresser is a fabulous play area. They can both squeeze in in a pinch, but usually take turns.
One will go in with a flashlight, and the other will close the door. They sit in the dark for a few seconds then pop out and the other one goes in for a turn. The door unlatches easily with no chance of getting locked, so it is a safe cozy place for them to play.
Yes, everything old is new again.

Making the most of a dusting!

Another Monday morning, and all are healthy at our house again. Hope we stay that way!

So far we have only had a light dusting of snow in our area, but the kids made the most of it. One day last week when they started to feel better Smudge asked to go out and play. I thought the fresh air would be good for her, so I struggled with snowsuit, boots, mittens, and hat, and finally got her out the door. I then had to go through the whole routine again to get Jboy ready for the great outdoors. By the time he was all suited up and ready to go, Smudge was already down the steps and in the backyard. I sent Jboy out the door and went back to get my sweater and boots to help him down the stairs, as he could hardly move or see where he was going. By the time I got back to the door I saw that Smudge had come back up the stairs to help her brother down them. Warmed my heart it did! She was holding his hand as tightly as she could and was encouraging him to hold on tight to the rail with his other hand.
Once they were both safely in the yard I hunted up the only two shovels I could find, and they set to work clearing the snow. Jboy could hardly manage his, but he had fun dragging it around the yard.
They soon came back up on the deck and I shoveled the little bit of snow we had up there into a pile for them, and Smudge attempted to make a snowman. She didn't have much to work with, but had fun anyway. She came to the door and asked me for a carrot for a nose for Frosty, so I peeled one and gave her a small piece for her tiny snowman. She promptly ate the nose and continued her building.
Jboy puttered around looking cute but wasn't quite sure what to do. He could hardly bend over and moving was a tad difficult, so he soon clamored at the door to come in.
Smudge followed soon behind him, all rosy cheeked and fresh. I hope we have a lot of snowy, sunny days for them to play in this winter. I am sure that getting outside to play will help to keep them healthy and happy. It will give me lots of exercise bending and stretching to get them suited up if nothing else. Oh joy!

Getting ready...

...to open the Advent Calendars. Cute little elves huh?
We have been fighting a nasty flu bug all this week at the kid's place. Sigh! Jboy lost the battle last Sunday and was up all night with a sick tummy. Smudge and Daddy got it the next night, then Buppa and finally me. I went down with a thud last night. Groan! Mommy is the last one standing. Hope she stays that way.

The kids have snapped back and are in fine form once again, but the adults are a little slower off the mark. Hopefully by next week we will all be on our feet again and rarin' to go.

Stay healthy.

Jboy - after

Tried my best to get some shots of JJ's hair after his first haircut but he kept movin. Mommy couldn't bear to get it cut real short, so the stylist left a few curls this time. Thank goodness.
On this day, he is playing Superheros and the towel is his cape. I managed to get these shots as he was flying past me on his way to save the world from an evil villain or two.
And so off he goes on his quest.

Santa Claus Parade 2010

After we finished decorating the tree, we all bundled up in our warm clothes and headed downtown for the Santa Claus Parade. Smudge was all decked out in her Santa hat and ready for the fun to begin.
Jboy on the other hand was not too happy about the whole affair. Just as we got there a big fire truck went by with lights flashing and blasted its siren. That set Jboy off and he wasn't a happy camper at all.
Daddy had to take him away from the action for a while, and the Mommy and I stood along the parade route with Smudge. AC will be posting more pics on his blog soon so be sure to check it out too.
It was a cold night, but we were toasty and warm in our fur hats.
Soon it was time to go home and continue to party in the warmth.

Decorating the Tree

We gathered at the kid's place on Saturday to help decorate the tree. Well, mostly we sat back and took pictures while the kid's -with a little help from Mommy and Daddy - decorated the tree. Smudge was really into it this year, but Jboy had other things on his mind, and when he did go near the tree he removed the decorations instead of adding them. The rascal!
Don't you love the placement of the animals...
and the concentration it took to get them just right?
Smudge really took the job seriously this year.
She helped Daddy and Auntie Carly get things just right.
When Daddy had a bit of trouble getting Santa on the tree top...
Smudge had to lend a hand.
She was very pleased with the results.
Amma helped Jboy add decorations to the very bottom of the tree...
and Smudge continued to perfect the placement of the stuffed ornaments.
One last adjustment to the mirror ball...
and a tweak of the ribbon garland...
and the tree was decorated to perfection.

Busy Weekend

It's been a very busy weekend and lots of pics are on the camera, but haven't had a minute to upload and arrange any yet. Sorry Grandmama! Hopefully I'll have new pics of the Santa Claus Parade and Tree Decorating Party to share with you tomorrow. Stay tuned.

In the meantime here is a Good Morning hello coming your way from the munchkins while they eat breakfast.

Strange early morning sighting...

AC is usually up before me in the am, so when I groggily stumble out of the bedroom into the hall each morning, this is the sight that usually greets my sleepy eyes as I glance at the den doorway. Makes me smile every time!
I almost expect to hear chanting wafting out into the hall when I see AC in his winter-morning garb.

Haircuts

The Impy-Doodle has one fabulous head of hair, but Mommy thought it was time for his first hair cut, so the appointment was made for this week. I don't think Jboy was he was thrilled about the idea.
I took the picture below just before we left for Goobers Hair Salon and the big event. As you can see, his bangs don't have much curl, but the sides and back cascade with tight ringlets. Hmmm, what kind of cut to ask for?
We arrived at Goobers and big sister went first to show Jboy how it was done. Amma helped too.
Look JJ, you do it like this. First of all, chin down...
then look straight ahead, and keep as still as you can.
Jboy wasn't interested in the hair cut at all, he just wanted to ride in the fancy cars. Zoom! Zoom!
After some discussion between Mommy and the hairdresser...
Jboy's hair was sprayed with water...
and the golden curls began hitting the floor. Sigh!
As you can see, lots were left on his cute little head at the end of the cut though.
I'll try to get finished product pics to post tomorrow.

Ah magic

Smudge came for a sleepover last night and was quite excited to discover that the magic of Christmas lights and decorations had arrived at Amma and Buppa's house.
The lighting for this picture wasn't the greatest, but here she is sitting on the floor by the carousel listening to Christmas music while she watches the horses and polar bears and reindeer dance round and round on the Merry-go-round.

Amma and Buppa enjoyed watching her watch the lights. What fun!